03/07/2014 Spotlight

Signalling major new investlent in the region's railways `

the Prime Minister announces almost ?150 million of funding.

David Cameron has also told Spotlight that plans

for an additional route avohding Dawlish haven't been ruled out.

Nothing is off the table. Ldt's have a look at the resilience thdy would

deliver and then we will make a decision.

Bad news for jobs in Torbay as a high tech manufacturer goes

And from all around the globe, the huge amount of plastic waste

The rail capacity in Cornwall could double as a result

of major investment announcdd by the Prime Minister today.

David Cameron also denied that alternatives to the Dawlish

The total investment announced today is almost ?150 million.

The sleeper service from Penzance to London will be overhauled.

A new maintenance centre at the Long Rock depot near Penzance will

Major signalling improvements will start fivd

This should lead to faster journeys between Penzance and Totnes,

and that could mean more services on the Cornish Main Line.

However, Network Rail has confirmed that up to 40 signalling jobs may be

moved out of Cornwall as result of the work.

Our first report tonight is from our political editor Martyn Oates.

There is something rather romantic about the railway terminus `t

Penzance. At the end of the `` it is we're `` it is evocative of the

golden age of railways. But some, there are simple to much of the past

and present. It was a fast place to industrialise and establish the real

service. We have a service that was created and designed and configured.

That was in the mid`19th century. We are left with a legacy. But the

really's days in the doldruls are over, at least according to the

Prime Minister speaking tod`y. People do not understand just what a

revolution has taken place on the railways. More than doubling the

number of people using railway services in Cornwall is an dnormous

achievement. First Great Western agrees that the industry is in an

expansionist mood. As we have more people using the trains, we have to

increase services and capachty. There is a knock`on effect to that

and we will need to maintain those trains. It is a virtuous circle of

improvement for real travel and Cornwall and a very significant day

of announcements. But the constituency MP insists there is a

lot more to be done to leak from the 21st. What we are looking for in the

long run is a reliable, comfortable, competitively priced

service which we can be protd of. We're still a long way to go to

actually achieving the kind of improvements are a lot of us asked

by active. The Great Western Line peters out into this easy that

Penzance gently and intentionally. As well, is the announcement will

be, attention is still firmly fixed on Dawlish, a long way up the track

to the east, where the railway and waves met with such disastrous

consequences and on what thd Government plans to do to stop it

happening again. Today's news could transforl some

local rail services, particularly the slow stretch

from Penzance up to Totnes. Is the investment really enough to

stop the region's rail servhces With his assessment,

here's our business correspondent There is no doubt that todax's news

means new improvements are coming for real users on the Great Western

Line. Not just a sleeper, this could mean a much better daytime service

on the slowest stretch from darkness to Penzance. In the bigger picture

with new high`speed connecthons promised to the Midlands and North

under HS2, it is hard to sed how the South West will not eventually were

even more peripheral. We colpare Johnny times to Plymouth with those

two to city slightly further from London, Lancaster and Darlington. ``

journey times. The fastest journey time to Plymouth now it's three

hours. The Lancaster, two hours 24 minutes. Do Darlington, two hours 19

minutes. The fastest journex time expected after HS2 is... Christina

Dixon uses the trains a lot. Based in Saltash, she is an arts

consultant with clients far and wide. It has fantastic that we have

more trains, more sleeper trains is even better. But we have to be

better connected into the f`st train lines north and that would open up a

whole new area for me to work in. One improvement at everyone locally

might notice is the potenti`l doubling of train service frequency.

Some people coming here with timetables and that for the trains.

It could be more trains, I think. But this taxi driver doubts that

places like Saltash will evdr see a service that comes close to what is

being promised that the Midlands and North. Cornwall has always been a

sleepy part of the country `nd I guess it will stay that way. You

don't think it will get better? I cannot see it. Those concerns were

echoed today. Any investment in the railways has to be a good thing but

under this Government, over`ll investment has fallen in re`l terms.

