:00:21. > :00:25.A hotel is destroyed by fire and the people are unaccounted for. --
:00:25. > :00:30.eight people are unaccounted for. Good evening and welcome to
:00:30. > :00:36.Spotlight. We willll be live at the Falmouth Beach Resort Hotel in a
:00:36. > :00:43.moment where the fire is still burning. And the alarming attitudes
:00:43. > :00:47.faced by people with disabilities in the South West.
:00:47. > :00:50.One of Falmouth's largest hotels is on fire. Guests at the Falmouth
:00:50. > :00:53.Beach Resort had just minutes to get out. Eight people are
:00:53. > :00:55.unaccounted for but the police say they do not believe anyone has left
:00:55. > :00:58.inside the building. 100 firefighters from across
:00:58. > :01:01.Cornwall are still tackling the blaze more than six hours after it
:01:01. > :01:06.broke out. Part of the roof has collapsed. Live now to Arab
:01:06. > :01:11.correspondent -- our correspondent who is at the scene. It used to be
:01:11. > :01:18.one of the jewels of are the seafront, but now it is nothing
:01:18. > :01:23.more than a smouldering ruin. Firefighters were called out
:01:23. > :01:30.earlier today and this is what happened next. In every sense, this
:01:30. > :01:36.was a huge fire. 30 people were evacuated and the thick smoke
:01:36. > :01:43.spread right across from it. 10 fire engines and two aerial ladders
:01:44. > :01:52.were deployed to fight the flames. The wind is making the fire-
:01:52. > :01:57.fighting activities quite difficult. Because the fire has spread, the
:01:57. > :02:00.building has become structurally unsafe. It is important that we
:02:00. > :02:06.moved our crews and we are now fighting the fire dependably from
:02:06. > :02:11.the exterior. As the fire spread through the hotel, a rescue
:02:11. > :02:16.helicopter was called to give firefighters a chance to see the
:02:16. > :02:21.blaze from above. Some guests had been using the pool facilities when
:02:21. > :02:27.they were evacuated. There were people and the car park and still
:02:27. > :02:33.with their swimming costumes on. It was a wet and windy day. I saw the
:02:33. > :02:37.Fire developing. There was a small amount of smoke at the back of the
:02:37. > :02:42.hotel but it quickly developed and in minutes the black smoke was
:02:42. > :02:46.pouring from this hotel and they realised the problem. With the
:02:46. > :02:51.buyer punching through the roof of the hotel, the vast plumes of smoke
:02:51. > :02:56.forced a neighbouring hotel to close. New beds had to be found for
:02:56. > :03:02.their 100 guests. It is devastating and very sad news obviously for the
:03:02. > :03:06.owners and all of the guests and it is a main site on the seafront here.
:03:07. > :03:15.It does look as though the fire has got a major hold. It is very
:03:15. > :03:20.concerning. The only positive? There are only a small number of
:03:20. > :03:24.people not account for and only a few injuries. The last few minutes
:03:24. > :03:29.I have been told that the number of people unaccounted for has gone
:03:29. > :03:34.down to three. It is believed that they have gone on a day-trip. It is
:03:34. > :03:39.not thought that anyone is still in the building. We can speak to a
:03:39. > :03:45.fire fighter now. What happens next? We are dealing with some hot
:03:45. > :03:49.spots and trying to get some of our appliances away. We are just trying
:03:49. > :03:55.to hit the hot spot that remain within the building. And overnight,
:03:55. > :04:01.will people be here overnight? we will have a presence overnight
:04:01. > :04:04.and moving into tomorrow as well. Thank you very much. The
:04:04. > :04:07.investigation into the cause of this fire will be the next big
:04:07. > :04:12.question, not to mention looking after people from neighbouring
:04:12. > :04:20.hotels who had to be evacuated. It is a busy time for Falmouth as well,
:04:20. > :04:23.with a major sailing events at the Olympic torch coming up.
