The first chunk of the 210ft mass of congealed fat in Sidmouth is removed by clearance teams.

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The judge says it was shocking that it was "as easy as walking out of a holiday camp".

Amy Gladwell
BBC News Online

The owner of a stolen bicycle found it by chance in a house he was visiting to test ride a replacement.

Obinna Edeji saw his bike in the hallway of a house in Musgrave Road, Exeter, when he went there in response to a Facebook 'for sale' ad.

Drug addict John Fairer, 32, of Smythen Street in the city admitted handling stolen goods and supplying cocaine at Exeter Crown Court.

He was jailed for two years.

Fairer was selling the bicycle on behalf of two friends who had stolen it from a rack at Exeter University using an angle grinder in August.

Mr Edeji called the police and it was recovered, although various accessories had already been removed.

Image source, Devon & Cornwall Police

Fairer also fell foul of a police sting operation in which he acted as runner for a County Lines drug gang and delivered a wrap of crack to an undercover officer on the banks of the River Exe in Exeter.

Mr Barry White, defending, said Fairer's drug dealing was at the lowest possible level and he had not been involved in the actual theft of the bicycle.

Premiership Rugby wants "crucial" discussions with the RFU on the future competition structure of the professional club game in England.

A man in his 80s was knocked to the floor by teenagers throwing snowballs, police said.

Police in Callington have been told the man was first shouted at by the group of teenagers on Liskeard Road on Thursday between 16:00 and 18:00.

The group then threw snowballs which knocked the man to the ground.

A member of the public is believed to have stopped to help the man and took him home.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact the police on 101.

Image source, Google

The people of Ottery St Mary provided a house and furnishings, and organised work and schools for the family of five.

Image source, GOONHILLY EARTH STATION

Two UK space companies have joined forces to develop rocket launch technology.

Shetland Space Centre (SSC) and Goonhilly Earth Station in Cornwall have signed a memorandum of understanding committing them to work together on a range of projects as the UK's space sector flourishes.

Projects include supporting both Shetland's and Cornwall's aspirations for vertical and horizontal UK space launches. In horizontal launches, projectiles take off in a similar way a plane does from a runway.

Frank Strang, chief executive of SSC, said: "As soon as we met the team from Goonhilly, we all recognised that there are potentially huge benefits from collaborating. We have a shared drive and determination to increase the footprint of the UK space industry from launches on UK soil to a huge range of ground station activities."

Ian Jones, chief executive of Goonhilly, said: "We're really looking forward to working with the Shetland Space Centre team at this hugely exciting time in the development of UK launch activity."

The firms will jointly promote and deliver launch, monitoring and tracking capabilities from the two sites.

Two Cornish miners made the discovery in an Australian field 150 years ago.

Brent Pilnick
BBC Sport

Cornish Pirates will face high-flying Ealing in the semi-finals of the Championship Cup.

Image source, Brian Tempest

The Pirates, who beat Jersey 17-13 at the weekend, will travel to west London on Sunday 24 February.

Alan Paver and Gavin Cattle's side would meet either league leaders London Irish or Yorkshire Carnegie in the final on 4 May if they are able to get past Ealing.

Police in Callington say they have had reports of verbal abuse and objects being thrown at elderly people.

Chris Ellis
BBC News Online

Police are appealing for any sightings of a man, believed to be lost, in west Cornwall.

The man, believed to be in his 70s, visited a home in Beacon View Park, Illogan, on Monday, and said he was lost and could not remember his name. He left the property on foot, police said.

“The man was also reportedly seen on Merritt’s Hill at about 21:30. Other local residents also saw the man at the time, but no further reports have been received," a police spokesman said.

The man is described as white, about 75 years old, 5ft 7 inches (1.7m) tall, slim build with grey hair and a small grey beard. He was wearing a grey coloured jumper.

“This person may have already returned home and be safe, however we can’t confirm that at this time and are keen to check on his welfare," police added.

Former Bugler Garth Wright, 99, had been described as the "grandfather of Plymouth".

Rob Byrne
BBC News Online

HMV's Plymouth store at Drake Circus, Exeter's Princesshay outlet and Guernsey's HMV store are among the 27 stores closing across the British Isles, administrators KPMG have confirmed.

The closures will result in a total of 455 redundancies.

About 1,500 jobs have been saved at the music retailer after a Canadian company bought 100 of its shops.

HMV collapsed in December, its second administration in six years, risking 2,200 jobs at 125 stores.

BBC Radio Devon

Image source, NHS

A centre which aims to help people who have been sexually assaulted officially opens in Plymouth later.

The new Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC), based at Hawthorn House, will provide people who have experienced sexual assault with immediate medical care, the opportunity to have a forensic medical examination, access to crisis workers, and onward referral to counselling services.

It's hoped the facility will encourage more victims to come forward - as health bosses say referrals for rape and sexual assault have been historically low in the city.

BBC Radio Devon

• At Kennford, on the A38 Plymouth-bound, there are reports of an accident
• At Upexe, the A396 is partially blocked near the pub due to a broken-down vehicle

Hayley Westcott
BBC News Online

A 20-year-old man has been charged in connection with a robbery at a shop in Camborne, police have said.

The man was arrested along with two other people after the incident at the Beacon Stores shop on Fore Street at about 12:45 on Thursday.

He has been charged with robbery, being in possession of a bladed article in public, and threatening a person with a bladed article, officers said.

The other two suspects - a man aged 34 and a woman aged 32 - have since been released under investigation pending further inquiries.

Image source, Google

Hayley Westcott
BBC News Online

Devon and Cornwall Police is warning drivers to check their car lights are "fully working" as "very thick fog" affects Devon and Cornwall.

Officers added it's important to keep distance between vehicles.

Image source, @dave_sgt