:00:11. > :00:16.The bizarre accident which claimed the life of a photographer who was
:00:17. > :00:20.taking pictures of whirlpools. An inquest heard that Jacob Cockle
:00:21. > :00:27.was a risk taker, but a good swimmer. Tonight we'll hear from one
:00:28. > :00:32.of the witnesses. I think that he was doing what he
:00:33. > :00:37.wanted to do and, on that occasion, it did not work out. I don't think
:00:38. > :00:40.he would want it any other way. Also tonight: A city deal for
:00:41. > :00:43.Plymouth which should lead an economic boost for marine industries
:00:44. > :00:47.right across the South West. And coming a cropper ` farmers are
:00:48. > :00:54.the latest to bear the brunt of the wet weather.
:00:55. > :00:57.A young photographer drowned after he was sucked into a whirlpool while
:00:58. > :01:01.trying to take pictures of it. Jacob Cockle was pulled under the water at
:01:02. > :01:04.Hayle Harbour, where there are signs warning people not to swim. At an
:01:05. > :01:07.inquest today, a witness described how Jacob had been swimming
:01:08. > :01:11.confidently just before the accident last May, then disappeared. It also
:01:12. > :01:14.emerged he had traces of the drug ketamine in his system. The coroner
:01:15. > :01:30.said the tragic events should be a warning to anyone else thinking of
:01:31. > :01:39.swimming in the area. This is Jacob Cockle filming a
:01:40. > :01:43.whirlpool in Hayle Harbour. He was excited about photography, and used
:01:44. > :01:48.to get photographs swimming near whirlpools. On the day that he
:01:49. > :01:56.died, he asked his friend to film him wearing a horse head in the
:01:57. > :02:00.whirlpools. He then took some underwater pictures.
:02:01. > :02:05.It was then that he was dragged into the whirlpools, and dragged
:02:06. > :02:11.underwater to a neighbouring Paul. He was pulled from that place, but
:02:12. > :02:16.did not survive. He had a small camera on a long
:02:17. > :02:20.pole, and maybe he got stuck with that or there was extra drag on
:02:21. > :02:25.that. We don't know what it is like in the tunnels will stop they go
:02:26. > :02:29.round at 90 degrees inside the tunnel.
:02:30. > :02:35.Toxicology reports later found traces of the illegal drug ketamine
:02:36. > :02:40.in his body. His friends and family said that he was a risk taker, but
:02:41. > :02:44.he would assess the risk stop he knew what he was doing.
:02:45. > :02:49.He was very capable. Some people might see it as a risk, but it was
:02:50. > :02:56.not to him, because most the time he knew what he could handle. This
:02:57. > :02:59.stretch of Hayle Harbour is known for whirlpools.
:03:00. > :03:03.Because of that, it is fenced off and there are signs warning people
:03:04. > :03:09.not to swim. The coroner said that it was an accidental switch ``
:03:10. > :03:16.accidental death, and that it should be a warning for anyone planning to
:03:17. > :03:18.swim there. A long`awaited government
:03:19. > :03:21.announcement has signalled what should be an economic boost for
:03:22. > :03:24.Plymouth and the wider South West. A scheme called City Deal will put
:03:25. > :03:26.money, effort and also land into developing the region's key
:03:27. > :03:29.industrial strength of marine engineering and research. The scheme
:03:30. > :03:34.centres on Devonport, but reaches out across Cornwall, Devon and
:03:35. > :03:42.Somerset. High`tech new arena engineering. ``
:03:43. > :03:46.Marine engineering. It happens in more places than you would think.
:03:47. > :03:50.This area of Cornwall is far way from the sea, but they are doing it
:03:51. > :03:56.here. This component is being sold to this company in Devon, who are
:03:57. > :04:02.experts in providing specialist marine services to industries. There
:04:03. > :04:06.is a strong maritime heritage here. Lots of businesses could benefit
:04:07. > :04:11.from a funding that would develop and become better at what they do.
