FARCICAL, ridiculous and joke were all words used to describe this controversial meeting ahead of tonight. With just two Pirates regulars donning the skull and crossbones alongside four guests, the detractors may well have had a valid point.
DETECTIVES are hunting for three masked men who threatened the residents of a Poole home and stole cash and jewellery. The men, all wearing balaclavas, got into the home on Kitchener Crescent on the Waterloo Estate at around 7.30pm on Thursday,
A 26-YEAR-OLD man has appeared in court to face a charge of murdering his father in Bournemouth. Nathan Robinson is alleged to have killed William Spiller, whose dismembered body was discovered in a flat in Southbourne on Monday. Robinson,
PEOPLE working in Bournemouth’s tourism industry have toured the town on open-top buses to give them a better idea of what it has to offer. The new National Coastal Tourism Academy is behind the tours, which have seen more than 70 people from 21
JOINT-BOSS Stewart Kearn insists Taffy Richardson will get plenty of playing time after making the veteran midfielder Bashley’s first new signing. Richardson, 46, makes a stunning step UP the non-league ladder after spending last season with Southern
ROAD safety improvements at the crossroads where two people died in under a month were given the green light by county councillors earlier this year. Councillors have been battling to make the Horton Inn crossroads safer for “years” amid fears
THE organisers behind Winton Carnival have launched a new competition called ‘Search for a Star’ to try to increase footfall for small businesses. Stars will be displayed in the shop windows of 30 businesses in Winton, Moordown and Charminster
ARMED police have carried out a second drugs raid of the day in the Boscombe area. Earlier today, the Daily Echo reported that officers were at J Autos in Colville Road, with officers examining the premises. At 3pm, police were at Wharncliffe
ANGLERS have raised concerns over illegal fishing practices after a number of “triple” hooks were found in a Dorset river. River bailiffs discovered the hooks, along with inhumane crayfish traps in the River Stour near Tuckton Bridge, and are now
THE essence of the Badger beers brand has been captured for a new roundabout sculpture in Blandford. Three badgers, created from galvanised chicken wire, were recently installed on the roundabout near Hall & Woodhouse, brewer of Badger beers
A MAN has pleaded guilty to causing the death of Ringwood teenager Jade Clark. Health and safety executive Brian Hampton has admitted causing death by careless driving after he knocked the 16-year-old off her red scooter as she rode along the A31
ONE of Canford School’s best known former pupils, champion racehorse trainer Henry Cecil, died from cancer on June 11, at the age of 70. Despite his racing pedigree, and the immediate proximity of a successful racing stable, the Old Canfordian
SWINFORD Cross was named after a racehorse but was known to friends as Sid or Sam, and as Uncle Dick to his family. Born in Willesden in 1912, Sid was raised in Paddington. As a young boy, during World War One, he was evacuated to Torquay in Devon
A FORBIDDEN wartime romance between a German woman and a British soldier is set to live on, thanks to a Bournemouth funeral director. Jutta France, who died in a Bournemouth nursing home earlier this year at the age of 85, was born on February
PARK home residents are angry and upset after being told they are being evicted. The rental residents at Iford Bridge Home Park near Christchurch have been sent letters warning they have 28 days to leave to make way for new homes being put up as
RESIDENTS of an East Dorset parish have been reassured after hearing they will lose their police officer. Locals were left reeling after being told their community PC would be relocated to Bournemouth at the end of the month – and not replaced.
