Adrian Campbell, Environment Correspondent
BBC Spotlight

An ambitious £14m scheme to protect the Exe Estuary from storms will involve a giant "sausage" full of sand nearly 3m tall being buried into existing dunes.

Old defences - or groynes - have helped protect Dawlish Warren for generations, but they're no longer up to the job on their own because of rising sea levels and big storms. Their failure would leave the main railway line to London and the North, and thousands of homes at risk of flooding.

The work on the new scheme is due to start in January.

BBC Radio Cornwall

Three councillors from south Cornwall have written to the Prime Minister, asking Theresa May why funding for a flood prevention project was ignored in the Autumn Statement.

They said the scheme would protect hundreds of homes and businesses in the Par and Sandy River area.

BBC Radio Devon

Plans for a new building on one of Devon's most iconic islands, which have been criticised, continues a tradition of new architecture being constructed there, the people behind the scheme say.

The new owners of the Burgh Island Hotel want to build what they're calling a "contemporary suite" teetering on the top of cliffs, overlooking the Mermaid Pool at the back of the island. 

Previous owner Tony Porter called the proposed design a "modern scar". The new owners said local tourism needed to stay fresh and contemporary to survive. They added that the plans also continued a tradition of Burgh Island - the hotel itself was highly modern and unusual when it was built in the 1930s.

South Hams District Council is due to make a decision on the application this month.

Plymouth Herald

Sex workers in Plymouth, Torquay, Exeter and Cornwall are sharing details, external of bad clients - and the x-rated experiences they have had with them - on a public forum offering advice and support for escorts.

Laurence Reed
BBC Radio Cornwall

The leader of Cornwall Council has defended controversial residents' parking plans in towns across the county. 

Today is the last day of consultation for the proposals, external, which include zones in which locals would pay to park in their own streets; plus on-street pay and display areas. 

John Pollard, leader of the Liberal Democrat and Independent-led authority, said he believed that, if approved, some of the changes would "give greater turnover" of parking, boosting the local economy and stop people from "parking on prime parking places all day because there's [currently] no control".

BBC Spotlight

Campaigners are calling on the government to do more to protect national parks, including Dartmoor and Exmoor. 

The National Trust, the Campaign to Protect Rural England, and the Campaign for National Parks claim some planning applications have been approved to boost the economy at the expense of the environment.

They said they wanted a commitment that developments such as mines, wind farms and large housing developments were kept to a minimum. 

Natural England said planning powers lay with national park authorities, and they struck a balance between the economic benefits of development and protection of these beautiful natural places.

Exeter Express & Echo

A rare natural atmospheric phenomena has been photographed over Dartmoor, external by a dog walker.

Chris Ellis
BBC News Online

• Woman, 36, dies in the sea off Polzeath in what police are calling a "tragic accident"
• She was on holiday with friends and family from Burton-on-Trent
• A major search and rescue operation took place after the alarm was raised on Sunday morning
• A lifeboat found her body and recovered it from the sea 
• Police are appealing for anyone who walked along the coastal path between Polzeath and Daymer Bay on Saturday evening or Sunday morning to come forward

James Law
BBC Sport Online

Truro City boss Lee Hodges says their 2-1 National League South defeat by bottom side Bishop's Stortford was "bitterly disappointing".

Andrew Neal put Truro ahead, but Aaron Bentley conceded a penalty and scored an own goal as their winning run ended.

Image source, .

"Aaron was man of the match last week, so football has a funny way of kicking you in the teeth when you think you're starting to crack it," Hodges told BBC Radio Cornwall. "The game became a non-event until that crazy moment we conceded."

BBC Weather

Mostly cloudy this afternoon, with limited sunshine. Some hill fog may persist over moorland through the afternoon. Maximum temperature: 12C (54F).

It'll stay cloudy overnight, with some mist and fog reforming and occasional outbreaks of light rain or drizzle later.

It will be milder than previous nights though. Minimum temperature: 7C (45F).

James Law
BBC Sport Online

Newport County manager Graham Westley was involved in an extraordinary post-match press conference following his side's 0-0 draw at Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup.

He was asked to leave after listening in to Pilgrims manager Derek Adams' conference - Westley initially refused before Adams cut short his briefing and left.

Image source, Rex Features

"The press officer asked me to leave, I was a bit confused and bemused by it," Westley said. "But I then left the room. He [Adams] stormed out. His choice, let's move on."

You can hear the full exchange here.

BBC Radio 4

Plymouth-raised comedian and Cornwall resident Dawn French has spoken to Victoria Coren Mitchell for Radio 4 - the woman who crashed her car into roadworks on her driving test - about her life on the road for Radio 4's Women Talking About Cars.

Here are a couple of things that she revealed:  

• "I am," says Dawn. "The most excellent driver you will ever meet and that is a fact." She finds it hard to relinquish the steering wheel to anyone
• She passed her driving test the second time, due to a) nerves and b) trying to make the driving instructor laugh. He didn’t
• For her 17th birthday she was given a second-hand black Morris Minor that came with a bow around it
• She’s a bit of a speed freak and has had to do a driver safety course. In fact she was done in both Cornwall and Devon on the same night for speeding

Find out more about her exploits behind the wheel.

Victoria Gould
BBC News Online

Pollution is not thought to be behind thousands of dead fish washing up on a Cornish beach over the weekend.

Image source, Edward Bol

Visitors to Pentewan Sands said the beach was covered in herring, sardine and mackerel on Saturday. The dead fish attracted huge numbers of gulls to the south coast bay.

James Wright, from the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth, said the fish did not appear to have been affected by pollution, but people should not take them home and eat them.

Exeter Express & Echo

An amateur footballer has been ordered to pay £2,000 compensation to a rival player who suffered a broken nose during an on-field bust up, external.

BBC Spotlight

A Devon and Cornwall Police Community Support Officer has spoken of the torment he faced when suffering mental and physical abuse from his partner. 

It comes as the force launches a campaign to get victims of domestic violence to report problems and seek help. 

The PCSO, who we're calling James, said he suffered mental abuse for months before he was attacked and had a glass smashed in his neck. He said victims should seek help.

Andrew Segal
Local Live

• Police describe the death of a woman from Burton-on-Trent in the sea off Polzeath as a "tragic accident" and appeal for witnesses
• The body of a man recovered from the River Taw in Barnstaple is not being treated as suspicious, police say
• A local PCSO speaks of the torment he suffered as a domestic abuse victim as Devon and Cornwall Police launch a campaign to get victims to report incidents
• Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp writes to a Cornish lawn bowls club, congratulating them on their 90th anniversary

Andrew Segal
Local Live

Air accident investigators are looking into an accident involving a glider in Devon, they have confirmed, external.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch said it was sending a team to investigate after an accident near Dartmoor.