:00:16. > :01:37.Spotlight can reveal the true extent tonight of the impact of TB
:01:38. > :01:40.Latest figures show more than 16,000 herds are infected.
:01:41. > :01:42.Although numbers are falling, the cost to farmers
:01:43. > :01:45.and taxpayers from these cases alone is more than ?54 million.
:01:46. > :01:47.But is a further cull of badgers the right answer?
:01:48. > :01:48.Spotlight's environment correspondent Adrian Campbell
:01:49. > :01:58.Save our badgers! Campaigners stood outside the High Court in London
:01:59. > :02:03.this afternoon while inside the legal arguments put forward by the
:02:04. > :02:08.Badger Trust were being considered. The trust says independent experts
:02:09. > :02:12.should monitor any future culls of badgers, as they did recently in
:02:13. > :02:16.West Somerset and Gloucestershire. They'll already beginning to say
:02:17. > :02:20.they will put in an independent assessment but they do not want a
:02:21. > :02:30.full panel. They are halfway to where we want them to be. Let's get
:02:31. > :02:33.a full scrutiny report done. It is what MPs and the public want.
:02:34. > :02:36.According to Defra, Devon had the most herds affected by bovine TB as
:02:37. > :02:39.of May this year but at the South West counties have also been
:02:40. > :02:43.severely affected. Overall, there has been a slight decline compared
:02:44. > :02:48.with the same period last year, but a single outbreak costs the farm on
:02:49. > :02:52.average around ?14,000, and the taxpayer ends up paying around
:02:53. > :02:57.?20,000. Farming plays an important part in the South West's economy and
:02:58. > :03:00.for the National Farmers' Union, today's events at the High Court in
:03:01. > :03:04.London are an unnecessary distraction. They say the situation
:03:05. > :03:10.here is serious and cannot be solved by controls on capital alone. We
:03:11. > :03:18.have taken out 32,000 cattle in 2013, 4700 more businesses went
:03:19. > :03:22.down. So we cannot go on like that. That is unsustainable. The debate
:03:23. > :03:26.about the need for a badger cull have been well rehearsed over the
:03:27. > :03:32.years but with the next pilot culls just weeks away, it seems important
:03:33. > :03:39.that the Badger Trust have lost faith in the political process. When
:03:40. > :03:45.you sue figures that came out last year and then were revised `` saw
:03:46. > :03:50.figures, trust has gone right at the flipping window. But at this
:03:51. > :03:54.agricultural show in Dorset, views about culling badgers are mixed. It
:03:55. > :04:02.would be nice to have vaccination rather than shooting badgers. As
:04:03. > :04:05.much as I love to see badgers in the countryside, I do support a
:04:06. > :04:10.controlled cull and I think it is the only way forward. Defra told us
:04:11. > :04:14.it would be inappropriate to comment on ongoing legal proceedings but it
:04:15. > :04:17.says it has already acted on recommendations from the independent
:04:18. > :04:23.panel of experts following last year's pilot culls. We would like to
:04:24. > :04:46.know what you think about the badger cull. Please get in touch with
:04:47. > :04:49.Thousands of pupils from across the South West have been
:04:50. > :04:53.And a school in Devon has more more reasons to celebrate than most.
:04:54. > :04:55.From being put in so`called special measures less
:04:56. > :04:58.than a year ago, results at Westlands in Torquay are up.
:04:59. > :05:14.I got an A* for additional science...
:05:15. > :06:52.Abigail Lawless has notched up a string of As and A*s, which is
:06:53. > :06:56.Elsewhere, students at Plymouth City College
:06:57. > :07:02.were celebrating a 3% improvement in their overall pass rate.
:07:03. > :07:06.I had this horrible doubt I would fail and I hadn't done as well, so
:07:07. > :07:11.I got a C in English and a D in maths.
:07:12. > :07:14.I was seven marks off a C, so I'm a bit gutted
:07:15. > :07:18.but I've only got to retake one paper, so November here I come.
:07:19. > :07:21.In some subjects here, like maths, geography and sociology,
:07:22. > :07:29.Some notable achievements there ` and later in the programme,
:07:30. > :07:32.we'll see how some of you have been celebrating your exam success.
:07:33. > :07:34.But academic qualifications aren't everyone's choice,
:07:35. > :07:37.and in the past year Cornwall College has seen a 20% increase in
:07:38. > :07:43.And nearly all of them go on to get a permanent job.
:07:44. > :07:45.Spotlight's Leigh Rundle has been finding out why on`the`job
:07:46. > :08:09.Surprise Mac You get a qualification at the end of it, which is what
:08:10. > :08:13.everyone wants. Becky left school at 16 and had a number of dead`end jobs
:08:14. > :08:19.before she applied for an apprenticeship. She has now been
:08:20. > :08:23.taken on full`time. Do not let your qualifications to hold you back. You
:08:24. > :08:30.will find your way around to get the career you want. Up until December,
:08:31. > :08:35.participating businesses received a ?1500 grant for each apprentice. You
:08:36. > :08:38.would think it would be financial but at the end of the day, it is all
:08:39. > :08:44.about getting the right people in your team. We were able to train her
:08:45. > :08:51.the way that we like and to operate on the cars in the way that we
:08:52. > :08:57.approve, if you like. And see that we have got a long`term employee. A
:08:58. > :09:04.sentiment shared by James. That is my father, in the farmyard, and that
:09:05. > :09:07.is his cousin... His firm was established in 1880. Back then,
:09:08. > :09:14.everyone started off as an apprentice. Lots of people always
:09:15. > :09:18.worked for the family and they have come into the trade and he would be
:09:19. > :09:25.surprised how many people have got a bit of history in the meat trade
:09:26. > :09:33.somewhere. For 19`year`old to two, this company has been a godsend. ``
:09:34. > :09:37.for this 19`year`old. I quit college because I had had enough of it.
:09:38. > :09:45.Where would you like to be in 20 years' time? Maybe have my own shop
:09:46. > :09:51.and company. It would be nice. This year alone, 1700 young people have
:09:52. > :09:56.been found on the job training by Cornwall College and there are still
:09:57. > :10:01.200 places available. Around 99% of our apprentices are either employed,
:10:02. > :10:05.employed with that business or they go on and get a job with another
:10:06. > :10:10.business. And some of our learners have also go on to set up their own
:10:11. > :10:14.businesses as well. So if you're GCSE results today were not all you
:10:15. > :10:19.had hoped for, don't despair. Think outside the box.
:10:20. > :10:22.500 lorry`loads of earth will be used to create an embankment to
:10:23. > :10:24.protect more homes on the Somerset Levels which were left under several
:10:25. > :10:29.Work has begun in the village of Thorney `
:10:30. > :10:40.The first few bucketfuls of earth being scraped away
:10:41. > :10:46.in a scheme that will eventually use 10,000 tonnes of soil.
:10:47. > :10:49.Thorney's householders came to watch the start of the digging,
:10:50. > :10:52.the first part of a plan that should stop their
:10:53. > :11:03.If the river breaches its banks again, when the water
:11:04. > :11:06.rushes down here it will be stopped and therefore protect the village
:11:07. > :11:10.Just a mile up the road from Muchelney,
:11:11. > :11:16.Almost every house had their ground floor under water.
:11:17. > :11:19.Gradually over the day, the water crept up, went through
:11:20. > :11:26.About six inches of water throughout.
:11:27. > :11:28.For us personally, this is brilliant because it means
:11:29. > :11:33.we can be 99% positive that it won't happen to us again this coming
:11:34. > :11:47.The hill being built here, known as bund, will be around two
:11:48. > :11:49.`` a bund. metres high and 300 metres long.
:11:50. > :11:51.Even so, it will require 500 lorry`loads of soil.
:11:52. > :11:55.It's very important and it's been a lot of hard work by a lot
:11:56. > :12:00.It is very important that it's built and hopefully that will prevent some
:12:01. > :12:06.The record rainfall in January and February this year gave planners
:12:07. > :12:10.a top figure of just how high the waters came.
:12:11. > :12:13.These defences and many more are being designed to
:12:14. > :12:17.exceed that height and should be finished by October in time to be
:12:18. > :12:27.New figures show that house prices in Cornwall are more expensive
:12:28. > :12:31.relative to average earnings than in London.
:12:32. > :12:34.The National Housing Federation says that over the last year, the average
:12:35. > :12:40.price of a Cornish home has risen to more than ?223,000 ` 12.6 times
:12:41. > :12:48.This man has been jailed for abusing two girls after he made a failed
:12:49. > :12:52.suicide attempt and left a note in which he admitted his crime.
:12:53. > :12:54.67`year`old Reginald Lawson, from Tiverton,
:12:55. > :12:58.assaulted the girls when they were aged between seven and ten.
