PARENTS are rallying to the defence of a Truro primary after a father hit out against being told to hand over his mobile phone before being allowed in.

David Burns, 56, has sparked a huge outcry after he said he felt treated like a paedophile by Tregolls School's ruling.

Mr Burns, who has six children, went to the school to see a display of his ten-year-old daughter Jasmine's artwork.

But he was left flabbergasted and angry when the school told him he must leave his phone at reception in case he took pictures of children who should not be photographed.

Mr Burns said he always carries his phone because his eldest son George has Asperger's syndrome and needs to be in constant contact.

He refused to hand over his phone and instead waited in the car.

"I am a parent not a paedophile", Mr Burns told the West Briton.

Tregolls School introduced the ruling as the "ultimate safeguard" last year and said it even applies to teachers and other staff.

Hundreds of parents as well as people on the West Briton's Facebook site have leapt to the school's defence, praising its efforts to keep their children safe.

Donna Wright, who has two children at the academy on Chellew Road, said she had nothing but praise for the school's policy.

She said: "I am a dinner lady there and I leave my phone at reception with no qualms at all."

Her daughter's artwork was also on display last week.

Mrs Wright said: "I would love to have taken pictures of my daughter's work but I would not be so selfish as to put other children at risk by doing so.

"It has taken a long time to get the school back on track and Mr Middlemore (head teacher) and his staff have done a wonderful job."

Commenting on the West Briton's Facebook page Caroline Manuell wrote: "This rule is in place for a very good reason. No else has a problem with it. I think it is a great idea. It applies to everyone, not just parents. Can he seriously not go an hour without his phone?"

While Sarah Watson posted: "I think the school are right and doing an amazing job of children who are under child protection. It's sad that people are after these children and they have to live in fear. I feel happy leaving my children at the school knowing that they are kept safe..."

And Jodie Morgan added: "I think it's a good idea, children's safety got to come first."

But Gill Barron posted she felt the policy was "completely over the top. I think some schools and organisations have become obsessed. Surely a visitor on the premises is accompanied at all times, taking his phone is ridiculous. It also worries me that children are being brought up to fear adults they don't know. The vast majority are trustworthy."

Francesca Bennetts added on Facebook: "All schools do it to safeguard children. I stand by the school. Don't take a phone or hand it over. End of story."

Posters detailing the policy are displayed on the main entrance door to the school.

The policy has also won the praise of Ofsted inspectors who graded the school 'outstanding' in its efforts for looking after the children and taking their welfare and safety seriously. 

Liskeard Athletic 1 St Austell 5

Cornwall Senior Cup holders St Austell are through to this season's semi-finals after overcoming Liskeard at Lux Park in an entertaining quarter-final on Friday night.

But the scoreline was harsh on the division one west hosts, who led for almost half an hour in the first half and also missed a penalty at a crucial stage in the second half with St Austell only 2-1 ahead.

Ben Collins fired Liskeard into a 13th minute lead with a stunning left foot volley from the edge of the box and it took until the 36th minute for the Lillywhites to level things up through Neil Slateford.

St Austell manager Phil Lafferty was clearly unimpressed by his players' first half performance and his half-time talk was brief, and probably to the point, as he returned to the dugouts five minutes before his players.

With no clear improvement in the early stages of the second half, Lafferty introduced Olly Brokenshire in place of Dan Hart in the 58th minute and the change worked almost immediately.

After Liskeard had had strong claims for a penalty rejected by referee Ben Judd after Martin Giles clumsily barged into the back of Rob Cleveland, St Austell swept to the other end and Harry Evans' low ball into the middle saw Brokenshire fire into the net to make it 2-1 after 62 minutes.

Liskeard refused to buckle and they had a golden chance to equalise in the 68th minute when they were awarded a penalty after Evans had handled Macauley Thorp's shot.

Thorp stepped up to take the spot kick and struck it well but St Austell keeper Jason Chapman was equal to it, diving at full stretch to his left to tip the ball around the post.

That proved to be the big turning point because two minutes later St Austell increased their lead through Evans after Liam Eddy had done all the hard work on a break along the left.

It was 4-1 in the 83rd minute when a weak Eddy shot from wide on the left squirmed under the body of Liskeard keeper Jamie Blatchford, who had been having a brilliant evening between the sticks.

And the scoring was completed in the third minute of added time when substitute Lee Whetter lashed home a penalty after Eddy had been brought down.

Liskeard: Blatchford, Lindsay, King, Gilbert, Hoskin, Thorp, R Cleveland, J Woods, T Cleveland, Aplin, Collins (Small 85). Subs not used: Walker, Coates, Cornew.

