A third political heavyweight for the Conservatives was down in Cornwall today, campaigning to support the re-election of party members in the General Election. On a wet and misty day on Tuesday, party chairman and former transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin joined Derek Thomas in Helston. The pair went knocking on doors and asking the public for support, as the days count down to the election on June 8. It follows the recent visits by Prime Minister Theresa May and the new transport...

Fraudsters have been targeting people in Cornwall with a fresh scam leading them to believe that they are owed a refund after paying too much council tax. The scammers have been claiming to work for Cornwall Council. Read more: Residents bid to stop Newquay holiday property from becoming a summer party house Reports suggest that householders were led to believe that Cornwall Council might owe them money for a tax refund – but to find out if they were entitled to the refund...

A Charlestown woman has warned others not to appeal speeding convictions, after her failed attempt to seek mitigating circumstances for speeding while on her way to visit her dying brother in hospital. Brenda Edwards was travelling from St Austell to Dorset last year, in order to say goodbye to her brother who was in a critical condition in hospital. Read more: Brothers Lee and Robert Firkins jailed for Wadebridge murders could appeal life sentences Brenda said she was caught speeding on...

A man who was airlifted to hospital following a road traffic accident in Falmouth at the weekend suffered head and leg injuries. The accident involving two vehicles happened at Bickland Water Road just after 4pm on Sunday afternoon. The man had to be cut from the wreckage by firefighters before being transferred to the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro. Two other people were treated at the scene by paramedics. A spokesman for Cornwall Air Ambulance said: "Cornwall Air Ambulance...

A number of valuable watches have been stolen during a burglary at a St Ives jeweller. Police are investigating after Calico Jewellers on Fore Street was broken into yesterday morning [Monday May 15]. Police were notified just before 4am to the burglary at the jewellery shop. Entry was gained by forcing the door and a substantial amount of watches were taken. Read more: Designs that will change a Cornwall town's waterfront forever revealed Officers wish to identify a blue car that was seen...

Plans for a huge rock-armour sea defence to protect six houses on the edge of a popular sandy beach in West Cornwall have been questioned by environmental campaigners. Cornwall Council planners are considering proposals for the project at Praa Sands on the south coast. The idea is to create a 375-metre bank of rock to halt erosion on the beach and protect the houses called Sandilands, Four Winds, Praaloha, Golden Sands, Morva and Little Cottage. Engineers for Cormac have advised the...

It's all too easy to find yourself cruising down the M5 calmly when out of nowhere someone does something rather stupid. This jaw-dropping video shows the moment that an Audi driver swerved from the outside lane to the exit, cutting across several lanes at speed. Watch him come sailing along in the right-hand lane overtaking cars as everything seems civilized and relaxed. Then suddenly, without warning, he swerves left between two cars in the middle lane - just feet apart.Read more: Man...

Desperate residents are campaigning to stop a Newquay holiday property from becoming a full throttle party house this summer. Residents of Pentire have decided to take action after 7 Lawton Close was marketed by the owner, Halulu Properties, as a beach house perfect for guests to "party and relax". The property sleeps between 18 and 24 people and boasts a swimming pool, hot tub and outside bar. Read next: Police are hunting thieves who smashed their way into a Newquay hotel in...

A chef who trained through Jamie Oliver's Fifteen project drove a car into a ditch after panicking over a hit-and-run. Neal James Hosking had borrowed his mum's Vauxhall Corsa without her knowing when the crash happened in Penzance. He lost control of the car on New Road shortly before midnight on Saturday December 10 last year, hit a parked silver Mercedes and left a trail of damage. But instead of reporting the incident to police Hosking checked no one was hurt then drove off and hid the...

A school's mascot Buzz the Bear has boldly gone where no bear has gone before after being launched into the edge of space. The Pool Academy bear was strapped onto a helium weather balloon and sent 20 miles up into space to capture images of the school and its surroundings. The space mission, called Project Infinity, was watched by about 100 students and members of staff when the countdown began at morning break. Despite the cloudy and windy weather conditions the launch was a success and a...