:12:59. > :13:03.The court heard he was a pillar of the community.
:13:04. > :13:05.The Chairman of Plymouth University's board
:13:06. > :13:07.of governors has stepped aside from his role whilst an investigation
:13:08. > :13:09.continues into allegations of sexual harrassment of staff.
:13:10. > :13:13.Judge William Taylor denies the allegations.
:13:14. > :13:15.The board said today it accepted his decision,
:13:16. > :13:21.recognising that he has put the interests of the university first.
:13:22. > :13:25.Plymouth Leander swimmer Ben Proud has missed out on the final
:13:26. > :13:29.of the 100 metres freestyle at the European Championships in Berlin.
:13:30. > :13:32.The 19`year`old University of St Mark and St John scholar
:13:33. > :13:35.finished seventh in his semifinal, just two days after winning bronze
:13:36. > :13:45.Proud has two more events this week in which to win another medal.
:13:46. > :13:48.It was the stretch of water where in 2012 Sir Ben Ainslie made Olympic
:13:49. > :13:51.history, clinching his fourth gold medal in successive games to become
:13:52. > :13:56.Today international competitors were once again tackling
:13:57. > :13:59.the conditions off Dorset although they are a little young to
:14:00. > :14:03.Paul Brennan reports from the Weymouth and Portland National
:14:04. > :14:13.Sailing Academy which is hosting the Cadet World Championships.
:14:14. > :14:18.Pinning their hopes and colours to the mast, these youngsters have
:14:19. > :14:26.spent the last week competing fully position in the Cadet World
:14:27. > :14:33.Championships. 48 countries have been taking part. It is a really
:14:34. > :14:40.nice regatta and there are a lot of other nationalities. Went you are
:14:41. > :14:44.out there racing one simple steak and you are at the back of the
:14:45. > :14:49.fleet. It is really good fun racing against this high level of
:14:50. > :14:56.competition. We are doing quite well. You are doing very well! These
:14:57. > :15:01.championships were first held in 1947. Barry Steele won back in 1957
:15:02. > :15:07.with his brother, Rodney, and today was on hand to offer advice. I would
:15:08. > :15:12.love to be out there doing it again. It is a wonderful sport. We have
:15:13. > :15:18.done so well in Britain. We are an island nation and love it. Just to
:15:19. > :15:21.be afloat and enjoy the fresh air and the inspiring others around the
:15:22. > :15:28.world is just a unique thing. More people should give it. The courts
:15:29. > :15:33.are certainly smiling on these young sailors, with clear visibility and a
:15:34. > :15:37.force three went the positions are perfect for some serious
:15:38. > :15:45.competition. `` the courts. The competition was the design of a
:15:46. > :15:53.sailor who believes the world's youth should hold hands around the
:15:54. > :15:56.world. With such a world class location, this area has already
:15:57. > :16:02.hosted national events this year as it continues to build on the success
:16:03. > :16:06.of the 2012 Olympics. It helps cement became's legacy. The Town
:16:07. > :16:14.gained immense reputation both in appearance from the fantastic shots
:16:15. > :16:21.on the wealth given to the sailors as well. People want to come back.
:16:22. > :16:26.If we do our job right and give them a good time, they will keep coming
:16:27. > :16:32.back. With one more day of competition to go, the race for the
:16:33. > :16:41.trophy appears to be between Britain and Australia. There is a whole
:16:42. > :16:45.calendar of major races of Dorset and big events are seen as
:16:46. > :16:48.increasingly important to our tourism industry. They often sealed
:16:49. > :16:53.the deal for holiday`makers thinking about booking. Out on the water
:16:54. > :16:58.alone there are offence for powerboats and trawlers. This week,
:16:59. > :17:04.tens of thousands of people are visiting Fowey for the Royal
:17:05. > :17:13.Regatta. I believe the red arrows have been there? What would you
:17:14. > :17:20.expect from a regatta? Spectacular racing, of course. Big crowds, yes.
