An extraordinary council meeting is set to be held to strip a former councillor of his Honorary Alderman title after his conviction for child sex offences.

This is a necessary but not sufficient next step.

Owl believes there now needs to be an in inquiry into a number of “eyebrow raising” questions that have emerged during the trial, not least to address the question as to why the police did not pursue their 2005 investigation.

Daniel Clark www.devonlive.com

John Humphreys, who abused two schoolboys in the 1990s and 2000s, was jailed for 21 years last week after being found guilty at a trial at Exeter Crown Court.

He groomed and assaulted the first victim when he was aged about 13 and had three sexual encounters culminating in a violent sexual attack on Woodbury Common, and then went on to abuse the second boy when he was aged about 15 and met Humphreys while doing a work experience placement from school.

Humphreys, a former mayor of Exmouth, had served for 12 years as a Conservative councillor on East Devon District Council before stepping down ahead of the May 2019 local elections.

He was nominated and awarded the Honorary Alderman title by East Devon District Council in December 2019, with Humphreys accepting the honour despite knowing that he was under investigation by the police for the offences.

At the meeting, the vote was carried by a majority with only one councillor abstaining, believed to have been Cllr Paul Millar.

But now following his conviction, East Devon District Council plan on stripping the ex-councillor of his title – the first time it has ever happened in the 47 year history of the authority – as the gravity of his crimes means that he is not a fit person to hold the honour.

Cllr Ian Thomas, chair of East Devon District Council, said: “ Firstly, and most importantly, I would like to extend my sympathy and that of the council, to the two victims and their families. A large part of their lives has been dominated by unimaginable experiences as children. I hope that the conviction and sentence handed down may offer some level of closure.

“John Humphreys has been found guilty of ten charges relating to the sexual assault of two young boys between 1990 and 2001. The 21-year jail sentence and addition to the sex offenders’ list for life, reflect the gravity of his crimes.”

Cllr Thomas added: “In 2019, an Extraordinary General Meeting of East Devon District Council awarded the position of Honorary Alderman to Mr Humphreys. The position was established under the Local Government Act 1972 and is awarded in recognition of valued service to the community represented and the council.

“In view of Mr Humphreys conviction and offences, I do not believe he is a fit person to hold this honour.

“I will therefore be convening an Extraordinary General Meeting at 6pm on Tuesday, September 7, with the sole recommendation being that the honour is withdrawn forthwith.

“This will be the first time any such step will have been taken and recognises the gravity of his crimes.”

The meeting, which will be held virtually, will only provide an ‘indicative decision’, following the decision made by the council last month to change their standing orders to allow them to meet via Zoom again as a result of rising coronavirus rates in the district.

While the legislation permitting councils to meet virtually expired on May 7, and has not been renewed, the council agreed to temporarily change its constitution in order to comply with the law.

The approach means that at present, meetings are being held virtually, but only reach ‘indicative decisions’. The actual authority to actually take the decision would be delegated to the Chief Executive and/or Senior Officers who will then make a decision taking into account the views of the consultative meeting.

Humphreys, aged 59, of Hartley Road, Exmouth, denied but was found guilty of three counts of a serious sexual assault (buggery) and two of indecent assault on the younger boy and five counts of indecent assault against older one.

He was jailed for 21 years by Judge Rose, who also put him on the sex offenders’ register for life.

Judge Rose told Humphreys: “Six of these offences have to be assessed against the modern guideline for rape.

“These were shocking acts of sexual violence. You targeted a particularly vulnerable victim.

“It is clear you caused severe psychological harm which has damaged and blighted the life of your victims.

“You provided positive service to the community in your political career and as Mayor of Exmouth but your pursuit of a respectable life was undertaken while the dark and awful secret of your sexual offending remained unknown.

“These sentences must be consecutive. These incidents were entirely separate and 10 years apart against two children who did not know each other.”

The title of Honorary Alderman does not confer any special privileges or rights upon the appointee to speak or vote at Council meetings, beyond the rights and privileges already afforded to the public.

The only rights that are conferred to an Honorary Alderman by virtue of their appointment is to be invited to Civic functions and events by invitation of the Council. The Council will decide which Civic functions and events it is appropriate to invite Honorary Aldermen to.

Until now the river Otter is the only place in England where the Government has allowed the release of “wild” beavers. In all the other 17 licensed sites, beavers are supposed to live behind fences. Welcome back to the wild – Owl

Ben Webster www.thetimes.co.uk

Beavers will return to rivers across England under government plans to be announced this week to grant licences allowing them to be released into the wild.

They will also gain legal protection as a native species in England, meaning that it will be an offence to capture, kill, disturb or injure them or damage breeding sites or resting places without a licence from Natural England.

However, if they do cause significant damage landowners may be allowed to apply for a licence to kill them as a last resort after attempts have been made to trap and relocate them or prevent their dams from flooding fields.

At present landowners can apply for a licence to keep beavers in enclosures and there are about 17 sites in England where they live behind fences.

The only place where the government has permitted wild beavers in England is on the River Otter in Devon, where a family who may have been released illegally were allowed to remain last year.

Research on the River Otter beavers found that they improved water quality, reduced flood risk downstream and benefited other wildlife such as otters and kingfishers.

But the decision to allow more to be released into the wild will dismay many anglers and farmers who argue that beaver dams prevent salmon and trout from migrating upriver to spawn and destroy riverside trees.

A public consultation due to be launched this week will set out the criteria for allowing what the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) will describe as “the cautious release of more beavers into the wild”.

Ben Goldsmith, a multi-millionaire financier and non-executive board member of Defra, said that he expected many wildlife charities, water companies and other landowners to apply for licences to release wild beavers.

He said that there might be problems finding enough beavers to meet demand. Some will come from Scotland, which has about 1,000; 87 were killed there under licence in 2019.

Goldsmith said that beavers could be imported from many parts of Europe, including Bavaria, Norway and the Netherlands.

The Caen, a river in Braunton in North Devon, could be one of the first new places where beavers are released into the wild.

James Wallace, chief executive of the Beaver Trust, said that about 50 farmers in the area had said that they would “tolerate beavers on the basis they might help with the considerable flooding issues they face, having had little success with human-made engineering in the past”.

Tony Juniper, chairman of Natural England, said: “Restoring the health of England’s natural environment will in part be achieved through the recovery of animals and plants that have become very rare, or which in some cases have disappeared completely.

“The beaver is one such species, and following the successful trial introduction on the River Otter in Devon we can see the benefits these fascinating creatures can bring, including the creation of wetland habitats for other wildlife, cleaning up the quality of water and helping to smooth out flood peaks.

“The launch of Defra’s consultation marks an important moment for the future of these animals across England.”

The High Court has granted permission for our legal challenge to the “Levelling Up Fund”. The huge £4.8bn fund pretends to be the centrepiece of a levelling up agenda – but we think it’s just a way to funnel money into constituencies of political benefit to the Conservative Party. 

goodlawproject.org 

This permission decision means the Government will have to defend itself in Court. It’s the latest in a string of permission decisions that have gone in Good Law Project’s favour. Of the 14 cases we have issued since the start of 2020, the Court has granted permission in 11 at the first time of asking. Since 2010, official statistics show that this has only happened in 17% of all judicial reviews. Good Law Project’s success rate on the other hand is a staggering 78%. Judges clearly agree that the Government is acting in ways that deserve closer scrutiny, and they see the importance of the cases we bring.

