:00:00. > :00:00.forces and protestors. That is all from BBC News. It is goodbye from
:00:00. > :00:15.me. The earth moves in North Devon, a
:00:16. > :00:21.quake measuring 4.1 on the Richter scale was felt across large parts of
:00:22. > :00:25.the region. Good evening. Experts say it was one of the biggest quakes
:00:26. > :00:31.in the south`west in recent years, people have been describing how
:00:32. > :00:35.houses shook for several seconds. Everybody just looked around at each
:00:36. > :00:39.other as if to say, what on earth was that? Lots of frowning going
:00:40. > :00:43.on. It was like something strange had happened rather than anybody
:00:44. > :00:46.being scared or panicked. Hello, also tonight: wide ranging cuts to
:00:47. > :00:51.services across Devon ` feelings run high as councillors agree to
:00:52. > :00:55.millions of pounds in savings. And the daily struggle to earn a living
:00:56. > :01:03.` now there's help for fishermen who are counting the cost of the storms.
:01:04. > :01:07.If the boat doesn't go to sea, the crew don't get paid. It it is
:01:08. > :01:15.simple. Houses shook, windows rattled and
:01:16. > :01:18.some people reported objects falling over and breaking. An earthquake
:01:19. > :01:23.measuring 4.1 on the Richter hit the North Devon coast at lunchtime
:01:24. > :01:26.today. Experts say it was centred in the Bristol Channel but its effects
:01:27. > :01:29.were felt over large parts of the region and as far as Exmouth on the
:01:30. > :01:32.South coast. Our Environment Correspondent Adrian Campbell
:01:33. > :01:42.reports from North Devon where the tremor was most noticeable.
:01:43. > :01:46.The 4.1 magnitude earthquake which affected North Devon and parts of
:01:47. > :01:51.South Wales was recorded at the heartland of North Devon the British
:01:52. > :01:55.jeweller to call survey. On paper it looks impressive but on the ground,
:01:56. > :02:03.it seems to have passed unnoticed by many. My husband got a text message,
:02:04. > :02:10.and said to us, have you felt the earthquake? And we didn't, not at
:02:11. > :02:14.all. We are at the top of the highest building in Barnstaple, the
:02:15. > :02:18.Civic Centre. The higher you go up the building, the hot more likely
:02:19. > :02:22.you are to feel the effects. Talking to people today, they had a strong
:02:23. > :02:27.sense of this earthquake. Chief Executive of the Council is the
:02:28. > :02:33.third floor of the building and says he noticed the earthquake. We were
:02:34. > :02:36.suddenly aware of the building shaking. It was quite noticeable, we
:02:37. > :02:42.are here on the third floor. We've got quite a significant shake.
:02:43. > :02:47.Further up the building, as you get higher, they felt it more than we
:02:48. > :02:53.did. Other buildings nearby also got the effects of the quake. All of a
:02:54. > :02:58.sudden there was a very loud thud. It felt more of a side then sounded
:02:59. > :03:03.like one. Everybody just looked around at each other as if to say,
:03:04. > :03:07.what on earth was that? Lots of frowning going on. It is like
:03:08. > :03:11.something strange it happened rather than anybody being scared or
:03:12. > :03:19.panicked. Experts have been analysing what happened this
:03:20. > :03:24.afternoon at exactly 1:21pm. This is what we might call a moderate
:03:25. > :03:30.earthquake. We get an earthquake of this size roughly every three years
:03:31. > :03:35.or so somewhere in the UK. We are no strangers to earthquakes of this
:03:36. > :03:44.size. We have many bigger than this. There was a magnitude 5.2 earthquake
:03:45. > :03:49.in Lincoln in 2008. The weather has dominated conversations recently but
:03:50. > :03:51.tonight, commuters had the new topic to discuss. The North Devon
:03:52. > :03:59.earthquake. And Adrian can join us now live from
:04:00. > :04:05.Barnstaple. Yes, here it is a topic of conversation. We came to the
:04:06. > :04:07.building here, the top of the building, people tended to feel this
:04:08. > :04:13.event much more than people further down. People are talking about it on
:04:14. > :04:18.the streets, talking about how strong it was. To put it into
:04:19. > :04:24.context, you have to remember that there were nine of these events
:04:25. > :04:28.around the globe in the last 24. So it's not like one of those big
:04:29. > :04:35.earthquakes you hear about on the news, but here it is very much the
:04:36. > :04:38.topic of conversation. Thank you very much that.
