:00:00. > :00:07.Tonight, claims of sex discrimination at the
:00:08. > :00:11.More than 70 women have launched a case claiming they're paid less
:00:12. > :00:15.We'll talk to the union which has taken up their claim.
:00:16. > :00:18.Also on the programme tonight - the thousands of people baffled
:00:19. > :00:23.With the Citizens Advice backing me, I could fight it.
:00:24. > :00:31.I was losing it, I really was losing it.
:00:32. > :00:36.We have a day in the life of the Citizens Advice Bureau -
:00:37. > :00:38.a charity in high demand for people under pressure.
:00:39. > :00:40.The military veteran who was living rough,
:00:41. > :00:50.and how a self-build scheme is helping him rebuild his life.
:00:51. > :00:54.And curtains up at the cafe offering just the ticket for those feeling
:00:55. > :01:09.alone. Dozens of women working
:01:10. > :01:11.for the Exeter-based Met Office have filed a sex-discrimination case
:01:12. > :01:21.against their employer. The 76 women who work at the
:01:22. > :01:23.country's national weather service say they're not being paid the same
:01:24. > :01:26.rates as men for similar jobs. The Met Office insists it
:01:27. > :01:28.treats all employees fairly, but the union -
:01:29. > :01:31.who we'll hear from in a moment - estimates the claim
:01:32. > :01:33.could run into hundreds First here's our
:01:34. > :01:35.correspondent Simon Hall. The business of the Met Office
:01:36. > :01:38.is to predict the weather in all its forms, but now
:01:39. > :01:41.internally a storm is brewing 76 women are taking legal action
:01:42. > :01:47.for sex discrimination They say they have been given
:01:48. > :01:51.lower salaries than men How long do you think you can
:01:52. > :02:03.possibly stay out like this? The battle for equal pay became
:02:04. > :02:07.prominent in the 1960s, when women took strike action
:02:08. > :02:09.at Ford's Dagenham plant in Essex. Was it a good strong
:02:10. > :02:11.meeting this morning? The Equal Pay Act followed
:02:12. > :02:15.but still today a pay gap The women involved in the claim
:02:16. > :02:22.against the Met Office here are not on-air weather forecasters but do
:02:23. > :02:25.a range of jobs, like helping to Negotiations are now under way
:02:26. > :02:34.to try to resolve this dispute without it reaching a formal
:02:35. > :02:36.employment-tribunal hearing. The Met Office told us
:02:37. > :02:38.they could not directly comment on the case,
:02:39. > :02:48.but they did say... The Prospect union say the total
:02:49. > :02:50.equal-pay claim against the Met Office could run into hundreds
:02:51. > :02:59.of thousands of pounds. Well, Tony Bell is from the Prospect
:03:00. > :03:01.union, which is representing He says the claim could amount to a
:03:02. > :03:20.lot of money. It could be for each individual
:03:21. > :03:26.thousands of pounds, because of course under equal-pay
:03:27. > :03:29.claims you can go for retrospective And how optimistic are you now that
:03:30. > :03:35.you can reach a solution? I'm very confident that we can reach
:03:36. > :03:38.a solution by collective bargaining. The real issue will be,
:03:39. > :03:40.will it be enough to satisfy the expectations and aspirations
:03:41. > :03:42.of the 76 applicants? Doctors unhappy about the imminent
:03:43. > :03:45.closure of a privately run treatment centre in Bodmin are gathering right
:03:46. > :03:48.now at a public meeting. It concerns Ramsay Healthcare -
:03:49. > :03:50.the centre says it will close on the 31st March as they can't come
:03:51. > :03:53.to a contract agreement But there are concerns about
:03:54. > :03:57.the impact on patients and staff. Tamsin Melville is at tonight's
:03:58. > :04:10.meeting at Bodmin Town council. Patients, Doctors and the local MP
:04:11. > :04:20.are here this evening because they believe that closing the centre will
:04:21. > :04:26.impact on skills. It specialises in nonemergency daily surgeries like
:04:27. > :04:30.cataracts and hernias. In 2016 NHS Kernow say that around 5000 patients
:04:31. > :04:34.were treated by the providers, Ramsay health care, and it is
:04:35. > :04:37.currently one of six places that patients in Cornwall can be sent for
:04:38. > :04:46.this type of treatment. Others include the Royal call wall hospital
:04:47. > :04:52.and NHS not filled. Both sides say they have nothing more to add.
