:00:00. > 3:59:59at night. There is frost on the way. Thank you very much. Goodbye from
:00:00. > :01:29.me. And on BBC Figures we've obtained under the
:01:30. > :01:32.Freedom of Information Act reveal the impact of multi`million pound
:01:33. > :01:35.austerity cuts. The Government says spending has now been significantly
:01:36. > :01:38.increased to deal with the aftermath of this winter's storms. Our home
:01:39. > :01:42.affairs correspondent Simon Hall has this exclusive report.
:01:43. > :01:46.The Somerset Levels became the focus of national attention when villages
:01:47. > :01:49.were cut off weeks in this winter's floods. Local people complained that
:01:50. > :01:55.underfunding to flood prevention contributed to their suffering. They
:01:56. > :02:01.have been angered further by these figures showing sizeable cuts in
:02:02. > :02:05.flood defence spending. Yes, they keep saying there are budget cuts
:02:06. > :02:10.and obviously it is very true. The thing about it is, we need more
:02:11. > :02:18.money. That is the be all and end all. We're just a small population
:02:19. > :02:24.so flood them and keep more houses, including Taunton and Bridgwater,
:02:25. > :02:27.without floods. The figures show that spending on flood defence in
:02:28. > :02:31.the south`west before austerity cuts took effect was just over ?45
:02:32. > :02:35.million. The next financial year, that fell to just over ?36 million.
:02:36. > :02:39.Then spending rose to more than ?39 million as the Government gave money
:02:40. > :02:43.to help you with the effects of flooding that year. But in the last
:02:44. > :02:47.financial year, the Environment Agency's planned spending fell to
:02:48. > :02:57.just over ?32 million ` a drop of almost 30% on the 2010`11 figure. In
:02:58. > :03:00.the Cornish port of Looe, they also suffered serious flooding this
:03:01. > :03:06.winter. Here, too, there is concern about the cuts to funding for flood
:03:07. > :03:10.defences. I think that is terrible. I don't think there is enough in
:03:11. > :03:17.Cornwall, really. Plymouth have got defence, they have got a defence
:03:18. > :03:20.barrier. They have an out`harbour and everything. But we have got
:03:21. > :03:24.nothing here, we're just open to all of the elements. Neither the
:03:25. > :03:27.Department for Rural Affairs, Defra, nor the Environment Agency would be
:03:28. > :03:29.interviewed. The agency said: We have finite resources for flood
:03:30. > :03:35.defences, we prioritise investment in high`risk areas where it benefits
:03:36. > :03:38.most people and property. Defra said: We are spending more than ever
:03:39. > :03:41.before on flood management and protection from coastal erosion and
:03:42. > :03:45.continue to build flood defences where they are needed. The
:03:46. > :03:49.Government has also announced another ?270 million to deal with
:03:50. > :03:55.the aftermath of this winter's flooding. Significant spending on
:03:56. > :03:58.flood defence still does go on, as here in Exeter, but these figures
:03:59. > :04:02.demonstrate just how much it has been curtailed. And that'll be a
:04:03. > :04:05.concern, particularly as most scientists believe the climate is
:04:06. > :04:15.changing to become more unpredictable and extreme.
:04:16. > :04:18.A petition, signed by 100,000 people, calling for a reprieve for
:04:19. > :04:21.the Portland Search and Rescue helicopter base was handed in by
:04:22. > :04:27.campaigners today to ten Downing Street. It's hoped it will trigger a
:04:28. > :04:30.parliamentary debate. The base is due to close in the next few years
:04:31. > :04:32.as part of restructuring. Spotlight's John Ayres reports.
:04:33. > :04:37.The Portland coastguard helicopter is valued highly along the south
:04:38. > :04:42.coast. In 2012, Alan and his daughter were rescued from their
:04:43. > :04:47.Land Rover in the floods. He has been involved in a campaign to keep
:04:48. > :04:51.a helicopter here. I would not be speaking today if it was not for
:04:52. > :04:57.them. They are a vital service and save lives. That is all you can ask.
