Man faces arrest threat for ‘offensive’ garden gnome - The Pasty sells saffron cakes from Cornwall and Cornish pasties

Police in Cornwall have threatened to arrest local resident Gordon MacKillop for placing a solar-powered gnome, dressed in police uniform, in his garden.

The police became involved in the matter when MacKillop’s neighbour John McLean, a former policeman, complained that the gnome was annoying and discouraged potential buyers viewing his home.

MacKillop claimed that he had placed the ornament in his garden to deter thieves after his motorcycle was stolen from his driveway.

Police have served MacKillop, who lives in Treovis, with a notice for ‘placing a garden gnome with intent to cause harassment’ under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997.

MacKillop said: “I’m not having the police telling me what type of garden gnome I can have. It’s a standard gnome I bought from a store. If they are considered harassing they should be withdrawn from sale.”

A spokeswoman for the Devon and Cornwall Police said: “This isn’t just a petty issue. This has been ongoing for two or three years.”

A Newfoundland dog has qualified as the first canine lifeguard in Britain.

Five-year-old Bilbo and his owner patrol a busy beach at Sennen Cove in Cornwall. The clever canine is trained to swim to the person in danger, pulling a board on a rope behind them. The person can then grab on to the board and the dog will pull them to safety.

Since Bilbo has been on lifeguard duty, the number of visitors to the beach has soared.

Firemen were called to a Newquay caravan park on Saturday to rescue a small child who was stuck in a vending machine.

One fire engine was sent to Trevella Caravan Park where the crew found a nine-year-old child with its arm trapped in a sweet dispenser and used small tools to release it.

The child cannot be named for legal reasons.

Roads in Cornwall and Devon have been melting, after a wave of Mediterranean weather swept the United Kingdom.

Workmen from Cornwall County Council had to cover several roads with protective grit and dust, to stop car tyres pulling up pieces of melted tar.

Andy James, from Cornwall County Council, said: “It helps to absorb the excess bitumen and prevent it from sticking to tyres as they pass over.

“We have also sign-posted the site to warn people about loose chippings.”