Government plans to build Britain’s biggest prison are a titanic waste of money that will do nothing to cut crime, the Howard League for Penal Reform said today (10 January).
In a move which echoes the ill-fated Titan jail proposal of the last decade, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has announced that it is to start feasibility work on a new prison that could hold more than 2,000 prisoners.
The project - combined with the planned construction of four new mini-prisons - follows the opening of the G4S-run Oakwood Prison near Wolverhampton, which has been dogged with problems...
Temporary dams stemming the escape of water from the breached Grand Western Canal have been successful, after engineers worked overnight to regain control.
Approximately two miles of the canal drained through a breach in its embankment late yesterday afternoon, caused, it's suspected, by excessive rain fall.
The breach at Halberton near Tiverton is where the canal's embankment rises nearly 60 feet from surrounding fields.
Water overtopping the canal is thought to have eroded the embankment as it cascaded down, weakening its sides to an...
Heavy rain and flooding overnight in Devon has cut off some villages, closed roads and disrupted rail services. And things are set to get worse with further rain and wind forecast.
East Devon has been worst hit. Drivers commuting to Exeter from Exmouth continue to face long delays, and drivers are experiencing severe problems with surface water. If your journey is not essential, please avoid using your car until the situation eases up.
Currently Sidford Primary School, Sidmouth Primary School and Hemeock are closed due to difficulty in getting staff in and...
Bonfire night was not the only reason for fireworks this week. Friday (2nd November) was a time for celebration at the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society in Maidenhead when it was revealed that the 4,000th member had joined, a remarkable achievement for such a young charity.
Sara Britton, who was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in October 2011, had the honour of being the 4,000th member: “Rheumatoid arthritis was a disease I knew nothing about and wrongly assumed that it only affected the elderly. NRAS taught me that it can affect anyone at any age, and it...
Local radio presenter Chris Tees has just completed broadcasting non-stop for 49 hours to raise funds towards the cost of launching a local community radio station.
Chris said “I planned to do 48 hrs, but forgot about the clocks going back that weekend when I booked the time off work but, I was determined to do the whole weekend. It was extremely hard especially watching the studio clock go back an hour Sunday morning”.
The challenge raised just over £900 with help from the other volunteers at the station who supported Chris throughout with food and coffee.
On 15 November, 37 police and crime commissioners will be elected in England along with four in Wales.
The PCCs, as they will be known, will be tasked with scrutinising their force and holding it to account. They will also set the budget, and hire and fire chief constables. The commissioners will be paid and are supposed to empower local people into having a say on how crime is tackled.
The candidates for Devon and Cornwall are (in alphabetical order)...
The Lloyds TSB Foundation for England and Wales has awarded a £16,000 grant over two years to St Petrock’s homelessness charity based in Exeter.
St Petrock’s helps people who are homeless, or vulnerably housed, lead more settled and fulfilling lives. The charity offers a range of emergency support, accommodation, prevention and educational services aimed to assist individuals back into healthier and more positive lifestyles.
The grant from the Foundation will contribute towards the salary of a project worker. The Foundation is one of the few grant makers...
Tunisian journalists went on strike on Wednesday to protest against what they believe is an attempt by the government, dominated by the Islamist party Ennahda, to control the editorial policy of public media groups.
Dozens of journalists gathered outside the headquarters of the National Union of Tunisian Journalists (SNJT) in Tunis and chanted anti-government slogans. "Free press" and "Don't touch the public media" could be read on some of the banners.
Journalists working for Essabah and Le Temps, two Tunisian newspapers belonging to the Dar Assabah press group,...
Two people have reportedly been killed as violence erupted once more during miners' strikes in South Africa.
The miners themselves are said to have killed one man after setting him alight, while another was fatally shot by police, who also used rubber bullets and tear gas on other protesters.
The violence near the Anglo American Platinum Mine (Amplats) has escalated since the company dismissed 12,000 striking miners on Friday.
Police have claimed they were responding to the miners' attempt to stop operations at Amplats' Bathopele mine on...
(NewsPoint) – Beginning on Friday, dozens of Walmart employees at a Los Angeles store walked out as part of an ongoing labour dispute.
The action was the first time that Walmart retail workers have ever gone on strike, and has since spread to a total of twelve cities including; Los Angeles, Dallas, Seattle, San Francisco, Miami, Washington DC, Sacramento, Chicago, Orlando, Kentucky, Missouri and Minnesota.
The workers are protesting company attempts to "silence and retaliate against workers for speaking out for improvements on the job," according to a United Food and...
