West Briton

Onlookers watched in disbelief as the winch line appeared to snap while hauling in the St Ives lifeboat, external.

BBC Radio Devon

Devon County Council is facing criticism for spending about £600,000 pounds hiring external rooms for meetings and staff training. 

The Conservative-run authority said that, where possible, it held events in-house. But it added that staff often had to consult with local people in their communities because it was not always possible for them to travel to County Hall in Exeter (pictured).

Opposition Liberal Democrats argued the bill needed to be reduced in a time of austerity and reduced government funding.

Andrew Segal
Local Live

Anyone who takes part in so-called "killer clown" or "creepy clown" incidents could be "putting themselves at risk" if they end up in a confrontation, police say, external.

Image source, PA

Police across England - including Devon and Cornwall - have been called to incidents in which pranksters dress as "killer clowns" or "creepy clowns" to deliberately scare people. The culprits are said to be following a trend that started in the US.

Ch Insp Cath Farrin said officers were taking reports "very seriously" and would look "to charge those causing distress with public order offences, especially those who appear to be carrying a weapon of any kind".

She added: "Those taking part in this craze also need to realise that they are also putting themselves at risk by intimidating people - not all members of the public will run away and you could find yourself confronted by a scared member of public."

Jonathan Morris
BBC News Online

A dolphin has been pictured flipping a porpoise into the air in a deadly attack. 

The rarely seen event was witnessed by gig rowers in Newlyn Harbour in Cornwall. Dolphin attacks on porpoises accounted for about one death a year on average, said Cornwall Wildlife Trust.

Experts have been discussing possible theories for the attack.

Image source, SUE NANKERVIS

Marine Strandings Network said: "We do have a number of dead porpoise, and more unusually common dolphin, reported to us with injuries resulting from bottlenose dolphin aggression." 

Jonathan Morris
BBC News Online

A beaver expert who has visited an estate a baronet claims is having its trees felled by the animals says marks on trees were not from beavers. 

Image source, Chris Townend/Wise Birding Holidays

Sir Benjamin Slade, owner of the 17th Century Woodlands Castle (pictured), has put up posters on his 12-acre estate in Somerset saying: "Beaver sightings! ... Wanted dead or alive. £1,000 reward! For crimes against trees. Beavers have been cutting down our trees!"

He claims they could have migrated from the River Otter in Devon, where they have been reintroduced.

Image source, Google

Derek Gow, who breeds beavers in Devon, said after visiting the site: "Beavers produce distinctive scalloped chips when they gnaw trees, and there weren't any. It looks as if it has been done by humans."

BBC Radio Devon

Andrew Segal
Local Live

• People taking part in so-called "killer clown" or "creepy clown" incidents in Devon and Cornwall "are running the risk of arrest", police say
• A Somerset landowner puts a £1,000 bounty on the heads of beavers he claims may have come from Devon and are felling his trees 
• Cornwall Council says whoever takes over the running of 14 leisure centres will have to spend £6m on what it calls "priority repairs" within five years
• A dolphin is pictured flipping a porpoise into the air in Cornwall in a deadly attack  
• Building work on Truro City's new stadium has been delayed until January 2017

Jonathan Morris
BBC News Online

A dolphin has been photographed flipping a porpoise into the air in Cornwall in a deadly attack which is a rarely seen event.

Image source, Lizzie Warner

It was witnessed by gig rowers in Newlyn Harbour in Cornwall at the weekend. But why did it happen? No-one is quite sure.

The Cornwall Wildlife Trust said: "It is certainly not predation. Many theories have been put forward, including: Misdirected infanticide (bottlenoses will kill calves), misdirected sexual aggression or play behaviour, and an aggressive response to feed competition are just some."

Jonathan Morris
BBC News Online

A dolphin has been pictured flipping a porpoise into the air in a deadly attack.

Image source, Sue Nankervis

The rarely seen event was witnessed by gig rowers in Newlyn Harbour in Cornwall at the weekend. The Marine Strandings Network said it found the carcass of the porpoise which had "multiple severe injuries as a result of the attack".

No-one is quite sure why dolphins attack porpoises but it could be an aggressive response to feeding competition. Dolphin attacks on porpoises accounted for about one death a year on average, the Cornwall Wildlife Trust said. 

