10/01/2017 Spotlight

Welcome to Spotlight. news teams where you are.

Tonight, as we go on air, major disruption after the discovery

People have been moved out of the area after grenades were found

during roadworks in Plymouth. We'll have the latest

live from the scene. Also tonight - concerns

over the psychological In the most worrying cases,

we're hearing from children who really talk to us about

feeling suicidal as a result of seeing things, and that

constant pressure online. We hear from a father

in Cornwall who's launched a petition against one site,

calling it dangerous and addictive The death of Josh Clayton

on the Isles of Scilly - an inquest takes a dramatic turn

after hearing new evidence. And football fever pitch,

as the Green Army gear up to grab One of the main routes into Plymouth

has been closed after suspected World War Two incendiary devices

were dug up at roadworks, and Businesses nearby have been

evacuated after the workers dug up Staff and customers

at Crownhill Retail Park have been told to leave by police officers

after the cordon was set up on Tavistock Road,

near the turn-off Within the last half an hour, some

of the devices have been blown up. Our reporter is at the scene.

Tavistock Road has been reopened in the last few moments. It follows

after around 2:30pm this afternoon, when police and Fire Service were

called out here to Tavistock Road outside the Pizza Hut, where a road

workers who were involved in 15 months' worth of improvements had

dug up eight white phosphorous grenades in a trench down the middle

of the road. A deep and muddy trench at the height of a man, and at

5:50pm this evening, we heard a short, sharp, loud bang, a loud

site, and we saw a plume of smoke and dust, it rocketed up into the

sky and we believe that was the Royal Navy's explosive ordnance

disposal team exploding the devices and making the area safe. The cord

and has been in place for hours and the motorists were on diversion, so

congestion has been bad this evening. As you see behind me, the

cars are now blowing on Tavistock Road and the area is being reopened

to the public. -- the traffic is flowing now.

Welcome to the age of social media - websites and applications enabling

users to create and share content, views, photographs and to social

A digital age which can be all-consuming, something

raising the eyebrows of child protection experts.

They are calling for more research into the psychological impact

It comes as a father from west Cornwall has launched a petition

calling for an end to what he calls "torture" from a feature on a social

So what is Snapchat, and how is it affecting everyday

life for not only youngsters but adults as well?

With an explanation, here's Tamsin Melville.

millions of us of all ages are constantly

checking our social media, getting what experts say

is like a feel-good hit of dopamine to our brains each time

and one dad from Cornwall is taking a stand.

Streaks have become mini relationships in kids' eyes,

with all the ups and downs, and to lose one

He's launched a petition about what he calls a dangerously

addictive feature called "streaks" on a social media app

called Snapchat, which he says is making his teenager withdrawn.

Snapchat sends photos and videos to friends that disappear

Streaks measure daily contact with friends.

It has become very toxic for teenagers particularly,

because it pushes their buttons more so than older people.

We don't have the same need to be accepted.

Teenagers are growing, they are learning, they

learning how to be accepted socially and this has just managed to get

straight into that social acceptance button and it pushes it every time.

Snapchat did not want to comment on the petition, but it says it has

a Trust Safety Team that responds to reports and concerns.

Experts say there is an increase year-on-year of young people

reporting issues with all social media.

In the most extreme cases, constant exposure online and

young people feeling that pressure to be online constantly can cause

In the most worrying cases, we're hearing from children

who really talk to us about feeling suicidal as a result

of seeing things, and that constant pressure online.

Johnny is just hoping that his petition helps raise

awareness of what's a much wider issue.

Andy Phippen is a professor at Plymouth University who studies

children and digital and social media, he is with us now.

Let's talk about the impact potentially that too much social

What does the research tell us so far about the potential

The answer is there is very little research out there.

There are probably two or three people in the country that look

The focus has very much been on predatory behaviour and harm

So when we talk about internet safety it is about making sure

The impacts on mental health are still very poorly understood,

and I think they have to be studied in a long-term way.

But the genie is out of the bottle - social media is everywhere.

Everyone wants to be part of social media,

so how do parents manage it and not completely ban their

I think, in terms of parents, I think the main thing is to start

the conversations early - to have conversations that do not

So I have been reading the paper and I am really worried about this,

therefore I am going to be anxious about it...

Just talk to them about it so they know that if issues arise

What do the social media platforms and operators

How much do they recognise that what they are doing

can become addictive, and put this great pressure on young

people to try to get as many likes or friends as possible

If you were to ask me about five years ago,

I would say that the social media companies aren't doing anything.

I think these days they are responding to the fact

that there can be negativity as well as positive experiences

on social media, that it's not something you can just switch off,

and if it wasn't Snapchat, it would be musical.ly,

and if it wasn't msical.ly, it would be Twitter.

If it wasn't Twitter it would be Instagram.

All of these things have similar social aspects to them,

and those social aspects are just that.

