06/02/2014 BBC Points West

Peter, thank you. That's all from the BBC

Welcome to BBC Points West with Liz Beacon and David Garmston.

The water's getting closer. Villagers resort to the last line

of defence while other give up and leave as more rain is forecast.

No, we don't want to leave, no. We will stay as long as we can.

If we are forced to move with the water coming up really high,

we'll go then. At the moment, we want to stay put.

My primary concern is protecting life and property.

Where we think there is significant risk to that, we are doing

everything to influence that decision.

And the heartbroken farmer who finally loses his fight to keep his

The other stories making the news tonight:

A tank regiment marches through Bristol to mark a safe return

Could a new arena be built on this wasteland?

The council agrees to borrow the cash that's needed.

why are our West Country athletes so good at this one?

The West is holding its breath as more rain heads to our region.

With river levels already high, and mile upon mile of standing water,

safe on the Somerset Levels continues.

The pumps are pumping floodwater off the Levels into the darkness of the

river that is below me here. It is not happening fast enough. 32 Royal

Marines deployed tonight to nearby Burrowbridge. They are helping with

the sandbagging there. We have seen the police, the Fire Service, the

Environment Agency helping out residents who decided to stay trying

to stem that floodwater. It's been quite a massive effort, too. It s

not just people who are affected. There's been 1,000 cattle moved off

the Moors, too. They are not doing the river. It

makes you wonder why you bother farming. This area is cut off other

than to the emergency services. In nearby Moorland, half the residents

stayed overnight despite warnings. With more rain on the way, others

decided to leave today. It's terrible. I have never been through

anything like this before. I didn't expect to be. My neighbours lived in

the village for over 40 years and he has never seen anything like it at

all. The advice from the police is still to leave. This woman says she

will stay until her house floods. We have power but we can't use the

toilets. We haven't used washing machines for more than a week. We

can't shower anymore. It's pretty difficult. We are coping. We joined

this local councillor as he returned to his home this morning to find it

awash. I feel the same as any other resident. We have been totally let

down by successive governments who haven't put in money into flood

relief in this area. The Environment Agency says it welcomes the ?10

million pledged by the Government to tackle flooding on the Somerset

Levels. That will help only in future years. Here, the problems are

more immediate. Rain is once again on the horizon.

It is hard to believe, you are only about five minutes from the M5. As

the Marines sandbag in Burrowbridge, they are handing out food in the

village hall. The effort today does seem to be well resourced. We have

seen 30,000 sandbags handed out It does seem to have been well

organised. There will always be the underlying anger ` why has it been

allowed to happen? Will it happen again next year? Thank you.

Today, over 500 cattle were evacuated from

a flooded farm in Moorlands before it was too late.

James Winslade helped by friends and fellow farmers spent all day

onto dry land at Sedgemoor Auction Centre. They are being kept there

before its hoped they can be stored in any spare farm buildings until

the waters subside. It was a desperate battle and there was anger

that the farmers had no help with the evacuation.

Their lives saved. These cattle are being taken to dry land and there

isn't a minute to waste. It is a race against time. The farmers are

trying to co`ordinate getting these cattle out as quickly as possible.

Once the light goes, they won't be able to save them. As James said,

they will drown. Farmers from across the area came with tractors and

trailers. No`one was going to let James handle this alone. It is

horrendous. It is horrendous! Never seen anything like it in all my

life. It is awful! With the water still rising, the convoy of trailers

worked all day to save the livestock. For James, today's help

was vital. Moving them here and they will have to go somewhere else.

We've got to get them out of ` the farm is going completely under. It

is that deep. If we don't get them out now, we won't get them out. 550

are coming in here today. Hopefully, we will have lorries to take them to

different farms. Anyone who has spare room on their farm may be able

to take some of his animals in. Those left, he will be forced to

sell. Support in the way of animal feed has arrived from all over the

country as people heard about James' plight. In such deep waters,

tractors ran into trouble. With no road to follow, it was easier to go

into a ditch. A quick`thinking digger driver saved these cows from

drowning. Soaking wet and fighting for his livelihood, James today

called for the Army to take charge of the evacuations. Everyone was

asking where is the help. Without these farmers, today would have

ended in tragedy. It was a heroic evacuation, but James' future is

still at risk. It's been a week of promises of help

and more money from the Government ` Our political editor, Paul Barltrop,

is here. The Government are trying to show

they are getting to grip with things. Out went Owen Paterson to

have an eye operation, in Kaymer rick pickles. He came to Parliament

and made an announcement that there would be yet more money. Yesterday,

we heard from David Cameron, today an extra ?30 million was announced.

