11/12/2013 Spotlight

News at Six, so it's goodbye from me, and on BBC One we now join the

BBC's Thousands of days a year lost

through stress. The police and a local council have some of the

highest figures. Good evening The number of days lost

is on the increase. Unions blame public sector cuts. We are obviously

extremely concerned although not surprised about the number of

funding reductions and the reductions in staff put huge

pressure on people to provide these front`line services. Also tonight, a

safe alternative to culling. That's what Dorset Wildlife Trust

claims its planned vaccination programme will deliver.

And Bah Humbug! A row erupts over this bit of Christmas cheer in a

Dartmoor village. Police officers and council staff in

the south west are missing thousands of working days each year because of

stress, the BBC has discovered. The figure has been rising, according to

information we obtained using the Freedom of Information Act. Unions

say cutbacks in the public sector may be to blame. But private sector

workers have voiced criticism, as our home affairs correspondent,

Simon Hall, reports. At Exeter prison across most market, there is

short shrift for public service sick to `` sickness levels amongst the

traders. We cannot afford to get sick. If we get sick, we don't get

paid. I can feel a little bit of a cold coming on but I am not going to

have it. I will work on until the New Year and then I will rest. Devon

and Cornwall police say they have taken extensive measures against

stress`related health issues but they still have a problem.

We do feel through speaking to our members that some of it relates to

the reduction in the number of officers. They have to deal with

more with less resources. The majority of our staff are off work

for very short periods of time and returned to work very quickly. Are

we of post we concerned? Of course we are. We are all conscious that

policing is a demanding service to be in. We have a passion for making

sure that our colleagues are healthy and well. Of the organisations that

we surveyed, Cornwall Council lost the most days to sickness. That

averages four days per year for each member of staff. We know that people

are being asked to absorb much more workload, to travel more, to take on

responsibilities they did not have before. We also see members face to

face who are ill and cannot return to work and that is extremely

worrying for us. No one from Cornwall Council was available for

interview but a statement said: They were working hard to relief ``

reduce sickness levels. This has caused concern in recent years that

people need to do something about the sickness in public sector areas.

It seems to indicate there is still some way to go.

Dorset Wildlife Trust is planning to vaccinate badgers at locations

across the county to help reduce the problems of Bovine TB. The Trust has

already raised more than ?25,000 towards the cost of vaccination, but

the National Farmers Union says a cull of badgers remains the only

practical solution. Our Environment Correspondent, Adrian Campbell,

reports. You can see the vaccinating now.

They have done it. The Dorset wildlife trust has already

vaccinated badges around the county. Their Chief Executive has plans for

much more vaccination using specially trained staff over the

next five years. It is part of taking a positive approach. We have

been very outspoken against the coal. We do not think it will work

and the science says it will not. This is us trying to be supportive

of the farming industry, understanding that there is a real

issue. We have a herd of cattle ourselves. We know what this is

like, to some extent, so we are trying to be positive and to do

something. On this farm in West Dorset, the cattle have been free of

bovine TB in recent years but Andy foot says he is concerned about the

risks to his herd. He says he welcomes the efforts being made but

thinks it is not enough on its own. We need the culling. It needs to be

done on a fairly widespread area but localised vaccination is quite

possible for people who do not want to have their badges cold. I applaud

what the wildlife trust are doing, that they are taking this terrible

disease which is rampant in wildlife and affects bovines seriously, and

we need as many options as possible available to us to combat this

disease. This continues to be a highly polarised debate. Perhaps not

surprisingly, the results of the trial badger cols have been

interpreted it by different `` in different ways by those in favour

and those against. One thing looks certain. Next year it seems they

will be more culling in the south`west.

MPs have again been debating the subject this afternoon. Martin, this

wasn't a government debate, was it? Now, this was tabled by a Labour MP

who is also a trustee of the league against cruel sports. These smaller

debates are often low`key events but two days was packed. A lot of

south`west MPs there. Passionate and Lewsey, much like those in a big

chamber. Proof, many said, that this should have taken place in the

chamber rather than in a small room. A former Labour death row

minister said a further `` any further culling should only take

place after a full debate. As things stand, what is the next stage in the

debate? Ministers to be quite satisfied with the culling so far

but they will now submit their findings to an independent panel.