:04:39. > :04:41.Wide`ranging cuts to public services across Devon are in prospect after
:04:42. > :04:44.the County Council today approved ?27 million worth of budget
:04:45. > :04:51.reductions. Day centres, residential care for older people, and youth
:04:52. > :04:54.services are all expected to suffer. Our home affairs correspondent Simon
:04:55. > :05:04.Hall reports from Devon County Hall in Exeter.
:05:05. > :05:10.These cuts have caused widespread concern. A demonstration against
:05:11. > :05:17.those affecting the youth services greeted councillors at today's
:05:18. > :05:19.budget meeting. Young people are relying on their services for
:05:20. > :05:25.support about sexual health, domestic abuse, drugs and alcohol,
:05:26. > :05:30.and many more. These services are valued and worthy of keeping. More
:05:31. > :05:35.services like this Day Centre are coming from charities, the private
:05:36. > :05:39.sector and community money as council provision shrinks in the
:05:40. > :05:46.face of budget cuts. There is a they can be more efficient and effective.
:05:47. > :05:50.It does everything. I don't know what I would do without it. I look
:05:51. > :05:59.forward to it every week, I really do. Well, the company, and being
:06:00. > :06:08.able to use your brain instead of just sitting indoors moping about.
:06:09. > :06:15.Because we're not County Council and we are an independent charity, we
:06:16. > :06:20.can react and tailor our services to meet the exact needs, sometimes at
:06:21. > :06:24.short notice. Devon and Cornwall police have reorganised the way they
:06:25. > :06:28.work after suffering severe cuts. Crime has been falling and some
:06:29. > :06:33.analysts believe the cuts may have forced the public sector to be more
:06:34. > :06:39.efficient. I think there were considerable inefficiencies in the
:06:40. > :06:43.public sector, so government cuts have forced a rethink. Local
:06:44. > :06:49.authorities, the fire brigade, police, NHS, all having to rethink
:06:50. > :06:52.how they do things. More new ways of doing things and services being
:06:53. > :06:56.provided outside of Devon County Council may now be required as the
:06:57. > :07:02.Council approved millions of pounds of budget cuts. It is worrying for
:07:03. > :07:08.the people of Devon. But really, we had no choice. The trouble is not
:07:09. > :07:14.this year, it is next year and the year after. We would not be able to
:07:15. > :07:21.have anything but what is mandatory in the way of services to people.
:07:22. > :07:24.Perhaps this model, with a community group taking over the library and
:07:25. > :07:29.day care being provided by a charity, may become the way of the
:07:30. > :07:33.future. The narrative of austerity and budget cutbacks will not end
:07:34. > :07:38.here, even with a general election coming next year. None of the three
:07:39. > :07:43.main political parties are talking about increases in public spending.
:07:44. > :07:46.The Fishermen's Mission has launched a new appeal to provide financial
:07:47. > :07:50.help for crews and their families, who've been struggling to earn a
:07:51. > :07:54.living. Some fishermen based in storm hit coastal communities have
:07:55. > :08:03.only been able to put to sea for five days this year. Spotlight's
:08:04. > :08:06.Heidi Davey reports. For many fishermen, the last two months have
:08:07. > :08:14.been incredibly pickled. The severe storms have can find most boats to
:08:15. > :08:22.port. There has been no money to pay the crew. This boat fishes mainly on
:08:23. > :08:29.the bottom for white fish such as cod and Pollock. Her crew have only
:08:30. > :08:34.been the sea for a few days. I left school at 14 to go fishing and this
:08:35. > :08:40.is probably the worst winter the continuous weather I can remember.