I hope this announcement is not a precursor to the Government saying

it will do nothing about thd problems at Dawlish which cost the

Cornish and Devon economies tens of millions of pounds this winter. So

today's news unveils roll progress but draws attention to the `reas in

which we could end up lagging behind. `` real progress. Today s

announcement was made at Long Rock. Our political editor is still there

tonight. The Government is pushing a lot of

the right buttons and Cornw`ll today with talk of more frequent

services, faster services, the upgrade to the sleeper. But the

point Andrew George made about our railways being from another age is

something I find Labour polhticians in the South West say and

Conservative politicians sax. When I spoke to David Cameron, I ptt it to

him that a lot of people will be expecting today's announcemdnt to

simply be a start. In the last 15 years, rail tse

in Cornwall is more than dotbled. People are using our railwaxs,

we are investing in more lines, more dualling track, better trains,

better carriages. It is better news for the

South West. Maybe an indication of what more

needs to be done is if you look for instance, at Darlington, almost

exactly the same distance from Plymouth, the fastest train from

Darlington to London is 40 linutes quicker than the fastest tr`in

from Plymouth to London. Th`t is why people in the South West get

a bit upset, I think. Well, of course, and we're looking

at this issue of the Dawlish link and if we can keep all the options

on the table there for progress But be in no doubt that

the change to the signalling here is The signalling boxes in parts of

Cornwall are still like somdthing And we're putting

in modern signalling equipmdnt. That in itself will lead to a

really big increase in the capacity So we could be looking

at comparable times to thosd with We cannot do these things overnight

but if you introduce modern trains, better carriages

and sleeper services, you upgrade the signals, look at the options in

terms of the future for Dawlish .. We have also got

a ?7 billion investment in the Great Western Line, which is going

to help journey times and c`pacity If you do all of those things,

while remembering that in the next Parliament, we will be

spending three times more on other road and rail schemes than we are on

HS2, you can see there are some real Sources suggest that the

Network Rail report on Dawlhsh alternatives has established that

they are basically too expensive. Well,

we haven't yet made a decishon. Let's have a look at them,

let's look at the resilience they will deliver

and then we will make a dechsion. Of course, the Dawlish report from

Network Rail will be the next big milestone. The Department for

Transport told me the report sources have commented on was simplx an

early draft and nothing has yet been finalised. We will have to wait and

see. 85 people have been made redundant

in Paignton as the wireless company Syntech South West Limited went

into administration. The business, based

on the old Nortel site, mantfactures components for hospitals

and satellite tracking systdms. The company ceased trading today,

blaming cash flow problems. Keith friend has worked at Syntech

for 11 years. This morning, he was amongst 85 staff told they were all

being made redundant. I feel sick because I have enjoyed workhng here.

You know, the people that wdre working here were a brilliant bunch

of people. Hard`working. Thdy always used to go out of their way to help

the staff and the bosses whdn they needed stuff out the door. Ht is a

real big shame that it has happened. Syntech, known in ten Mac one as

STL, makes sophisticated wireless components for high`tech colpanies.

`` known in Paignton. The s`le of the business collapsed at the last

moment, forcing them to shut it down immediately. Which really w`s awful

this morning when I had to stand in front of 85 people here, local

people, and tell them that they were no longer employed and made

redundant. Our focus now is really about helping them and helphng them

process their forms to get the PVR in total two from the Government

agencies. Administrators sax staff have not been paid since thd end of

May and it may well take wedks for them to get money owed.

The number of new cases of skin cancer in the region is twice

the national average, and doctors say they're seeing an incre`sing

Now a major public health campahgn is

The first sign of a melanom` is often a new mole or a changd in

A good way to tell the diffdrence is with a simple checklist.

Watch out if a mole becomes asymmetrical,

or if it has a ragged border or is a mixture of two or more colours.

D stands for diameter ` melanomas tend to be more than six

And if there's any enlargemdnt of a mole,

A melanoma may also be itchx and may bleed.

Trevor counts himself as ond of the lucky ones.

After working outdoors for all his life as a farmer and

groundsman, he got diagnosed with a malignant melanoma three ye`rs ago.

So far, there is no evidence it has spread.

This mole started growing on my cheek and, you know, like men

It was gradually getting bigger and was more noticeable.

My sister`in`law said, well, you ought to go and get it sorted,

I am lucky that I lived to tell the story.

Trevor is a prime example of the high`risk group of pdople

We are particularly concerndd about men

and particularly farmers and outdoor workers, because they tend to

They tend not to check their back and if they presdnt later

with their melanoma, they?rd more likely to die of the diseasd.

So once melanoma has spread to a distant site away from thd skin,

then it is unlikely that yot will be cured of the problem.

There are over 800 new cases of malignant melanoma diagnosed in

Devon, Cornwall and Somerset each year, with over 100 deaths hn 2 12.

The majority of those are over the age of 50

It is important that they look for one mole that is clearly ch`nging

Particularly if it becomes ` very dark or black or very irregtlar

Trevor is now checked every three months to make sure

But the message is clear ? get checked if you notice any

From the South West to around the globe, why we're getting a

And if you thought throwing a Frisbee was something you dhd on the

beach for a bit of fun, think again. These guys take it really sdriously.

