Dawlish News' Posts

A meeting with Network Rail and HM Railway Inspectorate to discuss access for emergency vehicles to Dawlish Warren was described as "exceptionally positive" by Teignbridge MP Richard Younger-Ross. At the moment the only access to the Warren is through a small tunnel which fire engines and ambulances are unable to use. Mr Younger-Ross has been trying for two years to reach an agreement over use of ...

Dawlish is to have a open air ice rink for the three day May Day bank holiday from 3rd to 5th of May. The town council chipped in £1,000 towards the hire charge. The rink is organised by the Dawlish Chamber of Commerce at the cost of £4,000. It is hoped it will attract thousands of visitors to Dawlish. The rink will be set up on the lawn and will also have a snow machine and penguin mascots for ...

A Revamp for Dawlish costing at least £200,000 has been earmarked by Teignbridge District Council as a "starting point" to revitalise the centre of Dawlish. The bandstand on the Lawn will be replaced by a multi-functional building which will be a performance stage, bandstand and information point. District council leader Alan Connett said it's by no means a set figure just a "starting point" ...

Dawlish is on alert following the bird flu outbreak in Dorset and there are fears it could delay the famous black swans breeding programme. Mayor of Dawlish, Rosalind Prowse, said the town, famous for its wild birds and waterfowl including four black swans, would be on standby over the weekend.The move comes after an outbreak of the virulent H5N1 strain of avian flu killed three mute swans in ...

There are fears of a major slump in tourism if the sand on Dawlish Warren beach does not return this summer. The locals believe the sand has drifted across the estury to Exmouth, leaving just grit and bedrock. Shifting sands are part of the long-term erosion of the Warren, including sand dunes which protect a nature reserve and a main railway line. Dawlish deputy mayor Wally Protheroe said he has ...

Huge quantities of sand at Dawlish Warren's beach is thought to have been blown away and washed over to neighbouring Exmouth. It is feared it could leave the area vulnerable to flooding and also damage the local tourist industry. The Environment Agency said consultants were looking into the problem. The erosion has left several parts of Dawlish Warren very stony. Read more...

A 62year old man was rushed to Torbay Hospital with a suspected fractured skull after a hammer attack which involved a 93year old man. At least six police officers, including a dog handler and a scene-of-crime officer attended the scene at 9.30am at the Lanherne Sheltered Housing Flats in Exeter Road Dawlish. The alleged victim is thought to have been conscious at the scene and had escaped with a ...

The playing fields at Sandy Lane Dawlish are dear to the heart of many town residents. Tesco is considering putting forward planning application to build a supermarket there. A group of residents set up Dawlish Against Developing Sandy Lane (dads) in September are trying to stop plans going forward. Tesco held a public consultation at the Langstone Cliff Hotel in December where they put their ...

An outspoken campaigner from Dawlish is quitting Britain claiming 'spy cameras' are driving him out of the country. Keith Sharp, 69, is moving thousands of miles away to Argentina saying he is tired of being spied on.The divorced author and retired journalist of Barton Crescent is planning a more sedate - and private - life in Mendoza which nestles at the foot of the Andes. Before leaving he said: ...

Following a report in yesterdays Express & Echo, a Dawlish man has written a letter stating the speed cameras were sited illegally therefore he and others were found not guilty. He also said Dawlish Town Council spent more than £80,000, not £60,000 on the surveillance cameras which do not work at night.

Dawlish will feature in a national documentary about the controversy surrounding speed and spy cameras. The documentary will be shown on channel five in the spring. Dom Joly recently visited Dawlish to film the two episodes. The first will look at the notorious speed camera in the neighbouring village of Starcross, which resulted in the wrongful conviction of hundreds of drivers. A Dawlish ...

Dawlish Town shocked Truro by putting 5 goals past them in their match at Sandy Lane to win the match 5-2. The result will help their ambition to finish in the top 2 places and gain promotion to the Southern League.

A 77-year-old Dawlish man was left bleeding on the pavement as yobs ran off. The man, who was on his way to work as Santa in a Torquay Department Store, was dressed in 'civvies' and was about to go into a convenience store in Dawlish when he was harassed by six teenagers outside the store. The teenagers demanded him to go into the store to buy them alcohol, he then slipped and fell, the teenagers ...

Both Tesco and Sainsbury's are going head-to-head in a bid to win the custom of Dawlish Shoppers. Tesco wants to build a store on the football pitch at Sandy Lane, while Sainsbury's has now announced it wants to build a store and petrol station on land next to the Shutterton Industrial Estate. No planning application for the store has yet been submitted. A public consultation event will be held in ...

