:00:00. > :00:10.Hello and welcome back to a new series of Inside Out South West.
:00:11. > :00:13.Tonight, we go on a short vacation to find out the truth
:00:14. > :00:18.Why are you 100 times more likely to be fined in Devon
:00:19. > :00:23.You are letting parents get away with it, really, aren't you?
:00:24. > :00:26.We are certainly not letting anyone get away with it.
:00:27. > :00:28.We have the means to encourage parents who are failing
:00:29. > :00:31.to send their children to school to go to school.
:00:32. > :00:41.Also tonight, badger cull campaigner Brian May facing the farmer having
:00:42. > :00:46.This is agony for the farmer and it is agony the whole country.
:00:47. > :00:50.My overriding feeling is farmers deserve better.
:00:51. > :00:53.And is Exmoor really just a wet desert?
:00:54. > :00:57.Environmental activist George Monbiot doesn't hold back.
:00:58. > :01:00.Sheep-wrecked, that is what has happened to our national parks.
:01:01. > :01:04.They are being trashed by the white plague.
:01:05. > :01:20.and welcome to Inside Out South West.
:01:21. > :01:23.This week, Anna Varle has the story of an extraordinary
:01:24. > :01:28.encounter in the south-west countryside.
:01:29. > :01:30.Malcolm Huxtable's family have been dairy farmers
:01:31. > :01:35.He used to export his Jerseys all over the world, but now
:01:36. > :01:44.The reason - repeated infection by the disease bovine TB.
:01:45. > :01:47.For Malcolm, it is hugely distressing.
:01:48. > :01:56.When you load up your best animal to go to slaughter,
:01:57. > :01:59.When you load up your best animals to go to slaughter,
:02:00. > :02:07.Malcolm goes through the stress of these tests every two months.
:02:08. > :02:09.But today, the tension's ramped up a notch,
:02:10. > :02:13.because a visitor is heading his way.
:02:14. > :02:19.one of the most well-known people on the planet.
:02:20. > :02:32...and it was that I should meet Brian May.
:02:33. > :02:40.and a vocal opponent of culling badgers.
:02:41. > :02:45.I think the cull should definitely be abandoned.
:02:46. > :02:51.because it's pretty bloody obvious that they're not,
:02:52. > :02:55.but even if you think they were, the evidence is conclusive,
:02:56. > :02:59.pretty much, that killing badgers doesn't help.
:03:00. > :03:05.But many farmers, including Malcolm,
:03:06. > :03:08.believe culling helps control the spread of the disease.
:03:09. > :03:12.I think there is no doubt that wildlife
:03:13. > :03:18.plays quite a major part in the total spread of TB
:03:19. > :03:31.are meeting Malcolm to see if they can find any common ground.
:03:32. > :03:36.We did the test on Monday, they had two injections.
:03:37. > :03:41.Each cow was clipped twice, injected and the vet will read
:03:42. > :03:45.We've been praying for you, haven't we?
:03:46. > :03:50.It is just one of these days but it is every 60 days,
:03:51. > :03:56.But thank you for coming and I hope all goes well.
:03:57. > :03:59.Well, I hope we can help in some way, but we are
:04:00. > :04:15.This is the first time Brian has been on a farm during a TB test.
:04:16. > :04:20.So each one, I am checking and actually feeling for a lump.
:04:21. > :04:23.The vet is checking to see if any of the animals have reacted
:04:24. > :04:30.it means the animals will be slaughtered.
:04:31. > :04:45.If she is inconclusive twice, she will then go.
:04:46. > :04:54.So unfortunately, the next step to that is we tag, a DNA tag,
:04:55. > :05:06.then identifies that cow as a reactor.
:05:07. > :05:08.So tell us what will happen to her now?
:05:09. > :05:13.It's one of Malcolm's most valuable cows.
:05:14. > :05:27.She will just jump a little bit when this goes in.
:05:28. > :05:38.Right, if you can all move back, please.
:05:39. > :05:43.She is such a wonderful cow that I can lead her anywhere
:05:44. > :05:51.That is the problem for us, obviously, you feel
:05:52. > :05:53.like you are the judge, jury and the executioner,
:05:54. > :05:57.but again, with regards to the disease control in the cattle side,
:05:58. > :06:02.we have got a role to play, we have got to do what we can.
:06:03. > :06:06.This is so depressing, this is agony for the farmer
:06:07. > :06:12.and it is agony for the whole country.
