Trading speed points

Trading points - what would you do to hold onto your licence?

If you get caught speeding, it's a minimum £60 fine and three points.

Get up to 12 points and you're facing a ban.

For many of us it's crucial to avoid a ban - not being able to drive could mean losing our jobs.

Inside Out has been investigating the lengths some people will go to, to hold on to their licence.

Tragic accident

On the morning of December 6, 2003 Mark Chadbourne was driving a 38 tonne lorry down the A303 towards Taunton.

Coming the other way, Anthony Best was driving an even heavier lorry up to London.

Just outside West Knoyle, Mark Chadbourne crossed the road into the path of the oncoming Anthony Best, killing both of them instantly.

A few weeks earlier, Mark Chadbourne had been caught speeding.

He was already on nine points so to save his licence and his job, he got someone else to take his points.

The tragic irony is that if he'd been banned, he wouldn't have been on the road that day.

PC Mark Morrison, Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Officer, was one of the first at the crash site:

"It was just like a bomb site, it really was. We had to be so careful walking through it so that we weren't stepping on things and the damage was so great we had to take some considerable time to get the two drivers out of their vehicles."

Human price

One of the drivers, Anthony Best, was close to retirement after 42 years as a lorry driver.

He left behind a wife and two daughters.

"There wasn't anything he didn't know about driving," says Jane Peters.

"He knew all the breaks he had to take. He knew his tachographs inside out and he just stuck by the rules.

"He was described as 'the old man of the road'. He just loved his job and he wouldn't do it unless he could do it properly."

As well as their loss, they have to deal with the knowledge of what Mark Chadbourne did.

Jane says, "He shouldn't have been on the road. He should've taken his points and not been on the road.

"But, both families have lost someone and we've lost a lovely dad and a granddad - and so have their family as well.

"It's too high a price to pay. Too high."

Points selling scam

While investigating the crash PC Mark Morrison discovered an extensive points selling scam.

For £50 a time, Tavistock man Clifford Mennell was taking points from motorists who were on the verge of losing their licence and passing them on to innocent drivers, allowing the guilty ones to flout the law

Mark Morrisson says, "They continued to drive, they continued to break the speed limit and obviously that has far reaching road safety implications, knowing that they would never get caught."

Clifford Mennell admitted offloading more than 100 speeding tickets and was sentenced to 33 months in prison for conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

Many don't realise the seriousness of the offence

One of Mennell's customers also went to prison.

Farmer Andrew Freeston recalls what happened:

"I was milking the cows one morning on a Monday and at 7.00 o'clock two plain clothes policemen came into the milking parlour and arrested me and charged me with a conspiracy to pervert the course of justice."

Andrew Freeston had been on six points and decided another three put him too close to losing his licence.

"I sold my points to a man called Clifford Mennell whom I heard about in a pub," he says.

"And I sent him £50 and that was the end of it 'til a year and a half later when the police came into the milking parlour on a Monday morning.

"The judge said he had no alternative but to send me prison for three months. It was a bit of a shock, I couldn't quite believe it was happening at the time.

"I don't agree with what happened to me. I think I should've had a big fine or lost my licence for a couple of months.

"But I do drive a lot more carefully now and stick to the speed limit. So perhaps it has had some effect."

Serious offence

Now whether you pay someone to take your points or get your wife or husband to do it for free, offloading is a serious criminal offence.

In a recent survey by Churchill Insurance, 2% of 2,000 drivers questioned admitted taking points for their partner.

And a third said they would consider asking their partner to do it, if it saved their licence.

Video evidence but how easy is it to dupe the speed police?

So what are the chances of getting caught?

PC Duncan Russell says that speeding pictures can sometimes be difficult to interpret.

It's not always clear from the video footage who was driving the car.

Another common way of trading points is to say that the car was being driven by a friend from abroad.

"I think there is a misheld belief that we won't pursue enquiries with the person that they've nominated," says PC Russell.

And there are other ways of avoiding detection:

"People in the past have sent in death certificates.

"One case in particular... a husband sent in his wife's death certificate saying that she was driving the car at the time the offence was committed, whereas at that time she was in a local hospice in the final stages of a terminal illness." PC Russell.

