Summary

  • Businessman and ex-Royal Navy officer Charles Howeson to face trial

  • Police precept increase supported by panel

  • Hooded gang 'hate attack' on man in 60s

  • Man dies in Penzance tree crash

  • Swimmer dies after getting into difficulty

  • Truro stabbing: Boy, 16, guilty of wounding GBH

  • Transgender people 'face two-year consultation wait'

  • Instow could be first British beach to lose bathing water status

  • Updates from Monday 29 January 2018 until Friday 2 February 2018

  1. Steam train floor missing for monthspublished at 13:59 Greenwich Mean Time 30 January 2018

    A gaping hole in the toilet floor had been left on the steam train for months, a report says.

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  2. Do you know anyone in this snap? A dad, brother or uncle?published at 13:52 Greenwich Mean Time 30 January 2018

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  3. Cornwall travel: B3280 Leedstown blocked by accidentpublished at 13:11 Greenwich Mean Time 30 January 2018

    BBC Radio Cornwall

    In Leedstown, Chapel Road is partially blocked by an accident at the B3280.

  4. Morecambe sign Plymouth's Wylde on loanpublished at 13:00 Greenwich Mean Time 30 January 2018

    Morecambe sign midfielder Gregg Wylde on loan from League One side Plymouth Argyle until the end of the season.

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  5. Warning to have 'a smoke alarm on every level/floor'published at 12:45 Greenwich Mean Time 30 January 2018

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  6. Gaping hole carriage stayed in service days after incidentpublished at 12:09 Greenwich Mean Time 30 January 2018

    BBC Radio Devon

    A train carriage stayed in service for three days after a small boy had almost fallen through a gaping hole onto the track says a damning report.

    FloorImage source, RAIB

    The boy almost fell from the moving steam train carriage on 22 June last year because the toilet floor had rotted and been removed, says the Rail Accident Investigation Branch., external

    But it said the floor on the Totnes to Buckfastleigh train in Devon had been missing since April last year.

    And the carriage remained in service until 25 June "when the potential seriousness of the accident was realised" by the train operator South Devon Railway (SDR).

    The report said a duty officer failed to report it immediately to the RAIB. The next day the boy's mother sent an email demanding to see the accident report.

    An SDR spokesman said it would not be commenting until a separate investigation by the Office of Rail and Road had finished.

  7. Council's 'we are watching' warning to flytipperspublished at 11:50 Greenwich Mean Time 30 January 2018

    Johnny O'Shea
    BBC News Online

    Cornwall Council says it is actively working to stop flytippers after a successful prosecution.

    Mark Remnant, 30, of Trelavour Road, St Dennis pleaded guilty at Truro Magistrates Court on 24 January to flytipping in the entrance to Imerys’ Blackpool Pit near St Austell last year.

    He was fined and ordered to pay costs, coming to a total of £1,074.

    Fly tippingImage source, Cornwall Council

    Lynn Carter, from Cornwall Council’s Public Protection service, said: "This is a known flytipping hotspot. This work between Cornwall Council and Imerys sends a reminder to people that we are watching and will investigate if you dump waste.”

    Cornwall Council receive around 4,000 reports of flytipping on public and private land a year. You can report flytipping here, external.

  8. 'Window closing for May' comments out of proportion - MPpublished at 11:36 Greenwich Mean Time 30 January 2018

    Victoria Derbyshire

    Conservative MP Johnny Mercer says the media has "blown" comments he made about the government "out of all proportion".

    The Plymouth Moor View backbencher insists he was not commenting on Theresa May's leadership when he said yesterday "the window was closing".

    Johnny Mercer explained that he meant that his party only had a certain amount of time to fulfil the promises it had made.

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  9. Series of thefts from vehicles in Plymouthpublished at 11:20 Greenwich Mean Time 30 January 2018

    Johnny O'Shea
    BBC News Online

    There has been a number of thefts from vehicles parked in the Mainstone area of Plymouth this week, as well as a vehicle being taken.

    Devon and Cornwall Police said the incidents happened overnight on Sunday night into Monday morning along Weir Road, Colwill Road and Weir Close.

    Mainstone mapImage source, Google

    Items the thieves stole included bank cards, power tools and laptops.

    Officers have reminded people to not leave valuables in cars and vans, external, and to park in a garage or on a driveway if possible.

    Anyone with information about the thefts is asked to contact police.

  10. Carriage toilet floor had been missing for monthspublished at 11:05 Greenwich Mean Time 30 January 2018

    BBC Radio Devon

    A floor on a steam train had been missing for about three months before a boy nearly fell through it, a report says.

    FloorImage source, RAIB

    The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB), external said the toilet floor on the South Devon Railway (SDR) train between Totnes and Buckfastleigh in Devon had rotted and had been removed in April last year to fix a brake pipe.

    But the carriage had remained in service until June when the boy nearly fell through it.

    He was saved at the last minute by his mother who grabbed him before he fell on to the track.

    The report said the door had been secured with a screw but that had fallen out when the boy opened the door.

    A sign saying "out of use" had been placed on the toilet door.

    The RAIB recommended that SDR’s safety management system should be independently reviewed.

    SDR bosses said that they would not be commenting until a separate investigation by the Office of Rail and Road, external safety regulator had finished.

    DoorImage source, RAIB
  11. Back to the Futurepublished at 10:45 Greenwich Mean Time 30 January 2018

    Will Self embarks on a 1000 mile tour of the UK travelling only by bus and coach, exploring urban Britain and British identity at a time of flux.

