SEVEN further hospital deaths and more than 1,100 more cases of coronavirus have been recorded in Dorset over the weekend.

AN AREA in Bournemouth is close to becoming a Covid 'hotspot', according to an interactive Government map.

A FUND raising appeal in memory of a father-of-two has raised more than £15,000 for research into a rare form of cancer.

A PHARMACY in East Dorset has closed its shop following the increasing number of Covid cases.

A TEENAGE boy is due to go on trial today accused of murdering a man in Bournemouth last summer.

Latest updates as schools reopen across Dorset

A PRIMARY school in Bournemouth has not fully reopened due to "significant staff shortages".

The first doses of the Oxford University and AstraZeneca vaccine are set to be administered in what has been described as a “pivotal moment” in the UK’s fight against coronavirus by the Health Secretary.

THE owner of a dog involved in an alleged biting incident in Southbourne has been identified following a witness appeal.

TWO primary schools in Poole are unable to fully reopen today after teaching union members were advised it was unsafe to work in full classes, school leaders have said.

A LITTLE girl who was looking forward to a white Christmas slept through the entire festive season after suffering a massive seizure.

A COUPLE has been the victim of a “horrible” burglary in which thieves stole a statue which is a commemoration to their son who died aged just 18.

BOURNEMOUTH is set to get its first ibis Styles hotel as Nq2, with Oceana Hotels, has taken joint ownership of the Hotel Royale.

TOURISM chiefs for the conurbation described 2020 as “unpredictable, cruel, and downright farcical on too many occasions” for the hospitality industry.

WOMEN in Dorset are around twice as likely to be jailed as those in the area of England and Wales with the lowest rate of female imprisonment, new analysis reveals.

GARDEN waste collections start in two weeks for thousands of customers across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.

VISITORS have been banned from visiting Dorset County Hospital bar in ‘exceptional circumstances’ as Dorset Council area lives under Tier 3 restrictions.

When are the school holidays in 2021? Here's everything you need to know including when they will break up.

POOLE-BASED sailor Pip Hare is battling another technical problem as she continues in the Vendee Globe round-the-world race.

AN elderly woman died of injuries suffered in an accidental fall at home more than a month earlier, an inquest has heard.

A CARE home has launched an appeal for 100 birthday cards as one of its residents is set to celebrate a milestone birthday.

OVER 100 homeless people and those in need were supported at Christmas thanks to a Bournemouth-based organisation.

It's looking likely that we'll be able to enjoy a fuller calendar of sport in 2021.

LIFEBOAT volunteers from Poole will be starring on the small screen this week, as part of the TV documentary Saving Lives at Sea.

PROPOSALS for a community health and food-related project in Boscombe have been given the green light.

CARE home staff clocked up 70k between them as they ran around Ringwood in reindeer antlers to raise money for people with autism and learning disabilities.

MORE than eight per cent of all the electricity generated in this country is lost in transmission from power station to the end user.

ON my Covid safe solo walk round BH14 this morning I couldn't help notice that almost without exception all the drain covers were blocked by leaves and pine needles.

As far as I can see all the lockdowns have not only not worked but done more harm than good.

I'M PLEASED and delighted to hear the wonderful news that Chris Thomas has been awarded an MBE.

DOZENS of A&E patients waited more than 30 minutes before entering University Hospitals Dorset Trust after arriving in ambulances last week, new figures reveal.

AN ATTEMPT to extend the sentence of a man who touched a child sexually when they had gone swimming in the sea at Boscombe has failed.

NEARLY 600 more cases of coronavirus have been recorded in Dorset and the New Forest in the last 24 hours.

FIREFIGHTERS raced to put out a car fire after it burst into flames.