:00:12. > :00:15.A total of 40 years in prison for the gang who flooded the streets of
:00:15. > :00:18.Exeter with class A drugs. Good evening.
:00:18. > :00:28.Police say information provided by the public helped to bring the men
:00:28. > :00:29.
:00:29. > :00:32.to justice. Also on Spotlight tonight: million
:00:32. > :00:37.pounds in compensation for young adults who suffered at the hands of
:00:37. > :00:42.their carers. Police offer a reward of thousands
:00:42. > :00:46.as four rare birds are deliberately poisoned. Within Devon there are no
:00:46. > :00:51.more than 20 pairs say to these four birds this is a significant
:00:51. > :01:01.part of the population. And crowds gather in the streets as the Tour
:01:01. > :01:01.
:01:01. > :01:09.It will be beamed all over the UK and the rest of the world and put
:01:09. > :01:11.The ringleaders of a criminal gang who a judge said "flooded the
:01:11. > :01:14.streets of Exeter" with heroin and crack cocaine were today jailed.
:01:14. > :01:17.The police have praised residents in the city, saying information
:01:17. > :01:19.they provided was critical in bringing the men to justice. Our
:01:19. > :01:29.home affairs correspondent Simon Hall reports from Exeter Crown
:01:29. > :01:34.Court. A in a park in the centre of Exeter
:01:34. > :01:44.in the middle of the day drug addict's cluster around a dealer in
:01:44. > :01:44.
:01:44. > :01:50.a feeding frenzy as the judge The gang would direct addict to
:01:50. > :01:53.public places to be sold crack cocaine and heroin but in a brazen
:01:53. > :01:56.behaviour was their undoing. Local people monitored the dealing and
:01:56. > :02:04.gave the information to the police who set up a covert surveillance
:02:04. > :02:08.operation. This is a core bedrock of local policing, working with
:02:08. > :02:13.partners and the public to resolve an issue. We don't want drugs in
:02:13. > :02:16.Exeter, we wanted to be a safe place and in the main it is. But
:02:16. > :02:22.where we identify a problem we will target it and we will be knocking
:02:22. > :02:27.on their door. He's playing fields have now been retaken by the
:02:27. > :02:31.community after they were blighted by the gang's crimes. One local
:02:31. > :02:36.resident told me the difference that had made. It is great. It is
:02:36. > :02:41.lovely to come down here and be amongst all the different levels
:02:41. > :02:47.and areas of the people who live around you. Everybody is here from
:02:47. > :02:52.the tiniest child to the oldest resident, it is excellent. The gang
:02:52. > :02:55.were highly organised criminals, they brought drugs from Manchester
:02:55. > :03:03.to Devon and burst deed of supplying them all day, every day.
:03:03. > :03:11.They said mobile phone text messages to adult -- addict when
:03:11. > :03:17.you drugs were available. -- messages to addict when new drugs
:03:17. > :03:21.were available. The sentence reflects the serious criminality
:03:21. > :03:27.these people were involved in. scale of their operation saw a
:03:27. > :03:31.total of 45 people arrested. Passing sentence, the judge said
:03:31. > :03:35.this was a very substantial criminal operation which succeeded
:03:35. > :03:40.in flooding the streets of Exeter with Class A drugs. None of the
:03:41. > :03:44.gang showed any reaction as they were taken down to the cells.
:03:44. > :03:48.Around �8 million compensation has been paid to a group of adults with
:03:48. > :03:50.learning disabilities at the centre of a care abuse scandal in Cornwall.
:03:50. > :03:56.165 claimants took action over their treatment at the Budock
:03:56. > :04:00.Hospital near Falmouth over a period of years. The home was shut
:04:00. > :04:08.in 2007. Our Cornwall reporter David George has been following
:04:08. > :04:15.events and I asked him what happened at the home.
:04:15. > :04:22.These claims relate to 165 young adults with learning disabilities.
:04:22. > :04:29.Many of whom lived at the Budock Hospital. This was an assessment
:04:29. > :04:34.unit which was closed down after this was discovered in 2006. This
:04:34. > :04:38.abuse went back for 20 years and included physical assault,
:04:38. > :04:42.emotional and verbal abuse, and a failure to carry out that care and
:04:42. > :04:48.assessment and this afternoon the High Court has awarded those young
:04:48. > :04:54.people a total of �8 million in compensation for that abuse.