The tennis starts on Monday, so sit down with a cup of tea and a slice of Mary Berry's perfect Wimbledon cake... Wimbledon Cake 3 large eggs, separated 100g caster sugar zest and juice of 1 orange 75g semolina 100g strawberries
TRIBUTES have been paid to a young man whose body was discovered in woodland. Alex Burnett, 21, who spent a year at Canterbury Christ Church University before leaving with credits, died in the Hightown Hill area of Ringwood last week. The popular
POLICE have raided a garage in Boscombe this morning. They have been at J Autos in Colville Road, with officers examining the premises. Police said they executed a warrant under the Misuse of Drugs Act at 9.30am. Officers are still on the
THOSE who were lucky enough to get tickets for the free Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra concerts next Saturday can expect an impressive range of work being played. The performances have been arranged top celebrate the opening of the new open space
NEW YORK’S Afro-beat indie-rockers Vampire Weekend are in town on Thursday night with a pre-Glastonbury warm-up show at the O2 Academy Bournemouth. The show comes hot on the heels of their eagerly awaited third record, which has been three years
SIGUR ROS and Belle & Sebastian have been announced as headliners for End of the Road festival in 2013. The music festival takes place in the Larmer Tree Gardens, in north Dorset, from August 30 until September 1 and has been running since
THE Twin Sails Bridge at Poole is back working at its proper speed after a faulty valve was replaced. John Rice, engineering and maintenance manager at Borough of Poole, said: “Work to replace the loading holding valve in the hydraulic lifting
Sunseeker is set to close its New Forest yard after the firm was sold to Chinese investors. Sunseeker has said it is “highly likely” that the site, which employs 50, in the Queensway Industrial Estate, in Stem Lane, New Milton, will shut. This
TUCK in your napkins and work up an appetite because today sees the return of Bournemouth’s very own Food and Drink Festival, where for 10 days the town will come alive to the smell of cooking. Having grown from a small three-day trial the festival
WHO could have predicted that Elton John and Snoop Dogg will both grace the Bestival tenth birthday spectacular later this year? In a UK festival exclusive and playing his first festival in many years, iconic singer songwriter Elton John will celebrate
THIS is a gleefully violent fantasy that expands the story of two children held hostage by a crone in a gingerbread house into a full-blooded battle between the forces of good and evil. The script marries action movie convention with an olde-worlde
PS3, Capcom OH forgetful Nilin, her memory really isn’t what it used to be. To be fair, it isn’t her fault. The technologically nifty people at Memorize have cleaned her memory out and all she remembers is her name. But before they can erase
£1.49 from iTunes HELP these cartoon characters escape with the use of trampolines, cannons and switches, to name a few of their travel gadgets. It’s a very cute game, with plenty of action, which fans of the old classic Lemmings will love.
TODAY is the last day of rehearsals for Bodies in Urban Spaces, a human sculpture trail through Bournemouth. The show itself, which will see a number of human bodies squeezed into the nooks and crannies of the finest landmarks in Bournemouth, will
Quantum ON paper this collaboration should have worked. While the cheeky pairing sings and raps about the trappings of fame, something doesn’t quite ring true.
ONE of Dorset's leading animal rescue centres has launched a campaign to secure homes for the rising number of abandoned Staffordshire Bull Terriers. Margaret Green Animal Rescue's 'Save a Staffie' initiative comes as the charity reveals around
THE Charterhouse classic car auction at Sherborne on Sunday, July 21, celebrates 100 years of Aston Martin Motor Cars with a highly desirable DB6 Vantage going under the hammer. The star lot at the sale is set to be a 1966 Aston Martin DB6 Vantage
HE’S climbed a mountain and sailed around the Isle of Wight, but this New Forest man waited until age 73 to try waterskiing. Rob Forrester-Addie, from Ringwood, was asked by his son, Max, what he wanted for Father’s Day this year, and his reply
UNCERTAINTY often shrouds development proposals when local authorities are involved, not least because of political and financial factors. Bournemouth council’s plan to spend around £10m on a bus hub on the Exeter Road site seems to be surrounded
A BOURNEMOUTH woman celebrated her 104th birthday with a tea party attended by the mayor of Bournemouth. Edith Niblett, who lives at the War Memorial Homes along Castle Lane, was given cards and flowers to mark the special occasion, which, in her
TWELVE years ago I cried when I moved to the ‘Townsend’ estate, now if I won the lottery I’d stay. Thanks to Ron Whittaker I live in a green and pleasant area. We have our little shop and community. We have a mixed neighbourhood, kind people
Brad Pitt says his family makes him "the richest man alive". The 49-year-old actor has six children - Maddox, 11, Pax, nine, Zahara, eight, Shiloh, six, and four-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne - with his fiancée Angelina Jolie says being a father
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West have named their baby North West. The reality TV star gave birth to the couple's first child on Saturday and despite previous speculation they had settled on the name Kaidence Donda for their newborn daughter, the
Jack P. Shepherd thinks it's a "great" decision for Michelle Keegan to leave 'Coronation Street'. The 25-year-old actor - who plays bad boy hairdresser David Platt in the ITV soap - believes his co-star's decision to bow out of the Cobbles next
THE Wessex Car Show held earlier this month at Lulworth Castle invited entrants from all car clubs and was gratified with a huge response resulting in a huge selection of cars. The show has grown considerably over the years and the new venue was
