:00:08. > :00:13.Hello from Holland where we're looking for a Dutch solution to the
:00:14. > :00:16.floods on the Somerset levels. 400 years ago, engineers from
:00:17. > :00:20.Holland established the drainage system we have on the levels today.
:00:21. > :00:26.Is it time to ask for their help again? Is it worth sacrificing
:00:27. > :00:30.someone here in order to save the rest? This may not have been planned
:00:31. > :00:34.but effectively, this has become the sacrificial land that they are
:00:35. > :00:38.talking about in the Netherlands. Also tonight, the Gloucester man
:00:39. > :00:46.running coast`to`coast across Canada. I am so close but yet so far
:00:47. > :00:56.and I am just not fast enough. And 50 years of swans at the
:00:57. > :01:06.Woodlands Centre. This is Inside Out West.
:01:07. > :01:13.It has been the wettest start to a year on record. January had more
:01:14. > :01:20.than twice the usual rainfall and more is expected. On the Somerset
:01:21. > :01:25.Levels, 65 square kilometres of farmland, homes and businesses are
:01:26. > :01:33.flooded. Interrupting lives and causing misery. Four weeks ago, we
:01:34. > :01:38.filmed James, a livestock farmer near Moorland, struggling on despite
:01:39. > :01:44.most of his land being under water. My land is over there so most of the
:01:45. > :01:49.farm is flooded. There is no compensation, no insurance forehead.
:01:50. > :01:56.Now, for from receding, the water has continued to rise. Across the
:01:57. > :02:00.levels, communities are in chaos, evacuating their homes as like here
:02:01. > :02:07.becomes impossible. So what can be done to stop all of this happening
:02:08. > :02:13.again? You have obviously read about it. What do you make of it now
:02:14. > :02:16.seeing that? When you see it, you fully appreciated as you do not on
:02:17. > :02:23.the television. Nigel is an expert on flood defences. I've invited him
:02:24. > :02:27.get his view on what the options are. We have had record`breaking
:02:28. > :02:31.rainfall in the past couple of months. The land is very flat so it
:02:32. > :02:34.just spreads out and at the same time, the river has taken all of the
:02:35. > :02:39.water from the rainfall upstream and you cannot pump it into the river
:02:40. > :02:44.fast enough. What do you make of the crop solutions being suggested here?
:02:45. > :02:49.The win one dredging. There are a lot of things. Dredging has been
:02:50. > :02:52.talked about a lot at the moment and it will increase the capacity of the
:02:53. > :02:57.channels but you have to do it every year. In recent weeks, dredging has
:02:58. > :03:01.become such a hot topic and even the Prime Minister has waded in.
:03:02. > :03:06.Whatever is required, whether it is dredging work on the rivers, this
:03:07. > :03:12.government will help those families and get this issue sorted. Other
:03:13. > :03:16.solutions, such as upgrading the pumps and building a tidal barrage
:03:17. > :03:20.have also been suggested. But would any of that have stopped this flood?
:03:21. > :03:23.I do not think you could have stopped this was happening. You
:03:24. > :03:27.could have mitigated it to an extent but we have had so much rainfall,
:03:28. > :03:30.this sort of thing is going to happen when you have that sort of
:03:31. > :03:34.rainfall. Heart of the problem on the levels is that bunch of the land
:03:35. > :03:42.is lower than the rivers are things through it. So what is the answer?
:03:43. > :03:48.To find out, I have come to Holland, which has a very similar landscape.
:03:49. > :03:54.Here, they have spent the last 000 years learning how to hold back the
:03:55. > :03:59.water using huge river walls or dikes. In fact, it was Dutch
:04:00. > :04:03.engineers helped train the Somerset Levels 350 years ago and we have
:04:04. > :04:10.been using the same system ever since.
