Exeter Express and Echo Latest Stories Feed

Two fire crews from Middlemoor and Topsham were called out following a collision involving three cars in Countess Wear, Exeter. Initial reports from police indicated there had been a fuel spillage on both carriageways. The firefighters from Middlemoor made the vehicles safe and their Topsham colleagues were not required at the incident, which happened in Bridge Road shortly after 2.30pm on Sunday. Drivers were advised to avoid the area as severe tailbacks built up on the Countess Wear roundabout and surrounding roads. All vehicles were made safe and the scene was left in the hands of the police.

Police and fire crews called to three-car collision in Countess Wear, Exeter

Members of the Devon Hotels & Restaurants Association are celebrating success at the Devon Tourism Awards. Among them is the Jack in the Green at Rockbeare, which won joint silver in the Tourism Pub of the Year category with the Lamb Inn at Sandford. Proprietor Paul Parnell said: "We try to show the best Devon has to offer through our food, drink and experience and we are delighted that this has been recognised. For the last 23 years we have concentrated on local produce and looking after the customer, whether they are local or a tourist. "The combination of years of hard work and consistency from the whole team has been recognised with this award."

Jack in the Green's latest award is 'recognition for hard work'

An Exeter-based Apple reseller has opened a new repair centre in the city as part of a major expansion project which has increased its capacity by 200 per cent. Stormfront now has the capacity to fix or upgrade up to 700 Apple devices a week and plans to recruit three new members of staff to support its growth. Established in 2007 by Mike Fleming, the business has grown to develop a network of 23 retail stores across the UK with a £50m turnover. Sales have grown from £1.2m since 2008. The company employs more than 230 staff across the business and in addition to its retail, repair and upgrade operations, has thriving education, B2B and employee benefits businesses, predominantly deploying Apple equipment into schools and colleges. Mr Fleming said: "The new centre now means we're able to offer customers an increased end-to-end experience. The expansion will also enable the company to fulfil significant insurance contracts."

Jobs created as Stormfront opens new Apple repair centre in Exeter

A redundant office building in the centre of Exeter is set to be converted into luxury apartments. Regional property developer Devonshire Homes has completed the purchase of Trinity Court in Southernhay and has planning permission to convert the vacant office complex into a top-end residential apartment development. The company plans to convert the site into 27 apartments with the potential to include two three-bed penthouses subject to an additional planning submission. Steve Russell, managing director at Devonshire Homes, said: "We are delighted to acquire this prime site within the city centre which will complement the regeneration of the area. This is an excellent opportunity to utilise an existing building to provide exclusive new homes." The project follows on from the developer's high-end £10m conversion and renovation of a 19th century historic estate in Clifton near Bristol, and the regeneration of two separate vacant hospital sites in the company's home town of Tiverton. Devonshire Homes secured the development opportunity in partnership with Taunton property advice practice Harcourt Kerr. Philip Kerr, of Harcourt Kerr, said: "We identified the potential for this commercial conversion project in September, and have secured the sale and planning in little over two months. "Trinity Court has stood empty for some years and it will be beneficial for the immediate community to see a quality residential development that will further increase footfall into the area." Initial demolition works are scheduled to start immediately with construction beginning early in the New Year.

