28/01/2013 BBC Points West

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

Tributes to a young couple - police arrest a driver after the couple

are knocked off their tandem and killed. The six-month-old baby

rescued after being blown into freezing waters in Watchet.

just turned around of that split second. It will probably never

happen again. Chaos on Wiltshire's roads, with more than 50 accidents

during the rush hour due to black ice. And the dress that's put a

small Somerset shop on the fashion Police are this evening continuing

to question a man in connection with the deaths of two cyclists on

the outskirts of Bristol. Ross and Claire Simons were riding a tandem

bike when they were hit by a speeding car in Hanham. The

matter's now been referred to the Independent Police Complaints

Commission, because the car was being followed by the police. Alice

Bouverie reports. Good evening. 24 hours later, the pile of flowers

growing. Attributes to them have been so moving. A one said Claire

was the finest daughter parents could have wished for. People have

been coming all day, expressing their grief they best way they can.

The two lives lost were young. Ross Simons was 34, his wife Clare 30.

They'd been married a year and a half. They were hoping to start a

family. Friends described them as being like two peas in a pod,

inseparable. We knew them well enough to have a big chunk missing

now. The accident happened on Lower Hanham Road in East Bristol

yesterday afternoon around 4pm. The police say a Citroen Picasso hit

another car, before crashing into their tandem bike. The driver then

left the scene. Still here, the marks on the road - a terrible

reminder of the human tragedy which has taken place. I saw the

ambulance, the air support crew. Everything. It was an absolute

nightmare. Apparently they had a 14 police dogs and searching. Later, a

38-year-old man went to a police station, where he was arrested on

suspicion of death by dangerous driving. A 35-year-old woman's also

been arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving. The police are

still appealing for any witnesses to the incident to contact them.

This matter has now been referred to the Independent Police

Complaints Commission because of the role the police have played. An

officer spotted a car speeding. Signalled for the car to pull over.

When he didn't, he then followed the car. Shortly afterwards, the

accident happened. Reverend Peter Cook joins me now. You must be able

to gauge how the community feels? The community has been very shocked.

The areas around here still have that village sense about them. What

has surprised me all they are the number of people who knew Ross and

Claire. It has deeply shocked people. You think of this happening

to somebody else there somewhere else, not to somebody you know.

What did you say to comfort Ross's father? What words can you say? I

just hope him. He broke down in my arms. He is such a lovely guy. I am

so sorry for them. They are in Howe prayers and thoughts. We care for

them so much at this time. people still in police custody. --

two people. House-to-house inquiries being carried out by

police tonight. A six-month-old baby is being treated at Musgrove

Park hospital this evening, after being rescued from the water at

Watchet. The baby was strapped into his buggy when he was blown off the

harbour walls. Tonight people in Watchet say the harbour should have

railings the whole way around. Fiona Lamdin reports. A hug of

thanks from a father to the woman who helped saved his son's life.

Yesterday morning just after eight o'clock, six-month-old Sam and his

mother were out on a dog walk when a gust of wind swept him and his

buggy into the water 15 feet below. She just turned round that slip

second and the gust took it. There was it. Hearing screams, George

Reeder rushed across the harbour. could see a lady leaning over

though water. I saw the body was upside down. I jumped in. But by

now the baby had already been in the freezing water for 10 minutes.

And waiting above up on the harbour, others were on hand with ropes to

haul the buggy out. And once out, Tania got him breathing - something

she'd never done before- keeping him alive before the air ambulance

arrived. They pulled the rope up the side of the wall and the

pushchair came up. I did not know how the baby was. I started doing

CPR on him. I thought it was going to be a bad outcome. It's amazing

it has been such a lovely Eircom. There are no railings and that

could happen to somebody else. first section of the Wall has

railings. Here, at the spot where Sam and his body went over, there

are no railings. The people here want that to change. It would be

good to have railings all the way down. I spend more time in my own

head and they have got a lot of railings. Watchet harbour should be

the same. I do not like taking my daughter along there because I do

not feel safe. It would be better if they did have railings.

despite being in the water for so long, doctors at the Taunton say

little Sam is doing really well. There are a few things that

happened to help save his life and it's lovely to have been part of it.

