05/04/2012 BBC Points West

Good evening. Welcome. The headlines: two dry winters mean

-- mean a hosepipe ban for many. And bars of the West it is now a

criminal offence to wash your car or water your plants with a host.

Bristol City council leaflets about the mayor referendum have been

branded a shambles by the City as minister.

A Conservative think-tank has joined Animal were fit -- welfare

groups in calling a stop to the badger cull and the West.

And will Bristol City crack under the pressure or escape the

relegation zone this weekend? Thames Water is defending the

hosepipe ban which is now affecting parts of Gloucestershire and

Wiltshire. It affects all of its customers, and came into force at

midnight. This is the area it covers, from

Cheltenham and Cirencester to Wiltshire. This is what it means.

It is a criminal offence to wash a car with a hosepipe. You cannot

water your plants either. Nor can you fill your child's paddling per

will. Things you can do includes using an

irrigation system in your garden which takes the water directly to

the roots of the plant. You are also exempt if you need a hosepipe

as part of you a business. It has been introduced because

there have been two very dry winters. Scott Ellis is in

Wiltshire, on the River Kennet. Good evening.

Good evening. Thames Water say the levels in their reservoirs and

aquifers and drivers are at an all- time low. The River Kennet is

testament to that. Take a look back to the summer, of 2010. The water

level then was near the top of my thighs. As you can see, after a

winter, the water has just lapping at my ankles. The wildlife

campaigners are saying that the volume of water and the river is

about 1% of what it should be. The real question is, will a hosepipe

ban making the difference? The River Kennet should be up to the

five mark, but it is way below. The water is used to supply Swindon and

London, but two dry winters have taken their toll, hence a hosepipe

ban and no apology from Thames Water.

We're not doing it for fun, it is because we have to. The more water

we can save now, the more we will have later on, and the less

likelihood of there being more serious restrictions in future.

The hope is that watering cans and buckets will make us more Waterwise.

The keen gardeners here collect water in water buts.

The amount coming off the roof and one day will Philby's. We have put

the was piped away. We made a conscious effort yesterday and put

them away. They can manage without them.

In Swindon, the council is cutting its water use. The fountain will go

off, and sports pitches will remain on watered. Some people are

critical of Thames Water, where the company itself loses 600 million

litres of water of the day through leaks.

They do not look after their own water, and I have lots of plants

and my garden that I am going to have to wander around with watering

cans. Thames Water's says that leaks and at an all-time low, and

the hope that the was by a band will cut this up to 10%. But River

Kennet campaigners are also among the campaign has. -- critics. It is

too little, too late. They should have thought of this 30 years ago.

Water is coming from here, and ending up in London. They have not

build stable resources. This aquifer provides the cheapest water

and the country. They have been taking it for years and years, but

it is unsustainable. Tough measures, but these are tough times for water

companies. Rain or shine, the hosepipe ban will be in place for

at least the whole of the summer. There are no plans for helicopters

or patrol men as fathers enforcement goes, Thames Water

expect neighbours to inform them if hosepipes are being used. There

will then be letters and a �1,000 fine. Will the ban spread further

through the region? The other companies say they have no

immediate plans for this, but they are encouraging their customers to

be wise about how they use water. Eddie litre saved is another litre

in the river. -- every litre saved. Thank you very much. A motorcyclist

who was badly hurt and a crash with a police car in Cheltenham remains

in a serious but stable condition in hospital. The 53-year-old man

from Gloucester collided with the police can at the traffic lights on

the Lansdowne Road. The car was responding for an emergency call at

around 7pm on 22nd March. Gloucestershire police said it was

fully co-operating with the IPCC investigation.

A husband and wife in the 80s have been found dead in the home in

Cirencester. Neighbours called police after noticing post piling

up inside the house in Corinium Gate. The police forced open the

door two weeks ago and found William and Eileen Wicks in their

bedroom. Because of their deaths is not -- because of their deaths is

not know own. An inquest into the death of a

Gloucestershire shoulder killed in Afghanistan was held today.

Rifleman Martin Lamb was described as a passionate dedicated soldier.

Based at Beachley Barracks, he was from Dursley, and needs a wife and

two-year-old daughter. The 27-year- old was killed by a bomb hidden in

an irrigation ditch in Hellman last year.

