Alex Driscoll

A dog became seriously ill after walking on Back Beach in Teignmouth and later tested positive for cocaine and cannabis. The Healthy Pet Shop said the dog, which weighs more than 30kg, is recovering, but warned that the substances could have killed a smaller animal. Teignbridge District Council reported the incident to Devon and Cornwall Police, said no drugs had been found on the beach in connection with it, and confirmed that cleansing teams would continue regular inspections. The RSPCA advised owners to contact a vet immediately if they suspect poisoning.

Police in Ivybridge, Devon, warned parents after a group of young cyclists allegedly knocked over a girl while riding dangerously around Fore Street and Glanvilles Mill. The youths reportedly said they would do what they wanted when challenged. Police urged youngsters to walk their bikes through the town centre and warned that bikes could be seized if used antisocially. They also advised owners to secure abandoned or unattended bikes.

A Russian warship conducted a 30-minute live-fire exercise in international waters about 40 nautical miles south of Plymouth after notifying HMS Tyne and requesting that it move to a safe distance. New Defence Secretary Wes Streeting condemned the activity as performative and irresponsible, warning that the UK would oppose Russian aggression against Ukraine and its allies. The Royal Navy continued tracking the vessel, while Labour MP Luke Pollard sought to reassure Plymouth residents that the armed forces remained vigilant. Military commentator Lord Dannatt and Conservative shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge described the exercise as a deliberate challenge and called for stronger Royal Navy surface-ship capabilities. The incident occurred as UK ministers met counterparts from Japan, Italy and Canada over the Global Combat Air Programme, while Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband reaffirmed support for Ukraine in a call with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.

A man was punched four times in the face at The Dog and Duck pub on Mutley Plain in Plymouth on June 18, suffering a black eye. Devon and Cornwall Police released an image of a man in a sports jersey who may assist their investigation and asked anyone with information to contact police, quoting reference 50260157077.

A Russian naval vessel conducted a 30-minute live-fire exercise in international waters about 40 nautical miles south of Plymouth. The ship notified HMS Tyne beforehand and asked the Royal Navy vessel to move to a safe distance; the Royal Navy monitored the exercise and continues to track the vessel. UK officials and politicians reassured residents while describing the incident as concerning, with Lord Dannatt and James Cartlidge linking it to Russian military assertiveness and arguing that Britain needs greater defence spending and more surface ships.

A man reportedly exposed himself in front of a woman at a launderette on Devonport Road in Plymouth on July 6. Devon and Cornwall Police released an image and appealed for information, asking the public to quote reference 50260176309 when contacting them. An update states that the man has since been identified.

A person in difficulty in the water near Saltash Pier was pulled to safety by members of the public on July 17. Saltash Police officers, the coastguard and fire service then secured the casualty and helped them to the top of the pier before handing them over to paramedics. Police thanked the rescuers and asked those involved to make contact.

A wildfire at Churchtown Nature Reserve near Saltash on July 17 was believed by police to have been started by a firework. Saltash Police linked children to the incident and a wider series of alleged anti-social behaviour, including damage to boats, trespassing at a pontoon, shoplifting, intimidation and dangerous cycling. Police said they had identified several youths, planned visits to parents and could impose 48-hour exclusion orders if the behaviour continued.

Police and ambulance crews attended an incident on Goosewell Road in Plymstock, Plymouth, with witnesses reporting several police vehicles and three or four ambulances at the scene. Live updates were provided by reporter Alex Driscoll, but no details about the nature of the incident or any injuries were confirmed.

Plymouth RNLI carried out eight launches over three days, including a complex rescue at Saltram after an unconscious person fell from a path onto a rocky shoreline near the River Plym and suffered suspected spinal injuries. Working with ambulance, fire and coastguard teams, the crew evacuated the casualty by sea as the area was threatened by the rising tide. Further responses involved an unmanned yacht, an unwell swimmer, paddleboarders, swimmers and teenagers in difficulty. The activity brought Plymouth RNLI’s total service launches for 2026 to 100.

An inquest heard that 18-year-old Plymouth student Xander Furlong died at a hotel in Costa Rica on July 19, 2024, while preparing to work on a sea turtle conservation project. A post-mortem found natural causes linked to arterial hypertension, coronary atherosclerosis, mixed cardiomyopathy and a recent myocardial infarction. Toxicology found no alcohol or illicit drugs. Furlong had a history of narcolepsy and cataplexy, managed with specialist care and medication, and the coroner noted a possible association between the onset of his symptoms and a 2010 swine flu vaccination. Devon senior coroner Philip Spinney recorded a conclusion of natural causes.

A woman was rescued from a house fire in Eggbuckland, Plymouth, after firefighters from Crownhill and Greenbank arrived to find flames and smoke coming from the building. She was handed over to paramedics, while crews used breathing apparatus and multiple jets to extinguish the fire. The cause was believed to be accidental.

