Durham University PhD student Matthew Hedges is accused of spying while on a research trip.

A weight restriction is placed on Shaldon Bridge after engineers uncover "deteriorating wood".

Italy centre Michele Campagnaro will leave Exeter Chiefs on 31 October after three years at the club.

Chris Ellis
BBC News Online

The arrests relate to a fire in a disused building in Newton Abbot, which is being treated as arson by police.

The blaze started in a building in Forde Close on Sunday between 11:00 and 13:00 and officers are appealing for information.

Det Sgt Andy Penhaligon said: "This was a large fire that took hold of a sizable proportion of the building and the fire continued for over 24 hours.

"Three 15-year-old boys and two 14-year-old boys were arrested on suspicion of arson with intent.

They have since been released under investigation pending further enquiries."

Nearby roads were closed at the time and continued into the following day with a rest centre opened for affected residents.

Hayley Westcott
BBC News Online

Image source, DEVON AND CORNWALL POLICE

Five "irreplacable" medals have been stolen from a property in Sidmouth, police have said.

It happened in the Fortescue area of the town some time between Tuesday, 9 October, and Thursday, 11 October.

The medals, pictured, include a Distinguished Conduct Medal and a MBE.

Officers added the medals are of "huge sentimental value" to the family and were awarded to the grandfather of the victim.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Devon and Cornwall Police via 101.

Hayley Westcott
BBC News Online

A major public appeal to find the killer of Cornish mum Lyn Bryant who was murdered in 1998 has generated 27 new leads involving 13 people.

On 15 October, Devon and Cornwall Police launched a fresh public appeal for information to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the 40-year-old's death.

Lyn Bryant was killed on Tuesday 20 October 1998 as she walked the family dog near her home in Ruan High Lanes on The Roseland.

Her body was found in a gateway of a field on an unclassified road near Ruan High Lanes Methodist Chapel.

She had been stabbed a number of times in a prolonged attack.

During the appeal, more than 160 calls and messages have been received by the investigation team via the incident room number and online police portal.

This compares to about 60 responses from the 10th anniversary appeal.

The information has provided police with 27 new viable lines of inquiry which are being progressed by detectives from the Major Crime Investigation Team.

Chris Quevatre
BBC News Online

A crash that killed an elderly man was caused by a road traffic collision, a coroner has said.

Image source, Family Handout

John Pope, 82, died on 10 January 2018, five months after the crash on the A361 North Devon Link road, on 7 August last year.

The incident occurred just days after two more fatal crashes on the same road.

Coroner Lydia Brown said the link road has a "certain reputation", but the crashes had "different explanations".

Image source, Google

Sgt Andrew Lear from Devon and Cornwall Police said he watched dash cam footage from the other vehicle involved in the accident at the North Molton junction.

He said Mr Pope's vehicle pulled out onto the road from the give way junction "without slowing or stopping", causing the collision.

John Danks
BBC Spotlight

Plymouth-based triple amputee Mark Ormrod has won gold in the 50m breaststroke at the Invictus Games in Sydney - despite never having done that stroke before.

He only agreed to take part in the race at the last minute to stop it from being cancelled due to just one other person competing.

Ormrod said he had "about three lengths" in the practice pool before jumping into the Olympic pool to "rough it out".

Earlier, he won silver in the 50m freestyle event.

Richard Whitehouse
Local Democracy Reporting Service

A senior councillor has warned that reducing the number of Cornwall councillors may not result in any financial savings as allowances could rise.

There are currently 123 elected members on Cornwall Council but this is set to fall to 87 after the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) decided there needed to be a cut.

Those changes are set to be implemented in 2021 when the next elections for the authority are set to take place.

With the council currently drawing up its budget and reviewing its medium term financial plan (MTFP), it has allocated in its draft plan that there could be savings from the cut.

However, Malcolm Brown - leader of the Liberal Democrat group at County Hall - said those savings "may not materialise".

"Maybe we will feel that allowances should be increased substantially to attract a suitable range of councillors," he added.

All councillors currently receive an annual allowance of £14,188.74 and there are also additional special responsibility allowances which range from £787.48 for the vice chairs of some committees to £26,249.19 which is paid to the leader of the council.

The LGBCE is set to make its final recommendations on the new boundaries for the new size council in December.

Hayley Westcott
BBC News Online

"If she was 70, she'd have been getting what she needed. If she was a year younger, she'd be in Bristol with a specialist team."

That's how one Cornish father feels about the "gap" in the NHS for adolescent care after his daughter became ill with a rare brain condition.

"Fun-loving" Bridget Wells, 16, was recently diagnosed with what's sometimes known as "brain on fire".

Her father, Johnnie, from Lelant, explains the care she's receiving is second to none, but he can't help but feel she ended up in a "grey area" in getting her neurological disease treated because she's neither a child nor adult...

BBC Spotlight

Plans to dual a stretch of the A30 in Cornwall are to be submitted to the Planning Inspecorate.