    Bus and coach windows afford Will a different perspective on the nation. He eschews the bright lights of the big cities, heading instead for smaller urban centres. His objective is to speak to Britons about how they view their cities and themselves in 2018.

    Will's first trip takes him to Plymouth, once the cockpit of British naval power - a time when national identity was clear and certain.

    Over ten programmes, Will takes in Swansea, West Bromwich, Wolverhampton, Preston, Middlesbrough, East Kilbride and Derry-Londonderry. In the fish and chip shops, the B&Bs, the pubs and car repair garages, Will debates the state of British identity - and discovers that Britain has become a highly debatable land.

    Producer: Laurence Grissell.

    First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2018.

  12. Transgender people face two-year waitpublished at 10:26 Greenwich Mean Time 30 January 2018

    Waiting times for initial consultations for transgender patients soars, despite an NHS pledge.

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  13. Boy nearly fell through railway carriage floorpublished at 10:26 Greenwich Mean Time 30 January 2018

    BBC Radio Devon

    A small boy almost fell from a moving train carriage on to the track below because the toilet floor had been removed, a report has confirmed.

    TrainImage source, RAIB

    The report by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch, external (RAIB) said there was also no lock on the door and no-one had reported that the door was not locked on the Totnes Riverside to Buckfastleigh train in Devon.

    His mother was able to catch him before he fell during the incident last June.

    The floor had been removed to fix a brake pipe but was never replaced, the report said.

    The South Devon Railway (SDR), which runs the steam train, also failed to immediately report the fault, the report added.

    It has been ordered to improve its monitoring and reporting procedures.

    The RAIB recommended that the SDR’s safety management system should be "independently reviewed and any changes identified as necessary should be implemented".

  14. Stranded angler 'had serious concerns for safety'published at 10:17 Greenwich Mean Time 30 January 2018

    Johnny O'Shea
    BBC News Online

    Ilfracombe's lifeboat and cliff rescue teams were called to help three experienced fishermen who had become stranded off the north Devon coast overnight.

    They had become trapped at Sandy Cove, near Combe Martin, having been caught out by the tide.

    The alarm was raised at 01:25 and two lifeboats were launched.

    One of the men attempted to move across rocks and phone for help but was taken into the water by the swell.

    Ilfracombe Lifeboat Station said he was "wearing a flotation suit but had a backpack and waders on, so had a struggle to free himself".

    It said: "He managed to kick off his waders but was battered on the rocks. He then wrestled to make his way to land and picked up a phone signal to call the coastguards and raise the alarm."

    LifeboatImage source, Ilfracombe Lifeboat Station

    He received minor injuries and said: "I never imagined I'd end up in the water and had serious concerns for my safety".

    The other two men were brought back unharmed to the lifeboat station by the inshore boat, and then transferred to the all-weather lifeboat before being taken home.

    Volunteer Second Coxswain Carl Perrin said: "It was a very favourable outcome which could have been so easily a far worse result."

  15. Devon travel: Delays in Plymouthpublished at 09:58 Greenwich Mean Time 30 January 2018

    BBC Radio Devon

    • In Plymouth, on Tavistock Road, there's slow traffic approaching the Derriford Roundabout in all directions due to roadworks. Near the junction with Powisland Drive, there are temporary traffic lights adding to the delays
    • At Collaton St Mary, on the A385 Totnes Road, near Stoke Road, there are temporary traffic lights due to roadworks. Very slow traffic
  16. Car overturns in icy conditions on roadspublished at 09:34 Greenwich Mean Time 30 January 2018

    Icy roads after a dramatic fall in temperatures have claimed a number of victims this morning.

    There was no immediate information on injuries after a car overturned at Filleigh, near Barnstaple (pictured).

    Car crash. Pic: Barnstaple PoliceImage source, Barnstaple Police

    There was also a crash at Crowlas near Penzance, external, which has been cleared.

    There are also reports of ice on the A388 around Monkleigh and Frithlestock, on the A3072 near the Holsworthy Golf Club and at South Molton on the B3227.

    The A380 around Kingsteignton was partially blocked Exeter-bound due to an accident. Traffic became very heavy in both directions as a result.

    Follow @bbctravelsw, external on Twitter for more.

  17. Seal pup finders raise awarenesspublished at 09:24 Greenwich Mean Time 30 January 2018

    BBC Spotlight

    This seal pup was spotted by James Booker on a beach near Padstow.

    He sent the picture below to BBC Spotlight with the message: "We just wanted to raise awareness of what to do if you spot a seal on the beach.

    "They are there because they want to be there for many different reasons, such as shedding fur, keeping warm and waiting for their mother to hunt for food."

    Seal pupImage source, James Booker

    The advice from the Cornish Seal Sanctuary, external is to keep your distance if you find a baby seal on a beach.

    The mother seal may well be nearby and could be scared off by people or dogs, leaving the pup to have to fend for itself, it said.

  18. Icy morning 'taking a few cars in north Devon'published at 09:19 Greenwich Mean Time 30 January 2018

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  19. Fire in Falmouth hotel saunapublished at 09:05 Greenwich Mean Time 30 January 2018

    Johnny O'Shea
    BBC News Online

    Residents have been evacuated from a hotel in Falmouth after a fire broke out in a sauna.

    Three fire crews from Falmouth and Truro attended the incident at the St Michael's Hotel and Spa shortly before 07:00.

    They found smoke coming from the sauna in the hotel's basement.

    The cause of the fire is thought to be accidental.