:00:10. > :00:14.Horse owners on their guard after the mutilation of a stallion.
:00:14. > :00:17.Police say the killing could have been ritualistic.
:00:18. > :00:20.Good evening. The police are following a number of lines of
:00:20. > :00:23.enquiry as other horse owners come forward with similar stories.
:00:23. > :00:27.Also on Spotlight tonight, one job at a time - Warnings that cutbacks
:00:27. > :00:30.could hamper big police investigations such as the M5 crash.
:00:30. > :00:40.Following it to the letter - the TB technical hitch confusing farmers
:00:40. > :00:41.
:00:41. > :00:48.and restricting the movement of animals. It is a shambles.
:00:48. > :00:53.Thousands of cattle are staying on farms that should not be there and
:00:53. > :00:55.farmers have to foot the bill. And the row over the Olympic rings
:00:55. > :00:58.and calls for a change of plan. Detectives investigating the
:00:58. > :01:01.mutilation of a horse in Cornwall say they are not ruling out the
:01:01. > :01:04.possibility of a ritualistic killing. The attack has left many
:01:04. > :01:06.horse owners in the south west shocked and worried about their
:01:06. > :01:09.animals. One Spotlight viewer has contacted the programme to say that
:01:09. > :01:13.one of her horses was killed in similar circumstances at around the
:01:13. > :01:16.same time of the year five years ago. The police say they are
:01:16. > :01:25.following a number of lines of enquiry and insist they are taking
:01:25. > :01:29.the case seriously. The killing of a Rigby stallion has
:01:29. > :01:34.caused a wave of revulsion from horse owners and the wider
:01:34. > :01:38.community. The two-year-old was drugged, and mutilated and knifed
:01:38. > :01:42.to death on Sunday night. His wings were far from random and there are
:01:42. > :01:46.concerns they could have been caused by some kind of ritualistic
:01:46. > :01:52.attack. There are people out there who have these believes and that is
:01:52. > :02:00.a strong possibility. But there are other Leeds and possibilities and
:02:00. > :02:07.motives we have got. We are following them all up. The injuries
:02:07. > :02:11.suffered by Eric sounded familiar to Rosemary. Five years ago, her
:02:11. > :02:21.Shetland pony was killed in a similar fashion. In change the
:02:21. > :02:26.management of my horses. I have put fences up and I bring them in at
:02:26. > :02:33.night. Cases like these are thankfully unusual, but talk
:02:33. > :02:39.amongst horse lovers is how best to keep the animals saved. They are
:02:39. > :02:44.talking about adding security to the stables, padlocks, making more
:02:44. > :02:53.regular checks out to them. Taking registration numbers of vehicles
:02:53. > :02:57.acting suspiciously. Anyway they can identify anything suspicious.
:02:57. > :03:01.Police detectives say the best chance of catching the gang
:03:01. > :03:06.responsible for this comes from the public, either someone who spotted
:03:06. > :03:09.something suspicious that night, or someone close to the attackers.
:03:09. > :03:12.Planned cuts to the numbers of crime scene investigators will
:03:12. > :03:15.leave Avon and Somerset Police unable to carry out more than one
:03:15. > :03:18.big investigation at a time. That's the claim this evening by unions
:03:18. > :03:22.representing police civilian staff who are facing the axe. They say
:03:22. > :03:31.that if the police were faced with a big investigation such as the M5
:03:31. > :03:35.crash and a high profile murder at the same time, they couldn't cope.
:03:35. > :03:40.Senior officers have been told to cut civilian police staff by 20 %,
:03:40. > :03:45.in line with bought million-pound budget cuts handed down by the
:03:45. > :03:48.police authority. But. The BBC that its ability to deal with several
:03:48. > :03:57.major incident at the same time will not be affected. A claim
:03:57. > :04:01.strongly rejected by the union. That is quite a naive stance to
:04:01. > :04:06.take. If you are going to cut the number of police staff roles, then
:04:06. > :04:11.in some way or another that is going to have a fundamental effect
:04:11. > :04:17.on the number of frontline officers out on the streets, and police
:04:17. > :04:23.forces come into criticism all the time because police officers are
:04:23. > :04:28.not visible. The force will tell you that crime has fallen, but it
:04:28. > :04:34.has fallen because these types of posts are there and the part they
:04:34. > :04:38.have to play in making sure crime is detected and we find out with
:04:38. > :04:41.the criminals are. That is why crime has fallen.
