county news

Plea to Exmoor dog walkers not to ‘decorate’ trees with poo bags

Plea to Exmoor dog walkers not to ‘decorate’ trees with poo bags

Cathy AlexanderWest of EnglandExmoor National Park AuthorityDog poo bags are often not biodegradable, park rangers sayRangers working for Exmoor National Park have asked dog walkers to treat trees with the same care as their Christmas trees at home, and not to "decorate" them with poo bags. While most dog owners are responsible, authorities in the park - which covers parts of Somerset and Devon - say a few pick up the dog poo and then hang the bag…

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Author who moved to Somerset speaks of rural racism fears

Author who moved to Somerset speaks of rural racism fears

Carys NallyWest of England Hector MilesAmina Makele moved to the Somerset countryside from London in July "Black people shouldn't move to the countryside - or at least that's what I've been told."Amina Makele, an author who moved to Somerset from London in July, published a reel on Instagram that detailed her fear about living in the countryside.The video, which has had more than 500,000 views, started with the author stating her family and friends were concerned when she…

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South West Coast Path challenge is ‘magical’ and ‘mesmerising’

South West Coast Path challenge is ‘magical’ and ‘mesmerising’

Get Us Outside/Tasha ClarkTasha and Darren have completed the Dorset and south Devon sections of the South West Coast Path together and are now working on the Cornwall legsAvid walkers say they love the South West Coast Path for many reasons, from escapism, to its scenery, to meeting like-minded people.The path runs for 630 miles (1,013km), from Minehead on the edge of Exmoor to the shores of Poole Harbour, and many try to complete all sections.The route has…

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Spetisbury church bell peals for 400th year before tower repairs

Spetisbury church bell peals for 400th year before tower repairs

A church bell cast nearly 400 years ago will fall silent for six months in its quatercentenary year as vital repair work begins on a 15th-century bell tower.The £100,000 scheme to address damp and replace eroded stonework at St John the Baptist in Spetisbury, Dorset, follows a two-year fundraising effort by parishioners.The heaviest of six bells in the tower weighs 0.9 tonnes (1,900lbs), measures 110cm in diameter (44in), and an inscription shows it was cast in 1626.To mark…

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Tom Cleverley unhappy with Joe Ralls red card in Plymouth Argyle Reading loss

Tom Cleverley unhappy with Joe Ralls red card in Plymouth Argyle Reading loss

Plymouth Argyle boss Tom Cleverley insisted Joe Ralls should not have been sent off in his side's 4-1 Boxing Day loss to Reading.The midfielder was dismissed for denying a goalscoring opportunity after giving away a penalty in the 12th minute, which the Royals converted. Argyle's first home game on Boxing Day in nine years proved a tough watch for the Home Park faithful as Reading scored three times in six minutes to lead 3-0 before the midway point…

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Family ‘heartbroken’ as they name missing Devon swimmer

Family ‘heartbroken’ as they name missing Devon swimmer

Social mediaThe family of Matthew Upham have named him as one of the swimmers who went missing on Christmas DayThe family of one of two men who went missing during a Christmas Day swim say they are "heartbroken" at his disappearance. Emergency services had been searching the area after two men in their 60s and 40s went missing in the sea at Budleigh Salterton shortly after 10:25 GMT on Thursday. The coastguard search operation was called off at…

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Torquay United impress in 3-1 Weston-super-Mare win

Torquay United impress in 3-1 Weston-super-Mare win

Manager Paul Wotton says Torquay United have one of the best squads in National League South after his side's 3-1 win over promotion rivals Weston-super-Mare.Louis Dennis gave the Gulls a sixth-minute lead in front of more than 5,000 fans at Plainmoor. Matt Jay was on hand to make it 2-0 shortly before half-time as he fired in from close range after Sam Dreyer had headed on Jordan Young's cross. Charlie Cummins pulled a goal back for the visitors…

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Work under way to demolish Winterstoke Road Bridge in Weston-super-Mare

Work under way to demolish Winterstoke Road Bridge in Weston-super-Mare

Work is under way to demolish a bridge first built during the Second World War.Winterstoke Road Bridge in Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset, runs over the mainline railway which connects Bristol and the South West of England.Work to demolish the structure, which has reached the end of its life, began late at night on Christmas Eve - to coincide with seasonal railway closures.It is being replaced with an £11m bridge which is due to open in spring 2027.If it was…

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New Forest Bloodhounds relieved to escape trail hunting ban

New Forest Bloodhounds relieved to escape trail hunting ban

Tristan PascoeDorset political reporterBBCNew Forest Bloodhounds' joint master Will Day met members in Brockenhurst for their Boxing Day meet As Boxing Day hunt meetings take place across the country, a Hampshire group said it is relieved to be excluded from plans to tighten the hunting ban.Labour introduced a ban on fox hunting 20 years ago and its 2024 manifesto included a pledge to extend the current legislation to include trail hunting. Earlier this week the government announced it…

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Hundreds brave the sea for charity Christmas dip at Boscombe Pier

Hundreds brave the sea for charity Christmas dip at Boscombe Pier

Hundreds of hardy swimmers took to the sea for a charity Christmas dip on the coast that has raised about £20,000.About 1,200 people are thought to have safely taken part of the annual White Christmas Dip, which is held for Macmillan Caring Locally, at Boscombe Pier in Bournemouth, Dorset.The event began in 2008, when a family decided to wear fancy dress while joining a local swimming club's Christmas morning dip, and has since become one of the UK's…

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Cornwall police bus patrols to combat “predatory behaviour”

Cornwall police bus patrols to combat “predatory behaviour”

Plain clothes police officers are to be stationed on buses in the new year to help tackle anti-social behaviour.Patrols will be carried out in south east Cornwall, with officers on the lookout for passengers who make others uncomfortable with repeat or unwanted attention, or who are acting drunk and disorderly.Similar operations have been carried out in Saltash, Looe, and Torpoint. Devon and Cornwall Police said previous patrols had been "very positive" but that it was aware "predatory or…

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