Building a judicial review that makes it to Court is no easy feat. It takes weeks, often months, of painstaking effort to identify the right legal point and gather evidence and witness statements to build a powerful case. We can only do this work because of monthly donations from people like you. Your contributions help to pay for the salaries of our small team of in-house lawyers and paralegals, our computers, and our office space. They help to keep Good Law Project going.

We want to keep taking on impactful cases and we want to keep making it all the way to Court. With your help, we can. If you’re in a position to set up a regular donation, you can do so by clicking here.

Devon County Council and the NHS has issued 23,000 ‘thank you’s – one to every care worker working in the county council area’ – for going above and beyond to keep vulnerable people safe and well throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

Daniel Clark www.devonlive.com

But with the entire health and care system at full stretch the County Council says the situation is becoming unsustainable.

Now they are calling for over 1,000 more people to join the care workforce, and for families and communities to do all they can help ease the pressure.

“We all know that the whole health and care system is under tremendous pressure right now and it’s clear that we are all experiencing this together,” said Cllr James McInnes, Devon County Council’s Cabinet member responsible for adult health and social care.

“Everyone – care and support workers, doctors, nurses, our hospitals and voluntary and community groups – have all done a fabulous job to keep us safe and well throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

“Devon has an army of unsung and often forgotten care workers in care homes, the homes of vulnerable people, and other settings up and down the county every day, helping and supporting those that cannot look after themselves.

“I want to thank every one of the 23,000 care workers in the county, working all hours and putting their own safety second to the needs of the people they support, keeping our most vulnerable residents safe, well and cared for. And I want to thank the thousands of unpaid carers who are providing huge amounts of support to their families and friends.

“These caring care roles are essential, and working alongside community health staff, they are vital in helping keep people out of hospital.

“But the sustained pressure on them, and all staff in the health and care system, is beginning to tell, and they are also now struggling to cope.

“Care providers can only provide care to vulnerable people if the workforce is there, and with coronavirus impacting on care staff, just as it is everyone, we quite simply do not have enough care workers in Devon right now.”

Thousands of care job vacancies are being advertised in Devon today, and with care staff off work – self-isolating because of coronavirus, or because they’re otherwise unwell – care companies are struggling.

It means vulnerable people are at risk of not receiving the care they need when they need it. And that more people are finding themselves as unpaid carers, caring for loved ones and friends or neighbours, in the absence of there being enough paid care staff available.

“23,000 is a lot of care workers, but we need more,” Cllr McInnes said.

“And we need them quickly. We are bringing in care workers from outside Devon, but that’s not a long-term or fair solution, given that their own communities may also be in need of care workers. The situation is becoming unsustainable.

“We are making an appeal today for people to come forward from communities across Devon.

“In Exeter we need about 300 people. In North Devon and Torridge, we need another 300 people, and another 300 needed in care roles across Teignbridge and South Hams. 150 people are needed each in East Devon and Mid Devon areas, and around 100 people are needed right now in West Devon.

“That many new recruits into social care would make a very real difference to the people who need support right now. We can help with training for those without it. We can match you up with where your skills are needed and the kind of work you want to do.

“So, we are asking, if you have worked in care before but left, can you return? Even if that is just for the next few months to help us over this period of greatest pressure.

“If you’re a personal assistant and have capacity to help, can you come forward?

“If you’ve not worked in care, but want to help, a warm welcome awaits you, regardless of age and experience. We need people who are compassionate, can communicate well and are ready to commit themselves to the rewarding range of roles on offer. If you have those skills we can train and support you and offer you the role that will suit you best.

“If you have time to spare as a volunteer, please get in touch.

“If you’re a family with elderly or vulnerable relatives, or you’re friends with someone who needs support, what can you do?

“Today is our call to action. Today is your opportunity to make somebody else’s life better.”

Contact Devon County Council now and register your interest by visiting https://devon.cc/findyourcalling leaving your name, contact details and a postcode, and the council’s recruitment team will get back to you. Or visit https://devon.cc/socialcarecareers to find the latest care job vacancies, apprenticeships and training opportunities in the care sector in Devon.

Last week former Mayor of Exmouth and District Councillor John Humphreys, who was also appointed an honorary Alderman in Dec 2019, was jailed for 21 years for a series of sexual assaults. Below we read how close he was to the Swires.

First, here is how the Judge described the assaults:

Judge Rose said the first victim had been no older than 13 years old when he was picked up by Humphreys outside toilets in St Andrew’s Road, Exmouth, and driven on three separate occasions to different locations for sex.

He said Humphreys, who had been ‘entirely responsible’ for the boy’s welfare to ensure he came to no harm, raped his victim orally and anally.

Judge Rose said Humphreys’ actions caused the male long-lasting psychological harm, lasting decades

The Judge said: “These were shocking acts of sexual violence. You targeted a particularly vulnerable victim.”

He added: “It must have been obvious to you that he was a vulnerable young boy that had a attended a location that was entirely unsuitable for him.

“You decided not to help him and ensure he came to no harm in that situation.”

The Judge said Humphreys inflicted ‘shocking acts of sexual violence’ on the same victim which culminated in raping the boy in a disused building on Woodbury Common.

Judge Rose said: “You instructed him to never talk about this and you told him that his life wouldn’t be worth living if he told.”

The court heard the second victim had been around the age of 15 and on work experience with Humphreys’s gardening firm when he was sexually assaulted multiple times by the defendant, who orchestrated time alone with the teenager.

Here is how Sasha describes the relationship between John Humphreys and the Swires

Owl has been asked (31 August) to delete the extracts from page 286 and page 445 by Susan de Soissons | Director, Author & Media Relations – Little, Brown Book Group:

“I write to remind you that permission has not been granted to extract from Diary of an MPs Wife by Sasha Swire. Please remove the extracts.  Any further uploading of extracts with be forwarded to our legal department.

Regards,

Susan de Soissons“

“The council chamber was packed for the ceremony, and the reception saw 110 friends and family mark the occasion at the nearby Masonic Hall.”

Owl’s followers might like to re-read this article from 2014 in the light of John Humphreys jail term of 21 years for sexual assault. They might also like to read a couple of relevant extracts from Sasha Swire’s “Secret” diaries which Owl is posting next: Sasha on Hugo Swire and “our beloved longtime helper, John Humphreys”.

Before doing so, take a moment to read how the Judge described these assaults, as reported in East Devon News:

Judge Rose said the first victim had been no older than 13 years old when he was picked up by Humphreys outside toilets in St Andrew’s Road, Exmouth, and driven on three separate occasions to different locations for sex.

He said Humphreys, who had been ‘entirely responsible’ for the boy’s welfare to ensure he came to no harm, raped his victim orally and anally.

Judge Rose said Humphreys’ actions caused the male long-lasting psychological harm, lasting decades

The Judge said: “These were shocking acts of sexual violence. You targeted a particularly vulnerable victim.”

He added: “It must have been obvious to you that he was a vulnerable young boy that had a attended a location that was entirely unsuitable for him.

“You decided not to help him and ensure he came to no harm in that situation.”

The Judge said Humphreys inflicted ‘shocking acts of sexual violence’ on the same victim which culminated in raping the boy in a disused building on Woodbury Common.

Judge Rose said: “You instructed him to never talk about this and you told him that his life wouldn’t be worth living if he told.”

The court heard the second victim had been around the age of 15 and on work experience with Humphreys’s gardening firm when he was sexually assaulted multiple times by the defendant, who orchestrated time alone with the teenager.

Mayor’s big day is a truly momentous one!

Dave Beasley www.exmouthjournal.co.uk 

History was made in Exmouth on Saturday as mayor John Humphreys and teacher David Marston said ‘I do’ on Saturday.

