Updates from Monday 23 April until Friday 27 April 2018
Maisie Duncan death: Police seek three witnesses after Looe road crash
Cornwall Council's £46k Cannes trip scrutinised
Ten Devon and Cornwall Police officers assaulted in single night
Parents campaigning to save 'inadequate' Plymouth free school due to close
Parade to call for more affordable housing on Rame Peninsula
Home-schooling stats reveal Cornwall in fourth place in UK
Jenna Hawkey
BBC News Online
Police are appealing for witnesses after an alleged assault on a child in Newquay, external.
It happened at about 11:15 on 16 April in a Tesco car park.
Police said the assault was minor and did not cause visible injury.
Image source, Google
Daniel Clark
Local Democracy Reporting Service
Draft plans outlining a major strategic blueprint for the area around Exeter will not be published until June 2019 - 18 months late.
Mid Devon, external, East Devon, external, Teignbridge, external and Exeter City Council, external, in partnership with Devon County Council, external, are teaming up to create a Greater Exeter Strategic Plan (GESP), which focuses on the creation of jobs and housing until 2040.
The timetable of delivery for the plan has also been delayed by 18 months as a result.
Quote MessageThe preparation of the GESP has been held up by a number of factors. These include a significant and ongoing review of national planning and housing policies, a very high response to the "call for sites" with over 700 sites made available, and the need to resolve complex transport issues associated with the plan."
Simon Thornley, Business Manager for Strategic Place, Teignbridge District Council
Twitter
A system fault at the Tamar Bridge that meant drivers were unable to pay tolls has been rectified.
All services have been restored, staff say.
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It's exactly a week to go before the World Pilot Gig Championships on the Isles of Scilly.
Nearly 160 gigs have been registered so far and most of them are already on the islands, waiting for the rowers to join them next week.
Quote MessageIt's a fantastic feeling. I remember the first time I went there - it's jaw-dropping really ... The noise of the coxes all shouting, the noise of the pins when they're going off ... It's just fantastic, you can't beat it."
Quote MessageThe atmosphere's electric. It's really tense. It's like pent-up energy and then, when that flag goes up, then BAM! You're off! You can't describe it really."
Competitors at the 2017 World Pilot Gig Championships
The A30 westbound has been closed due to an accident at Redruth. Motorists are being diverted of the A30 at the Avers interchange.
Hayley Westcott
BBC News Online
A driver is "uninjured but shaken up" after their car overturned on the A38, police say.
One lane is currently closed near Drumbridges while emergency services begin recovery work.
Devon and Cornwall Police added that the driver "lost control on standing water".
Drivers are being asked to approach the area with care.
Image source, Devon and Cornwall PoliceTwitter
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Daniel Clark
Local Democracy Reporting Service
Image source, GoogleIt might soon cost you more to use the Dartmouth Lower Ferry.
Its tugs are in need of regular maintenance and refurbishment work, which is estimated to cost about £100,000.
The charges to use the ferry, which are currently £5 for a car and £1.50 for foot passengers, will be reviewed as a result.
Quote MessageThe programme of work required to refurbish the fleet for the medium term is over and above the current annual repairs and maintenance allocation."
Councillor Rufus Gilbert, South Hams Council
One of St Austell's main roads will soon be under a 10mph speed restriction. , external
Work will soon be underway near Holmbush Road for a new Devonshire Homes development.
Twitter
Tamar Bridge staff are working to resolve a power outage that has left drivers unable to use its toll booths.
There were still long delays on the Devon side of the bridge, staff said.
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Three teenagers from Devon are preparing to take on the world's best kitesurfers at the Youth Olympics qualifying event in China next month.
Jasmine Wallis, from Bideford, and Exmouth's Stan Hart and Ben Daffin were selected for the British team following trials in Weymouth.
If successful in China, the three will go on to compete at the Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires in October.
Jenna Hawkey
BBC News Online
Image source, Family PhotographPolice are seeking three people who may have witnessed a fatal road crash in Looe in which a seven-year-old girl died.
Maisie Duncan sustained fatal injuries when she was struck by a car on Bodrigan Road at about 14:30 on Thursday 1 March.
The grey Nissan Juke had travelled down Pendennis Road before it collided with her on the pavement.
Image source, GoogleThe crash happened in Bodrigan Road in Looe.
Officers said they were particularly keen to speak to three people, external who were out in the snow on Pendennis Road at the time.
One person was on a sledge made out of a cardboard box, the second was in dark clothing and the third was a woman wearing a bright orange coat with either a hood or a light-coloured bobble hat.
Police said it was possible that these three may have witnessed the incident and they have been urged to get in contact.
#FAPeoplesCup
It's a big weekend of football at grass-roots level.
The finals of the FA People's Cup take place at England's training ground at St George's Park.
There are 18 different categories involved including - new for 2018 - futsal, which these guys are involved with..
The ex-academy players who 'want to prove' they can still play
See how Sala Soccer FC and all the other teams get on in the FA People's Cup finals with live streaming, and text commentary on Saturday 28 & Sunday 29, April on the BBC Sport website & app.
Jenny Kumah
BBC South West politics reporter
A pupil at a Devon school says a decision to close it is a "hindrance" to his education ahead of GCSE examinations.
It was announced earlier this week that Plymouth Studio School will close due to "significant challenges regarding its viability".
The school has 155 pupils and Rhys Roffey is one of them...
Local Democracy Reporting Service
The South West's ambulance service is failing to reach the most seriously injured and ill patients within the target time, figures reveal.
During March, paramedics took an average of nearly 10 minutes to get to the most seriously ill category of patients.
The national target is seven minutes.
South Western Ambulance Service Trust has, however, improved on its figures from November and December 2017, when paramedics took more than 10 minutes to get to the most serious cases.
Quote MessageOver the past eight weeks, we have demonstrated a consistent improvement in our response times to our most critical patients, and we have robust plans in place to continue this improvement across all categories of patients."
South Western Ambulance Service Trust
The service covers the Avon area - including Bristol and Bath - Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire.
Image source, GoogleWork being carried out in Plymouth to help firm up the design for the Eastern Corridor Junction Improvement scheme are expected to come to an end today.
Engineers have been surveying the exact location of electricity cables and gas and water pipes between Marsh Mills and the Glen Road junction at the end of Plymouth Road (pictured).
It's hoped the improvement scheme, which has been out for public consultation, will reduce traffic delays along Plymouth Road in Plympton.
Dan Downs
Weather Forecaster
If you're planning a trip to the coast or seaside, here are the high water times around Devon and Cornwall.
We'll have the latest forecast on BBC Spotlight at 13:30.
Jenna Hawkey
BBC News Online
Royal Marines from Devon came to the rescue of stranded ferry passengers stuck for three hours in sweltering heat in Sierra Leone.
A team of four marines from 42 Commando, normally based at Bickleigh outside Plymouth, came across the stricken vessel while they were training with the local military off the capital, Freetown.
The marines tried to fix the fault but couldn't get the engines working again. Some of the passengers were evacuated before more fuel could be delivered to get the ferry moving again.
Chris Jones
BBC 5 Live rugby union reporter
Rugby Football Union chief executive Steve Brown feels the current financial situation at many Premiership clubs is a concern.
Only one top-flight English club made money last year - Exeter Chiefs, who beat Wasps to win their first Premiership title - amid widespread unease over escalating costs.
"It's always a worry," Brown told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"It's never good to see clubs in financial difficulty."
Cornish Stuff
Cornwall Council is being asked to consider a major plan to intervene in the developments at Langarth, external, on the western approach to Truro.
