28/01/2014 Spotlight

A mine shaft opens up beside one of Cornwall's major roads.

Good evening. Welcome to Spotlight. The shaft was discovered earlier

today but tonight in a different part of the county the main route in

and out of a village is cut off after the ground fell away there.

I'm live in Troon where there's huge disruption for local people tonight

after another hole opened up. More in a few moments. I'll report from

across the county. Also tonight: Devon and Cornwall police facing

more cuts. The force will have to save a further 30 million pounds on

top of cuts of 50 million that are already being made.

And parts of one of the regions newest, most expensive schools are

facing a rebuild because of leaks. The main route between Penzance and

Helston has been partially closed after a mineshaft opened on the edge

of the road. Meanwhile a village in Cornwall remains effectively cut off

after the main road began to subside. David George is in Troon

near Camborne. Yes, it was earlier this month when

a resident of Troon noticed the main road from Camborne into the village

had begun to sink and there was a big hole in the road. He stopped his

car and traffic and called police and the road was closed off and has

remained closed ever since. More in a moment but first West Cornwall

where this morning a man was walking his dog on what he thought was the

pavement but it was covering a mine shaft. Early this morning one of the

villagers was walking a dog on the pavement when he almost fell into a

hole that appeared small but very very deep. As we watched,

contractors for the council removed the thin layer of asphalt which was

the only thing pedestrians were walking on. It is scary if you are

walking at the time or if you are driving. Hundreds of times we have

driven over there, lorries as well. It is serious. Luckily somebody did

not fall down. This area was surrounded by Coppermine is and this

is one of them. It is an impressive shaft, not massive but quite large

at the top. It is typical 18th or 19th`century mineshaft. The council

contractors have started working to make the area safe. The shaft is a

3`.5 metres deep, it is voided below that down to another 3`.5 metres

which is choked with material. We need to secure the shaft and the

footway by pouring concrete and steel in the ground. Meanwhile, in

Troon, the second week of being effectively cut off. It is unclear

why the main road has subsided but for locals it means Aidid tour of

four miles and no bus services. Disaster, especially for the schools

in the morning. It is not good at all. Very tricky. We do not see much

work happening here. In a statement by e`mail, the council said the

contractors have been speaking to South West water and its contractors

and repairs to damaged pipe work are being carried out and expect the

roads to reopen at the end of next week, the 7th of February. You and I

like the villagers assume this is caused by the heavy rainfall we have

had for months but engineers will only say around water is a

contributory factor. Spotlight has learnt that Devon and Cornwall

police are facing another 30 million pounds worth of cuts. The

information comes from sources within the force and the office of

the Police and Crime Commissioner. We've also learnt a merger of the

Major Crime Team with other forces across the greater south west, has

been discussed to try to save money. This comes on top of the 50 million

pounds of cuts already being made. Our home affairs correspondent Simon

Hall has this exclusive report. This florist have seen attacks were

the windows were smashed along with other anti`social behaviour outside.

They fear policing is already suffering from previous cuts and are

worried about the prospect of more. Every village, every town must

suffer. You don't see as many bobbies as what you used to. You

expect that with all of the cuts. The pressure on the police budget

has grown so severe that a merger of the Major Crime Team investigating

the most serious offences with other forces in the south`west has been

discussed. It is all part of a wide`ranging search for savings. Our

members are already working to capacity, the blue line is very thin

and if we continue cutting it will have an impact on service delivery.

The Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Hogg will ask for a 2% increase

in the council taxes here in an attempt to protect services. That is

the maximum that can be raised without the need for a referendum.

No one from Devon and Cornwall Police or the Commissioners office

could be interviewed. A spokesman said:

The Home Office said getting the economy back on track meant a

challenging funding settlement. These cuts send a clear message the

austerity agenda continues and will expect it to do so for another four

years. Coming on top of previous cutbacks, it raises the inevitable

questions about what impact it will have on front line policing. It's

the council tax season where local authorities set their charges for

April onwards. The debate in recent years has

centred on whether there should be a freeze but in one part of Dorset a

fee of more than ten times the original amount has been suggested.

Portland Town Council's part of the bill would rise from fourteen pounds

fifty a year to one hundred and fifty pounds. It's provoked quite a

reaction as Leigh Rundle reports. Five generations of this family have

lived in Portland. He is leading the campaign against plans for huge

increase in local taxes, the move would swell town council funding by

an extra half ?1 million but at what cost? It is ridiculous to expect

somebody to find that amount of money in this day and age ?14 50 to

?150 is a big ask. Supporters are hard to find, 600 residents squeezed

into the church for a council meeting to voice their concerns.

