dorset

Bodycam captures Somerset drug-driver struggling to speak

Bodycam captures Somerset drug-driver struggling to speak

A driver who had taken so many drugs he struggled to answer basic questions during his arrest has been sentenced.Officers called to a car being driven erratically in Somerset on 22 August found Jack Brownless stopped at a nearby crossroads, unable to tell them when he had last had anything to eat or drink.The 39-year-old had swerved across the A39 near Wells and hit a wall before concerned members of the public called police.Brownless was handed a 26-week…

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Study into £500m Dorset wind turbine plant gets green light

Study into £500m Dorset wind turbine plant gets green light

Tristan PascoeDorset political reporter, PortlandGetty ImagesThe site at Balaclava Bay, seen here on the far side of the breakwater, would be about 50 acres and could employ 1,000 peopleA study into whether to build a wind turbine manufacturing plant on the Dorset coast has been approved.The plant at Balaclava Bay, next to Portland Port in Dorset, could be used to make and supply offshore wind turbines and blades and could create more than 1,000 jobs.The Crown Estate which…

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Murder and burglary arrests after woman’s death in Poole

Murder and burglary arrests after woman’s death in Poole

Two men and a teenage boy have been arrested on suspicion of murder and burglary following the death of a woman in her 80s.Dorset Police said the sudden death of the woman at a home on Higher Blandford Road, Poole, was reported by ambulance crews on 1 December shortly after 16:50 GMT.The force said officers who attended the address at the time noticed signs of a possible burglary inside. Cordons remain in place at the home and the…

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Fundraising pin badge reveals Cerne Abbas giant’s cheeky side

Fundraising pin badge reveals Cerne Abbas giant’s cheeky side

Steve HarrisandRos Tappenden,South of EnglandNational TrustThe pin badges are being sold to raise money to buy land surrounding the giantFor decades, the chalk hill figure of the Cerne Abbas giant has been replicated on gifts and memorabilia – but a new pin badge is thought to be the first to reveal his "cheeky" side.The National Trust, which owns the giant, is launching a set of three limited edition pin badges as it fundraises to buy the surrounding landscape…

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Removal of Yeovil Hospital’s stroke unit to begin in the spring

Removal of Yeovil Hospital’s stroke unit to begin in the spring

The removal of a hyper-acute stroke unit at a hospital will begin in the spring, health bosses have announced.It means that, instead of being treated at Yeovil District Hospital, stroke patients needing urgent care will be transported to either Dorchester or Taunton.The removal has attracted considerable criticism from locals, while both Yeovil MP Adam Dance and Yeovil Town Council have urged the Department for Health and Social Care to review the decision.NHS Somerset's integrated care board voted for…

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Sturminster Newton Bridge to shut for three nights

Sturminster Newton Bridge to shut for three nights

Pedestrians and drivers are being warned to plan ahead as a town's bridge is set to close for three nights.The Grade I listed six-arch Sturminster Newton Bridge in north Dorset over the River Stour is being resurfaced following the installation of new traffic lights. Dorset Council said the lights at the junction of the single-lane bridge, which sees a high volume of traffic, needed replacing as they were "very old" and had become difficult to repair.Bridge Street (Sturminster…

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Parnham Park housing plan ‘threatens blonde badgers’

Parnham Park housing plan ‘threatens blonde badgers’

Marcus WhiteSouth of EnglandColin VarndellAlbino badgers at the site are under threat, campaigners saidA plan to build more than 80 designer homes in the grounds of a fire-hit mansion would destroy an "irreplaceable natural habitat", a campaign group has said.Former rave promoter James Perkins has applied to build a "parkland" housing estate at Grade I listed Parnham House, which was partially destroyed by fire in 2017.Dorset Natural Heritage Initiative (DNHI) said the plans lacked a "robust ecological survey",…

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Shipwrecks and submarines: Protecting England’s unusual heritage

Shipwrecks and submarines: Protecting England’s unusual heritage

Alix HattenstoneBBC LocalBournemouth UniversityThe Pin Wreck is an Admiralty Mooring Lighter believed to have sunk in 1903 off the Dorset coastA mysterious shipwreck, a colourful cathedral and a "birthplace of the communication age" are among the remarkable places in England that have been granted special protection this year.Historic England has added 199 new sites to its National Heritage List during 2025, while others have had their protected status upgraded.Listing gives places of special architectural or historical interest legal…

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Fundraising 11-year-old from Dorset becomes youngest MBE

Fundraising 11-year-old from Dorset becomes youngest MBE

Curtis LancasterSouth of EnglandPA MediaCarmela Chillery-Watson has raised thousands of pounds for charityAn 11-year-old fundraiser has become the youngest person to receive an MBE.Carmela Chillery-Watson, from Dorset, has LMNA congenital muscular dystrophy - a progressive muscle-wasting condition.She has walked and wheeled hundreds of miles, raising thousands of pounds for Muscular Dystrophy UK and Julia's House Hospice, often dressed in superhero costumes.She met Prince William at Windsor Castle, where she was presented the Member of the Order of the…

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Cocker Spaniel home after suspected theft from west Dorset

Cocker Spaniel home after suspected theft from west Dorset

A red cocker spaniel that disappeared from a kennel outside a home in a village is now back with its owner.Gerry went missing from Hilfield, between Dorchester and Sherborne, Dorset, on Monday between 11:30 and 12:30 GMT sparking a police and social media appeal.Dorset Police said Gerry was found safe and well near Cerne Abbas about 5km (3 miles) away from his home earlier. The forced added inquiries were ongoing into the suspected theft.Gerry's owner Jackie Gibbs thanked…

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Extra £81m to boost walking and cycling routes

Extra £81m to boost walking and cycling routes

An extra £81m is being invested to improve walking, cycling and wheeling routes across the south-west of England.Managed by the government's Active Travel, the money will be divided across local authorities depending on the councils' capability rating, which measures how well they can organise, plan and deliver travel schemes.Chris Boardman, commissioner at Active Travel, said the funding is not just about building infrastructure, but also aims to create communities where parents feel confident letting children travel independently.He added:…

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