Every case is viewed on its own merits, but in cases where there is evidence for an offence of perverting the course of justice, then the Police says that it does prosecute.

Drivers who trade points are risking their licences and their liberty. and the family of Anthony Best know how devastating the consequences can be for others:

"He was a lovely man and we've lost so much. I've lost my best friend, and that's worst of all." Janet Best.

Links relating to this story:

• BBC News - Speeding Scam
• BBC Inside Out North East - Trading points
• Wiltshire Police
• Safe Speed for Life
• Department for Transport

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites

Fire kids

Young fire fighters take up the challenge

Inside Out visits a fire fighting course with a difference.

We go behind the scenes of a tough course for teenagers run by the Cornwall Fire Brigade.

The Phoenix Project is organised by the Brigade to help young people develop their self confidence.

Inside Out has been following the young people going through this gruelling programme.

Pushing the limits

In the first instalment of this feature we spent five days with a group of 14-year-old girls from Falmouth School as they were put through their paces by the course leader, Tim Cox.

Having done some basic fire fighter training, it's now time for the girls to fine-tune their skills.

The girls spend a day at Bishop Forum, an outdoor activity centre, where they have to work as a team.

Teenage teamwork is essential if the girls are going to succeed

It's here that they are pushed to their personal limits under the supervision of instructor Ben, and they build up to the ultimate challenge - abseiling.

But not all the pupils are joining in the fun - the instructors are not happy with Steph's attitude, and she's given a warning.

One of the teenagers, Danny, is afraid of heights, but she really pushes herself to beat her phobia and even has a go at the free fall.

But as the girls get ready for the abseiling, Danny is starting to feel stressed.

The girls will have to go down a 25 foot cliff.

After 10 minutes, Danny decides to give it a go but finds that she can't go down.

As for Steph, it seems that the talk she had in the morning has worked - she is now giving it 100%.

And after conquering her fears, Danny is having another go at abseiling.

Last minute nerves

On the final day of training, the girls have time to practice the drill they will perform in the afternoon in front of their parents, teachers and the Mayor of Falmouth one last time.

Although the girls manage a good practice run, the pressure is starting to get to them and some have an argument.

Never mind the nerves - the teenagers stick to their tasks

In the meantime tutor Tim is trying to make sure that the girls come together as a team.

Tim meets all the girls one by one for a chat.

With less than half an hour before the presentation, everybody is under pressure.

The Mayor, the parents and the teachers have all arrived - it's now up to the girls.

All the girls work brilliantly as a team and the presentation is a success.

After a long week, the girls have raised their self esteem, improved their communication skills and pulled together as a team.

Despite all the nerves and pressure, they've pulled it off!

Links relating to this story:

• Cornwall County Fire Brigade

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites

Grey seals

Grey Seals - a lifelong adventure in nature

Stephen Wescott has dedicated the last 15 years of his life to the study of Grey Seals.

Yet the Grey Seal remains elusive, buried deep in the sea caves of the South West.

Recording their private lives means risking weather and tide.

Inside Out goes to Penzance to join Stephen on a research trip.

Seal sanctuary

For Grey Seals along the west coast of the UK, sea caves are home.

It's here in the winter that the largest gatherings of animals take place.

The main threats for Grey Seals are from disturbance and fishing nets.

Once precious hideaways are now public property.

"There's nowhere left that's truly remote," says Stephen.

But there are some special places which seals still use along our coast.

Monitoring Grey Seals for Stephen is about making the minimum amount of impact into their world.

In order not to disturb the seals, we send in Stephen with a camera to take a look.

Stephen can tell more than just the difference between Grey and Common Seals species.

He can identify individuals within the group.

"They have particular markings," says Stephen.

Although in population terms the Grey Seals of the South West are relatively insignificant, changes in their lives can act as an early warning system.

Stephen has his finger on the pulse and has been monitoring the seals closely.

He's also hoping to build a database of images to share with other experts across the world.

It's a job which he loves and he hopes will help to maintain a healthy seal population off the South West coast.

Links relating to this story:

• BBC Nature
• BBC Hands on Nature
• Cornwall Wildlife Trust
• The Mammal Society
• Seal Sanctuary

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites