ANGRY dog-owners in Wadebridge have swamped the town council with objections to it introducing tough new by-laws banning their pets from recreation areas.

Three petitions and other letters criticising the move have been sent to the council. It has received six letters supporting the ban.

If town councillors decide in favour of the by-law, their staff will be given the powers to issue fixed penalty fines to owners.

The town council is seeking to prohibit dogs from entering children's play areas, the tennis courts and bowling green and cemetery.

And if an owner is caught with their dog off its lead in Egloshayle or Jubilee playing fields, they could also face prosecution and a fine of up to £1,000.

Wadebridge councillors say they have been forced to consider applying to Cornwall Council to issue their own fines because of the amount of dog mess in recreation areas and other problems that have occurred with dogs off their leads.

Failing to clean up after a dog or not complying with the new dog control order could result in a fine of £80 (reduced to £50 if paid within ten days), or prosecution.

Dogs will still be allowed to be exercised off the lead in Coronation Park, but owners will have to pick up their pets' mess.

Local resident Sarah Griggs, who started one of the petitions, said lots of people had signed it, and if the ban was introduced, responsible owners would suffer because of the antisocial behaviour of a minority.

"Only very few people refuse to pick up their dog's mess and I've had words with one or two myself.

"Like most people, I always pick up after my dog and so do the vast majority, you can see that because the dog bins are always full."

Mrs Griggs said banning dogs from exercising in Egloshayle playing fields would cause particular problems for elderly owners.

"They will find it very difficult to go to Coronation Park, and there has to be some sort of compromise reached with the town council over this,'' she said.

Mayor Tony Rush agreed it was an emotive issue in Wadebridge, but stressed his council was not "anti-dog."

He said: "I own a dog and so do a number of councillors. There have been signs up for 30 years telling people to keep their pets on a lead, and to pick up after them, but some are not doing it and it's not compatible for dogs to be running around where children play.''

Mr Rush said councillors would take into account residents' views before making a decision on the by laws.

A report on the ban will be discussed at a meeting on Wednesday at 7pm, which the public can attend.

A WOMAN from North Cornwall has persuaded people to strip off and become Calendar Girls – or boys – to raise money for a charity which has a special meaning for her.

Kirsty Ferguson, from Camelford, has produced the calendar for the Multiple Sclerosis Society, having been diagnosed with the condition two years ago.

Her calendar features photographs of the countryside and beauty spots around Camelford with something extra included – bare flesh as people frolic around in fields, streams or moorland with no clothes on.

It's all in the best possible taste as the naked naturists, including Camelford's mayor Rob Rotchell, form only a small part of the pictures.

Although the sun was shining for most of the pictures photographer Karen Porter from Camelford actually took them early in the year.

"It was absolutely freezing," said Kirsty. "Being naked in a moorland stream in February is not something I would recommend."

Kirsty, 37 and a mother of three, said she came up with the idea when she was down in the dumps about not being able to work because of her MS and in need of something to focus her mind on.

Now she's hoping the finished product will raise a lot of money for the society.

"The photographs show outdoor scenes around the Camelford area with a naked person in the distance," she said. "There are a couple of bottoms to be seen, but it's all very tasteful."

Kirsty has already raised £3,000 for the MS Society this year, including a cake break — getting friends to eat cake and donate money. She is hoping the calendar will raise thousands of pounds.

"Having MS was shattering, but it has made me the person I am today.

"I feel strong to face the world, and it makes you appreciate life."

The calendars can be orderded by e-mailing mesmerisingcornwall@hotmail.com or by calling Kirsty on 01840 213638.

HAVING battled against the onrushing floodwater early last week business-owners in Fowey and Lostwithiel were given a slight reprieve after the expected "worse to come" scenario failed to materialise.

A number of businesspeople had begun Wednesday counting the cost after a combination of high tides and gale-force winds damaged premises and stock.

Salvaging goods and the arduous task of pumping premises free of water that in some cases had been waist-deep was all that was on the agenda for many.