:04:23. > :04:27.Gale force winds have been battering the South West over the
:04:27. > :04:29.weekend and with gusts still up to 60 mph and the risk of further
:04:29. > :04:33.heavy rain tonight. It seems there is no real let up.
:04:33. > :04:38.At the peak of the storm there were 21 flood warnings in place across
:04:38. > :04:41.the region. 20 still remain. Hundreds of trees came down in the
:04:41. > :04:44.high winds, around 200 across Devon alone, bringing with them several
:04:44. > :04:47.power lines, and damaging houses and cars. Several major roads were
:04:47. > :04:53.closed and businesses too have been affected. We have been to some of
:04:53. > :04:59.the worst hit areas. It has been declared the wettest
:04:59. > :05:04.April in a century. Rivers across the South West are swollen to the
:05:04. > :05:09.brim. In Devon this morning, these two rivers were inches away from
:05:09. > :05:13.bursting their banks. With flood warnings on several other rivers in
:05:13. > :05:23.the region, with heavy rains this evening, there are concerns that
:05:23. > :05:28.
:05:28. > :05:33.more or rivers could burst. But these people are concerned. It is
:05:33. > :05:37.unusual. By 10 o'clock last night it reached here and then when we
:05:37. > :05:42.got up in the morning it was in the same place and it was only by
:05:42. > :05:46.lunchtime it started to go down again. Over the weekend, it is all
:05:46. > :05:52.injuries that has caused much of the habit on the roads. -- fallen
:05:52. > :05:58.trees. Businesses have also been affected. This building had to
:05:58. > :06:05.close today, while a racecourse had to carry -- will have to carry out
:06:05. > :06:10.a course inspection to see if the race they can go ahead. -- race day
:06:10. > :06:19.can go ahead. We can probably take five or six mm but not much more
:06:19. > :06:29.than that. And with 20 flood warnings, it is a main focus for
:06:29. > :06:32.
:06:32. > :06:36.business owners and home owners alike.
:06:36. > :06:39.A full weather forecast to come and there will be a special Inside Out
:06:39. > :06:42.programme looking at the effect the recent rain has had on our long
:06:42. > :06:45.term drought on BBC One on Wednesday this week at 7:30pm.
:06:45. > :06:48.Accusations of being drunk, and being told you are too well to have
:06:48. > :06:53.a walking stick are just some of the comments that people with
:06:53. > :06:56.disabilities have to put up with. The MS Society says its study,
:06:56. > :06:59.called Fighting Back, has found that 28 % of people in the South
:06:59. > :07:01.West think disabled people need to accept they cannot have the same
:07:01. > :07:08.opportunities in life as people are not disabled.
:07:08. > :07:13.For 17 ears, this woman has and needed help to walk. -- 17 years.
:07:13. > :07:18.She sufferers with a debilitating business -- illness that causes
:07:18. > :07:22.problems with fatigue and balance. You do not know what is going to
:07:22. > :07:29.happen next. Sometimes you can walk and sometimes you cannot. Things
:07:29. > :07:34.are made worse for sufferers like her when people stop and stare.
:07:35. > :07:40.you feel that you are AGM or that you are making it up. They say that
:07:40. > :07:44.you look so well. Yes, I have had a bath and washed my hair, but
:07:44. > :07:49.actually, I am very uncomfortable and I have to go back to bed in a
:07:50. > :07:53.minute. New research has found that people in the South West have
:07:53. > :07:57.alarming attitudes towards those with disabilities. A quarter think
:07:57. > :08:03.disabled people need to accept they cannot have the same opportunities
:08:03. > :08:08.in life as people who are not disabled, and one in four believes
:08:08. > :08:12.that disabled people exaggerate the extent of their limitations. They
:08:12. > :08:16.are shocking statistics. We need to get the message out that there are
:08:16. > :08:26.people with disabilities and they have the same right to a full life
:08:26. > :08:27.
:08:27. > :08:37.as anybody else. The report into public attitudes is called fighting
:08:37. > :08:40.back. That is exactly what Fiona is The police say that there has been
:08:40. > :08:44.a dramatic rise in the number of cannabis farms in the South West.
