28/01/2013 Inside Out South West

Hello and welcome to Inside Out South West - stories and

investigations from where you live. Tonight: A Devon man's quest to

What do you want? It's running now! How Martin Phillips got his dream

off the ground. HE CHEERS. Also tonight, who should

pay the cost of policing the South West's 24-hour cities? I cannot

understand how they really can say they can put a levy on us. The

licensing trade, at this moment in time, is on its backside. And why

every second counts for these Dorset dairy farmers. We managed to

shave 23 minutes off our time, Tom. I'm Sam Smith and this is Inside

For more than a decade, a Devon man has been working towards his dream

- to build that most iconic of British aircraft, a Spitfire, and

then see it fly. David Stafford has I was presented with a large carton

and on unwrapping it, it was filled with polystyrene and in the middle,

there was a solitary pot rivet, which was the first part of my

project. I thought they were laughing at me, so I thought I

would have the ultimate laugh and present them back with a Spitfire.

Over the next 13 years he arranged bits around the rivet to make a

Spitfire. Not bad for a man who'd only done plastic kits before.

want to see the rivet that started at all. That one. That big one.

That is the one that started it all. It's a foggy November afternoon at

Filton Airport in Bristol, and a big day for chief engineer John

Hart, who's overseen the assembly of the Spitfire. Today is a big day,

the day we bring it outside and hopefully it will run. There are a

lot of things that could go wrong. But I am sure it will be fine.

There are hundreds of joins, and although we have pressure tested

them, the engine will be the ultimate test. The mighty Merlin

engine's been silent for more than half a century. I don't know, I'm

feeling a bit "Eurgh" at the moment! That it, we can checked the

generators now. Nothing can be allowed to go wrong. The first

flight is just weeks away, but a Filton airport shuts. Fingers

crossed, this is it. I think we are going to have the fire brigade as

guests today! Lots if need fuel running around. It might backfire,

John rates Martin's dedication very highly. He's not...you know, crazy

wealthy. And he's had to work very, very hard to be able to get this.

As he's said a few times, he has to be pinched to believe it. Unlike

thousands of other Spitfires, RR232 - built in 1934 - never flew over

wartime Europe. Instead, it saw service in South Africa. It's

trying, isn't it? It's just never run before. What do you want? It's

running now! HE CHEERS. Keep it going! The spark that lit Martin's

passion was a love of, and pride in, British engineering. But back when

this all started, in the year 2000, he had one big question on his mind.

I thought, "Oh, I'll just go and buy a Spitfire. It must be easy."

And I started talking to people and got absolutely nowhere and I

thought, "How the hell do you buy a Spitfire?" He tried the Internet -

no luck. Yellow Pages - drew a blank. Like JR Hartley, he began to

think his search was entirely futile. But then, in Worthing, he

found a man who had quite a lot of one in his back garden - or near

enough. Negotiations ensued. A sum of �70,000 changed hands. Martin

had what he wanted. August 2000. His purchase is coming home. 70,000

entitled me to the identity RR232. It also gives me a lot of original

parts and artefacts. I'm intending to find as many original parts,

with original MoD part numbers on. This is what makes a Spitfire sing.

This is the actual engine which came with the project. Have a look

at this date plate here. You'll see it's a Merlin 25, serial number

171-28. Worth approximately �8000. To overhaul it and renew it to its

new state, the labour alone would be �40,000 and there's 2000 man

hours in one of these. One of the Spitfire's wings was found in a

hedge near Exeter, where it had crashed during the war. To have

this wing replicated - not copied, replicated, which is a very

important word in Spitfire rebuilds - would cost about �90,000. But

nobody likes to talk about the end cost. It always exceeds what you're

expecting. We dream of �550,000. Luckily, Martin owns a plant hire

business and today, he's shifting one wing into a hanger for

restoration. This is a mark 14 Spitfire wing, a starboard one.

Obviously, the mark nine version is the one I'm building but the wings

are very, very similar. This here is the outer gunplay. Cannon here,

And so began more than a decade of stripping, buffing, building and

testing. Some components had to be specially made but 70% are original

parts - some factory fresh. Well, it's about two years since the

project started and these are more bits we've obtained on the way.

This is the base of a spinner. You can see where the blades fit - the

four cutaways from the mark 9 Spitfire. Here, we have the creme

de la creme - the real bit. Absolutely original. Full of

sheep's wool here. Horsehair in the back. I can't believe that some

bloke sat on that at 10,000 feet. Imagine scrambling out of that and

opening a parachute! Rear canopy, all finished, ready to go with the

lock and everything on. Two years ago, we had a complete engine,

which we've now completely stripped. Crankshaft out, rods, pots, heads

all in pieces. We actually knocked the whole engine down in a weekend.

We worked till half-past three Saturday night and it was all in

bits by about 11 o'clock Sunday morning. It will be a very slow

process putting it back together but I reckon about 2 1/2 years to

actually completely rebuild this to running condition. Martin has to

satisfy the civil aviation authority that every part is

correct and documented, especially those rivets. That rivet there, for

example. 332 diameter and I can tell by looking at it it's got a

120 degree counter sunk head. that's the common one. Riveting.

