:00:12. > :00:15.Fighting for their positions - the fire chiefs say they won't stand
:00:15. > :00:19.down after awarding themselves a big increase in allowances.
:00:19. > :00:22.Good evening. The chairman and deputy chair of Devon and Somerset
:00:22. > :00:24.Fire and Rescue Authority say they have the full backing of their
:00:24. > :00:29.members over the controversial decision.
:00:29. > :00:32.Also on Spotlight tonight: Senior staff salaries under review
:00:32. > :00:35.- the school whose head teacher earns over �150,000.
:00:35. > :00:45.Benefiting from water sports - the children for who life hasn't been
:00:45. > :00:47.
:00:47. > :00:49.The South West's biggest fire service is tonight at the centre of
:00:49. > :00:52.an extraordinary row between four senior Conservatives amidst
:00:52. > :00:55.allegations of "bullying and dictatorship".
:00:55. > :00:58.The chairman and deputy chair of Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue
:00:58. > :01:01.Authority have been told to stand down by the leaders of the two
:01:01. > :01:04.county councils after they approved a 25% increase in allowances for
:01:04. > :01:14.authority members. The two men have hit back, saying they'll fight the
:01:14. > :01:17.
:01:17. > :01:20.move to oust them. Our home affairs correspondent Simon Hall reports.
:01:20. > :01:24.Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Authority is now attracting
:01:24. > :01:29.attention for the controversy surrounding its governing body. The
:01:29. > :01:34.chairman and his deputy have been told to stand down by the leaders
:01:34. > :01:39.of the Cardiff Council for approving a 25 % increase in
:01:39. > :01:45.allowances for authority members are. -- County Council. Both men
:01:45. > :01:51.say they will fight to keep their jobs. I am saddened by it. I feel I
:01:51. > :01:56.have been bullied. I had the full backing of an independent fire
:01:56. > :02:01.authority and it should not be interfered with from without.
:02:01. > :02:06.not particularly happy with it. I accept that they have the remit to
:02:06. > :02:12.appoint me or not to appoint any but I do feel if I am doing my
:02:12. > :02:16.constitutional duty I should not be punished in any way. The secretary
:02:16. > :02:20.of the Union in Devon and Somerset told me about his concerns. He it
:02:20. > :02:24.is not good for someone who works in the fire service. We need to
:02:24. > :02:27.deal with it and deal with it swiftly. We have got elections
:02:27. > :02:34.coming up in May and they need to sort themselves out and put the
:02:34. > :02:40.interests of the fire service first. The row is being fought out between
:02:40. > :02:43.suppose it political allies. It could be a long-running dispute. A
:02:43. > :02:47.resolution may only come at the Annual General Meeting at the end
:02:47. > :02:50.of May. They would not be interviewed but in statement
:02:50. > :02:55.explaining their decisions to tell the two councillors to stand down,
:02:55. > :03:00.the leader of Somerset County Council said raising allowances was
:03:00. > :03:03.a very poor and ill-advised decision. The leader of Devon
:03:03. > :03:09.County Council said it was wrong at a time when the public were
:03:09. > :03:12.suffering with austerity cutbacks. The MP for Exeter, Ben Bradshaw, is
:03:12. > :03:16.calling on Devon County Council to launch a full investigation into a
:03:16. > :03:19.school which pays its head teacher �152,000 a year. The council is
:03:19. > :03:23.already carrying out a review of senior staff salaries at West Exe
:03:23. > :03:26.Technology College in Exeter. As Mr Bradshaw raised his concerns,
:03:26. > :03:35.the school today announced that it was putting its bid for academy
:03:35. > :03:39.status on hold pending the outcome of the review. Ali Chitty reports.
