Local news for the Dorset Coast powered by the Echo

The following cases were heard at Weymouth Magistrates' Court:

Flat owners say they have lost everything after a coffee shop allegedly caused major structural defects, making their properties worthless.

SCRUTINY committee members have welcomed the ‘good’ rating given to Dorset Council’s adult social care services.

SCALING back verge grass cutting has left many parts of Dorset looking untidy and, in some cases, unsafe, councillors claim.

A car has overturned in an incident in Bournemouth this evening and police, ambulance and fire service are all at the scene

A celebration of countryside life is returning for another year of fun.

A fire on farmland near Wool has caused damage to an area the size of approximately six football pitches.

A popular café has confirmed it will be closing its Christchurch premises after a "very quiet summer".

A necklace with a distinctive green stone was stolen after two intruders were allegedly caught inside a parked vehicle in Poole.

Residents in Christchurch have raised concerns about a group of travellers who have settled in a local park.

Searches are underway to locate a missing Bournemouth teen.

Dorset Police officers are issuing an image of a man they would like to identify following an assault in Sherborne.

An inquest has been opened after the body of a missing woman was found in Southbourne.

Plans to demolish an Edwardian home in the New Forest National Park and replace it have been dismissed on appeal.

A man is due in court after a teenage motorcyclist was killed in a crash in Poole last year.

An asylum seeker who attacked a man for challenging his 'predatory' behaviour towards a British woman in her home was jailed for two-and-a-half years.

A man arrested on suspicion of murder after a man was found dead in a tent, will face no further police action.

A car has collided with a house in Bournemouth after ‘speeding’ — with the occupants of the vehicle fleeing the scene.

AS NEW PM Andy Burnham was setting out his plans to reform housing – Dorset councillors were told that ‘affordable’ homes are not affordable at all in the county for most people.

DORSET Council has been accused of caring more for dead cats than children

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”?