:04:11. > :04:14.My first stop is a university where is leading flood expert is testing
:04:15. > :04:17.the latest measures for emergency flood protection. Things that could
:04:18. > :04:23.really help on the levels right now. So what is going to happen here next
:04:24. > :04:27.question Mark what will happen is that the big basin, they will open
:04:28. > :04:30.the gates, water will start to flow in and it will put the hydraulic
:04:31. > :04:35.loads on those measures. Hopefully it. The floods and keep the insides
:04:36. > :04:44.dry. Maybe we should put herself the other side of the barrier? That is a
:04:45. > :04:47.good idea. It is relieved holding. Even if clever technology can help
:04:48. > :04:50.in the short`term, I want to find out whether the old Dutch system of
:04:51. > :04:53.pumps and drains in the levels is really the way forward. It has had
:04:54. > :05:00.two years of extremely serious floods. He needs help to stop these
:05:01. > :05:05.systems can fail and you also need to manage and maintain the systems
:05:06. > :05:11.well and also adapt them to change. Changing rainfall patterns. You are
:05:12. > :05:18.never finished. In 1995, unusually heavy rains overrun the Dutch flood
:05:19. > :05:23.defences, forcing the evacuation of 250,000 people, with millions more
:05:24. > :05:26.homes under hit the maxed out. What followed was a rethink of their hope
:05:27. > :05:37.the loss of pay for flood protection. `` whole philosophy I
:05:38. > :05:41.have come to an area worthy date is about to be lowered, increasing the
:05:42. > :05:46.flood risk. What you are talking about scenes completely, well,
:05:47. > :05:51.bonkers. To start with, we still have our defence system of takes an
:05:52. > :05:56.dredging. We will stay on doing that. At the same time, we find
:05:57. > :06:00.solutions, new solutions, for flood relief by finding a way to live with
:06:01. > :06:06.nature and to live together with the river. What is happening in Vaulks
:06:07. > :06:15.moving the dyke hundreds of metres back from the river. It is part of a
:06:16. > :06:19.?1.8 billion project called Room For The River, taking place at 34
:06:20. > :06:23.locations across Holland. Now, when the river reaches critical levels,
:06:24. > :06:28.it has a new flood plain to spill onto. This has meant evicting 2 0
:06:29. > :06:36.homeowners and farmers, something that was not immediately popular.
:06:37. > :06:40.This was one of the farmers told that the dyke protecting his farm
:06:41. > :06:46.was being removed. He did not take it well. What did you think when you
:06:47. > :06:54.first heard that the Government was turning your land into a flood
:06:55. > :06:58.plain? TRANSLATION: 12 years ago, we were shown a map in which our land
:06:59. > :07:01.was flooded with water. That was shocking for the people working and
:07:02. > :07:10.living here, because we thought we had to move. Then we decided as
:07:11. > :07:16.farmers together that we could oppose this plan, find a way to work
:07:17. > :07:21.together with the Government. He and the other farmers persuaded
:07:22. > :07:26.the Government to let them stay on their land and build new farm
:07:27. > :07:30.buildings on six metre high mountains. Now, even if the land is
:07:31. > :07:38.flooded, as predicted every 25 years, their house and farm
:07:39. > :07:43.buildings remain Rebecca. `` drive. Your land will eventually flood How
:07:44. > :07:51.do you feel about it doesn't worry you? TRANSLATION:
:07:52. > :08:03.Let the water long? `` come? He is convinced. But back on the
:08:04. > :08:06.levels, I want to find out if this awesome thing like it is the answer.
:08:07. > :08:09.I have just been to Holland and had a look at some of the things they're
:08:10. > :08:13.doing there. Do you think any of those ideas could work here? I think
:08:14. > :08:19.they could be applied but would have to be adapted to the local context
:08:20. > :08:26.and in discussion with local people. So it is not an instant fix? It is
:08:27. > :08:30.certainly worth considering. Is it worth sacrificing some land to save
:08:31. > :08:35.the rest? Speak at this may not have been planned but it has become it.
:08:36. > :08:41.We would still have areas that would flood but not to this large extent.
:08:42. > :08:43.That could work. Back with James, despite his
:08:44. > :08:50.determination, the flood water has one. He has now evacuated his farm,
:08:51. > :08:57.taking his livestock with him. I am catching up with him at an auction
:08:58. > :09:01.centre were nearly 100 of his cattle are being full. However last few
:09:02. > :09:06.weeks been for you? It has been an absolute roller`coaster. The water
:09:07. > :09:11.came up, we had to get the catholic. It is a huge stress. What you think
:09:12. > :09:14.of some of the ideas that they are working on in Holland? Can you see
:09:15. > :09:21.anything like that on the levels? Potentially, as long as there were
:09:22. > :09:25.not too many properties on the banks it could work. Even a new town. It
:09:26. > :09:30.is a blank canvas. What about having your farm, all of the farm
:09:31. > :09:35.buildings, all of it, on a 20 foot mound?
