:00:18. > :00:24.Good evening. Headlines: crying out for rain. We can reveal an official
:00:24. > :00:29.drought for the West is likely to be declared next week.
:00:29. > :00:32.Co-star of The Bill takes his own life. The coroner hears wife he
:00:32. > :00:36.became depressed. Bristol wins millions of pounds
:00:36. > :00:41.from the Government to provide a more school places as the birth
:00:41. > :00:49.rate soars by 20%. Why the manager of Swindon could be
:00:49. > :00:54.playing to an empty stadium for the most important match of the season.
:00:54. > :01:01.The persistent lack of rain has left the West on the verge of an
:01:01. > :01:05.environmental crisis. We understand a drought for the region could be
:01:05. > :01:10.officially declared as early as next week. It doesn't mean hosepipe
:01:10. > :01:15.bans or restrictions on supply, but it indicates how concerned the
:01:15. > :01:21.government is about the drying up of underground sources and it
:01:21. > :01:28.affect on agriculture and wildlife. Parts of our region are under a
:01:28. > :01:33.hosepipe ban. Now Wessex Water is warning of an environmental drought
:01:33. > :01:39.affecting rivers rather than reservoirs. And also the plants and
:01:39. > :01:43.animals who depend on them. These are some of Somerset's most
:01:43. > :01:49.dependable a damp places. Conservationists are keeping a
:01:49. > :01:52.close what you're as water levels creep ever a law. There are lots of
:01:52. > :01:59.places in these mirrors were we don't have these are wet land
:01:59. > :02:05.conditions. Am this will impact on rare wading birds. In Dorset,
:02:05. > :02:13.channels are dry. No water means no wildlife. At this time of year, we
:02:13. > :02:20.would expect to see lapwings. By because the soil is dry, there are
:02:20. > :02:24.no insects for them to feed on. Whilst there aren't any drought
:02:24. > :02:29.restrictions imposed in this part of the country at the moment, it is
:02:29. > :02:33.not to say that hour while life is not in trouble. It now seems
:02:33. > :02:41.certain that a drought will be declared. There might not be
:02:41. > :02:46.restrictions, but it shows how low the water table has fallen. Here is
:02:46. > :02:50.how the West looks. Thames Water has a hosepipe ban. South West
:02:50. > :02:58.Water and Severn Trent Water have no restrictions. Bristol Water are
:02:58. > :03:02.asking people to use water wisely. Despite the dry weather, we don't
:03:02. > :03:06.think there will be restrictions on supplied to customers. But we are
:03:06. > :03:11.concerned about the impact on the environment. Domestic restrictions
:03:11. > :03:16.are unlikely. What about watering on an industrial scale? When your
:03:16. > :03:20.livelihood depends on rain, you really notice when it does not come.
:03:20. > :03:29.From January to the end of March this year, we have had seven inches
:03:29. > :03:32.of rain. Last year, it was 10 inches. So we are down 30%.
:03:32. > :03:37.depend on reservoirs and most of them are doing fine. Ultimately,
:03:37. > :03:44.every drop comes from rivers and springs. It is there that water
:03:45. > :03:51.shortages are being felt first. So, is there any heavy rain on the
:03:51. > :03:57.horizon? I know this is a big ask for you to talk about the summer
:03:57. > :04:02.ahead. Do you know how it looks? Over the next couple of weeks, we
:04:02. > :04:12.are expecting it to be an unsettled spell. There will be some
:04:12. > :04:12.
:04:12. > :04:16.meaningful rain early next week. It all helps, but it won't get rid of
:04:16. > :04:22.the problems which have been racking up over an exceptionally
:04:22. > :04:31.dry winter. We are playing catch-up. The likelihood is that we will not
:04:31. > :04:39.catch up by the summer. We will be left with profound shortages.