:04:58. > :05:00.If you are in a situation where you need the emergency services, you
:05:01. > :05:07.want to know they are on their way within minutes. Today, a
:05:08. > :05:11.100,000`signature petition was handed in at Downing Street, calling
:05:12. > :05:16.on the Government to revise its decision. As it stands, the Portland
:05:17. > :05:19.service will end in 2017, with helicopters working out of ten other
:05:20. > :05:27.bases in the country, the nearest being at Lee`on`Solent and Culdrose.
:05:28. > :05:32.Divers in this area think it is madness. Ron used to run a diving
:05:33. > :05:35.business in Portland. I think it is imperative that the helicopter stays
:05:36. > :05:43.here for the safety of children falling off the rocks and getting
:05:44. > :05:46.into difficult situations. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency says
:05:47. > :05:52.that search and rescue is a national service and that provision is set to
:05:53. > :05:55.improve. It says that the modelling of historic data shows that
:05:56. > :05:59.helicopters will be able to reach a larger part of the country's search
:06:00. > :06:06.and rescue area within one hour. It says that flying times will improve
:06:07. > :06:10.by 20%, going from 23 minutes to 19. They will use state`of`the`art
:06:11. > :06:16.helicopters, which are faster. The Portland coastguard helicopter is
:06:17. > :06:19.one of the busiest in the country. The petition does not force the
:06:20. > :06:22.Government to act, but the campaigners hope it will make them
:06:23. > :06:31.think again. Divers are working to make temporary
:06:32. > :06:34.repairs to a tug in Fowey harbour. The Cormilan, which is one of
:06:35. > :06:38.Fowey's own tugs, was holed and started to sink when she hit a rock
:06:39. > :06:41.near the harbour entrance early this morning. It's thought part of the
:06:42. > :06:43.tug's propeller system is now lying on the sea bed. Spotlight's David
:06:44. > :06:50.George reports. The 30 metre Cormilan. On board,
:06:51. > :06:55.fire service crews are using pumps to keep afloat. Antipollution blooms
:06:56. > :07:01.have been placed around her. She was on passage to Plymouth and she had
:07:02. > :07:12.rocked at the entrance to Fowey harbour at 3:30am this morning. Phil
:07:13. > :07:16.'s how could this have happened? It is a good question. We are
:07:17. > :07:26.investigating at the moment and interviewing the sailors. We don't
:07:27. > :07:31.really know yet. The tug's crew tried to return to their mood
:07:32. > :07:36.rings, but it could not cope with the water coming in. We had a
:07:37. > :07:47.significant amount of water coming into the engine room, which require
:07:48. > :07:52.both pumps to maintain buoyancy. This tug is equipped with two
:07:53. > :07:58.propellers beneath her whole. Divers found one of them this afternoon. I
:07:59. > :08:07.can see an oily substance floating to substance near these buoys. This
:08:08. > :08:10.photograph shows it being recovered. The investigation Branch has asked
:08:11. > :08:16.the harbour master to carry out an investigation. These are important
:08:17. > :08:20.assets that we cannot afford to take out of service, so we're going to
:08:21. > :08:24.work hard to get it back in service as sinners we can and to learn any
:08:25. > :08:30.lessons that may emerge from the investigation. Once they have
:08:31. > :08:38.completed a temporary patch to the whole, it will be taken to a dry
:08:39. > :08:46.dock for repair. Meanwhile, the investigation will continue.
:08:47. > :08:48.A woman from Devon has been killed taking part in a round`the`world
:08:49. > :08:51.cycle ride for charity. Sharon Bridgman, from Zeal Monachorum, near
:08:52. > :08:55.Okehampton, was cycling with her husband when she was hit by a van in
:08:56. > :09:02.Bolivia on Saturday. The van driver has been arrested.
