09/02/2017 Channel Islands News

Welcome to BBC Channel Islands, I'm Charlie McArdle.

Explosion at Flamanville reactor highlights the risks

God help this could be a serious incident that is yet to be fully

reported. Could parking wars be the cause

of thousands of pounds' My friends are scared to park by my

house, like I am always the one to go and get them, I have to park

further away. because of poor pilot

decision-making. Channel Island authorities say

there's no risk to residents following an explosion

at a nuclear power plant The blast at Flamanville in Normandy

was caused by a fire. Five people were treated,

but there were no serious injuries, and French officials say there's

no danger of a radiation leak. Just before ten o'clock,

an explosion was caused by a fire in a machine room where seven

people were working. Five workers needed treatment for

breathing in smoke. The plant owners, EDF,

said emergency services contained the fire quickly

and the generator was disconnected from the electricity

grid soon afterwards. Flamanville is around 20 miles

from the Channel Islands. While the islands aren't

within the official risk zone, they're close enough

for the authorities to have measures in place

in event of any disaster. But with the internet and social

media, this news emerged from French media sources long before any

official word from Jersey or Guernsey governments. A fire officer

involved think that should change. the information we put out

is correct, obviously. There's lots of info

in the public arena, so one of the lessons from today

is having set messages of reassurance we can put out,

as opposed to just messages of what to do if there

was an incident. And he says if today

had been more serious, islanders would have been

warned to stay indoors. But there are no plans to give out

protective iodine tablets, which people living around

Flamanville get. They are of limited use,

they are in certain situations, we're not in the zone

that requires iodine tablets, but clearly we have

the contingencies in place and people will be informed

of the right thing to do On a clear day,

you can see the power station from here on the northeast coast

of Jersey. And of course

it's even closer from Alderney. And while authorities say

today's explosion thankfully it's a reminder of the importance

of having emergency plans in place and just how close

the Channel Islands are to any risk. Although islanders are being

reassured there's no radiation leak, Flamanville is already at the centre

of a deep controversy in France over the future

of its nuclear industry and the degree to which

its engineering can be trusted. I've been speaking to

nuclear consultant John Large, who told me what he made

of today's events. Well, there's not information the

McAnuff information coming out, we don't know how serious it is and

whether it affects the nuclear part of the plant. But generally the

history of nuclear accidents has shown, from Windscale in the 1950s,

through to Chernobyl, and most recently Fukushima in Japan, is that

generally the authorities play down the nuclear aspects at the very

beginning of the incident. And the truth and the fact of the matter

only come out later. This could be a is you is incident that is yet to be

fully reported. -- a serious incident. The plans have to be very

comprehensive, they have to cater for the rest of the accident and the

scale of the accident, of any radioactive fallout. So that beans

you have to have an information channel established with the French

operator and authorities. -- so that means. So that as the accident

develops, and if there is a radioactive plume, as that

approaches, you need a very comprehensive integrated system that

takes account of the weather, the atmospheric stability, and what

measures you have in place on the island to actually mitigate and

countermeasure against a radiation explosion. It is a quite complex

system that needs to be modelled and put in place. Knowing what you know,

would you be happy to live in the Channel Islands? I always dodge

answering that question! The Channel Islands are a delightful place, I'd

be happy to live there. Any man-made enterprise or venture has risk, and

it is whether the people of the Channel Islands wants to live

without risk. If they are properly informed, and not given the line but

properly informed about the risk, then they can make the decision.

Residents in a St Helier neighbourhood have

told the BBC they're scared to park their cars

outside their homes following a campaign of vandalism.

?10,000 worth of damage has been caused

to dozens of cars since October last year.

And Jersey Police believe those responsible

might be angry at parking issues in the area.

The 18-year-old student was very proud of her Citroen.

by someone with a strong grip on a set of keys.

One day, it just started getting keyed.

I don't know why, but I've got over 12 scratches,

like key marks on my car, on every surface.

My friends are scared to come up and park by my house,

I'm always the one to go and get them,

or they have to park quite far away

of getting their nice cars damaged or anything.

And Molly's not the only person to have been affected in this area.

I spoke to one woman on this street who told me

her son's car was damaged, costing around ?400 to fix.

And another woman told me she damaged her own car

by trying to avoid a car that was illegally parked.

And these are the issues causing tension.

It's quite spread out, so we have four or five

which makes it quite difficult to identify exactly what's happening.

