:00:00. > :00:00.Tonight, is there a violent anarchist cell
:00:00. > :00:09.We?re on the trail of the extremists intent
:00:10. > :00:24.When people start setting fhre to things, vehicles, buildings, that
:00:25. > :00:29.poses danger. Can a nature reserve really be
:00:30. > :00:31.the answer to Somerset?s And now Scotland?s decided,
:00:32. > :00:34.what will it mean for us? I?m Alastair McKee
:00:35. > :00:48.and this is Inside Out West. They?re
:00:49. > :00:52.the invisible combatant cells, From banks to politicians to
:00:53. > :00:55.construction companies, the So who are
:00:56. > :01:15.the West?s extreme anarchists? Police are
:01:16. > :01:32.investigating a suspected... There?s an extreme form
:01:33. > :01:35.of protest plaguing the West ` The people responsible oper`te
:01:36. > :01:39.in separate, anonymous cells with They?ve launched spectacular acts of
:01:40. > :01:45.arson against dozens of bushnesses they accuse of destroying the
:01:46. > :01:47.environment or enslaving society. The police say some of them could be
:01:48. > :01:51.linked to extreme anarchist groups. So who?s behind these attacks and
:01:52. > :02:06.how seriously should we takd them? Anarchists have claimed
:02:07. > :02:07.responsibility for more than 20 crimes across the Bristol area
:02:08. > :02:11.over the last three years. A lot of the claims are
:02:12. > :02:27.on this site. Let?s start by looking at something
:02:28. > :02:31.that happened three years ago. 2.30 in the morning in Henldaze
:02:32. > :02:34.and the fire brigade?s alerted to Eight minutes later
:02:35. > :02:37.and another car in the south They belonged to Conservative
:02:38. > :02:40.councillors Kevin Quarteley Geoff was Bristol?s Lord Maxor
:02:41. > :02:42.at the time. The media reported them
:02:43. > :02:44.as suspected arson. But eight days later this
:02:45. > :02:58.appeared on a website. So chilling that neither cotncillor
:02:59. > :03:04.wanted to take part in this film A few months later in April 201 ,
:03:05. > :03:16.a fire here at the East Dundry transmitter knocked out two local
:03:17. > :03:20.radio stations and affected communications systems
:03:21. > :03:27.for the emergency services. A group calling itself the
:03:28. > :03:32.Earth Liberation Front clailed A month later, rail services in
:03:33. > :03:47.and around Bristol were brotght to a standstill following fires
:03:48. > :03:51.in Patchway and Bedminster. Very little detail was reported
:03:52. > :03:57.in the media at the time. But 48 hours later this appdared
:03:58. > :04:00.on a website. It claims they lifted concrdte slabs
:04:01. > :04:05.alongside the tracks and burnt out It?s a pretty detailed accotnt
:04:06. > :04:12.? much more than the media I?m meeting Mike Gallop frol
:04:13. > :04:38.Network Rail to find out. One of the train drivers noticed
:04:39. > :04:44.fight a fire, they mobilised again to investigate and they found the
:04:45. > :04:51.signalling system (can into, it been said party. Once the fire h`d been
:04:52. > :04:56.put out we weren't able to run any trains for about 12 hours. @bout 200
:04:57. > :04:58.trains were affected, so thd effect was significant and it causdd wide
:04:59. > :05:06.destruction to the travelling public. The language they are using
:05:07. > :05:11.suggests they intend to do this again, does that pose a thrdat to
:05:12. > :05:15.network rail? I don't see it as a threat, what I do see it as is a
:05:16. > :05:21.safety issue should they choose to do it again.
:05:22. > :05:24.During the next 15 months, anarchists lay claim to mord
:05:25. > :05:27.CCTV operators, a church minibus, a Conservative Party club and police
:05:28. > :05:33.August 2013 ` this branch of Barclays Bank in the Brislington
:05:34. > :05:39.The only news report was in the Bristol Post and there was
:05:40. > :05:42.no mention of arson ` just that "a fire had broken out involving an
:05:43. > :05:57.But four days later and this appears on a website.
:05:58. > :06:06.Well, we have a copy of the Fire Service?s incident report hdre and
:06:07. > :06:11.it states the main cause of fire was deliberate and that petrol was used.
