Persistent wet weather has put paid to any hopes of an early start, but most crops are still looking good. It is only oilseed rape has been badly knocked about in some places.

"It's all becoming more than a little worrying," said Mike Hambly, the chairman of the South West regional arable board of the National Farmers' Union as steady drizzle continued. "The weather seriously does need to start brightening up, and soon, or we really shall have problems.

"You could get depressed, but this weather has gone on that long that you feel it must turn soon," said Mr Hambly, who farms at Callington, South East Cornwall.

He said farmers could probably look forward to a reasonable, though late, harvest if the poor weather persisted for another week or so, but after that the situation could become extremely concerning.

Sodden ground needed time to dry out so that machinery could be used on it to get in the harvest, he stressed.

First crop to be harvested is usually winter-sown barley, then oilseed rape. But Mr Hambly did not expect the main winter barley harvest to start for another week or ten days, very late this year compared to what was expected these days. While much of the oilseed rape "lodging" problems (being blown over) involved crops further east than the Westcountry, it seemed unlikely any would be harvested in the South West much before the first week in August. Harvesting of wheat crops had been pushed back to the middle of August, said Mr Hambly.

"The situation with wheat is exemplified by prices on the market for old-crop grain, which have 'gone through the roof' in the past few weeks," he added. "The main problem with wet weather is that quality is compromised."

About half of all winter-sown oilseed rape crops nationally have been affected by lodging, according to the Agricultural Development Advisory Service.

Neil Groom, of specialist oilseed rape company Grainseed, said there was a high degree of lodging around the country. "Unsurprisingly with high rainfall and high winds that have been an unwanted characteristic of this year's spring and summer weather, we are seeing much more lodging this year than we have seen for many years," he said.

The harvest threat is ironic as the planted area nationally in England is up 3% this year, as a result of good "forward" prices, according to the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board.

Its survey shows the total acreage back to the record level of 2008.

Cornwall Council could save £80million if it scrapped plans for an incinerator and used alternative forms of waste disposal.

The Cornwall Waste Forum (CWF) presented its proposal to the council's waste development advisory panel last week which agreed the ideas should be independently assessed for the council.

CWF said Cornwall Council should use anaerobic digestion and significantly increase the amount of waste which is recycled and reused – instead of pressing ahead on the £117million incinerator proposed for St Dennis, near St Austell.

Earlier in the week, the forum had lost a last-ditch legal battle for their case against the incinerator to be heard by the Supreme Court.

In a presentation to the panel, CWF member Charmain Larke said most waste would be reused and recycled with food waste being collected separately and then being treated in an anaerobic digestion plant.

CWF claims that most of the residual material would be able to be sold at a profit, bringing down the cost of operating the plants required.

The group said there would be capital savings of between £46 million and £66 million and that annual costs would be reduced by more than £8 million a year.

Mrs Larke said: "This paper has been drawn up with the aim of minimising costs. You can do this by minimising waste production, maximising recycling and through maximising the use of materials locally."

The calculations offered by the group did not appear to factor in compensation which would be paid to waste firm Sita if the incinerator contract with the council was scrapped. There also did not appear to be any allowances made for planning and land costs.

The panel made a recommendation to the council's Cabinet that an independent assessment be commissioned into CWF's plans and also of the existing plans for the incinerator. The Cabinet is expected to consider the recommendation when it meets tomorrow.

Police detained more than 100 people across Devon and Cornwall on a single night as alcohol-fuelled revellers sparked summer season disorder.

Custody centres in Exeter and Torquay were both full because of arrests made for a variety of reasons, many alcohol-related. Prisoners had to be taken from Torbay to Launceston in Cornwall because of the lack of space.

Inspector Dave Meredith said the high number of arrests was as a result of the start of the summer season, and said many of the arrests were for offences such as pub brawls or public disorder.

He said: "A lot of it could be attributed to visitors. Of course they're not all trouble-makers, but they come down on holiday and alcohol is a factor. Perhaps people just tend to go out and drink more in the evenings in the summer."

In Devon, 71 people were arrested and detained overnight on Saturday, and in Cornwall there were 71 – a total of 105.

Four people were arrested after a pub fight in Looe, and five were detained following a similar incident in Torquay.

Newquay, which is trying to shake its former binge drinking associations, saw a relatively busy night with ten arrests.