As everyone battened down the hatches and braced for two more nights of ever-worsening weather, however, traders and residents finally caught a break.

Although the water once again invaded Fowey's high street and threatened a repeat of the previous night's damage, the eventual outcome was considerably less fraught with tension, worry and sandbags.

The only thing washing over Fowey and Lostwithiel for the next two nights was relief as the winds slowly died and the waters fell.

An employee at Brown Sugar Café in Fowey, hit hard by the original flood, said: "The next couple of days we opened a little bit late as there was still water to pump out, but other than that it was fine."

CARE home residents past and present have united to celebrate a community built on friendship and laughter.

The party at Fowey's Windmill House was also open to former residents and locals, who eagerly accepted the invitation, as did residents of Prince Charles House in St Austell.

Dorinda Hood, independent living manager at Ocean Housing Group, which runs the home, said: "It was good to see so many people. We have lovely people here and we're keen to help them keep these friendships going."

Town councillor Sherlee Gudmunsen said she would love to see more people at the home's weekly events, and invited anyone wanting to come to its Friday coffee mornings to get in touch with her so transport could be arranged.

Fowey resident Josephine is a big fan of the coffee mornings, calling them a great opportunity to 'have a good old natter and laugh', while Jean, at Windmill House for four years, said she was happy to see so many new faces. "I do hope they'll come again soon; we really want to get the bingo going again!" she said.

Ocean chief executive David Renwick said the party was particularly important as Windmill House was on the brink of change.

The flats were felt to have passed their sell-by date and the firm wanted either to upgrade them or build anew on the same site. Both options fulfilled the wishes of residents to stay together.

"We're leaning towards providing new homes, but haven't yet reached a conclusion," he said.

"As part of the process we've submitted a pre-planning application to Cornwall Council, seeking their initial thoughts as to whether permission would be granted for a new Windmill House."

HARVEST OF ART: Class 1 at St Mabyn School showing pictures they have drawn of fruit, which they used in the school's harvest festival service. Money raised from the collection went to Soapbox, an organisation sending mission teams out on projects to orphanages and schools. Early in the term, Steve Field, who had recently visited the Kibera slum in Kenya with Soapbox, visited Year 5 and 6 pupils at St Mabyn School to tell them about his time there.

AN ARSONIST suffering from deep depression has been given a 52-week suspended jail sentence after she caused damage costing most than £30,000 to her Fowey home.

Pamela Palfrey, aged 46 and now of Aberdeen Close, St Blazey, avoided an immediate jail term after pleading guilty to arson.

At Truro Crown Court on Monday Judge John Neligan gave Palfrey a 52-week prison sentence, suspended for two years, with supervision throughout.

In March Palfrey set fire to a duvet in the bedroom of her home in Pentreath Close, Fowey, in an attempt to commit suicide.

The judge said psychiatric reports clearly showed she had been considerably depressed at the time.

Told by Palfrey's defence counsel Mary McCarthy that she would continue to receive treatment and counselling, the judge replied: "She has suffered a great deal already."

Brian Fitzherbert, for the prosecution, said firefighters were dispatched to the house shortly after midnight on March 12 after Palfrey's partner Nicholas Bancroft discovered it was well alight.

"It's a very sad case," said Mr Fitzherbert.

Palfrey had been depressed for some time and 18 months previously had taken an overdose, the court heard.

Speaking after the case, Inspector Stuart Gibbons from St Austell police said arsonists such as Palfrey were rare and clearly her mental state led to her starting the fire.

"Obviously this has been reflected in the fact of the sentence by the judge," he said. "It could have been a lot more serious and thankfully there was no loss of life."

He urged people with such troubles not to suffer alone.

"This case sends out a clear message that they really do need to try and get help," he said.

Outlook South West runs NHS-funded 'talking therapy' services across the county.

Spokesman Adam McPherson said helping people overcome depression was "a global focus". A number of issues could trigger depression but most new research seemed to find a link between those diagnosed with depression and the state of the economy.