:06:12. > :06:13.It also states an explosion was caused by gases
:06:14. > :06:23.It would seem those claiming responsibility are credible.
:06:24. > :06:24.And last summer, anarchists calling themselvds the
:06:25. > :06:29.Angry Foxes Cell said they set fire to a ?16 million police building.
:06:30. > :06:32.Andy Bevan is the investigating officer.
:06:33. > :06:35.The most outlandish attack so far was the burning down
:06:36. > :06:38.of the police firearms training centre in Portishead.
:06:39. > :06:44.What can you tell us about your inquiry into that?
:06:45. > :06:47.Numerous lines of enquiry were pursued in relation
:06:48. > :06:50.to that investigation and that investigation remains open.
:06:51. > :06:54.It is potentially linked to the other attacks as well
:06:55. > :06:58.and that is a line of enquiry that I?m pursuing in relation to
:06:59. > :07:05.But someone knows about these attacks and I urge
:07:06. > :07:13.whoever that is to come forward and provide us with that inform`tion.
:07:14. > :07:16.The police centre was just one of a number of attacks last year.
:07:17. > :07:21.CCTV units and owners of 4x4s were also targeted.
:07:22. > :07:24.A number of groups have clahmed credit for these on the intdrnet.
:07:25. > :07:27.One of them is the Earth Liberation Front.
:07:28. > :07:31.To find out who they are we need to look across the Atlantic.
:07:32. > :07:34.Leslie Pickering runs a bookshop in Buffalo, New York.
:07:35. > :07:38.In the 1990s he was the spokesperson for the ELF.
:07:39. > :07:47.It?s an underground organis`tion with a set of rules that works
:07:48. > :07:55.What sort of people are involved in America?
:07:56. > :07:58.People who care deeply and passionately about the environment
:07:59. > :08:02.and at the same time recognhse that the mainstream legitimate w`ys to
:08:03. > :08:08.work for social change and environmental justice are not having
:08:09. > :08:19.Does that mean anyone can act in the name of ELF?
:08:20. > :08:29.Anyone who?s willing to takd the kind of risk.
:08:30. > :08:38.Do you think the crimes comlitted in and around Bristol...
:08:39. > :08:54.It looks like it, yes. One of them was an attack on a commuter line?
:08:55. > :08:58.Was that a success? Some people were inconvenienced on a train, H am not
:08:59. > :09:00.going to cry about it, I am too busy about the world being destroyed and
:09:01. > :09:05.what the banks are doing. The ELF was once branded by the FBI
:09:06. > :09:08.as the most serious domestic So what do our police think
:09:09. > :09:11.about this? The Oxford Dictionary definds
:09:12. > :09:13.terrorism as "the unofficial or unauthorhzed use
:09:14. > :09:15.of violence and intimidation But as I?ve said it is a kex line
:09:16. > :09:27.of enquiry because someone is linking these
:09:28. > :09:33.attacks and putting posts online. However,
:09:34. > :09:35.I can?t discount the fact that this could be a smokescreen for something
:09:36. > :09:43.else so I?m not just saying my focus No, there is quite clear legislation
:09:44. > :09:50.that deals with terrorism. These are acts of criminal
:09:51. > :09:54.damage whatever the motive hs. What?s being claimed online
:09:55. > :10:01.gives me that line of enquiry. Over the years dozens of crhmes have
:10:02. > :10:05.been claimed online by anarchists. They say they?ve firebombed car
:10:06. > :10:12.dealerships, a construction company, a magistrates? court
:10:13. > :10:16.and even a Royal Marines base. It?s one thing to claim somdthing
:10:17. > :10:18.on the internet We?ve established some
:10:19. > :10:24.of the claims are credible. They must have been carried out
:10:25. > :10:28.by the people making them. The police say it might not be
:10:29. > :10:31.terrorism but the culprits could be part of an extremist grotp
:10:32. > :10:37.that pose a significant thrdat. Here in Steart Marshes,
:10:38. > :10:47.the landscape has changed more in the last fortnight than ht has
:10:48. > :10:50.done for centuries. A new nature reserve has bedn born
:10:51. > :10:53.but, as Amanda Parr has discovered, Last winter?s heavy flooding brought
:10:54. > :11:02.our flood defences Especially for the residents
:11:03. > :11:11.of Somerset, who watched in horror as thd Levels
:11:12. > :11:14.were inundated by huge volules of But while there has been a public
:11:15. > :11:19.outcry over the lack of funding for dredging, just a little further down
:11:20. > :11:21.along the River Parrett thex are planning to tear down the ddfence
:11:22. > :11:25.walls and invite the water hn. In a just
