Have you noticed a fine layer of dust appearing on your car today? Here at Cornwall Live HQ in Truro, several vehicles in the car park have been coated with a mysterious layer of yellowy dust this afternoon. The cause could well be sand travelling thousands of miles from deserts far away - the strange scenario has played out a number of times before in Cornwall and across the UK and is usually put down to an unusual phenomenon which sees sand in the Sahara Desert get sucked up into the...

A jealous ex who sent threatening messages warning that he would kill and get other men to rape his former girlfriend was also found in possession of an arsenal of James Bond style weapons which included tasers disguised as torches and mobile phones. Ashley Grenfell, 30, formerly of Close Hill in Redruth, appeared at Truro Crown Court today to be sentenced for one count of harassment, three counts of being in possession of prohibited weapons and three disguised firearm possession...

A former soldier who smashed a glass over another man's head so hard that flying fragments injured two other men standing nearby has narrowly avoided a prison sentence. Steven French, who was medically discharged from the British Army after completing tours of Iraq and Afghanistan, appeared at Truro Crown Court on Friday after pleading guilty to one count of causing grievous bodily harm and two assault occasioning actual bodily harm charges. The court heard how on September 10 last year...

Premier Inn has revealed plans to build a new 83-bed hotel in Newquay. The chain, which is the UK's largest hotel group, is hoping to construct a four-storey building on the site of the former St. Brannocks and Tolcarne hotels on Narrowcliff. The site above Tolcarne Beach was cleared in 2008 following the demolition of the hotel buildings and is currently used as a temporary surface-level car park. Read next: Mayfield estate police drug raids in Newquay see class A and B drugs seized and...

A thug who savagely bit off the ear of another man during a late-night brawl has been sentenced alongside three accomplices who rained punches and kick down on the victim as he lay on the ground. Nathan Flower, Christopher Cray, Samuel Hunt and Samantha Ager all appeared at Truro Crown Court today to receive their punishments for an attack carried out in St Austell town centre on Miles Gardner on February 11 of this year. Flower, 24, of New Molinnis, Bugle, admitted one charge of wounding,...

After months of waiting for Marks and Spencer to open a new store in Cornwall, the upmarket retailer has given the opening date for his new food branch in Wadebridge.The store will be part of a new BP garage at Tregoning, Wadebridge's only petrol station, which is located on West Hill. The current deal with Shell will end and BP will also include a small M&S food outlet on the site, creating new jobs.Read more: Man on the run after burglary in BudeThe staff are now in their final month of...

Cornwall's largest colleges and only university want to reassure students and staff that a tragedy like that at Grenfell Tower could not happen here. Truro and Penwith College, Cornwall College and Falmouth University have all had a look at their estate to see if the buildings they own were clad with the same controversial material found at the high rise flats in West London. The review follows the one carried out by Cornwall Council on the only high rise tower block in the county at Park...

Thousands of people have been told to contact Hotpoint urgently after police revealed the Grenfell Tower fire was caused by a faulty fridge-freezer manufactured by the company. Last week the devastating fire ripped through a West London tower block killing up to 79 people. Read more: This is why diggers were moving tonnes of sand from the dunes at Perranporth In the days since the tragedy struck, the country has been gripped by the herculean recovery effort and political...

A hobby beekeeper has asked for people to look out for his bees after his colony buzzed off because the weather was too warm. Barry Kirkman had just housed the swarm in a new hive in his garden only to see them buzz off three days later, never to be seen again. The beekeeper feels the hot weather conditions may have triggered the colony he had in his Tamar Valley garden to swarm and up-sticks for better climes. Read more: New fast food delivery service will bring McDonald's to your door The...

A man was kicked off the BBC's Question Time debate on air amid angry scenes in Plymouth last night. The audience member is thought to be only the second person in 20 years to be told to leave on air for shouting at a minister and being too rowdy. The man, dressed in a distinctive shirt, continued to shout over people and the panel until host David Dimbleby lost his patience, the Plymouth Herald reports..Read more: The nationals need to stop patronising quaint old Cornwall with their tired...

