:00:12. > :00:16.Good evening and welcome to BBC Points West. Our headlines tonight.
:00:17. > :00:19.Accused of causing the pile`up on the M5 which killed seven people.
:00:20. > :00:25.The organiser of a fireworks display goes on trial charged with failing
:00:26. > :00:28.to ensure the safety of others. Making some tough decisions.
:00:29. > :00:38.Bristol's mayor outlines how he ll balance the books.
:00:39. > :00:42.You sometimes have to be bold and I am never shy of doing what I believe
:00:43. > :00:47.is right and taking big steps if I think they will make a better city.
:00:48. > :00:51.Killed on his way home. The 19`year`old victim of a hit and
:00:52. > :00:55.run. And as the temperatures dip ` we find out if our councils will be
:00:56. > :01:02.able to keep roads clear this winter.
:01:03. > :01:06.Good evening. A man's gone on trial today accused of causing one of the
:01:07. > :01:12.worst motorway crashes in Britain. Seven people died in the accident on
:01:13. > :01:14.the M5 near Taunton. Geoffrey Counsell, who organised a nearby
:01:15. > :01:20.fireworks display, is charged with failing to ensure the safety of
:01:21. > :01:25.others. He says he's not guilty It's been an emotional day for many
:01:26. > :01:28.of the victims' families. In court they heard the prosecution argue
:01:29. > :01:31.that smoke from the fireworks caused an impenetrable fog which gripped a
:01:32. > :01:34.small section of the motorway. Our Somerset Correspondent Clinton
:01:35. > :01:46.Rogers has been in court and joins us from outside there now. A tough
:01:47. > :01:49.day for all the relatives, Clinton. Absolutely and made more poignant
:01:50. > :01:54.when you consider the case was opened close to the second
:01:55. > :01:58.anniversary of the terrible crash. At Bristol Crown Court, the
:01:59. > :02:03.prosecution have been outlining the case against Geoffrey Counsell. He
:02:04. > :02:07.failed to ensure the safety of members of the public when he
:02:08. > :02:13.organised the firework display on the fateful night. The prosecution
:02:14. > :02:20.claim what he did caused the crash that caused the deaths. Arriving for
:02:21. > :02:23.day one of his trial ` the man accused of causing one of Britain's
:02:24. > :02:27.worst motorway crashes. It was two years ago this month that 34
:02:28. > :02:38.vehicles ` lorries, vans and cars ` careered into one another on the M5
:02:39. > :02:43.just outside Taunton. Seven people died, 51 others were hurt ` some
:02:44. > :02:46.have life changing injuries. The question is a fireworks display
:02:47. > :02:47.being staged at Taunton Rugby Club right next to the motorway caused
:02:48. > :03:04.the crash. In opening, Peter Blair QC said the
:03:05. > :03:10.prosecution would prove the smoke from the fireworks display mixed
:03:11. > :03:13.with mist on the night, a damp night created an impenetrable smog which
:03:14. > :03:19.drifted across the motorway making it impossible for drivers to see.
:03:20. > :03:24.One driver spoke of it being like having paint thrown over your
:03:25. > :03:28.windscreen. The drivers had no chance. The collisions were
:03:29. > :03:31.inevitable. The jury was shown various videos from the display
:03:32. > :03:41.pictures which the prosecution says show just how much smoke was created
:03:42. > :03:45.by the display. Families of those who died in this crash were in court
:03:46. > :03:51.today to see the case get underway some were reduced to tears. Over the
:03:52. > :03:53.next six weeks many witnesses will be called including experts on
:03:54. > :03:57.weather conditions prosecution insist that on the night of November
:03:58. > :03:59.fourth there was no ordinary fog and that the total lack of visibility
:04:00. > :04:15.was man`made. Two years on, he is facing one
:04:16. > :04:21.charge and the health and safety at work act, a charge which he denies.
