FOR amazing Camborne runner Emma Stepto the Cardiff half-marathon on Sunday  proved to be the perfect race – she smashed her personal best, moved second on the UK All-Time Rankings for over 40 women and best of all was crowned British champion., writes Kevin Fahey.

The event incorporated the British Championships this year to ensure a strong domestic entry and while Stepto had hoped for a good performance never in her wildest dreams did she imagine winning her first national title at the  age of 44.

"It is just crazy and I still can't believe it!" said Stepto. "I must admit to shedding a few tears after the race I was so happy.

"Me - British champion? It just doesn't sound right."

Bur Stepto is and the Cornwall AC runner fully deserved her success after a superbly paced effort around the streets of the Wales capital.

Starting cautiously Stepto resisted the urge to go off with the Kenyan trio of Joan Chelimo, Perendis Lekapana and Gladys Yator as they raced clear.

"I had always planned to push on hard from 10 miles and then just hang in there," explained Stepto. "I caught Rebecca Robinson and then Yator. I even over-took the second Kenyan (Lekapana) towads the end but she just sprinted by me again."

Stepto dug deep and finished strongly for third overall behind Chelimo and Lekapana clocking a time of 72mins 28secs which carved 1mins 12secs off her lifetime best set when winning Bristol last year.

The time is the fifth fastest in the UK this year, the fastest in the west country and on the All-Time Rankings is the sixth quickest ever recorded by a west woman. Stepto is also the first Cornwall woman athlete to win the British half marathon title so no wonder she shed a few tears of delight.

Stepto wasn't the only Cornwall runner to take advantage of the perfect conditions. East Cornwall Harrier Dan Nash, whose family home is in Minions near Liskeard, broke his personal best to finish 15th overall and top county runner.

The 20-year-old, who is a student in Cardiff, clocked 66:47 which smashed his only previous effort at the distance of 71: 13 which he clocked in Madrid last year.

Among the top 100 finishers there were also PBs for St Austell Running Club's Stuart Nicholas (75:36) and Hayle junior Daniel Costello (75:57).

Workers in Cornwall earn £6,300 a year less than the UK average - and the gap is getting wider, new figures have revealed.

The average wage in the Duchy now stands at £20,900 pa, compared to the UK's average of £27,200.

Shockingly, the figures also reveal workers in Cornwall are earning £17,000 a year less than those in London and the South East.

The disparity between West Country pay packets and the rest of the country is also getting worse, with wages in the region rising by just 0.8% in the past year, compared to a national average rise of 1.6%.

According to the ManpowerGroup Pay League table, Cornwall comes 32nd out of a total of 36 West Country local authority areas.

People living in Bath are the region's best paid, earning £36,700 annually, whereas only workers living in Torbay, Torridge, and West Somerset receive less in their pay packets than people in Cornwall.

Tim Jones, chairman of the Devon and Cornwall Business Council said: "The consequences of this league table is that poor pay is a major turn off to retain quality staff in the region which is why we have this huge exodus of young people.

"This league table shows that while we have much better levels of employment in the South West, the region is not the right place to secure your financial future."

ManpowerGroup's analysis revealed an increasing pay gap between the region's men and women. Average annual pay for men in full-time work rose 3% to £15.79 per hour, while women saw their pay rise just 0.9%, to £13.05 per hour.

Dugald McIntosh, head of engineering at Experis, ManpowerGroup's global professional services arm, said: "There is quite a marked difference in pay growth between men and women in the South West. One reason for this growing gender divide is that many of the roles and industries which have thrived in the region in recent years still tend to be male-dominated so the sharp pay rises will be enjoyed by more men than women.

"However, we have seen signs that companies are working hard to address the gender gap."

THE number of people reporting being pressured into buying renewable energy on the doorstep in Cornwall has tripled in the last month.

Natural Generation, a renewable energy company based in Perranporth, said they had seen a big rise in the number of people who felt they were victims of misselling.