Goal: Collins (13).

Yellow card: Collins (25).

St Austell: Chapman, Lean, Mulready, Dingle (Whetter 75), Giles, Williams, Evans, Hart (Brokenshire 56), Eddy, Nancarrow (Body 83), Slateford. Subs not used: Sims, Deadman.

Goals: Slateford (36), Brokenshire (62), Evans (70), Eddy (83), Whetter (90+3, pen).

Referee: Ben Judd.

CAMPAIGNERS have called for more to be done to protect Truro's old buildings after a 19th century former convent was demolished.

The Cornish Buildings Group has teamed up with Truro Civic Society to lead calls to protect the city's heritage.

It followed the demolition of Tremorvah House last week after it was sold last year. It is believed the building could be replaced with luxury apartments with designs already in place for such a project.

Tremorvah House was built in 1841 and was originally owned by the Diocese of Truro and used as part of the convent at neighbouring Alverton Manor. It was also the home of four-time Mayor of Truro Philip Prothero Smith. The three-storey building was last used as offices by Cornish Mutual.

It was sold at auction last year with a guide price of £600,000. It was not listed but many in the city saw it as a significant building.

Bert Biscoe, chairman of the Truro Civic Society, who tried to get the building listed, said: "As Tremorvah House was neither protected in its own right or within a conservation area, it has been lost because no consent was required to demolish it. As there are lots of other buildings of merit or interest that contribute to the story of the town or neighbourhood, we are keen to see Cornwall Council develop a series of local lists for Cornish towns, which will provide at least a modicum of protection, especially at a time when clear values seem to be under intense pressure from speculation."

Both groups said they were disappointed by the amount of change taking place in the Tregolls Road area, leading into the city, with the demolition last year of the police station and the previous demolition of the Brookdale Hotel – both to be replaced with retirement flats.

Paul Holden, from Cornwall Buildings Group, said: "Both groups are concerned about the loss of historic character on Tregolls Road which in terms of buildings it is the most historic approach into the city. At the top of the hill the old workhouse has successfully been converted but further down the road a Thirties' bungalow, the Brookdale Hotel, the Sixties' AA building, Tregolls House, the police station and two pubs have been demolished, not to mention the row of 19th century cottages lost to make room for a Sixties' car showroom. Furthermore, the abandoned grade two star listed St Paul's church is in a perilous state and nearby the historic 1840s' Tremorvah House has now been reduced to rubble."

Working together the groups now hope to convince Cornwall Council to draw up local lists of buildings of interest or to extend conservation areas to protect key sites.

Mr Holden said: "With everything that has gone on in this important area of Truro, the historic approach is effectively eroding over time and is thereby losing any historic character it retains."

"Our fear is that with local authority cutbacks, more and more historic buildings will be lost because the resources are just not there to save them."

Devon and Cornwall Police have launched a campaign reminding people that domestic abuse can happen to anyone and although Valentine's Day is associated with love and romance, for some, it can prove a traumatic time of year.

The Force is running its 'Is This Love?' campaign which aims to raise awareness of the different aspects of abuse – emotional, financial, physical, and sexual.

Detective Chief Inspector John Trott, from the Public Protection Unit, said: "Domestic abuse is a Force priority and over the past 12 months we have put together some initiatives to improve safeguarding of victims and the investigation of incidents. One example of this is the extra funding we've put into protecting victims with personal house alarms -triggering an instant police response.''

Volume Crime Reduction Sergeant Richard Crosby said: "Domestic abuse is a nasty and pernicious crime. Around 75% of our alarm equipment – of which we have several hundred units - is used to combat such abuse with over 95% of our victims being female. Whilst the majority of our victims need home protection, we also offer tracking alarm technology for those who require it. The equipment we use will send help literally within seconds of the button being pressed.

"Be assured that the Devon and Cornwall Police has invested, and continue to invest wisely, to maintain a cost effective system that is probably the best in the country.

" Speaking personally and for my installers, it gives us great job satisfaction to know that what we do saves vulnerable people from serious harm. I would urge all those who are victims of such abuse and haven't come forward to do so. You will be supported.

" I also have a simple message for perpetrators – you will be caught and subject to the full extent of the law."

If you have been affected by domestic abuse and need help - in an emergency call 999, for non-emergencies call 101, email: 101@devonandcornwall.pnn.police.uk or http://www.devon-cornwall.police.uk/advice/safeguarding-links/domestic-abuse/ 

St Austell Brewery's popular Celtic Beer Festival raised a record £25,700 for charity last year – more than double the amount generated at the previous year's event.

