:00:00. > :00:00.to British coastlines, with winds of up to 80 mph. That's all from
:00:00. > :00:10.Welcome to BBC Points West with Liz Beacon and David Garmston. Our main
:00:11. > :00:14.story tonight: Heartbreak in the floods. Police rescue valuables from
:00:15. > :00:19.an almost deserted village as the water gets even deeper. And inside
:00:20. > :00:29.the holiday camp which has become home for dozens of flood victims.
:00:30. > :00:34.Your life is suddenly suspended And it's not just suspended for a week,
:00:35. > :00:38.a month, it could be a year or more and even then things will not be the
:00:39. > :00:51.same again. The other stories in the news
:00:52. > :00:54.tonight: Parents are told there ll be a new inquiry into the deaths of
:00:55. > :00:57.children who had heart surgery in Bristol. And after a tense and
:00:58. > :01:03.terrifying downhill slide ` Lizzy Yarnold wins gold. We're in Bath
:01:04. > :01:11.with her friends as they watch her dream come true.
:01:12. > :01:15.Good evening. The west is being battered by more heavy rain and high
:01:16. > :01:20.winds right now ` after yet another day of storms. Gloucester is holding
:01:21. > :01:23.on ` even though the flood water is at the gates ` but the Somerset
:01:24. > :01:28.Levels has seen another wretched day. Villagers in Moorland who were
:01:29. > :01:31.forced to flee their homes can only watch as the water climbs even
:01:32. > :01:41.higher in their flooded houses. Here's Scott Ellis.
:01:42. > :01:45.The waters are still rising in moorland. Most residents left a week
:01:46. > :01:58.ago, today some return to check their homes. How is it? Not great.
:01:59. > :02:02.The police can access the flooded homes to retrieve possessions for
:02:03. > :02:08.residents forced to live elsewhere. These medals now safe from the
:02:09. > :02:12.invading floodwater. You come to realise if you can go in and get one
:02:13. > :02:17.thing, I brought out a bottle of wine for a man on the van and it is
:02:18. > :02:21.a bottle of wine friends from Canada Centre. Things like that mean the
:02:22. > :02:26.world and if you can take that the Travelodge it makes them feel more
:02:27. > :02:33.at home. The Royal Marines are here helping to sandbag the last of the
:02:34. > :02:39.dry homes in moorland. They have a defence here, they built up the mud
:02:40. > :02:42.banks and it is weathering away with water. We are reinforcing it with
:02:43. > :02:50.sandbags to make it more substantial. How pleased were you to
:02:51. > :02:56.see the Royal Marines? We have been promised them since the start.
:02:57. > :03:01.Yesterday they came and looked but could not guarantee it because they
:03:02. > :03:07.could get posted elsewhere. I hope they will not say elsewhere is more
:03:08. > :03:11.important than here. 15 residents remain in moorland holding back the
:03:12. > :03:19.water with dams and pumps. A barricade against the weather. If we
:03:20. > :03:25.can get through tonight and then hopefully Sunday, we will be under
:03:26. > :03:30.all still here. They are exhausted physically and emotionally. They say
:03:31. > :03:35.it is worth it. By being here, they feel the authorities will not
:03:36. > :03:38.abandoned `` abandon the village altogether. It is so tough. Scott
:03:39. > :03:48.Ellis is in East Lyng in Somerset tonight ` what's it like? It is
:03:49. > :03:56.terrible. I am on the edge of the more. It should be to see, the wind
:03:57. > :04:04.is whipping up, the floodwater is in waves. It is whipping up over the
:04:05. > :04:08.flood defences, it is like taking a stroll along the front at
:04:09. > :04:12.Weston`super`Mare. We can show you some pictures from earlier on today.
:04:13. > :04:17.You get an idea of the wind speed. They have reached 70 miles an hour,
:04:18. > :04:23.whipping up through Yeovilton, Ilminster and causing trees to come
:04:24. > :04:29.down, isolated problem is that adding to the general misery of the
:04:30. > :04:33.flooding in Somerset. In the darkness Boroughbridge and further
:04:34. > :04:38.afield moorland and the wind is a problem. The wind is picking up the
:04:39. > :04:45.pressure on the water and it could break down the earth banks. They
:04:46. > :04:52.have their fingers crossed, could it get worse? Let's hope not. Some of
:04:53. > :04:56.the people who have left their homes in Moorland have now had to take up
:04:57. > :04:58.temporary accommodation in a nearby holiday park.
