:00:00. > :00:28.That's all from the BBC News at Six. So it's
:00:29. > :00:32.in their homes tonight as firefighters tackle a major blaze at
:00:33. > :00:35.Good evening and welcome to Spotlight.
:00:36. > :00:38.Explosions have been heard at Wall Park and there are fears
:00:39. > :00:40.the smoke from the fire could be potentially harmful.
:00:41. > :00:44.We'll be live at the scene in just a moment, as fire crews
:00:45. > :00:48.Being careful with the council coffers,
:00:49. > :00:51.Local authorities across the region have axed millions of pounds
:00:52. > :00:55.from the funding pot used to create jobs and stimulate the economy.
:00:56. > :01:04.We have spent the day watching an unusual challenge. The Cornish
:01:05. > :01:05.Pirates rugby team work ticket against a shyer course called
:01:06. > :01:13.George. We will have more later. Figures obtained
:01:14. > :01:15.by Spotlight show there have been deep cuts in the funding councils
:01:16. > :01:18.use to create jobs and promote Local authorities across
:01:19. > :01:22.the region have reduced their grants and support by tens of millions
:01:23. > :01:26.of pounds over the past five years. Spending in the South Hams fell
:01:27. > :01:28.by 70%. In South Somerset,
:01:29. > :01:32.the fall was almost 60%. And Devon County Council cut
:01:33. > :01:35.their spending by more than 70%. Our correspondent Simon Hall
:01:36. > :01:46.uncovered the figures This man spent much of his family's
:01:47. > :01:50.savings opening up a restaurant. He says he has received no start of
:01:51. > :01:55.help from local councils and nine through the difficult times of the
:01:56. > :02:03.economic downturn. A lot of people I've spoke to, it is frustrating,
:02:04. > :02:11.everyone is disappointed, people feel really bad. The region's
:02:12. > :02:17.businesses are trying to smile, with events like this Expo lifting the
:02:18. > :02:20.mood, but times are still far from easy. Councils say they have cut
:02:21. > :02:28.back on business developments pending because of reductions in
:02:29. > :02:33.budgets. We spent ?200 million in Devon and things like the Link
:02:34. > :02:43.Road, ?20 million, and the Junction 29 improvements. You have got a new
:02:44. > :02:49.roundabout to unlock growth, and closer to home, you have the science
:02:50. > :02:54.Park. A government minister visiting the area today told us they were
:02:55. > :02:59.investing in business. As a government, we have to tackle the
:03:00. > :03:04.deficit and prioritise growth as a key element in what we are doing. We
:03:05. > :03:11.saw that with the Queen's speech yesterday. What we have senior is
:03:12. > :03:16.development in the rural economy. The `` what we have seen here. Some
:03:17. > :03:21.councils resurveyed are increasing investment in business growth, but
:03:22. > :03:28.that tended to be the cause of one grants, often from government. None
:03:29. > :03:32.of the political parties are talking about big increases in council
:03:33. > :03:34.spending after next year's general election, so the outlook for
:03:35. > :03:42.business and development funding looks likely to remain restrained.
:03:43. > :03:45.A 33`year`old man has appeared in court charged with murder.
:03:46. > :03:48.72`year`old David Alderson's body was found at Wheal Maid
:03:49. > :03:52.The death of the former driving instructor was initially treated
:03:53. > :03:55.as a cycling accident, as the area is popular with mountain bikers.
:03:56. > :03:57.Kevin Cooper from Redruth today pleaded not
:03:58. > :04:06.guilty at Truro Crown Court and will go on trial in November.
:04:07. > :04:09.Stall holders who paid to exhibit at Devon County Show are being
:04:10. > :04:11.offered a 25% cent refund on their stand fees.
:04:12. > :04:14.The event was cancelled on day three in the interests of
:04:15. > :04:19.Exeter City Football Club face a summer transfer embargo,
:04:20. > :04:21.after being loaned ?100,000 from the Professional Footballers'
:04:22. > :04:26.It means manager Paul Tisdale won't be allowed to sign any new players
:04:27. > :04:33.until the loan is repaid in early August.
