:00:08. > :00:12.Scrap the badger cull - the Conservatives are warned it could
:00:12. > :00:16.be politically damaging. Good evening.
:00:16. > :00:20.A group advising the Tories says the cull could make Bovine TB worse.
:00:20. > :00:24.Also: A farmer's dilemma - a lamb stuck in a badger sett which
:00:24. > :00:27.legally can't disturbed; so what happened next?
:00:27. > :00:37.A slow start to the Easter getaway - could the weather and the cost of
:00:37. > :00:45.
:00:45. > :00:48.fuel take their toll? About �125 to fill up with diesel.
:00:48. > :00:51.South West cattle farmers who have campaigned for years for a badger
:00:51. > :01:00.cull say they're disappointed after a Conservative Think Tank said it
:01:00. > :01:02.could make the problem of bovine TB even worse. The Bow Group has said
:01:02. > :01:05.the planned culls this Autumn in West Somerset and Gloucestershire
:01:05. > :01:06.shouldn't go ahead, but DEFRA insists they will. Our environment
:01:06. > :01:09.correspondent, Adrian Campbell, reports.
:01:09. > :01:17.South West cattle have been badly affected by bovine TB over the
:01:17. > :01:23.years, prompting for the coalition government to suggest to badger
:01:23. > :01:29.culls in the autumn. Now a report by the Conservative think-tank has
:01:29. > :01:33.frustrated many South West Farmers. This report by the group -- double
:01:33. > :01:37.grip is surprising because it restates many arguments already
:01:37. > :01:41.rehearsed by animal welfare groups, namely that any cull would be
:01:41. > :01:46.expensive, difficult to enforce and would also be unpopular with the
:01:46. > :01:51.public. The Badger Trust says it is pleased that the Bow Group has
:01:51. > :01:55.highlighted its concerns that badgers might escape the cult, and
:01:55. > :02:01.possibly aggravate the situation. There is a mounting body of opinion
:02:01. > :02:06.that vaccination is by far the better way forward, and that the
:02:06. > :02:11.killing up wild animals is not likely to have a beneficial effect
:02:11. > :02:15.of any substance and that a good very likely make things a lot worse.
:02:16. > :02:22.This farmer or works in Mid Devon and says he thinks there needs to
:02:22. > :02:30.be a badger cull. It is not really conservative policy. I think they
:02:31. > :02:36.are trying to lose their nerve before we go through with what he's
:02:36. > :02:46.as multi- pronged attack on taking out the reservoir of tuberculosis
:02:46. > :02:47.
:02:47. > :02:53.in wildlife. The department says bovine TB is a very serious disease
:02:53. > :03:00.and unless it is dealt with it will cost taxpayers around �1 billion in
:03:00. > :03:05.the next 10 years. At the weekend by one local MP said he believes
:03:05. > :03:12.that the Government's cull will go ahead. It will. We have decided to
:03:12. > :03:15.go down to two pilot culls. It is being reviewed at the moment and as
:03:15. > :03:20.soon as that finishers will go through with it. The Patrick Trust
:03:20. > :03:23.says that the Bow Group has come round to its way of thinking and
:03:23. > :03:28.the department says that usable vaccines are years away and it
:03:28. > :03:32.needs to take action now. Meanwhile, the protection of
:03:32. > :03:36.badgers left one North Devon farmer with a difficult dilemma today. He
:03:36. > :03:39.had a lamb stuck down a badger sett, but was told he would be breaking
:03:39. > :03:46.the law if he disturbed the sett to get it out. Spotlight's Scott
:03:46. > :03:51.Bingham was there. Matthew Brown farms sheep and cattle near South
:03:51. > :03:58.Molton. It is the height of lambing season and one of his new arrivals
:03:58. > :04:04.is missing. It is stuck in a whole, but this hole is a badger sett.
:04:04. > :04:14.have to ring the union for advice and they said in no circumstances
:04:14. > :04:15.