Luxury apartments plan for vacant Exeter office block

MEMORIES and recollections were evoked in Heavitree as the 2nd Exeter Scout Group opened its doors and welcomed visitors' contributions to rebuild and piece together the group's history. The group marks its 95th anniversary next year, with event organiser Steven Frank citing Saturday's occasion as an opportunity "to move away from what can be an inward looking organisation". The event came about after a clearance of the group's storage cupboards, where artifacts from a bygone era were found and placed on display. The 2nd Exeter Scout Group is the largest in the district, with 135 young members and 26 volunteers. An expansive waiting list of budding members may also place them as one of the biggest in the county. In attendance was Lord Mayor of Exeter, Councillor Rachel Lyons, cooks from the local Ghurkha restaurant as well as former leaders and members of the group. Visiting the event was former Cub Scout Dominic Leaver, who was with the group during the 1980s and now has his son joining Beavers in January. Mr Leaver places the group's success down to the traditional activities that the organisation offers, with group camps, den building and the achieving of his Chief Scout award in 1986 being just some of the memories he told. He was also quick to comment on the skills that he gained as a child: "Those who are successful in life have those social skills that are needed, and probably went through this organisation," he said. It was also an important day for group scout leader Clare Hubbard, who was presented with flowers by the Lord Mayor to thank her for the contributions she had made to the group. Clare began as a scout leader when she was just 16, continuing to join the local group whenever she moved saying it is "a good way to get to know people." She names modernisation, the move to accept female members and heavy media coverage through new chief Scout Bear Grylls, as the reasons for the organisation's latest popularity rise. The group is currently based in South Lawn Terrace in a hut that, according to Councillor Olwen Foggin, is an "important venue that is very well used". The hut holds scouting activities four times a week as well as being home to a child-minders group and the Devon Real Nappy campaign. In the past, it has also held the local Sumba band and Alzheimer's café. However, the group may be facing relocation with Parklife Heavitree who plan to build an urban village hall in Heavitree Park as a replacement for the hut, which it deems as "unfit for purpose." Despite the uncertainty in the group's future location, Mrs Hubbard predicts a "solidifying of the current situation" and cannot see an end to the group's increasing popularity.

Exeter Scout Group rebuild history

Tiny crustaceans, a vital link in the marine food chain, could face as a battle for survival as ocean acidity increases, Westcountry researchers found during an expedition to the Arctic. Scientists from the University of Exeter and Plymouth Marine Laboratory, working alongside polar explorers as part of the Catlin Arctic Survey, camped on the Arctic ice and braved temperatures of -40C to collect the novel data on the crustaceans, known as copepods. They found that copepods that move large distances, migrating across a range of pH conditions, have a better chance of surviving. The findings have been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Dr Ceri Lewis, from the University of Exeter, said: "Our study found that some marine animals may not be able to survive the impact of ocean acidification, particularly the early-life stages. This unique insight into how marine life will respond to future changes in the oceans has implications that reach far beyond the Arctic regions." Copepods are one of the most abundant marine animals and are a vital food source for a wide variety of other marine life. Until recently, it has been difficult to document what conditions they experience in the Arctic.

Scientists brave Arctic conditions for research

A fifth suspect, a 20-year-old man from Coventry, has been arrested on suspicion of the murder of Exeter man Stephen Crook. The man, who remains in police custody, is the fifth man to be arrested in the investigation. Two more men from Coventry have been charged with murder following the incident in Alphington Road, Exeter on Thursday 21st November. A total of four people have been charged with killing 43-year-old Stephen Crook. Darren Twigger, 39, from Coventry and a 17-year-old male, also from Coventry, have both been charged with murder. This now brings the total charged with murder to four: Darren Twigger (39), Ryan Singleton (25), Steve Webster (40) and the 17-year-old. The 17-year-old appeared in Exeter magistrates court on Saturday along with Twigger, also from Coventry. The youth, Twigger, of John Rous Avenue, and a third man, 25-year-old Ryan Singleton, of Howcotte Green, Coventry, and are all charged with murder along with a fourth man, Steven Webster, 40, from Okehampton, Devon. Singleton and Webster appeared in the same court on different days last week. All four have been remanded in custody and will appear before a judge at Exeter Crown Court next month. Mr Crook was stabbed to death at his terraced home in Alphington Road, Exeter, court heard. Prosecutor David Burgess told the special court on Saturday: "Mr Crook was stabbed to death in his flat. The youth is part of a group."