Decent eyes MP said that that panel `` de Saint eyes MP said that the

panel needs more time to look at it properly. I hope that they will be

given an extension on these six weeks that they have so far been

given to actually review the effectiveness, safety and humaneness

of this Carl but I cannot see that there is any sense in allowing this

culling to continue. The debate actually ran out of time before the

farming Minister could address that issue but at the moment the

government is saying it will make a decision on rolling out the culling

to other areas as early as next February. Thank you very much.

Campaigners opposed to a huge wind farm off the North Devon coast say

attempts to revive the plans will fail. Business and renewable energy

leaders are pressing for another company to restart the Atlantic

Array project. Two weeks ago, the developer pulled out of the

controversial scheme. Spotlight's North Devon reporter, Andrea Ormsby,

has the latest developments. This is what it would have looked

like, the Atlantic Array, 240 giant turbines which would have been

clearly visible of the coast of Devon. It was a huge project, double

the size of any wind farm currently operating in England. Business

leaders say it would have brought jobs and investment. Two weeks ago

though, the developer pulled out. It caused delightful campaigners

against the plan but concern for renewable energy experts and

business leaders. Today, they have been trying to revive the project.

We think the scheme is still strong and the government have announced in

the Chancellor's statement that they are supporting, with further

subsidy, the concept of offshore wind energy. We have to give it

another go. For those who fought the Atlantic Array, it is a pointless

mission. I think the people in North Devon have an enormous sense of

relief. The Crown Estates have removed the site from their map and

I think that is significant. Round for what is essentially about

trialling floating turbines for which this is not a suitable site. I

think people are pretty much convinced, and from the reaction of

people across the country, we have had an enormous amount of messages

from people saying, oh, thank heaven for that. We were really worried

about the North Devon coast. Business leaders say jobs and

development would have come off the back of Atlantic array but locals

say that terrorism, the biggest business in the area, would have

been hit hard and that is the biggest issue here. Some say tidal

power it should be the way forward but we're not sure whether that will

happen. One of the world's biggest airliners

is helping Newquay Airport bring in much`needed income during a lean

spell for passenger flights. The Boeing Dreamliner is using the huge

runway and empty airspace for pilot training. Commercial and industrial

work like this is now crucial for Newquay, as our business

correspondent, Neil Gallacher, reports.

?150 million worth of jet aircraft flies into new key. The holiday

firm, Thompson, our training pilots. This Boeing Dreamliner was spent

most of the day touching down and taking off again without stopping.

It will `` for that, it needs free airspace and the airport have a lot

of that. The airport was not as busy as we would like so we have enough

capacity for testing aircraft went to locate a maintenance repair

company for aircraft. It does not get much better. You have free

access to the skies for testing and that is unique in Europe. The flip

side of this is that the key should be far busier with passenger

flights. This illustrates the challenge. It is late morning on a

weekday and the next departure is not for another three and a half

hours. And the next arrival is not for a good five hours. This is not

what was envisaged when ?50 million was invested into the airport in the

run`up to the recession but then, Newquay Airport's problem is it

industrywide. A number of regional airports are struggling. If you look

at one such as Blackpool, which has had a decline in passenger numbers,

and even some of the bigger ones. Cardiff airport has seen its

passengers reduced by over half in the last four to five years. But

seemingly being owned by non`passenger work is being

increased fast. They do everything from testing to special industrial

tenants. This income has grown by more than 25% in the last few years.

