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Gritting begins as South West faces cold snap

Gritting begins as South West faces cold snap

Gritters have been deployed in parts of the South West as the region braces for icy temperatures this week.Devon County Council said its fleets had been out in North Devon and Dartmoor on Sunday, and Cornwall Council said 28 gritters would be on standby to cover about 1,490 km (925 miles) of the most heavily-used A and B roads in the county.It comes as the Met Office issued several yellow severe weather warnings for snow and ice parts of…

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Bridgwater MP calls for new one-way route to be scrapped

Bridgwater MP calls for new one-way route to be scrapped

An MP has called for the new one-way system to be dropped claiming it has led to "traffic chaos".Bridgwater MP Sir Ashley Fox said making East Quay and Salmon Parade in the town one-way and scrapping a major upgrade to the Cross Rifles roundabout has made traffic "intolerable". Mike Rigby who is in charge of Planning on Somerset Council said there is always a period of "bedding in" with any new scheme, but "elements seem to be working…

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Mother’s ‘horror’ as daughter dies on Weymouth railway line

Mother’s ‘horror’ as daughter dies on Weymouth railway line

Steve HumphreyBournemouthBTPRoxy Phillips was described as enjoying horse riding and competingAn inquest has heard how the mother of a teenager watched paramedics trying to revive her daughter after she was electrocuted on a railway line.Roxy Phillips, 15, was walking home along the track in Weymouth, Dorset, in the early hours of 23 March 2023 when she came into contact with the live rail. Kerri Walker went to the scene after a mobile phone call in which a friend…

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Man who scratched cars and popped tyre in Truro jailed

Man who scratched cars and popped tyre in Truro jailed

A man from Cornwall who used metal tools to cause an estimated £5,000 worth of criminal damage to cars has been jailed.Roger Duque, 39, of St Thomas Close, Truro, Cornwall appeared at Truro Magistrates' Court earlier where he was sentenced to six months in prison, reduced to four for an early plea, after admitting to causing the damage on two cars in the city.The court heard how Duque took to the streets in the early hours of 8…

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New data shows how critically endangered penguins are directly competing with fishing vessels for their food

A new study finds critically endangered African penguins are significantly more likely to forage in the same areas as commercial fishing vessels during years of low fish abundance, increasing competition for food and adding pressure to a species already in crisis. The study, led by the University of St Andrews and including Dr Richard Sherley from the University of Exeter’s Centre for Ecology and Conservation in Cornwall, introduces a novel metric called “overlap intensity” which measures not just…

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‘It would be terrible if pensioners had to pay tax’

‘It would be terrible if pensioners had to pay tax’

Ruth BradleyPolitics reporter, BBC SomersetBBCBarbara her dog Dolly have been looking ahead to the Budget"I'm not really perhaps the right one to ask because I'm 85 on Saturday and I've never voted once in my life."Barbara Merrick may not be interested in elections, but she's got plenty to say about how those who are elected should be running the country."The Conservatives blame Labour, Labour blame the Conservatives - they're like a load of children," explained Ms Merrick.She was…

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St Erth railway footbridge fully open after 10-month delay

St Erth railway footbridge fully open after 10-month delay

A new footbridge at a rail station has fully opened after 10 months of delays.The bridge at St Erth station in west Cornwall opened to passengers in February but the lifts have not been working.Network Rail said the delay had been caused by the need to provide a new power supply including a new substation which National Grid said required legal agreement from several interested parties causing "significant delays".Great Western Railway said the delays had been "very frustrating"…

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Stranded whale calf in Cornwall ‘likely separated from her mother’

Stranded whale calf in Cornwall ‘likely separated from her mother’

Experts monitoring a stranded fin whale calf have said they are "carefully considering euthanasia options to stop further suffering".British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) said it was called to the Mevagissey area in Cornwall shortly after 07:00 GMT.It said a team of 15 trained marine mammal medics, including two veterinary professionals, said the stranded female fin whale calf was about 6m (20ft) long.It said the calf was in "poor nutritional condition" with no adult whales nearby which "strongly…

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Appeal after pedestrian suffers life-changing injuries in crash

Appeal after pedestrian suffers life-changing injuries in crash

A woman suffered life-changing injuries when she was hit by a motorbike, Devon and Cornwall police have said.The crash involved a KTM 125cc motorcycle which hit the 68-year-old pedestrian in Tavistock, Devon, on 11 November.The woman was taken to hospital where she was found to have sustained life-changing injuries.Police said the male rider of the motorbike had been reported to court for driving without due care and attention.Police said the collision happened on Drake Road, just outside the…

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Archie Vaughan: Somerset teenage prospect signs new deal to 2028

Archie Vaughan: Somerset teenage prospect signs new deal to 2028

Teenage all-rounder Archie Vaughan has signed a new deal with Somerset that keeps him at the club until the end of the 2028 season.The 19-year-old son of former England Ashes-winning captain Michael broke into Somerset's first team in 2024 and was named England Under-19 captain during their tour of South Africa in January.Vaughan, who has been part of Somerset's academy since 2020, has taken 40 wickets and scored 1,094 runs in 35 List A and first-class matches for…

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Michael Eckersley ‘bought silence’ of Wells sex abuse victim

Michael Eckersley ‘bought silence’ of Wells sex abuse victim

Avon and Somerset PoliceMichael Eckersely, 86, was jailed for 16 yearsAn 86-year-old man has been jailed for 16 years after being found guilty of 14 historic sexual offences against a child.Michael Eckersley, from Warrington, was said to have lavished gifts on the child during his "campaign of abuse" which began in the 1980s in Wells, Somerset.His victim, who cannot be named, said the abuse "broke him" and he had suffered "psychological damage".After he was sentenced on 4 November,…

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Flooding from heavy rain closes rail line in Devon

Flooding from heavy rain closes rail line in Devon

A rail line in Devon has been closed due to flooding after heavy rain. Great Western Railway (GWR) said services between Exeter St Davids and Barnstaple have been cancelled and the disruption was expected to last until Tuesday. The closure follows additional suspensions affecting the line between Crediton and Barnstaple last week, again caused by flooding.GWR said Network Rail detected water levels exceeding its threshold for triggering an automatic closure of three bridges and viaducts for the "safety…

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