:04:39. > :04:43.have kind of missed the boat really. Can we make it up? It would take an
:04:43. > :04:49.exceptionally wet summer to bring things up to par. That is a great
:04:49. > :04:56.unknown. The Met Office does not provide seasonal forecasts. But
:04:56. > :05:01.some others are suggesting it could be an average summer. There is an
:05:01. > :05:07.awful wait to play for. We have seen these long-range forecasts go
:05:07. > :05:12.very wrong. Thank you. An actor who appeared on our TV
:05:12. > :05:16.screens for more than a decade kill himself after becoming severely
:05:16. > :05:21.depressed an inquest heard today. Colin Tarrant played Inspector
:05:21. > :05:27.Andrew Munroe on The Bill. He was living in Bristol when he died.
:05:27. > :05:31.At the age of 59, Colin Tarrant was a well-known face on the corner of
:05:31. > :05:37.many of our living rooms. 12 years in that the Bill as Inspector
:05:37. > :05:42.Monroe as well as appearances in Holby City, Casualty, Heartbeat and
:05:42. > :05:48.Doctors earned him notoriety on our screens. In recent years, he turned
:05:48. > :05:52.his talent to the stage and triumphed as Brian Clough in that
:05:52. > :05:59.the spirit of the man. Tonight, his former colleagues played tribute to
:05:59. > :06:05.him. -- paid tribute. He was a genuine guy who was straight
:06:05. > :06:14.forward. He had a great heart. He would really give you his time. He
:06:14. > :06:17.helped me learn my lines. He was a genuine guy. What you see is what
:06:17. > :06:23.you get with someone like him. It is hard to describe in words, but I
:06:23. > :06:28.would suggest genuine. In January this year, it seemed his deep
:06:28. > :06:34.financial difficulties became too much to bear. Today, his family
:06:34. > :06:38.came to the coroner's court to find out what happened. The inquest
:06:38. > :06:45.heard that the day before his death he was diagnosed with severe
:06:45. > :06:50.discretion -- severe depression. He then received a phone call from his
:06:50. > :06:56.estate agent saying the sale of his London home had fallen through for
:06:56. > :07:00.a second time. His partner said she heard him going to the bathroom.
:07:01. > :07:05.When he did not emerge, she entered and found him bleeding heavily from
:07:05. > :07:09.multiple wounds. He died in the Bristol Royal Infirmary the next
:07:09. > :07:16.day. The coroner said this afternoon it was clear Colin
:07:16. > :07:24.Tarrant was severely depressed. He said he was satisfied he intended -
:07:24. > :07:32.- he was satisfied of the intended consequences and that Colin Tarrant
:07:32. > :07:42.had taken his own life. You're watching Points West. Stay
:07:42. > :07:43.
:07:43. > :07:47.with us. Much more to come, including a call on find out how it
:07:47. > :07:51.the big box of Somerset backed another record at Aintree today.
:07:51. > :07:59.A blooming in Somerset. The new attraction hoping to become a hot
:07:59. > :08:03.spot for day trips. Don't call way it, will you? I know
:08:03. > :08:09.you want. Swindon Town fans are waiting for news tonight to find
:08:09. > :08:14.out if they are still banned from the potential title clincher in
:08:14. > :08:20.Kent. A row over policing the game at Gillingham means at present the
:08:20. > :08:25.match will be played to an empty stadium. Our reporter is in an
:08:25. > :08:29.empty stadium for us now. Imagine the outrage among us
:08:29. > :08:34.Swindon fans. Their team might have to play a match at Gillingham that
:08:34. > :08:40.looks like the County Ground tonight. No ordinary match. They
:08:40. > :08:45.could win the title and get promoted, so it would be a great
:08:45. > :08:53.day out for a pal to Canio and his team and his fans. The problem is -
:08:53. > :09:02.- a problem for the manager. The problem is that there is a stand-
:09:02. > :09:06.off between Kent Police and the football teams regarding paying for
:09:06. > :09:14.security. Swindon Town are on the brink of
:09:14. > :09:17.promotion. Fans and manager on an all-time high. There was news
:09:17. > :09:22.yesterday that silenced the celebrations. There a way again to
:09:22. > :09:25.Gillingham would go ahead without any fans in the ground. I have been
:09:25. > :09:29.privy to intelligence reports and information from the police and I
:09:30. > :09:33.am satisfied from the information they have given me and from the
:09:33. > :09:41.questions I have asked them that there is a danger that if we allow
:09:41. > :09:45.the club to go ahead -- if we allow the game to go ahead without to
:09:45. > :09:53.adequate policing, there could be a safety issue. There is intense
:09:53. > :09:58.rivalry between these two teams. In 2009, fans from both sides or
:09:58. > :10:08.ordered out of the stadium. The ongoing rivalry meant Kent Police
:10:08. > :10:16.classed became as cat -- classed the game as Category C and required
:10:16. > :10:21.20 officers inside. The team have refused to pay up. I am shocked.