A truly community rescue- this little baby has a lot to thank his

neighbours for which tonight means this little boy is very much alive

and well. A sudden freeze in Wiltshire led to 55 car crashes

during this morning's rush hour. The county's gritting teams say

they'd spread salt - but motorists have been left asking why it wasn't

enough to clear the black ice. Scott Ellis reports. 55 car crashes

- all linked to black ice. Wiltshire police saying five cars

hit hedges. 17 cars careered off the road. And six cars hit trees.

This is the A4 east of Marlborough, where we saw two cars in ditches.

Further south near Tilshead on Salisbury Plain, there was a

similar skiddy scene. There was a car in the ditch. It had gone in

the ditch backwards. There were four all their cars. -- other. They

came off the road as well. message soon got out to slow down.

But then questions - had the roads been gritted? Wiltshire's weather

incident room uses eight roadside stations to monitor conditions.

They recorded heavy rain until 5am this morning, but then a sharp drop

in temperatures. As roads froze, all 24 gritters were dispatched.

But managers say rainwater hampered their efforts. We do try to sign of

those areas but with the wet weather we can get pockets of run-

off. Then you have got water on called services with no grip. Or

you get areas we have not gritted at all. We give the best we can

with the resources we have. Despite 55 incidents, Great Western

Ambulance service says there were no serious injuries. The next

problem for drivers, heavy rain, which is flooding many roads in our

We've got more wild weather photos for you a bit later in the

programme, and Ian will be looking at the week ahead. Coming up, your

sporting starter for 10 - what happened this weekend that hasn't

happened for an incredible seven years? And getting a wriggle on -

the steaming hot dress enjoying Stateside success, thanks to

The Australian radio presenters who made a prank phone call to Bristol

nurse Jacintha Saldanha, have been axed from their show. The 46-year-

old was found dead three days after taking the call. She'd been working

at the King Edward VII Hospital in London. Presenters Mel Greig and

Michael Christian had pretended to be members of the Royal Family, to

ask about the Duchess of Cambridge's medical condition.

Their employer says they'll return to work in different roles when the

time is right. The first Wildcat attack helicopter to be delivered

to the Royal Navy, has taken its maiden flight at Yeovil in Somerset.

The aircraft has a powerful engine which allows it to be flown in

extreme conditions all year round. The Ministry of Defence signed a

�250 million contract with AgustaWestland last year, securing

500 jobs in Somerset. The company will provide support and training

for the fleet. The mother of a seven-year-old boy

from Somerset who was struck down by sleeping disorder narcolepsy

after being vaccinated against swine flu, has welcomed the

findings of a report which shows other children could have been

affected. We've obtained the preliminary findings of a Health

Protection Agency-funded study on English children, which shows those

vaccinated were at least 10 times more likely to develop this

devastating condition. Matthew Hill Josh Hadfield is one of almost a

million children given the pandemrix vaccine in response the

potentially lethal threat of the swine flu pandemic. But a few weeks

after the jab in 2010, he developed narcolepsy, which makes him sleep

most of the time, and catoplexy, a condition that makes him collapse

when he gets excited. Josh laughs and enjoys things. It means he goes

or unconscious. I first featured Josh's case a year ago, when I went

to Finland for Inside Out West to speak to leading sleep specialist

Dr Markuu Partinen, to find out the results of his study. The risk of

having narcolepsy was 12 times higher. A Swedish study also showed

a similar result. And then last April, another study on children

from Ireland showed a 13-fold increase in youngsters aged between

five and 19 years who received pandemrix and the sleep disorder.

And now the there's new evidence to show that English children have

also been affected. While the full paper is still being considered for

publication, these initial findings mirror studies in Finland Sweden

and Ireland. GFX specialists reviewed 75 children who developed

narcolepsy around the time pandemrix was introduced. They

found a tenfold increased risk of the condition within six months of

having the jab, which "suggests a causal association consistent with

reports from Finland and Sweden". Professor Adam Finn from the

University of Bristol carried out one of the original trials of

pandemrix on children. If you look at the figures, the risk has so

much increased that it seems very unlikely this is a biased result.