:09:36. > :09:42.It is not only me. It is everybody. Do you bulldoze them, raise the bank
:09:43. > :09:46.and put them back? What if you could stay dry? It would be lovely. I wish
:09:47. > :09:49.I was on an island. Since our trip to Holland, we understand that the
:09:50. > :09:53.Prime Minister has been on the Dutch government asking for their help.
:09:54. > :09:59.But with more areas under threat across the country, whatever they
:10:00. > :10:00.decide will come too late this time for James and the rest of the
:10:01. > :10:11.communities here on the levels. Next tonight, the latest adventure
:10:12. > :10:15.of a truly remarkable charity fundraiser. Jamie MacDonald has
:10:16. > :10:19.already cycled from Bangkok to his home town of Gloucester and he holds
:10:20. > :10:25.the world injuries record for static cycling. `` world endurance record.
:10:26. > :10:29.Last March, he set off on his most ambitious challenge yet, a 5000 mile
:10:30. > :10:41.run unaided across Canada. The Atlantic Ocean at the
:10:42. > :10:42.easternmost point of Canada and the starting point for Jamie
:10:43. > :10:50.MacDonald's extraordinary cross`country run. He is aiming to
:10:51. > :10:53.become the first Briton to run unsupported across the second
:10:54. > :11:08.biggest country in the world. 5 00 miles! Across Canada! I heard Liz
:11:09. > :11:13.months of extremes. Highs. And lows. I have gone East instead of West!
:11:14. > :11:21.This is the story of his epic journey.
:11:22. > :11:31.Training, I have done a few one or two mile runs but I haven't really
:11:32. > :11:35.thought it through. Jamie left his comfortable home in Gloucester last
:11:36. > :11:39.March. I am going to be camping on the side of the road. I kind of like
:11:40. > :11:46.just sleeping anywhere and everywhere. To begin months of
:11:47. > :11:58.roadside running and camping in the freezing Canadian winter. I am going
:11:59. > :12:04.to be... On the TransCanada Highway for the next 400 miles! However
:12:05. > :12:08.right from day one, it is of years that camping by the side of the road
:12:09. > :12:14.just is not an option on the snowy ground. So I just knocked on that
:12:15. > :12:29.door there and they are letting me stay. In the garden! Jamie Steele
:12:30. > :12:34.discovers why Canadians have such a friendly reputation. Over the
:12:35. > :12:44.following 11 months, he is put up for the night... He is fed like a
:12:45. > :12:50.king. I have myself a Sunday roast dinner. They have even put out
:12:51. > :12:57.sandwiches for me or my bed to take with me on the road. He is even
:12:58. > :13:15.given a practical body to replace the heavy backpack. `` buggy. Most
:13:16. > :13:20.of the time, he is running by his that macro running on his own. I
:13:21. > :13:27.have seen that sign before! I'm running the wrong way! How have I
:13:28. > :13:31.done that? ! That little mistake's added ten miles to the journey. I
:13:32. > :13:35.have to get running, that will make me feel better. A young man from
:13:36. > :13:37.England is running across Canada to raise money for children's
:13:38. > :13:43.hospitals. As word spreads of his exploits, donations begin to roll
:13:44. > :13:48.in. Thank you very much. Isn't it amazing? I came out of that
:13:49. > :13:53.restaurant with over $100 for sick kids. The reason for taking on this
:13:54. > :13:59.Canadian adventure goes way back to Jamie's childhood, when he spent
:14:00. > :14:03.months in hospital. I have a condition called syringomyelia,
:14:04. > :14:21.which is extremely rare. I used to have epilepsy and immune deficiency.
