News

Claire has worked for BBC Spotlight and BBC Inside Out where she created long form current affairs documentaries and news packages.

Examples include:

'Nuclear Submarine HMS Tireless Refused United Arab Emirates Entry'

A nuclear submarine had to be diverted to India after it was refused entry to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

It is understood Plymouth-based HMS Tireless sat in international waters for more than a week while a replacement crew waited in the port.

Families of those on board who travelled to meet the crew had to return to the UK without seeing them.

The Royal Navy said it was only a "delay" and "not a safety issue". UAE authorities have not commented.

'Czech Gang Guilty Of Plymouth 'Slaves' Trafficking'

A gang who trafficked Eastern European "slaves" to the UK has been convicted after a two-month trial.

The victims, who were brought to Plymouth from the Czech Republic, were beaten, punched and told they would be killed if they tried to escape.

Five Czech nationals denied trafficking charges at Plymouth Crown Court

Their victims had to forage in bins for food and some had to live in cupboards and were often humiliated, the court heard.

The gang charged victims £1 to use the toilet and made them work in factories, car washes and as domestic slaves across Devon and Cornwall.

'Stella The Dog Locked Up By Devon Police For Two Years Without Exercise'

A dog has been kept in a cage by police for two years without exercise, the BBC can reveal.

Stella was seized in 2014 and has been kept in a 3ft by 9ft cage in Devon ever since.

Devon and Cornwall Police refused to give specific reasons why the dog could not be exercised. They said she was considered potentially dangerous.

A worker at the kennels said they were told by police not to exercise dogs held under the Dangerous Dogs Act.

''Death Row' Dog Stella Freed And Gets New Owner'

A dog seized by police and refused exercise for nearly two years has been freed from a death sentence and adopted by a kennel owner.

Stella, a pitbull-type dog, was seized in 2014 and a destruction order was passed by a court in February.

But today, Exeter Crown Court granted Stella a reprieve.

Her new owner Carolyne Pharaoh took her on after Stella's previous owner Antony Hastie agreed to transfer ownership.

'Police 'Used 101 Number For Their Own Admin Tasks'

A police 101 service deemed "not fit for purpose" was clogged up for an hour a day by officers doing administrative tasks, the BBC can reveal.

The 101 non-emergency number was introduced to free-up calls to 999.

Internal Devon and Cornwall Police emails reveal its officers used the system to request contact numbers.

Staff have since been taken off patrol to deal with the call centre backlog.

A force spokesman said "the process has ceased".

'Rise In Public Health Funerals'

The cost to local councils of so-called "paupers' funerals" has risen almost 30% to £1.7m in the past four years.

The number of these funerals has also risen by 11%, a Freedom of Information request by the BBC has revealed.

Public health funerals, as they are known, are carried out by local authorities for people who die alone or without relatives able to pay.

These increases may be due to people living longer and dying alone, and a rise in fees, industry experts said.

'Remembering The Fallen'

Hundreds of Royal Navy Officers and Sailors have remembered those who lost their lives at the training base HMS Raleigh in World War Two.

A service remembered the 65 personnel who perished on 28th April 1941 when a bomb was dropped at the barracks and they were laid to rest in official war graves.

Our reporter Claire Jones has been to HMS Raleigh for the ceremony to mark the lives that were lost in the fight for freedom.

'South West Doctors And Nurses Among Highest Paid In The Country'

Doctors and nurses in the South West are among the highest paid in the country per hour, the BBC can reveal.

A Freedom of Information request to all NHS Trusts across the country found that the Royal Cornwall Hospital was among the highest for the amount that's spent on doctors and nurses per hour.

One A&E doctor at the Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust was paid £2,000 for one 10 hour shift, so £200 per hour, while a nurse at the Yeovil District Hospital who worked an 11.5 hour shifts paid more than £1,800.

Claire Jones has more.