The annual festival raises money for St Austell Brewery's Charitable Trust which supports good causes across the South West, and thanks to a record number of people attending the Celtic Beer Festival in 2014, the trust is also able to celebrate another landmark of generating £500,000 for local charities since it was started in 2003.

Fundraising events held to raise money for the trust over the years have included a trek to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, ale tastings, quiz nights and race nights, but the annual beer festival remains the trust's flagship fundraising activity.

The festival attracts thousands beer lovers who flock to the brewery's historic cellars to enjoy a day-long celebration of real ale, and all profits from ticket sales are donated to the charitable trust.

The 2014 November festival attracted a record 3,000 people over 12 hours, and takings at the festival bars were 20 per cent higher than in 2013.

Ian Blunt, chairman of the St Austell Brewery Charitable Trust, said: "Raising such a fantastic amount from the Celtic Beer Festival as well as reaching the very significant milestone of half a million pounds generated for local charities and good causes is a terrific achievement for the trust.

Jeremy Mitchell, St Austell Brewery marketing and communications director, added: "We are delighted to have more than doubled the amount raised in 2013 for the St Austell Brewery Charitable Trust. The 2014 Celtic Beer Festival was a huge success and we are incredibly grateful to all those people who came and supported the event and helped us to raise such an incredible amount.''

A new community shop opens next Friday and will save villagers making a ten mile round trip to Helston.

The shop is housed in a temporary building in the car park of The Lion and Lamb pub in Ashton.

Licensees Graham and Elaine Martin have been running the pub for ten years and had seen the demise of the local post office and shop five years ago.

They've now received the financial support of Pub is The Hub, a not-for-profit organisation which helps licensees and their communities.

They have used the £3,500 grant from the organisation to pay for the installation of an electricity supply, CCTV cameras and ramp and step into the shop for full accessibility.

The shop is being staffed by volunteers, Olivia Antoniuy and Teresa Babbage who both also work in the pub and by local resident, Karen Willey who wanted to support the venture and help it to take off.

Elaine said: "Since taking on the pub ten years ago we have witnessed the decline of services in the area for our community practically leaving us as the last business standing.

" We have also followed the changing nature of the leisure market and realised that long-term business sustainability has to come from diversification. We're hoping that both the shop and pub feed off each other to maintain footfall.''

Serving newspapers, local produce and other essential and convenience items, the Lion and Lamb Community Shop will be open between 8am – 12 noon from Monday to Friday; 8.30am to 12 noon on Saturday and from 9am to 12 noon on Sunday.

It will be opened by MP Andrew George at 1.30pm on February 20.

Cornwall  Olympic champion rower Helen Glover produced an eye-catching performance at the GB Rowing Team's Winter Assessment in Lincolnshire today.

The 28 year–old from Penzance,  took the women's single title on the 5km time-trial course 14 seconds ahead of Katherine Grainger, her nearest challenger and fellow 2012 gold medallist.

Glover was surprised at the size of the gap. She said: "I think that's what surprised me the most. It didn't feel like fireworks or anything special but I know that, except for a few small things that might have meant marginal gains, that was my best performance. I laid it all out there".

It was Glover's first win at this event. Grainger is on the come-back trail this winter having sat out two post-Olympic seasons and this was her best result since her return.

Vicky Thornley, who pushed Glover so hard at the substitute event to the planned Assessment in December which was cancelled due to high winds, was an overnight withdrawal on medical grounds.

Excited women in Cornwall joined others across the UK for a first glimpse of erotic drama Fifty Shades of Grey.

Truro's Plaza cinema sold out tickets for the opening night screenings with women - and a few men - keen to see the new film starring Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan.

The cinema's manager, Stuart Jenkins, described the scenes as "bedlam.''

Based on E. L. James' bestselling novel, it tells the tale of a college graduate who begins a sadomasochistic relationship with young business magnate.

The film has received mixed reviews, but advance ticket sales, boosted by its release close to Valentine's Day, have been record-breaking.

Mr Jenkins said: "We sold out all the screenings last night and they are no tickets left for tonight (Valentine's Day) either.

"It was just bedlam. I've not seen anything like it since Mama Mia! took off.

"We had a noisy, rowdy and excitable crowd, and I think the film company must be rubbing their hands,'' he said.

Banbury Utd 1 Truro City 2

CITY had to come from behind to secure a deserved win at bottom club Banbury to consolidate third place in the Evo-Stik Southern premier division.