The company had received calls from friends and relatives of people who were being pressured to stump up large deposits for what they say are overpriced and inappropriate solar energy and biomass systems.

Ivor Thomson, managing director of Natural Generation, said: "Renewable energy systems such as PV can be a fantastic addition to a household, reducing energy bills and generating an export income, but our clients needs to have time and space to make their decision.

"As one of the region's most trusted renewable energy companies we often get referrals from concerned relatives and friends who realise how much a good quality system should cost and find their loved ones have been put under too much pressure to sign on the day for a costly system with poor quality panels or mounting."

The Renewable Energy Consumer Code (RECC) specifically states that representatives should not stay longer than two hours, should not offer a discount for signing on the day or claim limited availability where there is none.

Natural Generation said that the Government Feed-In Tariff rate is next due to drop on December 31 from 14.38pence to 13.88 pence for each kWh generated but this is such a minor drop that consumers shouldn't feel under pressure to sign up if they aren't entirely comfortable with the benefits of doing so.

Robert Grimsted, commercial business manager at Natural Generation, said: "Some companies seem to be cold calling by phone and knocking on doors offering poor equipment at inflated prices by non-technical sales staff.

"A key part of our role is in educating the general public and companies about the serious energy savings that installing a rooftop or ground-mounted PV system can bring them as well as the importance of the environmental impact for our planet.

"We have hundreds of happy customers locally who can testify to the difference that a well specified, well-installed system is making to their energy bills and their lifestyles.

"We advise that people make a simple call to a local installer who will provide a professional solar surveyor to ensure a well-designed system with quality components at sometimes at much as a third of the costs. The majority of Natural Generation's customers call having been recommended by a friend or relative."

A TRURO pub has closed its doors to undergo a major makeover.

The Rising Sun on Mitchell Hill will undergo a refurbishment thanks to landlord Tom Hannon and owners Punch Taverns.

Once complete the pub will boast new decor and improved facilities including a new roof and a brand new kitchen for Tom to apply his trade in.

Tom, who has been in the trade for 13 years, is excited about the refurbishment and his latest venture.

He said: "I have learnt my trade through working at all different catering establishments, from pubs to fine dining restaurants, from one rosette to three.

"Amongst these I have been fortunate enough to work in some of the best kitchens in the county, and with being a chef; I am passionate about sourcing, cooking and eating good local food.

"The plans look fantastic. We will be offering the community something completely different and a range of facilities to suit all. I can't wait to see the end result and of course, serving up some of my original Cornish dishes."

Punch Taverns' partnership development manager, Lisa Smart, is also looking forward to the reopening of the new look pub: "It's great that Punch can invest in their pubs and we essentially want to reposition the Rising Sun as one of the leading venues for great drinks and quality dining in Truro and the surrounding area.

"The Rising Sun is part of the £45million we are spending on pubs across the UK and I am sure that under Tom's guidance that it will only go from strength to strength from here."

The people of Camborne are being urged to lobby proposed budget cuts that could threaten the future of the town centre.

Both Camborne Chamber of Commerce and Camborne BID believe that many of the proposed changes will have a negative impact in the town.

Amongst the measures being put forward are charging for on street parking and the installation of parking metres, reducing the budget for car park cleaning and litter services and the closure of all Cornwall Council toilets between the months of November and March

Camborne BID chairman George le Hunte believes that the potential charging for on-street parking in particular will hit the town hard.

"Camborne is recognised for being a great town for drop-in shopping and the new measures are threatening that.

"It will be particular catastrophic at Christmas when many people call into town to pick up little bits and bobs and if we lose free on street parking, then I think that these measures will stop people coming in."

Camborne Chamber of Commerce chair Glynis Charlesworth says that reducing the budget for car-park cleaning and litter services will undermine the hard work of many people around the town.

"This proposal is definitely bad news for all of those trying to clean up the Camborne.

"People around Camborne have already pressure washed the streets and cleaned the walls and if the budget for these type of services is cut, then their hard work will be wasted."