:10:21. > :10:26.There will be no one there if we get promoted. I think it is in
:10:26. > :10:34.Gillingham trying to pull it. They will have to pay The Bill. They're
:10:34. > :10:44.just trying to save some cash. Good luck to them. -- the A8 will just
:10:44. > :10:53.
:10:53. > :11:02.have to pay for it. Today, clubs might have to pay more cost with
:11:02. > :11:08.the region around stadiums having to be paid to be policed as well.
:11:08. > :11:12.It would cost about �21,000 to police again such as this.
:11:12. > :11:16.This is the latest from Gillingham. The chairman can confirm that he
:11:16. > :11:21.has been in discussion with Kent Police and talks are ongoing. But
:11:21. > :11:28.the club will have no further comment. It seems the doors remain
:11:28. > :11:37.shut to the fans. What do you think? I am speechless. I am
:11:37. > :11:43.outraged. What have fans been saying online today? They are going.
:11:43. > :11:47.They are going to Gillingham and you cannot stop them. They will go.
:11:47. > :11:53.They will go on the block, as they say, and we all know what happens
:11:53. > :11:57.then. Anything could happen if they don't get into the ground? Exactly,
:11:57. > :12:06.and that will result in more football that: it -- football
:12:06. > :12:12.hooliganism. Do you understand the rivalry? I think the police are
:12:12. > :12:17.within their rights to have as many police as they like to be there to
:12:17. > :12:23.protect the supporters. You think that Gillingham should pay up?
:12:23. > :12:27.not just our supporters, Gillingham supporters as well. You have been
:12:27. > :12:32.to every home and away game. You are trying to take them all off.
:12:32. > :12:36.Will you get to Gillingham? Hopefully. If not, I will listen on
:12:36. > :12:41.the radio. I have never been to Gillingham, so I would like to go.
:12:41. > :12:47.Very sad for you, but can you understand there is the element of
:12:47. > :12:52.troublemakers who are not the true fans and supporters? Absolutely.
:12:52. > :12:57.You have to understand the wishes of the police to have as many
:12:57. > :13:04.police officers there as they wish. They have to protect supporters and
:13:04. > :13:07.the public. They will lose out? Absolutely. If there are no
:13:07. > :13:15.spectators, they will lose more than they have to pay for the
:13:15. > :13:23.police. This could be the game where we are promoted. We could be
:13:23. > :13:29.champions at that match. And the ground would be completely empty.
:13:29. > :13:32.Exactly, yes. The Chief Executive here is saying that he has not sure
:13:32. > :13:35.if it is illegal to hold a football match without any fans. We will
:13:35. > :13:41.have to wait to hear the news tomorrow from at Gillingham.
:13:41. > :13:45.Keep us posted. Thank you. Bristol is to receive �23 million
:13:45. > :13:49.of government money to fund extra primary school places. The money
:13:49. > :13:56.given to the city is the 5th largest single order in the country
:13:56. > :14:02.and the biggest outside London. It is the first step in the world
:14:02. > :14:06.of education. In Bristol, getting a foot in the door can be a challenge.
