:00:10. > :00:17.A near miss at Devonport. A lorry load of explosives is driven into
:00:17. > :00:22.the nuclear dockyard. Good evening and welcome to Spotlight. More on
:00:22. > :00:28.that incident and the subsequent investigation in a moment. Also
:00:28. > :00:32.tonight. The charity facing tough times. A struggle for the Cornwall
:00:32. > :00:36.Blind Association as it loses funding.
:00:36. > :00:40.Off your bike. Is this new tunnel on a cycle path too low for two
:00:40. > :00:43.wheels? Help For Heroes gets more musical
:00:43. > :00:50.support after a student wins a competition to write a song for the
:00:50. > :00:53.charity. A Ministry of Defence report has
:00:53. > :00:56.highlighted what its calling a near miss at Devonport where a lorry
:00:56. > :01:01.load of explosives was allowed to drive into the high security
:01:01. > :01:04.nuclear dockyard. An investigation was launched after
:01:04. > :01:07.the cargo of depth charges was mistakenly delivered to the naval
:01:07. > :01:09.base rather than a nearby armaments depot. The explosives were not
:01:09. > :01:13.armed, but anti-nuclear campaigners are outraged. Here's Spotlight's
:01:13. > :01:17.defence reporter Scott Bingham. The incident occurred when a
:01:17. > :01:23.contractor's lorry arrived at Devonport naval base with a cargo
:01:23. > :01:32.of high explosive depth charges addressed it 2 H in S Somerset. The
:01:32. > :01:37.vehicle was cleared by security and drop into the naval base. The
:01:37. > :01:42.breach was only spotted by an officer on board a warship and an
:01:42. > :01:47.investigation was launched. The delivery should have been made to
:01:47. > :01:57.the defence storage and distribution side which stores and
:01:57. > :02:06.
:02:06. > :02:09.handles with issues. The It said that measures to manage
:02:09. > :02:16.contractors were weak and criticised it checks carried out on
:02:16. > :02:20.visitors to the side. The Ministry of Defence said it recognised the
:02:20. > :02:26.correct procedures had not been followed and it changes had been
:02:26. > :02:30.implemented since the incident in 2010. A source inside the level
:02:30. > :02:36.based said that while that lorry was effectively carrying a load of
:02:36. > :02:41.high explosives, it was intrinsically safe as a had to
:02:41. > :02:51.travel -- as it had to travel on the public highway and the depth
:02:51. > :02:56.
:02:56. > :02:59.charges were not armed. But that it was being treated seriously.
:02:59. > :03:02.A charity which helps thousands of blind and partially sighted people
:03:02. > :03:05.in Cornwall says it has lost so much funding, it may have to make
:03:05. > :03:08.some staff redundant in order to keep vital services going. The
:03:08. > :03:11.Cornwall Blind Association is one of the oldest and most established
:03:11. > :03:18.charities in the county, but it is now having to dip into its
:03:18. > :03:23.emergency reserves. Eleanor Parkinson reports.
:03:23. > :03:30.92-year-old l'amour has been a martyrs, but her failing eyesight
:03:30. > :03:37.is making that more difficult. Despite that, she still attends a
:03:37. > :03:41.class twice a month. It is nice to be with people who have the same
:03:41. > :03:49.interests. They are not all artists however. You have been an artist
:03:49. > :03:54.all your life up. Yes. Yes, I went to art school in Penzance. When
:03:54. > :04:00.this year are a group started up three years ago, it was amazing for
:04:00. > :04:05.her. It gave her the chance to go out and do things that she loved.
:04:05. > :04:11.Painting, ceramics, anything like that. A different group of friends
:04:11. > :04:17.at that all had a similar interest. She loved it. It gave her a new
:04:17. > :04:21.lease of life have. But after this week's meeting, the class may have
:04:21. > :04:26.to end. It is partially funded by the Cornwall Blind Association who
:04:26. > :04:33.have a funding crisis. Staff and volunteers had been sent a letter
:04:33. > :04:43.telling them that in order to provide vital services, some jobs
:04:43. > :04:49.may be lost. There are over 13,000 people in Cornwall with a visual
:04:49. > :04:53.impairment. We are the only service, from our perspective, delivering
:04:53. > :04:59.the services we do. It is very important to those visually
:04:59. > :05:03.impaired people in Cornwall. offer advice, benefits and free
:05:03. > :05:06.transport. They say that the art class is one of a number of
:05:06. > :05:14.activities that they support and they are working hard to try to
:05:14. > :05:17.find a way of keeping it going. Developers fear hundreds of jobs
:05:17. > :05:19.and millions of pounds of investment could be put at risk if
:05:19. > :05:21.environmental campaigners manage to stop work to dredge Falmouth
:05:21. > :05:25.harbour. Cornwall Wildlife Trust says there are alternative ways to
:05:25. > :05:27.develop the area. But it says if dredging goes ahead, it will set a
:05:27. > :05:37.dangerous precedent for important habitats across the country. Our
:05:37. > :05:37.
