SOUTHAMPTON cruise ship operator, P&O Cruises has placed a £360m contract to build a second megaliner to enter service in 2010. This order, which will be a sister ship to the huge vessel, Ventura, pictured above, due to arrive in Southampton during the
Saints have offered teenage star Gareth Bale a new contract in a bid to keep him at St Mary's. The Daily Echo understands that the 17-year-old has been offered a one-year extension to his current deal which is due to expire in 18 months time. The
Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp has this week personally scouted Hibernian duo Scott Brown and Kevin Thomson and is also linked with an approah for West Ham midfielder Yossi Benayoun. Encouraged by Kanu shooting down reports that he wanted to rejoin
MANCHESTER United have hinted they may not be prepared to join any January transfer window bidding war for Saints starlet Gareth Bale. Sir Alex Ferguson has been linked with a £7m move for the 17-year-old Welsh international left-back. But Old Trafford
HIS cheese has been named one of the best in the country and he believes it is full of traditional Hampshire goodness. Therefore it comes as no surprise that farmer Mike Smales has dubbed moves to label cheese as junk food as a load of complete and utter
DRIVERS using one of the busiest routes into Southampton were hit by traffic chaos today when a gas main on the Redbridge Causeway sprung a leak. Huge tailbacks built up along the A35 during rush hour as engineers were called to deal with a gas leak
A MAN had to be cut free from the wreckage of his van after crashing it as he went to overtake a lorry on the A31 near Winchester. Firecrews were called to the collision close to the Percy Hobbs roundabout shortly after 3.20pm yesterday when another
A NEW Forest restaurant has launched a unique loyalty scheme which rewards customers for their loyalty to each other. Married diners at the Nurse's Cottage in Sway will receive a discount equivalent to the number of years they have been married. All
SOUTHAMPTON accountants are celebrating after putting together the £28m management buy-out of an Isle of Wight catalogue firm. The deal for Scala Collections was arranged by staff at Southampton business advisors Smith & Williamson and backed by Barclays
Today's principal Southampton arrivals: La Surprise, roro, 0030, 105; Autoroute, roro, 0300, 201; Undine, roro, 0730, 34/35; Nagato Reefer, refrigerated, 1000, 104; Autostar, roro, 1130, 30; OOCL New York, container, am, 207; Velox, cargo, am, 36s
I WAS just a lad when Labour was elected to government after the Second World War. Now it seems pretty obvious that the promise of a National Health Service for all played a very large part in that somewhat unexpected election victory. Despite my tender
THE idea of spending hundreds of thousands of pounds on laser lights shining out of the Civic Centre clock tower is wacky. Surely this huge sum, also that spent on the so-called tablecloth painting, could be spent elsewhere on a sensible project. For
ROY Johnson (Letters, December 28) has condensation forming on the underside of his roofing felt. Condensation forms when warm air comes up against a cold surface. Examples are breathing on a mirror, cold tap only condensing when a hot bath is run and
RECENTLY I had to drive to Stansted Airport to pick up my daughter, her three young children, luggage and pushchair at 10.15am. My route was M3, M25, M11 and the round trip was some 240 miles. To be at the airport on time I had to travel at peak time
SOME men choose to remain lifelong bachelors, others, like myself, seem to have it forced on them whether they like it or not. I've lived in the Southampton area most of my life, and have never had any luck meeting Southampton women. In the past, I
Up-and-coming girlband, Afrodisiac, are aiming for the top in 2007 - and a bid for X Factor glory this year. Although the band first formed in January 2006, they have established a loyal following and almost made it on to X Factor last year despite having
Southampton's longest running youth theatre is back and ready to rock! The new year starts with a bang as Cinderella Rocks, the latest production from the Gantry Youth Theatre, takes to the stage this week. An exciting cocktail of traditional fairytale
Hanger Farm Arts Centre in Totton has announced an exciting array of talent performing this spring season. Pantomime season is packed full of treats this new year with January hosting the STP Academy's Cinderella, the perfect fairytale on January 5 and
SALISBURY Arts Centre has announced it's spring 2007 event listings - and there's something for everyone. Opening the season is Ken Loach's award-winning film The Wind that Shakes the Barley. The story of Ireland's fight for independence, this is the
England's bid to avoid an Ashes whitewash was again undermined by a lower-order collapse which allowed Australia to stay in the hunt in the final Test this morning. Having resumed the second day on a promising 234 for four, England had a major first-innings
Michael Carberry was surprised to be named in the England A squad for next month's tour of Bangladesh. The Hampshire opener was told of his call up just before Christmas by John Abrahams, the assistant coach at the England Academy in Loughborough,
SYDENHAMS Wessex officials have hit back at outspoken Gosport manager Alex Pike following his criticism of referees in their league. Pike lashed out at Isle of Wight-based official Steve Thorne who took charge of his side's Boxing Day clash at Cams
FORGOTTEN man Darren Powell is set to be thrown in at the deep end for his first game in almost nine months at struggling Torquay this weekend. George Burley's injury-hit squad travel to the Football League's bottom club in the FA Cup third round.
Sir Richard Branson and Ian Botham today reignited the campaign to keep the original Ashes in Australia - a suggestion which has unsurprisingly failed to impress the urn's owners at the Marylebone Cricket Club. The urn is currently on a rare tour
Tottenham manager Martin Jol has moved to freshen up his squad by bringing in young Sunderland goalkeeper Ben Alnwick and promising teenage midfielder Adel Taarabt from Lens. Alnwick signed for £900,000 - although the fee could rise to £1.3million
POLICE in Southampton are urging car owners who received satellite navigation equipment as Christmas presents to protect it from thieves. Officers are bracing themselves for a rise in car crime following the holidays when smash and grab raids on cars
A 21-year-old man and a 15-year-old boy have been charged with burglary and animal cruelty following an incident in Hampshire. It is alleged that burglars broke into a shed at a property in Lovatt Grove, Fareham, and stole a rabbit and two guinea pigs
HAMPSHIRE'S newest hospital opened its doors to the public amid concerns some staff won't get a parking space. The £36m state-of-the-art Lymington New Forest Hospital has 205 parking spaces but only 85 are for the 400 staff that work there. Fears have
SOUTHAMPTON'S plans to shoot laser beams from its civic headquarters is threatening to ignite a fierce row with its south coast rivals. If given the green light, the Southampton Laser Gateway will be at the top of the clock tower in the Guildhall. The
HER story of bravery and hope touched many. But just weeks after being cleared of leukaemia thanks to a bone marrow donation from her four-year-old sister Lauren, baby Abigail Bailey has lost her battle with the disease. Abigail underwent surgery in
A MAN suffered serious facial injuries when he was bitten during a street assault. The 43-year-old victim was left with bad damage to his nose after the attack in West Street, Fareham, outside the Holy Trinity Church. He was taken to the Queen Alexandra
