05/02/2014 BBC Points West


05/02/2014

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rise. That is all

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Welcome to BBC Points West. Our main story tonight: evacuate.

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People in three Somerset villages are told to leave their homes as the

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floodwaters rise. 150 properties are under threat from the weather. We

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had notification from the Environment Agency that we are

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preparing to evacuate. Whether they do it the whole village at a time,

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we don't know. We'll bring you the latest picture

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after strong winds and heavy rain batter the West again.

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The other stories making the headlines tonight: Accused of

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accepting his partner's speeding points ` a Bristol policeman appears

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in court. The multi`million pound level

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crossing replacement to keep schoolchildren safe.

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And soaring above the Sochi snow ` the West Country athlete going for

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Winter Olympic gold. Good evening. People in Somerset are

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being warned to leave their homes this evening as flood waters rise.

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The emergency services want those affected to act now. Villages are

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being evacuated. Travel though Somerset and the South West has been

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severely disrupted. The weather warnings suggest there's more to

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come. So where are the homes at risk? More than 150 properties are

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in the affected areas. Fordgate and Moorland are subject to warnings of

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floods. People there are being told to get out now. Also the area along

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the A361 from East Lyng to Burrowbridge. The police can't even

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get to the tiny hamlet of Saltmoor because it is cut off. They have

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been using loud speakers from a helicopter to alert some

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householders. A rest centre has been set up in North Petherton for

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families with nowhere to go. If you're one of the people affected,

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but don't know what to do, you should ring the police on the number

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101. Our reporter Madeleine Ware has been following this developing story

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today. She joins us from Northmoor Farm in Somerset.

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I am actually buy the North Moor pumping station where the huge

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operation to pump water of the Levels continues tonight. But all

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this may not be enough to save nearby villages. We have spent much

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of the in the village of Moorland. But this afternoon, the media were

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told by police, like local residents, to leave. A chaotic day

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for those residents as the fear of having to leave their homes became a

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grim reality. We can't save both sofas... A last attempt to save what

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they can before leaving. With the help of neighbours, Sue is shifting

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valuables of the floor of her retirement home in Fordgate. She

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also has a small holding here. Animals have been moved to higher

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ground. The sheep have gone up to a farm and the dogs are going to go up

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into kennels. The cats will come with me to my daughter's in Somerton

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because I need to leave. How hard has this been for you? Dreadful

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Really dreadful. It is like Chinese torture, because it gets closer and

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closer. Sue made the decision to go but at that point, she was one of

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the few. Most people determined to stay. In nearby Moorland, filling

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sandbags by the dozen. We have been told we may have to evacuate. It has

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come up to the garden but it is not in the house at the moment so we

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will try to batten down the hatches and see how things go. Police have

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been going door`to`door advising people to leave. But this afternoon

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came a more automatic warning. `` more dramatic warning. There will be

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a high tide after 10pm and that combined with the high volume of

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water coming down the river from the heavy rain that we have experienced,

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there will be overflowing of the river near to Burrowbridge. As the

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afternoon moved on, more residents decided to go. There is no choice

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now. The flooding is coming over the retaining wall. Once that comes

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over, there is no way of controlling the flooding. They are worried it

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will go through here quite steeply. But for all those joining the queue

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to leave the village, there were those preparing to stay, stay

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upstairs and sit it out rather than leave their homes to the mercy of

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the water. The day is turning into a chaotic

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night. There are queues of traffic coming in and out of Moorland. So

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people perhaps leaving their homes. The rest centre has been set up in

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North Petherton Bowling club for those that need it. For now, from

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the Somerset levels, goodbye. Off the Levels, the county town of

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Taunton wasn't immune, with roads and trains disrupted and concerns

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that the swollen River Tone might burst its banks. Emergency services

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are advising people not to travel unless absolutely necessary. Here's

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Sally Challoner. Bishop Sutton blocked by deep

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water. There are people getting stuck in it this morning...

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It was chaos on the roads around the county town of Taunton today ` as

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fallen trees and flooded roads made every route tortuous. Many of the

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communities along those routes, some backing onto the swollen River Tone,

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were cut off. And working together to help themselves. We do have a

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Flood committee. They are keeping an eye on people and on things. There

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is only so much we can do but you will see around you there are

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sandbags available. We have supplied bin is full sandbags in various

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places around the village. To help ourselves. Pumps are battling to get

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the roads open but this crew had moved 15 tankfuls of water by

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lunchtime and the level is still rising. Now toilets are blocked by

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overflowing storm drains ` the water has nowhere left to go. Police and

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fire are warning people not to travel unless absolutely necessary.

