04/02/2014 BBC Points West

into Friday morning and enhance the risk of flooding. That is all from

us, Welcome to points West. The heir to

the throne takes a boat to meet flooded villages. It has given him a

taste of what has been happening. We ask, is all this a result of climate

change? Why wasn't something done decades ago.

The other News: He has made it. I am the daddy! We catch up with the

Gloucester man who has run 5000 miles across Canada. As the Bristol

ice rink is demolished, we meet the ice hockey team looking for a new

home. Hallow. On the day the heir to the

throne came to meet the people who have been living with the nightmare

of flooding for more than a month. In this village they are having

really different experiences. On one side of the road they can see the

levels of the water dropping. The pumps have come in and the village

is now access above. That has been the case since Sunday. On the other

side of the road, the garden I am standing in, over the course of just

today, they have seen the levels rise. I was wading around in this

just a couple of hours ago. The reason I am not waiting in it now

and you can see puddles is because the Environment Agency came in and

elected these barriers. They are covered in plastic with huge chains

holding a plastic down. They have also brought in huge punts as well

to take the waterway. It has made a massive difference. Hayley says it

is in the nick of time. She believes that by tomorrow her house is almost

certainly would have flooded, just like the house next door. As we say,

20 chart has been visiting the local people. He was going over to the

marooned village of Muchelney earlier. He went on a boat and our

reporter went with him. Waiting in their standing water, the people of

Muchelney ready for a royal arrival. Cut off now for almost six weeks,

his Royal Highness then using the only transport available here. Local

children 's welcome posters leaving no doubt about the misery behind

this world recognition. Muchelney has become the poster village for

what is now a very long story. How do you get supplies in and out? On

your boat. There was no royal carriage but there was a makeshift

throne. As the Prince took a tractor to see some of the devastation for

himself. These farmers in Thorney flooded last year and now flooded

again. For the people here, it seems this visit, more than anything else

that has happened recently, giving hope that something might finally be

done to hold back the water. We have such a high`profile previously. In

the past couple of weeks, David Cameron has said he will get

involved. We did not realise the profile could be any more. I know he

is pretty quiet but we did not think we would get a visit from Charles.

After an hour and a half in this community cut off by water, time to

make his way back along this Flooded Road, still eight feet deep in

places. His fund has promised ?50,000 to help the Somerset

communities but, for morale, this visit appeared to be priceless.

Earlier, the Prince paid a visit to nearby Stoke St Gregory to meet

people who've been affected, and those who've been helping in the

crisis. He also announced extra funding for local businesses. Ali

Vowles was there. The Prince's visit aimed to bring a little sunshine to

a sodden Somerset. First stop the village hall at Stoke St Gregory to

meet local farmers and the emergency services who are dealing with the

flooding. Anybody who is high profile who comes along, obviously

keeps the area in the news. That means that something has to be done

for the future. And it is stories of hardship that the Prince has come to

learn about. The Hine Family live next door to each other in the

hamlet of Fordgate. They all had to move out weeks ago because of the

flooding but come back every day. Unless you lived to write in here,

you do not realise how bad it is. You hear about it on the telly but

when you get down here and you can see that the roads are covered in

water and mud and there are pumps everywhere, people cannot go about

their normal daily business because of what is going on, it is really

bad. Today the Princes Countryside Fund announced it was giving ?5 ,000

to provide help to people like them, to be given out through the Somerset

Community Foundation. Andrea's dad, Brian, has Parkinson's disease. Mum

Marjorie has had throat cancer. Both have already had relief funds from

the foundation and know have valuable small donations can be It

is a lifeline really. There was some money you could use straightaway. It

was very good. It was nice to have some spare money we could use. The

endorsement from the Princes Countryside Fund is H mentis is for

what we are doing. I hope more businesses will donate and support

us. `` a tremendous boost. The charity hope the funds will continue

to flow in so that's all those affected can get a little relief

from the relentless rain and floods. The Prince's visit was planned a

year ago but the Levels have been flooding for decades, and people

have been calling for action for just as long. With me now are

Anthony Gibson, who is chairman of a new South West task force to tackle

the problem, and Rebecca Horsington of the local flooding action group.