:04:34. > :04:36.New landing sites are needed for the Cornwall air ambulance
:04:37. > :04:38.when it starts responding to night time emergencies.
:04:39. > :04:41.From December, crews will have the ability to respond after dark.
:04:42. > :04:43.Because of the difficulties of flying at night,
:04:44. > :04:50.the charity's asking for help to identify suitable landing areas.
:04:51. > :04:53.Firefighters are tackling a large fire tonight in Brixham.
:04:54. > :05:03.It's in Wall Park, a former Pontins holiday camp towards Berry Head.
:05:04. > :05:08.People are being advised to stay inside their home.
:05:09. > :05:13.Spotlight's Scott Bingham is there for us tonight.
:05:14. > :05:20.The call came in the later part of the afternoon, and firefighters have
:05:21. > :05:28.been tackling it for the last hour or so. They are trying to help it
:05:29. > :05:32.down at the moment. There is clearly smoke billowing out at the moment
:05:33. > :05:40.and pouring out towards the water masses of Torbay and the firemen ``
:05:41. > :05:48.and the fire must still be going on. 30 firefighters are tackling
:05:49. > :05:53.this. There is lots of scorching and burnt areas around this whole area
:05:54. > :05:57.right in front of me where I am looking at it. 30 firefighters
:05:58. > :06:01.getting it under control at the moment. A key part of this is the
:06:02. > :06:06.smoke. Local residents are being told to keep their windows closed
:06:07. > :06:11.and try not to breathe in the smoke. Huge clouds of it pouring out of
:06:12. > :06:15.this building at the moment. Thank you. There will be more on that in
:06:16. > :06:19.our late news. Postal workers have gone
:06:20. > :06:21.into battle with Royal Mail over its decision to allow villagers
:06:22. > :06:24.in Lympstone to keep their postman. Staff say it breaches
:06:25. > :06:26.national agreements. Spotlight's John Ayres has
:06:27. > :06:36.the story. The residents of Lympstone have been
:06:37. > :06:39.campaigning to keep their local postman. Ray has been delivering
:06:40. > :06:43.best record delivering here for 17 years, but will have to make way for
:06:44. > :06:58.someone who has been delivering for 30 years. All of the regulations
:06:59. > :07:05.have... Unless there is an issue of law, disability or something like
:07:06. > :07:08.that, then jobs are selected on a seniority basis. In response to the
:07:09. > :07:13.campaign, Royal Mail has been considering giving Ray an extra six
:07:14. > :07:21.months and this around before he has moved, but the union is sticking to
:07:22. > :07:26.its guns, and this morning, a meeting was held to discuss the way
:07:27. > :07:32.forward. Added management. If it is part and parcel of a long`standing
:07:33. > :07:37.agreement, they really ought to change the agreement. They are not
:07:38. > :07:41.looking at it from the point of view of anyone else, are they? They need
:07:42. > :07:45.to sit down and maybe discuss amongst themselves and think about
:07:46. > :07:48.it. Royal Mail told the BBC that they will be meeting with the
:07:49. > :07:54.communication workers Union early next week to discuss the situation
:07:55. > :07:57.in Lympstone, and that when there is a change in the operation, routes
:07:58. > :08:01.are allocated according to seniority, and agreements that they
:08:02. > :08:05.are committed to. They do understand the concerns of the residents of
:08:06. > :08:11.Lympstone, but they insist that all of their postman and women are
:08:12. > :08:16.highly trained and will continue to receive a high`quality service. Ray
:08:17. > :08:23.has not been in the campaign and has been keeping a low profile. It is
:08:24. > :08:26.unclear yet whether he will be able to stay on.
:08:27. > :08:29.After 100 years being battered by the elements, a huge stained
:08:30. > :08:32.glass window was in danger of collapsing in a church on Dartmoor.
