14/07/2011 BBC Points West

Hello and welcome to BBC Points West.

In the headlines tonight: The huge project to electrify the

London main line gets underway, but what will the disruption mean to

travellers? Doctors and nurses are warned not to befriend patients on

the internet after a Somerset nurse is struck off. Also tonight:

The valuable Banksy whitewashed by the building's new owner. And I

will be reporting from the River Thames in London as the Somerset

Royal Marines reached the final lap of their charity row.

Work has begun on the biggest improvements to the Great Western

railway line since it was built by Brunel. It was announced today that

billions of pounds will be spent over the next few years and will

mean the main line to London gets electrified. Network Rail says the

most disruptive work will be done overnight. Today politicians and

senior rail executives gathered at Paddington station to celebrate the

All was flowing smoothly at Paddington today and not just

trains on the Great Western line. Platform 10 was crowded with rail

officials, councillors, MPs and a secretary of state. This is a new

age of rail in Britain. government have managed to find

billions of pounds to fund seven years of improvements. The new

trains will deliver passengers are more comfortable and faster

journeys and Moorgreen and economic journeys. These are all things that

we want to achieve in the Renaissance that we are going for

a., -- going for. Most here today are regular rail users and know how

bad things can be. Over the past decade the number of passengers

using the line has leapt by 40 %. Peak time prices from Swindon to

London are the highest in Europe but passengers still come.

number of times I have stood on the way from Swindon to London I cannot

count. It is a really unpleasant journey. Down the track from

Paddington, work will begin within months. Bridges must be moved to

make room for the electric wires which will stretch all the way to

Bristol and Cardiff. They'll provide power to hundreds of new

trains and carriages. We will have a massive improvement in the

customer experience. We are seeing phenomenal growth. More and more

people are travelling by train in this part of the world and we need

to respond to that. The hope that is in five years it will be the

most advanced railway in the world. For the many thousands who use this

line daily there is just one question. How difficult will things

get? Network Rail have tried to be reassuring. They have said that

most of the work will try to be done at night.

These were the scenes four years ago when passengers on the Bristol

to London line started getting seriously angry. They wanted more

carriages. They wanted more trains. They even organised a fares boycott.

Today many of their demands have been answered. We are overjoyed

with the new trains. We are overjoyed with new characters. It

is just whether we can afford to go on them or not. But will passengers

put up with the necessary disruption? We need the service.

would rather go through a few years paying then have a continuously bad

service so I in it is worth the investment. People want to know

precisely what it will mean in practice. Network Rail was shy

about saying how much disruption would have to be faced. There was a

taste of what's to come last Christmas. Reading station was

closed for four days. Trains had to go on an 80 mile diversion via

Banbury, doubling journey times. That could happen again both this

and next Christmas. By 2016, though, there will be four trains every

hour between Bristol and London, instead of two. The journey time

will be 22 minutes shorter. Passenger groups are pleased but

say it's long overdue. The trains we have got in the South West are

the oldest on the mainline network. The equipment is among the oldest

equipment. We still run on a 1960s signalling technology. We need is

very badly and it is good news. Were not the things passengers must

be asking themselves is it they will be paying for these

investments with higher train fares. Over the next few years, how much

higher will prices go? The former ITV and BBC presenter

Peter Rowell is to face trial accused of 18 sex offences

including raping a girl aged under 16. The broadcaster left Bristol

Magistrates Court this morning together with his wife after

pleading not guilty to the allegations. He was granted bail

and committed for trial at the Crown Court.

Police in Bath are appealing for witnesses after a 14-year-old girl

was sexually assaulted on her way home from school. The attack

happened on Tuesday afternoon at around 4 o'clock on a track between

Ringswell Gardens and the Kennet and Avon canal. The girl together

with an 11-year-old were grabbed by a man and pushed into nearby bushes.

Police say they're looking for a clean-cut white man, about 25 to 30

years old. He might have with short blonde hair.