The recovery is being shown here, despite it not showing in ordinary

passenger numbers yet. The schools inspector, Ofsted, has

published its first ever report reviewing education standards in the

South West. It says the proportion of good or outstanding primary and

secondary schools in the region has increased, but too many children

from poorer backgrounds aren't doing well enough. Coming up, we'll reveal

who's we know that across this region,

across the south`west, there are children in schools that are not

getting what they need. They are languishing behind others. The

challenge for every local authority, for every school, is to ensure that

those children get what they need to do their best. Plus, the big

Christmas switch off. Coming up, we will reveal who has won our sporting

lifetime achievement award. Find out why these lights have fallen foul of

the rules. And And the TARDIS takes off in North Devon but is quickly

back down to Earth with a bump. It's feared the Government's

decision to change the way lambs are tagged could force farmers out of

business in the South West. All lambs under 12 months old will have

to be electronically tagged from 2015. It aims to make the meat more

traceable but the farming industry says it comes at a time when

businesses have seen incomes drop by nearly 50% in the last year. Anna

Varle reports. Edmund sold and electronically

identified. Peter is one of the few farmers already using these tags on

his lands. It delivers something to me because I am doing the recording

to improve the genetics of my flock. But he struggles to recommend it to

others. I spent more than ?1000 a year on ID tags and as of next year

every farmer will have to spend that sort of money on buying tax and

unless they can get a benefit from that, I do not think it is fair and

equitable. What is going to change? Currently plastic tags are used on

lands under 12 months old going to slaughter. `` on lambs under

12`month`old going to slaughter. They will have to buy electronic

tags which could cost thousands pounds more.

That is 55p more than a plastic tag. The cost of the industry is

estimated at ?1.8 million. This is another thing coming from Europe

which is put upon us, putting costs and our industry, which we do not

need. It has been a difficult year for farmers like Adrian. The prices

are down and margins are tight. I cannot see any reason for us to do

this. The information on where the land comes from is already in their

ear on the plastic tag. There is no need to have them Alec Tunnicliffe

identified. The government says it will increase traceability and will

help to decrease illness. Well, the MP for Camborne and

Redruth, George Eustice, is also a farming minister. I asked him why

the electronic tagging scheme was being introduced when the NFU and

the National Sheep Association had so many concerns about it. It will

give farmers much more reliable information on individual lambs and

carcasses that they can help to manage their business. It will help

us to argue with the commission that they should have greater tolerance

when it comes to problems with accuracy and movement of sheep.

There are benefits to this. It only cost is 50p extra per lamb and I

think we just have to get on with it. You say it is only 50 pets ``

50p extra per animal but this is the cost farmers could do without. Will

they get help with this? This is the way it has to go. Scotland and

Northern Ireland have already had a electronic tags only since 2009 and

I don't see any point in dithering or holding back. There is no point

in having to systems that complicate things when we all know that

ultimately we have to go to digital only tax. The National sheep

Association is asking why it needs to be typed if the lamb is only

going from the farm of birth to slaughter. There is no risk, they

say. It gives the farmer individual information on that animal. This can

help refine the management of their farm. There are times when you get a

disease outbreak where you do want to know actually where individual

animals have come from, from what holding, so I do not accept that it

is of no value to record individual lambs as they go through the

slaughter process. This is one of those decisions that when you

introduce it or announce that there is concern and disappointment

expressed by farmers, but once we get on and do this, I think in a

couple of years time people will let back and wonder what the fuss was

about. They will realise this was the right thing to do. It gives them

better management information and it enables us to manage movement of

sheep much better than we currently are able to. Thank you very much

indeed. A Dartmoor village has been told to

turn off the lights on its Christmas tree. A group of residents put the

tree up on Meavy village green at the weekend. But the local council

has ordered them to turn the lights off. John Danks has the story. This

is the first time there has been a Christmas tree on the green here,

the lights adding a touch of festive cheer. But now the lights have gone

out. It seems one local resident has taken exception to the cable running

over this raid and now Devon county council have pulled the plug.

Apparently someone came and informed the person supplying the power for

the lights that if they did not take the cable down, they would be fined

for doing so. The council said it had concern over the use of a

domestic power supply and that the cabling, in their words, had been a

bit a goodie piggery. This resident has lived in the village for 50

years. She is unhappy that somebody complained. It is not very Christmas

like and it is very disappointing. It looked lovely when the light is

lit up there at 4pm and I made a support at midnight. `` they

disappointed at midnight. They were not harming anybody. The council

told us it was related to regulations about cabling of a

highways and was to keep people safe. Meanwhile, residents are

hoping to apply for a permit to happy cable put back and to have the

lights switched on again. Time for our next BBC South West

sports award for this year. Today, it's the Lifetime Achievement

trophy. The recipient took the Cornwall

rugby team to Twickenham in May, 22 years after he led them to glory at

the same venue. Dave Gibbins had the honour of presenting his award.

