08/01/2014 BBC Points West

from the BBC News at Six. So it s goodbye from me. On BBC One we now

join the BBC's news teams Welcome to BBC Points West. Our main

story tonight: Villages still out of their homes because of flood water.

That could have been prevented? The Environment Agency denies it cause

the problems in one community by lowering the defences. But locals do

not believe it. I am appalled. Absolutely appalled. That is putting

it politely. My wife and family are devastated.

The other stories making the news tonight. Facing a ban, the machines

where you can bet ?100 every 20 seconds. It is beginning to look not

like Christmas. What happens to your old trees now

they sparkle has gone? And reach for the stars.

Find out what is in the heavens for us all to see.

Hello. Flooding continues to cause misery for dozens of people on the

Somerset Levels. Tonight, the Environment Agency stands accused of

making the problems worse in one hand lettered by lowering river

banks and causing flooding. The agency says they work was not

responsible, and it has been caused by exceptional rainfall over a short

space of time. More bad weather is forecast

tonight. Our correspondent has been to Aller

on the Somerset Levels to find an angry community rallying around to

help one another. Rupert Little is on his way to check

on his elderly neighbours. They are in their 70s, and they have been

living upstairs in a flooded home without heating for the past week.

It is rooted. I you all right? He establishes they are OK, but they do

not want to appear on television. He's OK. Shy of heat and I don't

know how much longer they can stay. Here in Aller, several houses are

now under water. It was with a heavy heart that Ron Smith showed us

around his cottage. He and his family are still living here in

spite of all this. The insurance could not put the damage right, but

the emotional side is everlasting. He showed me why he thinks the

Environment Agency is to blame. On the other side of that rich, they

lowered a river bank to redirect floodwater onto empty moorland. But

the water came back into the houses. They failed to take heed of the

warnings from local draining boards, farm owners. They were told this

would happen. Yet they proceeded with this, and this serious weather

event, we have had flooding on an unprecedented scale in this area.

This afternoon, the agency said that exceptional rain caused this, not

the limited work on the river bank. Judging is in the headlines again

today. This time it is Euro MP Graham Watson saying that clearing

the rivers of silt would prevent flooding like this. But the RSPB,

who have nature reserves on the levels, say judging on its own is

not the answer. But perhaps in the future, more of the levels should be

allowed to flood. So flood more In these extreme situations, will get

more of this, so we may need to flood more more land to protect our

committees whatever the argument with dredging, people who live here

say they have never seen river levels this high. Here, the nearby

school was put on stand`by as a emergency evacuation centre admits

fears that dozens of times here were at risk of flooding. With more rain

on the way, many amenities on the levels will be holding their breath

again tonight. The Met Office has issued a yellow

warning for rain expected to fall across parts of Somerset and

Gloucestershire tonight. Between ten and 15 millimetres of rain is

expected to fall, which could cause further disruption in areas already

affected by flooding. And Gloucestershire, some people have

learnt the lessons of the past. As flood prevention measures go it

is pretty extreme. Sam and Dawn Ray's home was flooded so badly in

2007, they decided to rebuild it on stilts. It would not have been

easier to just move? Know, who would want to buy it? We could not sell it

to buy another place. Obviously we should improve it. The house is 12

feet above ground with support is going underground. On the left was

the dining room. On the right was a lounge. Now they are both filled

with concrete. There is a flow of water going into them, which was the

flying `` front door. The extension now houses our kitchen and lounge.

12 feet up, safe. This was the 007 flight at the home of Val and Derek

Lown. It left a ?100,000 insurance bill and a determination to invent

something to keep the water rat This is the Flood Manager, based on

the material used to line ponds and left in place with sandbags. They

have used it twice now, and the house has stayed dry. Once you come

through it, you get your house back together, and then a few months

later, it rains and you get that horrible sick feeling in the pit of

your stomach, is this going to happen again? I don't get that any

more. At least now, when the rain comes, all I think is we have to get

the rain defence out. They have tried to market their invention but

although there has been interest, they have not sold any. There is a

restaurant locally that wanted it, but they have been indecisive about

when. As the rain starts to fall, some at least as secure in the

knowledge that the floodwaters will stay out.

