:00:14. > :00:18.No white Christmas yet but the weather is making its presence felt
:00:19. > :00:24.from destruction to disruption and there are still hours to go.
:00:25. > :00:27.Good evening. The wind and the rain began to hit Cornwall this morning.
:00:28. > :00:30.The difficult conditions ` set to continue until midnight. As rivers
:00:31. > :00:39.burst their banks, the clock ticks for travellers trying to get away. I
:00:40. > :00:46.am going up to the Midlands to see family.
:00:47. > :00:49.A care home in Cornwall closers. The owners of the Holywell Bay Nursing
:00:50. > :00:51.home have gone into voluntary liquidation.
:00:52. > :00:53.And a prominent figure in the South West's Chinese community is fined
:00:54. > :01:00.for employing illegal waiters. High winds and torrential rain have
:01:01. > :01:03.battered the South West causing widespread disruption and
:01:04. > :01:06.forecasters say there are still some hours before calmer conditions
:01:07. > :01:10.arrive. A severe flood warning remains in place in Weymouth
:01:11. > :01:14.tonight. Meanwhile many people trying to get away for Christmas say
:01:15. > :01:17.it's been a day of frustration and confusion. A vast number of train
:01:18. > :01:21.services have been affected and there have been problems on the
:01:22. > :01:23.roads. Thousands of homes have been without power. Spotlight's Andrea
:01:24. > :01:37.Ormsby is at Plymouth railway station for us tonight. Andrea. It
:01:38. > :01:42.is still raining and windy out here. It is, now but earlier it was chaos
:01:43. > :01:48.here. Every train in and out via has been laid the services tonight will
:01:49. > :01:55.be let also. The weather has taken its toll on the south`west today.
:01:56. > :01:59.Bearing the brunt of the storm. The south`west has been hit hardest
:02:00. > :02:02.today by high winds and heavy rain. The weather has caused havoc for the
:02:03. > :02:10.transport network forcing ferry crossings between Plymouth to be
:02:11. > :02:15.cancelled. The problems have been on the railways. The tree blocked the
:02:16. > :02:18.line between Taunton and Tiverton. Flooding and single `` signal
:02:19. > :02:28.problems have affected branch line services. A 50 mph speed limit means
:02:29. > :02:31.delays across`the`board. Going up to the Midlands to see family.
:02:32. > :02:39.Hopefully the train will get their OK. Will keep up with travel
:02:40. > :02:46.updates. And hoping I will get home without the trains stopping. We have
:02:47. > :02:59.decided to get the earliest train we can. The wind is much stronger. It
:03:00. > :03:03.is better than snow. Here is an idea of how strong the wind has been.
:03:04. > :03:13.This is the roof of a garage at the back of this pub. It happened at
:03:14. > :03:20.8:30am when the roof blew off. It went into the middle of the road.
:03:21. > :03:27.The owner was shocked to start with. We had to block everything up. It is
:03:28. > :03:35.closed today. Market Street will be closed until safety issues are
:03:36. > :03:40.resolved. On the roads, drivers are being warned to take extra care with
:03:41. > :03:44.a lot of surface water making conditions has stores in places.
:03:45. > :03:50.There are flood warnings across the region and one severe flood warning
:03:51. > :03:54.in Weymouth. More than 3000 are without electricity in Cornwall and
:03:55. > :03:59.Devon. Western Power says the cuts have been caused by 94 separate
:04:00. > :04:03.incidents or relating to the weather. I have been out in this
:04:04. > :04:08.weather all day today and have driven the length of Devon. In
:04:09. > :04:12.heavily, the wind was so strong I could not stand up. On the roads,
:04:13. > :04:18.there is plenty of surface water. Don't go out unless you have to and
:04:19. > :04:22.if you go out, go with extra care. You can check your BBC website where
:04:23. > :04:27.you live and your local radio station. BBC Radio Devon and
:04:28. > :04:33.Cornwall have got special programmes to keep you across all the latest
:04:34. > :04:36.travel information. A care home in Cornwall is to close,
:04:37. > :04:41.and families of the 30 residents there say they have just a few days
:04:42. > :04:44.to find them somewhere new to live. Newport Care Limited, which owns the
:04:45. > :04:48.Holywell Bay Nursing Home near Newquay, is going into voluntary
:04:49. > :04:51.liquidation. NHS Kernow and Cornwall Council say they are working with
:04:52. > :04:59.the families to find alternative homes.