:04:22. > :04:24.Six weeks trial, tomorrow the prosecution will continue to open
:04:25. > :04:30.their case and the defence will get a chance to open their case. On
:04:31. > :04:34.Wednesday the jury will be taken to the scene of the crash and to
:04:35. > :04:38.Taunton rugby club where the fireworks display was held.
:04:39. > :04:42.Bristol's elected mayor is warning the three years of cuts he's
:04:43. > :04:47.announcing will be bold and tough. George Ferguson says he wants to act
:04:48. > :04:50.fast. One thousand jobs will go ` most within six months. More details
:04:51. > :04:53.will be announced this evening, after a major speech he's making at
:04:54. > :05:04.the University of Bristol right now. Let's join Political Editor Paul
:05:05. > :05:08.Barltrop who's there. Good evening and welcome to the historic Wills
:05:09. > :05:13.Building where history is being made. It got off to a lively start
:05:14. > :05:20.as the thousand strong audience arrived, they met outside with
:05:21. > :05:25.protesters. George Ferguson was not deterred, he got inside and is made
:05:26. > :05:29.his way into the hall where he is making his State of the city speech.
:05:30. > :05:33.There's an audience of 1000 to listen to what he hopes will be an
:05:34. > :05:38.annual event. It is one year since he was elected to be the cities
:05:39. > :05:42.mayor but George Ferguson is not wanting to look back. This is about
:05:43. > :05:46.looking forward and warning of tough times ahead. He's just marked a year
:05:47. > :05:49.in the job but George Ferguson isn't celebrating. Today he briefed the
:05:50. > :05:52.media on the biggest ever cuts made by the council. Bristol like all
:05:53. > :05:57.local authorities has seen its government funding fall and fall.
:05:58. > :06:04.With that continuing the mayor is proposing three years of changes `
:06:05. > :06:09.which won't be easy: we are behind the curve. We should have made these
:06:10. > :06:15.cuts earlier. It is at salute you shocking there is so much slack in
:06:16. > :06:19.the system but I am absolutely determined we minimise the amounts
:06:20. > :06:24.of cuts to services themselves and you will see that I will be taking
:06:25. > :06:29.as much out of efficiencies as I can to minimise those real cuts but the
:06:30. > :06:32.real cuts will have impact. It's also following the example of
:06:33. > :06:35.neighbours like Wiltshire, which has drastically cut the number of
:06:36. > :06:43.offices staff work out of ` the authority has just five main
:06:44. > :06:48.buildings. Bristol could close 7. There will be some pain but actually
:06:49. > :06:54.the pain is better confronted in one go, what we are looking to do now is
:06:55. > :07:00.get to a stage where we confront the pain and then be able to do some
:07:01. > :07:05.certainty to employees who have been incredibly loyal and very very
:07:06. > :07:08.tolerant of a difficult process The details will be announced later this
:07:09. > :07:13.evening; his political rivals are poised to attack. The mayor said he
:07:14. > :07:19.would get a better deal for Bristol but he hasn't been able to do much
:07:20. > :07:26.better than other authorities. So people will really start to feel, it
:07:27. > :07:31.is unsettling for council officers who are under threat of losing jobs.
:07:32. > :07:34.We need to be clear that the services for the most vulnerable
:07:35. > :07:38.people are the ones that are protected. The mayor can make most
:07:39. > :07:41.decisions on his own but not this one. Councillors will have the final
:07:42. > :07:49.say on this most controversial budget. Everything will happen quite
:07:50. > :07:53.fast. Most of those jobs are Jude to go by next April but before that the
:07:54. > :08:01.people of Bristol get to have their say. Councils do this all of the
:08:02. > :08:05.time and by and large the public are indifferent but when details emerge
:08:06. > :08:09.this evening the controversy is certain and debate is inevitable and
:08:10. > :08:14.there could be compromises down`the`line. The mayor is still
:08:15. > :08:17.speaking, I will be back later in the programme with an update on what
:08:18. > :08:20.he has been saying. And tonight you can watch a special programme about
:08:21. > :08:24.George Ferguson's first year in office. "The Mayor with the Red
:08:25. > :08:37.Trousers' is on BBC One, tonight at 7.30pm. And here's a flavour of
:08:38. > :08:41.what's in store. I think boycott Tesco had a senior meeting at it
:08:42. > :08:52.came in smiling and left not smiling. I challenged him on so many
:08:53. > :08:58.different things. This is one of my favour local bands. They sometimes
:08:59. > :09:05.play at the Tobacco factory and they are really spirited. I better get on
:09:06. > :09:15.with some work. I listen to reason. I do not listen to ranting. Listen,
:09:16. > :09:21.no no no! I am not against cars I am for people. You insult and
:09:22. > :09:28.patronise people. I want to listen to the quiet voices. Your red
:09:29. > :09:41.trousers are beyond a joke. You re degrading Bristol.
