BBC Business News

Pub chain JD Wetherspoon has announced that it is quitting social media.

The chain - owned by Devon-based businessman Tim Martin, and which has sites across Devon and Cornwall - said its head office and 900 pubs were quitting because of "bad publicity" surrounding social media.

Asked whether Wetherspoon's move could start a business trend, Mr Martin said he hoped not.

"Currently we've got a massive commercial advantage because everyone else is wasting hours of their time," he said.

Miles Davis
BBC News Online

A Conservative Plymouth MP has branded the city's other Labour MP as "toxic" in a row over a campaign to base more naval frigates in the city.

Back in December Luke Pollard, Labour MP for for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, called for new Type 26 frigates to be based in Plymouth in an interview with the Plymouth Herald newspaper, external.

Today Johnny Mercer, Conservative MP for Moor View, has launched a campaign in the same newspaper, external also calling on the Prime Minister to base all of the new generation of Royal Navy frigates in the city.

When Mr Pollard offered in a tweet to work together Mr Mercer responded by telling him "don't touch this campaign".

A Royal Marine stole and sold £60,000 worth of military boots and kit to feed his gambling and alcohol addictions, a court has heard.

Warrant Officer Michael Bath was based at the Commando Training Centre base at Lympstone, Devon, and was able to steal boots, clothing, badges and even the coveted green berets.

The 49-year-old veteran of Iraq, Afghanistan and Northern Ireland was jailed for 15 months after he admitted theft and possessing criminal property.

Devon Live

Families in Exeter and Exmouth are to bear the brunt of annual bus fare increases because Stagecoach has announced it is scrapping its £1 "add on" tickets for children, external.

Instead children travelling with adults need to use single fares or £3 dayriders, which equates to an increase of 200%.

Kevin Thomas
BBC Weather Forecaster

Rory Cellan-Jones
Technology correspondent

Pub chain JD Wetherspoon has announced that it is quitting social media.

The chain - owned by Devon-based businessman Tim Martin, and which has sites across Devon and Cornwall - said its head office and 900 pubs were quitting because of "bad publicity" surrounding social media.

It has become received wisdom that a social media presence, used for everything from customer support to promoting the brand, is now a vital tool in the marketing strategy of any business big or small. So why does JD Wetherspoon feel it can do without one?

Image source, PA

The pub chain has certainly put plenty of effort into it until now, with hundreds of different Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.

But the truth is that none had won much of a mass following - and those who ran the accounts were not doing a very good job: one tweet pushing fish and chips on Good Friday got just three re-tweets.

Managing an effective social media strategy and making sure staff running so many accounts stick to company policy is a very time-consuming and expensive business. Perhaps for Wetherspoons all of this effort has become more trouble than it is worth.

BBC Radio Cornwall

An off-duty lifeguard is being praised for saving three people who were caught in a rip current off the north coast of Cornwall.

Two men and a teenager were all using foam surfboards off Treyarnon Bay, near St Merryn, when they became too tired to battle against the tide.

RNLI Lifeguard Kevin Brader - who was on a cliff walk with friends - swam to the nearest person and got them back to the sand bank before using the board to rescue the other two.

Nobody was hurt.

Francesca Gould
BBC News Online

A schoolgirl from Teignmouth has had 35cm (14 inches) of her hair cut off to help raise money for a wig charity.

Nine-year-old Cassandra Collins completed a sponsored hair cut for the Little Princess Trust - which provides free wigs made of real hair to young people who have lost their own due to cancer treatment and other illnesses.

Cassie’s mum, Kylie said she did it "as she has a heart of gold".

The haircut took place at a salon in Paignton and Cassie raised £470.

In January, the charity was told the Duchess of Cambridge had donated some of her hair anonymously.

Here's the moment Cassie had her hair snipped off...

Andrew Segal
BBC Local Live

A man has been attacked by a gang of hooded teenagers in Kingsbridge, police say.

Officers said, external the 19-year-old was attacked after he was approached by a group of six unknown males while walking alone on Cookworthy Road at about 00:30 on Saturday

He was pushed to the ground and kicked by three of them.

The offenders were described as 15 to 16 years old, wearing dark clothes and hooded tops.

Police have appealed for witnesses.

Matt Shepherd
BBC South West

A man who grew up in Penzance has been recalling on the 30th anniversary of the death of Carry On film star Kenneth Williams the period he exchanged many letters with the actor.

Andrew Buckingham was 13 when he wrote to the comic actor requesting a signed photo. It would be the start of a writing correspondence that only finished when the star passed away 30 years ago on 15 April 1988.

Andrew said it came as a complete shock when he heard about Williams’ passing 30 years ago, finding out from BBC Radio Cornwall.

He said: "It was one of those moments when everything stopped. It was totally unexpected. It was an absolute shock."

Andrew has kept all 31 of the letters he received from the actor, also famous for appearances on Hancock's Half Hour and Jackanory, and said he still often read them.

"I was and remain enormously grateful that he did write back, and 31 times," he said.

Andrea Ormsby
BBC Spotlight

A film that puts North Devon on the world map has had its first showing in the UK.

Winter Ridge - which was shot entirely on location in Lynton and Lynmouth - opened the London Independent Film Festival., external

The psychological thriller has already won two awards.

The hope is that the film will bring tourists to Devon and encourage more film crews to shoot in the county.