:11:26. > :11:28.a few week?s time this embankment will be bulldozed, allowing
:11:29. > :11:30.the tidal flow of the Severn river mouth to inundate what was once
:11:31. > :11:35.farmland and transform it into So I?m here to find out why the
:11:36. > :11:41.defences are coming down after one By removing the river wall `t Steart
:11:42. > :11:47.they will allow tidal floodhng into an area that will be contained
:11:48. > :11:54.by improved defence walls. The works are required
:11:55. > :11:56.by EU law to replace the protected saltwater marsh that
:11:57. > :11:59.is being lost due existing defences But, at a price tag of ?21 lillion
:12:00. > :12:04.pounds, many have been iratd So I?m finding out more
:12:05. > :12:10.from site manager Tim. So, what would you say to pdople who
:12:11. > :12:13.may have been involved in the last floods and think that
:12:14. > :12:16.this money spent here could be better spent elsewhere on rhver
:12:17. > :12:22.dredging or something like that Well, in terms
:12:23. > :12:24.of sustainable management, xou need to look very far into the ftture and
:12:25. > :12:29.dredging is part of that answer It has to be
:12:30. > :12:32.in order to protect properthes when we have such a large alount
:12:33. > :12:36.of water coming into the system This about being able to protect
:12:37. > :12:41.people and property along the And so, in terms of flood
:12:42. > :12:46.defence benefit, it has been But it?s not just the cost
:12:47. > :12:52.that has been controversial. A new nature reserve may benefit
:12:53. > :12:55.the local area but this is fertile farmland that is
:12:56. > :13:01.being given over to the watdr. The farmers have been bought out
:13:02. > :13:04.and have moved on. But one man is still holding
:13:05. > :13:08.on to to his farm on the peninsula, so I?ve come to see what he makes
:13:09. > :13:12.of the plans for Steart. So how did you take
:13:13. > :13:16.the news then that all of this landscape was going to be changing
:13:17. > :13:25.and so was your livelihood? I?m mean,
:13:26. > :13:33.taken all the years to build it up. I started off around here whth
:13:34. > :13:36.about 45 acres I?d like to have brought
:13:37. > :13:39.a young farmer into it. But these days, you know, there s
:13:40. > :13:44.not the room for small people. There are plans to use cattle
:13:45. > :13:47.for conservation grazing on the Steart reserve in thd summer
:13:48. > :13:50.months but, for a small`holder like Henry, losing such productive land
:13:51. > :13:56.is still a bitter pill to swallow. Whatever concerns there may be over
:13:57. > :13:59.the loss of valuable farming land, the scheme will go ahead to comply
:14:00. > :14:03.with EU laws. So what can they expect to happen
:14:04. > :14:08.at Steart Marshes? Here at Bleadon Waters they
:14:09. > :14:11.completed a similar scheme 05 years Tim has bought me to Bleadon,
:14:12. > :14:20.near Weston`Super`Mare, to see a saltwater marsh habitat
:14:21. > :14:23.that was created during the So, how did it all come abott, what
:14:24. > :14:30.was the reason of setting it up There were multiple reasons
:14:31. > :14:32.behind it. I think there was looking
:14:33. > :14:36.for some flood alleviation `nd Wessex at the time also was having
:14:37. > :14:40.a major building project here to And as you can hear
:14:41. > :14:47.there?s wildlife here. You can hear the skylarks shnging
:14:48. > :14:49.in the background. There?s wildlife here that really
:14:50. > :14:52.was not here before So while the farming function is
:14:53. > :14:56.important I think there is room for this too in a small way
:14:57. > :14:59.along the estuary banks. So do you think this is
:15:00. > :15:02.a fair representation of what it might like sound like,
:15:03. > :15:05.feel like, look like when you walk We?ve got 13 hectares here `nd
:15:06. > :15:11.in the region of about 300 hectares of intertidal
:15:12. > :15:14.habitat will be created at Steart. So you can imagine this on that
:15:15. > :15:19.size, its going to be phenolenal. The wildlife is clearly thrhving
:15:20. > :15:23.at here at Bleadon, so what are As the salt water transforms
:15:24. > :15:30.the area, the plant species will adapt and the marsh will begin to
:15:31. > :15:33.attract a diverse range of species such as otter and water
:15:34. > :15:37.vole and provide a haven for The preparations
:15:38. > :15:43.for the transformation have been going on for five years
:15:44. > :15:46.and Alys has been responsible We are spoilt with their enthusiasm
:15:47. > :15:54.and they?re happy to get mucky So, this is something
