PEOPLE were warned to stay in their homes this evening after a 'substantial' gas leak in Penryn.
One fire crew from Falmouth was sent to the scene at The Terrace, at around 8pm. It is not known what caused the leak.
There were initial plans to evacuate nearby households but emergency services instead gave advice for people to stay indoors and move to the back rooms while the incident in the road was investigated.
The police were called along with staff from Wales and West Utilities.
The roads around the leak, from West Street to Saracen Place, were closed to allow Wales and West to work to stop the release of gas.
Owners of vehicles parked in this area were also contacted and asked to move the motors so the utilities staff could access the damaged pipe.
Around an hour after the first reports of the incident, the leak was isolated and fire crews and police left the scene.
No one was injured.

One of the region's most celebrated birds has died in circumstances of truly Arthurian dimensions.

So shocked have Westcountry ornithologists been this week, that the demise of the rare bird inspired the woman in charge of the RSPB's Cornish Chough Project to declare: "The king is dead – long live the king!"

The story even has a gruesome and authentic swashbuckling twist, in that murder most foul – borne of craven sexual passion – lies at the heart of the tragedy.

Most people in the Westcountry will have heard of the famous pair of choughs which mysteriously turned up in Cornwall in 2001 and effectively reintroduced the county's bird after an absence of over 40 years.

After a season of experimental nest-building they went on to produce no fewer than 44 young during the intervening years in what has, basically, been a two-bird re-colonisation exercise.

This year they were producing and bringing up a brood at the Lizard, England's most southerly point – when a younger male bird arrived and decided he wanted to be king of the roost.

The RSPB's Cornwall projects manager, Claire Mucklow, said: "A volunteer witnessed two choughs locked in combat for the most part of a day and it appears that the new younger bird has probably ousted and killed the older male. It's the end of an era – and the loss of a very special bird.

"What a legacy that chough and his mate have left Cornwall, though. Since 2001 when they returned they have brought so much joy to those lucky enough to have spent time with them – and a real sense of Cornish pride enveloped them. The pair together successfully raised 44 chicks and many of those have gone on to breed themselves, securing a real future for choughs in Cornwall."

Just like an Arthurian legend of old, there has been an unexpected sting in the tail. It seems that the young male who so cruelly ousted the old king has taken over the job of helping to raise this year's chicks, despite the fact they're not his own – which is a unique first in chough behaviour, according to the experts.

"This is extraordinary, because normally a bird would have tried to kill the chicks which were not his," said Ms Mucklow. "The female who has invested so much time and effort raising this brood has accepted this new male and together they are feeding her chicks which are about two weeks old."

Altogether, Cornwall has 32 new baby wild coughs this year, despite often appalling weather during the nesting season. Ms Mucklow remains sentimental, though, when talking of the death of an individual which brought Cornwall's 'national bird' home to roost. "It's like losing an old friend," she said. "I spent 13 years of my life completely captivated by this bird – it's so sad."

Thousands of new homes could be built every year in the South West if money for benefits was diverted, a leading trade union has claimed.

The GMB said more than 6,000 new homes could be built annually in the region if half the total spend on housing benefits was invested in new social housing.

The message came as the union holds its annual congress this week in Plymouth, where shadow secretary of state for health Andy Burnham made a speech yesterday.

The assembly called for a "fundamental break" in housing policy and demanded that billions of pounds spent subsidising private landlords should be switched to building affordable new houses to let.

The figures claim 760 new homes could be built each year in Devon and 693 in Cornwall if half the spend on housing benefit was put towards new social housing.

John Philips, GMB regional secretary, said: "Housing benefits to meet housing costs for rented accommodation for those on low incomes is a Thatcher Tory policy.

"Over the past 30 years a huge slice of the £411 billion of taxpayers' funds spent on this Tory policy has been funnelled to private landlords as 'corporate' welfare. Ending corporate welfare will save taxpayer's money and will kick-start the local economy. It will provide families with better quality houses with more security of tenure."

A group of school children got a taste of what it is like to be in the Royal Navy during a special day out of the classroom.

The youngsters from St Erth Community School were on a visit to RNAS Culdrose, near Helston, when they were put through their paces by a fitness instructor.

Teacher Chris Armstrong said it had been a fantastic day.

"We're extremely grateful to all the staff at the base for organising such a wonderful learning experience for the children," he said.

A number of class projects were combined for the outing including subjects as diverse as food and healthy eating and the vehicles used by the Navy.

