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

Ben Whitfield scores on his Torquay debut as Woking are knocked off top spot with a 1-1 draw.

More than 200 police officers were involved in the investigation both in Cornwall and London.

A 17-year-old boy has gone missing from his home in west Cornwall.

Ben Murton was last seen on Monday night in Marazion.

He's about 5ft 9in (1.7m) tall and of slim build.

He has bleach-blonde hair that is orange and longer on top and he might be wearing a grey shirt and beige trousers with blue canvas shoes.

If you see him, police are asking you to call 999 and quote log number 0326 03/09/19.

Image source, Family handout

BBC Radio Devon

Police are appealing for witnesses after two people were assaulted in Plymouth on Sunday morning.

A woman in her 20s and a man in his 40s were taken to hospital for treatment following the attack between midnight and 00:20 in the Albert Road area of the city.

Officers said a takeaway and two car wing mirrors were also damaged.

A 22-year-old man from Plymouth was arrested on suspicion of assault, criminal damage and a public order offence and released under police investigation.

Daniel Clark
Local Democracy Reporting Service

Plans for a new link road that aims to cut congestion in Newton Abbot has been approved – and it could be built by 2021.

Teignbridge District Council planners on Tuesday morning unanimously gave the go-ahead for Devon County Council’s plans to build 2.5km of new road that will cut across from the A382 to the A383, through the Houghton Barton development area.

The proposed connection is considered "critical" in addressing the increase in traffic as a result of the proposed developments around Newton Abbot, particularly around Ashburton Road, Dyrons roundabout, Whitehills roundabout and Exeter Road, and will ensure that the Houghton Barton development can be delivered.

The road will have a 30mph speed limit and has an opening date of 2021 listed in the report.

Image source, Teignbridge District Council

Armed police were called to Exeter University over reports of a man with a gun making threats.

Lucy Wilson
BBC Radio Devon

Protesters against plans for a power plant in East Devon say a council's rejection of the scheme is a "milestone decision" that shows the authority is trying to cut carbon emissions.

East Devon councillors rejected the plans for 20 generators near Woodbury Business Park, external, near Exeter, which proposer Plutus Energy Limited said would provide additional power to nearby homes and businesses at peak times.

Campaigners against the plans said the system would be extremely harmful to the environment, pumping out 60,000 tonnes of carbon emissions a year.

Councillors said they were concerned the scheme went against the local plan and against the authority's declared climate emergency, external.

Tony Bennet, from Wild Woodbury, said the decision showed the council had a "really progressive approach to combating climate change" and "set a precedent for future judgments for the whole of the country, not just East Devon".

Plutus said the proposed development "was not a renewable technology, but an essential component in supporting the increase in renewable and low carbon energy".

Lucy Wilson
BBC Radio Devon

East Devon councillors have rejected plans for a power plant near Exeter.

Plutus Energy Limited had proposed building 20 generators near Woodbury Business Park, external in a bid to provide additional power to nearby homes and businesses at peak times.

Campaigners against the plans said the system would be extremely harmful to the environment, pumping out 60,000 tonnes of carbon emissions per year.

Before the meeting, Plutus had told the BBC the development was "not a renewable technology, but an essential component in supporting the increase in renewable and low carbon energy".

About 100 people attended the meeting which saw it turned down.

A planning report recommended approval of the scheme, with conditions. There were also suggestions the decision be deferred for further investigation.

However, councillors said they had heard enough to be concerned the scheme went against the local plan and against the authority's declared climate emergency, external.

Ten councillors refused it, while three voted for a deferral.

BBC Radio Devon

Torbay's MP says he hopes fire service bosses will take into account views from local people about plans to reduce night-time staffing at one fire station.

The plans to reduce staffing at the Paignton station is part of proposed cuts from Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service.

Fire bosses said the proposals were being considered because incidents had decreased by more than a third and they needed to bring an outdated service into the 21st Century.

A consultation is under way.

Conservative MP Kevin Foster has expressed his anger at planned fire cuts, saying that, while there had been advances in fire safety in recent years, basic fire cover was still needed.

Mr Foster added that he was hopeful that the service would listen to feedback from his constituents.

Campaigners are protesting on Tuesday at plans to reduce night-time staffing at Paignton Fire Station.

Andrew Segal
BBC South West

Image source, Bob Sharples

Cornwall was treated to a rare visit by a pair of British F-35B Lightning jets on Monday afternoon, the Royal Navy says.

The new jets, based in Norfolk, had been diverted to Helston's RNAS Culdrose and passed along the runway without touching down at about 14:00.

Operational trials with the F-35Bs on the navy’s new aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, was due to begin soon, the navy said.

RNAS Culdrose has aircraft and personnel embarked on HMS Queen Elizabeth, which is currently starting an exercise in the Atlantic.

The Cornwall air base has also provided a lot of facilities for the carrier's personnel to train to use its equipment on land before going to sea over the past couple of years.