:14:22. > :14:24.I had a whole year off school. Now he is raising money for children's
:14:25. > :14:28.hospitals in England and Canada We will give this on behalf of the
:14:29. > :14:32.staff and management here for your course. That is amazing. Thank you
:14:33. > :14:35.so much for your doing. As news of his adventure spreads, Jamie gets a
:14:36. > :14:39.taste of fame. Front page! People start to join him on the run. We
:14:40. > :14:43.have a group! Whoo! In June, he heads into the French`speaking
:14:44. > :14:54.province of Quebec. Bonjour, monsieur! J'habite a Gloucester
:14:55. > :15:01.A new city and time for a FLASH new look.
:15:02. > :15:07.Inspired by his new superhero outfit, he makes a 300 mile detour
:15:08. > :15:13.to make an emotional visit to one of hospitals he is raising money for.
:15:14. > :15:21.I'm close to crying. Hold it together!
:15:22. > :15:24.He continues running past the Great Lakes, with their spectacular
:15:25. > :15:32.scenery and wildlife. That bear looks like it is walking
:15:33. > :15:44.away. That is good. Beyond is the endless expanse of the
:15:45. > :16:01.prairies. After nine months on the road, the
:16:02. > :16:22.going is getting even tougher. I can't do it no more. I'm so close
:16:23. > :16:28.and yet so far. I'm going to miss Christmas. There's no way I can
:16:29. > :16:34.spend it with my family. I'm just not fast enough. But giving up is
:16:35. > :16:38.not an option. Jamie beats his demons but then face is perhaps the
:16:39. > :16:43.greatest challenge of the whole journey, crossing the Rockies in the
:16:44. > :16:55.depths of winter. They are just something else. Absolutely
:16:56. > :16:58.breathtaking. The ever`friendly Canadians make sure he is not alone
:16:59. > :17:06.in the mountains, especially at Christmas. Three, two, one!
:17:07. > :17:13.Unhappily, while celebrating the New Year in Banff, he is beaten up and
:17:14. > :17:16.robbed. But nothing detracts him from his continuing journey, not
:17:17. > :17:25.even advice from Park Rangers about the constant danger of avalanches.
:17:26. > :17:28.He's given a beacon, just in case. There is also a danger around every
:17:29. > :17:35.blind corner from the huge lorries crossing the mountains. Every day
:17:36. > :17:48.brings him another marathon closer to his destination. That is my first
:17:49. > :17:55.Vancouver sign! I want to cry! Between him and the ocean lies a
:17:56. > :18:07.final pitiless climb. I think this is it. This is the summit. Who is
:18:08. > :18:18.the daddy? Who... Is... The daddy?! I will tell you who the daddy is!
:18:19. > :18:36.I'm the daddy! I am the daddy! I just got salt in my mouth! Ugh! I'm
:18:37. > :18:42.the daddy. I'm the daddy. From then on, it is downhill all the way to
:18:43. > :19:02.Vancouver. And a hero's welcome after 332 days on the road.
:19:03. > :19:10.It has finally happened. I have dreamt about it for 11 months. Every
:19:11. > :19:18.single day, I have woken up. Every single day. I did not think I could
:19:19. > :19:31.do it. I just kept going somehow. Who is your daddy? There have been
:19:32. > :19:37.so many moments on this journey would hazard quite worked out. ``
:19:38. > :19:42.that haven't quite worked out. I don't did you can do a journey like
:19:43. > :19:46.this for it to work out. Now, at the end, I would not change any of those
:19:47. > :19:55.experiences for the world, good or bad.
:19:56. > :20:00.It is thought to be among the world's first conservation projects.
:20:01. > :20:03.50 years ago, Sir Peter Scott began his ground`breaking study of
:20:04. > :20:08.Bewick's swans at Slimbridge in Gloucestershire. In our final film
:20:09. > :20:11.tonight, Miranda Krestovnikoff, herself the president of the RSPB,
:20:12. > :20:26.heads to Slimbridge to look back at what this project has achieved.
