Del Crookes
BBC News Online

Cornwall Trading Standards has issued a warning, external about a company cold-calling at properties in St Austell and Bodmin.

The firm has been persuading homeowners to have expensive driveways and patios put in and waive the legal 14-day cooling off period.

Trading Standards said the works are being offered with meaningless guarantees and the prices charged are likely to be much higher than would be asked by genuine local firms.

It advises residents to never deal with anyone who turns up at their door without an appointment.

BBC Radio Cornwall

In St Austell, Victoria Road is partially blocked at the junction with Clifden Road due to an accident.

Brent Pilnick
BBC Sport

Devon's Jamie Chestney and Robert Paxton began their 2018 Commonwealth Games with victory as part of England's triples team.

Image source, Getty Images

World indoor pairs champion Chestney and Paxton helped England to a 24-6 win over Papua New Guinea at the Gold Coast.

The team's next matches are against India and South Africa on Friday.

BBC Radio Devon

• In Dartmouth, the A3122 is blocked due to an accident at Nelson Road
• The B3181 near Bradninch is partially blocked near the Langford turn-off due to an accident

Kevin Hay
BBC Spotlight

A charity that looks after vulnerable adults in the South West is looking to recruit new carers.

The Shared Lives scheme, external is looking for families who are willing to open their homes to strangers who need help coping with a variety of issues.

Carers receive training and money to cover expenses but the charity says the rewards are more than financial.

Brian Baker from Penzance, who is one of their carers, said: "I found a part of me that I didn't realise I had. Generally I didn't like people much, but now I've found that I do get quite a buzz out of helping people."

BBC Radio Devon

The charity Libraries Unlimited, external has taken over running all four branches in Torbay.

Torquay, Brixham, Paignton and Churston will all keep the same opening times.

The charity already runs Devon's libraries on behalf of the county council.

Libraries Unlimited says it will need to make savings of £800,000 over the duration of the five-year contract.

Image source, Libraries Unlimited

Brent Pilnick
BBC Sport

Devon's Giselle Ansley helped England's women begin their bid for Commonwealth Games hockey gold with victory over South Africa.

Image source, Getty Images

The 2016 Olympic gold medalist helped her side win 2-0 in their opening match.

England face Malaysia in their second match in the early hours of Friday morning UK time.

Chris Baker
Local Democracy Reporting Service

Image source, Google

A Paignton pub had been temporarily stripped of its licence after "serious concerns" about how it was run were raised by police.

Torbay councillors were told of 16 crimes associated with Winston's, in Station Square, which had been reported in 2016, and another 32 in the first 11 months of 2017.

In one incident this March, a man was left a split second away from having his head hit by a passing coach. CCTV showed him being punched and falling backwards into the road. He sat up as the coach passed within inches of him. Police said the pub's door staff offered no assistance at all, which they found "unacceptable and shocking".

Solicitor James Cross, representing the pub, said he was thankful the man was seriously injured, but that, while not wishing to belittle the incident, it would be disproportionate to suspend the licence. He added that doormen from a different company were now being employed and other measures were being taken.

A temporary suspension begins with immediate effect but a full hearing must take place before 27 April.

Janine Jansen
BBC Spotlight

Thousands of worms grown at the University of Exeter are being sent into space to help combat muscle loss in older people.

Scientists say worms are being used because they have a similar muscle structure to humans.

They will blast off from the Kennedy Space Centre later this year and travel more than 250 miles to the International Space Station.

Colleen Deane, a researcher at the university, says astronauts lose a lot of muscle mass because they are not using their muscles in space due to a lack of gravity.

"When they return to Earth they're unable to be as mobile and they have to undergo heavy rehabilitation programmes," she said.

"Because it's a good model for human muscle, we're sending worms up to space and looking at the changes and the effects of space flight on their muscles."

Cornwall Live

The difference in pay between men and women working for Cornwall Council’s arms-length companies has been revealed, external.

At Cormac, men are on average paid 22% more than women, while at the council's arms-length staffing agency, women are paid nearly 50% more than men.

Emily Wood
BBC Weather

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

There will be a full weather forecast in Spotlight's lunchtime news at 13:30 on BBC One.