While many communities are being flooded for the first time, those

who have suffered in the past say that the legacy is difficult to

shake off. To experience was badly hit in

2007, and aerial pictures in the press on the weekend gave the

impression that town was cut off again.

As our Gloucestershire reporter has been finding out, Tewkesbury is open

for business, and used to being surrounded by water.

Tewkesbury in 2007, the floods were, without doubt, devastating.

From the air, the town surrounded by floodwater. But these shots were

taken on Friday, and they are certainly dramatic. From the ground,

it looks dramatic as well, but that is a flood plain doing its job. I'm

a TV reporter. I am not even wearing waterproof clothing, because in

Tewkesbury, the river might be swollen, but the town is not cut

off. It is open for business. But some traders are you would not think

so. In this teashop, the only way the issue is a sticky door. Since

the aerial pictures were printed, customers seem to have dried up You

lack a lot of people think Tewkesbury is cut off. They think

they can't come in. They say are you stranded? Are you OK? We are Kate.

We are surrounded by water, but it is flood plains. People here say

they want the legacy to go away Flood plains make great pictures,

but they are often misunderstood, so the town is doing its best. I think

it is difficult because by the time you have got the message across it

is too late. It has gone away. I think local people are using

Facebook and social media to try to get it out there that we are open

for business. Some areas are affected, like this car park at the

new ?10 million hospital. But traders here say they are very much

open, and please, this is just floodwater. No one is flooded.

We hope you are keeping dry on this Shari Wednesday night. Stay with us,

as they join the programme: Heavens above.

But the night sky reveals about our universe.

And he is the world's greatest living explorer who has made his way

to our studios. We will meeting shortly.

A 27`year`old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after what

police have called a sudden death at a property in Bristol. Police say

they found a body on the property this morning after being told a

woman had died there. At this stage, the police say they are treating the

death as unexplained. Avon and Somerset police are hunting

for a man they believe poses a serious risk to children. Saber

Haldari is wanted in connection with sex offences committed against a

young boy in Bristol between January and August last year. Mr Haldari,

who is believed to be in the UK illegally, has links to both the

Afghani and Iranian communities Police say he may have travelled to

Birmingham, London Leeds. He is believed to be 30 years old.

MPs are debating whether to take action against high`stakes gambling

machines. Up to ?300 a minute can be spent on what are called fixed`odds

betting terminals. Among those campaigning for change is a

Wiltshire man who has gone public with his struggle to beat his

gambling addiction. He has acted decisively against

gambling. Now he wants them to. Watching MPs today, James Petherick

from Amesbury. He is desperate for change. I figure has been 12 years

now these terminals have been out. Isn't it time something was done?

How many years longer do we have to wait before people with gambling

addictions are protected? These are the machines that he blames through

winning his life. Up to ?300 a minute can be gambled on fixed`odds

betting terminals. They have proved hugely profitable for bookmakers.

They cost James Petherick turns maybe hundreds of thousands of

pounds. My name is James. This is the first of my video diaries

regarding my compulsory `` compulsive gambling addiction. For

years, he has been baring his soul online and calling for change. It

has had an impact. Politicians of all parties believe there needs to

be a clamp`down on bookies, but there is a bit of politicking going

on. The government say they need to await the outcome of a report due in

the autumn. Today was like debate has been called by Labour Hartley to

embarrass them. In Parliament this afternoon, Labour led the charge,

calling for immediate action. They have admitted they are partly to

blame for introducing the high stakes betting machines when in

government. Yellow mac I think that has been proven now. I don't think

we realised how addictive they would be. What we are asking for in the

Bay `` debate today is that local authorities should have the ability

to decide that there are too many betting shops in a particular area,

and just refuse them. But the government will not be rushed,

insisting changes must be the right ones. James Petherick hopes his

problems are behind him. I am not fixed yet, and I think it will take

me a lifetime to get out of my debts and what my addiction has done to my

life in general. But I am making slow progress and it can be done. He

has not gambled for a year, he just hopes that MPs will allow others and

easier escape from their addiction. Bristol Rovers will have their third

attempt at completing the FA Cup second round replay with Crawley

tonight. They drew nil`nil at the man Memorial Stadium. Their first

replay was abandoned with 15 minutes to go due to a waterlogged pitch.

