Review Of The Year: A look back at 2016 in west Dorset

THRILL-SEEKERS in west Dorset were urged to “use some common sense” after people were pictured battling stormy conditions on The Cobb in Lyme Regis.

Picture: Graham Hunt Photography

Storm Frank battered the West Dorset coast at the turn of the year - sending huge waves crashing into the coast at Lyme Regis and West Bay.

A Bridport police officer with a exemplary record was sacked after he was found to have used internal computer searches for “non-policing purposes”.

PC Nigel Case, who has worked for Dorset Police for 20 years, was dismissed following a hearing yesterday after he was found to have carried out criminal justice searches on himself and a series of local acquaintances.

Controversial plans to build 760 homes on a flood plain came under fire after the site was submerged by “horrendous” flooding.

Following persistent downpours, the proposed Vearse Farm site was left waterlogged– fuelling opposition to the plans.

FEBRUARY

IT was revealed that half of ambulances called to deal with life-threatening injuries in the Lyme Regis area failed to meet national targeted response times.

In the DT7 postcode, the success rate for ‘red’ calls was just 50 per cent – while the rate was 64 per cent in neighbouring DT6.

The widow of a farm worker who drowned by asphyxiation spoke out, believing she will never know the exact circumstances that led to his death. 

Keith Baldwin died when the vehicle he was operating ended up in a dirty water lagoon at Westcombe Farm in September 2014.

A jury inquest at Bournemouth town hall recorded a verdict of misadventure but said there was not enough evidence to say how it happened.

MARCH

AN art deco cinema will be “rebuilt to its former glory” after it was destroyed in an “unbelievable” fire.

The blaze, which destroyed the 1930s Regent Cinema in Lyme Regis led to part of the town being closed off and people warned to stay indoors due to asbestos in the building.

Smoke and flames were seen for miles as the fire took hold and led to the roof of the listed building in Broad Street collapsing.

Hoaxers were labelled “extremely irresponsible” after coastguards wasted 28 man-hours searching for a person reportedly stranded on cliffs in west Dorset.

It meant officers were not able to help with a 34-year-old man stuck in mud for three and a half hours in darkness – the third such rescue in the space of a month.

APRIL

IT was revealed that people are putting themselves at risk of death on the Jurassic Coast after coastguard rescue officers in west Dorset spent more than 723 man-hours in the space of a year responding to people cut off from the tide or stuck in the mud, despite warning signs.

Broadchurch creator Chris Chibnall confirmed a host of new cast members as filming for the “final chapter” of the crime drama got underway.

The third series to due to hit screens in March.

MAY

BRIDPORT’s popular indoor skatepark, The Trick Factory, on the St Michael’s Trading Estate closed its doors after 17 years.

Picture: Graham Hunt Photography

Organisers are still searching for a new home for the facility.

Armed police officers rushed to Bridport town centre after a man was reportedly waving a gun in the air.

Officers responded to calls from the public about a man with what appeared to be a pistol.

JUNE

A DOG walker hit out at revellers after “appalling” rubbish and broken glass was left on a beach during the bank holiday weekend.

Kazzi Alderson-Rees labelled party-goers as “selfish, irresponsible pillocks” after she picked up broken glass at East Beach, West Bay.

Business leaders in west Dorset called for unity amid economic uncertainty following the decision for Britain to leave the European Union. Tim Glover, chairman of the Lyme Bay Fisheries and Conservation Reserve, warned that leaving the EU will affect local fishermen in the short-term– but warned negotiating a better deals will be difficult.

JULY

WEST Dorset riders warned others about the danger of overgrown bridleways after a woman ended up in hospital and a horse collapsed.

Charlotte Hewlett and her friend Bex Perkins were riding along a narrow bridleway past Horse Hill Farm in Stoke Abbot when disaster struck.

Bridport will not accept any form of discrimination. That was the message from residents after people flooded the town’s streets to show unity against division following the EU referendum.

Picture: Elizabeth Hornby

Almost 200 supporters came together for the Bridport Walk Together event, marching through the town while holding umbrellas and singing European songs.

People were seen “running for their lives” after a Bridport market stall caught fire –destroying two cars.

Picture: Doug Chalk

Emergency services rushed to South Street after a creperie stall caught fire – as the stallholder urged people to stay clear after a gas canister became involved in the blaze.

AUGUST

VISITORS were urged to stay safe after a rock fall crashed onto a busy beach.

Picture: Neil Barnes

Emergency services were called to East Beach in West Bay after a kayaker witnessed the ‘medium to large’ fall from the water.

Bridport Carnival was hailed a success despite the parade being delayed while police dealt with three separate incidents.

The main carnival procession endured a late start after police dealt with various incidents in the town centre.

SEPTEMBER

PEDESTRIAN access along East Street was reopened following complaints people were “risking their lives”.

Bridport businesses raised concerns about public safety and lack of communication over the 53-week closure in order for restoration work to the Literary and Scientific Institute (LSI).

The pavement had been shut with signs instructing pedestrians to cross the road, but many people were instead walking along the road next to oncoming traffic.

A teenage lifeguard was told to ‘keep saving lives’ when she bumped into the Broadchurch duo David Tennant and Olivia Colman in West Bay.

Picture: RNLI

Hope Horsfield, 17, met the stars while she was on duty at the RNLI lifeguard hut at East Beach.

OCTOBER

A COUPLE from Bridport who left one vital bit of information off an invitation gave guests a huge surprise when they turned up for a party.

Picture: Stephen Banks

Sarah Jane Wilson and Dylan Ross, both 40, sent friends and families invitations for their joint birthday party. But what they didn’t mention was their ‘save the date for October 1’ was for their surprise wedding.

Bridport is facing “its very own housing bubble” after it was revealed hundreds of homes are empty across west Dorset - while more than 1,000 people are waiting for a house.

A Freedom of Information request by The News found 777 homes in west Dorset are vacant, along with 2,563 properties used as second homes.

NOVEMBER

A WOMAN was hailed an inspiration after learning to read again in a long battle to recover from a massive stroke.

Thanks to her determination, the support of her husband Richard and the hard work of Bridport Read Easy volunteer Melodie Watts, Val Adams is able to read again.

West Dorset fell silent to remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

Hundreds gathered in Bridport, Beaminster and Lyme Regis to mark Remembrance Sunday, while hundreds more attended events in villages and parishes across west Dorset.

DECEMBER

SPIRITS ran high as Bridport ushered in the festive season at the town’s annual Christmas Cheer celebration.

Organisers labelled the festive fun as the “biggest and best” event yet.

Faulty Christmas lights have been blamed for causing a fire which damaged a child’s bedroom. Dramatic pictures showed the damage caused by the fire to a family’s home in Bradpole.

Firefighters said that the occupants were alerted by working smoke detectors so managed to get out of the property.