A west Cornwall council has backtracked on plans to make Penzance a CCTV free zone.
At a meeting last night, members unanimously voted to commit up to £10,000 from the 2012/13 budget to fund the cameras while looking at ways to secure the future of the scheme.
The moves rescind an earlier decision by the council to withdraw funding and came about after five members lodged a motion calling for the subject to be brought back to the table.
The police, business community and Cornwall Council will now be contacted in a bid to find a ongoing financial solution to CCTV as well as looking at the suitability of current camera placement.

* Do you think the council made the right decision to keep funding CCTV or do you believe the cash should be spent elsewhere? Let us know what you think by commenting below, emailing cwoodhouse@c-dm.co.uk or calling 01736 335512. 

Good news has at last been delivered on the weather front with forecasters promising some respite from the atrocious weather of the summer so far.

After a week of unsettled weather it looks like the weekend will finally see some sunshine in the Westcountry.

Helen Waite, forecaster at the Exeter-based Met Office, said things would be warming up ... eventually.

"On Tuesday and Wednesday, it's likely to be wet with western areas seeing the worst of it," she said.

"Thursday may see some heavy and thundery showers."

However, she added that once that had cleared through there was "a good chance of seeing some brighter spells."

Friday and Saturday were looking brighter, she said, although there was a chance of rain spilling down from the North of England on Sunday.

"In general after that it looks like conditions are going to get a bit better with less of the heavy, persistent rain and more bright spells."

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An investigation is under way after a cyclist died in Newquay. The 33-year-old man was travelling along St Mary's Road at 6.40pm on Monday, when he is understood to have struck a parked car. A post-mortem examination is to be conducted to establish whether the victim suffered a medical episode beforehand. The cyclist was taken to the Royal Cornwall Hospital by air ambulance, but died a short time later. In the aftermath of the incident, police investigators closed the road for five hours. Any witnesses are asked to contact police on 101.

London Editor

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley has said pay cuts are neither "necessary" nor "desirable" under plans being drawn up by NHS bodies in the South West.

Twenty organisations that run hospitals and health services in the region have proposed forming a consortium to set pay and conditions to cut costs.

Unions have dubbed the move away from national pay agreements as a "cartel", and leaked documents suggest staff could be sacked unless they agree to drastic changes.

During a debate on the NHS in the Commons, Mr Lansley renewed his support for pay that has local "flexibilities" but said he opposed pay cuts.

He told MPs: "No proposal for the reduction of pay or the dismissal and re-engagement of staff is, in my view, desirable or necessary."

The termination of all staff contracts and a reissue on different terms is one of a series of proposals on the table, according to leaked documents.

Cutting salaries and sickness benefits and making staff work longer hours are among ideas floated to slash the regional pay bill from 68% to 60% of running costs.

The NHS is under pressure from the biggest efficiency drive in its entire history, with the service expected to have found at least £20 billion in savings by 2015.

At the same time, the Government is considering introducing local pay scales across the public sector, such as in schools.

The grouping – officially called the South West Pay, Terms and Conditions Consortium – includes organisations running hospitals in Plymouth, Exeter and Truro.

The trust – including Devon Partnership NHS Trust, Dorset County Hospital NHS Trust, North Devon Healthcare NHS Trust, Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, Somerset Partnership Trust, Taunton and Somerset NHS Trust and Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust – have board approval to sign up to the agreement.

In the Commons debate, St Ives Liberal Democrat MP Andrew George warned the move would "drive down pay and morale" while Plymouth Moor View Labour MP Alison Seabeck said the consortium "has shown no great desire" to talk to unions.

And Labour's Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham asked: "Do the Government support regional pay in the NHS and the other moves planned by trusts in the South West?

"If they do not, will they today send a clear message to NHS staff in the South West that they are prepared to overrule NHS managers?"

In response, Mr Lansley said the Government supported "flexibilities in the pay framework that are necessary for them to recruit, retain and motivate staff".

He added: "I have made it clear that we are not proposing any reductions in pay as a consequence. I do not believe they are necessary or desirable in achieving the efficiency challenge."

An investigation into Cornwall's out-of-hours GP service has declared it "possible" that its performance may have been "overstated" because managers routinely altered negative data.

In a highly critical report into the service managed by private company Serco, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has today issued a 14 day ultimatum for answers on how improvements will be made.

Following a number of surprise visits, the independent health watchdog said the firm was failing to meet four essential targets, including staffing shortages which left one doctor working a 13-hour double shift.

Ian Biggs, deputy director of CQC in the south, said their inspectors had witnessed how Serco managers would "routinely" alter daily performance reports which show whether call response time targets were met.

