It has got to be everyone's worst nightmare - discovering an intruder trying to break into your home. Naturally the first thing to do would be to reach for the phone and call the police - if that's a possibility. But what if it is not an option to call for help? And what if you are face to face with the intruder? The legal rights of a homeowner practicing self-defence against a stranger breaking in are often considered a grey area in the law.Read more: Seal left badly injured after being caught...

Thieves smashed their way into a home in the seaside village of Perranporth raiding the house and stealing everything from an engagement ring to a child's bracelet.More than £5,000 worth of jewellery was stolen from the home in Wheal Leisure.Police said that thieves broke into the home by smashing through the double-glazed glass of the properties back door.The burglary took place sometime between 7.30pm on Wednesday August 2 and 7pm on Thursday August 3.Police have now launched an appeal...

A 50-year-old man has been arrested following claims that members of the public were threatened with a samurai sword in a small coastal village. Devon and Cornwall Police arrested a man after attending an address near Hope Cove, a small village on the South Hams coast near Kingsbridge. Devon Live reported that officers were called in the early hours of Saturday (August 19) after reports of a man threatening residents with a sword.A police spokesman said: "Local officers attended and a 50...

As summer draws to a close, homeowners need to be on their guard for the annual invasion of many people's least favourite visitor - the common house spider.The eight-legged beasties, which can grow to up to 12 centimetres long, will be looking for somewhere warm to mate - and the dark corners of our rooms seem to be their favourite choice.They seem to have the ability to spoil the nicest of evenings as they scuttle from underneath an armchair, but possibly, help is at hand.This spider is in its...

There has been an angry reaction on social media after a seal was badly injured in St Ives harbour yesterday. The incident reportedly took place when fish was thrown from a pleasure boat, attracting the seal, which was then caught by the boat's propeller. Although the seal was able to swim off, it has been reported that its injuries were not survivable. The incident has provoked a huge response on Facebook. Read more: Everything you need to know about tomorrow's total solar eclipse and...

A barn has been destroyed after a fire at St Ervan yesterday afternoon. Fire crews from Padstow, St Columb, Newquay and a water carrier from Wadebridge attended the scene. The incident was first reported to the emergency services at 4.13pm, and took several hours to extinguish. A fire service spokesman said: "A total of four breathing apparatus, three hosereel jets, one main jet and a ground monitor were used to extinguish the fire that had spread from machinery to the barn. "The...

Family and friends gathered at Bristol City's football ground yesterday to pay tribute to George Zographou, the 18-year-old who died of meningitis after falling ill at Boardmasters. A minute's applause was held and balloons released ahead of the kick off between his beloved Bristol City and Millwall yesterday afternoon. George died in hospital on Wednesday, August 16, after falling ill at the Watergate Bay festival. The 18-year-old boy, who grew up in Westbury and was a student at St...

Cornish patients suffering chronic back pain and a range of other spinal issues are not being referred to hospital after waiting lists for routine treatment were closed in a bid to cope with rocketing demand. NHS Kernow, the organisation which chooses how health funds are spent in the county, has already urged GPs to only send patients on to consultants if absolutely necessary, such as for suspected cancer, trauma or "unremitting pain." The plea came after Plymouth's Derriford...

On Monday (August 21) parts of the world will be plunged into darkness in the middle of the day as the rare total solar eclipse takes place.The incredible phenomenon will be the most incredible display of the year for sky watchers across the globe who will all be desperate to catch a glimpse of the moon moving between the Earth and the sun.The eclipse will best be viewed in America, where millions of people will crowd the streets between Oregon and South Carolina, which will get to see the...

Three teenage boys were given a stern talking to after being spotted dicing with death by lifeguards. They were seen dodging waves crashing on Portreath Harbour and then jumping into the swell. The lifeguards called the Portreath cliff rescue team at about 2.40pm on Friday afternoon because they were concerned about the safety of a group of boys. They informed the coastguards that there were some youths standing on the end of the pier "dodging the heavy seas breaking over it". A...

