:00:00. > :00:09.Welcome to BBC Points West with Sabet Choudhury and Alex Lovell Our
:00:10. > :00:14.main story tonight. Will the land still be fit for farming? As we get
:00:15. > :00:18.a temporary break from the rain ` questions are asked about the future
:00:19. > :00:20.of the Somerset Levels. And out with the emergency services in
:00:21. > :00:31.Gloucestershire ` they haven't stopped since Christmas. We have
:00:32. > :00:51.been very busy and supported a number of residues on supporting the
:00:52. > :00:59.community. `` rescues. They elected mayor faces a big challenge to his
:01:00. > :01:02.authority. The end of the road. Swindon Town's dreams of a Wembley
:01:03. > :01:05.final disappear in a penalty shoot`out. And the two Bristol
:01:06. > :01:17.students on an epic voyage across the Atlantic ` but it's not quite
:01:18. > :01:20.going to plan. The hard talk about the future for residents and farmers
:01:21. > :01:24.on the Somerset Levels has started in earnest ` as the recent stormy
:01:25. > :01:27.weather begins to ease just a little. Last night's BBC Panorama
:01:28. > :01:31.programme included views of some commentators who think parts of the
:01:32. > :01:40.land may have to be abandoned if there's a repeat of this year's
:01:41. > :01:44.rainfall. While some have told us they'd sell up if they could, many
:01:45. > :01:54.have said all that's needed is some basic maintenance of their beloved
:01:55. > :01:57.landscape. Scott Ellis reports. The Leader of the Opposition meeting
:01:58. > :02:00.flood victims in Fordgate today Ed Miliband also wading into the debate
:02:01. > :02:07.about what's happened on Somerset's Levels and Moors. People have said
:02:08. > :02:13.that the government was too slow in responding and lessons have to be
:02:14. > :02:16.learned. Last night the BBC's Panorama asked whether more could be
:02:17. > :02:30.done to protect the UK's towns and villages. Or should the Government
:02:31. > :02:36.now be making tough choices about which places to save? I think there
:02:37. > :02:41.are communities where it will be hard to remain viable if we are hit
:02:42. > :02:48.with stuff like this. Today, something of a backlash in
:02:49. > :02:57.Burrowbridge. I think there is hope that I object to the tens of
:02:58. > :03:01.millions of pounds spent now getting us back to a level playing field and
:03:02. > :03:10.then tens of millions of pounds more in proving which I think is
:03:11. > :03:15.wasteful. They need to talk to these people and do not need to talk to
:03:16. > :03:24.the boffins. They need to talk to people who understand how the system
:03:25. > :03:28.works. Dredging's promised. And the public's views are still being
:03:29. > :03:31.sought on a 20`year action plan for the Levels. It's a debate not just
:03:32. > :03:34.about homes. But agriculture, too. Farmers helping gather feed for
:03:35. > :03:39.their flooded colleagues say their livelihoods need protecting too We
:03:40. > :03:44.have to go back to basics and find out what we want. Do we want to feed
:03:45. > :03:49.the nation and look after people or forget about Truman beings are after
:03:50. > :03:55.wildlife? With the Dutch pumps at Dunball back on today ` everyone's
:03:56. > :03:59.hoping water levels will soon drop. The short`term's about getting back
:04:00. > :04:05.to normal. The long`term, more complex ` ensuring this never
:04:06. > :04:09.happens again. So plenty of issues to debate about
:04:10. > :04:13.the future of the Levels and we re going to be doing just that in a
:04:14. > :04:17.special programme here in the West in a few weeks' time. Whether it's
:04:18. > :04:21.the way the emergency's been handled, the pros and cons of
:04:22. > :04:24.dredging or the best way forward ` we'll be asking the questions you
:04:25. > :04:31.want answered. And if you'd like to come along and take part in the
:04:32. > :04:35.programme then you can. Just go to the Somerset page on the BBC website
:04:36. > :04:38.and click on "Inside Out's Flood Special tickets" to find out how and
:04:39. > :04:42.the tickets are free. And flooding continues to impact across our
:04:43. > :04:45.region despite the break in the rain today. One of the main commuter
:04:46. > :04:47.routes between Bristol and Bath is still closed at Kelston, due to
:04:48. > :04:51.subsidence. Specialist engineers have been there all day and say
:04:52. > :04:55.it'll be Sunday evening at the very earliest before it can reopen. Some
:04:56. > :05:07.bus services are being diverted via Saltford. Plans to cut more than
:05:08. > :05:14.1000 jobs from councils in the West could be confirmed tonight. Three
:05:15. > :05:26.local authorities are meeting tonight to discuss spending. First
:05:27. > :05:30.is Bristol. The meeting has been going on for three and a half hours
:05:31. > :05:37.but before councillors arrived that there were protesters standing
:05:38. > :05:42.outside concerned about the effects to leisure services and libraries.