:04:41. > :04:50.Unlike their civilian colleagues, police officers cannot be made
:04:50. > :04:58.redundant. The force is recruiting up to 24 U officers every year, but
:04:58. > :05:03.with old officers retiring, police numbers are falling. If you take
:05:03. > :05:11.400 plus police officers out of a constabulary, it has to have an
:05:11. > :05:21.effect somewhere. People say it be won't, but the taxpayers of Avon
:05:21. > :05:26.
:05:26. > :05:33.and Somerset want to know where the tax money has been going. More than
:05:33. > :05:41.�40 million worth of savings has to be found, on top of the anticipated
:05:41. > :05:44.20 million de force expects to lose each year. -- the force.
:05:44. > :05:47.One of the south west's biggest companies says it has a strong
:05:47. > :05:50.future, despite a dramatic fall in the value of the business. Devon
:05:50. > :05:53.based Flybe has seen its shares drop by 80% in the last year. The
:05:53. > :05:58.company employs 1,100 people in Exeter. Last January, shares cost
:05:58. > :06:04.342 pence. By April they were down to 225, a month later they were at
:06:04. > :06:14.172 and by October they had fallen to less than a pound. Tonight they
:06:14. > :06:15.
:06:15. > :06:20.have closed at 57 pence. Our Correspondent joins us from
:06:20. > :06:30.Flybe headquarters. Should staff be worried?
:06:30. > :06:33.Well, Flybe says they shouldn't. No-one would comment, but they did
:06:33. > :06:39.release a statement. They say they are pursuing a number of business
:06:39. > :06:44.opportunities. The statement adds that the overall business strategy
:06:44. > :06:48.is intact and Flybe have a strong future in the medium to long-term.
:06:48. > :06:53.But there is one area that will concern employees and that his many
:06:53. > :06:57.our shareholders, having taken up share options. They will be looking
:06:57. > :07:03.at lower returns than they hoped for.
:07:03. > :07:07.Why do you think the share price has fallen so dramatically. --
:07:07. > :07:17.dramatically? The passenger numbers have been
:07:17. > :07:27.falling, so Flybe have not had the Revenue paid have hoped for. Also,
:07:27. > :07:33.fuel prices have gone up. We spoke to a spokesperson from the aviation
:07:33. > :07:38.industry and they said that Flybe has a bright future.
:07:38. > :07:44.Briefly, will passengers be effected?
:07:44. > :07:49.Again, Flybe say they will not. They are running 200 routes and
:07:49. > :07:52.there are no plans to cut back on those.
:07:52. > :07:55.The Prime Minister is asking the Transport Secretary to look into
:07:55. > :07:59.plans to close the earch and rescue helicopter based on Portland. The
:07:59. > :08:02.base is due to close in 2017, but there are fears lives could be put
:08:02. > :08:05.at risk. A delegation took the case to David Cameron earlier today. In
:08:05. > :08:12.a moment we'll hear from our Political Editor Martyn Oates about
:08:12. > :08:17.the Prime Minister's reaction, but first this report from Chloe Axford.
