15/05/2014 BBC Points West

welcome. The main story tonhght News at Six - so it's

welcome. The main story tonhght Breaking the bank. Fees blow up a

cash machine with an exploshon that rocks nearby homes `` thievds. There

was an enormous bank and thd roof shock. `` bang. I saw burning

wreckage in the middle of the road. We will be asking if cash m`chines

are seen as easy money. The other headlines. A farmer films hhs

animals being shot to demonstrate the tragedy of TB. And why taxi

drivers in part of Somerset are being tested on their knowlddge And

how not to fluff exams. Anilals helping students relax before their

examinations. Good evening. Criminals set off an

explosion in the middle of ` petrol station in Bristol, just metres from

tanks filled with fuel. The target was a cash machine that was ripped

apart. It is thought they fhlled the cash machine with gases and set them

alight, apparently not caring about the possible risks. Nearby homes

were shaken during the attack, which happened in the middle of the night.

Blasted open by what neighbours said sounded like a bomb. This c`sh

machine's inner workings were exposed. It's protective front cover

blown metres away. Police s`y these thieves left empty`handed. @nd used

it seems, a criminal method becoming increasingly common. Take a look at

the shadowy area on the right of this picture. There's a cash machine

there Filmed by a petrol st`tion's security camera in Hampshird last

year. After the machine explodes, men in balaclavas rush in to scoop

up the money. There are people living either side of the g`rage and

when they looked out of thehr windows, they saw bits of this cash

machine on fire, in the middle of the. A distance about 60 fedt. I

thought it was a bomb. It w`s not until this morning, when solebody

knocked on the door and askdd me about it, I found out it was. I

looked out the window to sed burning wreckage in the middle of the road.

My instinct was that the garage had gone up in smoke. In March thieves

in Manchester made off with ?80 000 after spending months digging this

tunnel. And breaking open this machine from underneath. Thdse

thieves in Ireland went further still. They tore down a wall of a

bank with a digger, taking not just the cash, but the entire cash

machine. And here in Bristol just last month, a similar attack, only

this time with banknotes cldarly visible on the petrol station floor.

Today's attack is now being investigated. These gas bottles

it's thought, may have been used to blow the machine apart ` thd force

violent enough to tear metal to pieces. But this time too wdak, it

seems, to give these thieves what they came here for.

A Wiltshire police officer who was found guilty of gross misconduct

following a double murder inquiry has resigned from the force.

Detective Superintendent Stdve Fulcher was given a final written

warning after he failed to read Christopher Halliwell his rhghts

before he led him to the body of Becky Godden. As a result, Halliwell

was never charged over her death. Wiltshire Police have confirmed Mr

Fulcher has resigned, but h`ven t given any more details. A ftneral

service has been held in Bath this afternoon, for a businessman who

donated millions of pounds of his company's profits to good c`uses.

Tributes were paid to 76`ye`r`old Brian Roper at the service `t Bath

Abbey. Over the years he gave large amounts of his money to the Royal

United Hospital and to local schools. Shortly before his death he

was awarded the freedom of the city of Bath in recognition of hhs

contribution. An inquest into the deaths of two

soldiers in a tent fire has been told their colleague, who w`s in

charge of fire safety, had not realised he needed to check the

smoke detectors. 23`year`old Dean Hutchinson, from Wiltshire, died

along with another soldier when flames engulfed their tent `t Camp

Bastion. Giving evidence today, Corporal David Williams said he

believed a civilian contractor was responsible for checking thd smoke

detectors. The hearing in S`lisbury continues. Defra whether gassing is

a way of culling badgers. It comes after a farmer's herd was shot after

testing positive for TB. Thd farmer wanted to highlight is the reality

of the disease. There are upsetting scenes at the start of the report.

Whatever side of the badger cull debate you stand on, David Barton's

film is extremely difficult to watch. Four cattle had to bd shot

after testing positive for TB, including the farm's oldest stock

bull. To have him destroyed is bloody hard and I am getting out of

beef because of it because H cannot emotionally carry on doing this You

cannot live with this. It is ruining businesses. It is hopeless. My hands

are tied. What the bloody hdll do I do? It is ridiculous. I hopd you are

getting the message. I asked why he felt the need to make such ` painful

video public. Somebody said they had four C Walters. You think it is sad,

you forget about it quickly. If you see the cattle being slaughtered, it

does not disappear quickly `nd that is the point I wanted to make. For

me, it is horrible and it is happening to other farmers to often

across the south`west. David has always supported the badger cull

with several badger setts on his land. Every species on the farm we

control and it is done in a sensible manner. The deer, the foxes, but

badgers have been elevated to a status I do not understand `nd they

need to be controlled. Therd are far too many. The numbers have dxploded.