:04:53. > :04:56.Previously Ramsay health care said discussions on the contract are
:04:57. > :05:01.taking place since last September and it had already agreed three
:05:02. > :05:06.short extensions since 2005. -- says it is looking at the services it
:05:07. > :05:16.needs in the future and how it fits with the overall shake-up. -- NHS
:05:17. > :05:19.Kernow says it is looking. Health campaigners say it is vital that
:05:20. > :05:23.some sort of service is kept running from this centre when much of the
:05:24. > :05:28.health service is under so much pressure.
:05:29. > :05:31.A look now at some of the other stories in the South West tonight.
:05:32. > :05:34.An air, land and sea search for a missing junior doctor in Devon
:05:35. > :05:37.Lauren Phillips, who works for North Bristol NHS Trust,
:05:38. > :05:44.The 26-year-old's car was found in Woolacombe several days later.
:05:45. > :05:47.The Conservative MP for St Austell and Newquay, Steve Double,
:05:48. > :05:51.has called in Parliament for the reopening of Fowey Hospital.
:05:52. > :05:54.It was shut temporarily last summer after criticism of its facilities.
:05:55. > :05:56.He was told it wasn't a matter for the Government,
:05:57. > :06:01.and any decision would have to be taken locally.
:06:02. > :06:03.Cornwall Council has been awarded ?17 million under the Government's
:06:04. > :06:09.It's the second-highest amount in the country and is based
:06:10. > :06:13.on the number of additional homes added to the council-tax register.
:06:14. > :06:15.Last year Cornwall delivered more new and affordable homes
:06:16. > :06:23.Adverts for a Dorset farm's pure milk vodka have been banned
:06:24. > :06:39.The Advertising Standards Authority received two complaints
:06:40. > :06:41.that the adverts for Black Cow vodka were socially
:06:42. > :06:44.excessive drinking, likely to appeal to children,
:06:45. > :06:45.and linked alcohol with sexual activity.
:06:46. > :06:47.Should people be fined for feeding seagulls?
:06:48. > :06:49.The Mayor of Truro wants anyone who deliberately feeds the birds
:06:50. > :06:52.or doesn't bag up their rubbish in gull-proof bags
:06:53. > :06:55.Before our next story tonight, you may remember Trish Vickers.
:06:56. > :06:58.We featured her on Tuesday's programme - a blind woman
:06:59. > :07:05.Trish discovered her pen had run out part way through,
:07:06. > :07:07.but forensic experts had then helped her recover
:07:08. > :07:11.Well, today we heard the sad news that Trish from Charmouth
:07:12. > :07:21.Publishers had been working to have the book in print this week.
:07:22. > :07:24.Working out which welfare benefits and tax credits you may be entitled
:07:25. > :07:28.It's one of the reasons the Government says it's trying
:07:29. > :07:35.But some of the reforms have proved controversial and more
:07:36. > :07:37.people are seeking help from the Citizens Advice Bureau.
:07:38. > :07:40.As a result, it says enquiries are at a five-year high.
:07:41. > :07:43.Its offices in Devon and Cornwall dealt with more than 55,000
:07:44. > :07:49.Harriet Bradshaw has been given access to one CAB office to see how
:07:50. > :07:51.they manage the demand for their help.
:07:52. > :07:56.Yeah, I like to settle in with a good cup of tea to start the day.
:07:57. > :08:10.It can be very challenging and very upsetting for some
:08:11. > :08:12.of our volunteers, the stories that you're hearing can
:08:13. > :08:22.People ring often in quite stressful circumstances and we're
:08:23. > :08:25.here to try and work with them to try and find some solutions
:08:26. > :08:28.Ten o'clock, and the drop-in sessions start.
:08:29. > :08:31.Margaret Newton says she's been to hell and back trying to sort
:08:32. > :08:40.And I thought, I'm not being scared, I'm going to fight this.
:08:41. > :08:43.With the Citizens Advice backing me, I could fight it.
:08:44. > :08:47.I was losing it, I really was losing it.