Andrew Segal
Local Live

Firefighters are investigating a fire which damaged holiday apartments in south Devon.

Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service said, external six fire appliances, an aerial platform and a command unit were called to the Muntham Apartments, in Torquay, at about 16:40 on Monday after it started in a ground floor flat.

The service said: "Severe fire damage was caused to the property and the cause is under investigation."

Andrew Segal
Local Live

People taking part in so-called "killer clown" or "creepy clown" incidents in Devon and Cornwall "are running the risk of arrest", police say, external.

Image source, PA

The warning comes after police across England - including Devon and Cornwall - have been called to incidents in which pranksters dress as "killer clowns" or "creepy clowns" to deliberately scare people. The culprits are said to be following a trend that started in the US.

Ch Insp Cath Farrin said: "Many carry this out as a harmless prank, but unfortunately it appears that there are occasions where people are trying to cause distress to children; we have even had unsubstantiated reports of one carrying a weapon. This is completely unacceptable."

Brent Pilnick
BBC Sport

Building work on Truro City's new stadium has been delayed until January 2017.

Image source, Vaughan Pickhaver/Truro City FC

Construction of the arena on the Silver Bow site on the outskirts of the city was due to start this month, but Cornwall Council is currently considering plans for the ground, which got outline approval in 2015.

"We are now awaiting a decision from them, which we are expecting within the next fortnight," Truro chairman Peter Masters said on the club website. "The cost is creeping up all of the time, so it's in the best interests of all concerned to get the project moving and the stadium built," he added.

BBC Radio Devon

A Plymouth charity says it's been overwhelmed with the public's generosity following a plea for unwanted sleeping bags and blankets for the homeless. 

Plymouth Soup Run made an appeal last month for donations before winter arrives after its supplies ran out. 

Staff said that, since then, they had received more than 40 sleeping bags and 35 blankets.

BBC Radio Devon

After centuries of being extinct in Britain, the recent reintroduction of beavers - including on the River Otter in Devon (pictured) - has been hailed as a positive change.

But one baronet, just over the border in Somerset, feels so strongly about possible damage the rodents may be causing to trees on his land that he is offering a £1,000 reward for any beaver found dead or alive. 

Image source, Chris Townend/Wise Birding Holidays

Sir Benjamin Slade, owner of the 17th Century Woodlands Castle, said he was "very worried about my trees" if beavers had migrated to the River Tone, near his land.

He added: "I'm worried for wedding or conference guests that these things might bite them. They're quite frightening, they weigh 30kgs and could take down all the trees. It won't be the same. It wouldn't be called Woodlands Castle, it would be called Beavers Castle."

Derek Gow, who breeds beavers in Devon, said, after visiting the site, he was convinced trees had not been damaged by beavers.

Andrew Segal
Local Live

Public toilets in south Devon have had to be deep-cleaned after more than 30 maggot-infested rotting fish were found in them, a council says.

Image source, South Hams District Council

South Hams District Council said the fish were "thrown all around" the Torcross Tank toilets in Slapton, leaving them in an "unwelcome state" and unusable until the cleaning was carried out.

The council said: "At a time when funds are low, we really need to work together and actions like this, which result in the closure of the toilets and increased resources to clean, are not helpful."

Exeter Express & Echo

A punter in Exeter appears to be confident on which way the American presidential vote will go, after putting a whopping £100,000 bet on the election, external.

Andrew Segal
Local Live

The assistant chief constable's warning comes after police across England - including in Devon and Cornwall - have been called to incidents in which pranksters dress as "killer clowns" or "creepy clowns" to deliberately scare people.

The culprits are said to be following a trend that started in the US.

BBC Radio Cornwall

Police and fire crews are taking part in an investigation into the cause of a blaze at a disused former supermarket near Camborne.

At its height, about 45 firefighters tackled the incident. Early indicators suggest it was started deliberately, firefighters said. There have also been asbestos concerns.

Incident Commander Kath Billings said: "We know from previous fires here that there had been asbestos in the roof. There have been between seven to 10 fires here over the years. As to how much of the asbestos in the roof is left, we are unsure. We will be working with police."

Plymouth Herald

Plymouth's famous 1930s Reel Cinema could be knocked down to make way for more student flats, external.