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

Young engineers are inspired by their "crazy inventions" like a sneeze-activated flame-thrower helmet.

A bus shelter, a cattle trough and a Rolls-Royce test hangar are among places gaining listed status.

Premiership Rugby agrees to sell a minority shareholding to CVC Capital Partners for a sum understood to be more than £200m

Alex Osborne
BBC Weather

Cloudy at first on Wednesday evening with frequent showers.

As the night progresses, the showers are likely to become fewer in number, with some lengthy clear spells developing. Fresh to strong southwest winds.

Minimum temperature: 3 to 6C (37 to 43F).

A bright and breezy Thursday is anticipated with lengthy sunny spells and just the odd shower.

Later in the afternoon, cloud will start to thicken from the southwest, with rain expected later.

Maximum temperature: 8 to 11C (46 to 52F).

BBC Radio Cornwall

Money from Cornwall Council to buy a Grade II listed former Indian restaurant in Penzance and renovate it to stop it falling apart could be better spent elsewhere, a senior councillor says.

The council’s cabinet has agreed to press ahead with buying 18 Chapel Street in Penzance, better known as The Ganges.

It is envisaged that once complete, the building could be used for residential or employment use.

But Rob Rotchell, portfolio holder for adult social care, said the authority should not be buying the building.

Image source, Google

No details have been revealed about how much buying the building would cost or how much it would need for repairs.

Exeter City Council says it is "working hard" to retrieve the bench safely and fill the hole.

Twitter

BBC Radio Cornwall

At least one family paid money to fraudsters attempting to charge visitors for entering the village of Mousehole to see the village's famous Christmas lights.

There has been a warning that fraudsters in high-visibility jackets have been operating in and around Mousehole, attempting to charge visitors.

The Harbour Lights Committee has posted warnings on social media, external, saying there is no charge.

Organisers added that people could voluntarily give money if they wanted - but only to their official collectors in the village with clearly labelled buckets.

Peter Taylor is the chairman of the lights committee...

Daniel Clark
Local Democracy Reporting Service

Image source, LDRS

Temporary attractions, including a dinosaur-themed play park, are set to stay on Exmouth seafront for three years.

East Devon District Council had submitted plans to continue the temporary uses on the site until March 2020, as planning permission for the use of the land expires in March 2019.

Council development plans for the site were withdrawn on Monday, sparking fears over the future of the seafront.

But Cllr Philip Skinner, of the Exmouth Regeneration Board, confirmed to the Local Democracy Reporting Service that the council had resubmitted the temporary plans to cover the period until March 2022.

He said: "With some more flexibility over time allowed for temporary uses, we can balance the phasing in of permanent developments, with the continuation of the popular interim uses that worked well in 2018, such as the free play space and food and drink offer.

"That way the seafront stays active and attractive while fresh developments."

A planning statement said the application to allow the temporary uses to continue until the redevelopment takes place would avoid the site being unused and derelict in the period before it is development and provide a good mix of high quality attractions for both visitors and residents.

Ed Oldfield
Local Democracy Reporting Service

Plans have been drawn up to provide emergency winter shelter for the homeless in Torbay to stop people dying.

If Torbay Council declares a severe weather emergency, the Leonard Stocks centre in Torquay will open up a communal area for up to 16 people.

Users will also have access to showers and laundry, and be given food and drinks. Rough-sleepers will be able to access the shelter through an outreach team.

The centre in Factory Row is the base for a Safe Sleep project provided by the charity Shekinah, offering eight extra beds through the winter. Churches are also being opened up to provide shelter for the homeless after the new year.

The Torbay Winter Night Shelter service will offer accommodation at seven churches in Paignton and Torquay from 3 January until mid-March.

A severe weather emergency used to be defined as when the weather forecast was 0C (32F) or below for three days or more. But now a more common sense approach is taken to include weather that could cause serious harm, according to guidance from the charity Homeless Link, external.

Andrew Segal
BBC South West

A flight from Devon to Lapland cancelled at the last minute, leaving 189 passengers angry, was called off after the plane developed a technical problem, a tour operator says.