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But more than a month in, and despite all the warnings, people are

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still trying to get through these roads. Trains are also disrupted,

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with buses replacing some services to and from Taunton. The advice is

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to check before travelling. The line at Castle Cary is closed so we

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cannot run services to London. We are running everything via Bristol.

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That line is open and hopefully it will remain so. With the weather

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that is forecast, be on the watch. And with some of the county's roads

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now passable by just a few ` the advice is to stay away.

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The floods are again dominating the political agenda. Today, the

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Government announced an extra ? 0 million to help with repair work in

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Somerset. But Labour has accused the Coalition of being slow to act.

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Here's how David Cameron responded at Prime Minister's Questions.

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Whatever is required, whether it is dredging work on the rivers, whether

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it is support for our emergency services, whether it is fresh money

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for flooding defences, whether it is action across the board, this family

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`` this government will help those families and get this issue sorted.

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Let's cross to Westminster now. Do we know what the ?10 million for

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Somerset will be for? This money is coming from the Department for the

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environment. It is twofold. First there is money for the English ``

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the initial clear up operation and then there will be a six`week action

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plan to look at more long`term plans of how to better protect the

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Somerset levels. It was another meeting of the government's

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emergency committee this afternoon, what was resolved? It was dominated

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by talk of what may happen in the coming hours and days with those

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extra flood warnings and severe weather warnings. Somerset itself

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was certainly mentioned. But here in Parliament early on, there had been

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criticism from the Labour leader, Ed Miliband, of the government's

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response. He said it had been too slow to respond. Some are reading

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into the fact that David Cameron is chairing the meeting today, not the

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Environment Secretary. The government is coming in for

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criticism, what about the Environment Agency? David Cameron

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was in the Commons earlier on. He came in on the issue as to whether

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the Environment Agency should have been more dredging of rivers. He

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said that he believes that in the future that they still happen more.

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He said there should also be no choice in terms of prison ``

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protecting build`up areas versus countryside areas. That refers

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directly to something that the chairman of the Environment Agency

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has suggested that his environ `` that his organisation was having to

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do. It was a criticism of the agency, but Downing Street

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emphasised the importance of the work is doing. I don't think that

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Downing Street wants to give it too much of a kicking at this stage But

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it was made clear that once the initial problems were sorted out,

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there will be questions for the Environment Agency about what it is

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doing to protect areas from flooding.

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Just when you thought it couldn t get any worse, it has! Ian, what is

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next here for us in the West? The Met office and the warning will

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last for three days. From tomorrow to Saturday. Trouble on all of those

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days. The detail later on in the programme.

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A Bristol policeman has appeared in court today after trying to take

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points on his licence to save his girlfriend from a driving ban. But

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the plan fell apart when it was discovered that PC Alex Owen was

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taking part in an anti`terrorist operation at the time of the alleged

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offence. Our correspondent Steve Brodie was in court.

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PC Alex Owen did his best to avoid being filmed when he arrived at

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court. The prosecution claim that the officer and his partner Nina

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East had filled in forms stating he was driving when in fact it was her

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behind the wheel. Crime recorder Nina East was working here at

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Southmead Police station in June 2008 when her Peugeot was captured

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by a speed camera. She already had nine points on her licence for

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previous speeding convictions. But when she got another prosecution

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notice she returned the form claiming that PC Owen had in fact

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been driving. He was sent on a speed awareness course and paid a fine.

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But an investigation revealed that at the time of the offence PC Owen

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was in fact taking part in an anti`terrorist operation at Trinity

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Road police station. Prosecuting Ian Dixie told the jury that a log book

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in the station's custody suite proved he had not left Trinity Road.

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When he was interviewed for a second time the pc admitted he'd lost his

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notebook but accepted he'd made a mistake about driving the car but

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denied there had been a cover up. When asked in court if PC Owen had

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taken the points to prevent her receiving a driving ban she said

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"No, that's not true." Under crossexamination in the witness box

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the police staff worker said she didn't realise she would be banned

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from driving if she received three another points. "Really," commented

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Mr Ian Dixie. Nina East and PC Owen both deny allegations of perverting

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the course of justice. The government has given the

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go`ahead for council tax increases across the West. All of our police

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forces, as well as several councils, are planning to put up the amount

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they charge residents. Their funding has been cut repeatedly in recent

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years. Our political editor Paul Barltrop is here.