Fifth man charged in murder investigation after court hears Exeter man was ‘stabbed to death’

Exeter Apprentice star Katie Hopkins has apologised after offending Scottish people with an apparent joke following the Glasgow helicopter crash. A Facebook campaign against Hopkins gained almost 7,000 likes within 15 hours of its inception and more than 40,000 people signed an online petition calling for Hopkins to be banned from TV. Both were set up following a Twitter backlash against The Sun Columnist, who tweeted within 24 hours of the Clutha helicopter clash: "Life expectancy in Scotland based 07/08 birth is 59.5. Goodness me. That lot will do anything to avoid working until retirement." The petition said: "On the 30th of November 2013, Scotland was still in shock and trying to come to terms with a horrible crash that took the lives of innocent people. Within 24 hours of this happening Katie Hopkins posted vile remarks on Twitter about how long the people of Scotland live for. "This is unacceptable and distressing to those who lost friends and family. "We the undersigned are sick and tired of ITV and Channel 5 giving her airtime and want her banned from all TV shows on your channels such as This Morning and The Wright Stuff. "This woman is nothing more than an attention seeker who does not deserve to be a celebrity." Hopkins later tweeted: "Am told I am the Biggest Bitch in Britain. Following Independence I will only be the Biggest Bitch in England. Always a positive if you look." Adding: "Yikes, I am being reported to Channel 4 and the BBC. In a moment I will forced to read the Labour manifesto and subscribe to the Guardian." She later tweeted: "There appear to be a number of conflicting petitions out there to have me hung and quartered. Please do feel free to sign them all. PC tastic." However the controversial businesswoman later apologised tweeting a link to a Scottish NHS document, she posted: "My tweet on Scotland was directly related to this article: I apologise to those I offended. It was poor timing."

40,000 people sign petition against Exeter Apprentice star Katie Hopkins after 'unacceptable' tweet

Workloads and confidence are improving in the South West's construction sector but businesses remain frustrated by a lack of investment in essential transport infrastructure. That's according to Rhian Kelly, the CBI's director for business environment, who met businesses in Exeter to discuss issues including green jobs and energy costs. Speaking to the Echo after addressing a meeting hosted by law firm Stephens Scown, she pointed to figures showing the construction sector picking up nationally after five years in the doldrums. "There's been about £5.7bn of new contracts awarded across the UK in October and the South West took eight per cent of these, so the bounce isn't just a London and South East pick-up – it's also affecting people down here," said Rhian. "One thing everyone would say in the sector is even if there's a pick-up we're still well below pre-recession levels, so there's a long way to go. But things are looking up, people are feeling more positive and there's no sense that this is a one-off and we will be back into a dip. With construction in particular, we see it as slow and steady rather than rising sharply." While expressing cautious optimism about the economic recovery, she added that worries remained that it is consumer-led rather than being driven by business investment and exports. Another key concern for businesses in the South West is the need for more investment in roads, railways and broadband. "Our annual infrastructure survey shows South West businesses are most pessimistic in the country about the state of the motorways and local roads, and that 35 per cent felt that inter-city rail services had deteriorated in the last five years," said Rhian. "We've been arguing for upgrading the A303 for a long time. One of the challenges for our members in this region is there's a lot of rhetoric but nothing seems to be happening. "The problem is the Government has announced it on a long list of projects, but then you have to do a feasibility study which takes time, then there might be an election and the truth is these projects may still be on hold in three or four years' time. We need Government to move quicker. This point around delivery comes up time and time again in terms of infrastructure." She added: "Broadband is just as crucial as roads and rail. We are trying to say to Government don't underestimate the power of broadband to businesses across all sectors." Welcoming progress on developments in the Exeter and East Devon Growth Point, Rhian stressed the need for "more innovative public-private partnerships" in future to finance regeneration schemes in a world of reduced grant funding. Highlighting Blur Group's recent decision to move its global headquarters to Exeter, Andrew Jenkins, the CBI's South West director, said: "In terms of the Science Park and Exeter's reputation and development, attracting the right businesses to say Exeter's a happening city becomes a kind of self-sustaining snowball effect. "You're very fortunate within this part of the world to have wonderful countryside, scenery and opportunities for lifestyle. If you can match that with business infrastructure and a business community that gives you those growth opportunities at the same time, then it's the perfect mix to really drive economic growth around this particular region." On the hot topic of energy bills, Rhian said: "All the feedback we've had is that whilst from a business perspective we don't think price freezes are the right policy solution, what Ed Miliband has done is open up a conversation about costs of energy and that in itself is quite helpful. We do need to have that conversation and understand what bills are made up of and be honest about why all the evidence suggests bills are going to keep going up and what we can do to manage that and support the most vulnerable, and how we should all be using energy more efficiently." Whilst welcoming a Government compensation package to help the UK's most energy intensive industries remain competitive, she argued such measures needed to be agreed at a European level. As a result, the CBI's position in the event of a referendum on EU membership is that the UK should remain in the union but with reform. "Energy and climate change is one example where it's better to be working together than independently, and we have more clout internationally if we're part of the EU than if we're not," said Rhian. "More broadly, the market is so significant we wouldn't want to not be part of it, and the market is our springboard into international markets and therefore it makes absolute sense to be part of the EU and then use the EU to access emerging economies."

