Local news for the Dorset Coast powered by the Echo

Premier Inn is looking to more than double the number of rooms at a New Forest hotel, in a major expansion planners say should get the green light.

A horse rider has been hospitalised and sustained serious injuries after a motorist spooked their horse causing it to bolt on a road in Poole.

A walk along Dorset’s county border is aiming to raise awareness of a serious threat facing young people across the county.

A man has been charged with eight offences of criminal damage after several businesses in the Southbourne Grove area were targeted back in June.

Yesterday, officers from the Bournemouth North Neighbourhood Policing Team executed a warrant at a local address following information and concerns raised by members of the community.

A millionaire could be forced to demolish his brand new £4m home on Sandbanks after a neighbour successfully sued the council over the planning process for it.

A critical care team and air ambulance attended a man who was assaulted by another man outside a pub in Bournemouth last night.

"Copper bracelet" on Mupe Bay beach turns out to be unexploded shell

A courageous mother is fighting to buy more precious moments with her son who is battling an incurable form of cancer

Savers Health and Beauty  is giving away goodie bags worth £15 to its first 500 customers today in Bournemouth.

A crew from Poole were called to Halstock Crescent, Poole, at 8.21pm yesterday evening, following reports of a small fire in the open.

Campaigners have won their battle to save a busy footbridge that connects their village to a popular walking area in the New Forest

A Lymington man has been remanded in custody after multiple breaches of a sexual harm prevention order and failing to comply with sex offender register conditions.

Thousands of bees invaded the headquarters of a New Forest charity, damaging the building and sparking an emergency fundraising appeal

Dorset coroner issues next of kin appeal for Colin James Caldow, 68, who died in Bournemouth. Death not suspicious. Contact 01202 123900 with info.

SCROOGE, a brand-new adaptation of A Christmas Carol created especially for Swanage, opens at The Mowlem this December.

BH Live is celebrating national recognition after being shortlisted as a finalist in the Healthier Communities Award category at the ukactive Awards 2026.

We are all looking at the straw coloured grass at the moment, but gardeners know that however bad things look, as long as the roots are ok, they will survive.

Betty and the Yeti will run at Lighthouse Poole from October 24, to October 30, and features a 50-metre woollen scarf, hand-knitted by the Crafty Ladies.

The Dorset Education Conversation, organised by Poppy Parmar-Phillips, will take place at Rockwater Branksome on Wednesday, August 26 at 5:30pm.

Purbeck Cider launches People’s Choice cider in Dorset, donating £1 per litre sold to Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance. Community-grown apples support charity.

Plans for a new 'build your own' waterfront home with panoramic views have been approved for a site in Dorset

Dorset is the location for Mike Leigh's Play For Today, Nuts in May, which is free to watch on BBC iPlayer

A YouTube video provides an insightful look at Brownsea Island in 1962.

Only Fools and Horses repeats are as popular as ever this Christmas - but did you know that the classic BBC comedy was not once, but twice filmed in Dorset?

Sandbanks Ferry staff were 'verbally abused' by passengers during a temporary suspension.

Hundreds of jobs are to be created at a holiday park as part of a major nationwide investment.

SHOULD there be a tourist tax in Purbeck – the “Purbeck Pound”?