Image source, Bob Sharples

BBC Radio Devon

Hundreds of people have turned up at a meeting looking at plans for a gas power station in rural East Devon.

If East Devon District Council approves the proposals on Wednesday, 20 generators could be installed near Woodbury Business Park, external, near Exeter, in a bid to provide additional power to nearby homes and businesses at peak times.

Campaigners against the plans said the system would be extremely harmful to the environment, pumping out 60,000 tonnes of carbon emissions per year.

Critic David Whitton said the plans could be "a travesty" for the area and that, if approved, "we will continue fighting".

Image source, Plutus Energy Limited

The company behind the application, Plutus Energy Limited, told the BBC "The proposed development is not a renewable technology, but an essential component in supporting the increase in renewable and low carbon energy. Sustainability is at the heart of the company’s operations."

East Devon District Council said it would not comment prior to a planning decision, but did highlight that a report recommended approval of the scheme, with conditions.

BBC Radio Devon

Torbay Hospital has been given new cancer detection equipment worth £1.3m by a local charity.

The Torbay Hospital League of Friends has provided the hospital with 34 brand new, high-definition endoscopes to the hospital’s endoscopy unit to support thousands of procedures a year.

Bosses said the equipment would help prevent, detect and diagnose a wide range of illnesses.

Daniel Clark
Local Democracy Reporting Service

Plans for a new £17m student flats complex in Exeter city centre have been unanimously refused by councillors.

A scheme for Walnut Gardens off St David’s Hill and Hele Road, would have seen the former BBC studio as well as Beech Hill House demolished.

In its place would have a five-storey block of student flats with a 166 bedspaces created, consisting of 138 student bedrooms within cluster flats, 19 self-contained studio flats and nine accessible studios.

A gym and a cinema were included as part of the plans that target the "mid to upper end" of the student market.

Crossland Student Development’s plans were recommended for approval at Monday night’s planning committee meeting, but councillors rounded on the scheme and rejected it on the grounds of scale and massing, the design of the building, and the imbalance it would have on the community.

Council leader Phil Bialyk said the university was "a very important part of the city", but he did not think the plans were "appropriate".

He said: "They need to go back and think again as what we don’t want is ghettoizing small communities and take them out of the hands of residents."

It is the second time an application for the site has been refused after planning officers earlier in the year rejected a larger scheme for the site that would have seen 192 bedspaces provided. An appeal has been lodged against that refusal.

Image source, Via LDRS

James Churchfield
BBC Radio Cornwall

A five-day archaeological dig near Truro has uncovered a 19th Century bone-crushing mill which would have been driven by the tide.

The crushed bones milled at Penpol, at Restronguet Creek, were used to help extract silver from lead at a nearby smelting works.

The mill operated alongside lead smelting works "which were certainly established in the creek by 1829", those involved said.

Archaeologist Nick Johnson said he and his colleagues learned a lot from the "fantastic find".

The dig, supervised and managed by the Cornwall Archaeological Unit, has been jointly funded by the Cornwall Heritage Trust, Cornwall Archaeological Society, Councillor Alvey’s Community Chest Fund and Feock Parish Council.

The site is to be covered up again.

Image source, Restronguet Creek Society

BBC Spotlight

Parents in East Devon say they fear for the safety of their children after being told they have to walk nearly three miles to school on an unlit country track going through farm yards.

They say the route is dangerous and transport should be provided for the journey from Black Horse to Clyst Vale Community College near Exeter.

Devon County Council maintains the route is safe.

BBC Radio Devon

In Kingsbridge, the A379 Cookworthy Road is blocked in both directions near South Hams Hospital due to an overturned tractor trailer carrying hay bales.

Police said the road was "impassable" and drivers should go via Sorley Cross and "expect delays".

Image source, Kingsbridge Police/Facebook

BBC Spotlight

Campaigners will protest on Tuesday at plans to reduce night-time staffing at Paignton Fire Station.

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service is consulting on plans for widespread cuts to services in the two counties.

Managers said it was because incidents had decreased by more than a third and they needed to bring an out-dated service "into the 21st Century".

Hayley Westcott
BBC News Online

An 18-year-old man is in hospital with "life-threatening" injuries after a crash on the A30 in Cornwall, police have said.

Officers were called to the single carriageway north east of the Chiverton Cross roundabout at the junction that leads to the A390 to Truro at about 23:15 on Monday.

The red car the man was driving was involved in a crash with a white panel van.

He was airlifted to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth where he remains in a "critical condition", officers said.

The road was shut for more than six hours while investigation work took place. It has since reopened.

Devon and Cornwall Police is appealing for witnesses.

Alex Osborne
BBC Weather

It'll be quite cloudy at times with a few scattered outbreaks of light rain or drizzle possible.

However, there should also be some brighter periods with the sun breaking through - with the best of the sunshine likely towards the south coast.

Light or moderate southwesterly winds will become fresher around the coast too.

Max temperature: 19C (66F).