:09:03. > :09:05.The Avon and Somerset force is to close more than half its police
:09:06. > :09:08.stations to save money. Four will disappear altogether while 23 will
:09:09. > :09:11.move to a smaller base nearby, in some cases sharing a building with
:09:12. > :09:15.the local council, fire or ambulance service. Many of the staff will be
:09:16. > :09:19.transferred to three new police and custody centres due to open later in
:09:20. > :09:22.the year. More than 30 extra nurses are being
:09:23. > :09:26.taken on at North Devon District Hospital. The trust has also agreed
:09:27. > :09:30.to employ 25 health care assistants. It says it's to help deal with the
:09:31. > :09:37.growing number of elderly patients with more complex health needs.
:09:38. > :09:41.And staying with health, a new study out today paints a mixed picture of
:09:42. > :09:45.our health in the South West. On the down side, we drink too much coffee,
:09:46. > :09:48.don't do enough exercise, and more than a third of us say we're
:09:49. > :09:51.unhappy. But, on average, we're amongst the least overweight people
:09:52. > :10:00.in Britain, eat plenty of fruit and veg, and are the best at growing our
:10:01. > :10:05.own food. I like to think I am reasonably
:10:06. > :10:10.healthy. I do not smoke, drink and I have my five a day. I want to work
:10:11. > :10:16.and play rugby once a week and I go out on the bike when I can. But does
:10:17. > :10:24.all of this mean healthy? I ask for professional advice from BBC
:10:25. > :10:37.Radio's medic. Your blood pressure is good and your BMI is 21, which is
:10:38. > :10:41.very good and in the normal range. According to the survey, 75% of
:10:42. > :10:48.residents in the south`west are exercising once a week and also 25%
:10:49. > :10:51.are exercising once per day. Obviously you should be trying to do
:10:52. > :10:59.30 minutes of exercise five times per week. People are eating lots of
:11:00. > :11:06.fruit and veg, we would advise eating up to seven A.D. . Other good
:11:07. > :11:14.news is that 33% are growing their own fruit and veg. Have you seen
:11:15. > :11:24.much change in what people are buying? Definitely. They buy a
:11:25. > :11:31.multi`range of stuff. You see cookery programmes, and people like
:11:32. > :11:37.to change what they buy. Are people growing their own? Most definitely,
:11:38. > :11:45.but only seasonal, we supply at all year round. But one thing we are bad
:11:46. > :11:50.at here is drinking too much caffeine. 35% of those drink more
:11:51. > :11:57.than five cups per day. For me, it is hard to give up!
:11:58. > :12:01.And here at Spotlight, we'd like to hear what you do to keep healthy.You
:12:02. > :12:09.can get in touch with us in the usual way via e`mail, Twitter, or
:12:10. > :12:13.Facebook. There are more than 700 of them,
:12:14. > :12:16.they spend billions of pounds of our money and they decide everything
:12:17. > :12:19.from workers' rights to fishing and farming policies. And in just over
:12:20. > :12:23.three weeks, we'll be asked to vote for them. But what do MEPs really
:12:24. > :12:27.achieve? And what will the European Elections on May the 22nd mean for
:12:28. > :12:29.us in the South West? Spotlight's political editor Martyn Oates has
:12:30. > :12:33.swapped Westminster for Strasbourg to find out.
:12:34. > :12:41.Picturesque Strasbourg is most of the time just a biggish provincial
:12:42. > :12:44.city in eastern France. One week in every month, though, it becomes the
:12:45. > :12:47.self`styled capital of Europe as MEPs from the European Union's 28
:12:48. > :12:58.member states descend on this building. There can be a tendency to
:12:59. > :13:01.associate European legislation with the infamous Brussels bureaucrats
:13:02. > :13:04.but the people that actually decide what becomes law in the European
:13:05. > :13:08.Union are ministers from the governments of each member state and
:13:09. > :13:18.the 700 odd MEPs all meet in this place. I'm here for the last sitting
:13:19. > :13:25.of the present crop of MEPs before the parliament goes to the polls on
:13:26. > :13:28.May the 22nd. A quick glance at the agenda for this last plenary session
:13:29. > :13:31.shows that MEPs are debating, amongst other things, plans to boost
:13:32. > :13:35.pension rights for people working in other EU member states, measures to
:13:36. > :13:43.reduce noise at airports and a new budget to promote EU farm produce.
