Hundreds of December drink and drug drivers arrested in the West

Post published:December 17, 2025
Post category:BBC Somerset
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Chris LockyerWest of EnglandPA MediaDrink and drug driving offences are slightly up on last yearMore than 200 arrests have been made in the first two weeks in December by police forces in the West of England for drink or drug driving offences.It is part of action over the festive period to tackle the offence on the roads of Somerset, Bristol, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire.Officers have been conducting roadside checks, warning drivers there is "no safe way" to drink and…

‘Good’ rating for Plymouth’s adult social care service

Post published:December 17, 2025
Post category:Devon News
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Alison StephensonLocal Democracy Reporting Service, PlymouthAlison Stephenson/LDRSPlymouth City Council said it is working to improve the areas highlighted by the CQCA council's adult social care service still needs improvements despite having a "good" rating, inspectors said.The Care Quality Commission (CQC) gave Plymouth City Council's service, which accounts for more than a quarter of its budget, a 67% rating overall.It said the council provided an "exceptional standard" in ensuring everyone, regardless of background, receives fair and personalised support, achieving…

£760m scheme to ‘dramatically reduce’ sewage spills in south west

Post published:December 17, 2025
Post category:BBC Cornwall
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Kirk EnglandSouth West environment and tourism correspondent, DawlishBBCGraham Murphy, director of engineering at SWW said the project in Dawlish will make a "massive difference" to the number of sewage spillsA £760m project is aiming to "dramatically reduce" sewage spills at beaches in Devon and Cornwall, South West Water (SWW) has said.Construction is under way at locations including Dawlish and Falmouth for the scheme which the company said would cut discharges at key bathing water and shellfish sites over…

Police are urging sports clubs to be vigilant following break-ins

Post published:December 17, 2025
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Sports clubs are being urged to be vigilant following recent break-ins which involved high-value machinery being stolen.An orange 2024 Kubota ride-on lawn mower and trailer worth £30,000, was taken from Ogwell Football Club after a storage area was broken into overnight on 12 December.Hours later on 13 December, burglars broke into a lock-up at Bude Town Football Club and stole a new Holland Boomer 25 Compact tractor, valued at £16,500.PC Neil Sommerfeld said: "These burglaries are the latest…

Trump stands by chief of staff after shock remarks about Vance, Bondi, Musk | Donald Trump News

Post published:December 17, 2025
Post category:Al Jazeera
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US President Donald Trump said he was standing by his White House chief of staff, Susie Wiles, after Vanity Fair magazine published interviews in which Wiles revealed internal tensions in Trump’s administration and painted an unflattering picture of the roles played by some of the president’s inner circle.Trump, who regularly describes Wiles as the “most powerful woman in the world”, told the New York Post on Tuesday that he has full confidence in his chief of staff and…

Trump orders ‘total’ blockade of sanctioned Venezuela oil tankers | Donald Trump News

Post published:December 17, 2025
Post category:Al Jazeera
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The order comes a week after the US military seized an oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast.Published On 17 Dec 202517 Dec 2025Click here to share on social mediashare2ShareUnited States President Donald Trump has ordered “a total and complete” blockade of all US-sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela.“Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America,” Trump said in a post on his social media platform Truth Social.Recommended Stories list of…

Barnstaple ‘hero’ honoured at Christmas tree festival

Post published:December 16, 2025
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BBCLisa Wilson said she is so proud of her son's legacy A "hero" who saved nine lives through donating his organs has been honoured at a Christmas tree festival with a special display.To mark the ten-year anniversary since Tom Wilson's death, his mother Lisa Wilson has made baubles featuring his face to hang in his hometown's church.Tom, from Barnstaple in Devon, died after being hit on the back of the head with a hockey stick during a training…

Trump’s approval rating drops to 39% amid economic concerns: US poll | Donald Trump News

Post published:December 16, 2025
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Reuters/Ipsos survey suggests Americans are increasingly unhappy with Trump’s handling of the economy.Published On 16 Dec 202516 Dec 2025Click here to share on social mediashare2ShareA new poll suggests that the number of people in the United States who approve of the job Donald Trump is doing as president has dropped to 39 percent as concerns grow over the state of the economy.The poll released by Reuters/Ipsos on Tuesday indicated Trump’s approval rating is down about 2 points from…

Devon and Exeter pre-Christmas hospital strike goes ahead after “too little, too late” from health secretary Wes Streeting

Post published:December 16, 2025
Post category:Exeter Observer
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A five-day strike by resident doctors in England – formerly known as junior doctors – is taking place from Wednesday 17 to Monday 22 December after British Medical Association members rejected an offer from health secretary Wes Streeting as “too little, too late”.The strike involves resident doctors from the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust which operates hospitals across the county including Exeter Community Hospital in Whipton, Nightingale Hospital in Sowton and the Royal Devon and Exeter…

Mental health service helping South West paramedics at work

Post published:December 16, 2025
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Jen SmithSouth West health correspondentBBCEmergency medical dispatcher Toria Ford said the counselling she had received had kept her in her jobParamedics have praised an ambulance service's mental health support service - with some saying it had kept them in the job.The South Western Ambulance Service Foundation Trust (SWASFT) - which has more than 6,000 employees and 650 volunteers - said demand for mental health support among its staff was at record levels.It said more than 1,600 staff members…

Cheltenham A&E closing for five days amid doctors’ strikes

Post published:December 16, 2025
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Daisy BodkinGloucestershire BBCThe department will reopen once the strike ends on the 22nd of DecemberAn A&E department is closing for five days as doctors strike across the country.Cheltenham General Hospital's emergency department will shut between 20:00 GMT on Tuesday until 08:00 on Monday. The site will instead be used as a minor injury unit from Wednesday until Sunday.Dr Ananthakrishnan Raghuram, the hospital's chief medical Officer, said: "This is a difficult time... but we're ready, we're prepared and we…

Matrod Frampton fined £100k after collapsed wall injured worker

Post published:December 16, 2025
Post category:BBC Dorset
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A construction company was fined £100,000 after a worker was seriously injured when a wall collapsed onto him.Matrod Frampton Limited was working at the site in Old Coastguard Road in Poole in August 2022 when the 69-year-old steel-fixer was left with life-changing injuries.A breezeblock wall was backfilled too early and before its mortar had properly set and it collapsed as he was working nearby, crushing him against a concrete floor.The company, of Riverside Park, Wimborne, admitted breaching health…