:05:37. > :05:40.Environment Correspondent Adrian Campbell reports. This is what is
:05:40. > :05:42.at the centre of the argument between conservationists and
:05:42. > :05:45.developers. To some, it is calcified seaweed. But to others,
:05:45. > :05:52.it is just as important as tropical coral. It provides a home for
:05:52. > :05:54.wildlife and can take thousands of years to fully establish. Cornwall
:05:54. > :05:57.Wildlife Trust are concerned about this development in the sense of
:05:57. > :06:02.the impact that it might have on important wildlife sites across the
:06:02. > :06:05.whole of the UK. The development has been used as a reason to review
:06:05. > :06:09.our environmental laws, to see how they are being implemented. If
:06:09. > :06:15.those laws are weakened in any way, that could open up huge swathes of
:06:15. > :06:18.our countryside and seas for development. The Cornwall Wildlife
:06:18. > :06:28.Trust has suggested an alternative economic model to develop the port
:06:28. > :06:34.area. That plan is at odds with what they want to do here, building
:06:34. > :06:42.up marine renewables and servicing large ships. For the future, we
:06:42. > :06:45.want to be helping develop that in Cornwall and the West Country. If
:06:45. > :06:52.the vessel wants to deploy, it could not berth here, with deep
:06:52. > :06:55.enough water, and would have to deploy further outside the county.
:06:55. > :07:01.The original plan was for dredging to take place from the middle of
:07:01. > :07:04.the estuary here all the way to the wharf behind me. The marine
:07:04. > :07:07.management organisation intervened and said before that can take place,
:07:07. > :07:12.there has to be trial dredging to establish whether the coral can
:07:12. > :07:15.recover after dredging has taken place. This coral has become a hot
:07:15. > :07:17.political subject with local and national politicians now debating
:07:17. > :07:27.its future. Falmouth Harbour Commissioners say it is not so long
:07:27. > :07:29.
:07:29. > :07:32.since it was harvested for local agriculture. There was a large
:07:32. > :07:35.amount of it here and the proposed dredged channel will affect a very
:07:35. > :07:38.small amount of it. It is only very recently that it was stopped being
:07:38. > :07:44.commercially extracted anyway. These are arguments that we have
:07:44. > :07:47.borne in mind. Both sides in this debate say they are keen to talk,
:07:47. > :07:55.but the stakes are high for the economic future of Falmouth and
:07:55. > :07:58.conservation across the whole country.
:07:58. > :08:04.The International Committee of the Red Cross is negotiating with
:08:04. > :08:07.Syrian officials to get the sick and wounded out of the country.
:08:07. > :08:11.Devon-based photographer Paul Conroy was wounded in a mortar
:08:11. > :08:16.explosion which killed two other journalists on Wednesday. It's
:08:16. > :08:19.believed ambulances have entered the besieged city of Homs.
:08:19. > :08:22.Condor Ferries say sailings will continue to operate out of Poole
:08:22. > :08:24.instead of Weymouth until the end of next month. The ferry was re-
:08:24. > :08:27.located along the coastline after cracks were found in Weymouth's
:08:27. > :08:34.harbour wall. The local council expects repair work to take about
:08:34. > :08:38.four weeks. We have been scheduled now up until the end of March to
:08:38. > :08:48.give the council plenty of time to effect their repairs and allow time
:08:48. > :08:49.
:08:49. > :08:52.for monitoring. South West MPs are pressing the
:08:52. > :08:55.Government to do more to bring our sky-high water bills down.
:08:55. > :08:58.Ministers have already pledged an annual �50 reduction for every
:08:58. > :09:01.customer in the region, but this will still leave people in Devon
:09:01. > :09:11.and Cornwall with the highest water bills in the country.
:09:11. > :09:13.
:09:13. > :09:22.What exactly are they Colin for? This idea centres on Watersure. A
:09:22. > :09:28.scheme which will work to offset the bills of poor people. At the
:09:28. > :09:32.moment, it just operates in the south-west. They say it will allow
:09:32. > :09:38.the bills are the very poorest to be reduced and spread the burden of
:09:38. > :09:42.the scheme across the country. The stumbling block is that the water
:09:42. > :09:48.Minister told me this week that he is basically not having any of it.