:08:41. > :08:44.It's been tough. I have kids, a mortgage, there are usually a few
:08:45. > :08:50.days you can mess and it isn't too much of a financial dense but now we
:08:51. > :08:58.have it for about seven weeks, it is a long cold winter. That is where
:08:59. > :09:02.the mission steps in. Since it launched a national appeal,
:09:03. > :09:06.seafarers UK has committed ?15,000 and within 24 hours, 10,000 have
:09:07. > :09:11.already been distributed. Here in the south`west, there has been an
:09:12. > :09:17.unprecedented demand for help. Fishing communities are struggling
:09:18. > :09:20.to get back on their feet. They are depressed, they depend on being able
:09:21. > :09:24.to get to see because that is where their money comes from. Fisher men
:09:25. > :09:31.are proud and they will get a family and friends first and get help from
:09:32. > :09:36.them. On those channels cry up, then they have to turn to other peoples
:09:37. > :09:41.`` when those channels cry up. So I'm quite sure, we will be seeing
:09:42. > :09:46.more more people coming. Donations are coming in from all over the
:09:47. > :09:48.country, with emergency grants of up to ?500 being made immediately
:09:49. > :09:56.available to help those who are struggling.
:09:57. > :10:00.Estate agents in the Southwest say this January was one of the busiest
:10:01. > :10:03.for house sales in seven years. Many say business is booming and there is
:10:04. > :10:10.little sign that the recent bad weather put off prospective buyers.
:10:11. > :10:14.Ali Chitty reports. The ideal time for house selling is meant to be
:10:15. > :10:19.spring and summer so the current boom may seem a surprising one. It
:10:20. > :10:23.seems every time you turn on the news, the south`west is the last
:10:24. > :10:28.place you would want to live. There is flooding in Somerset, homes are
:10:29. > :10:32.evacuated. There is trouble on the railway lines and there is the power
:10:33. > :10:40.of the Sea damaging property. It all looks like a stairway to property
:10:41. > :10:46.sell disaster. But quick to one agent, business is booming. It is
:10:47. > :10:51.the best January I have known since 2007. We have a lot of people
:10:52. > :10:56.looking, a lot of interest in the market. Which is remarkable given
:10:57. > :11:03.the weather we have had. This Plymouth property is for sale in the
:11:04. > :11:06.?1 million plus bracket. In Plymouth and part of social Cornwall, prices
:11:07. > :11:12.have traditionally been lower. Sellers can now expect more from
:11:13. > :11:17.their investment. Being realistic, we always thought there would be a
:11:18. > :11:21.hypermobility thereby would come from outside the region and what we
:11:22. > :11:25.have seen in the last couple of weeks has been encouraging, with the
:11:26. > :11:28.upturn in house prices and also the level of interest that estate agents
:11:29. > :11:34.have been telling us we have been receiving. There is also a downside
:11:35. > :11:37.to these property sales. Price rises have gone up by 8% on this period
:11:38. > :11:46.last year but that means that nationally, your income would've had
:11:47. > :11:52.to have increased by ?29,000 to have up. Here, it would have been ?22,000
:11:53. > :11:58.which means you are not already on the property ladder then the picture
:11:59. > :12:01.looks bleak. Prices are expected to continue to grow this year,
:12:02. > :12:06.increasing the gap between income and affordability. This year's boom
:12:07. > :12:09.could be next year's crisis. We'll have more on the aftermath of
:12:10. > :12:13.the extreme weather later in the programme. Find out where John
:12:14. > :12:15.Henderson's is in his tour of the region's storm damaged communities.
:12:16. > :12:27.Plus celebrating the volunteers who give up hours of their time to
:12:28. > :12:31.support the North Devon Hospice. The annual sale of Dartmoor ponies
:12:32. > :12:38.at Tavistock has been a traditional event for centuries. Now though,
:12:39. > :12:42.it's coming to an end. The town's livestock market has taken the
:12:43. > :12:46.decision not to hold the sale in October because it's no longer
:12:47. > :12:49.financially viable. A tradition which has been taking place on
:12:50. > :12:53.Dartmoor for hundreds of years but in recent times, the annual pony
:12:54. > :13:00.sale has been losing money rather than making it. Lastly, only 14
:13:01. > :13:05.goals were sold out of nearly 100. It is a big decision, and it is not
:13:06. > :13:13.what we have come to easily. It is said that history is finished in
:13:14. > :13:18.terms of ponies in the market. Farmers like Phil are allowed to
:13:19. > :13:22.keep a certain number of ponies. Those that can't be returned are
:13:23. > :13:25.sold at Tavistock. His family have done this for generations but with
:13:26. > :13:31.this news, he feels it might be time to stop keeping them altogether.
