Monthly Archives: October 2025

New Sunday parking charges in Somerset towns ‘concerning’

New Sunday parking charges in Somerset towns ‘concerning’

BBCTim Mander says he is disappointed at the new chargesSunday parking charges should be "equitable" despite fears by some politicians that introducing them could harm independent businesses.Somerset Council is consulting on introducing the Sunday charges in towns including Taunton, Bridgwater and Yeovil, bringing them in-line with areas which already charge a fee.However, businesses say the introduction of new parking charges in the towns could impact footfall and staffing.Orchard shopping centre manager Rob Moore believes the new charges will…

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More children in St Ives cycle to school after new bike shed

More children in St Ives cycle to school after new bike shed

St Ives Town DealThe bike shed has been installed at St Ives Junior SchoolThe number of children cycling, scooting or skateboarding to a school in St Ives has more than trebled, the area's town deal said. It comes after a new bike shed was installed at St Ives Junior School earlier in October, providing room for 30 bikes as well as scooters and skateboards. It comes from £15,000 of funding from the St Ives Low Carbon Transport Strategy…

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Night bus praised for improving Newquay safety

Night bus praised for improving Newquay safety

First BusDevon and Cornwall Police said the Newquay night-bus had been used by more than 470 people this summerA night-bus service has been praised for helping contribute to a reduction in reports of antisocial behaviour (ASB) and sexual offences to the police. Devon and Cornwall Police said the Newquay night-bus had been used by more than 740 people to get home safely on Saturday nights.The service ran from 24 May to 6 September this year and was introduced…

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Pumpkin patches proving popular due to social media say venues

Pumpkin patches proving popular due to social media say venues

Clara BullockWest of EnglandAvon Valley Country ParkVenues say people go to pumpkin patches to get their pictures takenVenues in the West have said pick-your-own pumpkin patches are becoming more popular due to social media.Avon Valley Country Park in Keynsham near Bristol said their Halloween pumpkin event was seeing around 120,000 visitors each year, with many going to take photographs.Fairfield Pumpkins near Yeovil, Somerset started pick-your-own pumpkin patches five years ago and said the number of visitors had risen…

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‘Exciting milestone’ at new medical testing centre in Cornwall

‘Exciting milestone’ at new medical testing centre in Cornwall

An "exciting milestone" has been reached in the development of a new medical testing centre set to open this year. All 13 modular units which will make up the building of the community diagnostic centre at the Camborne Redruth Community Hospital have been delivered and connected. NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly said internal work was now underway to complete the fit-out ahead of the facility opening to patients.Susan Bracefield, chief nursing officer of NHS Cornwall, said: "We…

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‘Smuggling people and drugs on yachts a real threat’

‘Smuggling people and drugs on yachts a real threat’

Alex BishSouth East investigations team'Smuggling using yachts is a real threat'"Within a few minutes it had grounded and a number of people were jumping into the shallow water and making their way to the riverbank," said harbour master James Bateman, describing the moment a yacht carrying migrants ran aground in Rye, East Sussex."The yacht itself wasn't suspicious, but it was clearly arriving here at the wrong state of tide, which immediately raised concerns."This week the National Crime Agency…

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‘Panic’ as kitchen firm enters administration

‘Panic’ as kitchen firm enters administration

A man setting up a kitchen showroom using products from a company that has gone into administration said the situation had been handled "terribly" because of a "lack of communication".One-hundred-and-five people have been made redundant at Waterline Limited, one of the UK's largest independent wholesale distributors of kitchens and bathrooms, based in Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire. Administrator Alex Cadwallader said the directors had been "forward thinking... proactive and took all the correct steps".But kitchen fitter Dean Bridgen said he…

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National Grid customers in Plymouth to get safety check visits

Plymouth residents are to get electric supply safety checks as part of an inspection programme, National Grid says. The utility provider said some domestic and small business customers in the PL1 postcode, including the city centre, Stoke and Devonport areas, were to be visited by approved contractors from 22 October to check "service termination points [known as cut-outs] inside properties are working as they should".Bosses said inspectors would visually check energy suppliers' equipment and record basic details. No…

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Devon carbon monoxide warning as poisoning cases rise

Devon carbon monoxide warning as poisoning cases rise

BBCThe fire service said carbon monoxide alarms saved livesResidents are being urged to install carbon monoxide detectors in their homes after a rise in poisoning cases. Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said the number of suspected carbon monoxide poisoning cases had doubled nationwide since 2020.It said call-outs to suspected poisoning cases across the country peaked this year at 7703, up from 3,876 in 2020.Mike Porter, manager for Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, said an…

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Thousands evacuate Philippine coast as Tropical Storm Fengshen approaches | Climate Crisis News

The country is hit by some 20 storms and typhoons a year, striking disaster-prone areas where millions live in poverty.Published On 18 Oct 202518 Oct 2025Click here to share on social mediashare2ShareThousands of residents of a Philippine island have fled their homes along the Pacific coast as weather experts warned of coastal flooding ahead of the approach of Tropical Storm Fengshen, rescue officials said.The eye of the storm was forecast to brush past Catanduanes, an impoverished island of…

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Trump administration furloughs nuclear weapons agency staff due to shutdown | Nuclear Weapons News

About 1,400 workers will be cut from the agency, which is responsible for overseeing the US nuclear weapons stockpile.The administration of United States President Donald Trump has announced that it will furlough about 1,400 workers at the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) starting next week due to the ongoing shutdown of the US government.A spokesman at the Department of Energy, of which the NNSA is a semiautonomous branch, said on Friday that nearly 400 workers would remain at…

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