dorset

A new method of dredging is being trialled in two harbours with the aim of reducing costs and the environmental impact.Dorset Council is testing the Water Injection Dredging (WID) system at Lyme Regis and West Bay, which avoids the need to excavate and suction the seabed.The technique uses low-pressure water jets to loosen sediment which is redistributed by the natural currents.The dredging vessel, Doonhamer, will be in Bridport's inner and outer harbours for about 10 days before the…

Plans to build a new training base for the British Sailing Team have been abandoned due to the rise in build costs.The Royal Yachting Association (RYA) wanted to build the centre within the grounds of Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy (WPNSA) in Portland, Dorset.But the RYA said rising construction costs had "prompted us to re-evaluate how best to invest" and it would instead revamp its current facilities.The new centre, given planning permission last year, was intended to…

Ethan GudgeSouth of EnglandGriffith Institute/Harry BurtonTutankhamun's tomb was discovered almost wholly intact in 1922A century ago, the mummified body of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun was unwrapped for the first time - having been entombed thousands of years before.To mark the hundred-year anniversary, a new database containing thousands of personal records and documents from the time has been opened at the University of Oxford - making them fully accessible for the first time.The tomb of the former boy-king…

Marcus White & Patrick HughesSouth of EnglandBBCPat Shepherd kept her work secret from her family until she was in her 50sA veteran of Bletchley Park, where German, Italian and Japanese codes were broken during World War Two, is celebrating her 100th birthday.Pat Shepherd, from Ferndown, Dorset, helped to run the Bombes - code-breaking machines - at the secret Buckinghamshire base.She said she was "incredibly proud" of her work but did not tell her family about it until later…

Nightly road closures and temporary traffic lights are expected at a busy junction as resurfacing work and signal upgrades begin.Dorset Council said work will take place on the A357 Newton Hill/Bridge Street junction of Sturminster Newton Bridge until 19 December.Outdated signals will be replaced with modern equipment and above-ground detection to improve reliability and reduce future maintenance.Three-way temporary lights will operate throughout the works and pedestrian access will be maintained via a temporary crossing.The council said drivers should…

Marcus WhiteSouth of EnglandThe Tank MuseumThe Mark IV tank, the first to be mass produced, entered service in 1917A newly-unearthed letter has revealed the courage of a World War One tank gunner during the final days of his life.L/Cpl G S Hopkins was in two tanks which were badly damaged by shells over the space of a few days, later dying from his injuries.His commanding officer wrote to a grieving relative that the gunner "was as badly smashed…

Services and parades have been marking the closest Sunday to Armistice Day across the country.Across the south of England, residents who had gathered in Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight fell silent to remember those who died while serving in the armed forces.Richard Creech, who served in the Royal Navy for 33 years, was among hundreds of people who attended a service at Southampton's cenotaph."It makes you feel very proud and it's very humbling to…

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Getty ImagesServices and parades are taking place across the regionServices are due to take place across the south of England as towns and cities fall silent to remember those who died while serving in the armed forces.Residents will gather in Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight for events to mark Remembrance Sunday, held on the closest Sunday to Armistice Day.Here are some of the services and parades taking place in the region.Isle of WightThe County…

Neranjana ElapathaSouth of EnglandChallen ChickensJerome Challen houses 12,000 hens in Maidenhead and Taplow Farmers across the south of England are bracing for possible bird flu outbreaks after the government issued new rules to contain the virus.A mandatory housing order means anyone who has more than 50 birds must keep them inside to lower the risk of avian influenza spreading.The government said the measure, introduced this week, would "bring the rates of infection down from the high we are…