03/02/2012 BBC Points West

Good evening and welcome to Friday's Points West. The headlines

tonight: Guilty on all charges. The scout leader who used his position

to abuse children. The West on high alert tonight as

heavy snow is forecast in some parts overnight.

Covering up - the clubs fighting the elements to keep this weekend's

sport on track. And don't get lost - the gardeners

trimming the Longleat maze, on Good evening. A trusted scout

leader from Somerset who served his community for 40 years is in jail

tonight after being convicted of a string of offences involving the

abuse of boys and girls. David Burland is awaiting sentence

after being found guilty on 33 counts of abuse. He was only caught

when one of his victims confided in another Scout leader about his

behaviour. Laura Jones was in court. David Burland had been a scout

leader since he was 18 years old. He was a well known and well

trusted member of the local community in Burnham on Sea. But

Burland was not what he seemed. Over a 20-year period, he abused

his position of trust. Today he was found guilty of 33 counts of sexual

offences against children. In court, Burland was described as a sexual

predator, someone who abused youngsters for his own sexual

gratification. He was described as manipulative - adept at grooming

his victims, but he had hidden behind a cloak of respectability.

Burland's abuse of three boys and one girl stretched back more than

two decades His first victim was assaulted in the late 1980s, while

Burland was working in the Highbridge area.

By 2004, Burland had moved to Burnham on Sea - where he abused

his second victim for a period of five-six years.

In 2010 the assaults on the third boy began - many of which took

place in Burland's family home. They were happening at the same

time he was also abusing his fourth victim - a girl. It was after she

reported her concerns that Burland was arrested. Today a leading

children's charity told us although the story was shocking, parents

should be reassured that this kind of case was the exception rather

than the norm. So many organisations, including discounts

and other groups can now have very well trained scarp ash macro staff,

they have a child-protection training, it is mandatory, they

have policies, those to penetrate all of these systems are really

determined. We have to remember they are in the minority. But

having said that, even one person penetrating this is a menace and is

a danger, and as to be found and eliminated from the system, has to

be punished and not allowed to ever work with children again. These are

a minority cases, but they actually come to the fore because they

horrify us so much. Today the Scout Association told us it carries out

stringent vetting of all adults who work with young people - it refused

to comment after we asked if that vetting would be subject to a

review. Burland stood impassively as the jury delivered the guilty

verdict. But his wife, who had been called as a witness during the

trial and who had stood by her husband throughout, left the court

in floods of tears. Burland was placed on the sex offenders

register and will be sentenced next week.

Most of us woke up to sub-zero temperatures this morning - and the

big freeze kept the emergency services busy early on, with

several accidents right across the west.

Snow is forecast, and the cold weather means charities who look

after the vulnerable will be on standby throughout the weekend. Our

Gloucestershire reporter Steve Knibbs is in Tewkesbury for us. Is

it Chile at there? Yes, it is. We think it is about minus five at the

moment, and it is expected to get a lot lower than that. So I can

certainly vouch for the sub-zero temperatures. They are getting

their equipment ready here, expecting a busy weekend. They need

to get in touch with communities that could be cut off, and with the

River Severn, that is one way to get to them. I spent the day

meeting people who wore at their most vulnerable when conditions are

so freezing. While most of us will just turn the

heating up in the cold weather, there are those who don't have the

option. It's a busy time for the GEAR Project in Gloucester who

provide emergency accomodation for those living on the street. Peter

has been sleeping rough for eight months. Last night his bed was in

some bushes near the the hospital. I was slipping an hour, an hour and

a half, then you just need to wake up, find somewhere to warm up, use

it every point you can to stay for while just a warm-up. Like other

people here, he knows the night shelter will save his life. Without

people like this, I think that... Most of us homeless people are

going to die, I don't know. Outreach workers spend a lot of

their time looking for those sleeping rough, and in cold weather

it's more important than ever. weather like this can mama priority

is to get out and look for people on the street and get them in a

night shelter, but the temperature is so cold, it can kill. In these

woods, Ray and Greg also leave food and blankets for a man who chooses

to make this place his home - he will be sleeping out tonight.

living out on the run, they don't want disturbing. Just keep an eye

on the medical team, build up relationships. For those with a

roof over their head, the dangers of cold weather can still hit.

