BBC Devon & Cornwall Live: 21 August 2019

One person has been injured after a car and a caravan flipped over on the A380 between Exeter and Newton Abbot.

The caravan ended up one side of the carriageway at Ideford Dip, the car on the other side.

The southbound carriageway is currently closed and expected to remain so for the next couple of hours.

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Cyclists using one of Cornwall's busiest bicycle trails could be fined for riding bikes dangerously or carelessly, police have warned.

Local people in Wadebridge have complained of near-misses between cyclists with pedestrians and vehicles as the Camel Trail passes through the town, officers said.

Sgt Sue Honeywill, Devon and Cornwall Police neighbourhood team leader for Bodmin and Wadebridge, said people had been "really reporting their concerns", particularly in Wadebridge town centre because of "how busy it is".

The trail goes along a disused railway line between Wenfordbridge, Bodmin, Wadebridge and Padstow.

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Police are appealing for information after an elderly couple were confronted by two masked men in their house in Torquay and more than £50,000 of gold jewellery was stolen.

It happened in the Livermead area of the town at about 23:30 on 10 August.

The men were wearing black masks covering the bottom of their faces.

Both are described as dark-skinned with English accents, but they were able to speak in another language "similar to Urdu".

Detectives said they believed the burglary was linked to a series of similar offences across the region.

A homeless charity in Exeter has been awarded £17,000 to provide "crucial rough sleeper survival" services.

St Petrock's was given the grant by the Antonio Carluccio Foundation to provide, food, warmth and rest to people who have nowhere else to go.

The kitchen volunteers made nearly 10,000 meals last year.

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Three people were rescued by the RNLI after their speedboat had engine problems.

The 16ft speedboat was towed back to Looe at about 21:00 on Tuesday from its position one mile south of Millendreath.

The speedboat did not have navigation lights, which made it difficult for lifeboat crews to spot it in the fading light.

The boat was recovered onto a trailer, and no injuries were reported, the charity said.

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Police in Devon made a snappy response to reports of a "little crocodile" seen in a "swamp" by a dog walker.

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Officers found what was thought to be the creature in water in Loddiswell, near Kingsbridge, but discovered it was just a plastic facsimile of a reptile.

An image of the suspected croc was first posted on the Spotted Kingsbridge page on Facebook.

The post, accompanied with a picture, read: "Little crocodile seen at Woodleigh whilst walking the dogs".

Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed officers were called at about 09:00 on Wednesday to "reports of what looked like a crocodile in a swamp".

Police call handler Lisa Burnett tweeted about the croc as an "interesting log".

In October 2014, police and wildlife experts were called to a garden in Plymouth after reports of a crocodile.

A team from Dartmoor Zoo attended the scene with snare poles, nets and riot shields - only to discover that the crocodile was an inflatable.

Plymouth City Council has been encouraging children to take part in "safer adrenaline-based activities", and away from tombstoning.

In the third year of the campaign, youngsters have been pushed towards hobbies such as coasteering and slacklining as alternatives.

Tombstoning involves jumping off cliffs, piers, or harbour walls into water, but the dangers are increased with tide depths changing and objects hidden beneath the surface moving constantly.

It is currently legal, but by-laws have been created on some bridges to prevent jumping.

Quote Message: Tombstoning can be very dangerous and risks include death or life-changing injuries, submerged objects such as rocks which may not be visible, and the shock of cold water can make it difficult to swim. It may also be difficult to get out of the water, and strong currents can rapidly sweep people away." from Councillor Sally Haydon Plymouth County Council

Tombstoning can be very dangerous and risks include death or life-changing injuries, submerged objects such as rocks which may not be visible, and the shock of cold water can make it difficult to swim. It may also be difficult to get out of the water, and strong currents can rapidly sweep people away."

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Cornwall Council and its contractor, Cormac, have dismissed complaints about a road which was resurfaced despite claims that a loose chipping smashed a woman’s car window.

Works to resurface Vogue Terrace in St Day started at the end of 2018 but residents of the road say their lives have been plagued by the loose chippings and dust ever since.