:14:06. > :14:11.There is an overwhelming demand for primary school places. Too many
:14:11. > :14:15.children and not enough room. Bristol has seen one of the biggest
:14:15. > :14:22.increases in the school population anywhere in the country. Elsewhere,
:14:22. > :14:28.the primary population is falling. In Bristol, there has been at 20%
:14:28. > :14:33.increase over the last four years. In some cases, expansion. In some
:14:33. > :14:40.cases, new schools. In some cases, Amex provision. Perhaps a little
:14:40. > :14:48.bit away from the school but run by an existing school. Bristol need to
:14:48. > :14:50.create an extra 3,000 places by 2015. They have been given �23
:14:50. > :14:57.million from the Government to achieve that. Gloucestershire have
:14:57. > :15:03.been given �2 million. Somerset have received 700,000. Wiltshire
:15:03. > :15:08.receives nothing. The city council has had to create an extra 370
:15:08. > :15:13.reception places to cope with demand next September. It is hoped
:15:13. > :15:21.this extra funding will help to relieve some of the pressure for
:15:21. > :15:26.A group of squatters who were evicted from a mansion in Bristol
:15:26. > :15:29.have been allowed back in to pick up their belongings. 40 people were
:15:29. > :15:33.evicted from Clifton Wood House earlier this month. 11 were
:15:33. > :15:37.arrested. The house is being guarded by 24 hour security since
:15:37. > :15:40.the election. New restrictions could be
:15:40. > :15:44.introduced in Weston-super-Mare to try to resolve of the council as
:15:44. > :15:50.described as parking chaos. North Somerset wants to introduce on-
:15:50. > :15:52.street parking meters in some residential areas and cut the price
:15:52. > :15:57.of off-street car parks. Some residents have already said they
:15:57. > :16:01.would be unhappy to pay to park outside their homes.
:16:01. > :16:04.It seems ironic, but they were practising for the worst in
:16:04. > :16:09.Gloucestershire today, how to cope with and care for hundreds of
:16:09. > :16:13.people evacuated from their homes in the event of a flood. Well, it
:16:13. > :16:17.is hard to imagine in the current dry conditions, and the town is
:16:17. > :16:21.vulnerable to flooding, due to the twin waterways of the River Lyd and
:16:21. > :16:25.the Severn estuary, as Sarah-Jane Bungay reports.
:16:25. > :16:29.Their homes are under water, they have been told to move out. Well,
:16:29. > :16:34.not really, but Marcel and his family are doing pretty well at
:16:34. > :16:38.impersonating evacuees. As well as English, they also speak Welsh and
:16:38. > :16:43.Dutch, the first challenge for looking after them at this rest
:16:43. > :16:47.centre. We had to avoid using English at all, and by starting in
:16:47. > :16:51.Dutch and then in Welsh, that really caused hard work for the
:16:51. > :16:55.staff. It was a learning point, how to deal with different languages.
:16:55. > :17:00.As you have got tourists in the area, they are bound to show up if
:17:00. > :17:05.you have a crisis. This was Lydney in 1968. Today the water is still
:17:05. > :17:10.flowing but that rather low levels. But the emergency services are not
:17:10. > :17:13.taking any chances. The few weeks ago they were planning a reaction
:17:14. > :17:18.to flooding on the water. Today the council and voluntary groups have
:17:18. > :17:22.been put through their places indoors. I am feeling so cold, my
:17:22. > :17:26.hands are white. For medical treatment to sometimes just a
:17:26. > :17:31.friendly ear, the aim is to keep the evacuees as comfortable and as
:17:31. > :17:36.informed as possible. We have our medical people from the Red Cross
:17:36. > :17:40.and St John's Ambulance who can issue any prescriptions that they
:17:40. > :17:44.might have forgotten at home, if it were a real event. Just being
:17:45. > :17:48.listened to is what somebody might need. Of course, letting others
:17:48. > :17:54.know that your safe if you are brought to a centre like this one
:17:54. > :17:57.would be hugely important, so there is internet access, so you can send
