:00:10. > :00:17.On the day closures to coastguard stations across the south west are
:00:17. > :00:25.confirmed, one man says he owes his life to the service. Local
:00:25. > :00:29.knowledge is key and being in the environment, their presence is...
:00:29. > :00:32.Is No 1. Good evening. We'll be hearing from coastguards in Brixham
:00:32. > :00:35.and from a local MP about today's announcement. Also on Spotlight
:00:35. > :00:38.tonight: Local criminals receive a pre-Christmas message. Police in
:00:38. > :00:44.Torbay send letters to known shoplifters warning - offend again
:00:44. > :00:51.and face jail. And described as inadequate - the plans to ease
:00:51. > :00:56.overcrowding on local trains. Sometimes we can't even get on and
:00:56. > :01:00.then we have to pay for the bus, the buses won't let us on with the
:01:00. > :01:02.train tickets. Even though it is the same company. The Government
:01:02. > :01:06.finally confirmed today that controversial proposals to cut
:01:06. > :01:09.coastguard cover in the South West will go ahead. Stations at Brixham
:01:09. > :01:13.Portland and Swansea are among eight centres that will close
:01:13. > :01:16.progressively by March 2015. Falmouth is one of eight that will
:01:16. > :01:26.stay open as 24-hour centres. We've a series of reports and reaction
:01:26. > :01:27.
:01:27. > :01:32.tonight. First, this from Spotlight's Scott Bingham. Sailor
:01:32. > :01:38.Robert Boyd is under no illusion about the importance oft coastguard
:01:38. > :01:42.service. He was taking rt part in the regatta when his boat catch
:01:42. > :01:47.sized. They co-ordinated the rescue organisation. He says he owes them
:01:47. > :01:55.his life. I was under water for approximately four minutes. So I
:01:55. > :02:01.understand. When the boat was... Brought back up, I was very close
:02:01. > :02:08.to death. A lot of people have said that without that speed of
:02:08. > :02:14.operation I would certainly not be here. Today after nearly 12 month
:02:14. > :02:20.of consultation, shipping minister, Mike Penning confirmed station at
:02:20. > :02:26.Swansea, Portland and Brixham will be among those closed. Falmouth
:02:26. > :02:31.will be the South West's only station. One of eight 24 hour
:02:31. > :02:36.centres. It seems to be stretched too thin. It is putting people's
:02:36. > :02:42.lives at danger just to save a few pound. The minister also announced
:02:42. > :02:47.a new single maritime operation centre in Hampshire, prompting
:02:47. > :02:53.concerns from one Cornish MP. the trial of a new control centre
:02:53. > :02:59.demonstrates the loss of local knowledge, to be an added danger to
:02:59. > :03:03.any sea-user sh will he reconsider his plans for closing any
:03:03. > :03:07.coastguard co-ordination centres sh as the Prime Minister has already
:03:07. > :03:12.mentioned? None of the centres will close before the robustness of the
:03:12. > :03:19.system is up and running. Government says safety is paramount
:03:19. > :03:24.and the proposals about modernising the agency. But this decision may
:03:24. > :03:28.not be the end of the matter. There is talk of an online petition and
:03:28. > :03:31.possible further debate in Parliament. Earlier I spoke to
:03:31. > :03:34.coastguard Mick Cook of the Public and Commercial Services Union. He
:03:34. > :03:41.told us today that the announcement held no surprises but was
:03:41. > :03:47.nevertheless disappointing. You're right, it is disappointing. As you
:03:47. > :03:50.can imagine in the operations room it is very quiet. People are
:03:50. > :03:56.despondent and sad. Government... It is not clear what
:03:56. > :04:02.the future holds. The Government thinks these measures can be taken
:04:02. > :04:08.without a great risk to life. Would you agree? No, we don't agree. Even
:04:08. > :04:12.though the Government have said Brixham will close, our opinion is
:04:13. > :04:18.still the same. We have got an operations room bought and paid for.
:04:18. > :04:21.You have got a massive talented staff here. We're one of the
:04:21. > :04:26.busiest coastguard stations, certainly along the South West
:04:26. > :04:31.coast and they're going to close us. The shipping Minister said he
:04:31. > :04:35.called you a first class rescue service. Could you continue to
:04:35. > :04:40.deliver that service? I don't believe so. Not in the way that we
:04:40. > :04:48.have been doing it. The local knowledge issue is still an issue.
