27/02/2014 BBC Points West

Good evening. Two families campaigning for increased sentences

for drivers who are repeatedly convicted of dangerous driving took

their fight to Downing Street today. Ross and Clare Simons died when

Nicholas Lovell crashed into their tandem. He had four previous

convictions for dangerous driving. Here's our home affairs

correspondent, Steve Brodie. Ross and Clare Simons' family

arrived in Downing Street to deliver their 15,000 signature petition to

Number Ten. Just over a year ago Nicholas Lovell crashed into Ross

and Clare as they rode their tandem bicycle, killing them both. It left

their families devastated. Length of sentence, that was handed out for

the lost of our two kids. We had to do something. Now this is turning to

this the final stage hopefully is going to be the final stage. These

tariffs for this sort of offence will be increased. Lovell, who had

previously been disqualified 11 times, was yet again driving without

a licence or insurance. When arrested, he was found to have

consumed a cocktail of drugs, including cocaine. He was jailed for

ten`and`a`half years, the longest sentence available to the judge at

Bristol Crown Court. The whole year has been really up and down. I think

you go through stages. This is something point of view, like I ve

said before. It is going to give us a focus. If it doesn't make a change

this time, we will come back. We won't be able to rest until we have

justice. It is going to do no good for Ross now but future families

have to have something. The Prime Minister confirmed that this is

being looked at. If you are a persistent offender surely the law

must recognise that you have to have a tougher penalty in place. What's

the point of this if people like Nicholas Lovell are going to

disregard it. And lawyers have argued that any change in the law

must make clear the difference between prolific offenders like

Lovell and motorists guilty of a momentary lapse in concentration.

Joining me now is legal expert Joshua Rozenberg. What's your

opinion on this? Could this campaign work? I'm sure the Prime Minister

was sympathetic. He was concerned that Lovell got ten`and`a`half years

given that the maximum sentence for death by dangerous driving is 1

years. Lovell got a third off for pleading guilty at the earliest

possibility. The Prime Minister was concerned that maybe the sentencing

guidelines needed revising. Because it was such an appalling killing,

Lovell got the maximum 14 years discounted for the early plea of

guilty. I think it would be difficult for the Government to

raise the sentence beyond 14 years. You may wonder, if you are not going

to be deterred by a 14`year sentence, will you be deterred by a

16`year sentence? Some say Lovell killed two people here. Shouldn t

his sentence be twice as much? It is 14 years for one offence but what

the courts do is look at the individual act by the offender. What

Lovell did was one crime. Dangerous driving on one occasion. The fact

that, sadly, two people died doesn't mean that the courts can double the

sentence that he gets. Do you think the family may be waste g wasting

their time? I think it would be difficult. If you raise a sentence

for causing death by dangerous driving you have to raise lots of

other sentences. It is going to be quite a hard struggle for them.

Thank you very much. Farmers in Somerset have been

returning home today to assess how much damage has been caused by weeks

and weeks of lying floodwater. Over the last few days, the water has

begun to drop, revealing the full devastation. Their return has

coincided with the visit of Defra Minister Dan Rogerson to Somerset,

who indicated that the plan of what to do with the Levels over the next

two decades could be finalised earlier than expected. Andrew Plant

reports. Coming back to their family farm, James Hall is walking

carefully through this water. It has fallen a foot in the past couple of

days, and the damage that was hidden is now on show. The back of the

shed's been ripped out by the power of the waves. The walls have been

pushed over. Storm with the water has done a lot of damage. This was

exactly one month ago. The 27th January, when the Environment

Secretary, Owen Paterson, came to see the flooding for himself. Why

have you only started doing this now? He promised that within six

weeks for water management here over the next 20 years. Today a Minister

was in somer set again to say that plans should be published in the

next few days. All the local agencies are represented, all the

councils are talking about short`term actions like the dredging

the, which we are taking, and the medium and long`term actions that

will improve the situation for water management and resilience on Levels.

This water smells strongly of fuel. Sometime soon it will begin to

settle and contaminate the soil below.

The Church Commissioners have confirmed that the next Bishop of

Bath and Wells won't live at the Bishop's palace. Hundreds of people

opposed to him moving out packed a public meeting last month. The

Church Commissioners say the new Bishop will benefit from greater

privacy. The diocese says it's disappointed at the decision.

Before we go, just reminder that our series on the Great War continues on

BBC local radio and of course Points West tomorrow. David Garmston

explores the life of a First World War musician and poet whose work was

inspired by the West Country. Ivor Gurney's story will also be on BBC

Radio Gloucestershire at 8.15am tomorrow.

Now here's Ian with the weather and news of snow? Indeed Sabet. Some of

you are seeing the northern lights across parts of Gloucestershire and

Wiltshire. That's rare enough. And rarer still now. Some upland areas

could see snow tomorrow. Low`lying areas will be a rain and perhaps

sleet story. That's developing now over the top of Exmoor.

That will pivot up northwards during the night. Quite heavy rain. 10`20

mm. An increase on that in places. Temperatures tonight dropping to 2`3

Celsius. The Forest of Dean and Cotswolds could catch snow tomorrow.

This turns south`eastwards, maybe snow in upland areas of Bath and the

Mendips and parts of Wiltshire. A fair amount of rain and cloud.

Brighter spells as well. Things will tidy into the evening but it will

have turned chilly by then. Technologies will only have been 5`7

Celsius during a cold day. The outlook, an unsettled weekend.

looking too bad at the weekend. Bash Street. I have got some wintry

weather to talk about tonight and that has been a rare occurrence

during this current winter. There will be a touch of frost and it

could lead to icy patches across Northern Ireland and south-west

Scotland. There is snow in the forecast as well. The Northern

lights have been making an appearance in the evening. They had

been reported in Essex and reporters in south Wales as well. But the

light show is coming to an end as this arrives. This will be quite

lively in the South West with strong gusts of wind in Cornwall and the

Isles of