Monthly Archives: June 2021

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2 Jun 2021

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“Super Boris” V the “Delta Variant”

The World Health Organization, in an attempt to simplify labels for COVID-19 variants – and to avoid stigmatizing certain countries – has renamed the various variants of the virus.

Instead of referring to them by the name of the country in which they were first discovered, such as the Indian, Brazilian or British variants, the WHO wants them to be known by letters of the Greek alphabet.

So the so-called Indian variant (B.1.617.2), the cause of much alarm around the world, is to be known as Delta, the Brazilian (P.1) variant as Gamma, and the British one (B.1.1.7) as Alpha.

These are “easy-to-pronounce and non-stigmatising labels” according to the organisation, which will be “easier and more practical to be discussed by non-scientific audiences”.

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2 Jun 2021

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UK ranked last in Europe for bathing water quality in 2020

Despite the recent “awards” for our local bathing beaches, the reality is that their water quality was not tested in 2020. See interactive maps referenced below. – Owl

Fiona Harvey www.theguardian.com

Swimmers in the UK hoping to enjoy waters certified clean and healthy this summer have been let down again. Only 110 coastal and inland sites were judged excellent in the latest bathing water quality data from Europe’s environmental watchdog.

Most of the UK’s bathing sites were not classified in 2020, however, because Covid-19 restrictions prevented sampling. This meant that out of 640 sites, 457 received no verdict in the rankings, compiled annually by the European Environment Agency and published on Tuesday.

Twelve sites where a verdict could be delivered were found to be poor, 29 of sufficient quality and 32 good.

The lack of data pushed the UK to the bottom of the European league table, rivalled only by Poland, where just 22% of sites were rated excellent, in the 31-country rankings of EU member states plus Albania and Switzerland. The other 29 countries all had at least 50% of the monitored bathing sites classified as excellent quality, and for the vast majority – 24 countries – the figure was at least 70%.

Cyprus, Greece, Malta, Croatia and Austria led the pack with 95% or more of their sites qualifying as excellent. All of Cyprus’s sites received top marks.

The 2020 data will be the last to include the UK. The EEA includes EU member states and non-members such as Turkey, Iceland and Switzerland, but the UK has chosen to opt out of EEA membership post-Brexit, meaning no such comparisons will be possible in future.

The UK has performed poorly in bathing water quality for years, regularly appearing near the bottom of the table while other countries, including eastern European states, have made marked improvements.

A Guardian investigation last year found that water companies had poured raw sewage into rivers on more than 20,000 occasions in 2019, and dumped thousands of tonnes of raw sewage on beaches.

A government spokesperson said: “The quality of bathing waters in England has improved significantly in the last 20 years. The latest data from 2019 shows that that 72% achieved the highest standard of Excellent, while 98.3% passed the minimum standard.

“Visitors to coastal and inland swimming spots have over 400 bathing waters to choose from and can find out more information of the Environment Agency’s ‘Swimfo’ website.”

Overall, the EEA said 83% of coastal and inland sites around Europe were found to be excellent in 2020, broadly in line with recent years. Only 1.3% of the sites tested, or 296 across the continent, were judged to be of poor quality, down from about 2% in 2013. Coastal sites fared better than inland sites, with 85% and 78% respectively classified as excellent.

About 6% of the sites normally monitored across Europe could not be reached because of Covid-19 restrictions. Countries also tend to leave out many bathing sites that are used in practice, so the true picture could be different, especially for inland sites, and people could be put at risk if the bathing places they use are not monitored.

Lidija Globevnik, a project leader for bathing water at the European Topics Centre and an author of the report, said: “There are many sites that are not identified as bathing waters, but people still swim there. There should be higher attention paid by the authorities to observe these sites, and act if there is a problem.”

She said the climate crisis was also having an impact on bathing water and on inland sites especially, because dry spells reduce the amount of water in rivers and lakes, which could concentrate pollutants from agricultural runoff and other sources.

“There is not enough water in some places, which means a proliferation of bacteria in inland waters and higher risks,” she said. “This can be managed better through looking at agriculture, hydrology and water extraction. These all need to be carefully managed.”

The European Commission has recently launched a review of the bathing water directive as part of its zero-pollution action plan. The current rules could be updated, and an online public consultation is planned for suggestions on the improvements needed.