:06:13. > :06:15.My overriding feeling is farmers deserve better.
:06:16. > :06:17.The debate over how to control bovine TB
:06:18. > :06:23.Infected badgers are thought to pass TB to cattle through saliva,
:06:24. > :06:27.The Government says the evidence shows
:06:28. > :06:29.badgers infect cattle with the disease.
:06:30. > :06:33.It is planning to roll out culling to a wider area.
:06:34. > :06:35.That is controversial, because the jury is out
:06:36. > :06:39.scientifically on whether it will work.
:06:40. > :06:42.But for Malcolm, the sight of badger setts on his land is proof
:06:43. > :06:46.enough that they could be a source of infection.
:06:47. > :06:49.For Brian, there's a simple answer to all this.
:06:50. > :06:53.Vaccinating cattle against the disease.
:06:54. > :06:57.He believes the cull is cruel, expensive and a waste of time.
:06:58. > :07:01.It's not having the desired effect, so in my view, the cull
:07:02. > :07:05.is an enormous red herring and taking attention away
:07:06. > :07:07.from the things that we should be looking at
:07:08. > :07:11.and, in my opinion, number one is vaccinating cattle.
:07:12. > :07:14.And I would love to see us go to Brussels, sort it all out,
:07:15. > :07:17.and I believe the will is there in Brussels,
:07:18. > :07:25.we went ourselves, and start this ball rolling.
:07:26. > :07:31.We don't want to kill anything but we are in a situation
:07:32. > :07:35.which I think you fully appreciate, Brian, today.
:07:36. > :07:41.You have seen what happens when you lose a good animal.
:07:42. > :07:43.But wouldn't you like a solution, Malcolm, rather than something
:07:44. > :07:47.Surely you want a new approach, don't you?
:07:48. > :07:54.Yes, definitely, I want a new approach.
:07:55. > :08:05.I don't think that killing badgers is the final answer by any means.
:08:06. > :08:07.But if they will not give us any other option,
:08:08. > :08:09.you put yourself in our position.
:08:10. > :08:11.I am saying they should give you another option,
:08:12. > :08:21.Well, I am with you. out how to protect
:08:22. > :08:25.Looks like they are seeing eye to eye at last.
:08:26. > :08:31.I hope that at the end of this, you don't regard us as the enemy,
:08:32. > :08:37.I think we were hoping at the end of today,
:08:38. > :08:39.we could actually be starting to come together
:08:40. > :08:43.and try and push in one direction, rather than...
:08:44. > :08:48.Butting heads is doing no good at all.
:08:49. > :08:52.Work is underway to develop a vaccine,
:08:53. > :08:54.but the Government says it is still ten years away and
:08:55. > :08:58.Brian believes the process is stalled because of
:08:59. > :09:03.So has today brought the two sides closer together?
:09:04. > :09:09.Some people will probably say we were foolish,
:09:10. > :09:13.but if we can't meet anybody and talk about our problems,
:09:14. > :09:19.we are not going to get over our problems.
:09:20. > :09:21.The press are very good at portraying me
:09:22. > :09:24.as someone who doesn't care about cows
:09:25. > :09:26.and only cares about badgers, you know,
:09:27. > :09:29.I am the hugger of the badger huggers,
:09:30. > :09:39.In the same way that they will portray farmers to us
:09:40. > :09:41.When we actually sit down and talk, we realise that basically we do
:09:42. > :09:46.We want healthy farm animals, we want healthy wildlife.
:09:47. > :09:48.We have some differences in opinion as to how
:09:49. > :09:51.that can be achieved but talking is great and I thought today
:09:52. > :09:55.The two sides might never achieve perfect harmony.
:09:56. > :09:58.But since the meeting, Brian is pushing for
:09:59. > :10:05.the issue to be debated in the House of Commons.
:10:06. > :10:07.The Government's cracking down on parents who take their children
:10:08. > :10:12.It says the move has been a success,
:10:13. > :10:16.with improved attendance and raised standards, but we have been hearing
:10:17. > :10:19.that here in the south-west, the policy is in chaos,
:10:20. > :10:22.with some parents being allowed to ignore the rules,
:10:23. > :10:27.So we have decided to go on a mid-term mini break
:10:28. > :10:37.On the way, we are going to meet parents and businesses who have got
:10:38. > :10:40.concerns and we will find out why it will affect you differently
:10:41. > :10:46.As you'd expect, we want to speak to the Schools Minister too.