Also, Eric Pickles paid tribute to all those involved.

I think we've all been struck by the stark images of stranded residents

on the Somerset Levels. And their brave resolve to continue their

daily lives, either by boat or by tractor. I also want to pay tribute

to the hard work of councils, the Environment Agency staff

on the ground, and our emergency services who have been supporting

communities 24 hours a day, literally going through hell

I understand that the Government's Emergency Committee COBRA is meeting

again tonight. What's on the agenda? It is under way right now. It

started in the last few minutes It's being chaired by David Cameron

no less, the Prime Minister. It s to give its official title Cabinet

Office Briefing Room A. He's criticised the Environment Agency

and their unwillingness to do dredging in rivers. He's repeated

his pledge that it will start in these two rivers as soon as

possible. He knows it could be many months before it is safe to do so.

He has given a clear hint that he may soon visit Somerset. What

matters most of all as Prime Minister is to make sure the whole

of the Government is working towards helping with this problem. When it

is right for me to visit, I will be there, don't worry. It is vital We

had ministerial visits in the past. There will be more to come. The most

important thing is to co`ordinate all the effort for people in

Somerset. He's wary of a repeat of last week's difficult visit by Owen

Paterson, who came to the Levels. He didn't appear to go anywhere flooded

or wasn't wearing a pair of wellies. For our local councils who are

working hard on the ground, there was good news today? It was to do

with money. They are running up big bills at the moment. The Government

announced a change in the Bellwin Fund. That is the way councils are

reimbursed for money tackling emergencies. They could get 85% of

the money back, now they can get 100% of the money back.

to the local Conservative MP, Ian Liddell`Grainger.

Has the Government got its act together? It had its act together.

We didn't ask the Government to get involved until Sedgemoor District

Council called a major incident alert. The Government has been doing

what it should do which is building resources, continuously. You can see

these are new pumps, new outlets. The fight goes on. Yet, tonight we

hear that Royal Marines, the world's crack troops, are filling sandbags.

There was no military help to assist those farmers moving the animals

earlier? Well, I'm not quite sure what the Army could have done. They

don't have transport to shift animals. The outcome of the farmers

moving with other farmers helping is probably about the right way to do

it. It is more stressful but you have people who are used to dealing

with animals. Royal Marines are probably not good at dealing with

cattle. For all the help that we are told is coming, things seem to be

getting worse, don't they, not better? Well, we can't control the

weather, you are right. It is going to be a very tough weekend. Behind

me, we have a fight to keep people in Moorlands. We are in the lap of

the Lord over this weekend. I think we will get through it. It will be

hard. We have got, we understand, about 50 flooded homes which must be

terrible for those involved. Should there be any limit on what the

Government spends protecting those homes on the Levels? I don't believe

so. At the moment, the problem we have got is ` because the river

behind me is so below capacity ` the Environment Agency has not allowed

dredging and the pumps to the other side of me are extremely old. If we

get this sorted, we won't have the same longevity of flooding. It is

the time we are taking to get the water back off again that is the

problem. OK. Thank you very much. There will be more visits. David

Cameron is probably a matter of days away from visiting. We do know who

is going to be coming tomorrow. That is a politician from the House of

Lords, one Chris Smith. He is Chair of the Environment Agency. So he has

taken a lot of flak in the recent days. He will be visiting the Levels

and wanting to highlight the Agency's budget is set by the

Government and the priorities are set by the Government. In the light

of what's gone on in recent days, they will probably be changeable.

Will he be meeting the MP there That will be interesting, if it does

happen. 200 soldiers marched through the

centre of Bristol this morning. The troops, from the Wiltshire`based

2nd Royal Tank Regiment, returned They chose the city for their

homecoming parade because it's where the regiment carries out much of its

recruitment. And as Julia Causton reports, as

well as being a celebration, it was also an opportunity to try

and attract new soldiers. It was a day for families to come

together and be thankful. I'm just really, really proud of

them. Really, really proud of them. And so they waited in the rain for

mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers. After seven months in

Afghanistan, today's soldiers from the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment

were welcomed home to the place Very proud to march through Bristol

as a local from around this area. It was good to see everybody out

supporting the troops. Nice to see so many people come out

and support us. People saying thank you and that.

