Children whose families are fleeing from the conflict in Syria are being given a chance of an education by Cornish relief charity ShelterBox.

Youngsters in the region riven by civil war and a conflict that now has at least three different sides fighting each other, have been described as a generation lost to education.

But ShelterBox is helping to bring refugee children back into the classroom.

In the last four years up to a fifth of Syria's school buildings have been destroyed, militarised, or pressed into service as refugee shelters for families displaced from their homes.

A report published last month by Save the Children said that Syria, a country which once had a 100% school enrolment rate, now has 2.8 million children out of school, the second worst attendance rate in the world.

It also reported that almost half of refugee families rely partly or entirely on income from sending their school-age children to work.

This education crisis, described by some as creating a potential 'lost generation', is just one aspect of years of unrest in Syria, where an estimated 6.5 million people have been displaced.

With long-term partner charity 'Hand in Hand for Syria', ShelterBox has been sending truckloads of aid deep into Syria, containing tents, shelter repair kits, mosquito nets, water filters and carriers, blankets, groundsheets and solar lamps.

Aleppo is Syria's largest city and its industrial and financial centre. It is also one of world's oldest continually inhabited cities, mentioned in Egyptian texts from the 20th Century BC.

But these days it is a city divided, where intensive aerial bombing of rebel-held parts of the city has caused thousands of casualties, and an exodus to country areas.

ShelterBox Chief Executive Alison Wallace said: "One can only imagine what life is like for families in Aleppo and elsewhere across war-torn Syria. Their youngest children have known nothing but war in their short lives.
"The scale of need is vast, but I am immensely proud of ShelterBox's ability to reach a helping hand into this hostile environment.

"These photos show the difference our aid is making, with the help of our generous supporters and our distributing partner.

"It is so rewarding to be able to put smiles on these children's faces."

Distinctive red and blue SchoolBoxes contain essential supplies for teachers, including wind-up radios that also charge mobile phones, and school equipment for 50 children.

They also include blackboard paint and a brush – these two items alone can transform any flat surface into a focus for learning.

School packs, in bright yellow material bags, contain stationery, pens, calculators, drawing and maths equipment. They are often a source of pride for young people who have lost most of their personal possessions.

A PASSENGER suffered several broken bones and was left scared to get into a car again after accepting a lift from a neighbour and ending up in a crash.

At Truro Magistrates' Court Christian James Ford, 25, of Edward Street, Tuckingmill, pleaded guilty to careless driving on April 30 and to failing to stop after an accident.

Appearing at court on his birthday, he told the magistrates that his next- door neighbour Karen Gillett was a very good friend and he felt absolutely terrible about what had happened, resulting in her spending a week in hospital. "It was a terrible, terrible accident," he said.

Alison May, for the prosecution, said just before midnight Ford crashed into a van in Edward Street, left the vehicle and Ms Gillett was treated by paramedics.

Ms May said the pair had been to a seminar in a hotel and had agreed to take a taxi home, but Ms Gillett started walking in the rain. Ford drove up and persuaded her to get into his car.

She told the police later she was then aware of a bang, pain, and Ford being missing.

Ford told the police: "I was going too quickly. I missed the corner and hit the van."

He said there were lots of people outside and he freaked out and left.

Ford, who also admitted shoplifting at Aldi on August 27, had previous convictions, including for shoplifting, careless driving and failing to stop after an accident.

He was a lorry driver and told the magistrates it was likely he would lose his job with a removal company without a driving licence.

He was put on probation for a year with a Thinking Skills Programme requirement and told to do 40 hours of unpaid work. He received eight points on his licence and was told to pay £120 costs and surcharge.

THE suggestion that dogs be allowed on Falmouth's beaches during the summer has divided opinion across the town.

A petition calling for part of Castle Beach to be made 'dog-friendly' has gained about 1,000 signatures – but in response a counter-petition has been launched calling for the ban, from Easter Sunday to September 30, to stay in place.

Nicola Simons, who started the Castle Beach For Dogs Too petition, said she had been overwhelmed by the response.

She said the idea was not to have the whole beach, but possibly the rocky outcrop at the end. "We want somewhere separate," she said.

"Tunnel Beach (which was suggested by some) is tiny and there's no boundary, so dogs could run off.

