Blaze at Bideford terraced home tackled by firefighters

Post published:October 29, 2025
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Firefighters have battled a blaze at a terraced home overnight.Devon and Somerset Fire Service said its crews were called out to Honestone Street in Bideford, Devon, at about 20:15 GMT on Tuesday after reports of a two-storey building "well alight".Paramedics and police officers attended the scene and nearby homes were evacuated.A fire service spokesperson said at 05:15 on Wednesday crews had put out the flames but remained at the scene to carry out dampening down work.Devon and Cornwall…

Devon riding group marks 40 years of ‘horse therapy’

Post published:October 29, 2025
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BBCVanessa Tomas has been attending the Erme Valley Riding for the Disabled Group in Devon for 34 yearsA woman who uses an equestrian facility for the disabled said riding was a form of therapy which gave her "freedom and movement".Vanessa Tomas, 46, who has a neurodevelopmental disorder called Global Developmental Delay (GDD), has been part of the Erme Valley Riding for the Disabled Group for 34 years.The equestrian group, part of the Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA),…

Devon and Cornwall Police told to improve vetting of officers

Post published:October 29, 2025
Post category:BBC Cornwall
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BBCDevon and Cornwall Police was rated "requires improvement" in three areasA police force needs to improve how it reviews vetting decisions, manages complaints and monitors the use of its IT systems, inspectors have said.His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) assessed the effectiveness of Devon and Cornwall Police in three areas.It was graded "requires improvement" in its vetting of police officers and staff, professional standards and counter-corruption arrangements.Superintendent Alex Doughty, head of professional standards…

Animal charity seeks homes for ducks rescued in Cornwall

Post published:October 29, 2025
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Caroline RobinsonSouth WestBBCRSPCA Cornwall said it was working to find the ducks safe, suitable homesAn animal welfare charity is looking for homes for several ducks which were rescued from a neglectful home.The RSPCA said two women from Cornwall had been banned from keeping animals for 10 years after being found guilty of neglecting more than 60 animals, including 18 goats, 28 chickens and 16 ducks. Dave Rich, head of operations at RSPCA Cornwall, said: "The ducks were kept…

UK’s oldest carnival’s timings, parking, weather and squibbing

Post published:October 29, 2025
Post category:BBC Somerset
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Carys NallyWest of EnglandGetty ImagesBridgwater Carnival is the UK's oldest carnival and is visited by thousands of people each yearThe UK's oldest carnival is returning this weekend, when more than 150,000 are expected to descend on the area.This year's Bridgwater Guy Fawkes Carnival, which has been running since 1847, will feature an illuminated procession, fairground rides, concerts and fireworks.The event is set to take place on Saturday - and below, we've rounded up everything you need to know…

The teen who grew up in crisis but turned her life around

Post published:October 29, 2025
Post category:BBC Dorset
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Nikki MitchellSouth of England home affairs correspondentBBCChanyta Buckley asked social cervices to put her in foster care when she was 14"My mum was a drug addict for as long as I can remember," said Chanyta Buckley, "so I thought I'd end up choosing drugs over a future." Despite growing up in crisis, the Bournemouth teenager is striving to prove to other vulnerable girls and women that they too can turn their lives around. Chanyta, 19, has volunteered to…

Devon conservation charity liquidation sparks fears for reserve

Post published:October 28, 2025
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Torbay Coast and Countryside TrustAlex Foley said many people were worried about the future of Berry Head National Nature ReserveConcerns have been raised over the future of a nature reserve after a conservation charity entered liquidation.Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust chairwoman Barbara King said on Friday financial pressures had proven "too great" despite the charity's best efforts.The trust looked after Berry Head National Nature Reserve and other sites including Cockington Country Park and Occombe Farm.Alex Foley, who runs…

Barriers installed at Taunton car park to deter unwanted visitors

Post published:October 28, 2025
Post category:BBC Somerset
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A council has installed two height barriers at a park and ride car park to deter illegal encampments. The work is to try to deter unauthorised visitors on the site at Silk Mills in Taunton, Somerset. Somerset Council is advising motorists with tall vehicles not to drive in as both the entry and exit points now have height restrictions.Councillor Richard Wilkins, the lead member for transport and waste services at Somerset Council, said: "These barriers are a practical…

Cornish man who sexually abused children over four decades jailed

Post published:October 28, 2025
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A man has been jailed for 18 years after he admitted sexually abusing children over four decades.Robert Squires, from Bossiney near Tintagel, Cornwall, pleaded guilty to 23 recent and non-recent child sexual offences including two rapes of a child, attempted rape and multiple indecent assaults.The 80-year-old targeted his victims from a young age and committed the abuse in and out of the county, said Devon and Cornwall Police.Police said he admitted most of the abuse after handing himself…

Sandbanks residents seek legal advice after fence blocks off beach

Post published:October 28, 2025
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BBC Radio Solent's Steve Harris investigates the Sandbanks fence that's dividing opinionResidents on Dorset's exclusive Sandbanks peninsula say they are seeking legal advice over access rights to a beach after it was blocked off by a fence.Public footpath 82 runs from Panorama Road down to the edge of Poole Harbour and had previously been used by locals to access the beach and foreshore.But a sign now warns people to stay within the 1.8m-wide path, adding: "Trespassers will be…

Calls for for MP Rebecca Smith to quit Plymouth City Council

Post published:October 28, 2025
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Alison StephensonLocal Democracy Reporting ServiceRebecca Smith's OfficeSouth West Devon MP Rebecca Smith (standing) says she will step down as a councillor in 2026Two city council members have called for another member to resign because she is also an MP.Rebecca Smith, who represents Plymstock Radford on Plymouth City Council and was elected as South West Devon MP in 2024, was scheduled to attend meetings on 16 May, 2 June and 15 September but sent apologies.Independent councillors Patrick Nicholson and…

Muller protesters sentenced for factory trespass in Bridgwater

Post published:October 28, 2025
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Five climate activists have been fined for a protest at the UK's largest milk factory.They were all sentenced at Bristol Magistrates' Court after being found guilty of aggravated trespass.It follows the arrest of ten people after the entrance of the Muller Bridgwater factory in Somerset was blocked in 2022.Five people - Carol Wood, 56, Philip Sleigh, 69, Catherine Cannon, 47, Christopher White, 32, and Oliver Stevens, 23 - were given a nine-month conditional discharge, ordered to pay £200…