:04:54. > :04:58.Were it has been the reaction? -- what has been. We had this
:04:58. > :05:04.statement from the body that now is responsible for these young people
:05:04. > :05:09.and it says the services provided by our predecessor, the corn mill -
:05:09. > :05:14.- Cornel partnership NHS Trust, did not reach the standards we expected
:05:14. > :05:17.-- Cornwall. We cannot undo the things that happened but providing
:05:17. > :05:22.financial compensation is part of our commitment to doing things
:05:22. > :05:26.right. Since 2006 we have done a great deal to improve the services
:05:26. > :05:31.provided in Cornwall for people with learning disabilities.
:05:31. > :05:38.Any reaction from the families? Not individually, but from Mencap
:05:38. > :05:44.and Cornwall and their representative. He agrees there
:05:44. > :05:48.services have improved and says the money and compensation will be used
:05:48. > :05:51.to do ordinary things, things those families who hadn't been able to do
:05:51. > :05:55.before because of their financial situation such are simply going on
:05:55. > :05:57.holiday. And there'll be much more on this
:05:58. > :06:01.story with reaction from families on BBC Radio Cornwall tomorrow
:06:01. > :06:04.morning. Wildlife experts say they're deeply
:06:04. > :06:12.shocked after four very rare goshawks were found poisoned in a
:06:12. > :06:15.wood near Exeter. There are only 20 breeding pairs in Devon. The Royal
:06:15. > :06:23.Society for the Protection of Birds says it's offering a reward of
:06:23. > :06:28.�1,000 to find out who killed them. Greg Wade reports.
:06:28. > :06:35.In the wild know when praise on them, but on some forestry
:06:35. > :06:39.commission they have become prey to their only foe, humans. Across the
:06:39. > :06:47.UK there are 400 of the protected goshawks. To lose four is a big
:06:47. > :06:56.loss. The people like to this are beneath contempt in our opinion --
:06:57. > :06:59.the people who do this. But they are not above the law. This area is
:06:59. > :07:07.a wildlife reserve where there is is striving community of rare and
:07:07. > :07:12.protected animals -- a thriving. The RSPB cannot reveal the location
:07:12. > :07:16.of the poisoned birds because they are prone to disturbance. There are
:07:16. > :07:21.a very sensitive species and there may be egg thieves and people want
:07:21. > :07:26.to go -- persecute these birds so we cannot reveal the sensitive
:07:26. > :07:33.breeding location. There are clues as to who the perpetrators could be.
:07:33. > :07:38.These have been poisoned with her a better side -- with a pesticide. It
:07:38. > :07:43.is quite commonly used to target birds of prey in other parts of the
:07:43. > :07:46.country. It is a crime under the Wildlife and Countryside Act to
:07:46. > :07:50.kill protected species and the police are keen to hear from
:07:51. > :08:00.anybody who has information about the offence. This is the single
:08:00. > :08:05.largest incident of poisoning I have had to deal with. The RSPB is
:08:05. > :08:11.so shocked at the goshawks demise they are offering �1,000 reward for
:08:11. > :08:19.information about the deaths. A soldier from 1st Battalion The
:08:19. > :08:22.Rifles has been killed while on patrol in Afghanistan. The Ministry
:08:22. > :08:26.of Defence said he died from a gunshot wound when he was in the
:08:26. > :08:36.Nar e Saraj district of Helmand Province yesterday. His next of kin
:08:36. > :08:49.
:08:49. > :08:51.have been informed. A man from Cornwall who runs a charity which
:08:51. > :08:54.recycles furniture and helps people in need furnish their homes,
:08:54. > :08:58.mounted a roof top protest today. Owen Braines climbed onto the roof
:08:58. > :09:01.of County hall in Truro and stayed there for ten hours. He says his
:09:01. > :09:04.project Eco Logic is a good example of the Big Society in action, but
:09:04. > :09:08.needs more funding to keep going. The council says it's offered Mr
:09:08. > :09:10.Braines some financial help, but it was refused. I'm joined now by our
:09:10. > :09:12.Political Editor Martyn Oates. lot of people feel the public
:09:12. > :09:14.sector spending cuts are falling disproportionately on them.
