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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Plans to reach even more young carers in 2015

A Plymouth project has so far helped and supported 73 young carers in Plymouth since April 2014, but many more could be left unrecognised by agencies in the city.

The Barnardo’s Young Carers Service, managed on behalf of Plymouth City Council has been running since 2012 and supports children and teenagers who have to take responsibility for cooking, cleaning, shopping and providing...

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young carers

Plymouth

council

Broadband bonanza for businesses

Businesses in Plymouth could be in line for up to £3,000 to spend on improved broadband as part of an exciting scheme run by the Council.

Next month the Council will start to deliver a scheme to pay for businesses to get better connected. It means any small or medium-sized enterprise could apply for to get enhanced connectivity – including those who run their businesses from home....

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Uni bids to set handcycling speed record

A futuristic handcycle designed and created at Plymouth University will be embarking on a quest to enter the record books later this year.

Mechanical and composites engineers are currently finalising their Human Powered Vehicle (HPV) which they hope will set a new arm-powered speed record in the Nevada desert in September.

Piloted and powered by paracyclist Liz McTernan, who...

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Solar eclipse eyesight warning

Devon Local Optical Committee and the Optometry group at the School of Health Professions at Plymouth University are warning people to exercise caution when viewing the solar eclipse.

The solar eclipse will take place on Friday 20th March 2015 and, dependent on location, people will see a partial eclipse, with up to 97% of the sun blocked out.

Whilst a solar eclipse is an...

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solar eclipse

eyes

Devon Local Optical Committee and the Optometry

eclipse

Devon

Plymouth

Waterfront set to resurface

One of last year’s most enduring images captured the moment a much-loved Plymouth watering hole was almost wiped from the map, as waves driven by the fiercest storm in living memory swept clean through the Waterfront Pub and Eating House and took most of the fixtures and fittings back out to sea with them.

The sheer weight of the water that pulverised the Waterfront led many experts to...

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Litter increase on our beaches

Piles of wet wipes are littering our beaches as more people choose to use moist cloths to remove make-up, replace traditional toilet paper and apply fake tan. According to the latest beach litter data collected by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) and published today in its Great British Beach Clean report, numbers of wet wipes found on beaches increased by over 50% in a single year!...

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litter

beaches

Beach

Marine Conservation Society

Charities unite to put nature on the agenda

The National Trust, RSPB and The Wildlife Trusts are calling on people across the West Country to put nature at the heart of debate in the run up to May’s General Election and encourage candidates to support nature.

Together the three charities have produced South West Nature 2015 - a new website that details landscapes, wildlife and the issues these face, across all 55 Westminster...

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Appeal after assault at Jesters nightclub

Police are appealing for witnesses following an assault in Jesters nightclub, Union Street, Plymouth, on Saturday 31st January.

Between 1.45-2:15am, a 25-year-old man was assaulted in the nightclub and suffered serious facial injuries. The suspect is described as male, white with long hair and wearing a light coloured long sleeved top

Police would like to identify the man in...

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jesters night club assault

Plymouth

Devon

City Centre businesses in Plymouth say ‘yes’ to major investment

Businesses in the City Centre Business Improvement District (BID) have voted ‘yes’ to a five year business plan that will see millions of pounds being invested into the future of Plymouth’s shopping district.

70 percent of businesses agreed to the new city centre BID which will see many projects take place including; strengthening PARC (Partnership Against Retail Crime), improving...

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plymouth bid

Devon

City

Job Seeker's Allowance claims rise again

The number of Job Seeker’s Allowance (JSA) claimants in Devon increased in line with the national trend by 269 claimants between January 2015 and February 2015.

As a proportion of the working age population, Devon claimants increased very slightly from 0.9% in January to 1% in February, which remains one of the lowest rates on record. Devon’s claimant rate still remains far lower than...

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