The victory, which came thanks to goals from Les Afful and man of the match striker Matt Wright, saw City close to within three points of leaders Poole Town, who drew 1-1 at Histon, while second-placed Weymouth also dropped two points as they were held 1-1 at home  by Redditch United.

Fourth-placed Corby Town though won 2-1 at home to Chippenham thanks to a late penalty. City have still to play all three of Poole, Weymouth and Corby at home.

After two successive defeats in league and cup, City needed a   win, but it was the home side who made the early running and they took the lead midway after 15 minutes when Tom Ryan scored from close range following a cross by Kynan Isaac, after the visitors failed to deal with a corner.

But City were soon back on level terms three minutes later with Shane White crossing, following a corner, for Afful to bundle the ball home.

The goal helped give City self belief and they started to take a firm grip on the match and created a number of chances before Wright headed home a White cross after 59 minutes.

City continued to control the game, but could not find a third which would have soothed any nerves,  as  they picked up their eighth away win of the season  and their 20th in all.

And speaking after the match, City boss Steve Tully was delighted with the win ahead of this Saturday's visit of leaders Poole Town to Treyew Road.

He said: "They really came at us in the first 20 minutes and hurt us. But we showed yet again what this team is made of as the players showed great spirit and dug in. It was a great testament to them.

"After we got back to 1-1 they never looked like scoring again, though I must say the referee was poor as the tackles flew in, he let play go on for the wrong reasons.

"We needed the win ahead of the Poole game, but there is still a lot of football to be played. I thought Matt Wright was outstanding. We were disappointed after last Saturday at Frome (City lost 1-0) and it was good to get back on track."

CITY: Moore; White, Greenslade, Ash, Farkins, Pugh, Krac, Palmer, Wright, Vassell, Afful. Subs: Brett, Duff, Green; not used: Hayles, Parker.

Yellows: Vassell, Pugh, Palmer, Ash.

Crowd:  239.

Referee: Phillip Staynings (Swindon)

Floral tributes have been laid at the scene of an accident near Truro where a man in his 20s lost his life.

One read: "Matt - what to say, apart from we will miss you and always love you.''

The man from Falmouth died following a single vehicle collision on the A39 at Perranarworthal yesterday.

Emergency services were called at 11.35am after a BMW car left the road and was in collision with a tree.

The driver sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene. His family have been informed.

The name of the young man who died has not been released by the police.

The Truro-bound carriageway of the A39 remained closed for much of the day as officers from the Force Serious Collisions Investigation Unit carried out a forensic examination of the scene.

Anyone who witnessed the collision is asked to contact police on 101 or email 101@devonandcornwall.pnn.police.uk quoting log number 273 of 13/02/15.

REDRUTH 22 WORTHING RAIDERS 17

A powerful first half performance from Redruth allied with a solid defensive effort during the second half was enough to earn the Reds a superb win against National 2 South  high-flyers Worthing Raiders to the delight of the home crowd, reports Bill Hooper from the Recreration Ground

Both sides scored three tries, but it was the first-half goal-kicking of Ashley Hosking that proved decisive come the final whistle.

The win and the manner of the performance pleased Redruth head-coach Steve Larkins in sharp contrast to their defeat at Bishop's Stortford the previous week. 

He said: "I am much happier with the result this week and feel that our performance especially during the first half was the key. In the second half we defended very well and generally contained Worthing, who were a real handful throughout.

"Hopefully we can take this form into our neaxt home game next Saturday against Shelford, once again our backrow was outstanding with Kyle Marriott in the thick of things whilst both John Stevens and Owen Hambly got through a lot of work. The only regret is not getting the bonus point."

Redruth played down the slope first half and had to defend an early Worthing onslaught.

Before long the Redruth pack was back in business with hooker Ben Priddey making the most of a powerful drive off a lineout to score the Reds opening try in Piggy lane corner.

Hosking kicked an excellent touchline conversion for a 7-0 lead and was then on-hand moments later to increase the Reds' lead with a penalty from the twenty-two.

Worthing continued to look dangerous with the ball in-hand, however Redruth were not shy to run the ball back at their opponents, whilst Hosking kicked cleverly for territory forcing Worthing to come from deep.

The Raiders soon found themselves down to fourteen men as winger Finlay Coxon-Smith saw yellow for an offence and the Reds took full advantage kicking to Hellfire corner and setting up another powerful drive, although brought down short of the line, the ball was moved wide with Hosking crossing again in Piggy lane corner before adding another conversion from wide out and a 17-0 half-time score.