IT’S been six months in the making but southern rockers Western Sand are set to release their new self-titled EP. The four-piece will hold an official launch at The Joiners on June 28. Tickets are £5 and are available by contacting the band through
A TRIO of bands will go head-to-head at The Anvil tomorrow night for the first Metal 2 The Masses semi-final. Engraved Disillusion, Terrathorn and Armature will be battling it out for the chance to get one step closer to performing at this year
VOODOO Vegas are heading off to Zurich to play the Open Circle Festival in September. The quintet will be one of a handful of bands flying the flag for Great Britain at the two-day festival, alongside Skindred and King Lizard. The show will
Local councils face a 10 per cent cut in funding from central government as part of the coalition's spending plans for 2015/16, according to a BBC report. The BBC says Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles has accepted that the £21bn budget could
FIAT has glued a box to the back of its 500L. Already a slightly suspect looking car, the Italians have added two more seats to the inflated 500, to create this slightly bus-like creation. Fiat released these first pictures this week and it
Full marks to Cllr Tony Woodcock (Letters 17 June) for drawing further attention to the proposal to industrialise the coast by building a hideous collection of 200 plus massive wind turbines in the centre of the bay. For the Chair of Agenda 21
EVERY time I read that yet another plan for the Winter Gardens site has been turned down by Bournemouth council (Daily Echo, June 18), I breathe a sigh of relief. It means there still remains a hope that one day the council might see their way
May I remind readers that today has been designated Dorset Day. Residents are asked to consider wearing items displaying the colours of our St Wite’s Cross; Yellow or Red or White; and perhaps to celebrate by purchasing and enjoying Dorset produce
ISN’T she lovely? Priced from a fiver under £200,000, this little beauty is Aston Martin’s Vanquish Volante, the drop-top version of its high-end super GT. Alongside its coupe sibling, launched to worldwide acclaim last autumn, the Vanquish
TODAY is the first ever Dorset Day. Organised by Dorset Community Foundation, the day aims to celebrate the Dorset's heritage while also rasing awareness of small charities living and working in the community. The plan is to celebrate, raise
BOURNEMOUTH council’s plans to spend £10million building a bus hub in the town centre are “high risk,” its own assessment has concluded. The council intends to compulsorily purchase the NCP car park in Exeter Road and build a stand-alone bus hub
WELL, here’s a cute little supermini from Renault. The Fiesta-sized Zoe is continuing the French manufacturer’s purple patch when it comes to design and could do very well. And there’s one other thing – it’s fully electric. It seems that
ON my recent admission to A&E at Royal Bournemouth Hospital followed by a further admission to AMU the next day I would like to thank all the ambulance and medical staff for all their kindness and friendliness in making my stay so comfortable.
ONE of the have-a-go-heroes who helped apprehend a driver who allegedly left a trail of devastation across Poole has spoken of the drama. As reported in the Daily Echo yesterday, a silver Vauxhall Vectra was seen skidding to avoid other cars around
A MAN was led to safety by firefighters after cooking caught fire in a flat in Charminster this morning. Crews from Springbourne and Redhill Park were sent to Milton Road at 5.18am after a neighbour heard a smoke alarm going off and saw smoke from
NEW joint-boss Stewart Kearn is set to send veteran midfielder Taffy Richardson an SOS as he tries to assemble a competitive squad at Bashley. Kearn, 37, who yesterday stepped into the managerial breach alongside Bash legend Paul Gazzard, set Southern
MATT Ford insists Pirates will fight tooth and nail to keep alive their fast-fading Elite League play-off hopes – but admits they are in the last-chance saloon. Promoter Ford says another fruitless return from tonight’s showdown with Eastbourne
MICHAEL Cuffie has been given the green light to manage Christchurch after his sine-die ban was lifted by the Hampshire FA. The region’s governing body yesterday confirmed to the Daily Echo that payment for Cuffie’s £86 fine, outstanding since
EXPERIENCED campaigner Simon Francis believes Cherries will more than hold their own in the Championship – providing they can adapt to the physical demands. Dependable right-back Francis played a key role in Cherries’ promotion, featuring in all
BOURNEMOUTH skipper Martin Miller is tipping Alex Keath to follow in the footsteps of Chapel Gate old boy Adam Voges by gracing the international stage with Australia. Keath has made a huge impact since being recruited by the Premier Division strugglers
CAPTAIN Ali Jaffer admits Lymington’s fragile battling is becoming a “concern”. Jaffer’s comments come in the wake of Lymington capitulating for just 88 at Bashley six days ago, their second collapse in succession. Big guns Glyn Treagus and
Police are continuing to question a man arrested on suspicion of false imprisonment after a 24-year-old woman from New Milton was rescued by armed police from an industrial unit in Somerford. Officers with shields and wearing helmets entered a
AMIDST a packed-out audience of fans, the Moody Blues open their set with John Lodge's trademark pumping bass lines, which serve to compliment the harmonic delicacy of vocalist Justin Hayward's scintillating guitar licks. After a pacy start, Graeme
ONE of Dorset’s oldest women has passed away peacefully, just two months before her 108th birthday. Centenarian May McDermott was born at Grove Cottage in the hamlet of Tadwick, near Bath, on July 17, 1905. Longevity ran in her family; her father