Lidl shoppers are in for a treat ahead of this August Bank Holiday as the budget supermarket has launched a deal on Prosecco.Shoppers will be able to buy a case of six bottles of its Allini Processo for just £20 - saving £14.74 off the usual price.It is one of the best deals all year, with bottles a bargain £3.33 instead of £5.79. But you will have to act fast as the offer is only running next Saturday and Sunday (August 26/27)The bottles in the crate - which is Allini...

Good music is a feast for the spirit while bad music is like having your soul put through the spin cycle. Here, writer Lyn Barton urges buskers to consider whether their talent really merits a public hearing. I blame the X Factor, or The Voice, or Popstars or any number of nouvelle Opportunity Knocks style shows for encouraging people to showcase a talent they so clearly lack. "Give it a go," these series say to the legions of people who feel that because they have a song in their...

A mum has claimed she was "kicked out" of a Newlyn pub because her baby's pram was posing a health and safety risk to other customers. Roxanne Perry said she was enjoying a drink in the Red Lion Inn, which is advertised as a family pub, when she was told she couldn't stay because there was a concern that someone might trip over her 3-month-old baby's pram. The mother of two said she was shocked and left the Fore Street pub, with her baby girl Delilah, feeling "embarrassed" on...

Organisers of Boardmasters festival said this year's festival has fewer thefts from tents, less traffic and less people needing to go to hospital, despite a record number of people attending. Around 50,000 people attended the five day surf and music festival at Watergate Bay, with a record number of attendees watching the international surf competition on Fistral Beach. "In total 200,000 people came to Newquay for festival with the biggest names in surfing and world-class music acts...

This amazing video shows huge tuna feeding on a school of fish in Falmouth Bay last week. It was captured by St Mawes fisherman Peter Green, who had been fishing alone when the spectacular sight appeared in the water. He said: "You used to see the tuna quite regularly back in the 1970's, I can remember seeing them landed on the quayside in Falmouth. "They would arrive whenever we had the mackerel and other shoals here for them to feed on, but they disappeared for many...

A mum who spent more than two months making an often twice daily 36 mile round trip to see her newborn prematurely born son in the neonatal unit is planning to take on a new challenge to raise funds for the hospital.Laura Colledge will be swimming 18 miles – the distance between their home near Fraddon and the hospital – over the next eight weeks in a challenge she has called the Long Road Home.She is raising funds for the Royal Cornwall Hospital's Cornwall Birth and Baby Appeal...

A Newquay woman has warned others after learning that thieves in Cornwall are using new equipment to gain entry into keyless cars. Lucille Helene Cox took to Facebook after her car was burgled while parked on her front drive on Friday (August 18).She said it would have been difficult to know the car had been broken into if the thieves hadn't stolen items because they locked the vehicle again afterwards.Writing on Facebook, Lucille said: "Just want to warn people that someone is going...

A pair of walkers in their 20s were rescued by Dartmoor Search and Rescue Team after their tent was blown down in a storm. The unhappy campers called for help after becoming increasingly cold and wet when their tent collapsed early on Saturday (August 19). An ambulance was sent out and called the Tavistock-based Dartmoor Search and Rescue Team for assistance.Devon Live reported that the couple was found by paramedics near Great Mis Tor at around 8am and members of the rescue team escorted the...

A man has been caught on camera by a fellow motorist watching a movie while driving behind the wheel of a car.SWNS described lorry driver, Peter Westaway's surprise when he looked down at the car beside him on the M5 motorway.He was horrified to spot that the driver had a television stored behind the wheel and was watching a movie. Peter said he witnessed the motorist watching a film at the wheel for a lengthy period between Weston-super-Mare and Avonmouth in the early hours of Thursday (August...

St Just and its surrounding areas are gearing up for a poignant occasion tonight (Saturday, August 19). The St Just Miners' Chapel, which dominates the local skyline, is hosting a grand tribute concert celebrate its survival and to remember a much loved friend. The concert is being held as a tribute to the late Paul Woolcock, linchpin of the St Just community and former landlord of the Commercial Hotel in Market Square, with his family's blessing. This will be the first concert to be held in...