13/01/2017 Points West

Welcome to BBC Points West with Alex Lovell and Sabet Choudhury.

The rough sleepers at risk as the cold spell bites 100

100 emergency beds are set up to help

homeless people get through the weekend.

I'm sick of living like this. It's a Catch-22.

The West's getting more money to help,

A warning from the police after Asian families are targeted

How the Severn bridge tolls are to be halved.

We meet the woman caring for 20 injured bats in her own home.

More than 100 extra beds are being set up tonight

to get rough sleepers off the streets and into the warm.

Councils are worried that prolonged cold weather has left

many of the homeless in poor health and even at risk of death.

And tonight our region will be gripped by freezing

Scott Ellis is a hostel in Bristol for us now.

This shelter in Saint Pauls opens at 9:30pm tonight. I can hear people

queueing up outside. There will be beds, meals and even spare clothing.

It's normally open five nights a week, but because of the cold

weather they are going up to seven nights per week, in addition to the

extra beds being laid on in the city. But the homeless charities say

it's not just their job to help rough sleepers, you may be able to

help too. It's a tent pitched at the back

of a city centre car park. He says he tried to get

into a hostel last night. There were 32 people last night,

waiting for 16 beds? Tonight, he should have somewhere

else to go with 100 extra beds being set up in Bristol and another

30 in Bath. Charities hope it'll

tempt in entrenched rough sleepers like Dan,

who normally avoids hostels. They are full of drunken idiots and

they kicked you out at 6am in the morning. I don't like being woken up

by people kicking off. It's been shown in the past that when we have

had these cold snaps, we can engage with people who usually avoid us.

Another night in a car park's getting to John.

Yesterday I had enough. I'm getting sick of this. Sick of living like

this. But he has Bill to cheer him up,

a passer-by who's become a friend. Hungry and cold the last couple of

months, so we've got eight up of tea for John with his usual five or six

sugars. Homeless charities want more

volunteers especially to help In the last five years, the number

of rough sleepers in North Somerset and South Gloucestershire

has remained low. In the Bath area,

a recent rise has eased. But look at Bristol where

rough sleeping's gone up The Government's given the city more

than ?2 million this year to tackle homelessness,

a problem made worse And rising rents in the private

sector leading to more evictions. It's a staggering rise. We have our

guest, Richard runs this shelter. When I started volunteering here, we

just used an open the door at 9:30pm and let people sort themselves out.

But we haven't been able to do that. We had to take a list of people in

the queue because numbers have gone up so much. We haven't been empty

for any night I've been working here. Nevertheless, you don't think

shelters and emergency beds are the long-term answer? No. They are not.

It's helping people in the immediate cold, arts the long-term answer is

to firstly help them off the streets, but more importantly, stop

more people coming onto the streets or becoming homeless who might end

up rough sleeping. What else can the public do as well as volunteer? Be

aware of the risks of homelessness. More than the people you see rough

sleeping and drug and alcohol problems which is what people

immediately think. People can be homeless because they don't have an

income to support them rent, they have relationship issues. The

counter people in your family and think, how long can you survive if

something goes wrong? Thank you for your time. Scott, thank you.

Police say a car's been clocked doing 131 miles an hour

The car was spotted in the early hours of the morning

A 31-year-old man's due to appear in court.

It's been revealed that the Vice Chancellor of the University of Bath

has had a pay rise of ?45,000 according to a Freedom

Professor Glynis Breakwell now earns ?451,000.

Critics from the local Labour party say this is 30 times

higher than some employees at the organisation.

The university says the pay rise was decided by an independent

committee, and is in line with other top universities.

Police say there's been a big increase in the number of Asian

families being targeted by burglars because of the amount

In some cases more than ?100,000 worth of gold has been

that's more than in a typical bank robbery.

In the last 6 months in Avon Somerset there were 137

Wiltshire had 21, Dorset 20 and in Gloucestershire there were 5.

Lee Madan's been to meet one family who've been affected.

So they opened all the wardrobes up and everything was on the floor.

A trying start to the new year for the Godbole family

So my children are five and eight and they are terrified.

It was very scary knowing that someone might be watching.

Detectives say there's been a big rise in of burglars

It's because they often have high quality, 24 carat gold jewellery.

Even when it's well hidden, the burglars don't give

So they didn't find what they were looking for in here.

So they came up here, in the storage area where the jewellery was hidden

For burglars, this type of crime has become one of the most lucrative.

There's often in one high value gold burglary,

more in value stolen than in a typical

In the past, jewellery was stored inside safety deposit boxes

But, of course, in recent years, many local branches like this one

have been closing down, leading to an increase in the amount

of gold being kept at home, something which police

Don't turn your house into a gold mine.

Instead, store your high-value gold jewellery at professional safety

In the last three months, Avon and Somerset police have set up

a task force specifically to deal with this type of crime.

Since then, there have been 33 arrests and 10 people charged.

A message to the burglars from detectives is clear.