:08:17. > :08:23.This Dorset diver is concerned about what the closure of Portland
:08:23. > :08:29.search and rescue base will mean. He has first-hand experience of how
:08:29. > :08:38.vital the service can be. A dye that suffering from decompression
:08:38. > :08:45.sickness, it depends on time. A quick response is necessary. On one
:08:45. > :08:55.occasion I had a young lady who was a losing her sight and could not
:08:55. > :09:01.move her legs. The helicopter was held within five minutes. South
:09:01. > :09:08.coast club there will be supplied from a Lee-on-Solent Wendy Portland
:09:08. > :09:14.base closes. The intention is to spread search and rescue bases, due
:09:14. > :09:20.to be privatised in 2013, evenly around the coast. But campaigners
:09:20. > :09:25.say the helicopter should be based where they are most needed. The
:09:25. > :09:34.Portman one foot to 200 incidents last year. A quarter of all
:09:34. > :09:42.helicopter rescues in 2011 took place between Lee-on-Solent and
:09:42. > :09:45.Brixham. I'm joined now by our Political
:09:45. > :09:47.Editor Martyn Oates. Martyn, the South Dorset MP Richard Drax led
:09:47. > :09:55.today's delegation to Downing Street. What is he realistically
:09:55. > :10:00.hoping to achieve? That is a good question. We have had lengthy
:10:00. > :10:04.consultations over the past year. Everything is up for grabs in that
:10:04. > :10:08.period and it is clear the government may change their mind.
:10:08. > :10:12.This was rather different. There was no consultation, unlike the
:10:12. > :10:17.process into possibly closing coastguard stations. The government
:10:17. > :10:22.simply announced that it would close to search and rescue bases,
:10:22. > :10:27.one of which is Portland. But after the meeting with the Prime Minister
:10:27. > :10:35.today, they could be a reprieve. I was not expecting the Prime
:10:35. > :10:38.Minister to say the base is safe. I was expecting him to say he will
:10:38. > :10:45.speak to the secretary of state and you can make your points to her and
:10:45. > :10:52.she will make a final decision. closure of the Coast Guard stations
:10:52. > :10:57.is also causing concern. Yes. It has been a bad year because
:10:57. > :11:03.Portland is also facing the loss of its coastguard station. The
:11:03. > :11:12.government say these changes will not jeopardise safety, it will make
:11:12. > :11:15.it more resilient. However, campaigners disagree. The local MP
:11:15. > :11:21.wanted be co-starred national control centre in Poland as well,
:11:21. > :11:28.but that along with the search and rescue helicopters will be based
:11:28. > :11:30.further up the coast. Police say a sex offender who went
:11:30. > :11:33.missing from hospital in Taunton has been found. 75-year-old David
:11:33. > :11:35.Marker disappeared on Monday morning and has now been located in
:11:35. > :11:38.Penzance. He's been detained since committing an offence against a
:11:38. > :11:41.child in 1965. An inquest into the death of a baby
:11:41. > :11:44.boy has heard claims his mother was delayed on arrival at Derriford
:11:44. > :11:47.Hospital because the midwife on duty "was rushed off her feet." Kye
:11:47. > :11:51.Stevens died in November 2010 after being starved of oxygen before he
:11:52. > :11:55.was born. The Plymouth coroner today recorded a verdict of death
:11:55. > :11:57.by natural causes and said nothing more could be done to save the baby
:11:57. > :12:07.after he'd been delivered. The hospital said staffing levels were
:12:07. > :12:11.
:12:11. > :12:15.entirely safe. Later in the programme, find out
:12:15. > :12:18.why there's been a ding dong over plans to ring church bells at the
:12:19. > :12:20.start of the Olympics. Plus Is it a bridge too far? The race to
:12:20. > :12:23.finish repairs at this well known tourist attraction.
:12:23. > :12:28.And building a replica Cornish lugger - we'll meet the couple
:12:28. > :12:30.who've sold their house to make it possible.
:12:31. > :12:34.South West farmers are angry after being bombarded with inaccurate
:12:34. > :12:38.letters about TB testing. They are now concerned the mistake could
:12:38. > :12:39.lead to delays in removing infected animals from farms. As our
:12:39. > :12:49.Environment Correspondent Adrian Campbell reports, one farmer
:12:49. > :12:53.received 14 letters when only two were needed.
