14/12/2011 BBC Points West

Good evening and welcome to BBC Points West on another wet West

Country night. Our headlines this evening:

The deadly storms - a lorry driver dies on the M5 as the motorway was

lashed by wind and hail. It was one of those moments when

you drove past and felt like somebody had stabbed to in the

heart because it was clear it was a bad accident.

Move over for more bus lanes as millions of pounds are secured for

better public transport. Preparing for the unthinkable - the

emergency services stage a mock fire in a crowded nightclub.

And after the hail - snow. We will have a detailed forecast on what's

Police in Gloucestershire believe hail and icy conditions were major

factors in a crash on the M5 last night which left a lorry driver

dead. Three lorries and two cars were

involved in the collision just north of Cheltenham. Tonight, more

bad weather is expected and the Highways Agency is warning drivers

to take extra care. Our Gloucestershire reporter Steve

Knibbs is in Cirencester for us this evening.

I am at a Gloucestershire highway stepper, the gritting team getting

ready to run into the Cotswolds to light, reacting to this

unpredictable weather. At 4pm, there was a heavy downpour of snow

in some Hyde Park other county as I was driving here, difficult, slushy

conditions on the road with that icy rain and temperatures just

above freezing. Last night on the M5, similar conditions with driving

rain and low temperatures, and then this sudden extreme weather events,

a downpour of hail turning into ice which led to a collision which

sadly killed a lorry driver from Bristol in the most treacherous of

conditions. Conditions last night were

difficult, to say the least. Near freezing temperatures and pouring

rain. Because of the weather, police had already warned drivers

to be careful. A sudden flash downpour of hail quickly covered

the M5 at around 9.30pm. Drivers say it froze instantly and they

could not even see the lane markings. One of the lorries

skidded on the ice. A car stopped to help, and was hit. It is thought

the Royal Mail lorry then hit the back of another truck. The driver,

a 55-year-old man from Bristol, was killed. Although there will be a

lengthy investigation, police say the weather conditions played a

major role in the crash. weather had quite a big influence.

Certainly some of the witnesses and officers at the scene described it

as almost an ice rink, so we believe it to be a major factor at

this moment with regard to the commission itself. -- the collision.

Those who were driving past the crash last night said the driving

conditions were amongst some of the worst they had seen. When we left

home, it was terrible rain, we then hit Hale, it was clear it was a bad

Smash. The cab was about 90 degrees to the motorway and there were a

lot of firemen working on it and it was one of those moments when you

drove past and felt someone had stab you in the heart because it

was clear it was a very bad accident. The M5 northbound was

closed for ten hours. Traffic police say they have been much

busier than normal this week due to the weather. And with a risk of ice

on the roads tonight, experts are warning drivers to be more cautious

than normal. Helen Frost can come on suddenly and the unexpected. We

are taught the two second rule, but that should be at least doubled, or

10 times in icy conditions. With worse weather forecast for later in

the week, the gritting teams are starting their annual battle

against the ice and snow, with stockpiles of road salt at their

highest level for several years. As I said earlier, the weather is

catching people out, even the gritting teams. You do your best to

predict these, but you are finding it difficult? We did not have a

forecast of the weather that has moved across the east of the county

this afternoon and into this evening. What is the plan tonight?

We have had some gritters out today, late this afternoon, to deal with

the hot spots, as it were, and now we have another run going out

tonight across the whole of the Cotswolds to deal with the area.

are hearing there is more bad weather to come in the week, is

that what you are expecting? forecast at the moment is for it to

get colder as the week goes on and there is the possibility of snow

tomorrow night. I said in my report this is an annual battle against

the elements, but you have more salt than ever before? At least

2000 tonnes more than in previous years, said that should put us in a

good place. Thank you. The gritting team is getting ready

to go, not as early as last year, but they are doing their best

against the elements that none of us seem to be able to predict at

the moment. Doctors treating Shrien Dewani say

they are confident he will recover from the mental health problems he

is facing. The Bristol businessman is accused of arranging his wife's

murder while on honeymoon in South Africa. His legal team are arguing

he is too ill to be sent back there to stand trial. John Maguire

reports from the High Court. The Court of Appeal heard Shrien

Dewani's Doctor expecting to make a recovery from his mental conditions

at the moment. Both sides agree he suffers post-traumatic stress

disorder and depression severely in both cases, but when there is a

difference is that his legal team believes he is too ill to travel to

South Africa, whereas the government there believes he should

goes. Once again, the families arrived to

spend another day in the same room, but with opposite hopes. This was

the South African government's chance to redress the Court of

Appeal, to urge it to uphold Shrien Dewani's extradition order. It is

in the hands of the courts, so we will be patient. For more than a

year, since Anni Dewani's honeymoon murder, families on both sides have

endured so many days in court, but with their answers. We are here,

the case is here, because of one beautiful girl, innocent girl, who

was murdered. She was not even mentioned. It is about have.

