07/01/2014 BBC Points West

perhaps 48 hours of drier weather for many of us. But between now and

Welcome to BBC Points West with Alex Lovell and David Garmston. Our main

story tonight: The West under water. Parts of Somerset remain cut off,

and the bad weather isn't over yet. People living in one village say

they've been left to stew in their own flood water. What can we learn

from the last few days? They are hoping to build 700 homes on this

site. The other stories making the news

tonight: The police officer under investigation after an angry

exchange at the scene of an accident.

Back enjoying life ` how doctors saved this man by cooling his brain

after his heart stopped. And Walking with the Wounded ` we

meet two of the heroes who trekked to the South Pole.

An extra ?250,000 has been pledged tonight to help those hit by the

floods in Somerset. The money has been put up by the County Council.

The cash comes as the Government says it will spend more on flood

defences. But there's growing anger on the Somerset Levels as people

living there face weeks being marooned by the flood waters. Today,

our Somerset correspondent Clinton Rogers went into the village of

Muchelney by boat to see how the community of 200 is coping.

Every road into Muchelney is underwater. The depth here about

four feet. For now, this remains the only way in and out of the village.

These pictures, taken from a Yeovilton naval helicopter,

dramatically illustrate the plight facing Muchelney. Completely cut

off, surrounded by thousands of acres of water. We should be

protecting us! I'm not happy, I m very angry. But it's on the ground

that you get a true sense of the anger here. Peter Nightingale's

frustration is boiling over. And when he and his wife, both retired

doctors, took me to their home a mile up the road... First by

tractor, then by boat... It was easy to see why. It is deeper than last

year. They haven't even finished repairing the house from last year's

flood. They called that a one in 100 year event. So what they ask is

this. Ask most people in Muchelney and they point the finger of blame

at the Environment Agency. We have been pushing for dredging to be

done, and they won't do it. They say it will not make a difference. Of

course it will. Views shared by this couple who this morning left their

flooded home by canoe to visit friends for a cup of tea and a

shoulder to cry on. The frustration is that this is fixable. At least

the village isn't short of essential supplies for now. The local church

is acting as a food store. Most of this was brought in by boat

yesterday. She has a heart problem. And this man's wife was having

essential medicines delivered this afternoon. But this isn't going away

anytime soon. So, how do people get to work or school? My mum has been

setting the work to do at home, and I have books that I can revise with.

It is not a day off, exactly? No! So with all that to contend with, the

arrival of a national newspaper with a water`bound publicity stunt was

met with some anger. They are taking The Met! This is not a zoo! I am

disgusted. That's all I can say Beauty in a boat, they said, was the

last thing they needed. Well, as we heard from those

stranded in Muchleney, many living there and across the Somerset Levels

blame the Environment Agency for not maintaining the rivers. But the

Agency argue it's not value for money. An average flood defence

costs ?6 million and protects 1 000 properties. Dredging the River

Parrett would cost ?1 million but protect far less. Fiona Lamdin has

been looking at the arguments. The West under water ` again. Good

evening, people on the Somerset levels have had to leave their home.

The water is too deep to get a tractor through. It is making life

very difficult for everybody. There is a feeling among many here on the

Somerset Levels that they're being let down and left to deal with an

expensive recurring problem. This weekend did bring rain ` a lot of

rain ` on already sodden land, but many here don't feel it's just the

weather that's to blame. This has become an annual event and something

must be done. They have to dredge River Parrett. `` the River Parrett.

It is a problem. It has to be dredged and we have to stop this.

For decades, farmers have argued that the neglect of the waterways is

the cause of the flooding. But The Environment Agency says that

dredging several miles of river in order to protect a relatively small

number of homes and businesses just doesn't make financial sense. The

challenge for us is how we best use our funding. The river water floods

the field and threaten some properties, and one of the solutions

to that is to dredge parts of the River Parrett, but that will cost

upwards of ?4 million, and we have to justify funding that. The

Environment Agency has started a pilot, dredging project on the

Levels, but now there is political pressure to do more. Will he pushed

very hard with the Environment Agency to push ahead with the plans

to clear the waterways and the Marines, and particularly, to dredge

the rivers, because we have not got the capacity to get back water away.

Together, we have come up with a number of schemes which are being

piloted which are allowing local farmers and landowners to clear

their own waterways. They will be supervised by the Environment

Agency, but if that work is to go ahead and be meaningful, there has

to be proper work dredging rivers, and we will work with the

Environment Agency to achieve that. There's pressure on the council also

to build more properties. Here, we are at the sight of the former

chocolate factory, which has been earmarked for a massive development.