:10:47. > :10:50.His name is Nick Gibb and this is what he looks like.
:10:51. > :10:54.So far, though, we haven't been able to convince him to take part,
:10:55. > :11:09.First, let's head to Plymouth and meet someone who defied
:11:10. > :11:17.Mr Gibb's government and paid the price.
:11:18. > :11:21.his seven-year-old daughter on holiday during the school term.
:11:22. > :11:24.I don't recognise the legs, but I think it is Nick Gibb.
:11:25. > :11:33.Hi, Jason, sorry, I will put the kettle on in a moment,
:11:34. > :11:36.but first of all, tell me why did you feel it was necessary
:11:37. > :11:40.Unfortunately, I was in an industry where we were only allowed holiday
:11:41. > :11:45.So six months of the year, we weren't allowed to take holiday,
:11:46. > :11:47.it was a blanket ban, you could only book your
:11:48. > :11:51.And will you take your daughter out of school again without permission?
:11:52. > :11:54.The time we have together is precious, so as a seven-year-old,
:11:55. > :11:57.I want her to go and experience things as a family which we can't
:11:58. > :12:02.But the Schools Minister would say, well, education comes first,
:12:03. > :12:05.before your holiday, before your job.
:12:06. > :12:07.And I agree with him, education does come first.
:12:08. > :12:10.But we are talking about a seven-year-old,
:12:11. > :12:12.is two weeks going to affect her when she's spending time
:12:13. > :12:18.Before the policy was changed, Jason's holiday wouldn't
:12:19. > :12:22.have caused much fuss, but now headteachers can only agree
:12:23. > :12:28.and that is not normally for a holiday.
:12:29. > :12:32.If you take your child out of school without permission,
:12:33. > :12:38.More than 80,000 of those fines have already been handed out,
:12:39. > :12:51.But cross over into Cornwall and it's a different story.
:12:52. > :12:54.Only 16 fines have been issued and we've discovered that
:12:55. > :13:02.Hardly what Mr Gibb's government had in mind.
:13:03. > :13:07.Time to ask the politician in charge of Cornish schools what is going on.
:13:08. > :13:11.I think that there are better ways of making children go to school.
:13:12. > :13:14.It is talking to the parents via either the schools,
:13:15. > :13:17.the headteacher, the teachers or the the education welfare,
:13:18. > :13:19.the headteacher, the teachers or the education welfare,
:13:20. > :13:22.to say to the parents that it is really important
:13:23. > :13:24.that your child attend school, rather than sort of using
:13:25. > :13:27.the sledgehammer approach and saying if you don't send them,
:13:28. > :13:31.But you have handed out hardly any fines.
:13:32. > :13:34.You're letting parents get away with it, really, aren't you?
:13:35. > :13:38.If there is long-term truancy or nonattendance, we will seek that
:13:39. > :13:40.through the magistrate courts, so we are certainly not letting
:13:41. > :13:45.We want children to go to school and we have the means of encouraging
:13:46. > :13:47.parents who are failing to send their children to school
:13:48. > :13:52.So in Cornwall, parents are getting a more sympathetic hearing,
:13:53. > :13:55.but the policy is biting in another way.
:13:56. > :13:59.In a Plymouth University survey, most holiday businesses
:14:00. > :14:01.in the south-west reported lower turnover since
:14:02. > :14:08.One in five firms said turnover was down by as much as 30%.
:14:09. > :14:13.Julian Rand is a school governor near Helston.
:14:14. > :14:25.Julian also runs a holiday cottage business but a drop in bookings
:14:26. > :14:28.during term time has put that on the line.
:14:29. > :14:32.Without those bookings, there is an impact on our cash flow,
:14:33. > :14:35.because you are not receiving deposits, etc.
:14:36. > :14:38.Nevertheless, your business is set up to receive those people,
:14:39. > :14:42.you have to be ready for them, so if you don't get the bookings,
:14:43. > :14:45.you have the cost, you don't have the income and that,
:14:46. > :14:48.you can't sustain in the long run, I'm afraid, and that has forced us
:14:49. > :14:52.to put our business up for sale and we may have to move away
:14:53. > :14:57.from the village we love and that is very sad.
:14:58. > :15:00.We asked Nick Gibb for an interview, so far we have been unsuccessful.
:15:01. > :15:03.However, this is what he said about the schools policy
:15:04. > :15:14.two-week holiday during term time every year and have an average
:15:15. > :15:21.and appointments, then by the time they leave school at 16,
:15:22. > :15:23.they will have missed a year of school.
