03/01/2017 Spotlight

Good afternoon. That's all from the BBC news.

The police say women from Central and Eastern Europe are being forced

into sexual slavery in a rising number of so-called pop-up brothels

14 have appeared in one Cornish town alone since last July.

From Newquay, Denis Nightingale reports.

One evening, a man came knocking at a guesthouse door.

Basically asked me how much I charged assuming

that I was part of it, and I just told him to go away.

And what did you think of that when it happened?

It was the first indication Ellen had that there was a brothel

where three women were working just two doors down from her.

It was one of 14 brothels in the town discovered since last July.

I didn't realise it was that number and of course that is 14 too many.

As a town, we wouldn't want people to associate Newquay

A search of sites on the internet shows many of the pop-ups appear

to be staffed by women from Central and Eastern Europe.

The police say they treat the women as victims but they say they can't

allow the pop-ups across Cornwall and Devon to stay open.

We couldn't condone the running of a brothel and a lot of the pop-up

brothels are in summer lets and rental apartments

and we are duty bound to inform the owner of what's

Inspector Meredith says it won't be easy tracking down the international

gangs behind the sex trafficking, but he says the police

We are safeguarding the women that are in these pop-up brothels.

One of our drives is to gather intelligence and from gathering

intelligence that would give us, one, a picture to find out what's

going on and help us to scope the nature of the problem,

but, two, to help formulate the proactive operations

against persons that are behind modern slavery and sex trafficking.

For Ellen, the local community must be protected.

This road has got quite a few children in it.

Also, being a guesthouse, I have guests who I feel I have to protect.

Campaigners calling for improved rail services and cheaper fares say

the region is being treated as the end of the line.

The Trades Union backed Action for Rail were at stations today

calling on passengers to join their fight.

They say fares need to be cut rather than increased.

A train coming down the line from London this morning.

But for the passengers on it, the prices have gone up.

The average rise of more than 2% came into force yesterday.

That sees an any-time return from Birmingham

And 20 pence has been added to a day-return

I think they've always been too expensive in England.

I come back every now and then, and it always strikes me how

expensive the train fares are in England.

It would probably cost me more in car fares, in petrol.

Passengers arriving at Exeter St Davids this morning

were met by these campaigners who are pushing for a better deal.

We need a second route via Oakhampton.

We need more work to be done on the Dawlish seawall.

We need more investment into Cornwall.

We need better infrastructure in the south-west.

I checked a few moments ago to see how much it would cost

And if you say, what about booking in advance?

I checked the same train for a month's time.

The government says those fares are funding record investment.

Campaigners though are challenging it to show that's

Now a round up of other news this lunchtime.

Christopher Tester, who was shot in the head during a robbery

at his parents' restaurant in Antigua, is back in the UK

after a public appeal to raise money to fly him home.

The 37-year-old from Torquay landed at Exeter late last night.

He is now in Derriford Hospital in Plymouth.

Police have issued this photo of a 76-year-old man who has been

missing from Bideford since New Year's Day.

They say they are extremely concerned for Clive

Officers, police dogs, the force helicopter and coastguards

He is thought to be wearing dark clothes and a dark woolly hat.

The Somerset-based explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes is setting off

to climb the world's second highest mountain.

His trek to the top of Mount Aconcagua in Argentina

is part of a challenge to become the first person to cross both polar

ice caps and climb the highest mountain on each continent.

Now the prospect of reopening a old mine in an Area

of Outstanding Natural Beauty might not be appealing

to many communities, but in East Cornwall the idea

appears to have received a surprising reaction.

As our business correspondent Neil Gallacher explains,

the local mayor says that if the plan doesn't come

to fruition, people might even be disappointed.

Not much remains of the old Redmoor mine on the edge of Callington

but there's a lot of tin here and if tin prices keep

rising it may become economic to dig it out.

Mining specialists have been consulting on plans

First reactions locally have been quite positive.

Kelly Bray is crying out for regeneration.

It will be wonderful if new jobs were brought in and also new people

We all bought knowing that there is mining happening,

in the area, or was happening in the area, so it's not

Cornwall historically is a mining county.

So, from that point of view, very, very positive and obviously

people are concerned, as we are.

You've still got to take into account residents' concerns

and the environmental impact but we've been assured

by Cornwall Resources that this will be managed correctly

and obviously we will be keeping an eye on that as part

Those involved with the scheme say a mine would have less impact

on the village of Kelly Bray than was seen at Hemerdon

near Plymouth where a tungsten mine restarted.

This would be a very different mining operation to Hamerdon.

Although the deposit is close to the southern part of Kelly Bray,

we would be looking to site any processing plant or waste tips some

distance away to minimise the impact on local residents and communities.

It would also be tens of millions of pounds to be

A bright but cold start to the day. A really cold start, yes. A lovely

start, gorgeous start for many of us. We have this lovely photo. Blue

skies. This is across true row. With those clear skies overnight, it

meant that frosty start to things. Exeter Airport, the coldest spot in

the country, minus seven degrees. Tonight, patchy frost but not as

cold. It's thanks to the high pressure in charge. It's given us

sunshine today but unfortunately, we have a weather front for tomorrow.

It is a weak affair but it pushes in more cloud. Through the afternoon,

for most of us, lovely and bright. Cloud in Somerset but staying dry

food as afternoon, 6-7. The breeze picks up a bit as well. -- this

afternoon. Rain across Exmoor and Dartmoor. Hill fog here and there. A

touch of frost for tonight. These are typical low temperatures. Not as

cold as the night just gone. Wednesday morning, cloudy note, a

bit of rain here and there. Largely dry. A few bright spells but they

will be in short supply tomorrow. The best chance across Somerset and

Dorset later on in the afternoon. Temperatures a shade higher. When

you factor in the cloud, it probably won't feel that much milder. For the

Channel Islands, a cloudy picture for tomorrow. A little bit of rain

in the next, not too much. A breezy day than today, as well, and it's

not the most inspiring look to things over the next few days.

Mostly dry with rain moving in on Friday afternoon but hopefully

turning dryer once again as a move into the weekend. Thank you very

much. I'll be back with Victoria Graham

in Spotlight tonight at 6.30. But from the lunchtime news,

have a very good afternoon. Panorama investigates

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