24/11/2011 BBC Points West

Hello and welcome to the programme. In the Points West headlines

tonight, the end of a long and grim search - police finally discover

Kate Prout's remains after being led to the spot by her husband.

I do hope this will be the final chapter of this harrowing event for

Kate's family. Also tonight, 200 new jobs

announced at Airbus in Bristol, but deeper cuts than expected are

revealed in the city's public sector.

A popular young officer with all before him - a former head boy from

Bath killed in Afghanistan, is brought home.

And the plans for a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point are

Good evening. Police searching for the body of Kate Prout say they've

found human remains. Mrs Prout went missing from her home in

Gloucestershire four years ago. Last week, her husband Adrian

finally confessed to her killing and showed officers where he'd

buried her body. Our Gloucestershire reporter, Steve

It is a moment that a Kate Prout's family have been waiting for, but

it terribly distressing day? absolutely. The four-year search is

seemingly over. It was a big mystery, what had happened to Kate

Prout. Many theories were bandied about. Today police finally

revealed that a set of human remains was discovered in a deep

grave in woodland on the farm once owned by Adrian and Kate Prout.

Kate, we urge you to contact us. You may not wish to speak to your

family and friends. From the restart, Key -- Kate Prout was a

missing person. -- from the start. Police realised her disappearance

was more sinister. They combed the farm for two weeks to no avail.

Eventually her husband Adrian was charged with her murder. In court

he claimed he was innocent. Police uncovered his violent past in

Kate's diaries as she threatened to take his farm away her bitter

divorce. On Friday, a dramatic twist. Adrian Prout finally

confessed and was brought to Redhill Farm in handcuffs to show

police where he had buried his wife. Although formal identification is

yet to happen, this is believed to be Kate Prout's final resting place.

We have been searching for four days. It has been difficult. Adrian

Prout has not given us a precise location. That is why it has taken

so long. It has taken police four days to find the remains. A slow

process. This is a crime scene and the body itself will be a crime

scene in its own right. They need the area around it to be as

uncontaminated as possible. There may be forensic evidence from four

years ago. There may be some soil evidence or some pollen evidence

they may wish to match. pathologist has spent the afternoon

examining the remains. A short while ago, a private ambulance

carrying a coffin left the woodland. What next? That formal

identification will be crucial. We expected to confirm that the

remains are that of Kate Prout. The coroner will have many questions to

ask during the inquest. One of which is, why didn't police find

the remains when they searched clear four years ago? Adrian Prout

has been spoken to in the last couple of days. Maybe this is still

a story with many chapters yet to be written. It's been a long time

in coming, but finally the plans for a new nuclear power station in

Somerset have been published. It means the full details for Hinkley

C are now open for all to see. But there is still a long way to go, as

Imogen Sellers reports. As a document it's longer than the

bible or all of the Harry Potters put together. At 30,000 pages the

application to build another nuclear power station in Somerset

could never really be described as a light read. But it's been the

task of the people in the office behind me to sift through and

decide whether or not it approves it ahead of a final decision by the

Secretary of State. And today they gave that approval. It's a mammoth

document dealing with a mammoth subject. But it seems to boil down

to some key issues. The first is the hotly contested subject of the

need for nuclear power itself - the arguments for and against are

always cause for passionate debate. If you could imagine a world where

Almagro energy came from the Sun, at geothermal, Hydro Tideway and --

tied wind, we would not have to kowtow to the Russians for their

gas, the Arabs further oil, and the French for their power. Second is

the impact on the local environment, both to the landscape and the towns

and village communities close by. And thirdly is the issue of

economics - many people believe the jobs that will be generated, are as

important as the electricity. So today the details within the

application can be made public. Clearly the planning process is

very important. The IPC will now take a very independent view on

whether the project should go forward in the form we specified it

in the application. There was disappointment but not surprise

from those hoping the plans would include a bypass for Bridgwater.

Good news for villagers in nearby Cannington though, who will get a

smaller bypass We now also know more about the design of the twin

reactors. Once again, I can end this report by telling you that

plans for a new nuclear power station are moving a step closer,

which they are. But there are many more hurdles to clear - next more

consultation, and finally it'll all end up on the desk of the Secretary

The challenges of unemployment and how to tackle it have been centre

stage here in the West today. The Business Secretary Vince Cable came

to Bristol to see examples of new jobs in prospering industries. But

at the same time the Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls visited one of

the West's unemployment black spots, and accused the Government of not

doing enough. Live now to our political editor, Paul Barltrop,

who's in Swindon. Paul, how badly is Swindon affected? Very badly

indeed. The Christmas lights may be on here, but there probably will

not be much buying this year. Swindon as one of the worst

unemployment rates in the region. Bristol also has a very serious

problem, but there are beacons of hope. Business Secretary Vince

Cable opened a brand new high tech research centre in Bristol today,

and while he was here, Airbus announced 200 new engineering jobs.

Here's our Business Correspondent, Dave Harvey.

Getting on a bike in search of jobs. When the Vince Cable came to Airbus

today, he saw their future engineering centre. This is the

very latest technology, demonstrated on a push bike, but

already transforming aircraft manufacturing. Airbus needs more

advanced engineers. Today they advertised another 200 hi-tech

vacancies. I would say we do make the best wins in the world. We have

to have the best engineers in the world to develop them. Not just in

the aerospace industry, but more generally we have seen a

flourishing of advanced manufacturing and the south-west.

few miles up the road, the business secretary opened this new centre

encompass the technology. Anything with a drive to save fuel puts a

premium on making things like. How like exactly? What this. You could

not do that with steel. Centre- stage, aircraft. By the new Airbus.

This is how they make the wings fast. A factory in Avonmouth. These

machines cost millions. Until now, smaller companies could not get

anything. The West Country has a fabulous array of its smaller

composite manufacturing companies. To offer them this capability, puts

them on the world stage and allows them to compete in an international

sense. We have got used to this very defeatist attitude that we do

not make things any more. That is complete nonsense. We have good

manufacturing companies. They need support. We need to encourage the

younger generation to see a career in engineering. The centre has

taken years to develop. It has been a project driven by a West Country

universities and companies. Today it was just what Dr Cable ordered.

If you want to know the gravity of the jobs situation you don't have

to go far. Earlier we visited Swindon's job centre. One in 12

young people aged 18 to 24 are out of work. That's risen sharply in

the last six months. Young people here are finding it very hard.

is hard. Nobody wants to give you a job. You apply and you never hear

back. You have 200 people going for the same job. If you have no

qualifications, you go to the bottom of the pile. It is so hard.

Very hard indeed. Other than cleaning jobs, you have not cut and

the look of finding a decent job. Me and my partners have had a baby.

There is no work. There was nothing. Either you were to qualified or

under-qualified. So this is good territory for an opposition

politician wanting to put the boot in. The man doing the kicking, Ed

Balls. This afternoon he visited the Nationwide Building Society to

hear about a scheme they run to help young people learn work skills.

But his target is very much the Coalition Government. The great

thing is that Nationwide year in Swindon is taking on scores of

graduates but also working in a community to help of a young people

get back into work. That is what we need. We cannot do it without

Government support. There is a 90% rise in Swindon in youth

unemployment this year. That is not good enough. The Government has got

to act and get the economy moving. What this comes down to his money.

We will hear a great deal more about that next week when the

Chancellor makes his pre-Budget report. Watching very closely will

be the councils in the West. They have been hard hit by the court.

Bristol City Council has announced further spending cuts today. I'm

joined by Robin Markwell, our political reporter. Robin - how far

does this latest round of cuts go? This second round of budget cuts

for Bristol amounts to around �21 million, and that means about 350

jobs are to go on top of the 360 posts that went last year. In total,

that represents about 10% of the workforce. But the surprise

announcement today was the council admitting it will have to find an

extra �9.5 million to meet "one-off costs" - that's redundancy payments

and changes to the organisation. The ruling Lib Dems insists

libraries, museums and youth centres will stay open despite the

cuts. Labour are not so sure. think they will see potentially the

closure of the youth centres and eventual -- adventure playgrounds.

They will close themselves. I notice they are claiming that no

libraries will be closed. The buildings may stay open, but tucked

away in the detail is the suggestion they will be manned by

volunteers. And what other changes can people in Bristol expect to

see? Plenty of new charges as the council tries to boost its income.

