01/12/2011 BBC Points West

Good evening, welcome to BBC Points West. The headlines: jailed for

bringing shame on the city. Protesters from Bristol climbed on

to a drilling rig, to demonstrate against the method of extracting

gas. Also tonight, one of the West's

chief constables asks for tougher laws to control metalled theft.

An expert uncovers the secrets of this Egyptian coffin.

Good evening. Five men involved in the Gloucester riot son August have

been jailed for a total of 13 years. The disturbances which centred

around streets in Barton and Tredworth lasted for several hours.

Jailing them, the judge said they had brought shame on the city, so

people associated Gloucester with mob violence rather than a fine

cathedral and docks. The riots in Gloucester surprised

and upset many. It was driven by a criminal desire amongst some, to

simply cause trouble, the judge said today. The court was told the

ringleader was Gareth Rees, who sent messages on his BlackBerry,

saying who wants a riot in Gloucester? Gareth Rees pleaded

guilty to violent disorder. He was filmed throwing stones and a beer

keg at police, and 80 attacked a pub near by. Also caught on camera

was the lifting of the King Convenience Store. Thomas Townsley

stole the tail and was jailed for 19 months. Shane Butler was jailed

for 15 months after carrying If you come into Gloucester, and

you behave inappropriately and commit crime, you are likely to be

caught, put before the courts, and expect to receive a stiff sentence.

Also in court today was 19-year-old Michael Devoy, who was sent to a

young offenders' institution for three years in -- for his part in

the riots. Michael Smith was jailed for 10 months, he had worked for

the NHS before he got caught up in the riot. He handed himself in to

police. The court was told the actions of all five men stretched

the police that night. The judge said the sentences would act as a

deterrent for others tempted to behave this way of the future -- in

the future. We are joined by the Home Affairs

Correspondent, Steve Brodie. How do this in Princes compare to others

handed out across the country? these sentences. In August, two men

were given four years each for inciting a riot on Facebook. Last

month another man in Cardiff was given four years for the same

offence. In another case, a man was given 18 months for having a stolen

TV in the back of his car. At the time, the chairman of the Bar

Association, a top lawyer, said the sentences were too long and too

harsh. On the other hand, Eric Pickles said this would show the

rioters what they could expect. Recently, two brothers in Bristol

were given seven years between them for their part in earlier

disturbances. Watching the offences coming before Bristol magistrates,

what struck me was the vast majority were being remanded in

custody, but under normal circumstances they would have been

allowed out on bail. Another factor is that lack of consistency. An 18-

year-old was given one day for stealing two T-shirts. Another man

was given 18 months for having a bottle of water -- stealing a

bottle of water. Clearly we are all over the place on this. There is no

doubt that the judiciary, with or without the prompting of the

government, is going down the hard line of deterrent sentences for.

is interesting. Plant. Two people have been arrested as

protesters climbed on to a drilling rig in Lancashire, as part of a

campaign against fracking, a method of extracting gas. The man and

women are from the Rising Tide protest group in Bristol. Three

others, who gained access to the rig, are still there. The company

running the rig says they have nothing to hide.

These pictures taken by the protesters show that they intended

to stay as long as possible. The brought food, warm clothing, and

tools to climbed the tricks safely. -- climbed the rig safely. They

were aiming to raise awareness of their campaign. If they start

fracking from the red, there is a large chance they could contaminate

what we're doing. We are not been crazy about this. There is a lot of

evidence that it is a dangerous, dirty and expensive form of energy

extraction. Fracking is massive business in the US. It is a gas

rush generating huge wealth, but also a huge controversy. Engineers

drill thousands of feet down through shale rocks, fracturing

them and releasing gas. The protesters from Bristol and against

the practice come here to the west, where companies have been licensed

to survey the 170 square mile area, looking for reserves. In the

Mendips, there are concerns about contaminating water supplies.

possible that the pipes will break, especially looking at these high

pressures. And how do you fix a gas leak that low-down underground?

company insists it is safe, and is open about the work. They say in a

statement, we have nothing to hide, and welcome open dialogue with

local people. We have shown over 100 people around the operational

sites over the past year. So far, two members of the group have been

arrested but the three who climbed on to the rigour remain in prison -

- on to the rig remain in position. The protesters say they are staying

put for now. The Crown Prosecution Service has

confirmed it is liaising with police after a coroner ruled just a

day that a six-year-old boy was unlawfully killed. Liam Hogan died

after his father John pushed him off the balcony of a hotel in Crete.

At the time, Mr Hogan was clear of murder by a Greek court, on the

grounds of mental illness. The funeral of a husband and wife

who died in the multi- vehicle crash on the M5 and so this --

Somerset last month has taken place today. Tony and Pamela Adams were

returning home to Newport after visiting their daughter in Taunton

when they were killed. Five others also died and 51 were injured in

the crash. Today's service was led by the Bishop of Monmouth, at St

Mark's Church in Newport. Stay with us. There is still much

more to bring you, including, in the running for Sports personality

of the year, we meet a world champion who shares his tips with

schoolchildren. I am here at the Bristol Christmas light switch on,

the one that everyone is talking about.