Managers would correct individual records which suggested the service was failing if the entry was known to be incorrect for any reason, the report said.

The company explained that it would take too long to check whether calls registered as within target were correct.

However, inspectors raised concerns after examining a small sample of data and finding two examples of failed calls which had been wrongly classified as achieved.

Mr Biggs said: "We haven't found that the company have been deliberately misleading the people of Cornwall about their performance, although quite clearly the system of monitoring performance is unreliable," he said.

"When the managers correct the data, only the calls that would improve the overall daily performance are subject to checking and reclassification, so that must raise questions about the accuracy of the data.

"It is possible that the performance of the provider may be overstated in their reports.

"We have been told that the problems of wrong classifications have been known to Serco for about four years – so it is puzzling that this has not been resolved before now."

As well as monitoring issues, the CQC found that Serco had not provided enough qualified, skilled staff, which at times left doctors working long hours and patients given a slow service.

It was also told to improve patient safeguarding and staff training.

Paul Forden, managing director of Serco's Clinical Services, said the service consistently received top ratings.

Positive changes had already been made in three-quarters of the issues raised, he added, with the fourth expected to meet required standards with a month.

"Patient safety and wellbeing is our first priority," he said.

"We have taken and will continue to take any criticisms extremely seriously and we have fully cooperated with the CQC in their investigation. We are confident that we will be able to fully satisfy the CQC that we are meeting all of the standards required when they next visit the service."

Angry midwives are to stage a series of meetings around the region to voice their concerns over proposals to create a 'pay cartel'.

So far a total of 20 health organisations, including hospitals in Cornwall, Plymouth and Exeter, have board level approval to join the South West Pay Consortium.

Health trusts say they are reacting to looming financial challenges, but accusations persist that it is merely a tool for firing workers and re-hiring them at a lower rate.

Jon Skewes, director of employment relations and development at the Royal College of Midwives (RCM), said his members were outraged.

"The RCM is absolutely opposed to any attempts to reduce the pay of midwives and their colleagues in the NHS," said Mr Skewes.

"It is a betrayal of the hardworking NHS staff delivering vital frontline services."

The first of a number of midwives' meetings will by held at Heartlands, near Pool in Cornwall, tomorrow.

London Editor

Ministers have been warned that axing inter-city rail services between London and Cornwall would be "disastrous" for the region's image and put jobs at risk during eleventh hour talks.

Cornwall MPs Andrew George, George Eustice and Dan Rogerson yesterday met Rail Minister Theresa Villiers, who confirmed that her department is considering cutting three of the nine daily trains between London and Penzance.

The proposed move, which only emerged this week, could be included in the new Great Western rail franchise specification expected to be published this week.

The MPs told the minister alternative "high quality connection services" were inadequate and said a nine-train-a day through-service should be the minimum.

Mr George, Liberal Democrat MP for St Ives, said: "I hope that the minister will demonstrate that she has listened to the voice not only of the local MPs, but of the whole business community and the many constituents who are now up in arms about the suggested reductions.

"We explained that whilst planned replacements of high speed trains with local services may appear attractive on paper, such a decision would be disastrous for Cornwall's image, economy and tourist spend. Business customers having to transfer at Plymouth to smaller and more crowded trains where they may end up with their luggage on their laps for two hours is hardly going to impress them.

"The impact on families and tourists with heavy luggage, worrying about meeting a connection, the disruption and the concern about finding a seat will discourage them from using the service at all.

"The minister indicated that she had not made up her mind on the issue and that a final decision will be announced in the coming days. We must keep up the pressure."

Mr Eustice, Conservative MP for Camborne and Redruth, said: "We had a constructive meeting and the minister gave an undertaking to look at this issue again over the next couple of days before making any final decisions."

A Department for Transport spokesman said: "We are committed to ensuring that all passengers on the Great Western network continue to enjoy access to regular train services as part of the new franchise.

"Plans for the invitation to tender are currently being finalised and a more detailed announcement will be made shortly.

"We anticipate that the new 15-year contract will encourage investment that will deliver benefits to passengers and taxpayers."

Green energy schemes saw a fivefold increase across the South West as the region powered a renewable "revolution" which now employs more than 10,000 people, new figures have revealed.

The amount of clean electricity which can now be generated, more than doubled over the past year as investors took advantage of generous incentives and falling costs.

Installed capacity went up by 308 megawatts (MW) – ten times the rises seen in the previous two years – from 218 MW to 526 MW in April this year.

