Summary

  • Sarah Wollaston resigns from Conservative Party

  • Pedestrian struck by vehicle near Truro Cathedral

  • Prince Harry visits Royal Marines in Devon

  • Green MEPs arrested in Belgium nuclear weapons protest

  • £16m student flats still empty months after completion

  • Hattie the Fatty: Slimmed-down dog finds a new home

  • 'Alcohol moderation' key to long life says man, 107

  • Updates from Wednesday 20 February

  1. £16m student flats still empty months after completionpublished at 10:26 Greenwich Mean Time 20 February 2019

    A £16m, 348-bed student flats development in Plymouth is still deserted and unoccupied months after it was completed, external, Plymouth Live reports.

    Crescent PointImage source, William Telford

    Crescent Point - which has two blocks, 13 and 10 storeys high on a site near Derry's Cross in the city centre - was completed last September but has sat empty since then.

    Student accommodation website Unilodgers has advertised rooms as available from 15 September 2018, but has not updated its site since.

    The Mears Group, which operates Crescent Point, has not responded to messages left asking for a comment.

    London-based building owner and landlord the Harouni Group has also not replied to emails asking for a comment.

    Hedgeland Porperty Consultants, in the Crescent, which is marketing the commercial units at the foot of the buildings said it was not involved with the accommodation side of the development and could not comment.

  2. Car left up side of lane in crashpublished at 10:22 Greenwich Mean Time 20 February 2019

    Andrew Segal
    BBC South West

    One person has been arrested after a two-car crash which left one vehicle half-way up the side of a lane near Plymouth.

    Police, who were called to the scene in Luke's Lane at about midnight on Wednesday, said one man was taken into custody after being tracked down by a police dog.

    Only minor injuries were reported from the crash officers added.

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  3. Priest guilty of child abuse offencespublished at 09:42 Greenwich Mean Time 20 February 2019

    Father Francis McDermott, 75, used his "charm" to befriend families and abuse their children.

    Read More
  4. Devon man marking 107th birthday still loves a scotchpublished at 09:39 Greenwich Mean Time 20 February 2019

    David Fitzgerald
    BBC Radio Devon

    Joe Daniels

    A Devon man - born just a couple of months before the Titanic sank in 1912 - has celebrated his 107th birthday.

    Joe Daniels was born in London on 19 February but family members say today, he is "as sharp as ever".

    He celebrated his big day with a telegram from the Queen at his care home in Seaton, Devon on Tuesday.

    He shared stories of being bombed in the capital in World War One and how by World War Two, he was called up to the Royal Signals as an expert in telecommunications.

    Joe Daniels

    After the war, he became a senior member of a telephone company before retiring with his wife to Dorset before moving to Sidmouth.

    His nephew, Andrew Daniels said his uncle still "enjoys a glass of gin and a glass of whisky".

    "He's remarkable. He's still full of wit, has a cheeky grin and hopefully the genes will pass down through the family," he said.

    Joe added the secret to such a long life is "moderation" especially when it comes to alcohol.

    "I love a scotch," he said.

  5. New scheme in Cornwall to help those with chronic painpublished at 09:28 Greenwich Mean Time 20 February 2019

    BBC Radio Cornwall

    A new scheme to help people suffering from chronic pain is being introduced across Cornwall after a successful trial at Bodmin Hospital.

    ESCAPE-pain is aimed at people over the age of 45 with hip, knee and back conditions.

    It involves six weeks of intensive physiotherapy combined with exercising at home.

    Morissa Livett is a physio at Bodmin Hospital and says it's all about trying to avoid surgery...

    ESCAPE-pain is currently running in over 135 sites and you can find more information here., external

  6. HMS Warwick WW2 sinking rememberedpublished at 09:19 Greenwich Mean Time 20 February 2019

    Sixty-six sailors died when the ship was hit by a torpedo from a Nazi U-boat off Cornwall in 1944.