He may be 5 ft and 10 inches tall. He was wearing a distinctive pink,

blue and great top with long sleeves, it kind of sportswear

material, and blue jeans and trainers.

Fire crews were called to a secondary school in Radstock today

after a fire broke out in the Assembly Hall. Pupils at

Writhlington School were all safely evacuated from the building.

At around 2:30 this afternoon a fire broke out in the assembly hall

here. All the pupils were immediately evacuated into a safe

area of the school. Last year �25 million was spent on new buildings

here but luckily it was the old part of the school affected. We all

turn around and we saw smoke coming out of the building so we just ran.

The teachers came and just said that there was a fire. We looked up

and there were clouds of smoke and we thought we'd better go. Parents

were informed by text message that there had been a fire but everyone

was safe. Coaches then picked up the pupils and meeting points were

set up. Meanwhile fire crews continued to make the assembly hall

safe. The firefighters will continue to work to cut away the

roof space and it will be inspected to ensure that all of the I a hot

spots are fully out and once that is done the investigation into what

caused the fire will begin. Tomorrow the 1,450 pupils here were

told the school would be open as usual. Tonight an investigation

will begin into what could have caused this afternoon's fire. It

has been a lovely day and Ian will be here but the weather forecast

very shortly. And stay with us for much more, including: The guest

batsman who will allow crowds tomorrow. And another military air

tattoo. Find out about the Doctors and nurses in the West are

being warned not to use internet sites to contact patients. It

follows a case in which a psychiatric nurse from Somerset,

Timothy Hyde, was struck off for using the social networking site

Facebook to start a relationship with a former client.

The relationship between any medical professional and their

client of must stay professional but that Beria was crossed three

years ago when a vulnerable female patient came for counselling with a

psychiatric nurse here in Wales. But two weeks after she was

discharged from the clinic, Timothy Hyde used Facebook to arrange a

date. A physical relationship began. Despite knowing about her alcohol

problem, to be the height gave her a drink at Glastonbury Festival,

where he admitted she got off her face. What started through Facebook

ended the same way, with Timothy Hyde stating that he did not have

space for someone like her in his life, and he blocked her from

accessing her account. I felt that I was quite warm rubble emotionally

at the time. I had difficult relationships in the past. --

warmer well. He knew things about my history and used that knowledge

when choosing his words towards me which led to self-harm.

disciplinary body that struck him at the height of said that his was

the first of similar cases that they are considering. -- struck

Timothy Hyde off. To abuse this position is something that this

council is strongly against. It is something that people have a clear

dividing line between their personal and private lives. The NHS

Trust that employed timid the Hyde said that their staff cannot access

Facebook at work. -- To the hide. But they have advised their staff

to be careful about the information they get out. It is not just nurses,

today a doctors' trade union gave out new guidelines advising doctors

not to make friends with their patients on Facebook. We need to

ensure that the clinical relationship by ensuring that

private and personal lives stay separate. The medical profession

will now have to think twice before putting anything on Facebook.

Swansea Coastguard, which answers distress calls from people in

trouble along the North Somerset coastline, and the Bristol Channel,

is to close. However, Milford Haven and Holyhead will remain open. The

decision was made by the Secretary of State for Transport following a

government review. One of the reactors at Oldbury

nuclear power station in South Gloucestershire has been shut down

after problems with a refuelling machine. The decision was made

after a routine inspection by engineers. The reactor, on the

banks of the River Severn, is expected to remain closed down for

up to three weeks. Everyone knows it can be

frustrating to navigate your way through the city of Bath so how

much would you pay to get things running smoothly. The council says

�34 million. It wants central government to stump up over half of

that to provide better parking and riding spaces. But even if they

agree on what they want they still have to get their money -- hands on

the government money and they will not know about that until Christmas.

It is a competitive process and councils up and down the land are

bidding to get their hands on the hard cash for transport

improvements. We will have a full report on the council meeting at

the 10 o'clock News. -- after the 10 o'clock News.

