21/02/2014 BBC Points West

A reminder of our main story. Thousands of protest to remain in

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

main story tonight: The moment of truth.

We find the man who ordered the dredging on the Somerset Levels to

stop. We stopped the dredging because it wasn't justified, the

expenditure, in so the benefits to the area when we had floods.

He maintains it was the right decision ` even as people continue

to struggle through the worst floods in memory.

Our other stories tonight: It's a long way from Africa ` an elephant

arrives at a west country zoo ` but is it the right place for a large

animal? A dramatic day at the High Court as

the South Africans give assurances in the Shrien Dewani murder case.

And the West Country bobsleigh team at the Winter Olympics ` British

hopes rest on the athletes from Bath.

Good evening: A water engineer has said today that HE took the decision

20 years ago to stop dredging on the Somerset Levels.

Ken Tatem ` who has now retired ` is standing by his judgement, and says

removing the silt from the rivers would not have prevented this year's

flooding. His intervention comes as the

Environment Agency is preparing to re`start dredging after some heavy

criticism. Let's cross live now to the Levels, and Scott Ellis is in

Burrowbridge. I have been taking a closer look at the silt that divides

opinion. I have dredged some myself from the River Parrett. Here it is,

a bucket full of silt. This is not soil, this is silt, which has been

brought in on the tide and settled on the bottom of the river. The

River Parrett, even though we're a long way from Bridgwater, is tidal.

The vast majority of people here are elated that dredging is about to get

underway, but some people think this process of the tide coming in and

bringing up silt is entirely natural, and there is point in

intervening. Ken Tatem was flood defence manager

in the 1990s, during which time he called a halt to dredging because

everyone agreed it wasn't worth the cost. And he's not changed his mind.

The important thing on the River Parrett is that it is a shallow

gradient. Therefore, when you dredge at the top end, you are just making

that gradient shallower. You are getting less and less flow. He says

the Government wants to dredge the River Parrett simply to win over

locals ` a sweetener before more difficult discussions are had about

which high`cost projects are funded. The area's MP knows Ken Tatem and

has respect for his views, but remains pro`dredging. There are a

lot of other people who say you have to get the water out of this. This

river ran pretty efficiently up until about 1995, when there was a

fundamental policy change. We have to go back to what it was. The

policy change was giving more room to wildlife. Dredging didn't fit in.

An environmental group says that dredging is not seen as a single

solution. It's like having a plughole that you are clearing to

try to stop the bath filling up with water. In the long term, it would be

more efficient to also look at how much water is coming into the

system, and also the bits of grit and silt that are blocking the

plughole in the first place. Wetlands like these, imagine those

soaking up the water, storing it, releasing it slowly, filtering out

that silt and grit. Everyone agrees the dredging is just part of the

answer. Reducing the speed at which water drains on to the Levels is

also important. There is more water coming down from the catchment area.

That water needs to go somewhere else other than just in my front

room. I want to go home. I want to live a normal life. I don't ask to

be flooded. I don't ask for water to be sitting in my living room when I

could be sitting there quite happily. Ken Tatem has another

solution ` greater use of the King's Sedgemoor Drain during flood periods

to take water north away from the Moors. It's a large area of storage

with no property, no communications at risk. Obviously, the difficulty

is you are asking a set of farmers who don't get funding at the moment

to accept flooding. That's a difficult negotiation, but I think

in the long run, if you are going to help this area of the Moors at all,

that ought to be done. The debate will continue until March seven

when Somerset takes its 20`year action plan to the secretary of

state. There are many other defence schemes

for the government to look at, including those along the Thames.

The accurate Burrowbridge, where we have seen military activity,

including helicopters. This is part of a project to get a Floodline up

to that pumping station just to make sure it can stay online. One other

note is that the Environment Agency says the sluice gate will be opened

on Sunday. That is a part of the plan to pump out the River Parrett

to get the water levels down. Back to you. Thank you very much.