When Cllr Humphreys and former Journal reporter David tied the knot in front of family and friends it marked the first-ever same-sex marriage, both in Exmouth and East Devon.

They exchanged vows just 12 hours after the new marriage law came into effect; and to mark the occasion the ‘rainbow flag’ was flown aloft the town hall.

Cllr Humphreys said: “It was a wonderful day and we were delighted to be able to do something that was not only of personal importance but something we believe is of national importance in our home town.”

The council chamber was packed for the ceremony, and the reception saw 110 friends and family mark the occasion at the nearby Masonic Hall.

• Single storey side extension. 7 Brookdale Ottery St Mary EX11 1EBRef. No: 21/2195/FUL | Validated: Fri 13 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Two storey side extension, single storey rear extension, and installation of entrance gates 16 Green Close Exmouth EX8 3QDRef. No: 21/2191/FUL | Validated: Fri 13 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Rear and side extension; adjustment of dormer over garage; new finishes to front elevations and balcony to the rear Brook House Sowton Exeter EX5 2AFRef. No: 21/2179/FUL | Validated: Thu 12 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Single storey rear extension. 50 Featherbed Lane Exmouth EX8 3NERef. No: 21/2177/FUL | Validated: Thu 12 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of single storey front extension. 24 Hillside Payhembury Honiton EX14 3HBRef. No: 21/2176/FUL | Validated: Thu 12 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Demolition of single garage and erection of two storey garage with second floor annex. Set Fair Barline Beer Seaton EX12 3LRRef. No: 21/2160/FUL | Validated: Tue 10 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Removal of existing septic tank and including installation of new package treatment plan. Ashurst Cottage Woodhouse Fields Uplyme Lyme Regis DT7 3SHRef. No: 21/2159/FUL | Validated: Thu 12 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed new dormer window to rear elevation, the enlargement of an existing dormer window to the front elevation and the installation of French doors to the rear elevation 55 Bicton Street Exmouth EX8 2RURef. No: 21/2157/FUL | Validated: Thu 12 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• T1 Ash – Dismantle to ground level Reason for works: Tree is showing significant signs of Ash Dieback Disease and is within falling distance from nearby property to the north Coach House 7 West Hill Lane Budleigh Salterton EX9 6AARef. No: 21/2161/TRE | Validated: Tue 10 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Change of use from cattle barn (sui generis use) to stables (class E, D1) Home Farm Nutwell Road Lympstone Exmouth EX8 5ANRef. No: 21/2158/FUL | Validated: Tue 10 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision

• Proposed renovation of the existing dwelling, new eastern extension, and change of roof form from hipped to gabled. Demolition of the existing garage, and new double garage constructed to the south of the site. Associated landscaping works, including new pedestrian access gate and formation of path across verge. Akora Southway Sidmouth EX10 8JLRef. No: 21/2155/FUL | Validated: Tue 10 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Extension of parking area Olinda Offwell Honiton Devon EX14 9SARef. No: 21/2165/FUL | Validated: Tue 10 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Single storey rear extension and replacement garage. 13 Elmfield Crescent Exmouth EX8 3BJRef. No: 21/2130/FUL | Validated: Mon 09 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Conversion of agricultural building to form 2x dwellings for holiday accommodation and provision of associated parking area Greenhayes Shute Axminster EX13 7QERef. No: 21/2137/FUL | Validated: Mon 09 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• T1, Sweet Chestnut : re-pollard back to existing pollard points. This is to manage the tree size. 6 Salisbury Avenue Feniton Honiton EX14 3DURef. No: 21/2136/TRE | Validated: Mon 09 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of garden room. Spindle Wood Knights Lane All Saints Axminster EX13 7LSRef. No: 21/2139/FUL | Validated: Thu 12 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Part two storey, part single storey front and side extension 3 Cannington Cottages Cannington Lane Uplyme Lyme Regis DT7 3SWRef. No: 21/2138/FUL | Validated: Thu 12 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Single storey rear extension incorporating an existing single-storey element with roof re-alignment. Home Croft Parsonage Way Woodbury Exeter EX5 1HURef. No: 21/2148/FUL | Validated: Wed 11 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Rear single storey extension, two storey in-fill extension and addition of first floor window. Chowns House Parsonage Way Woodbury Exeter EX5 1HURef. No: 21/2147/FUL | Validated: Wed 11 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Erection of an agricultural building Carnbrae Woodhouse Hill Uplyme Lyme Regis DT7 3SLRef. No: 21/2143/AGR | Validated: Fri 13 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision

• T1 – ash – fell because of infection with ash die-back. Heronsbridge Little Knowle Budleigh Salterton EX9 6QSRef. No: 21/2146/TCA | Validated: Tue 10 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Proposed single storey side extension 47 Elmfield Crescent Exmouth EX8 3BWRef. No: 21/2131/FUL | Validated: Mon 09 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Refurbish and extend existing bungalow. Woodstock 6 Venlake Close Uplyme Lyme Regis DT7 3UXRef. No: 21/2126/FUL | Validated: Wed 11 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Installation of 1 x fascia sign, 1 x wall mounted logo, 1 x wall mounted sign and 2 x wall mounted banner signs 3 – 7 Magnolia Walk Exmouth EX8 1HBRef. No: 21/2117/ADV | Validated: Mon 09 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Installation of replacement windows 7 Clyst Mews Broadclyst Exeter Devon EX5 3JGRef. No: 21/2119/FUL | Validated: Mon 09 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• A general purpose agricultural building Winneford Farm Winneford Lane Awliscombe HonitonRef. No: 21/2116/AGR | Validated: Tue 10 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Internal reconfiguration and refurbishment of existing Bed & Breakfast and adjoining single garage to accommodate five independent living units on two floors, changing use from C1 to C2 Briar House Clyst Honiton Exeter EX5 2LZRef. No: 21/2110/FUL | Validated: Tue 10 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Demolition of milking parlour and erection of detached annexe Lower Upcott Marsh Green Exeter EX5 2HERef. No: 21/2101/FUL | Validated: Fri 13 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Reduction in size of lean-to shelter building, repositioning of entrance gates, alteration to Barn shutters, structural fixes to barn upper floor, and jamb walls, and formation of new opening into barn. Osmonds Clyst Hydon Cullompton EX15 2NBRef. No: 21/2085/LBC | Validated: Mon 09 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Erection of two advertising signs 282 Queens Drive ExmouthRef. No: 21/2091/ADV | Validated: Fri 13 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision

• T1, Ginkgo biloba : Thin by 20%, as was done in 2018, maximum pruning cuts of no more that 75mm, in order to lessen the sail affect, due to dense crown and included bark union at base of tree, a listed wall in close proximity and home owners concern is over safety of tree during strong winds Carolcrest Bickwell Valley Sidmouth EX10 8SQRef. No: 21/2096/TRE | Validated: Mon 09 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Erection of a first floor extension 1 Vicarage Road East Budleigh Budleigh Salterton EX9 7EFRef. No: 21/2087/FUL | Validated: Tue 10 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Residential development Nursery Garage Courtlands Lane Exmouth EX8 5ABRef. No: 21/2069/PIP | Validated: Mon 09 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• T1 Yew – Fell to near ground level Reason for Works: The tree is showing a significant lean towards the road, evidence has proven that the lean to be significantly more pronounced since photos in 2019. If the tree were to fail it would breach the highway, the driveway is also a bus stop for school children Lansdowne Hindstrete Church Road Whimple Exeter EX5 2TBRef. No: 21/2077/TRE | Validated: Mon 09 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of residential annex. 3 The Old Dairy Barrow Road Payhembury Honiton EX14 3HXRef. No: 21/2043/FUL | Validated: Thu 12 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• First floor loft conversion to a habitable use, 2 x ground floor side extension, extension to decking and addition of a pool. Hillcrest Woodhouse Hill Uplyme Lyme Regis DT7 3SLRef. No: 21/2042/FUL | Validated: Mon 09 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Single storey rear extension The Meade Sanctuary Lane Woodbury Exeter EX5 1EXRef. No: 21/2017/FUL | Validated: Thu 12 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Replace 4no. windows on front ground floor elevation (GFW 01 – 04) and 2no. windows on front first floor elevation (FFW 01 and 02) Broadway House Broadway Whimple Exeter Devon EX5 2TRRef. No: 21/2022/LBC | Validated: Fri 13 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Demolition of existing lean-to and construction of single storey rear extension Milcot Farway Colyton EX24 6EDRef. No: 21/1971/LBC | Validated: Thu 12 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Single storey sun room with retractable glass windows and pocket doors Brampford House Brampford Speke Exeter EX5 5DWRef. No: 21/1980/LBC | Validated: Thu 12 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision

• Demolition of existing lean-to and construction of single storey rear extension. Milcot Farway Colyton EX24 6EDRef. No: 21/1970/FUL | Validated: Thu 12 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Construction of earth lined slurry lagoon North Waterhayne Farm Yarcombe Honiton EX14 9AXRef. No: 21/1938/FUL | Validated: Mon 09 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Internal alterations at ground floor to create combine retail unit: new partition wall with door opening; partition wall and new door opening to create WC; reinstate existing opening to connect to 78 High Street 80 High Street Honiton EX14 1PDRef. No: 21/1916/LBC | Validated: Mon 09 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Erection of shed and layby The Old Forge Park Lane Whitford Axminster EX13 7NQRef. No: 21/1911/FUL | Validated: Tue 10 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Re-instate a blocked up window on side elevation 6 Ottery Street Otterton Budleigh Salterton EX9 7HWRef. No: 21/1850/LBC | Validated: Mon 09 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Installation of a covered yard Clifthayne Farm Marsh Honiton EX14 9ANRef. No: 21/1813/AGR | Validated: Mon 09 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision
• Erection of up to 200 no. dwellings with associated access, infrastructure and areas of public open space/landscaping; outline planning application with all matters reserved except the access. Land At Park Farm (Phase 3) West Clyst ExeterRef. No: 19/1799/MOUT | Validated: Tue 10 Aug 2021 | Status: Awaiting decision

A ban on herbicides by one of Britain’s most eco-conscious councils has triggered a war of weeds.

Madeleine Spence www.thetimes.co.uk 

Residents of Brighton and Hove claim their pavements are becoming trip hazards and eyesores after a decision to eradicate the use of chemical-laden weedkillers. Two elderly women are said to have ended up in hospital after slipping.

Critics say the problem is getting out of control after a team of eight staff employed to pull out daisies, dandelions and moss was hit by Covid-19 and self-isolation rules.

Officials are being urged to find a more efficient way to remove the weeds and rethink other rewilding policies, such as the less frequent trimming of verges and hedges.

“It’s all very well for a trendy city-dweller to say, ‘Let’s rewild our pavements’ after hearing about the cause for the first time,” said Robert Nemeth, a councillor for Wish ward, on the seafront. “They probably haven’t got any friends who are elderly or disabled, who are most likely to be seriously injured under the current unsatisfactory situation.”

The issue has its roots in a decision by the council two years ago to phase out the use of herbicides by next year.

Hundreds of residents of Brighton — which has the country’s only Green MP — signed a petition in support of a ban to prevent chemicals such as glyphosate, a key ingredient in many weedkillers, from polluting the environment. Nemeth, a commercial beekeeper, is himself against the use of glyphosate.

Two elderly women are understood to have suffered head injuries when they tripped over weeds NAMMIE MATTHEWS

Alistair McNair, another councillor, says he has been inundated with complaints from residents who have ended up in hospital after tripping on uneven or cracked pavements, where invasive plants such as sycamore, nettles, buddleia and ragwort are bursting through the concrete.

In the well-heeled Rottingdean ward two women in their eighties are understood to have suffered head injuries when they tripped over weeds.

Some people have started taking matters into their own hands. Ian Cox, a long-time resident, has not only been buying and squirting weedkiller outside his home, but has also taken to mowing nearby verges.

Sprouting pavements are not the only problem. “Overgrown hedgerows left untended are certainly more dangerous to the blind or partially impaired because white sticks don’t navigate them well,” said Natasha Spearhil, 48, who is partially sighted. “Speaking from experience, I certainly get sick and tired of injuries that would otherwise not be sustained because of overhanging bushes.”

In recent years concerns about glyphosate have been subsumed by a rising tide of broader environmentalism, reflecting a new trend in urban rewilding in the UK.

Overgrown areas can prove hazardous to disabled people who may not be able to negotiate a clear path

NAMMIE MATTHEWS

More than a quarter of councils in England have embraced or are considering rewilding, according to an investigation by Inkcap Journal, a nature and conservation magazine.

Some residents of Brighton have suggested that the environmental cause has become a convenient cover for a council unable or unwilling to keep up with the sprouting problem.

Joy Flowers, 68, who lives in Hollingbury, said: “We did have the hand-weeding team around, but you wouldn’t know it. I think the ‘rewilding’ is a bit of an excuse. The pavements should be kept clear.”

The council said that many residents “have welcomed the weeds as habitats for insects and bees, and complain when we remove them”.

It added that the weed problem had been exacerbated by staff shortages during the pandemic and that the weather had also contributed to “a growth spurt”. It will hire an external contractor to help speed up removal.

For Colin Pow, 74, a Rottingdean resident, weeds are simply wild flowers, and he is all in favour. “I think it’s a great idea. I have nothing against wild flowers and it’s a good way for the council to save money.”

A Covid-19 testing company co-owned by a former Labour justice minister and a Labour councillor has been accused of failing to deliver kits and test results and not refunding customers, forcing them to fall back on the NHS.

Rob Davies www.theguardian.com 

RT Diagnostics is one of hundreds of firms that won government approval to sell PCR tests to travellers planning to enter England, after ministers decided to leave provision to the private sector, under a system that has drawn criticism over allegations of poor service against several companies.

Travellers to the UK have spent at least £500m on PCR tests from private companies since mid-May. But evidence is mounting that the taxpayer-funded NHS testing service, which itself has been outsourced to contractors, is in effect being left to bear the costs when private companies fail.

Customers who paid RT Diagnostics for tests said kits had arrived late or not at all, or that they had never received results. Several said they had been forced to call the NHS, which can offer testing for travellers free of charge in exceptional circumstances.

The company denied the claims, saying in cases of lost kits it absorbed all the costs and refunded individuals 100% of the time.

The former justice minister Shahid Malik and Calderdale councillor Faisal Shoukat are listed as shareholders in RT Diagnostics and Real Time Diagnostics.

Malik has a majority stake in RT Diagnostics, according to Companies House filings, held via a company of which he is the sole shareholder called Premier UK Life Sciences. The company was set up in February 2021, a month before RT Diagnostics was incorporated.

Fred Molin, a university worker based in Hampshire, said he paid £81 for day two and day eight tests in mid-June, before a flight from Sweden to the UK, but has never received them and has yet to be refunded six weeks later.