:04:15. > :04:21.could light touch it. I say it's, does that mean that I just have to
:04:21. > :04:31.let her die? She said, I'm afraid so. Luckily, it doesn't come to
:04:31. > :04:32.
:04:32. > :04:37.that. We asked natural in than to clarified the lot. They said in a
:04:37. > :04:42.statement that while a farmer is not allowed to damage or disrupt at
:04:42. > :04:48.Badger's sett, he does not have to abandon their lamb. If he is not
:04:48. > :04:58.able to pull it out, he can apply for a licence to interfere with
:04:58. > :05:01.this set and every effort will be A 28-year-old man is being
:05:01. > :05:11.questioned on suspicion of murder after a woman's body was found at a
:05:11. > :05:13.
:05:13. > :05:15.house in Plymouth in the early hours of this morning. The body of
:05:15. > :05:18.the 24-year-old was discovered shortly after 3.00am at the
:05:18. > :05:20.property in the Devonport area of the city. Officers have been
:05:20. > :05:24.carrying out house to house enquiries.
:05:24. > :05:27.The jury in the case of a Devon man accused of murdering his partner
:05:27. > :05:29.just hours after she had cancer treatment has been sent home for a
:05:29. > :05:32.second night. 54-year-old John Doyle is accused of strangling Sian
:05:32. > :05:35.Rees at their home in Merton Mill, near Hatherleigh, last June. He
:05:35. > :05:38.denies murder and says he was acting in self-defense. The jury
:05:38. > :05:41.will continue its deliberations on Tuesday.
:05:41. > :05:45.A North Devon woman who defrauded an animal charity out of nearly
:05:45. > :05:47.�100,000 has been warned by a judge that she will be sent to prison.
:05:47. > :05:52.Jennifer Colonso took the money whilst she was the voluntary
:05:52. > :05:59.treasurer of the North Devon Animal Ambulance between 2009 and 2010.
:05:59. > :06:04.Hamish Marshall was at Exeter Crown Court.
:06:04. > :06:10.Jennifer: So admitted eight counts of fraud and one of theft at a
:06:10. > :06:19.previous hearing. The money has been paid back. She diverted
:06:19. > :06:23.cheques destined to do charity to her own account. She also used
:06:23. > :06:27.�23,000 to fund solar panels for a local yacht club. The court was
:06:27. > :06:31.told that -- the court was told that the charity discovered the
:06:31. > :06:35.fraud when its accounts were not filed with the Charity
:06:35. > :06:39.Commissioners. The charity said that money spent tracing the
:06:40. > :06:48.problem should have been spent on needy animals and it had been
:06:48. > :06:54.tremendously let down. It hopes to get another �20,000 to cover the
:06:54. > :06:58.costs. The judge said that he was in their real quandary whether to
:06:58. > :07:03.send the 70 rolled to prison. He told the court be treated as
:07:03. > :07:08.serious -- seriousness of the offences he had no option but the
:07:08. > :07:13.centre to prison. People wait a month before setting down a jail
:07:13. > :07:16.term in order to give her time to get her accounts in order.
:07:16. > :07:19.People who rely on tourism to make a living are hoping the Easter
:07:19. > :07:23.break will bring in thousands of extra visitors to the South West.
:07:23. > :07:26.It comes after a slow start to the holiday season due to panic buying
:07:26. > :07:29.of fuel last week. The motoring organisation the AA says the usual
:07:29. > :07:32.routes are expected to be busy, especially, the M5 and A303. It
:07:32. > :07:35.says there could also be heavy traffic on the A30 and A38 west of
:07:35. > :07:45.Exeter. Well we can join our reporter Andy Breare, who is
:07:45. > :07:46.
:07:46. > :07:52.overlooking the A38. Andy. We are on the outskirts of Exeter.
:07:53. > :08:00.Looking at the traffic now it, it is quiet and moving quite freely.