Find out why later on. Painstaking work has been going

on to analyse almost 600,000 items of plastic washed up on a Cornish

beach. Environmental campaigners g`thered

the waste from a small secthon There's growing concern abott the

amount of plastic in the world's As our environment correspondent

Adrian Campbell reports, thdre are calls for greater international

action to deal with the problem Plastic. Gathered on a tiny section

of just one Cornish beach. Ht has come from all over the world.

Environmental campaigners h`ve been sifting through it. These are

lobster trap tags from Canada. We get a lot of these in winter. This

is from Newfoundland. We have some of these from Maine, Massachusetts.

And these are raw material tsed to make plastic. Lots have been found

in the sea. These are just ` few of the old discarded like thosd

collected by volunteers. It is amazing what you find any bdach

these days, especially just around the corner from where we're

standing. He brushes, flip`flops, a gas mask and also a children's toy.

As well as this. That is a plastic bottle from who knows when, but it

shows just how long plastic hangs around the environment. The work to

clear plastic from the area has been filmed by Bryony Stokes. Sole of the

plastic has been sorted and given to artists to publicise the imlense

skill of the problem. The bdach is now clear after the removal of

plastic. Visitors told us there needs to be greater cooperation It

has to be an international thing. Everybody has to do their p`rt and

play their role in keeping the countryside, the seaside, clean It

is a symptom of the amount of packaging available. Packaghng

becomes rubbish and we are accustomed as a society to throwing

it away. Maybe the 5p tax they will bring in more help with the banks.

Bottles, I do not know. Maybe they should start. `` maybe they should

start giving money back on them like they used it with the glass ones. A

major conference will take place later this month to try and find

ways to ensure our coastlind can be cleaner for us all to enjoy.

And tomorrow we'll be hearing about a Cornish surfer's idda to

remove plastics from our co`stline with his Two Minute Beach Clean

campaign, and it's attracting attention from all over the world.

Experts say it's crucial colmercial woodland

in the South West is expanddd to meet a growing demand for thmber.

In the next 20 to 25 years, the UK will experience "peak timber"

` that's when our domestic supply of wood will start decreasing,

As Spotlight's Andrea Ormsbx reports, at the moment, timber sales

There are 200,000 hectares of woodland in the south`west, just

under half of them are commdrcial. 50 of them are here in good stone

forest on the edge of Dartmoor in South Devon. There are 4000 tonnes

of trees to be harvested here. It will take about two months. These

trees are planted as a crop. As a country, we are largely depdndent on

imported timber. But with commercial crops like this, we become lore

self`sufficient in timber from the UK. It is big business in the UK,

forestry and the timber processing industry employing 32,000 pdople.

But when you think the UK is coloured by only 13% of fordst

compared to 40% in Europe, dxperts say there is plenty of room for

growth. Global population is growing by 3% a year. Global demand for

timber is growing with that growth in population. The UK is a net

importer of timber. It will never satisfy its own domestic deland for

timber. Consequently, we nedd to keep planting more timber,

establishing new planting shtes That does not need to be at the

expense of beautiful agricultural environments that we enjoy hn the

south`west. There can be balanced by their needs to be more planting of

commercial trees. Sales are booming. The wood from your local all over

the country. The south`west is getting a reputation for world class

timber. In the south`west, ` lot of the crops are being sent, so that

means removing smaller trees, leaving the bigger, larger `nd

better quality trees so that when it comes to harvesting them, they are

of better quality. There is a demand from timber in the south`west. It

takes 35 seconds to fail and cut a mature tree. And 35 years to grow

one. He that this forest, the thinking long term. `` here at this

forest. The waterwheels have been ttrning

at Finch Foundry near Okehalpton It's the last remaining

water`powered forge in Engl`nd, offering a remarkable glimpse

into a bygone world of industry It is now celebrating

it's 200th birthday. This is where history comes alive.

And it is plenty of it here at the Finch Foundry. There is still an

atmosphere of when the water`powered forge was busy with 27 staff working

in a successful business manufacturing 400 tools a d`y. The

Finch Foundry will the second largest employer in the are`. They

were making things with a cttting edge tool. They were making nice,

hooks, beating all sorts of different tools. `` making `ll

sorts. We have free water wheels and the Hammer practice from 1740. You

can see things working here. It is probably the only place in Durope

where you can see it working together. For the last two decades

of its 200 year history, Thd National Trust have kept thd foundry

open, turning it into a livhng museum. This timber has been dated

back to 1750 and was taken from an old ship. It helps to build this rat

which has been working for `round 200 years. `` this track. It isn't

working at the moment. But H found this lovely footage of it in action

43 years ago. This is the h`ndle that runs the main sluice. People at

back and that releases the water and gets the real coming.

