Summary

  • MP calls for Cornwall to have an elected mayor

  • Dead whale washes up in Cornish creek

  • Jury retires in Exmouth rape and attempted murder case

  • Looe has some of the 'longest' ambulance waits in Britain

  • Environmental activists clean up 35 huge bags of rubbish in Scilly

  • Controversial plans to build on park in Westward Ho! dropped

  • Totnes pound scheme halting after 12 years

  • Updates from Wednesday 6 March 2019

  1. Two treated for smoke inhalation in Torquay firepublished at 12:06 Greenwich Mean Time 6 March 2019

    Hayley Westcott
    BBC News Online

    Two women were treated for smoke inhalation after a fire in a three-storey building, firefighters say.

    Crews were called to Solsbro Road in Torquay at about 03:35.

    The building consists of five separate flats and one of the bathrooms was "severely damaged" in the blaze, Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said.

    The fire was extinguished and the cause is not known.

  2. BBC Devon & Cornwall Live: 6 March 2019published at 11:00 Greenwich Mean Time 6 March 2019

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

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  3. Blue plaque honours female engineerpublished at 09:32 Greenwich Mean Time 6 March 2019

    "Remarkable" Margaret Partridge was one of the first women to run her own engineering business.

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  4. Elected mayor would give Cornwall a stronger voice - MPpublished at 09:16 Greenwich Mean Time 6 March 2019

    Richard Whitehouse
    Local Democracy Reporting Service

    Should Cornwall have a directly-elected mayor? That is the question posed by one of the county’s MPs.

    Steve Double has suggested that this could be one of the major aims of Cornwall Council in the future as it prepares to mark 10 years as a unitary authority.

    The St Austell and Newquay MP said that having a mayor who would lead the council elected by the people of Cornwall would help the county.

    "Having a mayor of Cornwall would suit the Cornish identity and give us a stronger voice," he argued.

    Cornwall Council

    “I understand why some people feel reluctant, but we should see what we could get from a directly-elected mayor.

    “People have been calling for Cornwall to have more power and have more money – if the price is a mayor then I think that is worth considering."

    Cornwall Council currently operates under a leader and cabinet system with a leader who is chosen by councillors and who then has the job of picking a cabinet to work with them.

  5. Harry Potter star helps pollution studypublished at 09:03 Greenwich Mean Time 6 March 2019

    Actress Bonnie Wright, who played Ginny Weasley, looks for micro plastics in the River Wye.

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  6. Environmental activists return from Scilly plastic clean-uppublished at 09:03 Greenwich Mean Time 6 March 2019

    Johnny O'Shea
    BBC News Online

    Isles of Scilly plastic clean-up

    Environmental activists have returned to Cornwall from uninhabited parts of the Isles of Scilly after a big clean-up operation to tackle the problem of plastics in the sea.

    Plastic bottles, ropes, buckets and all kinds of debris washed up from around the globe and the volunteers have brought back 35 huge sack loads of rubbish which they found on the islands' beaches or drifting at sea during their two-week trip.

  7. Devon travel: Plymouth road closed due to three-car crashpublished at 08:56 Greenwich Mean Time 6 March 2019

    BBC Radio Devon

    In Plymouth, the Manadon flyover northbound is closed due to a multi-vehicle accident and car fire heading towards Derriford. Traffic is busy in the surrounding areas.

    Car fireImage source, Sarah-Jayne Cook
  8. Cornwall travel: A30 blocked at Camborne by crashpublished at 08:56 Greenwich Mean Time 6 March 2019

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  9. South West weather: Breezy and showerspublished at 08:48 Greenwich Mean Time 6 March 2019

    BBC Weather

    It will be breezy with a good deal of cloud around as well as showers or longer spells of rain, which could be heavy with the risk of hail and thunder.

    The showers will become scattered later.

    Maximum temperature: 10 to 13C (50 to 55F).

    Devon and Cornwall weather map
  10. Looe has some of the 'longest' ambulance waits in Britainpublished at 08:12 Greenwich Mean Time 6 March 2019

    BBC Spotlight

    People in Looe in Cornwall had some of the longest average waits in Britain for ambulances dealing with life-threatening conditions, a BBC investigation has found.

    Patients in the area waited almost 17 minutes, while the target is seven minutes.

    Stock image of an ambulance

    Patients in Kingsbridge in Devon, Penzance and Bude in Cornwall waited on average over 15 minutes for emergency calls.

    South Western Ambulance Service said reaching rural communities in the required response times with limited resources is a significant challenge.

  11. Autistic boy denied school place for a yearpublished at 08:12 Greenwich Mean Time 6 March 2019

    A report found poor communication within Cornwall Council meant the boy's care assessment was delayed.

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