Latest news with #Brixham
BBC News
13 hours ago
- General
- BBC News
Tory defection changes balance at Torbay Council
A councillor has quit the ruling Conservative party at a council with a precarious political Council member Jason Hutchings left the Conservatives, saying he wanted to be free to voice his own Conservatives remain in charge at Torbay Council but now have 17 seats compared to 15 Liberal Democrats and four Conservative leader said his party would continue "to do the job we were chosen to do". 'Point scoring' Hutchings is the third councillor to leave the Conservatives since the council elections in May votes are tied at Torbay the mayor - currently Conservative councillor Barbara Lewis - has the casting at Torbay had to undergo a mediation process after a peer review found political tensions were affecting the way the council said the "political point scoring" between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats had been "an eye opener".He said the situation had improved but he wanted to leave the Conservative group to "get the best outcome for the residents of Brixham".He said: "I can now ask questions of the Conservative administration that I felt I couldn't ask before."The Conservative leader of the council, David Thomas, said: "Residents elected us to govern and deliver, not get drawn into political theatre."Jason still supports the programme we were elected on and we are continuing to do the job we were chosen to do."
BBC News
a day ago
- Business
- BBC News
Water firm's losses deepen after Devon parasite outbreak
South West Water's parent company has reported widening losses following a parasite outbreak in Group posted a pre-tax loss of £72.7m for the year ending March, a sharp increase from the £9.1m loss recorded the previous year. A major contributor was the cryptosporidium outbreak in Brixham, south Devon, which cost the company about £21m, it increased water bills by 28% on average from April, which it said would fund ongoing investment plans. The parasite outbreak, which contaminated the local water supply, led to hospitalisations and more than 100 reported cases of illness, including symptoms such as diarrhoea. Pennon said about 800 staff and supply chain partners worked intensively over eight weeks to restore safe drinking water to the affected addition to the outbreak costs, the company also absorbed £15.8m in restructuring expenses over the the financial hit, Pennon said it was pushing ahead with plans to invest £3.2bn in its infrastructure by 2030. The investment will fund new reservoirs, storm overflow repairs, net zero initiatives, and service support this, SWW customers saw their bills rise by an average from April. Customers of Bristol Water and Sutton and East Surrey Water, also owned by Pennon, faced increases of 5% and 3%, respectively. Pennon said the bill hikes would cover about a third of the planned investment. 'Tough decision' "We know customers are worried about rising bills to fund this level of investment," said Susan Davy, chief executive of Pennon. "While we have made the tough decision to put bills up in 2025/26, for the first time in over a decade, two-thirds of our investments are being funded by our supportive investors and debt providers."Ultimately everyone will benefit from the investments we are making, from building reservoirs, to fixing storm overflows, powering our net zero ambitions and helping to create economic growth."Despite ongoing dry weather, Ms Davy said the South West was not expected to face a hosepipe ban this summer. Pennon said it anticipates a return to profitability in the coming year, driven by increased revenues and streamlined business operations. A landmark review by the independent Water Commission found the water sector in England and Wales is failing and needs stronger regulation to better protect billpayers and the environment.
The Independent
a day ago
- Business
- The Independent
South West Water owner Pennon says losses deepened after Devon parasite outbreak
South West Water owner Pennon has reported widening losses following a parasite outbreak in Devon, while it said hiking water bills this year would help fund its £3.2 billion investment plans. The utilities firm reported a pre-tax loss of £72.7 million for the year to the end of March, widening from the £9.1 million loss reported last year. Last year's incident in Brixham, south Devon, cost it about £21 million, pushing it deeper into an annual loss, it said. An outbreak of cryptosporidium – a parasite that causes infection – in the water supply left some people in hospital, while more than 100 others reported symptoms including diarrhoea. Pennon said about 800 of its staff and supply chain partners spent eight weeks over the summer working to return safe clean drinking water for people and businesses in the area. The wider annual loss also reflects £15.8 million in costs related to restructuring actions over the year, it revealed. Meanwhile, Pennon said plans to ramp up investment in its infrastructure, and encouraging its customers to use less water to save money, had affected its profitability. The group is targeting £3.2 billion worth of investment by 2030, incorporating work to build new reservoirs, fix storm overflows, meet its net zero commitments, and improve services for customers. Bills for South West Water customers surged by 28% on average from April, while bills for Bristol Water and Sutton and East Surrey (SES) customers are rising by 5% and 3% respectively. Pennon said the bill hikes would help fund around a third of its investments. Susan Davy, Pennon's chief executive, said: 'We know customers are worried about rising bills to fund this level of investment. 'While we have made the tough decision to put bills up in 2025/26 – for the first time in over a decade – two-thirds of our investments are being funded by our supportive investors and debt providers. 'Ultimately everyone will benefit from the investments we are making – from building reservoirs, to fixing storm overflows, powering our net zero ambitions and helping to create economic growth.' She added that, despite persistent dry weather, 'we're predicting that the South West won't need a hosepipe ban this summer'. It is also expecting to return to profitability in the year ahead through increased revenues and shaking up business costs.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
South West Water owner Pennon says losses deepened after Devon parasite outbreak