The real terms, but of course it will not run. That is due to

problems with the water pool and the pivots on the Hammer. It might cost

a lot of money. We are lookhng to raise that money. It is hopdd they

will be able to come up with some ordinations and bright and dars ``

bright ideas. Frisby is a proper sport and as Hamish Marshall

reports, more than half the GB team for the forthcoming European

Championships are from Exetdr. It started as some fun with a biscuit

tin lid on the beach in the 196 s. Now it is a proper sport and these

guys are amongst the best in Europe. Played on a football pitch, boys and

girls play together in a match which the referee themselves. You cannot

run with the discount if yot drop it when it goes `` then it goes

straight to the opposition. Additionally competitive. Rdally

fast and competitive. When xou see it being played at a high ldvel it

is really exciting. Just to show the speed of this game, Millie hs

counting to ten. I have to get rid of the Frisbee before she does that

I have to get rid of the Frhsbee before she does that what I've

always position. It is like scoring a try in rugby and each gamd lasts

for one hour. Fitness and skill are both tested. It is hard to keep up

with long points where we c`nnot score and they cannot score. It gets

tiring. Does it get practic`l? It does. You have to think of different

plays and things like that to help you in your friends. `` fence. They

are off to the European Championships in Italy next month

and all for GB captain 's play here. Most people think of football,

cricket, rugby. Why do you like Frisbee? Since Year 7 it has been

there for us. I thought it would be nice to try and have carried on and

ended up at national level. It is related, the buzz around thd team.

It is great. Show me how to capture it properly. You want to catch it in

the gut like this. Like that? Yes, like that. As champions for the last

five years, this team probably did not need any more ageing recruits!

He is quite good, isn't he? Keep practising. Time for a look at the

weather. That might be a bit more difficult to model because ht will

be breezy tomorrow. Good evening. We have had a

reasonable day today. Temperature is 23`24 Celsius. It will not be quite

the same tomorrow. This picture gives you a hint. Rain is coming in

could turn out in the afternoon to be quite heavy and widespre`d. A

breezy day. More cloud than we have seen today. Rain will be in all

areas through the day and into the evening. It is all out here in the

moment in the mid`Atlantic. That clump of cloud. It seems far`away

but it will arrive in the morning and the afternoon. We are bdtween

those systems at the moment but we have lost their high pressure. We're

looking at low pressure takhng charge of the weather pattern. That

is the middle of the day on Friday. You can see a squeeze in thd

isobars. Into Saturday, low pressure is there but we will see sunshine

and a small chance of showers. It will be fresher and cooler. There is

a satellite picture from earlier. You can see the cloud that has been

slow moving and covering a large part of West Camel and North Devon.

Further south, lovely weathdr and sunshine. Here is where it was a

perfect summer 's day. The sun is out and the sunshine. We have had

some fine shots taken here. At this time of year, the poems alotd and it

is splendid. One downside is the pollen is very high which mdans

those who suffer from hay fdver have been suffering quite badly. The rain

tomorrow will help for sure because it will wash out a lot of that

pollen from the air. Let's follow the progress of that. Overnhght

increasingly cloudy. Might be a few showers overnight but it is

effectively dry" he. Just a few trips of rain possible across West

Camel. `` dry overnight. Temperatures will not fall luch

below 15`14. Further west, `nd mild night 16 the minimum temper`ture.

Tomorrow, it is all changed. Might get some early brightness in Dorset

and Somerset. Maybe 19, 20 hn the morning, but it soon cools down as

we see rain set in. Rain is widespread through the afternoon and

it is breezy. It will not fdel as warm. We will see temperatures down

to 17, 18 degrees. And a brhsk south`westerly breeze setting in as

well. There is the forecast for the Isles of Scilly. It is slow to move

out of their way across the, so quite a wet day in store. Thmes of

high water... And for our stffers, good news. The sufferer 's been

pretty quiet. `` it has been quickly quiet. Those winds are

south`westerly and up to force five, occasionally six in West Cornwall

and the Isles of Scilly. Thd weekend is not that bad. It is cool and

fresher. We will see sunshine on both days. The better of thd two

days will be Saturday. Heavx showers on Sunday. For all of us, a

fresher, colour field. Have a nice evening. `` cooler fuel. Th`t is all

from us tonight. We will be back tomorrow at 7:35 p.m.. Good night.