"These days, depression and anxiety is in the public spotlight and thankfully the stigma has begun to lift," he said. "Health professionals and GPs have also become better at recognising these conditions."

Outlook South West encourages people suffering with depression or anxiety to get free help and support from their doctor or make a self-referral.

For more information, contact your GP, telephone Outlook South West on 01208 871905, or go to its website at www.outlooksw.co.uk

MEMBERS of a skills exchange project in Bodmin will be taking to the streets next Friday and offering random acts of kindness.

The Bodmin Time Bank was formed last year. Members do favours for each other without payment and they will be joined next week by the Volunteer Cornwall organisation, Cornwall Council staff and local church groups for the day.

Time Bank members will be handing out small gifts to the general public and providing free tea, coffee and home-made cake in Bodmin Community Rooms. They will also be visiting local shops and offices and leaving small gifts of appreciation.

Christine Pryce, the local Time Bank co-ordinator, said offering acts of kindness can be infectious.

"Too often we underestimate the power of touch, a smile, a kind word or a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the simple act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around,'' said Mrs Pryce.

"The idea is to create a movement from something simple based on the notion from the Mental Health Foundation that doing good, does you good. Kindness can be infectious – if you are nice to someone, there is a good chance they will be nice to someone else – and so it spreads.''

Bodmin Time Bank will also be holding a book and jigsaw swap shop next Friday.

Mrs Pryce said: "Lots of us have books or jigsaws that are sitting on shelves or hidden away in cupboards, sometimes for years, always with the intention of revisiting or passing them on, but never getting around to doing so.

"Time Bank is about helping each other out, doing simple favours for each other and making new friends in the process, and people who come along to the coffee morning will be able to see what Time Bank is about and leave with a new book or puzzle.''

Nina Davy from Radio Cornwall will be paying the Time Bank a visit on this morning to speak to members and find out what exchanges have taken place and how Time Bank has helped the community.

BODMIN residents could be faced with a by-election bill of more than £10,000 following the resignation of two former mayors.

If an election is called, the two new councillors would only be eligible to attend one full council meeting before people go to the polls again in May for the local government elections.

Bodmin mayor Ken Stubbs believes holding a by-election amounted to a "waste of money'' and urged prospective candidates to think twice before putting up for the council.

Ten or more residents have to write to Cornwall Council to force a by-election, but the town council would prefer to co-opt two new members and save it the cost.

It is expected that as many as five current town councillors will not be seeking re-election come May.

The vacancies have been caused by the resignation of Linda Spear and Michelle Griffiths over a land deal.

Both accused their former council colleagues of serious breaches in local government rules after the council exchanged a parcel of land with West End Motors to make way for a pay and display car park off Dennison Road.

This week, Bodmin mayor Ken Stubbs said the two councillors had previously indicated they would not be standing again in May, and to run a by-election in the coming months would be a waste of taxpayers' money.

Mr Stubbs said: "These two councillors resigned after the council exchanged a very small piece of land to allow work to be completed on the new car park in Dennison Road, which was a perfectly legal use of the council's powers.''

He said that the by-election is not likely to take place until late January or February, leaving just one full council meeting for them to attend before May.

The mayor said: "Spending in excess of £10,000 to elect two councillors who would have no time to achieve anything on the council seems to me to be a waste of money.

Bodmin Town Council has now agreed to advertise the two vacancies, one in St Mary's ward and the other in St Petroc's ward.

Elections will only take place if potential candidates can persuade ten people on the electoral roll to call one by November 13.

Alternatively, anyone living or working in Bodmin can apply after November 13 to join as a co-opted member. Mr Stubbs added: ''I am as much in favour of democracy and elections as anybody. But in this case, I hope anybody asked to put their name to a form demanding an election will stop, think and ask if the cost involved is worth two councillors attending one meeting.''