Leaflets sent to every house in Bristol about the May referendum

have been branded a shambles by the city's Minister. Bristol City

Council denies its brochure is inaccurate and biased, but admitted

there have been problems delivering the leaflet to some parts of the

city. He this is the leaflet. 12 pages of

information about the referendum for a mayor. 185,000 copies were

printed, at a cost of around �21,000. But the government is

refusing to pay the bill, because it believes these leaflets contain

bias and inaccurate information. The leaflet that the City Council

put out contains inaccurate figures as to the cost of the mayoral

election, and departs from balance when it talks about the cost of a

mare, without making the case for money being saved. But Bristol City

And residents here should have got one, but some doormats here remain

free of leaflets. And here, some households eligible to vote have

not had one either. Why? offices give the leaflets to Royal

Mail with clear instructions and plenty of time. They seem to have

failed to deliver in certain areas which has concerning. Deidre is

eligible to vote in the referendum but did not get a leaflet. I heard

about it on Radio Bristol when you didn't open debate one afternoon,

but that is all I have heard. have not been given any other

indication? Nothing at all. received one, even though he does

not live in Bristol for. I am not allowed to vote, so why have I

received this? You should not have received good? I do not think so.

The government says it will not pay for this, and the council says it

will fight the decision and wants an investigation.

You're watching BBC Points West. The community reluctantly agreeing

to run its own library and what it is like to be an Olympic volunteer.

We meet a man who has been there and done it in the USA.

The Government is being urged to reconsider plans for badger cull

trials in the autumn by a Conservative think-tank. West

Somerset is one of the areas where this is due to begin soon, but now

a 'The Bow Group' has joined with animal welfare organisations by

saying it will be expensive and could actually spread the disease.

Cattle have been badly affected by bovine TB over the years, leading

to controversial badger culls and the autumn. One of these is due to

take place in West Somerset, but now a report by the Somerset think-

tank has frustrated many farmers. This report is surprising because

it restates many of the arguments that have already been rehearsed by

animal welfare groups such as The Badger Trust. Namely that any

badger cull would be expensive, difficult to enforce, and would

also be unpopular with the public. The Badger Trust says it is pleased

that the think tank has also highlighted his concerns that

badgers might escape the cull, and aggravate the situations.

There is a mounting body of opinion that vaccination is by far the

better way forward and that the killing of wild animals is not

likely to have a beneficial effect of any substance, and that it could

very likely make things a lot worse. John farms in the Devon and says

there needs to be a cull of badgers. He is disappointed by the comments.

It is not Conservative policy, and I think they are trying to lose

their nerve. -- lose their nerve before we go through what is a

multi- pronged attack on taking out the reservoir of tuberculosis in

wildlife. DEFRA says usable vaccines are years away.

The row over how to run libraries in Gloucester Show continued

unabated today. -- Gloucestershire. Protesters fighting the changes

were thrown out of a meeting for heckling councillors meeting to

rubber-stamp the changes. Meanwhile one community preparing to take on

the running of its own library says the grant it has been given is

barely enough. Outside, a reminder of a High Court

judge when he ruled against the council's original plan. Inside,

the cabinet were hoping they had got it right this time. The mobile

library services staying, and seven rather than 10 libraries will may

be offered to local community to run or they face closure for.

have made sure we capture the issues, understand what we can do

to prevent people being affected by a proposals -- the proposals.

it was not enough for campaigners who were thrown out of the meeting

for heckling. The proposals have barely changed despite all the

comments people made, so why am and I am not prepared to keep my

anger in. The group behind last year's legal challenge are

surprised about the plans, saying the consultation was flawed.

shows the results the council wanted. They were not prepared to

listen to the alternative vote -- options. Waiting in the wings are

groups ready to take on the library's been closed. The

Community would rather not have to run the library but they are up for

what will be a challenging to a moneyed. The �10,000 grant is quite

away from what we believe is required to run the service as it

is now. But again, we will negotiate hard with the local

authority and hopefully they will meet us halfway and we will

continue to provide or enhance the service that is on offer of. This

time the council say their strategy is right, but the protesters are

not so sure. They are checking the small print with their lawyers.

