:00:09. > :00:19.Clearing up tonight after a day of torrential rain causes flash
:00:19. > :00:22.
:00:22. > :00:25.flooding. In 10 minutes we were under 10 inches of water.
:00:25. > :00:35.Good evening. We'll be live in Mevagissey where once again homes
:00:35. > :00:41.
:00:41. > :00:49.and businesses have been hit. AB is destroy his local school. I can't
:00:49. > :00:51.believe it has happened. And spanning 50 years - memories of
:00:51. > :00:54.the day the Tamar bridge opened to traffic.
:00:54. > :00:57.The region is clearing up tonight after a combination of heavy rain
:00:57. > :01:00.and gale force winds caused flash flooding. Seafronts were closed,
:01:00. > :01:04.flights and ferries were disrupted and trees were brought down. At one
:01:04. > :01:07.point four miles of queuing traffic was held up by flooding on the A30
:01:07. > :01:11.near Exeter. In Cornwall 100 highways staff were called out to
:01:11. > :01:21.deal with more than 300 incidents. Homes have also been flooded in
:01:21. > :01:21.
:01:21. > :01:24.Mevagissey. Amy Cole is there tonight.
:01:24. > :01:30.It is fine light -- it has finally stopped raining but not before the
:01:30. > :01:36.weather week have it in this village. I have been talking to
:01:36. > :01:42.residents who are already starting to count the cost of the damage.
:01:42. > :01:47.Jail has only own this cottage with three weeks. It is her holiday home
:01:47. > :01:53.and she arrived from Swindon to find this... I opened the door and
:01:53. > :01:56.it was full of water, about two to three inches. We started bailing
:01:56. > :02:06.out as much as we could but it was coming in as fast as we were
:02:06. > :02:13.bailing out. This cottage has already had a major refurbishment
:02:13. > :02:19.following last year's torrential rain. Mopping up are the owners of
:02:19. > :02:25.this pub. They were forced to close this lunchtime. Within 10 minutes
:02:25. > :02:29.it was just full of water, 10 inches. We had customers in at the
:02:29. > :02:36.time and everyone had to leave. This last hour, we have just been
:02:36. > :02:41.able to get it cleared a little bit. It is not as bad as last time. We
:02:41. > :02:45.lost stark and furniture last time, was horrendous. The biggest thing
:02:45. > :02:50.is the trait. We have had to shut on lunchtime. This couple are still
:02:50. > :02:55.putting their house back together after last year's flood. Every time
:02:55. > :03:00.you seem to get heavy water down here, we seem to have problems in
:03:00. > :03:03.the village. Something has got to be done about it properly. Indeed
:03:03. > :03:11.this afternoon, a number of sandbags have been put out to help
:03:11. > :03:15.prevent further damage. The Environment Agency and Cornwall
:03:15. > :03:19.Council said they are working with local residents to sort out any
:03:19. > :03:25.problems. The pub you saw has managed to open this evening and
:03:25. > :03:30.the owner is very happy. It depends what the weather is going to do
:03:30. > :03:33.over the next few hours. We will hear more about that later.
:03:33. > :03:36.One of the men accused of planning to attack the Devon soul singer,
:03:36. > :03:40.Joss Stone, has now also been accused of conspiracy to murder her.
:03:40. > :03:43.The new charge was added as the two men accused of plotting to rob her
:03:43. > :03:47.and commit grievous bodily harm appeared at Exeter Crown Court
:03:47. > :03:57.today. Spotlight's home affairs correspondent Simon Hall was at the
:03:57. > :03:58.
:03:58. > :04:03.hearing. Such is the fame and popularity of
:04:03. > :04:10.just stone, this case has gone international attention. She has
:04:10. > :04:14.had a series of hits and is said to be worth around �9 million. An
:04:14. > :04:20.extensive police operation began when two men were arrested near her
:04:20. > :04:25.home in a quiet Devon countryside. Weapons including a samurai sword,
:04:25. > :04:33.a body bag and ropes were found in the car they were driving. Kevin
:04:33. > :04:38.Liverpool who is 33, and junior Bradshaw, 30, were charged with
:04:38. > :04:43.conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm. Today a new allegation
:04:43. > :04:48.was added. Mr Liverpool was charged with conspiracy to murder. The men
:04:48. > :04:52.listened to the details in the dark. They spoke only to confirm their
:04:52. > :04:58.identities and when Mr Liverpool replied not guilty in response to
:04:58. > :05:06.charges against him. Mr Bradshaw did not enter a plea. The case was
:05:06. > :05:10.adjourned and they won't reappear on 20th January. The court heard
:05:10. > :05:15.the case is continuing in the Manchester area. Reports are
:05:15. > :05:19.awaited before proceedings continue. Both men were remanded in custody.