But first, the Chief Constable of Avon and Somerset Police has told

the BBC he is pushing hard for tighter regulations to control the

growing menace of metal theft. He wants a new law which would make it

illegal for scrap dealers to pay cash for metal. It follows a spate

of thefts in the region. Everything from reflect to manhole covers --

led from roofs. St Paul's Church in Somerset, they

have found a way to beat the thieves. On this flat roof, you can

see it for. They have now taken the radical step of replacing the tiles

with a plastic lookalike. They have been here four times, they thought

it was Christmas and kept coming back when we replaced it. So we

replace it with a different material, and we can tell through

the way that the anti- vandal paint has been smeared, they have found

out that it is plastic and they are very disappointed. Because this is

a Grade 1 listed building, it had to be approved. -- by the British

heritage. It is thought to be one of the first churches in the

country to do this. During a recent raid here, the police came across

manhole covers, British Telecom copper cabling, and much more. The

Chief Constable came to the BBC to see our footage. He admitted that

it was hard to get successful prosecutions because cash deals by

scrap traders made it hard to track down the thieves. What we are

campaigning for, and what MPs are helping us to do, is to change the

law so that no one can receive cash payments, so we know where the

stuff came from and bass -- week and ask them where it came from and

track whose property at us. This week the Government announced the

setting-up of a metal theft task force. It is clear that the battle

against the metal thieves is hotting up.

A cheese-packing factory in Somerset is considering closing its

plant after a recent fire. More than 100 firefighters were called

out to deal with the blaze at the Adams Foods factory in September.

The company wants to move its operations to a larger site in

Staffordshire. If it does, 180 jobs would be lost in Wincanton. A

decision will be taken at the end of February.

A village in Gloucestershire which loses its internet connection every

time it rains is campaigning to get broadband. Purton is taking part in

a project to improve broadband speeds in rural communities across

the county. Without it, some villagers say local businesses

cannot thrive. This is a close rural community.

But when it comes to the internet, they want some equality. It all

comes down to speed. In the big cities, average broadband

connections are around six megabits, but here they manage one at best.

Sometimes e-mail is a noble, and on rainy days, they go off-line

altogether. For people trying to make a living, it is serious and

stops them doing their job. I deal with moving images, and for

research and putting some footage together myself, it would be great

if I had the facility to be able to do that, which I do not at the

moment. There is this continued our urban drift, where people from

small villages like ourselves, are forced to move into the towns for

various reasons, to run their businesses. If a village is going

to survive, it is essential that we have broadband. So now, a multi-

million pound project is in place to put things right. A survey has

been carried out across Gloucestershire to see how bad

broadband speeds are. With a view of companies being encouraged to

invest. We are putting the technology in

place to improve the broadband, and we are going out there to as

communities what they were want. Communities like this say that a

good run Banda -- broadband services viable, but they need to

show suppliers that they demand is It was already known to be more

than 2000 years old but an expert recently made an amazing discovery

about this Egyptian coffin. It is almost twice as old as previously

thought and one of the best- He was no more than four years old

when he died. But judging by how he was buried, this little boy must

have been very important. For a long time it was the one that got

all the attention. The coffin was not considered important. But not

any more. This expert is excited by this sarcophagus. We realised the

whole thing has been carved by a single lot of wood. It has been

carved out of wood from Lebanon. It is very expensive and imported.

Anybody that can afford that must be significant. The coffin and

occupant a remarkably well- preserved, given how old they are.

It was thought they dated back to a similar period, making it about

2000 years old. But it turns out it is much older than that, meaning it

dates back to 1,500 BC. important thing is that we had only

got two designs like that. It has been in Torquay since the 1950s.

But how many times has it been used? It was last summer when Dr

Dodson came to catalogue it that the real importance came to light.

As we look in more detail, we realised just how high quality this

piece was and how it could not possibly have belonged to somebody

in significant. It was just an amazing find. An amazing find that

now has pride of place. It was this woman, Lady Winnaretta Leeds, who

brought the coffin to Britain in the 19th century. They have found

more heart attacks from her collection. If they are anything

like this, Dr Dodson has got a lot A village in Somerset is trying to

raise �100,000 in five days to stop a developer buying local wood.

Villagers in Long Ashton have already fought plans to build new

houses in the area. They were told on Monday they have until tomorrow

to come up with an offer. They are currently halfway to the target. It

has been called a "super restaurant" and one of the biggest

in the country. It is hoped it will change the image of the Bristol

harbourside. Za Za Bazaar cost �3 million to build and has brought

more than 100 jobs to the City. It has opened to customers to be that

time today, promising to bring a family-friendly atmosphere to the

docks. For years and particularly at night, this area has become

better known for bars and rowdy behaviour. But it is hoped that

Intimate dining it is not. It is selling food from 300 different

countries and it is so big he would not even need a map. -- you would

even. We are going to make it really vibrant. To feed an

estimated 2000 people per night, they will need 36 chaps, 40 pounds

of Peter Clarke and 400 pounds of rice a day -- Peter flower. --

It is quite a good experience. His days at a time for such a big

adventure? People will always have birthdays and anniversaries and

Christmas and it lends itself to that. It used to be a night club

and now it is empty but now it is hoped it will change the perception

of the Bristol harbourside. fact that it's a restaurant has

opened playing to a family audience I think is a step in the right

direction. Absolutely great. It was needed, something like this and I

love it. I would definitely bring my children here. It is very classy

and I would come down here with friends and have a nice meal.