Maybe the final chapter in this saga with the libraries has yet to

Somerset County Council has been condemned for selling age huge area

of woodland in the Quantock Hills. Great wood, and Area of Outstanding

Natural Beauty, has been bought by the Forestry Commission for

�250,000. The Campaign to Protect Rural England says it is like

selling the family silver. Even on a cold, wet, Mr Day, the

Quantock Hills still managed to the pitiful. In 1956, the area was

awarded protected status. Its distinctive character, natural

beauty and cultural heritage so outstanding, it was considered in

the nation's interest to safeguard it. Today, Somerset County Council

has sold part of it. Appalled, really, at the attitude of the

council. They are selling off the family silver. This land has been

owned by the council since the 1920s. Their forebears bought it

for the people of Somerset to enjoy. It is a dreadful indictment of

their attitude to the county and its environment. At a news

conference in Taunton, the news was delivered, not just to the media,

but to a group of protesters. All 200 acres sold for a quarter of a

million pounds. Financial imperatives often party to do

things that you feel uncomfortable with. It is a necessity, we are

balancing our books, and we need to continue to do that. We have seen

the council make an announcement something important without any

reference to the protesters. They ignored 45,000 protesters on a

petition. We have got the Forestry Commission as the new landowner,

but there is no guarantee they will remain a public -- in public

ownership. There are two more sites still to be sold. They will go to

the buyer best for the people of Somerset, the council say. The

protesters were clear who that was, the council.

Over the last few years, there has been a dark cloud over cricket.

Allegations of match-fixing have seen several international players

jailed, and it has affected the county game. It is a problem that

has not tainted our sides here. As the new season gets under way, some

believe, unless the problem is tackled quickly, they might be

players who could find themselves embroiled in corruption.

The Pakistani players who cast a shadow over Cricket boss Bob Salman

Butt, the Hamlet and Lear, Mohammed Asif, are all jailed for accepting

money to play badly during the Test series against England in 2010. But

more was to come. Corruption was found in the English county game.

This year, Essex bowler Mervyn Westfield was jailed after

accepting �6,000 to give away runs during a game in 2009. Why has the

blight of sport fixing reached the English county circuit? Your

average county cricket does not earn a fortune, so carrots that are

dropped in front of them to earn easy money, it is quite disturbing

and a bit of a worry, so we have to find their way of helping those

people. The important thing is, we have got to give them an avenue to

get away with that -- get away from that. The average salary for a new

cricketer, �20,000. That can go up to �60,000. It is only in the

international arena, where that figure could double. The difference

between at a top footballer and a top cricketer is enormous, that is

not an excuse, but it means that cricketers might be cheaper to

corrupt than a footballer, and therefore an easier target. But the

moral issue is no different. fix can be entertaining, but is it

sport? This is the message being spread to all county cricket clubs

by the ECB, together with the Professional Cricketers Association.

Our education programme is designed to make sure it does not become a

widespread problem. We think it is intermittent, we think there are

people who are trying to corrupt, with thin fare of gambling

syndicates on the Indian sub- continent two think county cricket

is a target, and we need to make sure they are not successful.

betting more accessible, some believe the Games, widely-

publicised, can be more vulnerable to corruption. The more TV is

involved, the more opportunities there are, because you pocket think

into the markets that do a lot of gambling. Crushed like you are

giving in to the markets. Even the players' union admits the health of

cricket has taken a pump. That leaves the question of whether the

virus of correction can really be As a commentator, to you think the

problem has got so far, can we even trust the players are playing the

game with honour? You can still trusted players. I would like to

believed. Most people to believe that those cases that you have

highlighted were isolated incidents. But they do highlight the

susceptibility of all cricketers at all levels, and particularly when

the games are televised, to editor of inducement. -- to a bit of

inducement. A spot is an event in a game, and in every over, six events

for a bowl and a six events for a better. The gamble has thought,

what is the harm in Bowl ring a no- ball, when nothing really matters?

But they need to be told that any event that a better on his going to

be damaging to the integrity of the game. -- that they bet on.

mentioned yourself, what is the harm in bowling a no-ball, but how

do you police this? There can be six or seven no-balls in a game, so

it did you suspect cheating? Once the won a suspicion starts eating

away, as we have seen in cycling, we think, are any of them clean? It

becomes difficult to trust everything you see on the screen.