:09:14. > :09:17.Ironically at a time when people expect charities to do more rather
:09:17. > :09:19.than less for society, and that chance with the idea of the big
:09:19. > :09:22.society, and also with the grim reality that lot of services the
:09:22. > :09:26.state previously provided are being withdrawn and the financial
:09:26. > :09:29.pressures. Abbott the charities concerned to the Deputy Prime
:09:29. > :09:34.Minister when I met him in Newquay this morning. Yes, there is a
:09:34. > :09:37.dilemma. Local authorities are having to make savings and they are
:09:37. > :09:40.the people who often give money to local charities and voluntary
:09:40. > :09:44.groups to then in turn help the elderly, young children, people
:09:44. > :09:49.with disabilities, fund rubble. My experience is some local
:09:49. > :09:54.authorities have been much better than others at making sure whether
:09:54. > :09:58.I making savings they are back office costs, administration,
:09:58. > :10:05.bureaucracy and the AX doesn't fall on voluntary groups who are so
:10:05. > :10:12.important to us now. So is that in putting the figure at local
:10:12. > :10:16.authority? Yes, effectively. There is the big ideological theme for
:10:16. > :10:19.this government, but at the same time it is devolving a lot less
:10:19. > :10:29.money to local authorities. Some critics would say this is a
:10:29. > :10:30.
:10:30. > :10:35.poisoned chalice. Hearing given -- government ministers cutting waste
:10:35. > :10:40.to save services infuriates many people, even those who belong to
:10:40. > :10:50.the coalition parties because they say there isn't much more to be
:10:50. > :10:54.
:10:54. > :10:57.done. The public are being consulted on plans for a huge
:10:57. > :10:59.offshore windfarm off the north Devon coast. The company behind the
:10:59. > :11:02.proposals to create the Atlantic Array claims the windfarm could
:11:02. > :11:08.generate up to 40% of the South West's electricity. Our Environment
:11:08. > :11:13.Correspondent Adrian Campbell reports. These are the kind of wind
:11:13. > :11:18.turbines they want a place in the Bristol Channel. It would cover an
:11:18. > :11:25.area than nearby Lundy. It would cover a larger area than the Isle
:11:25. > :11:34.of Wight. But the developers claim it could provide up to 40% of the
:11:34. > :11:40.south-west's electricity needs with 188 -- with between 188 and 417
:11:40. > :11:44.turbines. This onshore wind farm is the largest in England but this
:11:44. > :11:52.promises and been very different. By most people's standards the new
:11:52. > :11:55.wind farm in North Devon is pretty large. But the one planned off the
:11:55. > :12:01.coast is much larger Again, it would have hundreds of wind
:12:01. > :12:06.turbines. That has concerned one local politician. We are being sold
:12:06. > :12:11.a story of renewable energy, economic benefits for North Devon,
:12:11. > :12:17.the reality is the main economic benefits are going to go to South
:12:17. > :12:21.Wales. The main environmental impact will be on North Devon and I
:12:21. > :12:26.think when people begin to realise that there will be significant
:12:26. > :12:30.resistance to these proposals. company which wants to build it
:12:30. > :12:34.says it is hoping to persuade people it is a good idea before it
:12:34. > :12:39.submits his planning application next year. This is a real
:12:39. > :12:43.opportunity for the public to come and meet the project team to learn
:12:43. > :12:48.about the wind farm proposals and to provide their feedback. So we
:12:48. > :12:53.can take account of that feedback. The company says there will be
:12:53. > :12:57.benefits for North Devon from the Atlantic A rate and it is hoping to
:12:57. > :13:07.persuade people it is a good idea before it submits his planning
:13:07. > :13:16.
:13:16. > :13:26.application next year. -- its planning application for from
:13:26. > :13:35.
:13:35. > :13:38.striving to be the best, to the gnomes already world record holders.