:15:55. > :15:59.for you future, isn?t it? Because this is something that will
:16:00. > :16:02.really change the environment here and yot?ll see
:16:03. > :16:05.it from the very beginning. You?ll see the area
:16:06. > :16:07.and see it develop and flourish That?s exactly
:16:08. > :16:09.the reason why we are doing this. Because its really nice to be able
:16:10. > :16:13.to help out and then come down. So this is all going to grow up
:16:14. > :16:16.its going to be lovely being able to come down and look at it,
:16:17. > :16:19.see it all. The local community certainly seems
:16:20. > :16:21.to be getting behind the project and making the most of
:16:22. > :16:24.the opportunities to get involved. How does it make you feel sdeing
:16:25. > :16:30.it all come together like this? I still can quite believe that I?m
:16:31. > :16:33.at the beginning Every day there is something new
:16:34. > :16:39.happening and you start vistalising and picturing what you?d
:16:40. > :16:42.like it to look like and, ydah, got great people to work with,
:16:43. > :16:44.brilliant volunteers and I think it So I?m looking forward to
:16:45. > :16:48.the next few years. And there?s not long to wait,
:16:49. > :16:51.as the Parrett wall breach hs finally completed
:16:52. > :16:54.during the lowest tide of the year. Now all that?s left for Tim and Alys
:16:55. > :17:00.to do is to wait for the water. It's one
:17:01. > :17:02.of those moments where you feel They?ve extended
:17:03. > :17:07.the creek system out So
:17:08. > :17:12.the next high tide is actually going It?s a really exciting
:17:13. > :17:17.moment just to see it. Just
:17:18. > :17:19.because we?ve been talking `bout it for so long, we?ve been looking
:17:20. > :17:21.at drawings and pictures of what the breach is going to be looking
:17:22. > :17:25.like but to obviously have ht in It?s the first step towards Steart
:17:26. > :17:38.Marshes and the creation of the salt habitat that we are
:17:39. > :17:41.trying to restore here. It takes just eight days
:17:42. > :17:44.for the tide to come and the waters to flood into
:17:45. > :17:48.the UK?s brand new saltwater marsh. Almost half
:17:49. > :17:54.a million cubic meters of e`rth have been moved over the period of three
:17:55. > :17:58.years and after today?s high tide more than 4 million cubic mdters of
:17:59. > :18:03.saltwater have flooded the reserve. It?s taken them five years to get
:18:04. > :18:08.this far but, for Steart Marshes, the transformation is only just
:18:09. > :18:12.beginning. So, how does it make you fedl
:18:13. > :18:15.just looking at this right now? You?ve been working so hard
:18:16. > :18:19.on this for so long. It's brilliant just to see
:18:20. > :18:22.the tide come in through thd creek. The transition
:18:23. > :18:24.from it being a construction site to a fantastic nature reserve
:18:25. > :18:27.for wildlife and people is just You can see the silt deposits
:18:28. > :18:32.on the grass already, and already we?ve seen an increase in the amount
:18:33. > :18:35.of birds visiting the site. Just to be here to witness
:18:36. > :18:38.the changes that will be happening over the next few years is
:18:39. > :18:40.massively exciting. Does standing here and lookhng at
:18:41. > :18:43.what you?ve achieved to datd make you feel as if you?ve got something
:18:44. > :18:47.positive to show people who were I think there?s been a lot
:18:48. > :18:54.of apprehension. What we are finding is people are
:18:55. > :18:57.coming onto to the site, whether they feel mostly a positive
:18:58. > :19:00.reaction, but even if they `re curious and they seem to understand
:19:01. > :19:03.the process that we are tryhng to achieve in creating a saltw`ter
:19:04. > :19:07.marsh and why we are doing ht. It's been a massive transithon
:19:08. > :19:10.in terms of that sort of concern to a sort of 99% support
:19:11. > :19:14.of what goes on here. And it's lovely just coming out
:19:15. > :19:17.on site and actually listenhng to people and that enthusiasm
:19:18. > :19:20.from them about what?s happdned Whether you were for or
:19:21. > :19:23.against the scheme at Steart, With all the cost,
:19:24. > :19:29.controversy and effort that has gone into creating this huge new reserve,
:19:30. > :19:34.those behind it hope that it will enrich and protect the peninsula
:19:35. > :20:15.for many years to come. Charlotte Callen's been looking
:20:16. > :20:17.at the consequences of Scotland s Built nearly 200 years ago,
:20:18. > :20:27.it acts as a gateway between us in the West of England and
:20:28. > :20:30.our neighbours over here in Wales. Nestled on the border, Chepstow is
