Two people on water craft are photographed "circling" and "intimidating" a pod off the Cornish coast.

Hayley Westcott
BBC News Online

Image source, Via Devon and Cornwall Police

A man who died after being hit by a car in Plymouth was "kind, thoughtful and caring", his family has said.

Tom McConnachie, 34, died after he was struck in Budshead Road on Sunday 24 February at about 03:30.

He was taken to the city's Derriford Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

A 28-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. He handed himself into police after initially fleeing the scene.

Image source, Via Devon and Cornwall Police

Mr McConnachie's family paid tribute saying he was a "huge Liverpool FC fan" who was "looking forward to being groomsman to his closest friends in August this year".

Mr McConnachie leaves behind his dalmatian dog, Archie.

Anyone who witnessed the incident is asked to contact Devon and Cornwall Police via 101.

Bethany Skinner was unresponsive when she was rescued near Bognor Pier following a night out.

Hayley Westcott
BBC News Online

Storm Freya is set to bring strong winds to Devon and Cornwall at the weekend, the Met Office has said.

It added dangerous conditions and travel disruptions to the whole of Britain could be expected when the storm hits on Sunday afternoon.

A severe weather warning has been issued from 15:00 until 06:00 on Monday.

Gusts of between 55mph and 65mph can be expected, with wind speeds reaching up to 80mph in coastal areas.

Road, rail, air and ferry services may be affected - with longer journey times and cancellations possible - and some roads and bridges may have to close.

Wind speeds will be highest in Devon, Cornwall, Wales and north-west England, the Met Office added.

Hayley Westcott
BBC News Online

A teenage boy accused of raping and attempting to murder a 10-year-old girl replied "no comment" when asked by police about the attack.

The 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is accused of grabbing the girl as she walked home from school in Exmouth, Devon on 4 October.

Bristol Crown Court heard the girl noticed footsteps running behind her before she was dragged down a bank and into a stream.

A jury of nine women and three men have been told the boy, who was 16 at the time of the incident, admits choking the girl and sexually assaulting her.

He denies attempted murder, attempting to choke with intent to commit rape, and rape of a child under 13.

Det Con Joanne Rotchell, of Devon and Cornwall Police, told the court that two interviews were conducted with the boy following his arrest.

When asked about the route he was cycling at the time of the attack on two separate occasions, he replied "no comment" both times.

When asked where he was when the girl was attacked, about her injuries and what happened to her, he again replied: "No comment."

The trial continues and is due to last for two weeks.

• Exmouth rape case: Girl, 10, 'left for dead in stream'
• Exmouth rape case: Girl, 10, found 'howling' in stream

Daniel Clark
Local Democracy Reporting Service

Newton Abbot’s historic 800-year-old cattle market will close when work to develop a new 72-bedroom hotel on the Halcyon Road car park in Newton Abbot begins.

Teignbridge councillors on Thursday agreed to progress plans to self-develop a 72-bed hotel, which will then be leased to a national chain operator.

Image source, LDRS

The council had already agreed there wpuld be no net loss of parking provision in the town while redevelopment of the town centre took place, and the cattle market site had been highlighted as an opportunity area for creating temporary parking.

The meeting also saw the council vote to adopt a phased closure to the cattle market. The sheep pens below the multi-storey car park will be converted to parking in summer 2019. Cattle pens will be closed at a later date once the development of the hotel is due to commence.

There has been a livestock market in Newton Abbot since 1221 and it moved to its present location in the centre of town between Asda and the multi-storey car park in 1938.

BBC Radio Cornwall

At Newquay and Lands End airports, all Skybus flights to and from the Isles of Scilly are on hold due to a deterioration in weather conditions.

BBC Radio Devon

There's been another increase in the number of children applying for a place at a secondary school in Devon this year.

Devon County Council said 7,100 children applied, external, up from 7,005 last year, and it was offering almost 98% of families one of their three preferences.

Applications have also gone up in Plymouth.

The city's council said 97% of the 2,800 young people who applied in the city were allocated a place at one of their preferred schools.

A 17-year-old is accused of raping and attempting to murder a 10-year-old girl.

