After seven months and more than 600 applications Claire Stephens has found a job.

Safety changes to a mental health hospital left staff unable to see the entire ward, a report finds.

BBC Radio Cornwall

Cornwall Council is launching a crackdown on businesses which use residential rubbish collection services to get rid of their waste.

Concerns have been raised about businesses – particularly holiday let owners – that avoid paying costs for commercial waste services by leaving out rubbish and recycling at the kerbside.

The cost to taxpayers for businesses using council services could be as high as £1m.

A new waste service contract is set to be signed this week and the council will remind businesses that they have to pay for commercial waste services to dispose of rubbish and recycling.

It will include Airbnb owners who run their lets as a business.

Cody Russell took over the 20-year-old woman's entire digital existence for five months.

BBC Radio Cornwall

People are being urged to stay out of the sea again, with more huge waves predicted in the South West.

The RNLI said there are potentially dangerous conditions in exposed areas and it predicts most beaches will not be safe enough for people to go into the water.

On Wednesday, three toddlers were dragged from a swell which knocked them off their feet at Porthcothan, Cornwall.

BBC Radio Cornwall's Kevin Thomas said he was "amazed" at the number of people he saw at Portreath beach on Wednesday.

He said the huge swells were catching people out as "they were running for their lives" away from the sea.

Twitter

Devon and Cornwall Police is encouraging members of the public to respect people's wishes during Halloween.

"Some people might be distressed by strangers knocking at their door in the dark - especially during a pandemic,” the force said.

BBC Radio Devon

A new way of giving to charity has been launched in Devon.

The Exeter Homeless Partnership is using a scheme called Tap2Give.

Instead of putting their small change in collection boxes, shoppers can donate using a contactless card.

An alternative Giving Point is going in the window of the soon-to-open Brew Dog restaurant and another unit goes live on Thursday outside John Lewis.

A pop-up shop is also being opened for two months in Princesshay.

A community takes action to tackle a wave of post-lockdown littering in a holiday hotspot.

Strong winds and low pressure created 'extremely dangerous' conditions off the coast of Cornwall.

Daniel Clark
Local Democracy Reporting Service

New figures from the government have been released showing the breakdown of positive Covid-19 cases by age group and local authority area in Devon and Cornwall.

The figures, concerning positive cases reported between 22-27 October, show that in Devon and Cornwall, the 20-29 age group is seeing the highest number of cases, but in Torbay, it is the 30-39 age group.

Image source, Local Democracy Reporting Service

Image source, Local Democracy Reporting Service

Image source, Local Democracy Reporting Service

Image source, Local Democracy Reporting Service

Richard Whitehouse
Local Democracy Reporting Service

Earlier a peaceful protest was held outside the office of a Cornish MP against their decision to vote against extending free school meals into school holidays.

A number of people gathered outside Cherilyn Mackrory’s office in Truro to leave empty plates, many of which were daubed with comments.

The event – which was called an End to Child Poverty – followed other similar protests held outside MPs’ offices in the last week.

It follows a vote in the House of Commons last week on a motion put forward by the Labour Party calling on the government to provide support for free school meals during the half term and Christmas holidays.

However the motion was voted down with all six of Cornwall’s Conservative MPs voting against the call.

Image source, Local Democracy Reporting Service

Alex Falconer, who organised today’s protest in Truro, said he wanted to ensure people continued to talk about the issue of food poverty and children needing help.

He said he thought it was “inhumane” for people to vote against providing extra support for free school meals during holidays.

He said: "Clearly it is a national thing and people are pretty shocked that we are in this situation."

Mrs Mackrory last week defended her decision to vote against the motion saying: “I voted against the motion because the government already has significant measures in place to support vulnerable families.

"The best way of ensuring that families are supported financially is by ensuring that we have a welfare system that works for everyone in this country."

"It is not right for schools or the education system to become part of the welfare state in the way that this motion demanded."

Daniel Clark
Local Democracy Reporting Service

Councils across Devon have welcomed the fourth tranche of funding they have been awarded by the government, but have warned it won’t cover all their predicted losses, and say they still have no idea what level of funding they will get in 2021.

An extra £10m from the government has been given to councils in Devon, with the intention that the money will help councils cover coronavirus-related costs and ensure they have the resources they need to keep providing vital services over the winter.

But while council chiefs across the county have welcomed the additional boost to their coffers, concerns and fears have been raised about how they can be expected to set a budget for 2021/22 when there is still no indications as to when the government will announce how much money they will be getting.

Local authorities in Devon have now received £130m in extra government support since the start of the pandemic, with £10.4m given in the latest tranche, but both East Devon District Council and South Hams District Council were only given £100,000 – the minimum amount that any council has been given.

Councillor Jack Rowland, portfolio holder for finance at East Devon District Council said: "The latest amount received from central government of £100,000, although welcomed, is actually the lowest amount being paid to a local authority in the current round based on the formulae used.

"This only goes a small way to plug the forecasted end of year deficit of £1.2m that has been caused by the Covid-19 crisis where related costs being incurred continue to rise in a number of areas of the services provided."

"In addition there is no indications at the moment regarding government funding for next year and we are starting the budget planning exercise for 2021/22 very soon so the uncertainty adds an additional problem In trying to plan for next year and the medium term financial plan."

• Covid-19: Councils could spend £1.7bn over budget by March as costs rise

Devon and Cornwall Police has issued more than 1,000 coronavirus fines since they were introduced in lockdown.

The 1,009 fines between March 27 and October 19 is the fourth highest in England and Wales, only behind Dyfed-Powys Police, London's Metropolitan Police and North Yorkshire Police.

Christopher Wilson is accused of acting out an "abuse of the public's trust" in Launceston.

Devon and Cornwall's crime rate "plummeted" during the Covid-19 lockdown, the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner said.

There were almost 10,000 fewer crimes recorded in the counties in the year to June 2020 than there were in the previous 12 months, Office for National Statistics figures showed.

This amounted to 54 crimes per 1,000 people in Devon and Cornwall, down from 57 in the same period.

There were particularly significant drops in theft, vehicle offences, shoplifting and burglary, falling between 16% and 30%.

These figures show the area covered by Devon and Cornwall Police was the second safest force area of 43 in England and Wales.

Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez said the figures showed the "colossal effect" the restrictions had on crime rates, while acknowledging neither the times nor the figures were "ordinary".

She said: "I’m pleased that with all the doom and gloom around we can deliver some good news in that residents of Devon and Cornwall are safer in terms of a crime threat than they have been.

"Lockdown made life harder for criminals, and it also made it easier for police to identify criminal activity like county lines drug dealing."

BBC Radio Cornwall

With a huge swell and big waves expected off Cornwall on Wednesday, the message from the RNLI is "do not go in the sea".

Low pressure and strong winds are predicted to create potentially dangerous conditions on Cornwall's beaches.

Steve Instance from the RNLI said: "Keep well away, stay well back.

"Over the the next couple of days it's still going to remain quite stormy, quite turbulent, so please look out for beaches where they've set up the flags.

"If you can see some flags that means there's a lifeguard service, if it's a red that means don't go in."

War veteran Andy Small says the lockdown tier system shows some test centre waiting rooms may open.

Anthony Russell, 28, could have travelled to Plymouth, Devon or Cornwall, police say.

Chaos at Cornwall's only hospital follows an "influx of elderly and frail patients", a consultant says.

People are being asked to help out by doing a two-minute beach clean in the area.