Millicent Cooke
BBC News Online

Jeremy Vine has shared a rather unusual attempt at stopping the tide in Westward Ho!.

The BBC Radio 2 presenter tweeted his amusement after spotting the woman and her dog stood behind a makeshift trench.

BBC Weather

Showers will fade through Friday evening to allow for some late evening sunshine.

Through the night, cloud will steadily build from the southwest, with a chance of some patchy rain arriving around dawn.

Minimum Temperature: 7 to 12C (45 to 54F).

A cloudy start for Saturday with some patchy rain here and there.

As the day progresses, the rain will become more persistent, with a strengthening southwesterly wind.

Maximum Temperature: 16 to 20C (61 to 68F).

Gary Henry sent a repair bill of more than £10,000 to sisters of The Poor Clares convent.

John Danks
BBC Spotlight

A special tribute has been paid by RNAS Culdrose in Cornwall to one of the last pilots from World War Two who were known as "the few".

Squadron Leader Geoffrey Wellum, who lived on the Lizard Peninsula, was the youngest Spitfire pilot to take part in the Battle of Britain and died last month at the age of 96.

The Cornwall naval base prepared a Spitfire before it performed a flypast - in tribute - over his funeral in Mullion.

Video courtesy of RNAS Culdrose

Plymouth Live

Olympic diver Tom Daley is the latest star to reportedly sign up for this year's Strictly Come Dancing, external.

Tom, 24, from Plymouth, could be joining the likes of Pussycat Doll star Ashley Roberts, Steps star Faye Tozer, Blue's Lee Ryan and YouTube personality Zoella's brother Joe Sugg.

Johanna Carr
BBC News Online

Image source, Robert Hughes/Devon Sea Safari

The thresher shark pictured breaching off the Devon coast may have been hunting mackerel or other small schooling fish, an expert has said.

John Richardson, from the Shark Trust, described the images taken by Robert Hughes, from Devon Sea Safari in Orestone, Torbay, on Thursday, as "amazing" and being taken with "impeccable timing".

It is believed dolphins started behaving oddly shortly before the thresher shark came out of the water, may have been trying to chase it away.

Mr Richardson said the presence of a larger animal may have caused the dolphins to change their behaviour.

He said: "The thresher is completely non-threatening to dolphins.

"They are only geared up for eating the likes of mackerel and squid... but I guess the dolphins don't know that.

"Maybe the fact that there is a larger animal in the water might alter their behaviour."

Image source, Robert Hughes/Devon Sea Safari

Thresher sharks use their impressive tails, which make up half the length of their body, to stun lots of prey at once with sharp overhead tail slaps.

In June, a fisherman caught a 21 stone (133kg) thresher - thought to the biggest ever pulled from Welsh waters in Pembrokeshire.

Mr Richardson said threshers were found most abundantly 40 to 75 miles offshore.

He said: "They come closer to shore when mackerel and other small schooling fish are running."

He is aged just 16, almost seven feet tall and could be the next great name in basketball - and he is English.

Cornish Stuff

Deputy Kate Shields has taken over as Chief Executive of Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust, external following the resignation of Kathy Byrne.

Ben Woolvin
BBC South West Home Affairs correspondent

Councillors who sit on the Devon and Cornwall police and crime panel have said they have "very severe concern" regarding plans to merge with Dorset police force.

A meeting to discuss the merger was held in Plymouth today.

Plymouth City Council Leader, Tudor Evans attacked the plans and said "the merger is being decided behind closed doors".

The next panel meeting has been postponed until early October, to allow the chief constable and the commissioner to provide more details.

Details on extra officer numbers, how they will be paid for and how they'll be split between the two forces have been requested

The case needs to be with the Home Office by 12 October.

BBC Radio Devon

A new £53m leisure development in Plymouth city centre has come under fire from locals because of the way it looks.

Some people said the rear of the Bretonside building - which has recently been decorated in black and white thick stripes - looked "cheap and nasty".