:08:48. > :08:49.I was terrified, absolutely terrified that I was going to lose
:08:50. > :08:59.And at the moment in the bureau we're full,
:09:00. > :09:02.so all the rooms have been taken, so we're having clients waiting
:09:03. > :09:05.Good morning, this is Southampton Citizens Advice,
:09:06. > :09:12.So over 25% of the enquiries that we deal with on a regular basis
:09:13. > :09:15.are around welfare benefits, and then the next-highest
:09:16. > :09:17.enquiry area is debt, so that's sort of 15% to 20%
:09:18. > :09:22.So that remains fairly constant over time.
:09:23. > :09:24.What is happening is that more and more people
:09:25. > :09:41.Well, as you can see, it's been going pretty busy today!
:09:42. > :09:44.We've had a number of drop-ins coming through the door, so a couple
:09:45. > :09:48.Most clients don't want to talk on camera, but one tells me
:09:49. > :09:52.She's dealing with debt, depression and a phobia of paperwork,
:09:53. > :09:59.and there are hundreds more unopened letters at home.
:10:00. > :10:06.You are just keeping your head above water really and I know there are
:10:07. > :10:09.many others in the same situation. But having a paperwork phobia just
:10:10. > :10:12.exacerbates the situation I am in. The main thing is, we can only do
:10:13. > :10:16.so much, and there needs to be other forms of support out
:10:17. > :10:18.there in the community to help these Cases are written up and it's home
:10:19. > :10:36.time, but there will be The weather forecast coming shortly.
:10:37. > :10:41.Also in tonight's programme... I will be finding out how to use
:10:42. > :10:47.this piece of equipment to survey the land here at Castle Green.
:10:48. > :10:51.A dead whale has washed up in North Devon and people
:10:52. > :10:55.are being warned not to go near it as it may be a bio-hazard.
:10:56. > :10:56.Torridge District Council says the mammal washed
:10:57. > :10:58.up near Hartland Quay, north of Bude.
:10:59. > :11:00.The body is attracting a lot of interest,
:11:01. > :11:04.A forlorn end to a majestic creature's life.
:11:05. > :11:11.Locals say the fin whale washed up at high tide yesterday.
:11:12. > :11:16.You normally find ships here but to find a whale,
:11:17. > :11:18.it's the first time, so I normally find basking sharks,
:11:19. > :11:21.seals, dolphins, but not a whale, so first of all sadness but also
:11:22. > :11:24.just amazed at the size and the beauty of it,
:11:25. > :11:26.and it looks a little sad just slumped over the rocks
:11:27. > :11:35.and just sort of left, really, to meet its maker.
:11:36. > :11:38.At more than ten metres long, Torridge District Council says it
:11:39. > :11:40.will take a specialist operation to remove it.
:11:41. > :11:43.It is urging the public to keep away from the carcass
:11:44. > :11:49.Dog walkers are being advised to keep their pets on leads.
:11:50. > :11:52.It's a shame that it's died, it's such a big majestic creature,
:11:53. > :11:55.they swim vast distances, and for it to be just on the beach
:11:56. > :11:58.at the moment instead of providing more life for marine life at sea
:11:59. > :12:03.it's just left rotting and the coast, unfortunately.
:12:04. > :12:06.Records show it's the third dead fin whale in 26 years to wash
:12:07. > :12:10.The last happened in Dawlish in September of 2016.
:12:11. > :12:12.The UK Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme says it
:12:13. > :12:16.could indicate a recovering population of the species.
:12:17. > :12:20.This latest carcass is too decomposed for a postmortem
:12:21. > :12:34.examination so how and why the whale died will remain a mystery.
:12:35. > :12:40.It is estimated that every one in ten people who leave the military in
:12:41. > :12:50.the south-west will become homeless. 15% of former service personnel will
:12:51. > :12:53.live on sofas or even end up on the streets.
:12:54. > :12:59.A new service in Lennarth which helps veterans to get back on their
:13:00. > :13:14.feet is trying to change that. -- in Lennarth. Talk us through why so
:13:15. > :13:26.many veterans and up homeless. -- in Plymouth. The specific response is
:13:27. > :13:30.related to us helping over 50 veterans in recent years. Most of
:13:31. > :13:34.them when they sign up for the military at 17 years plus, often
:13:35. > :13:40.they go into the military because there is no other job available.