We have this terrible TB problem. David has now started a blog, in a

way he says, it is cathartic, but also to open up the debate to the

reality of farming under thd threat of TB.

And you can explore both sides of the badger cull debate on otr

website. Just go to news and then click on science and environment.

Still to come this evening: Join me later to find out more about these

guys. In the weather, we saw 21 degrees in the West Country today

and I bet we will beat it tomorrow. Details later.

So nice to see the sunshine. Swindon has been identified as one of the

key contests in the local elections. Experts reckon next Thursdax's

result will give an indicathon of who'll win the General Election The

council is a close contest between Labour and the Conservatives. Here's

our political editor Paul B`rltrop. Navigate away around Swindon's

roundabout and it is reckondd the road to Downing Street lies open.

Which ever party has got MPs elected here, in the last 30 years, has had

their man as prime minister. So this is crucial. Labour turned ott in

force today in one of their target seats. Helping deliver leaflets

parliamentary candidate Annd Snelgrove, who Labour HQ sax simply

must win next year. It puts pressures on everyone to make sure

we have a turnout on May thd 22nd and in 2015. Do you get pressure

from party headquarters, ? . We are always under pressure. It is a seven

day a week job. In the town centre, local Conservatives survey `

regeneration project. They believe Swindon's strong economic rdcovery

has already helped them keep a grip of the council, In the council

chamber, the only other party are four Liberal Democrats. `` keep

control of the council. We have had a majority of one in the last few

years and survived challengds and on each occasion troubles the lajority.

We will work hard to keep the council Conservative. In thd council

chamber, the only other party four Liberal Democrats. We are the ones

who will hold control in a balanced council and get policies into play

and hopefully get more people to vote for us in the first pl`ce. If

we had ten councillors elected, we would have a say in which w`y the

council would operate. If you have the sway and power, you can make

sure you get what people want. UKIP hope to make a breakthrough, but the

town's voters are not enthusiastic. I do not hardly vote. A lot of them

say things and do not always mean what they say. Those who do vote

will be noticed. Swindon's result will be watched this year and next.

This time next week we will work through the night to bring xou the

local election results. The contest in Swindon will be interesthng. The

leaders of the main parties in Swindon will be taking part in a

live radio debate next week. That's on BBC Wiltshire, 8.30 on Monday

morning, with Mark O'Donnell. A senior judge has raised concerns

that addicts are not being given the treatment they need, despitd court

orders which say they must be helped with their rehabilitation. @

probation officer has been summoned to Bristol Crown Court to explain

why, in one case, no treatmdnt had taken place six months after an

order was given. Here's Steve Brodie. An Avon and Somerset

probation officer was summoned to appear here at Bristol Crown Court

to explain why, six months hnto a nine`month rehab order, one addict

had received no treatment. Judge Roach said: "It's in the public

interest that I find out wh`t's happening. What concerns me that six

months on nothing has been done . The officer told the judge that he

shared his concerns. He blaled the lack of places on the rising number

of alcoholics. The first pohnt of contact for many addicts is the

Bristol Drugs Project. They told us that since a change to the service

in the autumn, there's been a huge increase in demand. What we have is

a very large number of new people coming in. And not enough treatment

capacity to be able to see ` free one within a reasonable timd.

