:00:00. > :00:10.goodbye from me. On BBC One we now join the BBC's news teams where
:00:11. > :00:17.The sex offenders, including rapists, who have received a police
:00:18. > :00:20.caution instead of going to court. Good evening. Devon and Cornwall
:00:21. > :00:47.Police have defended the action, but tonight there's anger from victim
:00:48. > :00:51.support groups. It does send out a disturbing message.
:00:52. > :00:54.Also tonight: The full scale of trouble at Eden, but now the
:00:55. > :00:57.attraction's fighting back and says it's turned a corner.
:00:58. > :01:00.And the lowest supplies of fish in years lead to the highest prices, as
:01:01. > :01:03.trawlers shelter from the storms. Victims groups have voiced concern
:01:04. > :01:06.at the number of police cautions given for sex crimes in Devon and
:01:07. > :01:10.Cornwall, instead of taking the cases to court. The BBC has found
:01:11. > :01:13.more than 500 cautions have been given in the past six years. 28 were
:01:14. > :01:17.for rape. The police say cautions are only given in a minority of
:01:18. > :01:20.cases, and taking into account the victim's wishes. Our home affairs
:01:21. > :01:23.correspondent Simon Hall reports. The police have previously been
:01:24. > :01:26.criticised for using cautions too readily in dealing with serious
:01:27. > :01:32.crimes when taking an offender to court may be more appropriate. That
:01:33. > :01:36.debate has been reopened. The Government says cautions should be
:01:37. > :01:39.used for minor crimes like graffiti. An offender must admit the crime.
:01:40. > :01:42.Cautions aren't criminal convictions, but are recorded and
:01:43. > :01:47.can be used as evidence of bad character. Using the Freedom of
:01:48. > :01:56.Information Act, we found cautions have been used more than 500 times
:01:57. > :01:59.in the last six years. By Devon and Cornwall police for sex offences.
:02:00. > :02:03.Almost 30 of those were for rape cases. These crimes have the most
:02:04. > :02:07.devastating impact on the victim and in all of these discussions that we
:02:08. > :02:11.have, it is so often the victim who is forgotten and it is the victims
:02:12. > :02:17.who live with the consequences of these vile crimes committed against
:02:18. > :02:21.them. We need all of us to be treating this situation more
:02:22. > :02:29.seriously. A caution in this situation does not convey the
:02:30. > :02:32.seriousness of this crime. The head of public protection in Devon and
:02:33. > :02:35.Cornwall told me only senior officers could authorise the use of
:02:36. > :02:43.cautions and only after careful examination of a case. All of these
:02:44. > :02:46.crimes are treated very seriously. When we talk about rape, we are only
:02:47. > :02:50.talking about three offences last year. I have to say that we only use
:02:51. > :02:53.cautions in the minority of offences and would have to take into
:02:54. > :02:57.consideration all of the details of the offence, the offender's
:02:58. > :03:04.background and the victim's wishes. Once we have considered all of that
:03:05. > :03:09.we will only make the decision then. We `` can you can you guarantee
:03:10. > :03:21.these cases are all invested seriously? We will look at all
:03:22. > :03:24.cases. The government has announced an overhaul of the policy on
:03:25. > :03:30.cautions, saying they should no longer be used for serious cases and
:03:31. > :03:37.that includes rape and a range of sexual offences against Jordan. ``
:03:38. > :03:40.against children. One of the South West's most well
:03:41. > :03:43.known tourist attractions has reported its worst ever financial
:03:44. > :03:47.loss for the year up to March 2013. The Eden Project is blaming London
:03:48. > :03:50.2012, a bad summer and the economic climate. But as our business
:03:51. > :04:00.correspondent Neil Gallacher reports, it says it is now back in
:04:01. > :04:04.profit. The tour season has fewer low points than a wet Wednesday in
:04:05. > :04:09.January. Even today was as quiet as you would expect and its latest
:04:10. > :04:17.account for the past year shows it has had some very quiet times. The
:04:18. > :04:20.headline figure shows a loss of ?6.3 million but the underlying position
:04:21. > :04:25.isn't that bad. The key figure is a trading loss of 1.3 million, the
