THOSE PESKY PIGEONS!

Complaints have been received by the council about the nuisance caused by pigeons in Teignmouth, from The Triangle and Wellington Street. About five years ago, they had to engage builders to clean down the pipes. Now, in addition to the droppings, the birds have taken to removing the tingles fastening the roof slates, causing the tiles to slip. It was a hazard as well as a cause of expense.

The council were the authority to give permission to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to carry out the treatment, but could not do the work themselves. They have been in touch with the RSPCA about doping the birds, but they were not keen on the procedure. They were more in favour of the use of a hormone, ‘more or less putting the pigeons on the pill’, to reduce the breeding next year.

ROAD SWEEPER IN TRENCH

Vandals are believed to have removed the safety cones from the trench near Shaldon Bridge lights. At 6.30am on Monday, in the dark, the driver thought that everything was clear. The off-side wheel of the tank-style sweeper went over the edge into the trench, the front underpart buckling as it struck a pile of stones. The wheel was hanging in the trench, and a special recovery vehicle had to be obtained to haul it out.

BISHOPSTEIGNTON PARISH COUNCIL

The chairman reported that he had been informed that telephone cables were to be put underground from The Ring of Bells, along Fore Street to West Street, and that in three years’ time, the SWEB would also be putting their cables underground. He was given the council’s approval  to ask these authorities if it were possible to do these works at one and the same time.

ST LOYES

St Loyes College for training the disabled from commerce and industry, so that they can go back into industry and compete with able-bodied, began in 1937 as a small training centre. Today, it is a national organisation, providing residential training for 270 disabled people every year. Mr John V Haddock has recently come to live in Teignmouth. He described how each trainee begins with a short course on basic workshop practice or office skills. The full course goes on into a variety of subjects, such as bench joinery, electronic wiring, high precision engineering, watch and clock repair, clerical book keeping and computer data processing. The instructors are 30-40 years old  and are drawn from industry.

BOAT BUILDERS HAPPY

Though it is reported nationally that 30,000 shipbuilding jobs are threatened, due to a drop in orders, the Devon yards seem to be in a satisfactory position. Honnor Marine in Teignmouth have enough work for at least six months. They have recently taken the subcontract moulding of a new boat, the 22 ft Eclipse for Westerly Boats of Rock. At Jack Matthews Riverside Boatyard at Shaldon, the craftsmen here are building the 16 - 18 ft Pilot class, which can be adapted from open to cabin type. They are turning out a Pilot every seven weeks.

POISONOUS FISH

A member of the Torbay Sea Anglers’ Association, Mr T  P Harris of Shaldon, was about to pick up a fish which he had just caught off the Skerries, when the secretary cried out: ‘Don’t touch it,’ and pushed him away. Mr Harris had not recognised it as the deadly Greater Weaver, the poison for the sting of which is said to be fatal if medical assistance is not obtained within three hours.

RIVIERA CINEMA

Ice Station Zebra;  Zabriskie Point; Killer on a Horse; Walt Disney’s The Million Dollar Duck and The Living Desert.