:04:48. > :04:53.They have not resolved that. This campaign has been about many things.
:04:53. > :04:58.Budget, Government cuts, jobs, but on top of that list is safety to
:04:58. > :05:03.the public. So what does it mean now, is there any room for
:05:03. > :05:08.manoeuvre, is the battle over? seem like it is over. But I will
:05:08. > :05:18.never say never. The general public have been supportive to us. And
:05:18. > :05:24.they can still play a big part if they went online to WW coastguard
:05:24. > :05:27.petition, they can Reg stir their feelings on if there is 100
:05:27. > :05:31.thousand signatures, it has to be debated in Parliament. And for
:05:31. > :05:38.people who use the sea around the coast of the South West, what will
:05:38. > :05:42.this mean for them? Well this is what we don't know. We're going
:05:42. > :05:49.into something that we have not gone into before. So it is hard for
:05:49. > :05:54.me to say. But as I said, the local knowledge issue is still unresolved.
:05:54. > :05:56.Thank you. Spotlight's Political Editor Martyn Oates has been
:05:56. > :06:03.following the story today and has been gauging reaction at
:06:03. > :06:07.Westminster. Today is the end of the consultation and further
:06:07. > :06:11.consultation on the plans to modernise the coastguard service.
:06:11. > :06:15.As the shipping minister said, the second consultation was on four
:06:15. > :06:20.very specific points. It wasn't intended to re-open the whole
:06:20. > :06:26.debate as to whether Bracks him and Portland should be closed. That
:06:26. > :06:30.decision was made earlier in the year. -- Brixham and Portland.
:06:30. > :06:34.People now in the area realise there noise chance of a reprieve.
:06:34. > :06:38.The MPs representing the areas of course fought hard to keep their
:06:39. > :06:43.specific local coastguard stations open and the Conservative MP for
:06:43. > :06:47.south east Cornwall, who has not got any coast guard station in her
:06:47. > :06:51.area, but has a lot of experience of needs of fishing industry, has
:06:51. > :06:59.said the Government's plans should be torn up and thrown away. Today
:06:59. > :07:06.she says the fight goes on. I will not see any marine co-ordination
:07:06. > :07:12.centre close whilst I believe, or any member of the public believes
:07:13. > :07:16.that safety of our sea goers will be compromised. The Government says
:07:16. > :07:20.the reforms will not only maintain the present service, but will
:07:21. > :07:27.improve it. Sheryl Murray is one of many people expecting the
:07:27. > :07:30.Government to prove that now. you. Devon and Cornwall Police are
:07:30. > :07:33.writing to known shoplifters warning that they'll be jailed if
:07:33. > :07:35.they commit crimes in the run up to Christmas. Operation Action has
:07:35. > :07:43.been launched in Torbay with increased police patrols and the
:07:43. > :07:48.use of CCTV. Our Home Affairs correspondent Simon Hall reports.
:07:48. > :07:53.Shoplifting can steal the spark frl Christmas for retailers and
:07:53. > :07:56.shoppers. This jewellers lost a �300 neck lace in a recent theft.