:09:42. > :09:51.50 shades of red. I was at a dinner last night, my dinner jacket
:09:52. > :09:58.trousers, I have my own tartan. Ferguson read. I was provided from
:09:59. > :10:03.where `` prevented from wearing red trousers so I got these so they
:10:04. > :10:10.couldn't deny me. I have claret for funerals. You can see Access all
:10:11. > :10:16.areas, the mayor with a red trousers tonight at 7:30pm. It's Monday,
:10:17. > :10:19.temperatures are beginning to dip and you're watching BBC Points West
:10:20. > :10:23.` your regional news programme with Alex and Sabet. Stay with us as
:10:24. > :10:27.there's much more still to bring you tonight including we go behind the
:10:28. > :10:35.scenes in Bath at Friday's Children in Need to show you how it all
:10:36. > :10:44.happened. Lots of headlines like this, will it be cold and wintry?
:10:45. > :10:48.Join me to find out. First ` police have named a 19`year`old who was
:10:49. > :10:51.killed by a hit and run driver in Bath. Jake Gilmour was cycling home
:10:52. > :10:56.on Saturday night when he was struck by a vehicle from behind. Scott
:10:57. > :10:59.Ellis reports. Jake Gilmour ` left fatally wounded by a driver who
:11:00. > :11:04.didn't stop. He died of head injuries at the Royal United
:11:05. > :11:08.Hospital. His family who are from Somerset were at his bedside. Jake
:11:09. > :11:11.Gilmour was on his way home to Oldfield Park on Saturday night when
:11:12. > :11:15.he was hit from behind on Midland Bridge. Detectives want anyone who
:11:16. > :11:25.might know the person at the wheel to get in touch. Anyone who lives
:11:26. > :11:29.with someone, a friend or neighbour who has acted differently since
:11:30. > :11:34.Saturday evening, they probably got home at 10pm, presumably shaken up
:11:35. > :11:40.by this incident. Anybody who is acting differently and any front end
:11:41. > :11:44.damage to their family vehicle, their friends, neighbours, come
:11:45. > :11:49.forward because we really need to be able to look at the damage and speak
:11:50. > :11:52.to them about where they were. Among the tributes left at the roadside
:11:53. > :11:56.are those from colleagues at the city centre pub where he'd been
:11:57. > :12:03.working for the past three months. Staff say they are shocked and
:12:04. > :12:07.deeply saddened. Police say the vehicle damage will be obvious and
:12:08. > :12:15.they're asking mechanics to be on the lookout. If anyone asks for
:12:16. > :12:19.repairs, contact the police. Afterwards at 9:35pm, Jake Gilmour
:12:20. > :12:24.was found by a passer`by who contacted the emergency services.
:12:25. > :12:36.Police say the drive of the vehicle will search his or her conscious and
:12:37. > :12:38.contact them. `` conscience. There was a boost for west country
:12:39. > :12:42.aircraft manufacturers today, when Airbus announced some huge sales in
:12:43. > :12:46.the Middle East. At the Dubai Air Show in the Gulf the company signed
:12:47. > :12:48.deals to deliver more than 130 aircraft, worth over 30 billion
:12:49. > :12:52.pounds. Emirates Airlines has ordered 50 of the so`called Super
:12:53. > :12:55.Jumbo ` the A380 which is the largest passenger jet in the world.