"At the end of Castle Beach there's a natural boundary and a big crop of rocks with separate access so we don't use the beach."

She said campaigners would be willing to set up a rota system to inspect and clean the beach, and they intended to put up posters to encourage people to clean up after their pets and get more dog bins. Retailer Pets At Home had agreed to supply bags that could be made available at the beach.

"People who don't pick up [dog faeces] give us a bad name," she said.

"I understand there will be irresponsible people but we have to educate and enforce.

"It's offensive anywhere, but does that mean you should ban responsible people?"

She plans to hand the petition to Falmouth Town Council next month.

The council says it has referred the matter to the Beach Management Group, along with "the large amount of correspondence" received.

The counter-petition says allowing dogs on beaches is "a nightmare waiting to happen" and goes on: "It's not the dogs wanting this; it's the owners.

"It's not just about the dog mess that has been left behind – it's dogs running around, kicking up sand, arguments it's going to cause among people, adults getting annoyed with dog owners because the dogs are shaking over them, fouling in the rock pools, going for food, jumping up on their kids."

Steve Gray, who owns the Castle Beach Café, said there had been many incidents in the past two weeks of dog mess being left around his business.

"Once it was even on the actual decking where our customers queue to get served," he said.

A poll conducted by www.westbriton.co.uk showed 54 per cent of respondents did not want the ban lifted, 21 per cent wanted it lifted on one beach, 16 per cent on all beaches, and 7 per cent supported a 7am-to-7pm ban, while 2 per cent answered that they did not know.

PLANS for a permanent travellers' site near Porthtowan look set to be approved despite objections from locals.

The application for the Penlowen caravan site on Forthvean Road will be discussed by Cornwall Council's west sub-area planning committee on Monday.

Planning officers have recommended councillors give conditional approval for the creation of three traveller pitches and a new communal building.

The site is already used by travellers who have temporary permission to live there until March.

Under the proposals, they would be able to make the site available permanently for travellers to use.

The lack of permanent traveller sites in Cornwall was quoted as a main reason for the recommendation to approve the plans.

The report going before councillors on Monday states: "The failure of the council to have a suitable five-year supply [of traveller sites] is considered to be a significant factor in the assessment of this application and is regularly given considerable weight by inspectors when assessing applications of this type as part of the appeal process.

"If the local planning authority were to refuse this application the council would not be in a position to offer any alternative sites for the applicant and his family and this may have an impact upon the ability for the council's enforcement section to take action.

"Although it must be remembered that each application must be assessed on its own merits, provided the council accepts that the persons living on this site are capable of being considered under the definition of a Gypsy or traveller, it is considered that adequate need has been established to justify the continued use of this site."

Some people living near the site have questioned whether the applicant is a Gypsy or traveller.

They have also suggested that approval could lead to more traveller sites being established on agricultural land.

Objectors raised concerns about increased traffic in the area as well, but council highways officers said they had no objections to the application on traffic grounds.

STRONG winds and gales look set to it strike Cornwall later today as the tail end of Hurricane Gonzalo passes by.

The Met office said it expects winds will strengthen this evening and heavy rain will spread eastwards in the early hours.

It said gales will develop across coasts and hills but it will remain mild at around 9 °C.

The Met has not issued a weather warning in relation to the forecasted gales in the south west UK..

Tomorrow, it will remain wet and very windy with gales in exposed parts. The maximum temperature will be 12 °C.

Hurricane Gonzalo caused widespread damage in Bermuda last week although it is much reduced by the time it has crossed theAtlantic. 

IT'S a big day for Falmouth coastguards today at the station takes on a new role today and extra responsibilities – to cover other sites that are being axed.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency is upgrading the importance of the Falmouth base to cover the closure of Brixham coastguard centre.

Elsewhere, Swansea, Solent, Portland, Liverpool and Thames centres will also close by next June.

The agency has said the changes should search and rescue operations and added that the public would see no difference.

A new headquarters that will oversee the remaining 10 coastal stations has opened in Hampshire.

The agency said: "In a search and rescue operation, there will be a much bigger and better support network available nationally to help coastguards who may be dealing with multiple incidents at once."

HELSTON is to follow Camborne's lead and offer free parking for the Saturdays leading up to Christmas – although it will cost town taxpayers' more than £3,000.