Virginijus Sinkevičius, the European commissioner for the environment, fisheries and oceans, said: “Bathing water quality in Europe remains high and it’s good news for Europeans who will be heading to beaches and bathing sites this summer. This is the result of more than 40 years of the bathing water directive, hard work by dedicated professionals and cooperation. The zero pollution action plan adopted in May will help to keep the waters healthy and safe, and our seas and rivers clean.”

The Covid-19 pandemic had no impact on the quality of water, but led to many bathing sites being closed or access limited because of social distancing requirements, although many people were driven to take up wild swimming.

Hans Bruyninckx, the executive director of the EEA, said: “The quality of European bathing water remains high after four decades of action aimed at preventing and reducing pollution. EU law has not only helped raise the overall quality, but also helped identify areas where specific action is needed.”

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2 Jun 2021

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Plans for up to 80 homes refused

Exeter City has refused plans for significant development just outside the built up area of Exwick. This is a site on the other side of the Exe, on the western boundary of the city. The reasons for refusal are the harmful impact they would have on the landscape character of the area. However, Exeter doesn’t have a five year land supply, the pressure is on to find land. 

The EDDC “New Guard’s” bold decision last year to pull out of GESP (Greater Exeter Strategic Plan) has removed the soft option of simply expanding east of the Exe.

Think how Topsham has now effectively become an Exeter suburb and how much Grade I agricultural land was sacrificed for Cranbrook.

Exeter will have to confront the implications of their expansionary plans – Owl

Plans to build homes on the edge of Exeter have been refused because of the harmful impact they would have on the landscape character of the area they were built in.

Daniel Clark, Local Democracy Reporter www.radioexe.co.uk

The proposals would’ve seen the dwellings located beyond the built-up area of Exwick on the land to the east of Redhills. 

The application included 80 homes, with 35% being affordable housing, as well as two play areas.

Officers’ planning assessment concluded that the benefits of the proposed housing do not outweigh the harmful impact the development would have on the landscape character of the area, and councillors agreed with that at Thursday night’s planning committee meeting.

There had been 281 objections from local residents to the plans, on the grounds of the impact on landscape character, the impact on wildlife and biodiversity, concerns about flooding, the need to follow Liveable Exeter’s vision and build on brownfield sites, and that with the plans for development on the Teignbridge site, it would be overdevelopment of the area.

Cllr Rachel Sutton said that the scheme on the site would have a detrimental impact and that it will be visually intrusive, adding: “We need to be looking at brownfield sites for development before green field sites. We are keen to encourage people to walk and cycle but looking at that footpath, the idea that anyone with a shopping trolley or a small child will go up or down the hill is frankly ludicrous, and the bus stops are miles away.”

Cllr Rob Hannaford added: “This is a huge concern given the location and the challenging topography of the site. At our last meeting, we were discussing a car-free development, but this is the opposite to that, and the way it has been developed with sustainability, this would be a car essential development if you are not careful. It would be isolating if you didn’t have your own transport.”

The report read: “The fact that housing on-site is visible within an area of land does not necessarily make a development unacceptable and as the application is in outline and therefore the appearance of the proposed dwellings is not for consideration. However, it is the impact the built development would have on the overall landscape character of the area, which remains the fundamental consideration as to whether the scheme is acceptable.

“The fundamental consideration, therefore, is whether the provision of 80 dwellings (including 28 affordable units), provision of onsite open space/play areas and the associated highway improvement and mitigation measures put forward in support of the application take precedence against the detrimental impact the development would have on the landscape character of the area both locally and from a wider landscape setting.

“The assessment is clearly a balanced one, however, it is considered that the landscape quality of this valued site and the harmful visual impact intrusive created by the housing development should be afforded greater weight, in this instance.

“It is considered that the adverse impacts of granting planning permission would significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits of the proposal, and accordingly the application is recommended for refusal.”

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1 Jun 2021

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Planning applications validated by EDC fro week beginning 17 May

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1 Jun 2021

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Impact | Community carbon calculator

Impact, the parish-level carbon emission estimator, gives parishes and small communities usable data on their carbon emissions that is easy to interpret and easy to share.