:13:38. > :13:41.Underground, overground, rising up from the earth and coming down from
:13:41. > :13:45.the skies there is a natural water cycle. But that doesn't mean it's
:13:45. > :13:47.always in the right place at the right time. We need to not only
:13:47. > :13:50.collect rainfall in reservoirs but sometimes move millions of litres
:13:50. > :13:57.around the system. In the second part of his series David Braine
:13:57. > :14:00.looks at the secret world of water. These tunnels are part of a complex
:14:00. > :14:04.modern distribution system allowing water to be moved between
:14:04. > :14:08.reservoirs and by closely monitoring the demand ensure that
:14:08. > :14:12.when we turn on the tap we get clean, plentiful drinking water. We
:14:12. > :14:21.pay a high price for this. The highest water bills in the country.
:14:22. > :14:28.But where does the water come from, and how is it treated? For most of
:14:28. > :14:34.the south-west the water is stored in reservoirs and uses gravity to
:14:34. > :14:38.pump it to towns and cities. The huge concrete dam was constructed
:14:38. > :14:42.in 1979 to create a reservoir. This was at the time one of the largest
:14:42. > :14:46.engineering project in Britain. Reservoirs rely on rainfall, but
:14:46. > :14:54.like this year we do get too dry spells and that is where the pump
:14:54. > :15:01.storage system comes into place. take the water from here and the
:15:01. > :15:08.strict conditions and we can pump up to 150 million litres of water
:15:08. > :15:14.each day. That is the equivalent of pumping 80 Olympic-sized swimming
:15:14. > :15:20.pools into the reservoir every day. Our energy charges of the order of
:15:20. > :15:24.�10,000 each day. When we do need to use the pump storage scheme he
:15:24. > :15:28.would frequently be used for six or seven weeks. Taking water out of
:15:28. > :15:31.the river is strictly controlled by the Environment Agency. The flow of
:15:31. > :15:37.water must be maintained to allow fish and other wildlife to thrive
:15:37. > :15:42.throughout the year. This reservoir is currently 55% fall. Even with
:15:42. > :15:46.that level it is holding millions of litres of water. In order to
:15:46. > :15:54.keep the river flow going it has to release some of that water and this
:15:54. > :15:59.flow is the release of that at 288 litres of water every second. The
:15:59. > :16:02.south-west of England uses 450 million litres of water per day.
:16:02. > :16:06.Each source of water is different and has to be treated to give the
:16:07. > :16:10.same taste and quality in the nearby treatment works. These
:16:10. > :16:14.tunnels are part of a complex process of moving water across the
:16:14. > :16:19.south-west. Based on most reservoirs on the surface. Next
:16:19. > :16:25.week we stay underground. Dorset doesn't have any of those surface
:16:25. > :16:31.reservoirs, all of its water comes from underground.
:16:31. > :16:35.More where they later in the programme. -- weather. Now when I
:16:35. > :16:38.was at school, a house point was a sign you had pleased the teacher, I
:16:38. > :16:41.had the ability to lose them as well. But pupils at a school in
:16:41. > :16:44.Torquay will be receiving medals. Westlands School is one of the
:16:44. > :16:48.first in the country to roll out a new learning programme inspired by
:16:48. > :16:51.the Olympics. Lessons got off to a flying start thanks to a visit by a
:16:51. > :16:55.double Olympic medallist, as Ed Goodridge reports. He already had
:16:55. > :17:01.two Olympic medals for sailing and if they handed them out for signing
:17:01. > :17:09.autographs he is on course for a gold. The Exmouth based Olympian is
:17:09. > :17:13.the star attraction for pupils at this Torquay school. This programme
:17:13. > :17:17.is called be the best you can be and we want every student to be the
:17:17. > :17:20.best they can and get success through learning and life and they
:17:20. > :17:23.are enormously excited. You have only got to see the queue behind me
:17:23. > :17:26.because right down the corridor they are coming here to get
:17:26. > :17:31.signatures, it is something very special to have an Olympian and we
:17:31. > :17:34.are delighted to welcome him to our school. He was here to help launch
:17:34. > :17:39.a new education programme at the school. It is part of the Olympic
:17:39. > :17:44.legacy which aims to inspire young people to do great things. The key
:17:44. > :17:49.thing of the legacy is not only to inspire people into sport, but it
:17:49. > :17:54.is also to use sport as a vehicle to inspire people in whatever it is
:17:54. > :18:00.they are interested in in life. Have you whether wiggle around your
:18:00. > :18:07.neck because it is so heavy? -- how do you manage to wear the medal
:18:07. > :18:10.around your neck. Yes, it is. I enjoyed coming into schools and
:18:10. > :18:14.when you see and hear what they are inspired by the it is really
:18:14. > :18:19.motivating. Be pupils will receive their own medals on completing the
:18:19. > :18:24.programme. Bears are produced by the Royal Mint and not likely to
:18:24. > :18:34.contain silver but with a little Arabic stardust sprinkled around AD
:18:34. > :18:36.