CBI director backs calls for investment in South West roads, rail and broadband

The Exmouth Lifeboat Fundraising Team will be hosting a carol service in candlelight at Holy Trinity Church, Exmouth on Saturday 14 December at 4pm.

The reading of nine lessons by Exmouth RNLI volunteers from the shop, crew and fundraising team, interspersed with carols will be carried out by candlelight. The hour-long service will be conducted by Reverend James Hutchings. The congregation and Choir 97 will be singing a selection of carols led by musical director, Marion Room.
The Institution's standard will be paraded during the service and this year there will be a bucket collection which will contribute to the launch and recovery vehicle appeal. The cost of the service will be sponsored by Palmers Whitton and Laing and the charity has received a private donation towards the cost of the candles.
This is a regional RNLI carol service and there will be representatives from other lifeboat stations and branches in the south west of England. This is a service open to the public, everyone is welcome.

Students face another day of disruption tomorrow as university staff prepare to stage a second national strike of the term. Academic and support staff at the University of Exeter are among those planning to join the one-day of action across the country in the on-going row over pay and pensions. City staff will join early morning picket lines at entrances to the university's Streatham and St Luke's campuses before a number of rallies are held elsewhere in the country. The Students' Guild warned its 18,500 student members to expect disruption, adding that it was seeking assurances over the impact from the university "as a matter of urgency". Fewer than 2% of staff supported the industrial action in October, and yet unions hailed the strike as a "tremendous success". Some students saw their lectures cancelled, but many were on an official reading week without scheduled lectures or seminars. The latest strike comes during the penultimate week of term as many students face coursework deadlines ahead of January exams. University deputy vice chancellor Janice Kay told students in an email: "We will seek to ensure that minimum disruption is caused." Unions rejected a pay offer of 1% which they say represents a 13% pay cut in real terms since 2009. In a statement ahead of the strike, the Guild told students: "We are aware that this action could cause more disruption than the last strike and the Students' Guild has raised this with the University as a matter of urgency to ensure that assessments and contact time is not significantly affected. "Whilst our immediate focus is on the current issues, we know that it would be remiss of us not to keep an eye on the offering to future generations of students. Happy and properly paid staff are a vital part of Exeter's continued growth and improvement and therefore we urge all parties to meet at the earliest opportunity to end this impasse." Any staff taking part in the strike will be docked one days' pay, with the money being donated to the student hardship fund. Dr Martin Pitts, from the Classics and Ancient History department, told the student publication Exeter Tab: "The strike is on behalf of all university workers from porters and cleaners on little more than £7 per hour up to the grade of Associate Professor, but not including the highest paid workers. We strike not because our case is exceptional but because it is part of greatly increasing inequality across the UK. "There may be future strikes if the employers are not able to reach a compromise with the Unions." It will be the second coordinated strike action involving members of the University and College Union (UCU), UNISON and Unite. UCU regional official, Nick Varney, said: "Staff in universities and colleges are taking strike action to say enough is enough. They have seen their pay slashed in real terms since 2009 and this year's miserly pay offer, at a time of rising bills, was the straw that broke the camel's back. "Staff love their jobs, but their goodwill cannot continue to be taken for granted. Nobody wants to take strike action and lose a day's pay, but we feel we have been left with no alternative."

More disruption expected at Exeter University ahead of second national strike in pay dispute

Experienced Exeter Chiefs prop Brett Sturgess admitted it would be a "real privilege" to take to the pitch against European champions Toulon in the Heineken Cup at Sandy Park on Saturday.

