Janine Jansen
BBC Spotlight

Police are trying to trace the families of people injured in a two-car crash on the Avonwick to Totnes road.

Four people have been taken to hospital in Plymouth after the head-on crash 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.

Police have urged motorists to avoid the area and follow diversion routes.

Janine Jansen
BBC Spotlight

Four people have been taken to hospital after a serious road crash in Devon.

Police said two cars were involved in a head-on collision 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.

Police urged motorists to avoid the area and follow diversion routes.

Rebecca Wills
BBC South West

Poorly seal pups at a sanctuary in Cornwall have been treated to some festive cheer.

The Cornish Seal Sanctuary said its animal care team had been caring for 40 rescued pups so far this winter and found that "playing classical tunes helps relax the patients and make them more co-operative".

It added that it had been "such a success" they decided to provide them with a festive treat of classical flute playing from flautist Claire Rowe.

Claire, from Falmouth, regaled her whiskered and blubbery audience with a mixture of Mozart and other classical melodies.

The music tutor and former wind orchestra member said: "It was certainly one of the strangest bookings I’ve ever received."

Did they get Handel's Water Music? Debussy's La Mer? Or even Benjamin Britten's Storm?

BBC Spotlight

Suppliers for chefs at the Eden Project are helping people in food poverty.

Some of the South West's poorest people will enjoy high-quality meals this Christmas from the Keep Cornwall Fed scheme, a social enterprise started by two chefs at Eden.

The scheme takes profits from pop-up kitchens and other events and uses them to help vulnerable people.

Chef Mike Greer said: "The commercial side [of our business] buys first class produce from our suppliers.

"In return, any produce they're not quite happy to send out, we'll turn that into nutritious meals for those in food poverty."

He added that its target was to provide a meal for 5,000 people a year.

Laurence Reed
BBC Radio Cornwall

A nuclear siren heard in Torpoint and across parts of Plymouth will be debated by councillors.

The Royal Navy confirmed it was a false alarm triggered just outside HMS Raleigh, on the outskirts of Torpoint, caused by a power outage.

It said there was no cause for concern and apologised to anyone who was worried.

Torpoint Mayor Lambert Keise said it would be discussed at a town council meeting on Thursday.

He said: "I'm sure that from that meeting suggestions and ideas will be put forward that can go to the navy."

Image source, Google

Competitors were left uncertain over lack of confirmation they had entered prize draw competition.

Andrew Segal
BBC Local Live

At least one person has been seriously injured in a road crash in south Devon, police say.

Officers said two vehicles were involved in the crash on Plymouth Road, Totnes, at about 12:25 - the road between Fork Cross and Folaton Gate.

Police, ambulance, fire crews and an air ambulance are at the scene.

Police said they believed the road at the Avonwick side would "remain closed for a considerable period of time".

Drivers have been advised to seek alternative routes.

Prime Minister Theresa May has been urged to ask supermarkets to make milk part of their lunchtime "meal deal" offers.

Backbench Tory MP Scott Mann made the request during Prime Minister's Questions, telling Mrs May that milk was "very important" for growing children and a healthy diet.

The North Cornwall MP added: "Will she support our campaign next year to re-brand milk, to ask supermarkets to include it as part of their meal deal selections and as part of a healthy diet promote drinking milk in schools?"

Mrs May said: "He talks about the importance of dairy, he is of course a great advocate of rural issues and he's right because it's one of the most efficient, innovative and high quality dairy industries in the EU.

"On the particular points that he's raised can I suggest the environment secretary will be very happy to discuss those particular points with him. "I join him in recognising the importance of the dairy industry."

The Royal Navy apologised after the nuclear alarm went off in Torpoint last night.

It confirmed it was a false alarm and there was no cause for concern.

The siren was first introduced in 2003. It was designed to ensure anyone living within a 1.2 mile (2km) zone would hear it in all weather conditions.

The police drone unit, the first such dedicated unit in the UK, has six aircraft.

