NINE schools in Dorset have confirmed cases of coronavirus since classrooms reopened last week, with students and staff self-isolating as a result.

WEST Dorset pub and restaurant owners have thrown their weight behind a campaign for the hospitality industry to have representation in Parliament.

A POPULAR West Bay restaurant is set to open a takeaway-only building next door.

A TEENAGER is forging a promising career as an interviewer using the online video-sharing platform YouTube.

NEW handrails for a local church and new signs to a Bridport supermarket feature among the planning applications validated for the area this week.

POLICE in Dorset have been spat at or bitten in dozens of attacks during the Covid-19 pandemic - assaults described as "despicable" and "abhorrent" by police bosses.

MORE than 900 cases of coronavirus were confirmed in Dorset in the latest update from the government.

THE BRIDPORT Vegan Market has been postponed until further notice.

MORE than 450 people with coronavirus are receiving treatment in Dorset hospitals in the latest figures released by NHS England.

DORSET police bosses are leading a call for police and council key workers to receive the Covid-19 vaccination.

MORE than one in five close contacts of people with coronavirus are not being reached by the test and trace system in Dorset, amid a record number of new positive cases.

It's been almost half a century since trains ran from Bridport, and the branch line from West Bay to Maiden Newton is now only a memory.

DIGITAL help is available for families who are home-schooling.

PEOPLE in Dorset are being urged to show support on World Cancer Day for everyone affected by the disease.

VICTIMS in Bridport were duped by a fraudster who promised them items for money including VIP tickets to watch Premier League matches, a court heard.

A 'BEACON of hope' is set to stay on display until next month.

SEVEN new coronavirus deaths have been recorded in Dorset hospitals.

AN investigation has been launched after a mini digger was stolen from the Bridport area.

GYM members looking to continue their workout plan can do so online, courtesy of a local leisure centre.

HANDMADE meals are returning to residents' door steps thanks to a Beaminster restaurant.

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The Government is taking decisive action against coronavirus; leaving no uncertainty that our exit out of this pandemic depends on reducing the virus right now.

DORSET Wildlife Trust is encouraging local people to support the wildlife and wild spaces.

DIGITAL help is available for families who are home-schooling.

A NEW survey about adults with social care needs is being launched this week.

The first report from Public Health England’s Siren study found that antibodies from past infection provide 83% protection against reinfection.

More people in Dorset are identifying as British than before the EU referendum, figures suggest, while fewer say they are English.

The name of a young Bridport soldier killed in the First World War will live on in a new housing development being built in the town.

LATEST figures show 22 people have died with coronavirus in Dorset hospitals over the last 24 hour period - a major increase and a record for the county since the pandemic began.

I have no connection with the Chancery House development but was a Board member in the NHS, and since retirement advised a department of Social Services for several years, so claim some knowledge of the background.

​THE rollout of the coronavirus vaccines is under way across the UK, giving hope for a way out of the health crisis.

A DRINK driver has been jailed for two years for causing a horror crash which left a police officer with life-changing injuries.

A COUPLE are trekking 100 miles in memory of their loved ones who have died of cancer.

THE chief constable of Dorset Police has warned that officers will be moving to enforcement against those who breach Covid-19 regulations action more quickly.

MORE than 1,000 fines have been issued by Dorset Police to people breaching Covid regulations since March.

A WARNING has been issued for homeowners on what to do with their waste if someone in their household shows symptoms of Covid-19.

BOSSES at the UK's top companies have already made more money this week than the average worker in Dorset will all year, estimates show.

The body responsible for car tax and vehicle licensing has warned drivers to be on the lookout for new phishing scams this new year.

Tesco, Asda, Aldi and Waitrose are the latest to tighten their rules around shoppers wearing face coverings.

CARE HOME residents in Bridport have received their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine.

OVER 500 new cases of Covid-19 have been recorded in Dorset in the past 24 hours, latest data from the government has revealed.

COUNCIL tax in Dorset is set to rise next year - with households in band D properties expected to pay an extra £84.60 for the year.