What we're asking people to do is take a calm approach

to perhaps a vehicle that they find in front of their house,

or in front of a friend's or neighbour's vehicle.

But then for that community and those people to keep a look out.

because of the way the offences are spread across this area,

that it's highly likely that whoever is responsible lives in the area.

Plain-clothed police officers will be working here

And if you know anything about who did this to Molly's car,

and her neighbours', you're asked to come forward.

An Aurigny aircraft bound for Guernsey from Manchester

had to do an emergency diversion to East Midlands

because of a bad decision by the pilot,

according to the Air Accident Investigation Branch.

It says he was wrong not to de-ice the plane before taking off

last March and describes it as a serious incident.

Well, earlier I asked our reporter Mike Wilkins

Well, we know snow was falling at Manchester Airport.

The report says the crew had little experience

They made a decision that de-icing was probably

The commander said, "The snow doesn't appear to be sticking,

so I think we can get away without de-icing."

Later, he said he was prepared to have delayed departure

if he believed de-icing was needed.

The pilot did make a visible inspection of the aircraft,

and the report says he "optimistically thought

any lying snow would blow off on takeoff."

What happened after the plane had taken off?

a minute after taking off from Manchester,

but it disengaged about two minutes after that.

A pitch warning message was displayed.

Two more attempts to use autopilot both saw it disengage.

It's believed a build-up of ice on the tail

led to difficulties with pitch controls.

The pilot said, quote, "I want to divert to East Midlands

because I'm having to put forward pressure on."

The plane landed safely, and all 31 passengers and crew were fine.

Aurigny didn't think it was a serious incident,

to inform the Air Accident Investigation Branch.

And what have Aurigny done to improve their safety?

No-one from Aurigny was available for TV interview today,

but it says the experienced pilot left

the company shortly afterwards - we're not sure where to.

Aurigny says it has procedures in place for de-icing

It has since improved its winter awareness training.

But I've spoken with the AAIB today, who have confirmed

that they are investigating a second incident

which happened in December involving the same aircraft,

which once again had to land due to ice-related problems.

You're watching the BBC in the Channel Islands.

Later in Spotlight with Justin and Natalie,

a mixed martial arts fighter from Somerset is heading to Las Vegas.

Engineers will closely montior a badly damaged sea wall

at Guernsey's L'Ancresse Bay, but it won't be fixed.

It was damaged back in 2014 and concerns have been raised

about how long it's taking to repair.

say the plan is to let it decline over time,

as in the long term a wall isn't the best option for the area.

It is a cement tank wall, and yes, we might have some sentimental

attachment to it, but at the same time in its natural state, what it

would become would be much easier to maintain and better.

It's almost the start of another weekend,

Lets see if it's set to continue with David Braine.

Thank you, Charlie, hello, good evening. The cold as well and truly

arrived across the islands, and it is going to stick with us. We have a

continued risk of showers tomorrow, some of them wintry, quite a lot of

cloud around, definitely a cold easterly wind giving us the headache

at the moment, because it is drawing in and very cold air, and a lot of

cloud coming our way too. This area of low pressure is not going far at

the moment, but these easterly winds are of concern, because they

continue to feed in some pretty low temperatures through the day

tomorrow and into the start of the weekend, as high pressure becomes

established across the western side of Britain and we keep this area of

low pressure over Spain and Portugal. So that is the setup, it

looks like overnight we will see a few showers dotted around, quite a

lot of cloud to the English Channel, producing a few showers, mostly to

the north of Alderney. Overnight tonight, a cancer of the odd wintry

showers on the easterly wind, some clear skies at times, temperatures

down to two or three degrees. Just about cold enough for a touch of

frost. Tomorrow, showers again, most likely for Guernsey and Alderney. St

Helier may stay in the sunshine until later in the afternoon before

showers arrived here too. Most of the showers will be rain, but there

could be sleet at times, and 5 degrees is the top temperature. With

the wind from the north-east, that will feel pretty cold. These are the

times of high water. Most of the beaches will be clean.

Some wintry showers possible again on Wednesday, Saturday is even

colder, so some of those showers will be of sleet or even snow.

Sunday, rather cloudy, and the transition into Monday is slightly

less cold, but looking fraught at this stage. Charlie.

Before we go a reminder of our top story in the Channel islands.

Authorities say there's no risk to residents following an explosion

at a nuclear power plant 20 miles across the water.

The blast at Flamanville in Normandy was caused by a fire.

Five people were treated, but there were no serious injuries,

and French officials say there's no danger of a radiation leak.

