Devon & Cornwall Live: As it happened

We'll see rain clear away to the north-east tonight, leaving mostly dry conditions overnight and some clearer spells. It'll be very windy at first, though the winds will slowly ease overnight. Minimum temperature: 3C (37F).

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Thursday will be largely fine and dry, though some may see an isolated shower at first. However, the skies will gradually turn cloudy through the afternoon, accompanied by strengthening winds for a time. Maximum temperature: 11C (52F).

Holmes creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has, of course, several famous Devon links - not least of all The Hound of the Baskervilles, arguably his most famous story, being set on Dartmoor.

But Doyle himself was also a frequent visitor to the county, and even practiced medicine in Plymouth. He lived in Elliot Terrace on the Hoe while working in Durnford Street in the early 1880s.

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Banded mongooses may fight against each other in gangs, but, intriguingly, pregnant females are less likely to lose their litters after such conflicts, according to scientists at the University of Exeter.

Researchers, who studied a population of banded mongooses in Uganda, found that "females were significantly less likely to abort their litter if their group was involved in a fight with another group during gestation".

Lead author Dr Faye Thompson, from the university's Penryn campus in Cornwall, admitted it was a "puzzling result".

She said: "Pregnant females could be finding some way to maintain their pregnancy, perhaps to offset mortality from fighting and make their group bigger and more competitive in the future."

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A house which is believed to be made of cob has collapsed near Kenton in east Devon.

No one is thought to have been hurt in the incident in South Town, but it has caused problems on the A379, which goes past it.

Scaffolding has been put in place to try and stabilise the rest of the structure. 

The building material sees earth mixed with water, sand and straw.

The management of Jubilee Pool in Penzance has been transferred from Cornwall Council to what's being called a "community benefit society". 

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The Friends of Jubilee Pool welcomed the move, saying the new society would operate it "on the community's behalf and ensure it is an affordable amenity for one and all".

Although the society will include a representative from Cornwall Council and Penzance Town Council on its governing board, it is not certain what the town council's full involvement will be in terms of funding or management.

It was reported in January that the town council was increasing its council tax precept by almost 50% to fund the pool, as well as public toilets, parks and public spaces.

Nigel Pengelly, vice chairman of the finance committee for Penzance Town Council, said the authority wished the pool "every success in the future and it's good to secure such an iconic building in Penzance for future generations to come".

The Friends of Jubilee Pool said the council was expected to handle funding raised through council tax, but that the pool also had the potential to finance itself.

Devon and Cornwall Police being left with a £20m hole in their budget after losing a legal battle with supermarket giant Morrisons is a significant setback for the force. 

The retailer had signed a contract in 2012 to build a major new store on land at police headquarters, at Middlemoor in Exeter. But Morrisons failed to begin building work on its store, triggering a legal battle, which the retailer won. 

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The money was earmarked to build a new police station and custody suite at Middlemoor, replacing the ageing Heavitree Road police station in the city centre.

Senior officers are facing more budget cuts this year, on top of six years of large spending reductions.

Another sizeable hole in their accounts will only add to their financial worries.

Police searching for a missing woman in Dartmouth have found a body in public toilets.

A 35-year-old woman was reported missing last night.

Emergency services were called to Coronation Park at about 10:00 where a woman was pronounced deceased at the scene after paramedics were unable to revive her. 

Police said the woman's next of kin had been informed. A cordon is in place while scenes of crime officers carry out inquiries.

Harry MarshallCopyright: Harry Marshall

Banded mongooses may fight against each other in gangs, but sometimes males and females from opposing groups will mate with each other, according to scientists at the University of Exeter.

Researchers, who studied a population of banded mongooses in Uganda, said rival packs "all rush forward and fighting breaks out, with some individuals chasing each other into bushes".

However, despite the occasional mating by members of rivals gangs, lead author Dr Faye Thompson, from the university's Penryn campus in Cornwall, said: "The fighting is costly to both individuals and groups. Individuals are more likely to die and litters are less likely to survive to emergence if their group is involved in an aggressive encounter with a rival."

