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Devon Live

There has been an outcry on social media, and from the Green Party, over the felling of trees in Exeter, external.

It has been prompted by the cutting down of towering lime trees between city park Northernhay Gardens and Exeter Central train station.

Mike Reid, 54, went missing near a Cornish beach while trying to rescue stranded sea birds.

Amy Gladwell
BBC News Online

An RSPCA officer who “vanished” in strong winds while trying to help about 40 stranded sea birds may have been washed into the sea, a coroner has concluded.

Fifty-four-year-old Mike Reid, from Redruth, disappeared near Porth Chapel in west Cornwall on 7 February 2016. His body has never been found.

An inquest in Truro was told his van was found in a car park at the Minack Theatre near an isolated beach and his radio was found on a pathway leading to the beach the day after.

Recording an open conclusion, Cornwall Coroner Dr Emma Carlyon said the medical cause of death was "undetermined".

She said: "I accept there is little evidence as to when where or if he entered the water ... It was possible that he had been washed into the sea."

He is understood to be the first RSPCA inspector to die on duty for 180 years.

Unions had raised concerns about lone working practices of RSPCA inspectors prior to his death. The charity said it had since improved staff safety procedures.

League Two side Exeter City sign Norwich City forward Tristan Abrahams on a season-long loan deal.

Johnny O'Shea
BBC News Online

Lifeguards rescued 16 surfers, body boarders and swimmers who became trapped in a rip current off Fistral beach in Newquay on Saturday.

They were being pushed out to sea by the rip that suddenly opened up on the norther side of the red and yellow flags.

Lifeguards were already in the water and used a jet ski and rescue board in the rescue.

Earlier in the day, a lifeguard rescued four children and a teenager also caught in a rip current.

In the UK, the majority of RNLI lifeguard incidents involve rip currents, the charity said.

The RNLI advises beachgoers to visit a lifeguarded beach and to always swim between the red and yellow flags as they mark the safest areas in the water.

Phil Tuckett
BBC South West

A man has been hit by a sign falling from a shop in Plymouth city centre.

The sign on the Poundworld store in Armada Way is believed to have come down in strong winds at about 13:50.

The area was cordoned off by emergency services.

Police at the scene said the man was checked out by paramedics but was uninjured.

The discount chain, which has 355 stores and employs 5,100 people, went into administration in June.

Richard Whitehouse
Local Democracy Reporting Service

Cornwall Council has hoisted the English flag at County Hall in Truro in support of the England football team at the World Cup.

The council usually has three flags flying in Treyew Road: the Cornish flag, union flag and the European Union flag.

England play Colombia in the first knockout round in Moscow on Tuesday night, with the match kicking off at 19:00.

Image source, LDRS

It is believed to be the first time that the council has flown the English flag.

But it is not the first time the council has flown an alternative, having previously hoisted the rainbow flag in support of Pride and LGBT.

Cornwall Live

A limousine business has been struck a hammer blow during peak season after a scaffolding tube dropped onto its most popular bridal car, external.

Johnny O'Shea
BBC News Online

A vet from north Devon has stand-up paddleboarded (SUP) more than 1,000 miles from Land's End to John O'Groats and set two world records.

Cal Major was the first person to SUP between the two landmarks and was also been awarded the record for fastest.

The 29-year-old from Northam crossed the finish-line on Monday having set off on 4 May and regularly spent up to 12 hours a day on the board.

She paddled 20 to 30 miles every day without a support boat and has been raising awareness of plastic pollution and called the challenge paddle against plastic, external.

She has also raised more than £4,000 for VetLife and the Samaritans.

Image source, James Appleton

Adrian Campbell, Environment Correspondent
BBC Spotlight

The trend for delivering milk in glass bottles, as part of a drive to reduce waste and energy consumption, is being challenged by a dairy farmer in Cornwall.

Trink Farm, near St Ives, is selling its milk in plastic containers from a vending machine in its farm shop.

Staff said that as long as it was properly recycled, it could save energy because it was lighter to transport and its manufacture used much less energy.

Rachel Knowles is part of the husband and wife team at Trink...

Amy Gladwell
BBC News Online

Unions had raised concerns about lone working practices of RSPCA inspectors prior to the death of Mike Reid, who died while trying to help stranded seabirds in strong winds, an inquest has heard.