We are hunting you down and we will catch you,

and we will bring you to justice for these offences.

Despite this reassurance, the Godboles say there

is still widespread fear among their friends

about who is watching and who might be targeted next.

You are watching BBC Points West. It's Friday the 13th. Stay with us.

There's lots more to come. Including: A decade since they last

met here, Bath and Bristol face off in the European challenge cup. Did

you have to dig at yorker from the snow this morning? We will have the

best pictures of the West getting a dusting.

The cost of crossing the Severn bridges is to be cut

It's expected the new tolls will come into force next year

and the amount drivers pay will be halved.

For 50 years, the seven Bridge has been the fastest way into Wales. But

the bridges will soon pass back into public ownership, so how much, if

anything should drivers be paying? A magnificent bridge over be River

A magnificent bridge over the River Severn.

The Queen and Prince Philip were spared the toll charge.

A trip across would cost you 2 shillings and sixpence.

30 years later, a new bridge was opened.

The second severn crossing, coming with a cost of ?330 million

By then a crossing by car costing ?3.80 charged just in one direction

to stop traffic backing up onto the bridge itself.

Debate's raged ever since about what should happen when these

privately financed projects passed back into public hands,

The Government says it wants to see the charges

I've got some people arguing that they should be no tolls at all, even

though there is a debt still. But there are others saying it should be

paying to keep traffic down. ?13.40 for a minibus ?20

for anything larger New plans New plans are for charging

in both directions. ?1.50 each way for a car or minibus

and a fiver each way 50 years since Her Majesty

oversaw it's opening, 50 years since Her Majesty

oversaw its opening, the Severn Bridge and its younger

brother have almost been paid off and will pass back

into public hands next year. They generate around

?80 million a year. Many now feel that they've been

thoroughly paid for, The Government says those new

charges won't be to make a rough it but for the future upkeep and

maintenance of the bridge. They were saying they would try to reduce the

charges in future. But they face opposition. Road user Association

says people already pay for the upkeep of roads through their road

tax. A toddler from Wiltshire who has

cystic fibrosis is to be one of the first in England to get

a life extending drug. William Foord is

nearly two years old. Previously the treatment called

Kalydeco was only available Our Wiltshire reporter,

Will Glennon, went to meet him. William Foord's not quite two yet,

but already he's survived three life saving operations

and several scares. It's a genetic problem that means

mucus builds-up in his body. His lungs will easily get damaged,

and it shortens his life. I was devastated. It was, to me, I

saw William's life flash before my eyes. I saw him not living to old

age, not been able to have children. I felt that his life was over before

it had even started. A new drug called Kalydeco isn't

a cure, but it is being called It balances salt and

water in the cells, keeping the lungs clear of mucus

The first one is before Kalydeco, So it can reverse the

effects of the disease. It was only licensed

for children over 6, but will now be available

for younger ones. Myself and my husband felt that we

had a weight lifted off our shoulders. We really thought that it

wouldn't happen through William. We thought we would have to wait until

he was six. So to find out that news, it was splendid.

At the moment, William's functioning well.

The hope is the drug will keep it that way.

The drug has been approved on the NHS for children over the age of tea

which means William should get this in the next few weeks. His

quality-of-life will be better bringing hope that this family and

many others. Darren O'Keefe from

the Cystic Fibrosis Trust It's been described

as a wonder drug. I wouldn't call it an overstatement.

What we have here is the first treatment for cystic fibrosis that

tackles the defect causing the problem and not just the symptoms.

It's made an incredible difference Judy Spires. What other stories are

you hearing? People on this drug are talking about a huge boost in their

lung health. And the key to it is it works over time. There's been a

dramatic reduction in hospital admissions, so we are talking about

the possibility of people living a life unlimited by cystic fibrosis.

Doing the things that we would normally do and take for granted.

I'm guessing it would help many people? What is particularly

encouraging is that at the age of two, the drug's got far more of a

chance to make a difference at that early stage because it halts decline

in lung function, so the earlier patients can get on the drug the

better. So it really is fantastic news. Will it help everyone? Its

treatment targeted at a particular mutation, so at around 4% of people

have this in this country. We have a pipe lines of treatments targeted at

other mutations. There's a treatment that is licensed at the moment but

not available, that is targeting a mutation of which 40% of people

have. We dare dream of a situation in the future where the majority of

people with cystic fibrosis could be on a similar drug. Darren. Thanks

for speaking to us. That's really good news.

Before we get the sport, we just wanted to tell

you about another boy from our region who's

You may remember we met eight year old Bailey who was facing

Christmas in hospital as he was being treated for cancer.

His family and friends had put out an appeal for cards

He just needs one more block of chemotherapy and the best bit -

You can hear from him on our Facebook page.

Rugby and it's Bristol against Bath tonight.

The third time the sides have met already this season.

This is a European Challenge Cup game, and it's taking

Our sports editor, Alistair Durden, is there.

