SITUATED between Bridport and Lyme Regis, the charming village of Chideock has a population of just 600. We look back at the bombs and bypasses that hit the headlines in the 1990s.

  • Detectives were "mystified" in 1994 after a series of bombs had been left at the Chideock home of Nicola and Julian Lewis.

The first bomb caused a small explosion in the back garden after an aerosol can attached with fire-lighters was hurled over the fence. The following week, a bomb was tied by a piece of string to the front door handle of the house, primed to go off when the door was opened, which usually have been by the couple's 13-year-old son.

Fortunately, the string fell off and the postman alerted the family to the device, who contacted the police. 16 people were evacuated from their homes and bomb disposal experts from Plymouth Naval Base used a robot to blow up the item.

The investigation was being led by Rob Ormsby, of Dorset CID. The bomb left on the Lewis' front door was in a box marked ALF - Animal Liberation Front, of which there were reported to be active members in west Dorset at the time.

However, detective inspector Ormsby stressed that the couple had no links to hunting, farming, or any other activity normally targeted by animal activists.

The mysterious box was also marked with the registration number of a car owned by the Lewis' neighbour, Denis Slowe. Married with three young children, Mr Slowe was reported to be "baffled and worried" by what had occurred.

Was this mystery ever solved?

  • The issue of a Chideock bypass was also making headlines at the end of the 20th century, with development of the road initially planned to begin in 1996.

According to the Chideock Bypass Working Group, established to draw attention to and increase awareness of the increasing problem, traffic has since increased by 58%.

The problem came to the fore in 1991, when an accident near the village led to the death of a lorry driver. In response, West Dorset MP Sir James Spicer pledged to stress the urgent need for a bypass to the Department of Transport, saying: "Chideock is recognised by the police, the county council and the Ministry of Transport as potentially one of the most dangerous accident hazards on the main south west artery route. We have been terribly lucky over the years that, when vehicles have run out of control, they have not killed more people in the village."

Chief superintendent David Russell, of Dorset Police's traffic and operations department, added: "The long term solution for Morecombelake and Chideock is to get the bypass built as soon as possible."

The beginning of the 1990s saw local residents become particularly vocal on the issue. Sally Hemingway, from Chideock, began a petition calling for early construction of the bypass, which gained more than 800 signatures in just seven days. The petition was requesting that local and national authorities bring forward the bypass starting date from 1994 and implement traffic calming measures in the area.

However, not all local people were supportive of the road-building plans. In 1995 - when the bypass was still waiting to be built - activists from Morecombelake lit beacons, torches and bonfires to highlight the 30 road schemes planned to go between Folkestone and Honiton, including the £21 million bypass.

Members of Morecombelake Action Group (MAG) and the alliance South Coast Against Road-building (SCAR) claimed that the Department of Transport was "stealthily creating a destructive South Coast superhighway." With their protest, the activities wanted to spark memories of 1588, when beacons were lit along the coast to warn people of the invading Spanish Armada.

Bridport News reported that "recent changes in government policy have made the building of the Chideock and Morecombelake bypass seem more and more unlikely, even if the inquiry inspector recommends it should go ahead. MAG members say they want to make sure."

  • If you have any information, photographs or memories relating to these events that you would like to share, contact news@bridportnews.co.uk or send them to Bridport News, Fleet House, Hampshire Road, Weymouth, DT4 9XD.