“They’ve sent me an email saying the refund has been sent but there’s been no money,” he said. “I’ve called them three or four times, whereupon they tell me that their operations are down and they’ll be back up in the next week and a half.”

Molin said he had resorted to calling the NHS, which sent him a test for free.

Khadija Podd said she had found she was unable to register her test on the company’s website and had ended up calling the NHS 119 helpline for advice.

“It wasn’t just the money, I wanted to know if I was committing an offence. But I really couldn’t afford to buy another test. It cost me £168 on top of everything else.”

In an email seen by the Guardian, RT Diagnostics told her it might take “several weeks” for a refund to be processed. After she told them she had spoken to her MP and to the Guardian, Podd received a refund the next day.

“I’m fuming because of the whole system, not just RT Diagnostics, but the whole thing has been so badly done when you compare it to Europe.

“It’s a business here. The UK is using Covid as a business and countries in Europe are not doing the same thing. It has to be called out.”

Rob Crisp, a drum teacher, said the results of tests he bought in June had arrived late and that he had not received a refund, despite requesting one.

He said: “Why should the NHS have to pick up the tab for the failings of a private company who are making a small fortune?”

Paul Myers, the managing director of e-bike company Cooler King, said he still hadn’t received a refund after the company failed to send him test results for a day five “test to release” service purchased in June.

He said the company had promised to refund him in late June but had not done so. “I email them every couple of days and they don’t respond,” he said.

Multiple reviewers on TrustPilot, Google and Twitter said they had received test kits late or not at all – and had not received refunds.

When the Guardian called a customer services number for RT Diagnostics on Wednesday, the person who answered said: “We are out of operations for the moment but we will definitely be back in operations very soon.”

They said customers who had not received tests would “definitely” receive refunds.

They added: “It will be very soon but I can’t commit when it is, but it will be in the next few days.”

A spokesperson for the company denied the claims on Thursday.

“It is a totally preposterous and 100% defamatory accusation that we would not refund anyone whose kit did not arrive,” the spokesperson said.

“For the record, we have a no-quibble 100% refund policy for any kits that get lost via our courier Royal Mail – in these cases we absorb the costs for the lost kit and refund the individual 100%.

“If you are aware of any cases where anyone has not received a refund due to lost kits, please forward us the details immediately.”

RT Diagnostics said Malik was no longer a director of the company and had no managerial responsibility. It also said it was no longer selling test kits and has not been since mid-June. Its website states that tests are out of stock. The company no longer appears on the list of government-approved test providers.

Private PCR testing companies have left a trail of unhappy holidaymakers complaining that test kits, or their results, failed to arrive as promised.

The firms typically charge £80-£200 for pre-bought PCR tests that are mandatory for people arriving in the UK, almost twice the price that passengers pay in Europe.

Recorded new Covid-19 cases in East Devon have risen by seven per cent in a week, but have dropped in Exeter by 18 per cent. 

Local Democracy Reporter eastdevonnews.co.uk 

Some 512 cases were logged in the district, with 626 in the city, in the seven days up to August 15.

This is a rise of 34 in East Devon, where the infection rate is 345.8 per 100,000 people, when compared to the previous week.

But there was a decrease of 139 in Exeter where the infection rate is 469.5 – the second highest in Devon.

Both areas are still well above the national average rate of 304 cases per 100,000 residents.

Torbay once again has the highest Covid rate in the county after cases rose by 20 per cent.

Lower tier local authorities in the week up to August 15.

The biggest weekly rise was in West Devon, which has seen cases rise by more than 41 per cent.

There was also a significant increase in Teignbridge, which now has the third highest infection rate in Devon.

Upper tier local authorities in the week up to August 15.

HOSPITALISATIONS

The number of people in hospital with Covid in Devon has risen.

The latest figures, up to Tuesday, August 17, show 120 patients with the virus in the county’s hospitals – a rise of 31 on the previous week.

Of the 120 patients, 34 are at the Royal Devon and Exeter, 48 are at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth, 24 are in Torbay and 14 are being cared for in North Devon. Eighteen people are on mechanical ventilation beds.

DEATHS

Eight people died in Devon within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 in the seven-day period up to and including Sunday, August.15

Six were in the Devon County Council area, one in Plymouth and one in Torbay.

A total of 1,079 people in Devon have died within 28 days of a positive test since the pandemic began.

This includes 216 in Plymouth and 165 in Torbay. Across the UK, 131,487 people have died within four weeks of testing positive.

VACCINATIONS

The number of adults aged 18 or over who have received at least one dose of a Cover vaccine is now 87 per cent in the Devon County Council area, 86 per cent in Torbay, and 84 per cent in Plymouth.

The proportion of people who are now fully vaccinated with both jabs is now 77 per cent in Devon, 77 per cent in Torbay and 72 per cent in Plymouth.

Could the Beautiful Days festival at Escot Park become our very own local superspreading event?

Festival Goers disgusted by state of toilets

Molly Dowrick www.devonlive.com 

People attending Devon’s long-awaited Beautiful Days music festival have slammed its less-than-beautiful toilet facilities at the site.

Whilst the music and atmosphere has been praised, attendees say they’ve been “let down” by the “horrendous” portable toilets that are “totally unsanitary”.

Staff at the festival say they are aware of people’s complaints and are currently working their way around the site to empty and clean the toilets – while bringing in extra loos to help improve the situation.

But some festival-goers, say there has been “no improvement” since they initially complained hours ago.

One festival-goer told DevonLive: “It’s such a great festival but this year it’s being let down by horrendous toilet facilities.

“The condition of nearly all the toilets is totally unsanitary but festival goers on Twitter and Facebook are constantly being told the sanitation teams are working on it, but there is little to no improvement!

“I fear this situation could jeopardise any licence for future events.”

Another said: “It’s such a shame because this festival is always known for having nicer loos. It’s been pretty disgusting this year!”

DevonLive understands extra toilets have been delivered this evening – but some people say there is still a “strong smell” from the loos.

A spokesperson for Beautiful Days Festival said: “We are responding to complaints and feedback on site as quickly as we can about the toilets.

“Our team, and the contractor, have brought in extra resources to ensure all toilets are emptied and cleaned and can be maintained throughout the rest of the weekend.

“They are actively working their way around site and will continue to do so – cleaning and emptying the toilets. The situation is very frustrating and we can only apologise for any delays reaching certain areas of site.”

Festival goers say the state of the loos at Beautiful Days festival is ‘horrendous’ (Image: submitted)

The news comes amid festival-goers being asked to prove they do not have Covid-19 in order to be let into the site.

Last month, organisers confirmed people would be asked to proof they have had a recent negative NHS lateral flow test if they want to attend the festival.

A spokesperson for the festival said: “Everyone – working, performing or attending – will be required to prove their Covid-19 status to gain access to the festival site to reduce risk to you and others around you.

“This is not a Covid passport. If you have not had the vaccine then you can take a free test.”

Acts confirmed for this year’s sold out festival include Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls, James, The Orb, Gary Numan and, of course, festival founders the Levellers.

A notorious stretch of cliffs on the East Devon coast has seen five massive falls in one morning.

Ami Wyllie www.devonlive.com

Crumbling clay tumbled from the cliffs between Sidmouth and Salcombe Mouth on Sunday morning.

Local resident Katy Hancock managed to capture huge plumes of red dust kicked up by the landslides.

Beer Coastguard Rescue Team shared a photo from Jurassic Paddle Sports and posted a warning on Facebook.

They wrote: “Cliff falls this morning, please stay away from the base of cliffs and take note of the signs, they are there for a reason.”