Devon and Cornwall Police have released an e-fit of a man sought in connection with the sexual assault of a 12-year-old girl in Ham Woods, Plymouth, at about 3:45 p.m. on June 25. The suspect is described as a white man aged approximately 25–30, with thinning blond hair, a scruffy beard or moustache, black sunglasses, no shirt, light-coloured shorts and moles on his back. Police are asking anyone who recognises him or saw someone matching the description to contact them, quoting reference 50260163994.

A man in his 90s was injured after being knocked off his mobility scooter by a motorcycle at a zebra crossing on The Ridgeway in Plympton on June 21. The motorcycle rider fled the scene, and Devon and Cornwall Police released an image of the rider and appealed for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward.

Destiny Harrison, 24, and her five-year-old daughter Linnea died after being struck on a pedestrian crossing in Plymouth in March 2024 by a Nissan Qashqai driven by Brenda Marriott. An inquest concluded that their deaths were caused by a road traffic collision, while police and the Crown Prosecution Service found insufficient evidence that Marriott’s driving fell below the standard of a careful and competent driver. Destiny’s mother, Sally Harrison, disputes that conclusion, has complained about the police investigation and says she will continue seeking accountability.

A collision involving a car and a motorcycle temporarily closed the right-hand turn at the junction of Tavistock Road and Southway Drive in Plymouth. Devon and Cornwall Police reported minor injuries to the motorcycle rider. Delays formed between Derriford roundabout and the George Junction Park and Ride, but the road had cleared and traffic returned to normal by 1pm.

A taxi left Plymouth Road in Plympton at about 9:45am on June 29 and entered Tory Brook, a small leat near Coypool Road. The male driver sustained minor injuries, while he and a male passenger escaped through the vehicle’s boot. Police and three fire-service appliances attended, firefighters helped the occupants up the bank to paramedics, and the road reopened by 11:15am.

A taxi left the road and entered a shallow leat opposite McDonald's on Coypool Road in Plymouth. The male driver and male passenger escaped through the boot, were assessed by firefighters, helped up the bank and transferred to paramedics. Three fire-service appliances attended the incident.

Two men became unwell on Plymouth's Union Street at about 10:30 p.m. on June 20 and were taken to hospital by ambulance. Devon and Cornwall Police said officers were flagged down while on patrol, and confirmed that the incidents were not being treated as suspicious and posed no wider risk to the public.

Vulnerable residents in Saltash, near Plymouth, were reportedly approached by fraudsters claiming to be council staff and offering basic garden work at inflated prices. Saltash Police are investigating and advised residents to secure their homes, verify identities independently, avoid pressure, and contact police or trusted relatives if they feel unsafe. Residents should call 999 if suspects are still present and 101 or report online if they have left.

A large fire broke out in a top-floor flat in a four-storey block on Vauxhall Street in Plymouth’s Barbican area on May 28. Multiple fire stations attended, with up to 10 appliances deployed, while nearby residents were evacuated and roads were closed. The blaze was extinguished without reported injuries or casualties, and residents were accounted for or evacuated. Plymouth Community Homes and police assisted with rehousing and crowd management. Fire investigators began examining the scene to determine the cause, while a building-related road closure remained in place.

A large fire engulfed a top-floor flat on Vauxhall Street in Plymouth’s Barbican on May 28, prompting the deployment of eight fire engines and police road closures. Residents were advised to close windows and doors because of heavy smoke. Everyone inside the affected flat was evacuated and accounted for, with no casualties reported; firefighters later extinguished the flames while closures remained in place.

A 23-year-old Plymouth man was arrested after allegedly becoming aggressive and assaulting a police community support officer at a Co-op store on Hoegate Street. The PCSO suffered minor injuries and required hospital treatment; a responding police officer was also assaulted but was uninjured. The man was additionally arrested on suspicion of criminal damage to a police van and remained in custody.

Dwayne Arney was sentenced to 12 years in prison and disqualified from driving for 18 years after pleading guilty to causing death by dangerous driving, driving while unlicensed and uninsured, and possessing a Class A drug. He drove a non-roadworthy Audi at 81–85 mph in a 30 mph residential zone in Plymouth while impaired by drugs, crossed onto the wrong side of the road and collided head-on with Rosemary Wooldridge's Ford Fiesta, killing her at the scene. Arney fled but was later arrested, and Devon and Cornwall Police released CCTV footage to highlight the consequences of drug-impaired driving.

Dwayne Arney, 34, was jailed for 12 years and banned from driving for 18 years after pleading guilty to causing the death of Rosemary Wooldridge by dangerous driving, while unlicensed and uninsured, and possessing a Class A drug. Arney was driving an Audi A4 Quattro at 81–85 mph in a 30 mph Plymouth residential area while drug-impaired and on the wrong side of the road when he collided head-on with Wooldridge’s Ford Fiesta on December 17, 2024. Wooldridge died at the scene. Arney fled, was arrested more than two hours later, and was found to have cocaine and a controlled drug in his system. Police described the offence as exceptionally serious, while Wooldridge’s family remembered her as a much-loved mother, grandmother, fiancée and member of the local darts community.