The 32-year-old could find himself packing down at the weekend against Italy international Martin Castrogiovanni or giant Kiwi Carl Hayman in the front row.

The French club's whole squad is packed with a galaxy of world stars, including Jonny Wilkinson, Bryan Habana, Matt Giteau, Bakkies Botha, Frederic Michalak and Andrew Sheridan.

Toulon will be determined to defend the trophy they won in Dublin in May – and, no matter what the result on Saturday, the two sides will do it all again seven days later, when the Chiefs travel to Stade Felix Mayol in the south of France.

"We are on the big European stage again this weekend, and back-to-back games are an interesting one because you are planning for two weeks," said Sturgess.

"Meeting Toulon has been in the back of our minds recently, but we have been concentrating on playing Premiership and LV= Cup games.

"You have got to be excited as a club. The European champions coming to Sandy Park, with the stars they have got in their side – those are the games you want to play in, and we are really looking forward to it. It is a privilege to be involved in it."

It is incredible to think that, on the corresponding weekend only four years ago, Exeter were travelling to face Doncaster Knights in what is now the Championship.

"We have enjoyed a massive rise, but we are striving to keep moving forward and we are getting better all the time," said Sturgess. "We have let a few points slip away during the past two Premiership games and we have dropped back a bit in the league, but we are nearly there in terms of breaking into the top four and we are really proud of what we have achieved in the last four years."

Those two recent defeats have come against top-three sides Saracens and Bath, with Exeter picking up a losing bonus point on each occasion in games they could have won.

Last Saturday they put in an excellent display at Bath – a team the Chiefs are yet to beat since arriving in the top flight in 2010 – but they slipped to a 21-16 defeat, despite outscoring their hosts two tries to nil.

"For the first time since we have been in the Premiership, we went to the Rec and attacked the game from the start," explained Sturgess.

The Chiefs have played Bath ten times in league and cup matches since getting into the Premiership, and the best Exeter have managed is a 12-12 draw against them at Sandy Park last December, but Sturgess denied the failure to beat Bath was becoming a bit of a mental problem for the players.

"I don't think it is getting into our heads," he said. "Our record against Bath is probably talked about more outside the camp, though obviously we are aware we have only drawn against them – at Sandy Park – since we have been in the Premiership.

"Last year we gave Bath too much of a head start when we played them at their place, and we came good towards the end of the match.

"This year we went there and played with intent, and tried to run the ball and play our game, and we got a couple of tries, but we just missed out once again. We are nearly there and nearly getting the results against the top sides."

Toulon clashes excite Exeter Chiefs prop Brett Sturgess

South West Water yesterday monunveiled an £868 million investment package, while also freezing bills until 2015, in its formal plan to the industry regulator. It was revealed last week that the company would not increase bills in the short term while keeping price rises beyond 2015 below inflation until the end of the decade. The details were formally confirmed yesterday as South West Water submitted its WaterFuture corrFinal Business Plan to industry regulator Ofwat. The plan also outlines an £868 million investment plan including new state-of-the-art treatment works, and ensuring bathing waters affected by the current sewage system meet higher cleanliness standards imposed by Europe. South West Water chief executive Chris Loughlin said: "We are proposing to invest 20% more than we will between 2015 and 2020 to safeguard and upgrade our networks and services. "Customers have clearly told us they want no cuts in services and no big increases in bills. "With the vital input of thousands of our customers, dozens of organisations in the South West and our independent customer challenge panel, we believe we have put the best, balanced plan to improve services that people and businesses depend on and protect the environment while keeping bills as low as possible." The Exeter-based company, which serves Devon, Cornwall and parts of Somerset and Dorset, serves some 800,000 households and businesses. It believes the £868 million investment programme could support as many as 6,000 jobs in the region through the company's local supply chain. Headline projects include a £50 million scheme to replace the Crownhill water treatment works with a cutting- edge new works serving Plymouth and the surrounding area. It also plans to expand its award-winning "Upstream Thinking" programme, to restore wetlands and control future treatment costs, together with a new "Downstream Thinking" scheme to cut the risk of sewer flooding and overflows. In addition to making "early investment" to ensure all bathing waters affected by its sewer network reach the European Union's new higher standards, the company plans to minimise risk of odours from sewage plants and drive down occurrences of discoloured tap water. Water main bursts would also be fixed quicker. The average annual household bill for water and sewerage, including the £50 Government contribution, would be kept to at 1.7% per annum until 2019/20 – well below the forecast inflation rate of 3.2%. The average bill would reach £557 in 2019/20. The plan needs to be approved by Ofwat with a decision expected next year.