Cornwall Council says the section between Chiverton Cross and Carland Cross roundabouts is a notorious bottleneck and accident blackspot, especially in the summer.

Highways England says previous comments from its consultation have been overwhelmingly in favour of the plans for a dual carriageway.

Millicent Cooke
BBC News Online

The charred remains of a guinea pig have been found dumped in Plymouth.

The animal was discovered on Monday night at about 23:00 in Alexandra Park in Keyham.

The woman who found them, who does not wish to be named, said that she had been walking her dog when it returned with something between its teeth.

The RSPCA has condemned the act as "shocking and upsetting".

The 25-year-old said she was “horrified” and “disgusted” when she realised what it was.

"I cannot believe anyone would do this to an animal," she said.

"I'm just hoping that it was already dead before it was burnt because that would be awful otherwise."

An RSPCA spokeswoman said: "This is a shocking and upsetting incident and we desperately need to hear from anyone who may have information.

"It is hard to imagine why anyone would want to deliberately set fire to an animal and we encourage anyone who knows more about this incident to contact the RSPCA."

Hayley Westcott
BBC News Online

Attendance at services in England's cathedrals continues to break records - with Exeter's midweek services leading the way.

A total of 135,000 people visited Church of England cathedrals to worship on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in 2017 - an increase of 3% on the previous year and the highest total since records began.

That's according to figures from the Church of England’s research and statistics department., external

In Exeter, the midweek attendance saw an increase of 653% over five years - with about 500 people now regularly attending midweek services.

The Dean of Exeter, the Very Revd Jonathan Greener, said the rise was due to the cathedral offering "a place of sanctuary and stillness which was open to everyone, every day".

"The statistics reflect what we see on the ground in Exeter Cathedral, day in, day out. One of the strengths of all cathedrals is that we are open each day, all year round.

"In Exeter, we are committed to encouraging everyone in Devon to come in and feel part of what is their cathedral," he said.

Ed Oldfield
Local Democracy Reporting Service

A Devon hotel is having its licence reviewed after complaints from villagers about noise from outdoor music and film shows.

Neighbours of historic Churston Manor, at Churston Ferrers, near Brixham, have complained to Torbay Council about disturbance from a series of events over the summer.

Helen Glazebrook, who lives in the village, has applied to the council for the hotel's premises licence to be reviewed on the grounds it is causing a "public nuisance".

Villagers say noise from the hotel has been heard by residents in Brixham and Churston.

Image source, Google

Other residents have written to complain, but there is also one letter in support of the hotel from a couple who are regular guests and another from a villager praising events at the hotel.

Jonathan Smith, director of the company which runs the hotel, told neighbours in a letter the hotel had been staging live events to help raise income to secure the historic building and 35 jobs.

He apologised for any inconvenience caused to villagers during the summer and said they would be invited to a meeting to hear about measures proposed by audio consultants to avoid any future noise nuisance.

The authority's licensing sub-committee is due to consider the case at a hearing on Thursday.

There was no evidence that could explain the death of Anthony Caddy, 73, an inquest hears.

The project shows the location over 1,100 ships lying on the seabed off the south coast.

Hayley Westcott
BBC News Online

Victims of rogue traders have been urged to seek support after it was revealed conmen cost Cornwall residents £500,000 in 2017 through doorstep scams.

Even more money was lost through scam emails, letters and telephone calls - although it is hard to put an exact figure on the cost because "people often feel too embarrassed or ashamed to report it", Cornwall Council said.

Elderly and vulnerable people are particular targets for rogue traders who often prey on people living alone, offering services such as roofing, paving or gardening that is not needed or is extortionately priced.

The council is now working with the police, volunteers and local councillors to provide support to victims.

BBC Radio Devon

• In Plympton, on Mudge Way, there's slow traffic due to an accident around Dark Street Lane.
• In Caton, near Ashburton on the A38 northbound, the exit slip road is partially blocked due to an accident on Goodstone Junction.

BBC Radio Devon

A Devon arts centre is facing an uncertain future because its building may be demolished.

The Teignmouth Arts Action Group - known as TAAG - is based in an old garage in the town, owned by the local council.

Teignbridge District Council wants to develop the area and says the building may have to be knocked down - although it says it appreciates the role TAAG plays in the community.

One of the directors of TAAG is Steve Brown...

The council added that it's supported TAAG over many years so the centre can develop and grow and "remains committed to helping it".

"Equally, it remains important that we continue to work on our long-standing aspiration to regenerate this key part of the town centre, currently under-used and partly derelict," it said.

Carys Edwards
Correspondent, BBC Spotlight

Small businesses in the South West are calling on the government to abolish business rates in next week's budget.

They're arguing it's a dated tax that is crippling high streets, external in Devon, Cornwall and elsewhere.

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) says shops already face tough competition from online retailers, high parking fees and bank closures and the rates are unjustified in the current environment.

Sue Wilkinson is from the FSB...

• High street crisis: Charting how we spend our money