It is likely to be real. A year ago Glaxosmitkline, who make the

vaccine, told me there was no evidence of a causal link, but now

their position has shifted somewhat. In a statement they say they are

working hard to better understand But Caroline and other families

have had their applications for vaccine damage payments turned down

by the Department of Work and Pensions, who still say there isn't

And you can see Matthew's full report on Inside Out West this

evening at 7.30 on BBC 1 - when they'll also be uncovering the

story of the man who wrote the words to the Irish song, 'Danny

Boy'. He was actually a lawyer from Portishead who'd never even been to

Ireland! A war of words has broken out

between councils in the West and a senior government minister. Eric

Pickles went on the offensive over news that some local authorities

are to increase taxes slightly. He accused them of treating residents

with contempt. That infuriated Bristol's mayor, who accused him of

bullying. Here's Paul Barltrop. For most of us, council tax bills

have barely budged in recent years. But that's about to change in

several places. Some of our biggest councils are planning a rise. It's

very likely in Bristol and North Somerset, and possible in South

Gloucestershire. It's similar for several smaller districts in

Somerset. And how much may it leap? Because of government restrictions,

by less than 2%. In Bristol, that would mean an extra 50p a week for

Band D householders, while in North Somerset it equates to 33p a week.

But that's not good enough for the Secretary of State for Local

Government, who wants a freeze and says taxpayers are being cheated.

He insists councils can save still more money.

There are enormous places where savings can be made in terms of

procurement, in terms of improving efficiency, in terms of dealing

with the fraud. And with joint working. There's been a strong

reaction. Bristol Mayor George Ferguson said he was "infuriated by

Eric Pickles' inflamed language". There was much frustration in North

Somerset, which the Secretary of State visited in the autumn. The

leader had told him that they were harder hit by spending cuts because

their council tax was already the lowest in the region - but to no

avail. I think it is a shame that someone in his position makes those

sorts of comments. I believe he makes them aimed at a few councils

across the country who have behaved irresponsibly. Unfortunately, when

somebody like him and makes those comments, we'll get tarred with the

same brush. It is not helpful. Pickles has warned next year there

may be a further clampdown on councils. A children's charity that

helps vulnerable young people with issues surrounding poverty has

started work at a school in Bristol. The Kids Company was set up in

London 16 years ago - now for the first time it's taking its work

outside the capital. Its founder says their work is focussed on

tackling emotional and practical issues. We caught up with some of

the people who are being helped at the Bristol City Academy.

I just see red and I would normally describe the House and cause

trouble at school. I have had very bad anger problems in the past. I

find it very hard to control it. I seemed a different person. We have

a number of issues here. The higher indices of poor housing, poverty. A

fair proportion have poverty affect them. Some of them have got

significant home difficulties. Some have got learning problems. That is

preventing them from succeeding. One child was explaining to me

today that because he does not feel a loft, he uses aggression to cover

up the fact that he feels very small. -- loved. It takes a lot of

courage to say something like that. That is why I love working with

children who have needs that perhaps others have not had a

chance to listen to the it. -- yet. They do not tell you what to do.

Their work around you and try to get in there slowly. It is pretty

nice to have somebody there to talk to. There is always someone you can

turn to. Teachers just see you as being bad. But the Kids Company

understand. They will pay attention and help. It is doing something

about these problems in a different way. It allows them to be still for

a while. We have noticed a tremendous changes in the behaviour

of some students who do not know what to do with when they are

having a bad moment. It's been a miserable season to be a fan of one

of the two Bristol football clubs, and the rugby club have also found

difficult. But at last this weekend, everyone was smiling. For the first

time in over six years, all three of Bristol's professional clubs won

on the same weekend. Alistair Defeats, managerial sackings,

underperforming teams - who'd be a sports fan in Bristol? But finally

For the first time in 74 months - yes, you heard me right - Bristol

City, Bristol Rovers and Bristol Rugby all won on the same weekend.