:05:19. > :05:23.Jos stone's mother was in court today. She said the singer was well
:05:23. > :05:27.and getting on better life but she said she was being kept updated on
:05:27. > :05:30.how the case was progressing. -- getting on with her life.
:05:30. > :05:33.The European Court of Human Rights has rejected claims that one of two
:05:33. > :05:37.brothers serving a life sentence for the murder of a Cornish couple
:05:37. > :05:40.didn't get a fair trial. Robert and Lee Firkins were jailed for life at
:05:40. > :05:44.Exeter Crown Court after a jury convicted them of murdering Carol
:05:44. > :05:54.and Graham Fisher near Wadebridge in 2003. The court in Strasbourg
:05:54. > :05:57.
:05:57. > :06:00.ruled Lee Firkin's complaints were manifestly ill-founded.
:06:00. > :06:03.A teenage body-boarder has had to be rescued after getting into
:06:03. > :06:05.trouble off the Cornish coast. The 16-year-old was thrown on to rocks
:06:05. > :06:09.at Portscatho, near Falmouth. Two lifeboats were called out but
:06:09. > :06:12.couldn't get near to him. In the end he was helped to safety by a
:06:12. > :06:15.cliff rescue team. A survey by the BBC suggests that
:06:15. > :06:18.one in ten A-level students have been put off university because of
:06:18. > :06:21.the increase in tuition fees. And those that do go may need to choose
:06:21. > :06:23.wisely. Out of the four south west universities, the only degree
:06:23. > :06:28.choices with zero unemployment prospects were medicine and
:06:29. > :06:33.dentistry. And you can see more on what course to take - and possibly
:06:33. > :06:36.avoid - on Inside Out on BBC One at 7.30 tonight.
:06:36. > :06:39.There's new evidence tonight that Exeter is tightening its grip as
:06:39. > :06:43.the region's capital of upmarket shopping. Spotlight has found that
:06:43. > :06:48.the city is continuing to develop even in tough times, while it's a
:06:48. > :06:50.different story in Plymouth and Truro. All this week in a series of
:06:50. > :06:54.special reports we're looking at different aspects of life in these
:06:54. > :06:57.three South West cities and asking who's going up in the world and
:06:57. > :07:07.who's going down. Tonight's Tale of Three Cities, about shopping, is by
:07:07. > :07:08.
:07:08. > :07:12.Neil Gallacher. The latest big news shopping
:07:12. > :07:18.development in Exeter, Wii prose has been brought here by this man.
:07:18. > :07:25.But he is going to do a great deal more of with his next store. He is
:07:25. > :07:28.also development director for John Lewis. They are sold on Exeter.
:07:28. > :07:33.Exeter is a place we have been trying to get into for considerable
:07:33. > :07:37.years and we are delighted Waitrose have opened their first store here.
:07:37. > :07:43.It is a vibrant city and seems to be surviving the downturn better
:07:43. > :07:47.than anywhere else and I am sure it has a fantastic future. One reason
:07:47. > :07:57.for Exeter's retail success is geography. According to one method
:07:57. > :08:00.
:08:00. > :08:04.of red -- measuring population,, different cities have different
:08:04. > :08:11.retail catchments. You might point out that Exeter, with its new rate
:08:11. > :08:14.rose, is just getting what Plymouth has enjoyed for years at Saltash.