:13:32. > :13:37.There is no money in them at all. The reason we're keeping them, my
:13:38. > :13:43.dad had them and his dad had a few, as soon as these are gone, we have
:13:44. > :13:49.to seriously think about getting them to a more manageable number or
:13:50. > :13:55.losing them altogether. Eight years ago, farmers like Phil were getting
:13:56. > :14:02.around ?75 each for false like this. Lastly, he only got ?10 each for the
:14:03. > :14:06.two resold. Charlotte has spent her lifetime trying to save the Dartmoor
:14:07. > :14:10.fuel pony. Every year hundreds are slaughtered because there is no
:14:11. > :14:16.market for them. She fears the loss of the sale will be to fewer ponies
:14:17. > :14:20.on the moor. It is devastating. I think pony herders themselves are
:14:21. > :14:25.wondering, where will it go from here? It is part of our heritage. We
:14:26. > :14:30.used to be a marketing virtually every big town, we were down to two
:14:31. > :14:36.and now we are down to one. This side of the moor is no way of
:14:37. > :14:40.getting those ponies any more. She is still waiting to see if the last
:14:41. > :14:44.remaining sale will take place this year.
:14:45. > :14:48.The Hospice in North Devon says it couldn't survive without its
:14:49. > :14:52.volunteers. There are around 130 paid staff, but more than 500
:14:53. > :14:57.volunteers who do a wide range of jobs. The North Devon Hospice is
:14:58. > :15:01.celebrating its 30th birthday and one of its major themes for the year
:15:02. > :15:04.is thanking the people who do so much to help make it work. In the
:15:05. > :15:14.fourth of her series, our North Devon reporter, Andrea Ormsby, looks
:15:15. > :15:18.at the work of one volunteer. This man retired ten years ago. He had
:15:19. > :15:22.been the lorry driver and now he is driving again, as a volunteer for
:15:23. > :15:29.North Devon Hospice. It certainly helps me with my retirement. He
:15:30. > :15:34.drives patients to and from home for outpatient visits. I spend a lot of
:15:35. > :15:42.time with the patients in the car, and also in the hospice. There is no
:15:43. > :15:47.end of subjects that we talk about. Whether it is to do with politics,
:15:48. > :15:54.the weather, or our own families, really. We really become a part of
:15:55. > :16:02.their families. To begin with, he was worried they wouldn't cope.
:16:03. > :16:05.Occasionally it is depressing but you must accept that as part of the
:16:06. > :16:12.job. It's just great pleasure to be able to help somebody through their
:16:13. > :16:17.illness and one of the greatest joys I find doing this job is just
:16:18. > :16:22.hearing that people laugh when they are in the daycare unit. When you
:16:23. > :16:30.hear them laughing so much, you know that what you're doing is right.
:16:31. > :16:36.Meeting people who have honed their skills of what quality`of`life they
:16:37. > :16:45.have left, it teaches you a lot. I can see the change in philosophy of
:16:46. > :16:53.life. Cyril doesn't just drive for the hospice, he is one available in
:16:54. > :16:57.tears who do gardening. I know the gardening gives a lot of fish to our
:16:58. > :17:08.patients, on a nice sunny day like today, they can seal the flowers ``
:17:09. > :17:11.see all the flowers. Smell the pollen. Sometimes we get bees,
:17:12. > :17:17.butterflies. It also gives them a great pleasure. The pleasure I get
:17:18. > :17:22.in gardening obviously gives the patient is much pleasure as I get.
:17:23. > :17:29.In this 30th birthday year, there is a big thank you to everyone who does
:17:30. > :17:33.so much to help. Our theme for 30th anniversary is thanks to you. A
:17:34. > :17:40.plethora of our community, the staff, it is a big chance to say
:17:41. > :17:45.thanks to all our volunteers. Without them, we wouldn't be able to
:17:46. > :17:49.operate. Sometimes I feel a bit selfish mind doing it because it's
:17:50. > :17:54.helping me as much as it's helping the patients. Because I often say to
:17:55. > :17:59.my self, what would I be doing? I would be set at home, bored to
:18:00. > :18:04.tears. Of all the jobs I have done, to find the best job I have done, I
:18:05. > :18:12.don't get paid for, what can you say? It's great. The Cyril, the fear
:18:13. > :18:22.of retirement has been replaced by the fulfilment of volunteering.