"The trucks and lorries really fired up the children's imaginations," said Mr Armstrong. "It was great to see how a busy air base works.

"You only had to see the smiles on all the children's faces throughout the day to know how much they enjoyed every activity."

Leading physical trainer Leah Ravuoco led the youngsters through a lesson on exercise techniques and staged a special circuit training session. After that came a visit to the Air Engineering School where they saw dissected helicopter engines and tools used to teach navy trainees.

Lieutenant Derek Barr, who runs the Engineering Training school at Culdrose, said: "School visits like this are really important for Culdrose.

"Children get to see helicopters flying over their playground and gardens every day. It's important to engage their imaginations and show them close up what we do."

Ale fans from around the world visited St Ives to sample some of the liquid gold on offer at the town's annual beer festival.

In what is believed to be the most successful event to date, more than 1,000 visitors held a glass aloft at the event with some coming from as far afield as Europe and Asia.

Organisers Gerry and Jan Wills said it had been a festival to remember.

"It was a great festival with a good crowd in," they said.

"The staff were brilliant all way through.

"We had nearly 1,000 customers and over 5,000 pints beer sold plus wines, ciders and bottled beers."

The festival ran on Friday and Saturday and centred around the St Ives Guildhall.

During the two-day event in which the seaside resort basked in glorious summer sunshine, a total of £490 was collected for local charities.

Mr Wills said the barrels to be drained first were from not so far down the road – the Penzance Brewing Company which is based at nearby Crowlas. The company's No 9 ale and Trink ale were first and third to be sold out. Sharps' brewery's Juniperus was second to sell out.

Olympic sailing hero Sir Ben Ainslie has revealed he came close to quitting the sport in the wake of the death of friend and fellow sailor Andrew "Bart" Simpson.

In a piece for the Daily Telegraph newspaper, Sir Ben said the last few weeks had been "the most upsetting, the most painful and the most bewildering of my life". The Cornish sailing superstar threw light on his friendship with Mr Simpson and recalled last week's memorial service at Sherborne Abbey.

He said: "Our friendship stretched right back to when we were boys coming up through the ranks. We grew up together.

"As we got older we went out and got up to all of the usual high-jinks that guys in their late teens and early twenties get up to. We took a few road trips together, driving around Europe and Australia; running out of fuel, breaking down, generally being irresponsible. Those are really happy memories.

"And now he is gone. It is going to take a long time for those of us who loved Bart... to come to terms with the fact that he is no longer with us."

Mr Simpson, who lived in Dorset, was killed while training for the America's Cup in San Francisco Bay on May 9.

People living in the South West countryside are more pleased with their lives than those residing in the city or London, according to new research.

The Office for National Statistics asked 160,000 people to rate their satisfaction with life, feeling that their life is worthwhile, how happy they felt yesterday and how anxious they felt yesterday on a scale of one to ten.

Rural dwellers in the region scored themselves higher on all four benchmarks compared to those in urban areas in the greater South West. And regardless of whether someone lived in the South West town or country, life is better in the west compared to the capital.

The "life satisfaction" score of a person living in a rural area of the South West is 0.15 points higher than the rating of the person living in London. Only rural dwellers in the East Midlands were more pleased with life in the whole of the UK.

The results are part of the happiness survey, which was launched by David Cameron to assess the state of the nation beyond economic factors.

The research underlines why people are flocking to the Westcountry to work and retire, which is having positive knock-on effects for the economy but is putting pressure on public services and fuelling the over-heated housing market.

The ONS said in its report: "Generally across regions, people living in rural areas give higher ratings for their well-being than those living in urban areas."

The statisticians benchmarked the ten regions of the UK against London and found of the South West:

Life satisfaction: rural – 0.15 points higher than person living in London; urban – 0.04 points higher.

Feeling that their life is worthwhile: rural – 0.18 points higher; urban – 0.09 points higher.

How happy they felt yesterday: rural – 0.1 points higher; urban – 0.04 points higher.

How anxious they felt yesterday: rural – 0.24 points less anxious; urban – 0.29 points less anxious.

The ONS also found people who are married or in a civil partnership have a higher sense of well-being than cohabiting couples or those who are single or widowed.

It also said that living alone has a negative impact on happiness, whether someone is in a relationship or not.

The analysis of the annual population survey data found that those living with at least one other person recorded higher scores for feelings that their lives are worthwhile and they were satisfied with their life.