Good play from lock Damien Cook, the returning scrum-half Greg Goodfellow and Hambly set up the Reds backline for an early second half un-converted try scored by centre Nielson Webber.

Worthing looked for a way back into the game and it came from individual skill from Coxon-Smith who collected his own kick over the defence to dot down under the posts allowing full-back Mat McLean a simple conversion.

In the final quarter Redruth found themselves down to fourteen men as prop Tommy Phillips was sent to the bin allowing Worthing to take advantage and score an un-converted try in the corner through McLean.

The impressive Stevens had a good run for the Reds as they looked for the bonus point try but it was not to be instead Worthing, when again reduced to fourteen men, had the final say as McLean grabbed a second unconverted try to give the visitors a losing bonus point to take back to Sussex.

.

Redruth 22 pts

Tries – Priddey, Hosking, Webber, Conversions – Hosking (2), Penalty- Hosking

Yellow Card – Phillips (58)

Worthing Raiders 17 pts

Tries – Coxon-Smith, McLean (2), Conversion – McLean

Yellow Cards – Coxon–Smith (28), Walker (74)

Redruth: Hosking, Vinnecombe (Wedlake 41) (Tompsett 67), Webber, Parsons (Capt), Bowden, McAtee (Rule 66), Goodfellow; Phillips (Wedlake 70), Priddey, Willams (Southworth 70), Cook, Howe, Hambly, Stevens, Marriott

Replacements (not used): Westren

Worthing: McLean, Coxon-Smith, Loosmore, Burns (Waters 24), Nielson, Leeming, Peach (Burns 41); Storer (Walker 41), Miles (Capt) (Piper 64), Sargent (Smith 77), Yates (South 24), McGowan, Redmayne, Hewick (Perkins 24), Smith (Hewick 47)

Referee: James Sullivan (RFU)

Crowd: 690

Redruth-man-of-the-match: John Stevens, the young flanker was in the thick of the action both in attack and defence a fine game from the young prospect. 

Fifty Shades Of Grey, The Plaza, Truro

Review by Lee Trewhela

TO USE the parlance of the sado-masochist, the film sensation of 2015 (until the new Stars Wars sequel is released in December) is a tad vanilla.

That's not a surprise as we were hardly going to see butt plugs and welted bottoms in a mainstream movie. The real surprise is that Sam Taylor-Johnson's take on E L James' uber-successful literary abomination is actually a pretty good film, if one that looks like a two-hour pop promo.

I can't remember the last time I saw a queue as long to get into a Plaza screen as that on Saturday night. It was a sign that Truronians either have awful taste in books, a penchant for Jamie Dornan or are a bunch of pervs with ropes above their beds and dildos beneath their pillows.

It may not surprise you that I was pretty indifferent about Fifty Shades. While my wife is a fan of the books and I reaped the rewards while she was reading them, the few poorly written paragraphs I scanned over her leather-trussed shoulder were enough to put me off.

I was expecting an equally cringeworthy potboiler of a movie. To be frank, I was more interested in grabbing a fistful of Hot Nuts while cheekily reaching for my wife's Krax. Cinema snacks, my friends, not a reaction to Christian Grey's well-upholstered playroom.

But you know what, it's okay, even mildly erotic in places, which I wasn't expecting. Kelly Marcel's script, though dangerously close to cliché at times, vastly improves on the book and has a strong seam of humour, while the central performances by Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson are strong.

Johnson's performance is what elevates it beyond mere camp. Her Anastasia Steele is hugely likeable, turning a character which could have been little more than a sexual plaything into a rounded human being, who falls in love with Grey while also trying to unravel his wounded psyche.

All Dornan has to do is brood and look sexy, which, as anyone who has watched The Fall will know, he does effortlessly. There's a knowing line at the beginning of the film when he buys various "items" from the hardware store where Anastasia works. She jokingly asks him if he's a serial killer. "Not this time," he replies. He might as well have winked at the camera.

Former artist and director of the very good Lennon biopic Nowhere Boy, Taylor-Johnson, doesn't do anything new here. You can only hope the phallic appearance of Grey's gleaming skyscraper and Anastasia sucking on a pencil engraved with his name are knowing gags. The camera's drift from writhing bodies to a painting of waves breaking on a beach above Grey's bed is a clichéd step too far though.