It's really nice. It's good. The "tankies" have been helping the

Afghan Army as they prepare to take control of the country at the end of

this year. And, for those waiting back home,

this parade was a welcome sight There's been lots of days, but this

one is marvellous because they've been out to Afghanistan and

back safe and well, you know, the majority of the poor fellows.

It is wonderful. The seven`month tour was the last

one for this regiment. In August, they're merging with the

1st Royal Tank Regiment as part of Despite this downsizing, there's a

very visible recruitment drive. We need a healthy inflow of recruits

and young people. This is the ideal for everyone and it's a really

exciting time. While the future for this regiment

will be a very different one, for the families here today, a very

familiar sense of relief. Julia Causton, BBC Points West,

Bristol. An aristocrat from Gloucestershire

has been jailed for two years for assaulting his wife over a

20`year period. Lord Edward Somerset, who's the

second son of the Duke of Beaufort, was described at Bristol Crown Court

as a drug addict and alcoholic. The 55`year`old had kicked

and punched his wife, and, during drunken fights, pulled

her hair and scratched her. The judge said he remained a risk to

women and imposed a restraining order forbidding him

to contact his wife. A report by the health regulator has

found that improvements have been made at the Royal United Hospital in

Bath ` but warns that there's still work to be done. Inspectors made an

unannounced visit in December, after it was given a warning by the

Care Quality Commission in June They noted that progress has been

made, but say the Trust still needs to monitor the quality of the

services they provide. Now last night you may remember that

we told you about school pupils from across the West who were trying

to break a world record. They're singing, and signing, at the

same time. The sharp`eyed amongst you would

have seen the students here are from St Mary's Catholic Primary

in Bradley Stoke, not in Gloucestershire as we said

last night. However, we're still crossing our

fingers they've broken the record. We'll let you know as soon as

we're told. Bath's Amy Williams' emotional

homecoming after her victory Amy was Britain's first individual

gold medallist at a Winter Olympics for 30 years when she won the

skeleton. So will Sochi yield us any

silverware? Ali's here. Well, let's hope so ` and it's the

skeleton again which is showing the most promise. We have the

current World Champion ` Pewsey's Shelley Rudman and

Bath`based Lizzy Yarnold I've been looking at what makes us

Brits so great at sliding at speed. In a race that lasts under a minute,

tenths of a second can mean the difference between winning gold and

nothing. Since 2001, the British team have

been using this concrete track at It improves their starts, crucial to

generating race speed. In the shed, all the athletes' times

are analysed. Gold medallist Amy Williams trained

here for six years, improving her In a mathematical model, everyone

sliding the same, there will be a second at the bottom of the run

which is huge. A lot comes down to what we do in

the gym, in terms of strength and power. That is the big key

attribute, trying to be as strong and powerful as possible. If we can

get that, we can tweak it to how they use it on the track, I'm

confident we can turn most raw All summer the athletes are in the

gym three times a day. Then in winter, they head to Europe

but time on the track We only have the six runs in any

given competition, so that's six minutes practice before you compete.

That's a tough thing to deal with in itself. We have learnt to become

very good at learning quickly. I focus on a few things each day in

training. I have the same processes The search for the next Lizzy

started two years ago. We take a lot of talent transfers, people who are

already training hard in different sports who go we could get a look at

that and we like the look of that. We tested 1,500 across the country.

From there, we whittle and whittle until we are really taking them on

ice. We will take 10 or 15 on ice and see who have got the other raw

materials that we need to ` for a long career in skeleton, which is

what it takes. There's also been a big investment in technology. Amy

Williams' sled was the product of a four`year research project.

Regulations dictate the dimensions and materials used. Engineers have

made the sleds lighter and reduced their friction on the ice. The

analogy I use is of a Formula One motor sport, so sometimes you have

to take a step back to work on your technology to go wow, this is what's

now working for me. And we drive the sled down the track, but we also

have the technology. The British team are confident they are ahead of

the game again. Now, they have to bring all the elements together at

90mph and on the biggest stage of all.

Now, we haven't had the Opening Ceremony yet but the Games are

already under way. Bristol snowboarder Jenny Jones has made it

through to the semi`finals of the slope style competition.