[Developed with major contribution from University of Exeter’s Centre for Energy & the Environment.]

impact-tool.org.uk

It tells you how people in the parish travel and heat their homes, and other activities in the area that contribute to the local carbon emissions total.

Impact identifies the main ‘carbon impact areas’ in the parish or town – those places where focused community-based action can make the biggest contribution to cutting local emissions.

This tool was developed by the Centre for Sustainable Energy as part of their Climate Emergency Support Programme, working jointly with the University of Exeter’s Centre for Energy & the Environment as part of their South West Environment and Climate Action Network.

It was built in response to a demand from smaller settlements like parishes, town or city neighbourhoods to have robust and accurate data on their carbon footprint, so that they can best direct their efforts to tackle the climate emergency.

We have assumed that most parishes and small communities don’t want to analyse detailed data sets but would rather have the information graphically displayed. However, if you do want to access the raw data, this is available on our Downloads page.

Impact meets all national data protection regulations. No personal or individual household information is contained in any of the data used.

The tool was funded by CSE, the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy and the UKRI Strategic Priorities Fund.

At this time, the default geography for the tool is the Civil Parish. This means that you need to find your community by searching for the name of the parish or town council that serves your area (if you don’t know the name of your parish, you can find it by using the Ordnance Survey Electoral Boundaries map).

Once you enter your parish name, the tool will display the carbon footprint for your community.

You can view your community’s carbon footprint in two ways. ‘Territorial’ emissions only show the emissions that are directly produced from your parish (from heating buildings, transport, any industry or agricultural operations within your boundary, for example). This follows the same methodology as national emissions data sets, but many people find this a frustrating approach at the very local level as it largely ignores what we buy and what we eat (where that is imported from other parts of the UK or the world).

So you can also select to see your emissions displayed on a ‘Consumption’ basis. This will most likely give a slightly higher footprint in most cases, but includes our best estimate of these additional emissions. The differences between the two approaches are explained in detail in our Methodology document, which you can download here, and you can see a more detailed exploration of the differences between the two approaches on the Using the Tool page

You can use the ‘Compare’ page to see how your area’s footprint compares to other parishes in your area, your district council’s average, and the national average.

During 2021, we will be working on improving and extending the tool, so any ideas you have for additional features should be emailed to impact-tool@cse.org.uk.

We already have a set of features that we want to build next, so visit our ‘Support Us/Donate’ page to see more details about those, and contact us if what you want is not already on the list.

To learn more about the tool, what the footprints show you, how to use it, and for resources on what to do next, visit the Using the Tool page.

GET STARTED to find what is driving your community’s carbon footprint. You can also compare it with other local communities and with the average for East Devon.

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1 Jun 2021

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Cliff fall at Sidmouth (again) leads to warning for tourists

Lots of rain followed by hot sunshine on sandstone cliff faces leads to……?Owl

Alex Green www.devonlive.com

People moored up on a beach in Sidmouth looked on as part of the cliff face crumbled down, leaving behind a huge sandy red cloud that could be seen from across the beach.

The cliff fall prompted a warning from Drew Parkinson, HM Coastguard Area Commander for South Devon & South-East Cornwall Coastline, as tourists head down to the South West for a Bank Holiday break.

Sidmouth-based Jurassic Paddle Sports, who took to their social media channels to spread awareness of the dangers around the edges of cliffs, is within close proximity to where the cliff face fall happened.

A post on their Facebook page reads: “Please take care around the cliffs they are constantly falling down and this mornings cliff fall was close to town and large.

“Please take note of warnings signs, they are there for good reason. Thank you”

Taking to Twitter to warn beach-goers not set up camp directly beneath the cliffs, Mr Parkinson shared the photo of the cliff face fall which appears to have happened moments before.

In a tweet, he said: “With the incredible weather this week the cliffs are going to be drying out and the risk of cliff falls significantly increases.

“This was this morning at Sidmouth by @JurassicPaddles Please don’t set up for the day underneath the cliffs – stay safe and enjoy the #BankHoliday.”

Other cliff falls in Sidmouth

Dust cloud from Sidmouth cliff fall (Image: Sue Little)

DevonLive has reported on numerous cliff falls in the past. In May 2020, the area saw five separate cliff falls of note, with three taking place within 24-hours.