Sallyanne is a village agent - she regularly visits the elderly to

make sure they're not just warm, but safe as well. They will wrap up

in a blanket, but the rest of the house is freezing cold, it is not

good for them. So it is a good idea to pop round and just check

everything is fine, that they are not using these heaters that emit

fumes. And for those who rely on Sally to call in, that knock on the

door can be a lifeline. I know she's always on the end of the

phone. I think most people know that all I have to do is ring, and

Sally will be there. Elsewhere, Gloucestershire is getting ready

for the icy grip to tighten - gritting teams will be out, with

snow expected tomorrow. The gritters were out last barn, but we

know there were icy conditions across the West Country, so a lot

of emergency services had a very busy start today. The ambulance

service told us it was their busiest morning of the year so far.

It is very rare to experience eight Road Traffic collisions in one

morning with in the Avon locality prior to my day. The impact has

been due to the weather, largely due to the ice on the road, reduced

visibility from the Sun being so low in the sky and people not being

aware that the roads are so treacherous at the moment. Let's

see how the fire crews are preparing for the weekend. Geoff is

the deputy fire officer. Last year, you had big problems in the snow

with communities are being cut off. And yes, what we do is we plan to

respond the best we can across the counter, we held a planning meeting

this morning to ensure we have the right staff, and the right vehicles

available in the right positions for this weekend. It is not just

your own service, you help the other services as well? Where we

possibly can, we work together. We provide better coverage than last

year, we had the ambulance paramedics working, as well.

we're not expecting conditions to be like last year, but it does put

pressure on you? Yes, communities need the best assistant and the

best response that we can provide, and we can respond in partnership,

here we work with the boat crews, and across the counter, we were

quite different teams. One of the court thats you have been

experiencing most his chimney fires. I suppose when temperatures dipped

as low, people stoke it up? Yes, we see an increase month on month

going through January, fabric, then they start to fall off. It can

start to get busy for us. What is the advice? The advice is to get

your chimney swept before you get into the winter, to burn the right

fuel, and ensure that you stay safe and warm. But manager the needs of

the chimney as well as yourself. Thank you. All the emergency

services, ready to respond should be snow be worse than expected.

So how cold is it going to get, and where can we expect the worst

disruption? Here's Ian. It is already very cold in parts of

Gloucestershire and part of Box, the charts look innocuous as we run

through this evening, but by tomorrow morning, we are looking at

a swathe of snow moving its way eastwards. It could be freezing

rain as well as a bit of snow. The problems are more likely to become

a feature as we go eastwards, and certainly in two parts of the

Cotswolds. In -- we will have all your details later in the programme.

Family and friends of a teenage soldier killed in a road accident

in Clevedon have designed glow-in- the-dark wristbands as part of a

campaign for better street lighting at night. Trooper Edward Heal was

walking home from the pub in the early hours of Christmas Day when

he was hit by a car on Kenn Road. Street lights there are switched

off after midnight to save money. His family believe that was a

factor in his death and hope selling the charity bands will

raise awareness. We had these wristbands made it in his memory,

but also they clock up in the dark, so people who are wearing these,

you can be seen, and the logo on them is, be safe, be seen. Proceeds

from the sale of the bands are being split between the charity

Help for Heroes and Edward's regiment.

Men have been banned from standing to become the next Labour

parliamentary candidate for Bristol West. That means rejection for Paul

Smith, who contested the seat at the last general election. The

local party will instead select their candidate using an all-women

shortlist. But opponents of this system are warning they could sue

for discrimination. There is a possibility of the a legal

challenge, it could be challenged by EU law, under the equal

treatment directive, they could also be a possibility of a human

rights challenge. There is an issue that it could be passed -- costly

to go down that route, but I think people would like to see a test, I

think there will be a test in the near future.

He mounted an earlier challenge after they were introduced by Tony

Blair in the 1990s. That led to a change in the law.