At the end of a two-day public consulation and exhibition held at the Langstone Cliff Hotel Dawlish Warren members of the public who attended made well aware their feelings against Tesco building a supermarket on the football pitch at sandy lane. A representative from Tesco's said that the two-day event was incredibly busy. Tesco sent out an extra 5,000 leaflets to Dawlish residents, response to ...

Dawlish Town chairman Dave Fenner said a new stadium would be a boost for the club. Fenner said "we have spent quit a bit of time with local architects designing a stadium for the future which would get us into the conference. Dawlish may be handed the opportunity to move because Tesco's want to build a store at sandy lane.If the plans are given the go-ahead the club would receive a new stadium ...

Supermarket giants Tesco have unveiled ambitious plans for a store in Dawlish. But confirmation that the company hopes to establish a supermarket on playing fields at Dawlish Football Club in Sandy Lane have sparked complaints from residents. And Dawlish mayor Rosalind Prowse said: "This is the biggest issue that has come to Dawlish for many years." A spokeswoman said: "A new supermarket in ...

A motorcyclist was taken to hospital after a collision with a car last night.The 22-year-old local man is said by police to have "potentially serious" injuries following the accident on the A379 road at Dawlish just before 7.30pm. Police have begun an investigation into how the Suzuki GSXR6 and the blue Volkswagen Passat collided. The motorcyclist was taken to Torquay Hospital. Police have ...

The Bank Holiday getaway descended into chaos for thousands of travellers yesterday after a gunman fired shots at a police car on a major motorway route. Motorists were stuck in tailbacks on the M5 for most of the day, with further misery caused by an overturned lorry on the popular stretch to Devon and Cornwall. Ten mile queues built up on several adjoining roads as frustrated holidaymakers ...

Fire crews have been pumping several feet of water from the basements of businesses and homes in the Torbay area as torrential rain caused flash flooding in Dawlish and other parts of Devon today. Affected areas include Dawlish, Torquay, Paignton, Brixham and Kingswear. This has resulted in the closure of some businesses.

According to a resident in North Curry, near Taunton, a Black Swan has been spotted on a nearby canal. "My husband and I have seen a black swan with other white swans on the canal below North Curry - near New Bridge. It is regularly there." "Perhaps it is one of the missing Dawlish swans - my husband is convinced it is." Recent unusual weather patterns have been proposed as a reason why Black ...

The RAF display team delighted crowds attending the Carnival on Thursday as Red Arrows turn the sky true union jack colours. Mary Mugford, of Dawlish Town Council, stated: "I don't think there is a carnival anywhere in the South West which has an aerobatics display like this one." "We have had some wet days this week but fortunately when the Red Arrows came the sky was blue and the sun came out. ...

World famous Thai boxer Arjarn Sken Kaewpadung kept his audience 'spellbound' at a packed seminar hosted by Paul Drury's Black Belt Academy in Dawlish. Master Sken, who moved to this country from Thailand 30 years ago, passed on his skills to enthusiasts from as far away as Cornwall and Yorkshire, who were all eager to train with a martial arts legend.Master Sken is the top Thai master in Europe ...

Police have cancelled an £80 fine issued to a man in April for using a swastika on a leaflet. Keith Sharp, 68, from Dawlish, Devon, had been given the fixed penalty notice after putting 4,000 leaflets through doors complaining about a local increase in CCTV cameras. Police reconsidered after the CPS said it did not warrant a criminal charge.

Police have arrested a 25-year-old man from Dawlish on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving following a fatal collision at Ideford on Friday afternoon on the 10th August 2007. The collision, which involved two vehicles, occurred shortly after 2pm, and left a woman dead at the scene. She was a passenger in a Mercedes car which was in collision with a Ford Transit van. The male driver is ...

An unauthorised financial consultant who mishandled £40,000 given to him by a farmer who already had debts of more than £200,000 from the 2001 foot and mouth outbreak has been given a suspended jail term. At Exeter Crown Court 63-year-old Harold Bell, from Teignmouth, admitted four charges of transferring cash when unauthorised to do so under the Financial Services and Markets Act.He was given a ...

Devon's unseasonably cool and wet summer weather is starting to hit tourist businesses in the back pocket.Ice cream parlours and other businesses in Dawlish Warren say the persistent rain is keeping tourists away. This time last year, the resort was packed with visitors, but it currently resembles a ghost town. Carnival rides near the Warren's seafront were deserted yesterday as summer visitors ...