Even the town mayor has threatened to resign. People are in a bad way.

They must understand that under no way or any circumstances could I

accept this if they outvote me then I must resign. Portland Town

Council's role as service provider disappeared with the reorganisation

in the 1970s, this latest bid for half ?1 million represents an

attempt to get a handful of the services back but in the face of

widespread opposition, there has been backtracking. Many people don't

want a rise at all, they are quite happy to take the risk that services

will keep diminishing with no organisation to fill the gap in the

future. If that is what people want, I am happy to listen. This food bank

was opened in November last year to help local people struggling to make

ends meet, parts of Portland are in the top ten deprived areas in

Dorset. Bearing this in mind, to expect local people to stump up the

huge increase in council tax was optimistic, to say the least. Our

Political Editor Martyn Oates joins me now from Westminster, Martyn

Portland isn't alone in doing this, is it? The proposed increase is

particularly large across the country, many parish councils made

percentage increases in tax which were significantly bigger than the

bigger councils at local government. These parish councils are saying on

the one hand they are getting less support from the district above them

but the same councils are piling more responsibilities on them so

maintenance of public toilets is increasingly a parish concern. The

other reason is because they can. Unitary borough county councils

district cannot `` can only increase by 2% or more by referendum, parish

councils do not need that, the local government minister repeated the

government is not pleased with these parish increases and is considering

opposing the restrictions. Thank you. Any patient treated by the

disgraced surgeon Rob Jones during his 20 years at the Royal Cornwall

Hospital may be eligible to claim for negligence. The hospital has

signed a legal agreement for those who think they've suffered harm to

have their case independently assessed. Some solicitors estimate

there may 1000 claimants ` a figure challenged by the trust. Here's our

Health Correspondent Sally Mountjoy. Rob Jones delivered the Prime

Minister is youngest child in 2010. The Camerons later returns to the

Royal Cornwall to thank him and the team. The years, staff and patients

have made complaints about the obstetrician and his work was the

subject of eight investigations. He was suspended in 2012. A review of

patients he treated over to .5 years found concerns about 110. The trust

has agreed a legal protocol that says anyone seen by Rob Jones in his

career at Royal Cornwall could be eligible to claim for negligence.

The trust isn't expecting large numbers of women to come forward but

solicitors representing over 100 women estimate a total of 1000

claimants. The principle is if an individual has suffered harm they

can come forward and have this investigation which will provide

them with answers and some will be told you are fine, there was no

negligence, it was no 1's fault and others may be told you might be

entitled to compensation. The protocol is unusual in removing the

three`year time limit for medical injury claims. It gives women the

chance to have their cases assessed by independent medical experts. It

avoids the need to go to court and allows patients to bring a claim

free of charge. Lawyers say the trust has taken a positive step.

There have only been two examples in the country of this sort of

procedural protocol being developed but nothing as sophisticated as

Cornwall has negotiated. I can't see any reason why the NHS can't use

this as a model throughout the country to get redress for patients

who have been injured by NHS care. The trust said they have settled

some cases but were looking forward to processing claims as quickly as

possible under the new framework. This woman welcomes the legal

agreement. It has been a long time getting to this point but it is

positive and it means everybody will be treated fairly and within the

protocol it is the best way to handle claims. Patients like Clare

are still keenly awaiting the outcome of an enquiry by the GMC on

the trusts handling of the Rob Jones case.