:04:26. > :04:30.worst ever, but crucially even says that this year there will be a
:04:31. > :04:35.trading profit of at least ?2 million. Eden's badly needed
:04:36. > :04:40.turnaround has been achieved by painful belt tightening. It has cut
:04:41. > :04:45.jobs and moved people do flexible contracts, sold some surplus land
:04:46. > :04:51.and it has found ways to get more spent per visitor out of the 900,000
:04:52. > :04:57.or so who did come. Eden's bosses say they have made it through a bad
:04:58. > :05:00.patch. It was our most difficult period that we have had, the
:05:01. > :05:06.blackest period since the project was born. We have learnt from it and
:05:07. > :05:13.we are now in a much more solid state going forward. Eden was built
:05:14. > :05:18.on vast sums of public money, over ?100 million of grant at the turn of
:05:19. > :05:22.the century. Amongst some other tourist attractions in Cornwall,
:05:23. > :05:27.there is scepticism about how cost`effective Eden has been, but no
:05:28. > :05:34.one we spoke to today would like to see the back of Eden. I think it is
:05:35. > :05:40.time they stood up on the Rome, the same as any other business. You
:05:41. > :05:46.wouldn't want to see them closed? I wouldn't. I think with a slightly
:05:47. > :05:52.different approach to what they are doing, they could attract more
:05:53. > :05:56.people. Even at around 900,000 visitors a year, Eden is bringing in
:05:57. > :06:03.more than any other Southwest attraction has done. I think Eden is
:06:04. > :06:09.a fantastic success story. We are all aware of the modern problems but
:06:10. > :06:15.it has been good for Cornwall, it has identified Cornwall as a massive
:06:16. > :06:18.attraction and extended our season. Eden's days of multi`million`pound
:06:19. > :06:24.grants looked to be over but it is still alive and kicking.
:06:25. > :06:27.A man working for South West Water has been found dead at a sewage
:06:28. > :06:30.works in Cornwall. 54`year`old Robert Geach from Falmouth was found
:06:31. > :06:33.in a filtration tank at the town's sewage works on the 30th of
:06:34. > :06:37.December. A joint police and Health and Safety Executive investigation
:06:38. > :06:40.is under way. South West Water says it's working with the authorities
:06:41. > :06:45.and its thoughts are with Mr Geach's family and friends.
:06:46. > :06:48.Plans for a new homeless hostel in Cornwall are likely to be shelved
:06:49. > :06:52.because of budget pressures, according to the council. The number
:06:53. > :06:56.of people sleeping rough in the county has risen by 50% since 2012
:06:57. > :07:00.and places such as churches have been used as temporary night
:07:01. > :07:03.shelters. The hostel would have annual running costs of half a
:07:04. > :07:09.million pounds, and some councillors argue the money would be better
:07:10. > :07:12.spent on homeless charities. Coming up, a helping hand from actor
:07:13. > :07:16.Nigel Havers for a scheme to encourage older people to make new
:07:17. > :07:20.friends. The next challenge for sailor Sir
:07:21. > :07:24.Ben Ainslie, which will take him all over the world.
:07:25. > :07:31.And singer Seth Lakeman, drawing inspiration from the region's most
:07:32. > :07:34.colourful characters. Tonight there's a severe weather
:07:35. > :07:38.warning still in place for rain, with more concern over flooding on
:07:39. > :07:42.already saturated ground. It comes as homes and businesses right across
:07:43. > :07:47.the region try to clear up from the storms that have battered the south
:07:48. > :07:50.west over the past few weeks. The entire coastline has been hit hard.
:07:51. > :07:54.In Porthtowan, where coastal erosion is already a problem, there are
:07:55. > :07:58.calls for more to be done to shore up the dunes, and protect the
:07:59. > :08:01.village. Inland near Staverton, work has started to repair a steam
:08:02. > :08:07.railway which was damaged in a landslide. But first to Plymouth,
:08:08. > :08:11.where only one trawler ventured out in the stormy seas this week. And as
:08:12. > :08:21.Anna Varle reports, it's resulted in some cashing in on the bad weather.
:08:22. > :08:26.The first troll to return to Plymouth in only a week. The Miranda
:08:27. > :08:30.went out three days ago and has been the only fishing boat from the
:08:31. > :08:37.south`west at sea. Is that one of the worst kept you have known? No.
