county news

Extra phones mooted for safety in Cornwall after death threats

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Extra phones mooted for safety in Cornwall after death threats

Lee TrewhelaLocal Democracy Reporting ServiceLee Trewhela / LDRSKate Ewert said she received death threats to her and her childrenA councillor has said a local authority "should have done better" when she and her children received death threats. The comments were made by councillor Kate Ewert during a Cornwall Council constitution and governance committee meeting on Tuesday which considered whether councillors should be given a second mobile phone for safeguarding and privacy reasons. The motion was proposed at a…

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Fire-hit Lyme Regis Regent Cinema site to become homes and shops

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Fire-hit Lyme Regis Regent Cinema site to become homes and shops

The site of an art deco cinema destroyed by fire nearly 10 years ago looks set to be redeveloped, after the plans were approved.Regent Cinema in Lyme Regis, Dorset, was wrecked in a blaze in March 2016, causing the roof to collapse.The scheme, approved by Dorset Council in December, includes two four-bedroom apartments, one of which will have a linked studio flat. The surviving part of the Grade II listed building will be revamped to provide two retail…

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Investigation set to begin after fire engulfs boat in Poole

  • Post category:BBC Dorset
Investigation set to begin after fire engulfs boat in Poole

A fire has destroyed a boat at a boatyard in the early hours.It was found ablaze off Woodlands Avenue in Poole, Dorset, shortly after 02:20 GMT.Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue said crews from six stations along with a water carrier and aerial ladder platform were sent.Local residents were warned of a strong smell of smoke overnight while crews brought the fire under control.The fire service said it had since scaled crews back, no injuries have been reported…

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Gas restored to most properties affected by Devon outage

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Gas restored to most properties affected by Devon outage

Gas supplies have been restored to thousands of homes affected by a major outage, a utility company has said.More than 100 engineers have been working to restore supplies in the Kingsbridge, Malborough and Salcombe area of the South Hams in Devon following damage to a mains pipe caused by a third party. on Saturday, Wales and West Utilities (WWU) said.The firm said supplies had been restored to about three-quarters of the 4,600 affected properties.It said engineers were continuing…

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Mebyon Kernow has ‘changed Cornwall’s political dynamic’

Mebyon Kernow has ‘changed Cornwall’s political dynamic’

Seb NobleCornwall political reporterBBCDick Cole has been the leader of Mebyon Kernow for the past 28 yearsA political party, celebrating its 75th anniversary, said it was optimistic its vision for an assembly for Cornwall could become a reality in future.Mebyon Kernow, which translates as Sons of Cornwall in Cornish, has marked the anniversary of its establishment on 6 January 1951.It said its campaign for greater powers, protection, and recognition for Cornwall would continue - with the ultimate aim…

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Dehydrated seal rescued after travelling from Cornwall to Wales

Dehydrated seal rescued after travelling from Cornwall to Wales

Caroline RobinsonSouth WestRSPCAThe RSPCA said the seal was found at St Brides Bay in PembrokeshireA grey seal pup is receiving specialist care after he was found dehydrated and underweight following a 120km (75 miles) journey.The RSPCA said the seal was found at St Brides Bay in Pembrokeshire, Wales, after a four-day journey from Cornwall. It was spotted on rocks on 11 December fully weaned but in thin condition.The seal was removed from the beach and after immediate care…

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Dawn French on whether she can keep a secret as she launches new sitcom

Dawn French on whether she can keep a secret as she launches new sitcom

Steve Knibbs,West of EnglandandMatty Edwards,West of EnglandBBCDawn French stars alongside Mark Heap in the new sitcom Can You Keep a Secret? Dawn French has said she can keep a secret as she launched her new sitcom about an "oddball family" who commit fraud.The new BBC sitcom - Can You Keep a Secret? - airs later and was filmed and set in Somerset. It tells the story of a retired couple who are presented with the opportunity to claim…

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Dorset wildlife centre ‘heartbroken’ to end rescue service

  • Post category:BBC Dorset
Dorset wildlife centre ‘heartbroken’ to end rescue service

A wildlife sanctuary is to stop rescuing wild birds due to financial pressures. Sharandys Birds of Prey, based in Vurlands Animal Farm in Swyre, Dorset, had been rescuing wild birds for more than 20 years.But it announced it could no longer provide the service due to rising costs. Centre owner Sharon Cox said the move was "heartbreaking" and "one of the hardest decisions" they have ever had to make.Cox, who runs Sharandys with her son Matt, said: "I've…

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‘Long-awaited’ junction upgrade work set to begin in Dorchester

  • Post category:BBC Dorset
‘Long-awaited’ junction upgrade work set to begin in Dorchester

Work to upgrade a junction and pedestrian crossings to improve safety for schoolchildren is due to begin.Improvements to equipment, crossings and the junction at the Damers Road end of Williams Avenue, in Dorchester, will start on Monday and continue until April, Dorset Council said.The road will be closed eastbound for four weeks and temporary traffic arrangements will be in place.Families have called for safer crossings and better cycling links on the route, which is used by pupils attending…

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Bristol ambulance call handler walking 35 miles for work charity

Bristol ambulance call handler walking 35 miles for work charity

Andy Bennett,BBC Bristol Radio PresenterandCarys Nally,BristolHandoutNico Attwell is walking 35 miles for the Ambulance Staff CharityAn ambulance call handler is walking 35 miles in a day to raise money for a NHS staff charity after some of his colleagues took their own lives. Nico Attwell, 23, from Street in Somerset, will be walking from his house to the Bristol Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) in Bradley Stoke to raise money for The Ambulance Staff Charity (TASC) after losing three…

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NHS urges people to help ease winter pressure during busiest week

NHS urges people to help ease winter pressure during busiest week

Emma ElgeeWest of England PA MediaNHS services are expecting the first week of January to be their busiest of the year NHS services are asking for public support for what is expected to be the busiest week of the year.The NHS in Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire has said the pressures of extreme cold weather and a bad flu season will make the start of the year challenging. It is asking the public to think…

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Poor decisions behind signing Dartmoor prison’s lease, MPs say

  • Post category:Devon News
Poor decisions behind signing Dartmoor prison’s lease, MPs say

PA MediaThe Public Accounts Committee said "poor commercial decisions" were made when HMP Dartmoor's lease was signedA £4m-a-year lease for a prison that has been empty for 18 months has been a "needless waste of taxpayers' money", a report from MPs found.The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said the lease for HMP Dartmoor was signed by HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) in March 2022 despite it being known the site had high levels of radon gas two years…

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