:20:27. > :20:31.Sir Peter Scott was a colossal figure in conservation. He was
:20:32. > :20:40.responsible for establishing the network of wildfowl and wetlands
:20:41. > :20:42.trusts throughout the UK. The son of the great Scott of the Antarctic,
:20:43. > :20:46.Peter was also an accomplished wildlife artist and has many other
:20:47. > :20:49.talents. A keen bird enthusiast Scott decided to settle his family
:20:50. > :20:52.here at Slimbridge after visiting the stunning Severn Estuary and this
:20:53. > :20:59.is where one of the world's greatest conservation legacies began. Here at
:21:00. > :21:04.the wildfowl and wetlands trusts at Slimbridge, they are celebrating a
:21:05. > :21:07.very special anniversary. In 19 4, Sir Peter Scott began his landmark
:21:08. > :21:13.study of the Bewick's swans that overwinter here at Lambridge. I have
:21:14. > :21:17.been coming here as a visitor for many years. Today, I'm hoping to
:21:18. > :21:25.find out a bit with more about Scott, his study and the swans
:21:26. > :21:29.themselves. The Bewick's swan that arrived here
:21:30. > :21:37.every winter are treating from the freezing conditions in the
:21:38. > :21:46.antarctic. It was the arrival of these beautiful swans at swing ``
:21:47. > :21:49.Sochi that inspired Peter Scott to begin his study. 50 years on, it is
:21:50. > :21:55.Julia who is here every morning to check on the swans. Your job is
:21:56. > :22:00.coming down here every morning, as the sun goes up, and monitoring what
:22:01. > :22:05.is on the water here. What are you looking for? I'm looking at the bill
:22:06. > :22:13.pattern. The pattern of black and yellow on the because the swans It
:22:14. > :22:17.is distinctive for every individual Bewick's swan, like a thumbprint.
:22:18. > :22:22.All of the swans that come here every winter, we monitor every
:22:23. > :22:28.single one. Unfortunately, part of what this monitoring has revealed is
:22:29. > :22:33.that the Bewick's swans is in decline globally. We have seen a
:22:34. > :22:41.decline from 29,000 birds in the mid`1990s to less than 20,000 now,
:22:42. > :22:44.currently. So it is a worry for us. Do you know why there is a decline
:22:45. > :22:47.or is that part of the ongoing research? Whether it is related to
:22:48. > :22:55.poor breeding success over the past few years or over increased more ``
:22:56. > :23:00.increased mortality, for whatever reason. We have 50 years of data
:23:01. > :23:08.behind us so we can use that to help us. It is a concern that the
:23:09. > :23:11.Bewick's swans numbers are dropping but as they are being monitored
:23:12. > :23:17.they are in good hands. It reflects just a part of the legacy of
:23:18. > :23:23.conservation. He was one of the founder members of the worldwide
:23:24. > :23:28.fund for nature. You may be forgiven for thinking that the focus here is
:23:29. > :23:32.purely on birds. Sir Peter Scott's conservation effort had a huge
:23:33. > :23:39.impact globally and this back from the brink mammal enclosure reflects
:23:40. > :23:44.that. These charming otters are part of my favourite bit of the exhibit
:23:45. > :23:53.here. I am about to meet a man who has had equally charming character
:23:54. > :23:56.to show me. It is all gone! I have been involved here for many
:23:57. > :24:00.years and I am lucky enough to have been included in the harvest mice
:24:01. > :24:08.breeding project. Today, I am bringing in some new additions to
:24:09. > :24:11.their manager. Two little babies for you. Harvest mouse populations have
:24:12. > :24:18.declined under environmental pressures. As part of a national
:24:19. > :24:20.conservation effort, Slimbridge are an a programme of breeding and
:24:21. > :24:26.release with the hope of securing the future of these gorgeous
:24:27. > :24:33.animals. You can have that one. One of my precious baby 's! That is so
:24:34. > :24:38.exciting. She will be exploring that. The mice I have given you
:24:39. > :24:44.today, what is the plan? We will pair them up, give them some
:24:45. > :24:49.husbands, as they are both girls. In future, they will be available,
:24:50. > :24:54.these or their offspring, to go back to the wild. As distractingly cute
:24:55. > :25:00.as the harvest mice are, I'm here to find out more about the swans. I
:25:01. > :25:06.have the rare opportunity of meeting with Peter Scott's daughter. She
:25:07. > :25:08.spent much of her young life that Slimbridge and took part in the
:25:09. > :25:14.study from an early age was that she went on to complete a Ph.D. In the
:25:15. > :25:21.Swan's behaviour and is an accomplished artist herself. We re
:25:22. > :25:27.in the study where he used to watch that swans were stopped these are
:25:28. > :25:32.the record books with the initial Bewick's swans that you saw. You
:25:33. > :25:38.have the date of the very first Swan, the wild swan that were seen
:25:39. > :25:48.here. It is absolutely amazing. My father put the captive swans onto
:25:49. > :25:54.this pond to lure the wild swans in. The day after he did this, this
:25:55. > :26:00.first Swan came into the pond. That was on the 10th of February. On the
:26:01. > :26:06.11th of February, Major and his signet came in. He noticed that the
:26:07. > :26:10.pattern was different. You can see the difference. You can draw a line
:26:11. > :26:17.from the forehead down to the tip of the beat. On this one, you cannot.
