Summary

  • Huge numbers of visitors flock to beaches in Dorset and Hampshire

  • BCP Council declares 'major incident' in response to the numbers of people

  • People from as far away as the midlands have come for the day to the coast

  • The scenes have been described as a "complete breakdown of decent, normal behaviour"

  • Reports of anti-social behaviour, illegal parking, piles of litter, overnight camping and gridlock

  • A councillor said she was verbally abused and spat at as she directed traffic.

Live Reporting

Dan Kerins, Andre Rhoden-Paul and Stephen Stafford

  1. Jersey delayed semi-final date confirmed

    Jersey Football Combination will meet Dorset Premier League in their delayed Inter-League Cup semi-final at the end of April.

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  2. Weather for the Week Ahead

    Warm summer-like conditions will continue for the next few days, but there's cold weather on the horizon.

  3. Bournemouth announce £60m loss

    Bournemouth, relegated from the Premier League last season, record a pre-tax loss of more than £60m for the year ending June 2020.

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  4. Unseasonably warm weather hits Europe

    Unseasonably warm weather hits Europe

  5. Weather for the Week Ahead

    Warm for now but turning colder as we head towards the Easter weekend. Matt Taylor has the details.

  6. Chesterfield 1-0 Weymouth

    Tom Whelan scores the winner against his former club as Chesterfield saw off Weymouth 1-0 in the National League.

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  7. Man dies in grain vat of moored cargo ship

    Police, coastguard and ambulance crews were called to the scene on board the Beks Yilmaz.

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  8. Super-cold thunderstorm sets temperature record

    An American satellite records a temperature of -111C at the top of a powerful Pacific storm.

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  9. Weather for the Week Ahead

    Weather for the Week Ahead

  10. Army general jailed for £48,000 school fees fraud

    Maj Gen Nick Welch claimed to live in London rather than in Dorset near his children's schools.

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  11. 'Lives at risk' on road affected by landslips

    Dorset Council is proposing a £4.3m project to stabilise the steep banks around Dinah's Hollow.

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  12. Drones to help fight post-lockdown litter surge

    "Exceptional" visitor numbers are expected at Bournemouth beach this summer, a council says.

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  13. Weather for the Week Ahead

    Temperatures will take a brief dip on Friday, but mild weather is on the horizon. Helen Willetts has the details.

  14. Army general guilty of school fees fraud

    Major General Nick Welch, who retired in 2018, claimed to live in London rather than in Dorset.

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  15. Beachgoers urged to stick to patrolled spot

    "The sea remains dangerously cold," warns the RNLI as the Easter break approaches.

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  16. Weather for the Week Ahead

    Weather for the Week Ahead

  17. Council votes against gender-neutral language

    Councillors proposed dropping terms such as chairman, in favour of "chair".

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  18. Australia floods as big as 'two European countries'

    Some areas are seeing enormous amounts of rain, in what has been called a “once in 200 years event”.

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  19. Murder suspect released after post-mortem tests

    The suspect is released after tests indicated the man's death was not caused by an assault.

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  20. Weather for the Week Ahead

    Weather for the Week Ahead