It is hoped the scheme, which was run successfully in Camborne last year, will encourage people to shop in the town.

The traders' group Helston Business Improvement Partnership (HBIP) has arranged the deal with Cornwall Council, which owns the car parks at Trengrouse Way and Tyacke Road.both correct

Cornwall Council still wants to be paid for lost revenue, however, and the partnership is to use taxpayers' money from Helston Town Council.

The partnership's vice chairman, Wendy Radford-Gaby, said it would increase trade and pull people into the shops in Helston town centre.

She added that many shops were going to have discount vouchers and there were other events planned for the festive season.

They propose to offer free parking on November 29 and December 6, 13 and 20.

On Thursday she asked Helston Town Council if the partnership could reuse £2,206 previously given by the council as well as an extra £1,062.97, to pay advertising and the free parking.

Deputy mayor Mark Upton said although he supported the free parking in principle, he was concerned about the lack of accounting.

He also asked why the partnership wanted more taxpayers' money when it already had about £68,000 in the bank.

Councillor John Boase added: "I am also concerned that there is a lot of money in the HPIB that is not being used at the moment."

Town clerk Chris Dawson said the town council had given grants for more than 20 projects by the partnership and he now wanted the traders to give a full account of what had been spent and what money was left over.

Councillor Justine Hornsby, who is a director with the partnership but has permission to speak at the council, said the partnership's money could not be spent on this project.

"That money was for various projects and has been ring-fenced and can't be spent elsewhere," she said.

She added that if the council was minded to make the partnership reapply for a new grant, it might as well not bother because they had to pay Cornwall council before Christmas.

The councillors voted to give the partnership the extra £1062.97 and allow the £2,206 already given to be used for free parking.

Mrs Radford-Gaby added that partnership was also focussing on setting up a business improvement district, known as a 'BID'.

These exist in Truro, Falmouth and Camborne and the idea is that all businesses within three miles of the town centre, which are above a certain rateable value, pay into a fund to market the town.

She said talks about the idea will be held with businesses in the coming months.

ACTRESS and TV presenter Lynda Bellingham has passed away from cancer at the age of 66.

She played the mum in the popular run of Oxo adverts and then presented ITV's Loose Women programme.

She openly discussed her decision to stop her cancer treatment earlier this year saying she was "in a good place".

"It is essential to feel you have some control of your life," she said.

In a message to viewers, she said: "Grasp it all, don't be afraid, enjoy the bits you can and tell your family you love them while you have the chance."

The actress was diagnosed with colon cancer last year.

She was born in Montreal on May 31, 1948, but grew up near Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire.

She has had a succession of roles in theatre, film and television including Helen Herriot in All Creatures Great And Small, and sitcom Faith In The Future.

She has appeared on stage at the Old Vic and the Royal Court and in the West End production of Calendar Girls.

She was awarded an OBE in 2013. She married three times and is survived by her two sons.

In November 2011, consultation was opened on plans to reform Her Majesty's Coastguard, leading all 18 centres around the UK to launch a Save Our Station campaign. Falmouth is one of the 10 that remain as part of the new national set up, which went live this month. Craig Blackburn looks at how the changes affect Cornwall.

For the last two weeks, staff from Falmouth' Coastguard Operations Centre (CGOC) have been undergoing training on new equipment and software systems in Fareham, Hampshire, as part of a major overhaul of the UK network – the biggest in more than 40 years.

On Monday, they returned to the station at Pendennis Point to test out their news skills on the upgraded kit.

The staffing compliment at the centre has only dropped by one – there will soon be 23 staff.

Instead of two screens overlooking the workstations, they each now have five.

Apart from the smell of new carpets and paintwork, to the layman and the mariner, this is about all that has changed.

According to HM Coastguard, the availability of coastguard rescue teams, lifeboats, rescue helicopters and other rescue units will be unaffected.

James Instance, maritime operations controller at the upgraded Falmouth CGOC, says: "For all our customers and the public, there is no change.

"The public won't notice any difference to the way search and rescue missions are responded to.

"If you call 999 and ask for the coastguard, or issue a mayday broadcast, we will still be here to help you.

"The only change is that we'll have a new national network that will be able to oversee and assist with operations around the whole of the UK."

