Bringing you the news, sport, travel and weather for Devon and Cornwall on Thursday, 4 July 2019.

The statues are based on the famous patchwork elephant who was created by writer and illustrator David McKee.

A golden orb containing the ashes of Sharon Howard's sons and boyfriend is stolen in a burglary.

League Two side Exeter City sign former Charlton striker Nicky Ajose.

Charley Adams
BBC News Online

Image source, Jes Hirons/BDMLR

A stranded dolphin spotted at Hannafore Beach, Looe, Cornwall on Sunday had to be put to sleep after coming ashore.

The British Divers Marine Life Rescue , external(BDMLR) received calls about the common dolphin and instructed the public over the phone how to provide care until volunteers arrived at the scene.

Before they arrived people had repeatedly tried to release the dolphin back into the sea and each time it came back to the shore - something that causes a lot of distress and confusion.

It was supported in shallow water by volunteers, so a health assessment could be carried out.

However, the 1.9m male dolphin's reflexes were slow and weak, it struggled to lift its head properly to breathe and showed no signs of trying to swim for itself.

Therefore, the decision was made to put the animal to sleep to prevent further suffering. The body was recovered for post-mortem examination to help understand why the animal may have come ashore.

Image source, Ian Foster/RNLI

BBC News

Nearly £1m is to be spent on moves to cutting deaths in the UK’s most dangerous industry - fishing - by the government.

Maritime Minister Nusrat Ghani said £700,000 was to be provided to give more fishermen potentially lifesaving training on top of an existing £250,000 pot to provide more than 500 personal flotation devices with locator beacons to help find people who have fallen overboard - the most common reason for fatalities at sea.

There were six fishing fatalities in 2018, either through people falling overboard or due to issues affecting the stability of vessels.

Ms Ghani said the government wanted to eliminate all preventable deaths by 2027, and the "extra training and better equipment would mean fewer fishermen getting into danger at sea".

From 23 October, all small fishing vessels will need to be fitted with an emergency beacon or have personal beacons for every member of crew to enable rescuers to find them.

Daniel Clark
Local Democracy Reporting Service

Major schemes to regenerate key sites in Teignmouth and Newton Abbot could be placed in jeopardy after a "thoughtless moron" leaked confidential information about them, the leader of Teignbridge District Council has fumed.

The council’s executive gave officers the green light to take forward proposals for Sherborne House in Newton Abbot, and Brunswick Street in Teignmouth at their meeting on Monday.

The regeneration proposals were discussed entirely in Part II of the meeting with the press and public excluded due to confidential financial information about negotiations being included in the report.

But prior to the meeting, a copy of the report had been leaked to the Mid Devon Advertiser newspaper, which splashed details of the proposals, including financial information, on Friday.

Council leader Gordon Hook said:"I want to run an open and transparent administration and put as much as we can into the public domain, but that are some things that should be kept in confidence, such as financial negotiations. To leak this was an act an antisocial act that potentially jeopardises the scheme."

It had previously been reported that Teignbridge was considering purchasing the former Job Centre building at Sherborne House as part of plans to relocate health provision in the town, plus convert part of the building into social rent apartments.

The council had previously agreed to prepare a business case on plans for a hotel at the Brunswick Street site and the report contained a recommendation for a national chain to be the preferred operator of the hotel.

Citizen scientists have provided a wealth of new data on an insect that makes blobs of spittle on plants.

The woman travels to Bristol and stays in a tent as there are no local treatment facilities.

BBC Radio Cornwall

Police in Cornwall are trying to trace the family of a man who died after being pulled out of the sea on Tuesday near the Jubilee Pool in Penzance.

A lifeboat and the coastguard helicopter were called out to assist and he was taken to the Royal Cornwall Hospital near Truro but didn't survive.

Officers said he was believed to be a 53-year-old from the Midlands and efforts were continuing to find his next of kin.

Norman Hine was well known as a history fan and was a regular visitor to the Plymouth's former museum.

A teenager reported missing has been found by police.

Rosie Needs, 15, was reported missing from Newquay and has since been located safe and well.

Notts County will face Eastleigh away in their first-ever match at National League level on Saturday, 3 August.

Charley Adams
BBC News Online

Police are searching for a "high risk" missing person from the west Devon area.

They are also looking for a red Vauxhall Astra.

Deep pits connected by tunnels are found at one of only three known Roman forts in Cornwall.

Andrew Segal
BBC South West

Police say they "growing increasingly concerned" for the welfare of a 15-year-old girl reported missing from Newquay.

Officers said Rosie Needs was last seen on Saturday morning in the town and inquiries were ongoing to locate her.

She is described white, of slim build, about 5ft 7in tall, with long black hair, and wearing black jeans and a t-shirt.

Image source, Handout

Richard Green
BBC Radio Devon

A beach hut in south Devon is up for sale with an auction guide price of a mere £200,000.

The freehold property is on the Back Beach in Teignmouth.

When a hut last came up for sale, in 2010, it achieved a price of £83,000.

Estate agent Nick Wood said the big selling point was the freehold.

He said: "To get a freehold right on the seashore in the UK is a very, very valuable commodity and a unique opportunity."

Sophie Pierce
BBC Radio Devon

Three sisters whose parents' ashes are buried in a woodland burial orchard in Torbay have accused the site's managers of a "lack of respect".

Carolyn Starkings and her sisters said they thought the orchard in Cockington was in a terrible state, overgrown, and with some fences down.

All those factors meant they could not reach their parents' tree to lay flowers, the family said.

Carolyn Starkings (pictured) added: "I know it's not a burial ground per se, but this is where the ashes were laid. This is their final resting place."

The Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust said it apologised unreservedly.

It said maintenance work had started but, unfortunately, was delayed because of very wet weather in the last six weeks. It added that contacting families connected with the site had taken a lot longer than anticipated.

Andrew Segal
BBC South West

A reward of up to £20,000 is being offered for information about the death of a man attacked twice in one night in Devon, the charity Crimestoppers says.

David Williams, 49, from Brixham, died on 3 July 2018 after being injured in altercations in the town the week before.

He was attacked just before midnight on Thursday 28 June outside the Three Elms pub in Drew Street before being attacked again outside the Crown and Anchor Pub on the Quayside in the early hours of Friday 29 June.

He was attacked after England's football match against Belgium in the World Cup.

Image source, Handout

Crimestoppers said a combined reward of up to £20,000 was being offered after its £10,000 maximum reward offer was matched by third-party donors "for information Crimestoppers received that led to the arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible for Mr William’s death".

Mr Williams' family said they were appealing to anyone "who may have been confided in" by his attackers.

They added: "Those with vital information have had to live with the burden on their conscience. We are desperate to get closure and justice for our dad."

Several men from the town has been arrested by investigating officers, but were all later released under investigation.