Bristol alone has almost five thousand heroin and crack users

When the new service began hn November, on some days as m`ny as 35

addicts a day were being referred. Now referrrals are running `t around

a hundred a week, of which `round 40 are alcoholics. Which is sthll too

many for the system to cope. The Bristol Drugs Project and three

other organisations are hirdd by the Safer Bristol Partnership to provide

treatment for both alcoholics and drug users. So what's causing these

delays highlighted by the jtdge I would want to reassure the charge

the system is not broken. It is a new service that went live hn

November. We do fast track `nd prioritise criminal justice cases. I

would like to know the detahls of the case. If the person was due to

attend. Maggie Telfer says they hope to see someone within three weeks,

but she doesn't think that the number of alcoholics has suddenly

gone up. Now we have a systdm which has said we really want to provide

help to people, whatever thdir problems, that we are uncovdring the

that always been out there. Part of the problem has been the success of

the new system set up by Safer Bristol. Around half of all

referrals have come from GPs, who at last have the opportunity to provide

help for their patients. But this demand has now led to a del`y, which

is turn is slowing down the chance to break the circle of drug

addiction and crime. Steve joins us now. The judge was concerned to

summon the probation servicd to give the account. What has the sdrvice

said. It is a good question. I was in court. It was a highly unusual

discussion. The senior officer being summoned to appear before the

judge. The judge asked what was going on and pointed to an `ddict

who was sitting in the publhc gallery, saying the man had been

coming for the last six months, as required, and that they shotld

provide treatment. He said why have you not provided treatment? The

probation officer, very unusual to see this discussion between a Crown

Court judge and a probation officer, the probation officers said

I share your concerns. He b`sically said he was tired of alcoholics

being put onto the programmd. The probation officers said we cannot

meet your orders. He wanted to know why. Then we have the situation

where the officer said, we cannot do anything about it. After thhs

exchange, I went to the probation service to ask what is going on and

they said they did not want to talk to us. They said talk to thd people

who hire the services, safer Bristol, and we have not had an

answer. We will have to wait and see what the judge says and accdss. The

Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner has reassured the

public they can still have faith in the force, following the suspension

of Chief Constable Nick Gargan. Mr Gargan was suspended followhng a

number of allegations of inappropriate behaviour tow`rds

female police officers and staff. Sue Mountstevens, who appointed him

last year, said policing in the region would not suffer. Local

people will see no difference as far as officers on the street. They will

still go out and they will still go to regular meetings, surgerhes,

everything. That is business as usual will stop we are now being led

by the acting Chief Constable who is a previous deputy. He has bden an

officer for 30 years. He has been in Avon and Somerset for 11 ye`rs and

knows the area well and I hope that reassures officers and local people.

The Welsh snooker player Stdphen Lee lost his appeal against a 12 year

ban for match fixing. The former world number five was found guilty

of seven charges after a trhbunal in 2013. He had also appealed `gainst

having to pay ?40,000 costs, which have been increased to ?75,000. Taxi

drivers in South Somerset could soon have to pass a test on their

knowledge of the area beford they're allowed on the road. The local

council say they also want to make sure drivers have a grasp of basic

literacy and numeracy. Clinton Rogers has been testing reaction to

the idea. Can you tell me where this road is?

Pass. Campbell Grove? Merlin Road? No. You might need to do better than

that from now on if you want to drive a taxi in Yeovil. The local

council votes tonight on introducing a knowledge test for anyone wanting

a taxi licence in future Thhs taxi boss runs 80 cars in Yeovil. 80 of

his drivers are Eastern European, but he says they've already sat a

Yeovil knowledge test, before they even came to this country. With

European drivers and English guys, we have had to do some form of

written test, knowledge test before we let them loose. This man comes

from Romania, but he's been driving a taxi in Yeovil for six ye`rs. He

took his local knowledge test in Prague. The local council s`y their

test, which other councils have will also include basic litdracy and

numeracy. Can you work out xour taxi fare? That seems not unreasonable.

Do you have a sound grasp of the English`language? Bag is important

if you come Aberdeen or Latvia. `` that is important. From now on, if

you are a taxi driver, knowledge is everything. But you might wonder why

the knowledge has to be herd, when most of us have these things. Where

was it you wanted to go? Gloucs and Somerset will pl`y each

other for the first time thhs season when the cricket Twenty20

competition gets under way tomorrow. Gloucestershire expect

over 6000 spectators at the County ground in Bristol. The newsstand is

finished and will be open for the first time. You always worrx

starting in the middle of the main, but the Bristol heatwave, it should

be 90 degrees tomorrow night. Somerset, always a cracking match. A

competitive derby. We are excited about everything we have lined up.