Single people rated their happiness on average 0.4 of a point lower than those who are either married or in a civil partnership. The scores were even lower for those who are widowed, who rated their happiness 0.6 of a point lower.

Anxiety is also higher for single, widowed or divorced people, being between 0.1 and 0.2 of a point above their counterparts who are in a civil partnership or married.

The factor most likely to have an impact on well-being was how healthy people consider themselves to be, with employment status and relationship status following behind, said the ONS.

An ONS spokesman said: "Gaining an understanding of what influences personal well-being is an important aspect of national well-being, but is only part of a broader picture that draws on a range of economic, social and environmental statistics to show how the country is doing."

Demand for food parcels is soaring in parts of the Westcountry as emergency hand-outs become a "way of life" for thousands of hard-up workers and people on benefits.

Charities say more than half a million people are now reliant on food banks nationwide and have called on MPs to investigate fully the impact of benefit cuts.

Staff running the emergency provision service, often church volunteers, have described the situation in the region as "horrendous".

In Cornwall, the number of people claiming free food tripled from 2011 to 2012 and now looks set to double again this year. During 2012, a total of 155,977 meals were handed out by at least 15 foodbanks in the Duchy. And in the year to May, some 72,973 free meals were dished out in Camborne alone compared to 29,016 in 2012 – a rise of 151%. One food bank in the Duchy is on target for a 60% rise in 2013 and expects to dish out 3,800 parcels by Christmas.

In Devon, where at least half a dozen banks exist, including recently opened outlets in Axminster, Buckfast, and South Molton, almost 10% of the population of one town are registered.

Organisers say benefit reform and delays in payment, combined with a lack of a safety net, via traditional routes such as crisis loans, are pushing some families into dire poverty.

However, in some areas the majority are actually made up of the so-called "working needy".

Val O'Neill, who runs the Tavistock food bank, based at the United Reformed church, said its provision tripled, from one six-person box of food a day to three daily, when the benefit changes came into effect in April.

Mrs O'Neill, a shopkeeper who converted her failing organic toiletries outlet into a pound shop, said an initial disbelief that people were going hungry in the town has been disproved by the demand.

"People know I run the food bank and they pour their hearts out – it is just so wrong and the Government ought to be doing more," Mrs O'Neill added. "We expected a rise with the benefit changes and it's likely to get a whole lot worse when Universal Credit comes in but my concern is with the working needy, those caught in the middle working but not earning enough."

Further north and west along Dartmoor, Okehampton's Baptist church-run food bank was set up in 2008, then saw demand soar when Polestar Foods closed with the loss of more than 200 jobs.

Retired minister, Reverend Barry Walton, who runs the facility, says he regularly supplies around 15 parcels, enough to feed around 50 adults and 25 children, though demand did spike 30% in April. He estimates the bank has 600 "on the books", more than 10% of the town's population of 5,700, though the catchment area stretches slightly into the countryside.

Mr Walton, who blames delays in benefit payments rather than reform in general, said the demand was a "sign of the times". "It has become a way of life, a reflection on society, particularly with an area like Okehampton, where employment is so thin on the ground," he added. "One man comes to us because he breaks his glasses and needs a new pair – here is someone who just about manages on benefits then a bill like that tips him over the edge."

In Camborne and Redruth, one of the most deprived areas in Cornwall, the problem is worsening quite dramatically.

The Churches Transformation food bank provided a total of 46,968 meals in 2012, made up of 2,333 parcels containing seven day's supply for a family of three.

But with 38,000 distributed by May, Don Gardener, who runs the bank from the "pink" Methodist church at the top of Trelowarren Street, predicts the tally will hit 80,000 the end of the year. "It is horrendous and the biggest problem is when benefit changes – there are no crisis loans, nothing, it is frightening," he added.

"If you get made redundant and are on the minimum wage you won't get Jobseekers allowance for six to eight weeks. One lady's husband had a heart problem and lost his job as an HGV driver, then she had an operation on her hand and lost her job – they had £40 per week for food and heating – she arrived in tears saying she couldn't survive."

Church Action Poverty and Oxfam said the Government is failing to properly monitor the numbers now resorting to emergency help and called for an urgent investigation into "the relationship between benefit delay, error or sanctions, welfare reform changes and the growth of food poverty."

Up to half of those seeking help were doing so as a direct result of having benefit payments delayed, reduced or withdrawn, the charities' report said.