Mr le Hunte also argues that the November to March toilet closure isn't appropriate for Camborne as it is not a tourist town.

"At the moment we have the Rosewarne Car Park toilets and those at the rugby club, but shutting these between November and March doesn't make sense as Camborne is not much busier in the summer months than it is in winter.

"We are not a seasonal town and what will happen at Christmas when shoppers come in from neighbouring villages and need to use the toilet?

"However, I've been told that if we shout loud enough then we have a chance of stopping these new measures."

Anybody wishing to voice their disapproval of the proposed new measures should email bhill@cornwall.gov.uk or attend the Cornwall Council public budget engagement event at Pool Innovation Centre on October 15 at 7pm.

A fourth set of naked photographs of celebrities has been leaked online - including the first male victim's pictures.

The pictures, reportedly hacked from the iCloud, have been appearing online in intervals over the past month.

The latest set are said to include photos of Nick Hogan, son of Hulk, as well as Winona Ryder, 90210 actress AnnaLynne McCord, and Victoria's Secret model Erin Heatherton.

Other celebrities already targeted include Hunger Games star Jennifer Lawrence, singer Rihanna and model Kate Upton.

The incidents - dubbed by the trending terms of 'The Fappening' or 'Celebgate' - has sparked anger due to the major breach of privacy.

A warning has been issued by Jennifer Lawrence that the authorities had been contacted and that anyone found to have posted stolen photos would be prosecuted.

The leakings have drawn attention to the use of 'cloud' services as a means of storing information on online networks rather than in a device hard-drive.

Apple said the images had been obtained using a 'targeted attack' for information such as passwords rather than a specific security vulnerability in its iCloud service.

POLICE are seeking an OAP have-a-go hero who tried to stop a gang from carrying out a "nasty unprovoked attack" on a teenager.

The elderly passer-by tried to intervene after the trio launched their attack on the 16 year-old male in Truro during broad daylight.

The teenager was walking by Ernest Jones jewellers on Boscawen Street, at approximately 3pm when the young thugs set upon him.

PC Marie Moore, from Truro police, said: "This was a nasty unprovoked attack, which took place in broad daylight. They kicked and punched him. The boys continued kicking him while he lay unconscious on the floor."

The injured teen was taken to the Royal Hospital, Treslike, and treated for concussion and internal bruising to his abdomen.

Police have praised the "courageous" OAP for risking her own safety to try and halt the attack.

As part of the ongoing investigation they are hoping the good Samaritan will come forward.

PC Moore added: "You would imagine that there would be a lot of people around who would have witnessed this nasty attack.

"If you have any information regarding this incident please contact Devon and Cornwall police on 101 quoting reference number CR/107843/14."

Do you know this brave lady who tried to help? Call the West Briton on 01872 247410. 

THE first seal pup of the season has been taken in by the Cornish Seal Sanctuary at Gweek.

A spokeswoman for the sanctuary said: "On Saturday, our first pup of the season was picked up by British Divers Marine Life Rescue.

"Stardust is a female grey seal and arrived at the animal hospital for rehabilitation.

"She was separated from her mum, and was found on the rocks of Gwithian beach.

"Although she had no visible injuries, she was so hungry she was found suckling on the rocks, which has given her a sore muzzle."

She said the sanctuary can expect to treat between 30 to 50 pups each year. They can be viewed by the public usually between September and February before they are then released back into the sea.

Anyone who finds a seal pup on a beach is advised not to touch it or attempt to get it back into the sea. Instead, they are asked to call the seal sanctuary on 01326 221361.

A man has been treated for "minor burns" as a result of a fire involving a cooker in Redruth.

Firefighters from Redruth, Camborne and Truro stations attended the blaze at the terrace house on Chapel Row, Penders Lane at 11.30am.

On arrival crews found the fire contained to the ground floor kitchen of the house.

A spokesman from the Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service said: "firefighters wearing breathing apparatus entered the property and extinguished the fire using a high pressure hose-reel."

