Hayley Westcott
BBC News Online

A South West MEP has said the man who fought off two burglars at his home in Hither Green in London should be awarded a medal for his "act of bravery".

UKIP's William Dartmouth said Richard Osborn-Brooks, 78, "did not mean to inflict a fatal wound" on one of the intruders.

"What could be braver than a 78-year-old man defending his wife and his home from two burglars who we now know were career criminals?

"I am sure that the public who were outraged at the attack would welcome Mr Osborn-Brooks' bravery being recognised."

It was reported this week that floral tributes and balloons for the burglar who died - 37-year-old Henry Vincent - have been repeatedly attached and then removed from a fence opposite the home where he was killed. Mr Vincent's family said the fence was "the best place" for a tribute.

Mr Osborn-Brooks was initially held on suspicion of murder, but released with no further action.

Hayley Westcott
BBC News Online

A rare and unusual lizard has been bred at Paignton Zoo for the first time.

The Solomon Islands skink is one of the few reptiles known to live in a social group.

It also gives birth rather than lays eggs - another unusual trait.

Keeper Dr Katy Upton said it is a "great achievement".

Image source, Paignton Zoo

The Solomon Islands skink is also known by a number of other names including:

• The prehensile-tailed skink
• The monkey-tailed skink
• The giant skink
• The zebra skink

Jonathan Morris
BBC News Online

An iconic island and hotel with connections to crime writer Agatha Christie has been sold to an entrepreneur and his partners who want to make it a "part of the community".

Burgh Island Hotel and the 26 acre island, which is connected to Bigbury on Sea via a sand causeway at low tide, was where Christie wrote two of her novels.

It has been owned by Tony and Deborah Orchard who paid £3m for it in 2001.They are moving on to concentrate on their boutique hotel Southernhay House in Exeter.

• At the height of its popularity in the 1930s, guests included Agatha Christie, Noel Coward and Edward, Prince of Wales and Wallis Simpson.
• Other guests include Noel Coward, Winston Churchill, aviator Amy Johnson and The Beatles.

Now it has been bought for an undisclosed sum by a consortium led by Giles Fuchs of Office Space in Town, external which provides office spaces around the country.

Image source, PA

He added the consortium of friends and family had "grand plans" to bring the hotel "back to its former glory".

Twitter

The traffic lights have failed at the Countess Wear roundabout in Exeter.

Devon County Council said it was sending engineers to fix the problem.

Andrea Ormsby
BBC Spotlight

Image source, Rupert Kirby

An 11-year-old boy who fell 200 ft (60m) down cliffs at the Valley of Rocks in Lynton is said to be in a "stable" condition - one week on from the accident.

The rescue operation on 5 April involved a helicopter, lifeboats and the fire and ambulance services.

The boy, who's thought to be on holiday from Los Angeles with his parents, was winched to the top of the cliff before being taken to hospital in Bristol.

James Instance, duty controller for HM Coastguard, called it an "awful accident".

Image source, Rupert Kirby

Devon Live

A group of Devon villagers concerned developers will "ruin" a prime seaside beauty spot have come up with their own plans, external in the hope of stopping the "intrusive" development.

The "seldom seen" boar fish normally live in deep waters in the Atlantic.

Hayley Westcott
BBC News Online

Image source, University of Exeter

Bees could be at risk from climate change because more frequent droughts could cause plants to produce fewer flowers, University of Exeter research shows.

Droughts are expected to become more common in many parts of the world and researchers studied the impact on flowering plants using a field experiment.

They found that drought roughly halved the overall number of flowers - which would mean less food for bees and other pollinators that visit flowers for nectar and pollen.

Image source, University of Exeter

Joint lead researcher Dr Ros Shaw said: "Not only are these insects vital as pollinators of crops and wild plants, but they also provide food for many birds and mammals."

Bees are already under pressure from a variety of threats including habitat loss,the use of particular pesticides, and the spread of diseases and alien species.

Cornish Stuff

After pressure from Councillors, Cornwall Council has published a detailed breakdown of the costs of sending six representatives on a trip to Cannes., external

BBC Radio Devon

At Colyford, the A3052 Swan Hill Road is blocked in both directions due to fallen power cables between Coly Road and the B3172.