The last time - November 18, 2006 - Tony Blair was Prime Minister and

Westlife were number one in the And more importantly, Bristol city

were beating Gillingham, Rovers were winning at Bury, and Bristol

turned over Bath at the Rec. Her nearly 2000 editions of the local

paper had been published since, until finally the Bristol hat-trick

happened again. They have had their individual moments along the way.

Collectively it has taken this time, which overall is a snapshot of the

malaise the sporting scene in the City has been in recent years. This

collective weekend of success is a small step forward. City can fill a

lot more optimistic now. The Rugby Club are back in the top four.

Hopefully this is the start of something better. So last time it

happened, City and Rovers went on to win promotion and Bristol Rugby

finished third in the Premiership. That is obviously not going to

happen, but let's hope it's not Well, the Bristol feel-good factor

extended to golfer Chris Wood. He won his first ever European Tour

event, the Qatar Masters, in dramatic fashion. He sunk this putt

on the last whole to clinch the title, pick up the enormous trophy,

and bank a winner's cheque of over Well, it's been a while since a

piece of clothing made so many headlines - remember West Country

resident Liz Hurley in THAT dress? Now a small Somerset shop has found

itself in the international spotlight thanks to the TV chef

Nigella Lawson. She appeared on a new cookery show in the States

called The Taste. Viewers loved her dress - and when she tweeted where

she'd bought it from, the clothes shop in Frome was inundated with

sales! Ali Vowles reports. This is Nigella Lawson's introduction to

prime time American audiences on ABC. But it wasn't just her

culinary skills or her prowess as a judge that got the audience going.

It was seeing her in her red wriggle dress - bought in a little

boutique in Frome. It would be rude not to wear it. It feels fantastic

to wear. Since it appeared on television, sales have gone through

the roof. The garment is also called the billion dollar baby, and

things got interesting when Nigella tweeted to her 300,000 followers

where she bought it Tucked away at the top of Catherine's Hill - the

shop has been quietly in business since 2008. My mother and I had a

dream conversation four years ago about who are our dream celebrity

would be added was Nigella. It is crazy! The last few days have just

been manic. My friends and family have been roped in this week. They

are coming in to help me pack and get things out as quickly as

possible. All the dresses in stock have been sold and are waiting to

be shipped out, with dozens more orders coming in every day. For a

small trader, in tough economic times, this social media exposure

is a dream come true. I cannot even begin to understand what it may end

up meaning for us. I cannot believe one dress can cause such a fuss. It

has been burdened. -- brilliant. The red dress costs �175. Nigella

bought four of the same. For most of us that kind of shopping is just

something we'd dream of. Even the one we borrow it has been sold. How

many parties are people going to turn up in that dress? We've had

some dramatic weather over the past couple of days. This funnel cloud

was filmed by a viewer over And then there was a storm over

Bristol, Bath and beyond in the evening, when this house in Cossham

in Bristol was struck by lightning and had its roof damaged. Any

calmer tonight, Ian? All sorts, yes. That is Canada was

particularly impressive. Some lively thunderstorms. No further

thunderstorms but as we head into tomorrow, there will be the threat

of heavy rain. Not everywhere. It will vary. It will depend on how

high you are and where you were facing. This is the story as we

head into tomorrow. An area of deep pressure rattling its way through.

Some of fronts bringing spells of rain. This cold spell the later

tomorrow evening. Barring a few laptops in terms of rainfall, --

barring some respite in terms of rain fall on... More rainfall in

the West. A lot of uncertainty on the charts by Friday. I suspect

there will be an area of low pressure are much more developed

than the charts suggest. Late Friday, on Saturday morning we

could get some snow on high ground. No threat of snow right now.

Further rain. It will occur over the south coast as the night goes

on. Yellow warnings from the Met Office. This caters for this warm

front coming into tomorrow morning. Some of you will be seeing some

heavy rain. Temperatures comparatively mild. Tomorrow

morning will be characterised by a wet and windy start. Notice that

the rain tends to peter out from most. Remaining quite windy. 45 mph

gusts. Temperatures Tamara very mild for the time of the year.