It's a bit like, you know, years ago, it is like going to the pub,

or I get invited to a party and someone else hasn't been invited

to the party and that means I'm more popular than them.

You get to the root causes and it is not about technology but

Research is still at its early stages, then, on what effect it

might have on mental health, but what are your

If this trend continues, where youngsters increasingly have

this pressure to be popular on social media platforms,

further down the line, what sort of effect do you think

I think it could be a major public health crisis.

I think it's something we can't stick our heads in the sand and hope

the platform providers are going to solve.

It's something where we all have to be involved

in the conversation around it and admit our own feelings.

OK, Professor Andy Phippen, thank you very much indeed.

There was a dramatic twist today at the inquest into the death

of 23-year-old Josh Clayton, whose body was found

The jury heard apparently new evidence from one

of the witnesses and were then sent home early in order for the legal

Lucie Fisher has been at Plymouth Coroner's Court and joins us now.

Leroy Thomas, arriving at court this morning to give evidence.

He was working as a painter and decorator on the island

at the time of Josh's disappearance, and along with other locals,

went to the party where Josh was last seen alive.

He'd been involved in an altercation there.

In front of the jury today, he made a number

He said he saw someone he believes to be Josh outside of the party,

having an argument with two or three Polish or Hungarian workers.

He said he heard him ranting and raving that he had had enough

and that he was going to kill himself.

Leroy then said that he left at 2:30am to 3am in the morning,

but on the way back had an intuition that something was not

right, and he went back to check on the young lad

He then said that he could not find him.

Josh's disappearance sparked a ten-day search,

the largest ever seen on the islands.

There were no signs of injury, no signs of drowning.

There were no traces of drugs in his system.

He had consumed alcohol equivalent to two and a half

times the legal limit, and a bloodstained shirt

he was wearing had not been analysed as it was not being treated

Now brief look at other news in the South West tonight:

The Criminal Cases Review Commission has found that the trial

of Royal Marine Alexander Blackman was mishandled.

Blackman is accused of murdering a wounded Taliban fighter.