Prop forward Tyler Gendall will return to the Cornish Pirates in the summer after a season at rivals Bristol.

BBC Radio Devon

A sailor whose boat got stranded amid a solid swell at Bigbury was rescued by RNLI lifeguards.

Image source, Jonathan Warren

Image source, Emily Lawrence

He had been making his way to the River Avon when he got into difficulty and duty lifeguards Alex Tucker, Loic Doision and Ivan Burton stepped into action.

They tried to free the vessel but had to give up as the tide was dropping.

Instead they took him ashore where he spent the night before freeing his boat with the help of a motorboat user on the rising tide the next day.

RNLI lifeguard supervisor Chris Rampling said: "The lifeguards spotted and reacted quickly to the man in difficulty. They regularly train in these conditions and so they were able to reach him and his vessel as soon as possible."

Image source, Luke Lane

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Almost 700 potholes a day are being reported to Devon County Council after recent cold and stormy weather - that's more than twice the normal amount according to a council officer.

The figure was mentioned at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday where councillors were discussing the state of Devon's roads.

Recent storms - including the Beast from the East - have reportedly contributed to them deteriorating.

Meg Booth, Chief Officer for Highways, Infrastructure Development and Waste, said reports of potholes have "increased significantly around the first big snowfall event".

"We are now at a level of around 650-700 potholes a day being reported. I think that came as a shock to some people when normally we get around 250-300 a day."

At the same meeting, the Capital Highway Maintenance Programme for 2018/19, external was unanimously approved by the cabinet.

This means a budget of £50,330,168 is available including money for maintenance of roads and highways.

Brent Pilnick
BBC Sport

Devon bowlers Sam Tolchard and Jamie Chestney have missed out on the chance to win Commonwealth Games gold.

Exeter-based Chestney and Torquay's Tolchard were part of the England fours side that lost their Gold Coast 2018 semi-final 19-10 to Scotland.

Image source, Getty Images

The team were in good form going into the last four, having thrashed New Zealand 20-2 in the quarter-finals earlier on Thursday.

It means they will play off with Wales for a bronze medal on Friday at 03:30 BST.

Hayley Westcott
BBC News Online

A man has injuries to his back and arm after being hit by a car in Paignton, police have said.

Officers were called to Esplanade Road at about 21:15 on Wednesday.

On arrival, it was alleged the male pedestrian had been hit by the vehicle due to him trying to stop it after an "altercation" with those inside.

The vehicle left the scene and police are still searching for it, officers said.

Investigations are under way and inquiries are ongoing. Anyone with information is being asked to contact police via 101.

Image source, Andrew Thrussell

Plymouth Herald

Heartless tricksters have been tormenting a family left devastated after their cat went missing almost two weeks ago., external

Tamsin Melville
Political Reporter, BBC Radio Cornwall

A recovering alcoholic from Illogan in Cornwall - who was told he was months from death - has turned his life around to become a national judo champion.

At his worst Stuart Pascoe was drinking 1.5 litres (2.6 pints) of vodka a day and not leaving his room.

With support from the charity Addaction, external, the 46-year-old has recently beaten people half his age to take an under-81kg British Judo Council national title.

Christine Butler
BBC Radio Cornwall

A Cornish ukulele playing father and son act have started touring residential homes to try and help people with dementia.

Along with his son Harry, Tim Blake started playing in Liskeard and now visits 33 homes across Cornwall and Plymouth.

The coordinators of the homes are giving them repeat bookings and Tim says he can really see the residents transform while they're playing...

• The choir helping people with dementia
• Dementia: 'Singing for the brain' helping

BBC Radio Devon

In Tiverton, the A361 is partially blocked at the Bolham Roundabout due to a broken-down vehicle.

Janine Jansen
BBC Spotlight

A South West company has made the decision to only accept payment by card in their shops.

Whistlefish says because of local banks closing, large amounts of cash had to be kept on the premises and it wasn't safe for staff or the couriers who had to collect and deliver it.

But what do these customers at the company's St Ives shop think about it?