Thousands of hours have been spent finding how the South African

prison system works. If that effort was made to find out what happened

to her, we would be more satisfied. To give us the answers we need,

that is all we're asking. Anni Dewani's husband's family left,

making no comment. The court were told he should recover from his

mental problems, and it would be for a South African court to

determine whether he is fit to stand trial there. All parties will

return here on Friday, one step closer to a resolution, if not the

truth. The announcement of the extra

session on Friday came as something of a surprise, but it is because

early this morning the judges said they want to see the latest medical

reports on Shrien Dewani's position -- condition before automatic

deciding whether he should stay or should go.

John Maguire, reporting for us earlier.

A half-a-billion pound deal was finalised today for the

construction of a controversial incinerator near Gloucester. It

means that within a few years the West could have two giant waste-

burners within 30 miles of each other as another plant is to be

built close to Bristol. It, too, has faced opposition. Here is our

political editor, Paul Barltrop. For years, there have been protests,

petitions and marches, but efforts to stop the West getting two mass

burn incinerators have now gone up in smoke. Close to junction 12 of

the M5, campaigner Gerald Hartley shows me the land chosen by the

council. It disappoints me they would choose to put a mass burning

incinerator here, which would be bigger than Gloucester Cathedral.

He believes it will be a blot on the landscape. It is the wrong

solution for Gloucestershire tax payers. This afternoon, he watched

as Gloucester councillors met to confirm the deal. It will cost �450

million over the next quarter of a century. The council insist that,

combined with more recycling, it makes environmental and financial

sense. I am convinced this is the right way forward because there is

not a viable alternative that the present time to this affordable and

-- which is affordable and reliable and can offer firm guarantees on

health impacts that energy-from- waste plants can. Campaigners left

disappointed, aware the fight against incinerators in the West

has failed twice in a fortnight. This former chemical plant on

summer site is set to become a bigging incinerator, despite strong

political opposition. Bristol City Council turned down a planning of

the Asian ear, but the waste firm when on appeal -- turned down a

planning application. They hope to start building next year. What is

going looks pretty ugly. What is coming, both here and by Gloucester,

will, for many, be no better. It's Alex and David with you this

Wednesday evening, with all your local news, sport and weather from

the BBC. Yes, you won't want to miss Ian's

forecast tonight - there's possible bad weather on the way for Friday.

Coming up: Young and jobless - we meet the

West teenagers who are struggling to find work.

And Santa fails to deliver for the fans of Yeovil Town as their

Move over for a lot more bus lanes. Bristol, Bath and Weston-super-Mare

have all been awarded millions of pounds to improve public transport.

It is a consolation prize for the lack of a metro system, but it is

being seen as a big step forward for the region's bus services.

James Hassam reports. Big changes to the way we get

around. At a big cost. Better bus links in Bristol. An upgrade to

Weston's motorway junction. And more spaces for Bath's park-and-

ride. All adding up to more than a quarter of a billion pounds of

Government money heading this way. It is fantastic years, really, for

the whole of the region. It means that we have got all five packages

that we applied for now approved, and that really means a whole step

change in transport for the Greater Bristol region. A step change that

is being welcomed by business. represents not just an investment

in transport and infrastructure for Bristol, which to my mind is the

highest in the last 30 years I have worked here, but it also represents

a tremendous boost in confidence from a government that the West of

England is quite capable of delivering the kind of economic

growth they think we are capable of. Of course, some have been left

disappointed. In Bath, plans for a new rapid transit system were

scaled back after they provoked huge opposition. Now, the

Government is putting in 12 million of the more than 30 million needed

for improvements. The council says it is great news, but those on the

other side of the political divide are not convinced. It is party

politics in the pocket, if you are a local council tax payer and look

at the papers, we have the worst settlement in the country. It is a

bit more than party politics. changes will start coming into

effect at the end of next year. It should mean more buses on many of

our roads, and potentially slower journeys for drivers, with local

authorities hoping that will be the push to get more of us taking the

bus. The Princess Royal has been in

Bristol today to formally open the city's new museum. Princess Anne

took a tour of the M Shed on the Harbourside, before an official

plaque unveiling ceremony at lunchtime. She has also visited St

Mary Redcliffe and Temple School, and opened the new Alabare Home in

Filton for ex-servicemen. You may remember that earlier this

year the Government had to abandon its plan to sell off a number of

our forests, including the Forest of Dean, because so many people

objected. Well, now the BBC has learnt that Somerset County Council

is planning to sell some woods and moorland it owns, many of which are

in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Ruth Bradley reports.

