08/07/2013 Spotlight

an investigation condemns remarks made by a councillor about disabled

children. Good evening. Colin Brewer was found to have breached the

councillors' code of conduct. Tonight we'll have details of the

council investigation amid renewed calls for him to resign.

Also, concern for a missing man from accident. Paul Williams has not been

seen since leaving his house last week.

And the massive boost to tourism comments made by a Cornwall

Councillor as "outrageous and grossly insensitive". In a second

comment about disabled children, Wadebridge councillor Colin Brewer

appeared to compare them to deformed lambs. The investigation by a senior

lawyer has found Mr Brewer in serious breach of the members code

of conduct. Spotlight's David George is at County Hall in Truro.

Yes, Councillor Brewer from Wadebridge East has twice spoken

about disabled children. It was here in 2011 that he came out of a

meeting and told a charity worker who was on a promotional display

that disabled children should be put down because they cost too much too

look after. He apologised for that and resigned. He was re-elected by

four votes. Then after his re-election in the May he spoke to

the Disability News Service and appeared to link disabled children

with deformed lambs. Lewis Henry is 14 and born with

Down's syndrome. His mother runs a parent carer Council for Cornwall

representing 900 members many of whom were outraged when I heard

about Councillor Brewer's initial remarks and they have been recalling

for his resignation. The fact they put out the report today and have

addressed that they could... It is good news, for the vast amount of

parents, carers and people with disabled children. There have been a

number of protest about the comments, the monitoring officer

says the remarks were outrageous and grossly insensitive. And where

serious breach of the code of conduct. The law does not allow

elected councillors to be sacked so Councillor Brewer will face a formal

telling off and be made to formally apologise, a recommendation he is

not appointed to any committees dealing with disabled children, and

it will be recommended he does not represent the Council on outside

bodies and he will be expected to attend training. We have dealt with

it as well as we can, we follow Jude process. In terms of reputation it

is not good for the Cornwall Council. I regret the comments were

made in the first place. That is the problem we have to address. That was

the leader of Cornwall Council. The BBC has tried to get hold of

Councillor Brewer to get his reaction and his side of the story

but so far there's been no response. Joining us in the studio is our

political reporter Tamsin Melville. It seems likely he will resign. Why

hasn't the council suspended him? The council at first had no powers

to stop him standing for re-election and following the second set of

comments they have not been able to suspend or sack him. The authority

had powers under the code of complaints system to suspended

councillors by the government has changed the complaints system so the

sanction is no longer available. the statement, the council said it

shares the frustrations about these limited powers and makes it clear if

it could have done, it would have made recommendations to suspend

Councillor Brewer. And the council's planning to lobby

the Government on this issue? there is a council meeting tomorrow

and they will debate whether to write to ministers about these lack

of powers but because the changes are so recent, whether this makes

any difference is debatable. The family of a Devon man who's been

missing since last Tuesday has made an impassioned plea for help from

the public. 33-year-old Paul Williams from Exeter left behind

several notes telling his partner and young daughter that he wouldn't

be coming back. Police say they're becoming increasingly concerned

about the missing man. Leigh Rundle reports.

We are looking for my brother. labour of love. Tirelessly searching

for some clue as to Paul's whereabouts. I self and my mother

and my other brother had been searching day and night since he

went missing. He is leaving behind his two-year-old daughter as well

who wants her daddy back. And her partner who is keeping it together

for the sake of the daughter but who needs to be found quickly. For his

own safety and everyone else who loves and cares about them. Looking

similar to his brother, Paul is five foot nine and was last seen wearing

a green parka jacket over a blue T-shirt with cargo trousers. He may

be riding a bicycle. Paul was depressed and in debt when he

disappeared. Please come home. We love you so much. For man, Linda, it

is heartbreaking. After finding letters which are so emotional, he

has not left his present life to start another life, that is

certain, he has gone away to never come back. What that entails we do

not know but we must find him. If you see anybody that fits the

description, please give the police call immediately. Efforts to locate

him was centred around Axminster. was last spotted in starcrossed in

four days ago with a cut above his eye. Anyone with information is

asked to contact the police. Seven league one footballers have been

released on bail in connection with an alleged sexual assault in

Cornwall. Players from Crewe Alexandra had been staying at a

hotel near Redruth. Police said they received a complaint of sexual

assault against a woman in her early 20s at a property in the town early

on Saturday. The owner of a hot air balloon, which was at the centre of

a rescue operation in Cornwall last night, says there was no emergency.