So what of the sex scenes? There have been calls on social media for the film to be boycotted as it glorifies women as victims. Poppycock, as Steele dominates the relationship equally. Actually, that's the only cock (apart from a bit of, erm, base which caused some excitement among the ladies in The Plaza). If there's any suggestion of sexism it's that Johnson shows far more of her body than Dornan does of his. But as anyone who has seen Michael Fassbender in Shame can attest, a swinging penis can get a bit disconcerting after a while.

Yes, it's a silly film with an almost '80s worship of wealth, featuring a lead character who's a billionaire businessman but doesn't seem to do any work; its central premise of a dominant-submissive sexual relationship is treated Disney style. That is if Minnie Mouse ever refused anal fisting.

Yet it's ultra-stylish, very entertaining and has introduced a new quirky star into the firmament in Dakota Johnson. Plus Fifty Shades is one of those rare films which improves on the original book. Not hard … as it were.

SPORTS celebrities are backing plans for a Stadium for Cornwall ahead of a crunch planning meeting.

Olympians Annie Vernon and Sharron Davies and sports presenter John Inverdale are all supporting the stadium, which is promised on the back of a supermarket and housing plan being considered next month.

Developer Inox has said the £10 million generated from the building of a superstore and housing project at West Langarth would fund the 6,000-seat venue.

The development scheme is among three rival supermarket-based applications due to be voted on by Cornwall councillors on March 12.

Inverdale, who is fronting the BBC's coverage of the 2015 Six Nations rugby tournament, said: "This is about giving Cornwall facilities that match ambition, not just in sport but in education, in health and in business. Cornwall finally has within its grasp a fantastic community stadium that would enrich peoples' lives on so many levels, and without costing the taxpayer a penny. For me there can only be one outcome. This project cannot be allowed to fail and I urge the people of Cornwall and their elected representatives to get behind it."

An online petition supporting the application has attracted nearly 1,500 signatures.

Rower Vernon, a silver medalist in the 2008 Beijing Games, from Wadebridge, said a stadium would "foster ambition, ability and pride.

"We owe it to the young people of Cornwall to give them the best possible start in life, whether that's on the playing field or in the classroom. The Stadium for Cornwall brings these things together, and will empower our young people to achieve. It has my full support."

Plymouth-born Olympic swimmer Davies, MBE, said such great facilities for Cornwall were long overdue, adding: "I'm very excited about the prospect of the new Stadium for Cornwall. There has been a lot of thought put in regarding the multi-use of these facilities, which I think is the way forward.

"We know from Plymouth in particular – but all over the country – if you build great facilities you get great athletes, fitter kids, and the local community get to use the facilities and rub shoulders with their sporting heroes, inspiring young people to follow in their footsteps."

Inox said the stadium plan, which is in partnership with Truro and Penwith College, The Cornish Pirates and Henry Boot Development, would create about 290 permanent jobs, injecting £4.3 million annually into the local economy.

Truro and Penwith College is investing £2 million in the stadium, which it says would attract students and businesses to the county for quality sports and hospitality facilities. The plans also include a 200 capacity centre, meeting and function rooms and the public would be able to use the venue for community use for a minimum of 60 days a year. A website has been launched at www.cornwallstadiumvision.co.uk

Scarlet fever cases have risen in Cornwall, prompting warnings by health professionals to look out for the signs in children and adults.

The disease is sweeping across the UK faster than at any time in 50 years, with 300 new cases registered last week and 1,265 so far this year.

There have been 33 cases in Devon, Cornwall and Somerset so far this year - 40 per cent higher than in the same period last year.

Scarlet fever causes a sore throat and fever accompanied by a distinctive rash on the chest or stomach. More than 14,000 people were diagnosed with scarlet fever last year, when cases were at their highest level since the late 1960s.

The latest weekly infection figures show the disease is spreading - 169 patients were reported in the first week of January, rising to 342 last week.

Increases in scarlet fever are normal at this time of year as we approach high season between March and April.

But according to Public Health England the numbers of cases currently being reported are above what is typical for this time of the year.

Dr Theresa Lamagni, PHE's head of streptococcal infection surveillance, said: "As we enter into high season for scarlet fever, we ask GPs and other frontline medical staff to be mindful of the current high levels of scarlet fever activity when assessing patients.

"Prompt notification of cases to local health protection teams is critical to enable local monitoring and rapid response to outbreaks.

"Schools and nurseries should similarly be mindful of the current elevated levels of scarlet fever and promptly inform local health protection teams at an early stage if they become aware of cases, especially if more than one child is affected."

The first symptoms of scarlet fever include a sore throat and fever which may be accompanied by a headache, nausea and vomiting.

