24/02/2012 Spotlight


24/02/2012

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A near miss at Devonport. A lorry load of explosives is driven into

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the nuclear dockyard. Good evening and welcome to Spotlight. More on

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that incident and the subsequent investigation in a moment. Also

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tonight. The charity facing tough times. A struggle for the Cornwall

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Blind Association as it loses funding.

:00:32.:00:36.

Off your bike. Is this new tunnel on a cycle path too low for two

:00:36.:00:40.

wheels? Help For Heroes gets more musical

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support after a student wins a competition to write a song for the

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charity. A Ministry of Defence report has

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highlighted what its calling a near miss at Devonport where a lorry

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load of explosives was allowed to drive into the high security

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nuclear dockyard. An investigation was launched after

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the cargo of depth charges was mistakenly delivered to the naval

:01:04.:01:07.

base rather than a nearby armaments depot. The explosives were not

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armed, but anti-nuclear campaigners are outraged. Here's Spotlight's

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defence reporter Scott Bingham. The incident occurred when a

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contractor's lorry arrived at Devonport naval base with a cargo

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of high explosive depth charges addressed it 2 H in S Somerset. The

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vehicle was cleared by security and drop into the naval base. The

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breach was only spotted by an officer on board a warship and an

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investigation was launched. The delivery should have been made to

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the defence storage and distribution side which stores and

:01:47.:01:57.
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handles with issues. The It said that measures to manage

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contractors were weak and criticised it checks carried out on

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visitors to the side. The Ministry of Defence said it recognised the

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correct procedures had not been followed and it changes had been

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implemented since the incident in 2010. A source inside the level

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based said that while that lorry was effectively carrying a load of

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high explosives, it was intrinsically safe as a had to

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travel -- as it had to travel on the public highway and the depth

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charges were not armed. But that it was being treated seriously.

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A charity which helps thousands of blind and partially sighted people

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in Cornwall says it has lost so much funding, it may have to make

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some staff redundant in order to keep vital services going. The

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Cornwall Blind Association is one of the oldest and most established

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charities in the county, but it is now having to dip into its

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emergency reserves. Eleanor Parkinson reports.

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92-year-old l'amour has been a martyrs, but her failing eyesight

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is making that more difficult. Despite that, she still attends a

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class twice a month. It is nice to be with people who have the same

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interests. They are not all artists however. You have been an artist

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all your life up. Yes. Yes, I went to art school in Penzance. When

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this year are a group started up three years ago, it was amazing for

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her. It gave her the chance to go out and do things that she loved.

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Painting, ceramics, anything like that. A different group of friends

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at that all had a similar interest. She loved it. It gave her a new

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lease of life have. But after this week's meeting, the class may have

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to end. It is partially funded by the Cornwall Blind Association who

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have a funding crisis. Staff and volunteers had been sent a letter

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telling them that in order to provide vital services, some jobs

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may be lost. There are over 13,000 people in Cornwall with a visual

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impairment. We are the only service, from our perspective, delivering

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the services we do. It is very important to those visually

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impaired people in Cornwall. offer advice, benefits and free

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transport. They say that the art class is one of a number of

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activities that they support and they are working hard to try to

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find a way of keeping it going. Developers fear hundreds of jobs

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and millions of pounds of investment could be put at risk if

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environmental campaigners manage to stop work to dredge Falmouth

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harbour. Cornwall Wildlife Trust says there are alternative ways to

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develop the area. But it says if dredging goes ahead, it will set a

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dangerous precedent for important habitats across the country. Our

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Environment Correspondent Adrian Campbell reports. This is what is

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at the centre of the argument between conservationists and

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developers. To some, it is calcified seaweed. But to others,

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it is just as important as tropical coral. It provides a home for

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wildlife and can take thousands of years to fully establish. Cornwall

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Wildlife Trust are concerned about this development in the sense of

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the impact that it might have on important wildlife sites across the

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whole of the UK. The development has been used as a reason to review

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our environmental laws, to see how they are being implemented. If

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those laws are weakened in any way, that could open up huge swathes of

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our countryside and seas for development. The Cornwall Wildlife

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Trust has suggested an alternative economic model to develop the port

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area. That plan is at odds with what they want to do here, building

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up marine renewables and servicing large ships. For the future, we

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want to be helping develop that in Cornwall and the West Country. If

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the vessel wants to deploy, it could not berth here, with deep

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enough water, and would have to deploy further outside the county.