:18:36. > :18:39.one day their dreams will be an Olympic reality too. -- a little
:18:39. > :18:42.Olympic stardust. Some of the biggest names in professional
:18:42. > :18:45.cycling have been racing through Devon today. Stage five of the Tour
:18:45. > :18:48.of Britain cycle race set off from Exeter this morning. Thousands
:18:48. > :18:50.turned out to watch and there was success for Plymouth rider Jon
:18:50. > :18:54.Tiernan-Locke. John Danks reports. This was the man many had come to
:18:54. > :19:02.see. Mark Cavendish, British Olympic gold medallist and multiple
:19:02. > :19:12.stage win of the Tour de France, one of the big names racing today.
:19:12. > :19:12.
:19:12. > :19:21.The race began at Exeter's Cathedral Square. The 112 mile
:19:21. > :19:24.route took them out of the city and on to Dartmoor. They were on to a
:19:24. > :19:29.man to climb and sprint section before reaching the finish line in
:19:29. > :19:34.Exmouth. This is the first year Devon has hosted an entire stage of
:19:34. > :19:41.the Tour of Britain but could a one-day course into Cornwall?
:19:41. > :19:45.only slight drawback is the further south west we go, the more we go
:19:45. > :19:51.into a cul-de-sac and can pose a problem intensive transfers but we
:19:51. > :19:57.will do our best to get into Cornwall as well. We have got
:19:57. > :20:01.�175,000 in this, it is very important year, a final opportunity
:20:01. > :20:04.people in Devon can watch this event, the final time they will be
:20:04. > :20:12.able to see these riders before they took part in the Olympic Games
:20:12. > :20:17.next year, a big year. -- take part. This was Devon's day in the sun and
:20:17. > :20:22.the crowds were loving it. I watch the start in Exeter. Then came
:20:22. > :20:27.straight here and got a place here. We have travelled down, really
:20:27. > :20:32.enjoyed it. The stage was won by a stray remark Renshaw and Mark
:20:32. > :20:35.Cavendish was just behind. There was success for the Plymouth rider
:20:35. > :20:40.who picked up the king of the mountains journey for winning every
:20:40. > :20:45.kind on the race. Couldn't be better. Good to win it in any
:20:45. > :20:55.county, but to be in Devon and do it it is great. It moves up to
:20:55. > :20:57.Somerset tomorrow for staged takes -- six from Taunton to Wells.
:20:57. > :21:01.Plymouth Argyle's footballers have agreed to another wage deferral,
:21:01. > :21:03.this time for 11 days up to September the 26th. After
:21:03. > :21:06.threatening to go on strike a fortnight ago, unless they received
:21:06. > :21:11.part of their overdue wages, the players have signed a waiver on
:21:11. > :21:20.their next payments. But there's no threat of them sitting out this
:21:20. > :21:24.weekends match at Southend United. It is affecting us, I don't care
:21:24. > :21:30.what people say. I'm not looking for an excuse, there is no excuse
:21:30. > :21:34.for losing games, but it is true it is worrying. It is lighter weight
:21:34. > :21:41.on your shoulder every day. You look at the boys and you can see
:21:41. > :21:45.they haven't got a happy face of a 21-year-old footballer. That is why
:21:46. > :21:51.we want it sorted as soon as possible. Cheese platters, backward
:21:51. > :21:54.spelling and underwater juggling. They're all disciplines that have
:21:54. > :21:57.got the region listed in the latest Guinness Book of World Records.
:21:57. > :21:59.We're also famous for the world's largest collection of pixies and
:21:59. > :22:03.gnomes, and John Ayres has been to see them.