And we'll be talking to a politician who wants to go even

further, on this weekend's Sunday Politics, at the earlier time of 11

o'clock. All this week we have been looking

at the problem of alcohol abuse in the West. In a moment, we talk to

an expert about how we can monitor what we drink, but first, this

public health expert meets two university students to find out how

much they drink. How much of your monthly spend

would be on alcohol? One of her major concerns is alcohol. She has

come to meet Chris and Callam, both students in Bristol. My monthly

budget is about �400, I'm spending about 200 a month on alcohol.

about you? About the same, about �50 per week. It how many units do

you think are contained in that.? About two units. One of the

difficulties is that in the old days, lagers and beers used to be a

bit weaker and you could roughly estimate that a pint of would-be

about two units. Depending on the strength of the lager, this could

be just over three. I am now joined by this doctor, an

It is confusing, isn't it? Drink too much and it is bad for you,

drink a little, it is good for you. Where should you be? In the middle.

The complicated bit is the kind of messages people get. They talk

about a unit of alcohol. Most people don't know what that is.

much is it safe for me to drink tonight? In general, the UK

government guidelines would suggest between three and four units a day

each for men. That would be a couple of pints of beer. Were you

surprised to hear in that film students paying �200 per month,

half the budget, and alcohol? wasn't surprised, but I was worried.

The vast majority of their social life revolves around going to the

pub. They are the brightest and the best. They have heard the messages,

and they are taking risks as adults. The vast majority of adults in this

country drink. A lot of them drink very dangerously. I don't think

intelligence has much to do with it. It is to do with your social life,

your friends, and the way you think having fun becomes the best thing

to do, the most important thing. Given we have heard about the

dangers of dementia and liver disease, truly frightening,

particularly for people in the 40s, what can be done, does it need more

rules? We all have to take individual responsibility for our

drinking and that is the bottom line. Part of the difficulty is

many people don't understand things like the size of a unit, what the

government guidelines are. In that sense, people just drink because

everybody else is doing it. When you are 20 you think you are

invincible. You don't know how horrible it is to be ill. That is

part of the problem. Because of the way we drink in this country, a

high amount of alcohol at the weekend, most of the problems

people develop our the acute problems, car accidents, fights,

problems like that, rather than the physical problems of liver disease.

But as you say, people are developing liver disease earlier

now than ever before. A legal challenge over plans for a

new service station on the M5 has been rejected by the High Court. It

was brought after Stroud District Council approved plans for a �35

million development between junctions 11 and 12a. However,

rival firms Roadchef and Welcome Break claimed Stroud district

council hadn't considered their views. The developers say they are

delighted. Some said caddied Council is to

sell off areas of woods and more land -- Somerset County Council. It

is in an effort to raise money. Customs Common at Over Stowey in

the Quantocks will be sold along with The Saltings at Brue Pill at

Highbridge. But special legal protection will be put on the land

to prevent development and Cupid fully open to the public.

Two of the West's MPs have written to the roads Minister calling for

urgent safety measures on a notorious stretch of road. It is

the A417 between Gloucester and Swindon. Campaigners have been

highlighting the issue for many years. They say it is an accident

blackspot and congestion is harming local businesses. In the short term

we need to think about measures to improve traffic flow through the

area by and large in the round back, leaving it so it is easiest to

navigate through it. In the longer term we need more structural

changes to the roundabout, an extra lane, and we need to do all the

road. -- dual. Clubs are fighting to keep their fixtures on. Rugby

between Bristol and Mosley is off, along with tomorrow's football for

Cheltenham and Bristol Rovers. The rest are keeping their fingers

firmly crossed with more cold weather on the way. Bristol

postpone their match at 10:30am this morning. Although it is

disappointing, acting quickly means the couple not suffer financially.

-- the club. Underneath the covers the Memorial Stadium pitch is

frozen rock hard. The frost is six inches deep, leaving the pitch

totally unusable. We recorded nearly-eight. We have had three

nights of this, sinking deeper each day. The evening kick-off,

temperatures drop, we have to think about player safety. There is no

way we could put this on tonight. Just a courtesy call to let you

know the game is off. The early decision has had they minimise the

financial impact, standing down staff. -- has helped them up

minimise. We have managed to stop the food supply, and staff costs.

If Stewart had turned up and turnstile operators and all the

other staff, the serious implications, they need paying --

stewards. Swindon Town have hired in hot air blowers to be divorced.

