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Dorset weekly round-up: 5 November - 11 November

Peter Minter Portuguese man o'warPeter Minter
This Portuguese man o'war - and no, it is not jellyfish - was spotted in Wyke Regis

Portuguese man o' war washing up on a shore with their long blueish-violet tentacles was among our most read stories this week in Dorset.

A variety of local issues featured on the BBC News website, BBC Radio Solent and South Today.

We have picked five stories to keep you up to date.

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Beach warning as Portuguese man o' war wash up

Peter Minter Portuguese man o'warPeter Minter
The species can be recognised by its large translucent purple float, the crest tipped with pink, and long blueish-violet tentacles

Portuguese man o' war washed up on a shore prompting warnings to beachgoers.

Dorset Wildlife Trust said the marine animals had an "extremely nasty, painful sting" and should not be touched.

Despite looking similar, the Portuguese man o' war is a siphonophore, not a jellyfish, and is found in the ocean.

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Photos plea to identify man found dead in woods

Police handout Photographs taped inside a diaryPolice handout
A diary containing photographs was found inside a tent

Police released photos in an effort to identify a man whose body was found near a tent in woodland.

The body was discovered in Goathorn Woods, Studland, on 1 July.

Police said the death is not being treated as suspicious but added they had found a diary inside a tent that contained family photos.

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Greggs drive-in approved despite objections

Getty Images Man eating GreggsGetty Images
Greggs also plans an outdoor seating area at its new bakery in Ferndown

A planned drive-in outlet for bakery chain Greggs would be out of place and add to traffic congestion, residents living nearby have claimed.

Dorset Council has agreed the conversion of a vacant car showroom on Ringwood Road in Longham, Ferndown.

Greggs plans parking for 15 vehicles and an outdoor seating area alongside its new bakery and eating area.

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D-Day Valentine tanks added to at-risk register

Paul Pettitt Valentine tank in Poole Bay with diverPaul Pettitt
The site, which is popular with divers, is one of four that have been added to Historic England's register in Dorset

Seven Army tanks that sank off Dorset during D-Day training have been added to the Heritage at Risk Register.

The Valentine tanks sank in Studland Bay during Exercise Smash in April 1944, killing six men.

The site is one of four that have been added to Historic England's register in Dorset.

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Landmark bank building earmarked for flats

Google Barclays House, PooleGoogle
The building consists of three interlinked hexagonal towers

A landmark building originally built for Barclays has been earmarked for conversion into flats.

The nine-storey Barclays House in Poole was vacated in 2022 after being occupied by the bank for 46 years.

Now the building, in Wimborne Road, is the subject of a planning bid by VCRE Four Poole to turn it into 362 homes.

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