Many are now looking to the future after the flooding ` putting plans

for defences in place. But for scores of people living on the

levels, there has been no change. Water is still lapping around homes,

and in some places, is even still creeping up. It means things like

water taxis have become a way of life. Andrew Plant reports.

There are permanent points used by many as measuring sticks, and the

signs are that this water is still heading in the wrong direction.

House that just last week seemed safe are now heavily defended. Boats

afloat where once was front garden. Even today ` this water is creeping

higher. This temporary water taxi is beginning to feel like a permanent

fixture. Hello? Funded by the County Council, Trevor

and Jason operate on call, ferrying those cut off by this thigh`high

water. I need to meet my daughter on the other side of the floods. We're

going to try on her wedding dress. The depth of water has gone down a

bit. On the edge of the village of Oathe, this idyllic farmhouse, a

makeshift seashore lapping on all sides. To begin with, you think it

is exciting. Then you think it is quite scary, and then you think you

just wanted to enter. A good adventure, but let's see the end of

it. This vehicle means Bob Smith needs no longer be marooned in his

home. It is proving vital for many. An emergency measure funded by the

council until the water recedes and the words he returned. Despite the

pumps, the emergency help and the improving weather, there is stall ``

still an onshore ocean here that is resolutely refusing to budge.

In other news, a man's appeared in court charged with murdering the

Gloucester hairdresser Hollie Gazzard. 20`year`old Hollie was

attacked at the salon where she worked on Tuesday evening. Today,

Asher Thomas Aslin, who is 22, appeared at Cheltenham Magistrates'

Court. He'll appear again at Bristol Crown Court next Tuesday. A pilot

has had a lucky escape after a small plane crashed into a field in

Gloucestershire. The Fire Services said the person walked away

uninjured after making an emergency landing in a field.

Welcome to BBC Points West on this Friday evening. Jemma will be with

us a little later to tell us what the weather has in store for us

And there's plenty more still to come, including: Is there life on

Mars? We'll be meeting the students who have got a little closer to

finding out. A zoo in North Somerset has taken

delivery of its first elephant ` an African adult called Buta. Noah s

Ark Zoo Farm in Wraxall has opened a 20`acre park to house up to ten

animals. It's Europe's biggest elephant

enclosure, but some experts are questioning whether elephants should

be held in captivity at all. Fiona Lamdin reports.

29`year`old Buta is pretty used to travelling. Born in the wild in

Zimbabwe, she then grew up in safari parks across the UK at Windsor and

Knowsley. She's quite a personality. She is quite a character. Very

confident. And just a few hours into her new life at Noah's Ark, she

seems to be making herself quite at home. She played a lot in the sand.

She had a couple of Christmas trees there as well. She was throwing them

about, and letting them land on her back. She's very comfortable

already. It's been amazing. The team here at Somerset have been planning

Europe's biggest elephant enclosure for eight years now, and when you

come outside you really get the sense of just how big it is. It is

unbelievable. This is a new world standard. The elephants have 20

acres. 20 acres! All to themselves. Within those 20 acres, they have a

field, they have woods, they have wallows, they have a pool. There

isn't anything that these elephants haven't got. But some who've have

spent time with elephants in the wild disagree. Elephants are such

huge intelligent animals that are used to walking six or seven miles a

day in strongly bonded family units. Zoo life just isn't working for

them, because it's taking away all of the components of their natural

life. They aren't living at all as they would in the wild, and this is

a huge psychological and physical problem for these elephants. But

here at Noah's Ark, they insist they're putting the elephants, not

the visitors, first. I think that's how you educate people, and that's

how you make them care about them, and then with that, you have the

conservation. People who care about elephants will also want to sustain

them in the wild. Unbelievable to see one that close in this country.

It's not very often you see them like that. Absolutely amazing. I'm

speechless. It's lovely. Buta soon won't be the only elephant in this

room. The plan is others will join her as they grow this herd. Fiona

Lamdin, BBC Points West at Noah s Ark Zoo in Wraxall.

