Trading standards officers in Bournemouth have seized a potentially deadly consignment of petrol-driven in-line roller skates. Fifty gasoline skating shoes' from China, destined for an address in the Southbourne area, were confiscated amid fears that
SUTTONERS skipper Chris Rawlings believes the outcome of the Premier Division title race is still "too tight to call". Rawlings and his team saw Poole Town frank their credentials when they were on the receiving end of a heavy 102-run defeat at Poole
SWANAGE'S hotels are already starting to fill up for the eighth Swanage Blues Festival - an amazing seven months before the first note is played. Thousands of music lovers flock to Purbeck for the free festival each March, with enthusiasts attracted
Should you spot a serious looking fellow sitting on Bournemouth beach this summer rolling up the trousers of his suit and loosening his tie there's a chance it might be our new PM. Gordon Brown - currently hob-nobbing with George Bush at Camp David -
A ROUGH-HEWN block of Purbeck stone stands on Evening Hill in Poole as a memorial to Lord Baden-Powell, who, 100 years ago, held the first camp on Brownsea Island that gave birth to the Scout movement. That memorial was unveiled 40 years ago by his wife
In the second of our "I'm a Columnist, Get Me in Here" winning entries, Mary Hurst adapts the diaries of a Bournemouth pensioner to tell the true story of how a peaceful picnic didn't go quite as planned... I had such a lovely surprise last week
A HISTORIC former mill in Bournemouth may have to face another winter without the essential repairs it needs, it is feared. Eight months since the state of Throop Mill was first brought to its owners' attention, Cllr Ron Whittaker has spoken of his frustration
A COUPLE who set off to circumnavigate the globe in three years in 1983 anchored in Poole - 21 years late. Grand-parents- of-seven Peter and Shirley Billing gave up work, sold their home and cars and said goodbye to their grown up children to follow
The Coral, who release their new album Roots & Echoes early next month, have announced a 10 date headlining UK tour for October which includes a concert at Southampton Guildhall. The band have already previewed the new tracks at T in the Park, Glastonbury
A NEW 24-hour pharmacy is planned for Ferndown. East Dorset District council have received a planning application for Ringwood Road, to construct a two-storey building. The ground floor would contain the 24-hour pharmacy and there would be four one-bed
THE brutal murder of a former Poole Royal Marine shot in Iraq will be the subject of a Bournemouth inquest within months, it has been revealed. It is more than three years since 47-year-old Brian Tilley was tortured and killed in Baghdad and inquiries
A POOLE woman got the surprise of her life when she discovered a live tarantula loose in her back garden. Julie Gillett found the hairy five-inch-wide spider close to the back door of her home in Phyldon Road, Upper Parkstone, on Monday morning last
POOLE'S education chief has been accused of improper behaviour and is the subject of a proposed vote of no confidence by the Liberal Democrats. The two-pronged attack on councillor Tony Woodcock, portfolio holder for education and children's services
THE Tourist Information Centre in Blandford is to close in four weeks time despite the huge efforts of people in the town to save it. The threat of closure has been hanging over the centre since North Dorset District Council announced last year it could
AN ATTEMPT to stop Highcliffe School from pulling Mudeford into its catchment area has been rejected by the Schools' Adjudicator, much to the disappointment of its governors. For years Mudeford parents had complained that children from feeder schools
THE Lymington Infirmary site will provide 34 new affordable homes for the town. The old infirmary at East Hill is final part of a three-stage planning application to develop three NHS sites in the town now that the new £36 million Lymington New Forest
Following their hugely successful return to form, Manic Street Preachers have released a new single and confirmed final dates for a winter tour that includes a show at the Bournemouth International Centre on Sunday, December 9. The band recently enjoyed
Winner of nine Tony awards, including Best Musical, and a Pulitzer Prize, Rodgers & Hammerstein's most celebrated musical masterpiece, South Pacific, is revived in a brand-new production which will be heading for Southampton next year. The show, starring
A Bournemouth taxi driver is recovering following a vicious early morning attack by a passenger who fled without paying his fare. The 34-year-old cabbie was set upon just after 4am on Friday, July 27 after giving chase along Sunnyhill Road in Southbourne
BUS drivers have been given a resounding show of support following a survey crowning them the rudest people on the roads. The study of driving habits, carried out by vansunited.co.uk, found those behind the wheel of buses often jumped traffic lights
EVER marinated steaks in cola? Dusted mango with chilli? Or added cocoa powder to your chilli? These are just three of the tips from celebrity chef James Martin to spice up our kitchens and turn us into master chefs. The Ready Steady Cook regular and