But as you can see, it is exceptionally close to this flood

plain, and just a couple of weeks of rain, and it has turned into a lake.

There's been rain in Wellington every day since December 12th. Ten

inches of water in 26 days. The cost of dredging has been put at around

?4 million ` the value of lost business from one weekend will

probably be about the same. I know a lot of you will be looking out for

the weather forecast, which is coming out later.

And if you're interested in how we got those shots from air of

Muchelney, we'll be revealing all at the end of the programme.

A police officer, who was filmed apparently threatening to make an

amateur photographer's day a "living hell" is being investigated. In a

video posted on YouTube, the unidentified officer is heard

telling the man, "You're lucky I didn't knock you out," before

threatening arrest. The man had been taking photographs of a road in

Gloucester following an accident. Laura Jones reports.

It was here on a street in Churchdown back on the 19th of

November last year that this all happened. A man, who is believed to

be an amateur photographer, had been taking photographs of the aftermath

of a road accident. He was approached by a police officer who

asked him to stop, at which point the man started secretly filming the

conversation. You're not having your camera back until you show me your

press pass. We can't verify how this was filmed or if this is an accurate

representation of exactly what went on. We don't know who the officer

is, but he appears to want to confiscate the photographer's camera

and delete any inappropriate images. As the conversation becomes more

heated, the officer can be heard to say the photographer is lucky that

he hadn't knocked him out. You're lucky I didn't knock you out..

Seriously. You should be calm. I never swore at you.

I'm swearing at you, because I got your attention. The behaviour that I

saw appears to be far below the standard I expect, and I immediately

spoke to the Chief Constable and expressed that to her. I have asked

her to treated with the upmost urgency in seriousness, and I want

to start rebuilding trust. I don't think this is typical of officers,

and I want to get that across to the public on this matter behind us

No`one from Gloucestershire Police was available to be interviewed

today, but in a statement, they said that: "All police officers take an

oath to serve the public with respect to all people. Any officer

found to breach this oath ` or any allegations or complaints made about

officers ` are thoroughly and robustly investigated." So what are

the rules concerning filming in a public place? According to the

Association of Chief Police Officers, there are no powers

prohibiting the taking of photographs in a public place.

Officers, there are no powers prohibiting They say that officers

must acknowledge that citizen journalism is a feature of modern

life, and that once an image has been recorded, the police have no

power to delete it without a court order A investigation is now being

carried out looking at This is Tuesday's Points West with

David and Alex. Happy New Year! Ian will be here a little later with our

weather forecast. And still to come on the programme this evening: why

we're hoping for a starry, starry night.

So far, it is cloudy, with just the moon above us. Angus crossed for

Stargazing Live in Somerset. An appeal's started into

controversial plans to build a wind farm on land in Somerset. The plan

for four turbines alongside the A38 at Rooksbridge near Burnham`on`Sea

was turned down by the District Council, which ruled they would be

out of place on the Somerset Levels. The turbines would be 130 metres

high if built, as tall as nearby Brent Knoll. The Local Government

Secretary will make the final decision.

A writer from Bristol who was short listed for a major book prize won

last night. Nathan Filer, who was featured on BBC Points West last

week, has won the Costa First Novel award for his book The Shock of the

Fall. Congratulations to him! Hospitals here in the West have

developed a new way of treating patients who've had a cardiac

arrest, giving them a 50% better chance of survival. The Bristol

Heart Institute has been trialling a new way of treating patients

undergoing emergency heart procedures by cooling their brains.

Our Health Correspondent Matthew Hill has been to meet one survivor.