:13:41. > :13:44.When in they are inducted into the Army and there is strong discipline
:13:45. > :13:49.and in many cases over time, through no fault of their own, they become
:13:50. > :13:55.institutionalised. The army looks after them, provides them with
:13:56. > :14:01.accommodation, food, etc, and when they eventually come out of the
:14:02. > :14:06.military they find that they can't look after their own lives. Often
:14:07. > :14:11.they have to much time on their hands, in some cases suffer from
:14:12. > :14:15.depression and in other cases turned to alcohol and drug abuse, with the
:14:16. > :14:21.that many of them break up from their families, start living rough
:14:22. > :14:29.and living in charitable hostels, and we help them to relocate, we
:14:30. > :14:33.probably interview three times the number we actually take on board.
:14:34. > :14:37.What we have done has been highly successful and has worked well, with
:14:38. > :14:43.big financial returns, and it is also fun. I am guessing it is a
:14:44. > :14:48.snowball effect, they are helping them -- you are helping them to help
:14:49. > :14:54.themselves. Very much so, the strapline of the charity is Helping
:14:55. > :14:59.People To Help Themselves, and it works. We will talk more in a moment
:15:00. > :15:05.but first let's see how one person has banned it from the screen --
:15:06. > :15:15.from the scheme. Jon manual has been living on the streets on and off for
:15:16. > :15:26.30 years. Here is his story. I was in a pub and apparently the
:15:27. > :15:30.IRA had bombed the pub. We were very young and it was confusing as to why
:15:31. > :15:36.it happened. It made me wonder why we were out there, why we were
:15:37. > :15:42.fighting the people who are like your next-door neighbours. Turning
:15:43. > :15:49.to alcohol is not the answer. But at the time it would ease the pain. But
:15:50. > :15:54.it wouldn't go away. And I would have nothing better to do but drink
:15:55. > :16:03.because I had no future, no job, no money. I used to beg. It was quite
:16:04. > :16:13.horrendous at times, in this kind of weather. I would pitch my tent in a
:16:14. > :16:20.far corner, all the way. I was kept waking up constantly through the
:16:21. > :16:23.night, and I couldn't understand what was going on. With all the
:16:24. > :16:31.worry I had, I ended up packing up my tent, in the condition I was, and
:16:32. > :16:39.I went to Derriford. They told me I was having a heart attack. It cost
:16:40. > :16:50.me everything. Cost me my family, the people I was close to. I am
:16:51. > :16:58.hurting badly emotionally, so regrettable for me that I have to
:16:59. > :17:07.live with that everyday. In the Nelson Project I get the
:17:08. > :17:14.opportunity to help with the finish, insulation, any other duties
:17:15. > :17:19.required. When this project is finished I will have a flat,
:17:20. > :17:25.somewhere stable to live and I can be built my life again. I am turning
:17:26. > :17:31.my life around and I hope my family realise that. It has not been easy
:17:32. > :17:38.but I am hoping that I get to see the people that I love and start
:17:39. > :17:41.again. Our heartbreaking story, but he
:17:42. > :17:45.really turned his life around due to the project. It strikes me this
:17:46. > :17:51.could help so many others, not just military veterans. Without doubt. A
:17:52. > :17:56.recent report from the University of East England demonstrated that for
:17:57. > :18:08.every pound spent on the two Bristol projects we have saved between ?4 70
:18:09. > :18:15.and ?7 20. We would like to roll out the project nationally. Each project
:18:16. > :18:23.of course has to be resourced and funded. The report produced has gone
:18:24. > :18:26.to the Cabinet ministers and I am told it has gone to the Prime
:18:27. > :18:31.Minister's offers but we will see. Thank you very much for coming in
:18:32. > :18:35.today. My pleasure, thank you for the opportunity.
:18:36. > :18:38.Now, if you're interested in the history which is all around
:18:39. > :18:40.us and beneath us here in the South West, you may be
:18:41. > :18:43.the sort of person needed for an archaelogical expedition
:18:44. > :18:47.The search is on for volunteers to help unearth some of the secrets
:18:48. > :18:49.which could be hidden underneath Castle Green in Barnstaple.