:12:53. > :12:59.David Partridge farms near Tiverton in Devon and like many South West
:12:59. > :13:04.Farmers, his cattle have been in and out of Bovine TB restriction
:13:04. > :13:07.over the last few years. David said he was waiting for letters to
:13:07. > :13:13.arrive before Christmas telling him when he can start the next tests,
:13:13. > :13:20.but he was surprised to receive letters from the Animal Health
:13:20. > :13:25.Agency. I had six letters, or identical, saying I could stop on
:13:25. > :13:29.24th January, which is incorrect. It should have been 10th January. I
:13:29. > :13:35.then e-mailed and explain some frustrations I had got with other
:13:35. > :13:38.matters as well. So then I get another six letters, which are
:13:38. > :13:46.meant to cancel the first six, but they have still come up with the
:13:46. > :13:51.wrong dates in there, which is 24th January, and then I had another one,
:13:51. > :13:57.finally they got it right saying I could start on 10th January.
:13:57. > :14:01.agency wrote to Mr Partridge about his cattle to say the right level
:14:01. > :14:11.of service had not been delivered, but apologised and blamed ongoing
:14:11. > :14:11.
:14:11. > :14:16.problems with a new computer system. Now the agency has told us that TB
:14:16. > :14:20.test results have been affected by delays. It says it has been
:14:20. > :14:25.restructuring administrative teams with the closure of an office in
:14:25. > :14:31.Taunton. It is a shambles. It is a three-way hit a poor farmers. They
:14:31. > :14:41.have taken out experienced admin staff and reorganised offices or at
:14:41. > :14:42.
:14:42. > :14:52.the same time. Cattle be staying on farms -- cattle are staying on the
:14:52. > :14:53.
:14:53. > :14:56.farms and they should not be there. Its meant to be the way that we
:14:56. > :14:59.welcome the Olympic Games. In just 198 days, London 2012 will get
:14:59. > :15:01.underway and on the day the games begin, organisers want people in
:15:01. > :15:05.the south west to help simultaneously ring every bell in
:15:05. > :15:08.the country for three minutes at 8 o'clock in the morning. But as
:15:08. > :15:17.Scott Bingham reports, hundreds of bells in churches around the region
:15:17. > :15:22.will be staying silent. Weymouth and Portland - home of the
:15:22. > :15:28.Olympic sailing, but even here at 8 o'clock the bells are bought stay
:15:28. > :15:37.silent. We do not drink before 9 o'clock. The logistics of bringing
:15:37. > :15:47.for three minutes is not practical and bells only had one of Odiham
:15:47. > :15:50.
:15:50. > :16:00.and one speed. This is what artist Martin Creed hopes Were 177 will
:16:00. > :16:04.
:16:04. > :16:09.sound like. -- Work 177. It needs a lot of people to do it. It relies
:16:09. > :16:12.on people to make it happen. It is all part of the London Festival, a
:16:12. > :16:17.nationwide celebration of the art of running alongside the Olympic
:16:17. > :16:20.Games. A lot of churches have signed up and we hope that if
:16:20. > :16:24.churches have any concerns they will contact us and we can work
:16:24. > :16:29.through any issues they have and make sure they can all join in the
:16:29. > :16:38.fund, because it will be great fun. And the bells will ring at 8
:16:38. > :16:46.o'clock. People are being asked to sign up and take part. There is
:16:46. > :16:52.hope of a compromise in Dorset. Heavily as many churches as
:16:52. > :17:02.possible will ring their bells during the course of the day and at
:17:02. > :17:04.
:17:04. > :17:07.that time they feel is appropriate. Football now, and Johnson's second
:17:07. > :17:10.spell in charge of Yeovil Town got off to the worst possible start
:17:11. > :17:14.last night. Johnson took charge of the Glovers as they crashed by 4-1
:17:14. > :17:17.at Sheffield United's Bramall Lane. They were 2-0 down by half time and
:17:17. > :17:20.rarely posed much of a threat to their opponents who climb to second
:17:20. > :17:27.place in League One. It leaves Yeovil in one of the four
:17:27. > :17:29.relegation places, two points away from safety.