A West Country fruit farmer has said he is having his worst season for 16 years as heavy rain ruins crops. Dennis Killan from south Devon said the wet weather was making strawberries swell and burst. Another fruit farmer from Cornwall says he is in a race against time to pick the rain-swollen fruit before it is destroyed. Arable farmers in the region are also struggling with the weather as harvest ...

DEVON Wildlife Trust is holding its 5th annual corporate golf tournament next month at Dawlish Warren Golf Club. The event was due to take place in June but had to be rearranged and now the charity is eagerly searching for more teams to make it a success. Teams of four are invited to enter this challenging links competition to win the charity shield and a host of other top prizes. The event is ...

Vital minutes could be saved in emergencies by allowing rescue services to use a surface rail crossing to get to Dawlish Warren beach, Parliament has been told.Teignbridge's Lib Dem MP Richard Younger-Ross said the current access, via a tunnel, was too small for emergency vehicles to get through. He told a debate at Westminster that a friend and councillor had suffered a heart attack while walking ...

Dawlish Library's opening hours have been increased following feedback from the public.Opening hours from Monday will be 9.30am to 5pm on Mondays, 9.30am to 7pm on Tuesdays, closed on Wednesdays, 9.30am to 7pm Thursdays, 9.30am to 5pm Fridays and 9.30am to 1pm Saturdays. It will no longer be closed for an hour at lunch.

THINKING they had plenty of time before the arrival of their first baby, Amy Burnett and Eddie Odaro headed for the Devon coast to grab their last holiday before parenthood arrived. But their baby had other ideas and Amy went into labour five weeks early on Friday - the last morning of their trip - making history in the process. For her daughter Leila was the first baby to be born in the new ...

Whatever the reason for introducing what have been described as "happy-clappy services", the Reverend Jerry Bird is learning the hard way that churchgoers can be a traditional lot. A large section of the congregation are upset by the changes and last Sunday the entire 20- strong choir and organist stormed out of the church minutes before the 9.30am Sung Eucharist. Now the Bishop of Exeter, the ...

When a senior policeman wonders if we are becoming an Orwellian society, it's time to pay attention. Ian Readhead, Hampshire's Deputy Chief Constable, has gone on record to say that the town of Stockbridge in Hampshire is overreacting by installing a £10,000 CCTV system, and that the only result will be to increase the sense of authoritarian oppression that is spreading across Britain. ...

A builder has launched an appeal against refusal of planning permission a major development in Dawlish.A scheme for 58 homes on land at Treston House, East Cliff Road, Dawlish, was rejected by Teignbridge District Council in March. Now Monarch Homes Ltd, the company behind the proposal, has appealed against the decision.

The railway line between Exeter and Dawlish has been closed from 10.30am this morning after a body was found near Starcross. This has affected high speed trains running from the West Country to Paddington. First Great Western spokesman Lance Cole said: “The railway line has been closed while the police investigate the incident. “This had badly affected high speed services to and from London ...

Thousands of pounds are set to be spent on providing a new play area for children in a Devon town.Youngsters will be able to use a ball court, swings, youth centre and other fun facilities in Dawlish. There will even be a graffiti wall so teenagers can display their alternative artwork in an appropriate place. The park, on the junction of Churchill Avenue, will be near to Westcliff Primary School ...

A famed tourist attraction in a Devon resort has been dealt a new blow.In the wake of recent reports that Dawlish's black swans had been decimated by predators, it has now been revealed that the annual display of chicks at the Dawlish Brook waterfowl enclosure has been cancelled. The black swans are under threat after more than a dozen died in the last 18 months. There are now just eight left to ...

More than 12 of Dawlish's famous black swans have died in the past 18 months and town clerk John Winchester believes dogs are to blame.The swans, which originate from Australia, are the resort's emblem and live with many species of geese and ducks on the brook that runs through the town. Bemoaning the death toll, Mr Winchester said: "There are no witnesses, but vets tell us their injuries are ...

Business leaders and workers are set to tee off to help a wildlife charity in a golf tournament at a Devon course next month.The event at Dawlish Warren Golf Club is the fifth annual tournament by the Devon Wildlife Trust. It involves teams of four from businesses entering the corporate links competition in the Warren's nature reserve on Friday, June 15. Winners receive a charity shield and other ...