The Quantock Hills, loved by walkers, cyclists and horse riders.

Now, Somerset County Council has put nearly 2,000 acres it owns here

up for sale. They are Great Wood, Custom Common and Thorncombe Hill.

A mixture of woodland and open moorland. Footpaths would stay open

to the public. But members of a local charity are angry at the

plans. They are worried the land would not be managed properly if it

was in private hands. It is for recreational benefit for the Horn

of the community, and therefore it should not be private, really. You

cannot put a financial value on anything and everything, some

things are just for the good of the public, and I think the land on the

Quantocks is. Great Wood is currently leased by the Forestry

Commission, which says it is interested in buying it. But this

could just be the start. I have also got hold of council reviews of

37 more bits of land in the Mendips and the Blackdown Hill, as well as

the Quantocks. The council says a number of them could also be sold

to private owners. I think we have to understand that we are trying to

reduce our liabilities as well as with -- as well as increase our

income. We own lots of things that, in the stained age, we probably

would not want to own, and we still have a massive debt. We are not

borrowing any more money, so to get any income from the sale of these

assets would help towards building the schools, for instance. People

have until 23rd December to comment on the first bits of land up for

sale. And campaigners are promising they will fight to keep Somerset's

hills public. There are more people out of work

in the West Country, according to new figures. Almost 49,000 people

are now claiming jobseekers' allowance here.

Young people are particularly affected, and in the Commons

earlier, Labour leader Ed Miliband accused David Cameron of

"betraying" a generation. All week, we are trying to see what life is

like in the region's economy. Yesterday, we investigated the

rising cost of living, and tonight our business correspondent, Dave

Harvey, looks at unemployment. It is a big number, isn't it?

48,776. That is how many people were out of work in the West

Country in November and claiming benefit. It is up, but only

slightly, on the previous month. Under 200 more people joined the

queues at the West's job centres. A lot of numbers this week. And it is

easy to forget that each one is a human being. Someone like David

Hayne, looking for work in Swindon. Going to places, handing in my CV,

or even walking in and begging the landlord of the pubs and stuffed

full bar work. -- the landlords of the pubs for bar work. And there

are a lot more people like Dave. This graph shows how unemployment

has grown over the last two years. A huge increase in 2009, then it

falls away as the first wave of the recession fades. But recently

things have started getting tough again. Especially for young people.

Nearly 8% of young people are claiming jobseekers' allowance,

that is one in12. But there are some striking variations. This is

Bath and North East Somerset - just 2.8%. But in Swindon, young people

are really having a rough time - 8.6%. That is well over the

national average. So what is going At Swindon College they are

learning DIY. Teenagers on a course preparing for work. These guys are

desperate, they will try anything to get a job. Walking around town,

phoning different companies, sending CVs off, anything's

possible, really. And there is the rub, these youngsters have already

been through the course and they are still out of work. Jobs are

just hard to come by. They are not there for the people who do not

have the qualifications or experience, even I would struggle.

Get the education one you can, while it is free, get your maths

and English oak, it is important, and get work experience while you

can. It is not great working for free, but you will more than likely

get a job out of it. You want to work? Of this it, it is difficult...

De student signed up for an employment agency. It has three

times as many people on its books as before but she might get some

Christmas work if she is lucky. has been quiet in November which is

usually a peak period but a lot of retail clients are just starting to

get into peak now, which is unusual, and they have been saying they

found it tough this year. Some of them are doing the same turnover

but not making the margins because they are having to be more

competitive. No wonder inflation was down yesterday, as retailers

cut prices to bring in the shoppers. But that means smaller profits, and

fewer jobs, and more unemployment. And David is with us. Those

examples were from Swindon, once a boom town, now jobs hard to come by.

What 10 young people do? It is hard. The BBC website is awash with

stories and advice on this, if you look on the BBC News homepage you

will see a section on their call young and jobless. The advice there,

whatever you do, do something, don't just sit at home, get out, do

these courses, do the training, a lot of places to little courses on

how to get a job. Getting work experience is difficult. A lot of

kids are in the same boat, whether they have got degrees or no

qualifications at all, it is across the board. The basics Greece is

there are more people applying for every job so employers can be peaky.

You have to put perspective on this. It is a huge increase, out of 10

young people looking for work, nine of them are actually encourage, so

they are not all unemployed. This week, wages have gone up, in

unemployment has gone down -- wages have gone down, unemployment has

gone up. We had a survey this week, too. It is Christmas shopping with

a difference. Around 70 firefighters were called

to a nightclub in Gloucester last night where there was smoke, fire

engines and crowds of people. Fortunately, though, it wasn't a

real blaze but an exercise designed to test how the emergency services

would cope if they had to face it for real. Sabet Choudhury reports.

