Boy, 3, dies and three others injured in Totnes road crash
'Significant rise' in police assaults across South West
Nuclear siren: False alarm at HMS Raleigh
Exeter centre to get £1m improvements despite closure plan
Blank wall offered to graffiti vandal
Top chefs to help feed vulnerable people
England's only resident pod of bottlenose dolphins found
HMS Ocean returns home early from final deployment
Updates on Wednesday 20 December 2017
Live updates for Devon and Cornwall have finished for the day, but we'll be back at 08:00 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 and you can always get the latest news for your area from the BBC.
Janine Jansen
BBC Spotlight
Police are appealing for witnesses after a crash that killed a three-year-old boy.
The Totnes to Avonwick road remains closed near Belsford and isn't due to re-open until accident investigation work has been completed, police say.
The Roads Policing Inspector at Devon and Cornwall Police, Richard McLellan, said the boy's mother "received serious injuries at the scene" and is still being treated in hospital.
"Her partner's with her and all next of kin have been informed. But we still need to hear from anybody that may have seen anything on the road here if you didn't stop and give your name and details to police officers," he added.
Any witnesses are being asked to contact police via 101.
Residents could see the Devon county part of their council tax go up by 6%.
Local authorities were able to raise bills by a maximum of 5% without holding a referendum, but the government announced this week that it would lift the cap by a further 1%.
Devon County Council leader John Hart said the authority was considering taking advantage of the change.
Communities Secretary Sajid Javid said on Tuesday he was giving councils "the independence to help relieve pressure on local services".
Labour said council tax rises failed to address the many problems which local government faced.
Two men have been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.
Read MoreJanine Jansen
BBC Spotlight
Two men have been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving after a crash that killed a three-year-old boy.
The child died as a result of a two-car head-on crash on a road between Avonwick and Totnes at about 12:20.
The boy and three adults were taken to hospital in Plymouth after the crash involving a Honda and a Volvo on Plymouth Road, near Totnes.
The child’s mother, driving the Volvo, suffered a broken arm in the crash. Two men from south Devon in the Honda sustained minor injuries.
Police remain at the scene and road is expected to stay closed until at least 18:00.
Andrew Segal
BBC Local Live
A section of the A39 in north Devon is due to be closed for just over three months in the new year, Devon County Council says.
The authority said, external the road at Shirwell, north of Barnstaple, would close for 13 weeks for "essential stabilisation work" from 2 January until 29 March to build a new 60m (200ft) retaining wall
The council said the road was cracking and its edge needed "stabilising to prevent the embankment from completely collapsing".
As well as the concrete retaining wall, the £200,000 scheme also involves drainage improvements and resurfacing.
It will remain largely cloudy overnight with some mist and fog.
Despite being mostly dry during the evening, some patchy drizzle is likely to spread in from the west overnight.
Minimum temperature: 8C (46F).
Another rather cloudy day is in store on Thursday with mist and hill fog.
Some outbreaks of rain or drizzle are likely in the morning, but it should turn a little drier through the afternoon.
Maximum temperature: 12C (54F).
Firefighters have dealt with a kitchen fire near Redruth.
Two crews were called to the property in Barncoose Terrace, Illogan Highway, at 14:50 after smoke was seen coming from a window.
The cause of the fire in the ground-floor kitchen was confirmed as accidental.
A Red Cross emergency vehicle was also at the site, "giving support to the crews on scene", Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service said, external.
Andrew Segal
BBC Local Live
Police from Kingsbridge who responded to a two-car crash in Devon, which resulted in the death of a boy, have described it as a "truly awful incident".
A three-year-old boy died in the head-on crash on the road between Avonwick and Totnes at about 12:20.
The boy and three adults were taken to hospital in Plymouth after the crash involving a Honda and a Volvo on Plymouth Road, near Totnes.
The child’s mother, in the Volvo, suffered a broken arm in the crash. Two men from south Devon in the Honda sustained injuries.
Kingsbridge Police said on Facebook, external: "It goes without saying that this is a truly awful incident, at this or anytime of year and our thoughts and prayers go out to the family, friends, and all involved in the incident."
The road remains closed while forensic investigations continue.
Andrew Segal
BBC Local Live
Image source, HMRCHundreds of older and vulnerable people are getting ripped off by fraudsters who tell them to buy iTunes gift cards to pay their tax bills.
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) said there had been 1,500 reports of such scams since the start of last year.
Most victims are over 65 and lose £1,150 each on average.
HMRC has said it is working with Apple and campaign groups to make sure the public knew how to spot the scam and to whom they should report it.
Devon and Cornwall Police issued a warning about such scams earlier this year, external.
Earlier this month, a pensioner was "bullied" and conned out of £900 in such a scam, his family from Cornwall told Cornwall Live, external.