:12:56. > :12:59.And the very newest plane, the A350, is selling well too, more than 0
:13:00. > :13:02.have been bought by one airline Etihad, for around 300 million
:13:03. > :13:05.pounds a plane. The deals secure work at the Airbus centre in Filton
:13:06. > :13:18.near Bristol, where the company employs 4,000 people. This morning,
:13:19. > :13:22.you could see people had a spring in their step. It is only really on
:13:23. > :13:26.days like this when the customer put their money down and buys it that
:13:27. > :13:33.you know you have got it right. We know the aeroplane have hit their
:13:34. > :13:37.performance targets in terms of fuel burning and noise and whatever but
:13:38. > :13:41.it is a paying customer that really is the important thing and it gives
:13:42. > :13:49.a huge boost to the people to know the hard work is really coming to
:13:50. > :13:53.good benefit. Earlier in the programme, we heard about cuts being
:13:54. > :13:55.made by Bristol City council ` well elsewhere in the West, they're
:13:56. > :13:58.making savings in other ways. In South Gloucestershire, a scheme to
:13:59. > :14:01.turn off street lights, between midnight and five o'clock in the
:14:02. > :14:04.morning, is facing mounting opposition. The council says it s to
:14:05. > :14:07.save money and reduce carbon emissions ` but, as Laura Jones
:14:08. > :14:14.reports, plenty of people living in affected areas aren't very pleased
:14:15. > :14:21.about being left in the dark. They are taking away the Victorian
:14:22. > :14:27.frippery but are they gone forever? In the 1960s, it was about
:14:28. > :14:31.electricity replacing gas lamps 50 years on and the controversy today
:14:32. > :14:36.is about street lights being turned off completely for part of the
:14:37. > :14:41.night. Over the last few years, increasing parts have fallen dark as
:14:42. > :14:48.councils try to save money. You cannot see a hand in front of your
:14:49. > :14:55.face. Ian lives in Everson Green, the lights go out late at night and
:14:56. > :14:59.are back on at 5am. He has started a petition which has a thousand
:15:00. > :15:04.signatures to keep the lights on in South Gloucestershire. Quite late
:15:05. > :15:10.last night, I put the dustbin is out to the top of the drive and it was
:15:11. > :15:17.my own fault, it was midnight and it was pitch black. I am in favour of
:15:18. > :15:24.making costs and saving on the carbon footprint, my suggestion and
:15:25. > :15:27.many others are why not leave on every other street light or leave on
:15:28. > :15:34.one in three, that would make the same savings and at least people
:15:35. > :15:40.would have some lights to see in all areas so that's the way to go.
:15:41. > :15:46.Another petition is gathering pace in Filton, if either reached 25 0
:15:47. > :15:52.signatures it will be debated by the council. If we don't make this
:15:53. > :15:56.?300,000 saving on street lighting, we will have to make its rows and
:15:57. > :16:03.another service will go. The petition does not say they would
:16:04. > :16:08.rather close libraries. Local councils are looking at other
:16:09. > :16:12.options if residents pay. Whatever the outcome, universal street
:16:13. > :16:20.lighting at all times of the night even in towns and cities look like
:16:21. > :16:23.they are a thing of the past. Temperatures will be dipping below
:16:24. > :16:27.freezing tonight in parts of the region and the gritting teams will
:16:28. > :16:30.be on the roads once again. Highways teams have been stockpiling salt
:16:31. > :16:34.across the west and some say they now have more in storage than ever
:16:35. > :16:36.before. So how well prepared are they for the winter? Here's our
:16:37. > :16:41.Gloucestershire reporter, Steve Knibbs.
:16:42. > :16:45.This was January and no one's saying things are going to get this bad in
:16:46. > :16:52.the near future but the motto is be prepared. At one of Gloucestershire
:16:53. > :16:55.highways salt domes, with sub`zero and icy conditions on the cards
:16:56. > :16:59.tonight, the gritting trucks are getting ready to go out on a run.