:13:44. > :13:49.At home in Devon, that is going down well with an organisation which
:13:50. > :13:53.exists to promote local produce. We have launched a brand`new brand to
:13:54. > :13:58.take products under that brand into new markets, both in Europe and
:13:59. > :14:02.worldwide. What we are lacking, of course, is the funds to be able to
:14:03. > :14:06.do that sort of thing, so this initiative and plans in Europe, we
:14:07. > :14:09.would be very pleased to see that. Back in Strasbourg, Lib Dem MEP
:14:10. > :14:15.Graham Watson, the party's candidate for the south`west, agrees that it
:14:16. > :14:18.is good stuff. I think the promotion of farm produce is an important one
:14:19. > :14:21.and whether it is Gloucestershire perry to Somerset cider brandy or
:14:22. > :14:24.Dorset blue cheese to Cornish clotted cream, these are products
:14:25. > :14:33.that would benefit from that promotion in overseas markets. It is
:14:34. > :14:39.adding value to what our farmers and food producers are doing. His
:14:40. > :14:44.Conservative counterpart, Ashley Fox, also insists that much
:14:45. > :14:48.worthwhile work goes on here. I work on the Internal Market Committee and
:14:49. > :14:51.what we aim to do is to complete the single market, that market of 500
:14:52. > :14:56.million people, that we can trade and do business with. And I worked
:14:57. > :14:59.on a consumer protection dossier that aims to signify and reduce the
:15:00. > :15:07.burdens on businesses of consumer protection. But not everybody voting
:15:08. > :15:10.on the week's wide`ranging business is quite as enthusiastic. William
:15:11. > :15:16.Dartmouth, UKIP MEP and candidate, says the agenda is certainly packed,
:15:17. > :15:19.but not with good things. I have just had a quick look through the
:15:20. > :15:22.agenda and there was only one beneficial item and that is
:15:23. > :15:25.requiring members of the European Parliament to be much more
:15:26. > :15:29.transparent than they have been hitherto in their dealings with
:15:30. > :15:34.lobbyists. That is the only one good thing. The rest is a complete waste.
:15:35. > :15:40.Not just a waste of time but it is also job destructive and prosperity
:15:41. > :15:44.destructive for the UK. It is a rather green place, this. But some
:15:45. > :15:48.think it should be greener still. As the Green Party, yes, we are keen
:15:49. > :15:50.that environmental protection is strengthened but we're also
:15:51. > :15:52.interested in where power is exercised. Europe has a rather nasty
:15:53. > :15:56.word, subsidiarity, which nonetheless I think is a very strong
:15:57. > :16:01.green principal, which is about exercising power at the lowest
:16:02. > :16:05.appropriate level. Greenery is also on the mind of the Labour candidate.
:16:06. > :16:11.The Greens incidentally beat Labour in the south`west at the last
:16:12. > :16:14.European elections. For example, the way we have done in Cornwall, which
:16:15. > :16:17.is funded with European money, and the fact that wave technology is the
:16:18. > :16:20.next generation of environmental`friendly energy
:16:21. > :16:23.sources, and we are in a position in this region to lead the world in
:16:24. > :16:31.this technology and the development of it and we need to be sure that we
:16:32. > :16:34.do not miss that opportunity. As the present MEPs walk into the
:16:35. > :16:42.Strasbourg sunset, we must now set about the business of choosing their
:16:43. > :16:45.successors. There are three other parties
:16:46. > :16:48.standing in the South West: An Independence from Europe, the
:16:49. > :16:51.English Democrats and the British National Party. The full list of
:16:52. > :16:55.candidates is available on the BBC website. Next week, Martyn will be
:16:56. > :16:59.looking at the European Union's finances.