:03:39. > :03:43.Governors at West Exe Technology College confirmed this morning that
:03:43. > :03:47.their application for academy status is now on hold, pending the
:03:47. > :03:52.county council's review. Salaries are set by the school's governing
:03:52. > :04:00.body which requested the review before Christmas. The chair of
:04:00. > :04:04.governors at the time, at Steve Maddern, has resigned. The news has
:04:04. > :04:09.been welcomed today but the situation at the school requires
:04:09. > :04:14.further investigation. I welcome this review but it is not just
:04:14. > :04:19.about the salaries. There are other concerns around surrounding
:04:19. > :04:22.decision-making. I think the county council needs to carry out a proper
:04:22. > :04:27.investigation into the governance of the school so that the parents,
:04:27. > :04:32.staff and children can be reassured. West Exe Technology College has
:04:32. > :04:37.been improving under Steve Maddern, but following a reorganisation in
:04:37. > :04:42.2005, all schools have been showing improvements. St James's took the
:04:42. > :04:46.title of the most improved school in Devon this year and its head
:04:46. > :04:54.teacher's salary is significantly less. Parents said they did not
:04:54. > :04:58.believe Steve Maddern could justify his �152,000 pay cheque. Half of
:04:58. > :05:02.the kids don't even really know much. I think it is a joke what
:05:02. > :05:08.they allow the kids to wear. I don't think he is that good of a
:05:08. > :05:13.headmaster to be paid that much. does not do anything, he is only an
:05:13. > :05:16.administrator so why should he get the money? The County Council says
:05:16. > :05:20.the review into staff salaries is continuing and it would be
:05:20. > :05:24.premature to make any further decisions regarding the school
:05:24. > :05:27.until it is completed. LIVE The police say that a woman who was
:05:27. > :05:31.found semi-conscious in a cemetery near Redruth this morning has now
:05:31. > :05:37.died. Officers have sealed off the cemetery in Illogan whilst they
:05:37. > :05:40.conduct their investigation. A local man has been arrested.
:05:40. > :05:43.A former Newlyn fisherman has received a life sentence for the
:05:43. > :05:47.murder of a man four years ago. Brian Harrison will serve a minimum
:05:47. > :05:49.term of 16 years. At Truro Crown Court, Mr Justice Burnett said the
:05:49. > :05:52.attack on 44-year-old Neville Dunn was deliberate, vicious and
:05:52. > :05:55.repeated. Mr Dunn was left with permanent brain damage after he was
:05:55. > :05:57.kicked in the head. He died two years later. The prosecuting
:05:58. > :06:02.authorities say it's an extremely unusual case as Harrison was
:06:02. > :06:05.already in prison for the attack. A farmer says his barn has been
:06:05. > :06:10.burnt down twice and his milk contaminated in a string of attacks
:06:10. > :06:12.on his land in West Somerset. The damage has been put at around
:06:12. > :06:22.�80,000. Stewart Thomas claims it all started after he publicly
:06:22. > :06:23.
:06:23. > :06:26.backed the planned cull of badgers. Steve Powell reports.
:06:26. > :06:34.Stewart Thomas surveys the charred remains on his farm just over two
:06:34. > :06:37.weeks ago. There must be better ways of conveying a message. This
:06:37. > :06:42.was just the latest in a string of incidents that Mr Thomas believes
:06:42. > :06:48.cannot be put down to chance alone. Three weeks earlier he and his wife
:06:48. > :06:52.had to run into a burning barn to save these cows. And twice now,
:06:52. > :06:56.milk from his dairy was found to be contaminated. They must have come
:06:56. > :07:00.into the parlour and put it into the system because there is no way
:07:00. > :07:05.to get it into the tank. Somebody knew what they were doing to put it
:07:05. > :07:09.into the system. Mr Thomas believes he is being targeted by animal
:07:09. > :07:19.rights supporters because of a recent local newspaper article in
:07:19. > :07:24.which he voiced support for badger culling. There are people in the
:07:24. > :07:29.countryside who would do such an act. If they want to give a message,
:07:29. > :07:36.I am sure there are far better ways of doing it. It is just terrorism,
:07:36. > :07:39.that is all. The police say there is no firm evidence to link the
:07:39. > :07:45.incident to animal extremists but they are taking the investigation
:07:45. > :07:52.extremely seriously and keeping an open mind. The National Farmers'
:07:52. > :07:56.Union say farmers need to be vigilant. So worried now is Mr
:07:56. > :08:01.Thomas that he has taken to patrolling around his farm at night
:08:01. > :08:04.in the hope of deterring further attack.