We have an update tonight on the case of Shrien Dewani, the Bristol

man who's accused of organising the murder of his wife Annie on their

honeymoon. The UK Court has been told about the conditions in which

Mr Dewani would be kept if he was forced to go to South Africa to face

trial. That could've been the end of this long`running legal argument,

but tonight we've heard that his legal team have tried to take the

case to the Supreme Court. How did we get here?

It's November 2010, and Anni Dewani is on honeymoon when she's killed.

The next month, her husband, Shrien, is arrested on conspiracy of her

murder. The South African authorities say they want to

extradite him to stand trial. In 2011, Shrien is taken to hospital in

Bristol with post`traumatic stress. His lawyers say he's too ill to

attend court hearings. But the Home Secretary Theresa May signs an order

for his extradition. March 2012 sees Shrien's extradition temporarily

halted on mental health grounds ` two judges calling it "unjust and

oppressive". Fast forward to the following July, and another court

appearance. This time, a judge says Shrien CAN go to South Africa and

continue his recovery there. His legal team appeals. And just last

month, judges rule he can be extradited, as long as the South

African government makes a pledge over how long he would be kept in

the country without trial. Now, while all this has been continuing,

there have been convictions in relation to Anni Dewani's death as

the BBC's South African correspondent reports.

Remember, there are three men already serving long sentences here

in South Africa for the murder of Anni Dewani. Mziwamadoda Qwabe, and

there is the man who pulled the trigger, Xolile Mngeni. Of course,

Zola Tongo, the initial taxi driver, who picked the couple up from the

airport. We will bring you updates on that story as we get them.

Bristol is to stage a homecoming parade for Winter Olympic bronze

medallist Jenny Jones. The 33`year`old made history after

winning Britain's first Olympic medal on snow in the slopestyle

event in Sochi. Her parade is being planned for March the 3rd ` that's a

week on Monday. Bath and North East Somerset Council will reveal its

plans for skeleton Gold medallist Lizzie Yarnold on Tuesday. We caught

up with Jenny on her first day back in Bristol. You can see what

reaction she got on Monday. People in Lizzy Yarnold's hometown

seem to have given up waiting for a postbox to be painted in her honour.

This one, in West Kingsdown, Kent, has been given a rather crude make

over. Royal Mail said it has no plans to honour the Olympic gold

medallist, who trained in Bath. Locals in Kent aren't too impressed.

Somebody has had to come and do that because a girl has got a gold medal,

and I think they should come down here and hang their heads in shame.

Wouldn't want to be a real gold box, or it would disappear, wouldn't it?

SOCHI Four West`based athletes are hoping to pick up Team GB's final

medal of the Winter Olympics this weekend.

As things stand now, Team GB has equalled its best ever medal haul

from a Winter Games. By Sunday, half the medals won in

Sochi could have come from our region. Here's Jules Hyam.

Good things are meant to come in threes. West Country Olympic medal

number one. Called the number two. But is there one more on its way?

Because Winter Olympic fans can keep their majestic mountains, they can

keep their snowfall. What you need to bring home the medals is a bit of

West Country spirit. These guys have plenty of that. The Team GB four`man

bob sled. We have enough to stand on the podium. The Olympics is one of

those beings that people fall to pieces in. You go to the top of the

hill, we would push as hard as we can, work 100% for each other, and

one of the results will be will be. We won't get it easily. The team

will run tomorrow. Their times of being right up alongside the best so

far. They do have a real chance of snatching a top three place. It will

add to and record breaking hall And a hat`trick for West Country Olympic

medals. There's Friday night football at the

Memorial Stadium tonight. Bristol Rovers are at home to Burton, and

the home side will be hoping to ease any fears of relegation.

Alistair Durden is there for us Ali, why is the game tonight? It

wasn't to avoid the rain, because that has come on cue. It is one of

three matches the club will move to Friday this season after a

successful experiment with one fixture last year. Supporters like

it. It gives those a chance who can't come at the weekend to come

and watch Bristol Rovers on a Friday night, and the players and manager

will tell you you get a better atmosphere under the floodlights.