:18:50. > :18:52.Our reporter Johnny Rutherford has been to see the modern technology
:18:53. > :19:00.Barnstaple Castle and Green, an ancient monument.
:19:01. > :19:03.Before the Normans built a grand moat and a bailey castle here,
:19:04. > :19:11.In the 1970s they discovered 105 Saxon graves.
:19:12. > :19:14.Today they're surveying the green, with more advanced equipment.
:19:15. > :19:16.It's a great opportunity to find out more about the castle
:19:17. > :19:19.and about Norman and Saxon Barnstaple.
:19:20. > :19:21.We're hoping this is the beginning of a much bigger project that
:19:22. > :19:25.will really help us find out a lot more and get people excited
:19:26. > :19:30.Money from Historic England has funded this five-day survey.
:19:31. > :19:38.We're using two different techniques to look from the surface around
:19:39. > :19:41.a metre to a metre and a half down beneath the ground.
:19:42. > :19:43.The idea is to map any archaeology that still remains
:19:44. > :19:47.Local people have been given the chance to be
:19:48. > :19:49.part of the project, which allows them to be hands-on.
:19:50. > :19:52.I've always been fascinated in this castle mound site.
:19:53. > :19:55.To think that there was once a castle, king and community
:19:56. > :19:57.here is just fascinating, and so as soon as I saw
:19:58. > :20:00.the opportunity to take part in the survey I jumped
:20:01. > :20:04.So I've decided to do a bit of volunteering.
:20:05. > :20:09.Apparently I've got to walk in a straight line...
:20:10. > :20:13.You've got to be a bit quicker than that, Johnny.
:20:14. > :20:20.To be honest, they had to redo that bit.
:20:21. > :20:23.Luckily, the experts put the equipment to its best use.
:20:24. > :20:28.Well, it's quite interesting what we've come across so far,
:20:29. > :20:34.We seem to have a rectangle of lines which could represent a former
:20:35. > :20:37.structure or building on the site which we had no idea
:20:38. > :20:42.Also we've got some speckling, which may represent graves,
:20:43. > :20:44.and these could be part of the Anglo-Saxon graveyard which
:20:45. > :20:56.Next week the team will be using ground-penetrating radar
:20:57. > :20:58.in the Castle Market car park for the first time.
:20:59. > :21:03.You never know, they might find a king.
:21:04. > :21:06.Now, remember the Regal, the Empire, or what about the ABC?
:21:07. > :21:10.By the end of the 1930s some big cinema chains dominated the UK
:21:11. > :21:16.And it's this sort of time in people's lives they're trying
:21:17. > :21:22.It's in an effort to combat loneliness.
:21:23. > :21:24.Jane Chandler picked up her ticket and went along
:21:25. > :21:29.to the Red Velvet Cinema, which has been set up
:21:30. > :21:46.It's not just about watching a classic film.
:21:47. > :21:48.Afterwards they get the chance to reminisce over a cake
:21:49. > :21:57.It's nice sometimes to sort of look back, everything rushes forward,
:21:58. > :22:02.and it's just nice to see something like that.
:22:03. > :22:05.It brings back a lot because I'm afraid that my memory is not so good
:22:06. > :22:08.now, there's problems with that, but it's a film you
:22:09. > :22:13.Must have been 40 years ago, I should think.
:22:14. > :22:18.I didn't really remember it from then so it
:22:19. > :22:25.The project is the idea of Caroline Blackler.
:22:26. > :22:28.It's got ?2000 of funding from the community arts
:22:29. > :22:33.It's to encourage elderly people who live on their own
:22:34. > :22:44.And if you get them watching a film then they actually
:22:45. > :22:46.don't have to talk to anyone while that film's on,
:22:47. > :22:48.but after the film you encourage them to talk, give
:22:49. > :22:52.them a cup of tea and a slice of cake, and that's when the
:22:53. > :22:55.And if you can get people to connect then maybe
:22:56. > :22:59.There's still plenty of time to catch a classic,
:23:00. > :23:01.as the Red Velvet Cinema runs at the cafe in George Street
:23:02. > :23:18.There's nothing quite like watching old movies, particularly when it is
:23:19. > :23:25.wet outside. But hopefully it won't be raining.
