The people of Cornwall will today deliver their verdict on how the county has been run for the past four years and who will take charge in the future. Polling stations across the county threw open their doors at 7am and since then there has been a steady trickle of voters as many people made their choices on the way into work or on the school run. Although he is only 21, Matthew Reed, pictured below, is voting for the third time in a major election - having voted two years ago in the general...

A homeless man who converted an old camera into a stun gun in a bid to protect himself against street violence has appeared in court to face firearms charges. Jamie Lynn, 42, who had spent time living on the streets in Penzance, appeared at Truro Crown Court today and pleaded guilty to one charge of being in possession of a prohibited weapon on June 13 last year. Prosecutor Phillip Lee told the court how Lynn adapted two Ilford black and white film cameras so that they could discharge...

The internet once again went meme and tweet crazy as millions of users were unable to communicate. WhatsApp's chat connections failed in Europe, South America, Africa and the US, as well as the UK. A mystery malfunction meant users weren't allowed to connect to their messages - and many took to Twitter to complain and be funny. Life without WhatsApp_

Welcome to our live coverage of all the day's biggest stories, traffic and travel from across Cornwall on Thursday, May 4, 2017. We'll be looking at all the traffic 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 Shanaha. If you've seen something going...

A bid to increase the "merciful" prison sentence of a Camborne pensioner, jailed for the attempted murder of his friend has failed. Michael Wilkes, 71, was jailed earlier this year for six years and eight months after repeatedly stabbing Lynette Newell, 59, in the neck with a four-inch knife when an argument broke out inside his car in December. Read more: The real reason Cornwall Live was banned from filming the PM's visit to Cornwall Wilkes lost his temper and attacked the...

Since I found myself shut in a room during a visit to Cornwall by the Prime Minister, the story has taken a surreal twist (writes Graeme Wilkinson) It was during a visit by Theresa May to Helston on Tuesday that we (myself, fellow reporter Lyn Barton and photographer Greg Martin) were told we were unable to film her visit. Instead, I was obliged to liveblog a closed door and report the fact that we were not allowed to even watch her enter the building or meet staff. The story took off on...

Cornwall now has the second highest number of independent renewable projects of any county in the UK, new figures have revealed. According to SmartestEnergy's fifth annual Energy Entrepreneurs Report, the Duchy now has 320 renewable energy projects generating enough energy to power up 170,000 homes. The clean energy schemes can produce up to 449.4MW of electricity while helping save more than 262,000 tonnes of CO2 a year. Solar farms in Cornwall contribute to making the Duchy one of...

Two unusual birds of prey often mistaken for an owl have found a new home at Paradise Park in Hayle. The Tawny Frogmouth chicks are native to Australia are quite the lookers. Keeper Sarah-Jayne Cooke said: "The parents have sadly not been very successful in the past at raising their own chicks so the decision was made to hand-rear these two to give them the best chance of survival. "They are just four weeks old, but doing very well, and will soon lose the remaining fluffy bits as...

Two unusual birds of prey often mistaken for an owl have found a new home at Paradise Park in Hayle. The Tawny Frogmouth chicks are native to Australia are quite the lookers. Keeper Sarah-Jayne Cooke said: "The parents have sadly not been very successful in the past at raising their own chicks so the decision was made to hand-rear these two to give them the best chance of survival. "They are just four weeks old, but doing very well, and will soon lose the remaining fluffy bits as...

Ever been curious about what a deer swimming in the sea would look like? Wonder no more - Porthpean Sailing Club has shared an almost unbelievable video of a happy deer gliding through the waves in the sea at Porthpean. The deer was spotted swimming around at 10.30am on Sunday, April 30. Read more: The real reason Cornwall Live was banned from filming the PM's visit to Cornwall It was a confident swimmer, unfazed by the waves and had clearly grown out of its armbands a long time...