While Falmouth will still deal with search and rescue, the new system has broadened its role and changed the face of the UK coastguard for good.

"Falmouth used to be a Maritime Rescue Coastguard Centre," says James. "It's primary role was search and rescue.

"If we were dealing with an incident, and we had a routine traffic call come through, we could tell them to call back later as we would have nobody to take that call."

Under the new system, he says, routine calls like this can now be taken on by another station or the new national hub in Fareham, Hampshire.

After two-weeks in Fareham, Martin Bidmead, a senior maritime operations officer (SMOO) who has been with Falmouth coastguard for 18 years, is glad to be back home.

"There's nothing like being back at your station knowing that investment has gone into the place," he says.

"You feel that you are valued and part of something new and exciting."

Sitting in front of his five new screens, Martin says the new software gives his colleagues in another town in another county, the benefit of local knowledge, in the event that they handle a search and rescue incident in Cornwall.

"The whole thing about local knowledge is overcome by the system that allows us to see what resources are closest to the position of the incident," he says.

While one screen shows all the vessels in the local area using an automated identification system (AIS), another shows all live search and rescue incidents.

A third screen shows the lifeboats, helicopters and rescue teams available, and a fourth maps out where they all are.

A fifth screen maps all the locations, as they are known by local people as well as by conventional mapping systems.

He adds: "This system is dynamic, so we can keep putting in new, locally-known place names as we go."

Under the new set-up at Pendennis Head, six new staff are being recruited.

They will replace three current staff as they take retirement, and three others who move onto different jobs within the coastguard.

For Richy Williams, who was at the station for six years as a SMOO, the changes allow him to take his skills outdoors as a senior coastal operations manager for the coastguard rescue team.

"It's going to be a big change," he says. "I'm looking forward to the new challenge.

"I'm hoping to be able to take that experience out to the coast and give them a bit of understanding of how the operations centre works."

SELLING tea to India would normally be considered a bad business move – but that is exactly what one Cornish company has done with some help from a Government minister.

Culture Secretary Sajid Javid presented a gift of Tregothnan Tea to India's Minister for Culture and Tourism Sripad Yasso Naik during a trip to India last week.

English breakfast tea produced by Tregothnan now includes leaves grown in Britain thanks to a partnership between the Truro firm and tea gardens in Darjeeling and Assam in India.

Luxury tea – like that produced by Tregothnan – is relatively new but has seen incredible growth in online sales in India and China with Tregothnan seeing a 40% increase in sales of its tea alone.

Mr Javid said: "There is great potential for Britain and India to share expertise and tea is a brilliant example of how our common interests can be enjoyed through collaboration.

"It's brilliant to see such a quality product produced in the UK being exported to a country where tea is second only to water, something many Britons will understand. I look forward to seeing the varied and unique ways we can progress in trade and tourism across our nations."

Tregothnan tea, the first British tea grower, considers itself the inventors oflLuxury tea and they have established links with India to help encourage more sales.

Johnathon Jones, managing director, Tregothnan tea, said: "Tregothnan is delighted to be cultivating close links with India. There is such a strong shared tea culture. We always pay tribute to the wonderful range of teas from India and the distinctiveness of the regions. We see great opportunities for tea tourism and training."

In August, The High Commissioner of India visited Tregothnan and planted a tea bush to celebrate the growing relationship between two of the world's greatest tea loving countries. Darjeeling has also invited Tregothnan to become a twin plantation to share tea growing expertise.

Police have released an image of two suspects who they would like to identify in relation to a burglary at a Falmouth school.

The break-in at Falmouth School happened overnight on Monday last week, when 12 computers were stolen.

Anyone with any information should contact DC Simon Rafferty on 101, quoting reference number CR/114330/14.

Police said they do not think this burglary is linked with any other crimes in the area.

A FALMOUTH man who stole two box sets of the TV series Breaking Bad has been given a "last chance" by magistrates.

Kieran Church, 27, of Dracaena Avenue, was conditionally discharged for 12 months at Bodmin court on Thursday (October 16), fined £30 and ordered to pay £40 compensation.

Church pleaded guilty to theft committed in breach of a suspended sentence order with a drug rehabilitation requirement which had been imposed in September for offences of burglary and possession of drugs.

Alison May, for the prosecution, said that Church went into the Falmouth branch of WH Smith on Market Street on October 2 and took the box sets which were not recovered. He was identified on CCTV.

