Summary

  • The number of police firearms officers in Devon and Cornwall's set to go up by almost a third to 162

  • A mother from Cornwall, who lost her son to sepsis, is supporting the launch of a new campaign to raise awareness of the symptoms

  • Devon scallopers have been fined a record £37,770 for illegal fishing

  • A flat fire in Honiton last night is thought to have been started deliberately, according to emergency services

  • More news, sport, travel and weather from 08:00 on Friday

  1. Thanks for joining us at BBC Local Livepublished at 18:00 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2016

    Jonathan Morris
    BBC News Online

    That's all from BBC Local Live in Devon & Cornwall for today, we'll be back at 08:00 to bring you all the day's news, sport, travel and weather updates.

    Don't miss BBC Spotlight at 18:30 and the late bulletin at 22:30 tonight.

  2. 80-year-old singer charms shopperspublished at 17:58 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2016

    BBC Spotlight

    An 80-year-old man who "loves to sing" is serenading shoppers with Christmas carols.

    Anyone having a spot of lunch or a coffee in Truro, Cornwall, over Christmas may end up hearing Arthur Guy.

    Arthur Guy
  3. A30 Eastbound - reopened after fuel spillagepublished at 17:55 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2016

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  4. Devon builder says sorry for felling drunken student with a single punchpublished at 17:52 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2016

    A builder from Devon has been given a suspended jail sentence and ordered to pay £500 compensation to a student he punched outside a night club. 

    Justin Ware, 25, from Longford Lane, Kingsteignton, was angry because he had been thrown out of the Unit 1 club in Summerland Street after a clash between members of his party and a group which included victim Luke Clarkson. 

    Ware admitted causing grievous bodily harm and was jailed for a year, suspended for two years, and ordered to do 220 hours unpaid community work and pay £500 compensation and £480 costs.

    CCTV footage showed that Mr Clarkson was so drunk before it happened that he had to be held up by friends. He fell backwards, hitting his head on the pavement and fracturing his skull. 

    His attacker was so horrified by what he had done he wrote Mr Clarkson a personal letter of apology and told a probation officer he deserved to be punished.

  5. Weather outlook for Devon and Cornwallpublished at 17:48 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2016

    David Braine
    Weather Forecaster

    A mild, breezy and increasingly cloudy night will across all parts with further outbreaks of light rain or drizzle, especially over the higher ground such as Dartmoor. Minimum Temperature: 8 Deg C (46 Deg F)

    Friday: Cloudy with patchy light rain and drizzle at times. Turning drier through the day with some brighter spells possible later. Mild again with the winds easing too. Maximum Temperature: 12 Deg C (54 Deg F)

    Weather map
    Image caption,

    Friday's top temperatures

  6. Rugby club looks after lonely this Christmaspublished at 17:32 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2016

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  7. 'Football's first superstar' lot makes £320,000published at 17:20 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2016

    A collection of international caps and medals belonging to the biggest football star of the late 1890's has made £320,000 at an auction in Penzance.

    Steve Bloomer scored 23 goals in 28 games for England, and is the second highest all time goal scorer in top tier English league football. 

    Steve Bloomer collectionImage source, WH Lane & Son

    He spent most of his career at Derby County where the anthem 'Steve Bloomer's watchin'' is played at every home game.

    The lot failed to reach its estimate of £500,000 but is still one of the most expensive English footballing memorabilia auctions ever held.

  8. Lawyer takes on compensation claims over shamed care homespublished at 17:07 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2016

    A lawyer has agreed to act for families seeking compensation over ill-treatment of residents at a number of Cornwall care homes.

    Nurse

    It follows a BBC Panorama expose and the closure of a Morleigh Group home last month.

    The Panorama undercover filming shows one nurse saying she will give morphine to a resident "to shut her up" - an event described by an independent expert as "horrifying".  

    The owners have since apologised for the distress caused to residents and families.

    Lawyer Andrew Hannam has acted before on behalf of families of patients at the Budock Hospital near Falmouth where an investigation found evidence of widespread institutional abuse.

    He said: "I would be delighted to work with the Morleigh Group in an open fashion and where appropriate negotiate compensation.

    "It does not have to be litigious and i am very willing to have conversations with the group."

  9. Cullompton crash involving pedestrianpublished at 16:59 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2016

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  10. Find out emergency waiting timespublished at 16:49 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2016

    Miles Davis
    BBC News Online

    A very useful bit of technology from the Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust now shows how long you can expect to wait, external at emergency departments and minor injuries units around Cornwall.

    waiting timesImage source, Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust
  11. Single punch fractures student's skullpublished at 16:35 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2016

    A student was felled by a single punch outside a Devon night club, leaving him with a fractured skull, a court has heard.

    The man who threw the punch - builder Justin Ware - was so horrified by what he had done, he wrote to student Luke Clarkson to apologise. 

    Ware, aged 25, of Longford Lane, Kingsteignton, admitted causing grievous bodily harm and was jailed for a year, suspended for two years, and ordered to do 220 hours unpaid community work and pay £500 compensation and £480 costs. 