:08:14. > :08:21.Plymouth has developed some of these retail problems. Five years
:08:21. > :08:26.ago all was rosy when the City got new shops but now, Plymouth seems
:08:26. > :08:33.to have too many shops. It has been exacerbated here but by the
:08:33. > :08:38.improbable coincidence of TJ Hughes and Woolworths, the three anchor
:08:38. > :08:45.stores, all falling vacant at the same time. And that is not because
:08:45. > :08:51.Plymouth is no hope, just bad luck? It is just bad luck. It is an
:08:51. > :08:54.unfortunate coincidence. Plymouth is well placed to draw in shoppers
:08:54. > :09:04.from Exeter or Truro as long as they don't want mainly upmarket
:09:04. > :09:07.shopping. The shops here reflect the nature of the place. A way to
:09:07. > :09:17.look at spending power is to look at the percentage of workers in
:09:17. > :09:21.managerial jobs. Plymouth's figure Plymouth is about to go upmarket
:09:21. > :09:28.for food with restaurants coming soon from cue from the wedding
:09:28. > :09:33.store and Gary Rhodes. Shopping developments are thin on the ground.
:09:33. > :09:38.For Rowe enjoys a number of well- known names you do not find in
:09:38. > :09:44.Plymouth. It does not expect to poach shoppers but this is the big
:09:44. > :09:51.fish in Cornwall's ritual pond. Somewhere else used to be, and not
:09:51. > :09:58.that long ago. That is where the Cornish shark -- went to, red brick.
:09:58. > :10:04.For a row was the place to avoid. There were some beautiful regional
:10:05. > :10:12.shops in Redruth and that was the place to go. Truro's dominance was
:10:12. > :10:16.helped by the decline of 10. -- 10. Three cities that have carved out
:10:16. > :10:21.their own niche. Day-to-day the sense of competition is not huge
:10:21. > :10:25.but the fact remains that at the moment it is the changing face of
:10:25. > :10:29.shopping in Exeter that is most striking.
:10:29. > :10:32.Nearly the half the region's MPs have told the BBC they will defy a
:10:32. > :10:34.three-line whip from their party leaders this evening and vote for a
:10:34. > :10:40.referendum on whether Britain should leave the European Union.
:10:40. > :10:45.Our Political Editor Martyn Oates joins me now. This is a significant
:10:45. > :10:51.number of MPs? Yes, because it is an issue that has torn the
:10:51. > :10:55.Conservative Party apart. In the past, David Cameron's leadership
:10:55. > :11:00.seems to have stopped the infighting but it seems to be back
:11:00. > :11:05.with a vengeance. We have heard white one of our MPs is voting for
:11:05. > :11:08.a referendum. In his time to give people their say. The trade
:11:08. > :11:12.agreement we signed up to has changed dramatically and we have
:11:12. > :11:17.lost more and more powers. We are no longer really a sovereign state
:11:17. > :11:25.in my view and in the view of many colleagues. It is time to get that
:11:25. > :11:30.back. A on the other hand, he is another Conservative MP voting
:11:30. > :11:36.against the referendum. Now it is not the right time to do this. We
:11:36. > :11:42.need to eat have a specific issue which cannot just be on the general
:11:42. > :11:52.feeling of we need to pull out now or we need to stay. The prominence
:11:52. > :11:54.
:11:54. > :11:58.of new MPs is quite striking here. That this is a decade old issue.
:11:58. > :12:03.The majority of these rebels looked like they are from the new intake
:12:03. > :12:13.and it suggests that this issue has been given a powerful lease of life.
:12:13. > :12:16.That is potentially the big problem for a David Cameron.
:12:16. > :12:19.A primary school in Dorset has been severely damaged in a fire. The
:12:19. > :12:22.blaze at Powerstock Primary near Bridport gutted the oldest part of
:12:22. > :12:24.the building and has left staff and the community devastated. An
:12:24. > :12:28.electrical fault has been blamed. Our Dorset reporter Simon Clemison
:12:28. > :12:33.has the story. They conferred each other because
:12:33. > :12:37.it is a time of great loss. -- comfort. Parents and grandparents
:12:37. > :12:46.of children at this group were also taught in this classroom. There is
:12:46. > :12:54.little of it left. Gutted, absolutely gutted. I cannot believe
:12:54. > :13:00.it has happened. The fire crews salvage what they can. They have
:13:00. > :13:04.had to pump water from a stream as there is no mains supply. We have
:13:04. > :13:10.protected both sides of the property. There has been minimal
:13:10. > :13:14.damage. The crew has got to be complimented for that. This is a
:13:14. > :13:23.small school but a big part of life here. It serves as surrounding
:13:23. > :13:28.villages as well. There was no one in the building. Everybody was safe.