Church had a very entrenched offending history, predominantly to supply a substance misuse problem, said Alex Hagar, for the defence.

It was his second appearance before magistrates in a week as he had been given a conditional discharge earlier in the week for low value shop thefts and the suspended sentence had been extended. She urged the magistrates to allow him a chance to address his drug issues, saying it was "unfair" that the WH Smith charge had not been put to him previously.

A new kitchen at BF Adventure outdoor activity centre, Halvasso to help teach people how to look after themselves is due to be completed in time for Christmas.

Truro Timber Frames (TTF) Ltd joined a myriad of Cornish construction suppliers and tradesmen for the project.

And Helston and the Lizard Rotary Groups have just given a £2,000 donation towards its completion.

TTF supplied the timber frame and labour for free and a team of ten staff led by company owners, Nick and Rob Winfield, put up the structure in a matter of hours.

Adrian Richards, BF Adventure's chief executive said: "The donation has really made this project a reality and the entire team gave up their Saturday to erect the frame in record time."

Rob Winfield said: "We wanted to be involved in such an important charity helping hundreds of disadvantaged and disabled children and adults. We hope that our donation will enhance their lives for years to come."

Once completed, the new kitchen and dining area will allow the charity to enhance its programme and teach many more clients to be independent.

Mr Richards, added: "The Rotary Clubs and ladies of the Inner Wheel have given us incredible support with this project in monetary value, volunteering time and donations, We could not have done it without them."

The Inner Wheel of Helston and the Lizard started the project, with other groups getting involved and materials donated by various businesses.

Sarah Corbridge, from the Inner Wheel, said: "If we work together we can achieve so much more. It is becoming a reality now and we are looking forward to seeing the children sitting down to a proper Christmas dinner in the dining area."

Part of BF's programmes, which support disadvantaged and disabled young people and adults, focus on life skills, starting with the basics of looking after oneself, making a hot drink, washing up, washing clothes and preparing a meal.

It also runs a programme to support entrepreneurial skills in the kitchen, where young people plan a menu, take orders from the team, write a shopping list, manage their budget in the supermarket, prepare, cook and serve the meal and even collect the bill.

Money given goes back into the charity.

The kitchen is also used by on-site residential groups and for the team who work there.

From today, the newly-refurbished Falmouth Coastguard Operations Centre (CGOC) went online and joined the upgraded national network, bringing all sorts of advantages.

Under the old system, Falmouth was 'paired' with Brixham station.

This meant if it could only receive support during busy times – or in the event of a major problem such as a lightening strike in 2009 when Falmouth was shut down for five days – from its paired station at Brixham.

Under the new system, that has all changed.

After the switch-on today, it became a Coastguard Operations Centre (CGOC), and one of just 10 across the country.

Now, all the 'data' collected by these 10 CGOCs can be accessed by any one of them, and controlled from the central hub in Fareham, Hampshire – the new National Maritime Operations Centre (NMOC) – via 'cloud' technology and two 'big brain' data centres.

The 'data' refers to information about the UK's shipping traffic, search and rescue operations and vessel traffic management, which is collected by aerial transmitters around the UK – there are seven in Cornwall.

Two of the eight stations to close as part of the overhaul were Swansea and Brixham.

From November 1, Falmouth CGOC and the new national network will start to take on operations from Brixham Coastguard, and, in March, it will take on part of the Swansea station's area.

Andrew Austin-Hancock, program manager for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency's modernisation project, says: "We have taken a bit of a step change, the biggest since the 1970s. It is a big day for Falmouth."

The new national network – including the NMOC and 10 other Coastguard Operation Centres – is scheduled to be completed and fully operational by the end of 2015.

The Cornish Pirates have been deducted the four points they gained following their 35-34 home British & Irish Cup victory against Bedford Blues on Sunday October 12, the competition's Organising Committee have today announced.

A statement issued on Monday afternoon said: "Both teams started the match with five 'suitably trained and experienced' front-row players. During the match Pirates had provided such replacements to cover their injured players on the first occasion for both their hooker and prop.

In the 72^nd minute, the match went to uncontested scrums as Pirates were not able to provide a further suitably trained and experienced front-row replacement to cover the injured prop Tyler Gendall. At this time, in accordance with Regulation 9.4, the Cornish Pirates should have continued with 14 men on the pitch.

