24/02/2012 BBC Points West

Good evening and welcome to BBC Points West. Our headlines tonight:

The Gas fitter accused of manslaughter. He denies doing a

botch job resulting in the death of a young woman.

The faulty breast implants scandal - concerns the effects could be

worse than first thought. I cannot walk very far. My life is a

nightmare. The cheese factory that was hit by

a fire pulls out of Somerset. Sacked workers are left with a sour

taste. And, down boy. We join the husky

races in the Forest of Dean. Good evening. A gas fitter has

denied killing a young woman from Bath by doing a botch job on a

boiler. Andrew Hartley fitted new equipment at Zoe Anderson's home.

Two weeks later she was dead. She had been overcome by carbon

monoxide fumes. Today, Mr Hartley admitted he had not finished the

work as he should have but denied manslaughter by gross negligence.

Andrew Plant was in court. Zoe Anderson was just 24 years old,

the daughter of a millionaire magazine publisher. During

Christmas 2010 she was overcome by toxic fumes in the shower room of

her home in Bath. Less than two weeks before she died, local

plumber and gas fitter Andrew Hartley had fitted a new boiler in

the roof of the garage here at the large family home. Today, he

arrived at Bristol Crown Court to face a charge of manslaughter. He

rushed the job, say the prosecution, and his negligent work led to the

death of Zoe Anderson. The prosecution accuse Andrew hardly of

not having his mind on the job on that December day. They said he

never finished fitting the boiler and left a crucial flue pipe

unconnected which caused Zoe Anderson's showroom to fill up with

deadly carbon monoxide. Early at this trial, an independent gas

expert called by the prosecution told the court that a carbon

monoxide detector would sound an alarm when levels reached 35 parts

per million. Levels are dangerous at 100. But after running the

boiler for one hour in Zoe Anderson's shower room, levels

would have reached 750 parts per million. Andrew Hardie admitted

today that when he connected the flue, the pipe that should carry

away harmful gases, he had not followed correct procedure. Screws

were missing in several places. But he denies leaving a gap in the

fitting or that the work he did was in any way dangerous. Carbon

monoxide poisoning kills more than 50 people a year in the UK. Next

week at Bristol Crown Court, a jury will decide whether Zoe Anderson's

death could have been avoided. A leading surgeon in the West is

calling for more urgent investigations into the effects of

faulty breast implants. Nigel Mercer from Frenchay Hospital says

it is common for women who have had leaking PIP implants to complain of

problems with their immune system. Matthew Hill has been talking to

some of them. This is a PIP implant. It was taken

out five weeks ago. Steffy Meissner paid thousands of pounds to have

her faulty PIP implants removed and replaced. She believes her health

was suffering because of the industrial silicon leaking into her

body. My glands here were also fallen. I would go away for a

couple of days, come back... her friend Tina from Bridgwater has

had problems as well. She has developed diseases of her immune

system including chronic fatigue syndrome. There is no absolute

proof but she is convinced her bad health is linked to the faulty

implants she has paid thousands for. I cannot walk free far. My life is

a nightmare. It has come to a stop at the minute. The two women met on

the social network site which features the counts of hundreds of

others who have claimed their health has suffered. At the moment

we are seeing an increase in women who have reported other systems --

symptoms, neuralgia, pain in muscle joints. We know the implants have

things including the fire accelerate but we do not know what

the effect is on the body. That needs testing her urgently. What

evidence is there about the health effects of PIP implants? No link

with cancer has been found but a report published by a group of

European experts has raised questions about other health

problems. The silicone used was intended for mattresses and when

mice were injected with it, a study found it caused irritancy. In

humans, this could manifest itself as saw or enlarged lymph nodes or

sensation in the breast. Other implants which Hughes Medical

silicone were found to have no effect. Other implants which used

medical silicone were found to have no effect. It says the implications

for women is uncertain. Further investigation is required.