:04:59. > :05:02.It's been more than a week since they had to flee their homes, and
:05:03. > :05:10.they still have no idea when they will be able to return. Andrew Plant
:05:11. > :05:13.has spent the day with them. The future is uncertain for us as
:05:14. > :05:20.individuals but also the community as a whole. Julian and Mary Taylor
:05:21. > :05:26.helping run the relief effort from there temporary kitchen table. Over
:05:27. > :05:33.six weeks we have seen the water rising gradually over the area, we
:05:34. > :05:37.thought because of the height of the house we would not be flooded and
:05:38. > :05:45.then we had a police helicopter telling us to move out. Your life is
:05:46. > :05:54.suddenly suspended. It isn't just suspended for a week, month, it
:05:55. > :06:00.could be a year or more. And even then, things will not be the same
:06:01. > :06:10.again. Just one mile away, these holiday houses are home to residents
:06:11. > :06:15.calling them flooding refugees. Claire Hughes had to leave her home
:06:16. > :06:24.so fast, her children had no time to rescue their toys. These have all
:06:25. > :06:29.been donated. I have two small boys, the oldest is asking whether
:06:30. > :06:33.toys are, when can we go home and? As a parent, you are supposed to
:06:34. > :06:38.have the answers but I don't know what to tell them. We have lost
:06:39. > :06:43.everything. How do you explain that? They were scared, in their pyjamas.
:06:44. > :06:53.They asked where we were going and I didn't know where we were going to
:06:54. > :07:05.go. It is draining. Going to bed, I am not sleeping. At the moment I am
:07:06. > :07:11.physically worn out. For the people who had to evacuate their homes it
:07:12. > :07:16.is too early to think about going home. Works are still under way to
:07:17. > :07:20.get the pipes laid and those villages after the most part still
:07:21. > :07:28.under water. It will be months before any of them are backing their
:07:29. > :07:32.homes. `` back in their homes. Now our other big story of the day and
:07:33. > :07:35.Lizzie Yarnold, who lives and trains in Bath, has taken Gold at the
:07:36. > :07:39.women's Skeleton event at the Winter Olympics in Sochi. She led every
:07:40. > :07:43.heat ` and came in almost a second ahead of her nearest rival in the
:07:44. > :07:45.final run of the day just an hour ago. Let's cross to Alistair Durden
:07:46. > :08:02.at her training centre in Bath. This is home to so many top athletes
:08:03. > :08:06.across so many different sports but life in here came to a standstill
:08:07. > :08:10.and hour ago as the University stopped to witness one of its own
:08:11. > :08:17.winning a Winter Olympic gold. Lizzie has been training here for
:08:18. > :08:27.about five years and she has dominated women's skeleton but today
:08:28. > :08:33.it was her crowning moment. If she was nervous, she didn't show
:08:34. > :08:38.it. Lizzy Yarnold was the overwhelming favourite, nearly half
:08:39. > :08:42.a second quicker than anyone else at the halfway stage. They were still
:08:43. > :08:46.biting fingernails in Bath where friends and fellow athletes were
:08:47. > :08:56.watching on the TV. They need not have worried. Lizzy Yarnold is
:08:57. > :09:04.Olympic champion! How fast start produced another incredible run A
:09:05. > :09:10.gold medal winning performance. It will not sink in for a long time.
