Wednesday 28th July 2010 Residents angry at Olympic homes on Portland sports field
Residents of the Dorset seaside town of Portland are angry after Olympic housing was been built on a sports field. The buildings are part of the Osprey Quay development, the site of the 2012 Olympic sailing events and the first Olympic site for the 2012 Games to be completed. The development came after Weymouth and Portland were chosen to host the sailing events at the 2012 Olympics. An original plan to lodge athletes on a cruise ship moored at Weymouth Bay was scrapped and replaced by a controversial housing development on Officer's Field, the only flat recreational ground in the Underhill area of Portland. Councillor Tim Munro is in charge of environment and sustainability at Weymouth and Portland Borough Council said: "Seventy-seven houses have been put on a plot that should have been retained for sporting use." Olympics organisers have said the village would be available for social housing after the games. Dorset

Monday 26th July 2010 Restoration work starts on Osmington White Horse
The 200-year-old Osmington White Horse monument in Dorset is set to undergo restoration after a disastrous previous attempt to spruce it up by TV personality Anneka Rice. The BBC TV show Challenge Anneka attempted a revamp as a televised stunt in 1989. The high-profile restoration failed and the work deteriorated very quickly afterwards when the white Portland limestone stone chippings used slipped down the hill leaving bare patches. Work starts to remove the Portland limestone chippings covering the monument with local youngsters on hand to help. The 260ft figure overlooks Weymouth Bay and was carved into the hills in the early 19th Century in honour of George III. Dorset

Friday 23rd July 2010 Shitterton takes solid action to stop sign theft
The villagers of Shitterton in Dorset have got heavy over the constant theft of their sign and set it in one and a half tonnes of Purbeck stone. Mischievous thieves, obviously amused by the village name, have been taking away the village sign for some while now, much to the annoyance of the villagers who hope that the £680 sign is there to stay this time. Previous signs have frequently disappeared, the last loss was three years ago and wasn’t replaced until now. Villager Ian Ventham said: "Every two or three years somebody comes along and nicks our sign because, clearly, Shitterton is amusing." Dorset

Friday 9th July 2010 Aquarium missing psychic octopus
An aquarium in Dorset now wish they had been able to keep an octopus
which correctly predicted Germany's World Cup results. The
eight-legged sea-creature, named Paul, was quarantined at Weymouth Sea
Life Park but has now moved to Germany, where he has now become a
star. Octopus Paul chose mussels placed on one of two plastic boxes in
its tank in Oberhausen. The boxes were marked with team flags, one
bore the German flag and the other the flag of the opposing team.
Paul’s choice of mussel correctly predicting the result. Bookies
William Hill took such a large number of bets on the sea creature
tipping the World Cup winner that they have cut their odds on Paul's
predictions being correct from Even money to 10/11. Dorset

Monday 10th May 2010 Work begins in Poole Harbour on Twin Sails Bridge
Work has begun on the approach road for the £37m Twin Sails Bridge in
Poole Harbour in Dorset. A new road is being constructed to link the
new bridge to the junction of West Quay Road. The bridge, due to open
in 2012, will connect Hamworthy with Poole Port. Wilkins Way in Poole
will be closed for up to two years as a result of the work.

Poole Borough Council has said the bridge and associated development
could create up to 5,000 jobs because the bridge will provide access
to 64 acres of brownfield land. Construction work will take about 20
months. Dorset

Thursday 25th March 2010 Hardy manuscripts stay in Dorset
A collection of rare Thomas Hardy manuscripts has been secured by
Dorset County Museum after it managed to raise almost £60,000 to
purchase them. The museum feared the manuscripts would go abroad after
an American university expressed interest in them. The manuscripts and
associated material, including original advertising posters, date from
1908 to 1924.

A spokesman from the museum said: "A leading American university had
expressed strong interest in acquiring all the manuscripts if the
necessary funds were not forthcoming in this country. The collection
is unique because the documents it contains demonstrate Hardy's
special relationship with the people of Dorchester and the original
Hardy Players who performed his works in public. Hardy attended
rehearsals and advised the players on the adaptations." Dorset

Friday 12th March 2010 Viking skeletons in Dorset pit
Fifty-one skeletons laying in a Dorset burial pit have been identified
as Scandinavian Vikings according to scientists. The bones, which all
once belonged to young men who died in violent circumstances, were
discovered last June at Ridgeway Hill, near Weymouth.

Oxford Archaeology excavated 51 skulls to examine the remains in an
attempt to link the find to historical events. Project manager David
Score said: "To find out that the young men executed were Vikings is a
thrilling development. Any mass grave is a relatively rare find, but
to find one on this scale, from this period of history, is extremely
unusual." Dorset

Thursday 18th February 2010 Dorset man claims oldest paperboy title
A 90-year-old paperboy from Winterborne Monkton, near Dorchester, has
lodged a claim for the title of world’s oldest paperboy. Ted Ingham is
expecting a call from the Guinness Book of Records people to verify
his title.

Mr Ingram, who estimates he’s posted 50,000 newspapers through
letterboxes in his area, said: "I just do it for the village, I love
doing the round. I hope I can carry on the round when I'm 100, I have
no plans to give it up. I don't make any money out of it, in fact
after a hip replacement I need to use a car which costs me more than
the £1.20 per day I make." Dorset

Tuesday 22nd December 2009 Hope for ruined castle in Dorset
Sandsfoot Castle in Weymouth has lay in ruins for 500 years, gradually
crumbling into the sea. But things may start to look up for the castle
after a £23,100 grant was awarded by the Heritage Lottery Fund to
survey the ruin with a view to a possible restoration.

Sandsfoot Castle overlooks Portland Harbour and was built in 1530 by
King Henry VIII as part of his coastal defences. David Carter, the
Sandsfoot Castle project manager, told the press: "Our ultimate aim is
to see Sandsfoot Castle saved from premature destruction. To our
knowledge, there isn't another example of this style of Tudor
fortification in the country so it's imperative that efforts are made
to stabilise the structure that remains.” Dorset

Monday 21st December 2009 Poole to lose cross channel ferry
After 17 years of service the ferry between Poole and Cherbourg in
France is to cease operating in spring. The cross-Channel ferry
service has suffered financial losses since 2003 and the operators,
Brittany Ferries have called it a day while at the same time spending
£75m to increase sailings from Portsmouth to Northern Spain.

Ron Barker, vice chairman of the Poole and Cherbourg management
committee said: "Poole and Cherbourg have been twin towns for almost
30 years and it will have a cultural impact. This is a bitter
disappointment for the economy of both towns with a loss of tourism
trade. We are totally devastated to lose the Barfleur - 80% of the
passengers who travelled on it were from the UK." Dorset