:04:12. > :04:15.It has got to be a great idea for the south`west. The past few years
:04:16. > :04:18.have been very difficult for businesses here. Things are picking
:04:19. > :04:24.up now, this year has been fantastical ready. Any investment
:04:25. > :04:30.can only be a good thing. The City Deal scheme should see many
:04:31. > :04:36.millions of pounds invested into businesses and employees in the
:04:37. > :04:40.area. Some going to better training and business advice, some be spent
:04:41. > :04:46.on fiscal developments in one area of waterfront that the Ministry of
:04:47. > :04:52.Defence plans to release, South Yard in Devonport.
:04:53. > :04:59.Plymouth has struggled to keep up in the economic league table. One
:05:00. > :05:05.measure shows that Plymouth was around 83% of the national average
:05:06. > :05:10.for ten years from 1997 the stop a relatively low ranking compared to
:05:11. > :05:18.many other places. Then it plummeted to 75%, before picking back up to
:05:19. > :05:24.89% in 2012. It is difficult to think of any
:05:25. > :05:29.other obvious way to boost the economy in this region than by
:05:30. > :05:37.putting money into Marine areas. But it is modest. It is a few tens of
:05:38. > :05:42.thousands of pounds, compared to an economy which is billions of
:05:43. > :05:45.pounds. Success may not be obvious, but people will be looking to see
:05:46. > :05:53.whether or not Plymouth is moving up the rankings.
:05:54. > :05:57.Well, the Cities Minister is Greg Clark. I asked him what the City
:05:58. > :06:00.Deal would mean for Plymouth and the surrounding area.
:06:01. > :06:07.Watch the local businesses and the local authorities are saying is that
:06:08. > :06:11.good jobs, not just to this city of Plymouth, but the whole of the
:06:12. > :06:13.south`west peninsula. It is investing in a growing industry
:06:14. > :06:18.internationally which is Marine engineering.
:06:19. > :06:24.We have seen these initiatives before, and they are often with a
:06:25. > :06:27.great fanfare, but we do not hear about them afterwards was out in two
:06:28. > :06:30.years time, what practical difference would you expect to see
:06:31. > :06:35.in the south`west as a result of this?
:06:36. > :06:41.I think you can see the site behind me, in Devonport. We already have a
:06:42. > :06:47.very successful yacht business, who were looking to expand. They need
:06:48. > :06:52.the land with access to the deep water to do that, and to attract
:06:53. > :06:55.their suppliers. So this land which has previously been used by the
:06:56. > :06:59.Ministry of Defence, we are negotiating to release and to
:07:00. > :07:05.attract these new businesses to expand and create jobs. How you
:07:06. > :07:09.judge whether this is a success? What you looking for with the
:07:10. > :07:16.criteria? In two years time, how many jobs would have been created?
:07:17. > :07:20.That depends on the pace of the remediation. What needs to happen is
:07:21. > :07:25.that the land needs to be made fit for purpose for companies to vacate
:07:26. > :07:31.will stop but was that happens, another part of the City Deal is to
:07:32. > :07:36.invest in the schools locally, especially the young unemployed. To
:07:37. > :07:39.make sure that they have the skills to access the jobs available already
:07:40. > :07:45.in this part of the world through companies like Princes yachts, but
:07:46. > :07:48.also to see that the expanding number of jobs and the local
:07:49. > :07:54.councils think that 10,000 jobs could be created when that site is
:07:55. > :08:03.fully operational, to make sure that the schools being provided now.
:08:04. > :08:06.Almost a third of local councils in the South West may be at risk of
:08:07. > :08:09.either bankruptcy or failure to deliver key services before the next
:08:10. > :08:13.financial year, according to figures obtained by the BBC. A report by
:08:14. > :08:16.auditors Grant Thornton also reveals that the South West has more at risk
:08:17. > :08:24.authorities than anywhere else in the country.