December 18 last year. The world's largest passenger plane, the A380

Airbus, is making its last flight out of Filton, where its wings are

made. In two days' time, the airport was shut for good so the

super-sized plane is saying goodbye. -- will shut. Martin's little

sweetheart has, in a curious twist of history, become the last plane

to be built at Filton. Spitfires flew from here in wartime, but will

this one flight today? It's a silly question but what the motion like?

--emotion. The emotion? I'm running on adrenaline now. I think I might

have a tear or two in a while. I was tearing when they were filling

it up with fuel, especially when it got to 100 gallons at �800 a gallon.

Now, the difficult question, that you don't probably want to answer,

is how much? It is not worth anything. It's not for sale.

but what I mean is, how much has it cost you? The pot is bare.

Everything I own is in that Spitfire. You are a lucky man and

so am I. And now that lucky man, Bill Perrins, has to fly the thing.

For the first time in decades, RR232 will be airborne. It's in

safe hands. I've flown several Spitfires over the last 10 or 12

years or so but this mark nine is seen by many people as the most

iconic and perfect Spitfire. It's got a Merlin engine. It looks right,

feels right. It's got a lot of good history behind it. This is it - the

moment Martin has dreamed of for 13 years. To everyone of a certain age

and many much younger, it's lump in Today, best bit? What was the best

bit? Best bit? Bill saying, "Martin, what a fantastic aeroplane." He

said, "Don't do just it. -- adjust it. That's alive. It's done. It's

finished." We're finished. I haven't come down yet but what

milestone! An iconic bit of British history. Do it if you enjoy it. Do

11.30 in Plymouth - a time when many people are starting to think

about going to bed. But for this lot, the night has just begun. Pubs,

clubs, taxi firms and take-aways all benefit from night-time trade.

But what about the cost to the A 24-hour city calls for 24-hour

policing. We'll be busy right the way up to 7 or maybe eight o'clock

in the morning, right across the city. And for the inevitable

casualties - a field hospital. set up at 23:00 hours this evening.

It is now 2:30. We've seen nine patients through the facility

I cannot understand how they can say they're going to put a levy on

us. Would a new levy on late-night buinesses be just the tonic? Or

more trouble than it's worth? Sally Hutchins. Welcome to New

Year's Eve, 2012. In Plymouth. Can I just go through the runners and

riders. It's 8pm, and police are getting ready for one of the

biggest party nights of the year. They've doubled up on the 20

officers and three vans usually deployed in the city centre on a

weekend. I think that temptation when it gets busy later is for us

all to just go to incident, but I think you have to be measured and

the response. We want people to enjoy themselves. On Union Street,

things don't really get going until about midnight. Police are on hand

to snuff out any signs of trouble. But for now, the atmosphere is good

natured. Which is just as well, because some officers have been

called away to Torpoint. A young man is missing after jumping from

the ferry. His body was later recovered and identified as 16-

year-old Jordan Cobb from Plymouth. But as the search continues, one

group of young people are oblivious Get out, now! The police are not

involved, and this lot eventually head off. Back in the city centre,

it has now gone midnight and the first casualties are rolling in.

This unconscious girl, another addition to the statistics.

According to the latest figures compiled by Alcohol Concern, in

Plymouth, there were more than 21,500 emergency hospital

admissions related to alcohol, at a She is taken to Streetsafe, a kind

of pop-up A&E, designed to where possible cut admissions to hospital.

The aim is to provide a safe haven for the vulnerable and also provide

a facility where we can treat people and prevent them from going

to be emergency department. A lot of the time, it will allow people

to recover and they can be discharged from the facility to

their home address, to the care of a friend or relative. By the end of

the night, Sreetsafe will treat 15 casualties - some have been in

fights. One expert says drink is a big part of the country's

staggering �30 billion bill for violence. Violence is far more

likely to occur on the night-time economy. One of the key things

appears to be crowding and competition. A lot of young,

intoxicated people, jostling for space, bumping into each other,

spilling each other's drinks. There are a lot of triggers for

aggression. What you see on the street is only part of it. A costs

start with the police service,, investigating, running a penny

offenders. Victims will often end up in the emergency department for

treatment. They will often get there by ambulance, and for the

victims themselves, the cost to the economy. When you take all these

things together, we would estimate approximately the average violent

incident costs around �15,000. Plymouth has more officers policing

its late night economy than any other town in the region. The

Government's allowed councils to impose a levy on late night pubs

and clubs and some of that could be passed to the police. But so far,

the levy's not been brought in here. It's now gone 3am, and getting busy.

We have about 60 jobs at running at the moment across the city, a lot

of that night and economy, but a lot in private houses, in places on

the outskirts of the city. We have a lot of officers working tonight.

