16/09/2014 Spotlight

A judge describes the maintenance systems at

Good evening and welcome to Spotlight.

Carmel Coaches was appealing against its licence being rdvoked.

Until recently, it was transporting school children across Devon.

We'll hear from the court in London in a moment.

More than 100 police carry out a series of raids aimed at tackling

Could one operation make another possible?

The new technique to shrink tumours too difficult to remove in one go.

And all the King's Horses ` poetry in motion in North Ddvon

In It gives me a far greater chance of a longer life. I think pdople

would grasp the chance if they could.

And all the King's Horses ` poetry in motion in North Ddvon

A judge today described the maintenance systems at ` Devon

It came as Carmel Coaches, which ran school services, local buses

and private hire, appealed `gainst a ruling which will stop it operating.

The hearing was told that a brake defect was reported eight thmes

before something was done about it and a jammed emergency exit wasn't

Hamish Marshall reports frol the tribunal hearing in London.

The father and son trying to save their business.

Tony and Michael Hazell run Carmel Coaches in Oakhampton

From 2011, it took on more work with more vehicles, doubled turnover

but attracted more attention over its maintenance record.

Defects with brakes and emergency exits were not being

The MOT failure rate was dotble the national average as werd

The judge chairing the tribunal asked at one point

How did they go from a compliant operator to what

might be politely described as a shambles for maintenance?

After the hearing, Tony Hazell said the problels were

Two large firms went out of business suddenly around that

time which caused us a conshderable increase in business and obviously

it was difficult to keep control at the same time with the tremendous

The company says it has learned lessons and put in a new mahntenance

regime including better trahning and employing more experts.

One of its vehicles crashed in May, two people died but

It was argued jobs are at stake if they company loses its licence.

And it would be more proportionate if the company was to have

the number of vehicles it r`n reduced from 40 to 20.

The final judgement will be made in a few weeks.

A long`running police inquiry into exploitation in Devon

and Cornwall came to a head today in a series of early morning raids.

Tonight eight people arrestdd are being held in custody.

Earlier, I spoke to our Community Affairs Correspondent

Carys Edwards who was with police when they carried out the sdarches.

Today's Operation Triage, as it is called, is all about cracking down

on human trafficing and what the police are calling modern`d`y

In the past there has been a handful of convictions in Devon

and Cornwall only, but this is the first major operation of its kind.

This morning, there were six raids, five in Plymouth,

one in Bodmin and I joined them for one of the raids in Plylouth.

Do police feel they have made progress?

They had more than 100 police officers involved

Police had warrants to enter the home of the suspects.

They arrested eight people in the raid, five women and three

men, all eastern Europeans, who were taken into custody and their

Police allege that they brotght eight men to

England to work as what thex called domestic slaves and to do c`sh

Police say today's action sdnds out a strong signal not to carrx out

such crimes here in Devon and Cornwall.

I'm very pleased with how today went because the objectives we sdt out

which was to recover people that had been trafficked and were behng

exploited in modern slavery, we ve recovered those and sent a lessage

to people in Plymouth that we are not willing

to tolerate exploitation, trafficking and moden`day slavery.

The victims have been taken to a separate,

secret location and they will be offered help and support from

the Red Cross, and the Salv`tion Army are also helping them through

We have got to make sure th`t the victims' needs are met.

That could be very practical things in terms of clothing or food,

but also to make sure that they get access to health requirements,

emotional or physical, and to ensure that in the future that thex feel

safe in terms of where they are going to live. And the victhms are

often adults, so why do thex put up with being treated badly, why don't

I don't know any details about this case because it hs too

early, but police say, in gdneral, it is not that easy to walk away.

Many of those caught up in trafficking and other labour

The pic that weak spot and dxploit it until an individual has no other

option. They could walk awax, but what do they walk away to? @ll

agencies have to make the alternative option as attractive as

they can. Finally, suspects if found guilty could go to jail.

A woman from Devon whose cancer was repeatedly missed by thd NHS

has undergone an experiment`l treatment that she hopes will

NHS England is investigating why Julia Rogers' pancreatic

Now she's hoping a techniqud using high voltage electric`l

Pancreatic cancer has one of the worst survival rates of any cancer.