South West Water owner Pennon has reported widening losses following a parasite outbreak in Devon, while it said hiking water bills this year would help fund its £3.2 billion investment plans. The utilities firm reported a pre-tax loss of £72.7 million for the year to the end of March, widening from the £9.1 million loss reported last year. Last year's incident in Brixham, south Devon, cost it about £21 million, pushing it deeper into an annual loss, it said. An outbreak of cryptosporidium – a parasite that causes infection – in the water supply left some people in hospital, while more than 100 others reported symptoms including diarrhoea. Pennon said about 800 of its staff and supply chain partners spent eight weeks over the summer working to return safe clean drinking water for people and businesses in the area. The wider annual loss also reflects £15.8 million in costs related to restructuring actions over the year, it revealed. Meanwhile, Pennon said plans to ramp up investment in its infrastructure, and encouraging its customers to use less water to save money, had affected its profitability. The group is targeting £3.2 billion worth of investment by 2030, incorporating work to build new reservoirs, fix storm overflows, meet its net zero commitments, and improve services for customers. Bills for South West Water customers surged by 28% on average from April, while bills for Bristol Water and Sutton and East Surrey (SES) customers are rising by 5% and 3% respectively. Pennon said the bill hikes would help fund around a third of its investments. Susan Davy, Pennon's chief executive, said: 'We know customers are worried about rising bills to fund this level of investment. 'While we have made the tough decision to put bills up in 2025/26 – for the first time in over a decade – two-thirds of our investments are being funded by our supportive investors and debt providers. 'Ultimately everyone will benefit from the investments we are making – from building reservoirs, to fixing storm overflows, powering our net zero ambitions and helping to create economic growth.' She added that, despite persistent dry weather, 'we're predicting that the South West won't need a hosepipe ban this summer'. It is also expecting to return to profitability in the year ahead through increased revenues and shaking up business costs. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
The Guardian
26-05-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
‘The seabed is full of them': English fishers enjoy surprise octopus boom
Octopuses have long captivated humans with their alien-like appearance and bizarre anatomy. This spring, the cephalopods have been baffling, delighting and enraging fishers in English waters as an unprecedented marine heatwave has led to a surge in their numbers. The boom in octopus catches began to be seen in March in east Cornwall and Devon – as sea temperatures rose by between 2C and 4C above average spring temperatures. The hauls have been a boon for fishers. At Brixham market, where most of the catch is sold, tens of tonnes of octopus is being traded every day. Octopus fever has taken over the town; Octavia the octopus, a cephalopod-shaped light usually switched on at Christmas, is being turned on every night; while a nearby cafe has decorated itself with an octopus mural. Barry Young, the managing director of Brixham Trawler Agents, said 36 tonnes of octopus came through the market on Thursday – compared with about 200kg this time last year. 'It's a financial bonus for the fishermen,' Young said. 'They're grabbing it with two hands while they can. The boats, they fish for certain species, we fish for 'bottom fish', which is called a demersal species. We would catch plaice, dover sole, brills, turbots, anything sort of bottom-dwelling. 'Luckily for us and the fleet that we deal with, the octopus seems to be a bottom-dwelling fish as well.' Ian Perkes, who has owned a fish merchant in Brixham harbour for 49 years, said it was the first time in his career he had seen the giant molluscs. 'It's down to climate change because it's only this year that they've been here,' he said. 'We've not seen them before, this time last year, they were on the French side of the water and the French were filling up with them.' Perkes said octopuses were normally caught off the coast of Morocco and Mauritania, where it is a 'massive, massive business' but they have been coming north as the water off the coast of England was much warmer. The surge in octopus numbers has been a bonus for English fishing because there is no quota and a big market, especially in Spain, fetching £8 a kilogram at auction. The 22-tonne catch brought in on Tuesday would be worth about £170,000, Perkes explains. Approximately 70-80% of the fish and seafood caught is sold abroad. 'They're a shot in the arm for the fishermen, like a massive bonus, because there's no quota. They're making incredibly good money,' Perkes said, adding that the octopuses were being swept up across the industry. 'They're getting caught in all methods of fishing,' he said. 'Caught in cuttlefish pots, in crab pots by trawlers, by the beamers. The seabed is full of them.' The flip side to the boom in the UK is that the industry is struggling in Spain, where many companies have processing facilities and employ hundreds of people in Morocco and Mauritania. And not everyone in the UK industry is pleased. There was some tension among fishers specialising in crab and lobster when they discovered the octopuses entering the pots and eating the shellfish inside. The octopus – which has nine brains and three hearts – uses its beak to break the crab or lobster shell. It then injects enzymes that help dissolve the meat before sucking it out. 'Some of the boats have seen that, where the octopuses are prolific in certain areas, they have seen a dramatic drop off in crab and lobster,' Young said. The Devon and Severn Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (D&S IFCA) enforce a bylaw requiring 'escape gaps' to be fitted to crab and lobster pots to enable undersized shellfish to escape – a conservation measure to protect juvenile crabs and lobsters and allow them to escape. It is through these escape hatches that the fishers believe the octopuses are entering and leaving after they have eaten the creatures within. The D&S IFCA said the holes could be closed if fishers were trying to catch octopuses only, and it was working on trying to find a long-term solution. Marine biologists said the spike in marine temperatures this spring was unprecedented. It began in early March and is continuing into the end of May. As human-induced climate breakdown continues to raise global temperatures, the frequency of marine heatwaves is increasing, with the UK being subjected to spikes in sea temperature more frequently. According to Dr Marta Marcos, at the Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies in Mallorca, Spain, who led a study into marine heatwaves, half of the sea warming since 2000 would not have happened without global heating. Carli Cocciardi, a marine nature recovery officer at Devon Wildlife Trust, said there had been a surge in octopuses in English waters recorded in the 1900s, the 1950s and briefly in 2022. 'We're unsure why this surge is happening,' she said. 'But the main reason seems to be warmer waters, so climate change, a sea temperature rise. It could be also changes in prey availability or ocean currents.' Cocciardi said they were medium to large octopuses that could grow up to 1.3 metres in length and were 'very intelligent animals'. She said there was no quota and as it was a new phenomenon it was uncertain what would happen in terms of management. But she added the authorities would 'make sure it was sustainable' if it became a permanent feature in English waters. 'We're just going to have to keep an eye on it,' she said.