Between 12 to 48 hours after this, a characteristic fine, sandpapery rash develops, often appearing first on the chest or stomach.

Cases are more common in children although adults of all ages can also develop scarlet fever. Individuals who think they or their child may have scarlet fever should consult their GP.

Symptoms usually clear up after a week and in the majority of cases remain reasonably mild providing a course of antibiotics is completed to reduce the risk of complications.

As scarlet fever is highly contagious, children or adults diagnosed with scarlet fever are advised to stay at home until at least 24 hours after the start of antibiotic treatment to avoid passing on the infection.

For families and friends caring for someone with scarlet fever, the risk of spread can be reduced through frequent hand washing and ensuring clothes, bedding, towels and cutlery are not shared between members of the household.

More than a quarter of cigarettes sold in the South West are either illegal or purchased outside of the UK, a survey has revealed.

Researchers have warned the profits made could be ending up in the pockets of organised crime and terrorist groups.

The discarded pack collection survey by MSIntelligence found that approximately 27% of the region's cigarettes are either counterfeits, smuggled or obtained through other methods from outside of the country.

This figure is almost double the amount recorded at the end of 2013, which the company says marks a worrying increase in the number of cigarettes being purchased illegally.

Will O'Reilly, a former Scotland Yard detective chief inspector who now conducts research into the illicit tobacco trade, said such practices "devastating impact" on local communities.

"People don't necessarily understand the consequences of purchasing illegal tobacco," he said.

"It not only undermines legitimate retailers but leads to a knock on effect in local crime generally.

"Very worrying is the huge growth in illicit whites, unregulated cigarettes made predominately for smuggling, these are not brought back by visitors abroad but smuggled in by the container load by organised crime and terrorist groups.

"Every cigarette funds the availability of drugs on our streets, gun crime or terrorist attacks, making our communities and our streets less safe."

In 2013-14, HMRC estimated that around 10% of manufactured cigarettes and 39% of the hand rolling tobacco market were now illegal. The potential cost to the taxpayer is believed to be £2.1bn.

For the MSIntelligence survey, 12,700 packs from streets and easy access bins were tested in 105 towns and cities across the UK.

A drunken intruder has been jailed for a savage attack on a retired Camborne School of Mines lecturer who was battered with a rock in his own home.

Tyrell O'Donnell was half naked and under the influence of alcohol and legal highs when he climbed into the bed of sleeping pensioner Peter Than.

The shocked former mining tutor woke to find him lifting the duvet and when he tried to force him out of his flat in Plymouth with a walking stick O'Donnell attacked him with a heavy stone doorstop.

He battered Mr Than around the head and upper body before picking up a metal vacuum cleaner attachment and using it to club the shocked pensioner into submission.

Homeless O'Donnell was seen by neighbours fleeing wearing only a shirt, boxer shorts and a single sock and was traced by police from a fingerprint on the pipe, which he discarded outside the flat in Albert Road, Devonport.

Mr Than, a retired tutor from the Camborne School of Mines, needed hospital treatment for cuts and bruises.

O'Donnell also broke into an elderly woman's home in Brixham while she was in hospital and stole a laptop.

He was identified by CCTV at the house and arrested after a public appeal in December last year, Exeter Crown Court was told.

O'Donnell, of no fixed address, admitted causing actual bodily harm to Mr Than and burglary and was jailed for a total of four years by Judge Francis Gilbert, QC, at Exeter Crown Court.

He told him:"You entered the home of a fairly elderly man in Plymouth at 7am when you were intoxicated by alcohol and legal high.

"You got into his bed, presumably intending to go to sleep. He pushed you out of the room and if that had been it you probably would not be here but instead you picked up a rock which he used as a doorstop.

"This was an attack which caused greater harm to a vulnerable victim in a sustained assault with weapons in the form of the rock and the pipe."

Mr Gordon Richings, prosecuting, said O'Donnell had rained blows down on Mr Than and had been caught because his fingerprint was found in a patch of the victim's blood on the vacuum pipe.

Mr Ben Darby, defending, said O'Donnell was so high on drink and legal highs that he had no memory of the attack on Mr Than.

He said:"He says he had a drink and the next thing he recalls is finding himself in his underpants after losing his trousers somewhere during the evening. His only previous offence of violence was  when he was a youth."

CORNISH businesses have leapt to defend themselves following the publication of a list of food outlets with some of the lowest food hygiene ratings in the Duchy.

The list was taken from the results of the latest inspections carried out by Cornwall Council's health and public protection team.