The flight, arranged by Newmarket Holidays, was due to leave Exeter at 08:00 on Wednesday and return from the Arctic Circle in the evening. However, it did not take off and was cancelled at about 09:30.

Newmarket Travel spokesman David Sharman said the aircraft, operated by a unnamed third party company, flew into Exeter last night.

He said the problems, found during safety checks on Wednesday morning by the aircraft crew, "could not be fixed and, as safety of passengers is paramount, the plane could not fly.

Image source, Newmarket Holidays

Passengers would get a full refund, he added.

Prices started at £549 per adult and £499 per child.

Del Crookes
BBC News Online

Image source, Exeter City Council

A memorial bench has ended up in a sinkhole in Exeter.

The authority said it was working on stabilising the riverbank near St James Weir and filling the hole.

The site is cordoned off and people are being warned to avoid the area.

Officials are "working hard to retrieve" the bench.

BBC Radio Cornwall

Camborne's annual primary school lantern parade, due to take place on Wednesday night, has been cancelled.

Amanda Mugford, from the town council, told the BBC it had been called off because of bad weather.

It is the first time in eight years it has been cancelled. About 1,000 school children were due to take part.

Hamish Marshall
BBC Spotlight

Image source, Newmarket Holidays

A flight from Exeter to Lapland has been cancelled at the last minute, leaving dozens of children and parents angry and disappointed.

The flight, arranged by Newmarket Holidays, was due to leave early on Wednesday morning and return from the Arctic Circle in the evening. However, it did not take off.

Exeter Airport said there was a "technical issue" with the plane. It added that it had offered refunds on parking, although its only role was to provide a place to take off and land.

One woman has told the BBC her grandson was "inconsolable, as are a lot of children".

The trip was advertised as a "once-in-a-lifetime experience in a natural winter wonderland".

It was due to include a private family meeting with Father Christmas, and snowmobile and traditional reindeer sleigh rides.

Prices started at £549 per adult and £499 per child.

Newmarket Travel has been approached for a comment.

Adrian Campbell, Environment Correspondent
BBC Spotlight

Wildlife and conservation organisations in Devon and Cornwall are joining forces to campaign for better protection for the countryside.

As the environment secretary launches a consultation on post-Brexit reforms, environmentalists are pushing for a tougher regime.

They are campaigning for the introduction of more conservation zones and an independent body to oversee environmental protection.

Harry Barton, chief executive of the Devon Wildlife Trust, says wildlife and green spaces in the region's major towns and cities need protecting too...

The CQC admits a whistleblower's expectations had not been met in a "challenging" case.

Johnny O'Shea
BBC News Online

The organisers of one of Cornwall's best known Christmas events has warned that fraudsters are targeting people who are trying to attend.

The Mousehole Christmas lights have been going since 1963 and attract visitors from far and wide to see the stunning harbour lit up with an array of light displays.

In a post on Facebook, they have said: "WARNING! It has been reported that fraudsters have been operating in and around Mousehole, attempting to charge visitors for entering the village to see the lights."

Peter Taylor, the Chairman of Mousehole Harbour Lights said they have also told police about another theft this year, saying "an armoured steel collection box was crow-barred off a post two nights ago".

There is no charge for visiting the lights. Official collectors with clearly labelled buckets walk around to accept voluntary donations.

BBC Radio Devon

Police in Devon and Cornwall are warning drivers they face "harsh treatment" if they speed or drive dangerously.

Officers said there had been "numerous incidents in which people had been seriously injured or killed as a result of such driving behaviour".

They cited the example of a 22-year-old driver of a "highly modified vehicle" who crashed in the Newton Abbot area, seriously injuring his passenger.

He was convicted at Exeter Crown Court of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and sentenced to 15 months in jail, suspended for two years, given 200 hours community service and disqualified from driving for two and a half years.

Cornwall Live

Following months of controversy surrounding Torpoint Ferry services, both Cornwall Council and the ferry’s manager have apologised to users., external