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

Post published:October 13, 2025
Post category:Devon News
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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…

Family berates Home Office and NHS over Portland barge death

Post published:October 13, 2025
Post category:BBC Dorset
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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…

‘Complicated’ EPR packaging tax criticised by South West firms

Post published:October 13, 2025
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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…

Dozens in Somerset SEND failures protest at County Hall Taunton

Post published:October 13, 2025
Post category:BBC Somerset
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Ruth Bradley andMichelle RuminskiSomerset politics reporters, TauntonBBCParents and children gathered outside County Hall in TauntonDozens of families gathered outside a council's headquarters to protest against special educational needs and disabilities (Send) provision.More than 50 parents and children gathered outside County Hall in Taunton, Somerset, angry about the authority's Send service which they said was failing their children,and leaving parents "exhausted".Organiser Tatjana from Somerset Send Army said: "We are barely standing. I'm just about keeping my job. I'm mentally…

Exeter–Queensland partnership striving to improve the security of global communication

Post published:October 13, 2025
Post category:Exeter Uni News
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A new international research collaboration has been launched focusing on one of the biggest challenges in contemporary communications. Experts at the University of Exeter and the University of Queensland will work together on a breakthrough technology called Quantum Link Verification, which promises to improve security in an increasingly connected, data-driven world. Developed by Exeter’s Quantum Non-Equilibrium Group (QNEG) and Queensland’s Quantum Technology Laboratory (QTLab), QLV uses the rules of quantum physics to detect if anyone is trying to…

Reading FC vow ‘strongest action’ after alleged racism at Exeter

Post published:October 13, 2025
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Reading FC says it will support the "strongest possible action" if an alleged racist comment from one of its supporters is proven.The Royals' League One match at Exeter City on Saturday was paused in the 74th minute by referee James Durkin after the allegation was made by a player.The club said on Monday it has a "zero-tolerance approach to all forms of discrimination" and will work with Exeter and the football authorities to investigate what happened.The match, attended…

Crewkerne housing plans putting town at ‘breaking point’ say residents

Post published:October 13, 2025
Post category:BBC Somerset
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Daniel MumbyLocal Democracy Reporting ServiceJuliet EardleyMore than 100 residents in Crewkerne have objected to the plansResidents in a countryside market town have said local services and infrastructure are already at "breaking point" amid plans for more than 300 new homes.Proposals to build 325 homes on the A356 Station Road in Crewkerne, opposite the railway station, were submitted in September. The application also includes a 'mobility hub' and additional station parking.More than 100 residents have objected to the plans,…

Crime reporting tool helping Teignmouth businesses

Post published:October 13, 2025
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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…

Dorset dairy farm fined after cattle slurry pollutes river

Post published:October 13, 2025
Post category:BBC Dorset
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A dairy farm in Dorset has been fined £6,000 and ordered to pay costs of £10,158.50 after cattle slurry was found to be polluting a nearby river.The owners of Manor Farm Dairy, in Hilfield, Dorchester, pleaded guilty to causing a discharge of poisonous, noxious or polluting matter into a local river at Taunton Magistrates' Court on Wednesday.In March 2024, an Environment Agency (EA) officer discovered olive-green discolouration and foam in the watercourse at Bailey Ridge Lane, near Leigh,…

Cornwall Council Reform UK group leader stands down from role

Post published:October 13, 2025
Post category:BBC Cornwall
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Seb NobleCornwall political reporterBBCRob Parsonage had been the leader of the Reform UK group on the council since MayThe leader of the Reform UK group on Cornwall Council has announced he is stepping down from the role.Councillor Rob Parsonage has been in the position since May - when the party won 28 seats at the local elections making them the largest group on the authority.It had hoped to be part of the new administration - but was left…

Derelict Newquay hotel fire ‘inevitable’, councillor says

Post published:October 13, 2025
Post category:BBC Cornwall
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Chloe ParkmanSouth West andTamsin MelvilleSouth WestSt Dennis Community Fire StationCrews from five fire stations were sent to tackle the blaze in the early hours of SundayA fire that broke out at a derelict hotel in a seaside town was "inevitable", a councillor has said.Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service said crews from five stations helped tackle the blaze at the Narrowcliff Hotel in Newquay, at about 03:15 BST on Sunday.Councillor Joanna Kenny, Liberal Democrat for Newquay Central and Pentire,…

Climber in hospital after fall from Portland cliffs

Post published:October 13, 2025
Post category:BBC Dorset
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A man climbing on Dorset's Jurassic Coast is in hospital after falling from cliffs.Coastguard rescue teams, the RNLI lifeboat from Weymouth, HM Coastguard search and rescue helicopter, air and emergency ambulances were sent to Mutton Cove on Portland on Sunday shortly before 12:50 BST.The man was winched back up to the top of the cliffs by the search and rescue helicopter.South Western Ambulance service said he was taken by road to Dorset County Hospital for onward medical care.…