:20:31. > :20:34.a town that bears the scars of the This castle was built by William the
:20:35. > :20:42.Conqueror to keep the Welsh at bay. 1,000 years later,
:20:43. > :20:48.our union is still strong. But here on the borders the
:20:49. > :20:52.so called devolution revolution has You just have to take a walk up the
:20:53. > :21:11.high street to see it in action What is different for you shnce
:21:12. > :21:18.devolution? The main criterha is the abolition of prescription charges.
:21:19. > :21:22.If you bring in an English description instead of a Welsh one,
:21:23. > :21:27.we have to make a prescripthon charge. What kind of tensions does
:21:28. > :21:34.that calls between your Welsh and English customers? It is always seen
:21:35. > :21:36.as a grievance. Why can't I get it free?
:21:37. > :21:38.And the differences don?t stop there.
:21:39. > :21:40.Welsh schools have stayed comprehensives rather than turning
:21:41. > :21:50.And students here in Chepstow save a packet when they go to unhversity
:21:51. > :21:59.They could live hundreds of metres from each other and play colpletely
:22:00. > :22:07.different fees. Those tensions could become even bigger. For those
:22:08. > :22:11.seeking independence for Scotland, they may have lost their battle to
:22:12. > :22:14.become an independent nation, but they won a promise to have lore
:22:15. > :22:20.powers over things like tax`tion and the Welsh want some of thosd powers
:22:21. > :22:27.to be devolved to them as wdll. This will be a constitutional gale
:22:28. > :22:33.changer. They want to bury their tax break and have greater control over
:22:34. > :22:45.devolved areas of policy like police and Braille and buses, etc. Is it
:22:46. > :22:46.time for us once again to t`ke on the battle to demand our own English
:22:47. > :22:57.Parliament? Well,
:22:58. > :22:59.you can?t get more English than Over the border in one
:23:00. > :23:04.of the many tea rooms in Bath, he tells me how pleased he is that the
:23:05. > :23:07.United Kingdom remains together But he?s not
:23:08. > :23:19.so happy with the promises I think it was unfortunate that a
:23:20. > :23:23.promise was made to Scotland in the heat of the campaign, withott
:23:24. > :23:28.digging through their ramifhcations. It was a dash mistake by all of
:23:29. > :23:33.them. The Prime Minister calpaigned very well. His central mess`ge was
:23:34. > :23:37.that the English needed the Scots and please would they say, H think
:23:38. > :23:43.that was the right message. But all we hear now is devolution.
:23:44. > :23:47.Absolutely. I think the panhc of the Better Together campaign in the
:23:48. > :23:52.later stages was not properly thought through but is now has to be
:23:53. > :23:56.delivered upon. That means tax`raising powers that apply only
:23:57. > :24:01.to England, it means Scottish MPs not voting on the health service, on
:24:02. > :24:05.education, on any other devolved matters. I did think it means
:24:06. > :24:12.regionalism. Artist may devolve power to local councils basdd on
:24:13. > :24:18.historic counties. I think people do have an affinity for Somersdt. For
:24:19. > :24:24.us in the West Country, will we get our own Parliament? I think England
:24:25. > :24:29.needs tax`raising powers. I don t view myself as someone from the West
:24:30. > :24:34.of England, I am from Somerset, I am English, and I am British. H don't
:24:35. > :24:39.have interesting regionalisl. Wessex went out in the 10th centurx. You
:24:40. > :24:58.can't go back 1000 years or more to dig up regions of England. The
:24:59. > :25:03.Wessex region is think he is wrong. These things don't meet to be
:25:04. > :25:08.decided at an all UK level. Some people would say that for what you
:25:09. > :25:14.have been proposing is maybd a little bit crazy, are you now being
:25:15. > :25:18.proved right? Everybody is not when new movement starts out. Thd SNP
:25:19. > :25:26.were going for 40 years before they made an impact at Westminstdr. The
:25:27. > :25:30.problem for dubious people don't really identify with the Wessex
:25:31. > :25:34.region. We are very much in favour of local government, with not want
:25:35. > :25:41.to see a regional government set up at the expense of the local
:25:42. > :25:45.government. We respect very much the Shire identities and the local town
:25:46. > :25:50.and city identities but there are some big issues like transport,
:25:51. > :25:53.Highbridge occasion and the overall planning of the health servhce that
:25:54. > :25:56.might be better down to reghonal level.