They believe it will be worth the thousands they have paid. -- to

beat the frost. The investment we felt it to make certain tomorrow's

game goes ahead as best his hand -- as best it can to ensure the pitch

is playable. Bristol City had eight in place yesterday and are primed

form more sub-zero temperatures. Spare a thought for the ground for

staff working through the night. -- the ground staff. Planes and cars,

drinking tea, having a curry. There are seven of us, we will see how

many volunteers the writer night. On a Friday night?! As the sun goes

down the covers go on and they can only hope for a mile tonight in the

battle to beat the frost. At least they are looking in the

right place. This is the situation Better news elsewhere, undersoil

heating should insure Gloucester rugby and Yeovil town's fixtures go

ahead. Forest Green are subject to a pitch inspection. The hot air

blowers are working at Bristol City and Swindon. Exeter are confident

the game with Bath rugby on Sunday is on. We will keep you updated

The weather having an impact on outdoor pursuits. The cold hasn't

stopped the gardeners at Longleat from getting to grips with their

famous maze. It is one mile long but this year they have gone to

extra length to keep it in shape. This might surprise you.

Somewhere inside this maze are two men who have revolutionised

gardening and it is our job to find them. No, probably that way. There

is one of them. There is the other. And those are the stilts. How do

you reach them? Just bear with me. The path is 1.5 miles long, this

might take a while. That has been the problem, up until now. It takes

a while to trim all the hedges. Two weeks minimum for four people. But

on stilts it is a lot quicker. This has got to be a clue. If we look

further up their two giants in the maze. How tall are you? Six for two.

I am about 9 ft up now. What is allowed to work on stilts? It is

quite enjoyable. Quite easy. -- What is it like. Let's have a look

at a man on stilts trimming a hedge. You cannot say we don't bring the

excitement. They used to use a portable platform they had to go up

and down and move it 1,000 times to get the job done. We just keep

cutting, it has saved the cutting time by a third of what he used to

be, at least. The work is in nearly complete and ahead of schedule

thanks to those rather stylish stilts.

What a great invention. And now the latest on the cold snap

in just a moment. First, let's take a look at one of the prettier

aspects of this time of year. Snowdrop Valley on Exmoor attracts

enthusiasts of the Little Flower from right across the country and

this weekend the display is You can't be smug about me being

out on the reef. A cold story developing once again. We are going

down a step each night with a temperatures. He could get down to

minus ten. Be cloud increasing heralding the

arrival of a front which will bring a tricky forecasting mix on

Saturday. Sunday, a very different story, as we see a return of dry

conditions, somewhat milder. High pressure is dominating the pattern,

clear skies tonight. Tomorrow about 2 o'clock we start to see the snow

falling. It will not be everywhere. There is a yellow warning for the

bulk of the West Country. The temperatures tonight will main road

services will become I see where they have not been treated. This

amber warning area covers that part of the West Country where we have a

greater risk of seeing disruptive snow into the late afternoon. For

some of you, continuing into the evening. Some snow over Exmoor,

much less in this general area. Possibly none in Dorset. A spell of

snow down a strip of the M5 corridor. Further east Woods, --

further east, north central Wiltshire into the Cotswolds and

into the borderlands with Oxfordshire, potential was no being

truly disruptive, possibly up to 10 centimetres in part of the

Cotswolds. Problems likely to be encountered late into Saturday. As

the warm Front marches eastwards the second problems come further

eastwards. Overnight and in his Sunday a first wave of eastern

England can seat up to 10 centimetres. If you have got a

flight or intending to go round the M25, my best advice is to consider

going Saturday before it gets back. It will be dreadful by Sunday

morning. Let's return to tonight. A quieter story all round. The skies

are like -- largely clear. A hard and penetrating frost developing.

Temperatures could well be lower That is how things will start

tomorrow morning. Fairly quiet. The high cards bills in during the

morning. Rain and snow followed into the afternoon. Continues its

journey ever eastwards into the evening. Continues on through the

night. Towards Reading, London, through the course of the night, it

will get worse the further on there you go. Behind it, of sorts, it

gets better but I reiterate this rain could well be giving some ice

problems during the day and night. Sunday, much quieter. Early fog

around. A much quieter story, temperatures are little bit up.