One of the oldest pictures by the street artist, Banksy, has been

whitewashed from a wall in Bristol. For many years, the picture of the

gorilla in a pink mask has been a famous sight on the brickwork of a

building in Fishponds, but it seems the new owners were unaware they

were in possession of an iconic image when they began decorating.

Underneath this wall in Fishponds Road lies one of Banksy's most

famous pieces of work. The Masked Gorilla was one of his earlier

works and for some living here it played a prominent feature in their

daily lives. It has an iconic status and it is a cultural symbol.

I think it is very sad. I am going to miss walking past the image that

is historic and iconic. The new Muslim Cultural Centre is due to

open tomorrow to mark an important day in the Islamic calendar. They

had no idea what they had done They really hoped to fit in with the

community and now wonder if there's any way it can be restored.

nesters there was a painting. -- I noticed there was a painting.

Someone told me I was going to lose money and I did not know why. I

just saw it was a picture. I am beginning to see that the paint

underneath is quite soluble. what's the verdict? There may be a

Solent that we can test and find but it will be a slow process. We

will have to break down the surface layer by layer. The original

condition could be very bad. I would suggest that it is a bit of a

complex job. This is a very sad. It was quite nice. It seems the best

we can hope for now is that Banksy takes pity and gives this wall a

fresh look and they'll promise It is time to call on Banksy. Let's

hope he was watching. Today aircraft have been flying in

Gloucestershire to get under way with preparations for the Air Show

this weekend. Our reporter is there already. What are the highlights

for you? There are so many to mention. We

have seen so many planes coming in. Today there have been plenty of

aircraft flying in. You can see some on the static display behind

me. Where would this Institute be without the Red Arrows? They always

put on a fantastic display. They had been giving the camera as a

work out today. There will be a few test flights today. That got a few

spotters are very excited. All of the military ones are on missions

around the world. The B 52 is an aircraft that you see regularly.

This was an air show that started back in 1971 in a small airfield

and then it moved to Greenham Common and then came here to

Gloucestershire. RAF Fairford came the new home of the Air tattoo in

1985 after moving from green -- Greenham column. We managed to get

the Russian military to come to the show here. They parked alongside an

American B 52 bomber. They had the air crews come out and the Russians

had their big hats and the Americans had slightly smaller hats

and they talked about things and had a beer together. But the Air

tattoo has not been without its drum up. This plane made a dramatic

entrance when it came down suddenly. It was this crash that made

headlines around the world. Both pilots ejected to safety and no one

was injured. NT 1008 -- in the 2008 torrential rain -- brain landed a

day before it the show was about to start. There were safety fears and

the whole weekend was cancelled. was a big decision and it was

affecting people's lives in one way or the other. It was a feeling of,

what will happen next? Away from the drama is the aircraft. There is

also the odd celebrity visit. There is also some great entertainment.

Due to cutbacks in military operations the show will be smaller

but it is still a massive drop to the public. It is the taxpayer who

put those plays in the sky and it is the taxpayer who should see what

gets done with them. -- put those planes in the sky. These planes

will show the might of the military in the peaceful skies of the

Cotswolds. Over there by the Dakota and you

can see lots of news -- aircraft coming in, old and new, over the

weekend. The money that is raised here is 85 % of the income for the

RAF charity. People who pay BT to prices -- people will also pay

ticket prices on the ground. This is as a Ukrainian flanker. I had

been doing my research. This is the first time it has been here at the

RAF Fairford. Some people have paid extra to come in and take

photographs before the show starts. For you do not have to be a spotter

to enjoy that. Frankie very much for that. He --

thank you very much for that. Sport now and Bristol boxer Lee

Haskins is looking to get his career back on track when he fights

for two belts in Morocco tonight.Having had several bouts

cancelled in the last 12 months. Haskins answered an 11th hour call

to take on Mohamed Boulegcha in Marrakech. He'll be fighting in

front of a crowd of 25,000 The England cricket captain Andrew

Strauss arrived in Taunton today to start his preparations to guest

star for Somerset. He'll play for the county in their match against

India which begins tomorrow. It's all a warm up for England's test

series against the Indians. And for Strauss it's a chance hopefully to

restore his form as a batsman. Today the main attraction is not

even here yet. Groundsman Simon Lee looks after the crucial wicket.