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The original plan was for dredging to take place from the middle of

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the estuary here all the way to the wharf behind me. The marine

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management organisation intervened and said before that can take place,

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there has to be trial dredging to establish whether the coral can

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recover after dredging has taken place. This coral has become a hot

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political subject with local and national politicians now debating

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its future. Falmouth Harbour Commissioners say it is not so long

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since it was harvested for local agriculture. There was a large

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amount of it here and the proposed dredged channel will affect a very

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small amount of it. It is only very recently that it was stopped being

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commercially extracted anyway. These are arguments that we have

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borne in mind. Both sides in this debate say they are keen to talk,

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but the stakes are high for the economic future of Falmouth and

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conservation across the whole country.

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The International Committee of the Red Cross is negotiating with

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Syrian officials to get the sick and wounded out of the country.

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Devon-based photographer Paul Conroy was wounded in a mortar

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explosion which killed two other journalists on Wednesday. It's

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believed ambulances have entered the besieged city of Homs.

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Condor Ferries say sailings will continue to operate out of Poole

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instead of Weymouth until the end of next month. The ferry was re-

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located along the coastline after cracks were found in Weymouth's

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harbour wall. The local council expects repair work to take about

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four weeks. We have been scheduled now up until the end of March to

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give the council plenty of time to effect their repairs and allow time

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for monitoring. South West MPs are pressing the

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Government to do more to bring our sky-high water bills down.

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Ministers have already pledged an annual �50 reduction for every

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customer in the region, but this will still leave people in Devon

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and Cornwall with the highest water bills in the country.

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What exactly are they Colin for? This idea centres on Watersure. A

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scheme which will work to offset the bills of poor people. At the

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moment, it just operates in the south-west. They say it will allow

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the bills are the very poorest to be reduced and spread the burden of

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the scheme across the country. The stumbling block is that the water

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Minister told me this week that he is basically not having any of it.

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We are keen to see as much help as possible being done to those who

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are having difficulty paying their bills, but we have to do that is

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fairly as possible. If we were to increase the Watersure commitment

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on the basis of a national scheme, it would be at considerably

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increased cost to many taxpayers. restored after the meeting that

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there might still be some room for negotiation. Labour is looking into

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the practicalities of expanding the Watersure scheme on a national

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basis. More on that on this Sunday politics.

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There has been a very happy homecoming today. We will report on

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the return of HMS Somerset in a moment. Plus a trip to the local.

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I'm at the pub which has been owned by the same family for 100 years!

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The celebrations have already begun! And it's free beer for the

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next 100 years! Let's hope Plymouth Raiders can

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find that sort of form later! I'm There were emotional reunions in

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Plymouth today when HMS Somerset returned home after six months at

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sea. The frigate has been patrolling

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waters around the Middle East and the Seychelles trying to prevent

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terrorist attacks, drug smuggling and piracy. Spotlight's Emma

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Thomasson joined family and friends on the quayside this morning as the

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vessel docked at Devonport. It has been a long six months for those

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anxiously awaiting for HMS Somerset to return home to Devonport

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dockyard this morning. The crew have been carrying out

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security patrols off Oman, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. One of their more

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successful operations was rescuing a group of Pakistani fishermen who

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had been taken hostage by Somali pirates. We came across a vessel

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and boarded it and we found that it had been taken by a number of

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pirates. We were able to secure the vessel and release the captured

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Pakistani crew members, so it was very rewarding for us.