That is it, I am back at eight o'clock and then again at 10:20

five. Until good evening. of harnessing the power of the sea

and converting it into electricity is to connect to the wave power

research project off the coast The multi-million pound prototype

will arrive next year. Meanwhile, a scale model

is currently being tested as our Environment

Correspondent Adrian Campbell This is the dream, an array

of devices to harness energy In New England, a huge prototype

is already being built. Now the company backing the design

is testing a scale model By 2018, the first vessel should be

connected to Wave Hub, Each turbine could generate

twice as much electricity It's the size of a Boeing 747,

and we're putting in tremendous masses, the weight of a freight

train moving through. the freight train powers

on through and then as the vessel pitches the other way,

it powers back the other way, and we can convert that rolling

motion directly into electrical Wave Hub is an undersea electrical

socket linked to the National Grid. It's cost tens of millions of pounds

to put on the sea bed, and this announcement marks

an important development in its history, because so far,

it hasn't sent any electricity Unfortunately, there hasn't

been any electricity We have worked very hard

with several technology companies to try and enable them

to demonstrate their But with the plans we're

hearing about today As you can see, this scale model

is doing well in the tests it is undergoing in the tanks

here at Plymouth University. The real thing itself will be 60

times the size of this. The American backers of this scheme

believe it's important to think big to produce the amount of clean

and affordable electricity that this country and the rest of the world

will need in the coming years. the philosophical questions

being posed to children. I am here at Bowhill primary in

Exeter, where children are being asked some of life? Biggest

questions. Like what is art, and what is bravery?

Now, red double decker buses might be synonymous with London

but from today, a state of the art fleet of double deckers will be part

Bus operator First Kernow has officially unveiled its new fleet,

having spent ?7.4 million on them - they come complete

with tables and free wi fi, but will they actually

Lucie Fisher went along for the ride.

Certainly true that they don't want people to miss the fact that these

buses are being launched. So how are they going down with locals?

Fantastic. It's great to have new things for Cornwall. I think the

future is buses for Cornwall. We need to have more to get around.

Surprise to see a red bus. Well, it's a red bus! Nice. Caught the

tinner, they have been carefully branded with a Cornish list. And

there is no. The idea is that these will be modern buses for the modern

world, so they are fitted with USB ports and in the next year, they

will be contactless, so you can pay with a card. Is a major investment

at ?7.5 million, but has it come at another cost? Did you cherry pick

services, to have those most profitable? No. We have obviously

put these vehicles onto our busiest routes. That is, and commercial

business sense. We have got to make these buses pay for themselves, but

the ongoing plan is to obviously start to improve the rest of the

network. We are in the process of designing the network and working

out how to do smart ticketing so that people can buy products on both

networks, and we are looking at a rich network which covers as

comprehensive and area as we can. Overall, feedback here has been

possible. Top -- positive. Any improvement in public transport is

good for us and good for the environment. We get so excited now

every time we are driving down the A30. Oh, tinner! There is this big

red thing coming at you, and they are shiny and new and just lovely.

A mixed martial arts fighter from Somerset is heading stateside

It's a sport with a fast growing international audience and now

former plasterer Mark Godbeer from Bridgewater has his

sights set on glory - and possible riches.

It is the most brutal of fight sports.

But with the high risks come high rewards.

Especially for the biggest stars, like the bearded

Irishman Conor McGregor, now said to be worth

A million miles away, you might think, from this small

industrial estate in the middle of rural Somerset.

But inside a converted workshop, a former plasterer has stars,

Do you get scared when you get in the ring?

I think that's what I'm addicted to, the fear factor.

So, yeah, I suppose I am a bit of an adrenaline junkie.

This is Mark Godbeer, who in the sport of mixed martial

arts is already at the top of his game in this country.

Finally, out of Somerset, England, Mark...!

And in less than a month's time, he will be heading off to Las Vegas,

to Las Vegas, stepping into what is the Premier League

of his sport, UFC - Ultimate Fighting Championship.

I'm representing the UK now, not just little old Somerset.

So I'm happy, really happy to be here.

My journey has just begun, so let's see where it takes me.

Those who work with him, sometimes painfully,

believe he has what it takes to make it in a sport which is

in essence a mixture of boxing and kickboxing.

He's been through every single person in the branch division,

And without sounding arrogant, there was no real

It's a long way from Somerset to Vegas, but Mark will take

That is a proper American name, Todd Duffy.

