Warning issued in Devon over scam caller pretending to be a Police Officer

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Police, investigating reports of a phone scam which has led to two people in their 80’s handing over substantial sums of money, are appealing for information.

Officers are also warning residents in Devon to be vigilant of the scam, in which the caller is pretending to be a police officer.

Detectives say they have had an increased number of calls about this scam over the past few weeks – particularly in the Exeter, South Devon and the Plymouth areas.

In one case, the victim was persuaded to hand over more than £15,000, and more than £9,000 in another case.
As part of the scam, they were also asked to provide some of the money in foreign currency or purchase expensive watches only to then hand over.

It has been reported that the male caller pretends to be a person called ‘Sergeant Martin Spencer’ from the police in London, and he is investigating the unauthorised use of the person’s bank card.

He also advised that they should not tell anyone about the call, as it may jeopardise the police investigation.
Detective Inspector Guy Biggar said: “We are advising anyone who receives such a call not to give any personal information and hang up immediately.

“This type of call can be linked to courier fraud, where victims will be encouraged to withdraw funds from their bank account or give bank cards to a courier, arranged by the ‘police officer’ making the call under the guise of ‘assisting with a police investigation’.

“We will never contact people to ask for banking information or request that they withdraw money from an account to aid an investigation.”

He went on to say: “Fraudsters often target geographical areas where they know elderly or vulnerable people live, so we are asking that if you have family or friends who are vulnerable in any way, that you make them aware of this scam.”
If you have any information that could help the police with their enquiries or know someone who has received a call of this nature, please email 101@dc.police.uk or call 101, quoting CR/049562/22.

  • Police advise on receiving a scam call of this nature to terminate the call, wait five minutes and ensure you can hear a dial tone before calling 101, and then call your bank using the number found on the back of your card.
  • All reports of this nature also need to be reported to Action Fraud 0300 120 2040 or online https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/

SHDC Statement about Waste Service

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South Hams District Council issued the following statement about Waste Service on 7th June 2022

A spokesperson for South Hams District Council, said: “The Council has taken legal advice and has written to FCC demanding that they rectify the situation as a matter of priority. The situation has gone on far too long and it urgently requires a resolution for residents.

“Unfortunately, the Council is unable to provide further details at this stage, but they will provide an update as soon as they are able to.

“At all stages, the Council has sought to work with the contractor to improve and resolve the situation.”

This was issued in response to a previous press statement issued by FCC Environment Limited.

Jubilee Week Waste and Recycling Collections

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During the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Holiday, and the subsequent week, the dates for the collection of waste and recycling across the South Hams will change. East Portlemouth’s normal collection on Thursday 2nd June moves to Saturday 4th and the next week’s Thursday 9th June to Friday 10th. Things should return to normal on Thursday 16th June. See the SHDC table below:

Recycling Dates over the Jubilee

Neighbourhood Alert – OFGEM Scam emails

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Devon and Cornwall Alerts have warned us:

Action Fraud have received 752 reports, in four days, relating to fake emails purporting to be from OFGEM. The emails state that the recipient is eligible for a rebate as a result of a newly announced government scheme. The links in the emails lead to genuine-looking websites that are designed to steal your personal and financial information.

Please view the tweet below to see a screenshot of the fake emails reported to Action Fraud:

CyberProtectUK Twitter OFGEM fake

  • Remember that your bank, or any other official organisation, won’t ask you to share personal information over email or text. If you need to check that it’s a genuine message, contact the company using details from their official website or app.
  • Spotted a suspicious email? Forward it to the Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS) report@phishing.gov.uk

Annual Parish Meeting and Annual Parish Council Meeting

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The Annual Parish Meeting and Annual Parish Council Meeting will be held in
the Village Hall on Tuesday 10 May, beginning at 7pm.

Drinks will be served from 6.30pm.

Do come along to hear about the work of your Parish Council in the past year and to raise any issues you feel the Council needs to know about.

For further information, please contact: clerk@eastportlemouth.org.uk

SHDC issue two statements about waste collection

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South Hams District Council issued two statements about waste collection on 26 April 2022.

Council responses to Local Democracy article https://www.radioexe.co.uk/news-and-features/local-politics/nonagenarian-councillor-walks-out/ are as follows:

The first was from Cllr Keith Baldry in response to an incorrect statement about garden waste being suspended again:

South Hams District Council’s Cllr Keith Baldry, Executive Member for Environment, said: “To be clear, the garden waste is not being postponed as suggested in recent newspaper articles. Our contractors FCC Environment are working to mobilise as many rounds as possible on a daily basis and to collect all waste collections as they can with the resources available. Where rounds aren’t able to be sent out, priority will be given to household collections of refuse and recycling collections.

“Before the garden waste service was restarted South Hams asked FCC for an assurance that they had a strong plan to deal with garden waste collections. We were given that assurance.

“Locally our officers continue to challenge FCC daily. Our Leadership Team are meeting with FCC at their highest level to press on them the urgent improvements needed to deliver the quality waste service our residents deserve.”

The second was from Cllr John Birch in response to O & S Committee:

South Hams District Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee Chairman, Cllr John Birch, said: “Cllr Pennington, at last Thursday’s O&S meeting, sought to raise the issue of the Council’s problems in respect of the waste collection service provided by its contractor, FCC. This item was not on the agenda for discussion and furthermore Cllr Pennington had not made any request to have it dealt with as an urgent item.

“Following the conclusion of the committee’s discussion on the standards of behaviour and conduct expected of councillors Cllr Pennington sought to introduce the issue of waste collection. The Council’s constitution does not allow for such unannounced matters to be introduced or discussed and I was left with no alternative but to ask Cllr Pennington not to continue. Unfortunately, he persisted and I was left with no alternative but to warn him he would be asked to leave the meeting. At that stage he left the meeting.

“To be effective in one’s representation there is a time and place to make one’s voice heard. The meeting on Thursday was not the proper time and place.”

Road Closure in West Alvington

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From Kingsbridge Town Council

The A381 will be closed in West Allington on Saturday the 30th April 2022 and Sunday 1st May 2022 to complete some essential network upgrades on behalf of Openreach.

This Road closure, from the junction of Lower Street to the entrance of Kingsbridge Cricket club – see below, is planned to be in place between 08:00 and 17:00 on both Saturday 30th April and Sunday 1st May. The alternate route is via Churchstow.

May be an image of map

 

Easter Holiday Waste and Recycling Collections

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Due to the Easter Holidays, the dates for the collection of waste and recycling across the South Hams will change. East Portlemouth moves from Thursday 21st April to Friday 22nd April. See the SHDC table below:

Easter Recycling Table

A381 Night-time Closure

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From Devon County Council:

A381 Night-time Road Closure

From this Monday 4th April, the A381 will be closed from Totnes to Churchstow on weekday evenings (Monday to Friday) between 7pm and 7am for Devon Highways to undertake road stud maintenance. The works are expected to finished by Friday 20th May.

The official diversion is being given as A379, A3121, A38, A385 and vice versa. Meaning Churchstow – Aveton Gifford – Modbury – Ermington – Ugborough – A38 – Shinner’s Bridge – Totnes.

More information may be found at the Devon County Live Roadworks page

Millbay Car Park CLOSED on Wednesday 30th March

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The National Trust have informed the Parish Council that the National Trust Mill Bay car park will be closed from 8am to 6pm on Wednesday 30th March to enable their contractor to carry out work to the access track and car park area.

There will be signage on site and on Mill Bay lane warning visitors of the closure and there is an emergency note on the NT website.