:08:44. > :08:46.They say the number of farms has gone up by more than 1,000 %. They
:08:46. > :08:51.blame criminal gangs who convert residential houses into cannabis
:08:51. > :08:54.factories. The rise in Cornwall is following a national tend. Over the
:08:54. > :09:02.past two years police in the UK have seized more than a million
:09:02. > :09:07.plants. There are small-scale users and growers who might grow it for
:09:07. > :09:12.themselves or for friends but there is an organised element to it,
:09:12. > :09:18.where it there are people involved with a small growers, and that
:09:18. > :09:21.ultimately produces a large and lucrative business for them.
:09:21. > :09:24.A lorry driver from Yeovil who rammed his petrol tanker into the
:09:24. > :09:27.front of his estranged wife's home, setting it on fire, has been sent
:09:27. > :09:29.to prison for seven years. 51-year-old Hugh Billington, who
:09:29. > :09:32.had previously pleaded guilty to several offences including arson
:09:32. > :09:34.and assault, was also banned from driving for five years by
:09:34. > :09:44.Dorchester Crown Court. The court heard Mr Billington caused �235,000
:09:44. > :09:44.
:09:44. > :09:46.A married couple from Exeter have appeared in court charged in
:09:46. > :09:49.connection with defrauding charities and appeal funds for
:09:49. > :09:52.children with cancer. Kevin Wright is accused of stealing thousands of
:09:52. > :09:54.pounds from two charities, four appeal funds and an insurance firm.
:09:54. > :09:56.His wife, Jacqueline has been charged with converting criminal
:09:56. > :10:06.property amounting to more than �196,000. The case at Nottingham
:10:06. > :10:10.
:10:10. > :10:13.Magistrates' Court was adjourned 200 scientists at Plymouth
:10:13. > :10:16.University are now working together to find ways of saving the earth's
:10:16. > :10:19.resources. It has set up a new unit to raise money, promote its work,
:10:19. > :10:21.stimulate the local economy and create new jobs. Our Environment
:10:21. > :10:31.Correspondent looks at one example of how the university's scientists
:10:31. > :10:33.
:10:33. > :10:39.are trying to understand our Plymouth University has been
:10:39. > :10:45.working on specialised research into a type of mouse that grows in
:10:45. > :10:52.peat bogs all over the world. It is part of their research into climate
:10:52. > :10:58.change. If you have got something that is forming and it takes one
:10:58. > :11:04.ear to do one millimetre that you can see how long it takes. Peat
:11:04. > :11:10.bogs are an excellent provider of carbon monoxide -- carbon dioxide.
:11:10. > :11:14.In the South West, some peat bogs are being whetted deliberately. As
:11:14. > :11:22.the mouse becomes more successful, it draws out even more carbon
:11:22. > :11:28.dioxide, a Kurd and changing gas. When water built up on the peat
:11:28. > :11:32.bogs, it is thought that Meath on his -- methane is produced. The
:11:32. > :11:42.bacteria may neutralise and turn it into carbon dioxide, and that in
:11:42. > :11:44.
:11:44. > :11:50.turn could promote growth of Demos. Today, the climate change Minister
:11:50. > :11:54.was championing the case for more of this type of research and a new
:11:54. > :12:00.Institute set up by the university which says it can help create
:12:00. > :12:04.practical benefits for the South West. The research gives us an idea
:12:04. > :12:10.of how attractive the peat bogs or in drawing out carbon dioxide from
:12:10. > :12:14.the atmosphere. This is very early days, but perhaps this could in
:12:15. > :12:23.assets could be used to leverage finance that could pay for future
:12:23. > :12:28.reservation. -- conservation. The university is taking the lead in
:12:28. > :12:38.economic Research, as well as providing jobs and tackling climate
:12:38. > :12:41.