Great philosophical questions are being posed

It's hoped grappling with difficult concepts will help

The trial is being run by the University of Exeter and five

primary schools in the city are taking part.

I'd like to know, what's the meaning of life?

If you're a parent, you will know all about answering

difficult questions, so you may smile wryly now

the tables are being turned on the children.

But the truth is, whatever that may be, that these youngsters

are doing a good job, whatever good means.

I think to be good, it means that you have to be

Obviously, there's different opinions of good, so good to you

can be doing the simplest thing, like walking instead of running

Big questions are being posed to the children as part

of a philosophy project designed to get them thinking.

Today, they are debating what it is to brave.

Bravery is doing something you're scared of doing,

without being prompted to do it, and knowing that you're going to be

A postgrad student at University of Exeter is behind the scheme,

which is being tried out at five primary schools in Devon.

At the heart of these sessions is the sense that children can learn

to disagree with each other, but in a way that's

rational so they don't get argumentative about it.

It's not about everyone having the same opinion,

because when they leave school, they're going to face those

situations and those sort of questions all the time.

If you rob a bank but it's in a town that no one lives in...

It's hoped that the weekly sessions will improve communication

Certainly, young minds do like to enquire.

Clearly a question with many answers.

I don't know where to begin with that one! We have that debate in the

newsroom every day. But we should always end with the weather. And

what is whether, David? At the moment, it's mostly cold! It

is certainly chilly today. We have had a temperature is no more than

four or 5 degrees for most of us. But you have been out taking your

photographs. This is a beautiful shot of the blue skies we saw

earlier today. Not so sunny towards Somerset. Temperatures really have

struggled today, especially across parts of Dorset and Somerset.

Slightly less cold as you get towards the coast line, but for all

of us, it has been pretty chilly, still in the grip of winter. But not

all of our plants are paying attention to that. This is Ka Hayes,

where there was some sunshine, and the flowers seem to be coming out,

the Magnolia 's and other flowers beginning to appear. These pictures

were filmed by our cameraman Tristan. A beautiful, springlike day

here, but but the temperatures have not reflected those figures. We have

been pretty cold right across the south-west today. If anything, it's

going to get colder. Tomorrow, it looks like we will see some

sunshine, but briefly, plus more clout than we have seen today and

the risk of wintry showers. And for all of us, it's going to feel very

cold indeed. The reason is in an area of low pressure across Spain

and Portugal which is staying stationary and whilst that happens,

it draws air from the east, and that is to leave will continue not just

for tomorrow, but continuing into the weekend. As an area of high

pressure settles in across the north of Ireland, we draw in the air from

southern parts of Scandinavia, from Poland and eastern parts of Germany,

where temperatures today have not been much more than one or 2 degrees

above freezing. So it's going to be cold. There is also the chance of

cloud embedded in that flow, generating showers. There are a few

tonight, mostly along the south coast, where they will probably fall

as rain. But if you get higher up, particularly the southern slopes of

Dartmoor, they could fall as sleet and snow. It will be a cold night

for all of us, temperatures hovering around freezing for most locations.

The breeze helps keep temperatures up, but a frost is possible. More

showers tomorrow, mostly through the Channel. A few creep into parts of

Dorset and Somerset, and they will have a wintry flavour. A flurry of

snow is possible. Temperatures may get up to 5 degrees but for most of

us, it will be below that. And with a brisk wind from the East or

Northeast, it will feel bitterly cold. One of the warmest places in

the country is likely to be the Isles of Scilly. But it will not

feel that one, because it will be windy.

And for our surface, there are some clean surf. The waves are not very

big now. The forecast for the coastal waters keeps the wind is

going right through tonight and tomorrow. It is mainly an easterly,

becoming north-easterly. Generally good visibility outside the showers.

The weekend will gradually get warmer, but temperatures will not

change a great deal. The only real change is on Monday, when we see

slightly less cold air coming from the south-east and temperatures back

up. For the weekend, birthdays are predominantly dry, with the risk of

some overnight frost. A brisk winds from the East. Next week, it looks

like we will start to see a change as we see more at coming up from the

south, but that is a long way away. For the moment, it is cold.

That is it from us, but Andy will be here with an update at ten and we

will all be back at 6.30 tomorrow. From all of us on Spotlight, good

night. OK, everyone, have you got

your bamboo sticks? If you just paint

what you want to paint, I've turned around,

my painting washes away. ..and take on

The Big Painting Challenge. Remember, you're not painting

a pond.