:05:00. > :05:03.Many of the residents of the Holywell Bay Nursing Home suffer
:05:04. > :05:08.from dementia and have complex needs. Their families were told just
:05:09. > :05:11.last Friday that the home would be closing and they would need to find
:05:12. > :05:17.new accommodation for their loved ones. Families believe they have one
:05:18. > :05:24.week to make the move. It is beyond cruel. I don't know how it came to
:05:25. > :05:28.be so close to Christmas. There must have been signs and somebody must
:05:29. > :05:32.have known the situation and yet it was only on Friday that we knew
:05:33. > :05:42.about it. Then it was 11 days notice. There are two weekends and
:05:43. > :05:46.Christmas week, of course. This lady is concerned about her 89`year`old
:05:47. > :05:57.father who has vascular dementia. Today they were at the area for a
:05:58. > :06:00.meeting with authorities. I was reassured and the plans that they
:06:01. > :06:05.have been able to implement and the measures they are putting in place
:06:06. > :06:17.are satisfactory. They are clearing up a huge mess that Newport have put
:06:18. > :06:22.them in. Newport Care Limited will not allow filming. They referred all
:06:23. > :06:24.questions to the insolvency firm handling the liquidation. In a
:06:25. > :06:55.statement it said: Relatives say they have been told
:06:56. > :07:00.the home will shut next week. There is also concern for the future of
:07:01. > :07:02.the 40 staff and carers who relatives have praised for their
:07:03. > :07:05.dedication. A leading figure in the south west's
:07:06. > :07:10.Chinese community has been ordered by a judge to pay ?50,000 for
:07:11. > :07:13.employing illegal waiters. Martin Li who's a former Chairman of the Devon
:07:14. > :07:17.and Cornwall Chinese Association has run a number of restaurants in East
:07:18. > :07:28.Devon. He was charged after raids by UK Border Agency Staff. Hamish
:07:29. > :07:32.Marshall reports. Martin Li left court after being fined ?50,000
:07:33. > :07:36.after employing what his barrister said were two illegal workers who
:07:37. > :07:40.flip `` slipped through the net. He is one of the most high`profile
:07:41. > :07:46.businessman in the region and owns this restaurant and others in Exeter
:07:47. > :07:53.and Exmouth. The court was told of raids on his restaurants. In 2006
:07:54. > :07:57.and 2007. There, they found two members of staff who were not
:07:58. > :08:01.permitted to work in the UK. When he was interviewed, he refused to
:08:02. > :08:11.comment and at his trial, he pleaded not guilty. Martin Li has often
:08:12. > :08:15.acted as a spokesman for the Chinese community as multicultural events.
:08:16. > :08:18.After a previous raid, he told us that his community was being
:08:19. > :08:25.unfairly targeted by the UK border agency. We feel very strongly about
:08:26. > :08:31.the raid in the Chinese restaurant and takeaway which was very
:08:32. > :08:35.heavy`handed. He asked to pay ?20,000 for the benefits he begged
:08:36. > :08:41.`` gained from employing illegal staff and he was fined ?10,000 each
:08:42. > :08:45.worker. The judge told him, for years you have been a reputable
:08:46. > :08:50.businessman doing business to a high standard. I accept these cases slip
:08:51. > :08:54.through the net but they are very serious slips and that the fines
:08:55. > :08:59.have to be substantial. The UK border agency and a special unit of
:09:00. > :09:04.Devon and Cornwall police incorporated on the case. The
:09:05. > :09:07.outcome shows that it is the responsibility of the employer to
:09:08. > :09:12.check an individual 's entitlement to taking employment in the UK.