Those coming tonight will certainly be hoping to see a fume or bits of

magic from John Joe O'Toole. 13 goals from him this season. And it

seems he's keen to be a bit of an entertainer on and off the field

too. STRUMS CHORDS. # Perhaps he's the

one they should avoid. #. A midfield maestro with a taste for

rock music. The guitar goes with John`Joe O'Toole to every away game,

but a roomful of his team`mates is the toughest crowd he has faced

Obviously when you are travelling away, you get to the hotel and it's

a bit boring, so you just bring your guitar along and have a strum for a

couple of hours. I'm not a crowd`pleaser. I need a bit more

practice, I think. As you can see, I'm no Eric Clapton. I give him

10/10 for his efforts, but his dreadful singing... I don't think he

should sing. But I like the kid so he's got a 10/10 from me. John`Joe's

greatest hits have definitely been on the football pitch. He's having

his best season for goals. His career began in the Championship at

Watford, but now he is playing in League Two, a level many believe he

is far too good for. You are so naive when you are young. So naive.

You think it will all be all right and stuff. Coming here, I've had the

best games I've had in who knows how long. To play at that level one day

again, that would be good. Hopefully it happens one day. We have a

love/hate relationship, I think I love him and he doesn't particularly

like me sometimes, but he does what he is asked to do. I'm joking there,

really. He works very hard for the team, and when he's on that pitch,

you ask any of my players, they ll want him on their team. After

fighting so hard to sign him in the summer, the Rovers may have a battle

to keep him. But O'Toole is focused on just keeping Rovers up. When you

get beaten by teams where they're probably lesser, it is frustrating,

which has probably happened too many times this season. I'm not too

worried about getting relegated because if we get relegated, we

should hang up our boots. It should not happen. # O'Toole scores goals,

my Lord. # While they may not want an encore of this performance, on

the pitch, Rovers need more of the same from their lead man. # Score

some goals! #. CHEERING. He is a brave man. I have the Rovers'

director of finance with me. Will you keep in next year? We have him

on a three`year contract. We expect to keep him during that period. Fine

and eight football, is as a financial decision? `` Friday night

football. We do get a different clientele on a Friday night. All the

lads to play football on Saturday, they get a chance to watch is on

Friday night. The atmosphere of the ground, with the darkness coming

down, we feel the atmosphere it generates is special. In the future,

will you want to play more than three games? Is determined by how

many clubs we can persuade to join us here on a Friday night. They will

look at how their fans travelled to the game. The further away they are,

the less likely they will want to. How difficult is that process? We

wrote to all of the clubs before the fixtures came out saying we would

like to do it. It is traditional for some to play on a Friday night. One

or two clubs and are starting to think about it more, so hopefully

we'll get empty more next year. Would hope for tonight? If we could

get to six and a half thousand, I would be pleased with that crowd.

The weather is hardly the best, but six and a half thousand would be

nice. Hope you get three points Rovers playing tonight against

Burton. It looks like an important weekend in the championship. Six of

the bottom eight teams play each other, including Yeovil Town at home

to Doncaster Rovers. Swindon and Bristol City are both away from home

in League One. As are Cheltenham, at Newport in League Two. In rugby

Bath play Wasps, while Gloucester host Harlequins. Mike Tindall

captains the side on his 200th Premiership appearance. On Sunday,

Bristol face Plymouth. A win will take them to the top of the

Championship. There's a strong West Country

influence in England's match day squad for their Six Nations game

against Ireland. Among the six from Gloucester and Bath is fly`half

George Ford, who has been in fine form since arriving at the Rec from

rivals Leicester Tigers. He's had to wait patiently for his chance in the

competition, and could make his senior international debut if he

comes off the bench. Feel ready, yeah. Definitely.

Obviously playing rugby since a young age, it gets ingrained in you,

and that's all you know. Playing professionally for the last three or

four years has been brilliant, and I couldn't wish for a better career,

really. Going to Bath this year has helped me to play a run of games

consistently, and that's helped me massively.