Hannah Waddingham, the lead actress (and famous for starring in Game of Thrones), says the location was superb...

Francesca Gould
BBC News Online

People in highly populated areas see fewer songbirds such as tits and finches, and more “nuisance” birds, such as pigeons, magpies and gulls, according to new research by The University of Exeter and the British Trust for Ornithology.

Researchers found residential areas have fewer birds overall – and the birds people do see are more likely to be a "nuisance" than to make them happy.

However, people in green and leafy suburbs see up to three-and-a-half times more songbirds and woodpeckers – which are associated with a positive impact on people’s well-being.

Dr Daniel Cox from the University of Exeter said: “Understanding the relationship between the numbers of birds and people is important for how we manage nature and wildlife in towns and cities to promote positive nature experiences, while minimising the potential for conflict.”

The research looked at the ratios of birds to people of species that are generally positive for our well-being, such as those attracted to garden bird feeders like tits and finches, and species of bird whose behaviours can cause a nuisance.

Image source, Getty Images

BBC Business News

Pub chain JD Wetherspoon has used Twitter to tell its 44,000 followers that it is quitting social media.

The firm's head office and 900 pubs said it was quitting the micro-blogging site, alongside Instagram and Facebook, with immediate effect because of bad publicity surrounding social media, including the "trolling" of MPs.

Devon-based chairman Tim Martin added: "I don't believe that closing these accounts will affect our business whatsoever."

The chairman reassured its followers that it would "still be as vocal as ever", but would instead use its staff, magazine and website as well as the press for news updates.

The pub chain, which has branches across Devon and Cornwall, currently has more than 100,000 Facebook followers and more than 6,000 on Instagram.

Image source, Twitter

Neil Gallacher, Business & Industry Correspondent
BBC Spotlight

This is the brochure that has just been made available to people in the property market telling them that most of the Plymouth Pavilions site is up for sale.

It has five colourful pages advertising what is described as an "excellent opportunity to acquire the freehold of a mixed use development site in a prime city centre location".

What’s up for sale was given away by the city council in 2012 in what was an unusual deal.

It wanted to improve the Pavilions but didn’t have the money. It didn't even have the cash to keep putting on music and comedy and running the site's ice rink. So it handed the freehold to James Brent, the newly-installed Plymouth Argyle owner, as part of a "scheme to unlock an £83m investment in the Pavilions site".

That £83m investment hasn’t happened, but the city still hopes that it will. That’s why the sale brochure talks about the Pavilions as a development site.

Image source, Google

James Brent is not selling the Pavilions centrepiece - its arena. However, he’s already sold off the car park at the Millbay end of the site to a hotel company for £2.2m.

No-one is suggesting any wrongdoing, but eyebrows may be raised by the fact that we understand the guide price for the land he was given is now up for sale for £6.6m.

A spokesman for Mr Brent said the businessman was "just exploring options".

Andrew Segal
BBC Local Live

Image source, Tavistock Fire Station

Firefighters have warned about the risks of cooker hob chip pans after they had to treat a retired couple for for smoke inhalation after a blaze.

Tavistock Fire Station said, external a pan caused a "severe fire" last Thursday, which "could have been so much worse if it wasn’t for the owners reactions and the activation of their smoke alarms".

Firefighters said the couple saved their house by using a dampened tea towel to cover the pan and then put the fire out which had spread to an extractor fan.

They said: "Chip pans have always been a high risk fire hazard. We would advise you to dispose of your chip pan and buy a deep fat fryer which is thermostatically controlled.

"On the firefighting side, we advise you to turn off the power supply if possible, leave the property and call us out. Never put water on a chip pan.

They added: "We don’t advise taking on the fire yourself as the chance of injury or worse is very high."

Hayley Westcott
BBC News Online

Tributes are being paid to speedway world champion and Exeter Falcons' rider, Ivan Mauger, who has died aged 78.

His daughter Debbie said on Twitter, external that she was "so lucky and privileged to know him as Dad, how lucky we all were".

Mauger won six world titles between 1968 and 1979 and is regarded by many as being the best racer the sport has ever seen.

Image source, Getty Images

Twitter

BBC Weather Watchers

Alan O has sent us this picture of a sunny Topsham this Monday morning.

Image source, Alan O

Have you any pictures you want to share with us? If so, please email them in.

Daniel Clark
Local Democracy Reporting Service

Proposals to change the way the health care service in Devon is run will be put before Devon County Council's cabinet next week.

In March, the county council's cabinet approved a report that outlined the key features of an integrated care system, external, but the Liberal Democrats called for further scrutiny by the Health and Adult Care Scrutiny Committee.

They voted to record the committee's concerns until assurances were given on governance, funding, and the future of social care from a democratic perspective.

The cabinet is now required to reconsider the matter in light of the scrutiny committee's views.

They will have the option to stand by their original decision, which would see an integrated health and care system with immediate effect, or make changes relating to recommendations proposed by the Health and Adult Care Scrutiny Committee.

BBC Spotlight

A young wolf that is part of a scientific trial in Devon has been saved by ground-breaking surgery.

Moby is one of six wolves at Wildwood Escot which are being monitored to see if the species can be re-introduced to the wild in the UK.

He broke his hind leg, which could have meant him being put down. But he has had it repaired in the first known operation of its type.

Vet JJ van Dijk, said he was happy to have given Moby another chance to live...

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