:07:56. > :08:00.The police are writing to repeat shoplifters in the area, warning
:08:00. > :08:08.they will be watched and face prison if they commit crimes before
:08:08. > :08:13.Christmas. It is a good police presence on the street. It helps
:08:13. > :08:20.with the general public. It is a good initiative for businesss to
:08:20. > :08:25.make people feel protected. It is not just retailers who suffer with
:08:25. > :08:32.shoplifting, shoppers do. A survey estimated the crime adds about �180
:08:32. > :08:38.a year to the average family's shopping bill. As part of Operation
:08:38. > :08:43.aboution, there will be extra police patrols and CCTV to keep
:08:43. > :08:47.watch. It is not a gimmick. It is important that we target the small
:08:47. > :08:51.minority of criminals who commit the proportion of the crime. It is
:08:51. > :08:56.not good enough that we let them get away with that. I'm not
:08:56. > :09:00.prepared and the police are not prepared to accept these small
:09:00. > :09:05.number of people committing this crime. Retailers are being advised
:09:05. > :09:10.how to improve security against shoplifters. Figures show that
:09:10. > :09:15.shoplifting has been on the increase. Some attribute that to
:09:15. > :09:20.the economic down turn. Operation action is running only here in
:09:20. > :09:27.Torbay, but if it is seen as a success, it could be introduced in
:09:27. > :09:32.other towns across Devon and Cornwall. Cases of the stomach bug
:09:32. > :09:34.Norovirus are starting to appear in Cornwall. The Cornwall and Isles of
:09:34. > :09:37.Scilly Primary Care Trust is warning people with sickness and
:09:37. > :09:40.diarrhoea not to visit hospitals or other health care centres. They're
:09:40. > :09:44.advising people to wash their hands frequently and not to handle or
:09:44. > :09:48.prepare food. A company which provides home care in Cornwall has
:09:48. > :09:51.gone into liquidation. All Seasons, based in Truro also provided
:09:51. > :09:58.supported living services for 40 people on behalf of Cornwall
:09:58. > :10:01.Council. Staff have been laid off and the council is rearranging care.
:10:01. > :10:04.The Devon based tile manufacturer British Ceramic Tile has become one
:10:04. > :10:08.of the biggest tile companies in the UK after buying a firm in
:10:08. > :10:11.Yorkshire. But the Newton Abbot based company says the state of the
:10:11. > :10:16.economy means that up to a quarter of the joint workforce could be
:10:16. > :10:19.made redundant. Two South West councils are placing children in
:10:19. > :10:22.their care at risk of significant harm according to Ofsted's annual
:10:22. > :10:24.report. Cornwall and Torbay were among nine local authorities judged
:10:24. > :10:27.inadequate when it comes to safeguarding children. Cornwall
:10:27. > :10:35.says it is working to improve services and Torbay says some
:10:35. > :10:39.improvements have already been made. A dental surgery in Devon is
:10:39. > :10:42.offering free mouth cancer checks for patients. It follows a 50% rise
:10:42. > :10:45.in the number of people developing the disease over the past decade.
:10:45. > :10:55.Doctors say early treatment could save the lives of nine out of ten
:10:55. > :10:58.
:10:58. > :11:03.sufferers. Spotlight's Johnny This is what kept Keith sane in the
:11:03. > :11:09.six months after several operations to remove cancerous tissue from his
:11:09. > :11:14.mouth. He was lucky, to catch the disease before it spread. They fast
:11:14. > :11:22.tracked me. Which again I didn't think nothing much of it. But the
:11:22. > :11:26.reason was quite ease ly to understand, the cancer was moving
:11:26. > :11:31.rapidly. The plain symptoms are mouth ulcers that haven't healed
:11:31. > :11:38.within three weeks. Red or white patches in the mouth and on the
:11:38. > :11:43.tongue and any unusual swellings. Regular dental check ups are the
:11:43. > :11:46.best way to protect the disease. One practice is offering free
:11:46. > :11:50.checks. It is one of the most important things we can can do for
:11:50. > :12:00.a patient, obviously it is important to check their teeth and
:12:00. > :12:05.general dental health. But if we can spot an area here and diagnose
:12:05. > :12:10.something early, you can reduce the problems and increase the outom of
:12:10. > :12:17.that patient. 6,000 people in the UK will develop mouth cancer this
:12:17. > :12:21.year. Early diagnosis could extend the lives of 5,5 hundred of them.
:12:21. > :12:25.Coming up: How a campaign for a new swimming pool which started before
:12:25. > :12:32.the Second World War is finally bearing fruit. Plus the new man in
:12:33. > :12:37.charge at Plymouth Albion - we'll hear from Peter Drewett. And there
:12:37. > :12:41.are trees still with leaves on, but I think tonight will be the first
:12:41. > :12:47.proper frost of the winter. I will have all the details later in the
:12:47. > :12:49.programme. First Great Western is introducing almost 50 extra
:12:49. > :12:53.carriages to ease passenger congestion on its main routes. But
:12:54. > :12:56.only two of those will be coming to the Southwest. A single extra
:12:56. > :12:59.carriage will be added to trains from Paignton through Exeter to
:12:59. > :13:09.Barnstaple with another available on the Falmouth branch line. From
:13:09. > :13:09.