:22:03. > :22:09.Hidden in the countryside north Devon are some very special people.
:22:09. > :22:13.This is the gnome Reserve. According to the record's there are
:22:13. > :22:19.2042 of them, although the number is constantly growing. It was
:22:19. > :22:25.started by an act in and her family but you have to wonder why. -- Anne
:22:25. > :22:31.Atkins. The reason I like gnomes is because you have got all the
:22:31. > :22:35.butterflies and birds in nature which you can draw on, and then you
:22:35. > :22:40.have got imagination as well. But the two together and you have a
:22:40. > :22:45.wonderful world, I think. But they have got to be shared with
:22:45. > :22:49.everybody so 33 years ago we started. Siegfried was the first
:22:49. > :22:53.and since then this would has batted more and more gnomes who all
:22:53. > :22:58.appeared to be enjoying themselves fishing, sunbathing, climbing, oh
:22:58. > :23:03.look, known park. The visitors appeared to be enjoying it so what
:23:03. > :23:08.is it about there? Their cheeky little faces. My daughter like the
:23:08. > :23:13.ones around the corner that had their bottoms out. Cheeky
:23:13. > :23:18.characters, I think that is what cities. This record is for the
:23:18. > :23:24.combination of names and Pixies. Without sounding daft, what is the
:23:24. > :23:31.difference? Gnomes are as ancient as the hills and junk as a child.
:23:31. > :23:36.Pixies are entirely young. -- young as a child. A pixie wouldn't have a
:23:36. > :23:41.beard. They have got little round faces, childlike faces. I like them
:23:41. > :23:48.both. More than 2000 Names is quite a record to beat and with the
:23:48. > :23:53.number is growing every day the sky is the limit -- gnomes.
:23:53. > :23:58.There you go, all you need to know about Pixies and gnomes. Do you
:23:58. > :24:08.need the hat or is that optional? Spotlight is live tomorrow from the
:24:08. > :24:09.
:24:09. > :24:12.Americas Cup down in Plymouth. What The wind is picking up. It doesn't
:24:12. > :24:20.mean rather a blustery be turned in store. There could be some sharp
:24:20. > :24:26.showers around. At the moment we have a mass of cloud out in the
:24:26. > :24:28.Atlantic. That will be heading our way overnight. There is a change in
:24:28. > :24:32.our weather at turning more unsettled from tonight onwards.
:24:32. > :24:36.There is the weather system bringing back cloud towards us. By
:24:36. > :24:41.lunchtime tomorrow but whether friend has moved through but by
:24:41. > :24:49.lunchtime on Saturday there is a low-pressure system -- that a
:24:49. > :24:53.weather front has moved three. Earlier on a closer look at the
:24:53. > :25:03.satellite picture shows we did have some card at times but some bright
:25:03. > :25:03.
:25:03. > :25:13.or sunny spells. -- cloud at times. Our cameraman was at Teignmouth
:25:13. > :25:19.earlier run. A very light winds today. It will pick up over the
:25:19. > :25:23.coming days. Fairly dusty at times. Nowhere near as strong as last
:25:23. > :25:28.weekend. It will certainly be noticeable compared with today's
:25:28. > :25:32.very light breeze. We will see some heavy showers over the coming days.
:25:32. > :25:37.Overnight it starts off on a Trinant. We will see increasing
:25:37. > :25:41.amount of cloud through the first part of the night and the risk of
:25:41. > :25:51.some showery outbreaks. Temperatures much milder than last
:25:51. > :25:53.
:25:53. > :25:56.night. Tomorrow starts off on a cloudy note. We could see a few
:25:56. > :26:02.sharp showers in the middle part of the day. It doesn't look like they
:26:02. > :26:12.will tend to stay along the north coast. Many of us seeing a dry day,
:26:12. > :26:12.
:26:13. > :26:22.Brennan up into the afternoon. -- Brighton in up. -- it will brighten
:26:23. > :26:46.
:26:46. > :26:56.up. Here is the forecast for the Do picking up a little bit for the
:26:56. > :27:18.
:27:18. > :27:23.Here is the outlook into the weekend. Saturday, heavy showers.