:17:21. > :17:25.The Red Arrows, well, they were incredible. But record`breaking
:17:26. > :17:31.pasty eaters might be a surprise. Today, Cammack has enjoyed it all
:17:32. > :17:39.and the spirit of competition was not just out on the water. `` Fowey
:17:40. > :17:44.has enjoyed it all. How fast can you eat a pasty? For Andreas, it is a
:17:45. > :17:50.matter of pride. He is keen to show off his skills but can he beat his
:17:51. > :17:57.record from last year? Last year 49 seconds was the fastest time. If I
:17:58. > :18:03.can do that or just below that I will be very happy. While he plans
:18:04. > :18:09.his strategy, a host of races are out to thrill spectators. For more
:18:10. > :18:12.than 100 years, the town has laid host to the regatta. Tens of
:18:13. > :18:19.thousands of people come to the area. Biggar I come every year and
:18:20. > :18:25.thoroughly enjoy it. We get here two hours before it starts. It is
:18:26. > :18:30.beautiful. The children like the red and rose. It is nice and warm today.
:18:31. > :18:34.It is usually raining so it is quite good! It must be very good for the
:18:35. > :18:42.time, a huge amount of money spent in the local shops. A special treat
:18:43. > :18:48.tonight are the Red Arrows, who never fail to thrill the crowd. It
:18:49. > :18:58.gives you a birds flying the aircraft. Everybody applauding. They
:18:59. > :19:08.love it. For the pasty eaters, tensions were high. For some,
:19:09. > :19:15.disappointment. Two minutes 13, not amazingly happy. At least I finished
:19:16. > :19:19.it. For others, a three`minute hard`fought battle. Could you eat
:19:20. > :19:27.another one? No, I am done for today, thank you! And for Andreas,
:19:28. > :19:34.after unbroken success for seven years, it was 45 seconds of pure
:19:35. > :19:41.pasty eating glory. CHEERING
:19:42. > :19:49.So what skills do you think you have? I have just got a big throat.
:19:50. > :20:01.The others are going, into their second minute. So you will finish of
:20:02. > :20:05.the leftovers? No! I hope that hasn't put you off your past is too
:20:06. > :20:10.much, but back to the more serious competition, and phrasing has been
:20:11. > :20:16.going on all day. I am joined by Commander Chris Morgan from the race
:20:17. > :20:21.committee. How important is this event? Very important because it is
:20:22. > :20:25.our premier event of the year. We raced normally from April through to
:20:26. > :20:30.the end of September, October, but this obviously is a wonderful event
:20:31. > :20:35.and we get quite a lot of entries down here and we have had some good
:20:36. > :20:41.sailing. What have weather conditions been like for you? Sunday
:20:42. > :20:45.and Monday, the yachts raced to Falmouth and back from Falmouth and
:20:46. > :20:51.that was very good. Tuesday was very good, too. Wednesday we had lots of
:20:52. > :20:56.sunshine but we didn't have much wind and sailing races do not really
:20:57. > :21:00.go very well with no wind. But today we have had a very good day. And you
:21:01. > :21:05.are hopeful for the rest of the week? It is looking pretty good. And
:21:06. > :21:09.Malcolm paling from the event organisers, this event has been
:21:10. > :21:16.going on for 100 years, how important is it to Fowey? Really
:21:17. > :21:21.important, socially and economically. It is a time when
:21:22. > :21:25.friends and family get`together. It is very important economically as
:21:26. > :21:31.well. It is a tourism time. It brings a huge number of visitors,
:21:32. > :21:35.very often the same ones year after year and all the businesses
:21:36. > :21:39.contribute to the whole week of fun. And the Red Arrows have literally
:21:40. > :21:43.just flown overhead and amazed us all. How spectacular are they and
:21:44. > :21:47.how important are they to us? They are the big draw of the week. This
:21:48. > :21:53.is clearly our busiest day. The Town is packed. We understand that the
:21:54. > :21:58.Red Arrows think of Fowey is one of their favourite locations because
:21:59. > :22:03.the backdrop of the scenery is come from entry to their display. What
:22:04. > :22:08.can we expect for the rest of the weekend? More entertainment, with
:22:09. > :22:12.music, a children's Sunday, they last night at the Proms racing, a
:22:13. > :22:19.giant pasty in the next half an hour or so or so, so lots more for
:22:20. > :22:23.everybody to enjoy. Thank you. With the bank holiday weekend ahead of
:22:24. > :22:28.this, it looks like there will be plenty more fun for everyone here.
:22:29. > :22:33.More on the bank holiday weather in a moment but first, many of you have
:22:34. > :22:38.been in touch about our main story, the badger cull. The legal challenge
:22:39. > :22:48.to it. Thank you. David Faber is what he calls a very controlled
:22:49. > :22:52.cull. Michael says there is no need for a cull. He says let farmers get
:22:53. > :22:58.rid of sick badgers on their land. Jackie says put a badge of vaccine
:22:59. > :23:05.in food and put it outside badger sets. Thank you for your comments.