Energy Secretary Ed Davey said it was "completely wrong to suggest that there is some sort of statistical link between the benefit reforms we're making and the provision of food banks".

But the charities drew a direct link with the Government's two-year below-inflation cap on working-age benefit increases.

"There is clear evidence that the benefit sanctions regime has gone too far and is leading to destitution, hardship and hunger on a large scale," the report, Walking the Breadline, concluded.

The UK's biggest provider of food banks has reported a trebling of the numbers using them to more than 350,000.

Oxfam CEO Mark Goldring said: "Cuts to social safety-nets have gone too far, leading to destitution, hardship and hunger on a large scale."

Pageant beauties hoping to be crowned Miss England basked in the glorious Westcountry sunshine when they took part in a swimwear photo call on the beach and on board a luxury yacht.

Twelve bikini-clad Misses from Newcastle to Wiltshire, London to Manchester, Oxfordshire and South Yorkshire lounged on the top deck of the luxury yacht 777 in Torquay marina in front of a media scrum. The "beach beauty" photo shoot was part of the Miss England pageant contest which is coming to the resort later this month.

Linda Hill, from the Hospitality Association, said: "It's magnificent for Torbay. We have all the TVs and media here. The sun is shining. It's the perfect advert for the English Riviera. If it is as successful as I think it will be, then I have great hope to organise Miss World here in the Bay. There is no reason why it couldn't be done."

Charlotte Holmes, who was born in Torpoint, South East Cornwall, before winning Miss Devon and Plymouth and eventually Miss England 2012, joined her would-be successors for the beachwear photo shoot.

She said: "This is home for me. I'm from Devon and I really wanted to bring Miss England down here and show off what we have to offer and the delights of Torbay.

"With this kind of weather, it's just perfect."

The boat deck photocall was followed by another photo shoot on Torre Abbey Sands, with many visitors to Torquay pausing to have a good look at the parade of scantily clad beauties.

Mike Smith, manager of the Torquay Marina, said: "This is great for the Bay. Anything that attracts more people to the area can only be good for business. I think it will put Torquay on the map."

Miss England organisers said the two shoots were part of the overall competition with the winner going through to the top 15 finalists at the Miss England Finals at the Torbay Riviera International Conference Centre on June 15 and 16. The pageant winner will be entered in the Miss World 2013 competition in Indonesia later this year.

Banners of the Buy British Campaign, being run by the National Farmers' Union (NFU) and the National Pig Association (NPA) are due to take over the countryside this summer, with farmers being urged to fly the flag for the campaign at prime locations up-and-down the nation.

Thousands of the uPVC banners, measuring 15 feet long by four feet wide, will be deployed to get across the promotional message, grabbing the attention of the public when out-and-about in the countryside and encouraging them to back their own domestic farmers and growers.

The NFU president, Peter Kendall, said: "This is a fantastic opportunity to promote the Buy British Campaign message and we hope farmers and growers will be proud to support us.

"Farmers have continually produced great British food, despite facing incredibly challenging weather and economic pressures in the last 12 months, and this campaign is a bid to keep up support from British consumers."

His views were echoed by Colin Rowland, from Bampton in North Devon, the chairman of the Devon branch of the NFU.

"The importance of getting across the message about just how good our homegrown food really is cannot be overstated," said sheep producer Mr Rowland. "This is an extra effort by our own farmers and should prove to be a vital part in the ongoing drive to get British consumers to support their own industry.

"By buying British you can be sure of well-reared products, and that you're supporting your own rural economy.

"Our animal welfare is second to none, and we take high levels of management very seriously."

Mr Rowland, whose county branch is the largest in England, said he was confident his members would support the campaign to the hilt and that the special banners would become a familiar sight throughout Devon.

For the NPA, chairman Richard Longthorp said: "The NPA and the pig industry will be delighted to be involved in such a great and timely cross-sector campaign.

"With all the shortcomings that the horsegate debacle exposed in some supply chains, we now need to press home hard the message to consumers that British food can be trusted and has the full and functioning traceability systems to back that up.

"Banner campaigns, as we have seen before, can be highly effective in doing just that."

The banner-flying aspect is the latest stage of the NFU's Buy British Campaign and has been timed to coincide with the similar Trust the Tractor initiative, backed by the agency Assured Food Standards and the Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board.

The banners feature the top half of a Union Jack with a slogan and logo.