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Is it not up to local authorities to decide how much tax they charge It

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is the tax raised `` that is raised locally, but the government sets

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some pretty tough restrictions. They announced there would be a 2% rule.

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If you go beyond that, you have got to hold a referendum. This is not a

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cab. I have no power `` this is not a limit. I have no power to stop any

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council going for 6% or 7%. But they have to ask the public. If they have

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a good case, they should do that. Nobody will risk that, well they? It

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is like turkeys voting for Christmas! 2% is what people will

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stick with. All the south`west forces will stick to that. They say

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they have consulted with the public and there is considerable support.

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Having announced that you have police and crime Commissioners, 75%

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of the 5000 who contacted me said that they would be prepared to spend

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a 2% to 10% increase in council tax. We need this money. I'm finding that

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many agree with me, that they want to protect the local policing

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delivered locally. And they are prepared to pay that very small

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amount per year. What about our local councils? Been made George

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Ferguson wants a 2% increase. West Somerset and others are looking to

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put their council tax up. But town and parish councils, they are not

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bound by these rules. We could see some quite big in Crete is coming

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through on their slice of the council tax. `` quite big increases.

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After four near misses in five years, two level crossings used by

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hundreds of school children every day have been closed in Stroud.

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They've been replaced by a new footbridge as part of a ?130 million

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investment by Network Rail to improve safety across the country.

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Zoe Gough's report begins with some dramatic pictures.

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It's scenes like these which demonstrate the danger of level

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crossings. And which have led to more than 700 being closed. In

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Stroud two have been shut and replaced with a ?2.4 million bridge.

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Helping 1,500 children get safely to school. Every time someone crosses,

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there is a risk. ?2 million is a lot of money, but it is for the safety

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of the children. It is part of a ?130 million investment nationwide.

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The old crossings were in Network Rail's most urgent top foreclosing.

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Trains can reach speeds of 90mph here and there are blind bends in

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both directions. There have been four near misses in five years. And

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the risk of more is about to increase. At the moment, we run

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about two trains an hour. But as we read double this line and make this

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railway much improved, we will increase the number of trains to

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eight an hour. That increases the risk for children and the public

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crossing here. It really was lifting it to an unacceptable level. The new

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bridge has attracted opposition from those living alongside the line

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Terrible. It seems over the top for the location. This was a nice,

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semirural setting and now we are completely... According to a local

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estate agent, we have both lost ?20,000 on the value of our homes.

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But with ten more deaths on level crossings last year. Network Rail

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says they've had to strike a balance between safety and the neighbours.

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The opening ceremony for the winter Olympics is just two days away, but

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the competition begins tomorrow for Bristol snowboarder Jenny Jones

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Alistair Durden is here to tell us more.

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Before the Olympic flame has been lit and the teams introduced, Jenny

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Jones will be involved in qualifying for her event, which is the slope

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style snowboard. This is it ` competitors are marked for their

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artistic performances over a series of jumps and rails. She's been

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competing and winning at the very highest level for more than a decade

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but this is the first time her sport has been included at the Olympic

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Games. Damian Derrick put Jenny under the spotlight ahead of her

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biggest challenge yet. Jenny Jones. World`class

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snowboarder. I just love it. I love the feeling of jumping, the airtime

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that you get. Just the freedom to do what you want a little bit. That is

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what snowboarding is, expressing yourself in different ways. Whether

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it is that trick on the jump, if anyone gets it right, I think this

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is to the jumping stage. You will be so happy with yourself if you manage

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it. And Jenny has managed it many times. She has won three gold medals

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at the X games. The ultimate championship for extreme sports

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This is the first time in her event has been included at the Winter

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Olympics. When they announced that slope style would come into the

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Winter Olympics, I was amazed! I was excited that I had a new challenge.

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I feel like I'm going to represent my country, that is an amazing

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feeling. For people who don't know what snowboarding slope style is,

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explained. Snowboarder slope style is when you come down a course. It

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is not a race, it is not timed. It is about what kind of tricks you do

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on jumps and rails. There will be two all three of each. It is how

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well do execute them. `` two or three of each. You are still at the

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top of your sport. How have you manage that? It is looking after

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yourself, being disciplined with rehabilitation when you injure

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yourself and look after your body because that is your tool in helping

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you enjoy the sport. And never let it get too stale or boring. Just

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having a love for learning tricks. If you keep learning tricks, you

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will stay at the top in the competitive side of things. How did

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you get into snowboarding? My parents took my brother and me to

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the local dry slope in Churchill and we just had a go. A free half`hour

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lesson. We did not learn much but we thought it was really cool. I

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decided to take it a bit further and I convinced Filton College to

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arrange a week snowboarding trip for me and my friends and we had a

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blast. Snowboarding in the Italian Alps. What would it mean to you if

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you came back with an Olympic medal to add to your other medals? At this

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stage, I'm not even thinking about it. All I am thinking about is

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getting there, which I have finally done, and enjoying myself when I get

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there and the first stage, which is qualification. That is the first

:21:43.:21:44.

step for me, qualified for the semifinals.