:09:13. > :09:15.Those checks are clearly laid down on the Home Office website for
:09:16. > :09:22.employers with certain documentation that they must check and accord to
:09:23. > :09:27.prove they are entitled to work. He has three months to pay his fines.
:09:28. > :09:30.An investigation into an incident at a special school in Devon in which
:09:31. > :09:33.police officers used a taser on three teenage boys with complex
:09:34. > :09:36.learning difficulties, is to be supervised by the Independent Police
:09:37. > :09:39.Complaints Commission. Officers were called to Chelfham Senior School,
:09:40. > :09:44.near Plymouth, on December first following reports of an alleged
:09:45. > :09:48.assault on a teacher. The boys, all aged 14 or 15, were later charged
:09:49. > :09:53.with affray. Fares on most train services in the
:09:54. > :09:57.south west are to go up by just over 3%. First Great Western says all its
:09:58. > :10:00.fares will rise on Janaury first. Earlier this month the Chancellor
:10:01. > :10:04.took the industry by surprise, capping the average increase to the
:10:05. > :10:07.rate of inflation. There are calls for tougher fines
:10:08. > :10:12.for anyone whose pet attacks a guide dog after a recent incident in the
:10:13. > :10:16.Mid Devon village of Uffculme. While there are laws requiring owners to
:10:17. > :10:25.keep their dogs under control, its claimed they don't go far enough.
:10:26. > :10:32.Tilly is still shaken up to revisit the spot where she and her guide dog
:10:33. > :10:39.were ambushed. They were walking in Uffculme when a dog leapt out of an
:10:40. > :10:46.open window and attacked her German Shepherd. It was horrendous because
:10:47. > :10:53.you know your dog is being hurt and you can't do a thing about it. After
:10:54. > :11:06.the police, we went to the vet and she was peppered all over with bytes
:11:07. > :11:09.and she had a bite on her chest. Quinn was so traumatised by the
:11:10. > :11:15.attack she has had to be retired from service. In the short`term, her
:11:16. > :11:20.husband, Tony, has assumed the role. You have to be able look ahead for
:11:21. > :11:26.curbs and broken pavements and branches overhead kneeling down,
:11:27. > :11:31.anything that `` anything like that that might impede a blind person.
:11:32. > :11:39.Trouble is my mind wanders off to other things. I am not as good as a
:11:40. > :11:42.guide dog. Nationally, ten guide dogs and reportedly attacked leading
:11:43. > :11:48.to calls for a change in the law. Tilly now has the support her local
:11:49. > :11:51.MP, seen here on the left, in pushing for tougher financial
:11:52. > :11:58.penalties for anyone whose pet attacks a guide dog. Dogs that are
:11:59. > :12:09.not under control and have a tendency to be aggressive, if they
:12:10. > :12:16.do attack, then I think there should be certain measures to stop it
:12:17. > :12:19.happening again. Quinn has been re`homed with family friends but
:12:20. > :12:25.every time a guide dog is retired as a result of an attack, it costs the
:12:26. > :12:29.charity ?50,000 to replace. If you've just joined us ` welcome
:12:30. > :12:33.to Spotlight from the BBC. Still to come on our last full programme
:12:34. > :12:37.before Christmas. We've reported on them all year but
:12:38. > :12:45.a foodbank brings a special Christmas gift. God bless these
:12:46. > :12:46.guys. The kids love it as more because they have their little hats
:12:47. > :12:54.on. And from the new to the old ` a
:12:55. > :12:58.fresh sound to Christmas before we hear our final carol.
:12:59. > :13:04.Onto the sport and Dave's here with the final round`up before Christmas.
:13:05. > :13:11.First, football how did Yeovil get on Dave ` good news? I'm afraid not.
