Surfin’ Gordon’s waves - The Pasty sells saffron cakes from Cornwall and Cornish pasties

The first ever British Big Wave Champion was crowned yesterday at Fistral Beach in Newquay, thanks to the huge waves whipped up by tail-end of Hurricane Gordon.

Twenty-eight-year-old Scott Eastwood Scott took off on an eight-foot wave at the Gold Rush Big Wave Contest and surfed his way to a perfect ten, beating 15 other top surfers.

The Gold Rush Big Wave Contest, the first of its kind in Britain, was organised at short notice after there were forecasts of huge waves expected of up to six feet caused by the hurricane that struck the northern regions of the UK.

The surf contest director, Tony Good, said the huge waves were even higher and better than initially forecasted. He said: “I’ve been involved with running contests for over 20 years and without a doubt, today’s contest was the most exciting ever.”

70 of Cornwall’s beaches will face major makeovers as volunteers opt to clean them up this weekend

The clean-up includes the large beaches at Fistral in Newquay and Gyllyngvase in Falmouth, and smaller ones at Readymoney and Gunwalloe.

The volunteers include surfers, Brownies and animal sanctuary staff. Members of Surfers against Sewage, who are taking part in the clean-up, hope to remove dangerous litter and debris which could disrupt surfing.

Staff from the National Seal Sanctuary want to clear up Gwithian beach as they frequently release seal pups there. Local councils are providing protective gloves and bin bags for volunteers.

The big beach clean-up is taking place as part of a national campaign called Beachwatch 2006, run by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS). A total of 370 beaches across the United Kingdom are to be cleaned and surveyed by volunteers.

An MCS spokesman said: “Beach litter is more than just an eyesore for millions of beach visitors across the country. It is a global issue that represents a major threat to many vulnerable marine animals.

“MCS surveys have recorded a 90 per cent increase in the amount of beach litter over the last decade, with major sources being visitors, fishing debris, sanitary and shipping waste.

”We’re determined to make Beachwatch 2006 the biggest and most successful ever.”

A flood defence project that will increase the capacity of the River Valency has been approved by the North Cornwall District Council.

It is hoped that this scheme will reduce the risk of further flooding since the River Valency burst its banks in August 2004, costing millions of pounds in damage.

The scheme will involve the lowering and widening of the River Valency to increase its capacity. It will also include the demolishment of the 19th Century Lower Bridge and the replacement of it with a larger bridge further downstream.

The Environment Agency said the new defence system would reduce the risk of flooding to a one-in-75-year event.

Construction is expected to begin in October and will be completed in two years.

Flood warnings could be issued along the coasts of South West England as the region prepares for some of the highest tides of the year.

The clash between the usual spring tides and the autumn equinox this weekend is expected to cause flooding if there is stormy weather.

The Environment Agency is monitoring the situation and has asked that residents living on the coast or in a tidal area prepare themselves for possible flooding. Tim Wood from the agency said: “It’s far too late to start thinking about it when the water is lapping at your front door, so start preparing for it now.”

The agency has issued a Flood Watch status on the north Cornwall coast, the north Devon coast from Hartland Point to Lynmouth and from Porlock to Avonmouth.

Young leatherback turtles have been spotted along the north Cornwall coast at two locations, according to reports received by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS).

Adult leatherbacks are a common sight on the Cornish coast, but juveniles measuring less than 1m in length are rarely seen.

The first sighting was reported by a wind-surfer at Constantine Bay and the second by a surfer in Fistral Beach, Newquay.

MCS species policy office Peter Richardson said: “We were fairly sceptical when we received the first sighting because leatherbacks of this size are rarely reported in UK waters. But when we received another independent sighting from a surfer who managed to get a good look at the animal we got very excited.”

The leatherback is the largest of the marine turtles, growing up to 3m in length and weighing up to a tonne.

The public has been asked to report any further turtle sightings to Turtle, the national database of turtle sightings.

Sir Richard Branson’s business Virgin Galactic may consider using a Cornish airfield for its launch pad for space travel, it has been revealed.

Will Whitehorn, president of Virgin Galactic, which is pumping hundreds of million pounds into making space travel affordable, has said it might use RAF St Mawgan, near Newquay, as a “spaceport”.

Although the company is yet to approach the owners of the Cornish airfield, it is “one of the very few possible sites in England”, he said.

Virgin Galactic is currently building five SpaceShipTwo spacecrafts, which it plans to send more than 70 miles above the Earth.

It hopes to “bring the dream of space travel for many millions closer to reality”.

Tickets for the three-hour journey will cost £115,000. Virgin Galactic plans to launch its first flight from its main base in New Mexico, USA, in 2008.

West Country anglers are being warned about possible attacks from animal rights extremists, following an incident in north-west England in which fly-fishers were attacked by 30 men with baseball bats.

The incident earlier this month prompted the Fisheries and Angling Conservation Trusts (FACT) organisation to demand a meeting with the Home Office to discuss anglers’ safety.

“We want to meet the Home Office to make sure the advice we give to anglers is the best and that the police treat these incidents with the seriousness they deserve,” a spokesman for FACT says.

The organisation’s chairman, Jim Glasspool, added FACT wanted to “ensure all steps are taken to protect innocent anglers from further attacks”.

Although there have been no attacks in Devon and Cornwall, anglers believe it could happen in the future.

“I am quite sure there could be attacks in the future, and we have to be ready for it if it happens,” says Bill Cox, secretary of the Plymouth and District Coarse Angling Club.

Hunt saboteur groups are known to have targeted anglers in the West Country in the past.

The number of salmon in the River Tamar is increasing, the Environmental Agency says.

A detailed study of the salmon population has revealed that stocks are rising as the river’s habitat is improving.

The River Tamar, which separates Devon and Cornwall, is one of a small group of rivers in England and Wales being monitored by the agency to investigate salmon and sea trout numbers.

“Our work and the partnership projects provide information of national importance to salmon and sea trout conservation,” says Robert Hillman, ecological appraisal technical specialist for the Environment Agency in Cornwall.

“What we’re doing now will ensure that fish stocks and river and lake environments are being safeguarded for the future.”

A number of methods are being used to calculate the number of fish in the River Tamar, including tagging, fish counters and electric fishing surveys.

The Sea Watch Foundation says encouraging numbers of harbour porpoises and dolphins have been spotted around the Devon and Cornwall coast this year during its annual survey.

The National Whale and Dolphin Watch has revealed north Devon is a key area for marine mammal sightings.

The latest survey included a sighting of a 20-strong pod of common dolphins near the Isles of Scilly and several bottlenosed dolphins.

The foundation says recording the whale and dolphin population is useful in providing a warning of potential problems in the marine environment.

Around 20,000 people packed into Newlyn yesterday for the Cornish village’s annual fish festival.

The festival, which has been running for 16 years, aims to boost the profile of the fishing industry.

One of the day’s highlights was the lifeboat gig race, in which a number of gigs raced in Mount’s Bay to compete for the Trafalgar Trophy. The three-mile course started and finished in Newlyn.

Other features included an exhibition by Seafood Cornwall, local chefs giving cooking tips, and a variety of bands.

“The event is our biggest fundraising of the year and enables the Fishermen’s Mission to continue offering the support and help to the families and loved ones of fishermen who have lost their lives at sea,” Superintendent David Whitehead said.

The festival supports 26 charities who displayed their own merchandise and items at the event to raise funds.