county news

Devon bus facilities to get £1.4m in improvements

Devon bus facilities to get £1.4m in improvements

Facilities for bus users are set to be improved in two towns after receiving council funding.Devon County Council approved spending of £850,000 on moving and improving bus shelters and changing the road layout around Barnstaple railway station.It will also spend £550,000 on replacing bus shelters and improving information displays at the main bus interchange in Newton Abbot on Sherborne Road.The council said it was also providing £1.4m on supporting bus companies to buy zero emission buses with all…

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Gavin Cattle: Cornish Pirates boss hopeful injuries will ease

Gavin Cattle: Cornish Pirates boss hopeful injuries will ease

Cornish Pirates joint-head coach Gavin Cattle does not think the number of hamstring injuries in his side is down to their training regime. Fly-half Arwel Robson is undergoing scans to ascertain the extent of a suspected tear, while Sol Moody, Arthur Relton and Jack Forsythe all have minor hamstring injuries."I generally think it is the change of surface," Cattle told BBC Radio Cornwall. "They're not major ones, Arwel's is a bit different, we're waiting to see the severity…

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Camera to be deployed to target noisy drivers in the South West

Camera to be deployed to target noisy drivers in the South West

Communities affected by noisy drivers are being asked where they would like to see a new noise camera being deployed.The technology includes an automatic number-plate recognition system attached to a microphone which can take a directional sound sample and record moving footage.After trials in other parts of the country, Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez said she would like to see the force working with councils to identify locations which would benefit the most from…

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Future of Trago Mills store in Falmouth under threat amid review

Future of Trago Mills store in Falmouth under threat amid review

The future of a discount store branch is under "thorough review" after experiencing rising costs and diminishing sales, bosses have said.Trago Mills chairman Bruce Robertson said management was consulting with staff at the Falmouth branch in Cornwall to find "an amenable solution" after six-figure deficits had continued.The firm said the combination of high energy and taxation costs and "at best, flat sales" had led the business "to a point where it cannot continue to absorb the Falmouth store's…

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Avon & Somerset officer barred from policing after breaching bail

Avon & Somerset officer barred from policing after breaching bail

Adam PostansLocal Democracy Reporting Service Stephen SumnerAt the hearing, PC West was sacked without notice after breaching his bail conditions and lying about it to policeA police officer who breached his bail conditions by contacting a woman he was ordered to stay away from has been sacked without notice.PC Thomas West was found to have committed gross misconduct following a two-day hearing at Avon and Somerset Police headquarters in Portishead, Somerset.Following his arrest in March 2024, he was…

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Residents return to Dorchester flats after August balcony fire

Residents return to Dorchester flats after August balcony fire

Indy Almroth-WrightSouth of EnglandJames RobertThe fire broke out on a balcony of the Ammonite Building in DorchesterResidents who had to leave their flats after a fire in August have started moving back in.The fire on a second-floor balcony of the Ammonite building in Brewery Square, Dorchester, broke out on 29 August shortly before 18:45 BST.The fire spread up the exterior, leaving all 16 flats uninhabitable and forcing residents into temporary accommodation.Brewery Square said nine apartments were now safe…

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Council-owned farm in Chickerell earmarked for solar project

Council-owned farm in Chickerell earmarked for solar project

Plans to create one of the largest renewable energy schemes on local authority land in south-west England are to be drawn up after winning support from councillors.Dorset Council says, if approved, the solar project at Higher South Buckland Farm, Chickerell, would help meet net-zero energy targets, generate investment and create jobs.A report to the council's cabinet said the poor soil quality and topography of the 60 hectare (140 acre) site made it "increasingly uneconomic for conventional farming".At a…

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Exeter City ‘culture’ key to unbeaten run – Kevin Nicholson

Exeter City ‘culture’ key to unbeaten run – Kevin Nicholson

Exeter City's five-game unbeaten run is down to the good culture at the club, according to assistant manager Kevin Nicholson.The Grecians won 1-0 at Newport County in the Vertu Trophy on Tuesday night to ensure a place in the knockout stages.Exeter have lost just once in eight games since the start of October, including a memorable win over Devon rivals Plymouth Argyle last month. "They're a good group, they've got a really nice environment, the culture is getting…

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Tom Cleverley: Plymouth Argyle boss secure despite Adams appointment

Tom Cleverley: Plymouth Argyle boss secure despite Adams appointment

Argyle's latest defeat came in difficult circumstances at Bristol Rovers.Plymouth were reduced to 10 men after just two minutes when Kornel Szucs was sent off for denying a goalscoring opportunity. The Pilgrims held out until the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time when Kamil Conteh got the winning goal after a mistake by goalkeeper Luca Ashby-Hammond but still finished second in their group and earned a place in the knockout stages."To have a man sent off after two…

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Falmouth warning to shut windows as large fire breaks out

Falmouth warning to shut windows as large fire breaks out

Residents have been urged to keep their windows closed after a fire broke out in a derelict building.Firefighters have been tackling the blaze on Prislow Lane in Falmouth, Cornwall, since 21:30 GMT on Tuesday.Devon and Cornwall Police has closed the route and said a full investigation will begin once the fire is extinguished.At 03:50, Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service confirmed two crews remain at the blaze, with an aerial ladder platform. Source link

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Bath padel courts plan is withdrawn after council complaints

Bath padel courts plan is withdrawn after council complaints

John WimperisLocal Democracy Reporting ServiceGetty ImagesPadel, which originated in Mexico, has become increasingly popular in recent yearsPadel courts have been removed from plans for a major extension and refurbishment of a sports ground.Bath and North East Somerset Council's original plans for the Odd Down Sports Ground in Bath were turned down by its own planning committee over concern about the noise of the four planned padel courts.One councillor had said the noise of the racquet sport would be…

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