Chough returns

THE Cornish Chough is poised to return as an English breeding bird after an absence of almost 50 years following the mysterious appearance of five wild birds in Cornwall.The news has delighted the RSPB, the National Trust, English Nature and Hayle Paradise Park who have been jointly developing proposals to re-establish the bird in Cornwall. The last wild chough nested in Cornwall, 1952. It is thought these birds may have travelled from the remnant population on the Brittany coastline of France. The current population in the UK is around 250 pairs. The exact details of the Cornish site are being kept secret.

100-year old

turtle drowned

A POST mortem has shown that a large leatherback turtle, discovered off St Agnes, was around l00 years old, and drowned after becoming caught up in lobster pots. The post mortem on the turtle, found off Trevaunance Cove, was carried out by the UK Marine Mammals Strandings Project. The shell was cleaned up, and it is hoped it will be preserved and mounted on the wall in the local doctors' surgery. The doctors there had helped tow it ashore.

Potato battle:

Cornish v Jersey

THE people of Helston are being challenged to a potato taste test! To celebrate the start of the Cornish new potato season, local growers and suppliers are challenging the town to see if they can taste the difference in a blindfold sampling between the county's own famous potatoes and Jersey Royals.

Kathryn Race of the British Potato Council, organising the event, said: 'We are throwing down the gauntlet to the people of Helston, and inviting them to come along a taste the difference for themselves!'

The taste bud challenge is being held outside the entrance to Tesco in Clodgey Lane from 9.30am until 4pm on June 8. Last year Cornish farmers produced over 48,000 tonnes of early season potatoes worth £5,506,716 - a significant contribution to the rural economy.

Road closed

THE A390 road at St Ive was closed for a number of hours on Wednesday morning following a diesel spillage, and two accidents.

A motorcyclist skidded off the road between Liskeard and Callington around 6am, while about 60 minutes later there was a minor crash involving a white Ford Sierra car and a red Peugeot 205.

A police spokesman said the road had become very slippery following the diesel spill, and he asked anyone with information about where the diesel had come from to ring 08705 777 444.

The A level voters

The estimated number of eligible first time voters in the Caradon District was 891. Many of them are in the middle of A level examinations and registered their votes before rushing back to schools and colleges.