12:16
Five people including two police officers have been injured in a crash between a police Volvo and a VW Golf near the venue for the G7 summit in Cornwall.
The Devon and Cornwall force has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct and its professional standards department, as is routine when a police vehicle is involved.
The driver of the VW golf, a man in his 20s, was taken to Treliske hospital in Truro with serious leg injuries. Two passengers were treated for minor injuries.
Two police officers were also taken to hospital for treatment for suspected fractures.
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12:02
The town of St Ives and village of Carbis Bay are bracing themselves for three days of protests and demonstrations.
They began, artistically, with a depiction of a mass stranding of mermaids, tangled in discarded fishing nets by Ocean Rebellion.
Rob Higgs and Sophie Miller, co-founders of Ocean Rebellion, sounded a foghorn aimed in the direction of the leaders’ digs in Carbis Bay at dawn. They sounded five blasts, signifying danger. “What it really means,” said Rob, is “Fuck we’re going to crash. That’s the message we want to get over.”
The mood of the demonstrators so far has been determined – but gentle. But a huge police presence is on standby.
Toni Carver, the editor of the St Ives Times and Echo, pointed out that there had been hardly any mention of G7 at the town council’s meeting on Thursday. He said:
Most of it was taken up interviewing four potential new councillors all expressed their deep concern over the lack of affordable housing for local people, and lack of accommodation for working folk. Basically, coming out of Covid – unless you are a direct beneficiary – G7 is the last thing St Ives needed. Feasting at Tregenna, food banks at Penbeagle!
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11:59
There’s a mixture of excitement, trepidation and annoyance among locals and holidaymakers in Carbis Bay and St Ives.
The town mayor, Kirsty Arthur, said Carbis Bay residents were fed up that five-minute trips were being turned into two-hour marathons because of the roadblocks and security.
But others, including her two children, were loving the time off school and the sight of naval ships off the coast, helicopters in the air and presidential cavalcade. “It is quite a show,” she said.
St Ives itself is not as busy as it would be on a normal warm June day. Megan Steeds, who runs a boat hire business on the harbour front, said her trade was 60% down, with many visitors put off by the signs on the A30 telling people to avoid the area. “It’s cost us a lot,” she said. “I’ll be glad when they’ve gone.”
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