    Read More
  7. Flybe rejects rescue from US airline and ex-Stobart bosspublished at 09:16 Greenwich Mean Time 20 February 2019

    Press Association

    Troubled Exeter-based regional airline Flybe has snubbed a rival rescue proposal from investors including US airline Mesa Air Group and backed by former Stobart boss Andrew Tinkler.

    Shares in Flybe more than doubled to 2.9p as it confirmed the "highly conditional" approach from a consortium including Mesa Airlines of Arizona and South African hedge fund Bateleur Capital.

    But Flybe said it "does not believe that the indicative proposal is executable in the timeframe required to enable Flybe to continue to trade".

    It added it continues to back the existing takeover by the Connect Airways consortium - which consists of Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic, Stobart Group and investment firm Cyrus Capital - as the "only viable option available to the company which provides the security that the business needs to continue to trade successfully".

    FlybeImage source, Flybe
  8. Arsonists being blamed for Bodmin firepublished at 08:38 Greenwich Mean Time 20 February 2019

    BBC Radio Cornwall

    Arsonists are being blamed for a fire in Bodmin on Tuesday night.

    Rubbish was set on fire in Fore Street at about 21:20

    Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service said police are investigating.

  9. Hattie the Fatty finds a new homepublished at 08:37 Greenwich Mean Time 20 February 2019

    The collie-cross, dubbed "Britain's fattest dog", is adopted after shedding almost half her weight.

    Read More
  10. Locals unhappy over plans to dump marina soil in seapublished at 08:36 Greenwich Mean Time 20 February 2019

    Sophie Pierce
    BBC Radio Devon

    black silt
    Image caption,

    A licence to dump spoil was suspended last year after black silt appeared on Teignmouth's beaches

    Plans to dredge Exmouth Marina and dump the spoil in the sea off Teignmouth have resurfaced again - with locals saying they want the spoil dumped much further out to sea.

    Last year, a licence to dump the spoil off Sprey Point was suspended, after black silt appeared on Teignmouth's beaches.

    The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) is consulting on an application for a new licence which would involve less spoil being dumped, and it only happening in the winter months.

    But locals say they're still not happy including Councillor David Cox...

  11. Cigarettes and tobacco stolen from Cornish Co-oppublished at 08:24 Greenwich Mean Time 20 February 2019

    Hayley Westcott
    BBC News Online

    Cigarettes and tobacco have been stolen from a shop in Cornwall after burglars smashed a window to gain access, police have said.

    It happened at the Co-op on Fore Street, Looe at about 02:30 on 15 February.

    Officers said the culprits "forced access" to the cigarette cabinet after breaking into the shop.

    Any witnesses are asked to contact Devon and Cornwall Police via 101.

    Co-op on Fore Street, LooeImage source, Google
  12. Water supplies back on after burst pipe rips up roadpublished at 08:11 Greenwich Mean Time 20 February 2019

    BBC Spotlight

    damaged road

    More than 100 homes in Plymouth have their water supplies back on after a burst water main ripped up a road in the city causing traffic chaos and flooding.

    The water main burst through Melville Road in Keyham on Tuesday afternoon.

    Engineers on the scene

    Water poured down the hill and on to a busy road with the force of the water cracking the tarmac in a number of places.

    Engineers carried out a temporary repair and restored water supplies within several hours.

  13. Weather: A breezy day with sunshine at timespublished at 08:10 Greenwich Mean Time 20 February 2019

    Emily Wood
    BBC Weather

    It will be a breezy day but mostly dry with sunshine at times.

    However, cloud cover may thicken enough in places this afternoon to bring the odd shower.

    Maximum temperature: 13C (55F).

    weather map
  14. Supermoon caught on camera in Cornwallpublished at 08:03 Greenwich Mean Time 20 February 2019

    BBC Weather Watchers

    Thanks to Jane from St Erme for sending this great photo of the supermoon.

    If you have pictures to share, please email us.

    supermoon