Ambulance crews treated the man for minor burns at the scene.

This is all the information available about this incident.

MP for south east Cornwall Sheryll Murray has spoken of her outrage after a mobile phone was "thrown" at her during the filming of a BBC One show.

The phone was tossed by prospective Labour MP for Camborne and Redruth, Michael Foster, at the BBC Plymouth studios during the filming of Sunday Politics.

The incident occurred during a break in recording when there was a discussion about whose mobile phone was switched on.

Footage shows Mr Foster tossing the phone underarm before it makes contact with the Conservative MP's wrist.

In an interview with BBC Spotlight Mrs Murray said that Mr Foster had shown "totally unacceptable behaviour" and has been left "shaken" by the ordeal.

In response Mr Foster said that he did not intend to offend or cause any harm to Mrs Murray.

He said: "I'm surprised Sheryll Murray has made such a fuss about this incident. I apologised immediately for any upset.

"Sheryll Murray claims the phone tossing incident was frightening. What really is frightening is having to take your kids down to the food bank because the Tories will cut your hard won in-work-benefits and so tip your family into poverty, and the fact that Tory MP's never apologise when they are clearly wrong on the provision of inexpensive homes to buy and to rent in Cornwall, and in wasting over £3 billion of the NHS budget in unnecessary reorganisation.

"My mother always said that it is very hard to learn anything when one is speaking. Sheryll has decided to make this personal so I would venture that Sheryll is a speak only Tory.

"There are Tories who listen, but Sheryl Murray is not one of them.

"Now I would like to get back to my proper work to bring more jobs and better wages to the people of Camborne and Redruth." 

CORNWALL Council is "not fit for purpose", parish councillors and representatives from across the county declared following a heated three-hour meeting last week.

Representatives of more than a dozen parish councils stretching from Gweek to Carlyon Bay packed a hall in Chacewater in response to a letter sent in July by Chacewater Parish Council to all 213 town and parish councils outlining its criticisms of Cornwall Council.

In the letter, also published in the West Briton, Chacewater branded the unitary authority an "emerging dictatorship" and attacked its lack of communication, savings plans, planning policy, arm's-length organisations and highly paid officers.

At the highly-charged meeting on Tuesday, fellow parish councillors agreed and declared change must happen at Cornwall Council.

More militant members called for the local government ombudsman to be called in, for the formation of an alliance of parish councils and even for protests to take place at the doors of County Hall – but after declaring Cornwall Council "not fit for purpose" the decision was taken to draft a further letter, to be agreed by the councils which attended, before firing it off to Cornwall Council's chief executive Andrew Kerr, leader John Pollard, elected members and all town and parish councils. They also hope the letter will win them the backing of the county's MPs and the media.

A further meeting is to be staged in north Cornwall as the uprising gathers momentum.

Truro city councillor Armorel Carlyon, who chaired the meeting despite her own council not endorsing what has become known as the 'Chacewater Letter', told those gathered in the hall that she could see "democratically elected members being airbrushed out of the picture" by non-elected council officers. Housing schemes were "totally out of scale for Cornwall and they are moving in on the greenfield sites", she said.

Orlando Kimber, from the Cornwall branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, told the meeting: "The pain you are feeling is felt by many others," adding that when it came to planning policy "people aren't listening to us either at local or national government".

Speakers reeled off a list of complaints, among them a lack of devolved and appropriately funded services to parish councils, disregard for the localism agenda, lack of transparency, the tendering process of the council's arm's-length contractor Cormac, the role of planning officers and the county's waste policy.

Also high on the list were accusations of elected members being "shunned by officers"; the role of the council's 19 community network managers, condemned as a waste of time and money; the barrage of housing schemes and developments despite local opposition; and the second homes scandal, whereby owners can 'flip' their properties – exploiting a loophole to avoid paying council tax or business rates by declaring them as holiday lets, but with income below the threshold for the rates.