A former Cornwall restaurant owner and taxi driver attacked his former partner in her own home, tying her up and threatening her with a taser after their relationship broke down. Hosam Khamis, 42, was jailed by Judge David Evans at Taunton Crown Court on Tuesday for the horrific display of aggression. It was on September 21 last year that Khamis made the trip from Newquay, where he had been living, to Shepton Mallet to visit the woman. Khamis, who previously owned a restaurant in Camborne,...

Theresa May started her May tour on a visit to the Westcountry to reiterate her pledge to provide a "strong and leadership" in the Brexit negotiations and a deal that would enable Britain to make its own rules. Her first visit was to a Helston factory where she met St Ives MP Derek Thomas and staff. Cornwall Live was banned from filming the event but covered the visit in a live blog and was granted access to put two questions to the PM. She then went to Mevagissey where she met...

Theresa May paid a visit to Cornwall as part of the general Election campaign this week - and it is fair to say it could have gone better. Instead of offering up a straightforward photo opportunity and the chance to ask the PM some questions on local issues, Mrs May's press team decided to shut reporters in a room with no view of the visit at all, and to then refuse requests to film any questions being asked. Our live blog on the events soon hit the national headlines, and caused an online...

The death of a teenager whose body was found in woodland is not being treated as suspicious, police said. The body was discovered at Jeffrey's Pit, between Tintagel and Delabole in north Cornwall, at about 2.30pm on Monday (May 1). The man has been named locally as 19-year-old Thomas Davey from Rockhead, Delabole. Read next: Woman in a critical condition in hospital following horror A39 crash near Wadebridge A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed that the death is not being...

Even after fielding calls from media all over the country and as far afield as Russia Today (no the door was not physically locked but they were shut in and told not to try to leave) about Cornwall Live's Theresa May visit fracas, this one was still somewhat unexpected, writes Cornwall Live head of content Jeff Reines. "Hi, is that Jeff?" "Yes, it is." "Hi Jeff, this is Tim Farron." "Oh, hi Tim. What's on your mind?" As if I didn't know. The...

A head teacher of a top performing girls' school in Truro 'dad danced' his way through a class – with the cringe-worthy moment captured on video. Truro High School head teacher Glenn Moodie swapped his normal attire of suit and tie for florescent pink and tallow sweatbands, headband and matching laces along with a hoodie to show his funkiest chicken moves, out of time footwork and swinging arms. Read more: Traders disgusted by sewage threatening business demand action from South West...

A family wants to know how this screw ended up as an added extra in their toddler's McDonald's Happy Meal. Mark and Natalie Wood decided to buy their two sons to a McDonald's meal from the Falmouth restaurant as a Bank Holiday Monday treat. Mr Wood, 34, said he took their boys down to the restaurant, ordered the Happy Meals for Oliver, 7, and Myles, 2, and took them home Rame, near Penryn, as normal. It was only when they started to unwrap the cheeseburger for Myles, who celebrates his...

A "nightmare" traffic junction on the A30 came under the personal scrutiny of Transport Secretary Chris Grayling as the general election campaign hit the road in West Cornwall. The visit by the high profile member of the cabinet followed this week's whistlestop tour of a business in Helston by Prime Minister Theresa May which provoked widespread criticism for its handling of local press. In contrast to that tightly controlled event, Mr Grayling met members of the community on the...

Police investigators are hunting a wallpaper thief following a break-in in Camborne. Witnesses are being sought to a burglary where offenders made off with valuable power tools - plus rolls of wallpaper. The raiders smashed a kitchen window to get inside the property in Park Road sometime between 6.30pm on April 26 and 10am the next day.Read more: Calls for travellers' site to close "as soon as possible" after fifth fire in four weeksItems stolen included a Bosch hammer drill, a...

The new supposedly "indestructible" £1 coins are riddled with so many flaws that punters have found themselves with coins that fall apart, break or even melt. The Royal Mint said 1.5bn £1 coins will come into circulation. Read more: The real reason Cornwall Live was banned from filming the PM's visit to CornwallHowever the new coins have been reportedly suffering a series of flaws which left one being issued without a centre.What the new £1 coin should look like....