It may not be a real situation, but there is everything here to test

the firefighters' ability to deal with a major incident in a crowded

nightclub. The best avenue can do for me at the moment is to stand

over there. It is pandemonium and chaos. People are screaming, so

whatever the operational plan is, 200 people want to divert you from

it. You have to have a clear idea of your priorities and create a

safe area for the firefighters to work, and then take it step by step.

Inside the club, the firefighters have to wear blackout masks to

simulate thick smoke. Their vision here is impaired and their senses

disorientated. But they have to inch forward to rescue the stranded

clubbers. You cannot see anything at all. It is too basically mimic

what you would find in a fire. You can only see in front of your eye

is in a fire, and the simplest of tasks are made harder by the fact

that you cannot see what is in front of you. It may all be staged,

but the realism is vital for training. Some here dealt with a

major fire in a warehouse in Warwickshire four years For ago.

lot of us here were in that circumstance, so it is about

getting them into the building and finding their way out safely,

helping casualties on the way. teams here say that they learnt

many lessons. Lessons that will help to save theirs and other

peoples lives if this were to happen for real.

Let's hope very much that it never does happen.

In football, Yeovil Town have missed out on a third round FA Cup

tie against Blackpool after they were knocked out by non-League

Fleetwood Town. They lost their second round replay

last night by two goals to nil. from favourable, but Yeovil Town

felt they could avoid slipping up to a side two divisions beneath

them. After letting a two goal lead slip in an early tie, they could

have settled this chance -- settled the nerves with this chance. And

with this free kick. But it was Fleetwood who took the lead. Jamie

McGuire shot past the keeper. And the fans were concerned about the -

- were not concerned about falling temperatures. Yeovil had three

chances to equalise but the fleet would keeper impressed once more.

The manager was left to wonder why they had been more than matched by

a side from the lower leagues. Desperate attempts to gain an

equaliser and force extra time eluded them. As The Oval pressed,

Fleetwood scored their second. Many Yeovil Town fans left early, but

not the players, kept in by their manager long after the final

whistle. So it was Yeovil who missed out, leaving Fleetwood and

their fans to enjoy a tie against I think we can safely blame the

weather for that, otherwise they Well, we have actually had some

snow in the West today. This was Peasedown St John this morning. And

it was a similar picture in parts of Wiltshire and Somerset. A little

scattering there. And tonight listeners to BBC Gloucestershire

have been reporting snow showers there.

Ian is here with a full forecast. There has been a lot of confusion

over the next couple of days? Uncertainty is the key word to this,

and there will continue to be until we get up to the wire. Events will

start to develop on Thursday night into Friday. A complex forecasting

situation. Having said that, the bulk of tomorrow is straightforward,

there will be more showers, some of those wintry, and then some heavy

rain, strengthening winds late on and the threat of snow to was

Friday morning. The reason is this developing area of low pressure,

very potent Atlantic storm, and if we watched his extensive cloud head

developing as it sweeps its way in, it has an ominous look to it.

Hidden below that is the area of low pressure, which is starting to

become more developed with time. It will race towards us on Thursday,

and then explicitly develops as it approaches the British Isles. We

expect the worst of the winds, the damaging winds, to be in that -- to

be in France, but that does not mean the South will escape. The

threat of snow into Friday morning as well, and heavy rain before that.

Two scenarios for where the storm will get. The most favoured, pretty

much across our district, with most of the heavy rain, the worst of the

winds further to the south, but the threat of flowers. A second

scenario, less chance, takes it further northwards, meaning the

south-east could be dire by Friday morning if not before and we still

have a risk of rain and snow. Either way, we have to wait up to

the wire to see what happens. Tonight, we continue as through

today. Further showers, some giving further snow over the Cotswolds and

other high ground in the West Country. It could be less as you

come further southward and we will have the threat of ice as well.

Winds will pick up through the night. Temperatures down 1-three

Celsius, hence the threat of ice. Further showers across western

Somerset, some of those tracking eastwards. Then a law before we

start to import that storm feature which will make inroads in its

approach by the end of Thursday evening. It will turn progressively

wetter and windier for all of us, that is how the day will end.

Temperatures about six or seven Celsius. Fairly academic, because

on Friday morning it is wet to start off, look how the wind

changes direction. Cold and northerly digging in at about 5,

6am in the morning. That is when we get the threat of snow. These are

just ballpark figures. Less chance further to the west, the M4

corridor could be difficult towards London. Exactly how far west and

south this no expense, very much open to doubt. Keep an eye on the

forecast -- how far west and south of the snow extends, open to doubt.