Millicent Cooke
BBC News Online

The RSPCA has urged the public to report "bad owners" after more than 100 animals were kept in squalid conditions by a couple who had been banned from owning dogs.

Jonathan Champion, 46, and Amanda Miles, 45, from Callington, admitted breaching an existing ban, along with further offences relating to dogs, cats, and birds in their care.

The animal welfare charity said it had been contacted by a member of the public in September 2018 who raised concerns for animals that were in their care.

Image source, RSPCA

RSPCA inspector Claire Ryder said: “We depend on the public to be our eyes and ears and we take breaches of bans very seriously - as do the courts.”

Seven dogs, four cats, and 93 birds were removed after they were discovered in filthy conditions.

Champion was jailed for eight weeks, while Miles received an eight-week suspended sentence at Bodmin Magistrates Court.

The couple were already banned from keeping dogs for life at Truro Crown Court in 2016.

Image source, RSPCA

A 23-year-old man has been rescued from under a bus in Plymouth city centre, police have said.

The male pedestrian was freed from under the vehicle by the fire service.

He has a hip injury and minor injuries to his head and arms.

He has been taken to Derriford Hospital.

Exeter Street, outbound, remains closed - traffic is being directed down Sutton Road.

Emergency services were called to the road at 16:40 following reports a cyclist had been injured.

A Plymouth road has been closed after a crash between a cyclist and a bus.

The cyclist's condition is not known.

BBC Radio Cornwall

Volunteers have battled stormy conditions to rescue a porpoise which got stranded on a beach in St Ives.

The animal was found on Porthmeor Beach by members of the public on Sunday.

They kept it wet until marine mammal medics could reach the scene.

Conditions were too rough to refloat the porpoise there so it was taken to the harbour where it eventually swam out to sea.

Image source, Daisy Salmon

Sarah Ransome
BBC Radio 5 live

Investigators have found the flight data recorders from an Ethiopian Airlines plane that crashed on Sunday.

The plane was en route from Addis Ababa to the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, when it crashed six minutes after take-off, killing all 157 people on board.

Joanna Toole, a 36-year-old from Exmouth, Devon, and Sarah Auffret, a University of Plymouth graduate died in the crash.

The University of Plymouth said: "The university was deeply saddened to learn of the tragic death of Sarah Auffret over the weekend and sends its deepest condolences to her family and friends.

"Sarah was an exemplary student who fully embraced university life and took every opportunity to develop herself while she was here.

"She is remembered as someone who had a passion for learning about Europe and a strong moral compass.

"In her role at the Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators, Sarah had also met several of the university's leading scientists at the Arctic Frontiers conference in Tromso this year. They, like many others in the audience, had been deeply impressed with her presentation on plastic pollution and her evident passion for the planet."

Image source, AECO/PA

• Boeing faces questions after crash
• 'No survivors' in Ethiopia plane crash
• What is the Boeing 737 Max-8 aircraft?
• Air disasters timeline

BBC Radio Devon

Plans to build a multimillion-pound high-rise development on Torquay Harbour has been rejected by planners.

Last year the Save Carey Green campaign succeeded in getting a judicial review of plans for an 11-storey block of flats and a five-storey hotel.

The scheme was rejected by planners today after council officers said the developer had failed to come up with enough evidence to justify the scheme.

HMS Argyll responded to a distress call from a container ship off the French coast.

BBC Radio Cornwall

A demonstration is under way at Royal Cornwall Hospital by employees of the outsourcing company Mitie.

Staff from the hospital at Treliske, Truro, say they want a pay rise and similar working conditions to those employed by the NHS.

In a statement Mitie said: "Our team provide a valuable service at Royal Cornwall Hospital.

"We have been pushing for a pay increase for our staff but we can only do this with support from the trust."

Image source, @unionrepping

The firm took over the so-called "hotel services" which includes cleaning, portering and security in a seven-year contract that started in 2015.

At a similar protest in August one employee told the BBC that he earned £1 above the minimum wage when he was employed by the NHS, but that figure now stands at 3p under with the Mitie contract.