Something Tina Whatley's MP also wants to see. When we have so many

women with similar symptoms, various versions of NT, people with

gynaecological problems, we should be asking what has gone wrong. --

versions of M E. Tina Whatley is due to have her implants removed

next week and hopes that will improve her health but fears the

damage may already have been done. Matthew is here with us now. This

is obviously very worrying for women watching this tonight but how

do they know if they have got a problem? Over the past ten years

there have been 40,000 women with PIP implants. Of those, they think,

the regulatory body thinks around 500 have had an adverse reactions

reported by their GPs. The problem is they have not broken down into

which category as those health problems are and that is something

which the end HR8 are adding further work on. What happens now?

If women are worried, if they have reached the implants, they will

have them removed by the NHS. If they are worried and the government

says in the long term they will get them removed eventually. So far we

have only had a dozen women who have had them removed on the NHS.

Thank you. On the pellet -- on Sunday Politics

we will look at whether there needs to be more regulation of this

multi-billion-pound industry. In other news, the man accused of

murdering a Thornbury Becker has made a brief appearance before a

High Court judge. -- a Thornbury vicar. Stephen Farrell is accused

of murdering John Suddards and retired teacher Betty Yates. He

appeared by video link and spoke only to confirm his name.

Business leaders in Wincanton in Somerset say it will be hard to

replace jobs lost when one of the town's biggest employers relocates

to Staffordshire. More than 150 local jobs are to go next week. The

company, Adams Foods, was hit by a major fire.

Leaving their production shift this afternoon and for many, it was time

for emotional goodbyes. The mood here is understandably downbeat.

knew it was coming. Now it is nearly here, it is sad times. I

have worked here for 12 years. Gutted the place is going but time

to move on, I suppose. Four it will be hard for everyone. Adams foods

packs cheese here, the main brand, Pilgrims Choice Cheddar. It is

winding down its Somerset operation. The majority of the work force will

be gone by next Wednesday. The company was in the headlines last

September when its cheese warehouse and everything inside it was

destroyed by one of the biggest fires in Somerset for years. It was

shortly after that that the company said it was considering relocating

its packing business to a state of- the-art factory in Leek in

Staffordshire. At the time they said the fire had been a

contributory factor. Adams is one of the biggest

companies in Wincanton. At its height, this place employed 180

people. Most of the local jobs have now gone. Adams say this place will

not shut completely. About 25 people will be kept on. Another 25

have decided to move with the company to Staffordshire. Among

them, Polish-born Karolina and her husband. If they give me a chance

to keep my job then I will go there. I like changes so it is a new

challenge for me. Inevitably, that means significantly fewer wage

packets in Wincanton, a blow to a small town economy. Business

leaders say the priority must be to attract new employers but they know

that will not be easy. You are in the middle of a depression, not

just the UK but Europe, worldwide, everyone is cutting back so there

are few opportunities to bring business into town. As for the

future of the site, the company tell us it is too soon to say.

It is coming up to 20-7, we are live here on BBC One. We have

Friday's Points West. Your weekend starts right here. The full

forecast coming saying plus, pushing hard for promotion - we

will be at the Memorial Stadium as Bristol Rugby try to inch closer to

the Premiership. I feel tired just looking at that!

We continue with more news. First, a school in south Gloucestershire

had to be closed today after a suspicious fire. Crews were called

to St Mary's Church of England Primary in Yate early this morning.

Classrooms were damaged and an investigation has begun into the

cause. All the effort that we put into making the school a better

place for the children, all the effort the parents put into making

the school experience valuable and things like this happen. It feels

so disappointing. We were meant to be having our cake sale today and

our cakes would have been going stale. My class was supposed to

doer class assembly that we have been trying to rehearse all week

and now we can't do it. It is like a big let-down. It is just annoying.

The school will stay closed on Monday and Tuesday next week

because of the damage caused by smoke.

A young man says he has been attacked for parking in disabled

spaces because other drivers do not think he looks unwell enough. Marc

Pyle from Wilshere has a muscle- wasting disease but it does not

show out with symptoms -- Wiltshire. Marc Pyle is 25 years old. He was

diagnosed with muscular dystrophy aged just seven. He is able to walk

but only slowly and for short periods. It is all right sometimes,

depending on whether and staff but generally, I do find it quite hard.

