National Emergency Alert

/in /by

From Devon County Council

The Government’s new Emergency Alerts system is live, enabling people to be contacted through their mobile phone in the event of there being a danger to life near to where they are, for example severe flooding or fire in their area.

The Government plans to test the system by sending a national test alarm to all smartphones that use 4G and 5G phone networks, at 3pm on Sunday 23 April 2023. Older, ‘non-smart’ phones will not receive the alarm.

On that day, compatible mobile phones across the UK will sound the alarm – a siren and vibration, lasting for up to 10 seconds.

The Government’s frequently asked questions about these alerts say that it’s possible to unsubscribe from receiving emergency alerts, although they recommend people don’t because they’re potentially life-saving.

But, “you can opt out of the emergency alerts system in your phone’s settings,” they say. “Just search for “emergency alerts”, and turn off ‘severe alerts’ and ‘extreme alerts’.”

The Government’s website adds that you will not receive alerts if your device is connected to a 2G or 3G network; is connected via Wi-Fi only; your device is not compatible; your device is in airplane mode; or your device is turned off.

More information about this from Devon County is at: National Emergency Alert, and hidden second mobile phones – News.

Easter Changes to Waste and Recycling Collections

/in /by

South Hams District Council have now released their confirmed dates for this year’s waste and recycling collections across the South Hams during the Easter period

Further information may be found at: Easter Bank Holiday Waste Collection Dates.

 

Latest News from Devon County

/in /by

Devon County’s latest newsletter roundup includes articles about:

You can see the whole news release here.

Police warning about scammers claiming to be Police

/in /by

Devon and Cornwall Police have warned that scammers, previously working in the Gloucester area, have moved to target people in our area.

It followed a similar pattern to other fraud attempts around the UK, in which fraudsters claim to be police officers investigating corrupt staff at the victim’s bank or fraudulent card activity.

They will often ask the victim to hang up and dial 999 to confirm they are speaking to a legitimate police officer. However, this is part of the scam as the phone line is kept open and the victim ends up talking to another fraudster who is also involved in the con.

In this type of scam victims are asked to withdraw cash, which would then be collected by a fake police courier on the victim’s doorstep, at another agreed location, or asked to send it to an address via post.

Others are instructed to transfer funds into a fake police bank account.

The fraudsters are manipulative, and victims are often told to not tell their friends or family about them “helping” with the investigation.

This type of scam is known as courier fraud, and the average age of a victim of this crime in Gloucestershire is 79.

Police have urged people to warn their elderly or vulnerable relatives, friends and neighbours about this type of fraud.

  • If you believe you are being targeted by a scammer hang up the phone and use a different phone line to call Action Fraud or the police, as scammers have a way to stay on the line and will pretend to be the police when you call back;
  • if you don’t have access to a different phone line, wait for a period of time, at least 10 minutes, and try calling a family member or friend first to make sure the scammer is no longer on the line;
  • neither police nor bank officials will ever ask you to withdraw money from your account, purchase anything or hand over your personal details or passwords;
  • just because someone knows basic details about you like your name, address or date of birth, it doesn’t mean they are genuine bank or police employees;
  • always question suspicious phone calls and report them to Action Fraud or the police.

For further advice on keeping yourself safe from fraud, visit the Police’s National Website:

https://www.service.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/fa/fraud/personal-fraud/

Fraud cases can be reported to Action Fraud online:

https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/reporting-fraud-and-cyber-crime.

Anyone who finds themselves in immediate danger should call 999 as per any emergency.

Do you have the right photo ID to vote in May?

/in /by

You may have already heard that the Government has introduced new rules meaning you need to show photographic identification (photo ID) when voting in person at a polling station. This is a national change implemented as part of the Elections Act 2022.

Devon County Council has created a special edition of their newsletter, to explain what the new rules are, what ID you can use to vote in person, and how to get free photo ID if you don’t already have it.