The club tell me no problem as far as the page is concerned tonight,

despite the rain. If we had a massive downpour, John Joe O'Toole

would have to come out with his guitar and entertain us all. Nobody

wants that, do they? Thank you very much.

They've braved inhospitable landscapes and been deprived of food

and water, all to find out if man can survive on Mars.

We're talking about three research students from the University of

Bristol, who've become the first UK crew to spend time in the Mars

Desert Research Station in America. Will Glennon took one giant leap to

meet them. Mars ` the nearest planet to earth

that man could potentially inhabit. But what a challenge it would be to

tame a landscape where there's no air to breathe, no water, and huge

extremes of hot and freezing cold ` a barren landscape where everything

you need to stay alive would have to be brought with you. And although

this looks like Mars, it's actually the Utah desert. The space suits are

semi`real too, as researchers here try to live just as they would if on

a mission to Mars. Each time we left the facility, we had to wear

spacesuits to go outside on our extracurricular activities. We had

to eat food like astronauts would eat. We had a limited supply of

water and electricity. I think he ever good notion of what would be

like for real astronauts in space and on Mars. Michaela's one of three

scientists from Bristol taking part here in a UK first. She was in

charge of the greenhouse and growing plants for food. There were other

experiments too, like turning rocks into rocket fuel. But the hardest

part was just living together in confined spaces with restricted

access to everything. Living with seven people were you don't have

personal space for extended periods of time is interesting. It was quite

difficult in that no one could really escape anyone. You are always

in the face of the other person Even the smallest being all smiles

problems were amplified. Everything this crew learnt in their weeks in

the desert will feed into a wider study. There is a real plan to staff

a mission to Mars within 20 years, maybe even ten. If man does ever set

foot on the red planet, it could be the small steps taken here that help

get us there. I'm pretty sure that we'll could

survive on Mars. He eats a bout of chocolate. That's been our way up to

the roof. I thought it would be lovely this morning, but it seems to

have gone pear shaped. We should be grateful. Cast your

mind back a week ago when we were having the worst storm we've had so

far this winter. That is saying something. Winds up to 80 mph. It

has a big spring today, that it is quite settled compared to what we

have had. The weekend is not too bad. Let's take a look at the

forecast. We're looking at Saturday as the better day. Drier and

brighter. Sunday, looking at my winter weather. It is courtesy of

this low`pressure system which produces in through Saturday

morning, bringing a lot of rain with that. We had showers today. Some

were sharp and wintry. We had hail mixed in there. Equally, we had nice

good spells of sunshine. That will push through to the rest of this

evening. She was dying away. The cloud breaking very nicely indeed.

That makes race at night. A bit of a breeze here and there, but

generally, clear skies and a much drier story. With clearing skies,

though, lower temperatures. We're looking at a patchy bit of grass

frost in some of the rural areas. Temperatures above freezing, but

only just. It is a cold start tomorrow morning. But a bright one.

We're looking at plenty of sunshine. It will take as through

Saturday. Winter sunshine. The odd shower through Saturday, all

amounting to a great day. A little bit of a south`westerly breeze, but

in sheltered areas away from that breeze, that winter sunshine could

scrape ten or 11 Celsius. Things begin to change overnight tomorrow.

We see showers coming in courtesy of the low pressure. The wind speeds

pick up. Gusts up to six miles per hour. A little less inland, but it

is an unsubtle picture, and the show was merging into the early hours of

Sunday morning to form longer spells of rain. They hurled a wet and windy

Sunday. Overcast, great, we lose the winter sunshine, and with the cloud,

the rain, and the wind chill, you will feel about eight or nine

Celsius. The legacy of the next week, blustery, unsettled wintry

showers, and the winds pick up the strength again by Tuesday.

At least the weather starts off OK to start the weekend. Absolutely.

I'm back with an update at ten o'clock, where I shall be delighted

to bring you news of a victory for Bristol Rovers. Have a lovely

weekend. Goodbye.