Summary

  • Man fined for swallowing goldfish at fair

  • Nine arrested after major drugs bust

  • Tour of Britain 2020 to start in Cornwall

  • Fisherman 'was first lifejacket rescue in 20 years'

  • 'Enormous pressure' on developers to improve fire safety

  • 'UK's largest sculpture' to be unveiled later

  • Runner aims for Land's End to John O'Groats record

  • Updates from Friday 22 March

Live Reporting

  1. 'Enormous pressure' on developers to improve fire safety

    Tamsin Melville
    Political Reporter, BBC Radio Cornwall

    Kit Malthouse

    The government is putting "enormous pressure" on the housing industry to improve fire safety standards, according to the Housing Minister Kit Malthouse.

    His comments come after it emerged fire resistant barriers are not in place in some of Persimmon Homes' timber frame properties in Exeter and Truro.

    The developer has confirmed it has carried out checks on more than 1,100 houses in the South West so far and says it is working to put things right.

    Speaking during his visit to Devon this week, Mr Malthouse also said the government will be reviewing building regulations.

    We're putting enormous concentration on trying to improve the quality of newbuilds generally, from all sorts of aspects, whether that’s from fire safety or just general design and snagging. I know that Persimmon has today, for example, announced the fact that they are going to be the first major housebuilder to bring in a retention idea, so some money will be retained by the buyer's solicitors to deal with issues if there is anything that comes forward in the future. We're putting enormous pressure on the housing industry to generally improve standards, particularly with regard to fire safety, and we'll be reviewing building regulations later in the year to make sure that we get it right."

    Kit Malthouse, Housing Minister

  2. Fisherman 'was first lifejacket rescue in 20 years'

    Johanna Carr
    BBC News Online

    The fisherman fell overboard in "horrendous" conditions, coastguards said

    A coastguard helicopter winchman has said a fisherman who fell overboard was the first he had pulled out of the water "conscious and alive" and also the first he had taken out of the water wearing a lifejacket in 20 years.

    The Maritime and Coastguard Agency tweeted winchman Spike Hughes' "powerful words" about the rescue of Reagan, a fisherman who was in "very rough seas" for an hour before being winched to safety.

    Crews were called to an area off Salcombe, Devon, on 10 March after a mayday call was issued.

    ReaganMaritime and Coastguard Agency

    Reagan at home after being rescued

  4. Runner aims for Land's End to John O'Groats record

    BBC Spotlight

    runner

    An athlete from Devon is attempting to run from Land's End to John O'Groats in a world record time.

    Adam Holland starts the 17-day race later.

    He'll start running from John O'Groats to Land's End - that's the warm up - and then his record attempt will begin travelling the opposite direction. On the warm up he'll run 50 miles a day.

    The 31-year-old has to complete the return leg from Land's End in a little over nine days - to beat the current record - which means he'll be running about 100 miles a day.

    "I'm going to break it down into each day and then go from there. It's a challenge, it has to be difficult."

  5. League One's crazy relegation fight

    Thirteen teams are still in real danger of going down from League One with eight games left. But how has it got so close?

    Read More

  6. 'UK's largest sculpture' to be unveiled later

    BBC Spotlight

    A giant bronze sculpture will be unveiled in her new home later.

    Messenger, the 7m (23ft) tall and 9m (30ft) wide sculpture was cast at a foundry in Wales, assembled at Devonport Naval Base and installed outside Plymouth's Theatre Royal.

    The sculpture, which was brought to Plymouth on Monday, will be unveiled by Nicola Kavanagh, the actor who performed the pose that inspired the design of the sculpture.

    Messenger

    Messenger in numbers

    • The sculpture is 7m (23ft) high, 8.7m (29ft) wide and 5.5m (18ft) deep
    • More than 200 individual bronze panels were combined to make the crouching pose
    • Thirty craftspeople have worked on the construction
    • It weighs 10 tonnes
    • And cost an estimated £450,000

  7. Weather: Bright and sunny at times

    Bee Tucker
    BBC Weather

    Weather

    Early patches of mist or fog will lift later to leave a dry but often cloudy morning.

    Through the morning the cloud will break to allow for more bright or sunny intervals to develop, especially during the afternoon.

    There will still be some low cloud and mistiness at times, most likely around the coasts and over the moors.

    Winds will be light to moderate south-westerly.

    Maximum temperature: 9 to 15C (48 to 54F).