(Image: Katy Hancock)

While it was supposed to serve as a caution about the dangers of the location, some Facebook users were excited at the prospect of finding fossils.

In 1823 renowned fossil hunter, Mary Anning, discovered the Plesiosaurus at a nearby beach further along the Jurassic Coast.

Since then, the area has become a hotspot for dinosaur enthusiasts.

One person commented: “Time to go fossil hunting!!!”

Another said: “Fossil hunters will be out in force!”

Others were concerned at the accessibility of the location and the lack of knowledge for tourists visiting the area.

One person said: “Sadly people will always think they know better or are immune to the dangers, especially if the are not local to the area and have knowledge of the falls.”

Another was worried people will use it as a vantage point for upcoming air shows.

They said: “Hope too many people don’t go up on the cliffs to watch the air show this week!”

The area is infamous for dangerous cliff falls and signage at along the edge and on the beach advise visitors to keep well away from the area.

In three weeks at the end of May and into June, there were four separate cliff falls prompting safety warnings from the local coastguard.

Cities in England could be granted national park status – affording urban areas the same level of environmental protection as natural landscapes – as part of a new review of open spaces.

Harry Taylor www.theguardian.com 

The government is considering the proposed status, which would also entail management of the areas to maintain their biodiversity, in response to the Glover review of protected landscapes.

So far, London is England’s only city to have been awarded what is currently an informal designation, but officials are looking at officially granting it to others. It would mean that conservation and other environmental concerns would have to be taken into account when assessing planning applications.

A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said: “Natural England is taking forward a review of where any new designations might be, including whether there should be new national park cities or similar arrangements to protect nature close to where many people live.”

Natural England is also looking at increasing the number of national parks, with the Telegraph reporting that an upgrade of the Chilterns and the Cotswolds from Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) to national park status is being discussed.

The impact of HS2 rail works on the landscape of the Chilterns has been the subject of protests in recent years, as under the plans, a 10-mile tunnel is due to cut through the area. It is unclear what impact the designation might have on construction.

If the move goes ahead, it could lead to the biggest increase in parkland in England since the creation of the Peak District, Lake District and Dartmoor national parks in 1951.

Work is currently under way to look at new AONBs in the Yorkshire Wolds and the Cheshire Sandstone Ridge. Potential extensions to the existing Chilterns and Surrey Hills areas are also being examined.

The proposals are in response to an independent review led by the journalist Julian Glover on natural landscapes in England. He proposed that all national parks be run by one authority, rather than by separate entities.

Presenting his report in 2019, Glover also called for a greater diversity in national park authority and AONB boards, criticising the existing makeup as having too few black, Asian and minority ethnic members, and too many who are male and of retirement age.

The government expects to consult on draft proposals later this year, after it has formally responded to the Glover review.

A Defra spokesperson said: “Our landscapes are national treasures, and we are committed to ensuring that they flourish as havens for nature and are places that everyone can visit and enjoy.

“The landscapes review set out a compelling vision for more beautiful, more biodiverse and more accessible national parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. We welcome this ambition, and we have been actively engaging with stakeholders to inform our response to the review, which we intend to publish in due course.”

Dominic Raab was ordered home from his holiday in Crete by Downing Street as Afghanistan collapsed into chaos but stayed for two more days because Boris Johnson told him he could.

Tim Shipman www.thetimes.co.uk 

A senior No 10 official advised the foreign secretary on Friday, August 13, to return but Whitehall sources say that Raab then “nobbled” the prime minister, who agreed to him remaining at the five-star resort until Sunday evening. Raab landed in Britain at 1.40am on Monday, after Kabul had fallen.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, the Foreign Office minister with responsibility for Afghanistan, was also on holiday as the militants swept to power. He was on a staycation until Sunday, the day they marched into the Afghan capital.

The confirmation that Johnson let his foreign secretary stay away at a time of international crisis will raise questions about his judgment. A senior government official said: “Raab was told to come back on Friday. On Sunday there was a sense of disbelief among everyone at the most senior levels in No 10 that he wasn’t there. He seems to have nobbled Boris after he was told to come back.”

Raab’s allies say he was told to “begin the process of coming home”, but one added: “In discussions with the prime minister it was agreed he would come back on Sunday.”

The exchanges cap an extraordinary week with a toxic briefing war over who was to blame for the Afghan catastrophe in which ministers, political aides, No 10 staff and civil servants have all found fault with the performance of Raab and the Foreign Office.

The bad blood continued last night as:

•It was revealed that Sir Laurie Bristow, the British ambassador in Kabul, was “eyeballed” by a senior military officer and told not to leave as his team were planning to pull out last weekend. Bristow was ordered to stay by a Foreign Office mandarin London.

•Ministers in other departments complained that Raab banned them, several months ago, from speaking to ambassadors without his permission, a stance they say hamstrung British preparations for the Afghan withdrawal

•It was claimed the Foreign Office crisis centre is itself in crisis, with thousands of unread emails from people trying to get safe passage out of Afghanistan

•Raab was accused of not updating the “non-combatant evacuation plan” for Afghanistan in the weeks before US troops pulled out

•Raab was branded a “control freak” by cabinet colleagues, who said he had set up a system to micromanage decisions that collapsed in his absence.

One minister said that Raab’s time standing in for Johnson, when the prime minister was in hospital with coronavirus last year, “broke his brain” and led him to try to control too much, slowing down critical decision making.

“When he had to deputise for the PM he saw the whole picture and I don’t think he’s been able to rewind to just be the foreign secretary,” the minister said.

“In Dom’s head everything is his responsibility. Everything has to go through him. His control freakery is off the scale. He can’t bear to take a decision without the full information. He’s Theresa May on speed.”

Raab was told to come home after a meeting of the Cobra emergency committee on August 13. Those present at the meeting say he was “obsessed with the airport” in Kabul, and spent most of his time talking about the logistical issues for evacuation, including plane timetables, rather than the consular work of processing visas.

“Dom and the Foreign Office seemed very focused on the airbase and air operations rather than the diplomacy of the situation,” said a source. “That raised quite a few eyebrows because frankly there are better qualified people to be worrying about that. He doesn’t need to be worried about air traffic controllers and the air base.

“When there was talk about the international diplomatic effort it seemed that people like Michael [Gove] had given more thought to it than he had.”

Allies defended Raab, saying he was a meticulous minister who works harder than anyone in government. They pointed out that his media operation was hamstrung last week by the absence of his experienced special adviser Robert Oxley, who was on honeymoon.

The foreign secretary was already under fire for refusing a request from his own officials to put in a call to the Afghan foreign minster Mohammed Haneef Atmar. Responsibility was instead delegated to Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park, another Foreign Office minister. But it was Lord Ahmad, whose responsibilities cover South Asia, who was Atmar’s main point of contact in government over the past year as peace talks were under way in Doha between the Taliban and Afghan government.

A tweet of Dominic Raab making the phone call.

From a correspondent:

Following  Simon Jupp’s and Anthony Mangnall’s welcome views on the effect of holiday uses on our housing stock I urge everyone interested in this important topic to write to their MP as I have done (see below).

It is a disgrace that a widow of my acquaintance has had to raid her small nest egg to buy her working daughter a flat as she said:

“I cant have my daughter homeless. There are no rental properties for long-term rent.”

You could ask them why a holiday let has to have planning permission to change into permanent housing stock. Why does change of use of permanent housing stock not need planning permission to holiday lets?

simon.jupp.mp@parliament.uk

“Dear Simon,  

I was very interested in your article in the Exmouth Journal and pleased that you are taking an interest.