New projects increased by more than 47,000, bringing the total to 55,000, a dramatic leap from the 2010/2011 tally of 8,084.

Cornwall leads the way, with a surge in capacity from 75 MW to 131.5 MW, closely followed by Devon, which has seen more than a threefold rise from 37.1MW to 130.5MW.

Dorset's capacity rose from 19.2 MW to 30 MW and Somerset increased from 13.25 MW to 32.8 MW.

Regen South West, which publishes its annual survey today, described the past 12 months as "exceptional".

Tim Jones, chairman of the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership, said the sector had now reached a "tipping point".

"We are beginning to discover that this is a massive opportunity and all the predictions about job generation, if anything, are conservative," Mr Jones added.

"Renewable energy is no longer about a set of regulations that is going to cost businesses money but a real chance to get a bottom line – that has only happened in the last six months." The sharp increase over the past 12 months is partly explained by the completion of the 22 giant turbines at Fullabrook in North Devon, a wind farm which can produce 66 MW of power.

This brings to 28% the current contribution of the onshore wind sector to the region, an installed capacity of 150 MW or 1.5% of total electricity demand.

Three quarters of the 40 new schemes in Devon and Cornwall produced less than 50 kilowatts (kW).

But most of the new capacity was driven by an unprecedented growth in solar energy schemes, helped by generous payments from the Feed-in-Tarrif (FiT).

The number of installations of photo-voltaic (PV) projects rose a staggering 600% with a 1,000% increase in capacity – representing an extra 235MW.

Uncertainty over subsidies, including a legal challenge to the Government's review, meant the rate of PV installations fluctuated, and 62% of domestic and small scale systems were completed in just four months, up to April 2012.

More than 2,000 people are now employed in this sector alone, nearly double that of two years ago, with Exeter-based SunGift Solar having grown from nine to 46 staff in two years.

Overall, the employment growth in industry across the region has doubled in two years, building on an impressive 78% increase between 2008 and 2010, and Regen SW estimates that this will have grown by 40% to around 10,000.

The widespread availability of technology has opened up new possibilities in the agricultural industry.

Mole Valley Farmers set up a new renewable energy initiative last year, which has now installed 23,000 solar panels across 308 farm sites.

The company generated a total of 5 MW of energy in its first year, enough electricity to power 1,000 homes.

The projects are estimated to generate around £1.6 million of Feed-in Tariff income per year for members.

Regen South West Chief executive Merlin Hyman said: "This is a significant moment – no-one predicted the rate of growth in solar PV but it just shows what we can achieve.

"We have been reliant on a few big projects up to now and this is the first time we have seen capacity come online from lots of small projects.

"There is an appetite from a vast range of people from landowners to tourist businesses, farmers and community groups to get involved.

"We see a lot of negative Press but with community groups and opinion polls you see a groundswell of consistent backing for renewable energy.

"It comes down to a common sense view: British wind is better than Russian gas."

An unprecedented doubling in the South West's renewable electricity capacity in one year is "only the beginning" of a "major challenge" to meet exacting Government targets by the end of the decade, experts warn.

The region saw a 162% rise in its potential power output at maximum efficiency but actual generation grew by just 56%.

This puts the total estimated electricity which is generated at 1.4 terewatt hours (TWh) – around 5.5% of total regional demand and significantly lower than the 11% produced nationally.

Regen South West chief executive Merlin Hyman estimates that total regional renewables, including heat and transport, account for 3% of total use and must increase to 15% to meet Government targets for 2020.

Mr Hyman said that onshore resources were abundant and calculates there is further potential capacity for more than 27.6 TWh of renewable energy within the region.

However, he called for "clear and consistent" policies on incentives from Government and said an across-the-board increase in all sectors was needed to make the massive jump.

"There is a lot of scepticism about renewables but we have shown that the industry and supply chain is delivering," he added.

"The rate of growth has taken a significant step forward this year and this shows what can be achieved.

"We now need to maintain and increase this going forward – it is a major challenge

"This is a positive story but the targets are very demanding and there is a long way to go."

There are no formal targets for the South West since the Coalition scrapped the Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) in 2010. But comparing the current installed capacity against the targets set for 2010 and 2020 by the RSS gives a broad idea of the progress made.

Its onshore electricity target of between 509 to 611 MW of installed capacity for 2010 has now been achieved, with the next hurdle set at 1,247 MW by 2020.