John Armstrong of the Headland Hotel in Newquay says he made a normal

landing at Perran Sands which is one of his regular landing sites.

Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service sent three appliances to the scene

after being alerted by Newquay airport. Mr Armstrong blames a

misunderstanding. He says he's grateful for the emergency response

but it was not needed. Tourism bosses in Cornwall are

pinning their hopes on new films and the return of a TV favourite to

bring visitors into the county. Visit Cornwall only has about one

and a half million pounds to spend each year - Wales alone spends eight

million pounds. And while tourism in Wales has been growing fast, numbers

in this region have been falling. John Henderson reports.

Port Isaac is one of the prettiest villages in Cornwall and it is easy

and buzzing but it is not just the sun and sea pulling in visitors from

the UK and beyond. I discovered Doc Martin a year ago so I wanted to see

it for ourselves but it is really Port Isaac. The Australians like

anything to do with old England. It goes down well. It looks so

beautiful on the TV that it cannot be real and then you come here

because Doc Martin is made here and it is real. The doctor was

dispensing joy at a nearby school. He opened a new outdoor Trail partly

funded by the show production company, extra pay back. The reason

we film here is because it is beautiful and we always believe if

you take a picture, take a nice one. We make sure we pepper every episode

with beautiful shots of the scenery which is one of the jobs of a

tourist body. TV and film are priceless when it comes to tourism

advertising. This story of love and scandal before the great war is

currently on general release. Brad Pitt's latest release used part of

Falmouth. This did wonders for Jersey, repeats and TV shows are

often the gift that keeps on giving. Lyme Regis, the French left

tenants's woman, cable TV, they will show Doc Martin for years. People

get the exposure. Port Isaac is regularly seen by millions watching

their favourite programme. The UK is one of 200 countries that gets to

see the best Cornwall has to offer. One of the south west's most scenic

cycle trails is to plug an important gap in its twenty six mile route

this Summer.The Exe Estuary Trail stretches from the beginning of the

Jurassic Coast near Exmouth and runs alongside the internationally

important marshes and mud flats around Lympstone before moving on to

the historic town of Topsham and on to Dawlish Warren Nature Reserve

before finally ending up at Dawlish. The trail is proving hugely popular

and is also good for the local economy.

Much of the route has been successfully completed around the

Exe Estuary, a new cycle bridge leads straight to the inn. On a

sunny day, this is a popular stopping off point. We have lots of

cyclists who are now turning up for a splash and -- along their cycle

route. It has been good for us but good for all of the area. It is

really good. It gets is out in the fresh air. We thought we would Ryder

Cup of bikes and go across the route. This is one of the few

remaining gaps on the cycle route, it costs �1.7 million to plug that

by September cyclists will make their way along this area linking

Topsham and allowing them to continue their journey to Lympstone.

Cycling is viewed as beneficial on many levels and access to the River

axe is drawing visitors from home and abroad. We have seen an increase

in the number of cycle trips from 2000 -- an increase of 59%. Of

course there is one hurdle left when the bridge is put in place. Then you

can cycle from Dawlish to Exmouth and vice versa and that will be the

jewel in the crown for tourism. The only remaining gap on the cycle path

is due to be completed next year. And then there'll be no stopping the

growth in numbers using the Exe Estuary route.

Coming up: what a difference a year makes, as the sun shines, we'll look

back on a very different scene twelve months ago. Plus, the train

now leaving is the 1940s special - we're on a journey back in time.

join us for a sailing challenge that has required a lot of tall. --

bottle. Well, it's been a busy weekend, not

only for Andy Murray, but for sport in the South West. Here's Dave.

The new Plymouth Argyle Chief Executive has been giving his vision

for the Pilgrims after joining them from South West rivals Yeovil Town.

Martyn Starnes moves to the League Two club after five and a half years

with the newly promoted Championship side.

