Plymouth Herald

A bereavement charity in Plymouth has been granted permission to place a special remembrance Christmas tree in the baby garden of a city cemetery , externalto help grieving parents.

BBC Spotlight

Snow has been falling in some parts of the region today.

Here are some pictures of the snowy scenes in Princetown on Dartmoor.

The Guardian

Three police forces, including Devon and Cornwall, are considering plans to give guns to some uniformed bobbies on the beat in order to respond more quickly to a crisis situation, such as a terrorist attack, according to The Guardian., external

It reports that one option under consideration is for some officers to openly wear guns on their belt and another is for the guns to be stored securely in patrol cars.

Any change would be in addition to having elite officers with guns in armed response vehicles.

Chief Constable of Devon and Cornwall Police, Shawn Sawyer said: "We remain in the foothills of developing the operational and training requirements of such an initiative. We would wish to do this under the national lead for firearms and, as importantly, the consent of our communities."

Tamsin Melville
Political Reporter, BBC Radio Cornwall

Tourist board Visit Cornwall claims tens of millions of pounds from the county's B&Bs is going to global online companies - amid calls for things to change.

It comes as the Competition and Markets Authority is currently investigating whether some practices used by online travel agents like Booking.com and Expedia are against consumer law.

Accommodation providers pay at least 15% commission to the sites, and are unable to offer cheaper rates on their own websites. Some B&B owners are calling for a fairer deal.

One global travel agent, Expedia says it welcomes "further discussion with the Competition and Markets Authority to review transparency, benefit consumers and increase competition between accommodation providers."

Malcolm Bell from Visit Cornwall said there is a role for online companies but they need to "be a bit straighter in terms of actually being fairer to the businesses and be a bit straighter in what they present to the consumer".

BBC Radio Devon

• In Kingsteignton, Fore Street is partially blocked by an accident at Crossley Moor Road
• In Holsworthy, there are reports of an articulated lorry stuck at the top of Waterloo Road. Drivers are being asked to approach the area with care

After a number of crashes on two of the South West's main trunk roads, Devon and Cornwall Police say the A38 and A380 are now "operating as normal".

Snow and ice caused problems for drivers earlier.

Police are still advising motorists to "drive to the conditons" as cold weather sweeps across the region.

• Yellow weather warning for snow and ice

BBC Radio Devon

A team of experts led by Plymouth's Marjon University is urging the European Athletics Council to scrap a controversial plan to disregard all athletics world records set before 2006.

In an editorial published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, the experts argue the plan wouldn't be fair to athletes who legitimately won world records without the aid of performance enhancing drugs.

Inspirational performances by clean athletes such as Paula Radcliffe would be removed from history along with the cheats, if the plan goes ahead.

Lead researcher, Prof Andrew Edwards of Plymouth's Marjon University says the European Athletics Council's proposal seems "totally unfair."

He added: "We argue that it is a double punishment for those clean athletes who have competed against and overcome drugs cheats to now lose their world records. Many of our most inspirational and iconic sporting memories would be tarnished."

Matt Kvesic says there is a lot more to come from him after breaking into the Exeter first team.

Exeter City defender Dan Seaborne says he would like to extend his stay at St James Park if the club went up to League One.

Twitter

Dusting of snow on Dartmoor captured by Pip Howard:

Plymouth Herald

Plymouth City Council has quashed speculation that Plymouth’s huge Toys R Us building will be demolished., external

BBC Radio Devon

Police are urging drivers to slow down after a string of minor accidents in wintry conditions affecting Haldon Hill and Telegraph Hill.

In one crash, three cars went into the central reservation of the A38.

There was a single vehicle accident at Haldon Hill and there was also a shunt on the A38 at Kennford.

Officers say there were no injuries but too many drivers are travelling too fast for the conditions.

BBC Spotlight

An intrepid group of sick and injured Royal Marines from Plymouth have unveiled a memorial in France to the Cockleshell Heroes on the 75th anniversary of the original raid.

The marines from the Hasler Company have been kayaking on the Gironde River, recreating the route of a commando raid on shipping in the German-occupied port of Bordeaux, in World War Two.

Eight of the 10 men involved in the operation in 1942 died.

The monument at Saint-Genes-de-Blaye, in France, is dedicated to them.

Devon Live

Several glass windows have been smashed, external at Tiverton Bus Station.

Hayley Westcott
BBC News Online

With snow showers forecast for the region, Dartmoor National Park Authority is urging people to stay safe.

It says although Dartmoor does attract people for winter fun it's "important to remember that Dartmoor is not just a playground – it is a place of work and home to many – so by all means enjoy Dartmoor, but please use common sense if you are coming on to Dartmoor during periods of snowfall".

Image source, Dartmoor National Park

Hayley Westcott
BBC News Online

An agricultural shed with 500 ducklings inside has been destroyed by fire.

It happened at Blackborough near Uffculme at about 22:00 on Thursday.

Four fire crews from Cullompton, Honiton and Exeter tackled the "well alight" shed which was "100% damaged by fire", Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said.

Three propane cylinders were also in the shed, but the fire service said after checks these have been deemed safe.

Fire crews have extinguished the blaze.

BBC Spotlight

An Exeter-based programme, which helps young people lacking some essential job skills get back into work, is about to expand into Torbay.

The Business Empowering Employment Programme (BEEP) started life as a legacy project from the 2015 Rugby World Cup in Exeter.

Now, firmly established, it's looking to extend its work further afield.

Since it started, 93% of the people on the programme have either progressed towards getting a job or started formal training.

Kieron Yeoman is a motivational coach with the project and says the focus is on those things employers look for such as communication skills and time keeping.

Cornwall Live

Two of Cornwall's most established hotels, the Bedruthan Hotel and Budock Vean Hotel, have been named and shamed in a government report, external.

BBC Radio Devon

There have been a number of minor crashes on the A38 and A380 Haldon Hill and Telegraph Hill this morning due to snow and ice.

Devon and Cornwall Police are asking drivers to "slow down and drive according to the conditions".

The Police Incident Commander Martin Worthington said some people are driving far too fast for the conditions.

Image source, Google

Tamsin Melville
Political Reporter, BBC Radio Cornwall

B&B owners are calling for a fairer system so Cornwall's guest houses can compete with global online travel agents.

It comes as the Competition and Markets Authority is currently investigating whether some practices used by online travel agents like Booking.com are against consumer law.

Accommodation providers pay at least 15% commission to the sites, and are unable to offer cheaper rates on their own websites.

Booking.com said: "We always strive for the utmost in transparency so it's clear messaging only refers to the inventory on our platform."

It says there's no requirement for properties to list free-cancellation rates, and: "ultimately we want to give a small B&B in the English countryside a fair chance to be discovered and to grow their business."