A 12-hour rescue operation has ended with a French vessel being towed back to the Isles of Scilly after the lone yachtsman got into trouble.

The St Mary's lifeboat was launched at 06:35 on Wednesday to help the man who was 48 nautical miles south of St Mary's.

The skipper of the 39ft (12m) yacht reported his sails had been blown out and he had engine failure.

It took the crew three hours to reach the yachtsman.

The lone skipper was in "good health" and the vessel was towed back to the islands.

Image source, RNLI

Cornish Stuff

Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez and Safer Cornwall are joining forces to extend a safety campaign across Cornwall., external

BBC Spotlight

There's a bid to make Plymouth's city centre a conservation area.

It was redesigned and rebuilt on a grid system with Portland stone after being almost completely destroyed by German bombers during World War Two.

The city centre is one of more than 50 areas across the country to be identified by the 20th Century Society as having the potential for conservation status.

The socienty says Plymouth is an "extraordinary example" of a British city which has had the whole of its centre completely re-planned and has more listed 1950s buildings than anywhere outside London.

It was designed by renowned town planner Professor Patrick Abercrombie with Plymouth city engineer James Paton Watson.

Cornwall Live

There are huge delays on a stretch of the A39 Atlantic Highway because temporary traffic lights are stuck, external on red.

Cornwall Live

Hundreds of jobs could be at risk at a Cornwall farming supplies and outdoors chain after its owners went into administration., external

BBC Radio Devon

A scheme's been launched in Plymouth to help people who feel scared or vulnerable while on a date.

More than 100 bar staff have been trained as part of the national "Ask for Angela" aimed at helping people get out of a situation safely and discreetly.

Image source, Lincolnshire Police

First launched in Lincolnshire in 2016, the "Ask for Angela" phrase will alert bar staff to a cry for help so they can help defuse the situation.

Plymouth nightclub manager Jay McDonnell says a minimum of three trained members of staff will be on shift in every venue taking part in the scheme.

The scheme has the backing of Devon and Cornwall Police.

BBC Radio Devon

Drivers are being warned of delays on the M5 northbound near Exeter due to a lorry with brake problems.

Lynne French
BBC News Online

A man is due to appear in court later following a machete incident in Exeter.

The 43-year-old was arrested following a disturbance on Sidwell Street on Tuesday afternoon after reports of a man brandishing a machete and threatening people.

He'll appear before Exeter Magistrates' Court charged with affray, theft from a shop and being in possession of a bladed article.

Train passengers in Devon and Cornwall are being warned that ticket machines have been affected by a "national" issue, meaning pre-booked tickets can't be collected.

BBC Radio Devon

All lanes on the southbound M5 are now clear between Cullompton and Exeter following an incident where a lorry crashed into the central barrier.

Lynne French
BBC News Online

A man has been rescued from a fire in a high-rise block of flats in Torquay.

The alarm was raised just after 03:00 when fire broke out in the kitchen of a fourth-storey flat in Ridgeway Road.

Appliances from Torquay, Paignton, Newton Abbot and an aerial ladder platform were sent to the incident and crews, using breathing apparatus and thermal imaging, led a man to safety before extinguishing the fire.

Alex Osborne
BBC Weather

If you're planning a trip to the coast today, here are the all-important times of high water.

You can catch a full weather forecast in Spotlight's lunchtime news on BBC One at 13:30.

BBC Radio Devon

A lorry has crashed into the central barrier near Exeter on the M5 southbound between junctions 28 and 29. Drivers are being advised by police to allow extra time for their journeys.

BBC Radio Cornwall

Misogyny could be made a recordable hate crime by Devon and Cornwall Police.

The news comes on International Women's Day, external which is being marked locally at the Eden Project in Cornwall later by the Safer for Women Conference.

It will look to highlight the issue of misogyny and the ongoing work to recognise it as a hate crime across the region.

Chief Constable of Devon and Cornwall Police, Shaun Sawyer, said there was a need for "a better understanding of misogyny and the impact this can have on a victim".

"While we are not ready to record this as a hate crime immediately, with a commitment to better training and awareness, Devon and Cornwall Police will be developing a pilot project with a view to making misogyny a recordable hate crime across Devon and Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly."

Related story:

• Harassment of women is to be recorded as a hate crime in Nottinghamshire in a bid to tackle sexist abuse.

Cornwall Live

It was just under two months ago that the plans to build a large shopping centre at Truro City Football Club ground got the go ahead. But just weeks later those plans took a dramatic set back, with it now looking likely if work does go ahead, it won’t begin until at least 2019., external

BBC Radio Cornwall

In Penzance, the Ross Bridge will be closed to traffic between 07:45 and 08:45 to allow a shipping movement from the dry dock.

BBC Weather

There will be a scattering of showers around at first, but these will become increasingly isolated throughout the day.

Plenty of sunny spells are expected.

Maximum temperature: 10°C (50F).

BBC Spotlight

More details are expected later about hundreds of job cuts at Devonport dockyard.

Babcock International announced on Wednesday that about a tenth of its workforce will lose their jobs as it reduces costs to stay competitive.

The dockyard is a mainstay of the local economy, employing about 5,000 civilian staff and the sole nuclear repair and refuelling facility for the Royal Navy.

Image source, Google

BBC Radio Devon

In Okehampton, the A3079 Holsworthy Road is closed due to a burst water main between the A386 Bowerland Road and Station Road, Halwill Junction. There is a diversion in place.

Police have put out an appeal to anyone who might know the whereabouts of a wanted man.

Sean Porter, aged 39, of no fixed abode in Swindon is being sought in connection with a number of offences across the Wiltshire.

Described as white, approximately 5 ft 6 inches tall, of medium build and with brown hair and hazel-coloured eyes, it's believed Porter could be in the Plymouth area.

Image source, Wiltshire Police