:25:57. > :25:58.Wessex regionalists. Outsidd City Hall in Bristol, the flags
:25:59. > :26:02.Mayor George Ferguson thinks it s time for Bristol to join with
:26:03. > :26:05.their neighbouring authorithes to create a city region.
:26:06. > :26:11.I?m fighting really hard for greater devolution.
:26:12. > :26:16.That is real devolution. Devolution in our cities and city regions which
:26:17. > :26:21.are much worse at the peopld. In fact I think state devolution is
:26:22. > :26:25.another form of centralism `nd it will always be focused on the
:26:26. > :26:30.capital. What I am arguing for is that our cities can bring more to
:26:31. > :26:30.the UK economy if you give ts more broke.
:26:31. > :26:36.But back in the tea rooms, not everyone agrees with hil.
:26:37. > :26:42.George Ferguson is not going to be the First Minister for the West
:26:43. > :26:46.then? He is welcome to stay in Bristol and do what he does in
:26:47. > :26:51.Bristol but she is not to bd the great man of Somerset. We are a
:26:52. > :26:57.separate and independent cotnty and we don't need to be run by Bristol.
:26:58. > :26:59.We don't want to be run by Bristol. City regions are a bad idea for
:27:00. > :27:01.rural areas. So will devolution, in whatdver form
:27:02. > :27:16.it takes, mean we?re better off The British economy is to London
:27:17. > :27:20.centric. It would thank sense if it was rebalanced more to the regions
:27:21. > :27:24.and the South West in particular. But I cannot say right now that it
:27:25. > :27:27.would end up better because it depends who is doing it, how they
:27:28. > :27:33.are doing it and what they `re spending the money on and that is
:27:34. > :27:36.not known at this point. Is there a danger that we will end up with the
:27:37. > :27:42.political system that is worse than what we have now? It is likdly to
:27:43. > :27:46.become unwieldy. The initial votes for English issues is going to
:27:47. > :27:53.create a tension between thd UK Government and the English votes.
:27:54. > :27:57.The UK Government may not command an English majority and therefore may
:27:58. > :28:00.not be able to get major parts of its programme through. So, we could
:28:01. > :28:06.end up with a worse situation than we have now? We could end up with a
:28:07. > :28:09.more complex situation but `t least we are one country. I think it would
:28:10. > :28:10.have been a tragedy had we separated.
:28:11. > :28:14.The devolution revolution is already underway, the armies are lining up,
:28:15. > :28:17.but it will be many months, even years, before we?ll know
:28:18. > :28:20.which side of the bridge yot?ll be better off living on.
:28:21. > :28:23.Well, that?s it for this wedk but if you?d like to keep
:28:24. > :28:27.in touch with us or have a story you think we should be looking hnto you
:28:28. > :28:37.But, from here at Steart Marshes, thanks for watching and goodnight.
:28:38. > :28:42.Next week, we investigate Bristol?s great ambition to become thd UK s
:28:43. > :29:20.Hello, I'm Sam Naz with your 90-second update.
:29:21. > :29:23.14-year-old Alice Gross went missing three weeks ago.
:29:24. > :29:26.Today, police carried out a finger-tip search of
:29:27. > :29:30.600 officers, from eight forces are working on the case.
:29:31. > :29:34.It has overestimated its profits by a quarter of a billion pounds.
:29:35. > :29:42.A new focus for Thai police looking into