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

Designer Molly Allen, 21, is developing a snakeskin fashion range that defies killing the reptiles.

A judge gives three men suspended sentences because it takes so long for the case to get to court.

Bee Tucker
BBC Weather

A dry Wednesday evening and overnight period is set to follow, with clearer spells. Where the winds fall light, a few mist patches may develop too.

Minimum temperature: 8 to 11C (46 to 52F).

Image source, b

Dry and bright for most places on Thursday, with some decent spells of sunshine.

A few showers are possible, but these should generally be well-scattered.

Maximum temperature: 20 to 23C (68 to 73F).

Jenny Walrond
Health Correspondent, BBC Spotlight

The family of a former Cornish pub landlord has received a six-figure payout after a three-and-a-half year delay in diagnosing his kidney cancer.

Charles Herbert, from Helford, was admitted to the Royal Cornwall Hospital near Truro after a fall.

Scan results indicated there could be a tumour in his left kidney but the results were not properly reviewed immediately.

The cancer showed up on a scan taken in 2011 but he was not told about it until 2015, by which time it was incurable. He died in November 2016, aged, 61.

The family's lawyer, James Pink, from Irwin Mitchell Solicitors, said lessons must be learned as it was "incredibly worrying" the original scan results were not acted upon at an earlier opportunity.

In a statement, the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust has apologised for the shortcomings in Mr Herbert's care and said it regretted the missed opportunity to diagnose his cancer in 2011.

Image source, Handout

Andrew Segal
BBC South West

Image source, Bloodhound LSR

Do you remember the Bloodhound supersonic car which was tested in Cornwall?

It underwent slow-speed trials at Newquay Airport.

Well, we say slow, but it was still 200mph (320 km/h) during its runs there in October 2017.

Well, as world land speed record holder Andy Green is telling anyone who feels the need for speed, Bloodhound "is going to the desert this year" in the next stage of attempts to see if it can beat the existing land speed world record of 763mph (1,228 km/h).

Bloodhound will touch down in South Africa in the middle of October for three to four weeks of "high speed testing" on a dry lake-bed track at Hakskeenpan in South Africa.

This high-speed testing is a key part of getting ready for an attempt at a new 800mph+ Land Speed Record next year.

You can read Andy Green's latest diary entry about it here.

Daniel Clark
Local Democracy Reporting Service

Calls have been made for an independent investigation after East Devon District Council’s chief executive allegedly told developers to appeal his own council’s refusal of planning permission for the Sidford Business Park.

In 2018, East Devon District Council, on the grounds of harm to highway safety, relating to increased heavy goods vehicle usage of the area’s narrow roads, refused the plans for land, currently used for agriculture, in the village of Sidford.

A larger scheme submitted by the applicants was rejected previously by the council in 2016.

Applicants Tim and Mike Ford challenged the 2018 refusal by the council and three days of arguments for and against the development took place in July.

Image source, LDRS

At the planning inquiry though, Richard Kimblin QC, on behalf of the applicants OG Holdings Retirement Benefit Scheme, and Joseph Marchant, their planning agent, said that following the refusal of the 2016 scheme, Mark Williams, the council’s chief executive, advised them they should appeal.

The claims, made both in writing and verbally, were unchallenged by East Devon District Council during the inquiry.

Mr Kimblin's final closing arguments at the inquiry said: "After the 2016 application was refused, there was a meeting with Councillor Stuart Hughes and the CEO of the council. The CEO advised that the way to progress was to appeal. That is an extraordinary state of affairs."

East Devon District Council told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that Mr Williams "did not advise the appellant of anything" but "expressed the view that there were ... three potential options open to the applicants: resubmit with changes to the proposed scheme; appeal the decision; or walk away from the site".

A decision on whether to allow the appeal to allow the plans for 8,445sqm of employment space built on the outskirts of the village is set to be made by the autumn.

Sean Coughlan
BBC News, education correspondent

GSM London, one of the biggest private higher education providers in England, has gone into administration - and will stop teaching students in September.

The college says it has not been able to "recruit and retain sufficient numbers of students to generate enough revenue to be sustainable".

It teaches about 3,500 students - with degree courses validated by the University of Plymouth.

The college, based in Greenwich and Greenford, says 247 jobs are at risk.

River samples are being taken from a Devon river after dead fish were spotted by a member of the public.

The Environment Agency is investigating the pollution in the River Mole, near South Molton.

Image source, PA Media

A man accused of trying to steal the original Magna Carta has pleaded not guilty in court.

Mark Royden, 46, from St Margaret’s Street in Canterbury is accused of attempting to steal Magna Carta from Salisbury Cathedral and of causing criminal damage to the glass case where it’s kept on public display.

It’s alleged on 25 October last year, Mr Royden used a hammer to try to break into the case. The document wasn’t damaged and no-one was injured. The cost of replacing the case was more than £14,500.

In his second court appearance at Winchester Crown Court, Her Honour Judge Evans told Mr Royden, who used to live in Ilfracombe, Devon, he would stand trial next year.

He’s been released on bail until his next court appearance in October and been ordered not to enter Salisbury Cathedral or the cathedral close.

Magna Carta is priceless - one of Britain’s most influential legal documents. It’s a charter of rights agreed by King John in the year 1215.

The suspected thief took refuge on some rocks before being helped by the local lifeboat team.

Johnny Mercer has given up a role that paid him £85,000 a year for 20 hours' work a month.

Donna Birrell
BBC Radio Cornwall

Police investigating the death of a man whose body was found on a road in Cornwall are trying to trace witnesses who may have seen a particular car.

The 31-year-old's body was found dead beside the B3267 at St Teath at about 01:20 on Sunday.

Devon and Cornwall Police said they were keen to speak to anyone who may have seen a sapphire blue three-door Peugeot 206 travelling in the area between Saturday night and the the early hours of Sunday.

A 39-year-old man from the area was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and failure to stop a vehicle. He was later released, pending inquiries.

The Bugaled Breizh sank 14 miles off Cornwall in January 2004, killing its five-strong crew.

Andrew Segal
BBC South West

A final inquest hearing into the deaths of two French fishermen is to be held 15 years after the vessel sank off Cornwall.

The five-strong crew of the Bugaled Breizh drowned when it sank 14 miles off the Lizard peninsula in January 2004.

At a pre-inquest hearing in Truro, Acting Chief Coroner for Cornwall Andrew Cox said the central issue was still to determine how the vessel sank and the “case needs the pressure putting on”.

He said the hearing would consider four options, including whether a submarine was involved, or if there had been a fishing accident.

The two-week hearing into the deaths of Pascal Le Floch and Yves Gloaguen has been listed to start on 25 November.

Image source, AFP

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Exeter Chiefs sign lock Jannes Kirsten from South African side the Blue Bulls on a one-year deal.

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Hayley Westcott
BBC News Online

A car was completely damaged by fire in Plymouth, a fire service has said.

Crews were called to Blunts Lane at about 21:20 on Tuesday.

The cause of the fire is still being investigated, Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said.

Image source, Google

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Poor visibility at Land's End means flights are currently on hold between Land's End and the Isle of Scilly.