    Exeter Crown Court heard Mr Clarkson is still suffering the effects of the injury and needed help at university and extra time to complete exams. 

    He made a victim impact statement in which he accepted Ware's apology and said he wanted to put the whole incident behind him.

  12. Football auction could break recordspublished at 16:24 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2016

    A rare collection of international caps belonging to a man described as 'football's first superstar' are going to auction in Cornwall this afternoon.

    Steve Bloomer scored 23 goals for England in the 1890's and early 1900's, and is also Derby County's record goal scorer.

    Stephen Bloomer and medalImage source, WH Lane & Son

    Along with 19 caps, two medals and some pictures of him are included. 

    The lot has an estimate of £500,000 which would make it the most expensive English football memorabilia ever auctioned.  

  13. CCTV faces cuts in north Devonpublished at 16:16 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2016

    BBC Radio Devon

    CCTV coverage in north Devon could be cut to save money.

    CCTV

    The district council says the 117 cameras are currently monitored 24 hours a day but this could change. 

    Cameras may be repositioned and the footage recorded instead. 

    The camera room will be only be manned when its most needed - which the council says is weekday evenings and weekends. The proposals could come into effect next spring.   

  14. Care home families seek compensation after damning reportpublished at 15:57 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2016

    Tamsin Melville
    Political Reporter, BBC Radio Cornwall

    Ten families of care homes residents at the centre of claims of ill-treatment have approached a solicitor with a view to possible compensation claims. 

    Clinton HouseImage source, bbc

    It follows a BBC Panorama expose and the closure of a Morleigh Group home last month

    The Panorama undercover filming shows one nurse saying she will give morphine to a resident "to shut her up" - an event described by an independent expert as "horrifying".

    The owners have since apologised for the distress caused to residents and families.

  15. More cash for two out of three Devon schools under government funding reviewpublished at 15:38 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2016

    Jenny Kumah, Devon Political Reporter

    Two thirds of Devon's schools could gain more cash under the government's planned new funding formula.

    But the county council says a third could be worse off than they are now. 

    The government's looking at changing the way it slices up the funding cake after decades of campaigning by historically underfunded areas like Devon.

    Meanwhile Cornwall Council says the reforms could mean an extra 10 million pounds for the county's schools. 

  16. Kicking loneliness into touch with Camborne RFCpublished at 15:21 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2016

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  17. Lighthouse and seafront shelters on offer to new businessespublished at 15:11 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2016

    Sophie Pierce
    BBC Radio Devon

    Several people have come forward, interested in leasing a much-loved lighthouse in Brixham from Torbay Council.

    Suggestions for the future of the Breakwater lighthouse include turning it into an art studio or a fishing tackle shop.

    The Lighthouse is one of about 40 coastal properties - including three seafront shelters in Paignton and the Victorian entrance towers in Torquay - put out to tender. 

    Locals are divided over the sell-off - but the Mayor Gordon Oliver says the sites offer good seafront business opportunities.

    Paul Palmer from the Torbay Development Agency said: ''It's not just about the council trying to off-set some costs, it's also around giving opportunities to members of the public and gives them the opportunity to make some income themselves.''

    seafront shelter
    Image caption,

    Room with a view in Paignton

  18. Fairer funding for Cornwall's rural schools?published at 14:56 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2016

    BBC Radio Cornwall

    Cornish schools could soon be £10m better off after the Government announced a new draft formula for allocating money aimed at distributing funds more fairly. 

    The new rules would favour rural counties over the big cities.

    Cornwall Councillor Andrew Wallis, portfolio holder for children and young people, says the change comes after a long campaign, but the fight isn't over yet. 

    Quote Message

    The top ten local authorities for funding are all in London and get almost double the amount we get in Cornwall. I can't see those London authorities taking it on the chin and having their funding reduced

    Councillor Andrew Wallis, Cornwall portfolio holder for children and young people

  19. Mum's plea for 'life-changing' op to be made available on the NHSpublished at 14:40 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2016

    BBC Radio Cornwall

    A mother from Kelly Bray near Callington says it would be ''cruel and barbaric'' not to give children with cerebral palsy the chance of what she insists is 'a life changing operation' for free. 

    Funding for selective dorsal rhizotomy has been halted while the NHS considers its effectiveness. 

    Tracy Britton's son Beau had the operation on the NHS in 2011. 

    Surgeons separated the nerves in his spine which were causing spasms and terrible pain in his legs.

    The NHS says no decision will be made until 2018 at the earliest.   

    Beau with his mum Tracy Britton
    Image caption,

    Tracy Britton says other children should have access to the same 'life-changing' op as son Beau

  20. Christmas shopping congestion in Devonpublished at 14:22 Greenwich Mean Time 15 December 2016

    BBC Travel

    In Plymouth City Centre it's busy this afternoon with slow-moving traffic around Charles Cross and Drake Circus due to Christmas shoppers.

    In Exeter there's congestion on Church Road and Alphington Road between the A30 and Exe Bridges in both directions  

    No problems at Exeter airport or on the trains.

    Traffic's flowing smoothly on the Tamar Bridge and there's a 15 minute wait with 2 ferries running from Torpoint.