seems to be quite busy and it can only be good for the centre of

Bristol harbourside. But will they stay full, especially after the

They do look good. Pupils in Keynsham have been getting Athletic

tips from a world champion today. Dai Green has been passing on his

expertise to the students at Wellsway School. He trains at the

University of Bath and has been included in the short list for

Sports personality of the year. He says he is not expecting to win but

says it is an honour to be included and a big boost for the sport of

It is always a good one to start with it you are a world champion.

Make sure you bring your medal! After an assembly at Wellsway

School in Keynsham, a hurtling masterclass from the man that

carries massive weight of expectation to win gold in the

London Games in 2012. But today he was comfortably passing on tips and

just being there. It is great to have a world champion at the school,

especially at a sports college. was great to learn from the world

champion. I am not very good but it This is the moment that would

change his life. Victory in the 400 metre hurdles at the World

Championships. It also means everybody is hoping and expecting

for more the same at the Olympics and walking so much from him as he

tries to prepare. It can be very difficult. I have to learn to turn

things down. Otherwise I would be doing things every single day but I

have got to stay on track. visit was made possible by the

Wells Foundation, set up by Barry Wells. They support a Olympic

hopefuls, including Dai Green and in return they act as ambassadors,

taking sport into the community. As for the shortlist, he is just

delighted to be a part of it. very excited to have the

opportunity of going there and I am sure it will be a great event. It

is not what I aspire to as an athlete but it is great to get

recognition for the hard work. I did not expect to win but I am very

honoured. A couple of dates in the diary, the Sports personality of

the year show and a race at a certain event in London next summer.

No doubt be visit to stay will increase the number of supporters

he has got for both. -- the visit Find out more about the shortlist

and how you can vote bike going to We have had Olly Murs turning on

delight at Cribbs Causeway, John Cleese at Bath and we have got a

grand switch-on from a famous duo. But it is in a cul-de-sac, not a

city centre. Here is our correspondent. I think we must

almost have as many light bulbs as we had at Cribbs Causeway Fort be

switch on them. But we are at a cul-de-sac in Brentry it. They have

decked the entire house. It is the third day of Christmas, the

official count down. As we can see, delights are looking pretty

spectacular. -- the lights. 24 sleeps until Christmas. They were

switched on recently by the famous Wallace and Gromit. Aided the

official switch on but what was extraordinary about it is that it

you can just look around, have a little look at the audience. We

have got hundreds and hundreds of people. Such is the interest in

this incredible event, it is actually be subject of a Channel 4

documentary and we will be on, apparently! I and joined by Lee and

Paul. Do you always get his many people? It seems to get bigger and

bigger, definitely a. How long does it take to get ready for tonight?

About eight weekends. From start to finish, eight at weekends. Then

testing. You are the subject of a documentary? We found out about it

in September and they saw how good it was and they followed us around.

It might not have been forecast but it does appear to be snowing in

Brentry it. It is raising money, isn't it? It is for the grand

appeal for Bristol Children's Hospital. All donations are welcome.

How is it tonight? We could not have asked for any better.

Absolutely perfect. Well happy. Santa might be on a tighter budgets

than normal but I am going to take a leaf out of his book and feel

festive. I am going to go off and open my advent calendar.

Congratulations but they have got some competition from the

It is great to see some snow, but We will have clear skies tonight.

Frost is here for a reason. But what we will not be getting his

more rain. These are the November figures. Getting down to about 41

mm. They are all below average. But well above in these areas. We start

of bright and dry. Cloud increasing. Rain still clearing from these

areas. It is taking a while to disappear but it will as the night

continues. Frost developing as clear skies are developing

overnight. More wet and windy conditions into the first part of

Saturday. Rain disappearing gradually. Sky is continuing to get

brighter. Frost developing in some western parts of Gloucestershire

and more in Somerset. Perhaps a hint in other sports as well.

Temperatures getting below freezing. Getting up to three degrees in some

places. Then, through the morning, generally clear skies and

increasing high cloud. Sunshine and thicker cloud following behind. A

bit of rain in Somerset and gradually moving further east as

the evening continues. It will be a wet and windy spell developing on

Saturday night. Temperatures between 7 and 9 degrees. Have a

look at these cats. What do you think? I thought he would like

them! Is that my first Christmas present? They have all been named

after a firework themes. They are named by a cat charity. Animal

charities have been absolutely overwhelmed by cats. They are

particularly difficult to share it, for some reason. More information

about that on the screen. Saturday itself is going to see rain

Clearing in the morning. Then, it will be breezy and bright and it

will be milder but it will be wet and windy later on Sunday. Getting

colder next week and snow at times colder next week and snow at times