James Law
BBC Sport Online

Redruth and Truro College coach Mark Churcher says he is impressed by the number of Cornish youngsters playing at a good standard in the county.

Exeter Chiefs duo Luke Cowan-Dickie and Jack Nowell are among the players to have progressed to the top level, having started playing in Cornwall.

Image source, Redruth RFC

"It just shows the quality that's coming out of Cornwall now, and we at Truro College are trying to produce players for Cornish teams. We've done that in Joe Elderkin and many other players as well," Churcher told BBC Radio Cornwall.

"I think I counted last weekend we had 88 current or ex-students playing for Cornish teams. It just shows what we're trying to do for the county, and for the players as well."

Sian Davies
BBC News Online

Landlords are more likely to accept potential renters who own pets than people claiming benefits , a BBC investigation has found. 

Analysis of some 11,000 online listings for spare rooms found all but a few hundred stated benefit claimants were not welcome. 

Image source, Thinkstock

The investigation found: 

• Out of 11,806 adverts for rooms to let, just 2% were open to people on benefits
• The website's listings showed not a single vacancy for a benefit claimant in seven cities, including Exeter
• Plymouth had the highest rate of acceptance, but even that was just 10% of rooms, 15 out of 144

Ryan Morrison
BBC News Online

There are concerns a dead whale that washed up in north Devon could move further inshore with the tide.

Image source, Sarah Stafford

The whale, thought to be a baleen whale, was spotted on Wednesday afternoon at Hartland Quay. It's been described as "very large" by the owners of a nearby hotel.

Sarah Stafford, manager of the Hartland Quay Hotel, said staff had reported it to the government and that it was definitely dead.

She said the whale had already moved further inshore with Wednesday night's tide and it was likely it would happen again.

A man was critically injured in the crash on the A39 near Falmouth yesterday.

Police are looking in particular for three "young men" who they believe were standing outside a Lidl shop in Penryn at the time of the accident.

BBC Radio Cornwall

Image source, PA

Cornish double Olympic rowing champion Helen Glover is back on the water ... but not as she knows it.

The Penzance-raised Olympic gold winner has been getting a crash course in kayaking from her husband, wildlife presenter Steve Backshall. They're to row more than 100 miles down the Thames to Westminster together.

The couple said it was to raise money to buy an area of rainforest in Borneo and stop it from being turned into a palm oil plantation.

Rob England
BBC News Online

The Mayor of Truro says he wants to try out fining people for feeding seagulls. 

Image source, Andrew Segal

Rob Nolan said he had written to Cornwall Council, proposing that anyone who deliberately fed the birds or didn't bag up their rubbish in gull-proof bags should have to pay a £50 fine.

He said he wanted to trial the proposal on Lemon Quay and have it policed by existing council staff.

Mr Nolan said people should also face fines if they left out uncovered bags. He said: "That's feeding seagulls, if you put your bag out without any kind of cover."

Plymouth Herald

A Plymouth sex worker has slammed the Chancellor's painful tax hike, saying the precarious nature of her work leaves little financial breathing space. , external

Emma Thomasson
BBC Spotlight

A Plymouth building project is helping homeless veterans turn their lives around and get off the streets. 

Figures from the National Audit Office show at least one in every 10 people who leaves the military in the South West ends up with nowhere to live.

The Community Self Build Agency said it was trying to change that by working with homeless veterans and tradesmen, to help them gain new skills and find a place to stay. 

Rob England
BBC News Online

Police are "increasingly concerned" after a man went missing from his home in mid Devon.

Peter Giles, 70, from Newton St Cyres, went missing yesterday evening.

A member of the public found Mr Giles's car on a small bridge a few miles from the town of Crediton. 

Police are continuing to search the area and have appealed for witnesses.

Image source, Devon and Cornwall Police

Laurence Reed
BBC Radio Cornwall

Laurence is on air from noon .

Victoria Gould
BBC News Online

A young woman killed by farm machinery over the weekend was a "wonderful, bubbly person", who will be "sorely missed",  friends and colleagues say .