The replay was postponed for the same reason. The winners face a trip

to check inside. We thought it was good conditions, and we played well.

It was nil`nil half`time, and second whist stepped up. The second game, I

don't think you could actually compare. That was just, who wants to

run around in this weather the most? It will be a good game if the pitch

is good. Will try to give them a good game. Off the pitch, the club

's latest financial figures do not make happy reading. Losses have

doubled to almost ?800,000 with the revenue through the turnstiles down

by 20%. However, the chairman says Rovers had budgeted for this loss,

and the board will continue to support the club financially.

The return of Stargazing Live on BBC Two this week has prompted many of

us to look up at the night skies. Sadly, the weather hasn't been the

best but that hasn't stopped many of you from joining local astronomy

events across our area. Matthew Pick visited a group in Wells last night

to find out why the subject continues to attract people of all

ages. Cloudy skies outside Wells Cathedral

limited most viewing to the moon but that didn't stop people from having

a look. Planets, stars and comets. It attracts the young and the old,

men and women, and inside, there was plenty to enthuse everyone. We are

making star consolations and looking at this diary and drawing them and

putting chocolate stars on them to take home and need. The pictures in

the gallery are amazing. We have seen the moon, just a bit blurry.

The space industry is big business but what people can achieve on a

more limited budget continues to surprise.

Using a radio transmitter in France, we are able to pick up meteors over

the atmosphere. There was also a display of astro photogrpahy.

Amazing images! And we asked you for some of yours, too.

Incredible images, and you can see more on our Facebook page.

Perhaps you are feeling inspired to go outside and look up to the night

sky. What can you expect to see at this time of year? This is torus

around us now. This is a really detailed image. However, in an ideal

world, you would have an astronomer and science writer with you. This is

an ideal universe because it is ours. This is more detailed than we

can expect to see, but what are the highlights you can pull out for us

this month? We have a lot of bright constellation is on show. You can

identify torus because you have the star cluster which is reshaped. What

I want to look at is the Pleiades, a beautiful cluster you could see with

just the naked eye. You will see it is made of hundreds of stars. There

are so many in there. It's beautiful to look at. This is somewhere like

the place our son was born. That's right. Our son was probably born in

a cluster of stars. This is probably a little bit more like the kind of

image a cluster of stars. This is probably

a little bit more like the kind of I would expect to see. This is the

whole consolation. The interesting thing about identifying it is the

belt. Underneath, there is actually a little grouping of stars, and in

the centre of that, a target for binoculars because if you look at it

on a clear, dark night, you will see its beautiful misty form. This is

the place where stars are being born. Young stars are causing the

gas to blow. That's the magic. For somebody who was not used to going

out stargazing, it's an easy one to find. Get your binoculars! But if

you do have a telescope, one of our planets is showing. Jupiter is on

show. If you have a small telescope, it's a wonderful target. It appears

as a really bright star but with a small telescope, you zoom in on it

and see there are wonderful cloud systems swirling around the place.

Even with a domestic telescope, you can probably see this? Absolutely.

You will also see a few points of light around it. Those are the four

largest moons of Jupiter. If you watch those, you will see the move

positions. You have given lots of ideas for all of us to be inspired,

so ago I `` so go out and look you will night sky.

Apart from a few chocolates and the odd dry mince pie, for many of us,

the only thing that's left hanging around from the festive period is

the discarded Christmas tree, waiting to be taken away. For most

of the little pines, after being decorated and loved, it's a trip to

the pulping yard. Will Glennon has been following them on their final

journey. Just a few days ago, this tree was

sparkling, decorated, sitting in someone's living room, but now

Christmas is over, it's become waste, so what do we do with it

Over the next few weeks, councils across the West will deal with over

1,000 tonnes of used Christmas trees. Here in Bristol, collections

continued today, and if you put your tree out, you'll know they're pretty

prickly. They are, but they supplies with protective clothing and gloves.