Martyn Starnes remains in the south-west but leaves one shade of

green for another. His work at Yeovil town helped the club become

one of only a few to stay in the black. Ten years in a feeble -- in

the league lead to promotion through a Wembley play-off in May. Now, the

departure to Plymouth Argyle has come as a shock, especially the

timing. I did not want to do anything that would upset the

opportunity that Yeovil town had through the play-offs. That would

have been unfair to the players and supporters. I kept my counsel during

that period. I think in the period of celebration after it was

reasonable to allow a little time for the dust to settle before I got

into conversations with the chairman about my release. His experience and

know-how will be the perfect foil for an owner and chairman James

Brent. He will take over the general running of Argyll top we are looking

to develop the club, a planning application is in for developing the

area around the stadium. It is important that we get that to give

the club a springboard to go forward and then we are looking for early

success in terms of divisional positions. We want to be challenging

for promotion and going into league one. He joins the Pilgrims on a 12

month contract and he will become a nonexecutive director at home Park.

Now Britain seems to be riding high on sporting glory at the moment -

and the next batch could be from Devon. Two young athletes have just

been selected for the British Taekwondo squad and that's where the

next Olympians will be found. But as Andrea Ormsby reports, it's even

more of an achievement than it seems.

Fighting for success, Danny Dowling, 21 and Tiegan Flay have had some

great news. I have been selected to join the Academy and hopefully I

will be competing in Rio. I have been selected for the junior team.

am 15 and it's a great opportunity. It's a huge achievement and their

coach Johnny Black says it has not been easy. The international team

and they are stepping up into the Olympics which is a big arena. And I

know they will do well. You will see them at Rio, definitely. I have that

confidence. Here is what makes it incredible, they have learned a

whole new style of tae kwon do to get selected for the British squad.

I am representing the Olympic tae kwon do, the first difference is I

am wearing body armour and he is not. He is wearing a hand guards and

the foot guards. The other difference if he can punch to the

head. We do not punch to the head. Ours is to the body apart from

ticks. The other main difference is sunny contact, the Olympic style is

full contact. It is them and but also different. They learn

differently in different ways so they have different techniques. And

because we learnt to punch in the face they haven't so it is hard to

beat each body not to do that. It is natural to do it so you have to stop

yourself. It took four days to learn the new style and rules and already

they are good enough to get selected. It is early days but by

the next Olympics in Rio in 2016 it is looking good. Somerset batsman

Nick Compton, left out of the England team for the first Ashes

Test against Australia which starts on Wednesday, was dismissed without

scoring on the first day of the Championship match with Sussex at

Taunton. Compton had been pushing to face the Aussies with some decent

scores, and was given an extra chance playing for Worcestershire

against the tourists. Somerset were bowled out for 244 today. And later

in the week, we'll be featuring Saskia Sills as she builds up to the

World Championships. Now, it's been perfect weather today for getting

out on the water and schoolchildren in Cornwall have been doing just

that. Pupils from Fourlanesend School near Cawsand today launched a

boat they've built from empty plastic bottles. Spotlights Andy

Breare was there to see its maiden voyage.

Today's launch of the pupils plastic bottle trimaran drew quite a crowd,

they need to find out if the boat would float made from rubbish at any

fears were calmed as the ship began her maiden voyage. The boat is part

of a project the children were studying about plastic and waste and

how rubbish does not have to be thrown away. There are 750 bottles

in their and part of it for us was giving a message because that is

about 20,000 times the number is thrown away in the UK just in water

bottles. It is completely unsustainable. The local boat

builder has been the brains behind the project working with the

children who have been bringing in hundreds of empty plastic bottles

from home to help construct the boat. We didn't have any plans, a

lot of rubbish. The kids came in at nine o'clock and we had to design it

as we went along with 100 kids keeping them occupied. I have

respect for teachers and! It is working with the community, some

science and the technology of putting it together and it is real

and that is important. As for the secrets behind the boat design, I

leave that to the experts but it does get technical. We had to put

the big bottles on the bottom and the small ones at the top. The big

ones are stronger than the little ones! They can hold the boat up.

Following today's launch there is talk of finding out how far the boat

can sail which would be the ultimate junk boat crews. It looked like the

Mediterranean! Dozens of 1940s re-enactment

enthusiasts have been in Devon for the annual Military weekend at the

South Devon Railway. The stations at Buckfastleigh and Staverton were

transformed into what they may have looked like seventy years ago.

