Career criminal led police on chase through countryside towing stolen caravan

Residents around Southbourne and Boscombe will hold a meeting on August 14 at 5pm at Boscombe Bowling Club Pavilion to discuss concerns about overnight camper van parking on Overcliff Drive. Issues include road safety, waste disposal, use of gas and diesel generators, and suitability for extended stays. Proposed measures include clearer signage, a permit system, and improved sanitation.

Firefighters from Bridport extinguished a grass fire at Freshwater Caravan Park. The cause was likely sunlight reflected from a discarded bottle. Staff contained the blaze.

In court on Wednesday, 12 August, 34-year-old Mathew Leggett of Midsomer Norton denied four charges related to an incident on 10 August. He allegedly trespassed into a motorhome parked in a layby near the Two Headed Man junction on the A39 Wells Road, threatened the owner with an axe, caused extensive damage to the interior with faeces and bodily fluids, and exposed his genitals intending to cause alarm or distress. Leggett also faces a charge of assaulting a police officer. The case was committed to Bristol Crown Court, with a hearing set for 2 September.

Lake District planners have warned that a proposed 100-caravan holiday park near Penruddock would harm the setting of the national park. The development, on agricultural land by Whitbarrow Farm, has already faced objections from the Environment Agency and concerns over drainage, traffic and cumulative impact. Area planner Phil Nicholls said the development would introduce built features into an undeveloped landscape, causing visual harm. Natural England has requested further information on potential effects on the River Eden Special Area of Conservation, and the council's ecology team has lodged a holding objection pending a breeding bird survey. The application remains under consideration.

Emergency services responded to a crash involving a motorhome and a car at about 14:10 BST on Thursday in the Saltash Tunnel on the Cornwall side of the Tamar Bridge. Devon and Cornwall Police said the ambulance service attended, with minor injuries reported. National Highways confirmed the road has reopened, but there are delays of 25 minutes and two miles of congestion in both directions on the A38 approach.

Holgates' Silverdale site won the Camping, Glamping and Holiday Park of the Year award at the Cumbria Tourism Awards, held on July 8 at the Castle Green Hotel in Kendal. The family-run company, founded in 1956, operates nine parks across Lancashire and Cumbria and will now represent the region at the national VisitEngland Awards for Excellence.