:08:00. > :08:05.This has been the picture all day to day. Have very quiet starts to
:08:05. > :08:12.do traditional bank holiday weekend. The big question is will the
:08:12. > :08:18.combination of high fuel prices and the cold weather mean a very quiet
:08:18. > :08:21.Easter for us in the south-west. Traditionally, this is one of the
:08:21. > :08:28.busiest days on the roads, but things are looking quite different
:08:28. > :08:32.this year. Main routes in and out have been quiet so far. Rising fuel
:08:32. > :08:38.prices and the cold weather seemed to be taking the blame. Thursday
:08:38. > :08:44.will be the busiest day for us. We are expecting it not to be as busy
:08:44. > :08:52.as last year, but people will be aware that the fuel situation is in
:08:52. > :09:00.the back of people's minds. A at Exeter service station this morning
:09:00. > :09:04.it was quieter than expected. Those travelling down seemed undaunted by
:09:04. > :09:09.the cost of fuel or the poor weather. The petrol is petrol, you
:09:09. > :09:17.have to pay the price if you want to go away. As for the petrol, it
:09:17. > :09:26.is really expensive now. About �120 double up with diesel. The a couple
:09:26. > :09:33.of years ago it was only �85. Pipits a big strain on your Budget
:09:33. > :09:37.-- it pits. Week come down every year. We love it. The weather is
:09:38. > :09:47.not great and hopefully the weather will pick up. And tourism bosses
:09:47. > :09:57.remain optimistic. Indoor attractions are hopeful that the
:09:57. > :10:04.bad weather will give them more visitors. This Easter, Torbay have
:10:04. > :10:08.introduced any new ticket to entice people back. What we're hoping his
:10:08. > :10:14.it will encourage people to come back down to Devon, spent more
:10:14. > :10:20.money and come and see us at the other site as well. It is no
:10:20. > :10:24.affecting roads up in the country, and a car costing more money to
:10:24. > :10:31.Philip Dunne last year, maybe more people are choosing to spend Easter
:10:31. > :10:36.at home. We haven't seen any of the usual gridlock that we would
:10:36. > :10:40.normally see at this time of year. This time last year the roles at
:10:40. > :10:45.the Royal Wedding and so many people might be leaving it until
:10:45. > :10:50.tomorrow to travel. If you are on the roads over Easter, make sure
:10:50. > :10:55.you are tuned in to your local radio station from the BBC to get
:10:55. > :10:58.the Travel News Updates. Parents in Plymouth have been told
:10:58. > :11:02.their children will no longer be able to get subsidised travel to
:11:02. > :11:05.school with Citybus. The company blames a cut in council funding.
:11:05. > :11:08.Letters have gone out saying the services will be withdrawn by the
:11:08. > :11:11.end of July. Plymouth City Council says it can't afford to carry on
:11:11. > :11:14.paying the money. A French sailor has thanked the
:11:14. > :11:17.crew of the St Mary's Lifeboat for going to his rescue in gale force
:11:17. > :11:20.conditions. The 22-year-old got into trouble in heavy seas 30 miles
:11:20. > :11:26.off the Isles of Scilly yesterday. His racing yacht had become
:11:26. > :11:30.dismasted and was eventually abandoned.
:11:30. > :11:35.Coming up: A look at how some of our towns are pitching for
:11:35. > :11:44.regeneration money in a moment. Also still to come: The miner
:11:44. > :11:50.artist who's become a major attraction at a gallery in Penzance.
:11:50. > :11:57.Tonight it will turn quite frosty. Opel have low temperatures. The
:11:57. > :12:00.Easter weekend looks a bit mixed. Somerset County Council has been
:12:00. > :12:03.condemned today for selling a huge area of woodland in the Quantock
:12:03. > :12:05.Hills. Great Wood, which is in an area of outstanding natural beauty,
:12:05. > :12:08.has been bought by the Forestry Commission for �250,000. The
:12:08. > :12:18.Campaign to Protect Rural England says it's like selling the family
:12:18. > :12:19.