BBC Radio Devon

A loyalty card is being launched in Topsham on Friday giving benefits to people who use local shops.

Image source, Google

The Love Topsham Card is available to anyone for £3 a month and, in return, local businesses are being encouraged to make exclusive offers to cardholders.

Community-based group Love Topsham said it hoped it would boost the local economy.

BBC Radio Devon

The A38 between Lee Mill and Ivybridge has reopened after an earlier crash, police have said.

Traffic is still slow-moving in the area.

There was one minor injury reported, officers added.

BBC Radio Devon

The A38 is blocked Exeter-bound between Lee Mill and Ivybridge due to a crash.

There are long queues of Exeter-bound traffic. Drivers are being asked to avoid the area.

Hayley Westcott
BBC News Online

Plymouth City Council has announced plans to build 5,000 new homes over the next five years.

The ambition is part of the authority's latest housing strategy, "Plan for Homes 3".

The plan will set aside £15.4m to provide a wide variety of housing for a wide range of need, the council said.

Councillor Chris Penberthy said the plan "encapsulates what we must achieve in Plymouth".

"People don't just need homes. They need quality homes, with economic heating systems; built to high standards.

"But most of all, people need homes that they can truly afford and this plan marries those two things up.”

"Plan for Homes 3" will be presented before cabinet on 5 March.

A 40-year-old woman is charged with murder after a 74-year-old man was found dead.

Hayley Westcott
BBC News Online

There's disruption to the water supply in the PL2 3QH area of Plymouth, South West Water has said.

It added disruption is expected to last for about two to three hours and water should be back on by 15:00.

Ben Woolvin
BBC South West Home Affairs correspondent

A teenage boy accused of raping and attempting to murder a 10-year-old girl as she walked home from school in Exmouth has told a jury he feels "disgusted" when he thinks about the harm he caused her.

The 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has admitted sexually assaulting the girl last October, but denies raping and attempting to murder her.

At Bristol Crown Court, he told jurors he did not know the girl and could not remember having seen her before.

When asked why he attacked her, he said he was feeling angry and lonely and "just wanted someone else to feel some of the ways I was feeling".

The trial continues.

BBC Spotlight

Devon and Cornwall Police have recorded 94 online grooming offences against children in just 18 months, according to the NSPCC.

The data was obtained through Freedom of Information requests from 39 of the UK's 43 forces - with more than 5,000 offences being recorded in England and Wales in the time frame of between April 2017 and September 2018.

The NSPCC said it was urging ministers to bring in statutory regulation to enforce a legal duty of care to children on social networks, backed by hefty fines if they failed.

Police said they investigated any report of a child being abused or sexually exploited.

The National Crime Agency said it was "vital" online platforms used by children and young people had in place "robust mechanisms and processes to prevent, identify and report sexual exploitation and abuse, including online grooming".

BBC Radio Devon

On the A380, near the Ideford Dip, heading towards Newton Abbot, there are reports there are some metal sheets on the road. Approach with care.

BBC Radio Devon

People living in a village near Exeter say they are extremely worried about a new landfill site being proposed for the area.

A 16-acre site near Whitestone would take in soil from building projects and about 70,000 tonnes would be dumped there every year.

The developer says there aren't enough sites in Devon at the moment and sites are needed because of all the new homes being built - particularly around Exeter.

The planning application for the site at Lower Hare Farm is currently with Devon County Council.

The agent representing the applicant said it understood the concerns of local residents but added that the scheme would not have a harmful effect on the village and the soil would meet strict Environment Agency rules.

Hayley Westcott
BBC News Online

The closure of Appledore Shipyard later this month is a "national tragedy that cruelly exposes the government’s threadbare shipbuilding strategy", according to the Unite union.

It was announced earlier this week the shipyard will close on 15 March - despite a campaign to keep it open.

In November, Babcock said it was going to leave the North Devon shipyard when its lease expired - with some of the 200 workers receiving an offer to relocate to its Plymouth base.

The government said it was "disappointed" at the news.

"While this is a matter for the company, the government stands ready to support any workers affected at this concerning time," a statement said.