:12:41. > :12:43.change. The shrug or environmental While Plymouth University plough's
:12:44. > :12:46.ahead with environmental research, controversial plans by the Church
:12:46. > :12:52.of England to build six wind turbines have caused outrage in
:12:52. > :12:54.three Devon villages. The Diocese of Exeter says building the
:12:54. > :12:57.turbines will help protect and preserve God's creation by cutting
:12:57. > :13:01.their carbon footprint. The plan has only just become public and
:13:01. > :13:06.some locals say they're furious the church is getting involved.
:13:06. > :13:11.This man lives in the Old Vicarage. That puts him bang in the middle of
:13:11. > :13:18.church land. This bamboo here represents where the Muir of the
:13:18. > :13:24.two turbines will be. -- the nearest. You can see that the
:13:24. > :13:29.turbines will be 25 metres high, which is very high. He is just 200
:13:29. > :13:33.metres from one of the proposed wind turbine sites. I think it is
:13:33. > :13:37.and a range and they should be ashamed of themselves -- and out
:13:37. > :13:44.rage and they should be ashamed of themselves for insulting our
:13:44. > :13:49.intelligence is by contending that this is theologically and
:13:49. > :13:59.environmentally motivated. It is monstrous. The plan is to build six
:13:59. > :14:00.
:14:00. > :14:05.turbines. One of them will be close to the home of the woman who chairs
:14:06. > :14:10.the campaign to protect rural England. They divide communities.
:14:10. > :14:14.It is not the role of the Church. You think of the church bringing
:14:14. > :14:18.people together. This is so divisive. This is not the sort of
:14:18. > :14:23.thing we should be involved with and we hope they will think again.
:14:23. > :14:33.The Church says it is hoping to reduce its emissions by 80 % by
:14:33. > :14:33.
:14:33. > :14:38.2050. I see no reason to change. Defending Gospel values in any
:14:38. > :14:42.society, but especially in modern society, means engaging with it and
:14:43. > :14:48.engaging with the right and wrong. There are people who will feel that
:14:48. > :14:52.we are wrong and they are entitled to feel that. A process of
:14:52. > :15:02.consultation will now take place, with the church meeting with people
:15:02. > :15:06.
:15:06. > :15:12.Exeter City of going down, a full report on their fate, plus the rest
:15:12. > :15:17.of the sport, in a moment. Also...
:15:17. > :15:23.I quick march! Find out what happened when members of the Scots
:15:23. > :15:32.Guards turned up to surprise a 12- year-old fan.
:15:32. > :15:37.It is time for the sport, and sat news for Exeter City.
:15:37. > :15:47.Exeter City's stay in League One is at an end after weeks of its and
:15:47. > :15:51.buts. Their fate was sealed in a 4- 1 defeat at Carlisle United.
:15:51. > :15:57.May 2008, a victory parade through the streets of Exeter, celebrating
:15:57. > :16:01.their promotion to the leak. Today, a more sombre picture. Devoted fan
:16:01. > :16:07.and club volunteer David James watched his first match here in
:16:07. > :16:13.1961. He witnessed Saturday's defeat. We were resigned to
:16:13. > :16:17.relegation before we went, so we were not particularly downhearted.
:16:17. > :16:22.There were some low spirits on the coaches. The loss of three key
:16:22. > :16:26.players and a tsunami of injuries have taken their toll. Clubs
:16:27. > :16:31.Commerce, two young stars of the future, are in philosophical mood.
:16:31. > :16:36.It has been coming for a while, so we have prepared ourselves. We
:16:36. > :16:42.never really got out of the relegation zone. Could well be good,
:16:42. > :16:46.because in League Two, we might be able to win more games. Next season,
:16:46. > :16:52.we might be able to do better. preparations under way for
:16:52. > :16:56.tomorrow's Youth Cup final, those at the top pick the bones. We were
:16:56. > :17:01.one of the top 10 richest clubs in the country, because we do not owe
:17:01. > :17:08.any money. That is pretty unique. We do not have an overdraft, but
:17:08. > :17:12.that comes with difficulties, that means we cannot just open the
:17:12. > :17:21.cheque book. With unstinting support from the fans, there is
:17:21. > :17:25.very much a feeling of, we have done it before, we will do it again.