:17:57. > :18:01.an e-mail or log on to a social networking site to keep friends and
:18:01. > :18:06.loved ones up to date. It has been a good experience, but they could
:18:06. > :18:11.have something for the kids to do as well. So Rehan at the moment,
:18:11. > :18:15.those who have been hit by flooding know how soon things can change. --
:18:15. > :18:24.Serena. They are hoping this pretend rescue centre does not have
:18:24. > :18:29.to become a real one. Another piece of racing history was
:18:29. > :18:34.created by a Somerset favoured today, Big Buck raced to a record
:18:34. > :18:38.17 straight victory. The nine-year- old, trained by Paul Nicholls,
:18:38. > :18:41.comfortably won the Liverpool Hurdle for the 40 in a row at
:18:41. > :18:48.Aintree. It was straightforward today, he did everything right,
:18:48. > :18:52.very happy with them. I do not know if it was as competitive as
:18:52. > :18:55.Cheltenham, but he has been better ADN the last couple of years than
:18:55. > :19:00.at Cheltenham. I do not know what it is, maybe it is the sun on his
:19:00. > :19:05.back. The trainer says he hopes to run big back again next year and
:19:05. > :19:09.that he will become as big a name as his stablemate, Kauto Star. --
:19:09. > :19:13.Big Buck. Cricket, and Somerset could only
:19:13. > :19:17.manage 147 in the first innings of the County Championship match
:19:17. > :19:27.against Warwickshire. At one stage, they will 44-five but recovered a
:19:27. > :19:29.
:19:30. > :19:36.In Division Two, Gloucestershire reached 195-4 in their match
:19:36. > :19:40.against Hampshire. Chris Dent and Ian Cobain both scored unbeaten
:19:40. > :19:44.half-centuries in a stand of 108. A slice of the Dutch countryside
:19:44. > :19:48.has been brought to the West with the country's first ever pick your
:19:48. > :19:51.own tulip field. Lovely! Having proved hugely
:19:51. > :20:01.popular in the Netherlands, the attraction in Somerset aims to give
:20:01. > :20:03.
:20:03. > :20:07.people the chance of an unusual day Tulips, thousands of them, saluting
:20:07. > :20:12.the Somerset sunshine. There are dozens of different varieties here,
:20:12. > :20:17.too, some traditional, some not quite so. This is a white dream,
:20:17. > :20:21.for obvious reasons, nice rounded petals, and interior decorator's
:20:21. > :20:27.dream because of the contrast between the white and green. This
:20:28. > :20:31.is quite different, totally different colours, of course, many
:20:31. > :20:36.petals, flames throughout the petals. And then something like
:20:36. > :20:41.this, maybe more of a classically red tulip with beautiful fringes.
:20:41. > :20:45.Each year, around 50 million tulip bulbs are imported into the UK, but
:20:45. > :20:49.as far as we know you have never been able to pick your own before.
:20:49. > :20:53.The colours are lovely. Never done this before. Dunn's strawberry
:20:53. > :20:58.picking, but never pick your own tulips, it is brilliant. The idea
:20:58. > :21:04.is to pull the bulbs out, but it is not easy to do. I do not know how
:21:04. > :21:08.many I have collected, about 20, different sorts. Everyone who comes
:21:08. > :21:11.here seems to enjoy themselves picking them, and if you came last
:21:11. > :21:15.week, the types of tulips we were picking would be different from
:21:15. > :21:19.next week, so you can do it more than once. We are certainly
:21:19. > :21:23.enjoying running it, because we are meeting lots of new people who have
:21:23. > :21:30.not been here before. Back in the 17th century, tulips Boro
:21:30. > :21:34.popularity caused a financial trading crisis. Ins 1636, they were
:21:34. > :21:39.the must-have status symbol, but they did come at quite a price. In
:21:39. > :21:46.fact, one trader is recorded as having handed over two last of
:21:46. > :21:53.wheat, four lasts of wry, four fat oxen and ate at a swine, and 12
:21:53. > :21:58.bhaji, two Hogsmeade of wine, four tons of beer and two tons of butter.
:21:58. > :22:04.And 1,000 pounds of cheese, a complete bed, one suit of clothes
:22:04. > :22:14.and a silver drinking cup. All of that was handed over for just one
:22:14. > :22:27.