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A fire at a recycling centre in Exeter is not believed to be suspicious, firefighters say . 

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said it was alerted to the fire in Exton Road, in the Marsh Barton area, at about 09:10. 

Two fire crews put out the blaze in a "large refuse skip". Witnesses nearby reported large plumes of smoke.

The number of children in Cornwall getting their first choice of secondary school has fallen slightly from last year. 

Cornwall Council said 97.8% of children would be going to their first choice school in September this year, compared with nearly 99% last year.

A care home in Penzance housing people who have dementia, as well as physical and mental health problems, has been rated as inadequate overall by the Care Quality Commission. 

Tolverth House, owned by Vijay Enterprises, accommodates up to 14 people. The report said the home was not safe because proper rules on recruiting staff were not being followed and the manager had too little time to spend at Tolverth because he was also managing another home 100 miles away. 

Inspectors said although the home was generally clean, there was a strong smell of cat urine in the building. 

Residents and their relatives were positive about the staff - most saying they were friendly and caring. But the report said allegations of abuse had not been properly investigated or followed up.

Stonehouse Barracks is to be transformed into 400 new homes and a high-quality hotel, according to the proposed blueprint for future development in Plymouth.

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A flood alert has been issued by the Environment Agency for the north Devon coast.

The alert means people should "be prepared".

The agency said flooding was possible for coastal and tidal areas between Hartland Point and Lynmouth, including the Taw Torridge Estuary, over the high tide on Wednesday evening. 

Low-lying coastal land and roads would be affected first, it added.

More rubbish has been discovered in Idless woods, near Truro.

I found metal, wood and what looked like asbestos sheeting dumped in the area when I was out there yesterday evening.

Cornwall Council said it was doing its best to tackle the problem, including using number plate recognition cameras that work in the dark.

More than 20 tyres on several vehicles have been damaged overnight in Torpoint in Cornwall, police say.

Torpoint Police said on Facebook  a sharp implement was used to "maliciously pierce the tyre wall, rendering them useless" in the Trevithick Avenue area of the town. 

Officers have appealed for witnesses, asking if anyone heard "anything suspicious between 22:00 last night and 04:00 this morning".

Anyone living in the Great Park area should also check their vehicles for any sign of damage, they added.

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A search for a missing woman led by Avon and Somerset Police has found her car in north Devon, officers say .

Twenty-six-year-old Lauren Philips has not been seen since Thursday 23 February, and failed to turn up to work in Bristol on Sunday. Officers said they were concerned for her welfare.

Police from the Devon and Cornwall force, a police helicopter, coastguards and the RNLI and the National Police Air Service have also been assisting in the search. Her car was located in Woolacombe on Tuesday.

Police said: "We’re particularly keen for bed & breakfast owners or hoteliers in and around the Woolacombe area to check whether she has booked in with them."

Gang warfare is not unique to humans, apparently banded mongooses do it too, according to scientists at the University of Exeter 

Researchers, who studied a population of banded mongooses in Uganda, said the causes of the ferocious fights were most common when females were receptive to breeding and when there was competition over food and territory. 

The fights often led to serious injury and even death. During conflicts, individuals raided dens and killed the pups of their neighbours, as well as males and females of rival groups mating with each other.

Lead author Dr Faye Thompson, from the university's Penryn campus in Cornwall, said: "These fights are very chaotic, with 20 or 30 mongooses on each side arranged in battle lines."

A Devon primary school has been closed after an outbreak of sickness and diarrhoea which has affected more than a fifth of its pupils, a council says.

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Devon County Council said Bovey Tracey Primary School would be shut on Wednesday and Thursday after 67 pupils and six members of staff - including the head teacher contracted the illness. The school has 294 students.

Deputy head Becky Forrest said: "We have been taking advice from Public Health on how to deal with this and we have ordered a deep clean of the premises from our contractors."