The Government's Renewable Energy Roadmap requires 15% of energy demand to come from renewable sources, which leaves the South West a 19 TWh shortfall, a daunting task.

To reach this, all the renewable technologies require growth – including wave and tidal, biomass, ground heat as well as a further rise in offshore and onshore wind turbines. There are now 13 major wind sites in the region, though more than a third of new wind sites in 2011/2012 were classed as domestic.

There are unlikely to be any further onshore wind farms of the scale of Fullabrook, which began generating with its 22 massive turbines this year.

Suitable land is limited and most sites under consideration are up to a maximum of 20 MW.

The onshore wind sector has an annual turnover of around £2 billion with about 1,000 jobs in the South West, which equates to roughly 10% of all renewable energy-related employment.

Industry body Renewable UK has predicted more sites over the next few years.

Tim Jones, chairman of the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership, said "battle lines were drawn" over the controversial wind farms, with many opponents claiming they are an inefficient blight on the countryside.

But he said that he detected a greater willingness by people to engage on the issue, particularly since organisations like the National Trust were exploiting the technology.

"I am quite keen to get the skeleton out of the cupboard on onshore wind farms, which have so far been seen as entirely negative," he added.

"We need farms which are discrete and respect the countryside and need to find a way to have the debate."

The Government has come under fire from the Westcountry wind, wave and tidal energy industries after it delayed a key announcement on cuts to subsidy payments.

A decision on whether onshore wind energy subsidies should be cut by 10%, as the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has proposed, or by 25%, as the Treasury wants, was expected this week.

However, the two departments are still arguing over the changes and the decision has been deferred – potentially for months.

Reform of the funding regime was announced in October and looked set to put the wave and tidal industry in England and Wales on a par with Scotland – the region's main rival for jobs.

Under the proposals, support for the UK's nascent wave and tidal energy sector – which includes the pioneering Wave Hub in Cornwall, potentially the world's largest commercial wave energy terminal – would increase to two-and-a-half times the current level.

Industry body RenewableUK has urged an urgent resolution to the row over the Renewables Obligation banding levels.

Chief executive Maria McCaffery said there was "no case" for cutting beyond the 10% originally proposed. "Any further delay in an announcement could have a devastating impact on investor confidence, job creation and the deployment of clean energy," she added.

"It would be unacceptable if the decision were to be delayed until September as it is imperative that investment and job creation are not harmed in one of our key growth sectors."

Ministers have earmarked the South West as the UK's first marine energy "park", which could be based across a number of sites in Devon and Cornwall.

Regen SW has identified 350 South West companies able to benefit from the offshore renewables industry, employing between 350 and 500 people.

Chief Executive Merlin Hyman said "clarity and consistency" were required if the offshore sector is to create 5,000 jobs from 2025.

Green energy developers get subsidies based on the amount of power they produce under Renewable Energy Certificates (ROCs), funded through household energy bills.

Developers behind wave and tidal schemes were set to get five ROCs per megawatt-an-hour of energy – the same as Scotland – rather than just two.

Competition for places will be fierce at the Cornish All Blacks this season, particularly at scrum-half following two half-back arrivals from Barnstaple this summer.

Richard Friend played for the Launceston club last season before moving to National League Three South West Barum.

Friend made his return to Polson Bridge last month with fellow nine Nielson Webber making the journey as well.

However, Webber is keen to stress the differences between them. He said: "Richard and I are different nines.

"He has more pace than me and is more of an attacking player while I'm more forward-orientated. I would say I'm more of a utility back.

"I'm sure it will be horses for courses this season, whatever the coaches prefer on a given day.

"There is a competition for places there between us but it is more about what is best for the team."

Head coach Spike Rainford believes the differences in Friend and Webber's games will give the All Blacks versatility this season.

He said: "They will be pushing each other for places and that will be really good for us.

"Richard was here last year. He started the first few games and then drifted off a little bit and went away to get more experience at Barnstaple.

"Now he is back and looking bigger and stronger than ever. We're very pleased with that.

"They are two different players and I think it will pay dividends as the season goes on.

"Having two nines that play a totally different game will be a bonus for us because we can chop and change if we need to."

Much has changed off the pitch since Friend's brief departure last term. Director of rugby Simon Owens, head coach Tony Roques and backs coach Steve Perry have all left.

However, Friend says the new coaching team of Rainford, his assistant Tom Rawlings and fellow coaches Tim Mathias and Kieron Lewitt maintain equally high standards.

