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

Protesters claim a hunt group is using a loophole in the law to carry on hunting deer in Somerset.

Mark Clements reached his mother's Exmouth home before paramedics arrived to treat her broken hip.

Miles Davis
BBC News Online

There is no water supply in Chudleigh, south Devon, due to a burst main.

South West Water said urgent repairs were being carried out.

The water company said the disruption was expected to last two to three hours with the water supply restored by about 19:30.

Miles Davis
BBC News Online

A woman and her dog have been rescued from a cliff in Devon.

The fire service said the woman and her dog had become stuck at St Marychurch near Torquay at about 14:00.

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service worked with the Coastguard to use an extended ladder to rescue the woman and her dog.

BBC Radio Devon

A lecturer from South Devon has been given a community order for her role in a deportation protest at Stansted airport two years ago.

Ruth Potts, who works at Schumacher College in Dartington, was one of 15 protestors who cut through a fence at the airport to prevent a deportation flight.

The group were convicted under counter-terrorism legislation. Three of them received suspended sentences of nine months, while eleven others, including Ms Potts, were given community orders.

A 49-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs.

Daniel Clark
Local Democracy Reporting Service

Work to stop cliff falls and ensure East Devon's beaches remain safe will begin later this month.

East Devon District Council's 2018 cliff inspections report revealed cliff works must be carried out at Beer, Seaton and Sidmouth to protect public safety.

Netting and fencing will be installed at Beer and Seaton to catch potentially unstable cliff material from falling on to beach users, while the works at Sidmouth will see the wall at the top of Jacob's Ladder stabilised.

While the works in Sidmouth are being carried out, a section of the platform adjacent to Jacob's Ladder will be closed, as will the under-cliff walkway and clifftop path in Connaught Gardens for public safety reasons, the council added.

Image source, LDRS

The first chunk of the 210ft mass of congealed fat in Sidmouth is removed by clearance teams.

Clearance teams are using pick axes and high pressure jets to break down the blockage.

BBC Radio Devon

Three hundred young people with educational needs are competing in the Devon Ability Games.

The event - which is being held at the Tarka Tennis Centre in Barnstaple - will give them the chance to try different types of physical activities.

The three hours of competition will include sports like sitting volleyball, new age curling, archery, and street dance.

Image source, Google

Jenny Kumah
BBC South West politics reporter

Vulnerable children in Torbay are waiting too long for the help they need according to inspectors.

An Ofsted visit last week found that despite Plymouth City Council taking over the running of the service last April, social workers still had high workloads with each one responsible for 30 children on average.

Inspectors heard of "chaotic ways of working" leaving young people "at risk of not being safe".

A council spokesperson says the findings are "disappointing" but staff are taking action to make positive changes as quickly as possible.

Hayley Westcott
BBC News Online

About £500 worth of equipment has been dismantled and stolen from a Cornish school's outside nature area.

Staff at Truro Learning Academy - in Albany Road - said the equipment was taken over a fence into wooded public land and the materials were then used to made a den-type structure.

They added it caused "great disruption" to the young children of the school as they have not been able to use the area to its full potential.

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

Image source, Google

The move risks opening an old local rivalry over whether pasties originated in Cornwall or Devon.

BBC Newsbeat

How good is your hometown for young people?

Radio 1 Newsbeat's Know Your Place project has ranked 378 local authorities in England, Wales and Scotland from highest to lowest.

Variables considered include access to mental health care, average rent prices and levels of unemployment.

North Devon, Mid Devon, Torridge, West Devon, South Hams and East Devon all scored the worst in the South West, with each gaining a three out of ten rating.

Teignbridge, Torbay and Cornwall fared slightly better, with all three scoring four out of 10.

Plymouth and Exeter came out on top in Devon and Cornwall, scoring six and seven out of ten respectively.

Hayley Westcott
BBC News Online

A yellow weather warning for wind across Devon and Cornwall has been issued by the Met Office for various times across the next four days.

There could be some delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport as well as high-sided vehicles on exposed routes and bridges.

More information can be found here. , external

Image source, Met Office

BBC Radio Devon

Image source, Getty Images

A cash-strapped Devon council has bought a Cornish pasty factory in a bid to improve its finances.

Thousands of pasties are made monthly at the Proper Cornish factory, which Torbay Council in Devon bought for £3m.

The Conservative council is trying to grow its revenues with business investments, spending £100m on four properties in the last financial year.

Its borrowing increased by £121m over the same period, with a funding gap of £15m predicted in the next three years.

Torbay's multi-million property portfolio includes hotels, office blocks and distribution centres in different parts of the country.

Image source, Google

Kirk England
BBC Radio Devon

It's being claimed that plans by a Devon council to build an 80-bedroom hotel - which it would then lease out to a national hotel chain to help pay for services - could end up putting smaller local hotels out of business.

West Devon Borough Council says it would borrow the money to pay for the building project as part of an investment in commercial property.

The hotel would be built on a car park in Tavistock that the council already owns.

Bradley Walker runs the Tavistock House Hotel and is concerned...

Council leader Philip Sanders said: "It's going to bring jobs, it's going to bring a substantial amount of income.

"We estimate £2.7m per annum into the local economy and it is going to help regenerate the town centre of Tavistock."

Brent Pilnick
BBC Sport

Truro City were beaten for the first time at Treyew Road this season as they went down 2-1 to Wealdstone in National League South.

The White Tigers, who returned to Cornwall last month after time sharing a ground with Torquay United, went ahead when Tyler Harvey scored just before half time.

But Christian Smith's equaliser after an hour was followed up by Danny Green's winner with 15 minutes to go.

Truro stay 17th in National League South and are still seven points above the relegation places.

Hayley Westcott
BBC News Online

A flood alert has been issued by the Environment Agency for the Upper River Tamar after heavy rainfall on Tuesday night.

It means flooding is possible for Bude, Helebridge, Bridgerule, Canworthy Water, Launceston and Yeolmbridge.

More information can be found here., external

Image source, Environment Agency