Simon Hall, Home Affairs Correspondent
BBC Spotlight

Police are searching woodland near Exeter and a house in South Devon as part of a counter terrorism operation, the metropolitan police say.

It follows the arrest of a British armed forces serviceman earlier this afternoon.

Sources in Devon and Cornwall want to reassure the public there is no intelligence of a terrorist threat to the counties. But they say they are working with the counter-terrorism branch of Scotland Yard, SO 15, who are leading the operation. 

The woodland near Exeter is being searched for terrorism-related materials, police said.

A 30-year-old serviceman was arrested in Somerset just after 12:00 on suspicion of Northern Ireland-related terror offences.

Press Association

The arrest of a serving British solider in England by detectives investigating Northern Ireland-linked terrorism is understood to be connected to the discovery of two major dissident republican arms dumps.

Two separate hauls of weapons were discovered in Carnfunnock and Capanagh parks near Larne, Co Antrim, within three months of each other. 

An armour-piercing improvised rocket and two anti-personnel mines were among the cache recovered at Capanagh in May. Several pipe bombs, magazines and ammunition for an assault rifle as well as bomb component parts and command wires were also concealed in barrels in purpose-built holes in woodland. 

In March, bomb-making items were found at nearby Carnfunnock Country Park. Police said four barrels were unearthed at Carnfunnock - two barrels were empty but two contained a variety of bomb-making components, including wiring, toggle switches, circuit boards, partially constructed timer power units, ball bearings and a small quantity of explosives.  

Olympic champion Helen Glover appreciates the effort of her family at Jelbert's ice cream shop in Newlyn to mark her achievement.

Chris Ellis
BBC News Online

Image source, Reuters

The Cornwall-based charity Shelterbox has confirmed it's sending a team to Italy in the aftermath of the earthquake.

Initial assessment work has started and the charity hopes to be on the scene within 24 hours. 

The charity says it will be able to provide tents and other equipment to people who have been made homeless by the disaster.

Image source, Google/AP

Torquay Herald Express

A memorable day to Brixham Harbour for many visitors has ended in tragedy after news that one of the dolphins has died despite the efforts of professional rescuers, external.  

Press Association

The arrest of a serving British solider in England by detectives investigating Northern Ireland-linked terrorism is understood to be connected to the discovery of two major dissident republican arms dumps.

The 30-year-old was held in Somerset at around 12:20 on Wednesday and Scotland Yard said a house in south Devon and a wooded area were being searched. 

Police are also carrying out searches in Northern Ireland. The man, who is believed to be from Northern Ireland, was detained on suspicion of preparation for acts of terrorism in a pre-planned swoop. 

It is understood the arrest is linked to two suspected dissident republican arsenals uncovered in forest parks in Northern Ireland earlier this year.

Chris Ellis
BBC News Online

As Scotland Yard arrest a 30-year-old man in Somerset onsuspicion of terrorism offences, the threat to England, Wales and Scotland from Northern Ireland-related terrorism is currently rated as substantial, while the threat to Northern Ireland itself is ranked as severe.

The Metropolitan Police said no armed police were involved in the arrest.

Claire Jones
BBC News Online

The wife and mother of Rudy Bruynius and Mckayla Bruynius who were swept into the sea at Newquay and died has thanked the emergency services for their help.

Lisinda Bruynius said: "I would like to thank the RNLI, the staff at Royal Cornwall Hospital, the staff from Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, the emergency services and all the members of public for their generous support and prayers they have given towards my family.

"I would especially like to thank the people of Cornwall for their messages of love and offers of help.

"I will never forget the close community spirit displayed towards us.

"Please respect our privacy at this really difficult time and allow my sons and I to try to come to terms with what has happened." 

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "We are aware of a police investigation involving the arrest of a member of the armed forces under the 2000 Terrorism Act and will assist this investigation fully. It would be inappropriate to comment further on an ongoing investigation."

Earlier, a serving member of the British armed forces was arrested on suspicion of terrorism linked to Northern Ireland. 

The 30-year-old was held in Somerset at 12:20 on Wednesday and Scotland Yard said a house in South Devon and a wooded area were being searched. 

Chris Ellis
BBC News Online

A serving member of the armed forces has been arrested in Somerset on suspicion of Northern Ireland-related terrorism offences.

The 30-year-old-man was arrested at 12:20 by officers from the Metropolitan Police Service's Counter Terrorism Command.