Mike Burden, from Mylor Parish Council, said: "I find it extraordinary that after moving to a unitary council and removing one tier of local government, more services are not being devolved down to parish councils."

Nigel Hennell, from Budock Parish Council, which for two years has been fighting plans by Midas to build 150 homes in the area, said: "Rural parishes are being ignored."

Linda Lang, a St Austell Bay parish councillor, said they did not feel they were part of the drive towards localism: "We need to have some sort of indication from Cornwall Council as to how they might work in partnership with ourselves with appropriate funding – none of this stuff of, 'You do it but there's no money'.

"The attitude of planning officers often seems to disregard the opinions of the parish councils who have a mandate to express the opinions and wishes of their electorate."

Kevin Bennetts, campaigner and member of the Newlyn Pier and Harbour Commissioners, condemned the Stadium for Cornwall scheme as a "Trojan horse" set to intrude on the Kenwyn valley, and branded the authority's planners "out of control, because they are not serving in the interests of the people". Referring to the Scottish referendum, he said: "There's a huge window of opportunity to grab localism and make it our own, take control of our destiny and put it back in our own hands."

Ashley Wood, from Lanner Parish Council, said the blame should be laid at central government's door before calling for an audit of the unitary authority and Cormac.

"Cornwall Council is the wrong set-up for Cornwall," he said. "In some places unitary works, but because of our geography it's impossible for Cornwall Council to work properly."

However, campaigner Ken Rickard attacked the waste of taxpayers' money, citing the £25 million loan from Cornwall Council to Sita to build the incinerator at St Dennis, up to £13 million to build the road to it and the £20 million that would be saved by cancelling the contract and raising recycling rates.

Mr Rickard said: "No one seems to have control over the finances at County Hall. The finance people are not fit for purpose and the waste disposal and the legal team are not fit for purpose."

Gwennap parish councillor David Lanyon questioned the point of writing a letter.

"The whole system doesn't work," he said. "It's what we do collectively from this day on, not whether we tell Mr Pollard how poorly he's allowing his 'shower' to operate. He knows it already. It's not going to be effective."

A LITTLE girl's pet show pony has had to have one of its eyes removed after being shot.

An irresponsible nocturnal shooter has been blamed for the accident to miniature Shetland Marty.

Tilly Ruberry, 5, was told the news by her aunt Carla Ruberry and grandmother Marilyn Ruberry, who discovered the horse's injury.

They own a smallholding just outside Constantine, where Marty lives and where the incident happened last Monday night.

He was in a field with three other horses, a pony and a cow, but was the only animal injured.

The bullet passed diagonally through his eye from bottom to top, destroying it and leaving a burn.

"When we went up there on Tuesday morning he was walking around in circles," said Carla.

"His eye had gone gloopy. We thought he'd gone blind. His eye was bulging; it was horrible. Everything rushed through our heads about what had happened."

Carla said the vet who removed the eye told them nothing other than being shot could have caused the injury, and they believed it was an accident.

"We think it may have been someone out lamping [shooting foxes or small game by lamplight] and it was an accident," said Carla. "We hope there isn't a sick person around who would purposely shoot him."

Signs along the roadside near the field have also been shot at.

"We want people to be careful. There are signs up for 'No shooting' for a reason, because of livestock," added Carla.

The vet said Marty would make a full recovery: "He's been walking into things and is scared of things," Carla said. "It's going to take time for him to get used to it."

The police are investigating and anyone with information is asked to contact Falmouth police on 101.

A SEARCH and rescue aircrewman from Helston is to be honoured today at an awards ceremony in London for his courage in the daring rescue of six men from a French fishing boat.

Petty Officer Russell Adams was part of the crew of a Navy Sea King helicopter from RNAS Culdrose that plucked to safety the four Frenchmen and two Portuguese.

Their trawler Le Sillon was drifting at night with no steering or power towards the North Cornish shore during last winter's storms.