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The bug, which causes diarrhoea and vomiting, is one of the most common stomach bugs in the UK.
It's also called the winter vomiting bug because it's more common in winter, although it can be caught at any time of the year.
Chloe Axford
BBC Spotlight
Torpoint Town Council has set up a meeting in January with the Royal Navy to discuss the implications of a false alarm that saw a nuclear alert siren sounding nearby for 10 minutes.
The alert, triggered just outside HMS Raleigh, on the outskirts of Torpoint, on Tuesday night, was caused by a power outage, the Royal Navy confirmed. It also apologised, adding there was no cause for concern.
Torpoint Mayor Lambert Keise said he was disappointed the navy was slow in letting people know it was a false alarm.
The incident is due to be discussed at a town council meeting on Thursday before a meeting with the navy next month.
The meeting will also discuss whether any procedures for alerting the public need to be changed.
Janine Jansen
BBC Spotlight
Police have confirmed that a three-year-old boy has died in a two-car head-on crash on a road between Avonwick and Totnes.
The boy and three adults were taken to hospital in Plymouth after the crash involving a Honda and a Volvo on Plymouth Road, near Totnes, at about 12:20.
The child’s mother, driving the Volvo, suffered a broken arm in the crash. Two men from south Devon in the Honda sustained injuries.
Police said the road would remain closed for several hours while forensic investigations continue.
Andrew Segal
BBC Local Live
Police investigating a "tragic" road crash in Devon, in which a three-year-old child died, have appealed for information or dashcam footage.
Four people were taken to hospital in Plymouth after the head-on crash involving two vehicles - a Honda and a Volvo - on Plymouth Road, near Totnes, at about 12:20.
The child’s mother, driving the Volvo, suffered a broken arm in the crash. Two men from south Devon in the Honda sustained injuries.
Forensic teams are at the scene between Fork Cross and Folaton Gate.
Devon and Cornwall Police said, external road closures were in place and were expected to remain there for "the foreseeable future".
Andrew Segal
BBC Local Live
A three-year-old child has died in a "tragic" road crash in Devon, police say.
Four people were taken to hospital in Plymouth after the head-on crash involving two vehicles - a Honda and a Volvo - on Plymouth Road, near Totnes, at about 12:20.
Devon and Cornwall Police said, external: "Tragically, a three-year-old child died as a result of their injuries.
"The child’s mother, who was driving the Volvo and is local to the area, remains in Derriford Hospital with a broken arm."
Two men from south Devon in the Honda were taken to hospital with minor injuries.
Forensic teams are at the scene between Fork Cross and Folaton Gate.
Police said road closures were in place and were expected to remain there for the foreseeable future.
Janine Jansen
BBC Spotlight
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Four people have been taken to hospital in Plymouth after a head-on crash between two cars on Plymouth Road, Totnes, at about 12:20.
Forensic teams are at the scene and the road is expected to remain closed for some time. Motorists have been told to avoid the area and follow diversion routes.
Barry West believes Jacob Marley was inspired by a 19th Century doctor.
Read MoreAndrew Segal
BBC Local Live
The discovery of an English pod of dolphins has been welcomed by wildlife researchers and conservationists.
Plymouth University researchers identified England's only resident population of bottlenose dolphins after analyzing thousands of sightings and photographs from the South West of England between 2007 and 2016.
The dolphins were present in shallow coastal waters mainly in Cornwall - particularly St Ives Bay and Mount's Bay, but also in Devon and Dorset.
Image source, Dan MurphyBut how do they know it's the same group of mammals?
Well, apparently bottlenose dolphins can be recognised by their dorsal fin, which has a distinctive shape and markings, and the fin is as unique to an individual dolphin as a fingerprint is to a human.
Researchers said the trailing edge of the fin was most commonly used to identify a dolphin as it was the most distinguishable area.
This was because it is susceptible to tearing and, once torn, the tissue did not regenerate, causing permanent notches, which can be used to identify it once it's been catalogued.
An ex-soldier from Cornwall charged in connection with a fatal shooting in Northern Ireland more than 40 years ago has lost a legal challenge to facing trial without a jury, external.
The High Court rejected claims by 76-year-old Dennis Hutchings that Northern Ireland's Director of Public Prosecutions wrongly decided the criminal case should be determined by a judge sitting alone.
The seriously ill pensioner, of Cawsand, is charged with the attempted murder of John Patrick Cunninghman.
BBC News England
Train strikes are looming in the new year as rail workers plan a series of 24-hour walkouts in the long-running row over the role of guards.
RMT members at five train operating companies in England will walk out on 8, 10 and 12 January.
Those involved include South Western Railway, which operates routes between London and Exeter.
The union said it had tried to resolve the bitter disputes, which it has insisted are about safety.
Image source, PA
