Local Democracy Reporting Service

A group of councillors is trying to block plans for a new Torquay United football stadium on a former tip - now used as a park.

The Liberal Democrats group is calling on Torbay Council to protect Nightingale Park, near The Willows housing estate, and keep it for community and leisure use.

The land has been proposed as the location of a £40m development including a stadium for the football club, which is currently based at Plainmoor.

Image source, Google

The club’s owner Gaming International is expected to submit a planning application for Nightingale Park next month.

It outlined proposals earlier this year for a 30,000-seat events arena on the former landfill site close to the start of the new A3052 South Devon Highway.

Plans include a 10,000-seater stadium, music and events venue, hotel, homes, shops and restaurants.

The motion opposing development on the land will be considered at a meeting of Torbay’s full council on Thursday.

Rob England
BBC News Online

Graffiti on properties in Plymouth "won't be tolerated" according to police.

Image source, Devon and Cornwall Police

Officers branded recent markings at houses on Pomphlett Road as criminal damage and have appealed for information about the incidents.

Image source, Devon and Cornwall Police

Plymouth Live

The town's mayor has confirmed the decision has been taken not to arrange a formal procession through the town, external honouring fallen war heroes on November 11 - sparking anger locally.

Ed Oldfield
Local Democracy Reporting Service

Two residential special schools in Devon are involved in an investigation by the national child sex abuse inquiry, external.

Chelfham Mill School, near Barnstaple, and Marland School, near Torrington, are on a list of 10 institutions named by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.

Evidence relating to the schools will be considered in the first phase of an investigation into residential schools, which is due to start public hearings next year.

Image source, IICSA

Privately-run Chelfham Mill School for boys with emotional and behavioural problems was closed in 2015 after allegations of physical abuse led to a police investigation.

After a two-year inquiry, groundsman Peter Weyman was convicted of indecency against a boy at the school in the 1990s, and offences against another boy before he moved to Devon.

Marland School is now structured with day schools at Bideford and Barnstaple and a residential school at Peters Marland for up to 40 boys from across Devon.

The school was rated good in all aspects at its last Ofsted inspection in November 2016. It is now one of 10 special schools in the Devon-wide SENtient Co-operative Foundation Trust and is overseen by Devon County Council.

A spokesman for Devon County Council said: “We have already confirmed that we are co-operating with the inquiry."

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse was set up in 2016 to investigate concerns that organisations were failing to protect children, following a series of high-profile cases including churches, politicians and celebrities.

A statement from the inquiry said: “Children with special educational needs are amongst the most vulnerable children in our society."

Rob England
BBC News Online

Guests were evacuated after a fire broke out in the chimney of a Newquay hotel this afternoon.

Eyewitness Lee Hall said people were gathered in the car park of the Headland Hotel as fire engines arrived at the scene at about 15:50.

Hotel staff say the fire started in the ballroom.

Five fire crews were at the scene as guests were being moved back to the terrace area of the hotel.

Rob England
BBC News Online

A police search has been launched after a man connected to "a number of burglaries" failed to appear in court.

Officers said 41-year-old Derek Giff failed to appear at Plymouth Magistrates Court on 14 September.

Giff is described as a 5ft 9 (1.7m) tall white male with a medium build. Police say he has short light brown hair and blue eyes, with scars on both sides of his face. He also has a tattoo of a devil on his right arm.

He is said to have links to Plymouth.

A force spokesman said: "Extensive local enquiries are being carried out to locate and arrest him and members of the public are being asked to report any sightings.

Image source, Devon and Cornwall Police

Amy Gladwell
BBC News Online

Several drivers in the Camborne area of Cornwall are warning that they have had distinctive square holes cut in their car fuel pipes and found themselves "in a pool of petrol" when they went to fill up their tank.

At least six similar cases have now been reported, including in Beacon and Tuckingmill.

Devon and Cornwall have confirmed they are aware of the problem.

More than 600 people have now shared Stephanie Hamblin's Facebook post, external alerting people to the crime.

Image source, Stephanie Hamblin

Image source, Stephanie Hamblin

The 23-year-old, who has been driving for less than a year, said she was "shocked" and found it "really upsetting" that someone was doing this. She has been told it will cost more then £300 to fix and now had to use public transport.

Ms Hamblin said she reported it to the police who advised her to ask neighbours if anyone had seen anything.

Image source, Graeme Porter

Another victim, Camborne taxi driver Graeme Porter, 37, said: "It's very dangerous - any kind of spark or source of heat could cause the car to catch on fire especially while driving.

"Also the spilling of fuel onto the roads is hazardous, very slippery and could easily cause an accident for other road users," he added.

Andrew Segal
BBC South West

A new recruitment campaign in Devon hopes to address local worries about staffing shortages in the home care sector.

Senior members of Devon County Council said staffing levels were of "real concern" to it and to care providers, and "whether care organisations have sufficient numbers of care workers to meet demand this winter".

The council said recent estimates were that there were about 1,200 vacant jobs in adult social care in the county.

