city news

Vandals cause £19k damage to Exeter skate park fence

Thousands of pounds worth of damage has been caused to a sound barrier at a skate park.The fencing which helped shield nearby areas from noise at the site has been vandalised at Arena Skate Park in the Whipton area of Exeter.Councillor Ruth Williams, Exeter City Council's lead for city management, said £19,000 damage had been caused.Williams added vandalism had been happening regularly and urged people to report any further damage to Devon and Cornwall Police."It saddens me to…

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Plymouth Argyle facing decisive period, says boss Tom Cleverley

Plymouth Argyle are heading into a decisive part of their season, according to head coach Tom Cleverley.The Pilgrims host AFC Wimbledon at Home Park on Saturday before a run of five consecutive away games.The trips begin with a Devon derby at rivals Exeter City, then Mansfield, Wycombe in the FA Cup, a League One trip to Huddersfield Town and, finally, an EFL Trophy game at Bristol Rovers."I've made quite a strong point to the players that the next…

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Cody Cooke: Torquay United striker ruled out for at least six weeks

Torquay United striker Cody Cooke will be out until at least December after suffering a pelvic injury.The 32-year-old will be sidelined for a minimum of six weeks after having a scan on the problem that forced him out of Saturday's 0-0 draw with Dagenham & Redbridge.Cooke has scored three goals in 10 National League South appearances for the Gulls this season."It's probably an overuse injury," Wotton told BBC Sport."It's coincided with other players being injured. We've had to…

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Torpoint Ferry to trial electricity in decarbonisation push

Torpoint Ferry to trial electricity in decarbonisation push

A chain ferry between Devon and Cornwall is to be part of a green energy trial.The Torpoint Ferry will use electricity in place of fossil fuels in a study scheduled to begin early next year, said its operator.Tamar Crossings said successful decarbonisation could reduce carbon emissions from its three ferries by up to 1,000 tonnes a year.The project was awarded £300,000 from the government as part of its aim for net zero shipping by 2050.Philip Robinson, chief officer…

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Sheep killed after being struck on Dartmoor train line

Train services in part of Devon have been disrupted after a sheep died when it was struck on the line.The livestock were reported on the track between Crediton and Okehampton on the Dartmoor Line just after 12:00 BST.Network Rail said one of the sheep had been struck and killed before engineers had been made aware the animals were on the single-track line.Great Western Railway said services Exeter Central and Okehampton via Exeter St Davids could be cancelled, delayed…

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Councils plan to split Devon into three unitary authorities

Councils plan to split Devon into three unitary authorities

Miles DavisDevon political reporterNorth Devon CouncilDevon would be split into three unitary authorities under plans backed by district councilsDevon should be split into three unitary authorities in a huge shake-up of local government, according to the district councils in the county.All of the district councils and the county council will be abolished in the biggest national reorganisation of local government for 50 years.The existing district councils say they want to see a new unitary authority across north and…

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Campaigners fight plans to reopen Devon ball clay pit

Campaigners fight plans to reopen Devon ball clay pit

BBCOne of the six lakes proposed to be removed under plans to reopen a quarryCampaigners have warned against plans to cut down a woodland as part of a move to reopen a ball clay pit. Clay pit operators Sibelco want to expand the Zitherixon quarry, located between Kingsteignton and Newton Abbot in Devon, to extract five million tonnes of ball clay over the next 50 years.The firm stopped extracting from it in 1995, but it said reserves of…

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Harvey Skinner: Exeter fly-half determined to prove doubters wrong

Harvey Skinner: Exeter fly-half determined to prove doubters wrong

Skinner is part of an exciting back-line at Exeter under the guidance of relatively new attack coach Dave Walder.Australia centre Len Ikitau is set to come into a side that includes England's Henry Slade and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and powerful winger Paul Brown-Bampoe. "We've got boys that can just produce magic from nothing, so it's making sure we're all on the same page," he said."We want to make make our brand of rugby a lot more exciting and we've…

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Carmen – Exeter Observer

Carmen – Exeter Observer

Exeter Opera Group is performing Bizet’s Carmen on Saturday 8 November at Exeter Castle and Saturday 22 November at Mary Harris Memorial Chapel of the Holy Trinity.First staged in 1875, Carmen is one of the most frequently performed operas in the classical canon. Set in southern Spain, it recounts the downfall of Don José, a soldier seduced by the fiery Carmen.In the Exeter Opera Group production, which is performed in French with narration in English, Carmen will be…

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Road noise can actually make squirrels feel safer, new study finds

Human disturbance has a significant impact on the behaviour and habitat use of urban wildlife, however, in some situations urban grey squirrels may actually feel safer from predators where our activity is high. A new study from the University of Exeter, published in Oikos, reveals the paradoxical ways grey squirrels balance risk and foraging in urban environments. Researchers measured how much food squirrels left behind in standardised food patches in different places, which reflects how dangerous they perceived…

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Sir David Attenborough ship visits Plymouth to restock

Sir David Attenborough ship visits Plymouth to restock

Scott Bingham andZhara SimpsonSouth WestBBCThe RRS Sir David Attenborough docked in Plymouth to restock supplies before heading to Antarctica A ship named after legendary broadcaster and writer Sir David Attenborough has stopped in Plymouth to take on supplies before heading to Antarctica. The Royal Navy said RRS Sir David Attenborough, which was almost named Boaty McBoatface after a public vote, described it as one of the "most advanced polar research ships in the world".The vessel visited His Majesty's…

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Application for new vintage arcade in Exeter put forward

Application for new vintage arcade in Exeter put forward

Guy HendersonLocal Democracy Reporting ServiceSupervideo/Exeter City CouncilA planning application has been put forward for an amusement arcade in Exeter City CentreA planning application for a new amusement arcade in Exeter has been submitted. Paignton-based company Supervideo Ltd, trading as Boneyard Exeter, said the arcade would feature vintage arcade games from the 1970s and 1990s. A spokesperson said it would feature titles which included Space Invaders and Pac-Man, alongside select modern games such as dance machines.It said there were…

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