I am terribly sorry. We appear to have lost that link. We will be

trying to go back to her later in the programme to hear from some of

the local people. Now some more of today's news. A man from Gloucester

is recovering tonight, after running across the whole of Canada. Jamie

McDonald, who's 27, completed the epic journey late last night,

becoming the first person to do it without any help. Today, he said he

just can't believe it's over but he's ecstatic to have done it. Laura

Jones reports. It was a superhuman challenge.

Requiring extreme determination strength and, of course, a superhero

costume. And he's finally done it. I have dreamt about it for 11 months.

Every single day I woke up, every single day. I did not think I could

do it. 11 months ago, Jamie McDonald dipped his hand in the Atlantic

Ocean, on the eastern seaboard of Canada. He vowed to run to the other

side of the country in order to dip his hand in the Pacific. And that's

exactly what he did. I decided to put on this outfit just for 15

marathons, for a bit of fun. In the end, the kids loved it. Everywhere I

went. They were giving me big high`5. Kids turned up dressed up as

superheroes. I bought it for eight months, one costume. It stank like

mad. Jamie McDonald has been running, pretty much nonstop since

ninth March last year. The epic journey has taken him from St John's

in Newfoudland. And finally onto Vancouver late last night. A cool

5,000 miles, all on his own, the first person to ever manage it.

Jamie is no stranger to a challenge. Just over a year ago, he cycled from

Thailand back to Gloucester, more than 8,000 miles as the crow flies,

even further on wheels. That took him ten months, cycling through war

zones, mountains, Iran and Iraq Then, he pedalled his way into the

record books by cycling on the spot, for a week, with just short breaks

for sleep. Locals, who supported him through that, are thrilled that he's

managed this one too. He is an incredible guy. If you meet him he

is just the nicest man. He has time for everyone. He is a pleasure to be

around. As a child, Jamie spent a lot of time in Gloucester Royal

hospital with a rare spinal condition. And that's been the

motivation behind this journey, raising money for children's

hospitals. So far, he's managed more than ?120,000. A Somerset con`man

who wrote wills for the elderly has been found guilty of fraud, after

cheating his clients out of hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Brian May has helped launch a fund in parliament to vaccinate badgers

against TB. He, and other partner agencies, hope to win the support of

farmers, to adopt the method. A report into the safety and

effectiveness of trial budget cars in Somerset and Gloucestershire last

year is due to be published later this month. With the Winter Olympics

about to start, Bristol remains a city without an ice rink. The old

one closed in October and the site is being turned into flats. The city

council has promised land for anyone but they still need people to build

and run it. It was a wink that attracted Olympic champions and

international stars. Now it is being raised to the ground, making way for

480 student flats. While this new development may be making good

progress, Plans for a replacement ice rink have yet to be announced.

The council will not give any details but say they have identified

a couple of potential sites. They have to find an operator and builder

for the new ice rink but said they do hope to progress within the next

few months. Bristol Pitbulls ice hockey is one of the sports teams

who used the city's rink. They've lost members since having to move

their games to Oxford. Fans are also struggling to make the journey. We

are engaged with the council. We have been for the last 18 months or

so. There is something in the pipeline. Fingers crossed, hopefully

we will get a new rink. Campaigners who demonstrated against the rink's

closure are leading calls for that to happen. But they admit it won't

be a quick return to Bristol. If there is anybody who is prepared to

build an ice rink for us, we want to make sure they are in discussions

with the council to try to get to a stage where we are getting a new ice

rink as quick as we possibly can. The speedy transformation of the

former site may cause just a hint of envy in campaigners. They can only

hope private backers get their skates on to bring the city a new

rink. The Gloucester flanker, Andy

Hazell, has announced his retirement from rugby with immediate effect.