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Football, and Bristol Academy's new head coach has taken his first

:21:49.:21:51.

training session. Dave Edmondson, on the left of the picture here, has

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been working in New Zealand and Australia. He succeeds Mark Sampson

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who left the club to take the England manager's job in December

:21:59.:22:02.

last year. Bristol Academy finished last season as runners`up in the

:22:03.:22:09.

Women's Super League. I would like to think I have a good eye for a

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player and certainly I have a track record of producing and developing

:22:16.:22:21.

players. To create successful teams. But also to regret their

:22:22.:22:25.

careers and there are a number of international players that I coach

:22:26.:22:30.

now, that is constantly growing I hope that is a major strength.

:22:31.:22:33.

Bristol City missed the chance to pull away from the League 1

:22:34.:22:36.

relegation zone. They're above it on goal difference after losing to

:22:37.:22:39.

Coventry at Ashton Gate last night. They were 2`0 down before half`time.

:22:40.:22:45.

City got one back with nine minutes to go. Wes Burns' header took a

:22:46.:22:49.

deflection off Marlon Pack. But City couldn't muster an equaliser.

:22:50.:22:51.

And tonight, it's Cup action for Swindon who can take a step closer

:22:52.:22:55.

to Wembley. They play Peterborough in the first leg of the Southern

:22:56.:22:58.

Area Final in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy. Kick`off is at 7:15pm.

:22:59.:23:05.

News on that tomorrow, as well as a look at why we're so successful at

:23:06.:23:11.

skeleton bob. `` news on that in our late bulletin tonight.

:23:12.:23:15.

Gloucestershire school pupils were among those trying to break a world

:23:16.:23:18.

record for the most children singing, and signing, at the same

:23:19.:23:23.

time. The event's been organised by a national charity for deaf people

:23:24.:23:27.

to raise awareness. And these are the youngsters at Grangefield

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Primary in Bishops Cleeve taking part. They're waiting to find out if

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they've done enough to make it into the record books.

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Let's hope that they have. Now the weather forecast. That has been

:23:46.:23:47.

dominating things today. Tomorrow will start decent, but from

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late morning, heavy rain will be spreading north. Every possibility

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of disruption. The Met office has issued an amber warning across the

:24:09.:24:10.

district which stretches right across through Thursday afternoon

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into Friday and Saturday. Decidedly unhelpful, the developments today.

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The wind and showers will ease off tonight but in the south, you will

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see the next batch of rain running up in the afternoon and evening

:24:31.:24:35.

particularly. That low pressure will rotate towards the north`east on

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Friday. Still heavy showers following on behind. For the time

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being, we lose the showers we have and we lose the strong winds.

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Remaining a windy night, but not exceptional. Towards daybreak

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tomorrow, there will be a good deal of dry weather. So the rush hour

:24:57.:25:03.

tomorrow looks unaffected. Some decent spells of brightness around.

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But then the first rain comes into Dorset and Somerset and it inches

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its way ever northwards. Heavy burst of rain. It will turn more showery

:25:17.:25:22.

in the evening period that there is still a threat of significant

:25:23.:25:25.

disruption across the Somerset levels and other river catchments.

:25:26.:25:32.

Temperatures are academic. If we look beyond that, the next cause for

:25:33.:25:37.

concern after a window of decent weather will be late Friday, as

:25:38.:25:42.

another Atlantic system rattles in through the night and into Saturday.

:25:43.:25:48.

This has all the hallmarks of the effect of the storm last night we

:25:49.:25:52.

should affect `` we should expect similar impacts.

:25:53.:25:57.

It's a grim picture this evening. If you're one of the people affected by

:25:58.:26:00.

the severe weather and flooding but don't know what to do, ring the

:26:01.:26:04.

police on the Police information number 101.

:26:05.:26:05.

the severe weather and flooding but don't know what to do, ring And BBC

:26:06.:26:07.

Somerset will bring you updates as they get them. If you have been

:26:08.:26:15.

affected, I hope you are OK. Thank you for watching. Goodbye.

:26:16.:26:19.

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