Archive
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It wasn't me, says handyman
HANDYMAN Dave Day thought he was seeing double after picking up a copy of Thursday's Daily Echo. For on the front page was a picture of a tradesmen expert who took part in a trading standards survey to catch out rip-off traders. Since the picture appeared
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Gap year quest - or passport to danger?
THOUSANDS of Dorset teenagers are following in the footsteps of Princes William and Harry. Gap years are now taken by more than 200,000 British youngsters every year - considered by them as a crucial rite of passage before starting university or full-time
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Burglar is caught by DNA on his cigarette
A CAREER criminal who was traced by the DNA on his discarded cigarette butt has been jailed for two and a half years. Father-of-two Franklin Alexander admitted burgling a house in Wimborne Road, Poole between June 22 and July 1 this year and burgling
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Egg on their faces?
WILL a new superstore in Poole end up with egg on its face after being accused of encouraging trick-or-treaters? Asda is selling nine barn eggs in special Hallowe'en boxes among the broomsticks and capes in a special aisle of the £30 million store in
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Bailey cream of crop
AMANDA BAILEY made a winning start to her cross-country season in the Wessex League meeting at Glastonbury. The Christchurch-based 15-year-old was undeterred by the contrast with her last race on a track in Finland, as she clocked a six-second margin
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Seven years inside? It's not enough
FORMER prison officer Graham Vranch today hit out at the prison sentence handed to his neighbour who tried to murder him. Mr Vranch, 62, of Weston, Portland, told how he was deeply disappointed at the seven-year jail sentence given to Edwin Gene Hoskins
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Teenager set fire to car after row
A TEENAGER who set fire to his friend's dad's car after a drunken row, caused £11,000 worth of damage. Stuart Gerald Grinton, 18, of Flaxfield Road, Beaminster, pleaded guilty to a charge of arson before Weymouth magistrates. He admitted damaging a Mitsubishi
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BUMS don't do anything but have almost as much as I do
HELP - I think I'm turning into a tweed coat-wearing, sensible shoe-loving, snobby young-fogey. It was when a colleague referred to my footwear as "granny shoes" that I really began to panic - they're comfortable, all right? Not to mention my penchant
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Group supports those with alcoholic parents
AN ORGANISATION that helps people come to terms with a parent's alcoholism is to be set up in Christchurch. Jo, who lives in the town and has an alcoholic father, is holding the first meeting of Adult Children of Alcholics and dysfunctional families in
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Man of mass destruction
I HOPE that anyone who believes the Iraqis were somehow better off living under the jackboot of Saddam, rather than the rickety peace they now have, had a good look at the pictures of those pathetic scraps of human remains, dug out of the mass grave this
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HOWE NOT RULING OUT LONGER DEAL
EDDIE Howe has refused to rule out a possible permanent switch back to Cherries after Portsmouth agreed to extend his loan spell for a third and final month. The 26-year-old, who has been back training with the Premiership outfit this week, was given
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WHAT'S UP DOC?
TWO elderly residents at a Bournemouth rest home waited 15-and-a-half hours to see a doctor - the day after a new emergency out-of-hours medical service was launched in Dorset. Frail 82-year-old Pat Puckett and 79-year-old John Hamblen were suffering
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Legionnaire widow's £50,000 benefit scam
A WIDOW of a French Foreign Legionnaire has escaped a prison sentence for benefit frauds involving more than £50,000. Bournemouth Magistrates Court heard that Jean Norrish of Broadway in Southbourne claimed income support, council tax benefit and housing
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Hammond family in anti-gay march plea
THE family of dead preacher Harry Hammond has pleaded with the organisers of an anti-gay march not to link themselves with his name. Mr Hammond's granddaughter revealed her grandfather was a paranoid schizophrenic and said his extreme views were a direct
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Ape experts' concern on exotic pet owners
DORSET ape experts are calling for meetings with local councils after raising concerns about licences handed out to owners of exotic pets. Jim and Alison Cronin, who run Monkey World rescue sanctuary in Wool near Wareham, want to work out a common policy
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Bowling for Toby
MARK and Emma Bennett remember the day nearly two years ago with painful clarity. Their lovely, lively son Toby was playing five-a-side football after school and his mum was due to pick him up at Poole Sports Centre. "I got there early because he wanted
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Terror as thugs carjack family
A FARMER has spoken of his family's terrifying ordeal after they were nearly mown down by thieves fleeing with their Land Rover. David Chick, aged 36, was forced to dive for safety as he battled to stop the accelerating vehicle from reversing into him
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Stop that bird noise!
FURIOUS lorry driver John Stubbs is dreaming of a good night's sleep after a council bird scarer developed a fault near his home. The scarer is supposed to mimic gull distress calls to stop them fouling Weymouth harbour boats during the day, but the machine
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Motocross is expected to draw 15,000 crowd
DAREDEVIL riders are revving up for a whirlwind competition at Weymouth's national beach motocross event. More than 200 riders from across the country are gearing up to race around a one-mile course on the resort's golden sands on Sunday afternoon. They
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Poundbury is perfect for a new WI group
POUNDBURY could be getting its own arm of the Women's Institute. The 75-year-old organisation is looking to branch out and cater for women living on the development. Jo Humphreys from Cerne Abbas, who advises new groups on how to start up, says many villages
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Jail threat to sports fraud man
A CRICKET official is facing jail after he admitted running a sporting scam which swindled people out of hundreds of thousands of pounds. Adrian Voss, vice-chairman of the Dorchester and District Evening Cricket League and former manager of Weymouth Cricket
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Blitz on yobs at Hallowe'en
POLICE are to crack down on yobs who create Hallowe'en hell for residents. Inspector Tony Rudd has promised extra patrols and is looking at legislation which will allow police to prosecute parents who fail to control unruly children. Insp Rudd, who is
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Auction set to take off with rocket man Elton's belter
A SIGNED CD by pop star Elton John is the latest piece of memorabilia to be donated to a charity auction. Organiser of the charity event Julie Croley said she was over the moon that superstar Elton had sent the CD for the event on December 4. "It's the