:12:19. > :12:24.silver. Spotlight's Andrea Ormsby reports.
:12:24. > :12:34.Even on a cold, wet day, a book on top hills still manage to look
:12:34. > :12:36.
:12:36. > :12:40.beautiful. In 1956 the area was awarded protected status. It was
:12:40. > :12:46.considered in the nation's interest to safeguard it. Today though the
:12:46. > :12:51.council has sold part of it. Pulp, really, at the attitude of
:12:51. > :12:57.the council. They are selling off the family silver. This land has
:12:57. > :13:01.been owned by the county council since the 1920s when therefore
:13:01. > :13:06.cited forebears bought it for the people of Somerset to enjoy. It is
:13:06. > :13:11.a dreadful indictment of their attitude to the county and its
:13:11. > :13:19.environment. At a news conference at County Hall in Taunton the news
:13:19. > :13:28.was delivered, not just to the media but to protesters. All 208
:13:28. > :13:32.acres of Great Wood sold. financial necessity can make you do
:13:32. > :13:39.things that you feel uncomfortable with. We need to balance our books.
:13:39. > :13:47.Again we have seen the council make another announcement with
:13:47. > :13:50.absolutely no reference to the protesters. We have got the
:13:50. > :13:53.Forestry Commission as the new landowner, but there is no
:13:53. > :14:00.guarantee that the Forestry Commission will stay in public
:14:00. > :14:05.ownership. There are still parcels of land still to be sold. The
:14:05. > :14:09.protesters here today were clear whose fault this what -- all this
:14:10. > :14:13.was today, though. From Penzance to Weymouth, towns
:14:13. > :14:15.have been vying for a slice of a million pound Government fund aimed
:14:16. > :14:18.at helping to regenerate their High Streets. The retail expert Mary
:14:18. > :14:22.Portas is backing the competition for which some communities have
:14:22. > :14:25.made their own films to back up their bids. One town has made sure
:14:25. > :14:33.their pitch is perfect by making a song and dance of it. Sarah Ransome
:14:34. > :14:40.reports. A I walk up today with this feeling.
:14:40. > :14:44.Better things are coming our way. Singing for their supper. These
:14:44. > :14:51.traders thought they would try to do something different to win their
:14:51. > :14:55.share of government cash. Others, like Weymouth chose to feature a
:14:55. > :15:01.mix of good and bad. One town in debt and handed the job of backing
:15:01. > :15:05.up the paper bid to a group of local teenagers. They chose to go
:15:05. > :15:09.down this science-fiction route to makes Exmouth's film stand out from
:15:09. > :15:14.the crowd. We thought that if it doesn't grab you in the first 30
:15:14. > :15:18.seconds you are less likely to watch it. Blowing up the clock
:15:18. > :15:26.tower was different! They wanted to showcase the real town centre,
:15:26. > :15:31.warts and all. It is a bit tatty round here. It was important to
:15:31. > :15:36.catch the main aspects of Exmouth ants to bring a bit of fun to it as
:15:36. > :15:40.well. A local traders trying to keep afloat say appearances can be
:15:40. > :15:44.deceptive and this film really gets the message across. Along with
:15:44. > :15:49.myself, there are a lot of people who are just scraping through at
:15:49. > :15:54.the moment. With the economic climate as it is, things could get
:15:54. > :15:59.a lot worse if we don't get this funding. My report this will help
:15:59. > :16:02.select the winning bids. Critics complain this scheme does not
:16:02. > :16:06.necessarily target the most needy areas. The Government says that it
:16:06. > :16:16.wants to give everyone the chance to get the town centre back on
:16:16. > :16:17.
:16:17. > :16:20.track. The successful bids will find out in May.
:16:20. > :16:24.There's a busy Easter sporting programme, starting with Exeter
:16:24. > :16:26.Chiefs' big rugby match in Paris tonight. With all the details of
:16:26. > :16:34.what's on and where over the holiday weekend, here's Dave, who
:16:34. > :16:38.has been to Bolitho Park in Plymouth.
