Archive

  • Robber raids post office

    A ROBBER claiming to have a firearm raided a Bournemouth Post Office today. He struck at the Hillview Road branch around 5.30pm and made off with cash. He made threats but the two female assistants were left shocked but unharmed.

  • Hard, the herald angels sing!

    Before schmaltzy Christmas Number Ones came along, it was carols that provided the soundtrack to the festivities. They’re still popular today of course, but if carollers want to keep it that way they’ll need to be careful which songs they sing

  • Festive first for Blandford

    HUNDREDS of people flocked to Blandford for the town’s first Yuletide Festival. A children’s lantern parade, carol singing accompanied by the Band of the Royal Corps of Signals from Blandford Camp and a bustling market were among the attractions

  • Cherries: Rochdale pitch inspection

    CHERRIES' League One fixture at Rochdale on Saturday is the subject of a pitch inspection. The Spotland pitch is currently playable but temperatures are set to plummet overnight as the cold snap returns. The playing surface is being protected by covers

  • Plans to revamp Pavilion Gardens

    REVAMPED designs for Bournemouth’s Pavilion Gardens, including a multi-screen cinema, could be a reality by 2012. Yesterday councillors gave the go-ahead to developer Osborne Bournemouth Limited’s ideas for the town centre site. The aim is to get an

  • Flash weather warning issued over icy roads

    A FLASH weather warning is in force for Dorset on Thursday night until 11am on Friday for severe or extreme icy conditions. A band of heavy rain spread southwards across Britain on Thursday afternoon, but there are fears the temperatures will

  • Armed police raid house

    ARMED police officers were called to an address in Springbourne at 9.50am on Thursday. Elwyn Road was closed at its junction with Holdenhurst Road while officers investigated reports of a gun being handled in a threatening manner inside a house. They

  • Dorset Fire and Rescue escapes huge cuts

    DORSET Fire and Rescue Service has escaped the huge government funding cuts which had threatened 999 emergency cover. The service – that was braced for a grant reduction of up to 25 per cent – will receive £10,885,738 in 2011/12 compared to £11,001,258

  • Praise for Bournemouth's children's services

    BOURNEMOUTH children’s services are performing well, an Ofsted inspection has found. The majority of the town’s children’s services, including day care, education provision for very young children, adoption services, sixth-form provision, special school

  • Bike route for Boscombe shopping precinct?

    SHOULD a cycle route be built through Boscombe shopping precinct? That’s the suggestion from the chair of Bournemouth Cycling Forum. John Hayter said: “I’d like to see waymarked route that cyclists could use without breaking the law. “I think it would

  • Burglary rates hit a new high

    A WAVE of burglaries across Bournemouth and Poole has prompted a pre-Christmas security warning from police. More than 50 properties have been raided since the start of November, with Charminster worst hit with 16 reported incidents. There have been

  • Tram system part of transport overhaul

    TOWN centre trams, new roads, five park-and-ride sites and an Oyster-style travel smartcard are among proposals for an overarching transport strategy for East Dorset. But congestion charging and a workplace-parking levy have been taken off

  • Sweet dreams are made of this

    WE all know we should be getting the recommended eight hours’ sleep every night. New research has even proved that the key to looking attractive and healthy really is beauty sleep. Participants in a study by the Karolinska Institute

  • Ecoterminal arrives at Bournemouth airport

    A FUTURISTIC new arrival terminal is taking shape at Bournemouth Airport. Despite a turbulent time for the airport at Hurn over the past few months, owners Manchester Airport Group have pressed ahead with the latest phase of the £45million development

  • 200 Christmas trees stolen from garden centres

    CHRISTMAS trees have been stolen from five garden centres in East Dorset in the last week. Cranborne Garden Centre, Stewarts in Holt, Pamphill Dairy Farm, Golden Acres in Parley and John Brown Garden Centre in Three Legged Cross have all been targeted

  • Portland Coastguard Station at Weymouth to close

    PORTLAND Coastguard Station – which currently handles search and rescue operations for Dorset – will close under new government cuts announced this morning. The news – which was leaked to the press at the weekend – will come as a devastating

  • Protesters fail in bid to save Bournemouth day centres

    THREE Bournemouth day centres for people with learning disabilities are to close, despite protests from users. Around 20 activists from Bournemouth People First descended on the Town Hall yesterday in the hope of blocking proposals to replace traditional

  • Lily Savage still on top form in the unmissable Aladdin

    LAST seen in 2004 having “seen the light” and gone to live in a French convent, “tart-with-a-heart” Lily Savage seemed consigned to showbiz history. Her come-back – on stage in Southampton, disguised by mourning clothes and shielded by a black

  • The Word on the Street is bus has nowhere to park in Ringwood

    THE rowdy behaviour of some teenagers using a mobile social centre in Ringwood means the vehicle needs a new place to park up. Currently the WOTS (Word on the Street) bus stops in the Furlong car park so young people can spend time on its computers searching