The Special New Voter ID rules newsletter is available by clicking here

A379 Closure Monday and Tuesday in East Charleton

/in /by

From Councillor Julian Brazil

Just a quick reminder that the A379 will be closed at East Charleton this coming Monday and Tuesday (27th & 28th February 2023)
It’s a daytime closure from 9am – 4pm. Clearing blocked drains at the bottom of Daniel’s Lane for those that know the area.

National One Minute’s Silence

/in /by

From South Hams District Council and West Devon Borough Council Communications Team

Just to let you know, there is a national one minute’s silence that will take place at 11 a.m. on Friday 24 February to mark the one-year anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Please join us in this moment of reflection and pay tribute to the Ukrainian people.

 

News Round Up from South Hams District Council

/in /by

News Round Up from South Hams District Council

To view the complete news release, go to 10th February Council News

Devon and Cornwall Police warn of Raves and advise what to do

/in /by

On Monday 19th December 2022, Devon and Cornwall Police issued an Alert covering Rave information and reporting –

Devon & Cornwall Police is working with both partners and local residents to make potential locations in the counties unattractive to organisers of raves (also called unlicensed music events or UMEs).

Christmas sees a increase in the possibility of a rave in Devon and Cornwall with Boxing day and New Year’s Eve in particular being attractive dates.

Uniformed and plain clothes officers are regularly patrolling areas which have been identified as possible targets of rave organisers and officers are also working with farmers and landowners to secure sites and make them unsuitable locations.

We know the misery raves can cause to nearby residents, with loud music keeping people awake for hours on end. It also has a significant impact on livestock and wildlife, and often participants leave the land badly damaged.

We would like to encourage our local communities including farmers and landowners to take pro active pre-emptive measures to help target harden their land and open spaces and secure their property to make it an unattractive option for organisers.

These measures can be as simple as ensuring padlocks on gateways are serviceable, broken fences or open gateways are closed and any buildings are properly secured.

They ask for communities to help further by reporting if they see any of the following signs in the local area:

  • an unusual increase in road traffic in rural areas;
  • social media activity advertising the rave and its location;
  • vehicles carrying sound equipment;
  • anything unusual or out of place (for example: a ribbon or balloon tied in a hedge which could be used as a marker);
  • large gatherings of people in unusual areas at night (for example: farmland, open countryside or abandoned buildings).

If you see these, report by telephoning 101, or if you see organisers setting up equipment call 999.

You can also report anonymously to the charity Crimestoppers via their website or on 0800 555 111

More information from Devon and Cornwall Police about this may be found here

Devon County Teams out gritting the roads

/in /by

The Devon County Roads and Transport Newsletter of Thursday 8th December 2022 said:

With the arrival of the forecast cold spell, our gritting teams are out in force treating roads on Devon’s primary, secondary and precautionary salting routes.

The remainder of this week is set to be the coldest of this winter so far, with The Met Office issuing a yellow weather warning in the north of the county for the possibility of icy patches, particularly on untreated surfaces, and there is the risk of wintry showers on higher ground.

And with road temperatures across the county expected to drop below zero, any water run-off from adjacent land could freeze and lead to icy patches, especially on untreated roads.

The primary salting network only covers about 20 per cent of Devon’s roads, so 80 per cent are untreated; rain will wash salt off roads leaving them prone to ice and in extreme cold even salting will not stop ice forming.

What you can do to help

  • Braking distances can be doubled in wet conditions, and multiplied by 10 on snow or ice, so reduce your speed and leave more distance between you and the car in front;
  • the county provides more than 3,500 grit bins in areas not included in the primary salting network, which you can use to help you keep your roads and pavements free of ice;
  • 325 volunteer snow wardens treat priority routes during spells of severe weather;
  • report any problems on the roads using the Web Reporting Tool 
  • if you are reporting an emergency on the highway that requires immediate attention (something that is very likely to present an imminent threat to life or serious injury or serious damage to property), please call the County team on 0345 155 1004.
  • National Highways look after the M5 motorway and trunk roads in Devon – they can be contacted on 0300 123 5000.

You can read the news release at: Roads and Transport News Update 8th December 2022