:09:11. > :09:15.You must feel an out of body experience. Totally. The fourth run
:09:16. > :09:20.I was enjoying it, the same as Amy, I wanted to enjoy it and it was a
:09:21. > :09:26.messy run but I'm so so thrilled I got myself here after five years of
:09:27. > :09:33.hard work. As an athlete you give up so much but on a daylight today it
:09:34. > :09:37.is so worth it! She was quicker than yesterday even with bumps along the
:09:38. > :09:43.way. It is to be expected. All of the pressure she was carrying on her
:09:44. > :09:50.shoulders. She has done great. She's the most consistent athlete I have
:09:51. > :09:57.seen. They were watching in Pewsey. Shelley's parents win the pub after
:09:58. > :10:01.having a problem getting a Visa to fly to rush to watch. Shelley who
:10:02. > :10:10.won silver eight years finished 16th. For Lizzie and her army of
:10:11. > :10:17.fans, time to celebrate. Six years after being talent spotted she is
:10:18. > :10:24.now an Olympic champion. Lizzie follows Amy in winning gold
:10:25. > :10:31.four years ago, Amy is a mentor and her landlady in Bath. I wonder if
:10:32. > :10:36.the rental go up now she is a Winter Olympic champion. Join me later in
:10:37. > :10:41.the programme and double talk to two members of the great British
:10:42. > :10:47.skeleton team. Well done to Lizzie, we needed that. Welcome to BBC
:10:48. > :10:51.Points West on this Friday evening. Ian will be here with your weather
:10:52. > :10:55.forecast later. And if you're hoping to get away for the half term
:10:56. > :11:10.holidays we've got all the latest on the roads and rails.Welcome to BBC
:11:11. > :11:14.Points West on this Friday evening. Some of these families have
:11:15. > :11:19.travelled from Cornwall to find answers to questions that still
:11:20. > :11:23.haunt them about their child's death. November saw the first of
:11:24. > :11:29.several inquests into children who had had heart surgery at a
:11:30. > :11:33.specialist unit in Bristol. Father of one of them, seven`year`old Sean
:11:34. > :11:38.was instrumental in making today's meeting with a doctor in charge of
:11:39. > :11:44.the NHS happen. I picked up the newspaper, read a horrific story
:11:45. > :11:49.regarding Bristol Children's Hospital, I tweeted and asked Sir
:11:50. > :11:55.Bruce Keogh to pick up the reins and saw the mess out. After a three`hour
:11:56. > :12:01.meeting with the director of the NHS, the parents came out with a
:12:02. > :12:05.smile. It was promising. He has agreed to get Ian Kennedy back in to
:12:06. > :12:10.review the hospital so we feel quite pleased something has come off today
:12:11. > :12:18.and hopefully it will look into our concerns. Sir Bruce Keogh told me it
:12:19. > :12:23.would be an enquiry by the parents but led by Sir Ian Kennedy,
:12:24. > :12:28.investigating the death of babies in the 1990s. We have heard harrowing
:12:29. > :12:34.stories and in a dignified way from the families. He understands the
:12:35. > :12:37.issues and he can hit the ground running because what I am after is
:12:38. > :12:41.getting to the bottom of these problems, finding a solution and
:12:42. > :12:47.getting the Bristol unit to be one of the best in the country as
:12:48. > :12:50.quickly as possible. In a statement the hospital say they are troubled
:12:51. > :12:53.that families continue to have concerns and they hope today's
:12:54. > :12:56.meeting will help resolve their issues. They stress their results
:12:57. > :12:59.have been shown to be safe but that they have made improvements which
:13:00. > :13:12.include better communication with families. With a new enquiry this is
:13:13. > :13:16.by no means the end of the matter. Let's return now to today's heavy
:13:17. > :13:19.rain and winds, and it's been a tense day in Gloucestershire as
:13:20. > :13:22.people have been waiting for the River Severn to burst its banks and
:13:23. > :13:26.breach flood defences. A severe flood warning remains in place along
:13:27. > :13:33.the River Severn in the city. Will Glennon is at Alney Island. It has
:13:34. > :13:37.been heavy rain and strong winds all day in Gloucester and people are
:13:38. > :13:42.desperately watching the River Severn hoping it doesn't overtop the
:13:43. > :13:50.flood defences. Look at their defences. Sandbags, polythene sheets
:13:51. > :13:55.hoping to keep any water out of the houses. 3000 of these sandbags were
:13:56. > :13:58.put in place last night by the army, Environment Agency and local
:13:59. > :14:06.council. People are grateful for them. Alney Island is surrounded by
:14:07. > :14:12.flood water, farmland, Parkland have gone under, roads are blocked and
:14:13. > :14:17.Sandhurst is cut off completely accessible only by boat. I saw the
:14:18. > :14:22.emergency services clubbing together on a rescue mission taking food and
:14:23. > :14:27.medical supplies to the villages. We think they are safe at the moment.