They have been used to find missing people and gather evidence to secure court convictions.

BBC Radio Devon

Plymouth Road between Totnes and Avonwick is blocked due to a serious multi-vehicle accident near Belsford.

The road is expected to remain closed through the afternoon.

BBC Politics

The government says it understands the concerns of people in south Devon over the closure of a popular post office.

In a special Commons debate, Kevin Foster, the Conservative MP for Torbay, told her local people wanted Torre Post Office in Torquay to stay where is it, rather than being moved to an alternative site.

He said: "General accessibility is better rather than the proposed [new] location, because it is not just about how you get in and out of the shop.

"It is within walking distance for many more customers and businesses [where it is], its bus stop is also served by one of the most frequent buses in the bay, and wheelchair access is available."

However, Business Minister Margot James said the post office may not have a long-term future.

Oldham boss Richie Wellens says it is "ridiculous" they face a 600-mile round trip to play Plymouth two days before Christmas.

Kevin Thomas
BBC Weather Forecaster

Although mostly cloudy with a little drizzle at times and patches of hill fog continuing to affect high ground, it should become a drier afternoon and occasionally brighter with some hazy periods of sunshine.

Winds will be from the west or south west and mainly light.

Maximum temperature: 13C (55F).

Andrew Segal
BBC Local Live

Image source, Dan Murphy

The discovery of an English pod of dolphins will help moves to gain specific protection for the species, a wildlife trust says.

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.

The Cornwall Wildlife Trust said: "Bottlenose dolphins in the South West face several threats, including pollution from plastics and chemicals, injury by fishing nets, and disturbance from recreational activities.

"Highlighting the existence of a resident population is the first step in seeking specific protection for these animals, with the next step being to collect more evidence on their movements and behaviour and strengthen the case for the importance of this area."

Andrew Segal
BBC Local Live

Devon and Cornwall Police are warning people to "think carefully" before calling officers over the festive period.

Ch Supt Jim Nye said, external some people were not "getting the message about when it’s not appropriate to contact the police by calling 101 or 999".

The force added that some extreme examples of people not making suitable calls included a Londoner in the "middle of nowhere" who wanted police to tell him where he could catch his coach to London, external.

Other calls included a woman who had called the RAC because the central locking on her car had failed, locking her inside, but then called police as she was worried about running out of air, external.

And possibly (pizza) topping the list is the man who had received the wrong Italian-style dinner order, external - double cheese instead of pepperoni - who said there'd be "an accident" if he ate it.

The force said: "This Christmas, please think before you call... if you get the wrong takeaway, the police can’t help you."

Britain has no major warships deployed on operations beyond home waters in what has been described as an "unprecedented" absence of the vessels on the world stage.

The Royal Navy's current vessels include 19 frigates and destroyers and seven attack submarines.

All six of the navy's Type 45 destroyers are docked in Portsmouth, while 12 of 13 Type 23 frigates are either at Portsmouth or Devonport, Plymouth.

Helicopter carrier HMS Ocean (pictured), the fleet's flagship, is back in Devonport after its final deployment before being decommissioned in 2018.

The UK's only aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, is not due to enter active service until 2020.

A dearth of major naval warships overseas has been attributed to cuts to the defence budget, raising concerns over Britain's ability to project power internationally.

Vice-Admiral John McAnally, national president of the Royal Naval Association, told The Times, external that the scarcity of frigates and destroyers overseas was unprecedented and indicated the fleet was too small.

Image source, MoD

The Police Federation's tweet comes after new figures showed a significant rise in the number of assaults on police officers across the South West.

Police figures show more than 760 staff have been attacked across both the Devon & Cornwall and Dorset forces this year - an increase of 145 attacks from 2016.

The federation, which represents officers up to the rank of inspector, is campaigning for tougher sentences.

Devon Live

A man suffered a serious hand injury and was taken to Derriford Hospital after his vehicle "rolled over a number of times", external following a crash that left the main road between Sidmouth and Exeter closed on Tuesday evening.