dorset

Josh Sandifordin BirminghamGetty ImagesSuppliers who worked on HMP Birmingham say they are owed hundreds of thousands of poundsThe government is facing questions over tens of millions of pounds owed to suppliers who worked on upgrades to three prisons in England.At least 40 companies are believed to be owed the money for work they carried out in Birmingham, Liverpool and Dorset, before lead contractor ISG entered administration in September.The small and medium-sized firms say they should have been protected…

Rachel RussellSouth of EnglandGetty ImagesSome of the county's tourism areas include Branksome Chine Beach in BournemouthA county's official tourism websites and social media are set to be taken over by new operators.Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council is stepping back from Bournemouth and Poole's tourism websites and moving away from destination marketing.The Destination Management Board (DMB) and Christchurch Town Council have now set up "Bournemouth and Poole Tourism", which will take over the marketing of the websites and…

A visitor attraction that cares for hundreds of swans has closed for winter a week earlier than planned and cancelled its half term Halloween events amid fears of a bird flu outbreak.Abbotsbury Swannery in Dorset had been due to welcome visitors to its Ghostly Games trail from Saturday 25 October to Sunday 2 November.A post on its website said: "Due to suspected avian influenza (bird flu) on the reserve, as a precautionary measure, and in line with other…

A military museum has hosted a training exercise to test the emergency services' response to a chemical incident.Police, fire, ambulance, search and rescue teams and university paramedics took part in the exercise at the Tank Museum in Bovington, Dorset.The fake scenario involved a forklift truck colliding with a chemical tanker carrying chlorine, resulting in a chemical leak, casualties and missing people.The Tank Museum remained open throughout the event on Thursday and there was no risk to the public.Sgt…

Nikki Fox,East of England health correspondent at Essex Coroner's Court and Lewis Adams,EssexFamily handoutAbbi Smith understood and felt the world around her differently due to being autistic, her family saidA mental health trust that discharged a patient despite a "real and immediate risk to her life" was neglectful in its conduct, a coroner has said.Abbi Smith, 26, died the day after her release from the Linden Centre, an inpatient unit run by Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust…

Curtis LancasterSouth of EnglandJessica LevittJonathan Ross visited the Dorset based-clubTalk show host and Celebrity Traitors star Jonathan Ross visited a girls' football team and surprised them with a message from England Lioness Chloe Kelly.Ross spent two hours with the under-11s at Swanage Town and Herston Football Club in Dorset on Thursday evening.He talked to the players and their parents and signed merchandise, including a Traitors board game, which the club hopes to sell at an upcoming fundraising event.Jessica…

Residents are being asked to comment on plans to introduce 20mph limits in more parts of Dorset.The schemes are being proposed for roads in 10 areas, including much of Lyme Regis.It follows the implementation of 20mph limits in five towns and villages in recent weeks.The latest consultation is open until 7 November.Parts of Briantspuddle, Bridport, Gillingham, Milborne St Andrew, Pymore, St Leonards and St Ives and Winterborne Whitechurch are also included in the plans.Critics on local social media…

A wood chopper from Dorset is preparing to take on the world in what is often called "the original extreme sport".Tom Redmond, from Bere Regis, will represent team GB at the Timbersports World Championships in Milan in front of 3,000 fans in the Allianz Cloud Arena.With more than 150 years of tradition, the roots of the sport originated in Australia and New Zealand.This years contest will see 120 axemen from 20 nations competing in four disciplines - in…

Sophie Cridlandin PortsmouthBBCCedrick left the Bibby Stockholm asylum barge in October 2024 and is now living in PortsmouthAn asylum seeker who was moved off the controversial Bibby Stockholm barge a year ago has said he "will get killed" if he is forced to return to Cameroon.The last residents left the vessel, which was berthed at Portland Port in Dorset, in November. It housed about 500 men awaiting the outcome of their asylum applications.Cedrick, who arrived in the UK…

Work to erect the first statue of a non-royal woman in a town has passed a major milestone with the figure being cast in bronze.Visible Women crowdfunded for the sculpture of novelist Sylvia Townsend Warner which will be installed on a bench in Dorchester town centre.It is the work of artist Denise Dutton, who also created the Mary Anning statue in Lyme Regis.The unveiling, outside Goulds department store in South Street, has been scheduled for 14 December.In a…

A woman has died in a two-car crash in Dorset.A black Kia Niro and a grey Peugeot 107 collided on the A37 near Maiden Newton, north of Dorchester, at 17:30 BST on Wednesday.The driver of the Peugeot, a 49-year-old woman from Weymouth, died at the scene.The road was closed to allow emergency services to respond and for investigation work.The woman's next of kin has been informed.Dorset Police is appealing for witnesses and anyone with dashcam footage to get…