16/10/2013 BBC Points West

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

A warning to young women. Thousands of students are being told to be on

their guard tonight, exactly a week after a teenager was dragged off the

street. Try not to walk alone. Be mindful.

A growing hunger for food banks A Wiltshire charity says demand has

trebled. Going off track, how this derailment

could affect your journey for days. Mustard gas and motorbikes, how West

Country industry contributed to World War I.

Good evening. Police are mounting extra patrols in Bristol tonight, a

week after a woman suffered a serious sexual assault. The

19`year`old was dragged into a car park just off one of the main roads

in the city centre, where hundreds of students were celebrating the

start of the new term. Sally Challoner is where the attack took

place. Sally, what do the officers hope to achieve tonight? They want

to remind all of the attack. They want to jog some remedies and appeal

for with buses. The attack took place barely a week ago just yards

from this busy road. The woman was dragged just yards up this road

wishy suffered a sexual assault They are appealing for with buses.

`` witnesses. This was the scene nearly a week ago. An intensive

police investigation of the scene where a young woman was subjected to

what police describe as a terrifying sexual assault. It happened on

Belgrave Road, just off one of the busiest streets in Bristol. Tonight

police will be out again. They want more information to be able to catch

a dangerous man. Parliament today is to appeal for witnesses to come

forward. Significantly, we know there were three skateboarders in

the area at the specs omitted to this attack. We would like them to

come forward to speak to us. Clifton would have been busy last Wednesday

night, with thousands of people in the pubs and clubs up and down

Whiteladies Road. The city's two universities have reiterated the

advice they give to new students to stay safe In the year to April,

police in Bristol dealt with just under 200 reports of rape, attempted

rape and sexual assault. We are giving practical advice about

things like and not go home alone. Look after your friends. We want

people to have a safe evening. In the vast majority of those cases,

the victim knew the attacker. Assaults by a stranger remain very

rare. Police will be out from 1 o'clock tonight giving advice, but

also hoping to find witnesses to solve this distressing case. I have

a description the victim has given. It is a male, six foot one tall No

facial hair. Aged in his early to mid 20s. If anyone has information

about the assault, get in touch A company is going to be prosecuted

after a teenager drowned at the Cotswold Country Park and Beach

Kajil Devi died in July 2010. An inquest found her death was an

accident. Tonight, Cotswold District Council said it would be prosecuting

WM Active Ltd under health and safety legislation. The company told

the BBC it wasn't yet in a position to comment.

New figures out today show there's been another fall in unemployment.

The number of people out of work in the West Country and claiming

benefit fell by 4% to 40,378. It's the seventh month in a row that

unemployment has come down here but there are still twice as many people

out of work as there were before the recession in 2008. Experts say

that's why demand for food banks is so high, even though unemployment is

now falling. In fact, the Wiltshire charity which

runs most of the country's foodbanks said today that the number of people

using their services has trebled. The Trussell Trust says between

April and September they provided food for 350,000 people and claim

the government's welfare reforms are partly to blame. Here's our

political editor Paul Barltrop. He's worked most of his life, but for the

last eight months, Graham Rideout's been unemployed and on benefits

However, after missing an appointment, the Swindon Job Centre

halted payments. I found it horrendously difficult. Obstacles

were put in front of you for the Uber were not helping and not

communicating with you. Such people were not communicating with you So

he turned for help to the Swindon foodbank. Donated supplies are

gathered to feed ever`increasing numbers. Our actual demand is 2 % up

on last year. They distribute food, enough for three days, to those like

Graham given vouchers by agencies. I had to come to the food bank. You

can only come twice. I had to sell things in order to pay for things.

The help is temporary, tiding people over while they get back on

track.,It's not just Swindon. The West has dozens of foodbanks,

including in places like Cirencester including in places like Cirencester

Street. The growth has been so rapid the charity are calling for a

government inquiry. We are the seventh richest nation in the world.