:23:26. > :23:29.A few spots of drizzle down in Cornwall but most of the south-west
:23:30. > :23:34.has had glorious sunshine. We saw the pictures from South
:23:35. > :23:42.Devon, the archaeological story and the whale as well.
:23:43. > :23:57.A bit of a change coming. Our weather watchers have done us proud.
:23:58. > :24:10.Glorious sunshine, even in the higher ground up to wards Exmoor and
:24:11. > :24:13.Somerset. Then down into Cornwall, where the mist and fog has been
:24:14. > :24:18.draped across the far south-west, and that will continue this evening,
:24:19. > :24:22.visibility problems not just for the islands but along the coastline
:24:23. > :24:28.today. Let's head to Saint Germans now, were briefly there was some
:24:29. > :24:34.brightness in the sky. Our cameraman noted how still the air was. Most of
:24:35. > :24:38.us have had hardly a breeze, so the mist and low cloud has hung around
:24:39. > :24:43.for most of the day. Those who have not had it have had some lovely
:24:44. > :24:48.weather, feeling quite warm as well. In the sunshine and bridges up to
:24:49. > :24:52.15, 16 degrees, certainly the warmest it has felt so far this
:24:53. > :24:57.year. As we head through tomorrow and into the weekend, I think I
:24:58. > :25:01.tonight it will be pretty misty at first and then the low cloud, mist
:25:02. > :25:04.and fog returns. Tomorrow morning that will be around first thing in
:25:05. > :25:09.the morning, and some drizzle as well. Later in the day it starts to
:25:10. > :25:13.brighten up wet and -- and when the sunshine comes out it will feel
:25:14. > :25:15.quite pleasant. We are in the boundary between the high pressure
:25:16. > :25:19.over France and the weather fans trying to come in from the West.
:25:20. > :25:23.They will eventually wind but they will take their time. A lot of
:25:24. > :25:27.moisture ahead of that. The first weather system is fairly weak, not
:25:28. > :25:32.getting to us until the end of the day on Saturday. The second one will
:25:33. > :25:38.give us some more persistent rain for a time on Sunday morning and
:25:39. > :25:46.once that is through we are back to north-west winds, better visibility,
:25:47. > :25:50.improved visibility for local flights, but the humid, moist air is
:25:51. > :25:55.across us tonight, you can see the cloud draped across the south-west.
:25:56. > :26:04.That is having -- heading north overnight. Had she conditions
:26:05. > :26:10.through the night and it will be unusually mild. -- patchy
:26:11. > :26:15.conditions. Last week these would be a good day time temperature, so mild
:26:16. > :26:20.but also misty. Tomorrow morning, not much in the way of drizzle and
:26:21. > :26:24.gradually a few holes will appear in the cloud. The winds slightly more
:26:25. > :26:29.than we have seen to date and with the breeze from the South there will
:26:30. > :26:37.be some holes in the cloud allowing the sunshine to come through.
:26:38. > :26:41.Northern Devon, parts of Somerset, perhaps Dorset again, 13 to 14
:26:42. > :26:46.degrees. The Isles of Scilly, misty and damp, brighter for a time but a
:26:47. > :26:48.fair amount of low cloud around for much of the day. These are the times
:26:49. > :27:01.of high water. For the surface, clean surf, good
:27:02. > :27:09.waves tomorrow, not quite so big up to four, possibly five feet, and
:27:10. > :27:13.clean waves the north coast. The coastal waters forecast, four or
:27:14. > :27:19.five, fair with mist patches. As we move into the weekend this is the
:27:20. > :27:24.forecaster Saturday, a lot of cloud, still quite misty first thing.
:27:25. > :27:27.Sunday, some showery outbreaks but brighter in the afternoon and at
:27:28. > :27:35.last the sunshine comes out on Monday. Have a good evening.
:27:36. > :27:45.That is all from us. Janine Jansen will join David for the late news
:27:46. > :28:27.and weather at 10:30pm. From all of us here, good evening.
:28:28. > :28:28.Oh, the dragon. Dylan Thomas.
:28:29. > :28:30.Richard Burton. Barry Island.
:28:31. > :28:40.The River Shannon. We invented the submarine.
:28:41. > :28:43.with a spectacular Friday night encounter...