:08:33. > :08:36.It was installed in memory of French and American prisoners of war held
:08:37. > :08:40.Now, as Spotlight's Emma Thomasson reports, it's been restored to
:08:41. > :08:50.Gleaming right above the altar. Eight tributes to the prisoners who
:08:51. > :08:55.built this church back in the 19th century. They were American and
:08:56. > :09:00.French prisoners of war in the present over the road, and between
:09:01. > :09:06.1812 and 1814, they built this, but there were 200 of them who died in
:09:07. > :09:13.the present during those years, and most of them are actually buried in
:09:14. > :09:16.the churchyard, and that is the dedication. One of the American
:09:17. > :09:20.prisoners working on the charge recorded in his diary that every
:09:21. > :09:26.three months and would be paid 6p but if they try to escape they would
:09:27. > :09:32.get nothing. Their hard work is getting remembered at a special
:09:33. > :09:39.service. Age shall not worry them, nor the years condemn. At the going
:09:40. > :09:47.down of the sun and in the morning... The Memorial `` members
:09:48. > :09:58.of the American organisation which help page for it came back to see it
:09:59. > :10:02.returns to its former glory. This is important to see this window, so the
:10:03. > :10:08.people can have the services in the church as a reminder of what in ``
:10:09. > :10:12.what went on in the past come up but it is reminded `` behind us, and we
:10:13. > :10:16.are best friends. Will this last for another 100 years in this area where
:10:17. > :10:22.it was so exposed? No doubt about it. It was telling my daughters that
:10:23. > :10:27.if we come back in a years, it will look exactly the same. Primarily
:10:28. > :10:46.because we put thermal on the outside to protect it from further
:10:47. > :10:50.wind and rain, from Dartmoor. One soldier at the forefront of the
:10:51. > :10:54.Normandy assault was an Army major from Dorsett. Charles Martin was
:10:55. > :10:59.killed by a sniper in the early stages. His brother says he will
:11:00. > :11:07.always be remembered. Think about him a tremendous amount because they
:11:08. > :11:12.have a good photograph of him on my desk. We practically converse. He is
:11:13. > :11:18.there all the time as far as I am concerned, in my room. And there
:11:19. > :11:23.will be a fly`past across Lyme Regis at 11 o'clock tomorrow morning, and
:11:24. > :11:30.use can see much more on our eBay coverage tomorrow on and there will
:11:31. > :11:35.be extensive coverage on your local BBC radio station. `` on our D`Day
:11:36. > :11:39.coverage. This one has really come out
:11:40. > :11:43.of its shell, and ended up 270 miles away at a
:11:44. > :11:47.paper processing plant in Norfolk. The tortoise, thought to be female,
:11:48. > :11:50.is being cared for by one The creature had been hibernating
:11:51. > :12:02.in a box among paper put out I have the get home safely. Time to
:12:03. > :12:11.hand you over for all of the action of the first day of the Royal
:12:12. > :12:17.Cornwall Show. Hello. Welcome to the first day of the Royal Cornwall
:12:18. > :12:21.Show. A flying start. It is packed full of people, and by the guy saw a
:12:22. > :12:25.dinosaur just go by. It has been one of the busiest starts that I can
:12:26. > :12:29.remember to the show in many years, and over tonight and tomorrow, we
:12:30. > :12:35.will take you on an extensive tour of the 100 acre showground. This is
:12:36. > :12:39.the main agricultural show in Cornwall, and today there was a very
:12:40. > :12:42.special visitor. Everyone it seems to have enjoyed some glorious
:12:43. > :12:47.sunshine today, and there was plenty to see and do. We can show you a
:12:48. > :12:52.little bit of what is on offer. Andrea has been taking a look
:12:53. > :13:04.around. The Royal Cornwall Show in the sunshine. Very nice. The weather
:13:05. > :13:08.is just right. We have been coming for the last five years. This is the
:13:09. > :13:15.night just whether we have started with. `` nicest weather. Thousands
:13:16. > :13:22.of visitors turn up for Cornwall's annual event. This is its 220th
:13:23. > :13:26.year. A great turnout, so it is lovely to see a really strong cast
:13:27. > :13:30.of heifers. My husband will be delighted because he is judging. I
:13:31. > :13:34.think it is an amazing spectacle of showing everything that Cornwall is
:13:35. > :13:38.really good of and should be proud of. And a royal visitor, the
:13:39. > :13:42.Countess of Wessex, with plenty to see in a Royal visitor, the Countess
:13:43. > :13:46.of Wessex, with plenty to see and is scheduled to stick to. `` and a
:13:47. > :14:09.schedule to stick to. Judging is tense and in the heat is
:14:10. > :14:15.on the heat is on for first prize. I have a male and female kids from
:14:16. > :14:20.her, for the future, hopefully. When they judge you, they will do that,
:14:21. > :14:26.and it is nice if it just falls easy. Tomorrow he will be showing
:14:27. > :14:32.against the Royal Cornwall winner. As ever, the animals are the stars
:14:33. > :14:37.of the show. Some divas have been paying up to the camera. Day one has
:14:38. > :14:57.been blessed with sunshine. Just two more days to go.