:13:12. > :13:14.Yeovil Town failed to stretch their unbeaten run in the Championship
:13:15. > :13:18.following a one goal loss to Blackburn Rovers at Huish Park.
:13:19. > :13:22.Jordan Rhodes struck in the second half to keep the Glovers next`to`the
:13:23. > :13:25.bottom of the standings. Again, they can count themselves unlucky after
:13:26. > :13:26.they twice hit the framework, leaving their manager a little
:13:27. > :13:39.frustrated. We are not too disappointed. We are
:13:40. > :13:44.not devastated. We are disappointed to have lost a point. They are still
:13:45. > :13:46.learning and we will keep going. In League Two, Aaron Downes gave
:13:47. > :13:49.Torquay United tail`to`tail victories to take them out of the
:13:50. > :13:51.relegation spots. This one at Dagenham and Redbridge with the
:13:52. > :13:55.centre`back scoring just after half`time. The Gulls now look for a
:13:56. > :13:58.hat`trick in Boxing Day's home duel with Bristol Rovers. There was a
:13:59. > :14:02.pick`me`up for Plymouth Argyle at Home Park against Bury. Keelan
:14:03. > :14:05.Lavery and Reuben Reid gave the Pilgrims a 2`1 winning result, the
:14:06. > :14:11.perfect tonic ahead of Boxing Day's test at second`placed Oxford.
:14:12. > :14:14.Exeter City's home form let them down again as leaders Chesterfield
:14:15. > :14:16.beat them two`nil on Friday night to leave them five points adrift of the
:14:17. > :14:31.play`off pack. There are moments when they out
:14:32. > :14:36.powered us. It doesn't happen too often but we have to make it doesn't
:14:37. > :14:39.happen going forward as often as it has done in the last week or two.
:14:40. > :14:42.Exeter Chiefs have gone up to fifth in rugby's Premiership with a
:14:43. > :14:45.hard`fought 16`3 win over Newcastle Falcons at Sandy Park. After three
:14:46. > :14:48.Gareth Steenson penalties put the Chiefs 9`0 ahead, the only try came
:14:49. > :14:53.from scrum half Haydn Thomas. He danced his way over to end Exeter's
:14:54. > :14:56.run of five defeats in a row in league and cup and set them up for
:14:57. > :15:00.Harlequins at Twickenham next Saturday.
:15:01. > :15:03.Penzance and Newlyn's Olympic and World Championship rower Helen
:15:04. > :15:07.Glover could be reunited with her Olympic pairs partner Heather
:15:08. > :15:12.Stanning from Yeovil. They won Britain's first gold medal at the
:15:13. > :15:15.2012 London Games. Since then, Heather returned to her Army post
:15:16. > :15:20.and Polly Swann stepped into her shoes to achieve more success with
:15:21. > :15:22.Helen. But Glover found herself taking on more responsibility and
:15:23. > :15:34.now Stanning is back training full`time. Whether I wrote with
:15:35. > :15:43.Helen again or not, we will wait and see. `` whether I ride. She is a
:15:44. > :15:47.fantastic athlete and she definitely brings the best out of me. I am
:15:48. > :15:51.looking forward to training with her again. All it remains for me to say
:15:52. > :15:59.is have a lovely Christmas and a very happy New Year.
:16:00. > :16:02.Good luck to all our teams over the festive period. Now a family from
:16:03. > :16:04.Cornwall whose triplets were born thirteen weeks prematurely have
:16:05. > :16:08.recently celebrated their fifth birthdays. Parents Sam and Andrew
:16:09. > :16:13.Paciuszko from Truro were warned their children only had a thirty per
:16:14. > :16:17.cent chance of survival. Well they defied the odds and the
:16:18. > :16:25.triplets are proving to be quite a handful for mum and dad. John Danks
:16:26. > :16:30.reports. At birth, they were tiny and fighting for life. Now, five
:16:31. > :16:35.years on, they are big and absolutely full of it. Harry, Martha
:16:36. > :16:40.and EV weighed around ?2 when they were born. Due to a lack of beds,
:16:41. > :16:46.they spent weeks apart receiving specialist treatment at three
:16:47. > :16:52.different hospitals. They had a whole host of medical problems.