The conviction could be quashed according to reports in the

Telegraph, the paper claims that the most senior judge has been

criticised by the complaints review commissioned by failing to offer the

military jury the chance to conflict him of manslaughter. -- convict him

of manslaughter. Torquay's inner harbour bridge

will be closed this week, while Torbay Council

replaces its lights .The bridge, which links one side

of the harbour with the marina, It's expected to be

open again on Saturday. A new record's been set

for the number of entries for this Organisers say the 340-boat limit

was reached in just over four The 47th edition of the race

from Cowes, on the Isle of Wight, to Plymouth, via the Fastnet Rock,

will set off on Sunday 6 August. Military life and being away

from family for long periods of time can be hard for all involved,

but a naval wife from Plymouth is singing the praises of a project

which helps keep her husband Reading Force encourages deployed

members of the Armed Forces to read Nicky Broome says it's helped one

of her children in particular deal with the absence of her dad who's

currently away for nine months. We are used to reunions

at Davenport. For children who may not see one

of their parents for most a year, the separation can

be especially tough. It wasn't Mr Stink's

fault that he stank. He didn't have a home and he never

had the opportunity... This book has helped to forge a bond

between seven-year-old Olivia and her dad Daniel,

who was on a nine-month Myself and Daniel were anxious that

Bolivia wouldn't talk to him for the duration of the deployment,

and it's just been nice. She'll talk to him now

after we've read the book, so it's given her that confidence

to overcome the nerves that she had. The project Reading Force sees

children have scrapbooks to write about the books,

and it really has We were always talking

about the bits we enjoy the most. It gave me more opportunity

to talk to daddy. I didn't know what to

talk about or anything I felt really scared about talking

to him without the book. With a lack of video

calls on this deployment, Daniel will be home soon and it's

hoped that the books will help Hamish Marshall,

BBC Spotlight, Plympton. You're watching BBC Spotlight

and if you're just joining us, this is the stage of the programme

we usually get very hungry, which is fortuitous as in a moment

we'll be meeting a woman who could be an award-winning

dinner lady. Expressing yourself in Exeter -

the poetry project which And the Green Army on the march

as the first batch of tickets go on sale the FA Cup

replay against Liverpool. A dinner lady from South Devon

is about to go head-to-head with six others in the hope of being crowned

the best School Chef The challenge is to make a main meal

and dessert and the winner will go on to compete

for the national title. Catherine Deane makes dinners each

day for the children at Yealmpton Primary School,

and has enlisted the help of some This is going to make me feel

hungry. Spotlight's John Ayres has been

to see her cooking up a storm. A lot has been made in recent years

about the importance of school food. Nutritious and healthy meals help

children to concentrate, and hopefully they will lead

healthier lives in the future. So school chefs like

Catherine Deane are putting She is through to the regional final

and is hoping to go all the way. I'm making a fish Thai green curry,

with cauliflower rice, a potato It's an unusual taste but they think

it's rice with a funny taste, because it does resemble

very much like rice. Normally she cooks for 130 children

each day, but the competition means she has to make a main meal

and dessert for 11-year-olds in 90 minutes, and it must

cost less than ?1.30. That's the typical budget

for a school dinner. But in reality, forget the judges,

it's the pupils who really count. Cooking doesn't get

tougher than this. It had a really mild

sort of warmth to it, and it was nice because it

wasn't to spicy. And then the pudding was really

nice because it sort of, kind of, cooled it down,

and it also had this nice and it went really nicely

with the spiced biscuit. The curry is really nice

because it's quite warm. It's quite spicy but the flatbread

cooled down a bit, and the textures went well together and all

the tastes went well together. Catherine has put this meal together

for the competition, She really works hard on behalf

of all of the children, cooking healthy meals and giving

a variety of choice. She's always coming up with great

ideas how we can celebrate different The regional final takes place

tomorrow, with the winner competing John Ayres,

BBC Spotlight, Yealmpton. The National Trust property

Killerton House is appealing to the public to help

with its leaking roof. The building, which houses

the Trust's largest costume collection, needs urgent repairs

to keep the rain out. As Johnny Rutherford has found out,

the repair bill will be ?100,000. Killerton House near Exeter is an

18th-century mansion costing 6400 acres. It houses the largest

National Trust costume collection in the country but at the moment they

are under wraps to protect them from damage.

This is a flat roof and it is leaking substantially. The water is

coming in through the roof and damaging the internal fabric of the

building as well as the exterior fabric. We have been really

fortunate to receive a substantial legacy from one of building 's

long-standing volunteers Lauren Marshall.

That money has helped to get the project started but this don't need

to raise ?100,000. Goal there is a lot of painting to be done, we're

starting the project. The entire project will cost almost

?1 million. The roof has been looking for 15

years, we have a really important collection here, a fashion

collection, and the contents of Killerton House. We have the

opportunity now thanks to this legacy, and hopefully with the

additional fundraising we will make the project happen.