:08:25. > :08:30.It is the doomsday scenario that all councils fear. But how likely is it
:08:31. > :08:35.that key services like bin collections could be in jeopardy? A
:08:36. > :08:40.study of local authorities in England has identified that 30% of
:08:41. > :08:45.councils in the south`west could be at risk at reaching a tipping point
:08:46. > :08:49.for the next financial year. They may not be able to meet their
:08:50. > :08:55.statutory duties to services, or they may become bankrupt. Although
:08:56. > :08:59.the auditors did not mention the councils by name, it gives an
:09:00. > :09:04.indication of the pressures as the funding by the government is cut. We
:09:05. > :09:09.are a poor area, with some of the lowest wages in the UK. We have
:09:10. > :09:15.three times more distance to travel for many people when we collect
:09:16. > :09:23.refuge and services. Thankfully, scenes like this in Exeter RF stop
:09:24. > :09:32.in this circumstance, it was due to bad weather. `` are rare.
:09:33. > :09:37.In 2015 and beyond, it will be a pinch. We need to make more drastic
:09:38. > :09:46.changes. We are looking at our way service. At the moment, we collect
:09:47. > :09:51.garden waste every fortnight. Maybe in 2015, something will have to
:09:52. > :09:57.change that. Local authorities are being squeezed
:09:58. > :10:00.like never before. Some may have to raise council tax or restructure in
:10:01. > :10:02.order to survive will stop Our Political Editor Martyn Oates is
:10:03. > :10:09.with us. This report makes grim reading.
:10:10. > :10:14.Yes, and it feeds into the debate between councils and the government
:10:15. > :10:19.about what the councils get the funding to do their job. The report
:10:20. > :10:24.says that other authorities take a more radical approach to trying to
:10:25. > :10:27.solve the problems, but many in the South West believe that they have
:10:28. > :10:30.made all the savings they can and there is nowhere else to go stop the
:10:31. > :10:35.tipping point could mean many things. It could mean that the local
:10:36. > :10:40.authority cannot set a balanced budget. It could mean many small
:10:41. > :10:46.failures which amount up to be critical. It could mean the
:10:47. > :10:50.inability to deliver statutory services, which would be
:10:51. > :10:54.catastrophic. Grant Thornton says that the fact
:10:55. > :11:03.that many of these authorities or roll is key. `` are in the
:11:04. > :11:07.countryside. Many places in the countryside as saying that their
:11:08. > :11:12.councils are getting a difficult deal, and MPs will vote on the
:11:13. > :11:18.settlement there. One other thing that comes up is that size matters.
:11:19. > :11:27.The authorities that come out well and beat Cornwall, and the small
:11:28. > :11:35.ones, out badly. Some tiny district councils. The Conservative MP who is
:11:36. > :11:38.concerned about his own district councils says that the government
:11:39. > :11:44.needs to decide if they want to district councils at all. And former
:11:45. > :11:56.Deputy Prime Minister Lord Heseltine has recommended that we go across to
:11:57. > :12:00.a unitary system stop A quick sketch given as a thank you note by Damien
:12:01. > :12:02.Hirst has sold for five times more than its estimated value.
:12:03. > :12:05.A female telephone bidder paid ?2,700 for the artwork. It was
:12:06. > :12:08.originally drawn for Lord Coleridge's housekeeper. She brought
:12:09. > :12:17.the artist breakfast in bed after a night of watching the famous Ottery
:12:18. > :12:20.St Mary tar barrels in 2001. Waterlogged fields are causing major
:12:21. > :12:23.problems for some vegetable farmers across the region. Crops such as
:12:24. > :12:26.cauliflower and swede are worst affected with reports of increased
:12:27. > :12:32.leaf disease. The wet soil is also having an impact on harvesting.
:12:33. > :12:39.Three weeks ago, this crop was free of disease. Now the leaves look like
:12:40. > :12:44.this. These black spots is what is affecting the crops. It is due to
:12:45. > :12:51.the amount of rain that we have had will stop it is not just the purple
:12:52. > :12:55.sprouting broccoli that is affected by the black spot.
:12:56. > :13:00.The cauliflowers have also been affected.