:17:00. > :17:03.And it costs over ten thousand pounds each time ` so keeping the
:17:04. > :17:10.roads open and within budget is a finely tuned operation. Every day,
:17:11. > :17:15.we get a detailed forecast, we have free zones across Gloucestershire
:17:16. > :17:19.and we have centres on the road so we put the information together use
:17:20. > :17:22.our own knowledge and experience to determine when and where we should
:17:23. > :17:27.put the salt and how much to put down. Right across the region salt
:17:28. > :17:30.is being stockpiled. Here in Gloucestershire a record 12, 60
:17:31. > :17:35.tonnes are piled up ready to go Wiltshire has 14000 tonnes with 1600
:17:36. > :17:38.salt bins already filled up. There is 7000 tonnes across Somerset and
:17:39. > :17:42.1500 tonnes in Bristol People like local timber merchant Peter Brown `
:17:43. > :17:46.in his second year in charge of the local snow plough ` he's one of many
:17:47. > :17:49.who got the call because he has the right kit. There are places where
:17:50. > :17:52.the gritting lorries cannot get to and when the narrows Ash Road
:17:53. > :17:59.narrows, local volunteers help out. People like Peter, his second year
:18:00. > :18:03.in charge of the snowplough, one of many who got the call because he has
:18:04. > :18:09.the right kit. We have a four`wheel drive tractor and the council
:18:10. > :18:13.provide the plough and we are local, 24`hour Zidane. There's a
:18:14. > :18:16.definite chill in the air ` and the potential for a dusting snow over
:18:17. > :18:20.higher ground tonight. Nothing to worry about just yet. The real test
:18:21. > :18:27.will come when temperatures start to really plummet.
:18:28. > :18:30.The two tractors which launch the Minehead lifeboat had to be pulled
:18:31. > :18:33.out of the mud this morning after becoming stranded over the weekend.
:18:34. > :18:36.They got stuck during training yesterday when the carriages were
:18:37. > :18:40.caught on clay near to the water's edge. They were left underwater when
:18:41. > :18:46.the tide came in ` and couldn't be rescued until this morning.
:18:47. > :18:50.Staying in Somerset for the moment and it's not every day you get to
:18:51. > :18:52.host an international team, but this evening Yeovil Town have a fixture
:18:53. > :18:56.against Latvia. Yeovil's manager Gary Johnson used to manage the
:18:57. > :19:06.Baltic country and has kept links with them ever since. Alistair
:19:07. > :19:12.Durden reports from Huish Park. So, what can I tell you about the
:19:13. > :19:17.Latvian national team? 117 in the world rankings. They are managed by
:19:18. > :19:23.the former Southampton striker. There he is. And their record
:19:24. > :19:29.appearance holder plate from Bristol Rovers.
:19:30. > :19:39.COMMENTATOR: Very busy, going outside! A
:19:40. > :19:48.fantastic goal. And, they speak Latvian. How will they cope with
:19:49. > :19:51.that? Any idea what that means? A game of two halves. We would never
:19:52. > :20:12.have guessed that. That was pretty good! Nice! Quite
:20:13. > :20:18.good. The game has come about because Gary Johnson, two years in
:20:19. > :20:25.charge of Latvia. He took over here then. They wanted me to teach the
:20:26. > :20:31.boys English for when we did get seven Latvians here and they had a
:20:32. > :20:36.good start and all speaking broken Cockney English! And so it gave them
:20:37. > :20:38.an opportunity when they came here that they could speak the language
:20:39. > :20:56.and understand. I don't know, mate. Thick as a
:20:57. > :21:03.parrot! I should have realised. I am not sick as a parrot tonight. So,
:21:04. > :21:05.club against country tonight. An international side should be
:21:06. > :21:22.favourites but as they say in Latvia... Or something like that!