However, the Pirates replaced Gendall with fly-half Bertie Hopkin and continued to play with 15 men.

The score at the time of the match going to uncontested scrums was 34-28 to Bedford.

Pirate's replacement Hopkin scored a try in the 78th minute which was converted to bring the final score to 35-34 to the Pirates.

The Panel was of the view that Pirates had breached Regulation 9.4 by replacing the player whose departure caused the uncontested scrums and thereby having 15 players on the field of play when they should have had only 14 men. The sequence of events and the regulations meant that Pirates should have played with 14 men for the period of time from when the match went to uncontested scrums.

While the Panel accepted that the match officials should have noted the extra man on the pitch, or did not realise Pirates should have only had 14 men present, this does not change the fact that Pirates are ultimately responsible for compliance with regulations and for the breach of those regulations. This approach is entirely consistent with other decisions such as in the Bristol v Bedford case (October 23 2013) in the 2013/14 Greene King IPA Championship.

The Panel considered the sanctions available to them as set out in Regulation 9.5 and took into account previous cases involving similar breaches. The Panel concluded that Pirates were in breach of Regulation 9.4 of the British & Irish Cup, and agreed that the appropriate sanction would be to discount the match points scored by Pirates (7) while in breach of the said regulation and therefore the result of the match will be recorded as 34-28 to Bedford with the competition points allocated accordingly."

The Cornish Pirates have 48 hours to appeal the decision and have confirmed that they will be seeking legal advice to consider submitting an appeal to the Organising Committee within the next 24-36 hours.

CHILDHOOD obesity should be treated as a "national emergency", broadcaster Floella Benjamin has said.

A cross-party group of MPs and peers chaired by Baroness Benjamin has called for a Cabinet-level minister for children to lead the fight against the problem.

Lady Benjamin, a Liberal Democrat peer and Chancellor of the University of Exeter, told the House of Lords: "Childhood obesity has become an epidemic across the country. Forty per cent of children in some areas are overweight.

"Medical and dental experts are raising concerns about obesity health issues in children. Millions are being spent by the NHS because of this.

"This epidemic has to be called a national emergency. There should be somebody at Cabinet level to coordinate strategy across all relevant Government departments for the sake of our children's long-term well-being."

Her comments came at question time in the Lords on the same day as All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on a Fit and Healthy Childhood published its report calling for a comprehensive obesity strategy.

But Health Minister Earl Howe defended the Government's record and said the ministers had published a cross-departmental strategy on the issue in 2011.

"We are seeing encouraging signs of progress with obesity rates in children falling to 14% in 2012, the lowest level since 1998," he said.

And he told peers: "Tackling obesity is one of our major priorities as it is for Public Health England. We have a well-developed and wide-ranging programme of actions to tackle obesity. We have set an ambition for a downward trend in excess weight in children."

He added: "As regards coordination, Public Health England are leaders of the Public Health system and there are numerous Government departments contributing to the anti-obesity agenda.

"We do have a minister for children and we have already established the obesity review group which brings together a range of experts and delivery partners from across the system to try to coordinate efforts to meet our national ambitions."

A RESIDENT believes that some Camborne residents will soon feel like they are living in the middle ages unless drastic measures are taken to combat the growing rat problem around certain areas of the town.

Jacky Blakeway, who lives in Chypraze Court, has been living with a growing rat problem for the whole of 2014 and is becoming increasingly desperate after appeals to the local authorities fell on deaf ears.

The rats have been described as "huge" and Ms Blakeway says that living with the problem has resulted in her being diagnosed with situational depression.

She said: "We have a serious rat infestation in the cul-de-sac where I live which local authorities and councils are ignoring.

"The problem undoubtedly rose as a direct result of the incessant rain and the wettest winter on record.

"I have done everything humanly possible to rid myself of this distressing situation, paid out for expensive poisons, emailed and had a visit from Environmental Health, all to no avail."

Ms Blakeway went on to state that she was told by environmental health that there is no pest control funding and that it is down to house owners to rid themselves of rodents. She was also told that she should bail the sewer herself.

"The rats are growing in size and last week my neighbour's house guest witnessed one running across from garden to garden. He said it was not normal size, but huge.