:14:28. > :14:36.Here the pinch point will happen tonight at 10pm, Roy Stokes joins
:14:37. > :14:41.me. What will happen? We hope it is a rerun of last night, the flood
:14:42. > :14:45.water is four inches from the wall and with a high winds and high tides
:14:46. > :14:50.it could push the levels over. That would push water into the
:14:51. > :14:54.properties. We are pleased the preparations have been done,
:14:55. > :15:01.warnings have been out and we are as prepared as we can be. We have to
:15:02. > :15:05.wait and see. Thank you. We know the floods are a serious story but we
:15:06. > :15:10.have thrown up some interesting things as well. Look at these
:15:11. > :15:16.pictures of an unusual villager in the Forest of Dean. A seal came up
:15:17. > :15:25.to visit. We think you try to escape the River Wye. The locals called him
:15:26. > :15:29.the balance. `` Valentino. Schools break up for half term today, but if
:15:30. > :15:33.you're planning on getting away there's still lots of disruption on
:15:34. > :15:36.the railways in and out of the West Country and the South West. Network
:15:37. > :15:39.Rail says floodwater's likely to affect journeys for some time to
:15:40. > :15:41.come and is still advising passengers not to travel unless it's
:15:42. > :15:44.absolutely necessary. Services between Cheltenham and London,
:15:45. > :15:49.between Bristol and the South West, and heading East out of Swindon are
:15:50. > :15:57.facing severe disruption. But bus replacements are running in some of
:15:58. > :16:04.those areas. The good news from Bristol Temple Meads is they were
:16:05. > :16:08.running a normal service to London. Two of five trains are dedicated to
:16:09. > :16:13.Bristol. If you are going further south, that is more challenging
:16:14. > :16:16.That's because of flooding on the Levels in Somerset and because the
:16:17. > :16:21.track needs to be re`built at Dawlish in Devon. At the earliest,
:16:22. > :16:25.it could be repaired in five weeks time. Replacement bus services are
:16:26. > :16:30.in operation. The advice as ever, is check before you travel.
:16:31. > :16:33.On the roads, the RAC is reminding motorists to drive at an appropriate
:16:34. > :16:38.speed for the weather conditions and to plan and check your route before
:16:39. > :16:41.setting off. And some flights into Bristol Airport have been diverted
:16:42. > :16:44.to Cardiff and Birmingham this afternoon because of strong winds.
:16:45. > :16:51.The advice is to keep looking at their website for the latest
:16:52. > :16:54.information. It's been another busy day for the
:16:55. > :16:58.people trying to co`ordinate the emergency response to the floods.
:16:59. > :17:01.Gold Command was set up when the situation in Somerset was officially
:17:02. > :17:04.declared a crisis. Our home affairs correspondent Steve Brodie has been
:17:05. > :17:17.out today with the woman in charge of policing the floods.
:17:18. > :17:21.Caroline Peters has come to see for herself as gold commander she is
:17:22. > :17:24.responsible for the 30 policemen and women who are working around the
:17:25. > :17:31.clock every day in the fight against the flooding. A small number of
:17:32. > :17:36.officers have been on the receiving end of abuse from frustrated
:17:37. > :17:41.homeowners. Unfortunately they have not seen the 11 and 12 hour shifts
:17:42. > :17:45.we have done and you have a cup of tea or warm yourself up and that is
:17:46. > :17:50.all they see. They don't know what you have done beforehand. You can't
:17:51. > :17:55.take it personally. Some people are positive, even those who have lost
:17:56. > :18:01.their homes. There is a perception of fear and people worrying about
:18:02. > :18:08.looted. It is not the case. The gold commander appealed for boats and
:18:09. > :18:11.they did arrive. The request was made for boats, Devon and Somerset
:18:12. > :18:16.Service up and said we have a boat to hand and will bring it down. And
:18:17. > :18:20.also they have the kit which is helpful because from health and
:18:21. > :18:25.safety we do not know what is underneath, stones or anything else.