:21:23. > :21:32.It's a funny old game. We put trust in your pronunciation. Right,
:21:33. > :21:36.whether time now. You have been looking at the headlines, the
:21:37. > :21:41.newspapers have been going crazy. There is a wizard grain of truth,
:21:42. > :21:46.and arctic blast to hit the UK. Parts of the UK but further north.
:21:47. > :21:52.Northern parts of Scotland will bear the brunt. Here, it will get colder,
:21:53. > :21:59.and that begins tonight. Today, not too bad, a little cloud providing
:22:00. > :22:05.insulation, it has looked overcast, misty and murky with moisture giving
:22:06. > :22:11.patchy light rain and drizzle and this frontal system came in early
:22:12. > :22:13.pushing its way south eastwards With the installation, temperatures
:22:14. > :22:21.respond quite well, not feeling too bad. The change is over the next
:22:22. > :22:26.couple of days, cold wind sweeping down from the north starting tonight
:22:27. > :22:34.and the wind does not let up. It will pack a punch. Things feel
:22:35. > :22:40.different. A cold week ahead, a widespread risk of ice and frost and
:22:41. > :22:44.brisk northerly winds, dominating the features. This evening and
:22:45. > :22:50.tonight, a clear story, showers around, light and few and far
:22:51. > :22:53.between, cloud breaking up well The chance of something wintry as
:22:54. > :23:00.showers mix with cold air. Temperatures dropping swiftly, these
:23:01. > :23:06.are urban values. Rural spots will be cold and fresher. Ice and frost
:23:07. > :23:12.is a distinct possibility. Tomorrow, the skies are made clear, blue sky,
:23:13. > :23:16.on higher levels of Forest of Dean and the Mendips may have a dusting
:23:17. > :23:26.of something wintry. The most diverse, dry and bright and sunny.
:23:27. > :23:31.`` for most of us. Plenty of sunshine to enjoy. Tomorrow night,
:23:32. > :23:36.colder still. Subzero, a widespread frost, icy patches taking us into
:23:37. > :23:44.Wednesday and low pressure pushing down from the north, tightening the
:23:45. > :23:52.isobars, very cold wind and rain. It is all on its way. Thank you. Back
:23:53. > :24:00.to our top story. The Bristol mayor is making a major speech tonight. He
:24:01. > :24:07.is outlining cuts to make savings. He's been speaking now for about 45
:24:08. > :24:12.minutes. Our political editor, Paul Barltrop is there. Paul, what are
:24:13. > :24:17.the main points he's made so far? This is going to attract headlines
:24:18. > :24:23.and criticism. Council tax will go up in Bristol, to % next year, to %
:24:24. > :24:30.after and 2% year after. That is as high as he can push it without
:24:31. > :24:34.holding a referendum. That is certain to attract controversy.
:24:35. > :24:40.There has been a small protest this evening, one protester was forcibly
:24:41. > :24:45.injected and there will be plenty of protest to come. He mentioned the
:24:46. > :24:50.discretionary grants, discretionary funding, things will be cut. We have
:24:51. > :24:56.not got the specifics, back comes in an hour from the council but if you
:24:57. > :25:00.think what other councils, toiling `` closing toilets, libraries and
:25:01. > :25:07.leisure centres, those are the things we expect Bristol to start
:25:08. > :25:14.cutting. I will have full details on the cuts at 10pm. Finally tonight
:25:15. > :25:18.we're just going to take a few minutes to look back on Friday
:25:19. > :25:21.which, of course was Children in Need and thank you again if you
:25:22. > :25:23.donated money. Tonight I can tell you the West alone raised ?1.2
:25:24. > :25:27.million. David and I and the team were live
:25:28. > :25:30.at the Roman Baths bringing you updates from the Westcountry. It was
:25:31. > :25:33.a wonderful night, with school choirs from Bath and Wiltshire
:25:34. > :25:35.performing to the nation. Here's an idea of what went on behind the
:25:36. > :25:46.scenes to make it all happen. 'We wanna do
:25:47. > :28:05.a science fiction series.' CS Lewis meets HG Wells meets
:28:06. > :28:11.Father Christmas, that's the Doctor.