Sophie Pierce
BBC Radio Devon

There's anger in Totnes after a bench was removed from a bus stop because vagrants and drug addicts were sleeping there.

The bench has been replaced with a so-called "perch", which some elderly people said they could not sit on.

Critics also said the vagrants had simply moved over the road to another bus stop where there was still a bench, and added that they believed it was part of a much wider problem which the local council needed to deal with.

South Hams District Council said the new seat was "much safer, as needles cannot get trapped in the surfaces, and is set at a height which should mean they can be used by disabled and elderly people".

The council added that it was to continue to work with police and other agencies "to try and tackle the ongoing problems of antisocial behaviour associated with drug users".

Jenny Walrond
Health Correspondent, BBC Spotlight

The South West has the highest number of GPs per head of population in England.

The number of doctors in the region has risen at a time when nationally the figures have fallen, according to analysis by the Nuffield Trust think tank for the BBC.

It said the number of GPs per 100,000 people had fallen from nearly 65 in 2014 to 60 in 2018. But the South West has just under 69 doctors for every 100,000 patients.

But it is not all good news locally. Surveys in recent years have shown many are considering leaving and places such as Plymouth have had particular problems recruiting.

Dr Carmel Boyham Irvine, at the North Road West Medical Centre in the city, has described seeing demand increase as the population aged.

She said she dealt with 50 to 60 patients a day - either on the phone or in person - telling the BBC's Panorama programme the situation was simply "not safe", and her practice had been trying to recruit another partner for five years.

NHS England said it recognised the significant pressure GPs were facing and it was recruiting an extra 20,000 health workers, such as pharmacists and paramedics, nationally to work with GPs; and more GPs were in training than ever before.

BBC Weather Watchers

Thanks to BBC Weather Watcher, Margrose for sending in this picture of Seaton, Cornwall.

If you have pictures to share, please email us.

Naomi Kennedy
BBC Radio Cornwall

The Hal-an-Tow is a kind of mystery play, often involving various historical and mythical themes.

It is performed at several locations around the town through the day.

BBC Weather

Wednesday will have some sunshine but also showers, some of which will be heavy with a risk of thunder.

Fresh south to south-westerly winds.

Maximum temperature: 11 to 14C (52 to 57F).

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

BBC Spotlight

Schoolchildren at a Devon village have challenged their community to go plastic free.

And the pupils at Tedburn St Mary school have been rewarded for their efforts because an apple tree they've created, made entirely from recycled plastic, has won a Prince's Trust Award.

The Tree of Life, as they've called it, has been put up in the village centre.

Kevin Hay
BBC Spotlight

Builders in Bude are facing an unusual challenge as they work to repair and upgrade the town's open air swimming pool.

The Bude Sea Pool opened in the 1930s and now attracts 50,000 visitors a year.

Concrete steps to the pool from the beach are being replaced with granite ones after £30,000 was raised by public donations.

But work can only be carried out at low tide, giving the builders a daily race against time and tide.

BBC Radio Devon

Image source, RSPCA

A boa constrictor has been found dumped in a black plastic bag in a Exeter, the RSPCA says.

The 3ft snake was discovered by a member of the public near the Mill On The Exe pub on Friday 3 May.

An RSPCA inspector said the reptile was dehydrated, underweight and cold and was being cared for at a specialist facility.

The charity said its latest figures showed it had received "more than 450 calls about neglected, abandoned and stray exotic pets in Devon last year".

Officers also rescued 154 exotic pets from across the county in 2018, a rise from 109 in 2017.

The charity said it was often finding that "many people are unaware of how much of a commitment these animals are when they take them on, which they believe may be why they are rescuing hundreds of reptiles every year".

Naomi Kennedy
BBC Radio Cornwall

The biggest event in the Helston calendar has begun, marking the start of spring.

Crowds have been turning out to celebrate Flora Day, external, a festival marking the end of winter and the start of spring.

The colourful pageant stared with the early morning dance at 07:00 on Wednesday, and will continue through the day, including more traditional dances through the streets accompanied by Helston Town Band.