The developers, British Land, said it was "delivering a flagship leisure scheme to Plymouth city centre and its wider region" and the building has been designed to accommodate this.

Have a listen to what these people think...

• Plans for the new complex were approved in 2015.

BBC Radio Devon

The Devon Street Food Festival is under way in Ilfracombe.

Until Sunday, food suppliers and market stalls will be at Victoria Pleasure Grounds with different foods for visitors to try.

It's the fourth year of the free event.

Twitter

Some bus services are delayed in and around Barnstaple, Exeter and Okehampton due to heavy traffic on the A30, Stagecoach SouthWest has said.

The A30 eastbound between Okehampton Services and Whiddon Down is blocked because of an accident involving two vehicles.

BBC Spotlight

There are calls in the south west for drink-drive laws to be extended to all boat users to try to improve sea safety.

The British Ports Association, which represents harbours around the country, wants the current alcohol rules that apply to commercial vessels to be extended to all watercraft users.

There was an attempt to bring in a law back in 2003 but it was not enacted at the time.

The Royal Yachting Association said it would not object to legislation so long as there was compelling evidence for it and it was clear, understandable and enforceable.

Teignmouth harbourmaster, commander David Vaughan, says people who drink while at sea are "a danger to themselves and other people"...

The beach was also "far too busy", according to a TripAdvisor review that was shared on Facebook.

Cornish Stuff

The Conservatives are today celebrating a ‘stunning’ Cornwall Council by-election victory in the Newquay Treviglas division, taking the seat from the Liberal Democrats on a large swing in votes., external

Johanna Carr
BBC News Online

Image source, Robert Hughes/Devon Sea Safari

A 11.5ft (3.5m) thresher shark jumped clean out of the water possibly because it was being harassed dolphins.

The image was taken by skipper Robert Hughes, from Devon Sea Safari, who described the moment as "incredible".

Mr Hughes was in Orestone, Torbay, with a tour who were watching dolphins when he saw the shark.

He said: "The dolphins were swimming right up to the boat and they all started acting quite strangely - breaching sideways and tails slapping the water.

"Their behaviour had changed and I think they were probably having a go at the shark which probably was why it breached at that time."

Mr Hughes said he had seen smaller thresher sharks a few times recently but trying to get one on camera was more difficult.

Threshers, which are harmless to humans, can be found in tropical to cold-temperate seas around the world.

BBC Radio Devon

A blue plaque dedicated to the first female MP to take her seat in the House of Commons will be unveiled in Plymouth.

The Lord Mayor of Plymouth will do the honours at Nancy Astor's former home at 15:00.

Lady Astor was the MP for Plymouth Sutton from 1919 to 1945.

• Plymouth MP's bid for statue in honour of Nancy Astor

BBC Radio Devon

A nine-year-old has won a fistful of medals at the British Transplant Games in Birmingham.

Nathaniel Gale, from Totnes, had a liver transplant as a baby after almost dying from chronic liver failure.

He is celebrating winning five medals at the recent games.

His mum Claire Gale is very proud and hopes the event will raise the profile of organ donation...

Lauren Haly
BBC News Online

A major police operation has taken place in Cornwall to protect festivalgoers at Boardmasters.

Operation Allied Wolf involved the police working with partner organisations including the National Crime Agency on Wednesday and Thursday.

Automated Number Plate Recognition technology "allowed officers to identify criminals who were making their way to the festival" in Newquay, police said.

Image source, Devon and Cornwall Police

Devon and Cornwall Police revealed a list of offences, external which included people being arrested for possession of cannabis, a wanted man being arrested for a number of offences and the seizure of 12 vehicles with no insurance.

Sgt Emma Stringer said: “We used this opportunity [the festival] to reinforce messages around road safety to drivers.

"Some of the officers involved are also family liaison officers, who have to deliver that knock on the door that will change a family’s life forever. We will do everything in our power to reduce the number of times this happens in our area."

Exeter City manager Matt Taylor says he has approached Chelsea to try to bring in some of their young players on loan.