A YOUNG New Forest driver had a miracle escape after a "bouncing bomb" smashed through her front and rear windscreens. Sophie Tye was driving along the A326 near Hythe yesterday when a large stone flew off a passing lorry and hurtled towards her car.
A SCHOOL on the edge of the New Forest is celebrating the opening of a new physiotherapy suite. Abbotswood Junior School in Ringwood Road, Totton, has several pupils who suffer from physical handicaps. Some of the children have cerebral palsy, while others
HE was the legendary jazzman whose to spend his twilight years in Gosport. But the weather and pigeons had taken their toll on the town's memorial to master trumpet player Nat Gonella. After dozens of protests from his fans, council bosses decided enough
A BASINGSTOKE couple have been charged with the manslaughter of their baby after it died of drug poisoning Jacquietta Bowyer, 38, and her husband Luke, 27, of Berewyn Close, Buckskin, appeared before Basingstoke magistrates yesterday morning charged with
SCHOOLS in the Basingstoke area have come out tops in performance tables published this week. The 2001 Primary Schools Performance Tables give each school an average points score based on the results of English, maths and science key stage two tests.
A SURGE in tribunals, compensation claims and injury award cases has forced Hampshire fire brigade to overspend on legal fees by £57,000, The Gazette can reveal. Just £9,000 had been set aside for the legal expenses budget for this financial year, but
SIMON Whitmarsh makes Christmas for the people of Whitchurch - literally. For the sixth year running he and his wife Mary have handcrafted decorations to magically transform their garden into a grotto Santa would be proud to sit in. It takes a whole month
BASINGSTOKE MP Andrew Hunter has stepped in to help a Basingstoke mother and her five children who fear they will be homeless this Christmas. Diane Hamill was evicted by her landlord from her rented flat in Quilter Road, Brighton Hill, on November 19.
Friends and colleagues have paid tribute to double America's Cup winner Sir Peter Blake, who was killed by pirates in the Amazon. Hampshire-based Sir Peter, 53, was travelling with nine others aboard the schooner Seamaster in the Amazon and was yesterday
Today's Principal Arrivings: Sormovskiy 3057, general cargo, 0200, 36; Feederchief, car carrier, 0600, 201 link; Otello, car carrier, 0930, 43; Paleisgracht, general cargo, 1200, 40; MOL Loire, container, 1300, 205; Autorunner, car carrier, 1800, 201
SCOTT Taylor, an ever-present in the Basingstoke first team this season until last Saturday, has lost his place in the starting line-up tomorrow (2.15pm). The scrum-half, with three tries this season, will be one of three replacements when one of his
Milton Keynes 4 Basingstoke Bison 5 THE BISON completed a four-point weekend by winning in Milton Keynes against a team which included six former Bison players. The only goal of the first period came in the sixth minute as Derek Higdon found man-of-the-match
Basingstoke Town 0 Braintree 2 HOPES of silverware in the FA Trophy came to an abrupt end on Tuesday night after an abject home display saw Town lose their replay with Braintree. For the third season running, the Camrose Blues failed to get past their
A CONTROVERSIAL plan to introduce street wardens in part of Romsey and other Test Valley areas could be confined to the history books in less than three years, according to councillors. The scheme, given a £320,700 boost by the government, could see the
Do you like going to the theatre? Do you have a background in amateur dramatics - be it directing, acting or backstage? Could you put your opinions into words? If you can answer yes to all these questions - I'd love to hear from you. The Curtain Call
A ROBBER who preyed on vulnerable, lone women has been jailed for seven and a half years In a spate of cowardly attacks, James Lord, pictured, 36, targeted late-night shoppers who he knew could offer little or no resistance when he struck. The thug pounced
A NEW Forest woman is to be injected with a trial cancer vaccine in an attempt to save her twin sister's life. Mum-of-two Josephine Hazell, a nursing home owner from Cadnam, will have the treatment as doctors hope it will encourage her body to produce
LATE-night drinkers in Southampton can avoid the taxi queues from tonight when a new night bus service begins. The Nightlink service will operate for a three-month trial period from midnight until 2.30am on Fridays and Saturdays. It will have pick-up
A CONTROVERSIAL plan to introduce street wardens in part of Romsey and other Test Valley areas could be confined to the history books in less than three years, according to councillors. The scheme, given a £320,700 boost by the government, could see the
SOUTHAMPTON Running Club took the senior men's team accolades in the Victory 5 Road Race at Portsmouth. Led home by Army man Rod Finch, SRC finished with 93 points, well ahead of Aldershot, Farnham & District (158) and City of Portsmouth (206). Fourth-placed
NEAL MCDONALD'S position as skipper of Assa Abloy could come under threat after he steered his boat to a disappointing sixth place in the second leg of the Volvo Ocean Race. The Hamble yachtsman, who was promoted from watch leader to skipper in Cape Town