:17:29. > :17:33.In cricket, Somerset and England wicket keeper Craig Kieswetter has
:17:33. > :17:37.agreed a new deal which will keep him at the county until the end of
:17:37. > :17:42.2014. Kieswetter has also decided against taking part in the Indian
:17:42. > :17:45.Premier League. That means that he will be available to Somerset for
:17:45. > :17:53.the whole summer, barring any England call ups against the West
:17:53. > :17:56.Indies and South Africa next season. A south west tourist attraction is
:17:56. > :17:59.facing a race against time to carry out urgent work so that it can open
:17:59. > :18:02.in time for the new season. The South Devon Railway, which runs
:18:02. > :18:12.steam trains from Buckfastleigh to Totnes, needs to repair a 140-year-
:18:12. > :18:18.
:18:18. > :18:25.old bridge and they have only one It is a tricky job, this. These can
:18:25. > :18:31.tractors have to work in a water course. This bridge has stood here
:18:31. > :18:40.for 140 years. An inspection has found it needs work to make sure it
:18:40. > :18:46.stands for many more. They are working in an area that used to
:18:46. > :18:52.feed an electric powered mill. They are working in the river, putting
:18:52. > :18:56.the scaffolding up to cocoon the bridge and then it will be treated.
:18:56. > :19:00.The South Devon Railway opens for the new season next month. Its
:19:00. > :19:05.location is stunning, but it is at a charity and many of its up of
:19:05. > :19:10.volunteers. It needs money from fare-paying passengers to keep it
:19:10. > :19:19.going day today. Not opening on time is costly. Weather permitting,
:19:19. > :19:23.work here is due to finish the day before the trains RG2 run. It is a
:19:23. > :19:27.big sum of money to fight and we have to generate that from ticket
:19:27. > :19:32.sales and people who visit the well way. Most of the maintenance
:19:32. > :19:38.carried out on the railway and its trains has done by the railway
:19:38. > :19:43.stock itself, but this job needed outside contractors. Hopefully it
:19:43. > :19:50.will open on time. Last year they managed to keep the bridge opened
:19:50. > :19:53.despite the terrible weather conditions.
:19:53. > :19:56.A couple in Cornwall have sold their house in order to build a
:19:56. > :19:59.replica of an 18th century Cornish sailing ship. Made entirely from
:19:59. > :20:01.locally sourced wood the 63 ft lugger is being built just two
:20:01. > :20:07.miles away from Cawsand where the original vessel was put together.
:20:07. > :20:13.Spotlight's John Danks has been to see how they are progressing.
:20:13. > :20:18.On the banks of this quiet Creek, a team of men are busy building
:20:18. > :20:24.someone's dream. Five months instead began, this couple conceit
:20:24. > :20:31.that dream becoming a reality. When built, it will become their
:20:31. > :20:36.livelihood and home with plans to build traditional -- teach
:20:36. > :20:44.traditional sailing skills around the world. It is unique. It is
:20:44. > :20:47.simple, fast and it is linked with Our local Cornish history. They
:20:47. > :20:53.need �400,000 to complete the project. They have already sold
:20:53. > :21:01.their house and a boat to help finance it. People have sponsored
:21:01. > :21:06.some of the nails that will hold the boat together. But are they
:21:06. > :21:12.concerned about bringing up their baby on the open sea. I think we
:21:12. > :21:17.will home educating probably until he is about 10 and I think he will
:21:17. > :21:23.have a very which life in what we are going to be doing, and we will
:21:23. > :21:29.incorporate his education into a lifestyle. There is a lot to be
:21:29. > :21:36.learned from a life at sea. It has to be equally incorporated with a
:21:36. > :21:43.life on land as well. We do not intend to never touch land.
:21:43. > :21:53.people are helping Marcus to build the lugger. At 63 ft, she is a
:21:53. > :22:03.smaller version of the original one built in 1776. Marcus has sourced
:22:03. > :22:03.
