Andrew Segal
BBC South West

Three people have been charged after a woman was assaulted and robbed in Devon.

The woman, in her 20s, was attacked in the Grenville Close area on the Buckland Estate in Newton Abbot at about 23:00 on Saturday 10 August.

Police said a 27-year-old woman from Newton Abbot had been charged with assault causing actual bodily harm, robbery, possession of a Class B controlled drug and possessing a weapon for the discharge of electricity.

A 29-year-old man from Kingsteignton has been charged with robbery, assault causing actual bodily harm, possession of a firearm whilst committing robbery and producing a Class B controlled drug.

A 26-year-old from Newton Abbot, has been charged with robbery and assault causing actual bodily harm.

All three are due to appear at Plymouth Magistrates' Court on Wednesday.

BBC Radio Cornwall

A Cornishman involved in the Fastnet rescue 40 years ago has been remembering the tragedy which cost the lives of 19 people.

More than 300 boats, carrying 2,500 sailors, set off from Cowes for the biennial race to Fastnet rock in southern Ireland in August 1979.

But on the second night, a ferocious storm ripped through the fleet, leading to what was the biggest air-sea rescue mounted in peacetime.

Dozens of yachts were caught in the violent storm between Land's End and Ireland, and lifeboats and helicopters from Cornwall were launched to rescue crews from capsized vessels.

Alan Barnes MBE, who was on a lifeboat out of Falmouth, said they had instructions to find any vessel, be it boat or life-raft, rescue anyone they found, and report what they encountered.

Plymouth Live

A retired Devon bank manager has just received his 100th monthly threatening letter from TV Licensing, external – even though he has not owned a television set since 1997.

Ed Oldfield
Local Democracy Reporting Service

A council leader has warned that Devon is facing an economic shock due to a no-deal Brexit.

Plymouth’s Labour leader Tudor Evans revealed the government is asking local authorities to help businesses hit by exiting the EU.

He said the council would do what it could, but it had no spare cash to support local firms affected by the expected disruption to trade if the UK leaves without a deal on 31 October.

Mr Evans also said ministers had still not decided how to share out £20m allocated to local authorities nationwide to deal with Brexit-related costs.

He was reporting back to the city council’s cabinet after taking part in an online broadcast from ministers on Tuesday morning.

Image source, LDRS

The unitary council leader said that the only option discussed was leaving the EU without a deal on 31 October.

He said: “They basically said that it would be our job to help small businesses through the economic shock of a no-deal Brexit.”

He said the council would work with partners in business groups to provide support but warned that it no longer had the flexibility for major intervention after losing £100m in funding cuts in recent years due to austerity.

The government says the £20m extra funding is on top of £58m committed to councils in January to prepare for Brexit.

It says it has asked councils to get ready to leave the EU on 31 October and will assess and fund potential new requirements they identify.

Sophie Pierce
BBC Radio Devon

A petition is being launched to reinstate two coastguards who were sacked for stopping a car going over a cliff in Devon.

Richard Clarkson and Ian Pedrick (pictured) lost their jobs after towing the car to safety with their own vehicle at Bolberry Down in June.

The MCA sacked the pair, saying they should have cordoned off the area and called in appropriate recovery resources. The pair lost an appeal against their dismissal.

Totnes MP Sarah Wollaston said she was supporting the petition because she thought their removal was an "appalling" and "draconian" decision.

She is due to meet the chief executive of the Marine and Coastguard Agency (MCA) on Thursday to discuss the matter.

The petition is also calling for the reopening of the Hope Cove coastguard service, which was closed following the row, with claims that the area is more at risk.

The MCA said there was "no reduction in the quality of search and rescue provided for the area, which is adequately covered by Bigbury and Prawle coastguard rescue teams".

Kevin Thomas
BBC Weather Forecaster

Both Devon and Cornwall are having damp, windy and cloudy starts on Wednesday, as these picture from two of our Weather Watchers are showing.

But it will be drier this afternoon and also brighter at times.

Image source, Dammo

Image source, Uncle Fester

Have you any pictures you want to share with us? If so, please email them in.

Adam Durbin
BBC News Online

The South West has seen a threefold increase in reported hate crimes against transgender people over the past three years.

There were 86 crimes recorded in the region in 2018, compared to 30 in 2016.

Devon and Cornwall police claim that the rise is largely explained by better reporting and recording of the incidents.

However, concerns remain that the figures are still lower than the reality, because many victims may still be reluctant to report incidents to the authorities.

Insp Sally Kingdon from Devon and Cornwall Police said the force's community links indicated that the incidents likely only represented the "tip of the iceberg".

"We genuinely want to encourage reporting so we can understand what's happening and where, so we can do something about it", she added.

LGBT charity the Intercom Trust has called for greater public awareness and understanding.

Andy Hunt from the charity said there was "a lot more" hate crime in public discourse and politics, especially online.

BBC Radio Cornwall

Image source, Google

A major project to improve Mounts Bay has been completed, with a 350-metre length of the coast path at Long Rock now open to the general public.

The project involved installing 12,500 tonnes of rock along the shoreline to protect the coast from eroding and being breached during storm conditions.

Two ramps have also been included to improve access to the beach.

The works are part of a wider £3.7m strategic project to improve coastal resilience in Mount’s Bay which also includes environmental improvements to Marazion Marsh.

Only 40% of eligible students have heard of Disabled Students' Allowances which could help them through university

BBC Weather

There will be widespread outbreaks of rain on Wednesday morning.

Following the clearance of the rain, scattered showers will develop, but there should still be some fairly lengthy dry spells. A breezy day.

Maximum temperature: 17 to 20C (63 to 68F).

BBC Radio Devon

The first day of the British Firework Championships are to take place in Plymouth on Wednesday night.

Six of the country’s top firework companies will battle it out, each putting on 10-minute displays in a bid to be crowned the champion.

The displays - which will be fired from Mount Batten pier at about 21:30 - can be seen from a number of spots in the city, with the Hoe being the most popular.

For 2019's competition, Plymouth City Council has been working to reduce the amount of plastic involved by tightening up the competition rules to exclude types of fireworks which include additional plastic.

Image source, Press Association