:16:53. > :16:57.Thanks to the medical staff, they are all here to tell the tale all
:16:58. > :17:04.fit and fighting well, other than coughs and colds. We filmed them
:17:05. > :17:07.after they were allowed home. I remember the first night with them
:17:08. > :17:13.being here. Two of them were still on oxygen so we were paranoid of
:17:14. > :17:19.what to do. We were doing things on our own for the first time. It was a
:17:20. > :17:24.bit scary. We revisited them again on their first birthday. Mum and dad
:17:25. > :17:30.now fully in the swing of childcare. It is a constant round of feeding,
:17:31. > :17:36.sterilising, changing. It is endless. They wouldn't have it any
:17:37. > :17:42.other way and now with the children attending schools, the normality of
:17:43. > :17:46.family life is something they cherish. Part of it seems a distant
:17:47. > :17:53.memory. Five years has flown past. I am so grateful for the help that we
:17:54. > :17:59.had. We are really lucky. It is hard work but, yes, we came out the lucky
:18:00. > :18:03.side of it. Now their birthdays or out of the way, they are turning
:18:04. > :18:07.their attention to that other special day in the calendar.
:18:08. > :18:12.More than 200 families in Cornwall who are struggling to buy food this
:18:13. > :18:16.Christmas will get a free Christmas meal this year, thanks to a local
:18:17. > :18:19.charity. The food bank in Camborne is delivering a turkey, mince pies
:18:20. > :18:20.and Christmas pudding to people who can't afford food or presents.
:18:21. > :18:30.Eleanor Parkinson reports. Volunteers have been busy for
:18:31. > :18:34.several weeks putting together the perfect Christmas meal. This year
:18:35. > :18:39.they are helping more than 200 farmers who they say of facing a
:18:40. > :18:48.bleak Christmas. We have put the level at 200 and we have 227 but we
:18:49. > :18:53.could have done 500. It is a big problem but as you can see, we can't
:18:54. > :19:04.do any more. Each box will include the things that we all enjoyed.
:19:05. > :19:10.Actions `` a Christmas pudding, Christmas cake and chocolate is.
:19:11. > :19:18.Donations were still rolling in. 200 Christmas puddings from a local
:19:19. > :19:23.company. Meals were complete with a Christmas turkey. We plan what we
:19:24. > :19:29.are going to eat and the nice things that we are going to do and for some
:19:30. > :19:34.families, that not possible. People ought to be able to worry a little
:19:35. > :19:40.less and enjoy themselves a little bit more. Chris and his family will
:19:41. > :19:54.be getting a meal. He is unemployed and a single parent. God bless these
:19:55. > :19:59.guys. They wear Christmas hats and it is bringing a smile to my
:20:00. > :20:04.children's faces. 60,000 people in the country will be relying on food
:20:05. > :20:08.banks over the festive period. This food bank will be doing all it can
:20:09. > :20:16.to make sure no one in their area goes hungry this Christmas.
:20:17. > :20:20.For every top ten Christmas songs, there is a poll of the worse. If
:20:21. > :20:26.you're not a fan of the Christmas tape in shopping centres, maybe we
:20:27. > :20:29.can bring you some chair. Well children at Broadclyst Primary
:20:30. > :20:32.School near Exeter have been in good voice singing a new Christmas song
:20:33. > :20:35.which has been written by a local composer. Johnny Rutherford has been
:20:36. > :20:40.along to hear the latest festive tune.