:15:24. > :15:26.Well, Jemma, I don't like to look at it in terms of that.
:15:27. > :15:29.I think over the years, we have all had holidays or breaks
:15:30. > :15:34.It was the norm, it wasn't something that was frowned upon and certainly
:15:35. > :15:37.people weren't being fined to do it and I am sure Nick
:15:38. > :15:39.and many of the other ministers in the Government
:15:40. > :15:42.did have their holidays when their family could afford them
:15:43. > :15:45.and when it was convenient for the families.
:15:46. > :15:48.One thing the Government has done is given schools more freedom
:15:49. > :15:53.I'm off to visit a school in Cornwall where
:15:54. > :15:59.HIGH-PITCHED, FAST, GARBLED SPEECH ON LINE
:16:00. > :16:04.Well, we have got transport, we could come to him.
:16:05. > :16:07.Yes, it is a camper van, it is very nice.
:16:08. > :16:20.Bishop Bronescombe Primary is one of five schools run by Mark Lees.
:16:21. > :16:23.Last year, they spread the holidays and teacher training days
:16:24. > :16:27.differently throughout the year to create a two-week break,
:16:28. > :16:31.instead of one for the June half term.
:16:32. > :16:34.We know that parents who work in the holiday trade in Cornwall do
:16:35. > :16:37.find it challenging to get time off in the school holidays,
:16:38. > :16:41.so again, we are trying to, you know, respect their difficulties
:16:42. > :16:45.and give them another alternative, without breaking the law
:16:46. > :16:51.How difficult is it for heads to be consistent?
:16:52. > :16:56.For interschool consistency, I think there are issues.
:16:57. > :17:05.For example, there are times when this school here have refused
:17:06. > :17:09.a leave of absence because they did not deem it to be exceptional,
:17:10. > :17:18.but another school, with siblings in that school,
:17:19. > :17:24.At least Bishop Bronescombe appears to have found part of the answer.
:17:25. > :17:26.I want to hear what our dad Jason Short thinks about
:17:27. > :17:30.the different ways this policy is being enforced, but first of all,
:17:31. > :17:33.I'm stopping off at St James's school in Exeter.
:17:34. > :17:36.A lot of interest here in our vintage mode of transport,
:17:37. > :17:43.but I am talking to Debra Myhill, who is an expert on education.
:17:44. > :17:46.Does she know if there is any evidence that term time holidays
:17:47. > :17:50.That general thing of improving attendance in order to improve
:17:51. > :17:57.I think where it goes a bit astray is that it is not simply
:17:58. > :17:59.about physically being there, so if you take the holidays,
:18:00. > :18:09.for example, it depends on the kind of background you come from,
:18:10. > :18:12.whether a holiday is likely to have a major effect
:18:13. > :18:17.If it is just a one-week holiday, there is no evidence at to show that
:18:18. > :18:18.that makes any difference to your attainment,
:18:19. > :18:21.but if you are having one week's holiday and you are repeatedly
:18:22. > :18:23.absent then, actually, it is a big difference.
:18:24. > :18:26.All of which means the Government gets an E minus from Jason Short,
:18:27. > :18:33.who was a lot less likely to be fined if he lived in Cornwall.
:18:34. > :18:35.I think this Draconian law, they should be going back
:18:36. > :18:37.to common-sense, which is putting the power back
:18:38. > :18:41.They know what is going on in their school, they know
:18:42. > :18:43.the attainment levels and also the attendance records
:18:44. > :18:46.They should be able to make a decision if that person
:18:47. > :18:55.Well, we tried, but Mr Gibb didn't want to join us for a chat
:18:56. > :18:57.in our van or anywhere else for that matter.
:18:58. > :19:02.We did, however, get a statement through saying that attendance
:19:03. > :19:16.It seems whatever the impact on pupils, the holiday crackdown
:19:17. > :19:35.Environmental campaigner George Monbiot says our wild places
:19:36. > :19:39.You can chat live to George in a moment via Facebook,
:19:40. > :19:42.but first, we sent him to Exmoor to see what they think
:19:43. > :19:50.A vast expanse of open heathered moorland.
:19:51. > :19:53.This is what you find at the top of Exmoor and it is pretty much
:19:54. > :19:58.Now, to some people, including those who run
:19:59. > :20:03.the National Park, this is paradise, but to me, it's a wet desert,
:20:04. > :20:10.Shorn of most of the things that make an ecosystem work,
:20:11. > :20:19.Well, of course, there are some large mammals.