:22:03. > :22:07.all the wood from local areas. boat comes from a local estate in
:22:07. > :22:17.Exeter. The mast comes from Holtby forest and then other would have
:22:17. > :22:20.
:22:20. > :22:26.been donated, which are reclaimed timbers. Just sanding it produces
:22:26. > :22:36.about half a ton of sawdust every week. Work is progressing well and
:22:36. > :22:41.
:22:41. > :22:45.the couple hope to launch the lugger in August.
:22:45. > :22:49.What a beautiful boat. All the lights will be going out
:22:49. > :22:51.next Wednesday in the Somerset town of Dulverton as it pays host to
:22:51. > :22:54.Stargazing Live, a BBC Two programme aimed at encouraging
:22:54. > :22:57.people to take an interest in the view above their heads. On a cue
:22:57. > :23:00.from presenter Mark Thompson, the town will plunge itself into
:23:00. > :23:10.darkness to allow uninterrupted views of the starry sky. It ties in
:23:10. > :23:11.
:23:11. > :23:21.with the Exmoor Dark Sky Initiative. Something to look forward to next
:23:21. > :23:23.
:23:23. > :23:29.week. What we need to see the stars is a clear sky. It has been lovely
:23:29. > :23:33.today. It is a shame the star-gazing is
:23:33. > :23:38.not happening tonight. We cannot look that far ahead though, so let
:23:38. > :23:43.us have a look at what is happening tonight and tomorrow. Tonight,
:23:43. > :23:48.clear and cold and then becoming cloudy. By the morning, all of the
:23:48. > :23:53.South West will be shrouded in cloud. Promising to day, but
:23:53. > :23:57.tomorrow will be completely different. There will be some
:23:57. > :24:05.outbreaks of rain and drizzle here and there. The patchy rain is
:24:05. > :24:09.coming in towards the western coast of Ireland. The high pressure in
:24:09. > :24:14.the south is keeping us a fine and clear, at least for the first half
:24:14. > :24:18.of the night. But it will weaken and it will be pushed out of the
:24:18. > :24:28.way as this weather front travels down from the north. It will bring
:24:28. > :24:37.
:24:37. > :24:42.colder air and it will bring a risk of overnight frost. Back to today,
:24:42. > :24:52.it was quite misty this morning, but that soon clear it and for many
:24:52. > :25:08.
:25:08. > :25:12.there has been unbroken sunshine A lot of clear sky over most of the
:25:12. > :25:22.South West. How lovely to see police guys after the recent
:25:22. > :25:24.
:25:24. > :25:34.weather. Tonight, a lot of clear Skype, as you can see. A few places
:25:34. > :25:39.
:25:39. > :25:45.will see some frost. -- clear sky. Tomorrow, not as good as today. A
:25:45. > :25:55.lot of cloud. There will be some patchy drizzle during the course of
:25:55. > :25:56.
:25:56. > :26:03.the day. The winds from the west or South West, still relatively mild
:26:03. > :26:10.with temperatures possibly up to 12 degrees. Some bright and as for the
:26:10. > :26:20.Isles of Scilly, but generally clouding over. -- some brightness.
:26:20. > :26:28.
:26:28. > :26:33.The surf will be a bit messy tomorrow. We will see up to three
:26:33. > :26:43.feet. The south coast will be relatively clean, but the waves
:26:43. > :26:50.
:26:50. > :26:55.will be lower. Here are the coastal Into the weekend's it is much
:26:55. > :27:00.colder. We have had temperatures unusually high for the month of
:27:00. > :27:05.January so far. We will notice the drop in this temperatures at the
:27:05. > :27:11.weekend. On Friday, some fog around first thing in the morning and that
:27:11. > :27:21.could be quite thick in places. Overnight on Friday into Saturday,
:27:21. > :27:22.
:27:23. > :27:26.a widespread frost. Saturday will be fine, a bit misty in places.
:27:26. > :27:36.Temperatures for the weekend around seven degrees. Getting colder, but
:27:36. > :27:37.