:17:00. > :17:03.On to sport and, in rugby, the Exeter Chiefs wing Jack Nowell is to
:17:04. > :17:06.have surgery on his knee and shoulder next week which will keep
:17:07. > :17:10.him out of England's summer tour to New Zealand. The 21`year`old, from
:17:11. > :17:13.Newlyn, played for his country in all the Six Nations games this year,
:17:14. > :17:16.scoring his first international try against Italy. Nowell missed the
:17:17. > :17:20.start of the current campaign with a damaged knee, but the Chiefs expect
:17:21. > :17:25.him to be fit for the start of next season.
:17:26. > :17:28.A teenager who was paralysed following a motocross accident says
:17:29. > :17:32.he never gave up hope of riding again. Spencer Watts, who's 18,
:17:33. > :17:37.spent five months in hospital after he was injured at the age of 15. But
:17:38. > :17:43.now his dream is to race again on a specially adapted bike. Spotlight's
:17:44. > :17:49.Carole Madge has the story. For young Spencer Watts, motocross
:17:50. > :17:53.has always been his passion. At the age of 15 he fractured his spine in
:17:54. > :18:00.an accident and it looked like his riding career was over. He told me
:18:01. > :18:04.that I would never be able to walk again and I would never be able to
:18:05. > :18:08.ride again. And my response to that was, whatever it took, I would be
:18:09. > :18:12.back on a bike, whether it be in five months' time or in two years'
:18:13. > :18:16.time. My legs tuck in either side here. My back brake is here. The
:18:17. > :18:19.front brake is here. And this is Spencer's solution ` a uniquely
:18:20. > :18:25.adapted motocross bike. But conditions are challenging.
:18:26. > :18:29.Especially when it is wet like this, I could go out there and fall off on
:18:30. > :18:34.the first corner. That is what worries me. You would have to lay
:18:35. > :18:39.there and wait for somebody to come and pick you up! It gets the
:18:40. > :18:42.adrenaline going. In conditions like this, the riders use their feet to
:18:43. > :18:49.keep them upright. Spencer has to rely on skill and technique. To
:18:50. > :18:54.start off with it was really hard, to keep balance, for instance. For
:18:55. > :19:02.an able`bodied person, it is hard. Gearing, changing gear, it is quite
:19:03. > :19:05.a tricky thing to get used to. Nothing stands in his way. I
:19:06. > :19:11.couldn't believe it. He gets himself out of his wheelchair, he bumps
:19:12. > :19:15.himself up. Instead of going, I can't do that. And now Spencer has
:19:16. > :19:20.another goal in his sights. He wants to start competing again. I rode
:19:21. > :19:24.from the age of eight years old. It is just something that I would never
:19:25. > :19:35.want to give up. It's just awesome, really. It's just great to ride.
:19:36. > :19:39.Now, for the story of one couple's love of trains and just how far
:19:40. > :19:42.their hobby has taken them! Roger and Barbara Stimpson from Devon have
:19:43. > :19:45.spent a lot of money and time creating their own model railway.
:19:46. > :19:48.Yes, ?32,000, ten years and 'model railway' probably doesn't do it
:19:49. > :19:51.justice! Both have serious illnesses and now want the county's air
:19:52. > :19:58.ambulance to benefit from their creation. Spotlight's Andrea Ormsby
:19:59. > :20:04.has been to take a look. Out with the lawn and in with the
:20:05. > :20:07.rails. It took three tonnes of concrete to lay this track in Roger
:20:08. > :20:12.and Barbara Stimpson's backyard, and it is as long as the football field.