Lauren Scott, from Exeter, died on a farm near Dawlish on Saturday afternoon. 

The 20-year-old, who was described as someone who loved horses, worked at Newton Abbot racecourse. Staff there said they were "devastated" by the news.

The Health and Safety Executive is investigating the incident. 

Image source, Facebook

Sian Davies
BBC News Online

Volunteer rescue teams have been part of the search for missing junior doctor Lauren Phillips near Woolacombe in Devon after her car was found there.

Image source, Devon and Cornwall Police

Searches of the area have been carried out by Devon and Cornwall Police, assisted by HM Coastguard, the RNLI and the National Police Air Service.

Volunteer mountain rescue teams have also been involved, from Exmoor, North Dartmoor and later Dartmoor Search and Rescue Team Tavistock. 

So far, no trace of the Bristol woman has been found. 

James Law
BBC Sport Online

Exeter Chiefs winger Jack Nowell will return to the England side for their Six Nations match against Scotland on Saturday.

The Newlyn-born player was left out against Italy but will start at Twickenham as England look to continue their 17-game winning streak.

Nowell's Chiefs team-mate Henry Slade is not in the squad, meaning he could feature for Exeter in their Anglo-Welsh Cup semi-final against Harlequins this weekend.

BBC Radio Devon

Two military veterans from the South West who fell in love on the battlefield will be guests of honour later as The Queen unveils a new memorial . 

It's dedicated to those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan between 1990 and 2015. 

Former Army Commando Mark Stonelake from Crafthole lost a leg when he was blown up by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan in 2008. His wife, Donna, served in Iraq in the Royal Navy. 

He said: "The nicest thing about it all is being able to share it with people who have been through similar situations, so you can all be thinking about your personal experience out there all together. It's a once in a lifetime thing."

Sian Davies
BBC News Online

Newquay's RNLI is involved in the search for John Hurst, 46, who is missing from Cubert in Cornwall. 

Lifeboat volunteers were alerted by the Coastguard just before 07.30 on Wednesday, and both RNLI inshore lifeboats were launched from Newquay Harbour, the charity said.

Image source, Newquay Coastguard Rescue Team

Shoreline searches were carried out between Crantock and Ligger Point, near Penhale Camp, in poor visibility and strong winds gusting to 40mph.

Newquay and St Agnes Coastguard rescue teams, police, a Coastguard rescue helicopter and volunteers from the Cornwall Search and Rescue team have also been involved in the operation.

Image source, Devon and Cornwall Police

John was last seen around 13:00 on Tuesday 7 March and is believed to be in the Newquay area, police said.

He is described as white, about 6ft tall, of medium to large build, with short dark hair, with a beard or stubble, and has a scratch above his left eye. 

He is possibly wearing a black coat, blue jumper and jeans.

Simon Hall, Home Affairs Correspondent
BBC Spotlight

More than 70 women are taking legal action against the Met Office, based in Exeter, in a dispute over what they claim is unfair pay because of sex discrimination.

The Prospect Union said 76 women were taking action and any settlement could run to more than £100,000. Negotiations have now begun to try to resolve the dispute. 

The women are not on-air weather forecasters, but do a range of jobs, such as helping to prepare predictions and providing IT support.

Devon Live

A major search operation for a missing man in Devon is set to resume, external after being called off on Wednesday night.

Lucy Martin
BBC Weather

It's been a cloudy start for some today. However, it'll be bright with some sunny spells and light winds for most by the afternoon. 

Feeling mild, especially where there is sunshine, and the maximum temperature will be 13C (55F)

BBC News Travel

• On the M5, the Junction 30 Exeter services slip road is now clear after an earlier collision, but the motorway, A380 and A38 northbound are all very congested  
• At Winnards Perch, the A39 eastbound is partially blocked due to an accident at the roundabout
• On the A30, the Blackwater bypass at Scorrier is blocked eastbound by collision near the Fox & Hounds. There's heavy traffic