Johnny O'Shea
BBC News Online

A dead whale that has washed up at Hartland Quay in North Devon is starting to smell, according to a local man.

Donal Stafford, from the Hartland Quay Hotel, said: "There is a smell if you get close enough, but you can't smell it from up here."

Image source, Callum Clarke

The creature was moved several hundred metres from rocks, onto the main beach during the high tide overnight.

Experts have reminded people to keep away from the carcass.

British Divers Marine Life Rescue said: "A decomposing whale is a biohazard as it carries bacteria and viruses.

"We would still maintain that members of the public not approach too closely as it is a risk to humans and dogs alike."

Cornwall Live

A 79-year-old St Austell man died after sustaining a traumatic brain injury when he fell from a bicycle he had returned to Halfords, while riding it down an down an aisle in the store, an inquest has heard, external .

BBC Sport

We have live coverage from the British Basketball League this evening, as London Lions host Plymouth Raiders at the Copper Box Arena.

There’s little to separate the two sides. Both have only won one match in their last five and are level on points,  with Plymouth in fifth place and London in sixth.

You can watch the match from 19:30,  live on the BBC Sport website  and app plus Connected TVs.

Image source, BBC Sport

Anna Varle
BBC News Online

Farmers who voted for and against Brexit in the South West are becoming increasingly concerned over the government's failure to give assurances over what's going to happen when the UK leaves Europe.

Ninety percent of farmers rely on subsidies from the EU but Defra Minister George Eustice says he won't have a clear idea of what will replace them until the end of next year.

The minister has also refused to rule out cheaper imports such as chlorine-washed chickens from America in post Brexit trade deals.

BBC Radio Cornwall

Studio 2 at Radio Cornwall has been at maximum capacity this morning, with seven musicians talking to and performing for The David White Show.

The Lambrettas, external left Brighton at 04:00 to get to Truro, before heading to Looe where they are playing at the SkaModPunkSoul Fest.

Devon Live

A 4,500litre sewage spill which polluted a Devon village stream has been blamed, external on the use of wet wipes.

Match officials were looking at taking some seats allocated for Cornish Pirates team members flying from Exeter as the officials are essential if the match is to be played.

Sean Coughlan
BBC News, education correspondent

The parents of about 500,000 pupils in England, including in Cornwall, have been sent a letter warning of cuts to schools because of funding shortages .

Image source, PA

The heads of almost every school in Essex, West Sussex, East Sussex and Cornwall have written a joint letter, warning of budgets at "breaking point".

They said it would mean staff cuts, bigger class sizes and fewer support services, such as for mental health.

The Department for Education said school spending was at record levels.

Johnny O'Shea
BBC News Online

The former boss of Torbay Hospital has escaped prison after admitting fraudulently paying her husband from her NHS budget.

At Exeter Crown Court, Paula Vasco-Knight, 53, was given a 16-month suspended sentence and 250 hours of unpaid work.

Her husband, Stephen Vasco-Knight, 45, was given a 10-month suspended sentence and 150 hours unpaid work.  

Both had pleaded guilty to fraud last month  after Mrs Vasco-Knight paid £11,000 to her husband for work he never did.

Tamsin Melville
Political Reporter, BBC Radio Cornwall

There were passionate calls from patients and doctors for a treatment centre to remain open at a packed public meeting in Bodmin last night. 

Last week, services commissioner NHS Kernow announced Bodmin Treatment Centre was closing on 31 March after it had been unable to agree on renewing a contract with provider Ramsay Healthcare.

In 2016, more than 4,000 people were treated there for conditions such as hernias and cataracts, and about 12,000 patients were seen in total. 

There are now hopes of a meeting with NHS Kernow to discuss the next steps.

Hamish Marshall
BBC Spotlight

A jury in the trial of three Devon and Cornwall Police staff accused of the manslaughter of a man with mental health problems has been given the option to return majority verdicts.

At Bristol Crown Court, the judge, Mrs Justice Cheema Grubb, told the jury she would accept a verdict on which at least 10 of them were agreed.

Image source, Family handout

Thirty-two-year-old Thomas Orchard died after losing consciousness at Heavitree Road Police station in 2012.

Sgt Jan Kingshott, 45, and detention officers Simon Tansley, 39, and Michael Marsden, 56, all deny gross negligence manslaughter. 

The jury has been considering verdicts since Tuesday afternoon. The case continues.

Holly Green
BBC Weather

If you're planning a trip to the coast or seaside, here are the next high water times around Devon and Cornwall.

We'll have the latest forecast on BBC Spotlight at 13:30 .

BBC Radio Cornwall

Poor weather has put this evening's British and Irish Cup quarter final between Jersey and the Cornish Pirates in doubt as earlier flights had to be cancelled.

The Pirates are currently at Exeter Airport and hoping to board a plane this afternoon. 

However, the match officials may have to take some of their allocated seats if nobody else drops out.

This could mean that some of the extra players used to take water onto the pitch are left behind, as the officials are essential if the match is to be played.

BBC Radio Cornwall's rugby commentator John Martin is also struggling to get to the island but said: "If a member of the public drops out, I'm top of the list".

Johnny O'Shea
BBC News Online

Officers from Torridge District Council are visiting the site of a dead whale carcass today.

The council has responsibility for removing the creature, which has moved with the overnight tide onto the main Hartland Quay beach, nearby residents and businesses say.

Image source, Callum Clarke

Experts are advising people to keep away from the fin whale, saying it could pose a health risk to people and dogs.

Cornwall Live

Armed officers launched a full-scale operation and cordoned off an area of central Newquay to hunt for an escaped prisoner, it has finally emerged, external .

BBC Radio Devon

A 34-year-old woman from Tavistock has died in a car crash.

Emergency services were called to the B3362 at Milton Abbot, between Tavistock and Launceston, at about 1840 on Thursday, police said, external . The woman was trapped in her car. 

Image source, Google

A man in his 30s, from Yelverton, was taken to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth with minor injuries, officers said.

The road was closed for nine hours. Police appealed for witnesses to the crash, which involved a blue Peugeot 206 and a black Audi A4.

Andrew Segal
Local Live

A man arrested on suspicion of murder after a body was found in a flat in Cornwall is in custody in Plymouth, police say . 

Image source, Google

Police and an ambulance were called to Town Mills Close in Launceston at about 13:10 on Thursday after reports a man had died. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Devon and Cornwall Police said: "Detectives from the Major Crime Investigation Team have launched an investigation to establish the circumstances of the man's death." 

Neither man has been named by officers.

Armed police responded to reports of guns being carried in cars in Plymouth, but the job didn't turn out as they expected...

Ever seen a water pistol like this?