It may look like a bin lorry but it's all about recycling, and this

is a special collection with extra manpower. We are asking residents to

put their Christmas tree next to their refuse bin and we will put

them on the back of these vehicles and taking them off to a facility.

Each truck takes about four tonnes of trees before it has to drop off.

From here, the trees are taken to South Gloucestershire to be chipped

up and slowly turned into compost that'll be used in gardens, parks

and open spaces. But this year, some trees have been given a life

extension. An art project on Bristol's harbour`side, called

Second Chance, will show them off for another two weeks. Lots of them

still look alive. They still have got their leaves and smell and look

good. We thought it would be a really nice project to do and it has

an environmental edges well. We will recycle the trees afterwards. It's a

nice way of people prolonging that Christmas feeling. If you've still

got your tree, it's too late to become art, and if you want it

recycled, councils are reminding people to check their collection

days. If you miss yours, you'll have to drive it to the tip yourself

The Guinness Book of Records describes him as "the Greatest

Living Explorer". He's led 22 major expeditions to remote parts of the

world, including both Poles, and raised millions for charity. And

that's only a small fraction of his achievements. He's Sir Ranulph

Fiennes, of course, and tonight he's in Bristol to give a talk all

about his life, entitled Beyond the Limits. He joins us now. You

frightened of anything? Yes. My wife's driving! And other things.

You have had so many scrapes and near death experiences and yet, you

always bounce back. Touch wood. That has been the case so far. But polar

exploring and that sort of thing isn't deftly. You plan everything to

avoid risks. The previous people had not broken world records because

they ran into risks. Sometimes, we do go wrong because the ice behaves

badly, but mostly, we been lucky. Health and safety is important to

you, too. We don't like health and safety at all! Having said that you

had a massive heart attack ten years ago. You were in a coma for three

days after that, a double bypass, and soon after that, you were

running seven marathons over seven days on seven continents. Didn't

your cardiac specialist say monitor your heart beats but you forgot to

take your monitor with you? That is correct. That heart attack probably

came from my colleague, a top nutritionist, who stacked fat into

our rations because you need maximum calories for minimum weight. So 60%

fat for three months probably brought that on! What would life be

like without adventure for you? You are ex`SAS and all that. You do live

life on the edge. As far as the SAS is concerned, yes, because they

threw me out for blowing up a building. In Chippenham, in fact.

That was living a bit on the edge. But I have behaved better since

Every man was to be like you because you are so capable, you can handle

any situation that comes your way. Again, my wife would definitely

disagree with that. What's next I am about to do a 600th anniversary

book about Asian core. `` as you in court. They have asked me to write

the official book. We look forward to that. Your exploits with the

French. Have a good talk when you give that tonight.

Pretty cloudy, it has to be said, but so it has been a good part of

the day. Colin Fisher took this lovely picture showing the extent of

the flooding over the levels. At ground level yesterday, Troy took

this picture. It masks anything but a picturesque story. Tomorrow at

least will bring relief. Dry weather about. Breezy day. Milder through

the morning. The rainfall radar showing the extent of rainfall so

far. This showery cluster is looking heavier. We will continue with a

yellow warning. Just to cater for the possibility this will not help

flooding problems. But tonight, it all clears away. Barring showers

periodically, it will be, all in all, a much better day. For the rest

of this evening, we have lacklustre moving its way northwards which

could bring heavier showery rain, some of that lingering. It could be

a damp start for some of you. But elsewhere, a broadly dry picture.

Temperatures tonight would be particularly chilly. Tomorrow, then,

we pick up on the theme of showers Pru radically, but as the day wears

on, it will brighten up. Many of you will avoid the showers. The showers

becoming less of a feature as arrows ticked by and it will be decent

enough. But these temperatures are likely to be nines and tens. That

Chile is real of sorts developing in the afternoon. Looking beyond that,

we have further, weak rain on the way on Friday. Saturday decent.

Wetter on Sunday. It will turn colder next week.

If it's not one thing, it's another! I'm off to swap adventure stories

about