Updates on Thursday 5 November 2015
More news, sport, travel and weather from 08:00 on Friday
Cornish primary school catering manager Jo Wotton is off to cook for MPs in the Houses of Parliament today.
Jo runs the school meals service for the Saints' Way Academy, feeding primary schoolchildren at St Tudy, St Mabyn, St Winnow, Lerryn and St Petrocs in Bodmin.
Today she'll be preparing hot meals at the Palace of Westminster - it's her prize for winning a national school meals competition.
Laurence Reed
BBC Radio Cornwall
More than 70 Cornish beaches have been tested by the Enviroment Agency for their cleanliness and all but a handful have been recorded as either good or excellent.
But the latest bathing water quality results from Defra, external will mean some beaches will have to display signs saying bathing is "not advisable".
However, some campaigners claim the whole testing regime is deeply flawed - what do you think? Let me know on today's phone-in by calling 01872 222222.
BBC Travel
- The A390 at Highertown in Truro is partially blocked, causing delays around Sainsbury's, because of an accident involving two vehicles
- The A382 Exeter Road in Newton Abbot is partially blocked near the Old Exeter Road junction, because of an accident involving two vehicles and debris on the road
- In Torpoint, Harvey Street is closed following an accident. Diversions are in place - ferry-bound traffic should use Carbeile Road and Marine Drive
Andrew Segal
Local Live
Exeter's Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Art Gallery (RAMM) is considering a trial charging for some exhibitions, it says.
Image source, GoogleIf approved, 90% of exhibitions would remain free of charge, but charging would start with the International Garden Photographer of the Year exhibition in April, the museum said. The city council's Scrutiny Economy Committee will discuss the proposals next week.
Cllr Rosie Denham said "We'd love to be able to continue to provide all of this with no charge, but in the current financial climate, it's vital that we look at ways of sustaining RAMM so that it's still there for future generations to enjoy."
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A motorcyclist has been taken to Plymouth's Derriford Hospital with "life-threatening" injuries following an early morning crash, external near the Torpoint Ferry.
Cornwall Council's been told by the government it has to build more houses to accommodate the expected growth in second homes over the next few years.
The county is now expected to build 7% more houses, which is an increase of around 5,000, bringing Cornwall's house building target to more than 52,000 by 2030.
Here in Padstow, estate agents says 90% of their customers are looking for second homes.
Suspected cattle rustlers could be to blame, external for a horror crash that left three people in hospital and two cows dead on a busy Exeter road.
Andrew Segal
Local Live
A car has caught fire on the A380 near Exeter, Devon and Somerset Fire Service says, external.
Fire crews from Exeter were called to the scene on Telegraph Hill after "numerous calls stating a car was on fire in a layby".
The cause of the fire was due to an electrical fault, the service said. There were no reports of injuries.
Brent Pilnick, BBC Sport
Exeter's Gareth Steenson says he has been impressed with the improvement of England's Henry Slade since he returned from the World Cup.
Image source, Rex FeaturesThe pair, who vied for Exeter's fly-half spot at times last season, have have both played in the last two games, with Slade at centre.
"The combination's working really well at the minute," Steenson said. "He's brought a lot back to his game, it's transformed him and we've just got to try and keep up with it."
A Cornish woman who has driven the length of Britain twice on her tractor, raising more than £50,000 for charity, is hanging up her steering wheel.
Mary Phillips, who lives near Port Isaac, said the roads were just getting too busy. You can find out more about her travels on BBC Spotlight on BBC One at 18:30.
New figures show that recorded cases of adult rape are up across the whole of the South West, and reported cases of child rape also rose in Cornwall and Devon.
Devon and Cornwall Police said the rise was in line with the national average. They added that publicity surrounding the Jimmy Savile case and subsequent Operation Yewtree encouraged more victims to come forward.
The new data for England and Wales has been released in an HM Inspectorate of Constabulary report.
Holly Green
BBC Weather
If you're planning a trip to the coast today, here are the times of the next high water around Devon and Cornwall.
I'll have the latest forecast on BBC Spotlight at 13:30.
Chris Ellis
BBC News Online
Health bosses are reassuring patients that hospital bed-blocking in Cornwall will improve after beds lost due to delays in ongoing care packages in September rose sharply.
Dr Iain Chorlton, chairman of NHS Kernow, said it was working with "colleagues in health, social care and the voluntary sector" to enable people to get the care they need "quickly and safely". He said as plans to integrate health and social care continue the situation "will improve and demand on some services will ease".
Campaigners are warning that new beach water quality ratings published today don't tell the whole story for the South West.
Defra, external is publishing ratings for each beach - the department has insisted tests were more stringent, and those beaches rated as poor would be required to display a sign advising against swimming.
However, critics said they believed the testing system was flawed.
The sport team from BBC Radio Cornwall have collected the local radio equivalent of a 'Oscar' for their coverage of the World Pilot Gigs Championship on the Isles of Scilly this year.
Dick Straughan, Jack Murley and Ross Ellis (r - l) collected the Gillard Award in Birmingham last night before receiving the congratulations of the Head of BBC Sport Charles Runcie (far left) - engineer Jamie Blake and Hannah Stacey couldn't be there.
BBC Travel
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- The A374 Harvey Street in Torpoint is closed and there are delays in both directions because of an accident. Diversons for the ferry are in place.
- The B3193 is shut between Chudleigh and Dunsford after an accident involving a crane and recovery work.
- There is very slow traffic on the A380 in both directions in Newton Abbot at Penn Inn Roundabout.
- The traffic lights have failed on the B3250 Mutley Plain in Plymouth at the B3214 Alexandra Road junction.
Andrew Segal
Local Live
The family of a woman murdered with her husband in Cornwall say they are "shocked" that a new investigation is being carried out into the conviction of their killers.
Image source, HandoutCarol and Graham Fisher were killed at the Perch garage, near Wadebridge, on Bonfire Night 2003. Robert and Lee Firkins, from Somerset, were jailed for their murders in 2006. The Criminal Cases Review Commission confirmed on Wednesday it was looking into the case.
Mrs Fisher's brother, Nigel Edwards, said: "We are shocked and upset by this development. The murders were 12 years ago and this has brought it all back."
Claire Hawke
BBC Local Live
- Hospital bed-blocking in Cornwall is at its highest level for 12 months
- Environmental campaigners claim bathing water tests carried out in Devon and Cornwall are flawed, despite being more stringent this year
- New figures show recorded cases of adult rape are up across the whole of the South West
- A Government Minister will visit Devon charity Neighbourhood Friends which is piloting a new project to keep elderly people out of hospital
- Cornwall has been told by the government to build thousands more houses to accommodate the expected growth in second homes
- BBC Radio Cornwall has picked up a gold Gillard award recognising the best sports coverage in BBC local radio for the World Pilot Gig Championships on Scilly
The police have confirmed a 20-year-old man from Birmingham died, external in a crash between two cars on the A39 at Perranarworthal yesterday.
The collision involving a Vauxhall Astra and an Audi A4 happened at 04:50. A 20-year-old passenger in the Astra died at the scene, the 31-year old driver from Birmingham is in a 'critical but stable' condition in Derriford Hospital.
The Audi driver, a 52-year-old man from Falmouth, is in a serious condition at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro.