It is scandalous that so many people are finding themselves in deep

difficulty. A lot of the reason behind this is problems with our

social security system with the welfare system changes which have

not been implemented efficiently. So what's driving the increase? Well,

the benefits system is undergoing radical changes. The charity point

to several: The Under Occupancy Charge, which critics call the

bedroom tax; big cuts in the crisis loans which help people through

emergencies; and a sharp increase in sanctions, where benefits are

stopped temporarily. Then there are wider economic factors: wages for

many have fallen back while food and energy prices have surged. There is

though another reason. There are more foodbanks than ever, 400

nationally, with two or three more opening every week. This was a

movement that built up under the Labour government and continues

today. We have been frank and say job centres should be able to point

people towards food banks if they are in need and that has led to an

increase in their useful top we went to see more people in work providing

for themselves and their families. Back in Swindon, Graham is trying to

get his benefits sorted. Until then he'll go on taking charity. Very

degrading. I do not want to do it but I have got to do it. He is just

one of hundreds of thousands turning to foodbanks in modern Britain.

Labour MP Frank Field advises the government on poverty. Today, he

announced he was setting up a cross`party group of backbench MPs

to investigate. Earlier, he told me of his concerns. I think this is the

real crunch now. Either we do not have an enquiry and pretended it is

all being looked after by the big society happily and we would go down

the American troop where food banks, food stamps and all of this palaver

will become part of our welfare state or the country decides it does

not want that and wishes to have mapped out for it and alternative

for the pit would be appalling if we got the American model without

debate all without any decision by voters to say that is the sort of

Britain we went to see developed in the next ten years.

A team from the Rail Investigation branch are heading to a site in

Gloucester where a freight train has derailed. They need to work out how

they can remove the train and assess the damage to the tracks. The

derailment has meant delays and disruption for commuters in the

area. You can probably just the sum fluorescent jackets in the distance.

Investigators have arrived at the scene will stop one of the

containers was still here and our ago. It has been moved out of the

way. This is being treated as a priority incident. It happened last

night. You have a container stickier and the flake trailer was on the

edge of the track further down the line. Disruption has only been minor

the most commuters. This is a major incident. It has emerged this is

more serious than first thought The container, which was at the end of

the freight train, was empty but would normally be full of goods

destined for supermarkets. It now lies close to the edge of the

embankment after coming loose from its wagon last night. The driver

didn't realise until further down the track. The police helicopter was

called into help find where it was in the dark. A quarter of a mile

further towards Gloucester a second container is stuck. Behind it, the

wagon from the derailed container that had been dragged along the

track. The damage is clear to see after it hit the central barrier

bringing the whole train to a halt. Investigators from the Rail Accident

Investigation Branch have been on the track all day working with

Network Rail and the freight company to find out what happened.

Disruption to major services has been minimal. At least two bridges

and two level crossings between Lydney and Gloucester, plus parts of

the track have been damaged. The RMT union told the BBC this was the

second such incident within 24 hours and with the container in Gloucester

lying close to homes and businesses said it was a miracle no one was

injured. Disruption to major services has been minimal although

those travelling from Cheltenham and Gloucester to Lydney are being put

on a bus adding an hour to journey times. Passengers going to Cardiff

are being diverted via Bristol. With a huge engineering project no ahead

of them network rail said it may not be until Sunday before the line can

reopen. The advice if you are travelling in the Wales the Forest

of Dean from Gloucester Cheltenham is to check with your train

operating company first. It looks as if work is going to carry on into

the night here. Did you get my phone call? I did.

You're watching your regional news programme BBC Points West on this

Wednesday evening. Ian will be here with the weather forecast shortly.

Yes, stay with us for that, plus there's much more still to bring

you. Including: Will your child s school be open or closed tomorrow?

We report on the teachers' strike taking place across the region

tomorrow. The hospital inspector says Bath's

Royal United Hospital has been putting patients at risk because of

the way it keeps their medical records. A recent inspection by the

Care Quality Commission found important notes and details were

being kept in all sorts of ways including on pieces of papers kept

in nurses' pockets. Our Health Correspondent Matthew Hill reports.