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operation meant families being apart at Christmas which was

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particularly hard for Amy who was on her first deployment. How is it

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being home? Amazing. Really fantastic. It has been a long six

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months. Absolutely fantastic. very proud of her. How is it having

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her home? I am very happy. What has the deployment been like? It has

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been long and hard. But most enjoyable. Quite stressful, but

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that is the way it is. It is a long time apart. A very long time.

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Finally here though. You look like one happy boy. I am! Fantastic, I

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have been waiting for it for six months. It has been a long time.

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What's it like having Daddy home? It is really good. Nice to be back

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with the family again. What has it been like whilst he has been away?

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It has been really hard, yes. Type 23 frigate is now in for six

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months for a refit. For the crew, two weeks off with some well earned

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time with their loved ones. Mind your head! That's the warning

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for cyclists on part of a new multi-million pound cycle path

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scheme through East Devon. Signs have had to be put up to warn

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cyclists to get off their bikes because the tunnel under the A35 is

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so low. Spotlight's Andrea Ormsby has the

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story. The Axe Valley cyclists on their

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regular a Friday afternoon ride. Until recently, it meant a hair-

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raising section along there A35. They were pleased when a tunnel was

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built, but it comes with a warning. I think people are being seriously

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unfair. A little bending to get through is hardly serious. The

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alternative route is up there, which is singularly dangerous,

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especially where you have to cross the road. For the Axe Valley

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cyclists, no need to get off the bike. It is a very good innovative

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solution, allowing us to cross the road safely. The height is not a

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problem. The problem is when it is muddy under there. That something

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could be sorted out of bed that, it would not be a problem. The town

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council said that the MoD will be dealt with at the project should be

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finished before the end of the year. Cyclists will have a path all the

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way to Weston-super-Mare. Time for the sport and Dave has

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been to the Pavilions in Plymouth where the Raiders are about to take

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on the Manchester United of basketball - Newcastle Eagles.

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Good evening. There is a big batch and -- a big match in British

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basketball tonight. But we start this evening with at Rugby. Exeter

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achieves go for their 4th Premiership win in a row against

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Bath. That is tomorrow evening number should be a crowd of 9000.

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It it will be a good chance for Exeter to increase the pressure on

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the teams above them. Things are going well at the moment, we are in

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a good league position. But we are focusing on the games we have got

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coming up. The Cornish pirates and Plymouth Albion will roll their

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play-off position after this weekend. That pirates will attempt

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to finish second by beating one of Plymouth Albion's relegation at

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rivals. Exeter City continue their bed to

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escape the relegation zone at Huddersfield. It will be a

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difficult job for Exeter City. Your full time ago for a hat-trick of

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:17:00.:17:04.

them when they got a Carlisle. -- a Yeovil Town. Plymouth Argyle are

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playing a Dagenham and Redbridge. Plymouth diver Tom Daley and his

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simple partner Peter Waterfield flopped at last night's World Cup

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at the Olympic Aquatics Centre. Although they did well in the

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opening dives, they missed out on a medal whilst attempting the 4.5

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somersault and finished in 7th place. It was the first competition

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for us this year. The first since the world championships last year.

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It was nerve-racking. It is one of those things that you have to go

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out there, learn from your mistakes and work on it to make it more

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consistent. And about 45 minutes, this a been a

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will be packed for their arrival of the Newcastle Eagles who are

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playing Plymouth Raiders. What sort of atmosphere are you expecting

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here tonight? Same as usual. It is great every week. It will be

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allowed, noisy and a lot of fun. They have proved your nemesis this

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season. They have all lost one match it in the late. How good are

:18:22.:18:29.

they? They are a good team, no question. But we are up for the

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challenge. We worked on a few things this week of we are ready to

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call. House special is it for you to play a team like Newcastle?

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special. They are top of the leak. They set the bar for everybody else

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in the leak. When you play a team of that calibre, you want to knock

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them off. Can you beat them? Yes, teams have come close and failed,

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but we do not want to be one of them. You know them inside out?

