News in Dawlish

People heading out for walks on the South West Coast Path are being asked to avoid the most popular areas, to reduce the risk of erosion.

With more people enjoying local walks during lockdown, along with the effect of winter weather, the South West Coast Path Association has warned that parts of the route have been damaged.

Rapid lateral flow Covid-19 tests are being made available in Dawlish and Teignmouth as the county council rolls out its community testing service.

From Friday, April 9, a mobile testing unit will be visiting the Barton Hill car park in Dawlish between 8am and 11.30am on Thursdays and Sundays, and will be at Newfoundland Road in Teignmouth on Sundays from 12.30pm until 5pm.

Trainspotters have been out in force in Dawlish to get a sighting of a 'special train' passing through.

The privately owned train – consisting of two Class 37 locomotives and a string of Pullman-style coaches – travelled through Dawlish on its way to Cornwall and the South Hams and back again last week, on journeys believed to be for driver training and route learning.

People out and about in the local countryside are being asked to keep their eyes open for suspicious activity around wild birds' nests.

Devon and Cornwall Police are taking part in Operation Easter, an annual initiative to tackle the theft of birds' eggs during the nesting season, from spring to early summer.

A new breeding pair of black swans has arrived in Dawlish, and they're expected to be out on the Brook next week.

The pair have been 'swapped' with two of the male swans, which have gone to a new home.

A visit from the Easter Bunny put smiles on a lot of faces in Dawlish at the end of last week.

The Helping Dawlish group of community organisations had appealed for donations of Easter eggs and chocolates to spread some Easter cheer around the town.

Dawlish police are investigating the vandalism of two vehicles in Barton Crescent last week.

Officers say a sharp instrument was used to cause 'significant damage' to the bodywork of the vehicles on the night of Monday, March 29.

Firefighters from Dawlish were among those who attended a blaze at a thatched-roof pub in East Devon on Easter Sunday.

The fire broke out at the White Hart in Wilmington shortly before noon on April 4.

The Smugglers Inn has announced that it will reopen from Monday, May 17, seven days a week.

Pubs and restaurants are allowed to start serving customers outside from April 12, but the owner of the Smugglers, Nick Stentiford, said he'd decided against that date because the weather might not be good enough for sitting out of doors.

Dawlish's Open Daw charity is to close down as a result of the loss of funding caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The charity's trustees have posted the announcement on their Facebook page today (Friday, April 2), saying it is made 'with great sadness and regret'.