For New Year's Eve, around midnight, we have 100 officers in and around

them. It is about half-past three now. How does it play out? I soon

get my answer. The Chief Inspector heads off to make an arrest. One of

24 arrests on the night. This man was later cautioned for a public

order offence. There has been someone just ejected from a

licensed premises. Being racially abusive towards the doorman. We do

not tolerate that in Plymouth. Some of the officers and myself went

over. He will spend the night with us and we will launch an

investigation and see if we can charge him with racially aggravated

public order. It's heading for 4am, and the night is still young for

the burger sellers. We have a licence until five o'clock. This is

the busiest period. We are thankful for the queues. I have no option,

we have to pay the bills. I will catch the stragglers. Plymouth

Council says the night time economy is worth �60 million and provides

jobs for nearly 3,000 people. Serving those who want to party all

night long. The night is far from over. This nightclub, they are

still on the way in. If the Council does decide to charge a levy, this

is the sort of place that'll have to pay it. Jesters stays open till

6am - the owner says it's the only way to stay in business. Do you

really think that they want to stay down here until five or six o'clock

and one in? A of course I don't. Unfortunately, we have had to go

along with this. Because people are now notoriously coming out later

and later. Gill owns two clubs. The levy would cost her �2,000 a year

on top of the business rates she already pays. What are we paying

�1,000 a week on these premises? What are we paying that four? You

tell me. I think we contribute very well to the economy. I mean, I

cannot understand how they really can say they will put a levy on us.

The licensing trade at this moment in time is on its backside. Gill

has 25 staff. Her clubs are part of a scheme to encourage responsible

management of nightspots. Its chairman thinks that's preferable

to an imposed levy. One of the big problems is that every single

person has to pay, whether they are a good or bad bar. What best barman

is about is voluntary raising of solid response to what is happening

locally? -- so it responds. It's reckoned Plymouth Council would

raise around �80,000 a year from the levy - the equivalent to the

overall cost of just a handful of violent assaults. There'd be admin

costs to run it. The police are conscious of the impact it could

have on traders. We have to be conscious that we are dealing with

businesses. People's livelihoods. So any application that has the

potential to restrict those livelihoods has got to be done in a

really considered and proportionate fashion. We have got to be really

clear about what the benefits are, what the opportunities are and if

it is then appropriate, approached the council for the support around

it. I could it be that the police do not ask for the levy to be

brought in? It could be. Plymouth Council will decide whether or not

to impose the levy later this year. A year that started with 39

reported assaults, seven requiring hospital treatment. The argument

over who pays the cost of that goes Rising costs, squeezed margins and

that battle with the weather. Who would be a dairy farmer? We have

It's a ritual that's barely changed for hundreds of years. The twice

daily trip from field to milking parlour. Whether it's a modern unit

or a more traditional one, milking is mostly done indoors. But not on

this farm. How are your waterproof trousers? Very good. Neil Grigg and

Tom Foot are taking a very different approach. We invested in

the cows, which are going to be learned for us, rather than

investing in buildings and concrete, which in the end, Bellamy to

depreciate. We did not have the capital to put up conventional

units. We had to think outside the box. And thinking outside the box

means putting everything on wheels, including the milking parlour

itself. No need for expensive buildings. Even the water troughs

are portable. But it's a risky approach. It has been tried before

and obviously over the years, and to be honest, it does not always

lasted before. One concern is that the process of moving all this

equipment will destroy the cow's pasture. The main problem that we

saw was, are you going to trash the grassland you are trying to

preserve to feed the cows? We heard behind the scenes, common gossip,

that you will never milk 500 cows without getting knee-deep in mud.

Come rain or shine, the milking parlour needs to be moved around

the farm every day. Time is money, but it takes too long. We have been

spending in excess of �700 to build the system. But it is Neil and

myself, two young lads. I like to Time to put a snap, crackle and pop

into this operation. Can they speed the whole thing up? Over the next

month, I have to be about half an hour quicker so instead of it

taking two hours to move for Hall, bring it down to an hour-and-a-half.

And we can go home early. Going see Handyman Tom sets to work making

adjustments that could save vital But there's a problem - their water

system has led to a disaster in the village down the road. Ideally,

either of us go down to the pompous and start pumping if we need to. --

the pump house. Away have had a few leaks in are temporary troughs.

That has led to the residents without water. It is very

unsatisfactory. And the knowledge, the tank is not baffled? It is

putting us at risk. The consequences of our own actions. At

the moment, it is other people... We are now looking for a method

that the storage seems to be running it, his line will shut

itself off so the rest of the properties in the village will not

be affected. Problem sorted. A month later, it's time to see if

Tom's tinkering has trimmed their timings. Wives Sally and Kelly are

here to lend a hand. We quite often joked that they see a lot more of

each other than we ever see of them! It will be nice to have a bit

more time around. It would be nice. We put in the hours for the right

reasons. I have confidence in Tom posh mac ability to make things

The parlour makes its way down the road to another field, 500 metres

Hit it, Tom, don't to collect. -- don't tickle it. We were unable to

of hitch the trailer. A little bit of workshop time. Not a major

Right, we have managed to shave 23 minutes of our time, Tom. That

could have been better. If we had not had the slight unforeseen

problem of the hitch on the tractor, which is not for routine problem. I

am really pleased with that. That is 23 minutes. 23 minutes will save