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do indeed. We be sure the best of luck. Not long left, a few tickets

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left. With 16 British pubs closing every

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week, here is a good news story about one in Devon. The Blue Ball

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in Sidford has been run by the same family for 100 years, and today,

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there is a party going on to celebrate the centenary. We will go

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live to the pub and our reporter. Getting quite lively hear them a

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public bar. -- getting quite lively here in the public bar. Roger and

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his family have been at the licensees here for the last 100

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:20:04.:20:05.

years. What do you put it down to? Total dedication. Does it feel like

:20:05.:20:15.
:20:15.:20:15.

100 years? He very much so! -- yes a very much so. But it has been

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great. It has been difficult times for the last few years, competition

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from supermarkets etc. It is difficult for pub landlords to make

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a living. You have got some special stuff on the menu tonight. We have

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:20:44.:20:52.

some mutton, we have Abbott, rabbit, chiitterlings. What you think about

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this? It has been a fantastic pub. I started coming here when I was,

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:21:11.:21:18.

possibly, under 18. Roger's that would serve may -- me! This pub has

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meant so much to local people. have to leave it there. I think

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they are going to sink a beer for every year.

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Following in the steps of the Military Wives Choir, South Devon

:21:41.:21:44.

College is releasing a record to raise money for Help For Heroes.

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One of its students won a songwriting competition run by the

:21:47.:21:50.

charity and her song, Heroes Land, which has been produced by the

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college, is going on sale to raise extra money. Our South Devon

:21:53.:22:03.
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Last year, Christina Louise Lloyd was a student at South Devon

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College. She had recently suffered a bereavement, her mother had died.

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But issue used some of the emotion she felt when writing the song and

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won a competition to make a charity record. You can hear it in my voice,

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I desperation to help people in need. I have had a very tough time

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with a lot of things and I have always needed a helping hand.

:22:33.:22:37.

students at the college had been working on music production and to

:22:37.:22:44.

put together a single. We will be able to be making records and

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putting their material out there. It is something that we can

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hopefully do every you. People like Christina, there talent can be seen.

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It becomes relevant. It is not just going to college to get

:23:02.:23:08.

qualifications. The college has close links with the military. One

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of its lecturers is a river for its to -- a reservist. He is pleased to

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see students recognise the military in this way. All help and support

:23:22.:23:27.

is greatly appreciated. Help For Heroes has been around for 10 years

:23:27.:23:37.
:23:37.:23:40.

and was fantastic. And it gives the Christina is now working on a

:23:40.:23:45.

career in the music industry. The college is hoping to produce more

:23:45.:23:53.

records in the future to broaden the students'' experience. Time for

:23:53.:24:03.
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the weather forecast. Is it a good weather forecast?

:24:05.:24:15.
:24:15.:24:20.

What colour is to sit? Not much changed around. Not a lot

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to look forward. But it is quiet. Cloudy and mild. The string of

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cloud that covers most of Britain to the south is responsible for the

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grey weather. This line of cloud and the south is very stubborn to

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move out of the way. It is being held at bay by two areas of high

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pressure. This front will move across on Saturday, very slowly.

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But high pressure will remain, high winds and temperatures of 11 or 12

:25:06.:25:16.
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degrees. -- light winds. This picture was taken earlier today. I

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wonder if he actually caught anything. These are grey skies are

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going to be with us, the cloud cover extensive overnight tonight

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and some mist around. A little bit of drizzle coming out of that cloud

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in the far north. Temperatures are the same as they were last night,

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between 8 and 10 degrees. Tomorrow, we have a similar start to the day.

:25:54.:26:04.
:26:04.:26:04.

Some mistiness around the course lines. -- Coast line ofs. For most

:26:04.:26:14.
:26:14.:26:19.

of us, another greedy, a dry one, very light winds. -- grey day.

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Temperatures of minus ten degrees on the coast. Where there is some

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brightness, we could get up to 14 degrees. Hardly a breath of wind

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for most of us throughout the day tomorrow. For the Isles of Scilly,

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grey and misty, even some drizzle from time to time. At gentle breeze

:26:37.:26:47.
:26:47.:27:20.

Sunday is the same. Perhaps a little bit brighter at times. Damp

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