Bridge drama

delays traffic

Rush-hour traffic was delayed on Wednesday when a man threatened to jump off the Tamar bridge.

Officers found the man on the outside of the new cantilever section on the Saltash end of the A38 at around 4.20pm. He was spoken to for one and a half hours, while ambulance and Devon fire rescue service crews were on stand-by. The 29-year-old man eventually returned to the main bridge where he was detained by Police.

The main road was not closed although tailbacks built up in both directions.

Capsule

on view

LISKEARD residents will be able to inspect the town's time capsule today and tomorrow.

The capsule, and information to be placed within it, will be on view to the general public in the Long Room of the Public Hall between 2-4pm today, and from l0am to noon on Saturday.

A wine and cheese evening, by invitation only, is also to be held tonight between 7-9pm to mark the occasion.

Tax rises, but

the bill falls

COUNCIL tax payers in Liskeard will see the town council slice of their bills, which are currently being finalised by Caradon council, will have risen by a small percentage - but the actual amount they have to pay will fall.

At the monthly town council meeting on Tuesday Liskeard mayor, Pat Ambler, said because of an increased number of properties in the town the Liskeard slice of a Band D council tax bill will be down by 0.17p on the current financial year, despite the percentage rise.

Eating disorders

to be discussed

BODMIN is to host a forum for families worried about eating disorders in children.

The forum is to be held on March 9 at the Bodmin Shire House, and will be organised by the Cornwall Health Council. It has been arranged as a result of calls for more help to be obtainable to people suffering from eating disorders, such as bulimia and anorexia.

The Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Health Authority is to decide in March whether funding will be given for an eating disorder service in the county. For more information on the forum telephone 01872 264402.

Inquest records

accidental death

AN inquest was held this week into the death of a motorist from Lanteglos, near Fowey, following an accident on October 9 last year.

A Helston inquest recorded a verdict of accidental death, after hearing details of the crash in which David Dickerson, 53, died at the scene.

Police have recommended changes to the road markings at Roseworthy Dip on the A30 road near Camborne, where the five-car smash occurred. The accident happened on the dip where the carriageway narrows from four to three lanes. Mr Dickerson's wife, a passenger in his Vauxhall Astra at the time, was badly injured.

Response times

are improving

AMBULANCE response times in the South West are improving, with Plymouth-based paramedics reaching a fifth more calls within the target of eight minutes.

This is despite a rise in demand for their services in January of this year of seven per cent, compared with January 2000. Westcountry Ambulance Services, covering the whole of Cornwall, as well as Devon, Somerset and the Isles of Scilly, saw their call outs rise by 6.5 per cent over the same period, staff having to deal with an additional 292 cases which were life-threatening.