TOWN leaders have urged the Liskeard community to come together as it prepares to welcome retail guru Mary Portas back for the Big Clean Up this weekend.

Liskeard was selected as one of 12 Portas Pilots by the Government earlier this year, and it scooped £100,000 to help revitalise the town centre.

To kick-start the revamp, Mary Portas persuaded Mace, the construction company responsible for the Olympic Park and the Shard, London's tallest building, to project manage a mass voluntary spruce-up of the town in October.

As part of the project, a TV crew will also be filming the developments in Liskeard.

Gavin Davies, chairman of the Liskeard chamber of commerce, said the clean-up was a good idea.

"We are hoping to make the town a nicer place to be," he said. "I think it's a brilliant project and a great opportunity for Liskeard to show what people can achieve when everyone works together."

Local residents will be out in force on Saturday and Sunday to paint buildings, plant flowers and clean and prepare buildings for new tenants.

There will also be a range of entertainment on offer including music and street dance.

A spokesman from the TV show said: "Volunteers have been signing up since Mary's town meeting in the public hall and the response has been fantastic. We want the whole town to get involved. There is lots to do and many hands make light work."

Local businesses such as the Co-op and Boots have helped to fund the project. Local banks have also signed up to provide business mentorship to help new shops start up.

Mr Davies said a range of materials have been donated ranging from luminous jackets to paint and building supplies. Local WI groups will also be on hand to supply the workers with refreshments.

Part of the scheme includes shops being rented out without charge to encourage more trade in the town.

Mr Davies said: "A brighter town with more shops will bring more people in. If landlords will rent for free even for a short time, it will help fill the town.

"Everyone has been really positive about it and lots of people have already volunteered. Everyone wants Liskeard to be a brighter and nicer place to visit."

More than 100 people have already signed up to help but if you would like to get involved, e-mail maryinliskeard@optomen.com.

Volunteers are asked to meet on Fore Street at 9.30am on Saturday.

The Big Clean Up weekend is being filmed as part of Mary's Channel 4 show which is due to air next spring.

CAMELFORD's leisure centre has been saved from closure – and now local people are being urged to use it and ensure its survival.

The news came this week after a business plan devised by a local committee persuaded Cornwall Council not to close the centre, which incorporates a swimming pool and sports hall.

Now the final touches are being put to plans for the community to take over the running of the centre by the end of this year.

The community-based plans, developed by Camelford Leisure Centre Steering Group, the council and the Friends of Camelford Leisure Centre, will see the operation of the centre transferred from Carrick Leisure to a new industrial provident society early in December.

Further work will take place over the next two months in order to put everything in place ready for the handover.

"This is great news for the people of Camelford and the surrounding area," said mayor Rob Rotchell, chairman of the Camelford Leisure Centre Steering Group.

"It's the culmination of two years' hard work by a small group of local people and staff from Cornwall Council.

"We're grateful for the help we've been given and look forward to developing this vital local resource.

"In the next few weeks we'll be publishing the new programme of activities and I urge the people of Camelford to use the leisure centre to ensure its long-term future."

The employment contracts of all the current staff end on December 10 and it is possible that they will then have to apply for jobs with the new employers.

Cornwall Council's Cabinet decided a year ago not to include the centre in the charitable trust which was set up to run leisure services.

However, it said if an acceptable business plan was ready by the end of 2011 it would consider funding and operational support beyond the cut-off date of March 31, 2012 – six months ago.

Neil Burden, the portfolio holder for Children's Services, said: "This highlights how local communities and Cornwall Council can work together to secure local services in a challenging financial environment.

"Part of the funding is coming from Children's Services which is guaranteeing £30,000 a year for the next two years."

Councillors Keith Goodenough, Glenton Brown and John Lugg were also pleased with the progress, saying in a joint statement: "The community has pulled together to keep the leisure centre open and we would like to recognise the considerable efforts of those individuals and groups who have made this transfer a reality. What has been achieved so far is quite astounding."

