:00:12. > :00:15.People are being told to stay away from the cliffs in East Devon
:00:16. > :00:17.after what's being described as a significant rock
:00:18. > :00:22.Tonnes of rock and soil collapsed on to East Beach,
:00:23. > :00:27.leaving homes on Cliff Road even closer to the edge.
:00:28. > :00:30.People living there have long campaigned for action
:00:31. > :00:32.to shore up the cliffs and protect their properties.
:00:33. > :00:36.The council says it wants work to start as soon as possible,
:00:37. > :00:38.but the money for any scheme still needs to be finalised.
:00:39. > :00:46.Weakened by a rock fall yesterday, the land supporting the shed
:00:47. > :00:50.at the top of East Cliff gives way without warning.
:00:51. > :00:53.There was no noise to warn us what was gone to happen
:00:54. > :01:05.It used to be surrounded by land but now all that is left is part
:01:06. > :01:14.My neighbour phoned me, Julie, next door, and she told me that some
:01:15. > :01:17.of the garden had disappeared so I went and had a look
:01:18. > :01:20.About ten minutes later I looked out the window,
:01:21. > :01:22.blinked twice and decided that the shed actually
:01:23. > :01:30.You also then had another three metres of garden where my gardener
:01:31. > :01:35.had been standing not half an hour before this happened.
:01:36. > :01:39.I keep telling him not to go there and I think he has learnt
:01:40. > :01:44.But also you can see where the land there has actually slipped down.
:01:45. > :01:48.That piece is going to go imminently.
:01:49. > :01:50.There are 12 properties along the cliff edge
:01:51. > :01:56.Their gardens have slowly disappeared in recent years
:01:57. > :01:59.in cliff falls extensively reported on Spotlight.
:02:00. > :02:03.Tony Miller fears it's only a matter of time before more
:02:04. > :02:08.There's bound to be another fall shortly.
:02:09. > :02:13.These things happen without any warning and can be quite small
:02:14. > :02:17.or they can be quite drastic, as the one was yesterday.
:02:18. > :02:22.Although the houses here are directly in the line of fire,
:02:23. > :02:26.when this cliff erodes back further it exposes the whole of the town
:02:27. > :02:32.to the south-easterlies, which can be devastating.
:02:33. > :02:36.East Devon District Council sent us a detailed statement.
:02:37. > :02:38.They say that East Devon's cliffs form an outstanding part
:02:39. > :02:42.of the Jurassic coastline but they are made of soft rock
:02:43. > :02:47.and that makes them vulnerable to cliff falls and landslides.
:02:48. > :02:50.They say they have now finalised a beach erosion management plan
:02:51. > :02:53.and they have put that out to tender and are looking for
:02:54. > :02:59.They say the recent cliff fall here at East Cliff will not qualify
:03:00. > :03:03.for emergency funding or approval because it is in private ownership.
:03:04. > :03:09.The council told us it will continue to monitor the situation
:03:10. > :03:19."Astronomical" and "unbearable" - that's how one tourism leader's
:03:20. > :03:22.branding planned business rates hikes affecting self-catering
:03:23. > :03:28.Ministers say the nationwide rates review of all businesses
:03:29. > :03:30.makes the system fairer, with three quarters seeing no change
:03:31. > :03:37.But there are calls for an urgent rethink for the self-catering
:03:38. > :03:41.sector, amid claims it's being unfairly penalised.
:03:42. > :03:47.The Poldark effect and the weak pound encouraging staycations
:03:48. > :03:55.Tourism in the south-west has been surfing a bit of a wave recently.
:03:56. > :03:58.But there is a fly in the ointment for many of the region's self
:03:59. > :04:02.catering businesses as they face big hikes in business rates
:04:03. > :04:06.from April after a nationwide government review.
:04:07. > :04:09.We've been going for 40 years and this is the biggest tax hit
:04:10. > :04:17.And it is a major problem for us and we are worried about the future.
:04:18. > :04:20.23 people are employed at this family business,
:04:21. > :04:23.a complex of 15 cottages near Looe, open all year round,
:04:24. > :04:26.where extras are on offer to keep the visitors choosing Cornwall
:04:27. > :04:34.Here, they're facing a rise in their business rates of 135%.
:04:35. > :04:38.That means more than ?2000 a month on top
:04:39. > :04:44.It's not just that it's not fair, it's that it's not sustainable.
:04:45. > :04:47.If we want to bring people to Cornwall and even to the UK,
:04:48. > :04:50.we are competing not just with other businesses in England but also
:04:51. > :04:53.we want to bring tourists here rather than going to France
:04:54. > :04:55.or wherever so it's a big hit that is going to...
:04:56. > :04:57.You know, I'm sure there will be business closures
:04:58. > :05:04.Based on turnover, not profit, the hit is particularly being felt
:05:05. > :05:08.by the hundreds of complexes in the region, like Treworgey,
:05:09. > :05:13.Tourism leaders are lining up to call for a rethink.
:05:14. > :05:17.I'll tell you what, if my income tax went up by 140% I'd think
:05:18. > :05:20.I was worse than a loser, so it is not a matter of a bit
:05:21. > :05:23.of winning and losing, this is quite catastrophic for some
:05:24. > :05:26.businesses, so I think it is time for the government to step back
:05:27. > :05:30.This will mean less profitability, which means people will pay
:05:31. > :05:33.themselves less, which means there will be less investment
:05:34. > :05:36.and the ultimate outcome is less stock with less quality
:05:37. > :05:40.The impact on coastal and rural communities is going to be looked
:05:41. > :05:45.at by a tourism inquiry chaired by a south west MP.