Petty Officer Adams is to be honoured with a commendation from the patron of the Shipwrecked Mariners' Society, Princess Ann, at the ceremony on Tuesday.

Society chief executive Malcolm Williams said: "Russell proved himself to be extraordinarily courageous and skilled as an aircrewman during this rescue.

"He battled significant spray, thirty foot seas and at one stage was fully submerged beneath a beneath a particularly large wave.

"After the third recovery, the helicopter observer saw that, despite being exhausted and vomiting from swallowing sea water, Petty Officer Adams was immediately preparing himself to be lowered again.

"His professionalism continued on the short flight back, as he cared for the survivors, monitoring them for the effects of cold and shock."

Le Sillon got into difficulties after it was hit by huge waves during a storm on February 1.

The crew had attempted to reach Newquay but the wheelhouse windows were smashed and seawater shorted out the electrics.

The boat was being held by Padstow RNLI lifeboat and the helicopter was hovering above. The wind was gusting to 60mph.

Just as the helicopter began to airlift the crew off the boat, the towline to the lifeboat snapped.

The Sea King pilot Lieutenant-Commander Dick Calhaem said he saw the boat suddenly swing round in the swell towards the rocky shore.

The decision was taken for the men to abandon ship and be rescued from the water.

Petty Officer Adams went down on the winch line six times over the next hour to pull the men one by one from the sea.

He said: "The sea state was pretty rough and I reckon there was an eight-metre swell.

"I was swinging around a lot and on some of the lifts I was dragged along the wave tops and underwater. It did seem we were working at the limits."

The sixth man, the French skipper, was swept away but picked up safely by the waiting lifeboat.

Mr Williams added: "This award is testimony to Petty Officer Adams' bravery which we are proud to be able to reward.

"The skill and gallantry of the maritime and air and sea rescue professionals are second to none and we rely on them to protect those in danger around our coastline."

The other helicopter crew members were Kapitänleutnant Steffan Volkwein, on exchange from the German Navy, and observer Lieutenant Commander Paul Robertson.

A VICAR is living in a tent for a week in just the clothes he was wearing when he delivered his sermon on Sunday to raise awareness of refugees.

The Reverend Caspar Bush, curate for the parishes of Perranporth, Cubert and Crantock, told his congregation on Sunday that he would be spending the next week living in a tent from disaster relief charity Shelterbox and had nothing more than what he was stood up in.

Caspar is using the stunt to raise money for Shelterbox as well as Release International, a campaign group which supports persecuted Christians around the world.

He is hoping that his congregation and other locals will help him by supplying everything he will need for the week – food, clothes, sleeping bag and toiletries.

Speaking before taking up residence in his temporary home outside St Michael's Church in Perranporth, he said: "I'm taking a bit of a risk, but since I'm carrying on my normal parish duties as well during that week, it's in everyone's interest that they keep me from smelling too bad! And if no one brings me anything to eat, well, I'll just end the week a bit thinner."

Explaining the inspiration for the sponsored event he said: "This summer I was on holiday with my family, staying in a very comfortable holiday home near Paris. I woke up one morning thinking what a privilege it is to be able to stay far from home in that sort of luxury, while many millions of people in all sorts of countries have been forced hundreds of miles from their homes and survive in incredibly basic conditions.

"In particular back in July the atrocities in Iraq were unfolding, and of course I feel a particular empathy for the Christians of Iraq uprooted from towns where there has been a Christian presence since the 2nd century."

As well as Caspar sleeping in his tent outside the church there have been nightly vigils inside the church to remember those who suffer as refugees.

The vigils continue until Saturday and start from 5.30pm – all are welcome to attend and are invited to light a candle.

A young Falmouth cancer survivor has been on an "inspirational" sailing trip thanks to Dame Ellen MacArthur.

Domenic Doyle, 10, took part in the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust trip with other young cancer survivors aged 8 to 18.

He joined the crew of one of five yachts to sail around the Solent in the South of England for a four day adventure - his first time sailing.