And in August last year, giant plumes of red dust were once again seen billowing around the base of the infamous Sidmouth cliffs.

The landslide was photographed by two separate eyewitnesses, one near the beach and another further afield at the Sidmouth Hotel & Spa.

Vicki Lomas reported the August 2020 landslip to DevonLive when she was out with her husband.

Vicki, who regularly visits the seafront for her early morning walks, explained that she managed to get pictures because this cliff fall was in fact the second of three that happened in a very short space of time.

“Ten minutes previous to this fall myself and my husband witnessed a smaller one.

“Then we saw this and 15 minutes later we saw another.

“All three happened whilst we were watching the lifeboat being launched out on the sea.”

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Devon and Cornwall Covid cases remain low

The number of new coronavirus cases confirmed across Devon and Cornwall in the last week was the second lowest since the start of September – with the majority of cases in age groups yet to be vaccinated.

Daniel Clark http://www.devonlive.com

A total of 132 new cases were confirmed across the two counties in the last week – with the total since the start of the pandemic at 48,419 – but slightly up on the total from the previous week which only covered six days due to a day when a net negative was recorded due to false positives being removed.

The 132 though is still the second lowest weekly total since 154 were recorded in the week of September 6-12. The week of August 30-September 5 was the last time the total was lower, when 96 cases were recorded.

Only one case in anyone aged 80 or over was recorded, with more than half of the areas of the two counties not seeing any cases in the over 60s either.

Infection rates in Cornwall and Torbay are in the bottom ten in England, with Plymouth and Devon also well below the national average.

Government stats show that 132 new cases have been confirmed across the region in the past seven days in both pillar 1 data from tests carried out by the NHS and pillar 2 data from commercial partners, compared to 108 new cases confirmed last week, albeit only covering six days.

Of the 132 new cases confirmed since May 21, 16 were in Cornwall, 7 in East Devon, 18 in Exeter, 9 in Mid Devon, 7 in North Devon, 24 in Plymouth, 18 in South Hams, 11 in Teignbridge, 13 in Torbay, 8 in Torridge and 1 in West Devon.

This compares to the 108 new cases confirmed between May 15-21, of which 26 were in Cornwall, 5 in East Devon, 11 in Exeter, 4 in Mid Devon, 6 in North Devon, 14 in Plymouth, 19 in South Hams, 13 in Teignbridge, 4 in Torbay, 2 in Torridge, and 4 in West Devon.

Despite the total for this week carry seven not six days’ worth of data, the number of new cases in Cornwall, the South Hams, Teignbridge and West Devon are down week on week.

Infection rates are highest in the 0-19s across Devon and Cornwall – although lower than they were a month ago – while only one person – someone in their 90s in North Devon – of those aged 80+ tested positive in the most recent week.

Six of the 11 areas over the two counties also saw no positive cases in those aged 60-79 either, while in East Devon, no-one over the age of 29 tested positive in the last week.

At a district level, infection rates in East Devon, Mid Devon, North Devon, South Hams and West Devon are highest in the 0-19s, with Torbay, Plymouth, Exeter and Teignbridge in the 20-39s – the groups least likely to have been vaccinated and most likely to be mixing.

In Torridge, the 40-59s had the highest infection rate, but this consists of one person aged 40-44 and one aged 50-54, the only two cases from the relevant seven day period for specimens.

No cases in the 0-19s in Torridge, in 20-39s in Torridge and West Devon, 40-59s in East Devon and West Devon, 60-79s in Torbay, East Devon, Mid Devon, the South Hams, Torridge and Teignbridge, and over 80s in everywhere across Devon and Cornwall but North Devon with its one case were recorded from specimens from May 16-22.

Steve Brown, Director of Public Health Devon said: “We have a low coronavirus case rate across Devon, and that is thanks to the effort everyone continues to put in to complying with the restrictions and following the guidance around regular asymptomatic testing, social distancing, hand washing and wearing a face covering when required.

“We need to be cautious though, because outbreaks can and do still happen and when numbers are low, even a small rise can cause a big jump the case rate.

“There’s a spike in cases in the South Hams at the moment because of a small outbreak in a school. It’s being well managed by the school and our public health team.