:18:26. > :18:34.We have well`trained people kitted out ready to go on patrols. Now off
:18:35. > :18:43.to see a local farmer. We are all under pressure but no parking on the
:18:44. > :18:50.bridges and things like that. And people doing the work, they can get
:18:51. > :18:55.in and out quicker. It is three o'clock and the Chief Superintendent
:18:56. > :18:58.is in East Lane. She spoke to officers helping the residents in a
:18:59. > :19:08.never ending battle against the flood water. The gentleman next
:19:09. > :19:13.door, carting sandbags, the water is digging away at his garden. They are
:19:14. > :19:16.paid but the police are here to help those in trouble and prevent anyone
:19:17. > :19:23.who thinks they can profit from flooding. With all this flood water
:19:24. > :19:26.comes the risk of contamination as sewage and silage are spread over
:19:27. > :19:29.miles of countryside and through people's homes. After several weeks
:19:30. > :19:33.of flooding we've asked experts to analyse a sample of the water, and
:19:34. > :19:39.asked if it poses a risk to public health. Here's Jules Hyam.
:19:40. > :19:44.The Somerset village of Burrowbridge ` surrounded by mile upon mile of
:19:45. > :19:49.flooded farmland. Water washing through fields of animal dung and
:19:50. > :19:53.collecting human waste. Public Health England advises it's best to
:19:54. > :19:58.avoid contact with flood water ` if you can ` but they say it doesn t
:19:59. > :20:06.pose any increased health risk. It's not fit to drink ` but is dangerous?
:20:07. > :20:09.One of the things which is common is the contamination of the water by
:20:10. > :20:16.bacteria, that can come from farmland, septic tanks and the
:20:17. > :20:24.sewage system because those systems get breached. So, the task here is
:20:25. > :20:27.to understand that level of bacterial contamination.
:20:28. > :20:30.To do that, Professor Reynolds is collecting two samples of flood
:20:31. > :20:33.water here at Burrowbridge ` one sample from the flooded main road,
:20:34. > :20:36.the other directly the River Parrett. The samples are sealed and
:20:37. > :20:39.sent to an accredited microbiology lab where measured amounts of the
:20:40. > :20:43.flood water are mixed with a sugar rich gel ` the mixture is left to
:20:44. > :20:48.incubate in order to see what bacteria grow and in what quantity.
:20:49. > :20:52.Professor Reynolds is comparing the samples against the upper limit for
:20:53. > :20:56.safe bathing water as set by the EU ` the sample from the flooded road
:20:57. > :20:59.is actually within the EU limit for bacteria associated with faecal
:21:00. > :21:12.contamination but the river water is not. What we discovered is those
:21:13. > :21:17.levels of bacteria are very very high indeed. For E. Coli, the levels
:21:18. > :21:21.are five and six times higher than what would be allowed and the
:21:22. > :21:26.bathing water directive. That tells us the river is taking the brunt of
:21:27. > :21:31.the contamination coming from the run`off from the sewage systems
:21:32. > :21:36.That is beneficial in the short`term, all of this faecal
:21:37. > :21:41.contamination is being carried and transported by the river system
:21:42. > :21:45.Which is precisely what the river system is meant to do ` the problems
:21:46. > :21:48.come if and when the river banks are breached. With no official
:21:49. > :21:51.monitoring of contamination levels, the advice remains to avoid flood
:21:52. > :21:58.water if you can and to wash hands and clothes thoroughly if you can't.
:21:59. > :22:01.In football ` Swindon Town get things underway tonight for our
:22:02. > :22:05.football teams as they take on Colchester. Then tomorrow both
:22:06. > :22:08.Bristol teams will be hoping to build on their wins in the week
:22:09. > :22:14.while Cheltenham are looking for their first victory in 2014. Bath
:22:15. > :22:17.Rugby have a West Country derby at Exeter then on Sunday Gloucester
:22:18. > :22:25.travel to Leicester and Bristol take on Nottingham. Well, good luck to
:22:26. > :22:28.all our sides. And someone who doesn't need our
:22:29. > :22:34.luck anymore is Bath's Lizzy Yarnold because she's done it! Britain's
:22:35. > :22:39.first gold in Sochi's Winter Olympics. Let's go back to Ali at
:22:40. > :22:49.her training ground at the University of Bath. Yes, the message
:22:50. > :22:55.tonight is follow your dreams and never give up. Let's remind
:22:56. > :22:59.ourselves of some of those scenes of celebration in Sochi where she has
:23:00. > :23:04.won Great Britain's fourth consecutive medal in the women's
:23:05. > :23:08.skeleton. She won every heat this season and she won the whole
:23:09. > :23:17.competition by nearly a second ahead of her rivals. The team GB manager
:23:18. > :23:22.is here. It was never in doubt, was it? It is always in doubt until she
:23:23. > :23:31.crosses the line. I did not cheer until she crossed. Was she nervous?