:08:04. > :08:08.Campaigners fighting to protect an area of land in Weymouth have lost
:08:08. > :08:11.their appeal to keep its protected status. The area, known as Curtis
:08:11. > :08:13.Fields, was registered as a town green, but today the Appeal Court
:08:13. > :08:17.ruled in favour of the owners, Betterment Properties, that it be
:08:17. > :08:21.removed from the register. Campaigners say they'll be asking
:08:21. > :08:23.the court for leave to appeal the decision. Earlier, I spoke to our
:08:23. > :08:31.political editor Martyn Oates about how removing designation as a
:08:31. > :08:36.village green would surely set an important precedent.
:08:36. > :08:40.It would, but that is not have happened in this case. A designated
:08:40. > :08:44.village green has got pretty rock solid protection under the law. The
:08:44. > :08:47.legal argument in this case revolved around whether Dorset
:08:47. > :08:51.County Council had gone through the correct procedure in the first
:08:51. > :08:58.place. The developers argue the castle had used the wrong act of
:08:58. > :09:03.parliament but then the president - -... The appeal court has agreed
:09:03. > :09:07.that it is null and void. For isn't there a wider disagreement about
:09:07. > :09:10.village greens? The government is concerned about the number of
:09:10. > :09:13.applications for village greens and the kinds of sites that are being
:09:13. > :09:17.proposed. It is now looking at changing the law which would make
:09:17. > :09:21.it more difficult to designate sites in future. For instance, the
:09:21. > :09:25.criteria to find what a village green really is could be narrowed
:09:25. > :09:29.and there might be an application fee of up to �1,000 in future. It
:09:29. > :09:33.might become impossible to launch one of these applications once an
:09:33. > :09:37.application has already been submitted on the same site. The
:09:37. > :09:47.government says it has no intention of allowing existing designations
:09:47. > :09:51.to be overturned. How are people reacting? Some bodies simply intent
:09:51. > :09:57.to thwart development say they welcome change and they would like
:09:57. > :10:00.the government to go further. On the other hand, groups to protect
:10:00. > :10:04.rural Ingram's -- England are concerned about what they see as a
:10:04. > :10:06.watering down of the current level of protection.
:10:06. > :10:10.An outbreak of an animal virus which can cause deformities in
:10:10. > :10:12.newborn sheep and cattle has now spread across the South West. The
:10:12. > :10:18.latest Government figures show the Schmallenberg virus has been
:10:18. > :10:25.identified on seven farms across the region. It's believed the virus
:10:25. > :10:29.has been carried here from Europe by midges. Sarah Ransome reports.
:10:29. > :10:33.Traditionally, a time of new beginnings, but this year a shadow
:10:33. > :10:37.hangs over thousands of sheep farmers across the south-west as
:10:37. > :10:41.lambing gets under way. These are healthy but an outbreak of
:10:41. > :10:46.Schmallenberg virus is spreading. The first case was detected in
:10:46. > :10:52.Cornwall two weeks ago but new figures show two farms in Devon are
:10:52. > :10:57.now affected, while in Somerset and three in Dorset. The virus can lead
:10:57. > :11:01.to birth deformities in livestock. Colin Rowland is getting ready for
:11:01. > :11:07.lambing. He does not know if his 1,000 or so pregnant ewes have been
:11:07. > :11:10.infected or not. If we have a Schmallenberg virus we were just
:11:10. > :11:14.have to get on and deal with it. If we have it in large numbers it is
:11:14. > :11:20.very distressing. Let's keep our fingers crossed and hope we have
:11:20. > :11:25.not got it. It is thought the virus came to England on infested --
:11:25. > :11:28.infected midges blown across the Channel from Europe last autumn.
:11:28. > :11:31.The Department for food, environment and rural affairs say
:11:31. > :11:34.it is hard to keep track of it because farmers don't have to
:11:34. > :11:38.report it but it is urging them to be vigilant. The government admits
:11:38. > :11:43.a vaccine is some way off but is working with its European partners
:11:43. > :11:47.to find a way to protect -- prevent the disease in future. Colin
:11:47. > :11:53.Rowland is keeping a close eye on his flock but it is a waiting game.