:13:01. > :13:07.The worst`case scenario would be whole crops being written off, which
:13:08. > :13:12.will have a financial effect on us. We hope it won't come to that, but
:13:13. > :13:19.if it continues, we will have quite severe problems. It is really
:13:20. > :13:26.worrying. Sometimes we have to write complete fields off and it can get
:13:27. > :13:29.very upsetting. Another issue facing farmers is the
:13:30. > :13:35.practicality of getting in and out of the fields to harvest crops. Some
:13:36. > :13:40.say that they are ten or 15% down to what they should be. The ground is
:13:41. > :13:46.now saturated and there is significant erosion. The fields are
:13:47. > :13:53.unable to absorb the moisture and it is running off this this `` of this
:13:54. > :13:59.surface and running down the fields. When the fields are glistening with
:14:00. > :14:08.water, that have a serious effect on the land stop Somerset is the worst
:14:09. > :14:15.hit region, with in some form is 90% of land and water.
:14:16. > :14:19.The biggest product is grass, and if grass is underwater, you have a big
:14:20. > :14:27.problem for the perceivable future. What will the animals eat? But with
:14:28. > :14:30.the cauliflower harvest on the way, it is hoped that a letter in the
:14:31. > :14:38.rain could save the cauliflower from further disease.
:14:39. > :14:45.Unfortunately no letup tomorrow. Also still to come, a look at the
:14:46. > :14:50.sport, including a skeleton bob rider from Devon who is looking for
:14:51. > :14:57.Olympic glory. And singing for survival, male voice choirs in
:14:58. > :15:03.Cornwall reach out to younger singers in hope of a harmonious
:15:04. > :15:07.future. A type of grass found in parts of
:15:08. > :15:10.Devon and Cornwall could hold the key to solving many of our flooding
:15:11. > :15:13.problems. New research by the University of Exeter and the Devon
:15:14. > :15:22.Wildlife Trust has discovered that culm grass could be more effective
:15:23. > :15:30.than costly man made flood defences. That is a good sign. It is storing
:15:31. > :15:36.water stop could this squelchy ground provide an answer to our
:15:37. > :15:41.flooding problems? According to research is at the Devon wildlife
:15:42. > :15:48.trust, it could. What is important is, as this is
:15:49. > :15:54.decomposing, they are building up this organic matter in the soil and
:15:55. > :16:08.that is what is boring the water. `` storing. The water is being stored
:16:09. > :16:14.above the rest level. The grass is found in these areas.
:16:15. > :16:23.Two areas immediately next to each other have been seen for a year and
:16:24. > :16:29.a half. The culm grass area has been storing more water. The professor is
:16:30. > :16:34.monitoring six sites in the culm grass areas, with sensors giving a
:16:35. > :16:42.detailed picture of what is happening. We can teach people to
:16:43. > :16:48.manage their landscapes at the culm grass is there, and we could be
:16:49. > :16:52.storing the water in the landscape stop Simon Berry, who farms here,
:16:53. > :16:59.says that even he is surprised at how well culm grass soaks up rain
:17:00. > :17:04.will stop if you look at the old way of farming, the water tended to soak
:17:05. > :17:08.away more naturally. As you can see, the cattle are not
:17:09. > :17:15.going into the ground after two days of rain stop using culm grass seems
:17:16. > :17:22.to offer an attractive way of storing water.
:17:23. > :17:27.Time for the sport and Dave's here with a possible debut for a South
:17:28. > :17:30.West man in the Winter Olympics. Torquay United's new manager Chris
:17:31. > :17:34.Hargreaves could take the Gulls out of the bottom two relegation places
:17:35. > :17:36.in League Two. That's if they beat the team immediately below them,
:17:37. > :17:39.Northampton Town, at Plainmoor tomorrow and if other results go
:17:40. > :17:42.their way. Winger Jason Banton returns for Plymouth Argyle at
:17:43. > :17:45.Rochdale after he was ineligible for the midweek FA Cup replay. The
:17:46. > :17:50.Pilgrims are unbeaten in five league games. Exeter City have won only
:17:51. > :17:52.twice in the league in their last 13 outings, as Morecambe visit St James
:17:53. > :17:56.Park and Championship strugglers Yeovil Town go for their first win
:17:57. > :18:08.in seven league meetings at Birmingham City.
:18:09. > :18:10.Exeter Chiefs have one last crack at sneaking into rugby's European
:18:11. > :18:14.Challenge Cup. They go to Cardiff Blues knowing only a bonus point win
:18:15. > :18:17.and their opponents failing to pick up any points at all could push them
:18:18. > :18:19.into Europe's second top competition.
