Nine-year-old Lola is about to unleash her secret weapon at a skateboarding competition.

Del Crookes
BBC News Online

Image source, Ikea/SRA Architects

Ikea has applied for planning permission to use a site opposite the new store in Exeter as a temporary staff car park.

The company says that, based on previous experience, the shop is expected to be busier than usual during "an initial peak opening period".

Ikea announced that its new Exeter store, its 21st in the UK, would open for busines on 1 May.

The Swedish firm says that the temporary car park will be created by using a heavy duty PVC permeable parking mat, that "no hardstanding is proposed" as part of the development and it will be removed after 10 weeks, external.

BBC Spotlight

A dad from Devon, whose son died in an accident on the A38 near Plymouth last June, says he will continue to fight for safety improvements on the county's roads.

Trevor Gorman's son was one of three men killed when their van left the Devon Expressway near Marsh Mills.

Mr Gorman wants to see the introduction of so-called "crumple" crash barriers and signposts, which are designed so that they give way on impact, rather than rigid steel posts.

"We've got to do something," he said. "We can't just leave it. If something happens and I haven't tried to do something, that is going to be another thing, as well as living without my boy and his two mates.

"I don't think I could have lived with myself if I hadn't at least tried to do something and somebody needs to take this on board and do the right thing."

Highways England says it takes road safety seriously and welcomes the opportunity to meet with the families to listen and discuss their concerns in person.

BBC Radio Devon

A Devon man has been sentenced after being caught with nearly 180,000 illegal cigarettes and 18kg (39lb) of hand rolling tobacco.

Cornelius Buckleigh from Axminster kept the contraband, worth more than £50,000 in unpaid tax, in a storage unit in Chard.

It was discovered after a search by HM Revenue and Customs.

The 66-year old pleaded guilty at Exeter Crown Court and has been given an 11-month prison sentence suspended for 15 months.

Lucy Martin
BBC Weather

Through much of the night it will be largely dry and cloudy with some clear spells at times, as well as the chance of seeing some drizzle locally.

It will turn clearer by dawn.

Minimum Temperature: 4 to 7C (39 to 45F).

It will be drier and brighter on Tuesday, with lengthy spells of sunshine and variable cloud amounts.

Maximum Temperature: 8 to 11C (46 to 52F).

Del Crookes
BBC News Online

North Devon Council has been awarded £2.2m by the government's Land Release Fund for its Seven Brethren development in Barnstaple, external.

Local councillors say the cash will pay for flood mitigation work and improvements to roads, cycle lanes and pavements, which will allow a range of homes to be built on the site earlier than planned.

A new leisure centre is also being constructed next to the Seven Brethren site, with construction due to start next January and opening planned for 2020.

The grant comes two weeks after the award of £8.7m to North Devon Council under the Housing Infrastructure Fund.

Image source, Google

Cornwall Live

It is feared that a fire which led to the evacuation of a primary school, external may have been started deliberately.

Amy Gladwell
BBC News Online

A sighting of a snowy owl on the Isles of Scilly has been described as "probably the best birding ever" by the man who managed to photograph it.

The bird of prey, which is native to Arctic regions, was previously spotted in west Cornwall in December, the RSPB says.

Mark Leitch from Woking was on a special mission to see it on the island of Tresco.

Image source, Mark Leitch

Image source, Mark Leitch

The charity said the last sighting of the species in the region was in Penwith, west Cornwall, in April 2016 and it is understood the one before that was in a similar area in 2009.

Allie Guy

Police are appealing for witnesses to a crash which left a cyclist in a "life-threatening condition".

The A376 was closed for around six hours this morning following the crash involving a black Ford Galaxy at about 5:45 between Clyst St George and Clyst St Mary near Exeter.

The cyclist, a 28-year-old man from the Exmouth area, is being treated for serious head injuries at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth, according to police.

Officers asked for anybody with any information - particularly anyone who saw a grey mountain bike travelling between Ebford and Clyst St Mary - to get in touch via 101@dc.police.uk , externalor by calling 101.

BBC Radio Cornwall

The A39 at Wadebridge is partially blocked near the A389 due to an accident.

Andrew Segal
BBC Local Live

Image source, Facebook

A man has been charged over the death of a homeless suspected hit-and-run victim in Dartmouth last year, police say.

Jamie Symons, 27, died after being hit by a car on College Way last September. His body was found close to the entrance of Britannia Royal Naval College.

Kingsbridge Police said that a 20-year-old man from Townstal had been charged with causing death by inconsiderate driving, causing death by driving while unlicensed, failing to stop at the scene of an accident, and failing to report an accident.

He was due to appear before Newton Abbot Magistrates' Court on 7 March, officers added.

BBC Politics

MPs are being urged to decide at the earliest opportunity whether to cut the size of the House of Commons to avoid outdated boundaries at the next election.