When it comes to frail elderly patients` keeping a record of what

they eat and drink is essential for their safety. But according to an

inspection in June by the care quality commission of the hospital,

records including those for fluid intake were not being completed

consistently. According to one chart, a patient had only drunk a

third of a litre of water in 24 hours. Another who couldn't reach

their water jug told an inspector "I get thirsty andI don't know how to

get a drink if I want one." We found there was not consistent use of

these records. It is important and `` information and it is important

to know the nutrition is `` people require. It puts people at risk

This is the new system of record keeping that the trust has

introduced as a response to the report. It is about recording the

assessment we undertake in terms of nutrition and hydration. It is about

recording accurately and making sure it is fully documented. They say

details are now put in one place. The CQC also found problems

surrounding the dignity of patients There were reports that female

patients were seen on the toilet with the doors wide open. Another

patient was observed in their soiled bed for ten minutes before staff

came to help them .And another struggled to stand with a Zimmer

frame. Yet, nursing staff did not help them. The trust has completely

refurbished this dementia ward. It says these were isolated incidents.

This is not the first time inspectors have raised concerns

There were issues about privacy and dignity with for instance 22 men and

women having to use the same shower. Staff were so rushed off their feet

and cars of the huge demand that some safety checks were not being

carried out. The Royal United Hospital has been given until the

end of November to make urgent improvements. Then, in December the

new chief inspector of hospitals, who has already looked around

Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton, will be coming to Bath to make sure

patients are being treated properly. Dorset police say they are linking

the murder of a 42`year`old man in Bournemouth with a fatal road

accident in Wiltshire. The body of Ibrahim Youseuf was found at his

flat in Boscombe on Friday. Mr Youseuf, who ran a car wash nearby,

had been stabbed. Police say the motorist who died when he collided

with a lorry near Trowbridge knew the murder victim. Detectives say

they have evidence to link him to the murder scene. We are not looking

for anybody else in connection with that murder now but we are appealing

for witnesses. Specifically, around last Thursday evening between eight

o'clock and eight 30 when we are aware there was an agreement that

took place within five Gloucester Rd. Anybody who can give us

information about the man and how he ran his business would be

appreciated. The NUT and NAS`UWT are taking industrial action tomorrow.

Pedants have had to take a day off work to look after their youngsters.

The government wants a longer school day and year and there are fears

over pensions. Unions criticised the education secretary for not

listening to concerns. He is not listening. He does not have the

relevant experience as to what happens in schools. The changes keep

coming in and it is getting on top of this. Nothing seems to be getting

better. For many teachers, this would be the first time on strike. I

have to take a day off work tomorrow. Do you sympathise with the

teachers? They do a good job. I have to sympathise with them. It is

difficult for the parents to reorganise this but it is important

that they have their say. The government say less than a quarter

of teachers voted for a strike and added it will hold back the bills'

education. We should talk about the pay teachers will get as well as

existing pay. Teachers will get paid for good work they do in the

classroom. 85% of schools in Bristol will be closed or partially closed

tomorrow. This primary School in Kingswood will be open tomorrow but

one member of staff said some members of staff simply cannot

afford to go on strike as they would lose a day 's wage. We will be

reporting on the effect of the strike tomorrow.

Thousands of new homes and businesses could be built in Bath if

multi`million pound flood defence plans revealed today go ahead. Bath

and North East Somerset Council say their ?5`million Bath Quays

Waterside Project in the city centre will enable regeneration to take

place. Our Bath reporter Ali Vowles has been finding out what it will

mean for the city. This is the centre of Bath and until the early

seventies the southern end of the city was prone to flooding from the

River Avon. It took the opening of Poulteney Weir and the sluice gate

to sort out the problem. Now an area downstream from the bus and train

station to Green Park is to get its own flood defences. The developments

come with a lot of promises. You may remember James Dyson had to

drop plans to build his ?56`million school on this stretch. The

Environment Agency said the flood risk was too high. The council say

this should sort out those kinds of problems. From a planning

perspective, enabling these plans to move forward will open up sites in

the enterprise editor. There will not be the problems we have seen

before. Under the plans, Avon Street car park and the coach park will go

and the road by the river will be redirected. Eventually there'll be

more bridges to connect the north and south of the city. For those who

already operate businesses on the river, a sigh of relief. The town

has turned its back on the river for a number of years. Down river is a

mess. Most people are in agreement that for a tourist city, the river

is underused and not loved enough. It's hoped work to start

reconnecting the River Avon to the heart of Bath will be become a

reality by next year. Everybody wants to be by the liver. It will

create jobs and a great social activity. People love the activity

and deliver with both small `` moving. And one thing is certain the

transformation will make this area of the city look a very different

place in the coming years. The BBC has announced plans for a

series of programmes next year to mark the 100th anniversary of the

start of World War I. The conflict wiped out a generation of young men

with almost every family and village touched with tragedy. While the men

fought in France, here, West Country industry was geared towards

supporting them in some surprising ways, as I've been finding out.