Even he's excited. You want to see the batsman batting to their full

potential. I had been looking forward to this all year. The club

also can't wait. Rain stopped play once too often in their Twenty20

series. To have at the Indians here is something special. We know there

is going to be a good crowd. Hopefully the economics and

balances it all out. The man the crowds also want to see allowed me

the first word. How does it feel to be in Somerset? Lovely, a

delightful day. As long as the rain stays away it should be a fund a

few days. Inside he called it the perfect preparation. But it is

wonderful to be down here. I would not be playing cricket if someone

had not given me this opportunity. I am grateful to the club for

allowing me to play. Hopefully I will get some runs before the Test

match. The fans though weren't all so sure. He might do well, who

knows. It is very nice from our point of view and from the club's

point of view. It might give him some confidence before the series.

Such an ending wasn't on Strauss' mind as he met the groundsman. It

may be Simon's handy work that helps in the coming days.

They are already heroes. But today they managed another a heroic feat.

Royal Marines based in Somerset, all recovering from injuries, some

received in Afghanistan today rowed into London after five days and 150

miles.Some of them had never picked The end is in sight and we joined

them 140 miles into their challenge with just 10 miles to go. For the

injured Royal Marines, the strain of five days of a rowing has taken

its toll. So a quick break to talk to us. What has been the toughest

bit? The aches and pains. We have had to work through it. It has been

very important. There had been a lot of land that had been injured

so it means a lot to us all. Each one of the 12 marines who have

taken part in this role is fighting injuries, some received in

Afghanistan. They started their training in Somerset a month ago

and barely one of them had ever abroad before. -- only one of them.

Today they earned the admiration of MPs as they passed by Westminster.

I am not sure what she thought of it all. They have earned admiration

of their rowing coach who has described them as extraordinary man.

You cannot see the pain. Exceptional is the only word I can

think. They have done everything I have asked of them and had not

argued or questioned were made a fuss. They just got on with it.

was early Sunday morning when the challenge got under way in

Gloucestershire. Five days later and these men have raised the

profile of a Royal Marines and a few 1,000 pounds for the Marines

charitable trust fund. -- a few 1,000 pounds. And now they have

earned a will and the rest and a change a close. Tomorrow they will

be guests at a garden party in Buckingham Palace. -- a change of

clothes. I think they have earned a few beers as well.

If you are a fan of showery weather, you are in good luck, because we

If you want to give some money to help dogs, you can go along to

Ashton Court. This is on Sunday. There will be a family day and a

dog show. That should be a fun day. It will be a breezy and showery day.

Tomorrow will be dry with some sunny spells around but there will

be rain on the way by the evening. There are some changes taking place

towards the West. Sonny and drier weather tomorrow and by a later

tomorrow it will be changing even more. This evening will bring us

beatable conditions with temperatures up 22 degrees. --

beautiful conditions. The early cloud will disperse. Temperatures

tonight will be similar to last night. Seven or eight in the

countryside and 10 or 11 in urban areas. We start Saturday on a

positive note with clear blue sky. The cloud will roll into West

Somerset by new and and outbreaks of rain will disperse as the

weather front splits in the two. Overnight it will get breezier and

the rain will establish itself. Temperatures will still get up to

about 20 or 21 Celsius. The high altitude winds will arc ever closer

to the south of Ireland and eventually into Saturday they will

come into the top of the British Isles and that will make things

very windy and wet. There will be some early rain on the first half

of the day on Saturday and it will be better by the afternoon. Dry air

on Sunday but with some blustery showers. It will be blustery if not