GORDON STRACHAN put new signing Brett Ormerod through his paces for the first time yesterday and declared that the spending was not over to strengthen his squad. The 25-year-old striker represents the Southampton manager's first major plunge into the
A DEVELOPER is making a last-ditch attempt to build social housing in Totton town centre. Southampton-based Roxan Construction is appealing against refusal of planning permission for 18 homes on former industrial land near the High Street. The housing
Scott Hiley has warned his teammates they need to start winning the pressure matches if they are to make promotion this season. The Pompey skipper was disappointed with his side's 2-1 defeat against Norwich last week and knows that it is vital they beat
BASHLEY are hoping to get a new team boss in place for the home game against Erith & Belvedere on December 15. The signs are that the job will go to one of three men. Former Bournemouth Poppies manager Brian O'Donnell and Poole Town boss Pete Moore
COUNCIL tax-payers in Basingstoke face an increase of at least £60 on next year's bill. The hike is all down to Hampshire County Council, as the borough council will impose a nil rise in council tax for the third year running. Borough council leader Rob
A TRIBUTE CD is being sold to commemorate a Basingstoke guitarist who bravely battled against a life-long brittle bones condition. Musician Ray Brown (pictured) passed away on February 13 when he was struck down with pneumonia at the age of 37, leaving
BASINGSTOKE council is asking people in Oakridge to clean up the "pig sties" in some of their streets. The state of the area's streets was the main issue raised at a meeting of Oakridge Residents Association last month, where Oakridge councillor George
A PETITION to save Beechdown Primary School from being rebuilt on another site or closing altogether is being backed by MP Andrew Hunter. The different options being considered for the future of the arson-hit Brighton Hill school were given to the media
WHITCHURCH face another crunch six-pointer in the Wessex League tomorrow when they travel to Hamble, one place above them, in a basement battle. Last Saturday, Whitchurch finally found the back of the net after a long goal dearth, scoring three times
MARK Simcox showed his liking for heavy going in the third round of the Hampshire cross-country League at Basingstoke's War Memorial Park on Saturday. The 9k course was made soft and boggy by heavy overnight rain but Simcox produced his best-ever league
TILL bells will be ringing in Christmas in Romsey today with the town's annual late night shopping evening. Santa is expected to arrive in style before taking up residence in his grotto at Smith Bradbeer. To the sound of a drum roll by the Totton girls
TWO men were being quizzed by police today following an arson attack on a family home in Southampton. Both were helping Bitterne detectives with inquiries into the blaze, which severely damaged a house at Hinkler Road, Thornhill, in the early hours of
TRIBUTES were paid today to a young law student who plunged 150ft to his death from a Southampton tower block. The 25-year-old was certified dead outside Stoneham House halls of residence in Wessex Lane, Swaythling, after falling from the 15th floor yesterday
VOLUNTEERS are needed to support a scheme in Southampton's inner city that is hoping to kick youth crime into touch. The Newtown Football Academy, launched in the summer, has proved a big hit with soccer-mad kids from all cultures. But the scheme has
WORRIED teachers and parents are calling for road safety measures outside a Southampton school before a child is seriously hurt. Youngsters at Highfield Primary School must cross a road in order to reach the school playground from the junior site. It
A DEVELOPER is making a last-ditch attempt to build social housing in Totton town centre. Southampton-based Roxan Con-struction is appealing against refusal of planning permission for 18 homes on former industrial land near the High Street. The housing
RESIDENTS claim that people power has won the day after plans for a mobile telephone mast have been withdrawn. Southampton City Council planning officers claim that the mast - on wasteland near Fuchsia Gardens, Upper Shirley - would obstruct the view
Southampton Running Club's webmaster, Alan Tulip, defied jet lag to finish ninth in the Raleigh Marathon in North Carolina out of a field of 1,000 runners. His time of 2 hours 42 minutes would have been a personal best had the course not been accidentally
A YOUNG burglar who targeted three roads in Fareham has been put behind bars for 12 months. Douglas Mitchell, 18, brought misery to residents of Oak Road, Blackbrook Road and Abbey Road in a series of late-night raids. Yesterday, residents of the area
THE finish of the second leg in the Volvo Ocean Race proved every bit as exciting as the previous 6,000 miles, but it was John Kostecki's illbruck which crossed the Sydney finish line first, giving him his second victory in two legs. Only Team SEB, the
All but one of the yachts left in the Volvo Ocean Race have completed the second leg to Sydney. Amer Sports Too, skippered by Lisa McDonald, is due to reach the finish line at around 15:30 GMT today. FINISHING DATES AND TIMES: 1 illbruck - Finished on
LEADERS of groups running the New Forest have renewed their concerns over the way the number of telecommunication masts is still increasing. Official Verderer Maldwin Drummond reminded a meeting of the New Forest Committee at Lyndhurst that people were