Current changes are being drawn up on the basis of a 2011 law which agreed in principle to cut numbers by 50 to 600, with seats in England cut to 501 from 533.

But many MPs do not now support the proposal and could reject it in a vote this autumn.

The Public Administration Committee said there would then be no time to start again and the 2022 poll would be held on outdated boundaries.

One controversial issue was the Boundary Commission for England proposing to create a cross-border parliamentary seat on the Devon and Cornwall border.

If approved, a so-called "Devonwall" constituency would cover Bideford, Bude and Launceston.

Critics said the counties had their own identities and circumstances that a cross-border MP would not be able to concentrate on fully.

BBC Radio Devon

In Plymouth, Crownhill Road is partially blocked near Budshead Road due to an accident.

Allie Guy

Plans to reduce the number of Royal Marines and ships would have a "profound effect" on Plymouth by putting 1,176 jobs directly at risk and removing £61m from Devon and Cornwall's economy, according to a House of Commons report published earlier this month, external.

The report warns Plymouth could be set to lose its Devonport-based HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark in a major reconfiguration of the amphibious units.

Plymouth's Labour MP, Luke Pollard, raised his concerns in a tweet earlier today.

Cutting the number of Royal Marines and the ships they use to carry out beach landings would significantly undermine UK security, MPs have warned.

Andrew Segal
BBC Local Live

A meat supplier being investigated by food standards officers which has gone into administration with the loss of almost 270 jobs says it made the "heartbreaking" decision because of "impossible trading conditions".

Meat supplier Russell Hume - which supplied pub chain JD Wetherspoon, schools and care homes - has gone into administration, accountants KPMG confirmed.

The company is headquartered in Derby and was operating from six production sites in: Liverpool, Birmingham, London, Boroughbridge, Exeter and Fife.

Image source, Getty Images

It employed more than 300 people and was being investigated over food hygiene concerns by the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

Some 266 people have been made redundant. KPMG said it was to work with all affected employees and it was also "seeking buyers for the business and its assets".

Russell Hume's directors said they would continue to work with the FSA over the issues raised, but added: "We still feel its action has been out of all proportion to the concerns it says it has identified.

"The fact that its investigations have become industry-wide and a number of other firms have also had issues strongly suggests there is a lack of clarity in the industry and in current FSA guidelines.

"Prior to this, we had a long, unblemished record for supplying quality meat products."

BBC Radio Cornwall

The A390 at Tresillian, near Truro, remains partially blocked due to recovery work after an earlier crash.

Police said they were called to the scene at about 11:25 and three people suffered "life-changing injuries" in a "serious collision".

Nathan Hunkin was in the area and took this picture from his car.

Image source, Nathan Hunkin

The route is still blocked between Heron Close and the Trewithen roundabout.

Traffic is reported to be very slow through Probus and on surrounding roads.

Andrew Segal
BBC Local Live

Image source, Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire

All of fast-food chain KFC's outlets in Cornwall and all but two in Devon have closed as branches across the UK have run out of chicken.

Things are not so finger-licking good for disappointed fried chicken fans after problems with a new distribution system forced the closures.

Last week, KFC switched its delivery contract to DHL, which blamed "operational issues" for the supply disruption. It was delivered by South African-owned distribution group Bidvest.

KFC has about 900 UK restaurants, with more than 80% run by franchisees. About 750 have shut across the country.

Only Mutley Plain in Plymouth and Barnstaple's High Street branches in Devon are listed as open on the company's website, external in the two counties, which is using the phrase "crossed the road".

The phrase is a reference to an earlier tweet, external by the company slightly making light of the situation by saying: "The chicken crossed the road, just not to our restaurants."

The company added: "The Colonel is working on it."

Andrew Segal
BBC Local Live

A coastguard team was sent on a rescue operation after reports of a flashing light underwater which turned out to be a mobile phone.

Torbay Coastguard said water rescue equipment was deployed after the light was reported to police at Torre Abbey Sands on Sunday night.

Coastguards said it was initially thought it was a non-responsive diver under water, but an "extensive search" revealed it to be a phone.

The phone has been handed over to police for inquiries.

Andrew Segal
BBC Local Live

Meat supplier Russell Hume - which supplied pub chain JD Wetherspoon, schools and care homes - has gone into administration.

The company is headquartered in Derby and was operating from six production sites in: Liverpool, Birmingham, London, Boroughbridge, Exeter and Fife.

It supplied meat to hotels, restaurants and pubs across the UK, employed more than 300 people, and was being investigated over food hygiene concerns.

KPMG Restructuring has been appointed as administrators and said recent product recall and a halt in operations "had caused significant customer attrition and trading difficulties, which in turn has led the directors to take the decision to place the company into administration".

Some 266 people have been made redundant, it added.

KPMG said: "Our priority over the coming days will be to work with all affected employees ... We will also be seeking buyers for the business and its assets."

Millions of elm trees have died in the UK since the 1920s due to Dutch elm disease, according to experts.