1) Budleigh and Ashburton named among the best places to live 2022
Two Devon towns have been included in the annual Sunday Times Best Places to Live guide. Ashburton and Budleigh Salterton were among the nine South West locations featured.
Chalke Valley in Wiltshire has been named the best place to live in the South West. Other than the regional winner, the locations were not ranked. Other South West locations included in the guide were: Bridport and Sherborne in Dorset, Bristol, Charlton Kings and Stroud in Gloucestershire and Wellow in Somerset. Ilkley in West Yorkshire has been crowned the best place to live in the UK.
Ashburton, east of Dartmoor, was a new entry in the guide. The judges said: “The scenery offers the best of the great outdoors, the beaches are easily accessible and arty, friendly, Ashburton is a thriving town – and the locals outnumber the ponies twice.” The average house price was £403,000, a whopping 27% growth since 2020.
Read the full article here.
2. Restaurants in Devon without a food hygiene rating
When thinking about which restaurant or cafe to visit, you probably think about what’s on the menu and the price. You might also think about the service you expect to get there. Food hygiene rating may be something you consider as well.
The food hygiene rating system is run by the Food Standards Agency in partnership with local authorities. It aims to help people choose where to eat out by giving clear information on business hygiene standards, as this can have a major impact on people’s health.
The ratings are a snapshot of food hygiene standards found at the time of inspection by a local authority food safety officer. It is the company’s responsibility to comply with food hygiene legislation at all times. This includes food handling, how food is stored and prepared, facility cleanliness, and food safety management.
See the complete list here.
3. New bollards, gates and rocks to stop travelers from Paignton
Temporary works have started on Paignton Green to secure the space ahead of the busy summer season. Torbay Council have begun installing bollards, barriers and rocks on the North Green in Paignton.
Green has been used in previous years by the communities of travelers and Roma gypsies who traditionally arrive before the Easter and May weekends. In previous years, locals said the encampments were “ruining the summer holidays” for tourism in the city. Last summer, giant concrete blocks were installed on a temporary basis.
The second phase of the work will see the implementation of similar measures around the Middle and South Green. The council says its decision to install protective measures comes ahead of a busy season of events taking place on Paignton Green.
Find out more about the new bollards, portals, and boulders here.
4. Motorcyclist dies in crash in Paignton that closed road for more than seven hours
A man has died following a crash involving two vehicles in Paignton, police have confirmed. Emergency services including police, paramedics and an air ambulance were called to the A385 Totnes road at 8.17am on Saturday April 9 following reports of a serious collision.
The road was closed for over seven hours as the incident continued and congestion was reported due to crash investigation work between B3203 Borough Road and A380 Kings Ash Road (Tweenaway Cross).
A resident showed DevonLive footage of traffic queuing, with the Devon Air Ambulance landing nearby. Emergency services were also seen on the ground.
Keep up to date with all the latest news on this incident here.
5. The brutal truth about life in Devon’s most desirable town
Bideford – it’s full of charm and character with families coming from all over to enjoy all it has to offer.
Holiday Marketplace Snaptrip recently announced the tourist mecca of North Devon as this year’s best vacation destination, describing it as “full of independent shops, local producers and quaint quays”.
Yet, according to the Office of National Statistics (ONS), Bideford town center is the most deprived area of Torridge, being among the 20% most deprived areas in the UK.
Empty buildings in the city have increased this year, with many hotel businesses, independent shops, high street chains and two bank branches all closing.
See the full article here.
6. Lost Ice Age cave discovered in Brixham
A ‘lost’ cave that helped rewrite human history textbooks has been rediscovered in Brixham by amateur historian Darren Murray. Bench Bone Cavern, which contained the bones of extinct Ice Age men and woolly mammoths, is believed to have been excavated long ago.
It was one of four caves in Torbay where the first bones of modern humans in Europe were discovered by the great Victorian scientist William Pengelly, described by some as one of the earliest fathers of archaeology.
But this week the local explorer was ecstatic as he tried to find the exact spot where the cave once stood – and was amazed to find part of the structure still exists, high on a cliff , on private land near Oxen Cove. . Darren is delighted with the discovery. He said: “The cave is still visible and walled up. It’s fantastic. Inside there will be buried evidence of cavemen and huge Ice Age wild mammals living and occupying the area. around Brixham Harbour.
Read the full article here.
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