:17:25. > :17:29.Meanwhile, a nervous final day of the League Two season for two key
:17:29. > :17:32.United. They have to win at Hereford and hope Crawley Town
:17:32. > :17:39.slip-up at Accrington Stanley. Hereford also have to win to stay
:17:39. > :17:44.in the Football League. It all seemed to be going Torquay's
:17:44. > :17:48.way when they had the second half lead against Crewe Alexandra.
:17:48. > :17:54.Crawley were losing against Hereford, so a win would have put
:17:54. > :17:59.them two points clear in third place. With 14 minutes to go, the
:17:59. > :18:05.gods smiled on Torquay again. But the goalkeeper guessed correctly to
:18:05. > :18:11.save the penalty. Then, the cruellest of blows. The last minute
:18:11. > :18:16.of stoppage time, Crewe Alexandra's top-scorer was on hand to fire them
:18:16. > :18:20.level and leave Torquay's fate out of their own hands. We should have
:18:20. > :18:25.been bolder and gone for a second one, but this is the business end
:18:25. > :18:29.of the season. Thanks to the fans, we knew that Hereford were winning
:18:29. > :18:37.comfortably, so we knew it was an opportunity. We did not take it
:18:37. > :18:40.today. But we live to fight another day. This late header salvaged a
:18:40. > :18:45.point for Plymouth Argyle as they drew 2-2 at Morecambe. They
:18:45. > :18:53.consolidated their place in League Two. In League One, late drama at
:18:53. > :18:59.The Oval. This sort Yeovil Town comeback from 2-1 down to beat
:18:59. > :19:06.Chesterfield 3-2, and condemn the Derbyshire side to relegation.
:19:06. > :19:10.Plymouth Raiders basketball season has petered out as they failed to
:19:10. > :19:15.reach the play-off semi-finals. Taking a lead to Glasgow Rocks, not
:19:15. > :19:21.even Gavin Love could prevent the Scottish side from overtaking their
:19:21. > :19:25.advantage. Glasgow one, 80-60 on the night, to go through on
:19:25. > :19:30.aggregate. Cornish yachtsman Sam Goodchild and
:19:30. > :19:33.his co-skipper Nick Cherry have moved up to fifth place in the
:19:33. > :19:38.Transat AG2R yacht race. They set sail from the French coast nine
:19:38. > :19:43.days ago. They are the youngest competitors and the only British
:19:43. > :19:48.entrants, which Finnis used in St Barts. They moved up from eighth
:19:48. > :19:52.place to fifth place, just 30 miles behind the leaders. They have
:19:52. > :19:57.another 2000 miles to sail to the finish.
:19:57. > :20:02.Finally, do not forget Late Kick Off on BBC One at 11:05pm. We will
:20:02. > :20:11.show you pictures of Exeter City's defeat at Carlisle, which sent them
:20:11. > :20:14.down to lead to. -- League Two.
:20:14. > :20:18.The first Battalion Scots Guards have paid a special visit to the
:20:18. > :20:23.small Cornish village of foxhole to play the bagpipes to a boy. They
:20:23. > :20:33.made the trip after they heard that Garvey Evans, who has a brain
:20:33. > :20:38.
:20:38. > :20:42.tumour, and loves the sound of the The weather held and they arrived
:20:42. > :20:47.like something from a dream. Magnificent in tartan. The Scots
:20:47. > :20:54.Guards turned up the volume in all their glory, in the quiet village
:20:54. > :21:02.of Foxhole, to visit the home of a special boy. Absolutely fantastic.
:21:02. > :21:08.It really is. Especially to have them playing for me. It is
:21:08. > :21:18.wonderful. He had written to them to ask for a signed photograph. He
:21:18. > :21:23.got much more than that. Thank you. It is not something we do every day.