South West Water to invest £868m boosting water network

A RETAIL park will "suck the life" out of Mid Devon town centres if it forms part of the multi-million pound redevelopment of junction 27. The ambitious scheme to transform a 230-acre site east of Tiverton with an Imax cinema, designer outlet village and residential areas could create more than 3,000 jobs. But the project will draw people away from towns in the district and will threaten their economic futures, a councillor has warned. Cllr Michael Speirs, a member of Cullompton Town Council, said: "A retail development will not pull people in; it will pull people out of towns in Mid Devon. "Cullompton as a high street is on the up and needs to continue going that way and it does not need that kind of competition, we get enough from Taunton and Exeter." At a meeting of Cullompton Town Council, Cllr Speirs said a Mid Devon District Council officer "absolutely assured us junction 27 would not be a retail development because they realised it would suck the life out of Cullompton, Tiverton, Crediton and Bampton." Cllr Linda Holloway, who represents Cullompton on the district council, said a number of people at the authority pushed to have land off the M5 motorway junction at Sampford Peverell included in its development plan, but said it is down to farmers to decide what they want to do with their land. During the debate, Cllr Speirs said "it will kill our town centre and many others" and asked why they promised there would be no retail development. Cllr Holloway said: "The officer is not in a position to say nobody will build retail as they do not have that power – one officer cannot make things happen or not happen." "I will go to my notes and they said, at two meetings, 'we will not allow retail, but there will be leisure'. Certainly, we were given assurances," Cllr Speirs added. The scheme, which would not be delivered for at least five years, is backed by global fund management group Axa and supporters say it has the potential to provide a unique destination for visitors and residents to work, eat and play. A proposed visitor zone would be the largest element and could include a centre to promote Devon and the South West, a hotel and conference centre, a multi-screen cinema or Imax cinema, an outdoor and activity retail space with demonstration area, a plant and horticultural centre and a designer/lifestyle outlet village. Local landowner Malcolm Dudley-Williams, speaking for the developers, said: "Junction 27 is a strategic location that has the capacity to deliver a significant economic stimulus for the local area and wider region." One farmer who owns land which developers want to transform into a visitor zone told the Gazette he was extremely reluctant to sell his fields and was not interested in the potential millions he could make from a deal. He said developers' claims the proposals would "enhance" ancient rural landscapes are ridiculous. The Granthams live in a cottage at the junction of the B3181 and a lane which is closed to traffic and leads to the existing motorway services. At the moment their house has fields on either side but under the proposals land to the west would become housing while fields to the right would become a managed nature reserve. "At the moment it is a lovely spot and we feel it should stay that way," they said.

Junction 27 development will ‘kill’ town centres

Double Booker Prize-winning author Hilary Mantel says the prospect of seeing the Royal Shakespeare Company's adaptations of her books is "a dream come true". Ms Mantel, who lives at Budleigh Salterton in East Devon, has been working with the internationally acclaimed company at its base in Stratford. Dramatisations of both Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies – about Henry VIII's ruthless adviser Thomas Cromwell – will be staged at the Swan Theatre. The first author to win two Man Booker Prizes with consecutive novels, she said: "From the moment I started writing Wolf Hall, the characters were fighting to be off the page. They weren't corpses and they weren't ghosts, they were people who jumped back to life and I longed to give them solid form, to see them in 3D. "When I write, I write in scenes and dialogue, so they are in fact gigantic plays and the next logical step was to take them on to the stage." The books have been adapted in two parts by Mike Poulton and directed by Jeremy Herrin. Wolf Hall opens on December 11 and Bring Up the Bodies on Dec-ember 19, with both shows running until March 29. "Mike Poulton is an experienced adapter and playwright," said Ms Mantel. "But I know the characters inside out, so it is my job to throw ideas at him and be guided by his experience." A lifelong fan of the RSC, the author said she could barely contain her delight when the project to adapt her work was first mooted. "The RSC has, of course, the highest international reputation," she said. "It has the know-how, experience, knowledge and expertise to handle a project like this. For me, it is just a wonderful thing. I first made my way to Stratford by myself, not with family, not with school, as a 15-year-old and saw four plays in three days. "It was a shaping experience, so this really is a dream come true for me to have the opportunity to see the RSC present my plays. I know it is a phrase people often use, but I don't say it lightly." President of Budleigh Salterton Literary Festival, Ms Mantel is currently working on The Mirror and the Light, the final book in her Thomas Cromwell trilogy. The BBC has also announced that it will begin filming a six-part adaptation of Wolf Hall in the spring, starring Mark Rylance in the title role of Thomas Cromwell.