:11:53. > :11:58.These use argued Alam next week and only then will we know if his farm
:11:58. > :12:00.has been affected. More than 30 disabled workers in
:12:00. > :12:05.Cornwall could lose their jobs after the factory where they work
:12:05. > :12:08.was earmarked for closure. The Remploy plant in Penzance, which
:12:08. > :12:11.makes healthcare products, is one of 36 across the UK due to shut
:12:11. > :12:21.after a government review concluded they were unlikely to become self-
:12:21. > :12:26.
:12:26. > :12:29.funding. I do feel there is quite a few
:12:29. > :12:34.people who will probably never work again because in this climate, it
:12:34. > :12:37.is difficult for able-bodied people to gain employment, let alone a
:12:37. > :12:40.disabled person. The RSPCA says it's taking a
:12:40. > :12:42.growing number of neglected horses into care. It blames the economic
:12:42. > :12:45.climate and some irresponsible horse owners for continuing to
:12:45. > :12:53.breed when they can't afford to keep the animals. Spotlight's
:12:53. > :12:56.Janine Jansen reports. The RSPCA was alerted to this field
:12:56. > :13:01.in South Devon. They said the conditions were totally
:13:01. > :13:07.unacceptable. Huge nails stuck out of doors and the stables look like
:13:07. > :13:11.someone's bathroom. Financial issues were great problem. The
:13:12. > :13:18.family did not have a car. These animals were not being seen or
:13:18. > :13:23.weeks at a time. When we arrived at the location, there were three
:13:23. > :13:28.horses in the same condition. Unfortunately, one of them was
:13:28. > :13:33.deemed under veterinary advice that the kindest thing to do to their
:13:33. > :13:38.third one, because of the ongoing condition, was to have the animal
:13:38. > :13:44.put to sleep. Her but it is good news for the other two. They are
:13:44. > :13:50.both being cared for at this century in Newton Abbot. The
:13:50. > :13:54.century says it is currently at full capacity. Italy has 172 horses
:13:54. > :13:59.out on loan and 109 are receiving debt and the care and 18 are
:14:00. > :14:04.looking for new homes. In the last 12 months, we have seen a distinct
:14:04. > :14:07.rise in the number of referrals. We have also seen some people who have
:14:07. > :14:11.had horses and ponies are suddenly finding that they are struggling
:14:11. > :14:19.financially and they have had to bring those horses and ponies back
:14:19. > :14:22.to us. In addition to that, we have also had a distinct number of
:14:22. > :14:27.increasing calls relating to members of the public seeing horses
:14:27. > :14:31.and ponies in fields and being concerned for their welfare.
:14:32. > :14:36.there is a special way home in Day this Saturday at the sanctuary in
:14:36. > :14:39.little him still. Coming up next:
:14:39. > :14:41.How water sports are transforming the lives of disadvantaged
:14:41. > :14:45.youngsters. Plus, how did your local team get
:14:45. > :14:48.on? We'll have all the goals from last night's football.
:14:48. > :14:58.And find out what happened when this nine-year-old girl had a close
:14:58. > :15:05.
:15:05. > :15:10.Sailing and surfing is hoped to transform the lives of scores of
:15:10. > :15:13.young people in Cornwall. The high cost of water sports has meant that
:15:13. > :15:20.some young people have never been on the water despite living close
:15:20. > :15:23.to the sea. Now one organisation is trying to change that.
:15:23. > :15:27.Herein Cornwall, we have golden sands stretching for miles around
:15:27. > :15:32.the coast, attracting as tourists from around the world but just a
:15:32. > :15:36.few miles from here there are children who have never been to the
:15:36. > :15:42.beach let alone experienced the thrill of water sports.
:15:42. > :15:47.Capsizing, a far cry from a lesson in maths or English. But the school
:15:47. > :15:52.lessons have a serious same - to transform lives by offering new and
:15:52. > :15:57.challenging opportunities. It's is the first time I have never sailed
:15:57. > :16:02.with my friends and that. It is good. One I haven't you done it
:16:02. > :16:06.before? His is quite expensive. There is not a lot to do around my
:16:06. > :16:12.school up but down here that is a big space and we can just run round,
:16:12. > :16:16.get our hands dirty and play in the water. It is about building
:16:16. > :16:20.confidence and improving personal and social development schools and
:16:20. > :16:30.building teamwork. Developing all of those schools that you need in
:16:30. > :16:31.