:20:20. > :20:33.And it is not just the animals which have degraded our uplands.
:20:34. > :20:36.Regular burning of heather means it provides better grazing
:20:37. > :20:42.Just imagine how we would respond if we saw this happening
:20:43. > :20:46.We spend our lives telling people in other parts of the world to stop
:20:47. > :20:51.cutting and burning and grazing, and yet here, we see them
:20:52. > :21:00.The National Parks Authority carries out much of the burning here.
:21:01. > :21:02.So how long ago did you burn this, then?
:21:03. > :21:04.This was burned about a year ago, I would say.
:21:05. > :21:08.Moorland is so important to Exmoor National Park
:21:09. > :21:10.because it is one of the defining characteristics, OK?
:21:11. > :21:15.Moorland, which is a farmed thing, is disappearing and a huge quantity
:21:16. > :21:18.of what we call coastal moorland, so an even rarer habitat,
:21:19. > :21:23.If you want a heathered moorland, two things have to happen.
:21:24. > :21:27.The first is you have to burn it and you have to graze it.
:21:28. > :21:28.But why should a conservationist want it?
:21:29. > :21:32.I mean, from my point of view, what I see here is a place
:21:33. > :21:35.which could be far richer in life, if the trees were allowed to come
:21:36. > :21:37.back, all sorts of other wildlife could be here.
:21:38. > :21:41.Recent evidence shows that there is at least 500 years
:21:42. > :21:47.or so of control burning or grazing on Exmoor and large areas were made
:21:48. > :21:50.or so of controlled burning and grazing on Exmoor and large
:21:51. > :21:52.areas were made protected habitat in the 1990s,
:21:53. > :21:54.so somebody believes it adds a good ecological value to it.
:21:55. > :21:58.But nearby, there are fragments of what Exmoor once
:21:59. > :22:04.Just walking through this wood, you can see it's got a fantastic
:22:05. > :22:06.It's got the big old trees which are essential
:22:07. > :22:08.for a whole range of birds and lichens and mosses.
:22:09. > :22:11.Lots of little hollows, which are really great for wildlife.
:22:12. > :22:15.And it's got the deep leaf litter, lots of dead wood, which loads
:22:16. > :22:20.And as you look up into the branches, you can
:22:21. > :22:24.One definition of rainforest is forest wet enough for plans
:22:25. > :22:28.One definition of rainforest is forest wet enough for plants
:22:29. > :22:34.And to me, it feels a heck of a lot wilder than the moors
:22:35. > :22:40.But I want to go further than bringing back trees.
:22:41. > :22:44.I would love to see a return to our national parks of some
:22:45. > :22:46.of the magnificent creatures that used to live here.
:22:47. > :23:03.I know, wolves and sheep have a few compatibility issues.
:23:04. > :23:04.But while wolves enchance the ecosystem, sheep...
:23:05. > :23:10.Sheep-wrecked, that is what has happened to our national parks.
:23:11. > :23:13.They are being trashed by the white plague.
:23:14. > :23:15.Of course, that is not a very popular message to take
:23:16. > :23:20.Normally, I steer clear of the munching menace,
:23:21. > :23:25.but today, I am stepping into the breach.
:23:26. > :23:27.I have nightmares about scenes like this.
:23:28. > :23:31.Some people count sheep to get to sleep, I wake up in a cold sweat
:23:32. > :23:40.after imagining finding myself in just this situation.
:23:41. > :23:43.And as if meeting the enemy face-to-face wasn't enough,
:23:44. > :23:51.May's rams have done their work. wants me to lock horns with them.
:23:52. > :24:01.My job is to separate them from the ewes.
:24:02. > :24:06.May's family have been farming sheep for four generations,
:24:07. > :24:11.so discussing my controversial ideas may be tougher.
:24:12. > :24:16.I was one of four girls, so no boys, so we had to be tomboys
:24:17. > :24:18.and we grew up with the sheep from that high.
:24:19. > :24:21.And how would you respond to the idea of more trees
:24:22. > :24:30.Exmoor has always been open moor and I don't know what people
:24:31. > :24:33.would do in the villages if you went all trees,
:24:34. > :24:35.because they wouldn't have any work, would they?
:24:36. > :24:45.Maybe you could do the ecological restoration.
:24:46. > :24:49.So, May, what would you do if sheep farming stopped?
:24:50. > :24:51.Probably end up having a nervous breakdown.
