county news

Devon and Cornwall police chief putting more officers on the beat

Devon and Cornwall police chief putting more officers on the beat

A police chief has said he wants to "stabilise patrol numbers" by getting more than 100 additional officers on the beat.Devon and Cornwall chief constable James Vaughan said 121 officers were being added to patrol teams, with 71 officers joining existing patrol teams by the end of 2025, along with another 50 by the end of March.Mr Vaughan, who will address the Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Panel meeting in Plymouth later, said the officers were new…

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Dorset Museum’s £3.5m race to save Sherborne almshouse triptych

Dorset Museum’s £3.5m race to save Sherborne almshouse triptych

St Johns' AlmshouseThe triptych had been sent to Sotheby's for safekeeping during renovationsA museum is in a race against time to raise £3.5m for an "exceptionally rare" triptych painting which is due to be auctioned in December.The piece, dating from the 15th Century, was valued by Sotheby's when it was moved for safekeeping during renovations at St Johns' Almshouse in Sherborne, Dorset.After discovering its value, the charity decided to sell the altarpiece to fund new accommodation for people…

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Second deliberate fire at former Exeter police station

Second deliberate fire at former Exeter police station

A former police station and magistrates' court building is thought to have been targeted by arsonists for the second time in a week, according to emergency services.Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said it was called to the blaze at the disused building on Heavitree Road, in Exeter, at 21:42 GMT on Thursday where two fires were found in different parts of the property. A fire at the same building took place on Monday night.The service said…

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Fatal Weymouth house fire probe ends after no offences found

Fatal Weymouth house fire probe ends after no offences found

A police investigation into a house fire more than a year ago where a man in his 70s died has finished with no criminal offences found.The blaze in Southdown Road, Weymouth, started on 4 October 2024 shortly before 11:00 BST.One man was pronounced dead at the scene, while another was taken to hospital. Dorset Police said during the investigation the man in his 60s was voluntarily interviewed by officers with no further action taken.The fire was initially treated…

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Somerset family struggling as three members have ME

Somerset family struggling as three members have ME

Ruth BradleyPolitics reporter, BBC SomersetJulie HeathJon developed ME in his early 40s with his wife giving up her career to help care for him.Just under 10 years ago, Julie Heath's husband Jon suffered blow to his head in a car crash. "He has never recovered from it," she said.Mr Heath went on to be diagnosed with ME, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome. The couple's two children were also diagnosed with ME in the years that followed, and…

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Devon community food boxes ‘selling out within minutes’

Devon community food boxes ‘selling out within minutes’

BBCMelissa Trudgill: "Sometimes we sell out within 10 minutes"Families of school pupils are getting help with the cost of living through a community food box scheme. Called the Green Box Project, it is based at Okehampton Primary School in Devon and involves volunteers taking surplus food from the charity FareShare South West and packing supplies into boxes which are then sold to parents.Organisers said the project, which sees about £20 worth of food sold for £2.50, said they…

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Watchdog orders improvements at Dawlish mental health unit

Watchdog orders improvements at Dawlish mental health unit

Getty ImagesInspectors found "inconsistent care planning and risk management" at the Langdon Hospital wardsAn NHS trust has been told to take immediate action after inspectors found regulation breaches at a mental health unit.The Care Quality Commission (CQC) carried out an unannounced inspection in April of the wards at Langdon Hospital in Dawlish, Devon, following concerns over the safety of people using the service.The watchdog said the forensic inpatient and secure wards at the site, run by Devon Partnership…

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Polperro care home residents ‘at serious risk of harm’, CQC finds

Polperro care home residents ‘at serious risk of harm’, CQC finds

GoogleThe safety of residents at Restgarth Care Home is to be monitored while improvements are madeA care home resident was left alone in a chair at a breakfast table for nine hours without support, inspectors have revealed.The failing is included in a Care Quality Commission (CQC) report into Restgarth Care Home in Polperro, Cornwall where staff were found to be putting people at "serious risk of harm".The home has been rated as inadequate, with the CQC taking "urgent…

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New sundial misspells Camborne in Cornwall

New sundial misspells Camborne in Cornwall

Moonta Lions ClubThe sundial shows the spelling, and longitude and latitude coordinates for Cambourne, CambridgeshireA new sundial recognising Camborne in Cornwall, which was made by a community in Australia, has been mistakenly based on Cambourne in Cambridgeshire.Photos of the new sundial presented by Moonta Lions Club in South Australia to celebrate historic mining links, revealed an extra 'U', and the longitude and latitude coordinates for the Cambridgeshire town.Camborne Town Council said the black stone sundial was "beautiful" but…

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Somerset family’s flu vaccine plea after 2024 Christmas ‘ruined’

Somerset family’s flu vaccine plea after 2024 Christmas ‘ruined’

Ross Pollard,West of England, Taunton and Beth Cruse,West of EnglandBBCRebecca and her daughter Astrid became very unwell with flu last yearA family who said their Christmas was "ruined" by flu are urging others to get their vaccine to avoid being hospitalised.Rebecca Pettitt, from Taunton, Somerset, caught flu from her daughter Astrid last Christmas and passed it onto her elderly mother, who then spent five weeks in hospital.The NHS in Somerset is urging eligible people to get their vaccine…

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Volunteers in Dorset gift Christmas boxes to military children

Volunteers in Dorset gift Christmas boxes to military children

Curtis Lancaster and Linzi KinghornSouth of EnglandBBCSchool children teamed up with soldiers to put together the care packages"Christmas is really difficult when there's not someone sat at the dinning room table," said the founder of a charity that supports children with parents in the armed forces.Louise Fetigan set up Little Troopers in 2011 and over the festive period her team of volunteers meets in Bovington Camp, Dorset to make thousands of "Christmas Smiles" boxes for military children.She said:…

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Wet winter needed to avoid 2026 drought says Environment Agency

Wet winter needed to avoid 2026 drought says Environment Agency

Joe SkirkowskiWest of EnglandPA MediaChew Valley Lake is one of many reservoirs left depleted after the spring and summerThe Environment Agency (EA) has warned that multiple counties in the West face the risk of drought next summer if this winter is drier than usual.According to a report by the agency the Wessex area, which includes Somerset, Wiltshire, Bristol and Dorset, is in a period of "prolonged dry weather" and could face drought in 2026 if it sees below…

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