:09:48. > :09:53.We are keen to see as much help as possible being done to those who
:09:53. > :09:57.are having difficulty paying their bills, but we have to do that is
:09:57. > :10:02.fairly as possible. If we were to increase the Watersure commitment
:10:02. > :10:12.on the basis of a national scheme, it would be at considerably
:10:12. > :10:17.increased cost to many taxpayers. restored after the meeting that
:10:17. > :10:23.there might still be some room for negotiation. Labour is looking into
:10:23. > :10:31.the practicalities of expanding the Watersure scheme on a national
:10:31. > :10:34.basis. More on that on this Sunday politics.
:10:34. > :10:37.There has been a very happy homecoming today. We will report on
:10:37. > :10:41.the return of HMS Somerset in a moment. Plus a trip to the local.
:10:41. > :10:44.I'm at the pub which has been owned by the same family for 100 years!
:10:44. > :10:52.The celebrations have already begun! And it's free beer for the
:10:52. > :11:02.next 100 years! Let's hope Plymouth Raiders can
:11:02. > :11:09.
:11:09. > :11:12.find that sort of form later! I'm There were emotional reunions in
:11:12. > :11:14.Plymouth today when HMS Somerset returned home after six months at
:11:14. > :11:17.sea. The frigate has been patrolling
:11:17. > :11:19.waters around the Middle East and the Seychelles trying to prevent
:11:19. > :11:22.terrorist attacks, drug smuggling and piracy. Spotlight's Emma
:11:22. > :11:32.Thomasson joined family and friends on the quayside this morning as the
:11:32. > :11:32.
:11:32. > :11:35.vessel docked at Devonport. It has been a long six months for those
:11:35. > :11:38.anxiously awaiting for HMS Somerset to return home to Devonport
:11:38. > :11:41.dockyard this morning. The crew have been carrying out
:11:41. > :11:44.security patrols off Oman, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. One of their more
:11:44. > :11:47.successful operations was rescuing a group of Pakistani fishermen who
:11:48. > :11:51.had been taken hostage by Somali pirates. We came across a vessel
:11:51. > :11:56.and boarded it and we found that it had been taken by a number of
:11:56. > :12:03.pirates. We were able to secure the vessel and release the captured
:12:03. > :12:05.Pakistani crew members, so it was very rewarding for us.
:12:05. > :12:11.operation meant families being apart at Christmas which was
:12:11. > :12:15.particularly hard for Amy who was on her first deployment. How is it
:12:15. > :12:20.being home? Amazing. Really fantastic. It has been a long six
:12:20. > :12:29.months. Absolutely fantastic. very proud of her. How is it having
:12:29. > :12:32.her home? I am very happy. What has the deployment been like? It has
:12:32. > :12:38.been long and hard. But most enjoyable. Quite stressful, but
:12:38. > :12:43.that is the way it is. It is a long time apart. A very long time.
:12:43. > :12:49.Finally here though. You look like one happy boy. I am! Fantastic, I
:12:49. > :12:53.have been waiting for it for six months. It has been a long time.
:12:54. > :12:57.What's it like having Daddy home? It is really good. Nice to be back
:12:57. > :13:06.with the family again. What has it been like whilst he has been away?
:13:06. > :13:09.It has been really hard, yes. Type 23 frigate is now in for six
:13:09. > :13:19.months for a refit. For the crew, two weeks off with some well earned
:13:19. > :13:23.
:13:23. > :13:26.time with their loved ones. Mind your head! That's the warning
:13:26. > :13:29.for cyclists on part of a new multi-million pound cycle path
:13:29. > :13:32.scheme through East Devon. Signs have had to be put up to warn
:13:32. > :13:34.cyclists to get off their bikes because the tunnel under the A35 is
:13:34. > :13:44.so low. Spotlight's Andrea Ormsby has the
:13:44. > :13:44.
:13:44. > :13:51.story. The Axe Valley cyclists on their
:13:51. > :14:01.regular a Friday afternoon ride. Until recently, it meant a hair-
:14:01. > :14:03.
:14:03. > :14:13.raising section along there A35. They were pleased when a tunnel was
:14:13. > :14:14.