After unrivalled success with the Cornwall county rugby team and with

success coaching, it gives me enormous pleasure, Dave Thomas, to

give you this. It was at unanimous decision from the panel and they

decided to award you, Dave, the BBC South West lifetime achievement

award for this year. That is unbelievable. I wondered why you

were bringing me here today. This is a tremendous honour. A really

tremendous honour. I am overwhelmed by it. You deserve it. Not only

coaching the county and club teams, you have done an awful lot of

coaching with youngsters as well. You have been involved in rugby for

50 years or more. Why so long? You are 75 now. You shouldn't have said

that! I am very lucky. My wife is very, very supportive of all the

rugby that I do. Although she says, you are not off again, I have been

very lucky because I have had a lot of coaching at senior level and

working for the rugby union. When you do get some success on the way,

it motivates you even more to keep going. Dave Benji Thomas, many

congratulations. Thank you very much indeed. Now I know why a cane! A

legend in Cornish rugby. Tomorrow, Dave will be revealing the

BBC South West Youngster of the Year.

Now, this year Dr Who fans are celebrating 50 years of the Time

Lord and his famous means of transport, the TARDIS, which has

spent half a century flying through space and time.

Well now, thanks to a group of enthusiasts, a replica has also

flown in Hatherleigh. And we really do mean it's flown in Hatherleigh.

Spotlight's Kirk England was there for the maiden flight. Every detail

considered and a lifelong ambition finally coming to fruition. It has

always been my goal to get these dyes to help you build a flying

TARDIS. But will it fly? It is just not made to fly, basically. It is

not an aerodynamic shape and it goes against the laws of physics. These

friends enjoy making unusual objects take to these guys like washing

machines and lawn mowers. The replica Time Machine is their most

ambitious to date. I am quite up for just taking it off now and seeing

what happens but we will do a bit much evening, get it to fly properly

and come back another day. Daily two. `` day to and after a few

adjustments, the team are ready for take`off.

That was awesome. Just amazing watching it fly around. That is

crazy. It did not go as well as expected

but we got it off the ground, which was the main thing. But then back to

the drawing board, really, with that. Not quite a journey through

time and space but I am sure the doctor would approve.

It was going so well. Fantastic thing. A bit of a heavy landing

there. Of course, you arrived here once in a TARDIS...

You will not see that again. Good evening. Much more unsettled weather

over the next few days. A misty start tomorrow, a grey 12, dry and,

if we are lucky, possibly a glimpse of sunshine. A lot more clout than

two day there and some rain turning up in the afternoon as well. This

lump of cloud has been waiting in the wings for the last four or five

days and it is finally making its way towards us. It is still

relatively mild and we will see temperatures well into double

figures, possibly as high as 13 tomorrow. Through the night and day

tomorrow, whilst these weather fronts move around a little bit, the

final movement of that is gradually over us. We will see a change

Thursday into Friday as to whether systems straddle us. Setting us up

for an unsettled weekend with the best of the weather on Saturday.

That is the satellite picture from earlier today. We had quite a bit of

sunshine with some high`level clout. There was also some list and

fog earlier on. There is a very picturesque scene from earlier

today. A bit of sunshine above the frog. That looks quite artistic,

doesn't it? The mist and fog has caused those ability issues for

people driving to day. Let's look at what will happen overnight. Some of

the mist and frog will happen overnight. Some of the mist" we form

for a time. The cloud though will genuinely increased the cloud amount

from the West overnight. Beefy, mist and fog will increase, the cloud

will turn up and what we're left with is cloud shrouding the tops of

the hills and morals. Those are the temperatures for tomorrow morning. A

bright start and then the cloud will be thicker and brief sunshine will

be limited. As you can see through the afternoon, we will see some at

breaks of rain. Finally, more persistent rain spreading to all of

us by the early evening. Also, the breeze increasing. It will not be

cold though. Temperatures well above the average for the time of year. 13

Celsius. Before I give you the surfing

conditions, look at this from earlier today. Fantastic surfing

conditions. The most of the north coast of Cornwall, it has been great

to day. They take `` the sea temperature is down to 12 Celsius

though. Friday is a damp day with outbreaks

of rain, fine on Saturday, windy and cold `` windy and wet on Sunday.

That is all from us. I will be back with the late news at 10:25pm. Enjoy

what's left of your Wednesday. Goodbye.