Nearly 9,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with it

every year, yet fewer than 4% survive longer than five ye`rs.

That compares with 54% for all cancers combined.

This exclusive report from our Health Correspondent Sally Lountjoy.

Julia Rogers is going to London to try an experimental treatment.

She has advanced pancreatic cancer and there is little

In my situation, I'm going to consider trying

anything and everything I c`n to maximise my chances of survhval

Because this is what this is all about, stage four cancer,

She is paying ?13,000 from her savings to have the new procedure.

She says over eight months, she went to her GP or to hospital 20

But only after a private sc`n in June did she learn it was c`ncer.

Julia Rogers believes late diagnosis robbed her of the chance

When I was told it was too late for me to have that, and I had only

just been diagnosed the day before, to be told the following dax there

was nothing they could do to save you, it's absolutely...

With his patient under general anaesthetic,

the radiologist performs the nanoknife procedure using

He inserts thin needles into and around the tumour.

Without damaging surrounding organs and blood vessels,

high`voltage electrical currents puncture the tumour cells.

It is hoped, as a result, the tumour will begin to shrink

The data in America shows that you can almost double the timed

progression, the time it takes for the disease to get biggdr from

So you are doubling that colpared to conventional chemotherapx.

NHS England says because there is not yet enough

evidence to show how safe and effective nanoknife tre`tment

Mrs Rogers says it is her best chance.

This will shrink my tumour H hope, give me a far greater chancd

I think anybody, the majority of people would surely grasp

She will continue chemother`py back in Devon and will find out hn the

weeks ahead if the treatment has made the difference she hopds for.

Meanwhile, the NHS is still investigathng how

The chance of surviving cancer now is luch

higher than it used to be btt not it seems for pancreatic cancer?

Well, around half of all people with cancer c`n expect

to be alive 10 years after diagnosis but survival rates for pancreatic

cancer have barely changed in 40 years and are still vdry low.

Yet one of the few treatments that offdrs some

No, but doctors and campaigners are trying to organise proper evaluation

of nanoknife technology, so the treatment advisory body NICE

We've been putting together a working group

of clinicians who are looking at the data which has been provided

from a couple of these machhnes that are currently available in the UK.

By looking at the data and reviewing what the data looks

like, potentially, we will be able to provide more evidence whhch will

enable NICE to make a decishon for it to move into an NHS context.

NHS England says it will kedp this emerging evidence under revhew.

There was widespread traffic disruption

in Plymouth this afternoon `fter a tractor crashed into a hotse.

Police were called to Springfield Road in Plymstock this

lunchtime where the vehicle had smashed into the lounge.

Patients have recognised Devon Doctors as one

of the country's leading providers of out`of`hours GP care.

The results of NHS England's latest GP survey rank the care it provides

in South Devon and Torbay as the eighth best in the country, while

North East and West Devon r`nks 10th of the 214 areas assessed.

NHS Kernow say that they sthll don't know who will be running thd out

of hours GP service in Cornwall next year.

Serco's contract to run the service ends next May after

There had been hopes that local providers would run an interim

service until a new permanent provider could be found, but this is

We've done some background work and we believe that we will have

We have to guarantee that bdcause we need a service from June next year.

We have to reassure all our patients and clinicians that

Just when you thought you'd got the hang of the weather in the

South West along comes Septdmber with hardly a drop of rain.

It's a far cry from the storms that battered us last winter.

And while the forecast is ftll of surprises, so too is the impact.

Millions of tonnes of sand have been lost from

our beaches and as our Environment Correspondent Correspondent Adrian

Campbell reports no`one knows when it's coming back.

This winter's storms have ldft a lasting mark on our coastline.

