A discount store branch in Cornwall has lost members of staff after the "tragic" cutting of a bus route, managers say.

Go Cornwall Bus has dropped the number 11 service that used to run from Bodmin Parkway railway station to Liskeard along the A38 and drop into the Trago Mills store in the Glynn Valley en route. Passengers now are asked to travel from Bodmin Parkway to Liskeard via train and catch a bus from there.

Cornwall Council said passenger numbers "had reduced significantly" and the route was "no longer sustainable".

Go Cornwall Bus said bosses were "genuinely sorry" over Trago job losses, but it could not reinstate the service unless funding could be found to support its cost.

Ellie Robertson, business developments director at Trago Mills, said: "We weren't approached by the bus company in any way, shape or form.

"The first thing we knew about it was a new timetable was put down on the bus stop.

"We wrote to the bus company and to Cornwall Council and tried to fight the decision, but, unfortunately, they have gone along with the changes, which has meant we have lost staff over it.

"It's really sad on top of the redundancies that we've just gone through. It couldn't have come at a worst time. It's tragic."

Ms Robertson said they a post on their social media had had a huge response.

She said: "Dozens and dozens of people saying they used to shop with us but they no longer can, which is heartbreaking to hear. We need every sale we can get at the moment.

"We put memos up on the staff notice board so that people could put their name forward for car sharing. We've had a little bit of an uptake on that.

"But it's really hard because everyone works in different departments and has different start and finish times and different shift patterns.

"Fortunately, one of our members of staff that has been with us for 40 years, who was going to have to leave because he couldn't get the bus anymore, we did manage to get a car share for him, so we do get to keep Steve the gardener."

Jenny Day, catering assistant at the store, used that service and said: "Initially I could catch one bus into work at a decent time and one bus home. Now I have to catch two buses to get into work and rely on lifts to get home.

"If I miss a bus or there's a bad connection, it means getting a taxi into work, which from Liskeard costs £12, which is what happened the other day.

"People from Bodmin, and one in particular that I worked with, had to leave.

"In fact, two or three people have had to leave because there is just no bus service anymore," she said.

Bob Winn, from Wadebridge, was a regular passenger on the former service, despite having his own car.

He said: "So, if you want to go Trago Mills, you want to go Liskeard, Saltash or Plymouth, hard luck.

"You have to go on the train, and we all know how much the train costs, so we just don't go anywhere. That's it."

Cornwall Council said: "Commercial bus services and those subsidised by the council on the supported network need passengers to be financially viable and ensure we can maximise the allocation of our limited resources.

"Services continue to run between Padstow, Wadebridge, Bodmin and Bodmin Parkway.

"Passengers can continue their journeys on to Liskeard and Plymouth by rail."

"These bus services are timed to ensure passengers can make reasonable connections with the trains at Bodmin Parkway."

A Derby County footballer who runs mentoring sessions in schools says Netflix show Adolescence has highlighted how parents may not know what their children are up to behind closed doors.

Midfielder Ben Osborn said the drama about a 13-year-old boy charged with the murder of a female classmate had done a good job highlighting some of the dangers children faced online.

Netflix has said it will make the series available to screen for free in secondary schools.

Osborn said while showing the programme in schools "isn't going to do any harm", it was key the issues opened up discussions for parents.

He said: "The scary thing about Adolescence is it blindsided the parents – the stuff that they're getting up to on social media or online, how can you police that?"

Osborn, of Spondon in Derby, visits primary and secondary schools through his company EFD Sport & Education, which he set up with former Nottingham Forest academy team-mate Jack Andrews.

He added: "Across the country, suspensions are at an all-time high, permanent exclusions are increasing year on year, and you are definitely seeing a rise in behavioural issues.

"If I spend an hour on X or social media, I'm confused, I don't know what to think because the algorithm gives you a load of different stuff.

"It's confusing, let alone if you're an impressionable teenager. It can be scary."

The enterprise has a team of mentors that visit schools in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and South Yorkshire using sport to help improve behaviour, attendance and engagement.

Osborn said: "You have to educate young people because the world is changing, you can't just say log off your phones and let's live in this real world, but a lot of the time it's fake realities they're seeing online and that's the issue.

"Adolescence is a very difficult programme to watch but I'm pleased that it's showing people what life for some young people can be like.

"We've been talking about this for a long time and people are now seeing that for themselves. That's very welcome, but it's long overdue."

Two robbers who were thwarted in their attempt to rob a corner shop by a "courageous" father and son have been jailed for three years each.

Gary Brown, 38, thrust a Stanley knife towards a shopkeeper as he and Mark Robson, 43, tried to steal money from a store in South Shields in November, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

After initially managing to grab some cash, the pair were overpowered by the father and son who ran the shop.

Both the accused, of Beach Road in South Shields, admitted robbery with Brown also pleading guilty to possessing a knife.

The pair entered the shop at about 20:00 GMT on 17 November and demanded money, prosecutor Ian Cook said.

The shopkeepers, an adult father and son, were "showing some bravery" when they tackled and "got the better" of the robbers, Mr Cook said.

'Particularly unpleasant'

In statements read to the court, the shop owners said they were now fearful of future robberies and the risk that posed to their younger relatives who regularly worked there.

They had also spent a lot of money installing new security measures including a £70 a month panic button alarm system, the court heard.

In mitigation, the court heard both men were living in a hostel at the time, were fuelled by drink and were "deeply ashamed" of their actions.

Recorder Peter Makepeace KC said it was a "particularly unpleasant" crime which had had an ongoing impact on the victims.

He said the shopkeepers had shown "courage" but their fears for their younger workers were understandable.

Both Robson and Brown were also made subject to restraining orders banning them from contacting the two victims or going to the shop for 10 years.

A Bristol-based charity is hoping to make the city the first in the UK where smartphones are banned from all classrooms.

The charity Papaya – Parents Against Phone Addiction in Young Adolescents – is calling on parents to delay giving their children smartphones until at least the age of 14. Campaigners believe this could significantly improve young people's mental health.

The organisation is working with more than 100 schools in Bristol and has secured commitments from 10 institutions to implement stricter policies.

Dr Susie Davies, founder of Papaya, said: "We want them to have a phone-free environment in schools so they concentrate on their learning, but also socialising in breaktime."

Papaya predicts that by the start of the next school term, a majority of Bristol's secondary schools could be signed up to their smartphone-free initiative.

Dr Davies, who is also a Bristol-based GP, said: "We want Bristol to be a smart phone-free city, where children don't get their first smart phone until they're 14."

Papaya is supporting schools to enforce phone-free environments through tools like Yondr pouches and lock boxes.

"It gives young people an extra two to three years of childhood," Dr Davies explained.

"Time to play, to enjoy each other's company, and to concentrate on learning and social development without the distraction of constant notifications."