Someone's told me its three degrees here. It feels it, but the pitch was

covered overnight so it's absolutely fine stop the game will go ahead for

just the fourth time in this fixture's illustrious history. Just

over a decade since the last happen. A decade since the last -

when the game attracted a crowd of over 20 thousand and Bristol ran

out winners to go top But they haven't managed

to beat Bath since. Tonight it's about Europe -

either of these sides can still make the quarter finals

of the Challenge Cup and have named strong teams -

Bath have five England But it's Bristol coming

into the game in better form. Bristol have obviously had to rest a

few players, they've not had many consistent games. I think the mood

with the squad seems to be upbeat. I'm hoping we will win to keep up

the momentum we've had. Put one over on Bath. If we win this we should

then go through. I think we will get it right tonight. But it will be

very, very close. Let's grab a word with Martin Haig, who played for

Bath for many years and is coached too. Who do you think will win? I

think app Bath. Some great results however for Bristol. There is all to

play for. Are you surprised that Bath have gone so strong on this?

No, they are coming back from a few losses, so they need is a momentum.

They could also qualify. Cardiff are level points with them so it's a big

game for them. You can hear more from Martin on BBC Gloucester

tonight. There is also football here at Ashton Gate tomorrow.

Bristol Rovers could give a debut to defender

Joe Partingdon who they've signed today from Eastleigh.

As for the rest, Swindon, who signed three Chelsea

youngsters earlier this week, are at Bolton.

All of those could feature in the game.

Goalkeeper Scott Brown has rejoined Cheltenham and should play tomorrow.

That's all the football. I think I going to find another layer. It

could be a cold one. BBC radio 's Bristol and Somerset belief all

game. A new group's been set up

in Somerset to help rescue bats The county is a specialist

conservation area as it's home to all 16

British species. Frome Bat Care takes in ones that

have been grounded or injured and Pam Caulfield went to meet

one of the volunteers. The thought of having bats

in your home might scare you. She's been taking them

in for the past year, converting her attic

into a bat cave! We've got some whiskered bats. Some

hip strolls. She's rescued around

60 bats and currently She's trained to handle them

so we're allowed a quick look, but if you find bats in your home,

you shouldn't disturb them. They are protected by law. Sometimes

they wake up and it's warm so they think they will be insects around.

And Liz has to sift a lot of meal worms.

The most common pippestrelle species can eat up to 3,000 insects a night.

With the babies need round the clock care,

she even took one to a wedding, hidden in her outfit!

I had a little baby, it was about as big as my arm. It was on milk, so I

spoke to my trainer. She said to him in a little bag in the front of your

close, then keep it warm. In the wild, they are tucked under their

mum's wing. In the Spring, her spare room

becomes a flight training centre. They might seem scary to us but bats

themselves are under threat. It's about putting them back in the

wild. We've become more developed in Britain, more intensive with our

farming and we've used pesticides as well, which has impacted on bats and

they declined by 70% after the war. It is hoped with a bit of care and

compassion that that decline will be reversed. I think they are lovely,

but I think some people probably think they aren't.

On our Facebook page there's a little film showing

you what you should do if you find a bat that needs help.

We did have a sprinkling of snow, although it didn't hit us like it

did in the Scottish Highlands. chance of that for a lot

of us this morning. But parts of Wiltshire were white,

there was a thin blanket over Bristol, and Gloucester

was glistening a bit. Some had to dig the car

out with a spoon. Others just had a colder

breakfast than usual. But, some like Harry

on Exmoor, managed it here, MUSIC: Do you want

to build a snowman? Any more snow? I'm not overly

concerned about the threat of snow, in fact, the wintry element of the

forecast will diminish by detailing that Saturday. Let me take you

through the weather for the course of the week and our viewer pictures.

A dusting of snow out near Bath. For a while, certainly over the uplands,

still running into cold air, certainly through the night and

indeed, tomorrow. A bit less cold than today. Heading through for

Sunday, milder. Temperatures will push upwards and equally give us

more in the way of some patchy rain. Here is a wider look at how things

will shape up. Still caught in this north westerly flow, cold

conditions, occasional streams of showers running down from the

north-west and then as we get through tomorrow, and beyond that

into Sunday, we can see that warm front running through, introducing

warm air. It's certainly not mild that the moment, as I can attest.

The high ground of Wales doing an effective job of soaking up some of

that cold air but some of it will get through. For all of us, it will

be cold. Some spots up above 1 degrees, but most, freezing or

below. There could be some areas prone to seeing some of those

showers, that the character of Saturday, prolonged dry spells,

still a fairly keen wind. Note that towards the evening, the cloud is

increasing. We will turn our attention to the patchy rain so the

winter is -- will have gone by them. It will be fairly cold but not so on

Sunday. It will be a marked change. There will be cold rate to the South

East and moulded to the north-west. Have a lovely weekend. It was lovely

to see these snow today. I was staying in Gloucester where my

parents are and there was a blanket of snow. Not just a sprinkling? No,

it blanket. Have a lovely weekend, whatever you do. Goodbye.