COWBOY gardeners ordered an 89-year-old woman to withdraw £400 from her bank to pay for half-an-hour's work tidying her garden - and then called the following day demanding a further £200 to finish the job. Bournemouth pensioner Gwen Damon answered the
BILL Bryson will be coming back to Bournemouth next Thursday to lead the campaign against green belt building schemes. The travel author and former Daily Echo sub-editor was elected President of the Campaign for Protection of Rural England in July.
AFTER years lovingly tending his Swanage golf course a businessman has told of his horror at finding the greens dug up by vandals. Andy Kirkwood, who set up The Swanage Pitch and Putt at Victoria Avenue from scratch seven years ago, said he was heartbroken
A PROMINENT seaside hotel in Alum Chine is to shut down next month, leaving its long-term future in the hands of town planners. The Studland Dene Hotel and its popular restaurants will cease trading on October 7. Four attempts to replace the hotel with
ROYAL Mail bosses have held up their hands to losing 5,000 polling cards during the North Dorset District Council elections in May. Representatives from the postal service have now been invited to attend a meeting of the district council's scrutiny
THE merger of Nationwide and Portman has been far from smooth for Portman members. They have suffered various disappointments along the way such as no payouts for those with less than £100 in their savings account, or mortgage outstanding, at the close
CLOSURE is one of the options facing "failing" Townsend Primary school. A public consultation launched yesterday said that was one of four choices. Cllr Malcolm Davies, cabinet member for education, said in July closure was "not on the agenda". He could
Rascals, rogues, wastrels, whelps, tramps, tricksters and cads the lot of them, or words to that effect, are often the reaction of the average local when asked to comment upon the population of Boscombe. It's an area so notorious one can be sure walking
PARISH councillors have got the wind up... but Christchurch planners are being recommended to grant permission for a towering turbine generator in the countryside at Burton. Owners of the Waterditch Farm Dairy between Burton and Bransgore want to put
SPRAY tans, silicone boobs, blonde hair extensions, towering heels - it can only be the Wags, a word which used to be an acronym but now, says sports writer Alison Kervin, has become the career of choice for a certain type of British lay-dee. "It's a
PROPOSALS are in motion to give some 200 households in an East Dorset village and hamlet access to mains drainage for the first time. Wessex Water wants to create a sewerage system in Holt and do away with the household septic tanks that hundreds of
RINGWOOD residents are getting the chance to influence a planning blueprint being drawn up by New Forest district council which could reshape the town centre. Four options for the future development of the Furlong car park including shops, community
A DROP in divorce rates is not a sign of more marital bliss but an aversion to tying the knot in the first place, solicitors have told the Daily Echo. The country saw 132,562 couples split in 2006, the lowest figure for 22 years, according to the office
REMPLOY workers are putting pressure on the government to give them work they need to save their jobs. A total of 43 Remploy factories, including the one at Alder Hills, Poole, are facing closure, leaving more than 2,000 disabled workers facing an uncertain
I'VE recently been given a plaster bust of Beethoven. He's quite grand and has a fine head of tousled hair. He is wearing a wide- collared jacket with a flamboyant frilled shirt and loosely knotted scarf. His expression is stern and he has a sense
This is our Persian called Thumper. He has a wonderful nature. The pic was taken after he decided to sit in a swimming ring which was left on top of our Hot Spa Tub cover. We thought an appropriate caption would be "OK, what happens now" Sent in by
Sasha is a 12 year old Tortoiseshell and White Longhair. As well as being an excellent mouser, she enjoys spending time with her local pals, Spooky and Clyde. Sent in by Debbie.
This cats name is Draper, she is 9 years old. She wrote the book on cattitude!!!! Sent in by Sue.
IDENTICAL twins Kian and Lyndon smile and gurgle happily like any other babies. But the gutsy pair have been dubbed "miracle babies" after they were born four months prematurely and faced a tough battle for survival. Little Kian was born weighing just
PROTESTERS have expressed their elation at the decision of a Poole church to back down on its controversial plans to bulldoze its graveyard. St Mary's Church, on Longfleet Road, announced on Wednesday it was withdrawing its application to build a new
FORMER Bournemouth star Dimi Mascarenhas achieved the extraordinary feat of smashing five successive sixes in England's one-day clash with India on Thursday. The Hampshire all-rounder cleared the ropes with each of the last five balls of the England
JASON Crump has revealed he will continue to ride on through the pain barrier in a bid to help Pirates lift the Elite League title. Racing for the first time with a new brace to protect his injured left knee, the outgoing world champion scored 13 points
THE trial of a Boscombe woman alleged to have kept 59 dogs in "appalling conditions" at a house in Shelley Road was adjourned on Wednesday when she failed to appear at Bournemouth magistrates court to begin her defence against 15 charges of animal cruelty
POOLE could become a hotspot for illegal immigrants entering the country, it is feared. Riot police are on standby at the port of Cherbourg in a bid to stop would-be immigrants breaking in to board ferry and freight services bound for Poole, Portsmouth
Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti has died, his manager said. Pavarotti, 71, had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last year and underwent further treatment in August. The opera legend's vibrant high Cs and ebullient showmanship made him one the most
HISTORY repeated itself as Scott Nicholls blew a big hole in Pirates' fading title hopes by driving the final nail in their coffin on Wednesday. The Coventry kingpin outgated Poole pair Jason Crump and Bjarne Pedersen to take the chequered flag in heat