He said: "Not too much has changed. The same high level of players are here but the coaches are trying to make it more of a players' club.

"They want us to have more of an input and for us to get more out of it, rather than having two or three coaches who tell us everything that have to do.

"I can see it working quite well. I think we're looking for a high-placed finish and to try and push for a top-three or promotion spot. We want to build a strong team for years to come."

The ambition within the new-look Launceston setup was certainly attractive to Webber.

He hopes to live up to those standards this season, improving as a player and taking any opportunities given. He said: "It's just a great club to be at. I know a few of the boys and I'm looking to take my rugby to the next level.

"There are not many better clubs around, if that's what you want to do.

"All you can ask for is an opportunity and it is down to us whether we take it or not."

Redruth have decided against pursuing a deal for former Cornish Pirates hooker Vili Ma'asi.

Ma'asi was one of 12 players released by Championship winners London Welsh over the summer.

The 36-year-old previously worked with Redruth head coach Adrian Edwards when both men were at Cornish Pirates.

Ma'asi arrived in Cornwall during the 2000-01 season and helped Pirates earn promotion to National League One the following year. He also scored the club's only try in their EDF Energy Cup final victory at Twickenham when they beat Exeter Chiefs in 2006-07.

Edwards said: "He was the right player but just not the right occasion. It is a real shame because I think he would have made an impact.

"He was keen to come but we just thought in the best long-term interests of the club, we would keep the squad that we have got.

"We have got the boys that were loyal from last year and a few more local players in. We want to stick with that and see how we go."

Redruth had hoped Ma'asi's profile would benefit the club off the field in a community role.

Edwards said: "I spent a lot of time with Vili and I think he would have been an asset to the club – not just in terms of playing on the pitch.

"I've got a lot of time for Vili and I just wish him all the best wherever he goes now."

The Cornish club are seeking an additional fly-half to replace the departing Brett Rule. Redruth will look to recruit a local player or use a current member of their squad.

Edwards said: "Brett is going to play in Spain but we still have Paul Thirlby.

"Craig Bonds played at fly-half for a number of years and we are looking at other options as well. Nothing is decided yet.

"That is probably our one area where we need to strengthen."

Redruth's pre-season training has been going well in recent weeks. They hope to play their first pre-season friendly next month ahead of the new League One season, starting September 1 against Taunton.

"We're going along pretty steadily and we are exactly where we wanted to be," said Edwards.

Chief Reporter

Almost 200 postmen and women were attacked by dogs while delivering mail in the Westcountry in the space of 12 months, new figures show.

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) said although the 191 attacks between April 2011 and April 2012 had fallen, incidents remained unacceptably high.

The union and the Royal Mail have appealed to dog owners in Devon and Cornwall to keep animals under control during the school holidays when attacks normally increase.

Senol Ali, safety director for Royal Mail in Exeter, said: "Clearly most dogs are not inherently dangerous, however, even the most placid animal can be prone to attack if it feels its territory is being threatened.

"We would like to express our thanks to our customers for working with us to help reduce the number of attacks since 2010, now we want to reduce this number further as there are still too many attacks taking place.

"Our first priority as an employer is to ensure the welfare and safety of our people who provide a valuable service to our customers and we regularly provide advice to our people to help minimise the risk of an attack and have spent over £100,000 on awareness campaigns and equipment to help reduce the risk of injury.

"However, even just being threatened by an unrestrained pet is a frightening situation for our delivery staff and we would appeal to owners to keep their pets under control, especially if they know their pets have a territorial nature."

Figures showed that postal workers were attacked 38 times by dogs across the EX postcode, 33% down on the previous year.

In the PL postcode area, incidents also fell by 33% to 61 and by 24% in TQ postcodes to 32. There were 60 incidents in Cornwall at addresses with a TR postcode, a fall of 15%.

The Royal Mail has invested in 90,000 "posting pegs" to postmen and women, devices which help push letters through boxes whilst protecting their fingers.

Later in the year, leaflets highlighting the risks of dog attacks with be delivered in six areas, including Truro.

Dave Joyce, CWU health and safety officer, said: "The age- old image of the dog attacking the postman is not a laughing matter.

"Thousands of our members are bitten every year and hundreds suffer debilitating injuries every year which leave them with physical and psychological scarring, some with life changing disabilities and all in the course of doing their job.

"Prevention is always better than the cure when it comes to dog attacks so we hope that all dog owners will take a moment to check where their pet is, especially over the summer holidays when attacks increase."