Ex-Test man gives Docks a £1m boost

AN ex-England cricketer who works for a shipping firm in Holland has helped win a contract for Falmouth Docks worth £1 million.

Jack Richards, who played for Surrey and England, and whose family home is near Penzance, will be in Falmouth to see the dry docking of the 17,000 tonne Baltic Confidence, which arrives early next month for repairs, which will take three weeks.

Mr Richards said he was delighted the work had gone to a Cornish yard and was excited and nervous as it was the first time his firm had sent one of their ships to the town.

The contract for A. and P. Appledore was won against competition from Germany.

Mr Richards is married to a Dutch girl and moved to the country seven years ago where he is in charge of operations for Orient Shipping in Rotterdam, which runs a fleet of 25 bulk carriers.

He said he was well aware of Falmouth becoming more competitive and hoped the contract would lead to more work for the yard.

Managing director of the Falmouth yard Clive Towl was equally pleased at winning the contract, particularly against competition from other European yards.

Bliss the python causes chaos in bid for freedom

A FOUR-AND-A-HALF-FOOT python who has created chaos since she escaped in Falmouth over two weeks ago, has now been reunited with her owner.

Bliss, who at seven-years-old and ten centimetres round is described as a baby, frightened the life out of several residents in Marlborough Road after she made a break for freedom.

One man stood on her in the dark at 3am while another resident had a shock on discovering Bliss in her garden.

The fire brigade, police and a chimney sweep have all been involved in the search for the snake, which disappeared under a gas fire almost three weeks ago.

The snake’s owner, teenager Tazmin Powell, takes her pet everywhere with her and on the night of her disappearance she had taken her to friends in Marlborough Road.

“I went upstairs to take to someone and left the snake downstairs with a girl who wanted to hold her,” explained Tazmin.

“Bliss went under the gas fire and got up the chimney and somehow got into the next door neighbour’s house.”

When Bliss first slithered out of sight, the fire brigade and a chimney sweep were called in to help find her, but to no avail.

That was the last Tazmin was to see of her snake for over a fortnight. During the first two weeks there were no sightings, but then last week Bliss turned up in the neighbour’s house in the middle of the night.

“The neighbour had come down at 3am to get a drink of water and had not turned the lights on,” said Tazmin. “He stood on Bliss and she turned and hissed at him because she thought she was being attacked.

“The bloke ran upstairs and called the police, but by the time they came and looked around the house, she was gone.”

The following morning, the neighbour came down for breakfast to find Bliss hanging from one of his doors. Again the police were called, but again Bliss went into hiding.

Fortunately this time the snake was eventually located and placed in a dustbin for safe keeping while Tazmin was called.

When she arrived the snake had disappeared again. The dustbin had a hole in it and bliss had slithered to freedom.

“I then lost all hope of getting her back again as she was out in the wild now,” said Tazmin.