:14:58. > :15:03.The very public face of the Royal Cornwall Show, but behind the scenes
:15:04. > :15:09.farming is a full`time job. We are down here at an area that is always
:15:10. > :15:13.popular. Look how many people are down here, watching the best animals
:15:14. > :15:17.in show. Even when the animals are on show, normal bar might has to
:15:18. > :15:26.continue, which means that the continue, which means that the
:15:27. > :15:30.towels have to be milked. There are around 80 dairy cows being shown
:15:31. > :15:34.over the next three days. Towels are judged when they are as full of milk
:15:35. > :15:38.as possible. The way the outer looks is one of the things the judge is
:15:39. > :15:46.looking for, so the timing is ritual. This is one of the first
:15:47. > :15:52.breed champions of the day. Minutes later, she is in the milking parlor,
:15:53. > :15:58.next door to the cattle shed. The parlor is open 24 hours a day and we
:15:59. > :16:03.have staff that cover it in eight hour shifts. The milk is sold and
:16:04. > :16:08.goes into supermarkets, so it is all being used. You may end up with some
:16:09. > :16:13.champion's milk in your cup of tea. Or dairy farmers, this is a five`day
:16:14. > :16:17.show. They arrived on Tuesday and do not leave until Sunday, so the girls
:16:18. > :16:24.will be in and out of the milking parlor quite a few times over the
:16:25. > :16:28.next few days. This is one of the winners who will be taken off to be
:16:29. > :16:36.milked. But we have been to see some cows that take themselves to be
:16:37. > :16:39.milked. This is robotic milking. The Calder walked in when they are
:16:40. > :16:48.hungry, the machine does the cleaning, fits the cops, milks each
:16:49. > :16:52.teat separately, and then steam cleaned itself. Kit like this costs
:16:53. > :16:58.about ?100,000 a time, but the farmer here says he is happier now
:16:59. > :17:04.that `` says that his happier towels are producing more milk. They may
:17:05. > :17:07.stay in the yard for one or two hours. Here, they can come in when
:17:08. > :17:12.they want, so it is quiet and relaxed. If a cow is relaxed, you
:17:13. > :17:20.will produce more milk. You don't want them to be stressed. This type
:17:21. > :17:24.of machine is called an astronaut. One giant leap for farming kind, it
:17:25. > :17:29.remains to be seen, but even traditional dairy farmers are saying
:17:30. > :17:32.it is the way forward. There is one thing I really love about the Royal
:17:33. > :17:36.Cornwall Show, and it is the friendly atmosphere here. What ever
:17:37. > :17:40.avenue you walk out, you will hear people greeting each other, often
:17:41. > :17:44.not having seen each other since last year's show. But I think this
:17:45. > :17:50.here it goes a little further than that. I think we can say that love
:17:51. > :17:53.is in the air. Elinor has been to me to couples for whom the Royal
:17:54. > :17:59.Cornwall showground is a very special place indeed.