BBC Radio Cornwall

At Davidstow on the A39, near the A395, there are reports of a car fire.

Emily Wood
BBC Weather

A frosty start with any mist patches lifting to leave sunny periods this morning.

Further sunshine this afternoon but it will turn hazier as high cloud spreads in and there will be gentle winds.

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

Johnny O'Shea
BBC News Online

The body of an adult female beaver has been found on a roadside close to the River Otter in Devon.

The Devon Wildlife Trust, external has confirmed the animal was one of the wild beavers part of a high profile five-year study and said it "had been run over by traffic".

Devon Wildlife Trust's Steve Hussey said: "The autopsy revealed the beaver was an individual we had caught and tagged when she was a youngster near Ottery St Mary in 2015.

Image source, Chris Townend/Wise Birding Holidays

"She was in good health and weighed just over 21kg. Beavers in the wild can expect to live to around 12-14 years of age, so this individual was still young."

The beaver population on the River Otter is believed to be the first wild breeding colony to live in England for 400 years, and is thought to consist of about 25 to 30 animals. A decision on the long-term future of the animals will be made by the government at the end of the River Otter Beaver Trial, external in 2020.

England's Ben Proud is controversially disqualified after winning his 50m butterfly heat at the Commonwealth Games.

BBC Weather

Skies will continue to clear as any remaining showers die out. It will also become chilly with a slight frost possible in some sheltered areas along with a few mist or fog patches.

An isolated shower cannot be ruled out, though, mainly before midnight. Brisk winds easing.

Minimum temperature: 0 to 3C (32 to 37F).

Thursday will have a chilly start, but it will also sunny and dry as any early mist or fog patches clear away.

Cloud will increase during the day, and high cloud will increase during the afternoon, turning any sunshine hazy.

Light and variable winds will become mainly moderate or fresh from the south or southeast.

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

Andrew Segal
BBC Local Live

Torbay's airshow is to feature the Red Arrows, the Typhoon Display Team, the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and the RAF Grob Tutor at its annual flying festival in June, mayor Gordon Oliver says.

The show, on Paignton Green, will see displays from the military teams on both days on the 2 and 3 June, he said.

Torbay is seeing some luck in securing an appearance of the RAF's arrows, as Fowey in neighbouring Cornwall has had to make a "bitterly disappointing" announcement that the aerobatic team would not be at its air show this year because of cuts in defence spending.

The team carried out a display over the south Cornwall town last year after a previous hiatus.

Fowey Harbour Commissioners said they were planning to bid for the team to return in 2019.

Image source, PA

Daniel Clark
Local Democracy Reporting Service

Free public wi-fi in town centres is among the ideas that Teignbridge District Council is exploring ways to boost the economy in the district.

A draft version of the Economic Development Plan 2018-2023 includes exploring the possibility of introducing free public wi-fi for town centres to increase their appeal and stimulate local spending.

If approved, phase 1 would aim for the installation of a public wi-fi solution for Newton Abbot, Teignmouth and Dawlish town centres. If successful in generating an income for the council, then the council will seek to extend the project to Ashburton, Bovey Tracey, Buckfastleigh, Chudleigh and Moretonhampstead town centres.

The report outlines that phase one would hope to be delivered in 2018 to early 2019, and then, if it is successful in generating income, phase two would be delivered between 2021 and 2023.

The plan will be discussed by the council's overview and scrutiny committee on Monday.

Image source, PA

BBC News Technology

Image source, HTC

An advert showing Plymouth-born Olympic diver Tom Daley using a smartphone at a swimming pool has been banned on the grounds that similar behaviour by consumers would damage the device.

HTC has promoted the ad on social media since mid-2017.

But an investigation by the UK's advertising watchdog discovered that the device's own instructions said the phone should not come into contact with pool water.

HTC has yet to respond.

The advert for HTC U11 showed Mr Daley repeatedly jumping from the highest platform at a swimming pool, and taking images of himself as he fell. In addition, the athlete was shown using the phone as he climbed out of the water.

HTC had defended the campaign on the grounds that the device's IP67 waterpoof rating meant it could be briefly submerged up to a depth of 1m (3.3ft).

Global insurance brokers Gallagher are close to signing a long-term deal as the Premiership's new title sponsors.