:23:06. > :23:09.As we have been mentioning, there is a bank holiday looming, and as
:23:10. > :23:16.nature would have it, that means the weather is going to change.
:23:17. > :23:20.It will start well, but yes, towards the end of the bank holiday, things
:23:21. > :23:34.going badly. This was just outside Exeter today.
:23:35. > :23:39.Some fairly grey skies. Pretty dry ground despite showers through
:23:40. > :23:44.today. But the most notable thing about this cloud is going to be how
:23:45. > :23:48.much milder to write is. With all that cloud in`place temperatures
:23:49. > :23:55.will not be dropping as they have done. `` how much milder tonight is.
:23:56. > :24:00.Much milder tonight, and tomorrow will be much brighter. Plenty of
:24:01. > :24:06.sunny spells coming through and it is going to be mostly dry. On the
:24:07. > :24:10.satellite you can see the extent of that cloud that has been screaming
:24:11. > :24:14.its way across us through the day. Grey skies to be had and it is
:24:15. > :24:19.thanks to this low pressure. The whole weather front is moving its
:24:20. > :24:24.way across us tonight. That will lead to heavy showers in the early
:24:25. > :24:30.hours but behind it, brighter skies and tomorrow is better and Saturday
:24:31. > :24:35.pretty decent. But this is the feature we're keeping our eyes on.
:24:36. > :24:40.That is arriving towards the end of Sunday and influencing our weather
:24:41. > :24:46.on bank holiday Monday. A lot of cloud around. Bright spells here and
:24:47. > :24:50.there. Also if you showers. As we pushed through tonight, we will see
:24:51. > :24:58.the showers tending to pep up. `` a few showers. Mostly quite cloudy,
:24:59. > :25:03.quite a plus picture. Temperatures so different from the past couple of
:25:04. > :25:10.nights. Down to around three or 4 degrees. In most places hovering in
:25:11. > :25:13.double figures. If you early showers but they should clear away quite
:25:14. > :25:19.nicely and we get some sunshine coming out behind. Still quite a
:25:20. > :25:24.breezy wind admittedly and that will add to the cool feel of the day. But
:25:25. > :25:25.find yourself a bit of shelter. Get out in the sunshine. Fairly
:25:26. > :25:35.pleasant. But the Isles of Scilly, much
:25:36. > :25:38.brighter tomorrow. Just one or two showers. Still the cool breeze
:25:39. > :25:53.blowing. And if we take a look at the waves
:25:54. > :25:59.for surfers... Biggest waves generally on the North coast
:26:00. > :26:02.tomorrow. They will ease up a bit through the day. Generally messy
:26:03. > :26:07.conditions on the North coast. With the wind coming in from the North
:26:08. > :26:09.West, some of the spots on our South coast could pick up clean conditions
:26:10. > :26:25.with the waves a little bit smaller. For the next few days, as you saw,
:26:26. > :26:31.Saturday looks like a nice day. One or two showers, generally dry with
:26:32. > :26:35.some sunshine. Sunday starts cold. We could see a touch of grass frost.
:26:36. > :26:38.Cloud will thicken through the afternoon with rain pushing in
:26:39. > :26:44.towards the end of Sunday and overnight. As I mentioned earlier,
:26:45. > :26:45.it is going to be a showery and blustery picture for bank holiday
:26:46. > :26:55.Monday. Would you like us to end the
:26:56. > :27:01.programme with some happy news? I think so. Let's go back to GCSE
:27:02. > :27:09.results. Some of you have been getting into touch with self ease.
:27:10. > :27:15.Congratulations to Amy. The young farmer. She e`mailed us to say she
:27:16. > :27:20.has made the grades to get onto her agricultural course. Alison says she
:27:21. > :27:27.was proud of her grade C in English. Also Charlotte has achieved a C for
:27:28. > :27:33.her level one science exam. Heather says art is her passion so she's
:27:34. > :27:37.very happy to have received an A*. And Elspeth wanted to thank all head
:27:38. > :27:42.teachers in South Malton. She is most proud of her A* in English.
:27:43. > :27:47.Congratulations to each and every one of them. We would leave you now
:27:48. > :27:51.with a scene at Fowey in Regatta week.