:18:00. > :18:04.This couple are celebrating 40 years of marriage. In fact, their ruby
:18:05. > :18:09.wedding anniversary is this week, and where better to celebrate but at
:18:10. > :18:16.the Royal on wall show, where in 1972, they met at a young former's
:18:17. > :18:20.dance. `` Royal Cornwall Show. He was part of a group and he said he
:18:21. > :18:24.would take the one with glasses, which was me, and that is how we
:18:25. > :18:28.ended up dancing together. We did not end there because he got
:18:29. > :18:32.married. Two years later. Do you think many romances start here at
:18:33. > :18:39.the showground? I think they do. I am sure the young farmer 's, a lot
:18:40. > :18:46.of romances begin. Young farmers have a lot to answer for at times!
:18:47. > :18:50.Say no more. This year, Charles is showing several of his racing
:18:51. > :18:58.pigeons. The couple call into the pigeon tend to find out how they
:18:59. > :19:02.have done. A good result. Then, onto the cattle rings to check out the
:19:03. > :19:09.prize`winning animals. Charles was a beef farmer for 30 years. And 40
:19:10. > :19:17.years on, love is still in the air, this time, and the sheep shearing
:19:18. > :19:23.shed. It was here that Max met his wife. They were very last weekend.
:19:24. > :19:30.How did it all start? Just a nice smile. A nice smile, nice person,
:19:31. > :19:36.funny, hard`working. Eye for eye was never going to come back down to ``
:19:37. > :19:42.I swore I was never going to shear sheep again. I am still showing. But
:19:43. > :19:48.you are married! And I am living in England. So what advice can these
:19:49. > :19:52.two couples give each other for a happy marriage? We always give each
:19:53. > :19:57.other, no matter how hard the date has been, and we forget what
:19:58. > :20:06.happened yesterday and just carry on, forget it. That is about it,
:20:07. > :20:12.yes. A kiss for the Mrs.? The romantic side of the Royal Cornwall
:20:13. > :20:16.Show. Earlier today, all three of us went to watch corporations for a
:20:17. > :20:21.rather unusual contest. On the one hand, there was force power. On the
:20:22. > :20:26.other, manpower. It was the Cornish Pirates versus George the horse.
:20:27. > :20:31.That might sound an even numbers wise, but believe me, George could
:20:32. > :20:36.certainly hold his own! We had to choose which side to support.
:20:37. > :20:40.Natalie chose the horse George Oma and Justin and I were cheering for
:20:41. > :20:46.the course IRIX. This is how we got on. `` the Cornish Pirates. You
:20:47. > :20:51.would think there would be no contest. All of this manpower
:20:52. > :20:57.against one horsepower. Here is the boy that is going to be taking on
:20:58. > :21:00.the Pirates. This is George. He is a seven`year`old stallion. It was his
:21:01. > :21:08.birthday on Tuesday. Happy birthday, George! This is the only time I am
:21:09. > :21:15.going to get to train with the Cornish Pirates. Can I give you a
:21:16. > :21:25.brush, George! He is lovely and shiny.
:21:26. > :21:32.He is so placid for someone so strong. Beautiful boy. It is too
:21:33. > :21:42.early in the morning for this nonsense. If you hear a crack, just
:21:43. > :21:46.then the ambulance. `` just telephone the ambulance. George, we
:21:47. > :21:54.did it, darling! Lower, David, or lower. I'd are not think this is a
:21:55. > :22:01.good idea! I might suffer from my illness again. He is pulling
:22:02. > :22:06.capacity is anywhere between five and seven tonnes. Apparently the
:22:07. > :22:16.horse weighs a tonne. Yeah? And it can pull seven tonnes. How much do
:22:17. > :22:26.the lot way? What you have to do is just bull really, really hard. ``
:22:27. > :22:46.poll. We have a secret weapon. Come on. That is it.
:22:47. > :22:54.You two were pretty good at limbering up. You can find out what
:22:55. > :23:02.happened tomorrow. It is time for the weather now. How is it looking?