:22:27. > :22:36.Soak tulips, colourful, charming, full of history. If only I knew
:22:36. > :22:41.someone who really liked then... Yes, yes, I think...! Look at that,
:22:41. > :22:45.get your own tulip! 100,000 tulips, and you just get one. I will grow
:22:45. > :22:52.my own. Early in the week, we were talking about it being the week for
:22:52. > :22:58.cloud spotting, probably mean more than you. Ian, are you feeling the
:22:58. > :23:02.I know a lot of people have been on Twitter and the like expressing
:23:02. > :23:06.their interest in the cloud formations we have seen this week.
:23:06. > :23:11.Thunderstorms have been developing fairly widely, and they follow a
:23:12. > :23:15.similar evolution. You will see these clouds, fluffy cumulus clouds
:23:15. > :23:19.associated with their weather, starting to grow a bit bigger as
:23:19. > :23:23.the warm air rises in response to the heat of the day. With more
:23:23. > :23:28.energy, towering up, looking more ominous as they get up to 15,000
:23:28. > :23:33.feet. Showers starting to form, and then we get into the troublemakers,
:23:33. > :23:39.bd cumulonimbus, not turning thundery, but time to come off the
:23:39. > :23:45.golf course. At this stage, warm air rising, cold air sinking down,
:23:45. > :23:51.hail, thunder, heavy downpours, even tornadoes, you name it. There
:23:51. > :23:54.has been a scattering of these showers across the area, bright
:23:54. > :24:00.echoes still there, lightning reported around Bridgwater Bay and
:24:00. > :24:05.parts of Dorset and Ullswater. We are out of the woods in terms of
:24:05. > :24:09.heavy downpour into this evening. A balanced view, less in the way of
:24:09. > :24:13.showers tomorrow, not quite as heady, be a good deal of sunshine
:24:13. > :24:17.around. Some of you will miss the showers entirely tomorrow. Through
:24:17. > :24:22.this evening, taking a while for the strength of the showers to die
:24:22. > :24:27.at, it may take until midnight for the last ones to get out of the way.
:24:27. > :24:33.Then a dry night, clear skies, like winds, temperatures dropping away
:24:33. > :24:38.quite markedly, down to freezing in a few spots in the countryside.
:24:38. > :24:42.Gardeners, be wary of yet another frost. The other end result will be
:24:42. > :24:45.a decent spell of weather into the morning rush-hour. At this stage,
:24:45. > :24:49.we had just got fluffy cumulus clouds, but give it time and we
:24:50. > :24:56.start to build them up. The distribution of showers his defence
:24:56. > :25:00.tomorrow, some across West Somerset, less probable across
:25:00. > :25:04.Gloucestershire and North Somerset, but more down into Wiltshire. You
:25:04. > :25:08.get the broad change of things. The winds very slack. If you are into
:25:08. > :25:14.the sunshine, much as today, it will feel decent enough for the
:25:14. > :25:17.time of year. 12 Celsius quite widely, 13 in a few spots. If we
:25:17. > :25:23.look beyond that through to the weekend, still some uncertainty
:25:23. > :25:28.about Saturday, expecting it to start on a disappointing note, grey,
:25:28. > :25:35.showery, cool it feel as we inherit this northerly flow. By Sunday, a
:25:35. > :25:39.temporary job high pressure. On balance, it will be a better day on
:25:39. > :25:42.Sunday, a fair amount of sunshine. These were the friends waiting out
:25:42. > :25:48.in the wings is where the Atlantic finally start to get its act
:25:48. > :25:53.together, and they will throw some rain our way. -- these weather
:25:53. > :25:57.front. You can see the temperatures taking a drop, Frost is quite
:25:57. > :26:03.likely overnight, we are not out of the woods with that, and then the
:26:03. > :26:10.rain arrives at some point on Monday, overnight into Tuesday.
:26:10. > :26:13.Unsettled weather as we get there. Before we go, we have had some
:26:13. > :26:17.people contacting us about a loud noise that was heard in Swindon.
:26:17. > :26:22.People are saying it was like a sonic boom. We will try to find out