MP criticises protesters after coffin left outside constituency office
Man found dead in Falmouth shop doorway
Nearly 600 firearms handed to police in amnesty
Drowned fisherman's sister supports awareness campaign
Plymouth MP calls for wider NI Troubles 'amnesty'
Fire crews tackle underfloor insulation blaze
Money for emergency services suicide prevention
Tools stolen from Barnstaple Christmas house
Updates on Wednesday 6 December 2017
Live updates for Devon and Cornwall have finished for the day, but we'll be back at 07:00 on Thursday with the latest news, sport, travel and weather.
Don't forget Spotlight on BBC One later. There will also be news through the night on your BBC Local Radio station.
Get the latest news for your area from the BBC.
More money is being earmarked for England's first "garden villages", Communities Secretary Sajid Javid has announced.
Image source, Places for PeopleAbout £3m will be spent on 14 sites, where tens of thousands of homes are due to be built.
The locations chosen are said to be distinct, and not part of existing developments.
The sites are at:
Jonathan Morris
BBC News Online
Campaigners have accused the Totnes MP of making political points in a row over a coffin left outside her constituency office.
Image source, Helen BeethamDr Wollaston, in reference to the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox, said a coffin delivered to a woman MP was "crass insensitivity" by campaigners against NHS cuts.
"I found it deeply offensive and upsetting but presume that was the intention," she tweeted about the coffin which was put outside the Conservative office in a demo by Save Our Hospital Services (SOHS) in Totnes on Saturday.
Image source, PAAlex Moore of South Devon SOHS said the coffin "was made to illustrate the impact of cuts and privatisation on the NHS. No more than that".
He added: "To make any kind of reference to the appalling murder of Labour MP Jo Cox or to imply she is being victimised in a similar fashion would cause great affront."
More than 3,000 children are facing Christmas without a home in the South West.
Research from the housing charity, Shelter, shows seven families a day in Devon and Cornwall are being made homeless, and that the number of children without a home has increased by 23% in the last year.
A spokesman for the charity said "the chronic lack of genuinely affordable homes" and recent welfare cuts are among factors pushing people into homelessness.
Shelter is now calling on the public to support its urgent Christmas appeal.
The report also reveals that across Britain, one in every 111 children is currently homeless and 2017 has seen the highest numbers of homeless children in a decade.
Hayley Westcott
BBC News Online
A local artist has worked with students from the University of Exeter Medical School to create a sculpture made from cardboard.
Exeter artist James Lake began sculpting as part of his recovery after losing his leg through bone cancer aged 17.
He now uses cardboard as his medium of choice, creating detailed life-size sculptures from the recyclable material.
Image source, Azure PhotographyJames said: "It was a real privilege to be part of such an exceptional learning environment. The journey of the project, from the initial idea to finished sculpture, has shown the importance of strong core values that can be transferred from teacher to student for the benefit of wider society."
The sculpture, which stands at more than 7ft (2m) tall, was unveiled today and is available to view in the Medical School foyer.
Hayley Westcott
BBC News Online
A palm cockatoo that's being hand-reared at a zoo in Cornwall is charming the keepers who care for him.
Herbert is being looked after at Paradise Park in Hayle and has been there for almost three months.
Image source, PARADISE PARKHerbert is being hand-reared at a Cornwall zoo
One of the carers responsible for him is Leanne Gilbert who says Herbert is nearly ready to eat solid food.
At the moment, he's on a "blended mix of carrot, apple, broccoli, macadamia nuts, smooth peanut butter and macaw formula".
Leanne added: "Palm Cockatoos are the largest member of the cockatoo family so Herbert still has quite a bit of growing to do. He is already showing interest in chewing carrot sticks.”
Staff at the zoo are 'charmed' by the cockatoo
Torquay United sign Icelandic central defender Axel Oskar Andresson on loan from Reading.
Read MoreIt will be a wet and windy evening with further outbreaks of rain steadily pushing eastwards.
Gales are expected along the coast and the higher ground of Dartmoor, and the rain will become heavy in places by morning.
There will be a wet and mild start to Thursday but it will get increasingly cold by midday.
Maximum Temperature: 12C (54F).
