devon

Human skull found in bag at statue prompts police probe

Human skull found in bag at statue prompts police probe

Police have launched an investigation after a carrier bag containing a human skull was found next to a statue in Devon.Officers were called to Kings Quay, in Brixham, at 15:40 BST on Thursday where they found the plastic bag beside the Man and Boy statue on the quayside.The bag has been seized by police and, following examination, the bone was confirmed to be a human skull. Police said inquiries suggested the skull was located by fishermen out at…

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Health secretary Wes Streeting urged to visit Torbay Hospital

Health secretary Wes Streeting urged to visit Torbay Hospital

Guy HendersonLocal Democracy Reporting ServiceGuy Henderson/LDRSMP Steve Darling (bottom left) wants Health Secretary Wes Streeting to visit Torbay HospitalA Devon MP has urged the health secretary to visit a "crumbling" hospital which he said was in desperate need of renovation.Steve Darling said Torbay Hospital was in a "dire and critical condition" with sewage leaks and structural problems and he called on Wes Streeting to take a look "without delay".The previous Conservative government had promised a complete rebuild of…

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Mother murdered by stranger ‘was kind and warm’, inquest told

The family of the woman who was murdered by a stranger in Devon are still coming to terms with her loss, an inquest has heard.Wife, mother and grandmother Lorna England, 74, was murdered as she walked through Ludwell Valley Park in Exeter in February 2023.At the hearing in Exeter, her son Richard described his mother as the "embodiment of warmth and kindness" who put others before herself. Daughter Jackie added Mrs England was "always up for a laugh…

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Family berates Home Office and NHS over Portland barge death

Family berates Home Office and NHS over Portland barge death

Marcus WhiteSouth of EnglandPALeonard Farruku took his own life on the Bibby Stockholm bargeAn asylum seeker who took his own life on the Bibby Stockholm barge would still be alive were it not for failures in his care by the Home Office and NHS mental health workers, his family has said.Leonard Farruku, 27, was found dead in December 2023 on the government's former accommodation vessel for migrants, which was moored at Portland Port, Dorset.An inquest heard evidence that…

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‘Complicated’ EPR packaging tax criticised by South West firms

‘Complicated’ EPR packaging tax criticised by South West firms

George ThorpeSouth West andSeb NobleCornwall political reporterBBCBusiness owners think Extended Producer Responsibility would force price rises for customersBusinesses in the South West have raised concerns a new tax on packaging could force them to raise prices.The government introduced Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) this month which required firms to cover the cost for collecting, recycling and disposing of packaging it produces, with the money going to councils which collected the waste.Owners of businesses have criticised the tax, which some…

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Crime reporting tool helping Teignmouth businesses

Crime reporting tool helping Teignmouth businesses

Traders in a seaside town believe an online crime reporting tool will make a "big difference".The UK Partners Against Crime (UKPAC) Business Crime Reduction Partnership was launched in Teignmouth in August with 12 months of funding from Devon and Cornwall's Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Alison Hernandez.So far, 10 businesses and Teignmouth Town Council have signed up to UKPAC which lets people report crimes and share information between themselves and police to tackle repeat offenders.Jo Gask, owner of…

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Rob Baxter frustrated as Exeter fall short at Bristol in Prem

Exeter boss Rob Baxter says he is frustrated his side were not able to win at Bristol in the Prem but will not overreact to the defeat.The Chiefs lost 18-14 despite facing a Bears side that was down to 14 men for 30 minutes.The defeat was a first of the season for Exeter, who had a potentially match-winning try disallowed late on as they slipped to sixth in the table."We were up there talking as coaches and going…

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Rafa the labrador helping boost Devon children’s reading skills

A waggy-tailed mentor is helping children take their reading to the next level as part of a library scheme.Okehampton Library has been hosting "Read to Rafa" sessions for three years, giving young people the chance to read books to an eight-year-old labrador called Rafa on Tuesdays.Staff at the library said the aim was to boost literacy skills and development and since starting up the project they had seen "huge progress".Mel Thompson, Rafa's owner, said she thought her pet…

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Devon man sustains serious head injury after being punched at pub

A man has sustained a serious head injury after being punched in the face at a Devon pub.Police said officers were called to The Coaching Inn, in Queen Street, South Molton, just after 21:00 BST on Saturday after reports a man had been punched by another man, causing him to fall to the ground and hit his head.The victim, a local man in his 30s, was taken to hospital where he remains in a serious but stable condition,…

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Fisherman catch 210kg bluefin tuna off Devon coast

Fisherman catch 210kg bluefin tuna off Devon coast

Caroline RobinsonSouth WestIan PerkesBrixham Fish Market said the fish was caught by the team on Pechos Grandes on ThursdayA fish wholesaler has purchased a 210kg (463lb) bluefin tuna for more than £2,000.The fish was caught on Thursday by the team at Pechos Grandes and was sold at an auction on Friday at Brixham fish market.Ian Perkes, a wholesaler and exporter based in Brixham who bought the fish, said it was the biggest one caught in the area."We know…

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Two new public woods in South West to provide sustainable timber

Forestry England has unveiled plans for two new woodlands in Devon and Somerset, adding more than 247 acres (100 hectares) of forest to the counties.Okement Wood, covering 205 acres (83 hectares), will be located between Abbeyford Wood and Berrydown Plantation near Okehampton, on the northern edge of Dartmoor. Blackwell Wood, spanning 52 acres (21 hectares), will be next to Druid's Combe Wood and Langridge Wood, north of Treborough in eastern Exmoor.The woodlands will be open to the public…

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‘Daredevil decorators’ protecting Tamar Bridge from corrosion

‘Daredevil decorators’ protecting Tamar Bridge from corrosion

Watch: How the Tamar Bridge gets painted"You're kind of just swinging there, like a conker in the wind."That is how "daredevil decorator" Tom Harold described what it is like to be suspended in the air - sometimes at 200ft (60m) above water - as he and his team at Paintel Ltd battle to protect the Tamar Bridge from the elements all year round.The team use a variety of tools and specialist paints to manage corrosion and rust on…

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