It will be a good game and ` good night out. The game starts `t 5 30pm

and there is commentary on BBC local radio and BBC sport online. Now you

know when the weather gets good it must be exam time. Across the West

thousands of students and school pupils are revising hard and giving

their parents sleepless nights, no doubt. It's an anxious time but made

a little easier for students at Bath Spa University. They are behng

offered free head and neck lassages and a petting zoo to reduce their

stress levels as Lizzie Way reports. Feeding the ducks. Stroking a goat.

And being nuzzled by a horsd. These students are having a littld animal

therapy to take their mind of their looming exams. We wanted to do fun

things like the petting farl and free moustaches so that's they get

out of the library `` massages. And health MOTs to make sure thdy are in

tiptop condition. Today was about having fun but stress is actually a

serious condition that can really hamper success. Anxiety and stress,

fear about the future, some people say depression is a preoccupation of

the past. Animals bring you back to the here and now and help

communicate. You can hear pdople talking and chatting about `nimals

and appreciating the present, and stress can be an over emphasis about

worrying about the future. Xou have to be relaxed and gentle whdn you

hold the animals so it sends the right signals to your brain, at this

time of year, to calm down `nd relax. Even the entrance was full of

post it notes reminding you of ways to combat stress. So as the animals

basked in the sun the students enjoyed a break, but with the

library opposite the books weren't far away. Leaving these guys

wondering what all the fuss was about. There are now only 28 days to

go until the FIFA World Cup begins. And the BBC coverage is being

supported by these characters from Bristol's Aardman Animations. The

four football figurines are going to hitch a ride to the tournamdnt with

us. Tracey Miller went to mdet their maker. Let's go. To Brazil? Why

not? We will find our way. Ht is a once`in`a`lifetime chance. Love it

or loathe it, four weeks until football fever hits us. These tiny

players are on an epic journey to Brazil and they will be hugd. They

will be minor celebrities bdcause of their scale, but hopefully they will

be major celebrities becausd they will have a lot of exposure. It will

be online, on TV and I imaghne in print. We will be seeing a lot of

them. Dan and the magic of @ardman Animations have brought a ndst out

of style. It is a long way from the usual epic sports spectacle. We

wanted to almost do the revdrse of that. To make these tiny ch`racters

that we felt people could rdlate to and, you know, kind of fall in love

with. I said we would find ` way. And there is romance in store on

their adventure. It will all be revealed on the BBC over thd next

four weeks. It was Bath versus Crewkernd in last

night's MasterChef, as our two West Country hopefuls went head to head

for a place in the final three. Ping Coombes triumphed over Angela

Langford in a very tense and tearful cook` off. Ping is now in the final

three. They'll battle it out in Barcelona in this evening's

programme. The winning chef will be revealed on Friday. Now, we can go

to the BBC Garden where Ian is waiting to tell us about thd

weather. It is not peaceful around hdre, it

sounds like the World Cup h`s started already. Just down the road

from here. Otherwise, you whll be enjoying a beautiful evening and we

lead through to tomorrow to what looks like being the warmest day of

the year so far. A sunny dax, a bit of cloud building up in the

afternoon, but it will be dry. The satellite is showing how we start

with clear skies. As the daxtime heat up, so too does the Fahrweather

claret. Notice `` fair weather cloud. It will be a broadly similar

pattern tomorrow. The wider view, showing high pressure is dolinating.

We have very light winds. It will be quiet right way through, with the

only meaningful change being the temperatures rising up and seeing

how much cloud develops in the afternoon. The rest of this evening,

the cloud will dispose. It should be a fine and balmy evening. Some

shallow mist around in the overnight period. Temperatures tonight will be

around seven degrees up to 00 degrees. Tomorrow, starting early

with plenty of blue skies. Late morning, some of the cloud building

up inland. Hardly any wind `s we run through the course of the d`y. That

leads into a fine evening whll stop temperatures today went up to 2

degrees. Tomorrow, we are lhkely to see 22 degrees, probably in Gloucs.

20 degrees could be widesprdad. These are temperatures in the shade.

Moderate pollen count. Saturday more of the same, and a gradual

transition on Sunday. I am sure the rain will be welcome.

It is lovely to have sunshine. It has been glorious today. We will be

back at the same time tomorrow. Have a nice evening.

at the European elections on May the 22nd.