Dave Ferrett, chairman of the Friends of Camelford Leisure Centre, said: "We're delighted with the news. We can now all move forward with confidence supporting the leisure centre management in providing this valuable community asset."

A DAUGHTER has urged Cornwall's coroner to ensure people diagnosed with an industrial disease – and their families – are warned that a "distressing" inquest would probably be held after their deaths.

Rose Bailey, of Polvella Close, Newquay, spoke out after suffering the shock of being told a post-mortem examination had to be carried out on her 90-year-old mother, ten days after her death.

She questioned the need for the intrusive examination when her mum, Rose Matilda Clarke, had been largely unaffected by the disease that she contracted as a teenager.

At an inquest on Wednesday, Mrs Bailey urged coroner for Cornwall Dr Emma Carlyon to encourage "better communication" between agencies and families concerning asbestos-related deaths.

Dr Carlyon broadly agreed, saying: "we need to get this right" – although she claimed her office was not at fault for the communications breakdown.

Following the hearing, Mrs Bailey told the Cornish Guardian: "The solace that we took from her [Mrs Clarke's] peaceful passing, seeing her best friend and family in the days before she died, was destroyed by knowing that her remains would be violated by a post-mortem.

"It was not something we had time to come to terms with, and came as a dreadful shock. We had reported her death, had a death certificate and were going ahead with the funeral. This came out of the blue."

Mrs Clarke, of Trerice Drive, died peacefully at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro on Saturday, April 28, with her daughter and granddaughter by her side.

Wednesday's inquest at Truro Coroner's Court found the cause to be pneumonia due to underlying asbestosis – a chronic lung condition which was caused by exposure to asbestos.

Mrs Clarke, who was a heavy smoker for 30 years, was exposed to the asbestos over 12 months between 1938 and 1939 when, then aged 16, she worked at a factory in Barking. She was diagnosed with asbestosis 62 years later, in 2001.

Mrs Bailey was issued with a death certificate on May 2 but the following day was "astonished" to find doctors had refused to release her mother's body to funeral directors.

She said the family had been left in the dark over the four-day bank holiday weekend until Tuesday, May 8, when they were first informed that a post-mortem would be needed.

She immediately challenged the need for the examination on a 90-year-old woman and at 9.02am the next day sent a fax to the coroner's office urging it not to carry out a post-mortem.

However, the office called her back at 2.30pm to say it had already been undertaken, before 9am.

The family was then put through the ordeal of having to identify the body in order for it to be ready in time for the funeral – a process Mrs Bailey said "destroyed" the relief they had that her mother's passing had been peaceful.

"We wanted mum in a Chapel of Rest in Newquay, where we live, not in a hospital morgue," she said.

Dr Carlyon said her office was not at fault and had "turned this around" in 24 hours.

She said asbestosis sufferers were told of the inquest process about the time of diagnosis, although Mrs Bailey said this was not the case with her mother.

"No one is taking the responsibility," she told the inquest. "There needs to be an investigation into what happened. It is not the outcome, it is the process. This should never happen."

Dr Carlyon said she would write to the Bereavment Office and to hospital managers: "We need to get this right; we do not want families having to wait nine to ten days to get on with their funeral; that is not right."

She recorded a verdict that Mrs Clarke died of the industrial disease asbestosis.

In the first-ever debate resulting from an online petition, it lost a backbench business motion calling on it to cancel the pilot culling schemes and find other ways to defeat the disease, which cost the lives of 26,000 cattle last year.

The voting was 147 in favour of the motion and 28 against.

While very disappointed by the result, which is not binding on Government policy, Westcountry farmers are calling on Ministers to show fortitude and press ahead with the culls in West Somerset and around Tewkesbury in late spring next year.

"It would be a pretty sorry state of affairs if Government policy were dictated by internet campaigns run by pressure groups," said Ian Johnson, regional spokesman for the National Farmers' Union in the South West.