“Although the number of cases in the rest of the South Hams is still comparatively low and all other cases in the area are single positive cases, it highlights the importance of continuing to take care as restrictions ease to reduce the risk of catching or transmitting the virus as much as possible.”

He added: “Make testing part of your regular week. Build it into a routine, and use the lateral flow device tests as well when you know you’re likely to be meeting up with friends or family. These tests are so fast now that you will have your result and peace of mind in half an hour. If it comes back positive, then you’ll prevent others from catching it by staying home and arranging a confirmatory test.”

Cllr Jonathan Hawkins, South Hams District Council’s Portfolio Holder for Health and Wellbeing, said: “The pandemic is not over yet and we can’t be complacent. We need to work together and continue to support our communities by being cautious and following the rules. It’s the only way we’ll continue to make progress and keep restrictions lifting.”

It comes as there are now just three patients in hospitals in Devon and Cornwall following a positive Covid-19 test, figures giving the position as of Tuesday show.

There have been no patients in hospital in North Devon since April 3, while Torbay Hospital has been free of patients since April 13 – the only day since March 30 it housed a patient.

Derriford Hospital is also once again free of Covid-19 patients after the patient who was admitted on May 14 left the hospital on May 20, while the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital also has one patient, the lowest for the Trust since October 8, with September 11 the last time it was free of Covid.

There are two patients in hospital in Cornwall, the same as the previous week, with one of them in a mechanical ventilation bed.

In terms of hospital deaths, there have been none in any of Devon and Cornwall’s hospitals in the last seven days, although there was a death at the Royal Cornwall Trust on May 19 – the first in any hospital since April 29.

In terms of the latest MSOA cluster maps, that cover the period of specimen dates between May 17-23, there are 219 areas of Devon and Cornwall with between 0-2 cases, with only 11 areas reporting three or more cases.

The MSOA areas with clusters of three or more cases are Chillington, Torcross & Stoke Fleming (9) South Molton and Keyham (both 4), and Helston, Tamerton Foliot, St Budeaux, Cullompton, Heavitree West & Polsloe, Ogwell, Mile End & Teigngrace, Marldon, Stoke Gabriel & Kingswear, Loddiswell & Dartington (all 3)

No area of East Devon, Torridge, West Devon or the Isles of Scilly reported more than 3 cases.

It comes as nearly three quarters of adults in Devon and Cornwall have had their first Covid-19 vaccine, with nearly half having had both doses.

The statistics, which provide the position as of May 26, show that there have been 1,169,431 vaccines delivered in Devon, with 755,614 being a first dose, and 521,861 being a second dose.

In Cornwall, 357,562 people have had a first dose, with a further 252,361 having had a second dose. Across Devon and Cornwall, around 73 per cent of adults have had their first dose, with around 50 per cent having had a second dose.

The latest figures on the coronavirus dashboard, which calculate the total percentage of people aged 18 and over who have received a Covid-19 vaccination, are based on those who have an NHS number and currently are alive. The denominator used is the number of people on the National Immunisation Management Service (NIMS) database.

Of this adult population, 72.8 per cent in Cornwall, 77.9 per cent in East Devon, 58.5 per cent in Exeter, 74.8 per cent in Mid Devon, 75 per cent in North Devon, 66.6 per cent in Plymouth, 75.6 per cent in South Hams, 76.9 per cent in Teignbridge, 74.5 per cent in Torbay, 77.2 per cent in Torridge, and 79.1 per cent in West Devon, have had one dose.

And of this adult population, 51.4 per cent in Cornwall, 54.9 per cent in East Devon, 37.4 per cent in Exeter, 49.1 per cent in Mid Devon, 53 per cent in North Devon, 43.2 per cent in Plymouth, 52.3 per cent in South Hams, 51.7 per in Teignbridge, 57.7 per cent in Torbay, 55.2 per cent in Torridge and 59.4 per cent in West Devon, have had a second dose.

West Devon’s 59.4 per cent for a second dose is the second highest of any region in England, with only Wyre having a higher figure, with Torbay having the fourth highest percentage

The impact of England moving out of step 3 of lockdown on Monday would have begun to be seen in the new positive cases figures from the start of this week due to the lag between infection, symptoms, testing and positive results.