Domenic finished his treatment for Acute Myeloid Leukaemia in June 2012 at the Royal Cornwall Hospital.

He said: "I've learnt so much about sailing on this trip, like the names of the sails and the different parts of the boat.

"I had a go at steering the boat and putting the sails up which was really cool.

"I have enjoyed meeting so many new people, and I had a lot of fun sailing, although I did find the boat was quite slow when the engine was off!

"I've tried a lot of new activities and have been able to spend time with so many new people. The trip was lots of fun and I have really enjoyed it."

Domenic had only been on a kayak prior to the trip and said beforehand that he was excited.

Sailing onboard 42- 48 foot cruising yachts, the trips provide a chance for the young people to rebuild their confidence through sailing, they can test themselves in a safe and supportive environment, encouraging them to work as a team and get involved in everything from helming the boat to cooking.

They set off from the trusts south coast headquarters on the Isle of Wight and stopped at Yarmouth Harbour and the picturesque bay of Newtown Creek for a barbecue, before putting their new skills to the test cruising back into Cowes.

Dame Ellen, who tries to spend at least one day with every four-day trip said: "The mental and social fall-out from cancer can be just as devastating as the physical illness.

"Everything we do is about building confidence, self-esteem and having fun together."

THE MANAGEMENT behind one of Truro's oldest wine bars and most successful restaurants Bustophers has announced its closure.

The announcement that the popular establishment on Lemon Street has closed with immediate effect came via social media Twitter and Facebook this morning.

In a post on Facebook Bustophers announced through its online status it was " a very sad day indeed" but then suggested there was a glimmer of hoping by adding "but beginning of a new era for this Truro staple".

It also shared a notice revealing its closure.

It read: "A very important notice from the very sad, and now unemployed team at Bustophers".

The notice went on: "After a decade the current owners have regretfully decided to close the doors, thanks so much for the years of valued custom…

"We apologise for the inconvenience this has caused. BJ's"

General manager Dan Bentlett told the West Briton that the restaurant's owners informed him of their decision to close the door on the establishment - which is currently up for sale – yesterday.

The decision means redundancy for 12-strong team at Bustophers just as Christmas approaches, he said.

Mr Bentlett said: "It all came as a bit of a shock. We had no inclination. Everyone knew it was for sale but we didn't know it was going to close. We thought it would be a smooth transition and that the new owner would take some of us on."

Last autumn Tom Hancock, the son of the family behind Bustophers, opened American-style bar and grill Mustard & Rye on Calenick Street. 

A SUPERMARKET employee has warned shoppers and staff to be vigilant after he was threatened to hand over his bicycle outside the store.

Aaron Nappin, who works at Tesco in Camborne, exited the shop and walked over to the bike rack when he was approached by a man.

Mr Nappin said: "I went to the bike rack, unlocked my bike and looked to the left and saw two men walking across the car park.

"One of the men barged past me while the other stood and watched. I just thought he was being rude, until he stopped at the front of my bike.

"He told me that it was his bike and at first I thought he was mistaken until he began swearing at me telling me that it was his bike.

"I insisted that it was my bike and when I began to unlock the padlock he said that the key had been stolen from his pocket."

Mr Nappin said how the man then began to get increasingly annoyed and then shouted "do you want a punch in the face?"

"I then offered the man the chance to go and speak to security who could verify that it was my bike, but the man was still very aggressive and insistent so I pedalled away and called the police who did what they could to help."

Mr Nappin went onto state that he wanted to send out a warning because if the man threatens other people, they may be scared into handing their bike over sooner.

PC Geoff Streatfield from Camborne Police Station said that several efforts have been made to combat anti-social behaviour outside Camborne Tesco over recent months.

He said: "In the past we have worked closely with the store to highlight and eliminate ant-social behaviour nearby.

"We implemented a problem solving plan and successfully addresses the problems.

"We are confident that this incident is a one-off and if anybody does experience any trouble then please contact us immediately."