:26:18. > :26:20.That was the beginning of him starting to identify all of the
:26:21. > :26:26.individuals that came here. We have a little video of you and your
:26:27. > :26:36.father watching the Bewick's swans from this window here. Let us have a
:26:37. > :26:44.look at this. What are you drawing? One standing at the back there. It
:26:45. > :26:59.is more to the right. There you are! And my brother. Shall we call it
:27:00. > :27:03.Mottled? You can see how involved you all are in watching the swans
:27:04. > :27:10.and that obviously influenced you for the rest of your life. It was
:27:11. > :27:15.incredibly important to me. It is easy to see the profound influence
:27:16. > :27:20.her father's passion for wildlife has had on her. I have always looked
:27:21. > :27:25.to him as an inspirational figure in conservation. To end the day, I have
:27:26. > :27:32.been given unbelievable access to his beloved Bewick's swans. And now
:27:33. > :27:39.the highlight. I am lucky enough to be allowed to do the feed myself
:27:40. > :27:46.this evening. I have had some training to minimise the disturbance
:27:47. > :27:49.to the birds. Having spent the day learning about these birds, it is a
:27:50. > :27:57.real privilege to finish the day seeing them close up. He we go. ``
:27:58. > :28:07.here we go. What a way to say goodbye to the swans. The seven
:28:08. > :28:12.history divides an important haven for thousands of birds such as the
:28:13. > :28:16.Bewick's swans. Though the drop in numbers is concerning, hopefully the
:28:17. > :28:26.data the study has provided will provide an answer to halting the
:28:27. > :28:30.decline. That is all we have time for the
:28:31. > :28:38.night. Don't forget you can keep in touch with what we are up to via
:28:39. > :28:42.Twitter or you can send us an e`mail. From all of us here in
:28:43. > :28:46.Holland, thank you but watching Good night.
:28:47. > :28:55.Next week, we investigate new concerns about heart surgery at
:28:56. > :28:57.Bristol's Children's Hospital. It is not likely had bad care, he had bad
:28:58. > :29:16.care, yet no carrot all. Hello, I'm Ellie Crisell with your
:29:17. > :29:16.90 second update. More flooding misery. Thousand of homes in
:29:17. > :29:17.Berkshire and Surrey are now vulnerable as Thames river levels
:29:18. > :29:19.reach record highs. 14 severe flood warnings are in place - meaning
:29:20. > :29:22.lives are at risk. Full update at ten. Two men have been convicted of
:29:23. > :29:25.helping triple killer Joanna Dennehy. Gary Stretch was found
:29:26. > :29:28.guilty of one count of attempted murder. Leslie Leyton was convicted
:29:29. > :29:31.of perverting the course of justice. An online drinking game has been
:29:32. > :29:33.linked to another death. Police in Cardiff are investigating reports a
:29:34. > :29:36.man collapsed after playing NekNominate. It's been blamed for
:29:37. > :29:39.two deaths in Ireland. A ban on smoking in cars when children are
:29:40. > :29:42.inside. That's what MPs have voted for in England tonight. Many health
:29:43. > :29:44.experts support it, but critics say it's unenforceable. Scary moments
:29:45. > :29:47.for Davina McCall. She collapsed after swimming Lake Windemere for
:29:48. > :29:48.Sport Relief. She was carried from the water, but apparently made a
:29:49. > :29:50.speedy