:13:09. > :13:15.Cornwall, Spotlight's David George reports. This is the 07.50 service
:13:15. > :13:22.to Truro and as usual it is busy. There is soon standing room only.
:13:22. > :13:26.But there are another three stations. This overcrowding is a
:13:26. > :13:33.regular occurrence during the school term. Sometimes people are
:13:33. > :13:39.left behind. This train is in part of -- a victim of its success. The
:13:39. > :13:43.increase in passenger numb% due to the introduction of a half hourly
:13:43. > :13:48.service. Good new force company, but uncomfortable for passengers.
:13:48. > :13:53.It is really cramped and it is not a nice experience to get to work
:13:53. > :13:57.and you have spent 25 mince cramped on a train. It is busy and
:13:57. > :14:02.sometimes we can't get on and then have to pay for the bus, the bus
:14:02. > :14:08.won't let us on with the train tickets, even though it is the same
:14:08. > :14:13.company. Today the company's boss announced extra carriages. It will
:14:13. > :14:17.add a small amount of extra capacity. There will be an extra
:14:17. > :14:22.carriage and the very business branch line that we operate which
:14:22. > :14:28.is one of fastest growing lines in the country, will gain an extra
:14:28. > :14:32.carriage that. Doubles capacity. But that is only two extra carriage
:14:32. > :14:42.for Devon and Cornwall with most of the investment going into the main
:14:42. > :14:43.
:14:43. > :14:48.line from Reading to Paddington. I have called a meeting and we are
:14:48. > :14:56.going to discuss the franchise and capacity issues. I am sure are
:14:56. > :14:59.rising from that we will want to lobby government again to say it is
:14:59. > :15:07.inadequate and that the franchisees to take into account are concerned
:15:07. > :15:17.about the service. Meanwhile, passengers will have to wait until
:15:17. > :15:21.
:15:21. > :15:27.the spring for their extra carriage. Today's announcement is big news
:15:27. > :15:34.for some commuters. Why only two extra carriages for the region?
:15:34. > :15:38.have seen a phenomenal growth around local services. We have 10
:15:38. > :15:43.of the fastest growing branch lines. The vehicles that have been
:15:43. > :15:52.announced today as coming to us are going to the routes which have the
:15:52. > :15:59.busy services. It is good to see busy capacity to relieve crowding
:15:59. > :16:05.and keep the growth going. Robin Tevez and has pointed out today
:16:05. > :16:09.that money was made available to increase his services, so you
:16:09. > :16:13.benefited -- benefited with increased passenger numbers.
:16:13. > :16:22.Cornwall Council is stumping up �60,000 are worth the extra
:16:22. > :16:27.carriage in Falmouth. Why are tax payers funding mess? It helps the
:16:27. > :16:31.local economy, that's the whole point. We are seen passenger
:16:31. > :16:36.numbers are rising rapidly. Commercially, you are benefiting.
:16:36. > :16:44.Why are you not paying for the extra carriage? Why are Cornwall's
:16:44. > :16:48.council tax payers having to stump up? It comes from the Department of
:16:48. > :16:51.Transport, ourselves and Cornwall Council. These are not profitable
:16:51. > :16:57.services so there has to be revenue support to make it possible to
:16:57. > :17:02.operate them. It is good we have been able to achieve that growth.