:05:46. > :05:47.The government's asked quite rightly for tourist operators to pay
:05:48. > :05:50.a higher minimum wage, to pay better wages
:05:51. > :05:53.to their workforce, which is very welcome,
:05:54. > :05:56.I'm sure, by everybody, but it is an extra cost for them
:05:57. > :05:59.and now they're getting a double whammy with the business rate.
:06:00. > :06:03.The government says across all types of business in the south west,
:06:04. > :06:06.the majority of bills are staying the same or falling and there
:06:07. > :06:10.is a cap for the first few years for those that are facing increases.
:06:11. > :06:13.It says there is transitional help available and the changes overall
:06:14. > :06:21.The five judges who heard the two-day appeal by a former
:06:22. > :06:23.Plymouth-based Royal Marine against his conviction for murder
:06:24. > :06:26.have said they will announce a decision at a later date.
:06:27. > :06:31.Sergeant Alexander Blackman's QC told the Court Martial Appeal Court
:06:32. > :06:34.that the conviction was unsafe because psychiatrists said
:06:35. > :06:39.the soldier was suffering from a mental illness when he killed
:06:40. > :06:42.an injured Taliban fighter in Afghanistan.
:06:43. > :06:45.The judges will review the evidence and the law before
:06:46. > :06:56.A farmer from Bickleigh near Tiverton says he's been
:06:57. > :06:59.involved in a wrangle with South West Water for almost
:07:00. > :07:01.The company says it's still investigating what's happened
:07:02. > :07:05.but Ray Hull says he's been told he still owes thousands of pounds.
:07:06. > :07:08.Our Environment Correspondent Adrian Campbell has been to see him.
:07:09. > :07:11.Ray Hull farms at Bickleigh, near Tiverton.
:07:12. > :07:15.He says he and his wife have been upset by repeated demands for money
:07:16. > :07:23.Each one of these cattle can drink around ten gallons of water a day.
:07:24. > :07:29.It can be even more when they're in calf but Ray says when the bill
:07:30. > :07:32.came in in 2009 he was flabbergasted by the size of it.
:07:33. > :07:35.I think the first one in August was for about just under ?1000,
:07:36. > :07:41.which was a lot of money for three months' water in 2009.
:07:42. > :07:43.The next one came in at nearly 10,500.
:07:44. > :07:46.It was me that hit the ceiling, not the water.
:07:47. > :07:49.And obviously that's when our battle, I suppose,
:07:50. > :07:56.Ray says his normal water bill from South West Water is around
:07:57. > :07:59.?1200 a year but in May 2009 he says he was sent a bill
:08:00. > :08:11.He says after complaining to South West Water they cut
:08:12. > :08:13.the amount they said he owed by around half.
:08:14. > :08:15.But according to his records, the latest bill still
:08:16. > :08:23.Ray claims problems began after the company attempted to deal
:08:24. > :08:25.with low pressure in the pipes to the farm.
:08:26. > :08:28.He believes a leak in 2009 happened because pressure was far too
:08:29. > :08:40.This is where I was checking the meter every single day.
:08:41. > :08:43.We contacted South West Water about Ray's bill.
:08:44. > :08:47."This has been a complex case which has required ongoing
:08:48. > :08:52.We are continuing to work with Mr Hull to achieve a resolution."
:08:53. > :08:56.But Ray says, after years of dispute, there is still
:08:57. > :08:58.an outstanding amount which is unsettling
:08:59. > :09:03.It has an effect on you that you've got, it's rather like the Sword
:09:04. > :09:08.of Damocles over your head, saying, "?5250, please."
:09:09. > :09:11.So, for now, Ray and his family are keeping a careful check on every
:09:12. > :09:29.On to the weather. It has been a lovely
:09:30. > :09:37.Yes but now it is cold. We will see the cold weather the next few days,
:09:38. > :09:43.lasting into the weekend. Tomorrow we should some sunshine at more
:09:44. > :09:49.frost to start with. It is already forming. Low temperatures through
:09:50. > :09:55.the night. -2, -3 in some places. Widespread overnight frost.
:09:56. > :09:58.Tomorrow, predominantly dry, the chance of a few showers through the
:09:59. > :10:02.English Channel, and more clout creeping in from the east first
:10:03. > :10:09.thing which could produce snow in the wind but nothing the children
:10:10. > :10:17.will appreciate. But most of us, sunny spells, a few showers on the
:10:18. > :10:21.south coast and top temperature between 4-7. Friday, similar, some
:10:22. > :10:25.sunshine, thick cloud at times through the English Channel. More
:10:26. > :10:31.clout through the afternoon and even colder, 4-5 the maximum. With an
:10:32. > :10:37.easterly wind, the wind chill will make it feel even colder. By the
:10:38. > :10:42.weekend, on both Saturday and Sunday, a lot of clout. Saturday
:10:43. > :10:46.probably the coldest. Slightly warmer on Sunday. A nagging east or
:10:47. > :10:56.north-east wind. Wrap up warm. That is it at the moment. We'll be
:10:57. > :11:03.back with breakfast from 6:25am tomorrow. Good night.
:11:04. > :11:08.cloudy and Ben Rich will take you through the bigger picture.
:11:09. > :11:14.Good evening. Over the next few days I suspect it's going to feel like we
:11:15. > :11:21.have been plunged into the deep freeze. Cold weather on the way and
:11:22. > :11:25.not necessarily crisp cold weather, with blue skies. A lot of cloud,
:11:26. > :11:30.there was some sunshine today across parts of west Wales, for instance.
:11:31. > :11:32.That lifted temperatures up to 11. But further east as you can see