The Romans had a road called the 303 and in the 1960s the talk was of it

trying to gain super highway status. Today plans for one of the main

routes in and out the South West were being considered once more. A

study's begun to see whether work should be carried out so the A303

could be opened up to more traffic. But what about the prized

countryside it passes through? Here's our business correspondent

Neil Gallacher. There are many faces of the A303, we

filmed these shots needed Fulton at the reputation of the road spread

far and wide. St Austell Brewery in Cornwall is one of many firms that

feel the whole corridor is up June `` due for an upgrade. We want one

major trunk road right through these counties so we can get to and from

the area as quickly as possible. The A303 is shorthand for a couple of

roads making up the second main artery into the region through

Somerset and Devon. The A303 leaves the M3 in Hampshire and heads west

past Stonehenge wiggling its way towards Ilminster. When it nears

Honiton it becomes the A30 and at Exeter joins the M5. One of the

biggest problems is it goes through the Blackdown Hills. These have been

an area of natural beauty since 1991, and isolated landscape with

distinctive ridges, woodland and valleys. Because of this, recently,

successive governments have considered encouraging traffic to

divert northwards up the A358. Nothing much has been done on the

ground, this consultation covers the whole route which they are now

calling the A303 slash A30 corridor. Nothing is ruled in or

out. The government documents gives one clear hint. We do not propose to

consider large`scale road`building that area. Environmentalists have

fought bitterly over this route in the past and remain wary. If they

are talking about major capacity increases drawing extra traffic into

the Blackdown Hills we and other countryside campaigners would have

concerns. If they are talking about minor

things to improve safety that is something we don't have an issue

with. We will see the first actual proposals from government by the end

of the summer but no decisions are likely this side of a general

election. Parts of one of Devon's newest and

most expensive schools might have to be rebuilt because they're leaking.

Dartington Primary School, near Totnes, was rebuilt four years ago

as a seven million pound eco building. But now the pupils are

having to move into temporary accommodation. John Henderson

reports. Solar panels on the roofs of some of

the primary schools classrooms. While the buildings are

eco`friendly, using rainwater to flush toilets, there is a problem.

It leaks. The school is great, the shame is it is such a nice design of

building, it is beautiful to look at and leaked on day three.

The primary school was opened four years ago at a cost of ?7 million.

It was one of the first zero carbon schools in the country. Since

September, the school has been using a marquee. Now it is preparing to

move into more temporary buildings on the adjacent field. That is the

short term solution. There are questions about the long`term

viability of the eco`buildings. The whole thing might have to come down.

In the end we want to get a save school that doesn't leak so the

children can carry on learning. Devon County Council said no

decision has yet been taken on whether to rebuild or repair the

school. In a statement, the architects said it has been advised

an insurance claim may be forthcoming, it added investigations

are ongoing. Environmental teams are checking beaches in Cornwall after

reports that more of a waxy white substance has been washed ashore.

The material first appeared in October last year. It's been seen

right around the south west coast since then. The latest reports are

on beaches from Sennen to Porth. Signs are being put up warning

people not to touch it and to keep dogs away from the substance. A

company in Cornwall is creating 15 new jobs after getting a grant from

Europe of more than three hundred thousand pounds.

European Springs and Pressings which makes parts for the car industry has

relocated to bigger premises in Redruth and boosted its exports. The

company says it's benefiting from a recovering economy. Councillors in

Teignbridge have voted again to sell the Old Ferry Boathouse in Shaldon

to an unnamed private bidder, rather than the local community.

Residents spent a year raising 100 thousand pounds to buy it but when

it went out for tender, they were outbid by double that amount to a

bidder who wants to use it for disability sailing. Campaigners now

have seven days to persuade 16 councillors to oppose the decision.

Last night we asked you for your comments on the centralising of NHS

records ` thanks to everyone who took the trouble to get in touch

with us. Roberts got in touch to say I do not mind my records for

research but he objects to the police and insurance companies. And

he says they are finding reasons to get access to records. Simon says he

is amazed at the attitudes of four in ten doctors who oppose the idea

of computer rising medical records. Keeping records in one practice may

be all right for people who never leave their village, this does not

apply to many arrests, if one is involved in an accident from home,

there are benefits to a national database. And Neal is talking about

that science argument saying if this helps research and the NHS save

money, it is brilliant. Jennifer said, notice sharing

medical records, confidential information is between me and my

doctor, private means private. Thank you so much for getting in touch. We

love to hear your views. Now after a bumper summer season

last year, it will probably come as no surprise to hear that 2013 was

the busiest year for RNLI lifeguards since the service was launched.

Throughout the South West they responded to over 13 thousand

incidents, whilst the volunteer lifeboat crews rescued nearly 15

hundred people and saved 34 lives. Spotlight's Heidi Davey reports.

This was just an average summers day for the RNR IT last summer. The

charity dealt with around 13,000 people a day during the school

holidays making it the biggest `` busiest beach in the region. We are

looking at these beaches, places with several thousand people on the

beach and a small team of lifeguards. It is testament to their

courage and bravery and the training and resources we put in to make sure

they are equipped to do their job. Whilst the lifeguards were flat

out, the volunteer lifeboat crews launched a short `` just short of 15

times of Plymouth the busiest station. The Royal Navy, fishing

industry, massive leisure industry, the marinas, diving, we are bound to

be busy with that many people. Some of the volunteers have been on over

40 shouts last year which is a massive commitment for people who

also hold down full`time jobs. These guys, especially in Padstow, they

have a launch crew, recovery crew, Ilfracombe and all of the volunteers

have got to be on call all of the time. Though they are not floating,

they are still there and ready and up by volunteers and the people that

pack them up. Last year was the warmest summer since 2006 and 12

million visitors provided a real test for the charity. The lifeguards

and lifeboat crew rose to the challenge and now all they have to

do is be ready to do it all over again.

