Dorset weekly round-up: 8 January - 13 January 2024

An X-ray revealed the pug had something strange-looking in her stomach

A story about a mischievous pug that ate 200g of hairbands was among our most viewed content this week in Dorset.

A variety of local issues featured on the BBC News website, BBC Radio Solent and South Today.

We have picked five stories to keep you up to date.

'More people may harm themselves' on Bibby Stockholm

Mr Kargbo says he feels the barge is unsafe and he knows of others on board who are struggling to cope

The roommate of an Albanian asylum seeker who is believed to have taken his own life on the Bibby Stockholm said others may harm themselves if conditions on the barge do not improve.

Yusuf Deen Kargbo was sharing a room with Leonard Farruku on the Portland-based barge when he was found unresponsive, early on 12 December.

The Home Office said Mr Farruku's death was a tragic incident.

Cancer treatment tattoos 'in the past'

The tattoo leaves a permanent reminder of what can be a long and stressful journey

Tattoos given to people in order to help deliver radiotherapy are a thing of the past for some NHS patients thanks to newly-available technology.

Until now, cancer patients have been marked with permanent ink - small dots or lines - to pinpoint the exact treatment area.

Using 3D cameras to map a patient's body, the new technology also makes the process quicker and more precise. We spoke to patients and staff about their experiences of the technology at Poole Hospital.

Trapped elderly couple rescued from house fire

Crews brought the pair out of the house using smoke hoods

Firefighters have rescued an elderly couple who were trapped in their upstairs bedroom after a fire broke out on the ground floor.

The couple became stranded in their house in Cheselbourne, Dorset, after an electrical fire on Thursday.

They were told to block the door's gap and put wet towels over their faces to keep them safe from the smoke by a 999 call handler until crews arrived.

Ham the pug eats 200g of hairbands

Ham has now fully recovered and is back home causing mischief, her owner said

A family has said they were "shocked" when a vet told them their pet pug had managed to eat 200g of hairbands.

Victoria Northwood, from Sherborne, Dorset, noticed her two-year-old dog, named Ham, was not her usual self and "seemed very quiet and under the weather".

But she said "nothing prepared" her for the amount of hairbands a vet found in her stomach.

Dorset giant fossil is monster attraction

The 2m-long pliosaur skull, which is being unveiled, is one of the most complete ever found

A Dorset museum displaying the skull of a huge sea monster said it has had a record number of visitors.

The 2m-long pliosaur fossil featured in a BBC film with Sir David Attenborough.

As of 11 January, the Etches Collection in Kimmeridge said it had received 4,868 visitors, almost 10 times their usual number for the whole of January.