:20:41. > :20:55.# Gather round, tonight is the night. New music for new voices. The
:20:56. > :20:59.song has been written by local composers from Exeter. I was
:21:00. > :21:05.thinking about my grandchildren and wanted to write a song for them at
:21:06. > :21:08.Christmas. I got together with Hannah and we wrote this little
:21:09. > :21:14.tune. The children loved it, they sang it at their school and the
:21:15. > :21:35.schools have now taken it on. What is refreshing is they have
:21:36. > :21:39.thought about the lyrics. It is really exciting and we are thinking
:21:40. > :21:45.about what is happening but we are also thinking about people that
:21:46. > :21:54.don't get what we get on Christmas Day. It is part of joining hands to
:21:55. > :22:03.sing for love and peace. We should enjoy the time that we get to spend
:22:04. > :22:07.with our family. That so many other Christmas songs that are cheesy and
:22:08. > :22:16.all of the carols that come out so it has been a gift to put this into
:22:17. > :22:22.the carol concert programmes. You might hear more of this song in a
:22:23. > :22:34.future as touted as an American publishing house has signed it up.
:22:35. > :22:48.Good evening. We have seen the wet and windy weather across the region
:22:49. > :22:52.today. There is still some heavy rain to come for a time tonight but
:22:53. > :22:57.it should ease off for tomorrow morning. Let us have a look at the
:22:58. > :23:04.radar. You can see the rain across the region. It has eased for parts
:23:05. > :23:17.of the region. We will see some more wet weather over the next few hours.
:23:18. > :23:20.There is still a potential for strong gusts of wind as you go
:23:21. > :23:25.through tonight. We have weather warnings for the wind. There will be
:23:26. > :23:31.a lot of water still on the road tonight if you're concerned about
:23:32. > :23:36.flooding. Keep an eye on the Environment Agency website. They
:23:37. > :23:41.have a flood warning map. He is the deep area of low pressure that has
:23:42. > :23:45.brought us this wet and windy weather. Some active weather fronts
:23:46. > :23:48.in there and we will see another weather front pushing that rain in
:23:49. > :23:52.for a time this evening. It is clear to the east by tomorrow lunchtime.
:23:53. > :23:58.The wind will not be as strong. There is some showers for tomorrow
:23:59. > :24:02.but there would be some bright weather in between. For Christmas
:24:03. > :24:06.Day, the wind is much lighter. Some cooler weather for the middle part
:24:07. > :24:15.of the week or so. Tonight, still some heavy bursts of rain to come
:24:16. > :24:20.for a time. There is still some showers into the early evening.
:24:21. > :24:22.There is some stronger wind but overall the breeze should ease
:24:23. > :24:28.tomorrow morning. We have clearer skies and temperatures will drop to
:24:29. > :24:32.five Celsius for inland. Tomorrow morning, we will have some dry and
:24:33. > :24:37.bright weather. The winds are blustery with the showers. There is
:24:38. > :24:42.the risk of some hail and some of the showers will turn to sleet over
:24:43. > :24:48.the higher ground of the region. Overall, the wind not as strong as
:24:49. > :24:53.today and a cooler field to tomorrow. Temperatures around seven
:24:54. > :24:57.Celsius. For the Isles of Scilly, Strom `` some strong winds here with
:24:58. > :25:16.some blustery showers. Some bright spells in between.
:25:17. > :25:27.Out at sea, we have some squally showers and these winds are coming
:25:28. > :25:34.from the south`west. Unsettled weather is staying with us. For
:25:35. > :25:39.Christmas Day, we have some cooler temperatures and some sleet showers
:25:40. > :25:44.across the moors. Boxing Day, again a mixture of sunshine and showers.
:25:45. > :25:46.Friday, we are looking at some wet and windy weather.
:25:47. > :25:51.Well that's it from us on the last full length Spotlight programme of
:25:52. > :25:54.2013, but before we go tonight we have another of the carols sung by
:25:55. > :25:58.choirs from our four counties. We leave you this evening with the
:25:59. > :26:00.University of Exeter Chapel Choir singing one of the traditional
:26:01. > :26:07.favourites, O Little Town of Bethlehem. Goodnight.