:13:28. > :13:32.Because it is half-term? That is the biggest relief, everybody is
:13:32. > :13:36.safer. Built by the Victorians are from the leftovers of a nearby
:13:36. > :13:43.church and once saved from closure, this school has a history of
:13:43. > :13:48.reinventing itself and everyone is confident it can do the same again.
:13:48. > :13:51.The Tamar Bridge is 50 years old today. It was six o'clock in the
:13:51. > :13:54.morning on the 24th of October 1961 when the new bridge was opened to
:13:54. > :13:57.traffic and pedestrians for the first time. No government money was
:13:57. > :14:00.available to build the bridge so the project was jointly funded by
:14:01. > :14:04.Cornwall County Council and Plymouth City Council. David George
:14:04. > :14:14.has been looking into the archives, meeting some of the people who were
:14:14. > :14:18.
:14:18. > :14:24.there, and seeing how the 50-year- old bridge is looked after.
:14:24. > :14:30.From Plymouth, a carriage way to Cornwall as an extension of the A38.
:14:30. > :14:34.It all looks so clean and shiny. A lot of memories for a lot of people,
:14:34. > :14:42.including Bob Reid, who was on the last ferry crossing from Saltash. -
:14:42. > :14:49.- Ottery. It was like New Year's Eve. There were people playing
:14:49. > :14:53.accordions. There were handbell ringers, fireworks, and we went
:14:54. > :14:57.across the river. The next morning at 6 o'clock, in the pouring rain,
:14:57. > :15:02.we walked over the Tamar Bridge. There were crowds of people there
:15:02. > :15:08.all wanting to be the first to cross. I can't say I was first, but
:15:08. > :15:14.one of the first. The Tamar Bridge took shape. A feat of engineering
:15:14. > :15:18.of which to be proud. The bid had taken two years to build and cost
:15:18. > :15:27.�1.8 million and the lives of seven work men. Five drowned when their
:15:27. > :15:31.boat sank. The 1,100 ft span was the longest in Britain. 50 years
:15:31. > :15:38.later, every inch is inspected every three months. You can feel
:15:38. > :15:47.every vehicle passing above. We are on the inspection walkway. This is
:15:47. > :15:53.100 ft above the river. It makes you want to hang on. And there are
:15:53. > :15:59.130 ft to climb to get to the very top. This is it, seven ladders, 142
:15:59. > :16:06.steps. It is only when you get here... Neck at that! That you get
:16:06. > :16:10.the view. Driving across the Tamar Bridge every day, you can easily
:16:11. > :16:17.take it for granted. It is only from appear that you realise what
:16:17. > :16:23.an amazing amount of skill went into building it. You get a feel
:16:23. > :16:33.for the Engineering involved, will be cables do. The biggest load went
:16:33. > :16:42.over last year, a 300 town transformed her. -- 300 it can
:16:42. > :16:47.transform. The structure behaved as it should. This is definitely not a
:16:47. > :16:54.job for me! You have obviously got a good job for heights -- good head
:16:54. > :16:59.for heights. The you ever get bored? No, this is not something
:16:59. > :17:05.people get to see very often and I am lucky. When it opened, 4,000
:17:05. > :17:11.cars a day made the crossing. Today, the widened and strengthened bridge
:17:11. > :17:20.carries 50,000 cars a day. Those signs were put up to mark the 25th
:17:20. > :17:26.anniversary. One day, my wife was waiting for me and when I returned,
:17:26. > :17:30.she said why hasn't the day it signed been put on the Tamar Bridge.
:17:31. > :17:36.I said, I am sure Brunel didn't put the sign on himself, and it was put
:17:36. > :17:42.on afterwards. But she made the point and it was a good one. What
:17:42. > :17:45.made you proud to think that was your wife's idea? I am sure someone
:17:45. > :17:51.else would have been bound to thought of it. It could not have
:17:51. > :17:59.gone without it now that you see it. These days 35 staff operate the
:18:00. > :18:06.bridge and the Toba. -- Tolbooth. They say around 60% of drivers
:18:06. > :18:13.choose to pay using the eighth -- electronic tagging system. It was
:18:13. > :18:23.four and sixpence when the bridge opened 50 years ago. Happy 50th
:18:23. > :18:33.