So expect more pay-and-display parking, charges for the first time

for pest control services and new fees to park at the popular Ashton

Court estate. The council is also looking to cut spending for its

youth services by �1 million, and is considering closing up to nine

care homes. The Liberal Democrats are keen for older people to stay

at home for longer. As far as adult carers concerned, the previous

Government and the present one had really rubber-stamped a major

programme of change. I believe people will get more care and

better care as a result of this. We have a very old-fashioned system

that puts people into care homes when they can stay at home. But we

should stress that these are only proposals at this stage - a final

decision will be taken next February. Thanks Robin, and on The

Politics Show West this Sunday at midday, the team will be exploring

how women in particular are being You're watching Thursday's Points

West with Chris and Alex. Coming up, the sixth formers from Royal

Wootton Bassett march on Westminster calling for more to be

done for the women and children of Afghanistan.

And disappointment for Bath City as their FA cup replay doesn't quite

go to plan, despite this crowd- An investigation is underway into a

care home for the elderly near Bristol, after a whistleblower

raised concerns. Local authorities and the Government watchdog are

reviewing the care of about 80 residents at Oaktree House Care

Home in Yate. No new residents are being admitted, and the local

council says there is no immediate risk to anyone there.

The home's owners said they were co-operating with the investigation.

Bristol City Council is welcoming the outcome of a judicial review

looking into the Tesco store on Stokes Croft. Campaigners who

opposed the opening of the supermarket, claimed the company

should never have been given permission to install plant

machinery, or to have a freezer room. But today a judge has ruled

in favour of Tesco and the City Council. The authority says

planning permission for a retail space already existed on the site.

The boyfriend of a millionairess from North Somerset, found dead in

her swimming pool in the middle of the night, died from a medical

condition. The coroner said today that Steve Penny collapsed into the

pool at Walton Castle in Clevedon in March, after suffering "dry

drowning", a condition caused by fluid building up on the lung. A

verdict of accidental death was recorded.

A former head boy at a school in Bath, killed while serving with the

army in Afghanistan. Has been repatriated this afternoon.

Lieutenant David Boyce, who was 25, was in 1st The Queens Dragoon

Guards. He's been described by his friends as "one of the very best".

In Afghanistan for less than a month, David Boyce was killed

alongside his comrade. Today he returned to RAF Brize Norton to his

family. They described him as having "brought sunshine into the

lives of everyone he knew". They said they took comfort knowing he

died doing what he loved. David was head boy here in 2005. His former

headmaster of remembers him as being a true gentleman. He was

popular all the way through the school. He was a born leader, he

said, in the truest sense of the word. He also remembered how proud

David was when he was selected to play rugby for the first team.

Lietuenant Boyce made an incredible impression on those he met. The

tributes paid to him from his Commanding Officer down to the

soldiers he led, all shared the same sentiment - he was one of the

The House of Commons also paid tribute to Lieutenant Boyce and

those who died with him. They were all courageous soldiers held in the

highest regard by their comrades. We all them a great debt of

gratitude for their service and sacrifice. We send our condolences

to their family and friends. Lieutenant David Boyce was clearly

an inspiration to all those who met him and worked with him. A man who

Now if you go to school in Royal Wootton Bassett, it must be almost

impossible not to be aware of the current conflict in Afghanistan.

But now some pupils have gone even further, by becoming involved with

a charity that supports Afghan women and children. Today they went

to London, to join young people from across Europe and to meet the

doctor who inspired them. Tracey Miller went with them.

Together in the heart of London, young people from across Europe.

