Five stories from the south you may have missed

A story about a Berkshire woman who received a King’s Gallantry Medal for saving her twin from a crocodile was among our most read this week.

We have picked five stories from the past seven days in Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Dorset, Berkshire and Oxfordshire to keep you up to date.

Alan Knight, 67, from Waterlooville, said he felt “violated” after an energy firm broke into his home to check whether his electricity meter had been tampered with.

He was at work when E.On engineers executed a warrant on 31 October 2024.

In a private message to Mr Knight, the firm said its artificial intelligence (AI) software had detected that the smart meter cover might have been removed, although no issues were later found.

The firm admitted: “The AI technology needs further work to better its detection for future cases.”

Georgia Laurie, from Berkshire, who saved her twin from a crocodile said it felt “so surreal” to receive a King’s Gallantry Medal at Buckingham Palace.

She repeatedly punched the reptile in the face after it attacked her sister while they were swimming in Mexico in June 2021.

The twins were treated in hospital where Melissa developed sepsis and was put into a medically induced coma.

Following her royal medal presentation in December, Georgia said the King “was very personable”.

CCTV footage from The Star Coffee & Ale House in Ryde captured the moment a woman was hit by an e-bike being ridden by two men.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said they were called to the scene at about 20:20 GMT on Sunday.

Coffee house owner Rob Lyttleton said there was “no excuse” for the riders to go “at that speed in those conditions”.

A dog has been rescued by coastguard teams after falling 120ft (37m) off the edge of a cliff onto a rocky beach.

Swanage Coastguard and St Albans rescue teams were called to help on a coastal path north of Old Harry Rocks, on the Isle of Purbeck.

Unable to use ropes to bring the spaniel to safety due to the risks involved, they requested assistance from Swanage RNLI’s inshore lifeboat.

Its team was able to retrieve the dog, called Harley, and transport her to South Beach, Studland. She is not believed to have suffered major injuries.

Royal Mail has launched a set of special stamps to celebrate award-winning sitcom The Vicar of Dibley.

The main set of eight stamps includes images of famous scenes from the series, while a further four stamps show a Dibley Parish Council meeting.

The series was set in the fictional Oxfordshire village of Dibley, which was assigned a female vicar played by Dawn French.

Paul Mayhew-Archer, who co-wrote the programme alongside Richard Curtis, said it was “very exciting news and an amazing honour”.