:16:31. > :16:35.life and any sort of job you going to. The scheme is run by Cornwall
:16:35. > :16:39.Murray network, with European funding. Young people are offered
:16:39. > :16:43.free lessons in a range of watersports. It was set up after
:16:43. > :16:48.research found that in some deprived parts of Cornwall, around
:16:48. > :16:52.half the children had never been to the beach. It is making a
:16:52. > :16:58.difference socially and in the classroom. If he are not confident
:16:58. > :17:01.and have low esteem, then you might have trouble in any part of
:17:01. > :17:07.education but some of these children who are not big fans of
:17:07. > :17:13.school are finding a different type of education here. The children are
:17:13. > :17:16.motivated. Some even plan to take up careers in the marine sector.
:17:16. > :17:25.Whatever they choose it is hoped their experience in the water will
:17:25. > :17:28.in some way help their life chances. Three-quarters of the South West's
:17:28. > :17:33.Football League teams were successful last night. The
:17:34. > :17:39.exception was Exeter City whose 2-0 defeat at Brentford has left them
:17:39. > :17:44.in serious relegation trouble. I so just City have plummeted into the
:17:44. > :17:49.bottom four of League 1. They conceded two goals at Brent
:17:49. > :17:55.ford, and they had their captain sent off for elbowing an opponent.
:17:55. > :18:00.He will miss the next three games. City are in big trouble and go to
:18:00. > :18:05.fifth place Milton Keynes dons on Saturday. They can take heart from
:18:05. > :18:13.Yeovil Town's single goal when last night. Gavin Williams struck just
:18:13. > :18:18.before half-time. They had to survive without Dean pan out who
:18:18. > :18:27.was dismissed at half-time before the goalkeeper saved this cannot
:18:27. > :18:34.say. -- penalty. Torquay United came out of their contest with
:18:34. > :18:39.Alter shot down with three points. -- Aldershot Town. They are making
:18:39. > :18:49.a late bid for automatic promotion. It took just 15 seconds for
:18:49. > :18:52.
:18:52. > :18:57.Plymouth Argyle 2 Scots at Wimbledon. -- to score at Wimbledon.
:18:57. > :19:02.It has been a very special week for 19-year-old girl from North Devon
:19:02. > :19:06.with an unusual hobby. Ali Carter from Great Torrington are so
:19:06. > :19:10.interested in aircraft she wrote to the Royal International Air tattoo
:19:10. > :19:18.to see if they could help to realise her dream. And that is what
:19:18. > :19:22.happened. The spy plane coming into land, its
:19:22. > :19:32.flight path normally a state secret but today there are some very
:19:32. > :19:41.special waiting. QPR arrive on that car screaming around the corner. --
:19:41. > :19:51.key puerile on that card arriving in the corner. Today, the little
:19:51. > :19:51.
:19:51. > :19:57.girl has the job of talking the pilot threw two touchdown. Bingo,
:19:57. > :20:01.on the ground. Designed to fly on the very edge of space, when the
:20:01. > :20:08.year to get this close to terra firma, the pilots cannot see the
:20:08. > :20:12.ground. This was a dream come true for LA who fell in love with planes
:20:12. > :20:21.at the Royal International Air tattoo. She wrote to the organisers
:20:21. > :20:28.and the pilots saw her letter, and she never expected this to happen.
:20:28. > :20:35.A I wrote this letter and it went to the Pentagon. And they decided
:20:35. > :20:39.to let me do this it is really fun. The pilot was actually flawed with
:20:39. > :20:45.the amount of knowledge that she had. She will certainly be very
:20:46. > :20:50.qualified and whatever she wants to do in future. The plane is still
:20:50. > :20:55.popular. There is often said that at any time there will be one
:20:55. > :21:01.flying somewhere above the earth. What are very lucky young girl, a
:21:01. > :21:11.day she will never forget. An apt to castle Togo today. It was
:21:11. > :21:18.