:21:23. > :21:29.We are training for operations. We are in London this weekend, so we
:21:29. > :21:37.thought, we are halfway they, -- halfway there, we can show a bit of
:21:37. > :21:42.effort. He has been diagnosed with a brain tumour. He is determined to
:21:42. > :21:49.live his life to the full. They said when I am better, they would
:21:49. > :21:58.invite me to the barracks to drive some vehicles and shoots and guns!
:21:58. > :22:04.Why do you like bagpipes? It is a lovely sound. It is really, really
:22:04. > :22:12.calming and peaceful. Might you have a go at playing them yourself?
:22:12. > :22:19.I could try! He took the lead as they left. Drums and pipers, by the
:22:19. > :22:24.centre, quick march! They have come all the way down just to play for
:22:24. > :22:34.May. It means a lot. Next time he marches, it will be to carry the
:22:34. > :22:40.
:22:40. > :22:50.Olympic torch. He has been chosen A lovely surprise for him. A signed
:22:50. > :22:55.More of the same? Yes, but there is some good news.
:22:55. > :23:00.It gets drier later in the week. It is the wettest April since 1910. We
:23:00. > :23:08.are not out of the month just yet. The rainfall yesterday was enough
:23:08. > :23:12.to push it over the edge. Liscombe was the wettest place. We have more
:23:12. > :23:16.wet weather to come tonight, another warning from the Met Office,
:23:16. > :23:24.particularly across Devon, Somerset and Dorset. Heavy rain later
:23:24. > :23:32.tonight. If that is not enough, we have also had some strong wind.
:23:32. > :23:36.Thankfully, it is now dropping. If you are worried about your river
:23:36. > :23:46.level, there is a flat line number. There are many flood warnings at
:23:46. > :23:48.
:23:48. > :23:53.Why have we seen the wet weather? We have got low pressure, and it is
:23:53. > :23:57.beginning to move away over the next few days. It is a swirl of
:23:57. > :24:02.cloud. It is an engine to generate the rain, and it continues to
:24:02. > :24:09.produce rain overnight. Some very wet weather across southern parts
:24:09. > :24:13.of England later tonight, hence the warning. It has moved away, and
:24:13. > :24:18.later tomorrow, it starts to brighten up. On Wednesday, it
:24:18. > :24:23.begins to move away. For the rest of the week, a lot of dry weather,
:24:23. > :24:29.a chance to clear up and for the rivers to subside. We are between
:24:29. > :24:33.bands of rain at the moment. It will push its way westwards and
:24:33. > :24:38.northwards. The brighter colours, the heavier bands coming later in
:24:38. > :24:43.the night. In the early hours, we could see some wet weather. The
:24:43. > :24:48.exception, the far west of Cornwall. It is less windy overnight tonight,
:24:48. > :24:52.and it is relatively mild. Tomorrow, early rain beginning to peter out
:24:52. > :24:57.by lunchtime. Then, a clearance from the south and east. We might
:24:57. > :25:03.even get some sunshine through the afternoon tomorrow. The main area
:25:03. > :25:11.of wet-weather has moved quite a long way away from us. It is
:25:11. > :25:21.feeling a bit warmer, and brighter conditions and less windy. For the
:25:21. > :25:25.
:25:25. > :25:35.Isles of Scilly, a damp start, then The north coast will have the
:25:35. > :25:38.
:25:38. > :25:46.cleanest surfing. The wind becomes mainly south-easterly. The
:25:46. > :25:50.visibility improves. It is a lot more dry and bright on Wednesday.
:25:50. > :25:54.It will feel quite warm in sunshine. Similar conditions on Thursday,
:25:54. > :26:04.although it clouds over through the day. The possibility of patchy rain
:26:04. > :26:05.
:26:05. > :26:09.on Friday. Watch out for the wet Tomorrow, the Queen and Duke of
:26:09. > :26:13.Edinburgh start a visit to the area, they will be in Sherborne, and we
:26:13. > :26:18.will have coverage of that. On Wednesday, we come live from Exeter
:26:18. > :26:21.as the couple does it the city. They will also be in The Oval and