A resident of…………, I find myself living next to a house divided into 2 flats which are now second homes. I am lost as to why planning permission is needed to change a dwelling from a holiday home to a permanent dwelling but not the other way.

This next door dwelling has resulted in 2 of East Devon’s precious housing stock being lost to the community. In effect I now live next door to a rotating number of visitors, akin to a “small hotel”. This has resulted in loss of privacy and uncertainty as to the behaviour of visitors.

For many years I had neighbours. I was the first responder to a neighbour’s emergency button. Other neighbours helped in local societies.

Now ……………. Is finding it difficult to maintain local societies and elderly people can be isolated with no permanent next door neighbours. Community life is starting to crumble here like it is in so many Devon towns and villages.

My great worry is that my London acquaintances cannot see the problem and think that they have a “god given right” to a second home. This is likely to include many of those that control the legislature and media influencers.

I find it very upsetting that this change of use can take place with no prior permission and no consultation and ask that you consider that this could be an additional way forward.”

The highest number of new coronavirus cases confirmed across Devon and Cornwall has been recorded in the last week – with big rises everywhere.

Daniel Clark www.devonlive.com 

A total of 10,005 new Covid-19 cases were confirmed across the two counties – with the total since the start of the pandemic at 102,770 – with everywhere seeing a rise and the total up 40% – and a huge proportion of the new cases in those aged 15-19.

It is the highest weekly total in terms of the number of new cases, with Thursday and Friday both seeing more than 2,000 new cases confirmed, with Cornwall seeing 953 new cases on Friday alone.

Government stats show that 10,005 new cases have been confirmed across the region in the past seven days, to 6,642 new cases confirmed last week.

Since August 14, of the 10,005 new cases confirmed, 3,603 were in Cornwall, 750 in East Devon, 742 in Exeter, 431 in Mid Devon, 496 in North Devon, 1,222 in Plymouth, 487 in South Hams, 755 in Teignbridge, 868 in Torbay, 345 in Torridge and 306 in West Devon.

This compares to the 6,642 new cases confirmed between August 7-13, of which 2,250 were in Cornwall, 388 in East Devon, 582 in Exeter, 295 in Mid Devon, 409 in North Devon, 897 in Plymouth, 244 in South Hams, 535 in Teignbridge, 681 in Torbay, 207 in Torridge and 154 in West Devon.

Infection rates across Devon and Cornwall are currently highest in the 20-39s, but are falling, followed by the 0-19s, where rates are rising, and then by the 40-59s, 60-79s and 80+ in every region.

In Exeter though, the 40-59s have higher rates than the 0-19s, while West Devon has higher rates in the 80+s than the 60-79s.

For the week ending August 15, Torbay has England fourth highest infection rate, with Exeter sixth, with Teignbridge also inside the top 20.

Cornwall is just outside the top 20, but as data shown are cases by specimen date and because these are incomplete for the most recent dates and the period represented is the seven days ending five days prior, the huge spike which began with specimens from August 16 is not included yet in the data.

The latest Government figures, which give the position as of Tuesday, August 17, show that across hospital trusts in the two counties, there are 164 patients currently in hospital in the two counties – up from 107 as of August 10.

Numbers at Derriford Hospital have risen from 42 to 48 and to the highest level since February 15.

At the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, numbers are up from 28 to 34, and to the highest level since February 10.

In Torbay, the numbers at Torbay Hospital have more than doubled from 11 to 24, and to the highest number since February 15.

And at North Devon District Hospital, numbers have leapt from eight to 14, and to the highest number since January 6.

In Cornwall, there are currently 24 patients, up from 18 as of last Tuesday.

The figures show how many patients are in hospital following a positive test for Covid-19, but not whether they were admitted for Covid-related reasons, whether they were infected inside the hospital, or whether their admission was entirely unrelated but they happened to have Covid at the same time – figures for the South West show on August 10, around 25 per cent of beds were occupied by ‘non-Covid’ patients – up from 15 per cent a fortnight ago.

In the last week, there has been six deaths in Devon, one in Cornwall, and two in Plymouth, but none in Torbay.

In terms of the latest MSOA cluster maps, that cover the period of specimen dates between August 9-15, all 230 areas of Devon and Cornwall reported three or more cases, with only nine areas reporting ten cases or fewer, including three on the Isles of Scilly.

Newquay East reported 122 cases, and has the highest infection rate of any of the MSOAs in England, while Cranbrook, Broadclyst & Stoke Canon (82), Middlemoor & Sowton (76), Chelston, Cockington & Livermead (74), Blatchcombe & Blagdon (73), St Columb Minor & Porth (73), Shiphay & the Willows (67), Newquay West (61) and Pinhoe & Whipton North (60) all saw 60 or more.

Highest areas for each of the other districts were Crediton (50), Braunton (45), Millbay & Stonehouse (50), Ivybridge (46), Teignmouth South (58), Bideford South & East (55), and Hatherleigh, Exbourne & North Tawton (36).

Of the adult population, 86.5% in Cornwall, 90.2% in East Devon, 78.8% in Exeter, 89% in Mid Devon, 87.7% in North Devon, 83.6% in Plymouth, 88.2% in South Hams, 89.3% in Teignbridge, 85.7% in Torbay, 89.1% in Torridge, and 89.7% in West Devon, have had one dose.

And of the adult population, 76.8% in Cornwall, 81% in East Devon, 64.2% in Exeter, 78.7% in Mid Devon, 78.5% in North Devon, 71,6% in Plymouth, 78.9% in South Hams, 80.6% in Teignbridge, 77.3% in Torbay, 80.1% in Torridge and 81.5% in West Devon, have had a second dose.

The record number of cases comes just days after the Boardmasters festival in Newquay – and following reports that a growing number of young people who attended the festival at Watergate Bay have contracted the virus.

A statement issued by Devon County Council on Thursday added: “Festivals, and any such large gatherings where there are a lot of people crowded together, are environments that bring with them heightened risk of transmission.

“And when audiences to those gatherings include younger people, who are not all vaccinated, then the risk of transmission again is greater.

“The same is true though of any event or setting where there’s socialising. It’s not just festivals.

“So perhaps it should not surprise us that the majority of positive cases in Devon now – holiday, events and festival time – are in the 15 to 19 year old age group, and that socialising is the main driver of that trend.

“The largest proportion of positive cases continue to be in the younger age groups including those working in hospitality and other sectors.

“Vaccination levels are increasing rapidly in the younger age groups, and that’s important to stop the spread of the virus and serious illness.”

A spokesperson from Cornwall Council said: “We will be monitoring the data closely as we have done throughout the pandemic.

“Our advice to residents and anyone visiting Cornwall remains the same – if you have Covid symptoms then isolate immediately and book a PCR test.

“If you have no symptoms, please continue to test twice a week with rapid Lateral Flow Tests which are available for free from pharmacies or can be delivered to your home.”

FULL LIST OF MSOA CLUSTER AREAS here

Owl recalls one of the early posts in the then emerging “East Devon Watch” at the end of April 2014. The post went under the heading “Some councillors get away with Blue Murder, some don’t”.

It pointed out that this was the second time Councillor Wragg (Lib Dem) had been brought before EDDC’s Standards Board for comments that seem to be the sort of thing that councillors of another colour call “robust debate” when they make similar remarks and have no action taken against them.

Eileen Wragg was unrepentant then, Owl hopes she is unrepentant now.

Dave Beasley www.exmouthjournal.co.uk 

A standards watchdog has ordered Councillor Eileen Wragg to publically ‘apologise’ to Exmouth’s mayor John Humphreys for ‘discourteous’ and ‘disrespectful’ behaviour.