:08:38. > :08:42.We weren't risking anything stupid. It is a safe sea boat. If fishing
:08:43. > :08:48.was any worse we would have come into shelter but myself and the crew
:08:49. > :08:52.agreed to stay out. It was OK. This market is the busiest in the South
:08:53. > :08:56.West. This morning this is all that was on sale. Leaving buyers with
:08:57. > :09:02.virtually nothing. For us, it means limited stocks,
:09:03. > :09:07.first and foremost. It means we have to sell frozen, which is something
:09:08. > :09:11.we try not to do. What we do have to sell is more expensive. The poor
:09:12. > :09:17.supply of fish has also meant prices have troubled. `` have trebled.
:09:18. > :09:24.Prices are sky high. Only because there is such a small quantity. It
:09:25. > :09:30.is all very well selling at ?10 per kilo but it doesn't pay the wages of
:09:31. > :09:35.the staff we have to get in. This fish market says it hasn't seen
:09:36. > :09:42.supplies this low in years. Last year they spilled 30 tonnes of fish,
:09:43. > :09:56.this year much worse. Just 17 of these crates. It is hoped that the
:09:57. > :10:00.dramatic rise in prices won't be passed onto the consumer. Most chip
:10:01. > :10:03.shops sell fish caught at sea. It should not have too much of an
:10:04. > :10:10.effect on smaller fish and chip shops, as opposed to retail outlets.
:10:11. > :10:23.Three days at sea has paid off for the Miranda. They hope this catch
:10:24. > :10:26.will get ?25,000. The Plymouth Fishermen's Association says that
:10:27. > :10:29.this means that supplies won't rise dramatically any time soon.
:10:30. > :10:32.Work is being carried out to try to clear a heritage train line which
:10:33. > :10:42.has been blocked since Christmas due to a landslip. Residents at
:10:43. > :10:48.Porthtowan are now being urged to take their old Christmas trees to
:10:49. > :10:56.the beach to tackle the corrosion. For years these dunes at Porthtowan
:10:57. > :11:02.have been on the move. Sam has been blown onto the beach, blocking
:11:03. > :11:07.drains. People are being asked to bring their Christmas trees out to
:11:08. > :11:13.plant on that beach. The hope is that in the spring they will be able
:11:14. > :11:16.to plant grass in between, which will provide stability. This idea
:11:17. > :11:19.has been used with some success elsewhere in the country and on
:11:20. > :11:25.other beaches in the country. At the moment this sound blows straight
:11:26. > :11:29.onto the sand dunes across the road so the hope is the Christmas trees
:11:30. > :11:35.will track the sun, start to form a sand dune and then an April May,
:11:36. > :11:41.grass will hold the sand dune and stabilise it. But some local people
:11:42. > :11:45.say the dunes need more than Christmas trees. They say part of it
:11:46. > :11:49.should be sectioned off for protection and the area should be
:11:50. > :11:56.properly managed. We should remove the sand so you have a fantastic
:11:57. > :12:01.view of the beach. You can see the level over there was a natural level
:12:02. > :12:08.and if we manage that, it would mean fencing off areas with walkways and
:12:09. > :12:11.planting it up. Cornwall Council say this is just the start of a
:12:12. > :12:16.long`term management plan. Meanwhile trees have been arriving in this
:12:17. > :12:29.weekend they want volunteers with spades to come to bury them.
:12:30. > :12:32.Work is being carried out to try to clear a heritage train line which
:12:33. > :12:35.has been blocked since Christmas due to a landslip. The South Devon
:12:36. > :12:39.Railway lost out on lucrative trade over the holiday, and is now facing
:12:40. > :12:42.large bills, after mud and trees came crashing down on the line near
:12:43. > :12:45.Staverton. Our South Devon reporter John Ayers has more. This is what is
:12:46. > :12:51.left of the line for the landslip happened before Christmas. Water
:12:52. > :12:58.soaked through the growing above the line and pressure built up, sending
:12:59. > :13:05.trees and mud crashing onto the line. Work is taking place to try to
:13:06. > :13:09.clear it. Two more trees will have to come down because they are now
:13:10. > :13:18.unsafe and they will fall down if we don't chop them down. Once we have
:13:19. > :13:23.got rid of all the timber we can then start digging away at them at
:13:24. > :13:26.which has swamped the railway line. The railway is insured against
:13:27. > :13:34.landslides and lost business but there are still heavy excesses.