Ian Taylor is still enjoying walking in the Gloucestershire countryside,

even though he very nearly died here three years ago. He was out walking

with his wife Cathy and their friend when they decided to stop for a pub

lunch. We came and sat at this very same picnic table, and that is the

last I know for several days. I had had a cardiac arrest. The next

minute, you got him out and on the grass. Anne is a retired nurse, and

recognised what had happened. Something in my brain, the training,

just clicks, and you do what is necessary. If it had happened on the

walk to the pub, or afterwards when we were walking back to the

cottage... He just timed it right! Of the 60,000 people each year in

the UK that have a cardiac arrest outside of hospital, only 10% `

that's 6,000 ` will survive. That's why the Bristol Heart Institute is

carrying out research to try to improve that. So what's the new

procedure? Well, patients like Ian are given an immediate angioplasty

to clear any blockage in their artery. And they're also put in

these special cooling tents in intensive care to bring their body

temperature down. We know that patients shouldn't be allowed to get

too warm, and that a degree of cooling is important for the

long`term outcome. That can begin with the Ambulance Service, so

working with them will allow people to cool slightly and give them some

cool fluid into their veins. Sometimes it is available, ice

packs, or a bag of frozen peas, and we can use that to start to bring

the temperature down. Since they changed their way of working, their

survival rates have improved dramatically. Of those patients with

out`of`hospital cardiac arrests there used to be 40 out of 100

patients surviving. These days, it's 60. That's a 50% improvement. If

you're going to have a problem, I can strongly recommend there is one

place where you have it, and it s the Bristol Heart Institute, because

I cannot fault... We can't fault the treatment and the care I received.

In the circumstances, you know, it was truly fantastic. So over the

past two years it's estimated there are around 40 patients like Ian

whose lives have been saved because of this new way of working. And

already many other hospitals are beginning to copy this model of

treatment. A Wiltshire school teacher's been

given a lesson on life behind bars today. It's kick`started an

initiative which should help give better support to children whose

parents are in prison. Scott Ellis reports.

There is a worrying link between parents in the prison yard and their

children in the playground. According to the Ministry of

Justice, 200,000 children in England and Wales have a parent in prison.

Two thirds of boys with a mother or father behind bars are likely to

become offenders themselves. Extend your arms. Thank you. That's why a

teaching assistant made a prison visit to Erlestoke today. Sarah

Beveridge from nearby Dilton Marsh Primary, getting an insight into

what children go through on family visits. So, back at school, she can

help if there are children with parents on the inside. They would be

able to, you know, approach me knowing it was confidential, and I

would be able to give them advice if they needed it, or perhaps they

would just like someone to know within the school, because there is

this stigma attached. Schools aren't informed if a pupil's parents are in

prison. The only indication maybe disruptive behaviour and poor

learning. Every child needs a role model, and if a father or mother are

in custody, then sometimes there is a role model that is missing. It can

have an impact on their education and achievement and behaviour in

school. The prison governor also hopes the scheme will bolster

relationships inmates and families, seen as being vital in reducing

reoffending. First and foremost though, it's about supporting

children. Well, hopefully, every school across the country will have

a Sarah. They will all have a prison champion, because that is someone

that the parents and children can go to for support. This link`up between

school and prison is the first of its kind in England. It's been

promoted by Barnardo's ` who hope it'll break stop the cycle of crime

from one generation to the next Bristol Rugby have signed former

Wales international and British Irish Lion Dwayne Peel. The

scrum`half has spent the last six years at Premiership side Sale and

will arrive in the summer on a two year deal. He'll be joined by Bath

prop and Samoa international Anthony Perenise, who will also join the

club at the end of the season. Steve Cotterill has completed his

first signing at Bristol. This defender has agreed a deal after

being on loan at the club. City are also close to signing Tyrone

Barnett. Now, just before Christmas, Prince

Harry and a team of four injured servicemen and women completed a

200`mile trek to the South Pole The point of the expedition was to prove

that injured personnel can still achieve great things. They also

managed to raise thousands of pounds for the charity Walking with the

Wounded. Two of the team members are with us tonight. Guy Disney who s

from the Cotswolds, and Kate Philp who's based at Bulford. Thank you

both for coming by. We have followed you all the way. It is good to have

you back. I you glad you did it I'm really glad I did it. It is the

hardest thing I have ever done. Did you need convincing, or was it

something he wanted to do as part of your rehabilitation? No, it was

totally my idea, and a personal thing. Having had surgery, I wanted

to focus on ago and work towards it, and the more I got involved with the

charity, the more I wanted to do it. Tell us about your injuries and how

you coped. I was injured in Afghanistan in 2009, where my leg

was blown off below the knee. We both had to have as their tics made

for the expedition, `` prosthetics made. The coldest day was `45

degrees, and we worried about the fixtures on the lyrics coming

apart. `` prosthetics coming apart. It was a lot about fitness and

plodding on. That is at it, isn t it, there is only so much you can do

in terms of preparation. That is pretty thorough, but there are also

things that you can't expect. You were saying that you are challenged

with your breathing. Yes, absolutely, but you can `` you can

test the individual features, but you never know how things like

altitude will affect you. I've been to altitude before, and I have been

absolutely fine, but again, that's the thing. You can be fined

sometimes and not the next. Reading was hard and appetites were

affected. We were burning so many calories per day, you were

exhausting yourself. Prince Harry was there too, and you had song

together didn't you? THEY SING. What did that support mean to you?