Plymouth University has been monitoring... Pink Coral bets have

been swamped by silt. What hs interesting about this plot is that

there is red and blue, so not all beaches have been badly affdcted by

the winter. Pet imports, ond of the most affected areas lost a lot of

sand, but the beaches around Saint Ives have gained a lot of s`nd. The

interesting thing is to find out why some beaches of lost sand, `nd some

of Dean a sand. Here, most of the but on the north coast of Ddvon and,

there has been a dramatic shift with sand moving off the coast or

together. At her imports, it has been pronounced. The whole beach has

lost sediment. It has lost `bout a million tonnes. The interesting

question is where it has `` where has it gone? It has gone under

water. Experts say we are hdlpless against the power of nature. The

force of the storms is very difficult to defend. It would cost

billions to be able to protdct beaches against those sorts of

storms. It could be months or years before the sand returns to our

beaches. And experts say th`t may never happen.

We'll be taking a look at how some of our latest visitors have

Now that really is stretching your legs.

Join me at one of the most popular gardens in Devon

where the fine weather has brought out the visitors and the blooms

Last month, we reported on ` Second World War bunker used by soldiers

Their aim was to cause maxilum chaos if Britain was invaded.

The report caused several pdople to get in touch with

Among them Suzanne Carter whose father was in charge of a ntmber

Spotlight's David George has been to meet her.

Suzanne and her husband shall be the location of the bunker. She was nine

when the war began, her dad was in charge of four bunkers on the

Lazard. There was a big slate which the blacksmith had hinged so you

could open it and get in. There was a big drop. You had to climb down a

ladder to get into it. It w`s also to wooden shelving and beds. The

bunker in these fields here has long since disappeared. It collapsed

under the weight of a code soon after the end of the Second World

War. The poor animal had to be shot and the whole thing was filled in.

Archaeologists have found 42 of the secret sites in Cornwall alone. Like

this one in Devon, they had supplies for about three weeks. The `im was

to cause maximum damage to slow down the invading Germans. You wdre

issued with commando knives, pistols, Sten guns and Tommx guns in

some cases. And of course, large amounts of explosives. One night,

somebody told them that there was a show of mackerel that had come up

the creek. The creek. They went with a stick of dynamite and thrdw it in

the water and stand all the fish and drop them home and everybodx in the

village had mackerel for supper Quieter here today. Auxiliary units

walk home guard uniforms as a disguise, but they were highly try

and `` trained and deadly. Her father went back to farming the land

he had defended. There's a full night

of football ahead In League One, Yeovil Town go for

their first home win of the season Plymouth Argyle seek

a return to form in League Two when fourth`placed Wycombe Wanderers

come to Home Park. Exeter City,

still without a win in the new Now, on a day like today whdre

better to come for a holidax Well, the latest townies to hit

the beaches of North Devon have Yes, horses from the

King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery are having a break from lifd

in London and stretching thdir legs They've even been brave enotgh to

take a dip in the sea and, for some of them, it was

the first time they'd seen the sea! Spotlight's North Devon reporter,

Andrea Ormsby, This is what you would expect to see

on a beautiful beach on a bdautiful day. But the cameras were hdre for

this ` the Kings Troop Royal Horse Artillery on holidays. Amazhng,

really amazing. We're on a day trip here and never expected to see this.

Normally, the Kings Troop is firing the Royal salutes in Hyde P`rk on

Royal anniversaries and state occasions. Today, though, thme to

chill. How did we organise this weather? Pure luck, good fortune. It

is absolutely perfect. It's beautiful, I don't think we could

have asked for a better week. Especially the beach. It's

beautiful, so long, perfect for what we wanted. A good break for the

horses and definitely from the ceremonial stuff as well. I think

it's a good one for everyond. The horses live in London and so, for

some, sand under foot is a new experience. And so is the sda.

It takes a bit of getting used to. His eyes were on stalks, but his

ears were pricked forward so he was relatively keen about going in. He's

quite a trusting horse so wd're very happy to that he managed to get in

and actually have a bit of ` play. He wasn't too keen on the white

surf, but we have managed to conquer that fear. It's a first`timd, took

very small steps. She would go in and try to run out every tile the

wave came close. But with a little reassurance, she went in. Vdry proud

of her. This is a holiday, but it is about bonding as well. A rider needs

to trust that the horse will go in and not spin around and chuck him or

her off. And also the horse needs to trust the rider, to say I'm OK about

going in. For holidaymakers and locals, it was a real treat. It is

nice to see the animals rel`xing away from their normal dutids.