"I have them in my cavity walls and I am kept awake at night with the incessant gnawing. My house has been refurbished and is immaculate so there is nothing I am doing to attract the problem.

"I have my 13-year-old son living with me and we are just sick of trying to fight this battle on our own."

Ms Blakeway has recently received a letter from the House of Commons telling her to contact South West Water as it is their responsibility to bail the sewers.

A Cornwall Council spokesperson said: "Before 31 October 2011 Cornwall Council did offer a pest control service only for the treatment of rats and mice and charged £43.20 for that service however from 01 November 2011, Cornwall Council no longer offered that service.

"There are over 50 providers in Cornwall listed in the Yellow Pages online under pest and vermin control services" and any person calling Cornwall Council with a pest problem is advised to contact a number of providers to obtain a quote for a treatment as prices can vary.

"Officers from Public Health and Protection have always and still continue to investigate allegations of rat infestations in public open spaces and ensure the necessary action is taken to alleviate the problem. They will also investigate any allegations of pest control issues on private land."

A CORNISH MP has announced an end to subsidies for solar farms that have become increasingly visible in the region over recent years.

George Eustice, Conservative MP for Camborne, Redruth and Hayle and minister in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), has announced that as of January 2015, farmers who choose use fields for solar panels will not be eligible for any farm subsidy payments.

He said the move is designed to help rural communities which do not want the countryside blighted by solar farms.

Mr Eustice said: "We want to see our good farmland dedicated to growing quality food and crops and do not want to see its productive potential wasted and its appearance blighted by ugly solar farms, as farming is what our farms are for and it is what keeps our landscape beautiful.

"I am committed to food production in this country and it makes my heart sink to see row upon row of solar panels here in Cornwall where once there were fields of crops or grassland for livestock to graze.

"Some developers have attempted to claim that farming can continue underneath solar panels but these are sham arguments which we reject.

"Solar panels are best placed on the 250,000 hectares of south facing commercial rooftops where they will not compromise the success of our agricultural industry. That is why we are scrapping farming subsidies for solar fields."

The subsidy change is also expected to save up to £2 million of taxpayers' money each year.

Prospective parliamentary candidate Julia Goldsworthy is calling on her former boss at the Treasury to include a second homes crackdown in the upcoming Autumn statement.

The former Liberal Democrat MP for Camborne and Redruth lost out by just 66 votes to Tory farming minister George Eustice in 2010 only to become a special advisor to party colleague Danny Alexander, chief secretary to the Treasury.

Now fighting to regain her seat, she has called on the senior Lib Dem to use the next announcement of spending plans to close a tax loophole which allows second home owners to pay no rates at all.

Under the existing rules,1,000 homes in Cornwall have been "flipped" to be classed as holiday lets – allowing owners to avoid paying both council tax and business rates – leaving the council £1.5 million worse off.

With about 14,500 second homes in Cornwall, the potential loss could be as high as £20 million a year and including Devon, the shortfall could reach £36 million.

Ms Goldsworthy said moves to tighten up the rules defining furnished holiday lets in the Finance Act 2011 did not go far enough and there was conflict between the tax and business rates system.

"It is clearly not fair for second home owners to pay nothing towards the services that full time residents pay for through their council tax, by claiming their property is a furnished holiday let, when in practice it is not," she said.

In a letter to Mr Alexander ahead of the deadline for submissions on Friday, she asked for the same approach to be taken over the tax and business rates regimes.

"In practice this would mean having a single definition of a furnished holiday let, that required the property to be advertised as "available to let" for a minimum of 210 days, and actually let for 105 days per year – for both tax and business rates purposes," she wrote.

GALES are forecast to strike Cornwall tonight as the tail end of Hurricane Gonzalo passes by.

The Met Office said it expects winds will strengthen this evening and heavy rain will spread eastwards in the early hours.

It said gales will develop across coasts and hills but it will remain mild at around 9 °C and it has not issued a weather warning in relation to the forecasted gales in the south west in Cornwall, although yellow weather warnings are in place in some other parts of the region.

Tomorrow, it will remain wet and very windy with gales in exposed parts.

Hurricane Gonzalo caused widespread damage in Bermuda last week but will be much weaker after crossing the Atlantic.