:21:18. > :21:23.Tonight, a touch of frost. A lot of clear sky covering most of South
:21:23. > :21:27.England now. There might be some cloud creeping into western
:21:28. > :21:34.Cornwall later in the night. This evening there might be some showers,
:21:34. > :21:40.but most of those will fade away. Here is that cloud that gave us the
:21:40. > :21:48.wet weather. You can see a lot of clear sky. This speckled cloud his
:21:49. > :21:53.shower bearing cloud, but we will not see much of that overnight. A
:21:53. > :21:56.couple of cold fronts moving away from us. This weather front to the
:21:57. > :22:02.West will trickle past the North of the country and bring a lot more
:22:02. > :22:06.cloud across northern Britain. We will have sunny spells to enjoy
:22:06. > :22:11.tomorrow. As we move into Friday, you can expect a bit more and the
:22:11. > :22:15.way of cloud but again a lot of dry weather and high pressure is firmly
:22:15. > :22:20.in charge as we move into the weekend. Looking at the detail, you
:22:20. > :22:26.can see where the way -- where the rain has been. Most of those
:22:26. > :22:32.showers will move away tonight. A lot of clear sky and very quickly a
:22:32. > :22:36.big drop in temperatures. That is already happening. By the morning,
:22:36. > :22:43.temperatures as low as three or four degrees. Some places might get
:22:43. > :22:47.law. Always a bit of a breeze along North West Cornwall. Perhaps not
:22:47. > :22:51.quite as called here. Sheltered parts of southern and eastern Devon
:22:51. > :22:55.as well as Somerset and Dorset could see temperatures down as low
:22:55. > :23:00.as one or two degrees above freezing. The possibility first
:23:00. > :23:05.thing tomorrow morning of a touch of frost. It also means and I start
:23:05. > :23:10.with some sunshine. A little cloud coming in from West Cornwall.
:23:10. > :23:14.Patchy cloud will develop through the day but not much of that. Most
:23:14. > :23:21.of us will expect to see a good deal of sunshine and it will feel
:23:21. > :23:26.warm more. The reason, much lighter winds. We have had a blustery day.
:23:26. > :23:31.Tomorrow, temperatures up to between 10 and 12 degrees. It will
:23:31. > :23:37.feel warm more. Much lighter winds, more sunshine and generally better
:23:37. > :23:43.than it has felt. As for the Isles of Scilly, it will be patchy cloud
:23:43. > :23:53.around. Much less windy here than we have seen today. Tomorrow
:23:53. > :24:00.
:24:00. > :24:04.promises a reasonable doubt. Here are the high water times. If you
:24:04. > :24:11.are heading for the beach to do any such thing, I expect the conditions
:24:11. > :24:17.on the North coast to be clean issue. The South coast will still
:24:17. > :24:24.be on the top Teesside with those onshore winds. Sea temperature is
:24:24. > :24:34.just nine or ten degree sold a pup warm. Here is the coastal waters
:24:34. > :24:35.
:24:35. > :24:40.forecast. Looking further ahead into the weekend, on Friday, quite
:24:40. > :24:45.a bit of cloud around. It will still be tried. The winter mainly
:24:45. > :24:51.from the West and temperatures up to 11 or 12 degrees. Saturday, the
:24:51. > :25:01.cloud is a little thicker. It will be reluctant to break up and allow
:25:01. > :25:06.
:25:06. > :25:16.sunny spells to develop a bad could happen in the eastern areas. Apart
:25:16. > :25:20.from tonight, it should also be Tomorrow night we will follow to be
:25:20. > :25:23.hundred teenagers from the South West travelling too Poland to read
:25:23. > :25:28.best for themselves the concentration camp at Auschwitz.
:25:28. > :25:32.We'll look at how the Holocaust Educational Trust is trying to keep
:25:32. > :25:37.the lessons of life. We spoke to some of those before they laughed
:25:37. > :25:42.about what they are expecting. I think it will really put things
:25:42. > :25:46.into perspective, like in my life, it will make things seem trivial.
:25:46. > :25:50.And it will teach us something about humanity and what we are