:18:23. > :18:25.And tomorrow in the final part of her series, Andrea's been to meet a
:18:26. > :18:28.family who were helped through the loss of a loved one, by the North
:18:29. > :18:31.Devon Hospice. It was a big night for the
:18:32. > :18:35.south`west at the BBC Radio two Folk Awards at the Royal Albert Hall last
:18:36. > :18:38.night. Folk superband, The Full English, which features Seth
:18:39. > :18:41.Lakeman, won Best Group and Best Album, while Devon's Phillip Henry
:18:42. > :18:49.and Hannah Martin scooped the Award for best duo.
:18:50. > :18:52.Phillip Henry, Hannah Martin and Seth Lakeman have all been regular
:18:53. > :18:58.guests on John Govier's Saturday Show on BBC Radio Devon. Join him
:18:59. > :19:02.for more live performances from local musicians this Saturday from
:19:03. > :19:03.9am ` 1pm. Or listen on the BBC iPlayer.
:19:04. > :19:07.Meanwhile, Plymouth musician Chris Wood has been amongst the winners at
:19:08. > :19:12.the BRIT Awards last Night. His band Bastille won best UK breakthrough
:19:13. > :19:16.act at the annual award ceremony. And you can catch up with him on
:19:17. > :19:19.Saturday when he drums home his support for Plymouth Argyle by
:19:20. > :19:21.making his debut as a guest in the commentary box, that's alongside BBC
:19:22. > :19:30.Radio Devon's Gordon Sparks. Now our reporter John Henderson is
:19:31. > :19:33.spending this week travelling the Spotlight region to see the impact
:19:34. > :19:36.of the recent storms. Coastal communities from the far west of
:19:37. > :19:41.Cornwall through to Dorset suffered major damage following weeks of
:19:42. > :19:45.extreme weather. John's journey started on Monday in Lamorna Cove.
:19:46. > :19:54.Today he's moved from South Devon up to the village of Bucks Mills in
:19:55. > :20:00.North Devon. It feels like a long way from anywhere but there moments
:20:01. > :20:05.where this is the reason 40,000 people visit every year. This is
:20:06. > :20:11.lovely. I understand you are going to show me something that isn't so
:20:12. > :20:18.nice. Indeed. Now they would have a job getting onto the beach. The
:20:19. > :20:26.grade two listed slipway has gone. Perfectly safe? The people in this
:20:27. > :20:32.tiny community e`mail the BBC about the need to nominate the slipway and
:20:33. > :20:38.the historic lime kilns after they were destroyed by storms. It has
:20:39. > :20:43.been unprecedented in terms of the storm damage, but of course, it has
:20:44. > :20:48.happened before and the community comes together as it has now and it
:20:49. > :20:51.will get rebuilt. This is the beginning of the slipway commie
:20:52. > :20:58.conceive of the storm damage has done over my shoulder. That wall is
:20:59. > :21:01.looking pretty precarious. From the Heritage site to a holiday resort,
:21:02. > :21:15.one equally affected by wild weather. Crazy golf at West Westwood
:21:16. > :21:19.home is a crazy assault course. John Martin's nephew runs a tourist
:21:20. > :21:24.attraction, quite when it will welcome back punters and putters St
:21:25. > :21:28.Clair. John has got enough to do pull string the differences outside
:21:29. > :21:36.his own business, hammered by last week's wave. It will be back up and
:21:37. > :21:40.running, it is a mammoth task to get it ready. Easter we could probably
:21:41. > :21:46.get the go`karts ready but the extreme crazy golf, as you call it,
:21:47. > :21:49.we don't know about that. For many communities in North Devon and
:21:50. > :21:53.across the south`west, the race is on to bolster their damaged sea
:21:54. > :22:13.defences before the next high tides in March.