Gas! Gas! Gas! When the cry went up, the soldiers faced another terror.

Burning skin and eyes, blistering throat and lungs. The British and

the Germans tried to smoke each other out of the trenches. At home,

every sinew of the nation was turned to war and Avonmouth was chosen by

Lord Kitchener for special duties. Here, on what's now an industrial

estate, stood a chemical weapons factory. On this site they worked in

relentless shifts, filling shells with mustard gas. This was one of

the key installations in 1918 for the production of mustard gas and

getting to the Western front. It does cover the whole of what is now

the trading estate. The buildings have been replaced but that

occasional buildings that survived such as this one over here. The

whole of Avonmouth was working for the war effort. Many of the workers

were women who played football for Shirehampton. How sweet the fresh

air must have smelt after the stench and dangers of the factory. And

talking of danger, these motorbike riders who took messages to the

front also had a unique West Country link. This magnificent machine is

one of the contributions by the West Country to the war. It is a Douglas

motorbike made in Kingswood. Bill Douglas's great grandfather thought

he signed up to provide 300 bikes. An office boy noticed it was 30 per

month. They went out and dropped back all the motorcycles that are

out in shops and in places all over the country and sub `` supplied the

first man. They started building this factory with canvas marquees.

People worked in producing motorcycles and the factory was

built over their heads. Douglas Motorbikes helped win the war but

didn't survive the peace. The factory building is now used by a

German company making brakes. Dig around a bit and you can find

evidence of the war. When the war ended, the seller Ayrshire was

concreted over and they reckon inside the seller at some brand name

and used motorbikes just waiting for future generations to uncover them.

There are clues hidden everywhere. These World War I rail lines in

Avonmouth point us towards 1914 and the Great War. We all have our own

personal stories. Whether we lost a relative at different or maybe our

relatives were working in munitions factories and helping the war

effort. We all have a story to tell. The war touched the lives of many of

us with our grandfathers in the trenches or our families on the Home

Front. In 2014, we will remember them.

If there's a place in the West that's linked to World War I that

you think we should know about, then please get in touch with us.

It is interesting to find out that more people died from making mustard

gas than actually died from its use in the war.

Rain this morning and then sunshine for some this afternoon. What does

tomorrow hold, Ian? Do you remember what you were doing

in 1987 quest Mac I was not born. I was fast asleep and stop you were

one of the few people in the country that was. Michael Fish was making a

name for himself. It was the great storm. The West Country was that the

worst hit area. The storm went above as. The storm in 1990 was far worse

for this district. Tomorrow, nothing as bad as that. Many areas will be

dry and sunny and warm for this time of year. You will notice this

cluster of showers feeding and along the M4 corridor. So tomorrow, many

areas will be dry and a pleasant day. The rest of this evening, any

showers will be out to the West Showers coming along from the HSE.

Some heavy downpours will continue into the first part of the rush

hour. Tomorrow morning, downpours easing their way eastwards. As we

get through into the late morning and into the afternoon, fewer

showers around. It will be a pleasant day. The wind will ease

their way. It will feel quite one for this time of year. Some editors

probably as high as 17 or 18 Celsius. On Friday, a lot of

uncertainty. At the moment it looks like the heaviest rain will push

through Devon. We should hopefully miss that. We will not see much

brightness on Friday. We get into a showery regime for the weekend. The

showers should be less heavy on Saturday. Sunshine on Sunday but the

showers will be heavier. That is about it from as far now. Jamie for

the lunchtime news tomorrow. See you tomorrow.

You ask us to get behind you and why should we?

You're punching above your weight, aren't you?

He wouldn't do that to me because he wasn't that sort of a man.