But an unrepentant Councillor Wragg has refused – and has denounced the investigation as a ‘waste of tax payer’s money’ as well as criticising the year it has taken to resolve the complaint.

The complaint centres on comments Cllr Wragg made to Cllr Humphreys last May when he was inaugurated for a second term as town mayor.

The report of the standards hearing at East Devon District Council says that Councillor Wragg interrupted Councillor Humphreys during his acceptance speech in which he was giving a review of the previous year and what had been achieved.

Later in the meeting Councillor Humphreys then attempted to stop comments Cllr Wragg was making on the membership of the council’s committees.

The investigating officer Inspector Tim Darsley stated that Cllr Wragg said to the mayor: “We don’t want to hear what you have done in the past year.

She also said: “I don’t respect you as chairman and I never will. You don’t represent the people of Exmouth.”

Mr Darsley said the comments broke the town council’s councillors’ code of conduct which states that ‘you must treat others with courtesy and respect.’

However Councillor Wragg wrote to standards committee and said that ‘accumulated animosity’ between the two had lead to her comments.

The report reads: “The sub committee did not accept the excuse for accumulated animosity (between the two councillors) as justification for the breaches of the code of conduct.”

The standards committee added that Councillor Wragg must apologise to Councillor Humphreys at a meeting of the town council, while the town council would receive ‘guidance and training’ on the code of conduct.

Councillor Eileen Wragg told the Journal: “East Devon has decided to contact the press before having the courtesy to inform me first.

“I’m certainly not going to apologise.

“This is all part of the rough and tumble of political life, and I feel if you can’t take it you should get out of politics.

“I didn’t turn up to the hearing because I considered it a waste of thousands of pounds of taxpayer’s money.”

A correspondent writes:

I can understand why Humphreys was able to get away with his crimes AND still be a councillor.  Everyone is presumed innocent until proved guilty.  There was no such proof in the public domain until this month and no justice for the boys until  today.

What I CANNOT understand is why police dropped their first investigation in 2005.  And why it has taken from 2015, when the cases of the two boys were linked,  to 2021 to get justice for them.  6 lost years.  I accept it takes time to make a case – but 6 years?

If I were a councillor today at EDDC I would be asking for an inquiry – preferably public- into the case.  Who decided to drop these cases?   And what links they might have had – or still have –  and what roles did they have in common with other people who may also have had council roles or links during that time? Who during this long period of time was made aware of decisions taken by the police? 

Maybe EDDC Budleigh councillor and ex-policeman Tom Wright, who was for many years EDDC police liaison person when Tories were in control, can give us some insight from his experience, into how these things can happen?

A former mayor of Exmouth who abused two schoolboys in the 1990s and 2000s has been jailed for 21 years.

Ted Davenport www.devonlive.com

John Humphreys groomed and assaulted the first victim when he was aged about 13 and had three sexual encounters culminating in a violent sexual attack on Woodbury Common.

He went on to abuse the second boy when he was aged about 15 and met Humphreys while doing a work experience placement from school.

Humphreys was jailed after being found guilty at a trial at Exeter Crown Court earlier this week.

He was brought to justice by a long and complicated police investigation which started when the second victim told his girlfriend and mother of the abuse in 2005, some four years after it happened.

Police took a statement but did not prosecute at the time.

In a victim impact statement, he said he had bad feeling against the police at the time and felt Humphreys ‘had been favoured because of his political connections’.

The case was reopened in 2015, when the first victim came forward, telling officers that he was making his disclosures after 25 years of psychological trauma and sleepless nights.

Judge Timothy Rose told Humphreys he had done lasting damage to the victims and said many of his assaults would now be classified as male rape.

Humphreys was Mayor of Exmouth from 2012 to 2014 and served for 12 years as a Conservative councillor on East Devon District Council.

He was also a governor of a primary school in Exmouth.

He was appointed as an alderman by East Devon District Council in 2019 and accepted the honour despite knowing that he was under investigation by the police.

Humphreys ran his own gardening business in Exmouth and was considered to be a pillar of the community until the first allegations came to light in 2015.

He has been openly gay since coming out at the age of 21 and became one of the first people in Britain to take part in a same sex wedding when he married his partner in March 2014, 12 hours after the new law came into effect.

He denied having any sexual contact with either boy and said he was shocked and flabbergasted at the allegations.

He accused the first victim of being “wicked and vindictive” and making up his allegations to claim compensation.

Humphreys, aged 59, of Hartley Road, Exmouth, denied but was found guilty of three counts of a serious sexual assault (buggery) and two of indecent assault on the younger boy and five counts of indecent assault against older one.

He was jailed for 21 years by Judge Rose, who also put him on the sex offenders’ register for life.

Former mayor of Exmouth John Humphreys has been jailed for 21 years for sexually abusing two schoolboys (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

Judge Rose told Humphreys: “Six of these offences have to be assessed against the modern guideline for rape.

“These were shocking acts of sexual violence. You targeted a particularly vulnerable victim.

“It is clear you caused severe psychological harm which has damaged and blighted the life of your victims.

“You provided positive service to the community in your political career and as Mayor of Exmouth but your pursuit of a respectable life was undertaken while the dark and awful secret of your sexual offending remained unknown.

“These sentences must be consecutive. These incidents were entirely separate and 10 years apart against two children who did not know each other.”

Miss Fiona Elder, defending, said Humphreys should be given credit for the good work he has done in the community in the past and the punishment he has already suffered from the loss of his good name and the stress of the five-year investigation.

She said the offences were all opportunistic and there was no significant planning.

During the trial, the first victim said he was aged about 13 when he was picked up by Humphreys in public toilets in Manor Gardens in Exmouth, which was a well-known gay meeting spot, or cottage, at the time.

He said Humphreys took him to a friend’s flat after their first meeting and had sex with him.

He said they met again in the same way a second time and Humphreys took him back to his former home in Salterton Road where they had sex again.

The victim said he was taken to Woodbury Common on the third meeting where he was subjected to a brutal sexual assault he described as rape.

He said he was wearing a school shirt and was pushed up against the wall of an abandoned military blockhouse and raped.

The second victim said he met Humphreys when he was aged 14 or 15 in 2001 and off school on work experience.

He said he was assaulted for the first time after being taken back to his home during a lunch break and was so confused that he froze.

Humphreys later offered him holiday jobs and went on to abuse him on other occasions, telling him “this doesn’t mean you are gay”.

Following Humphreys’ sentencing, police have praised the two victims who came forward and gave evidence.

The officer who led the inquiry into his historic abuse of the boys 20 and 30 years ago said the verdict and sentence show that nobody is above the law.

Police Sergeant Angela Galasso said: “This has been a long and protracted investigation involving historic sexual offences that occurred more than 30 years ago during the early and late 1990s.

“The sentencing today shows that nobody is above the law, regardless of their standing in the community.

“I can only thank the complainants in this case for their tenacity, patience and the trust that they have continued to place in myself and colleagues investigating these matters.

“Both victims have voiced separately that they feared they would never be believed or that their complaints would be taken seriously.

“I sincerely hope that this guilty verdict will now provide this validation and allow them to feel that they can move on with their lives.”

A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police said the force takes offences such as these very seriously and encourages any victims to come forward.

Anyone who may have been affected by anything raised in this article can contact police in their local area by emailing 101@dc.police.uk or calling 101.

The freephone NSPCC helpline 0808 800 5000 is available for anyone to report or seek advice about non-recent abuse. Calls can be made anonymously.