Lauren Haly
BBC News Online

Charges against a Devon charity volunteer who was accused of speeding at 105mph (169km/h) have been dismissed.

Ian Hopkins, 49, volunteered for Devon Freewheelers, which transports blood, organs and emergency items for operations.

A district judge at Exeter Magistrates Court described "the weak and tenuous character of the evidence" given by police officers to suggest he was speeding.

Mr Hopkins was taking an item urgently needed for surgery at a hospital in Plymouth at the time when police stopped him on the A38.

A charge against him fitting a siren to his bike is ongoing.

BBC Radio Cornwall

Image source, EPA

A tourism boss says he is "annoyed" with the Met Office and Public Health England after they urged people to "stay out of the sun" for most of this week, after a heat health watch alert was issued.

Malcolm Bell, head of Visit Cornwall, has advised people to go out, enjoy the sun as it could be one of the best summers of their lifetime.

An amber warning has been issued for parts of the UK as temperatures are expected to reach 33C (91F).

Mr Bell said: "I'm not against health warnings but actually this is saying stay indoors, on one of the best summers we've had for 20 years."

He explained how he felt it was "damaging a sector" and "making people feel worried about enjoying the summer" despite people going abroad every year.

He encouraged people to visit Cornwall as the coast offers a cooling "sea breeze". "The message should be to go out into the sun but put the protection on, wear a hat, and go to the coast and enjoy it."

He suggested people will only experience a summer like this, three times in their life."

Exeter City Council has tweeted its contempt for thieves who stole a sign in memory of those who died during World War One.

Millicent Cooke
BBC News Online

A man is fighting for his life after two tractors crashed near Honiton in Devon.

Police say one man is being treated for "serious, life-threatening injuries".

Emergency services were called at 09:40 to Awliscombe near Honiton.

Road users are being asked to avoid the area.

Resorts across England are experiencing unusually warm temperatures beneath the waves.

Lauren Haly
BBC News Online

A Devon charity volunteer accused of speeding at 105mph (169km/h) has gone on trial in Exeter.

Ian Hopkins, 49, volunteered for Devon Freewheelers, which transports blood, organs and emergency items for operations.

While on shift, last year, police caught him speeding on the A38 while taking an item urgently needed for surgery at a hospital in Plymouth.

He is also being charged for fitting a siren to his bike.

Mr Hopkins has denied the charges at Exeter Magistrates Court.

BBC Radio Devon

A group of people who voted remain in the EU referendum are planning to declare Totnes an independent city state because they say they do not want the town to leave Europe.

On Tuesday barrister Jonathan Cooper and his friends will be posting a declaration of independence to the old guildhall, handing out passports to those who take an oath of allegiance to the new city state and presenting its coat of arms.

They say the declaration is not necessarily a hard-edged political move but rather a fun way of showing their frustration with the Brexit negotiations and as a way of poking fun at the situation.

Janine Jansen
BBC Spotlight

The weather is causing livestock farmers across the South West to struggle because grass is not growing.

Many have already been feeding their cattle and sheep with fodder that was earmarked for the winter.

The warm weather also means many farmers will not get a third or fourth cut of hay.

Many dairy farmers say their milk yield has dropped because their cows have less grass to eat.

BBC Spotlight

A Devon zoo has welcomed a Komodo dragon to its collection.

There are only a handful of the Indonesian reptiles at zoos across the country.

Paignton Zoo has refurbished it's Crocodile House to be able to give her a home.

The six-year-old female is yet to be named, but the zoo is urging visitors to help them decide.

Khaleesi, Hermosa, Toothless and Ora are all in the running in a poll on the zoo's Facebook page.

Head of Reptiles Luke Harding said the zoo was really lucky to get the rare reptile...

BBC Radio Cornwall

Truro City supporters will have to make a 200-mile round trip to watch home games next season.

The club will share Plainmoor with National League South rivals Torquay United, just months after saying they would stay at their Treyew Road home.

Truro sold their ground to developers in July 2014, but have had three extensions to their tenure. The firm that owns their ground wants to start work to turn it into a Lidl supermarket at the end of this month, leaving the club homeless.

They've got 10 days to get out, and these fans aren’t happy…

BBC Sport

Cornish golfer Rhys Enoch celebrated making the cut at a major championship for the first time.

The 30-year from Truro, who represents Wales, finished the Open at Carnoustie tied in 67th place.

It meant a bumper pay day for the qualifier ranked 435th in the world and proved that he can compete with the world's top players.

The golfer described his feelings after the tournament...

Truro chairman Peter Masters says the Stadium for Cornwall project will not happen unless the club leave Treyew Road.

Del Crookes
BBC News Online

Image source, Exeter Pound

A local currency for Exeter, which was launched in 2015 in a bid to boost local trade, will be "suspended" at the end of the summer.

The directors behind the notes said it had become a victim of "funding cuts" and said the decision was a "difficult" one.

The Exeter Pound was accepted by a number of local shops and was designed to work alongside sterling, not replace it.

Other local currencies are used in Brixton, Totnes and Bristol.

Bringing you the news, sport, travel and weather for Devon and Cornwall

BBC Radio Cornwall

Image source, University of Exeter

The skeleton of a large seal that washed up on a Cornish beach in 2015 will go on display to the public at the University of Exeter's Penryn Campus.

The 7.8ft (2.4m) grey seal - known to researchers as Septimus - was first sighted swimming near Par in 2014 by the Cornwall Seal Group Research Trust.

A year later Septimus was found dead on a beach near St Austell.

Experts decided to preserve his bones for display to help people learn more about the species.

It's unclear exactly how he died or how he was injured.

Experts said Septimus was the third-longest dead seal ever recorded in Cornwall, and his body was left on the beach for 100 days to allow a photographic record of decomposition.

BBC Radio Cornwall

People in Truro city centre will have the chance to shop until late every Wednesday during August.

Truro's Business Improvement District is behind the event called Summer Nights, external, which will provide late night shopping and street entertainment until 20:00.

There will also be free parking on offer in Cornwall Council car parks.

Image source, Getty Images

Cornwall Live

A teenager from Truro has signed a scholarship deal, external to play in Spain's basketball league, with the Spanish Giants, Cornwall Live reports.

BBC Radio Cornwall

Work to reinstate a major section of the South West Coast Path in west Cornwall which was washed into the sea during storms is "progressing well".

The section between Porthleven and Loe Bar is having to be diverted inland on to farmland , externalafter being damaged in January.

Greg Cross, the National Trust ranger for the area, says it has been an expensive project with local people raising some of the money.

Plymouth Live

About 2,000 student flats could be empty across the city, external this year due to student numbers falling and too many being built, Plymouth Live reports.