All of your paintings will have to be removed from the wall to conserve

the area. We will replace the lead roof on the

old mansion and we will take an opportunity to undertake masonry

repairs and parapet repairs and chimney repairs, and then

redecorating the outside. Lime wash and painting repairs, so it is spec

and span. The house and grounds will remain

open throughout the project, but the first floor and stairwell will be

closed off. As for the famous fashion exhibition, that will return

in 2018. Some of the first tickets have gone

on sale for Plymouth Argyle's FA Cup third-round replay with Premier

giants Liverpool. Around 16,000 of them will be sold

for the match next Wednesday night. Fans from all over the world are

trying to get their hands on them - if you're among them,

Natalie has details if you're among them,

Natalie has details Here's how it works -

at the moment tickets are being sold to Green and White members online,

on the phone and in person at Home Park -

one ticket per member. From tomorrow at 2pm

in the afternoon, tickets will go on general sale,

but only on the phone or if you go to Home Park and queue up and only

to fans who fit the criteria and have bought a minimum of

five Plymouth Argyle tickets over Prices are the same as for a League

2 match at Home Park. There have been a few glitches,

so a hotline has been set up to help But I watched them go

from good to brilliant to... When it comes to take it,

they could do better. I'm in the lucky situation that I'm

in the queue now, whereas other people who may not have

seen it and are at work They did say they would get

it right this time, but they haven't,

not for me, anyway. No such problems for many others

though as today proved At the moment it is going quite well

because they've got the kiosks open, We are starved of this kind

of match, and it is great for everybody, for the club,

the money... It will be a great

night next Wednesday. I was coming back from Tavistock,

saw the queue at the As you'd expect, Home Park

is expected to be frantic for the next week as fans clamour

to get hold of their keepsake Whatever the result in the replay,

with this FA Cup run worth ?1 million to Argyle,

the club has won anyway. Earlier in the programme we talked

about the downside of apps and social media, but now it is time to

focus on the positive. Now, to get your creative juices

flowing, Exeter has become a virtual poetry city and organisers think

it's the first of its kind The idea came about after

the devastating fire at the Royal Clarence Hotel

at the end of last year. It's hoped the poetry project

will help to capture the emotions of the tragedy and the essence

of the city as a whole. Spotlight's Andrea

Ormsby has the story. There's a lots of walking, stopping,

thinking and walking on again with this poetry project,

all with mobile phone in hand. OK, so exeter.poetrypin.info,

put that in and you will see where the poem are and they are pinned

around, and you can contact the poem that are already in the city

or you can add your own. You push the "add poem",

write your own poem, click submit and that poem then tags

to where you are stood. Chris Jelly is the poet

behind this project. I think people are keen

to communicate in any way they can communicate,

especially about the Creating a Poetry Pin creates this

canvas in the city which people can then stitched their words inside,

and other people can then It turns the whole of Exeter city

into a virtual poetry city. I believe it is the

first in the world. That is quite an

extraordinary claim. We thought, well, that sounds

wonderful because it mixes the creative opportunity,

the professional artists, and the technology, which of course

young people are just A dizzying soul

is spirited away on a soot-tipped dance

in gaslight play. She swept up her shroud

that autumn morn No dampening down could contain

her might as she rose But not a moment longer

could she linger as history The Exeter Poetry Pin Project

will run in the city centre Andrea Ormsby, BBC

Spotlight, Exeter. Somebody else getting the creative

juices flowing is David with the weather. A lot happening. A

complicated story with the risk of snow. We have had several warnings

issued. I will make it as simple as I can but it is a complicated

picture. Good evening. We have cold weather, Arctic are heading our way.

The transition between the males air we will have tomorrow and the Arctic

are arriving then will be fraught. And it will be contradicted by a new

area of low pressure developing on Thursday. Tomorrow is turning

colder. Some showers around and a bit brighter as well. We should see

Sunny spells developing during the cause of the afternoon. Thereafter,

it starts to get very much colder. One layer of cloud approaching us

this evening is bringing milder air overnight, so no worries for the

temperature tonight. This conference should move southwards and by

lunchtime tomorrow it is crossing the channel into northern France.

That opens the door for colder air, but even colder are heading our way,

developing as the weather front comes from the North Down words.

This system in the middle of the Atlantic develops into an area of

low pressure, and meets that colder air. That gives us a headache

because we are not really sure at this stage whether that means the

rain will turn readily to sleet and snow or whether it will fall as

rain. There is a risk at and we continue to talk about a risk,

particularly across Central part of Britain, and we will see in the

south-west of England eventing where the low pressure develops, but a

risk of high ground particularly through the afternoon on Thursday,

of the rain turning to sleet and then snow. And it all moves away

East words and we draw in the really cold air, as we move from Thursday

night into Friday. Friday will be a bit of a cold day but another thing

you will notice is how windy it is. A combination of low temperatures

and Arctic air and guilt force winds means it will feel bitterly cold as

we move to the end of the week. -- gale force winds. Temperatures lower

through the day of thirsty and overnight Thursday to Friday

temperatures like this, many locations getting at or below

freezing, on Thursday night, and there is a risk of some snow and ice

developing. There into Friday mostly over high ground. You can stay tuned

to your local radio if it is causing problems. Tonight there are no real

worries. A lot of cloud around producing a use bits of drizzle,

today has been a great day. This is Cullerton, where we have had a lot

of cloud. It has been misty and there have been spot of drizzle in

the wind. Relatively quiet. The breeze is picking up and that Breeze

will bring with it further outbreaks of light rain and drizzle. -- this

is in Killerton. In mild night with no frost forecast and temperatures

between six and eight Celsius or most of us. Let's follow the

progress of the cloud rolling into night. So outbreaks of rain as I

have mentioned, increasingly windy overnight. That is the picture of

the weather through the night and tomorrow. A brisk, north-west wind,

and temperatures between 6-8 C. We studied a tomorrow with good

temperatures but gradually through the day as the cold front moves away

from us, and the colder air follows, the temperatures are going to start

to come down. A few showers are possible and sunny spells as well.

Not a bad day. It is blustery, especially over high ground and

along the north coast to Cornwall and Devon, so temperatures starting

to come down through the afternoon. Down to six or seven Celsius by the

end of the day, the blustery north-west wind. For the Isles of

Scilly, showers billing cold in that wind. Highest temperature first

thing in the morning, then the temperature continues to drop. Times

of high water here. For our servers, most of the north facing beaches

will be messy with those north-westerly winds. -- for

surfing. The coastal waters forecast, north-westerly six or

seven, showers with good visibility. Onto the outlook and what we will

see as we head towards the weekend. Thursday for most of us we will see

outbreak of rain. The high ground towards the end of the day on

Thursday, we could see sleet and snow. A bitterly cold day on Friday

with some frequent wintry showers, especially over high ground. Cold

and brake on Saturday. Have a good evening.

Thank you. A reminder of a story developing while we have been on air

tonight. One of the main roads in Plymouth was closed for a time this

afternoon after suspected World War II incendiary devices were found. As

we see here, they were dug up and blown up this afternoon, but for a

while businesses in the area were evacuated. That road reopened as we

started Spotlight tonight, so hopefully things in that area on

Tavistock Road in Plymouth are getting back to normal.

Further updates if there are any in our latest news at 10:30pm, but good

night from us. It's back... Let's get ready to

grumble. ..with more belligerence... Can you imagine anything more

diabolical? ..moaning...