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  1. Council agrees on 33% Tamar tolls increase

    Andrew Segal

    BBC South West

    Cornwall Council has agreed to apply to the Department for Transport (DfT) to increase tolls on the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry by 33%.

    If approved, it would see tolls for cars increasing from £1.50 to £2.

    A report to the council’s cabinet last year stated the increase was needed because the bridge had been operating at a deficit.

    It added that expenditure had exceeded income and, as a result, reserves were said to be “depleted”.The report also stated that the level of traffic had also grown relatively slowly and, as a result, so had income.

    However, councillors are also to request that the DfT "helps fund the bridge and ferry in the future".

    Members also agreed to ask the crossings' joint managing committee from Cornwall and Plymouth city councils to investigate the feasibility of increasing discounts for regular users who have electronic discount tags.

    Tamar Bridge
  2. Girls expelled after 'cannabis, Xanax and valium' found

    Millicent Cooke

    BBC News Online

    Kingsbridge Community College

    Two 17-year-old girls have been expelled from Kingsbridge Community College after they were "found with drugs".

    Police were called to the school at 11:10 on Tuesday after "cannabis, Xanax and valium" were seized by staff.

    Kingsbridge Community College has been contacted for a statement.

    Police said an investigation has been launched.

    View more on twitter
  3. MPs to debate cervical screening campaigner's petition

    Millicent Cooke

    BBC News Online

    Natasha Sale

    MPs will debate lowering the cervical screening age from 25 to 18 following a campaign by Devon mum Natasha Sale.

    The mum of four, who was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2016, launched the online petition in August last year.

    Ms Sale, from Newton Abbot, achieved more than 78,000 signatures before she died in December.

    Her friends and family continued her campaign after her death - with the petition reaching 100,000 signatures earlier this month, and it now having almost 130,000 supporters.

    Natasha Sale

    Writing in response to her petition in September, the government said it had "accepted the UK National Screening Committee recommendation that the first invitation for cervical screening should be offered at age 25".

    It said cervical cancer in women under that age was very rare.

    The issue will be debated by MPs in parliament on Monday.

    Quote Message: "By reducing the age of smear tests and cervical screenings today, we can save lives, we can tackle cell changes early and prevent cervical cancer. If I can do anything with my life, I want to make this change happen." from Natasha Sale Cervical screening campaigner
    Natasha SaleCervical screening campaigner
  4. Parking meters plan near Torbay beach put on hold

    Ed Oldfield

    Local Democracy Reporting Service

    A plan for parking meters near a popular Devon beach has been put on hold after a huge campaign against them.

    Torbay Council has shelved the proposal for meters on a stretch of Marine Drive alongside Preston Beach at Paignton.

    The decision followed more than 1,200 objection letters and an online petition of more than 1,800 names.

    The council put forward the plan for meters just before Christmas, saying the charges would ensure parking was fair for users.

    But objectors said the plan for 24-hour charges would shift traffic and parking onto nearby residential streets, discourage visitors, harm businesses and penalise beach hut owners.

    The beach has scores of huts during the summer and is popular with dog walkers outside the May to September beach dog ban.

    Under the proposal, the meters would cost from 60p for an hour up to £10 for all-day, with a charge of £3.50 overnight (18:00 to 08:00).

    Marine Drive
  5. Council supports 'Cornish' tick box on next census

    Andrew Segal

    BBC South West

    Cornwall Council has backed a motion for a Cornish tick box on the next UK census.

    The move is to put further pressure on Westminster to allow Cornish people to tick a box similar to the Welsh or Irish.

    The council said that "members supported a motion that calls on the government and ONS [Office for National Statistics] to rethink the content of the census White Paper and bring forward plans for a Cornish tick box on the 2021 census".

    Cornish people were granted minority status within the UK in 2014 under European rules for the protection of national minorities.

    Cornwall flag
  6. Sexual assault in Torquay

    Police are investigating a suspected sexual assault in Torquay.

    An incident in the early hours of Sunday in The Terrace area left a woman in her 20s with "multiple injuries".

    Det Sgt Claire Brown asked for anyone who was in the area between midnight and 03:00 to get in touch on 101.

    A 19-year-old man from Torquay was arrested on suspicion of attempted rape. He was later released under investigation.