They are here to bring the plight of the uneducated, war weary

children of Afghanistan to the attention of Government. Amongst

them are students from Royal Wootton Bassett, a town forever

linked with that conflict. We see a very negative view of Afghanistan

based on war. There are children who cannot go to school because of

what we are fighting for. It brings it to a more social level. It is

important for children to fight for other children. This cause has been

the passion of Dr Sarah Fane, a Bristol doctor whose time in

Afghanistan 20 years ago, was to change everything. I came back from

that visit having seen a country completely devastated and I decided

to set up the charity, to change any lives we could. They all walked

on Westminster, and before going in, they recreated an Afghan classroom

on the lawns of Westminster. The palace of Westminster didn't daunt

them, but the life of those they were here for are a world away. 85%

of the female population cannot read or write. Two generations of

its people have never known peace. And a quarter of the children born

here never see their fifth birthday. Did the students get their points

across? It has shown it to us what a difference people can make. There

were so many of us. I think we definitely had an effect on the

ministers. They had never seen such big numbers. Surely that has to

account for something. Tomorrow it is back to school. Something they

will never take for granted. In rugby, Mike Tindall's appeal

against his fine and ejection from the England squad has been moved to

a secret location, and the Rugby Football Union says the result

won't be released today. Tindall was fined �20,000 two weeks ago,

and thrown out of the elite player squad for his behaviour during the

World Cup. The RFU said his actions reached a level of misconduct that

was unacceptable in a senior In football, Swindon Town have

signed striker Ronan Murray on loan from Ipswich. Murray is 20 and made

13 appearances for Ipswich before spending time on loan at Torquay,

where he played 11 times until the end of last season. He scored this

goal against Cheltenham back in March. Meanwhile, the club have

turned down an offer from Bournemouth for Matt Ritchie to

join them on loan with a view to a permanent move.

In cricket, Somerset have announced record profits for the year ending

in September. They say this is due to success on the pitch and

improved facilities on the ground, which are now used most days in the

year. And this doesn't include any proceeds from the Club's recent

good run in the Champions League T20 will go into next year's

accounts. Bath City Football Club have earned

themselves upwards of �70,000 from their run in the FA Cup, but that

will come as little consolation to fans who felt they were cheated out

of a possible win last night when they lost to league two side

Dagenham and Redbridge after extra time. The point of contention, a

Dagenham goal which the entire crowd thought was offside. The

problem was that referee didn't see it that way and allowed the goal to

Shocking decision. Bath were unlucky. I thought they deserved

better. Bath had started with hopes of an upset, a prize of another

�18,000 and another lucrative tie in the second round. Dagenham had

lost seven league games in a row, but took the lead through Brian

Woodall. Bath continued to press for an equaliser and better. And

then 20 minutes from time, they got the equaliser they deserved from

Adam Connolly. That forced extra time and a moment which stunned all

but a handful in the ground. Jon Nurse was way offside, but the

assistant referee didn't flag and the chance of further cup glory was

gone. All I can say is I am very proud of the players. Over the two

legs we have probably been the better side. We were desperately

unlucky in the first match with some decisions. I thought having

gone behind tonight, we home in it there and got on top. I thought we

should have won. So disappointment all round, but the bonus of a

�70,000 windfall - about 20% of their total income for the year -

will soften the blow in the Now let's turned to the weather.

Elizabeth is here tonight. What is it looking like to Maroc?

It will be getting much chillier tomorrow. Mild today with 14

degrees in Bristol. Slightly cooler over parts of Gloucestershire and

Wiltshire. It will get cooler for everybody tomorrow. This cold front

is tracking our away overnight. It is going to give us some of

blustery winds. It will be cool or tomorrow. Quite breezy but with

plenty of brightness. Let's backtrack to tonight. For the first

part of tonight it will be a dry picture. He Rhys our front pushing

into parts of Gloucestershire and heading eastwards. -- here is.

Outbreaks of rain, blustery winds. 35-40 mph. Underneath all of the

cloud and rain, temperatures around 7 or eight Celsius. Into tomorrow,

the breeze will keep the fog and frost at bay. It will be a bright

start. Plenty of sunny spells. The chance of getting the odd like

shower. -- light. Temperatures around 11 degrees. Pegged back by

the strong winds. The blue skies tomorrow afternoon will translate

to clear macro skies for tomorrow night. -- clear. A much cooler

night tomorrow. The breeze keeping the fog and frost at bay. For the

weekend, lots of Christmas lights being switched on across the region.

Should be mostly drive. There may be some rain on Saturday night.

Generally bright and breezy for the daytime. Plenty of sunshine.

Temperatures feeling a little bit cooler in those blustery winds.

Lots of sunshine. Yet look into next week, staying pretty unsettled.

-- the outlook. More persistent rain on Tuesday. For the next few

I will be in a Cirencester in the market tomorrow for the switching

on of the Christmas lights. You bring enough sparkle without

switching more light on! You may like to know that BBC Question Time