BBC Dorset

The head chef of a superyacht drowned after falling from a quayside in the south of France following a night out drinking, an inquest has heard.Flinn Sessions, of Wimborne, Dorset, was working on the Atlantico yacht, moored at La Ciotat, near Marseille, on 9 June 2023.An inquest at Bournemouth heard the 22-year-old visited several bars with crew members and workers from other boats and was seen drinking beers and shots.Coroner Brendan Allen told the hearing his friends had…

A wall is being reinstated at a crematorium to stop people using it as a shortcut after "significant disruption" was caused to funeral services.Part of the boundary at Weymouth Crematorium was originally removed to allow maintenance access from Shirecroft Road.But Dorset Council said "significant concerns" had been raised about the "lack of privacy and reverence" during services due to people cutting through.Access for mourners will be unaffected.Health and housing councillor Gill Taylor said: "It is important for us…

A speedway team just one race from potentially securing three major titles have been forced to put their final back due to forecast wet weather.Poole Pirates were set to host the Redcar Bears in the BSN Series final second leg at Wimborne Road, Poole, at 19:30 BST.The speedway team said due to the "predicted adverse weather conditions" it had been put back to Friday, adding: "We apologise to any fans who may have made advanced travelling arrangements but…

A crash has closed a stretch of a main Dorset route in both directions. The A35 is shut between the A37 Monkeys Jump Roundabout, near Dorchester, and the A3066 for Bridport following the crash overnight near Askerswell.National Highways said police were on the scene carrying out complex investigation work and that the road was expected to be closed for several hours.Traffic is being diverted onto the A37 and A356 with drivers urged to allow extra time, re-route or…

BBCThe King Tiger tank is the oldest in the world and needs to be fully rebuilt insideAn ambitious £1m plan to restore one of World War Two's most formidable tanks has been launched by a Dorset museum.The King Tiger tank has been in the collection at The Tank Museum, in Bovington, since the 1950s.But it was incomplete when it arrived, and was later stripped of its remaining parts during the 1980s to facilitate another restoration. The team at…

Rachel RussellSouth of EnglandListen: Chris Wood, chair of the Dorset Police Federation, said the new service will help officers "decompress from seeing traumatic incidents"A police chief has shared how "incredibly challenging" working in the force can be after recent figures showed 211 officers in Dorset were signed off last year.Chris Wood, chair of the Dorset Police Federation, said he has had to take time off for stress and also revealed his wife, a serving police officer, is currently…

A couple found dead inside a campervan while attending a festival in the New Forest were "vibrant, kind, and devoted", their family has said.Christopher Coll, 45, and Kayleigh Coll, 38, both from Blandford Forum in Dorset were pronounced dead at the scene on Pound Lane, Burley earlier this month.Hampshire Constabulary said the deaths were being treated as unexplained, but not suspicious.A family tribute said: "Their loss has left an immeasurable void in the lives of all who loved…