    The Terrace
  7. Census Cornish nationality box plans 'need to move on'

    BBC Radio Cornwall

    A decision to back or reject a Cornish tick box on the next census could be made by Cornwall Council later.

    If it is approved, it will require further consideration in Westminster, but it could lead to Cornish people being able to tick a box similar to the Welsh or Irish.

    The change could come on the next census in two years' time but only with further approval from the government.

    Cornish people were granted minority status within the UK in 2014 under European rules for the protection of national minorities.

    Councillor Jesse Foot, who is backing the campaign, said it had been five years since Cornwall was granted minority status and, since then, nothing had really moved on...

    Video content

    Video caption: Census nationality box 'would celebrate Cornishness'
  8. Warning to 'snow tourists' as hundreds head for Dartmoor

    Plymouth Live

    Fun seekers have been told to take care when visiting snowy Dartmoor over the next 24 hours.

  9. Man 'stabbed in the leg' near Exeter service station

    Hayley Westcott

    BBC News Online

    A man was stabbed in the leg near a service station in Exeter, police have said.

    Officers were called to Cowley Bridge Road at about 04:50.

    The man in his 20s was taken to hospital but the extent of his injuries is unknown, officers added.

    He later told police his vehicle had also been taken.

    Those involved are believed to be known to each other.

    There's a road closure in place on Lower Argyll Road and a scene guard remains in place at the scene.

    Inquiries are ongoing.

    Cowley Bridge Road
  10. £2.7m link road crossing dubbed a 'bridge to nowhere'

    Kirk England

    BBC Radio Devon

    A £2.7m pedestrian and cycle bridge on the North Devon Link Road has been dubbed "a bridge to nowhere" by nearby residents.

    Locals have said it is "ridiculous" that people are unable to get to the footbridge on the A39 at Roundswell in Barnstaple, which was opened in September 2017, as it still does not connect to the local footpath network.

    Sign

    The crossing is just a few hundred metres from where a pedestrian was killed less than two weeks ago.

    A woman in her 50s died in a collision with a tipper lorry near Brynsworthy and there are calls for safety improvements.

    Devon County Council said it would work with other parties to improve access as the area was developed.

    Bridge
  11. Council to debate campaign for census 'Cornish' tick-box

    Gemma Taylor

    BBC Radio Cornwall

    Flag

    Cornwall Council will decide whether it wants to back a campaign for a tick-box for Cornish on the next census.

    Campaigners want people from Cornwall to be able to tick a box in the same way the Welsh or Irish can.

    The change could come on the next census in two years' time but only with further approval from the government.

    The council will decide whether to back the campaign during its full council meeting on Tuesday.

    Cornish people were granted minority status within the UK in 2014 under European rules for the protection of national minorities.

  12. Work on Brixham's new fishing jetty 'a few months away'

    Ed Oldfield

    Local Democracy Reporting Service

    Work is expected to start in March on a new £2m fish landing jetty at Brixham.

    Oxen Cove

    The project to build the 8m-wide, 60m-long structure from Oxen Cove car park was due to start in September.

    But it has been delayed by the wait for a licence to be issued by the Marine Management Organisation – the government agency which manages the seas around England.

    Torbay Harbourmaster Adam Parnell told the audience at a mayor’s forum in Torquay the new jetty would support 57 jobs and would be mainly used to land shellfish, which was a growing industry.

    The £2.28m construction cost will be mostly covered by EU cash which has already been secured, with £620,000 from Torbay Council’s harbour fund.

  13. Police warning 24 hours before unlocked station theft

    Totnes Police Station

    Police officers had urged people to lock away their valuables only 24 hours before a man walked into their unlocked station and stole handcuffs, a baton and car keys.

    Russell O'Connor admitted two counts of burglary at Exeter Crown Court after taking the items from Totnes police station on 21 December.

    The court heard O'Connor walked in through a door that was not closed properly after going to the station to ask for help.

    Totnes Police Facebook warning

    The day before, Totnes Police warned members of the public to check that doors were locked and valuables were not left on display.

    "It is surprising how many cars are left unlocked and with enough door handles tried, thieves can pocket good money each night," the post read.

    "Please don't let a thief ruin your Christmas."