Devon & Cornwall Live: As it happened

Derriford Hospital in Plymouth is on the highest level of alert - Level 4 -  which means hospital services are unable to cope with demand.

A hospital spokesman said: "This week has been even busier than we anticipated, largely due to the number of sick patients who are coming to our Emergency Department."

The hospital said there had been "a knock-on effect on the demand for beds within the entire hospital".

The Level 4 status was previously referred to as being 'on black alert'.

The Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro confirmed yesterday it had moved to Level 4 status.

A retired butcher from Cornwall says he was so bored and lonely when he shut his shop that he just had to reopen it. 

73 year old Ralph Michell - who ran the shop for decades at Calenick near Truro - was inspired by the story of the 89 year old man in Devon, Joe Bartley who put an ad out for work. He is now working at a cafe in Paignton.

BBCCopyright: BBC

It made him think, by comparison, he's a young man. So two years after the doors closed, he's back trading again.

Torquay United have signed striker Shaun Harrad and extended the loan of Exeter City forward Jamie Reid until the end of the season.

Harrad, 32, rejoins the Gulls after leaving Wrexham, subject to international clearance, having spent the second half of 2015-16 at Torquay.

Rex FeaturesCopyright: Rex Features

He comes in to replace Nathan Blissett, who is set to move to Plymouth Argyle, while Reid, 22, who moved to Plainmoor on loan in the summer, has scored three times in 26 National League games.

"I was delighted to get the call and be here to help the club progress up the league table," Harrad told BBC Sport. "I want to help us finish as high as possible, there are some talented players who came in here over the summer and we're looking to get some consistency into the performances to progress and get up that league table."

Harrad and Reid agree Torquay deals

Torquay United sign striker Shaun Harrad and extend the loan of Exeter City forward Jamie Reid until the end of the season.

Read more

A husband and wife found dead at a farmhouse in Devon have been named locally as Nicola and Michael Beck.

Their bodies were discovered at the farmhouse in countryside near Dunkerswell Abbey in the early hours of the morning.

Scenes of crime officers and search teams have been on site all day. Police are not looking for anybody else in connection with the bodies.

These knives were handed in at Falmouth Police Station yesterday.

It follows a knife amnesty that lasted for six days in November across Devon and Cornwall.

Falmouth PoliceCopyright: Falmouth Police

More than 200 knives were handed in across the force area.

The amnesty was prompted by legislation that banned the sale or importation of ‘zombie knives’.  

A belt of blank rifle cartridges, a glove, camouflage and knee pads have all been found by a walker on Dartmoor. 

They were found by Steve Granger near Doe Tor on the Willsworthy firing range in north Dartmoor on Wednesday. 

The MOD said: “We have collected the items found by Mr Granger. Before they begin training, all exercising personnel are reminded not to leave anything behind on Dartmoor and training area staff conduct sweeps to check for items left. 

"Military items being left on Dartmoor is therefore a rare occurrence but unfortunately items are occasionally missed. 

"We would therefore like to remind the public not to touch any items they find, as they may be dangerous. Anything found should be reported to 01837 657210 and will be safely removed by MOD personnel.”

Steve GrangerCopyright: Steve Granger

Shocking photos have been released of a St Blazey cat which was brutally attacked and left riddled by shotgun pellets. 

Gringo has had to have his leg amputated and needs more treatment. 

Sally's cat rescueCopyright: Sally's cat rescue

He arrived at Sally's Cat Rescue Centre in St Austell on 22 December with multiple injuries.

Well-wishers have raised more than a thousand pounds for his vets bills. 

Plymouth Argyle have signed Torquay United striker Nathan Blissett.

The Pilgrims have paid the Gulls an initial fee of £15,000 for the target man, the first player Argyle have paid a fee for since the summer of 2012.

Rex FeaturesCopyright: Rex Features

The 26-year-old has scored four goals for Torquay this season and scored eight times in 17 games last season as he helped the Gulls avoid relegation.

Blissett joined National League Torquay in January 2016, and signed a new deal at Plainmoor in the summer. Argyle has not disclosed the length of the former Bristol Rovers striker's contract.

Plymouth Argyle sign Torquay's Blissett

Plymouth Argyle have signed Torquay United striker Nathan Blissett for a £15,000 fee.

Read more

The price of food and goods from small businesses in Cornwall may increase because of a big rise in business rates in some parts of the county. 

Anne Vandermulen from the Federation of Small Businesses in Cornwall says shops and cafes may have to increase their prices or shed staff to be able to afford the rise in rates. 

BBCCopyright: BBC

In areas like St Ives and Wadebridge the rates will go up this year because of a reassessment based on the latest property prices.

In other towns such as Bodmin and Penzance they're expected to fall. 

Police say the driver of a lorry that partially overturned on a slip road near Bodmin this morning has been taken to Derriford Hospital with "very serious lower leg injuries".

The accident happened at about 09:00 this morning.

The lorry is partially resting on a railway bridge which is causing problems for the emergency services. A crane and other removal vehicles are on site.

There is major traffic congestion in the Bodmin area as a result of the crash, combined with roadworks at Temple and in the town centre.

Twitter/TruroWindowsCopyright: Twitter/TruroWindows

Residents have objected to plans to transform a former pub on one of Newquay's main roads into a four-storey block of flats.

• Police found the bodies of a man and a woman at a property in East Devon
• Officers attended the address in Dunkeswell at 23:40 on Wednesday
• The alarm was raised following concerns for the welfare of the man and woman
• The property remains sealed off and officers are still at the property
• Police are treating their deaths as "unexplained"
• No-one is being sought in connection with their deaths

BBCCopyright: BBC

• On the A392, St Columb Road is partially blocked and there's slow traffic near the entrance to the Atlantic Reach Holiday Resort junction, because of an accident involving a single lane
• One lane is closed and there's slow traffic on the A30 eastbound in Bodmin at Carminow Cross, because of an overturned lorry and barrier repairs
• On the A386 Tavistock Road in Plymouth the road is busy but traffic is moving in both directions at Derriford Roundabout

A search is on for relatives of two people named on memorial plaques found on a beach by a family who have lovingly restored them.

Penzance is "having a moment" according to the New York Times who place the town 14th on its '52 places to go in 2017' list.

The author David Shaftel writes "Penzance, the Cornish port town in the southwest of England is having a moment thanks to the popularity of 'Poldark', the BBC costume drama set in 18th-century Cornwall".

BBCCopyright: BBC

The article recommends visiting the Jubilee Pool, as well as some local accommodation and restaurants.

Canada tops the list, with the Atacama Desert in Chile in second place.

A jobs freeze is being introduced by Devon County Council to manage a projected budget overspend.