:20:13. > :20:21.We have been married for 54 years which we are both very proud of. ``
:20:22. > :20:24.55 years. We both love the same things so we can't argue about
:20:25. > :20:30.what's wrong and what's right. I just say 'yes dear'! That's the way
:20:31. > :20:33.to have a perfect marriage. As if having this in your back garden
:20:34. > :20:37.isn't enough, what about the 50`foot long model railway in the loft? We
:20:38. > :20:43.get used to it, don't we? Yeah. It's just normal to us. To a lot of
:20:44. > :20:47.people it is a surprise. They are quite shocked when they go into the
:20:48. > :20:54.loft and see it. We have air conditioning and carpeting too. The
:20:55. > :20:58.house and garden are full of model railways and carriages. They have
:20:59. > :21:01.replicas of the Eurostar, First Great Western and a reproduction of
:21:02. > :21:09.the Babbacombe Cliff Railway in Torquay. Everything, Barb has done
:21:10. > :21:13.herself. I just carried it up to the loft and Barb's just built at all.
:21:14. > :21:19.Anything I build is rubbish and ends up being taken to bits. Anything
:21:20. > :21:22.Barb builds is perfect first time. LAUGHTER
:21:23. > :21:26.Roger and his wife are ill and have both had to use the Devon air
:21:27. > :21:30.ambulance. Now, to show their gratitude, they want to open their
:21:31. > :21:44.home to the public on June the 15th to raise money for the charity.
:21:45. > :21:50.Now we were talking about the health of the region early and have had
:21:51. > :21:57.e`mails. Thank you for your comments. Mark was quickest to
:21:58. > :22:04.respond, he is obviously very fit! He says at 68, he cycles 20 males
:22:05. > :22:08.per day, four days a week. Keep the comments coming. David is here with
:22:09. > :22:20.the weather. We have had reasonable temperatures,
:22:21. > :22:26.but we have had showers. They are already dying away tonight. A
:22:27. > :22:32.slightly different problem tomorrow. It will be dry, but misty with the
:22:33. > :22:36.risk of fog patches. Recently, some sunny spells, then rain spreading
:22:37. > :22:44.in. Don't be disappointed because the news is good for the weekend.
:22:45. > :22:48.Here is a circle of cloud. That is the low pressure moving towards us
:22:49. > :22:51.that will bring rain tomorrow, nudging to Cornwall in the middle of
:22:52. > :22:55.the day and spilling across us through the afternoon. As that low
:22:56. > :22:58.pressure begins to move away through Thursday and into Friday, we have an
:22:59. > :23:09.area of high pressure to replace it. From the coasts of Spain and
:23:10. > :23:15.Iceland, the pressure will bring is nice weather for the weekend and
:23:16. > :23:20.bank holiday Monday. The satellite picture shows you what we have seen
:23:21. > :23:28.today, but just some showers left today. Early, we had some fine
:23:29. > :23:39.weather and a bit of blue sky to enjoy. Whence had been light ``
:23:40. > :23:45.winds, and it has been a pleasant day indeed with the top temperature
:23:46. > :23:51.of 16 Celsius. We make to get those figures again tomorrow, but for the
:23:52. > :23:59.most part, temperatures are down. Tonight we will have lengthy clear
:24:00. > :24:01.spells once the showers fade, but low cloud will form and it might be
:24:02. > :24:13.marquee tomorrow morning with temperatures as low as seven Celsius
:24:14. > :24:22.`` murky. The best place for prolonged sunshine will be Devon.
:24:23. > :24:37.Temperatures, well getting up to 16 Celsius, will be towards the North.
:24:38. > :24:48.That is the force cast `` forecast for the Isles of Scilly. Here are
:24:49. > :24:52.the times of high water. For sufferers, it is likely to be choppy
:24:53. > :25:01.along the north coast between three and four feet along the south
:25:02. > :25:05.coast. The forecast for the coastal waters is three or four at first,
:25:06. > :25:15.but the ring westerly and packing up force. Thursday is very showy,
:25:16. > :25:17.widespread across the region, but try on Friday and fine as we head
:25:18. > :25:24.into the weekend. Have a nice weekend.
:25:25. > :25:33.The next update is that PM and at 10:25pm. Goodbye. `` 8pm.