BBC Radio Devon

An MP says the A361 North Devon Link Road is preventing economic growth in the area.

Today councillors are expected to agree to ask the government to help fund £88m worth of improvements to the route between Tiverton and Barnstaple. Much of the road is currently single carriageway.

If given the go-ahead, the work will include extra lanes and upgrading junctions in a bid to reduce accidents.

Jonathan Morris
BBC News Online

Image source, Dennis Gilbert

A new £20m extension to the Tate St Ives art gallery has been unveiled.

The extension, which opens to the public on Saturday, creates nearly 600 sq m (6,460 sq ft) of extra space.

It has been built into the cliff-face after objections from local people to a scheme which they said blocked views of the sea and took up car parking space.

The extra space will allow the gallery to remain open all year instead of closing for exhibitions to be changed. It will also allow more space for local artists to display their work.

Where did the cash come from?

Public sector:

• The Coastal Communities Fund (CCF) £3.87m
• The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) £2.78m
• Arts Council England (ACE) £4m
• The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund £125,000

Private sector:

• The Headley Trust
• Clore Duffield Foundation
• The Foyle Foundation
• The Ronald and Rita McAulay Foundation
• Lord and Lady Myners of Truro
• Garfield Weston Foundation

Image source, Hufton+Crow

Sophie Malcolm
BBC News Online

Police searching for missing Totnes man Colin Cozens have found the body of a man at Dartington.

Mr Cozens, 50, was last seen at his home on 12 September.

Officers were called to the Dartington Hall Estate at 16:00 on Monday following the discovery of a man’s body in woodland. The death is not being treated as suspicious.

Formal identification is yet to take place.

Mr Cozens' family have been told.

BBC Weather

There will be a few bright spells at first, otherwise a generally cloudy and windy day with outbreaks of rain arriving through the afternoon.

Some of the rain will be heavy, especially over higher ground, but despite this it will be rather mild. Maximum temperature: 17C (63F).

Jonathan Morris
BBC News Online

The four-year project to extend the Tate St Ives will come to an end later this week - and locals are giving their reviews on the new space.

Brent Pilnick
BBC Sport

Footballers from South Devon College's Pro Direct Academy have been helping the FA pilot video technology.

The 17-19 year olds are returning from St George's Park having taken part in an eight-team tournament officiated by Premier League referees who are testing a planned new Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system.

Image source, Getty Images

"It's been a brilliant experience for them," the academy's coach Chris Todd told BBC Sport.

"These boys have been amazed to see the people they see on Match of the Day on a Saturday.

"It's been great because it's been a taste for us to see what it'll be like when it happens, which I think, it will."

VAR systems have already been trialled around the world, with contentious decisions being referred to a replay if there is a doubt.

The technology is set to be used in England for the first time in January at televised FA Cup games at Premier League grounds and in the EFL Cup semi-finals and final.

BBC Radio Devon

The A38 Exeterbound is partially blocked in the Harcombe Bends after a four vehicle crash.

Traffic is queuing back to Chudleigh.

The National Trust has cancelled an annual Christmas event because of its popularity.

For several years the Christmas food fair has been held at Cotehele, on the banks of the River Tamar.

However, bosses said the event had "grown to such a size it had become unsustainable to continue to manage it at Cotehele".

The fair normally takes place at the end of November. The trust added it was "always looking for new ways to tell Cotehele’s story through a rich programme of events".

Image source, Dave Wallis

BBC Radio Cornwall

A four-year building project comes to an end later this week as the Tate St Ives reopens its doors.

The iconic gallery has doubled its space for showing art and has created new studios.

Each year the gallery welcomes 250,000 visitors - over three times the number it was originally designed for.

Plymouth Herald

Citybus fares will be going up this month, external - less than a year after they were last increased.

BBC Spotlight

There are claims that tiny plastic beads used in sewage treatment works are ending up on South West beaches.

The campaign group Cornish Plastic Pollution Coalition suggests marine life is being put at risk by the accidental spilling of 'bio-beads'.

South West Water has acknowledged there have been some historical spills. But it says there are no current concerns, and insists strict controls are followed to protect the environment.

Image source, Rob Wells

BBC Radio Cornwall

People fleeing domestic abuse in Devon and Cornwall are welcoming a new pet fostering service which experts say will help them leave a violent home more quickly.

Managers at Refuge4Pets say victims often stay put because they're worried how their pet will be treated - and know safe houses won't take them with animals.

The service gives the person assurances their pet will be well cared for while they put their life back together.

BBC Spotlight

Councillors could agree later to ask the government to fund an £88m upgrade for the North Devon Link Road.

Campaigners have been calling for improvements for many years, to help cut congestion, improve safety and reduce travel time.

Phase one would see extra lanes added to make it easier to overtake on some of the sections of single carriageway.

Work could start by late 2020 if everything is agreed.

Sophie Malcolm
BBC News Online

Good morning from BBC Local Live. We'll be bringing you the news, sport, travel and weather for Devon and Cornwall today.

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