:13:35. > :13:38.There is always the cost of putting everything right and one thing and
:13:39. > :13:43.another, time taken dealing with this when we could be dealing with
:13:44. > :13:48.something else. Of all the places we have where we keep a careful eye on
:13:49. > :13:57.what is happening, this is the last place we expected this to occur. The
:13:58. > :14:01.trees and not have to be removed, and the ground underneath need
:14:02. > :14:05.shoring up. There is a huge amount of work to be carried out here
:14:06. > :14:14.between Buckfastleigh and Stirton at the railway is adamant it will be
:14:15. > :14:17.open in time on February 15. A scheme has been launched to reach
:14:18. > :14:20.isolated older people and help them access local facilities. Age UK
:14:21. > :14:22.Plymouth's valuing lives project uses a befriending service to
:14:23. > :14:25.encourage lonely people to meet others. It was launched by
:14:26. > :14:35.celebrities Lee Mead and Nigel Havers. Jenny Walrond was there. A
:14:36. > :14:44.rather oversized knife from the stage, along with two panto starts
:14:45. > :14:53.launching today's project. Valuing life enables people to access their
:14:54. > :14:57.committee, `` community. People that are isolated and lonely at home who
:14:58. > :15:01.may not have seen people for a long time will be befriended on a weekly
:15:02. > :15:05.basis. Someone will come around and chat and take them out and help them
:15:06. > :15:08.to a bus or to access different services, or perhaps they can come
:15:09. > :15:13.into our local centres. It has already moved people `` helps people
:15:14. > :15:18.like Perl, who was planning to move home. A volunteer helped her to a
:15:19. > :15:23.club. It is the satisfaction of knowing I am helping someone change
:15:24. > :15:26.their life and a lot of them have a lot of life experience, so for me it
:15:27. > :15:31.is inspirational to hear their stories. I think it is important
:15:32. > :15:35.they realise having a mum of a certain age you need to get out and
:15:36. > :15:41.about and not be stuck at home, otherwise I think you start to
:15:42. > :15:49.budget and it's a bad thing, so this is an important service. My two
:15:50. > :15:55.nouns, who aren't here any more, they came here in the last years of
:15:56. > :16:02.their lives, so it is a great place to come and be together. Age UK
:16:03. > :16:11.Plymouth already has 22 volunteers and it is hoped it will attract
:16:12. > :16:14.others. The Cornwall sailor Sir Ben Ainslie
:16:15. > :16:17.is to compete in the 20`14 Extreme Sailing Series. It's a global event,
:16:18. > :16:21.taking place in eight different venues around the world. Ainslie
:16:22. > :16:24.will sail in a 40`foot multi`hull, as Spotlight's Dave Gibbins reports.
:16:25. > :16:29.Sir Benes Lee has proved he is the most formidable sailor in the world.
:16:30. > :16:36.His exploits helping team USA win the America's Cup last year. It
:16:37. > :16:41.showed he can handle the biggest and the fastest yacht on the planet.
:16:42. > :16:45.While at the London boat show, a 36 rolled, who learned his trade in
:16:46. > :16:52.Cornwall and was brought up in Truro, announced another challenge.
:16:53. > :16:59.This one with the extreme series for a 40 foot multihulls, as opposed to
:17:00. > :17:05.the 73rd votes he claimed in San Francisco Bay last September. It is
:17:06. > :17:11.a different type of racing, short courses and close to the shore so it
:17:12. > :17:19.is good for the spectators, and we do a lot of races, so I guess it is
:17:20. > :17:22.a high impact type of racing. We also have some Olympic team`mates
:17:23. > :17:29.with me, so a good team and we are very much looking forward to getting
:17:30. > :17:33.back out and racing again. After sailing around by yourself it is
:17:34. > :17:38.quite refreshing to go sailing with a bigger team, so all of last year
:17:39. > :17:44.sailing in different boats with different croak, so I am looking
:17:45. > :17:49.forward to being part of this one. Singapore will host the first of the
:17:50. > :17:51.eight stages in their break, with Cardiff hosting the UK leg in
:17:52. > :17:54.August. Cornwall's historic Jamaica Inn has
:17:55. > :17:58.gone on sale because the couple who've run it for the past 40 years
:17:59. > :18:01.are planning to retire. The pub at Bolventor, was immortalised in a
:18:02. > :18:05.novel by Daphne du Maurier and is on the market for ?2 million. It was
:18:06. > :18:10.built in 1750 and it's thought smugglers used it to hide their
:18:11. > :18:14.contraband. It's taken two years, and a lot of
:18:15. > :18:18.conversations. Devon folk musician Seth Lakeman's latest project has
:18:19. > :18:20.involved him talking to some of the South West's colourful characters
:18:21. > :18:25.and turning their personal stories into songs. From tales of
:18:26. > :18:28.Bal`Maidens, young women who worked in the tin mines of Cornwall, to
:18:29. > :18:31.accounts of the Tolpuddle Martyrs from Dorset, and memories of the
:18:32. > :18:35.last surviving witness of the ill`fated Operation Tiger at Slapton
:18:36. > :18:40.in Devon, the result is a new collection of songs entitled Word Of
:18:41. > :18:51.Mouth. BBC Radio Devon's John Govier met up with Seth on a cold, wet and
:18:52. > :18:56.windy Dartmoor to find out more. Seth, you have been taking
:18:57. > :19:06.inspiration from the moors since you started? I have, yes.