  • Wessex Way roadworks set to overrun until February

    ROADWORKS that have been causing disruption on Bournemouth’s Wessex Way are set to overrun well into the new year. The bridge maintenance works over Bournemouth railway station began in September and were scheduled to finish last week, but the estimated

  • Electric Six bring High Voltage show to Bournemouth

    Dick Valentine is too candid for his own good. Asked how Electric Six’s latest tour is going, the lead singer replies: "It’s going well – for every bad show we have there are five great ones." But there are bad shows, I ask? "There have been a couple

  • Wareham body identified as Michael Laing

    HUMAN remains found on Stoborough Heath near Wareham last Friday have been formally identified as those of an elderly Wareham man who went missing in August 2009. Michael George Laing, 76, who lived alone, was reported missing from his home in Harman's

  • Marshmallow Snowmen

    Marshmallow Snowmen Makes about 10 200g large white marshmallows Brown writing icing Coloured liquorice strips or fruit leather Chocolate-coated mint sticks (such as Matchmakers) Large chocolate drops

  • Can no one sort out Poole bus station?

    I have taken on occasion of late to visiting Poole by bus in the mornings. The sight and state of Poole Bus Station beggars belief. Aside from the fact that it seems to resemble a bus station in Berlin I once visited in 1968, but without

  • High praise for Pan pantomime

    My name is Johnathan Clark,and just wanted to give praise to the panto Peter Pan. Last night, I took my family to see Peter Pan. We went with our local Canford Heath cub pack. My children, my wife, and I must admit myself were very excited about going

  • Long and short of the cold snap...

    WE have recently been having a spell of exceptionally cold weather. This fact was brought demonstrably home when walking my dog along Fisherman’s Bank in Christchurch. I caught sight of a postman wearing LONG TROUSERS. EDWARD CASH, Purewell, Christchurch

  • Welcome to Oz...

    The suggested visit to Australia by Prince and Princess William in 2011 will be warmly welcomed by most Australians, whether monarchist or not. Aside from giving us a chance to get to know our future King and Queen, the Royal visit will do even more

  • Farewell to another 'useful' store

    Let’s hope the new owners of the Dolphin Centre and Poole Council devise an improved, more sensible approach to shop rents as we see yet another valued trader close the doors at the end of December apparently forced out by unsustainable rental fees.

  • Electric dreams for well-off only

    The development of electric cars is all very commendable but why do the poor now have to pay to subsidise the rich so that they can be tempted into buying expensive electric cars.The Government is set to offer up to £5000 off an electric car in the form

  • Town not meeting its full potential

    I WAS most interested to read the comments of the Beales Chief Executive, Mr Tony Brown, who would like our town centre to be more family focussed at Christmas time (Daily Echo Dec 11). I was originally an “Essex Girl” (no rude comments please), but

  • Bottling common sense at Quo's BIC gig

    I have been a fan of Quo since the 1970's and been to many of their concerts so was delighted when I found out I had tickets to see the show at the BIC in Bournemouth on Tuesday 14th December and what a show! They never fail to deliver and this was no

  • Delicacy is hard to stomach

    ONCE again I’m asking the public to avoid foie gras in their menu; it is the delicacy of despair. It is made by ramming a metal pipe down the throats of ducks and geese, and pumping enormous amounts of grain in their stomachs causing their livers to

  • Imax could be "substantially demolished" within months

    BOURNEMOUTH’S controversial Imax building could be chopped by 20 feet as early as spring 2011. Councillors yesterday backed a seafront regeneration scheme to “substantially demolish” the hated Waterfront landmark, which the authority took over

  • Council agrees £16m cuts package

    COUNCILLORS at Dorset County Council have voted for a multi-million pound cuts package that will almost certainly lead to the closure of libraries and day centres and the axing of paid school crossing guards. A meeting of the full council

  • Reeves: Poole proposal would have helped Hammers' bid

    CHRIS Reeves says Poole Town “must respect” Hamworthy United’s decision not to accept his club’s ground share proposal. But, at the same time, Dolphins’ vice-chairman feels a one-year deal to share the County Ground would have “enhanced” Hammers’ own

  • Pirates: Holder's pledge to stay with Poole

    CHRIS Holder has pledged his long-term future to Pirates, insisting he’s never wanted to ride for any other top-flight British team. The Aussie ace spearheads Poole Castle Cover’s pursuit of silverware next year in his fourth consecutive season with

  • Cherries: Eddie in plea for a realistic response

    BOSS Eddie Howe insists expectations must remain realistic and is urging people to stick with his men as they battle the odds. Cherries began the campaign as one of the favourites for League One relegation but have made huge strides and

  • Pirates: Ricko has a say in Dennis deal

    DENNIS Andersson has revealed Tony Rickardsson was the man behind his arrival at Wimborne Road. The young Swede and reigning European under-19 title holder is next door neighbours with the legendary six-times world individual champion.