:23:03. > :23:07.Before we go into the forecast can let me show you what we saw earlier
:23:08. > :23:13.today. We didn't see it ourselves, we head a drone that went up above
:23:14. > :23:16.the showground before it opened, and we got some great shots of the blue
:23:17. > :23:22.skies and just how large the showground is. Much of the morning
:23:23. > :23:27.we head sunshine, but gradually, the cloud has crept in. The temperatures
:23:28. > :23:33.have been just about right. Lots of animals here undercover. Let's start
:23:34. > :23:37.with a detailed forecast for the Royal Cornwall Show, because it
:23:38. > :23:42.looks like we will see a warm day tomorrow on the temperature is up to
:23:43. > :23:45.18 or 19 degrees. There may well be some showers in the morning, but in
:23:46. > :23:50.the afternoon, the showers `` sunshine will be back out. A greater
:23:51. > :23:54.risk of seeing showers as we move into Saturday. When you look at the
:23:55. > :23:58.big satellite picture, you can see the extent of the cloud that is
:23:59. > :24:05.developing out of the Atlantic. That is the area of low pressure we are
:24:06. > :24:08.watching carefully. By the middle of the day tomorrow, just that little
:24:09. > :24:13.bit closer, and certainly by lunchtime on Saturday, a weather
:24:14. > :24:19.front will be brought across us that will introduce some possibly heavy
:24:20. > :24:23.showers. You can see the extent of the cloud that we have seen today.
:24:24. > :24:27.It has built up a little bit through the day, and we saw one or two light
:24:28. > :24:32.showers, but not many. For most of the South West of England, we have
:24:33. > :24:36.had a dry day, and for many, a fine day as well. This evening we will
:24:37. > :24:41.see more about coming in from the South West, and much of it arriving
:24:42. > :24:45.here will continue to spread across Cornwall and Devon and produce a few
:24:46. > :24:50.light spots of rain overnight tonight. Not a huge amount, but
:24:51. > :24:52.cloudy and spits and spots of rain possible through much of Cornwall
:24:53. > :24:58.and Devon for much of tomorrow morning. Temperatures no lower than
:24:59. > :25:03.nine or ten for most of us. After some initial light rain here and
:25:04. > :25:07.there, things get better tomorrow. We see more and more in the way of
:25:08. > :25:10.sunshine and it will be a much warmer day as well. The winds are
:25:11. > :25:15.from the south or South East and the increased through the day, and they
:25:16. > :25:20.may well bring ID of warmth and sunshine for Dorset and Somerset,
:25:21. > :25:25.and it is here we will see plenty of the highest temperatures, 20 or 21
:25:26. > :25:29.degrees, a little bit cooler along the south coast, and the further
:25:30. > :25:35.west you are, the more cloud you are likely to see. In the Isles of
:25:36. > :25:38.Scilly, we are closer to the area of high pressure, so it will be a
:25:39. > :25:45.little bit drier in the afternoon. Times of high water, and if you are
:25:46. > :25:58.heading for the surfing, it is pretty good tomorrow. On the north
:25:59. > :26:06.coast, three or four seats. Postal orders `` coastal waters forecast.
:26:07. > :26:11.Mainly fair, showers in the West and good visibility. The outlook does
:26:12. > :26:14.not look too bad, except we are concerned on Saturday about how
:26:15. > :26:19.heavy the showers could be. Most likely across Dorset and Somerset,
:26:20. > :26:24.where they could cause of some heavy downpours and the risk of flooding.
:26:25. > :26:28.We will have an update for you same time tomorrow. Have a good evening.
:26:29. > :26:32.of the Royal Cornwall Show. There is of the Royal Cornwall Show. There is
:26:33. > :26:36.plenty going on, but we have finished. We will be back tomorrow
:26:37. > :26:40.with more at the later time of seven o'clock. In the meantime, there will
:26:41. > :26:45.be extensive coverage tomorrow on BBC radio Cornwall, and we will be
:26:46. > :26:53.at a marquee at ten past 11 tomorrow, so come and say hello. We
:26:54. > :26:58.leave you with music whose members come from the trucker whose members
:26:59. > :27:03.are farmers and they will `` whose members are farmers from the area
:27:04. > :27:53.and they will be performing a song called Angeline.
:27:54. > :28:02.It's a weekly selection of hand-picked stuff from Radio 2,
:28:03. > :28:05.and then it's delivered straight to you.