:19:07. > :19:13.Past a sinking bridge, the surging river... I was born and bred here on
:19:14. > :19:21.Dartmoor and I have always taken it as an inspiration for the work I do.
:19:22. > :19:26.This is the start of one of the first way markers, the crosses that
:19:27. > :19:34.marked a medieval track all the way across the murder. `` the murder.
:19:35. > :19:39.That definitely inspired the chorus markings down.
:19:40. > :19:55.There is a cross he must find... So this new album is not all about
:19:56. > :20:02.Dartmoor. You have found the net a bit wider. Yes, I been reaching out,
:20:03. > :20:07.talking to people all over the South West. I have been two pubs, on the
:20:08. > :20:14.street and into churches, and it is a way of preserving people's stories
:20:15. > :20:23.and their voices. They are modern day stories but they take us back in
:20:24. > :20:30.history. Yes, like Reg Hannaford, the last surviving witness of
:20:31. > :20:34.exercise Tiger, who kindly gave me an interview that was very powerful,
:20:35. > :20:48.and a very powerful story. Let's go and see him. Hi, Reg. This is John.
:20:49. > :20:55.Please to meet you, John. Reg, what is it like to know your story is now
:20:56. > :21:05.captured in one of Seth's songs? I was quite shocked, I suppose. ``
:21:06. > :21:11.quite chuffed. You can hear that Tiger when he moves... The first we
:21:12. > :21:17.knew about it was when fishermen were here and Mellor `` American
:21:18. > :21:23.military police were asking them if they had seen bodies in the sea. I
:21:24. > :21:35.was only a lad and it is embedded in me forever. Now it will evolve in a
:21:36. > :21:38.song as well. Yes, very nice. Now, last year Devon and Cornwall
:21:39. > :21:42.police decided to start breeding their very own canine recruits and
:21:43. > :21:46.in June, the first litter was born. Since then, the seven puppies who
:21:47. > :21:51.make up the A litter have been put through a gruelling selection
:21:52. > :21:59.process. Yes, we're following their training right through to the
:22:00. > :22:02.passing out parade. Well, now, hot on their heels is the B litter, and
:22:03. > :22:05.Spotlight's Andrea Ormsby couldn't resist an invitation to meet the
:22:06. > :22:11.latest police dog recruits. We're all starving. Lunch is served and
:22:12. > :22:27.there are eight hungry mouths to feed. Hungry and noisy. Here we go.
:22:28. > :22:32.Nice and orderly. This is the litter born in November, this second wave
:22:33. > :22:38.of canine recruits bred by and for Devon and Cornwall police. We insist
:22:39. > :22:46.each pup has its own bold to eat from, so we don't get a situation
:22:47. > :22:49.where the bigger pups are pushing the smaller pups away, and we
:22:50. > :22:56.introduce mincemeat, which they love, into the food bill why the
:22:57. > :23:00.eating to let them get used to a human hand being around their food
:23:01. > :23:06.bill, and they don't think humans are trying to take their food away
:23:07. > :23:10.from them. After lunch, time for exercise with their mum Molly. She
:23:11. > :23:16.is the second serving police dog to build is `` to breed a letter. I
:23:17. > :23:22.don't remember much about the last few weeks, it is time consuming, but
:23:23. > :23:28.I still feel that is the best way to get the most out of your dogs. Of
:23:29. > :23:38.course not all forces can breed them at home. This police handler's dog
:23:39. > :23:43.retires next year so there is here to find his replacement. He is
:23:44. > :23:48.excited and so is his family. They are looking forward to it. Quite
:23:49. > :23:54.daunted but really looking forward to it. The puppies will soon be
:23:55. > :23:58.handed over to their walkers who will put them through as many
:23:59. > :24:03.different experiences as possible. Some will be taken on a boat. The
:24:04. > :24:11.litter is ready to take land and sea by storm.
