🌊 RIVER EXE FLOWS UNDER OAKFORD BRIDGE 🌊 Amid heavy rain, a swollen River Exe flows under Oakford Bridge, near Bampton. In the 24 hours to 4pm on Monday, nearly 2 inches of rain fell at Blackpitts, near where the river rises at Exe Head. A flood alert had been issued for the Middle Exe area between Exebridge and Tiverton, meaning flooding was possible, so I took a drive through the valley to see what was happening. While the river was lively and there was some standing water in fields and on r

🚅 THE STATESMAN PASSES TIVERTON PARKWAY 🚅 The Statesman passes Tiverton Parkway on its return to the West Midlands last night. The luxury train was around halfway through its 8.5-hour journey from Penzance back to Dorridge, Solihull. It was being hauled by a British Rail Class 47 diesel double-header – D1924 Crewe Diesel Depot and D1935 Roger Hosking. The Statesman is billed as "Britain's most celebrated train", with standard class tickets from £165, first class from £220 and Pullman dining fr

President of the Ocho Rios and Dunns River Craft Traders Council Devon Mitchell is calling on the government to provide relief support to vendors affected by Hurricane Melissa. The category 5 storm made landfall in Jamaica on October 28, wreaking havoc on infrastructure and forcing some tourist attractions to close their doors. Mr. Mitchell explains that the livelihood of craft traders has been adversely impacted. Mr. Mitchell is also calling on the relevant authorities to address other issues a