:17:02. > :17:07.What about the prospects for extra carriages elsewhere. We had an e-
:17:07. > :17:13.mail from John. He says, the Penzance to Plymouth service often
:17:13. > :17:17.consists of two old carriages. It pauses on the way up, and gets more
:17:17. > :17:22.overcrowded. Are their chances of any war carriages on those sorts of
:17:23. > :17:27.lines? The growth is happening across Cornwall. We will be more
:17:27. > :17:31.because as time goes by. The announcement is to provide extra
:17:31. > :17:37.capacity on the farm wife Lin and services in Devon, so we are
:17:37. > :17:41.dealing with the most crowded services. When you except his of
:17:41. > :17:44.the one is overcrowded? Many services are busy for short
:17:44. > :17:49.distances some part of the journey. By and not enough to get extra
:17:49. > :17:54.capacity? Not at this stage. There are few spare carriages available
:17:54. > :18:00.in the country. We have effectively got the last two. It would be some
:18:00. > :18:07.time before others were available. You can rest assured we will do our
:18:07. > :18:13.utmost to secure or them. We would like to hear your views on railway
:18:13. > :18:15.services in the region. The cost of revamping Exeter's
:18:15. > :18:19.Royal Albert Museum has risen to around �24 million, nearly 9
:18:19. > :18:22.million more than estimated. This week sees the fourth anniversary of
:18:22. > :18:26.the museum's closure for its refurbishment. It's due to re-open
:18:26. > :18:29.next month. The installation of 120 bat boxes
:18:29. > :18:35.in woodland around Burrator Reservoir has attracted 124 bats of
:18:35. > :18:39.five different species in a year. The scheme, which was set up by
:18:39. > :18:42.South West Water, the Lakes Trust and the Devon Bat Group, wanted to
:18:43. > :18:46.increase the number of bats seen there. Boxes of different sizes and
:18:46. > :18:49.types were put up last October and monitored every month for a year.
:18:49. > :18:52.A collection started before the Second World War to fund a public
:18:52. > :18:56.swimming pool is finally paying off. Some of money raised all those
:18:56. > :18:59.years ago is, at last, being used to help fund a new pool for
:18:59. > :19:09.Dorchester. But why has it taken so long? Our reporter Simon Clemison
:19:09. > :19:11.
:19:11. > :19:15.has been investigating. In the 1930s and 40s in Dorchester
:19:15. > :19:21.there were no public baths. A few years earlier, a swimming pool of
:19:21. > :19:26.sorts had been built along the river Frome. One of the children
:19:26. > :19:29.taking a dip in the same stretch of water was Brian Clarke. That was
:19:29. > :19:36.our only way to learn to swim. If we did not go to the river we did
:19:36. > :19:42.not learn to swim and we made full use of it. We swam and fish in it.
:19:42. > :19:45.TV in the money is being put to good use? -- do you feel? And there
:19:45. > :19:50.have been a lot of murmurs from locals in recent years about what
:19:50. > :19:55.has happened to the money and the swimming pool never materialised.
:19:55. > :20:00.Now it is going to be there. It was the children of this town who first
:20:00. > :20:07.started the collection 80 years ago. They used to each paying a penny
:20:07. > :20:12.and the party eventually grew and grew. -- paying a penny. Some of
:20:12. > :20:21.the money was spent on a learner swimming pool. When you think it
:20:21. > :20:26.will be open? This spring of next year. With �70,000 still left, the
:20:26. > :20:31.mayor made a sizable donations. If you thought he was a Johnny-come-
:20:31. > :20:36.lately you might like to know that in fact, he has been looking after
:20:36. > :20:44.the fund since 1973, when he was first mayor. He even put money in
:20:44. > :20:49.himself as a child. Today I can see a great achievement for Dorchester
:20:49. > :20:59.or to have a swimming pool, a sports complex, here in the middle
:20:59. > :21:03.of the town. And it is your old pennies that helped pay for it!
:21:03. > :21:08.that's right. The tyres are ready and waiting. The leisure centre
:21:08. > :21:11.should be open in at the spring. With some origins in the beginning
:21:11. > :21:17.of the last century, there is something to think about it to swim
:21:18. > :21:20.up and down. Some sports news now and Plymouth
:21:20. > :21:23.Albion today unveiled former Exeter Chiefs boss Pete Drewett as their
:21:23. > :21:26.new head coach and director of rugby. He will replace Graham Dawe,
:21:26. > :21:34.who was sacked over the weekend after 12-and-a-half years in charge.
