county news

A train line in Devon will be closed following the discovery of a large sinkhole in the aftermath of Storm Ingrid. Great Western Railway (GWR) said it plans to close the route between Exeter St Davids and Newton Abbot from 19:00 GMT on Wednesday until 07:00 on Thursday.It follows the discovery of a sinkhole measuring 8m (26ft) x 3.5m (11.5ft) near the railway between Dawlish and Teignmouth.It comes as flooding, travel disruption and school closures caused by Storm…

BBCA night on the tiles has a different meaning for Diana BeasleyA 92-year-old Scrabble champion credits her "boring career" with motivating her to find a rewarding hobby.Diana Beasley, from Exeter, Devon, said work as a shorthand typist "was unfulfilling" and having "been slow at everything" she did, found it a struggle to keep up.She channelled her energies into interests that she found "mentally stimulating", and found she "liked words" and "was good at spelling".Nearly 50 years after starting…

Cornwall Wildlife Trust/PALandings of common octopus by commercial fisheries in the region last year were almost 65 times higher than recent annual averagesOctopuses are increasingly making British waters their home, researchers have said after the population of the species surged in 2025.A report by the Marine Biological Association (MBA) says warmer sea temperatures have contributed to the common octopus migrating from southern Europe to the South West England coastline.Some in the fishing industry however, have warned they are…

BBCThe River Otter reached its highest ever recorded level on TuesdayPeople have been rescued, homes have been flooded and schools have been closed as Storm Chandra brought more heavy rain to Devon and Cornwall.A new yellow warning for rain is in place until 23:59 GMT for parts of south-west England following previous yellow and amber warnings for wind and rain.One "danger to life" Severe Flood Warning was in place earlier for Ottery St Mary, in Devon, where the…

Businesses and residents are concerned about how the 18-week closure of a busy road will affect their town's trade.The B3212, which goes from Exeter and Moretonhampstead, is fully closed for extensive repairs between Dunsford and Doccombe, until April. It means drivers are faced with a 23-mile diversion through Bovey Tracey to get to Moretonhampstead, where residents say they are worried that the closure is not well signposted and fear passing trade will be put off visiting.Devon County Council…