Veggie-gate and a legend of a landlord passes away

A MID-DEVON ADVERTISER tongue-in-cheek piece about comedian Josh Widdicombe’s vegetable escapade at a village show three decades ago proved popular with Channel 4’s topical comedy programme The Last Leg.

Our page three ‘Veggie-gate’ spread featured prominently at the start of the live show on Friday night with Josh eventually, if not somewhat reluctantly, rising to the challenge of possibly providing an entry for this year’s Ilsington Parish Summer Show on July 17.

The team evidently enjoyed the pun-ridden exposé with show anchor Adam Hills enjoying the quotes including the ‘we root out the big news stories’ header, which he admitted sounded like an introduction to The Last Leg.

However, Josh, or as Adam re-named him, The Shame of Dartmoor, admitted that with ‘the truth finally leeks out’ he had only just got the pun – despite having seen the page three days earlier.

He did have some reservations about our coverage though.

‘I was a little annoyed,’ said a petulant Josh.

ONE of the legends of Teignbridge’s licensing trade passes away.

Richard Knibbs who ran Ye Olde Cider Bar in Newton Abbot, died in hospital aged 73.

He ran the pub in East Street for more than 40 years, where it was believed to be one of just three hostelries in the country selling only ciders and country wines.

He hit the headlines when a woman was refused a pint of cider, with Richard saying ladies should only be served halves. Threatened with facing a legal battle he was forced to back down.

Richard retired in 2015 and he leaves a partner Sonia.

TEIGNMOUTH Town Council has put up a £200 reward to catch the graffiti vandal who attacked the Kingsway Meadow Centre.

Overnight the walls of the community centre were daubed with obscene graffiti and drawings. Determined not to let this damage the well used and popular centre, three councillors picked up their paintbrushes and went into action.

Cllr Andrew Henderson, Teignmouth mayor Cllr Peter Williams and Cllr David Cox painted out the graffiti and used anti-graffiti spray to remove the same type of graffiti at the Kingsway bus stop.

TEN people in Kingsteignton are celebrating after winning £1,000 each thanks to their lucky postcode.

The Little Close neighbours netted the windfall when TQ12 3YZ was announced as a Daily Prize winner with People’s Postcode Lottery

A CAMPAIGN to ensure that dog owners in Teignbridge are aware of the dog control rules within the district is set to be carried out.

Councillors on the executive committee on Thursday morning unanimously agreed to introduce initiatives that would help to publicise the rules in areas where dog fouling is rife.

A-boards explaining what the rules are, as well as other methods such as pavement stencilling and lamppost signs will also be explored in a bid to remind dog owners of what the rules are.

TWO fire crews from Newton Abbot and a specialist water rescue team from Camels Head Station in Plymouth were involved in assisting a man who had entered fast flowing flood water to rescue his canine companion on Saturday evening.

Just before 7pm on the Whitelake watercourse off Jetty Marsh Road in Newton Abbot a man was stranded after trying to rescue his dog from fast owing flood water and was pinned up against trees.

The incident commander decided to set up a downstream containment using a length of hose inflated with air to act as a barrier should the man get swept downstream.

Crews also tied a life jacket onto a line and threw it to the man to provide him with some protection.

MORE than 3,200 people have signed a ‘Save Alexandra Theatre’ online petition as revised plans have gone in for Newton Abbot’s bid for Future High Street Funding.

Andrew Malcolm, chairman of the Friends of The Alexandra Theatre, said ‘Mushrooms and The Alexandra Theatre... What is the link, I hear you cry, between these two seemingly unrelated items?

‘Well, let me explain. Ever since Teignbridge Council announced their decision to rip out the heart and soul of the historic Alexandra Theatre to replace it with a ‘flexible market, food and events space’, those in opposition to the plans seem to have been deliberately kept in the dark, much like our fungi friends.

DO NOT touch the ponies. This is a stark warning issued this week following the outbreak of a highly contagious horse disease on Dartmoor.

The Dartmoor Livestock Protection Society and the Dartmoor Pony Heritage Trust issued a joint statement urging moorland visitors to enjoy pony herds from a distance after several reported cases of animals with the infectious disease Strangles.

Strangles is a highly contagious bacterial infection of the respiratory system. It is usually spread through direct contact with affected equines or even indirectly on items such as clothing, gloves or cars.

The disease is hard to manage and eradicate because infected horses and ponies become carriers of the disease.

Although some ponies may appear healthy and not show any visible symptoms, they can be intermittently infective to other ponies.