Andy, who's 35, has been at the club for the whole of his professional

career having joined in 1997. He helped them win the Powergen Cup in

2003 and the European Challenge Cup three years later. He also won seven

England caps. From a young lad, it has been a dream country. Every week

I have taken it as it comes. I have tried to change `` train the hardest

I can. I have always made sure I have kept that high standard. A

great seven the Gloucester and a great career as well. A Somerset,

who wrote wills for the elderly has been found guilty of fraud. Keith

weather is facing a long jail sentence. Do you have anything to

say about the way you have treated your victims? Have you anything to

say? Facing a long prison sentence Webber left court today refusing to

apologise for his crimes. The jury heard how over two and a half years

Webber abused his position of trust. He pretended to be a man of

principle. But instead of safeguarding the financial future of

his clients he stole ?300,000 from their estates. His four elderly

victims were taken in by the promises made on his company's

website and at his home in Chard. He conned one man into buying him an

?11,000 Jaguar and then into buying his own wife, Joan Webber, a ?3 000

funeral plan and then charged him a ?150 agent's fee.

His wife's sister, Margaret Wetton, says Webber persuded her older

sister and her husband, Esther and David Larn, to grant him power of

attorney over their financial affairs. But in their dying days he

stole savings and pensions. This is the saddest thing. My sister and

brother`in`law and Joan, his wife, are not here to see justice done.

That hurts more than anything. The jury found Webber guilty of six

counts of fraud and theft for sums totalling over ?280,000. He was

completely dishonest. He did this over a number of years and gained

confidence over the years. Over the first few years, he charged

excessive fees and abused his position. Ultimately he gained the

confidence to change someone's will after they had died. Judge Graham

Hume Jones told Webber that the guilty verdicts delivered by the

jury would attract a consisderable prison sentence. The judge granted

him bail to allow him to put his affairs in order. The will writer

will be sentenced on Friday for both the fraud and child pornography

offences. That's all from me in the studio. We

can go back to Alex, who's moved into the dry now, I think. I think

it was a good idea. We are in the village hall. As you can see, a lock

the locals have gathered. They have gathered because we are here and

they want to tell us their feelings. They want to see what is

going on. They have gathered to talk to each other. Some of them have

said the community has never been stronger. Going back to the Prince

's visit, it was arranged about a year ago and it was arranged to talk

to people about the aftermath of last year 's floods. It has

coincided with this year 's floods, which are worth. We are joined by

the chairman of the new Southwest task force and also Rebecca from the

local flooding action group. You spoke to Prince Charles today. What

did he have to say? He was very well informed and he was genuinely

concerned. He said the situation we have now is the result of 20 years

of neglect and we need to sort it out. There is a great opportunity

here to sort things out, not just with water management but with land

management as well. We want it to be green, farmed good for wildlife and

the water managed so that it is our greatest asset and not the greatest

threat. Do you think him coming today has made a difference or will

it just raise the profile? It has raised the profile. He has a lot of

influential friends. The fact he has such a good grasp of the problems

down here means when he is talking to people about this in London, and

he is genuinely concerned and determined to make a difference it

can be to the good. Rebecca, you are from the flooding action group. He

will you made up of? It is local residents, people who live here

farmers, business owners. It is just concerned people it is affecting.

What difference do you want to make? We want to make sure this will it is

dredged. We understand it is not the only solution. To use a simple

analogy, you need to unblock the drain before you can sort the rest

of the problem out. We started with about 150 followers on Facebook and

now it is about 1800. It is going really well. Thank you for joining

us and coming in from the cold. We know this has been going on for

decades. We have reported on this and on flooding before. Why are we

still reporting on it? It is hard to tell the difference, the Somerset

Levels 19 years ago and today. 995 was the second year in a row they

had flooded badly. A BBC documentary brought warnings about something

most of us had not heard of, climate change. As climate changes, we as a

region will see changes more quickly than others. The Somerset Levels

will be more at risk and there will be a greater incidence of flooding.

Then, as now, it was the Environment Agency in the front line. But then,

unlike now, they were dredging the Rivers Parrett and Tone. It didn't

stop the flooding and they too warned that global warming would

make things worse. The people in this part of the world are

particularly vulnerable to flooding. Anything can make that worse.

