Beaches not protected by lifeguards

No lifeguard service is operating at Teignmouth and Dawlish Warren beaches.  Take extra care if you are venturing into the sea or playing on the beach.

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution and Her Majesty’s Coastguard have launched a new beach safety campaign, urging parents to protect their families by following key safety advice to save lives this summer.

Anyone going to the coast should:

• Take care near cliffs - know your route and your limitations
• Have a plan - check the weather forecast and tide times
• If you fall into the water unexpectedly, FLOAT TO LIVE. Fight your instinct to thrash around, lean back, extend your arms and legs and float
• If boating, ensure your equipment is functioning and maintained
• In any coastal emergency dial 999 or 112 and ask for the Coastguard

The RNLI originally paused the rollout of the lifeguard service for the 2020 season but as lockdown is eased they are looking at how much cover they might be able to provide later in the summer.

Bulky Waste collections resume

Our bulky waste collection service will resume from Monday 1 June. You can book collections online from Tuesday 26th May. To keep our staff safe during the pandemic, we will only be able to collect from outside your property.

Bank Holiday Collection changes

Following Monday’s bank holiday, collections will take place a day later than normal next week. ie if you normally have your waste collected on a Monday, your collection will take place on Tuesday. You can check your next collection date online.  Collection days will return to normal from 1 June

Recycling Banks

It is great that our recycling banks are well used by residents but please take your recycling home with you if the banks are full. Leaving recycling around banks not only creates a hazard – people can trip over it and waste gets blown into the environment – but it also creates unnecessary work for our cleansing staff and slows down the rate at which we are able to empty the banks.

This week we have been recognising the power of kindness – the theme of Mental Health Awareness Week.

The Coronavirus pandemic has resulted in significant changes to the way we live. The risk of infection has caused stress and feelings of isolation for many of us, whether still going to work, furloughed, working from home, unemployed, home schooling your children or just unable to see your loved ones. Kindness helps us deal with these anxieties, reducing stress, providing perspective and strengthening friendships.

Taking care of our mental health is as important as our physical health and The Mental Health Foundation has lots of useful advice specifically about looking after your mental health during the pandemic.

Protecting the environment while ensuring there are sufficient homes and sites for job creating businesses is the challenge the local plan seeks to reconcile.

It puts forward a wide range of environmental policies to balance these competing demands and to make sure that any new development does not threaten the quality, character and distinctiveness of our landscape, including our coast, estuaries and historic settings.

Protecting the fantastic environment which makes Teignbridge a special place to live and visit is one of the plan’s key priorities. But do the proposals go far enough? Do you support the protections set out in the draft plan?

In addition to protecting our landscapes the plan sets out the importance of safeguarding historic buildings and places, as well as trees, hedges and woodland. It shows how we must tackle pollution, contamination and flood risks while increasing biodiversity.

The local plan suggests:

• Resisting development which would physically join settlements together
• Managing and limiting the types of development in undeveloped coastal areas
• Relocating homes and business from areas where coastal flooding and erosion could take place as a result of climate change
• Introducing new rules around equine development to stop the erosion of our traditional landscape character
• Requiring development action plans to tackle any risk of increased air pollution
• Avoiding loss, damage or disturbance to species and habitats within our internationally protected sites, especially the Greater Horseshoe Bat
• Requiring a 10% net increase in biodiversity when new development take place.

Please give us your views by completing our feedback questionnaire..

This week we launched our £167,000 hardship fund in association with Devon County Council.

It's aimed at supporting Teignbridge residents who cannot afford to pay for basic essentials due to the pandemic.It  will provide up to £200 to help with basic necessities such as food, household essentials, essential travel costs, utility payments etc.

You can apply online via our website, telephone the Coronavirus hotline on 01626 215512 or email coronavirus.support@teignbridge.gov.uk. Open Monday to Friday, 9am - 5pm (excluding Bank Holidays).

Don't forget our Coronavirus hotline is there to help you with a range of issues, whether that is getting food delivered if self isolated or putting you in touch with support groups near to where you live.

You can also check out our community support pages and our interactive map to help find local support.