:24:12. > :24:17.They are so cute. Hard to believe they will soon be huge. They grow
:24:18. > :24:22.very quickly. Spring is on its way because Rita has e`mailed us to say
:24:23. > :24:26.the daffodils are up in her garden. But there is more rain to come.
:24:27. > :24:30.the daffodils are up in her garden. But there is Some mild temperatures
:24:31. > :24:34.but a long wait to go of winter yet. Tomorrow we have some slightly
:24:35. > :24:39.calmer conditions. We will have showers through the day but some
:24:40. > :24:43.sunshine, starting to feel a little cooler through the day but for
:24:44. > :24:47.tonight, we still have a weather warning from the Met Office for
:24:48. > :24:53.further downpours of heavy rain across the south`west. This is the
:24:54. > :24:58.radar from earlier. That main area of rain moved through quickly but it
:24:59. > :25:01.was followed by heavy rain which is making its way across the region at
:25:02. > :25:08.the moment so heavy downpours still to come tonight. You can see this
:25:09. > :25:12.cloud moving up from the south`west with some clearer skies behind it
:25:13. > :25:17.but another area of cloud set to head our way by Friday. For now we
:25:18. > :25:22.have this low pressure moving away as we do through tonight, so for
:25:23. > :25:28.tomorrow a few showers but I think some sunshine as well, clearer skies
:25:29. > :25:31.through the afternoon. Just a temporary ridge of high pressure so
:25:32. > :25:34.by the time we get to Friday this weather front has swept in from the
:25:35. > :25:39.west, not earning too much heavy rain but more wet weather to end the
:25:40. > :25:44.week, winds increasing by Friday evening. For the moment we still
:25:45. > :25:50.have this area of heavy downpours to clear, the risk of thunder at times.
:25:51. > :25:57.Later tonight, still cloudy, just a few light showers in the early hours
:25:58. > :26:00.of tomorrow and also the winds increase especially along the south
:26:01. > :26:04.coast, gusty winds here by first thing tomorrow, but minimum
:26:05. > :26:08.temperature is still quite mild for the time of year, down to around
:26:09. > :26:13.five or six degrees at their lowest inland. Tomorrow morning some cloud
:26:14. > :26:18.and showery rain to clear away to the East, followed by decent spells
:26:19. > :26:21.of sunshine tomorrow afternoon. Still a few showers on that breeze
:26:22. > :26:26.but some brighter weather tomorrow as well, with the wind is perhaps
:26:27. > :26:30.easing off as we head to the end of the day tomorrow, but temperatures
:26:31. > :26:34.again during the day up to nine or 10 degrees, perhaps feeling a little
:26:35. > :26:42.cooler in that breeze. For the Isles of Scilly team might catch some
:26:43. > :26:52.showers tomorrow but also some sunny spells and moderate to fresh winds.
:26:53. > :27:01.For the surfers are, about four to six foot waves around the coast but
:27:02. > :27:06.generally choppy and messy conditions, and the coastal waters
:27:07. > :27:10.forecast how the wind from the west or north West, backing
:27:11. > :27:17.south`westerly with some showers out at sea, so moderate or good
:27:18. > :27:22.visibility through today. We continue `` throughout the day.
:27:23. > :27:29.Sunshine and showers on Friday, a dry start that we see some rain
:27:30. > :27:33.arriving from the West. On Saturday we will have sunshine but it will
:27:34. > :27:39.feel cooler, and on Sunday more wet and windy weather arrives. Not quite
:27:40. > :27:42.spring, then. That is all the news and weather this evening. I will be
:27:43. > :27:44.back at 10:25pm.