:24:52. > :24:53.I really don't know what would happen.
:24:54. > :24:59.It's my view that by preventing trees from growing, sheep
:25:00. > :25:05.grazing helps to cause devastation like this.
:25:06. > :25:07.Of course, floods happened because loads of rain falls,
:25:08. > :25:19.Another crucial determinant is the state of the land that it
:25:20. > :25:22.falls on, and what happens up above can have a big influence
:25:23. > :25:26.Exmoor gets plenty of rain, and towns like Dulverton
:25:27. > :25:29.on its southern edge bear the brunt, as they know only too well
:25:30. > :25:41.Oh, my gosh, so it would have been about up to here.
:25:42. > :25:43.In December 2012, after days of heavy rain, the river Barle
:25:44. > :25:46.had risen to the point where disaster was inevitable.
:25:47. > :25:48.We try to barricade ourselves, barricade the pub in,
:25:49. > :25:53.and then we literally went upstairs and we sat and watched it all unfold
:25:54. > :25:55.and listened to it all unfold down here.
:25:56. > :25:57.Chairs and fridges all crashing around and obviously
:25:58. > :26:00.As Kenny pointed out, the debris brought down
:26:01. > :26:06.by the rushing waters could have contributed to the flooding,
:26:07. > :26:08.but another factor is the bareness of the hills.
:26:09. > :26:10.Trees help to hold water back and release it slowly.
:26:11. > :26:14.In some cases, preventing floods downstream.
:26:15. > :26:19.Of course, more trees in the uplands probably means less sheep,
:26:20. > :26:21.because sheep eat baby trees and so it prevents them
:26:22. > :26:25.from growing, so what do you think the view of local people might
:26:26. > :26:30.Yes, I am not sure, that may be quite a hard sell, really,
:26:31. > :26:32.because they do things obviously in a very traditional way
:26:33. > :26:35.round here and it might be difficult to get them to change
:26:36. > :26:43.I understand why people love sheep farming, but I think
:26:44. > :26:47.to consider a new, while the vision for our national parks.
:26:48. > :26:51.I understand why people love sheep farming, but I think it is time
:26:52. > :26:53.to consider a new, while the vision for our national parks.
:26:54. > :26:55.Before that can happen, their leaders need to get
:26:56. > :27:01.There is always this effort to try to say, well,
:27:02. > :27:03.sheep farming is really good for the natural world,
:27:04. > :27:06.it is an essential part of our ecosystem, whereas I see
:27:07. > :27:08.sheep farming as being one of the greatest forms
:27:09. > :27:16.I think you are really missing the point about what national parks
:27:17. > :27:20.I mean, national parks were places which were identified as some
:27:21. > :27:23.of the most precious landscapes, with the cultural heritage as a real
:27:24. > :27:25.part of that as well and there are grazed habitats
:27:26. > :27:28.which are important habitats for certain species of wildlife,
:27:29. > :27:37.as well as other habitats, like woodland habitats,
:27:38. > :27:40.which are important for different species of wildlife and it is that
:27:41. > :27:42.mix which I think adds to the attractiveness
:27:43. > :27:46.It is an important part of the economy, the National Park,
:27:47. > :27:48.and a lot of what people come to see as well.
:27:49. > :27:51.Unless we have a system that's going to work with people
:27:52. > :27:54.as well as for wildlife, then that is not going to be
:27:55. > :27:59.a sustainable system or indeed, one that people would welcome.
:28:00. > :28:00.Of course, I accept the need for compromise and I understand that
:28:01. > :28:02.you have to work with people and not against them.
:28:03. > :28:05.But it seems to me that we could be more imaginative in the way
:28:06. > :28:10.We could make them much richer and more wonderful and engaging
:28:11. > :28:20.places which are great for wildlife as well as human beings.
:28:21. > :28:23.So, do you agree with George's views or do you think places like Exmoor
:28:24. > :28:26.should be preserved and left as they are?
:28:27. > :28:29.Well, you can chat to him live now on our Facebook page
:28:30. > :28:34.And that is it from us this week, but we will be back next Monday
:28:35. > :28:36.with more stories from the south-west.
:28:37. > :29:07.Hello, I'm Sophie Long with your 90 second update.
:29:08. > :29:09.Talks to avoid a second doctors' strike in England
:29:10. > :29:13.The government says it'll force through new contracts,
:29:14. > :29:17.Hospitals are battling to reschedule thousands of postponed operations