devon

Frome battery site refusal overturned by government

Frome battery site refusal overturned by government

Daniel MumbyLocal Demoracy Reporting ServiceDaniel MumbyThe new battery site will be built near a housing estateA battery energy storage site is to be built in a town despite being initially rejected by local councillors.Somerset Council had refused permission for Trina Solar UK to build the facility on land north of Styles Close, in Frome, Somerset, in February.Residents campaigning against the proposals, which includes storage for about 30 megawatts, had claimed the site posed a "fire risk and put…

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Fire destroys building at Somerset Animal Farm Adventure Park

Fire destroys building at Somerset Animal Farm Adventure Park

GoogleA fire has destroyed a building at Animal Farm Adventure ParkA fire has completely destroyed a building at an animal adventure park.Firefighters attended a blaze at the Animal Farm Adventure Park in Berrow, near Burnham-on-Sea at 15:37 GMT on Tuesday.Four appliances from Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service (DFRS) were sent to the incident.A building measuring 30m x 50m (98 ft x 164 ft) was completed destroyed by the flames, said DFRS. The cause of the fire,…

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Met Office warns of snow and ice for Devon and Cornwall

Met Office warns of snow and ice for Devon and Cornwall

People in the South West have been told to prepare for disruption as the region faces a wave of snow and ice.The Met Office issued the yellow weather warning and said most of Cornwall and parts of north and west Devon should expect wintry showers, and temperatures as low as freezing (0C, 32F) from midday on Wednesday until midnight on Thursday.Drivers are being advised to "amend travel plans if necessary" as ice frozen overnight could make for dangerous…

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Dawlish left ‘heartbroken’ after bird flu confirmed in aviary

Dawlish left ‘heartbroken’ after bird flu confirmed in aviary

GoogleThe town mayor says the black swans and aviary birds were a "cherished symbol of Dawlish"Birds living in a Devon town aviary are set to be humanely culled after testing positive for bird flu, a council has confirmed.Dawlish Town Council said it had been officially notified by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) that several birds in the Dawlish Waterfowl Aviary had tested positive for the highly pathogenic avian influenza strain H5N1.The council said it was "heartbroken"…

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Man dies after altercation in pub courtyard in Ottery St Mary

Man dies after altercation in pub courtyard in Ottery St Mary

Five men have been arrested in connection to the death of a man who died in hospital two weeks after being injured in an altercation outside a pub.Devon and Cornwall Police said it was called to the Kings Arms in Ottery St Mary at about 22:15 GMT on 2 November to reports of an altercation involving a group of people in the courtyard.A local man, 67, was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries and died on 17 November…

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Exeter working to get St James Park ready for Burton game after fire

Exeter working to get St James Park ready for Burton game after fire

Exeter City are working against time to ensure Saturday's League One game against Burton Albion can be played after a fire at their ground.The control room and medical room at St James Park were badly damaged in a fire last week.Cabling from the control room, which is essential to run a game safely, was destroyed and is being replaced on Tuesday. The ground must be approved by the local council's Safety Advisory Group before the game can go…

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Fire at former Exeter police station ‘deliberately lit’

Fire at former Exeter police station ‘deliberately lit’

A blaze which damaged an old police station is thought to have been deliberately lit, according to firefighters.Firefighters said they were called to the blaze at the disused building on Heavitree Road in Exeter, Devon, at about 19:38 GMT on Monday.Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said a quarter of the property, described as being the courthouse wing of the former police station, was damaged by fire."We do believe it was started deliberately," a fire spokesperson said.…

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Overweight racoon found in Cornwall in ‘unusual’ rescue

Overweight racoon found in Cornwall in ‘unusual’ rescue

Caroline RobinsonSouth WestEmma Jacobs/RSPCARSPCA said the racoon was captured at Gwennap, CornwallA overweight racoon has been rescued in Cornwall. The RSPCA said the racoon was captured at Gwennap and was now at its West Hatch Wildlife Centre, where he was getting cared for before going to a permanent home.The charity said it had thanked members of the public for their help and RSCPCA officer Abi Kemp rescued the animal, which weighed about three times the normal weight for…

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‘Deliberate’ fire outside Plymouth Argyle’s Home Park stadium

‘Deliberate’ fire outside Plymouth Argyle’s Home Park stadium

A fire which broke out outside Home Park stadium in Plymouth was started deliberately, the fire service believes.Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said it was called to the blaze at 21:10 GMT on Monday following a blaze which was confined to two portable toilets in the car park.The fire service said the toilets were "completely destroyed" in the flames, and added "the fire is believed to have been started deliberately".In a post on Facebook, Plymouth Argyle…

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Award-winning producer Gub Neal returns to the University of Exeter

Award-winning producer Gub Neal returns to the University of Exeter

An Emmy-award-winning television producer has paid a special visit to the University of Exeter to meet students seeking to follow in his footsteps into the creative industries. Gub Neal, creator of the acclaimed television drama The Fall, spent time with postgraduates on one of the University’s flagship film degrees, and students who devote their time to supporting the radio and television stations within the Xmedia societies. Gub, whose extensive credits also include iconic series Prime Suspect, Cracker and…

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Once-extinct European wildcats set to make a comeback in England

Once-extinct European wildcats set to make a comeback in England

Jenny Kumah and Malcolm Prior,BBC News rural affairs teamTom MasonThe South West Wildcat Project hopes to bring back 50 European wildcats across the mid-Devon countrysideWildcats – one of the UK's most critically endangered mammals – could make a return from extinction in England, conservationists say.The South West Wildcat Project hopes to bring back 50 European wildcats, from 2028, after a study found a colony could "flourish" in the mid-Devon countryside.Reintroduction plans follow a breeding scheme to boost numbers…

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