:23:32. > :23:36.She followed her normal routine No, she did good and followed what she
:23:37. > :23:41.normally does. I'm sure you thought she could do it but by a second
:23:42. > :23:48.Yes, surprised by the overall result. She is exceptional. James
:23:49. > :23:54.hopes to be at the Winter Olympics in four years. How inspiring was it?
:23:55. > :23:59.Brilliant, to see someone, me and the other guys training down here,
:24:00. > :24:04.seeing her train every day and how hard she works and to see it pay off
:24:05. > :24:09.and win gold is really inspiring. What is her secret? I don't know,
:24:10. > :24:16.she is letting on. Maybe she will now. It isn't a secret, she works
:24:17. > :24:23.really hard. She is dedicated. She put time and effort in. And now it
:24:24. > :24:30.is down to the men to latch `` to match the women. Yes, we want to
:24:31. > :24:38.bring some muddled in in the next few years. We wish you well. We hope
:24:39. > :24:43.to see you in South Korea in a few years. Livy in her spare time likes
:24:44. > :24:51.to do knitting and listen to the archers. Very different. She might
:24:52. > :24:56.have to let those wait for a little bit to night. `` Livy. Let's hope
:24:57. > :25:02.she lets her hair down for the party. The Wild West outdoors at the
:25:03. > :25:08.moment, decidedly strong winds. Tyrone morning will bring more of
:25:09. > :25:21.the same, it will be windy eventually, the winds will die down,
:25:22. > :25:26.as will heavy showers. More cloud in the afternoon and outbreaks of rain
:25:27. > :25:32.but that is later on Sunday. Some respite from those conditions now.
:25:33. > :25:37.The Met office warnings are understating the extent of the
:25:38. > :25:42.winds. The amber warning across the south coast, winds of 75 miles an
:25:43. > :25:50.hour but we do have gusts of 70 miles an hour inland through Bristol
:25:51. > :25:53.and the M4. The wind is bringing down trees, power lines as well
:25:54. > :26:00.Although we have focused on flooding, in terms of perilous
:26:01. > :26:05.conditions, it is the winds that are dangerous for those on the roads.
:26:06. > :26:10.More winds from a southerly course, they veer to a westerly tomorrow
:26:11. > :26:19.morning, more through Bristol Channel, a headwind on the M4, a
:26:20. > :26:22.crosswind on the M5. This low pressure is bringing conditions
:26:23. > :26:28.moving towards the north`west through Saturday, still close
:26:29. > :26:33.isobars but they are spreading out by the end of Saturday and much
:26:34. > :26:38.better conditions feeding in overnight through Sunday. This
:26:39. > :26:43.evening, reports of trees down, trampolines 60 feet in the air in
:26:44. > :26:51.trees and the mean wind speed showing the strength of how things
:26:52. > :26:55.continue into a windy night. Still some heavy showers, temperatures
:26:56. > :27:01.around five or seven Celsius. The showers could have a punch. These
:27:02. > :27:05.late morning ones could be accompanied by lightning, hail,
:27:06. > :27:11.running towards the east through the middle part of the day, improving
:27:12. > :27:15.picture. Fewer showers, the wind less of an issue, still breezy but
:27:16. > :27:19.not as strong as the morning. Temperatures around seven or eight
:27:20. > :27:24.Celsius. Sunday is a vast the improved day, more rain on Monday
:27:25. > :27:29.but next week looks generally better but still some rain to come.
:27:30. > :27:33.Springwell Khan `` come. Before we go, let's leave you with those
:27:34. > :27:37.images of Lizzy Yarnold winning the first gold medal for Britain. An
:27:38. > :27:40.amazing run, coming home nearly a second ahead of her nearest rival,
:27:41. > :27:43.and travelling at speeds of more than seventy miles an hour `
:27:44. > :27:45.incredible! Her name goes into the history books ` Lizzy Yarnold, who
:27:46. > :27:47.lives and trains in Bath. We're