:18:20. > :18:23.Also, other results have got to go in head coach Rob Baxter's favour if
:18:24. > :18:26.that's to happen. He brings back five first team players, including
:18:27. > :18:37.goal` kicker Gareth Steenson and the captain, lock forward Dean Mumm.
:18:38. > :18:41.A Devon man is hoping to be included in the Great Britain skeleton team
:18:42. > :18:44.for the Winter Olympics in Sochi, which starts in three weeks time.
:18:45. > :18:47.It'll be 29`year`old David Swift's debut in the Games after four years
:18:48. > :18:53.of hard work and preparation all over the globe.
:18:54. > :18:58.He will travel. David goes everywhere with his prized
:18:59. > :19:03.possession, this board costing ?10,000. He is back home in Newton
:19:04. > :19:12.Abbot after competing in salt lake city. Its stage the 2002 Olympics.
:19:13. > :19:17.Just one part of his build`up to Russia. He will know next Wednesday
:19:18. > :19:24.whether he has made the team in his discipline, the skeleton.
:19:25. > :19:31.Four years ago, I was very inexperienced and was a outsider.
:19:32. > :19:39.Push start wise, I am in the top three in the world. But my driving
:19:40. > :19:43.has moved on tremendously. So, I have put all the pieces in place to
:19:44. > :19:53.be in the best position I am now. He is a former student at Torquay
:19:54. > :19:58.Grammar School. Now he is a full`time skeleton driver,
:19:59. > :20:03.travelling at 90 mph offers top speed is the outcome, and if you
:20:04. > :20:07.have done everything, knowing your way down the track and being relaxed
:20:08. > :20:11.and aerodynamically relaxed, then the speed will come.
:20:12. > :20:17.It is a combination of all of those things stop if he does make the
:20:18. > :20:25.Olympic team, he will be very ploughed `` proud to do what he can.
:20:26. > :20:31.Winter sports are picking up and they are moving on. It is not a
:20:32. > :20:42.wait. It is a motivation and a drive for every winter sport.
:20:43. > :20:45.And Taunton stages its first ever Saturday meeting tomorrow, with
:20:46. > :20:49.seven races starting at 12:30. But there is a precautionary inspection
:20:50. > :20:52.of the track at 7:30 in the morning. BBC Radio Cornwall and BBC Radio
:20:53. > :20:55.Devon have been celebrating their 31st birthdays today. To mark the
:20:56. > :20:58.occasion in Truro, presenters have been selling off unwanted presents
:20:59. > :21:01.to raise money for the station's charity appeal. While in Devon, a
:21:02. > :21:04.time capsule was buried to represent 'life in the county' in 2013.
:21:05. > :21:08.There is everything here from chocolate is to cuddly toys.
:21:09. > :21:15.Unwanted gifts are being sold to raise money for local charities.
:21:16. > :21:21.There will be ?2000 raised today in a short time.
:21:22. > :21:27.On the other side, this presents buried a time capture all, which
:21:28. > :21:34.listeners voted was in the centre of the country. There are two points
:21:35. > :21:38.here locally, and the two owners of the houses have argued about where
:21:39. > :21:46.is the centre of Devon. But I am told that the spot that we are in is
:21:47. > :21:50.the centre. The flask was full of recordings of people throughout the
:21:51. > :21:56.years. It is designed to show the lives of people in 2013. It will be
:21:57. > :22:05.dug up in years time, and though copy has been given to a museum in
:22:06. > :22:09.case this one does not last. Male voice choirs are often the
:22:10. > :22:12.domain of the 'silver singer', but it seems some younger men are
:22:13. > :22:13.finally being drawn into the world of close harmony singing in
:22:14. > :22:17.Cornwall. And that's music to the ears of the
:22:18. > :22:25.county's federation, which wants to see choirs increasing their appeal
:22:26. > :22:28.to the more youthful vocalists. There are 65 years between the
:22:29. > :22:31.eldest member of this Male choir and the youngest, but when it comes to
:22:32. > :22:41.camaraderie, you would not notice the difference. I think it brings
:22:42. > :22:45.you into a new level of maturity. Singing in a school choir, you are
:22:46. > :22:56.around your friends and to enjoy it in a different wave stop here, you
:22:57. > :23:03.are mixing with older people. You develop more as a person. You
:23:04. > :23:07.grow. The ageing population of Cornwall's
:23:08. > :23:16.male voice choirs has been on the mind of the official director. We
:23:17. > :23:19.need to get youngsters into the movement, otherwise we will find
:23:20. > :23:27.ourselves choirs with holes in them over the next few years. . There are
:23:28. > :23:34.people going into schools and moving into the movement there, being shown
:23:35. > :23:37.that singing is enjoyable. The choirs are hoping that the
:23:38. > :23:50.unique atmosphere will inspire more people to join.