:21:34. > :21:40.Spotlight's Brent Pilnick reports. Leading his team out for the first
:21:40. > :21:45.time, Pete Drewitt was all smiles. The former Exeter Chiefs boss
:21:45. > :21:50.signed a deal to the director of rugby and head coach until 2015. He
:21:50. > :21:58.replaces Graham Dawe, who was sacked after 12.5 years after -- as
:21:58. > :22:04.chairman of rugby. I do not know a lot about what Graham did. I have
:22:04. > :22:11.respect for him. My role is to improve players' and improve the
:22:11. > :22:16.unit and the team. It is about getting well organised on and off
:22:16. > :22:20.the field and working hard to achieve that. There are no short
:22:20. > :22:25.cuts. Graham Dawe was a much-loved and respected figure and many will
:22:25. > :22:29.question why he was let go halfway through the season. For the people
:22:29. > :22:35.at Plymouth Albion who rub -- run the club it was simple, he was
:22:35. > :22:40.sacked because results were not good enough. We were not happy with
:22:40. > :22:48.our position. We were 10 points of the promotion group. We needed to
:22:48. > :22:54.act now if we were going to have a chance to turn it around. Pete
:22:55. > :22:58.Drewitt has something of a baptism of fire. Albion play for out of the
:22:58. > :23:03.five top sides in their next four league games, including a derby
:23:03. > :23:09.with Cornish Pirates. If he can get some wins then the deal he has
:23:09. > :23:18.shaken hands on may improve to be a very astute one.
:23:18. > :23:21.Plymouth Argyle hope to avoid an FA Cup upset tonight. They try for a
:23:21. > :23:24.second time to overcome non-league Stourbridge in a first round replay.
:23:24. > :23:27.The ground of the Midlands club is too small to cater for the
:23:27. > :23:30.Pilgrims' team coach, so the players had to walk from outside
:23:30. > :23:40.the venue and into the stadium. The original tie ended in a three-all
:23:40. > :23:40.
:23:40. > :23:47.draw. There's full coverage on BBC The exercise will do them good! It
:23:47. > :23:52.is a bit of a warm-up. Is it tonight that the proper frost
:23:52. > :23:56.of the winter? I think it probably is. You will need to scrape your
:23:56. > :24:02.windscreen tomorrow. Low temperatures tonight and widely, we
:24:02. > :24:12.will see frost. The lowest temperatures from East Devon into
:24:12. > :24:12.
:24:12. > :24:22.Somerset. All of us will have a cold night, the coldest so far.
:24:22. > :24:28.Earlier, we have cloud and showers. It stretched from Spain right up to
:24:28. > :24:36.England. There is high pressure across southern Britain tomorrow,
:24:36. > :24:44.bringing dry weather and sunshine. A frosty start for some. Earlier in
:24:44. > :24:48.the week -- later in the week, low pressure coming in bringing rain on
:24:48. > :24:58.Thursday night into Friday morning. Wind coming in with a strong
:24:58. > :24:58.
:24:58. > :25:07.southerly breeze. Until then, a relatively quiet. This morning was
:25:07. > :25:13.grey and misty. There was some brightness coming through. There
:25:13. > :25:18.was hardly a breath of wind. The wind will be light again tonight
:25:18. > :25:25.there is a possibility of some mist and fog patches forming here and
:25:25. > :25:33.there. Hopefully, the same location tomorrow, more in sunshine. Clear
:25:33. > :25:38.sky overnight at tonight. Mist and fog forming and some frost
:25:38. > :25:44.overnight. We have not seen this since the early part of the year.
:25:44. > :25:54.The wind like becoming south- westerly. -- the wind light,
:25:54. > :25:58.
:25:58. > :26:04.becoming south-westerly. As we move through tomorrow the frost will
:26:04. > :26:09.disappear under sunshine will come out and warm up. There is always
:26:09. > :26:19.the risk of cooler conditions around those areas that started off
:26:19. > :26:20.
:26:20. > :26:30.frosty. For the rest of us, a breeze in the second half of the
:26:30. > :27:04.
:27:04. > :27:08.day. South-westerly wind bringing A mixture over the next few days.
:27:08. > :27:14.Expect fine weather on Thursday, clouding over and becoming breezy,
:27:14. > :27:18.showers on Friday and cloudy on Saturday.
:27:18. > :27:22.The government has confirmed that controversial plans to close
:27:22. > :27:27.Coastguard stations in the South West will go ahead.
:27:27. > :27:31.Police say their own shoplifters will be jailed if they steal in the