Climate change is of great importance. The price that we must

pay to protect people in areas like Langport in Bridgwater, the big

urban areas, is to have controlled flooding of some of the levels some

of the time. Experts told us where some of the levels might breach

Those houses are eight metres above sea`level. We could see flooding out

that sort of level. This man says we have not done enough. We need to be

looking at how communities are going to be able to adapt and mitigate

against the impacts of climate change but even if we are successful

in reducing greenhouse gas emissions now, we have already laid in store

the impacts of climate change for decades to come. Today's scientists

also warn about climate change but with heightened urgency. It is the

focus of an event in Bristol this evening. The guest speaker is the

Government's chief science adviser. There is no doubt the climate is

getting more comfortable for humans across the planet and we must do all

we can to adapt to that and prevent it happening. With something like

the Somerset Levels, is it realistic to have an area like that which is

going to be more vulnerable? In general, we will need to adapt will

stop it has always been risky living in a flood plain. This winter's

calamity can't be blamed on climate change; there's always been extreme

weather. But scientists agree global warming means more extremes, more

floods, more often. Lets see what the local people think about that

because, as you know, we are here in the village hall. We have Jullien

and Bryony, for examples. What is your experience at the moment? The

water is coming up and down in front of my house. It has not got in yet.

I am really worried. We need to raging and a proper tidal barrier to

prevent the silt coming up the river. Without a barrier, you're

going to have a continuous maintenance problem. It needs to be

done and be funded by the Treasury. It needs to be done under local

control. It was interesting but we were hearing earlier. We know

dredging is not the only answer People are concerned that there will

be dredging and that will not be the only answer. It is not just here, it

is further downstream. The implications will happen in

Bridgwater. You can affect the whole Hinkley point project, the roads and

the structure. This needs to be integrated in a proper programme,

run by local people. Bryony, your situation is your farmland, isn t

it? You have moved or your livestock. Looking ahead, do you

feel like you will be resigned to this or do you think there might be

an end and there will not be flooding again? I have spoken to

some influential people and they are positive on the grand outlook of all

of this but I think the next three months are not looking very good. We

have terrible rain coming in and there is no end in sight. Years to

come, what do you think? We have all done this for our children and years

beyond and hopefully there is an end in sight. I am sure we will be

analysing this will some time to come. I am going to send you back to

Ian with the weather. I have got to tell you, I heard this today. A bus

driver in Bristol called the police yesterday, saying he had spotted a

crocodile in the River Avon. We sent our cameras out. Even the Chief

Constable of Aden and Somerset police said they could not find it.

What do you think? You need 30 Celsius plus for a

crocodile to survive. An alligator might be more plausible. They

survive conditions of seven Celsius in America. I think it was probably

a log! It does not take much description for the wins and the

like. It is the turning `` it is turning decidedly wet and windy

This is the forecast for the rest of the day and into tomorrow. The story

will be one of further weather warnings. We are combining warnings

were strong winds and heavy rain. That will run through tonight and

through the course of tomorrow for all our districts. The winds of

causing every much `` are causing concern and they will be equally

damaging in terms of trees in particular. These are the wind gusts

we might be seeing through tomorrow afternoon and even through the

course of this evening. You can get gusts of 60, 70 miles an hour.

Tomorrow, the gusts will become more westerly. All in all, a pretty

bothersome story, it has to be said. This area of low pressure is

trundling its way closer. Wrapped around that comes the swathe of

heavy rain. Tomorrow, that are a lot of heavy showers. The winds are

veering more westerly, perhaps South westerly. The mouth of the River

Severn is more problematic generally. The rain is marching in,

as I can attest in Bristol. There is lots of standing water about. The

winds will tend to abate. Temperatures down to about four

five Celsius. Tomorrow, the emphasis is firmly on severe gales, further

heavy showery outbreaks of rain adding to the key related issues of

local flooding. Do take care on country lanes where you have

overhanging branches. It will remain windy through the course of the day,

particularly in the afternoon and into the evening. Temperatures are

academic. Here are the charts. There will be something of a lull into

Friday. You can see what is waiting in the wings on Saturday. It will

not be good. Not good at all. We can hear the wind outside. I have to

say, people of more land, your spirits are incredible. Thank you

for letting us come in. They have said we can come again because it

has kept them in the spotlight. We will leave you with some images of

today 's visits. Goodbye.