Weekly round-up: Stories you may have missed

5 hours ago

News image — Thick white caterpillar webs have been spotted covering fences and trees in a city park

BBC A picture of thick white caterpillar webs on a metal fence post. There is a number of caterpillars on the webs. — Thick white caterpillar webs have been spotted covering fences and trees in a city park

"Alarming-looking" caterpillar webs were found in a park, prison bosses are set to face a formal public censure and choughs have been spotted at a Cornish heritage site linked to King Arthur.

Here are some stories from the past week in Devon and Cornwall which you may have missed.

Plan for £19.8m sea defence reinforcement approved

Two yellow diggers work on repairs to the A379 in Devon after storm damage to sea defences washed away parts of the road. The road is next to a beach and the sea. Waves are washing in from the sea. Large pieces of metal from the sea defences are scattered along the sandy beach. — Part of the A379 between Slapton and Torcross collapsed after storms damaged sea defences

Nearly £20m has been earmarked to help reinforce storm-damaged sea defences.

The Environment Agency approved funding for rock armour at Torcross in Devon after parts of the A379 between the village and Slapton were washed away in February after stormy weather battered the region the previous month.

GWR public ownership 'reunites track and train'

A close-up of Andrew who is standing on a bridge with a rail track in the background. He has short brown hair and is wearing a grey gillet. — Andrew Bowes-Roden, from the Modern Railways Magazine, said integrating GWR with Network Rail Western should deliver a better, more reliable railway

South-west England's biggest rail company needs to be renationalised for services to improve, industry experts and politicians have said.

The government confirmed Great Western Railway would be taken back into public ownership on 13 December when its contract with the Department for Transport ends.

Andrew Bowes-Roden, from the Modern Railways Magazine, said the ownership issue was less important than the change possibly being able to improve coordination.

'Alarming-looking' caterpillar webs in park 'harmless'

This shows a mass of spindle ermine moth caterpillars covering a fence post in a dense white silk web that they spin collectively for protection. — The webs have covered parts of Belle Isle Park in Exeter

Thick white caterpillar webs have covered fences and trees in a city park.

Exeter City Council advised people not to be concerned about the "harmless" white webbing seen in trees in Belle Isle Park caused by an infestation of caterpillars.

Chough castle sightings invoke King Arthur legend

English Heritage Three black birds with red beaks and red feet. They are sat on a grey rock with green grass. — In Cornish legend, King Arthur's soul was said to live on in the form of a chough

Choughs have been spotted for the first time in decades at a site in Cornwall where they have a special significance due to their connection to the legend of King Arthur.

English Heritage said the distinctive red-billed birds have been spotted at Tintagel Castle which was, according to Cornish legend, the site of King Arthur's conception.

Prison radon failings bring censure of jail bosses

A picture taken from the outside of Dartmoor prison. There is a large grass field to the front of the image. The building is all brick with a number of windows. — Dartmoor Prison was closed in August 2024 due to high levels of radon gas

Prison bosses face a formal public censure after inmates and staff were exposed to dangerous levels of radon gas at Dartmoor Prison.

Radon, a naturally occurring radioactive gas, causes about 1,100 lung cancer deaths in the UK every year, according to the UK Health Security Agency.

The prison service said the wellbeing and safety of staff and prisoners is "our priority" and radon monitoring had been strengthened.

Follow BBC Cornwall on X, Facebook and Instagram. Follow BBC Devon on X, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@bbc.co.uk.

Previous weekly round-ups