Resident Nadia Dell said: “I don’t like living here anymore – my car is covered in dust all the time and the dust is coming into my house.

“One of the chippings smashed the back window of my car and I am now waiting to see if the council and Cormac will cover the cost of the repairs.

“It seems to me that they haven’t completed the work properly. They just seemed to have come here and left all these loose chippings.”

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In a statement Cornwall Council said: “Cormac carried out a surface dressing treatment on this section of road as part of Cornwall Council’s 2019 maintenance programme.

"Signs are in place advising of loose chippings and a maximum speed limit of 20mph.

“Following a complaint by a local resident, we inspected the section and no defects have been identified,” it added.

Nearly 200 people have objected to plans for a new gas-fired power station in Devon, saying it contradicts the climate emergency which has just been declared in the area.

A company called Sage Power wants to build the power station at Heathfield, just next to the A38.

It says the station won't run all the time, but will come on when there are shortages of power; and this will help the transition to a low carbon energy system.

But many disagree - including Mike Barron who lives nearby...

Quote Message: If Teignbridge Council is minded to pass this, then they ought to stand up and be counted, because they've declared a climate emergency, they haven't actually proved that this power station is needed. I just think that they should totally and completely reject it. from Mike Barron Local resident

If Teignbridge Council is minded to pass this, then they ought to stand up and be counted, because they've declared a climate emergency, they haven't actually proved that this power station is needed. I just think that they should totally and completely reject it.

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About £2.7m is set to be be spent on renovating the historic Barbican ahead of the Mayflower 400 celebrations in 2020.

The idea is to ensure the historic cobbled streets are in perfect condition by the time the commemorations take place next September, marking the anniversary of the Mayflower’s pioneering voyage which brought Pilgrim Fathers to America in 1620.

Plymouth City Council said the work would include tackling cracked pavements, re-laying cobbles, and fixing pot holes.

Controversial plans for an employment site in Sidford have been given the go-ahead by a government planning inspector despite objections from the local council.

There was a three-day public inquiry into the plans last month.

East Devon District Council told the inquiry it was concerned about the number of heavy goods vehicles accessing the site and the impact on safety.

But the inspector concluded that there were significant benefits that outweigh the increase in lorries.

The council said it was "very disappointed".

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South West Water is facing significant challenges with climate change and the increasing demand for supply, bosses say.

Thousands of new homes are being built in the South West every year, while the population expands over the summer with tourists.

According to the company's head of water resources, Rob Scarrott, the "very high demands" over the summer grows by as much as 30%.

Wimbleball Reservoir on Exmoor is refilled in the winter months by pumping water from downstream to ensure it's full for the summer.

Mr Scarrot said that climate change and population growth would affect water supplies in the coming decades.

"The environment is going to look quite different that what we have today, and we need to plan for that," he said.

However, he added that the company planned 25 years in advance and was "confident" that it had the plans in place for this period.

South West Water provides water and sewerage services to Devon and Cornwall, plus small parts of Dorset and Somerset.

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Local residents have paid for a new gate in an attempt to prevent travellers returning to a popular open space near Torquay seafront.

Work has been carried out to install a metal barrier and shore up earth banks alongside Ilsham Green.

A group of travellers drove onto the land near Meadfoot Beach and spent about a week there at the end of June.

Another group later occupied land nearby at Ilsham Marine Drive.

Wellswood Conservative councillor James O’Dwyer said the work had been paid for by residents in consultation with landowner Torbay Council and the local community partnership.

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Cllr O’Dwyer said a freeze on non-budgeted spending meant the council had been unable to provide funding.

He said: “This came about because some travellers went onto the green at the beginning of the summer.

“There had been a gate which was removed a number of years ago. This is a replacement to make it harder should people try to go onto public land.”

Torbay Council confirmed it had given permission for the gate to be installed on its land.

The council has reported groups of travellers this week at Clennon Valley and the overflow car park at Broadsands in Paignton.

Torbay has no designated travellers' site so the council has to follow a two-week legal process to remove any unauthorised encampment on public land.