That is why I need a blue badge for disabled parking. But it is that

blue badge which has made him the victim of what he sees as a hate

crime. He uses it to park in disabled spaces like this one in

Cricklade and has found himself on the wrong end of some very angry

words. Verbally assaulting year and shouting at you, saying you're not

disabled, why are you parking there? At other times, getting

people trying to park their car in that space to stop you get into it

or moving their car to make it hard for you to park. Marc Pyle believes

that happens because despite this badge, the signs of his disability

are not that obvious. He says the problems he has experienced as a

disabled driver, using his permit to park in NO-SPACE like this one,

announced a form of abuse. It seems the difficulties he have

experienced is far from unique. story is tragic because it is not

that uncommon. Win a two-thirds of disabled people around the UK say

they may have been the victim of a disability hate crime recently.

Next week, Marc Pyle will travel to Westminster to speak to MPs. A

chance, he hopes, to improve awareness and make a difference

that will make life better for Plans for a new supermarket on the

side of the Memorial Stadium in Bristol have been unveiled. The

project has not yet received planning permission and it will

only go ahead if a new stadium is built next to beat University of

the West of England Pampers. Bristol rugby are in action tonight

and we can cross there now. David Passmore is there for us now. David,

are they heading back to the They have got to be favourites.

This is the final match of their regular league season. They are

top-of-the-table, but there is plenty of rugby to go. There is a

total of 10 games in the play-offs if they want to reach the league.

This is in marked contrast to last year.

Are just some of the new faces that have helped Bristo rise to the top

of the leak. It is not just players, there is a new man at the top, too,

Stephen Lansdown. He is a self-made millionaire now officially back in

the club. You can have confidence in Liam Middleton. The fans like

him and the players obviously play for him. Tactically he seems to be

very aware of what needs to be done. I think he is a winner but in a

very quiet manner. Since taking over in the summer, Middleton has

introduced a new culture. Pushing the players harder, but in a long

season he is making sure that they are looked after. We have

implemented the right values and the right style. There is no

negotiation on that. It is a strong, tough culture, do not get me wrong.

There are some hard things that go on in this club. Just 12 months ago,

Bristol were in eighth place. They just scraped into the play-offs.

Now, they are proudly at the top of the tech -- table. Their success

has brought some old faces back. There is more attention to detail.

It is really particular because we know that when we get out on the

field it's that kind of detail that will make the difference. The club

now face a 10 game a play-off system to return to the top flight.

We plan on being in the championship next season. We are

hoping that it will be a case of being in the league, but we are

realistic. We will keep working at it until we get there. With the

momentum that Bristol have at the moment, you would not bet against

them getting there. Joining me now, and legend of

Bristol and England at rugby, Mark Regan. Can Bristol go up and could

they stay up? Most definitely. They are recruiting well and that they

are bringing some good Bristo lads back as well. They have tougher

games coming up. They will have four Cup finals. This Bristol team

of very good. There they will go up this year, I feel. There is scope

for a slip up, though, isn't there? Definitely, that has been proven.

It's is a tough league and it will come down to experience. Bristol

have been there and done it before. How bigger golf is there between

the championship and the Premiership? It is huge. But

Bristol has filled things quite nicely of late. Investment has been

really important. The club can go from strength to strength. Bristol

have been in the Premiership before and they can go a long wave. They

now have the foundation. They have got a great fan base as well?

certainly have. I am looking forward to this place being packed

out. Do you miss it? I do indeed. I am playing in some charity matches

in. Thank you. Bath and Gloucester are both in action in the

Premiership tomorrow and Jameson son Daniel makes his 200 and 50th

appearance for them. Now to football, no match for Bristol

Rovers tomorrow. They hope to continue their mini revival at

Rotherham. Swindon are clearly flying. Their latest victory was on

Tuesday night over promotion rivals, Shrewsbury. The man aged -- the

manager is pleased to be two points clear. If you have a chance to win

another two or three games, you extend the gap between you and a

fourth place. We want to extend this gap. There is no one like him.