:14:14. > :14:20.built, but it comes with a warning. I think people are being seriously
:14:20. > :14:26.unfair. A little bending to get through is hardly serious. The
:14:26. > :14:32.alternative route is up there, which is singularly dangerous,
:14:32. > :14:39.especially where you have to cross the road. For the Axe Valley
:14:39. > :14:45.cyclists, no need to get off the bike. It is a very good innovative
:14:45. > :14:50.solution, allowing us to cross the road safely. The height is not a
:14:50. > :14:55.problem. The problem is when it is muddy under there. That something
:14:55. > :14:59.could be sorted out of bed that, it would not be a problem. The town
:14:59. > :15:05.council said that the MoD will be dealt with at the project should be
:15:05. > :15:13.finished before the end of the year. Cyclists will have a path all the
:15:13. > :15:16.way to Weston-super-Mare. Time for the sport and Dave has
:15:16. > :15:22.been to the Pavilions in Plymouth where the Raiders are about to take
:15:22. > :15:31.on the Manchester United of basketball - Newcastle Eagles.
:15:31. > :15:35.Good evening. There is a big batch and -- a big match in British
:15:35. > :15:39.basketball tonight. But we start this evening with at Rugby. Exeter
:15:39. > :15:49.achieves go for their 4th Premiership win in a row against
:15:49. > :15:52.Bath. That is tomorrow evening number should be a crowd of 9000.
:15:52. > :15:58.It it will be a good chance for Exeter to increase the pressure on
:15:58. > :16:06.the teams above them. Things are going well at the moment, we are in
:16:06. > :16:12.a good league position. But we are focusing on the games we have got
:16:12. > :16:18.coming up. The Cornish pirates and Plymouth Albion will roll their
:16:18. > :16:22.play-off position after this weekend. That pirates will attempt
:16:23. > :16:32.to finish second by beating one of Plymouth Albion's relegation at
:16:33. > :16:35.
:16:35. > :16:44.rivals. Exeter City continue their bed to
:16:44. > :16:50.escape the relegation zone at Huddersfield. It will be a
:16:50. > :17:00.difficult job for Exeter City. Your full time ago for a hat-trick of
:17:00. > :17:04.
:17:04. > :17:13.them when they got a Carlisle. -- a Yeovil Town. Plymouth Argyle are
:17:13. > :17:16.playing a Dagenham and Redbridge. Plymouth diver Tom Daley and his
:17:16. > :17:21.simple partner Peter Waterfield flopped at last night's World Cup
:17:21. > :17:24.at the Olympic Aquatics Centre. Although they did well in the
:17:24. > :17:27.opening dives, they missed out on a medal whilst attempting the 4.5
:17:27. > :17:32.somersault and finished in 7th place. It was the first competition
:17:32. > :17:36.for us this year. The first since the world championships last year.
:17:36. > :17:40.It was nerve-racking. It is one of those things that you have to go
:17:40. > :17:49.out there, learn from your mistakes and work on it to make it more
:17:49. > :17:55.consistent. And about 45 minutes, this a been a
:17:55. > :18:00.will be packed for their arrival of the Newcastle Eagles who are
:18:01. > :18:09.playing Plymouth Raiders. What sort of atmosphere are you expecting
:18:09. > :18:13.here tonight? Same as usual. It is great every week. It will be
:18:13. > :18:22.allowed, noisy and a lot of fun. They have proved your nemesis this
:18:22. > :18:29.season. They have all lost one match it in the late. How good are
:18:29. > :18:32.they? They are a good team, no question. But we are up for the
:18:32. > :18:39.challenge. We worked on a few things this week of we are ready to
:18:39. > :18:44.call. House special is it for you to play a team like Newcastle?
:18:44. > :18:50.special. They are top of the leak. They set the bar for everybody else
:18:50. > :18:56.in the leak. When you play a team of that calibre, you want to knock
:18:56. > :19:03.them off. Can you beat them? Yes, teams have come close and failed,
:19:03. > :19:11.but we do not want to be one of them. You know them inside out?
:19:11. > :19:20.do indeed. We be sure the best of luck. Not long left, a few tickets
:19:20. > :19:26.left. With 16 British pubs closing every
:19:26. > :19:30.week, here is a good news story about one in Devon. The Blue Ball
:19:30. > :19:33.in Sidford has been run by the same family for 100 years, and today,
:19:33. > :19:42.there is a party going on to celebrate the centenary. We will go
:19:42. > :19:51.live to the pub and our reporter. Getting quite lively hear them a
:19:51. > :19:54.public bar. -- getting quite lively here in the public bar. Roger and
:19:54. > :20:04.his family have been at the licensees here for the last 100
:20:04. > :20:05.
:20:05. > :20:15.years. What do you put it down to? Total dedication. Does it feel like
:20:15. > :20:15.