:23:51. > :23:55.I started at 14 years old, and I enjoy the banter between the
:23:56. > :24:06.baritones and the tenors. The federation hopes that there will be
:24:07. > :24:11.a revival in the choirs. And Music Week is on BBC Radio
:24:12. > :24:23.Cornwall from tomorrow. Now, here is the weather. There is
:24:24. > :24:27.tomorrow, but it will get better. There is more rain in the forecast,
:24:28. > :24:31.it is not what we want to hear, but we have to get through it. There
:24:32. > :24:37.will be dry weather to be had. The rain will clear, it will be called
:24:38. > :24:43.on Sunday. There could be a frost and some fog patches. But the main
:24:44. > :24:47.threat to the rain is early tomorrow morning and through the day
:24:48. > :24:53.tomorrow. By the end of the day, we could have 25 to 30 millimetres of
:24:54. > :24:57.rain. Now, the cloud that is bringing in that rain is still
:24:58. > :25:03.capturing across the Bay of Biscay and France at the moment. The
:25:04. > :25:07.weather will move across slowly overnight, to bring more rain and
:25:08. > :25:14.cloud and give us a change in the wind direction stop we will see the
:25:15. > :25:19.winds coming in from the North West. Head of it, quite breezy, especially
:25:20. > :25:24.tomorrow morning. This highlighted area is where we think the rain will
:25:25. > :25:30.be the heaviest. It is mainly East Devon, Somerset and Dorset and
:25:31. > :25:33.southern parts of Wales. At the moment, the showers have faded away,
:25:34. > :25:40.so for some of tonight it will be dry stop some patchy rain, and it
:25:41. > :25:48.will be chilly before the cloud and rain moves in. By the end of the
:25:49. > :25:53.tonight, it will be quite windy with those southerly winds. Those are the
:25:54. > :26:00.overnight temperatures, five to seven degrees. We should have no
:26:01. > :26:06.frost. And tomorrow, the rain will be off and on, and it will begin to
:26:07. > :26:12.clear out in the afternoon most of the area will be clear. Cornwall
:26:13. > :26:18.could have some sunshine. But rain and temperatures struggling because
:26:19. > :26:22.of it. Eight or 10 degrees. It will get cooler in the afternoon as the
:26:23. > :26:29.colder air follows the rain will stop for the Isles of Scilly,
:26:30. > :26:33.probably some of the best weather. Some fresh winds in the second half
:26:34. > :26:45.of the day. Here are the times of the high water for the top four hour
:26:46. > :26:52.service, the waves messed up for the strong winds, but it should be
:26:53. > :27:00.around four or six feet. For the coastal waters forecast, the
:27:01. > :27:05.wind will change direction. Rain or showers and visibility occasionally
:27:06. > :27:11.moderate because of the rainfall. There are still flood warnings in
:27:12. > :27:16.Somerset and Dorset. If you need more information, you can ring this
:27:17. > :27:21.number. Of course, you can listen to your local radio tomorrow to find
:27:22. > :27:25.out where the rain will begin to affect some of our rivers and
:27:26. > :27:33.streams. Tomorrow `` Sunday will be brighter,
:27:34. > :27:43.mainly dry on Monday. That is it for this week. We will be
:27:44. > :27:46.back on Sunday with Sunday Politics. Have a good weekend. Goodbye.