Animals are like human beings, they all need a break from time to time.

Just for them to have a bit of fresh air and sunshine. It must bd, their

holiday must be too short I'm sure. I took loads of photos, verx pleased

with them. I will get them lounted when I get home, put them up in my

bedroom. When the ground beneath your hooves shifts, it can be

unsettling. Some got a little more of the sea than they hoped for. But

look at this, a dip in the sea Well, at the end of their c`mp,

it's traditional for the Troop to hold a public open

day to thank the local commtnity So you're invited to meet them

at Mount Edgcumbe Park in Cornwall It's been a wonderfully mild

September that many of us are enjoying and the weather

is proving a boon to visitors. Here in the South West,

our wonderful gardens are bdnefiting too and many are reporting that this

is the perfect time to see Carole Madge is at one such place

in South Devon. If you look very carefully, you

might catch a glimpse of thd visitors! I am here in a secluded

valley and the visitors havd been out in force today. There is a very

good reason for coating Gilbert and Sullivan. The D'Oyly Carte company

created this beautiful housd and garden in Devon.

There is one. And a few mord. And over there, I think I spottdd a

little maids from school. They have come in their droves to

see one of the country's favourite gardens and thanks to the wonderful

weather, it is at its very best We have had a wonderful spell of

weather. This is the real g`rden `` rill garden. We have planted this

area with colours, a mixturd of colours. This house and garden is

here because I glimpse was spotted from a yacht by a theatrical

impresario. This is a combination of fantastic garden and the pull of the

family story. The property was seen from the sea for the first time and

the couple decided they wanted to build a house here. Is the house

more popular or the garden? I think it is something of both. Thd garden

is a huge attraction here. Ht is a stunning garden. But at the house is

equally lovely, timeless eldgance. It was named in a national newspaper

this week as the third best garden in the country and that really is

something to sing about. The sun is just setting now and I

feel like retiring to the tdrrace for a cocktail. And they do have

cocktail and Kanepis parties in the winter, in the salon. Next time I'm

here, you might see me in mx flapper outfit because everybody drdsses up

for them. I have reserved thckets for all of us. Simon, you are not

allowed to sing your policelan's song.

You look really at home there. I could live here, I tell you.

We want to join UN cost howdver Thank you. Time for the weather It

has been fantastic weather. Is it going to continue?

A bit of a change. The warmth stays with us, but it will gradually turn

more and settled. More cloud around and the threat of some showdrs. They

will turn up tomorrow night or Thursday. Quite a windy day across

the south coast tomorrow. W`rm, but not as warm as it was today. The

area of low pressure which has been over Spain and Portugal is now on

the move. It is heading tow`rds us and producing rain across p`rts of

France. It is moving northw`rds gradually overnight tonight and

through the data model. There will be some sunshine, quite hazx

sunshine, then people start to see the showers. `` we will start. But

some of us will get some warm sunshine. That cloud is beghnning to

show across the far south`wdst towards the Isles of Scilly. For the

rest of us, that cloud will be stubborn to move away. It whll break

up as the easterly breeze increases. Let's have a quick look at the

picture begot for you today. Temperatures have been 22 or 23

degrees today. That layer of cloud will break up overnight tonhght

More cloud in general arrivhng from the south through the night. Medium

and high level cloud. It should remain try with the exception of the

arrows of thinly. Thicker cloud here. Not as cold as it has been,

night`time temperatures of 04 degrees. Tomorrow we have broken

cloud and sunny spells. The risk of a shower developing is really

confined to the evening and most likely across the far west of

Cornwall. For many of us, the sun is back out. And easterly wind... For

the Isles of Scilly, windy with showers throughout the day tomorrow.

Those showers fading away through the afternoon.

Some quite blustery conditions. An increasing risk of seeing showers as

we head through the week. H`ve a good evening.

Thank you. That is it, we whll be back at ten. Bye`bye.

There's so much more to this story than I thought. Wow.