But the badger cull was ill-judged and deeply unpopular, said Green MP Caroline Lucas, as MPs from across the political divide called for the abandoning of the controversial policy.

Miss Lucas told MPs that shooting badgers would never achieve the Government's target of reducing bovine TB by 16%, and she accused Tory MPs who supported the ban of being emotional. She said any cull would only move the problem elsewhere, while one trial which destroyed 10,000 badgers had limited success.

The MP for Brighton Pavillion had tabled a motion calling on the Government to "stop the cull and implement a more sustainable and humane solution" of vaccinating against TB, and improved testing for the disease.

Twenty-nine other MPs from all three main parties signed the motion, including the Tory MPs Zac Goldsmith and Tracey Crouch, while more than 160,000 people put their names to an online petition.

The heated debate came after the Government announced on Tuesday it planned to delay the culling of badgers until next year as there were more of the animals than anticipated.

Speaking in the Commons, Miss Lucas said: "While Tuesday's announcement to suspend the cull is very welcome, it does not amount to a change in policy. Today's motion calls on the Government to stop its ill-judged, unscientific and deeply unpopular culling policy for good, not just for a few months. This motion is about an abandonment of a cull, not just a postponement. That's what the majority of the public wants and it is what the science demands. Public opinion overwhelmingly opposes a badger cull, including in those places where a pilot is due to take place.

"The scale of the problem is such that it is deeply irresponsible and unfair to gamble, as this Government is doing, with farmers' livelihoods and with the future of one of our best-loved wildlife species."

Miss Lucas said she understood the distress caused to farmers by bovine TB, but claimed culling actually increased the prevalence of the disease in badgers.

Earlier, Environment Secretary Owen Paterson said it was "completely essential" the Government continued with the cull.

He told MPs he had: "every intention that these culls go ahead. There will be time to prepare, there will be no hitches next year, we shall deliver this policy. It is completely essential that we go ahead with these culls and prove that they will work, so that we bear down on disease in wildlife and we bear down on disease in cattle."

Tiverton and Honiton Tory MP Neil Parish said: "We are taking out the cattle with TB but we are not taking out and controlling the badgers."

Conservative Mel Stride (Central Devon) said it was "simply impractical" at the moment to consider vaccination of badgers as a sensible way forward before achieving a reliable oral vaccine. There were not the resources to trap badgers individually and inject them.

And Tory Geoffrey Cox (Torridge and West Devon) said: "What we are doing here is not out of some bloodthirsty desire to kill, but is a serious reaction to a pressing problem, is sincerely intended, is meant to tackle the disease, a disease that so badly requires to be tackled for the sake of the country."

Laurie McGlone retains the Cornish Pirates captaincy as they return to action in the RFU Championship on Sunday against Leeds at the Mennaye Field (2.30pm), writes Dick Straughan.

Pirates head coach Ian Davies has made seven changes to the starting line-up following last weekend's British & Irish Cup win at Dundee, and is able to welcome back recent injury victims Gavin Cattle, Wes Davies and Matt Evans to his matchday squad.

Cattle is on the bench, after missing the last month through concussion, along with Davies, while Canadian speedster Evans returns to the left wing as he looks to add to his tally of six tries so far this season.

Jack Nowell retains the full-back berth and Grant Pointer continues on the right wing, but a double change in midfield sees both Tom Riley and Junior Fatialofa return.

Kieran Hallett also comes back at fly-half with Aaron Penberthy dropping to the bench.

In a strong pack Alan Paver and Rob Elloway both take over in the front row after being rested last weekend and will partner Paul Andrew. Gary Johnson starts at lock alongside Darren Barry, with an unchanged back-row behind them.

Cornish Pirates: Nowell, Pointer, Riley, Fatialofa, Evans, Hallett, Kessell; Andrew, Elloway, Paver, Barry, Johnson, Maidment, Burgess, McGlone. Replacements: Storer, Yeandle, Prescott, Lyons, Cattle, Penberthy, Davies.

Referee: D Rose (RFU).