A military train rolling into Buckfastleigh. Soldiers guarding the

goods wagons, I cannot tell you more because it is top secret. There is a

war run, you know. For two days at the weekend it was the early 1940s

on the South Devon Railway and people came from all over to dress

up in clothes from a period before they were born. This is an original

cotton dress, the shoes are original. It is harder to find them

now for people with bigger feet because the women had smaller feet.

Cheryl is the enthusiast and I love steam trains so the settings are so

fantastic. Many of the stations are still 1940s. With the costumes and

the people, wonderful. Of course the war years were in reality a dreadful

time but here they are making their own fun.

Dressing up takes you out of the real world. It helped us. It turned

out nice again but on the platform spivs are selling black-market

groups. This one has been nabbed. My name is Oliver and I am a sergeant

in the police. In those days, Exeter had its own dedicated police force.

A 1940s family and Alan is here with her partner and Neath in costume. A

regular reenact, I have been doing this for eight years. It is good

fun, everyone is friendly and you get to wear vintage clothing and go

out on steam trains. Who said nostalgia isn't what it used to be?

# I know we will meet again some hot and sunny weekend and it looks

likely to stay that way but the predicted heatwave is a far cry from

this time last year. The first weekend in July 2012 saw parts of

the South West under flood water, following heavy rain. Carole Madge

has been finding out what a difference 12 months make.

With highs of 29 degrees in some places, there's been plenty of fun

this weekend. But what a contrast, these were the scenes 12 months ago

as people were trapped in their homes, families escaped floodwaters

with babies, the rivers burst their banks and cars were washed away.

This was the first weekend in July 2012. It is a weekend people will

never forget. It was pumping out the drains, you could not get across.

was chaotic. I think it was fire engines and services coming to help.

It was just after seven, something that looked like a torrent rushing

through the gates and down through the yard and I opened the workshop

and it was over my wellies. I have never seen water like it before.

is a much calmer seen in the village now, hard to believe this time last

year homes and businesses were under feet of water.

They may be creatures of warm climates but even these butterflies

have had to be kept cool. In the Butterfly house, we keep it at 80

Fahrenheit. If it gets too hot they start cooking and we would rather

they did not do that; it down with water. We can open the roof and try

and call the place down. The warm weather is set to last the rest of

the week. With the forecast this is Ian

With the forecast this is Ian Fergusson.

Hello, temperatures reached 30 Celsius today in some parts of

Devon, Exeter and I suspect tomorrow will bring more of the same. Very

little subtle differences tomorrow, another warm day. High pressure

remained dominant for quite a number of days ahead. A few flies in the

ointment which I will come to later but for the time being it is a case

of how much sea fog and low cloud. There will be generally very little

and most will be confined to the nocturnal period. As far as hero

now, we have had areas of cloud around, parts of call will but

broadly speaking a pleasant evening, sea breezes fading away, and light

wind through the night. Some sea fog on the Channel Islands in some

coastal fringes and up into the Bristol Channel. Of more

significance is low cloud spilling down across the wash and touching

down in parts of Somerset. Most of you getting under way on a bright

start right. Temperatures typically somewhere into the mid-teens.

Tomorrow, where we have low cloud in the north and on the coast it will

get burnt away. A day with virtually cloudless skies, fair-weather

cumulus, no threat of showers. A dry day ride free. The sea breeze picks

up as we run through the afternoon. We may have a little bit more in the

way of cloud in Cornwall but it will not take the shine off another

pleasant and warm day. Temperatures getting up to match today, these

could be on the low side, 25, 26. We will have lower temperatures on the

coastal fringes with sea breezes but nonetheless nudging up to the low

20s. Every possibility that one or two spots south of Devon could get

up to 28 or 29. A high pollen count, high UV, a similar picture on

Wednesday. A week rent in eastern areas running a bit more cloud but

we should have the lions share of the sunshine. On Thursday, towards

Friday during the day little in the way of a marked change, temperatures

into the mid-20s. A good deal of sunshine around, you will notice a

cold front edging further southwards into northern parts of the British

Isles. It will sink southwards down through parts of England and on

Saturday lying somewhere across parts of Somerset in the afternoon.

We need to cater for the threat of a heavy shower or thunderstorm in one

or two spots at either side of that a good deal of warm and hot

sunshine. That is reflected in the cymbals. Temperatures show the

lowest of the range. So, 25 Celsius on Wednesday into the low to mid 20s