East Devon Radio

The Clyst Valley Regional Park has been declared overall winner at the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) South West Awards for Planning Excellence 2021, as well as winning the ‘Excellence in Plan Making Practice’ category and highly commended in the RTPI South West Chairs Award for Health, Wellbeing and Inclusivity.

LED, a community leisure organisation that works with East Devon District Council (EDDC) and South Somerset District Council to deliver leisure, health, wellbeing and cultural activities, has started offering activities to people who have fled Afghanistan. Sixty-seven refugees were placed in temporary accommodation in Exmouth following the country’s takeover by the Taliban in August this year.

Clyst St Mary has been flooded with sewage 11 times this year with some residents left unable to use toilets for as long as 60 hours at a time due to South West Water’s failing sewage system.  The solution offered by the company – portable loos for the worst affected homes – was criticised by some residents.  Following a campaign by local councillors and East Devon’s MP, it has promised  residents impacted by sewage problems a payment equivalent to 25 per cent of their annual sewage charges.

A former East Devon politician has accused the area’s MP of attempting to “censor” residents after blocking comments on his Facebook page. Ex-Devon County Councillor (DCC) Claire Wright says Simon Jupp MP’s (Conservatives) decision to stop people from being able to comment on his Facebook posts showed that he was not willing to listen to residents.

Devon’s newest member of the House of Lords “never in a month of Sundays” thought he would enter parliament. The Bishop of Exeter, the Right Reverend Robert Atwell, has become one of the Lords Spiritual – the group of 26 Church of England bishops who, as well as having the same rights as other members, read prayers at the start of each day’s business.

Detailed plans for 255 new homes on the edge of Teignmouth have been deferred until next year because of councillors’ concerns. Despite outline permission previously being granted in 2014 for the site at Higher Exeter Road, over 400 objections were received to the final ‘reserved matters’ application for the appearance, landscaping, layout and scale of the properties.

Torridge has the UK’s highest rate of covid infections in proportion to its population – and every part of Devon is well above the national average. In the week to Thursday 18 November, new covid infections in Torridge increased by 42 per cent over the previous week – to more than a thousand cases per 100,000 people. It means Torridge continues to be the most infectious area of the country for the virus. Gwynedd in Wales (882) and Mid Ulster in Northern Ireland (871) are second and third in the table.

Richard and the Team at The Point Bar & Grill have been raising funds for the Exmouth RNLI this year again and will present a cheque for £2170 at the Annual RNLI Charity Fish & Chip Supper this Thursday (25th Nov 2021).

With temperatures tumbling this week (w/c 22 November), Devon is prepared and ready to cope with the challenges of winter on the county’s roads. Road surface temperatures are forecast to drop below -2C in some parts of Devon tonight and gritters will be out on all of the county’s primary salting routes from 6pm this evening. The County Council is starting the season with its gritting depots fully stocked with the usual amount of around 24,000 tonnes of salt. Six gritters have been replaced with newer models to continue the ongoing upgrade of the authority’s winter fleet of 37 frontline grit

The orchard will be planted at Library Fields, Pinhoe, early next year, providing fruit for the local community and a place for people to come together and be involved in activities such as pruning and apple days. Exeter City Council has been working on the initiative with community builder Ebbie Peters, local councillors and residents. The orchard will become part of the ‘Queen’s Green Canopy’, celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022.

The colder months have arrived, which means it’s your heater’s time to shine. With energy prices a topical (and sore) point at the moment, and many people working from home more regularly, you may find that a portable heater is a more efficient and cost effective way to keep you warm. Portable heaters are a good way to heat small spaces when you don’t need to heat the whole house. But what do we need to consider about portable heaters and fire safety? Heaters can be a serious fire hazard, especially when not used carefully.

When they attend fires at thatched properties, it is very difficult to save them. No matter how hard they try, homes can be left destroyed, or at least seriously damaged. This is because thatch fires spread at a really fast pace, and are very difficult to extinguish. It’s scary and serious stuff, but if you live in a thatched property, don’t panic. Here they explain the key causes of these fires so you can be aware of them, and hopefully prevent an incident from happening in your home.

The newly restored Dartmoor Line was officially opened by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps MP yesterday. The reinstated rail line between Okehampton and Exeter is the first to reopen under the Government’s Restoring Your Railway programme, and regular passenger services on the Dartmoor Line will start from this Saturday (20 November). This weekend’s launch will mark the return of the first regular service on the line for almost 50 years. Yesterdays official ceremony saw invited guests, including Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, arrive on the first train into Okehampton.

Devon has seen a “really good uptake” of the covid booster jab, according to a health boss. Nearly a quarter of a million doses (240,000)  have been given out so far to around 58 per cent of eligible people, Dr Paul Johnson, clinical chair of the NHS Devon Clinical Commissioning Group, told a monthly Team Devon meeting of local authority leaders.

Covid infection rates have fallen across most of Devon for the second week running, reflecting national trends.

Plans to close Teignmouth Hospital will be reviewed by independent experts after an intervention by the health secretary.

A new vision setting out how Devon can become the best place to ‘grow up, live well and prosper’ has been backed by councillors.

The Heart of the South West Better Business for All partnership (Hot SW BBFA) has won the Better Business for All award at the Office for Product Safety & Standards (OPSS) Regulatory Excellence Awards ceremony. Better Business For All is a partnership of the region’s local authorities – including Devon County Council – business groups, regulators and trading standards services.

In local rugby this Saturday Exmouth Cockles will be looking to bounce back from their 27-7 defeat at the University when Weston Super Mare visit the Imperial Ground while last week's winner's and league leaders travel up the M5  to take on Second placed Hornets with an unbeaten records at stake.

In local football this Saturday, Western League Exmouth Town travel to Jenkins Park home of Millbrook on the back of last weekends 3 - 0 home victory over Brislington at Southern Road, while in the Peninsula League East Axminster Town take on Ivybridge Town at Tigers Way, Sidmouth Town will be looking for points when inform Torpoint Athletic visit Mainston Road and Crediton Utd host Bovey Tracey at Lord's Meadow.

In local rugby on Saturday Exmouth Cockles held a 7-3 halftime lead against Exeter University at Topsham Road but were eventually beaten 27-7 by the current Premier League Leaders after they fell away after the break.

In local football on Saturday Exmouth Town replayed their game with Brislington at Southern Road which was abandoned two weeks ago due to a visiting player breaking a leg. The largest crowd of the season 370 saw Town defeat a dogged Brislington team 3-0.

Find out all the weekend fixtures in our local football leagues...

Read how our local rugby teams got on at the weekend

Read how our local football teams got on at the weekend.

Tonight's Games in East Devon