Mr Reid, 54, disappeared near Porth Chapel in west Cornwall on 7 February 2016 and was never found.

Emma O'Hara, from the Health and Safety Executive, told the hearing in Truro that inspectors "sometimes felt morally pressured to complete a job", which was "in conflict with messages from management that inspectors should put their health and safety first".

The charity said it had since made improvements to staff safety procedures.

Mr Reid was described as an "experienced and conscientious employee (who) loved his job", and would often work over hours due to his love for animals, the inquest was told.

His wife, Tracey Reid, said: "He just vanished... getting up every morning is a battle, sometimes I want to go to sleep and wake up finding it has all been a bad dream.

"He loved us all too much to do anything to himself, he just wouldn’t."

The inquest continues.

Daniel Clark
Local Democracy Reporting Service

Devon County Council and Exeter City Council are teaming up to deal with penalty charge notices more efficiently.

From now on, County Hall will handle appeals and debts from parking tickets issued in off-street areas, such as car parks, on behalf of the city council.

Its traffic wardens will also continue to be responsible for on-street parking, external.

Frontline enforcement in off-street areas will continue to be carried out by Exeter City Council staff.

The agreement runs for the next three years.

Amy Gladwell
BBC News Online

Image source, RSPCA

An RSPCA officer “vanished” in strong winds while trying to help about 40 stranded sea birds, an inquest has heard.

Fifty-four-year-old Mike Reid disappeared near Porth Chapel, west Cornwall, in February 2016 and was never found.

The inquest in Truro heard no one at the RSPCA knew he had not returned after the evening call out until his wife raised the alarm the next morning.

Emma O’Hara, from the Health and Safety Executive, said that had monitoring "been more robust it is likely the alarm could have been raised earlier ... starting a search process" for the married father-of-three who had been an employee of the charity for nearly 30 years.

The charity said it had since improved staff safety procedures.

The inquest continues.

Andrew Segal
BBC Local Live

More than 150 sq m of gorse and part of a railway embankment has been damaged by a fire in south Devon.

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said that two fire crews and a water bowser were called to the scene at Oyster Bend, Goodrington, Paignton, at about 10:55 and found the scene “well alight”.

Trains were halted while firefighters tackled the blaze, which caused a "lot of smoke".

Rail services were allowed to continue again by 11:35 after it was brought under control.

The cause is thought to be accidental.

Twitter

Some businesses in the town had run alcohol-free so-called dry nights or dry bars for teenagers visiting the town around June and July, often celebrating after finishing exams.

On Monday, Insp Meredith tweeted a warning , externalthat nitrous oxide gas and alcohol were "not a good mix for anybody, especially the under-18s visiting the town".

His warning came after officers said they had seized a "large amount" of the drug gas at the weekend.

Nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas, is taken by hundreds of thousands of people every year as a recreational drug.

Ben Woolvin
BBC South West Home Affairs correspondent

A crackdown on drug dealers who exploit children has been launched by Devon and Cornwall Police.

Officers said gangs from other parts of the country often used young people or vulnerable adults in the South West to deliver and store drugs or money in what is known as "county lines".

The officer in charge, Det Supt Anthony Hart, is asking people to report signs of unusual behaviour...

Cornwall Live

The Original Factory Shop is to close 32 of its stores across the country, including one in Helston, external.

Andrew Segal
BBC Local Live

Image source, Met Office

A Met Office heat warning, external has been brought down from Level 3 to Level 2 as the heatwave continues.

Level 3, or amber, means involving "social and healthcare services targeting specific actions for high-risk groups". The high-risk groups include the very young or very old, or those with chronic disease.

Level 2, or yellow, is a lower status, meaning "alert and readiness" to allow "swift action to reduce harm from a potential heatwave".

However, despite the reduction, the Met Office said heatwaves were still dangerous.

Rob Tolfree, from Public Health England, has this advice on how to cope with the current temperatures...

Twitter

Pictures of a discarded sofa at Queen Mary Gardens in Falmouth have been posted on Twitter.

Michelle Burns has also posted pictures of broken beer bottles she says have "spoiled" her "beautiful walk".