THINGS are never simple, are they? We were late home on a working Saturday and planned to nip out for a quick bite to eat. Zizzi', we thought, that looks OK'. We'd heard good reports too about this Italian chain that seems to be the new must-have' on
BORDEAUX produces some of the best and most famous sweet white wines in the world, thanks to its unique micro-climate which enables a beneficial fungus, Botrytis Cinerea or noble rot to grow on the grapes during the autumn, causing their sugar content
BOURNEMOUTH printer, Martin Goodall from Printing.com joined world-famous ecologist David Bellamy to plant the first of a planned 25,000 trees as part of one of the UK's largest carbon offset campaigns. Printing.com has committed to planting one tree
WELL, Chelsea's over for another year. The flower show, that is, not the cup final. And then we walk out into our own garden. "Chelsea's marvellous," said Alan Titchmarsh, "because it gives us such amazing ideas for our own plot." Right. So what's it
JAMES Brown worked harder and longer, George Clinton put on bigger, wilder shows, but nobody working the funk-rock lodestone was madder or badder than Sly Stone. It's no exaggeration to say he changed the course of modern music, taking a pinch of white
Russell Brand, Bournemouth International Centre JUST a quick word in your shell-like... if you're going to tonight's Russell Brand show at the Pavilion, it might be wise to keep your opinions to yourself. As the man himself says, his life is basically
Toots and the Maytals, Mr Kyps, Lower Parkstone A CLASSIC night of reggae and soul from Jamaican greats Toots and the Maytals proved the perfect antidote to a flood-ravaged summer. Toots Hibbert's powerful gospel-style vocals and the upbeat rhythm groove
Global Gathering, Stratford-on-Avon WHILE the Stratford area has spent most of the last fortnight underwater, there was little dampening the spirits of the masses at this year's Global Gathering. And as bankers for a euphoric start to the weekend, they
Friends, Romans, Countrymen, Ringwood Musical & Dramatic Society, Greyfriars Community Centre, Ringwood LEND me your ears. I come not to bury Ringwood Musical & Dramatic Society, but to praise them, as William Shakespeare might have said if he'd been
Step in Time, Highcliffe Charity Players, St Mark's Hall, Highcliffe ON the premise, I assume, that if it ain't broke don't fix it, HCP's annual summer revue evening was as enjoyable and familiar as ever. First-time directors Michele Moulin-White and
Around 600 people, including the Bishop of Winchester, packed Lighthouse in Poole last night Sunday, July 29) to pray for Samar, the 30-year-old Iranian woman from Bournemouth who faces deportation back to Iran where her life is in danger because of her
THE "journey from hell" is how furious holidaymakers have described losing two days of a seven-day break to Cyprus. Passengers travelling from Larnaca with Eurocypria Airlines, whose outbound flight last week was delayed for 38 hours, were delayed for
RISING sea levels and increasingly stormy weather could make some exclusive Sandbanks homes "unliveable" within 25 years, a geology expert has warned. And the Environment Agency has forecast sea flooding on the peninsula within 60 years, as higher seas
THEY died 90 years ago fighting for King and Country and their graves lie in far corners of foreign fields where they fell in France, Egypt and Palestine. They would not grow old - two were only teenagers when they died - and their "supreme sacrifice
EDDIE Howe is confident that Cherries will be able to bolster the squad over the next fortnight as the loan market begins to rumble into action. Although Cherries boss Kevin Bond is still working feverishly on bringing in permanent recruits, he also
THE history of speedway's World Championship is littered with riders lining up injured in old one-off World Finals or Grands Prix rounds. Britain's very own Peter Collins, the 1976 world champion, going to the following year's final and riding with a
PIRATES co-promoter Mike Golding believes young gun Troy Batchelor can hold down the tough number two spot in their team until the end of the season. But the Wimborne Road joint boss also feels the teenage Aussie will come under "tough competition" for
MORE than 250,000 people are expected to flock to Swanage this week for the annual Carnival and Regatta which began with a burst of colour. Some 100,000 visited the town on Saturday and Sunday to catch the first of almost 100 events over the eight-day
THOUSANDS of people stepped back in time and experienced life 18th century style at the Milton Abbas street fair. The normally sleepy village was a hive of activity with dozens of different stalls lining the pavements. The main road through Milton Abbas
CHERRIES legend Ted MacDougall believes David Beckham's arrival at LA Galaxy already had a major effect on the American game four months before he arrived in the country. The former Manchester United and England star landed in Los Angeles this month
WORLD champion Jason Crump has admitted his title has "almost gone" and also apologised to Pirates fans for riding in the Czech Republic Grand Prix while injured. Crump, who broke his left kneecap in a racing accident in Poland nine days ago, battled
BOURNEMOUTH Lions forward Will Croker admits the introduction of new coach Junior Paramore has helped to "focus" his mind. Former Samoan international Paramore was unveiled as the Chapel Gate club's forward coach two weeks ago. And Croker insists the