:16:38. > :16:42.Exeter chiefs face one of their biggest test so tonight when the
:16:42. > :16:47.target a semi-final place in the European Challenge Cup. They have
:16:47. > :16:52.to overcome a Stade Francais to reach the last four. It is a sign
:16:52. > :16:56.of their progress as they narrowly missed out on the stage last season.
:16:56. > :17:03.Fans have been flying out from Exeter to cheer them on. It is
:17:03. > :17:09.amazing for people who followed the club. We are really looking forward
:17:09. > :17:16.to the trip. This is the level of rugby who want to be in. There are
:17:16. > :17:21.big challenges. Stade Francais has been a marquee names in European
:17:21. > :17:25.rugby for 15 years. They are the challenges that we have to relish.
:17:25. > :17:30.The Easter football programme will go a long way in deciding which
:17:30. > :17:40.Division Exeter City will be playing in next year. There draw
:17:40. > :17:46.ended a five-match losing streak. It is similar for Torquay United,
:17:46. > :17:50.but there at the top of the ladder. David to maintain their promotion
:17:50. > :17:58.impetus against Accrington Stanley. If Plymouth Argyll win at Hereford
:17:58. > :18:05.they will pull away from the danger spots. Your full time you don't
:18:05. > :18:08.play until Saturday and they can do Exeter a favour by beating Rochdale.
:18:08. > :18:14.Plymouth's Olympic diving hope Tom Daley has been joke is in his
:18:14. > :18:16.current form at the New Plymouth Life Centre today. He is competing
:18:16. > :18:22.at the elite junior championships and the back of winning three
:18:22. > :18:28.silver medals at the World Series events in due by and Beijing. Tom,
:18:28. > :18:33.he is not 18 until May, won the ten-metre platform tournament.
:18:33. > :18:38.Cornwall's three-time world track cycling champion had to sit out
:18:38. > :18:47.today's world team pursuit final in Melbourne. She was omitted from bid
:18:47. > :18:52.team that set two world records as the storm to the world record.
:18:52. > :18:55.Britain have now won four of the five team pursuit titles since the
:18:55. > :18:59.event was in corporate it -- incorporated into the world
:18:59. > :19:08.championship programme. BBC Radio Devon will be covering
:19:08. > :19:14.the Exeter chief's match in Paris tonight. On Saturday afternoon the
:19:14. > :19:23.Cornish pirates will be covered by a BBC Radio Cornwall. It is the
:19:23. > :19:27.British and Irish Cup semi-final. We will have all the football news
:19:27. > :19:30.in the local stations. Have a lovely Easter!
:19:30. > :19:34.A unique record of the Cornish mining industry almost 50 years ago
:19:34. > :19:37.has been given to a museum in Penzance. Hundreds of drawings of
:19:37. > :19:42.mines and miners were made into a book in the early 1960s as a
:19:42. > :19:46.college project. The mines have long since closed and the book was
:19:46. > :19:56.forgotten about for years, but has now put on show at the Penlee House
:19:56. > :20:04.
:20:04. > :20:08.gallery and museum. David George Her the early Cornish miners used
:20:08. > :20:15.to make bids for blasting the rock face. They had to make a hole in
:20:15. > :20:21.the rock. Drawings and words by Michael Praed. Today his work has
:20:21. > :20:28.known all over the world, but 50 years ago he was a student and the
:20:28. > :20:38.book of drawings was the result of the study of Cornish mining for a
:20:38. > :20:40.
:20:40. > :20:44.thesis -- for a thesis. When we covered all aspects and talk to the
:20:44. > :20:50.miners themselves as to what they were doing. The stay some of the
:20:50. > :20:56.workings at this mine are open once again as a tourist attraction.
:20:56. > :21:06.years ago this was a working mine. It was hot, wet and extremely
:21:06. > :21:08.