:20:15. > :20:21.100 years? He very much so! -- yes a very much so. But it has been
:20:21. > :20:28.great. It has been difficult times for the last few years, competition
:20:28. > :20:34.from supermarkets etc. It is difficult for pub landlords to make
:20:34. > :20:44.a living. You have got some special stuff on the menu tonight. We have
:20:44. > :20:52.
:20:52. > :21:01.some mutton, we have Abbott, rabbit, chiitterlings. What you think about
:21:01. > :21:11.this? It has been a fantastic pub. I started coming here when I was,
:21:11. > :21:18.
:21:18. > :21:24.possibly, under 18. Roger's that would serve may -- me! This pub has
:21:24. > :21:34.meant so much to local people. have to leave it there. I think
:21:34. > :21:39.
:21:39. > :21:41.they are going to sink a beer for every year.
:21:41. > :21:44.Following in the steps of the Military Wives Choir, South Devon
:21:44. > :21:47.College is releasing a record to raise money for Help For Heroes.
:21:47. > :21:50.One of its students won a songwriting competition run by the
:21:50. > :21:53.charity and her song, Heroes Land, which has been produced by the
:21:53. > :22:03.college, is going on sale to raise extra money. Our South Devon
:22:03. > :22:04.
:22:04. > :22:09.Last year, Christina Louise Lloyd was a student at South Devon
:22:09. > :22:14.College. She had recently suffered a bereavement, her mother had died.
:22:14. > :22:20.But issue used some of the emotion she felt when writing the song and
:22:20. > :22:27.won a competition to make a charity record. You can hear it in my voice,
:22:27. > :22:33.I desperation to help people in need. I have had a very tough time
:22:33. > :22:37.with a lot of things and I have always needed a helping hand.
:22:37. > :22:44.students at the college had been working on music production and to
:22:45. > :22:49.put together a single. We will be able to be making records and
:22:49. > :22:58.putting their material out there. It is something that we can
:22:58. > :23:02.hopefully do every you. People like Christina, there talent can be seen.
:23:02. > :23:08.It becomes relevant. It is not just going to college to get
:23:08. > :23:16.qualifications. The college has close links with the military. One
:23:16. > :23:22.of its lecturers is a river for its to -- a reservist. He is pleased to
:23:22. > :23:27.see students recognise the military in this way. All help and support
:23:27. > :23:37.is greatly appreciated. Help For Heroes has been around for 10 years
:23:37. > :23:40.
:23:40. > :23:45.and was fantastic. And it gives the Christina is now working on a
:23:45. > :23:53.career in the music industry. The college is hoping to produce more
:23:53. > :24:03.records in the future to broaden the students'' experience. Time for
:24:03. > :24:05.
:24:05. > :24:15.the weather forecast. Is it a good weather forecast?
:24:15. > :24:20.
:24:20. > :24:30.What colour is to sit? Not much changed around. Not a lot
:24:30. > :24:31.
:24:31. > :24:37.to look forward. But it is quiet. Cloudy and mild. The string of
:24:37. > :24:43.cloud that covers most of Britain to the south is responsible for the
:24:43. > :24:50.grey weather. This line of cloud and the south is very stubborn to
:24:50. > :25:00.move out of the way. It is being held at bay by two areas of high
:25:00. > :25:06.pressure. This front will move across on Saturday, very slowly.
:25:06. > :25:16.But high pressure will remain, high winds and temperatures of 11 or 12
:25:16. > :25:26.
:25:26. > :25:33.degrees. -- light winds. This picture was taken earlier today. I
:25:33. > :25:37.wonder if he actually caught anything. These are grey skies are
:25:37. > :25:44.going to be with us, the cloud cover extensive overnight tonight
:25:44. > :25:48.and some mist around. A little bit of drizzle coming out of that cloud
:25:49. > :25:54.in the far north. Temperatures are the same as they were last night,
:25:54. > :26:04.between 8 and 10 degrees. Tomorrow, we have a similar start to the day.
:26:04. > :26:04.
:26:04. > :26:14.Some mistiness around the course lines. -- Coast line ofs. For most
:26:14. > :26:19.
:26:19. > :26:23.of us, another greedy, a dry one, very light winds. -- grey day.
:26:23. > :26:28.Temperatures of minus ten degrees on the coast. Where there is some
:26:28. > :26:32.brightness, we could get up to 14 degrees. Hardly a breath of wind
:26:32. > :26:37.for most of us throughout the day tomorrow. For the Isles of Scilly,
:26:37. > :26:47.grey and misty, even some drizzle from time to time. At gentle breeze
:26:47. > :27:20.
:27:20. > :27:27.Sunday is the same. Perhaps a little bit brighter at times. Damp