That is the problem that the Cricket Association face now.

Proper budget but -- then is to be proper education of the cricketers,

do not go anywhere near it. There is a chance cricket can retain its

image. Bristol City face what could be a

make-or-break weekend as they looked to remain in the

championship. They are in the relegation zone, and they are one

point from safety, with six games to go. The travel to Nottingham

Forest to Saturday, -- on Saturday, then play Coventry on Monday.

Six games, 540 minutes, to preserve their status. It is time for

Bristol City to focus, take a deep breath and play with unbridled

commitment. The leader of the pack knows what he wants. It is all

about trying to make sure the players played the game on Saturday.

Everything that has happened in the past has gone, just six games to go.

You realise how much people are dependent on us, but we cannot let

that go into the game, we need to play the game. We have got to think

positively, throughout the club. Once you get a negative attitude in

a club, with the fans, the players, the management, that is a recipe

for disaster. We have got to be positive. It is impossible to work

out how many points will do the trick. It looks like they have got

to do better than Coventry, who visit on Monday in what could be a

pivotal game. They have reduced adult admission to �10, Coventry

have sold all over 2000 tickets. Ashton Gate is set for a sell-out

and a battle royal. A win against Coventry is essential. Not losing

points to West Ham, a big home game, we have got to make sure we get

some points. It is going to be difficult. I am praying they can do

it. We trust in Derek McInnes, we always believed. We are always

confident, we hope for the best. We have been doing this for 30 years!

Will they stay up? I hope so. I think they will, just, by one point.

They say home is where the parties. This is where survival is for

Bristol City. They have got to keep their heads above water. They must

-- they must beat Coventry, and then two home games to come. If

they win them both, I am sure they will be OK.

Cricket, and Somerset have made a bright start on the opening day of

the county championship season. Their new fast bowler Vernon

Philander took three to -- 3-21 on his debut. In Division Two,

Gloucestershire won the toss and put Essex in to bat.

There are just four months to go until the London Olympics, and for

one man from Gloucestershire, the games are a chance to relive some

very fond memories. Thousands of volunteers are getting ready to

play their part, and they will have some help from Mike Cooper. He was

a volunteer at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. You look fine in your

outfit! This is the uniform of the volunteer at the Olympic Games in

Atlanta. Fondly looked after in the closet? It certainly is! After 16

years, I can still fit into what! Not that I am saying I am surprised,

but I could not do that! What was it like to be in that atmosphere?

Fantastic. The opening ceremony, I was looking at 10,000 of the finest

athletes in the world, parading around the track. 20 rows behind me,

Bill Clinton and of the top brass of the Olympic movement. 2 billion

people were watching this on television. I was thinking, I am

here! Fantastic. How did you come to be involved? I used to work for

IBM. I retired in the early 90s. I continue to get the company

magazine. I picked it up and it said, but you like to be a

volunteer? This was what I always wanted to do, fantastic. I applied

straightaway. Shortly afterwards come up I had a letter that said,

congratulations, you have been selected. I did not know what I had

been selected for, so we called them, and they said, you will be

stadium management. I had visions of sitting in a command module he

said, you will be an usher. If you are going to be an usher, the

The all-important Bank Holiday forecast. We have been hearing

about the water shortages, and I cannot promise much rain over the

weekend. Today, we have seen cloud. Most of the weekend will be a

similar pattern to today. Just a bit warmer. Because of the lack of

sunshine and the wind, the temperatures struggled today. A bit

down on the average, but it is an improving picture as we go into the

weekend. It is mostly dry. Not until Monday to we get rain. For

this evening and tonight, the cloud is beginning to break, we are

beginning to get a clear sky. The temperatures are getting to

freezing. It will be a cold start for Friday. The clear sky continues

for a time. Decent sunshine for the first part of Good Friday. It

clouds over a bit into the afternoon. The sunshine does not

have any wind to contend with. Pleasantly warm in any prolonged

periods of sunshine. Tomorrow night, we start to see the cloud built

think. That sets the tone as we head into Easter Saturday. Quite a

bit of cloud, but still, the temperatures hold up well. Easter

Sunday night time is when we begin to see a front coming in from the

West. That brings rain. It is not massively heavy, but it will be

quite persistent and it will linger for most of Monday. It is dry and