:22:14. > :22:16.A hundred years ago the humble pasty kept Cornish tin miners going
:22:17. > :22:20.underground. These day they are a handy lunchtime feast and now they
:22:21. > :22:23.are being used the feed the hundreds of people trying to fight the flood
:22:24. > :22:27.waters in Somerset. More than 1,000 pasties have been sent from Cornwall
:22:28. > :22:31.to Somerset ` branded as' Pasty Aid'. The idea was the brainwave of
:22:32. > :22:36.a Cornish woman who now lives on the Somerset levels. At this bakery,
:22:37. > :22:41.they are queueing for their lunch. The pasties here are popular with
:22:42. > :22:44.the local people and visitors. But not all these pasties are being
:22:45. > :22:49.bought and sold locally. Some of them are going up to Somerset as
:22:50. > :22:55.Pasty Aid. This family run bakery is one of the number who have sent
:22:56. > :23:03.pasties to the Somerset Levels, an area that has been under floodwater
:23:04. > :23:10.four weeks. Not meals on wheels but breakfast in a basket. Do you want
:23:11. > :23:15.your hot pasty? You are most welcome! Compliments of Sarah, bless
:23:16. > :23:25.her heart! Thanks very much! Lovely job! Well done. Take care. This is
:23:26. > :23:28.the woman who has made it all happen. Sarah comes from Cornwall
:23:29. > :23:35.but now lives in Somerset. She rang pasty makers in Cornwall who are
:23:36. > :23:40.more than happy to help. There is not much I can do out here, I am a
:23:41. > :23:47.mum at home. I can make pasties and my friends are happy to make them.
:23:48. > :23:52.It's really nice just to help people. Plus, we have had lots of
:23:53. > :23:58.our own customers go on the strength of this, people phoning up and
:23:59. > :24:04.saying, can I donate ?50 for as many pasties as that will buy? So we
:24:05. > :24:11.ascended up more than the original 120. For the flood victims and those
:24:12. > :24:21.trying to help them, these are more than much`needed warm food, they are
:24:22. > :24:28.a gesture of goodwill from Cornwall. Time for the weather.
:24:29. > :24:37.Before I give it a forecast, I'm just going to go back over how wet
:24:38. > :24:41.the winter has been so far. This is more official statistics, it is now
:24:42. > :24:53.officially the wettest winter ever, 683 millimetres of rain, the average
:24:54. > :24:58.we have seen. The previous wet year, wet winter, I should say, was
:24:59. > :25:04.1990. It's not as stormy as it has been, we have some sunshine every
:25:05. > :25:07.now and then. Tomorrow is a day when we are going to get a mixture of
:25:08. > :25:13.both, some showers, it'll be breezy and every now and then, the sunshine
:25:14. > :25:21.will shine. For the weekend, more uncertainty and more unsettled, more
:25:22. > :25:30.persistent rain, but most of the activity is towards the North`West
:25:31. > :25:35.of us. One line of showers, perhaps more persistent rain, will trickle
:25:36. > :25:40.through the English Channel overnight tomorrow and into
:25:41. > :25:46.Saturday. Then it is the next area of low pressure, which will arrive
:25:47. > :25:49.on Sunday, although its eastward progress will be erratic. Notice the
:25:50. > :25:58.ice bars are starting to get more tightly packed. Gale force winds on
:25:59. > :26:01.Sunday. The breeze is blowing in a pew showers, that will continue
:26:02. > :26:07.overnight, forming lines for a time. But they do become more isolated and
:26:08. > :26:12.hopefully we will get some clear spells. When that happens, we'll see
:26:13. > :26:21.temperatures tumble away. The showers we have now have been quite
:26:22. > :26:25.lively. Once they died down, lengthy clear spells will develop and
:26:26. > :26:30.turning quite cold overnight. Temperatures cold enough for a touch
:26:31. > :26:37.of Frost. Most likely in sheltered inland areas. For tomorrow, showers
:26:38. > :26:41.are always not far away, but they will be some sunny spells in between
:26:42. > :26:46.those showers, even though they come along every now and then, there is a
:26:47. > :26:54.chance of some dry weather for all of us. Breezy and colder of today.
:26:55. > :27:17.`` than today. For the Isles of Scilly:
:27:18. > :27:28.the wind direction, West or south`westerly. Should be a fine day
:27:29. > :27:29.on Saturday, clouding over, more wet weather, becoming increasingly windy
:27:30. > :27:36.on Sunday. I am back in the late news at
:27:37. > :27:39.10:25pm. Good evening.