Updates on Thursday 7 January
The latest News, Sport, Travel and Weather from 08:00 Friday
Jonathan Morris, BBC News Online
That's all from BBC Local Live for today, but we'll be back from 08:00 on Friday with the latest news,sport, travel and weather updates for Devon and Cornwall.
Don't miss BBC Spotlight at 18:30 and the late bulletin at 22:30 tonight
Jonathan Morris, BBC News Online
- Sixty jobs look likely to go at newspaper distributor Smiths News in Plymouth - it follows hundreds of redundancies at Princess Yachts in the city and at meat processors Tulip in Bodmin, Cornwall.
- A scheme that aimed to see hospital bed blocking fall by a quarter actually saw numbers shoot up by 69% in a year.
- Devon and Warwickshire cricketer Tom Allin has died at the age of 28.
- Controversial plans for a helipad in Torbay have been withdrawn by the Conservative Mayor, Gordon Oliver.
- A sick sea turtle believed to have been pushed towards the UK by stormy seas has been found stranded on a beach.
BBC Sport
Tributes have been pouring in from across the world of cricket for Devon fast bowler Tom Allin, who's died suddenly at the age of 28.
Tom, who represented Warwickshire and Devon, was found at the base of a bridge near Bideford on Monday. Police are investigating but are not treating the death as suspicious.
Image source, Getty ImagesJason Ratcliffe, assistant chief executive of the Professional Cricketers' Association, described Allin as a valued member of the organisation.
"Our condolences go to Tom's family, particularly his father Tony who is also a PCA member from his own playing career with Glamorgan in 1976."
A fugitive burglar who crashed his getaway car during a police chase has been jailed after he was caught in a field of alpacas, external. Christopher Dixon lost control of the stolen car on road outside Darts Farm at Clyst St George and was followed by police through marshland onto the shopping complex's animal corner.
Showers will clear during the early evening, leaving a mostly dry night with often clear skies, under which some frost and isolated fog patches may form in prone spots. However, a band of showers will arrive from the west by dawn. Minimum Temperature: 2C (36F).
Tomorrow will then be another windy day with a mixture of sunny spells and scattered showers pushing in from the west. Maximum Temperature: 9C (48.2F)
Children are set to take centre stage, external for the first time in a Cornish theatre's 80-year history.
A newly-formed company of primary school age children will present The Lighthouse Keeper’s Lunch at the cliff-top venue in West Cornwall later this year.
Senior police officers say they will be working closely with Exeter City Football club, external when they host Liverpool in the FA Cup tomorrow.
Police will be there to help the staff at the club and to provide support to the public wherever needed.
With a sell-out crowd, all away coaches will be met and escorted by police and the club are advising fans to arrive early - with gates opening at 18:30.
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Devon doctors helping refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos say they have been "overwhelmed" by donations of clothes from the UK and have appealed for volunteer sorters to help them.
Dr Abby Fearon said: "We are seeing huge numbers of donated clothes and that is really lovely but there aren't enough people to sort the clothes.
"We need people who can make it here for a few hundred quid and help in the warehouse."
A chance discovery by an amateur metal detectorist has unearthed a beautiful, tiny treasure, external.
When Rosemary Rundle first scooped up a ball of earth from a farmer's field near Helston, she immediately picked out highlights of silver. Her remarkable find turned out to be a 500-year-old Tudor clothes hook, only 18mm by 15mm. It was officially declared to be classed as treasure at an inquest in Truro.
The Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust is on a "financial precipice" according to its chairman.
The trust, which runs hospitals at Treliske, Penzance and Hayle won't balance the books this year and today revealed it could end the financial year £15m in the red, external.
Chairman Dr Jon Andrewes warned the board 2016 would be a challenge, and said his gut feeling was that it needed as much as £50m to provide a hospital that was best for the people of Cornwall.
A plan to pay farmers in England for allowing their land to be flooded could raise flooding risks in towns says the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH).
Image source, Getty ImagesThe National Farmers Union said it would support the plan, intended to protect towns and villages downstream.
However, Prof Alan Jenkins of the CEH said: "There is a potential downside in that if we increase drainage in fields during heavy rainfall, it's possible there will be increased and faster transmission of water in the river system with a possible increase in flood risk downstream."
Chris Ellis
BBC News Online
The next few days are "absolutely crucial" for a sick turtle found stranded on Gwithian Beach, an expert has said.
The rare juvenile loggerhead turtle was found with goose barnacles attached to its shell on Wednesday. It was taken to Newquay's Blue Reef Aquarium where experts are trying to save it.
Image source, Blue Reef AquariumSteve Matchett, from the aquarium, said: “Turtles tend to fall victim to our chilly waters and gradually become more and more lethargic until they lapse into unconsciousness.
"The next few days are absolutely crucial but we have to face the fact that it has been through a lot and the fact it has stranded means it was no longer able to swim or fend for itself."
Brent Pilnick, BBC Sport
Torquay United could sign former Exeter and Woking midfielder Jimmy Keohane.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe 24-year-old is a free agent after his short-term contract at Woking expired earlier this month and has been training with Torquay this week.
"We're just having a chat with him and seeing where it takes us. He's local, he's hungry, he's everything you want, and having lost Simon Heslop there's probably a spot available in that position," Torquay boss Kevin Nicholson told BBC Sport.
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Jonathan Morris, BBC News Online
Plans for pay barriers at one of Devon's most popular beaches have been withdrawn by the millionaire owner after an outcry by locals.
Image source, bbcThe plans were put forward at Bantham by Nicholas Johnston to help ease traffic congestion but about 200 people objected to the barriers and an office, saying they were out of place and would restrict free use of the beauty spot.
International cricketers past and present have joined the flood of people paying tribute to the young Devon fast bowler Tom Allin, who's died at the age of 28.
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Neil Gallacher, Business & Industry Correspondent
BBC Spotlight
More job cuts have been announced in Plymouth as a gloomy start to the south west year in business continues.
Smiths News, which distributes newspapers and magazines from a base at Langage in Plympton, is to cut 60 staff in April.
The magazine side of the operation is moving to Newport in South Wales while part of the operation will continue locally.
Dave Springbett, from the Unite union, said: "When companies shrink they tend to shrink back out of the south west and go more centrally into the country - it's something that has affected us in the past."
BBC Sport
Redruth boss Steve Larkins says his side have a great deal of belief after winning five of their last six matches.
Image source, Dan Barbary/Redruth RFCThe Reds' only National Two South loss since the middle of November came in December when they went down to a bonus-point defeat at Barnes.
"We're full of confidence," Larkins told BBC Radio Cornwall. "But we also know that this is a real tough month for us, we've got some of the top teams this month."
The government has said it will consider a proposal to pay farmers for allowing their land to be flooded.
Image source, John MooreThe National Farmers Union has said it would support a scheme, to protect towns and villages downstream. David George from the NFU in the south west says it's good to get everyone working together.