:18:34. > :18:37.birthday, Tamar Bridge. It is a tribute to Britain's engineers...
:18:37. > :18:38.It's time for the Monday sport and reflecting on a busy weekend,
:18:38. > :18:41.here's Dave. The weekends rugby saw Exeter
:18:41. > :18:44.Chiefs taste defeat for the first time in the Anglo-Welsh Cup, when
:18:44. > :18:53.they took a 43-20 defeat on the chin at Premiership champions
:18:53. > :18:57.Saracens. The Cornish Pirates have moved up to second in the
:18:57. > :19:00.Championship after coming back to beat bottom side Esher in Penzance.
:19:00. > :19:03.From 18-17 behind at the interval, the Pirates moved into top gear,
:19:03. > :19:10.scoring another 17 points without reply, including two for wing David
:19:10. > :19:13.Doherty. Plymouth Albion matched Leeds for
:19:13. > :19:18.the number of tries scored at Headingley on Sunday, going over
:19:18. > :19:21.three times. But they still lost 28-23, though they did pick up a
:19:21. > :19:26.losing bonus point. As a consequence, Albion slip into the
:19:26. > :19:30.bottom four. It's a familiar story for South
:19:30. > :19:33.West football this weekend. Only Exeter City had something to shout
:19:33. > :19:43.about as Yeovil Town, Torquay United and Plymouth Argyle all sank
:19:43. > :19:44.
:19:44. > :19:49.further into relegation trouble. Before Exeter City beat Rochdale
:19:49. > :19:55.they had found the net on only six occasions, all at St James's Park.
:19:55. > :20:04.From a goal down, the manager rigid a successful recovery path which
:20:04. > :20:08.led to Danny Nardiello profiting twice, his second a penalty. The
:20:08. > :20:15.scoring takes city of the bottom of League One. They are replaced by
:20:15. > :20:25.Yeovil Town who have their goalkeeper to fight for a point at
:20:25. > :20:26.
:20:26. > :20:30.Stevenage. -- goalkeeper to thank. But he could not prevent Yeovil
:20:30. > :20:39.Town from propping up the rest of their rivals. Torquay United are
:20:39. > :20:46.thinking faster than the Titanic in leaked whom -- the two. Eight lost
:20:46. > :20:51.4-1 at Southend. They are now 7th from the bottom without a win in
:20:51. > :20:55.eight games. The first six games we were lying in 4th place and you
:20:55. > :21:00.think things are smooth but now we are in a rut and decisions are not
:21:00. > :21:06.going for us. You can feel the lack of confidence amongst the players
:21:06. > :21:11.at the moment. You just have to get on with it. Five points separate
:21:11. > :21:18.Plymouth Argyle from Safe Waters. Swindon Town ended their revival
:21:18. > :21:20.when they scored the only goal in eight minutes from time.
:21:20. > :21:23.The Plymouth Raiders mascot Foxy could be in trouble after
:21:23. > :21:26.allegations that he pulled down the shorts of an opposing player. The
:21:26. > :21:29.British Basketball League and the Raiders are looking into the claims
:21:29. > :21:35.that he pulled down a Guildford Heat player's shorts during their
:21:35. > :21:42.87-83 Trophy win at the Pavilions on Saturday night. The win saw them
:21:42. > :21:44.progress to the Trophy semi-finals. You can see more of that story on
:21:44. > :21:47.the BBC Devon sport website. Finally, top tennis players Heather
:21:47. > :21:50.Watson, former Wimbledon girls' champion Laura Robson and Anne
:21:50. > :22:00.Keovathong are on court at the Barnstaple Open this week. The main
:22:00. > :22:03.
:22:03. > :22:10.draw gets underway tomorrow at the Tarka Tennis Centre. He is such a
:22:10. > :22:16.sly old fox! The governing body are saying on
:22:16. > :22:19.the website but they are looking into an "incident".