A spokesperson for the Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust said the hospital was "aware of the pay issue Mitie staff have been trying to resolve with their employer", adding that Mitie "holds the contractual obligation in relation to all aspects of the terms and conditions of employment, including the rates of pay for its staff".

Thousands of soldiers left from the Helford River in Cornwall for the invasion in northern France.

Daniel Clark
Local Democracy Reporting Service

A new primary school on the edge of Exeter will have "unlimited aspirations which embrace technology as part of everyday teaching".

Known as Digital Primary Academy Monkerton, the newly-built primary school and nursery for children between the ages of three and 11 would have a total of 480 students in the primary school and an additional 60 in the nursery.

A formal planning application for the school, which forms a key part of the Monkerton and Hill Barton Masterplan, where 2,500 new homes will be built, has now been submitted to Exeter City Council planners.

The school would form part of the Cornerstone Academy Trust, who are already responsible for Broadclyst Primary School, Westclyst Primary School and Monkerton Community Primary School.

It would be built on a site that sits between St Luke’s Science and Sport College playing fields and private homes adjacent to Cumberland Way with Hollow Lane to the south.

Gemma Taylor
BBC Radio Cornwall

A five-week walk from Land's End to London to raise awareness about climate change got under way earlier.

Those taking part say they don't believe the government is doing enough to tackle global warning.

They will join forces with groups from around the UK to converge on Westminster for a march on 15 April.

Environmental scientist Tom Gurtz was with the walkers.

He said if we "all stand up and say we are prepared to make changes then we can create a world that is safe."

The government has previously said the UK leads the world in tackling climate change and remains committed to tackling the effects of a changing climate on the country.

Ed Oldfield
Local Democracy Reporting Service

Travellers on the Tamar Bridge - which connects Devon and Cornwall - could be facing 18 months of disruption.

The walking and cycle route across the bridge will be closed for a year as a result of major repairs due to start in April followed by six months of work to resurface the carriageways.

Image source, LDRS

A minibus shuttle service will operate every 15-20 minutes for pedestrians and cyclists, with a trailer to carry bikes.

The route used by cyclists and pedestrians is due to be repaired first then used by vehicles during the rest of the scheme.

A report to the joint committee of Plymouth and Cornwall councillors which oversees the bridge and Torpoint Ferry service said there would be four lanes open for traffic during the work but warned of disruption.

It said: "Based on previous experience it is expected there will be some congestion and delays to motorists."

Plymouth Live

Plymouth University has paid tribute to one of its former students, Sarah Auffret, who was killed when an Ethiopian Airlines flight crashed at the weekend., external

A 34-year-old man from Totnes who went missing on Friday has been found safe an well, according to Devon and Cornwall Police.

British national Joanna Toole was one of 157 people killed in the Ethiopian Airlines crash.

Truro City manager Leigh Robinson says the club's new owners must invest in the infrastructure at the National League South side.

Johanna Carr
BBC News Online

People are being offered the chance to get rid of their unwanted weapons in a knife amnesty across Devon and Cornwall.

Knives of any description can be disposed of including illegal lock knives and “zombie” knives, samurai swords, kitchen knives, unwanted collectibles, replicas and ceremonial items.

The week is part of the ongoing national project, Operation Sceptre, external, which aims to reduce knife crime.

Most police stations or enquiry offices which are open to the public will have collection bins but people are urged to check opening times on the police website, external.

Supt Jeremy Capey said: “Carrying a knife is illegal and incredibly dangerous."

The maximum penalty for an adult carrying a knife is four years in prison and an unlimited fine.

Cornish Stuff

Councillor Sue James had been voted out of Cornwall Council cabinet by her own party, external.

Johanna Carr
BBC News Online

Police are concerned about a 34-year-old man who was last seen in the Totnes Jobcentre on Friday afternoon.

Devon and Cornwall Police is appealing for anyone with information about Anthony McKenzie's whereabouts to come forward.

The force said Mr McKenzie, who was last seen at 14:00, is about 5 ft 6 inches (1.7m) with a medium build and may have facial hair.

Image source, Devon and Cornwall Police