These are exciting times for Forest Green Rovers, they are doing well

in the lead of three of their players have been chosen to

represent their country. They will This is the trio who are on England

duty. Jamie Turley, Kieran Forbes, and Edward a showpiece -- Edward --

Jodie. There are 16 players in the England squad. It is great

recognition for the football club. It shows everybody that we are a

young and mixed bunch and that we have some good, young players.

Everybody is tremendously proud of the three players getting in the

squad. Time to have lunch and talk opposition, shop windows and the

Three Lions. It is a cracking feeling. You look at the crowd and

whatever level it is it is a real honour to play for your country.

you will sing the national anthem, that will be special? Yes, I will

be singing along. What will Italy's level be like? The Italian first

team are brilliant, what will they be like at your level? It will be a

tough game. I respect them a little bit. It will be a fun game. There

will be managers from the Football League, will it be a shop window

for you? You do not really think about that. You just think about

trying to play well for your country. I have got family going up

and all I want to do is play well. These are good times at Forest

Green, the first team are just seven points off the play-offs and

they have three players in the England C Scott. You never know who

will be watching next Tuesday. Shelley Rudman and Amy Williams had

just missed out on Wed -- medals at the World Championships. Shelley

Rudman was in third place at the halfway stage overnight, but she

slipped to fourth in the final two runs this afternoon. Amy Williams

moved up from sixth spot to fifth. Lizzie Arnold finished in third

place getting a bronze medal. There is commentary of this game here

tonight on BBC Radio Bristol medium wave. Mark Regan is part of the

commentary team. There is commentary of all of the games we

Thank you. Dozens of teams from across the country have descended

on the Forest of Dean for a weekend of high-speed racing and it is with

huskies. That dogs macro drag competitors along the dirt tracks.

The racing is under way. These dogs macro can go pretty fast and they

can go a long way, too. It takes a certain kind of person to do this

sport, but it is getting bigger. They look soft and cuddly, but

these dogs are the real thing. They are fed on raw meat and they are

born to work and to run. While these dogs are family pets, they

also need to race. I love it. By good training twice a week as a

minimum. I usually raise them once a week. It is almost a full-time

commitment. These huskies specialises in insurance. Siberian

huskies are small and leaner and faster sprinters. Some have

different types, Canadian Eskimo dogs are very rare and endangered

breed. It is something that can take over your life. I'm afraid

that this has been something very important for me. It is very

rewarding. The weekend racing course is set around mallard's Pike

lake. As soon as you are off, the nerves are gone, but there is a lot

of raw power from the dogs. The bigger teams will be hitting about

30 miles an hour. It is clear that the dogs are far more excited than

the owners, it will be a very noisy weekend.

This is a typical set-up, align of dogs attract -- attached to this

week. You can have up to eight dogs in a team and that is when things

start to get really fast. This is the last of the season in

Gloucestershire, it ends in March. That is when the temperature gets

too high for these dogs. If you went to go that event it is

free until Sunday, but organisers say do not bring your pet dogs or

cats along. It was a day whether cloud won out

against the sunshine. The Gloucestershire fared very well.

The rest of us had a lot of stubborn, low cloud today.

Temperatures cluttered up pretty early. It is a rather misty and

murky story this evening and tonight. The weekend is not too bad.

It will still be mild for this time of the year. We will see some

sunshine. The cold front is sinking down and bringing fresher air.

There will be patchy light rain and drizzle. Behind that tomorrow we do

get some Clearing skies. The latter part of the day will have sunshine,

to. Overnight lows will be down on recent values, rural spots will be

even chillier. Tomorrow morning it does not look particularly pretty,

low cloud and mist and murk. By the second half of the day, decent

amounts of sunshine. That will help propel the highs into double

figures. After that, tomorrow night again we are looking at cloud

filling in the holes. Misty and murky and again the Bristol Channel

will bear the brunt of the coastal fog. There will be hill fog around

as well. There will be a repeat performance on Sunday. And grey and