She finished fifth after the first heat this morning. She then slipped

at the beginning of her second run and therefore missed out on

automatic qualification for Sunday's final by less than half a point

I was happy with my first run because I was dropping first and the

nerves and the legs. A shame on the second run that I messed up the

cannon. It's a course that demands a lot of respect. There's big

features, big jumps, big rails and you have to have your wits about

you. Swindon Town are just one match away

from a trip to Wembley after the 1st leg of their Johnstone's Paint

Trophy area final against Peterborough. Swindon were

2`0 down after just 15 minutes, but fought back despite having a man

sent off. Nile Ranger scored their first before an own goal drew the

sides level ahead of the 2nd leg at Bath Rugby are understood to be in

talks to sign England Rugby League international Sam Burgess. Sam,

who's 25, currently plays for Australian side South Sydney

Rabbitohs who are owned by the actor Russell Crowe. Burgess is

believed to favour Bath over other Premiership clubs. But he's still

under contract and the RFU have today denied they would help fund

his move to rugby union by paying That is the lot for now. The opening

ceremony is at 4.00pm tomorrow afternoon.

An entertainment arena big enough to attract the stars is inching closer

Late this afternoon, councillors and business leaders agreed a

?53 million finance deal. Now those who want to build it just need to

clear one last hurdle ` a council vote in ten days' time.

Here's our business correspondent, Dave Harvey.

Please welcome, Sir Alex Ferguson. Leeds, just before Christmas. The

big names of sport, the latest in a year of showbusiness at the city's

new arena. And in Bristol, the thistles still grow in the old

diesel depot earmarked for decades to be the showbusiness capital of

the West. Today, that dream came a little closer. Look around this

place, it is hard to imagine a 12,000 seater stadium rising up from

the wasteland. It takes more than imagination, more in fact than some

fancy telly graphics. It takes hard cash. ?91 million they reckon. Now,

?38 million will come from income generated when the arena is running.

Look at that. That still leaves ?53 million to borrow and they will find

a very innovative way to pay it back. The other side of Temple Meads

station ` more derelict land. They call this the enterprise zone,

creative companies are being wooed to set up here. If they do, their

business taxes will pay off the loan that builds the arena. We have 5

businesses moving in and this provides a catalyst. Not only is it

good in its own right, it will attract other businesses into the

enterprise zone area. It will be a real lively place to be. No`one is

phoning Robbie Williams yet, mind. First, they have a big show at City

Hall, the Mayor has to persuade the full council to agree this finance

deal. Then, they will hand this huge derelict site over to a private

company to build and operate an arena for Bristol.

High winds have brought down several trees in the West. Luckily, no`one

was hurt and only two graves were damaged. What a shame to see that

tree go. Let's move on to the forecast. It is not good news.

Thank you. No, in fact talking about trees coming down, that may well

become another saga as we head into the weekend. For the time being at

least as we look through towards tomorrow, once we lose rain tonight,

there will be this window of much better weather lasting for a fair

part of Friday. You have guessed it, it will turn wet again by the

evening. It will turn windy as we head into Saturday. Anywhere south

of the M4, that amber rain warning continues. The new warning, as well

as a yellow warning, an amber warning for a good number of you.

You can see the areas at risk here. Severe gales will develop through

Saturday and with gusts reaching 70mph, that could well, well, it

will almost certainly will bring down trees. For now, as the radar

suggests, the rain has been grabbing the attention. I want to focus your

attention to the south`west of us. These showery outbreaks are starting

to push up across the English Channel. They will have parts of

Somerset in their sights later on this evening. So, this is how the

Met Office model takes the showery outbreaks of rain away through the

course of the night. Pretty windy from the north`west. Then we get

these better conditions into the daylight hours of Friday. You can

see what is waiting in the wings. So, returning to the forecast `

further outbreaks of rain. This area of heavy rain in the form of

showers. Possibly some lightning tracking eastwards. Generally, the

showers clearing away as the night goes on. Temperatures tonight, `5

Celsius. Tomorrow, as I mentioned, despite a windy start, it will be a

case of a better day generally. A good deal of dry, bright weather

about until that rain arrives into the evening. We will have to be

cautious for that. Temperatures tomorrow ` I will tell you, it is

8`9 Celsius. Thank you. Another grim forecast.

Let's see how that is being received in Somerset. Scott is still there

for us. Something of a lull in the weather. The pumps are thundering

away, shifting a million tonnes of water off the Levels into the river.

That is it. It is at capacity. It can't take anymore water. It is so

difficult to second guess where the floods are going to hit next because

of the complex network of drainage ditches across the Moors. We know

Royal Marines are out. I have seen a lorry`load of sandbags heading up to

Moorlands. We have seen police escorting cattle off the MooRps all

day as well. We have seen the `` Moors all day as well. We have had

the Environment Secretary here as well. Thank you very much. Thank you

for watching. We will see you again tomorrow. Update later tonight. Bye.