* LIVE BLOG: Cornish Pirates versus Leeds Carnegie - Follow us this Sunday at: www.thisiscornwall.co.uk

The RNLI has issued a reminder to families and individuals to stay safe by visiting lifeguarded beaches this October half term.

RNLI lifeguards will be providing safety cover on Praa Sands, Gwithian, Porthmeor, Porthtowan, Perranporth, Polzeath, Widemouth and Summerleaze in Cornwall from Saturday October 27 through to Sunday November 4.

For the second year running Fistral has full time cover during October and the half term week, and will also be patrolled during weekends in November with RNLI lifeguards volunteering to operate this cover.

RNLI Lifeguard Inspector Steve Instance said: "Thanks to additional funding from local authorities and private beach owners, the charity is again able to extend the lifeguard season into October on a selection of beaches, providing safety cover for those looking to prolong the summer season and enjoy the favourable surf conditions that autumn can bring.

"We encourage people heading to the coast during half term to visit these beaches where the charity's lifesavers will be on hand to keep people safe, offering useful advice to help prevent accidents and a rapid reaction if something does go wrong.

"Of course the charity's volunteer RNLI lifeboat crews remain on call 24 hours a day ready to respond to anyone in difficulty around the coast. However, it's essential that people are aware of the dangers and know how to look after themselves in the water to prevent incidents.

"We recommend that people take note of the safety signage at the entrance to the beach, always go with a friend or tell someone on the shore where they are going and be aware of the conditions and their own capabilities in the water.

"If water users should find themselves in difficulty they should keep hold of their surf or bodyboard as it'll help keep them afloat.

"Walkers should also find out about the local weather conditions and tide times and avoid visiting more remote parts of the shoreline when the tide is coming in."

More safety advice can be found at rnli.org.uk.

As the hunting season gets under way across the Westcountry battle-lines have once again been drawn between warring sides.

Seven years after the battle over fox hunting pitted rural communities against their urban neighbours the arguments still rage.

Today The Countryside Alliance branded the Hunting Act "an attack on rural people" insisting it had "failed spectacularly" to improve animal welfare."

Meanwhile, the League Against Cruel Sports said despite the ban, not all hunts used the legal methods of train and drag and thousands of wild animals were still being chased and killed by "criminals and thugs".

Opening meets mark the beginning of the official hunting season with most hunts holding them in the last week of October and the first week of November.

Barney White-Spunner, executive chairman of the Countryside Alliance said the Hunting Act made it impossible for farmers to control foxes to safeguard their livestock.

He said: "It is quite clear that as well as the immense difficulties the law has brought for hunts, the police and in some cases the courts, it has had no benefit for the quarry species.

"In some areas alternative management methods have seriously reduced the fox population, whilst in the uplands the Hunting Act makes it nearly impossible for farmers to control numbers and protect their livestock.

"The Hunting Act was an attack on rural people rather than an attempt to improve animal welfare which is why it has failed so spectacularly.

"We continue to campaign for a resolution to the hunting debate based on evidence and principle, not prejudice and political point-scoring".

Mr White-Spunner's comments came as the Alliance released findings from a survey of 123 hunts across the country.

He said: "It is immensely encouraging that seven years on from the ban, hunts are in good heart.

Joe Duckworth, chief executive at the League Against Cruel Sports, said the organisation had launched a £1 million strategy to tackle illegal hunting and other wildlife crime.

He said: "These criminals are not just breaking the law, they are behaving like thugs with no regard for wildlife or those living in rural communities.

"Members of the public call to tell us of the havoc that hunts bring with them.

"The hounds riot through private gardens, trespass on railway lines, and even kill family cats and dogs.

"When people try to stop them or ask what they're up to, they often face verbal or physical abuse and even intimidation.

"Hunting animals with dogs for sport is cruel, unnecessary and illegal."