Hilary Mantel says Royal Shakespeare Company’s adaptation of novel is ‘dream come true’

EXTREME sports fans in Tiverton will soon see £200,000 upgrades to Tiverton's skate park take shape following a successful campaign. Mid Devon District Council is expected to approve final plans for new half-pipes, bowls, ramps and rails at a meeting on Wednesday. The skate park, at Bolham Road, was built in 2003 but has been at the centre of a campaign to update the equipment for the last two years. A committee has worked hard raising funds and consulting with users to come up with the final designs (pictured). Steve Densham, development services manager for the council, who described the skate park as an "invaluable" facility for young people and adults, said: "The existing park has reached the end of its life and this was anticipated a couple of years ago. "The proposed park has two elements; one being a plaza, or street course, and the other being a bowl – a specific requirement was to cater for all users, novices and the more experienced and skateboards, bikes and scooters. "The skate park will continue to ensure users can practice their skills in a controlled environment and prevent nuisance and damage that will develop when the existing park will have to be decommissioned. Already pieces of equipment are being removed because it is not economically viable to keep repairing them. "It will also draw users from across the South West and beyond and will put the town on the map for those people seeking this experience." The new park will be built by specialist company Maverick and should be one of the best in the region. Maverick, based in Dorset, specialises in parks made of sprayed concrete, an entirely different construction method to that used to make the current park.

New bowls, rails and ramps in park designs

A credit card fraudster is facing jail after a sharp-eyed police officer spotted that her false identity did not match the name on her bracelet. Leona Thompson gave her name as Serena Taj when she was stopped in Newton Abbot but made the mistake of forgetting to take off her bracelet with the word Leona on it. She had driven from her home in East London to Devon armed with six cloned credit cards which she was hoping to use to buy hundreds of pounds worth of goods from unsuspecting shops. Thompson was caught after staff at Sainsbury in Newton Abbot became suspicious about her when she bought £277 worth of cigarettes and noted details of her car. It was stopped nearby and she gave the false name of Taj but was arrested and searched after police spotted the bracelet, Exeter Crown Court was told. Thompson, aged 29, of Wolseley Avenue, East Ham, admitted fraud and having six cloned cards for the use in fraud. Her sentence was adjourned by Judge Francis Gilbert, QC, for an up dated pre sentence report. He warned her she is likely to be jailed because she was in breach of a suspended sentence and on bail for identical offences at the time of her arrest. He told her:"You came down to this part of the world armed with six cloned credit cards and must expect immediate custody." Mr Nigel Wraith, prosecuting, said Thompson had two cards in her own name and four in the name of Serena Taj and came to Devon in a hire car. She bought £277.20 of cigarettes from Sainsbury in Newton Abbot and signed a credit card chit after the chip and pin failed. She shop contacted the police who stopped her nearby. Mr Wraith said:"When she was stopped she gave the false name of Serena Taj but the officer noticed the name on her bracelet was Leona. A check on fingerprints confirmed her identity. "She had four cards in the name of S K Taj and two in the name of L M Thompson. She made no comment in interview." Mr Jonathan Barnes, defending, said Thompson was acting under pressure from criminals in East London and feared for the safety of her two children. He said:"The reality of this offending is that the people who were really responsible came nowhere near the place where the cards were used."