The vast majority of Cornwall's places to eat out were rated four or good - 975 in total - or had the top rating of five – 2,278 places classed as very good.

But 114 were categorised as having only one star, needing major improvements, and a further seven had 0 stars, which meant they required urgent improvement.

The ratings are based on how well staff and owners know and implements food hygiene rules. They are based on the most recent information made available to the Food Standards Agency by Cornwall Council inspectors.

Our article made it clear that some of the inspections had not been carried out for several years. Some of the restaurants, bars, cafes and takeaways listed had since come under new ownership. Others had since closed.

But many have expressed anger that the results were not a fair reflection of their business. Some had been marked down for not having the correct paperwork, while others have had more recent inspections that have not yet been recorded.

Alexander Thomas Anthony Carlisle, head chef at Trennick Mill in Truro, said: "Trennick mill hygiene rating is no longer 1 star.

"We closed in January to do major structural work to the floor (this damage was caused by flooding last Christmas) we have been working closely with the EHO and our score is now 4 stars, with a little more work (new back door, some redecoration, and change of hand wash basin (ours is porcelain and has a small crack in it) we should achieve 5 stars.

"All of the mentioned work is being addressed and hopefully will be done with in the next 4 weeks. We were assessed on Wednesday so our score on the "scores on the doors" website should hopefully update soon."

Mike Swann, new manager for The Unicorn in Porthtowan, wrote to the West Briton to say: "We were awarded 1 Star on the EHO's first visit in August 2014, on their re-visit they commented how well we had improved (it was predominantly the missing Book that got us a low score on the first visit).

"We are due another re-visit but our EHO is on holiday for the next 3 weeks and so not much can happen regarding our One Star until then. The rest of the department is spread too thinly to send another officer. (Maybe an actual article to write there? EHO failing people?)

"This article has been incredibly damaging for our reputation as a business and wholly ignores the current state of our kitchen/efforts. Your article is bureaucratically valid, there's no denying we were awarded One Star, which still stands. That was over half a year ago. Times have moved on and much effort has been made to improve."

Lee Collins posted on Facebook: "My business is in the one star list due to not having some paperwork completed. If this was done we would have 4/5 stars. Bonkers. The star rating is totally misrepresentative, as is this article."

Michelle Chase added: "Devoran Preschool now have new premises."

But Martin Smith said: "The scandal here if one exists is the operators who should have a rating but don't. A search for my home town Redruth reveals that Redruth School hasn't been rated, nor has The Melting Pot Cafe! I'm sure there are many more around the county."

Coastline Housing Service in Camborne wrote to say they no longer ran a food service. We have since removed them from our list.

Click here to check out the full list of food outlets rated 0 or 1 star. Email us at newsdesk@westbriton.co.uk if your business is updated on the list and needs to be updated on our website.

Cornwall stole the show in the South West Tourism Awards, walking away with more than half of the top titles across the 20 categories.

Bosinver Farm Cottages near St Austell led the county's triumphs by picking up the Winner of Winners award as well as gold for Self-Catering and bronze for Sustainable Tourism.

The Falmouth Tall Ships Regatta 2014, which attracted 197,000 people over four days last summer was awarded Tourism Event of the Year.

A further special award went to The Emerald for its innovation in water management and Trethem Mill Touring Park collected gold for Holiday Park & Village.

Other gold businesses included The Scarlet for Small Hotel, Mobius Adventures for Tourism Activity, Sport & Experience, and Launceston Tourist Information Centre.

Cornwall's victories also extended to the food categories with Restaurant Nathan Outlaw taking the hotly contested Taste of the South West Award, and the Tourism Pub of the Year title going to The Pandora Inn at Mylor.

The awards were presented in the Great Hall of the Grand Pier at Weston-Super-Mare by ITV news presenter Kylie Pentelow.

Malcolm Bell, head of Visit Cornwall, said: "What a fantastic result for Cornwall and all the businesses involved. As well as winning the lion's share of the gold awards, our businesses have accumulated a healthy number of silver, bronze and highly commended titles, highlighting that Cornwall is a true star of the region."

Sam Groom, Falmouth Tall Ships event manager, added "The Tourism Event of the Year award is a symbol of the hard work and passion of the hundreds of people that made the Falmouth Tall Ships Regatta the success that it was.

"From volunteers and local businesses to the emergency services and of course the vessels themselves, everyone got behind the event and together we made sure the end of August 2014 was a time to be proud of. I couldn't be more delighted that the event has been recognised and is up there with the big names in the industry."

For a full list of winners visit www.southwesttourismawards.org.uk