Local News

As Tax Hikes Force More UK Betting Shops to Close, Devon's Bingo Fans Are Moving Online

Britain had 5,669 betting shops left at the latest official count. The decline has been running for years, and another round of betting shop closures suggests the bottom has not yet been reached.

Higher taxes are the culprit, squeezing the industry more than ever. The main tax on...

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Householders in SW save millions by switching electricity supplier

Around £10.2 million was saved by 145,000 households in the South West in the last six months, simply by changing electricity supplier.

The figures, released as part of the ‘Power to Switch’ campaign, show that within the South West:

28,000 households in Bristol saved around £2 million 20,000 households in Gloucester saved around £1.4 million 17,000 households in Bournemouth...

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utilities

electricity

supplier

Devon

South West

Event to encourage adults with learning disabilities to vote

An event is being held by Plymouth City Council to encourage local adults with learning disabilities to vote in the upcoming local and general elections.

It is being held at the Council House in Armada Way on Tuesday 24 March from 11am to 1.30pm and is open to all adults with learning disabilities in the city.

Those who attend will get the chance to view the Council Chamber,...

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learning disaibilities

Four Greens Community Trust funding approved

Around 60 new jobs, 22 business units, five new business hubs and three community spaces are now under starter’s orders, thanks to funding worth £1.275 million from the Council.

The hard-working members of the Four Greens Community Trust are celebrating news that the Council’s Investment Board has approved funding to transform the former Whitleigh Care Home into a headquarters and a...

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four Greens Community Trust

funding

Devon

Plymouth

Man jailed for life for murder of teenager

Police have welcomed the sentencing of Lee Dent to life imprisonment for the murder of teenager Alex Peguero Sosa in Kingsbridge.

Dent, 42, of East Portlemouth near Salcombe, was today sentenced by Plymouth Crown Court to life to serve a minimum of 22 years.

The court heard that Dent killed the 17-year-old Kingsbridge Community College student by stabbing him in the neck with a...

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Chris to run marathon for donkeys

Plympton martial arts teacher and ex-marine, Chris McKenna, is limbering up to run the Plymouth Half Marathon next month in aid of The Donkey Sanctuary Ivybridge.

He will also be holding a fundraising gig at the Westward Inn in Lee Mill on Friday 3 April from 8.30pm.

It will be the second time that Chris, 63, has run the Half Marathon for the Sanctuary. Last year he enjoyed it...

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Improvements to SW rail network

The biggest investment for decades on the UK’s busiest railway has now moved a step closer with the appointment of a team of contractors who will be responsible for planning and carrying out major improvement works at London Waterloo.

An agreement between the South West Trains-Network Rail Alliance, Skanska, Colas Rail, AECOM and Mott MacDonald has now been agreed following a detailed...

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Rail network improvements

South West

Testing the ‘incredible’ route to children’s and parents’ well-being

A pioneering research project led by the University of York and involving researchers from Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry, will evaluate newly-developed programmes that aim to improve the social and emotional wellbeing of children under two and their parents.

The four-year project led by the Institute for Effective Education (IEE) at York, with...

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Huge blaze at Plymouth tyre business

Residents have been advised to stay in their homes after a huge blaze at a tyre warehouse in Plymouth.

Fire crews were called to the fire at Malvern Tyres, Richmond Walk, Mount Wise just after 4.30 this morning (Saturday 21 March).

Six fire appliances from Greenbank, Camels Head, Plymstock, Crownhill and Plympton, together with an Aerial Ladder Platform from Crownhill, an...

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fire

Plymouth

Plymouth at risk of burglary through Social Media

Over two in three Plymouth residents put themselves at risk of home break-ins, study finds.

A study conducted by the Safe Shop has found that people from Plymouth are not taking the necessary precautions on social media, therefore leaving themselves more open to burglary.

Personal information, crucial for burglars in selecting target properties, is being posted on social media...

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crime

online

Improvements for walking and cycling routes

Plymouth City Council has been awarded £2.46 million from the Department for Transport to improve walking and cycling routes to and from the Derriford area.

The project will see a total investment of £3.51 million over the next five years and deliver more than four kilometres of the city’s Strategic Cycle Network.

Improved on- and off-road cycling routes will be provided along...

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