A firm based in Cornwall has been fined for the illegal use of public water supply.Steve Hoskin Construction Ltd, located in Liskeard, appeared in court on Monday following a South West Water prosecution.Read more: Man on the run after burglary in BudeIt is the second blow for the building and civil engineering company in the space of one month. In June, it, along with Cavanna Homes, was fined £80,000 after a builder from Cornwall was killed when he was run over by heavy machinery as he...

You might be surprised to discover that St Austell's controversial incinerator has picked up a sustainable property award. The huge £117million, 240,000-tonne Cornwall Energy Recovery Centre (CERC) towering over St Dennis was the subject of a legal battle launched by local environmental campaigners but was finally give the go-ahead in 2012. Read more: Masked attacker jailed for robbing and beating man in own home The Eden Project, Mount Pleasant Eco Park and other well-known Cornish...

A multi-million pound project for a new bridge at Tintagel Castle has been heavily criticised by a Cornish organisation, which accused English Heritage of turning the site into a "cash cow theme park". English Heritage announced the submission of the plans to Cornwall Council earlier this month and claimed the bridge would help reduce congestion and improve access around the site, especially during peak periods.Read more: This is why diggers were moving tonnes of sand from the dunes at...

We all know that life can be tough at times. That's why there's now a day dedicated to bringing your pooch to work so life is as it should be, a happy pet-friendly heaven. Some businesses across in Cornwall will give the paw up to staff strutting in with Princess the pure breed long haired chihuahua or Stalin the Rottweiler - but only if their four-legged friends behave of course. What about your place of work? Will it turn into one giant playground for dogs, a mini version of Crufts or,...

A yacht had to be towed back to port by RNLI volunteers after suffering from engine failure off the Isles of Scilly. The St Mary's RNLI Lifeboat station was called out tot he incident after the single-handed yacht broke down 17nm out north west of the islands. A spokesman for the St Mary's RNLI lifeboat station said: "We were paged at 4.30pm on Thursday, June 22. Read more: Speak Cornish Week is back - here's what you can do to promote your Kernow identity "We launched our...

A year ago today, Britain voted to leave the EU. The referendum effectively split the country, with 52% of voters saying they wanted out, and 48% wanting to remain. In Cornwall the vote was more decisive - with 56.5% voting to leave. Since that momentous day the country has experienced a period of political turmoil, and increasingly divisive rhetoric from both sides. Read more: Hard Brexit vs Soft Brexit what does it really mean the pros and cons as negotiations get under way We have...

More than 800,000 broadband customers are being urged to change their passwords immediately over security concerns. Virgin Media said the risk to customers with a Super Hub 2 router was "small", but advised them to change both their network and router passwords if they were still set as the default shown on the attached sticker. The advice followed a Which? snapshot investigation which found that hackers could access to home networks and connected appliances in as little as four...

Welcome to our live coverage of all the day's biggest stories, traffic and travel from across Cornwall on Friday, June 23, 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. If you've seen something going on and want...

A garage located on the A30 near Bodmin is going under because of the roadworks and Cornwall Council won't help, its owner has claimed. Penlan garage has been seeing a dramatic drop in its sales for the past two weeks, its owner Tanya Jey said. Read more: Cornwall burger van man £27,000 out of pocket after admitting illegal tobacco sales Tanya said the nightmare started two weeks ago when contractor Kier changed the access to the business as part of the A30 Temple roadworks. She...

A new fast food delivery service has arrived in St Austell which promises to fulfill your Kentucky fried needs. One Delivery is a new franchise which aims to get KFC, McDonald's, Subway and Burger King to your door within 45 minutes of placing an order. Read more: Drugs seized and one arrest after police raid on housing estate We've all been there - it's the end of a long day and you only have mouldy cheese and a carrot in the fridge. Maybe you've overindulged the previous evening and...