Onto some sports news and tonight's football for the South West has been

hit by the weather. Torquay United's game against Burton Albion is off as

Plainmoor is waterlogged. Plymouth Argyle's scheduled trip to Newport

County has also been postponed as the ground is flooded. The two other

games this evening ` Yeovil Town at Derby and Exeter City at home to

Oxford are unaffected. Paignton Zoo is celebrating a special new

delivery ` one of its giraffes has given birth to a female calf.

She's the fourth giraffe to be born at the zoo in the last two years,

two others survived, one sadly didn't. But in this case mother and

baby are said to be doing well. Chloe Axford reports. She is a few

days old but already nearly six feet tall. This draft was born at

Paignton Zoo on Saturday, unusual as most births happen at night. Her

mother gave birth to her standing up and within a few hours her new

daughter was able to stand and run. Sadly, a baby to raft last year died

which makes this birth all the more special.

We lost one a few months back but this one is looking so healthy,

jarrah. The mum has taken to her, she is feeding it. Everything is

going smoothly. We are over the moon. The new baby was the star

attraction for these children today.

Fantastic. It has been the highlight of the day so far.

The children are excited. I am impressed with how excited they

are. It is lovely. The baby is a Rothschild draft, an

endangered species. She will join the other youngsters, Valentino who

was born in 2012. She has not been named, suggestions from the children

included Oscar and Frank so watch this space! What a sweetie. Now, you

may remember a couple of weeks ago, we featured a feisty ferret called

grumpy Gareth who needed re`homing by the Woodside Animal Welfare Trust

because of his bad behaviour. After his appearance on Spotlight,

staff at Dartmoor Prison came forward to offer him a new home.

Gareth is currently settling in to his new secure ferret accommodation

in F wing. And on Good Morning Devon tomorrow, Matt Woodley will be

speaking to the Woodside Animal Welfare Trust who found Gareth his

new home. We made that up! We should be in

isolation. You are gullible. Hello, David.

We have some more rain in the forecast for Friday, we are

concerned about Friday, I will not jump to Friday just yet, tomorrow

there are showers around, the difference is bits of small hope

because the weather is unsettled. Less windy but that's the only good

thing. It is turning colder with lower temperatures through the

afternoon. Low pressure has been dictating the weather so far this

week is well and truly in charge. It is centred through the Irish Sea,

slowly drift southwards towards northern parts of France overnight.

We keep a low pressure close enough but notice the winds are much

lighter, it means the showers will be quite slow moving so they will be

around for an hour or so. Also, quieter conditions on Thursday, the

calm before the storm because this low`pressure is racing across the

Atlantic to give more windy weather and more wet weather on Friday.

Tonight, we have a few showers around this evening, they may ease

for a time later on tonight with lengthy clear spells developing so

temperatures are lower than last night. The wind is lighter. By the

end of the night, a few showers dotted around becoming slow`moving

and overnight temperatures as low as two or three. It is cold enough for

some frost because of the rain with the risk of eyes`macro. `` ice. The

showers will come and go, fairly slow`moving, across Somerset and

Dorset, creeping in from East is thicker cloud and outbreaks of rain

and sleet. That is the cold air seeping towards us during the day.

Lowering the temperatures, seven or eight degrees the court will, five

or six across and Dorset. So, there's the forecast for the Isles

of Scilly. Some sunny spells, quite breezy with a few showers. The times

of high water: Slightly cleaner surf because the wind is lighter. The

coastal waters forecast, the wind is much lighter than it has been. The

risk of showers and mainly good visibility. Let's talk about Friday,

Thursday is a quiet day, a cold day, a lot of cloud, but Friday is all

change, very windy, strong and gale force winds and heavy rain. It also

coincides with spring tides, we're watching that carefully because

there could be the risk of coastal flooding. More updates this time

tomorrow. Have a good evening. And that is all from us. David and Simon

are back at 10:25pm. The programme is back tomorrow at 6:30pm. Have a

good evening. Bye`bye. Bye`bye!