It's great, we got so much more exposure, but he's a really great

guy. He was a valued member of the team and really good fun. I guess

you know, 99% of us couldn't even think about doing this, but what

does it prove yourselves? It's funny, I took a lot of time to

reflect while I was out there, and, yes, I'll be honest, there was a lot

of time when I wasn't enjoying it, but overall, it was the biggest and

hardest challenge I have ever done, and I'm delighted to have done it.

Looking back, my real achievement came before we went, because I had

spent a good few months training really hard and actually achieved

levels of fitness but I hadn't sent injury, `` since my injury, so it

was really worthwhile. Look, that will keep you warm! In Clifton, it

is pretty tough! Thank you very much indeed.

Stargazing Live returns to our screens this evening. The programme

runs for three nights on BBC Two, but away from the television, there

are a number of events taking place where you can get out and look

through a telescope yourself. One of them has been organised by a new

club right next to Wells Cathedral and our reporter Matthew Pick is

there. Matt, are the skies finally clear to be able to see anything?

I can see the moon. It is a bit blurry, I'm afraid to say. Is this a

good telescope? Yes, it is possible in perfect conditions to beat a car

number plate at seven miles, ! That is impressive! Who else have we

got? Chris, you are from the astronomy club. You must be thrilled

about the people who have turned up tonight? Absolutely, yes. We are

very encouraged. We are a new group and we have had a big following so

far. We have had a lot of enthusiasm from people of all ages. What is

this about, do you think? It is the beauty and mystery of the cosmos,

which affects all of us. We also want to discover the origins and, of

course, space is the new frontier. It is currently one of the

fastest`growing areas of the global economy, and... It is big news! I've

got to ``! Thank you, Chris. We haven't got much time. Peter is an

astral photographer, which means you take photographs and we have an

exhibition of yours inside. Is a difficult? To take photographs like

you see in the exhibition, yes, it is quite a steep learning curve to

get to that level. But for imaging the moon and planets, it is possible

to start on a reasonable budget You don't have to pay thousands of

pounds. That is good news! We want people out there to get involved. If

you're watching tonight, e`mail us in your photographs and we will put

them on our Facebook page and show some tomorrow night as well. That is

about it from Wales. Ian, is the weather going to

it's going to be somewhere in between, actually. For the second

half of tonight, I suspect a lot of you will be seeing some clear skies

if you're prepared to stay up late. It will be a different story

tomorrow, and the reason for that is because it will be replaced with

wetter conditions, and that reason is further issues with localised

flooding. If you watch the south, you will see this cluster of rain

pushing up perhaps through parts of Dorset and maybe South East

Somerset. More likely South Wiltshire, and then it will clear

way. This low`pressure system will head up towards the West, which will

bring some were widespread rain as we head put into tomorrow. That is

more of the future of concern in terms of the issues of localised

flooding. You can see the cheese rectory of the rain and see that

that clears away by midnight. Clear skies for many accused too much of

the night, and see head towards daybreak tomorrow, it should be

decent. Temperatures around five or seven Celsius. A decent morning

tomorrow, as I mentioned, and one of two showers with a slight

north`westerly breeze. The clouds will increase and in time, that will

bring outbreaks of rain which will be fragmentary. Ten to 15

millimetres of rain around, which may cause some problems. We do have

Met Office warnings out. Do you temperatures, for what they are

worth. Thank you, Ian!

Now a little earlier in the programme we showed you some amazing

pictures of the flooding in Somerset. They were filmed from a

Royal Navy helicopter from RNAS Yeovilton, flown by a pilot who s

been watching the Levels from the air for the last ten years.

Flying over here, this is quite shocking. We're used to seeing what,

but never to this extent. The speed of the build`up has been another

shocking element of it. Many of the local communities have been cut

off, like nuclear field, they were having to use our airfield as a

transit is. `` transit route. We have one area fully cut`off year

below me know. The scale is enormous. All the way from your

fault into Taunton, it looks like a leak of water. It has cut off many

of the villages in the local area. As we fly around, it is quite

shocking. It is quite helpless, it looks like, for many of the people

there. We hope the water will drain away soon.

We do hope that, and there is lots more of that footage on our Facebook

page. Don't forget Stargazing Live tonight. We will see later good

night.