The Environment Agency has advised against swimming at four popular Devon beaches today. There is understood to be a risk of pollution following thunderstorms in the area this week.

Mary Stenson www.devonlive.com

Beautiful views across Exmouth beach (Image: Devon Live)

Four beaches on Devon’s south coast have warnings in place, advising people not to swim. Budleigh Salterton beach, Exmouth beach, Paignton Sands and Goodrington Sands are the areas that swimmers are being told to avoid.

The major concern at all four beaches is pollution as a result of heavy rain in Devon, with a yellow thunderstorm alert having been issued by the Met Office for today. However, there are also concerns over the impact the storm could have on the tides, particularly at Paignton Sands.

Budleigh Salterton and Exmouth beaches both received ‘Excellent’ bathing water quality based on water samples taken from 2017 to 2021, with Paignton Sands and Goodrington Sands having been ranked as ‘Good’. Today’s pollution risk warnings are only believed to be in place temporarily during the storms.

The yellow thunderstorm alert will remain in place for the rest of today and tomorrow. Parts of Devon have already seen flash flooding, lightning and thunder over the last two days.

Starmer defends London candidate for Exeter

Labour leader Keir Starmer has defended the decision to select a Londoner as the candidate to replace Exeter’s Ben Bradshaw at the next general election. 

Philip Churm, local democracy reporter www.radioexe.co.uk 

Speaking during a visit to community group ParkLife Heavitree on Monday, Sir Keir insisted that Steve Race was chosen as someone who is familiar with the area and understands the constituency. 

“Steve Race is an excellent candidate who knows the area really well because he worked with Ben Bradshaw for a very, very long time,” said Sir Starmer.

“So he knows these communities. He knows the issues here. He’ll be an excellent candidate. 

“He’s got big shoes to fill. Obviously big boots to fill because Ben has been the MP here since 1997.

“But Steve will fill those boots and take us forward in Exeter. I’m really, really pleased that he’s our candidate.”

Mr Race is currently a councillor in the Hackney area of London, which neighbour’s Sir Keir’s Holborn and St Pancras seat. He stood for parliament in East Devon in 2015, where he lost his deposit in a campaign won by the Conservative incumbent, Hugo Swire.

Sir Keir was visiting Exeter to meet local people concerned about fuel costs and to outline Labour’s £29 billion policy of freezing the energy price cap to prevent average household bills from rising to over £3,600. 

He also argued the initiative would reduce currently soaring inflation by four percent.  

But critics, some within his own party, have said the measures do not go far enough and called for Labour to renationalise energy companies.

Sir Keir said that suggestion was unpractical.

“The Labour Party, under my leadership, is absolutely focused on helping those that need help most,” he said. 

“That’s why we’ve focused on the households who are going to face these crippling increases this October and January of next year, because if we don’t help those households, they are going to struggle even more than they did last winter. 

“The reason I’ve put forward the package I’ve put forward today is because every single penny that we’ve got under our costed scheme goes on reducing their household bills … Those energy bills. 

“If you go down the nationalisation route, then money is then used to compensate shareholders because you can’t just nationalise for free. You’ve got to pay off the shareholders. 

“I think when you’re in the middle of a crisis like this, a national crisis, every single penny should go towards reducing those prices of energy for so many households who are going to really struggle this winter.”   

Labour argues their plan could be funded by extending the scope of the windfall tax on energy companies.

It would involved scrapping the proposed £400 payments for all households and cutting government interest payments on debt when inflation rates go down.

A trial allowing motorhome users to sleep overnight in some car parks in the South Hams could be expanded after more than 1,400 stays were recorded in the first year.

By Johanna Carr www.bbc.co.uk

The district council set up the scheme in five of its car parks in June 2021 after an influx of visitors following the pandemic.

Councillors wanted to encourage people to visit and spend money in the area.

The council said the trial brought in £14,010 in additional income in a year.

Councillor Keith Baldry said: “It’s been very successful. We’re not doing it to make money, we just wanted to break even… but we have made a small amount of profit over the last 12 months and we’ve had a great deal of praise from users of the service.”

Self-contained motorhomes can stay for up to 48 hours in the car parks including in the Dartmouth park and ride

The five car parks included in the trial are Longmarsh in Totnes, the Dartmouth park and ride, Cattlemarket, Kingsbridge, Poundwell Meadow, Modbury and Leonards Road in Ivybridge, with the Totnes site on the banks of the River Dart being by far the most popular.

It costs £10 to stay the night, plus additional charges for daytime parking and all vehicles must be self-contained with washing and toilet facilities.

Mr Baldry, the executive member whose responsibilities include car parks, said business owners were “very happy” with the trial and the council had “no complaints from residents at all”.

He said some users of the service had complained about having to have their own toilet facilities on board, while others were keen to see the scheme expanded to include other car parks owned by the council.

The Liberal Democrat councillor added: “We decided we wanted to encourage visitors who have properly equipped motorhomes… but it also allows us to enforce stopping people who haven’t got those facilities who frankly were being very anti-social, using the hedges and so on as lavatory facilities.”

Arens Sorensen, a motorhome owner who has used the Totnes car park several times, said: “When you stay for a day or two of course you spend more than if you’re just here for a few hours so I guess it is good for the businesses.”

He said it was also cheaper than staying at a campsite, adding: “For us it’s ideal… I think it would be a great idea if there is more car parks like this.”

Other car park users had mixed views on the scheme.

One woman said she thought it was “amazing” and a Totnes resident added he hoped it would make a beautiful area more accessible.

A couple from the town said they thought motorhomes should go in a “proper caravan park” and were worried about the car parks become too busy.

Another man said: “If they are car parks rather than proper motorhome places then there is going to be a problem with hygiene.”

At the end of the summer, South Hams councillors will decide whether to carry on with the trial, make it permanent or even extend it to other car parks in the area.

Overnight stays – June 2021 to June 2022

Park and Ride, Dartmouth – 239

Cattlemarket, Kingsbridge – 129

Poundwell Meadow, Modbury – 51

Leonards Road, Ivybridge – 48

Total = 1,401 overnight stays

£14,010 in additional income for the council

Dear Owl,

I hope you have space to post this heartfelt thanks to the heroic street scene staff who have efficiently cleared the rubbish bins from Steamer Steps to the Lime Kiln carpark in Budleigh Salterton in this heat. A special mention for Neil who clears up at weekends.

Visitors have arrived at the beach laden with their beach kit: pump-up paddle boards, wind breaks, pop-up tents, and of course the disposable BBQs, bottles galore and their food, often using a collapsible trolley. AND after a lovely time, they head home leaving all their rubbish for EDDC to clear up. Mountains of it. An example last week was a broken pop-up tent just left to blow into the sea. 

If they are able to bring it all down why can’t they take it home? Why, if they drink the beer, don’t they  take the bottles home instead of filling the dog poo bin?

Many of us living in BS could give example after example. But I am sure it is not just our beautiful town which can look like a rubbish tip after a lovely evening. I have no experience but I am sure all our seaside towns suffer from this.

 It is also the expense that I object to. It is said that a large amount of money is spent in the town. I do not believe this. People park at the Lime Kiln car park and never set foot in the town. Most of the food and bottles are bought in their own locality. BS High Street can look very quiet on a hot day.  I gather EDDC gets no government help for all the street cleaning and loo provision. If visitors respected our town perhaps I and many others would not object to this additional expense and not wish for the day when the school term time starts again.

A Budleigh Correspondent.

PS A suggestion. Could EDDC put up notices asking visitors to take their rubbish home, (a few might), as The Lake District does?