The Proud to Care Devon campaign is encouraging people "to consider careers in care", with a focus on jobs in the domiciliary care sector.

The council said domiciliary care helped "prevent people from going to hospital with preventable complaints, or to help them return home as quickly as possible after treatment", saving money for the NHS and care providers.

BBC Radio Cornwall

In Truro, the roads around George Street remain closed due to an ongoing police incident. Drivers are being asked to use other routes.

A burst pipe is causing raw sewage to spill at the south end of Fistral beach in Cornwall.

Daniel Clark
Local Democracy Reporting Service

A plan to retain the ‘rural Devon’ feel of Clyst St George and to stop the village becoming a suburb of Exeter goes before residents next month.

Clyst St George Parish Council has produced a Neighbourhood Plan for the parish lasting until 2031 following consultation with the local community.

It includes proposals to provide widerr and safer footpaths and improved pedestrian and cycling routes, at the same time as reducing parking and traffic on Clyst Road – a problem that has increased following the success of the Exeter Chiefs.

The plan says: “Clyst St. George Parish should not be swallowed up or overrun by Exeter. Clyst St. George Parish should retain its rural character with important wildlife habitats, green vistas and its agricultural heritage.”

The Church Nature Garden and the ‘Green’ in Clyst St. George would be blocked from development if the plan was adopted.

Development proposals that might cause substantial harm to listed buildings, registered parks or gardens, or their settings will not be supported either.

Image source, Google

Carolyn Bell and Caroline Easton had never met before teaming up to perform CPR on a stranger.

Hayley Westcott
BBC News Online

Devon and Cornwall Police are pursuing nine new lines of inquiry into the 1998 murder of Cornish mum Lyn Bryant - thanks to the public.

Lyn, 40, was killed on 20 October 1998 as she walked the family dog in quiet country lanes near her home in Ruan High Lanes on The Roseland.

Her body was found in a gateway of a field and she had been stabbed a number of times in a prolonged attack.

On Monday, officers launched a major public appeal for information on the 20th anniversary of Lyn’s murder as part of the ongoing investigation into her death.

Image source, Alamy

In the first 24 hours, about 50 calls and messages were received into the incident room and online reporting portal.

The response from the public has generated nine new potential lines of inquiry which are being investigated by detectives from the Major Crime Investigation Team.

Six of the leads relate to names of already known individuals who may now be asked to provide a DNA sample for elimination purposes.

Anyone with information is continuing to be asked to contact Devon and Cornwall Police.

BBC Radio Devon

• In South Molton, on East Street near Station Road, there are reports of an accident.
• Near Halwell, on the A3122 between Ridge Lane and the A381, there's been an accident.
• At Bishops Tawton, on the A377 near Cleave Lane End, there's a broken-down vehicle.

Coby Simons' family design a postcard and promote #ThumbsUpForCoby to raise awareness of the virus.

Johnny O'Shea
BBC News Online

People are being asked to stay out of the water at the south end of Fistral Beach in Newquay because of a sewage spill.

Cornwall Council has issued a precautionary notice stating water quality "may be affected by pollution".

Tankers have been deployed to the beach after a sewer from Yellow Sands Pumping Station near Esplanade Road burst, South West Water said.

It added it was working to make the essential repair "as quickly as possible".

Hayley Westcott
BBC News Online

MPs have heard calls to protect the sea off the coast of Devon by creating a new "marine park".

The government is carrying out a review of national parks but campaigners are urging ministers to go further to include special areas of our coastal waters.

These include the marine area around Plymouth Sound and Lyme Bay.

Charles Clover, from the Great British Oceans Coalition, told the Commons Environmental Audit Committee it would help protect the parts of the sea that people most care about...

• What is a marine park?, external

Local Democracy Reporting Service

A public and private sector partnership has taken a step forward with a campaign to secure millions of pounds of regeneration cash for Torbay.

Representatives of Torbay Together, external met the business strategy minister Lord Henley in London to make the case for government investment.

The group is aiming to secure a town deal for the area, which would unlock millions of pounds to speed up new homes and jobs.

The hour-long meeting on Monday, organised by Torbay MP Kevin Foster, followed an earlier discussion with minister for local growth Jake Berry.

Mr Foster will be working on arrangements for both ministers to visit Torbay to find out more about the area in the next stage of the process.

Image source, LDRS

Johnny O'Shea
BBC News Online

A beach clean in and around Newquay will return on 27 October.

The Big Autumn Beach Clean follows a similar event in April when 200kg of marine litter was collected from Fistral Beach and Watergate Bay. Over 40% of the litter was categorised as "avoidable plastic".

The event is being held by Boardmasters in partnership with Surfers Against Sewage, and they are looking for volunteers, who can register here, external.

Earlier this month Newquay was officially named as a plastic free community, external.

Image source, Boardmasters

North Devon Gazette

A motion put forward at Torridge District Council’s community and resources meeting to "not to sell any part of the Westward Ho! park area" is rejected, external.