:21:08. > :21:13.cramped. Difficult place for The Artist while he worked on his notes.
:21:13. > :21:19.The East minds were labour intensive. He has got it very well,
:21:19. > :21:24.I think. One could only really draw would you had enough light. A lot
:21:24. > :21:31.of the mind is dark and you only had to a head lamp. If that
:21:31. > :21:36.headlamp went out you had to stop what you're doing. Victor had this
:21:36. > :21:42.sketchbook from the last century not the one before about the mining
:21:42. > :21:50.are that we don't have a great deal of material on and by a living
:21:50. > :21:57.artist is wonderful. The book will be on display and available on the
:21:57. > :22:07.website for the museum. 47 years ago old student Michael pre-Aids
:22:07. > :22:10.
:22:10. > :22:13.got an A for his thesis! -- Michael Now, there's nothing like a good
:22:13. > :22:17.coffee break when you are out on a shopping trip and possibly a
:22:17. > :22:20.biscuit or slice of cake to go with it. But in Truro today shoppers got
:22:21. > :22:23.a bit more than that! It was free and there were no calories in this
:22:23. > :22:26.treat! Eleanor Parkinson reports. At coffee in the cafe at the Hall
:22:26. > :22:29.for Cornwall against you a chance to put down your shopping bags and
:22:29. > :22:34.rest your feet. Today it is a paltry cafe and they're hoping that
:22:34. > :22:43.the food here will inspire you in her words with. Even the cakes here
:22:43. > :22:52.are printed with poems. Rosemary and Charles had been given their
:22:52. > :23:02.words and are waiting for their muse to strike. When was the last
:23:02. > :23:04.
:23:04. > :23:14.time you wrote a poem on a biscuit? The poetry brings out the plain
:23:14. > :23:20.
:23:20. > :23:30.It I expect you to be very romantic now! There good. It's Sally
:23:30. > :23:48.
:23:48. > :23:53.She might also threw in a few cartwheels. We are trying to make
:23:53. > :23:59.it a great if a place so people can express themselves. Last year I was
:23:59. > :24:05.performing in Cuba and they need no encouragement, but here you have to
:24:05. > :24:12.be drawn in a little bit. Och we all have their hidden poet inside
:24:12. > :24:22.us, even if we are just two and a half. When did you last read a poem
:24:22. > :24:34.
:24:34. > :24:39.What a line! Go no heatwave this weekend, sadly. There is some
:24:39. > :24:47.usable weather, but nothing like the temperatures we had last week.
:24:47. > :24:52.We will see more persistent rain arriving on Monday. Let's look at
:24:52. > :24:58.the big satellite picture. All the fine weather has moved out into the
:24:58. > :25:08.Atlantic. The there are a couple of bands Of cloud moving our way, the
:25:08. > :25:09.
:25:09. > :25:14.first of which will cure us tonight. -- Clear us tonight. This weather
:25:14. > :25:19.front will move westwards tonight's, then there is a ridge of high
:25:19. > :25:26.pressure to give us dry, fine weather tomorrow before we start
:25:26. > :25:32.the season cloud returning as we move into Saturday and Sunday. Both
:25:32. > :25:42.days over the weekend will be cloudy, but dry. Here is that
:25:42. > :25:43.
:25:43. > :25:53.picture of the Clyde in more detail. With all the clear sky tonight we
:25:53. > :26:07.
:26:07. > :26:16.Tackled fine day tomorrow. More cloud coming in in the second part
:26:16. > :26:26.of the day. He could even be the odd like shower hour. Gash shall
:26:26. > :26:27.
:26:27. > :26:37.What we were it will be a lot less windy than we have seen in the last
:26:37. > :27:07.
:27:07. > :27:12.couple of days, bright and dry with Through as for the rest of the
:27:12. > :27:17.weekend and into Monday. A lot of cloud around on Saturday, but a dry
:27:17. > :27:20.day. There is the risk of some drizzle on Sunday, but the more