Police said the arrest was pre-planned and intelligence-led as part of a collaboration between the Met and the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

The arrest was made by Met detectives supported by officers from Avon and Somerset and Devon and Cornwall Police.

Woods in South Devon have been cordoned off as a search continues.

BBC Radio Cornwall

Tourists in the South West are spending more than £1.5bn pounds in the summer holidays alone, a research firm claims.

Analysis by the South West Research Company says around 20 million people visit for day trips or longer during the peak season.

Nigel Wigget, who runs a cycle hire business in Wadebridge, said: "I put it own to three factors. Brexit was one, talking to people, security in travel is another one, and possibly rediscovering Cornwall - the weather has helped. 

"The main one for me is security," he added.

Chris Ellis
BBC News Online

A 30-year-old man has been arrested in Somerset on suspicion of terrorism offences, the Metropolitan Police has said.

The man, who is a serving member of the British armed forces, was arrested at an address in Somerset and has been taken to a West Country police station. 

Searches are being conducted at an address in South Devon. Further searches are taking place in a wooded area in south Devon, which has been cordoned off. 

The police and security services are working closely in response to the threat from terrorism and ask the public to remain vigilant and report anything suspicious to the Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321. 

Exeter Express & Echo

A devastated widower is campaigning for a complete ban on the use of mobile phones, external while driving following the death of his wife.  

BBC Spotlight

The inquest has been opened and adjourned into the death of a man who was washed from rocks off in Newquay.

Rudy Bruynius, 33, a landscape gardener from Morden in Surrey, was on holiday with his family at the time.

His wife and two year old daughter were also pulled from the water.

Two other children managed to scramble into some rocks. The inquest was adjourned pending further inquiries.

Police confirmed McKayla Bruynius - his two-year-old daughter - died last night in hospital after being pulled from the sea.

Chris Ellis
BBC News Online

The return of grazing livestock has helped a rare Mid Devon landscape to recover, conservationists have said.

Devon Wildlife Trust’s Clayhidon Turbary nature reserve forms part of the Blackdown Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. 

Its 13 hectares were once a heathland and open boggy mire, but over the last 100 years fewer and fewer people used the heath causing it to become overgrown.

Image source, Chris Root

Its open areas of heathland gorse, heather and wildflowers became swamped by scrub and young woodland. The result was that its remaining heathland reptiles and insects were struggling to survive.   

Since livestock was returned by the trust, space has been created for the violets, lesser butterfly orchids, adders, grass snakes, dragonflies and damselflies that once flourished at the reserve. 

Claire Jones
BBC News Online

A mother has paid an emotional tribute after her husband and daughter died after being swept into the sea off the coast of Cornwall.

Lisinda Bruynius, the wife of Rudy and Mckayla's mother, said: "Rudy was a loving, caring and supportive husband, father and friend.

"He had a great sense of humour and was an active person. He always put other people first. Mckayla was a busy bee and always happy."

Image source, BBC/Family

The family of five were on rocks at South Fistral Beach around 17:20 on Friday when three of them, Rudy, Lisinda and Mckayla, were washed into the sea by a large wave.

The RNLI lifeboat, Coastguard helicopter, lifeguards from North Fistral, police, air ambulance and ambulance crews attended the scene.

Emma Thomasson
BBC Spotlight

The number of veterans needing treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is continuing to rise, according to the Combat Stress charity.

Almost 2,500 new referrals were made last year - that's up by 6% on 2015, the charity claims.

Patrick Medhurst-Feeney from Plymouth served in Afghanistan and has since been diagnosed with PTSD and chronic pain syndrome.

He's writing about his rehabilitation via a blog, in the hope it'll encourage other veterans to seek help.

A two-year-old girl has died four days after she was swept out to sea off the coast in Cornwall with members of her family.

Police confirmed McKayla Bruynius died last night in hospital at Bristol. Her father Rudy Bruynius also died when he and his family were swept off rocks at South Fistral beach in Newquay on Friday.

Image source, Family handout

Lisinda Bruynius, Mckayla's mother and Rudy's widow, said: "I am in disbelief at what has happened. I am so shocked at how quickly the sea condition changed on that day whilst we were enjoying a family time together in Cornwall.

"I pray that others can learn from our tragedy as I do not wish for anybody to go through our grief."

Plymouth Herald

A shark has been spotted swimming in shallow waters off a popular South Devon bathing beach, external.