Passengers frustrated at flooded rail line issues in north Devon

Alex Green,South West and Scott Bingham,in ExeterBBCFlooding along the railway line in north Devon has suspended trainsRail passengers and campaigners are calling for change amid a series of issues on a stretch of railway line in Devon.Delays and cancellations of services, flooding, and overcrowding on the Tarka Line, between Barnstaple and Exeter, have frustrated rail users and campaigners.Tim Steer, chair of Railfuture in Devon and Cornwall, said the various issues on the line in recent weeks were due…

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Cornwall marathon champion says age is no barrier to running

Oz CurtisAndrea Simmons won the marathon's 70+ categoryA woman who clocked a personal best at the New York Marathon and scooped a world championship title has said running is possible at any age.Andrea Simmons, 71, from Newlyn in Cornwall, won the marathon's 70+ category and finished the race in a time of 3:37:48.The race doubled up as the Age Group World Championship and made the Hayle Runners member the Marathon Majors Worldwide Champion.Simmons, who also claimed the 70-74…

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Dorothy Wall: Ireland forward returns for Exeter after lengthy injury

Exeter boss Steve Salvin says he is relishing the return of Ireland forward Dorothy Wall.The 25-year-old is among the replacements for Exeter in their Premiership Women's Rugby meeting with Harlequins.Wall has not played since rupturing her Achilles tendon during the Six Nations and missed this year's World Cup. "It would be a fair comment to say Dorothy was certainly amongst our top three players last season," head coach Salvin told BBC Radio Devon."She's a phenomenal player, very, very…

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Exeter City stadium fire caused an estimated £100k of damage

BBCClive Harrison said about 60% of the medical room was damagedA fire at Exeter City's home ground may have caused about £100,000 of damage, the club's general manager believes. Firefighters were called to the blaze at St James Park at about 22:00 GMT on Wednesday after smoke was seen billowing from a portacabin near the Well Street end of the ground.Clive Harrison said the community had rallied round with offers of help after the fire damaged the club's…

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Man, 24, charged after woman raped in Bournemouth

A man has been charged in connection with a reported rape in Bournemouth.Dorset Police said the attack, in a wooded area off Maxwell Road, was reported on 5 November at about 21:20 GMT.The force said specialist officers were supporting the woman, in her 30s, and had updated her on the latest development.Mohammed Fathi Eltbie from Bournemouth has been charged with rape. The 24-year-old is due to appear before Poole magistrates on Friday. Source link

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Hunt for Holt Heath fly-tippers using nature reserve as a dump

A multi-agency effort has been launched to catch fly-tippers who have been using a nature reserve as a rubbish dump.At least 20 tonnes of waste was illegally dumped on National Trust land at Holt Heath, Dorset, over a matter of days in October.Forestry England land has also been affected, with piles of rubbish left in White Sheet car park and nearby gateways.Dorset Council Waste Services appealed for information to trace those responsible but said it had already found…

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Concern over plan to close Torquay police custody centre

BBCPlans from Devon and Cornwall Police could lead to the closure of the custody centre in TorquayLegal professionals are warning against plans to close a police custody centre due to concerns it could strain resources.Devon and Cornwall Police said the closure of Torquay's custody suite and temporary redeployment of staff was being considered on a pilot basis as part of a review into the force's estate.However, the plan sparked concerns in south Devon with a group of solicitors…

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Healthcare provider Sirona ‘requires improvement’ says report

Getty ImagesSirona Care and Health serves nearly a million people in the Bristol area A healthcare provider serving almost a million people "requires improvement", inspectors say. Sirona Care and Health, which delivers NHS and council-funded healthcare services across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire, was told its leadership must improve after an inspection in February. In a report published on Friday, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) said it had inspected the non-profit due to concerns about quality of…

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