Hayley Westcott
BBC News Online
An axe has been found by a locked gate that was damaged in Cornwall.
It happened in the early hours on 2 December at the Columbus Centre in St Columb Major.
Police have the item for possible forensic analysis.
Officers are also downloading CCTV images that may identify the possible offender.
Anyone with information is being asked to contact Devon and Cornwall Police.
On the A38 Exeter-bound near Lee Mill, there are reports of a crash involving a lorry and a car. Traffic is queuing in the area.
On the A30 eastbound near Tolvaddon, there are reports of plastic debris on the road. Drivers are being asked to approach the area with care.
Hayley Westcott
BBC News Online
A Plymouth footbridge that has been closed for more than six months can be repaired after three authorities reached an agreement.
The footbridge at Sutton Harbour has been closed since the spring following a failure of the bridge turntable - leaving many local business owners concerned.
Under an agreement dating back to 1998, the management and maintenance responsibilities for the lock gates and the footbridge are shared between the Environment Agency and Sutton Harbour Holdings plc.
Plymouth City Council, the agency and Sutton Harbour Holdings plc brokered a deal which is described by the council as "a huge step in the right direction".
The council will now begin a process to commission repairs to the structure.
However, the work is not expected to be completed until next summer.
A Cornish hotel has denied accusations that it is responsible for building waste containing nails being burnt, external on a popular beach.
Liam Gallagher superfans turned up nine hours early, external to see the Wonderwall star ahead of his Plymouth Pavilions gig tonight.
Hamish Marshall
BBC Spotlight
Plymouth Argyle's plans to refurbish part of Home Park and build an ice rink look set to be approved.
The full plans for the rebuilding the Mayflower Stand and the Ice Arena , externalare being recommended for approval by Plymouth City Council Planning officers.
These form the first phase of the redevelopment of the area.
Outline plans for a hotel, gym, and offices are also recommended for approval.
There are a number of conditions attached but officers are urging the Council's Planning Committee to give them the green light when it meets next Thursday.
In Lostwithiel, the A390 is partially blocked by a crash involving two vehicles between Castle Hill and the B3269 in Lanlivery. There's slow traffic in the area but the A390 is passable.
Hayley Westcott
BBC News Online
A drunken burglar has been jailed after he fell asleep and was found on a sofa by a shocked homeowner.
Sean Wisbey, 49, of Kingdom Court, Paignton, broke into a flat through a kitchen window and broke open display cases to steal three watches before he passed out in the living room, Exeter Crown Court has heard.
Owner David Soper returned home from a two-hour outing to find a window and drawers open before seeing Wisbey passed out on the sofa.
He tried to wake him but couldn't do so and called the police.
Mr James Taghdissian, defending, said Wisbey has problems with alcohol, heroin and cocaine and told police his state of drunkenness was "nine out of 10".
He added: "He was clearly extremely intoxicated and this was a fairly opportunistic event. All the items were recovered. He accepts it cannot have been a pleasant experience for Mr Soper."
Wisbey admitted burglary and was jailed for nine months by Judge Geoffrey Mercer, QC.
Developers rebuilding the hotel that inspired Fawlty Towers , externalhave named their showpiece new apartment complex after the bungling Spanish waiter who drove Basil Fawlty up the wall.
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Some supplies in the EX5 area of Exeter have been restored but some properties are still without power, Western Power Distribution has said.
It is hoping to have the remaining properties restored by 15:00.
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Kevin Hay
BBC Spotlight
A Cornish woman has been describing how she felt after discovering her brother had drowned.
Paige Winsper's fisherman brother, Josh, from Penryn, was only 24 when he drowned after falling into a harbour in Wales last year after a night out.
He was four times over the drink-drive limit.
Paige says Josh was "a really bubbly, happy, outgoing person, just always on the go."
Describing the moment she heard he had died, Paige says "It was destroying. One-hundred emotions went through me all at once. I was angry and I didn't know who I was angry at. I was sad and I didn't know why I was sad. I felt like half of me had been taken and I didn't understand why. I didn't understand how this massive tragedy happened so fast. I was just distraught, I just wanted my brother home."
She is now backing a campaign by the Royal Life Saving Society warning people to be careful near water., external