The final piece of the South Quay regeneration jigsaw goes on display at the Passmore Edwards Institute in Hayle next week. Final designs for the wharf houses, apartments and the quayside restaurants, which were approved in principle in 2012, will be put on display. New owners Hayle Quays Ltd acquired South Quay in February this year, and immediately entered into consultation and workshops with town councillors and heritage representatives. Read more: Controversial Hayle development picks up...

There are a wealth of new faces joining the usual suspects for a shot at becoming an MP for Cornwall next month. The deadline for joining the candidate list has passed and all the people hoping to gain your vote on June 8 have declared their intentions. Read more: All you need to know about registering to vote in the election There are certainly some familiar names going on the ballot paper, including three former Lib Dem MPs who all lost their seats in 2015 and are hoping their...

Welcome to our live coverage of all the day's biggest stories, traffic and travel from across Cornwall on Tuesday, May 16, 2017. We'll be looking at all the traffic from 7am until this evening, so keep checking back to make sure you get wherever you're going as quickly and safely as possible. We will of course also be breaking news as it happens and keeping an eye on the weather. It's Gareth here until 2.30pm when I hand over to the late team led today by mon ami, Charlotte. If you've...

A grieving Wadebridge mother broke down in tears as she described the moment she returned from a holiday and discovered her son dead inside his bedroom. Lesley Beresford found the body of her 27-year-old son, Daniel, on September 22 last year after he took a fatal overdose. At the time of his death Daniel was addicted to methadone, having previously used heroin on a regular basis. Daniel previously lived in Washaway and attended Nanstallon Primary and Wadebridge Secondary School. He went...

The distress beacon of a boat, which went off on Sunday night near Newlyn, has been found in a bin after local lifeboats spent hours searching for it in rough seas and difficult weather conditions.Penlee and Sennen RNLI crew spent more than an hour at sea after a weak distress beacon was picked up.Read more: Penlee RNLI reflect on challenging shout and pay respects to woman who was found dead at PorthlevenEmergency services were led to believe that a boat was in trouble, but neither lifeboat was...

A documentary on brain injury, filmed by famous broadcaster Louis Theroux, has featured a family from south east Cornwall and is now available on Netflix.'Worth every minute of filming' – that's what Cornwall's Rob Barnard says about a newly-streamed Louis Theroux documentary focusing on family life as he and their two small sons come to terms with his wife's serious brain injury.Read more: Lostwithiel mansion Boconnoc House to feature in BBC antiques series Flog ItRob has taken part in...

A brand new Harry Potter purse has been released and although it has been sold out in many places here is still one place where you can get it.Who does not love Harry Potter? Devoted fans buy robes, wands, chocolate frogs and now they can even purchase special purses to satisfy their craving for all things Potter.Read more: Cornish mansion to feature in BBC series and people can take part in itWhile we are all still waiting for our Hogwarts acceptance letter, this new merchandise gives people...

A homeless man known as the "posh tramp" has apologised for causing chaos in Truro city centre with a rooftop protest. James Paul Wesley Pearson was seen dicing with death last month when he climbed on to the top of the rooftop of the former JobCentre building on Lemon Quay. Cornwall Live was at the scene when the drama unfolded. Mr Pearson, 45, appeared before Truro Magistrates' Court earlier today where he admitted being drunk and disorderly and accidentally causing damage to...

The surfing South West tech wizard, who "accidentally" stopped a global cyber attack, has been named as Marcus Hutchins, a cybersecurity researcher. After stopping the ransomware attack that spread to thousands of organisations across more than 100 countries, Mr Hutchins, from Ilfracombe in Devon, has attracted international media attention. Read more: St Agnes Parish Council hit by same global ransomware cyber attack that hit NHS But the cyber-genius had previously said that he...

If you are planning a night out in Falmouth or Truro then travel has got a little easier with later trains being introduced from this weekend. It comes after requests to Great Western Railway to enable people to return home by train on the Maritime Line after performances at the Hall For Cornwall. As a result the company is introducing an improved timetable, with the last train running more than half an hour later than it currently does. From next week the last train will depart Truro...