:22:20. > :22:23.There were "Happy Days" in Exeter at the weekend as one of the 70s'
:22:23. > :22:26.TV icons was in town promoting books in his new role as a
:22:26. > :22:29.children's author. Henry Winkler, known to his fans as "The Fonz" was
:22:29. > :22:36.at a book signing and as John Ayres reports the crowds turned out in
:22:36. > :22:41.their hundreds. There are books signings and then
:22:41. > :22:47.there are put signings. Happy Days was on the TV 30 years ago but fans
:22:47. > :22:52.of Fonzie have not forgotten him. These days Henry Winkler is a
:22:52. > :22:57.children's offer and has earned an honorary OBE. I have to tell you, I
:22:57. > :23:01.did not know that I was doing work. I fob that I was telling children
:23:01. > :23:08.what I had learned in my life that I wish someone had said to me. That
:23:08. > :23:12.is all I was doing. And then it turned into one of the greatest
:23:12. > :23:17.honours in my entire life outside of the birth of my kids. Youngsters
:23:17. > :23:25.know him for his books, their parents remember Fonzie. Some were
:23:25. > :23:32.keen to meet their childhood idol. I have had a Fonzie mayor for a 37
:23:32. > :23:37.years. I got him to sign it. Having spent years holding up his thumbs,
:23:37. > :23:42.has Henry had enough? I never get tired of the Fonz. I would not be
:23:42. > :23:47.talking to you without the Fonz. I do not know if I would be able to
:23:47. > :23:51.write these books without the funds. He was the foundation of the rest
:23:51. > :23:55.of my life. The this was the only public signing Henry was doing. He
:23:55. > :24:05.was keen to come here because he did not get to come here during his
:24:05. > :24:06.
:24:06. > :24:13.original tour and it also appears He has barely changed! Let's take a
:24:13. > :24:20.look at the weather. The rain is clearing away but there
:24:20. > :24:25.are heavy showers tonight. It has been quite a wet day for parts of
:24:25. > :24:29.the south-west. It did not stop some people going into the sea. The
:24:29. > :24:34.rain is clearing away. There are showers forecast overnight and for
:24:34. > :24:40.the next couple of days but also dry weather and sunshine to come.
:24:40. > :24:44.After the heavy rain today there are flood alerts for some rivers in
:24:44. > :24:50.the south-west. Live on the environment agency's website or
:24:50. > :24:56.call their flood alert number. Not everywhere in the south-west
:24:56. > :25:06.thought torrential rain today. These are from the Met Office. It
:25:06. > :25:10.
:25:10. > :25:20.is the totals from midnight until 5pm today. Plymouth had one third
:25:20. > :25:20.
:25:20. > :25:27.of the total average rainfall for the month. Further west, definitely
:25:27. > :25:34.they saw the most rain today. The rain is clearing away. It is making
:25:34. > :25:39.its way north and eastwards. There is still low pressure in charge.
:25:40. > :25:44.Tomorrow, at low pressure sending showers across us with a south-
:25:44. > :25:48.westerly breeze. Wednesday has a similar picture with sunshine and
:25:48. > :25:54.showers. We need to watch the low pressure to the south which looks
:25:54. > :25:59.like it could bring us heavy rain on Thursday. You can see the bright
:25:59. > :26:04.flashes of heavy rain earlier on. It has cleared from Cornwall and
:26:04. > :26:08.Devon. There is heavy rain further east. It is clearing quickly but
:26:08. > :26:18.watch out for the showers, Beye could merge into a longer spell of
:26:18. > :26:23.rain. There could be another 20 mm. The wind eases off and the
:26:23. > :26:30.temperatures are not too bad for the time of year. First thing
:26:30. > :26:35.tomorrow morning, a match drier start for many. We should seek
:26:35. > :26:40.sunshine and some showers. There could be sharper downpours but they
:26:40. > :26:45.will be well scattered. A bed of a respite tomorrow after the
:26:45. > :26:55.torrential rain for many today. -- a bit. Still a brisk breeze
:26:55. > :27:24.
:27:24. > :27:29.tomorrow at times. Temperatures Heavy rain to come on Thursday. It