A house in Exeter was badly damaged last night when a car crashed into the front room of the property. The vehicle came of the road just before 10pm and hit the front window of the house next to the petrol station on Cowley Bridge Road, Exeter. No-one in believed to have been injured in the crash but ambulance, police and the fire service were called to the collision. A representative of Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said: "Two fire engines from Exeter were mobilised to reports of an RTC with a car crashing into the front of a house. "On arrival crews confirmed a car had hit a house and got to work making the scene safe. All persons were out of the vehicle on arrival of the fire service. Duty of care left with the police." Devon and Cornwall police were not available from comment at this point.Full updates as we have them.

Pictures: Car crashes into front room of Exeter home

A daughter and grand daughter of ferry drowning victim Dorothy Stevens have told a jury of the moment they saw her fall into the River Exe. Gillian Phillips said she tried to hang onto her mother as she fell from steps on Exeter Quay and rolled into the water. Arthritis sufferer Mrs Stevens, aged 80, from Silverton, drowned after falling as she tried to climb stairs leading from the landing stage of the Butts Ferry on Exeter Quay in July 2010. She fell after her segmented walking stick broke beneath her as she was moving from the metal platform at the base of the steps to the quayside. Her grand daughter Melissa Phillips had crossed earlier and sent the ferry back to pick up her mother and grandmother because a squall of rain had blown through and they were getting soaked. The entire family were on a shopping trip to Exeter and had just visited The Range. One the way they took the bridge because they were worried about Mrs Stevens negotiating the ferry steps. Exeter City Council, which runs the ferry through a contractor and owns the quay and steps, are on trial at Exeter Crown Court accused of breaking health and safety rules by not ensuring the steps and handrail were safe. They allege the steps were unsafe because they were of uneven height and would have failed modern building regulation standards which require a difference of less than ten millimetres in both height and depth. The first step was more than a foot high while the rest were almost half as much, meaning the difference was 14 times greater than it should have been. The depth of the steps also varied by four times more than it should. Gillian Phillips told the court her daughter had asked the ferryman to pick her and her mother up because it was raining so heavily but after arriving on the canal side of the quay the ferry set off again, leaving Mrs Stevens still struggling to get up the steps. She said she was trying to give her a hand up when the stick broke and she fell. She said:"Mum was trying to get onto the first step. She took hold of the hand rail and I tried to grab her left arm but her stick broke and she fell in the water. She could not swim." She said her mother could cope with normal steps and had been on a coach trip a few weeks before in which she had got on and off the bus without difficulty. Melissa Phillips said she knew her grandmother had arthritis and had stiff legs but saw her trying to get up the steps. She said:"I did not see the stick break but if she had fallen directly backwards she would have landed on the surface below. She was holding onto the hand rail so she pitched to one side and went into the water."

Daughter tells of River Exe ferry death tragedy

A Westcountry firm specialising in 3D chocolate printing is enjoying sales success all over the world just two years after being established. Choc Edge's innovative chocolate printer can produce lines of chocolate as small as half a millimetre wide and can be used to print intricate designs onto various flat surfaces including cakes, biscuits, dishes, and paper. The company was set up in 2011 by Dr Liang Hao at the Innovation Centre at the University of Exeter but has only been selling its Choc Creator machine since the beginning of the year. And it has already enjoyed major international success, with sales to companies and individuals in countries including Brazil, Colombia, the USA, China, Singapore, France and Germany. Choc Edge's business development director Christina Zheng said: "Our vision is to free people's imagination by providing them with a new way to design and create unique chocolates. "We've had enquiries from all over the world, and we are really motivated by people's passion towards innovative chocolate creation." The technology was featured on popular TV show The Gadget Man, when host Stephen Fry held a dinner party for friends using high-tech equipment to prepare the feast. The precision desktop machine plugs in to any computer using a USB port so users can create their own designs or download designs provided by Choc Edge. The company also provides design solutions with one customer in the Czech Republic now using the machine to produce corporate gifts and marketing materials for events.

Exeter's 3D chocolate printing firm enjoys global success