Sam Blackledge

Journalist, @itvwestcountry @itvnews [email protected]

[ITV News West Country @itvwestcountry]

BREAKING: South West Water has been fined £1.9 million after admitting supplying water that was unfit for human consumption in South Devon.
537 people were left unwell and 10 were hospitalised after the water supply was contaminated with the parasite cryptosporidium in Brixham in May 2024.
At Exeter Magistrates' Court District Judge Stuart Smith said South West Water was guilty of a 'serious failure' to protect the public and a 'systemic failure of governance within the organisation' which left a 'deep and lasting harm'.
Read more: https://t.co/o3mAekzOSl

[ITV News West Country @itvwestcountry]

Victims talk about how they have suffered after the cryptosporidium outbreak in Brixham, South Devon. South West Water has been fined £1.9 million for supplying water unfit for human consumption

[ITV News West Country @itvwestcountry]

Plymouth residents still 'in limbo' and unable to return home as unsafe building deadline passes

https://t.co/HuB8c4dV49

[ITV News West Country @itvwestcountry]

Woman guilty of manslaughter of ex-partner who died weeks after acid attack

https://t.co/mjIoTKM6li

[ITV News West Country @itvwestcountry]

Plymouth acid attack left victim's family 'devastated' and lives 'torn apart'

https://t.co/HsUYIdVk9A

[Sam Blackledge @samblackledge]

RT @FredThomasUK: I have nothing but respect for Sir Keir Starmer. He transformed our party and led us to an election victory.

But sadly…

[ITV News West Country @itvwestcountry]

As the dust settles on local election results in Plymouth our reporter Sam Blackledge gives an insight into the night which saw a seismic shift in the city’s politics even though power remains with Labour.
https://t.co/H0uV2NBFT2

[Sam Blackledge @samblackledge]

Team Reform smashes Plymouth's political duopoly on dramatic election night https://t.co/x7kcFiKShB

[Sam Blackledge @samblackledge]

Asked if his party is racist, Plymouth Reform leader Steve Ricketts said: "That is a complete absurdity and people are bored of that. Millions of people are voting Reform, they are not racists, they are patriots, they want their country back and we are the answer."

[Sam Blackledge @samblackledge]

Election night in Plymouth is over. Massive success for Reform and huge losses for Labour. Reform wins 14 seats, Labour loses eight and holds two. Labour keeps control of the city council, but its majority has been dramatically cut.

[ITV News West Country @itvwestcountry]

“The south coast is probably littered with bombs.” The words of Colonel Nick Handy, a straight-talking senior explosives officer who oversaw detonation of a 250kg German Second World War bomb in Plymouth.
Our reporter Sam Blackledge looks back at this week’s events: https://t.co/gWwbWG7085

[Sam Blackledge @samblackledge]

World War II bomb found in Plymouth will be blown up in situ some time tomorrow. Military warns there is likely to be damage to surrounding areas.

[Sam Blackledge @samblackledge]

Plymouth bomb update - Royal Navy UXO experts confirm it is a historic German SC250 - a 250kg air-dropped weapon. 1200 homes evacuated. Experts are using specialist X-Ray equipment to assess the device.

[Sam Blackledge @samblackledge]

A family of four-week old kittens are among those evacuated from their homes in Plymouth due to an unexploded World War II bomb. (Pix from Plymouth City Council)

[ITV News West Country @itvwestcountry]

A number of schools have been forced shut, and more than a thousand homes are being evacuated after a suspected Second World War bomb was found in Plymouth.

A 400-metre safety cordon could also be extended.

Updates here: https://t.co/KyvNDrWLJN

[ITV News West Country @itvwestcountry]

'Severe cracking' found in unstable flats as tenants warned to stay away

https://t.co/GMxQOoE9mb

[ITV News West Country @itvwestcountry]

The far-reaching impact of Plymouth's 'unsafe building' crisis

https://t.co/Fh1xZTwldM

[Plymouth City Council @plymouthcc]

🚧 Road diversions are in place around the Evolution Cove block on Durnford Street, Stonehouse, due to structural safety concerns. Nearby road closures are in place to protect people while work continues. 👇
https://t.co/9acxEjKwtf

[ITV News West Country @itvwestcountry]

Structural damage to an apartment block in Plymouth was known about in December last year, but the owners did not feel an evacuation was necessary until last week, ITV West Country can reveal.
Residents were given one hour's notice to leave their flats at Evolution Cove in Stonehouse on Friday March 20th.
Read more: https://t.co/VCqYodG6Ej

[ITV News West Country @itvwestcountry]

Inspectors found the A&E department at Derriford Hospital was 'particularly crowded', with some patients cared for on trolleys in corridors and said it ‘requires improvement.’
The chief executive of the hospital says more people need to be treated in the community and unless people’s behaviour changes the NHS will continue to struggle.
Read more: https://t.co/RYHZZ2zMWJ