Bournemouth e-bike rider killed by motorist in feud, jury hears

Post published:October 28, 2025
Post category:BBC Dorset
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Marcus WhiteSouth of EnglandDorset PoliceE-bike rider Joey Johnstone died in Bournemouth in AprilA man who was riding an electrical bike died after being hunted and mown down as part of a feud, court has heard.Joey Johnstone, 28, was pronounced dead at the scene in Moore Avenue, Bournemouth, in the early hours of 9 April.Zoe Treadwell, 36 and Taylor Warwick, 18 - both from Bournemouth - and a 17-year-old boy who cannot be named, are charged with murder and…

Minehead teenager swims for 12 hours to support community pool

Post published:October 28, 2025
Post category:BBC Somerset
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Onyi UbadighaWest of EnglandFamily handoutChloe (L), with mum Wendy, raised more than £1,100 through her 12-hour swimming challengeA teenage girl with ADHD, who said being in water helps her find peace when she is feeling overwhelmed, has completed a 12-hour swim to fundraise for her town's only public pool.Chloe, 17, from Minehead, Somerset, swam from 05:00 until 17:00 GMT on Monday in aid of St Michael's Swimming Pool, which is a community organisation run by volunteers.Speaking after the…

Exeter councillor who attended asylum protest cleared of bullying

Post published:October 28, 2025
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Miles DavisDevon political reporterBBCAlison Sheridan, a Conservative member of Exeter City Council, has been cleared of all accusations against her.A councillor who attended a protest against the use of a hotel to house asylum seekers has been cleared of all accusations against her including bullying, harassment and bringing the council into disrepute.Alison Sheridan, a Conservative member of Exeter City Council, wore her council lanyard to a protest outside a hotel in Exeter.The council found Sheridan had "exercised her…

Visitors take in ‘big’ Mars sculpture at Truro Cathedral

Post published:October 28, 2025
Post category:BBC Cornwall
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A 7m (21ft) wide sculpture of Mars on display at Truro Cathedral has been providing lots of school half-term fun. The artwork called Mars: War and Peace was created by Luke Jerram and follows his Gaia installation, which was exhibited at Truro Cathedral in 2023.The artwork featured detailed NASA images of the planet and at an approximate scale of 1:1million, each centimetre of the internally-lit sculpture representing 10km (6.2 miles) of the surface of the planet.The piece is…

Bird flu found at RSPB nature reserve on the Somerset Levels

Post published:October 28, 2025
Post category:BBC Somerset
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The RSPB has closed a hide at one of its nature reserves after a number of cases of bird flu were identified.The charity confirmed Canada Geese and Mute Swans at Ham Wall, near Glastonbury in Somerset, were found to be carrying the disease, though numbers were "relatively low", it said, with fewer than 20 cases identified in eight weeks.None of the birds were found in public areas, so the reserve remains open except for the Avalon Hide. "This…

Housing sites removed from council strategy

Post published:October 28, 2025
Post category:BBC Dorset
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Trevor Bevins,Local Democracy Reporter and Tristan Pascoe,Dorset Political ReporterDorset CouncilDorset Council said that national planning policy required it to expand its scope for new housing sitesMany Dorset sites identified for residential and commercial development are likely to be rejected because they contravene national policy or do not have the land owners' consent, according to one councillor.Former council leader Spencer Flower says there has been "a significant amount of public unrest," over some of the sites identified in the…

‘Policy frictions’ behind Cornwall Council Reform UK resignations

Post published:October 28, 2025
Post category:BBC Cornwall
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Seb NobleCornwall political reporterBBCCouncillors O'Connor, Thomason-Kenyon, Knight and Parsonage are four of the five members of the new Cornish Independent Non-Aligned Group Former leaders of Reform UK on Cornwall Council have said they faced "friction" as they tried to balance the national party's priorities with the interests of Cornish residents. Five members of the party have left to form a new Cornish Independent Non-Aligned Group on the authority.They claim they were told by party leaders to focus on…

Search for new Newquay-London airline under way

Post published:October 28, 2025
Post category:BBC Cornwall
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BBCFlights from Newquay to London Gatwick were cancelled after Eastern Airways filed a notice to appoint administratorsThe Civil Aviation Authority said all of Eastern Airways' flights had been cancelled, including services from Newquay to London Gatwick.Tim Dwelly, Cornwall Council cabinet member for economic regeneration and investment, said the airline's collapse was "very, very disappointing".He said the council was doing all it could to get a decent carrier on board to take over the Newquay to London route."There's going…

Firefighters tackle thatched cottage fire in Hinton, New Forest

Post published:October 28, 2025
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Firefighters have worked through the night to put out a fire at a thatched cottage in the New Forest.The blaze broke out at the house on the A35 Lyndhurst Road in Hinton on the Hampshire/Dorset border on Monday shortly before 21:00 GMT.Firefighters in 10 fire engines from Hampshire and Dorset Fire and Rescue Services along with an aerial ladder platform worked into the early hours of Tuesday to bring the flames under control.The fire service said there was…

Star Scheme rugby charity helps 1,000 children into sport

Post published:October 28, 2025
Post category:BBC Somerset
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Jack Killah,West of England and Matty Edwards,West of EnglandStar SchemeChard RFC in Somerset is one of the clubs giving opportunities to young people through the schemeA charity has helped more than 1,000 disadvantaged children across the country have access to rugby.The charity - Star Scheme - takes away practical barriers to children playing the sport by paying for transport, fees and kit.First piloted during the pandemic at Chew Valley Rugby Club, the project has now expanded to almost…

What you need to know as pine martens are reintroduced

Post published:October 28, 2025
Post category:BBC Somerset
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Devon Wildlife TrustPine martens were released at secret locations in Exmoor last monthWhen it was reported that pine martens were being reintroduced into Somerset, some people had questions.The Two Moors Pine Marten Project released nine females and 10 males at secret locations on Exmoor in September.Some people expressed concerns about whether smaller mammals and birds would be impacted.But Somerset Wildlife Trust wants to reassure people the reintroduction of the animal will restore balance in local woodlands and says…

Sandi Toksvig probes Iron Age Dorset murder for TV series

Post published:October 28, 2025
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Bournemouth UniversitySandi Toksvig worked with university researchers at an Iron Age site in rural DorsetTV personality Sandi Toksvig has been helping to unravel a 2,000-year-old murder mystery as part of a new TV series.The presenter filmed with Bournemouth University researchers and students at an archaeological dig near Winterborne Kingston in Dorset where an Iron Age settlement and cemetery was excavated.During the episode of the Channel 4 show, called Hidden Wonders, researchers discovered the skeleton of a teenage girl…