12/02/2014 BBC Points West

heavy rain is causing more misery as flood waters are on the rise.

Good evening. Torrential rain and 70mph winds deepened the flooding

crisis across the West today. After seven weeks of bad weather, it

became apparent the emergency is far from over. The first public meeting

to discuss the crisis was held in Somerset tonight and special Dutch

pumps could begin the task of removing the water from tomorrow.

Our reporter Scott Ellis is alongside the King Sedgemoor Drain

for us now. Scott. The Dutch pumps will pump the water

of the Moors over the wall at the back out to sea. But installation

delayed by the bad weather. We have been to a public meeting in

Bridgwater. 300 people there including many flood victims from

Orlando in Bridgwater. 300 people there including many flood victims

from Moorland and four`day `` four date. They want to know how long it

has `` Wyatt has taken so long to get the Dutch pumps here. There was

an audible gar the room when one flood victim said that she had run

up to find out why the pumps were not there and was told that they

were ?30,000 and they were not going to spend that much money on one

place. To be told by some faceless idiot in Exeter, we are not going to

save your home... What you say? IU reassured by anything you have heard

tonight? No, they do not have the answers. The Environment Agency and

apologise for that remark and for the delay in bringing the pumps

They said that the dredging at the confluence of the River Parratt and

the River Tone would proceed. It is not just Somerset that is getting a

hammering. The whole of the West Country is getting a hammering.

A car long since claimed by the water. This morning in the village

of Long Load, the wind whipped these floods into waves. Looking out to

sea, oh, dear me. For locals like Ken, the daily ride has been cut

short. This pause in normal life is now part of the routine. What is

your normal route. I normally go down and turn over the bridge over

the River Parratt. But this is as far as I'm going. As winds hit more

than 60mph in the West, the trees began to fall. The driver of this

lorry on the A39 somehow escaping without being seriously hurt. Filmed

on a phone, in Bristol, the suspension bridge quivered. The

engineering creaked. In Somerset, the sandbagging, the shoring up of

these swollen rivers continued as those living with this water looked

uneasily on. This driving wind and rain that has been thundering down

on the level this morning is bad news. A couple of miles straight

across the water they tell me that about 12 hours after the rains have

fallen, the property there begin to flood. Rescue teams aware that more

rain here means more flooding from water with nowhere to go. Normally,

the emergency phase, which is what the Fire rescue service is about, is

over in a few days. We number of weeks. It is still raining. . In

some places, it has begun to sink back. But no sense yet in addressing

the damage because no`one can say it won't soon come back.

Points West has been braving the weather, bringing the entire

programme from the Somerset levels. We spoke to the Somerset and Frome

MP David Heath. He promised to keep some as's problem is high on the

news agenda. They must not be forgotten. I have

the commitment from the Prime Minister today he is personally very

engaged with us. That is good news. It is what we have been arguing

for. Not just for the last couple of weeks, to make sure that the whole

of government is committed to doing what is needed on Somerset levels

because they are a unique, man`made environment.

Here, the workers return at seven in the morning and we can only hope

that they get the Dutch pump working this morning. A loss of people at

the meeting happy for the government to buy their homes from them at the

market rate. After years of flooding, they want to leave their

homes altogether and turn their backs on the Somerset levels.

A Wiltshire man has died of suspected electrocution after

attempting to move a tree which had brought down power lines. Police

were called to reports of the fallen tree at Bremhill near Calne this

afternoon. A man in his 70s was pronounced dead at the scene.

The former Bristol MP Tony Benn is seriously ill in hospital. The

88`year`old was admitted at the weekend. Tony Benn retired from

Parliament 13 years ago. Last October he gave television

interviews as the final instalment of his diaries was published. He

represented Bristol for 30 years, serving in two Labour governments.

Two of Britain's best medal hopes at the Winter Olympics will be

competing tomorrow. Skeleton athletes Lizzy Yarnold from Bath and

Pewsey's Shelley Rudman. It's Shelley's third Olympics, and one of

her biggest cheerleaders will be her daughter Ella. Alistair Durden

reports. It's a challenge for Shelley Rudman

combining being a world class athlete and a mum. Six`year`old Ella

travels around the world with her and her fiance Kristan Bromley.

Shelley does her schooling when they're away, but Ella is already

showing signs of following in her parent's footsteps. She is like this

on the start line. The first time it happened, we were like, old, she has

really watched us! She knows all of the terminology and all of the

athletes. She absorbs it. She loves it. It has been great by the school,

they give me a lesson plan, and I follow that. It's eight years since

Shelley won her Olympic silver medal. She's more relaxed about her

chances this time. How cool would it be for Ella to say that she has been

to an Olympics to watch her mum complete? That is the biggest

motivation. For my family as well, to make them proud. This season has

been win after win after win for Lizzy Yarnold. She's the World Cup

champion, and has been quickest in practice this week. Everyone thinks

about the Olympics being such a magical event. Anything can happen

on the day, in skeleton especially. I am where I planned I would be at

this moment. Lizzy's the gold medal favourite but Shelley has the

experience, and her own fan club. More news and information on your

BBC local radio Stations and online. We're back in Breakfast tomorrow

from 6am. Now get the latest weather.

Good evening. We have had a notably windy affair across the West

Country. Das touching 70 mph in some places. `` dusts touching 70 miles

per hour gusts of wind. Snow accumulating over higher ground east

of Bristol. Temperatures will be chilly tonight. Tomorrow a blustery

start with wintry showers around. There will be bright spells as well.

The wind will become slightly less. Further showers continuing through

the course of the day. It will feel cold tomorrow. This is the outlook.

Further warnings out for Friday Yet more heavy on the way.

Good evening. What an incredible day of weather it has been. We saw gusts

of wind up to 108 mph in the West of Wales. The wind is easing down a

notch or two but we still have a high-level amber warning from the

Met Office for the strength of the wind over the next few hours over

quite a large swathe of the UK. Northern Ireland, northern England

and down across Wales, there is still potential for damaging and

disruptive gusts of wind. This huge curl of cloud is bringing wet and

windy weather across much of the West of Europe. It curls back across

the north of the UK and that's the centre of the area of low pressure

with the strongest winds just to the south of that. Let's focus on the

winds over the next few hours. The ease down by a notch or two but

still blustery conditions over most of Wales. High seas around the coast

and gusting up to 70 mph. Easily around the 80 mph mark across much

of northern England. Across the Pennines this evening and overnight,

travelling will be treacherous. Wind and rain at lower levels will

produce a lot of spray. You don t have to go to high up the Pennines

to see that turned to snow. One way or another, further disruption to

travel is more than likely. BBC local radio will keep you up-to date

on where you are and where you are trying to get to. The centre of the

low system moves northwards. Pretty heavy snow developing across the

hills of Scotland with several centimetres by dawn. A bit of snow

for Northern Ireland and wintry showers drifting across the southern

counties. A risk of ice with most races are seeing the temperatures a

degree or so either side of freezing. A cold, windy start

Thursday but I think it be a better day. No persistent rain to be seen.

There should be some spells of sunshine for many of us, as well.

Does it last until the end of the week? I'm afraid not. It goes

downhill on Friday. This low pressure will head our way. Lots of

isobars on the chart later in the day. Gusts of 60, 70 or 80 mph, with

rain spreading northwards. Significant snow for parts of

Northern Ireland and southern Scotland. Windy into the start of

the weekend. Saturday has outbreaks of rain. On Sunday, something of a

respite. The winds will ease down and it should