A first edition copy of Lord Of The Flies signed by its Newquay-born author Sir William Golding has sold for £15,000. Moments earlier, at the same sale at Bloomsbury Auctions in London, a first edition copy of Rebecca, signed by its author Dame Daphne du Maurier, which cost eight shillings and sixpence new, sold for £5,500.

The copy of Lord Of The Flies, which cost 12 shillings and sixpence new, had been expected to sell for between £8,000 and £12,000,while the copy of Rebecca was expected to fetch between £3,000 and £4,000. Sir William's book was particularly valuable because not only was it signed by the author, but also by novelist Graham Greene, who once owned the book. Both books were among 400 first editions put up for sale by theatre critic and writer Clive Hirschhorn.

Police detected 1,200 driving offences and issued fines totalling £25,000 after stopping more than 400 trucks in a large-scale road safety operation.

One foreign heavy goods vehicle worth £80,000 was impounded and drivers were found to be failing to correctly operate tachographs, in some cases exceeding the ten-hour limit by as much as eight hours.

Officers from Devon and Cornwall Police and the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency worked together on the three-week operation, which ended this month.

Operation Fatigue pulled over 400 goods vehicles on main roads, almost 180 of them operated by companies outside Great Britain.

The total amount in fines imposed by way of graduated fixed penalty notices exceeded £25,000.

Co-ordinator of the operation, Sgt Richard Gordon, from Camborne said: "Operations such as these send a clear message to rogue operators that we are out there, checking on the condition and use of goods vehicles and will prosecute and prohibit wherever appropriate."

VOSA Area Manager Andrew Sauerzapf said: seizure of vehicles was the "ultimate sanction".

"This has been a very positive and immediate effect on fair competition rules and road safety," he added.

In the eyes of the world, Hanabeth Luke was the Angel of Bali.

The Cornish-born woman had been photographed helping a desperately injured teenager stagger clear of the burning rubble of a terrorist bomb outrage.

The atrocity a decade ago claimed 202 lives, including that of her "soul mate," mechanic Marc Gajardo, 30, from Carnon Downs, near Truro.

Under the circumstances, no-one could blame her for feeling hate. But she does not, and what's even more extraordinary is that she has forgiven the Muslim extremists who tore apart so many lives.

Speaking from her home in Australia, she told the Western Morning News how she has found peace, and perhaps a small slice of Heaven.

"There was no period when I did hate," said the 32-year-old. "There is enough hatred in this world and it has done enough harm.

"I feel forgiveness (to the bombers)," she added.

"At the end of the day anger and bitterness are things that eat you.

"I believe that if you have a burning hatred, in the end it is you that gets burned."

Her feelings have not always been easy to reconcile with the atrocity, she readily admits.

"I did want to understand why. I couldn't comprehend how anyone could have that much hate that they would want to destroy human life."

Today in Byron Bay, where she is a university lecturer, Hanabeth will launch her book, Shock Waves, a vivid account of the bombing and her life afterwards.

It was "very cathartic," she said, and certainly it has helped her come to terms with what happened on October 12, 2002, when a bomb ripped through two nightclubs.

Hanabeth and Marc, enjoying a stop-over holiday en-route from Cornwall to Australia, were dancing with friends when Cher's Believe was played.

"Marc said he wasn't dancing to Cher and joked he had some pride and walked off," said Hanabeth.

It was the last time she saw him alive.

Moments later, one bomb detonated, rapidly followed by a second, much larger explosion.

At the moment, it is not something Hanabeth wishes to talk about.

With a ten-hour time difference between the UK and Australia, it is nearly her bedtime, she says, implying poring over the terrible details once more would rob her of a peaceful sleep.

There were some positive effects of the bombing, she said. A fundraiser held in Cornwall afterwards raised more than £4,000 for a burns unit in Bali.

She also remains in close contact with Marc's parents, who will be at the book launch.

"It is something I will never forget. I won't forget Marc and his beautiful family is still a part of my life.

"The experience is like a part of you, but you have to make a decision afterwards and you have to work towards creating a better life."