:05:43. > :05:45.Some of the more drastic cuts which were proposed in November when
:05:46. > :05:50.abandoned before the meeting began today.
:05:51. > :05:57.What about the planned by the Mayo to increase Council Tax?
:05:58. > :06:02.That will go ahead. The Liberal Democrats propose that this be
:06:03. > :06:13.scrapped but that was voted down. There is a 2% rise which is an
:06:14. > :06:21.average of about 50p from the average Band`D home. George Ferguson
:06:22. > :06:26.must when votes from all the political parties to get his budget
:06:27. > :06:30.approved this evening. Neither of the other two authorities are
:06:31. > :06:41.raising their Council Tax and are making cuts. This is controversial,
:06:42. > :06:47.not least in the BANES. But councils are having to do the is take money
:06:48. > :06:51.off children's centres which is proving very unpopular. The Liberal
:06:52. > :06:57.Democrats say they have to do this to make the savings that they need
:06:58. > :07:00.to. It is a little bit easier in North Somerset with the
:07:01. > :07:03.Conservatives have an overall majority in the hoping to make the
:07:04. > :07:10.required savings through efficiencies. We are working on
:07:11. > :07:14.things and we have done a report on ways in which we can save more money
:07:15. > :07:24.and we're looking at those under that through further reorganisation
:07:25. > :07:36.we can concentrate our services in one place and work with other
:07:37. > :07:39.authorities. One area where they hope to save money is waste
:07:40. > :07:42.recycling. North Somerset councillors are voting on changes to
:07:43. > :07:45.black`bag rubbish. In future, it could end up being sent to Sweden to
:07:46. > :07:53.generate electricity. Julia Causton reports. Inside these metal
:07:54. > :07:58.buildings, a tremendous transformation is taking place.
:07:59. > :08:07.Rubbish from wheelie bins all over the West is brought here in bulk.
:08:08. > :08:10.The huge rubbish mountain you can see behind me is about one day's
:08:11. > :08:16.worth of rubbish. It's sorted, sifted and shredded. And ends up as
:08:17. > :08:25.this, raw rubbish ready to be burnt to make electricity. We turn this
:08:26. > :08:28.fuel into gas and we then use that to generate electricity which goes
:08:29. > :08:37.down the normal electricity wires and ends up where electricity gets
:08:38. > :08:40.used locally in houses and so on. But there's not enough capacity at
:08:41. > :08:45.the moment to turn all the rubbish into electricity. The waste that
:08:46. > :08:53.isn't made into energy heads to the Netherlands where it's used to light
:08:54. > :08:55.and heat homes there. North Somerset already sends almost half of its
:08:56. > :08:58.black`bin rubbish here. If councillors agree tonight, another
:08:59. > :09:02.tens of thousands of tonnes of waste each year will be bound for Sweden.
:09:03. > :09:05.From a different Avomouth plant it'll travel by sea to Scandanavia.
:09:06. > :09:14.It is a pity we have not got our act together in the UK yet but they are
:09:15. > :09:19.doing it in Sweden. We will get our act together in the fullness of time
:09:20. > :09:25.with our other partners and other operators in something good will
:09:26. > :09:29.come out of it. Until that time that we catch up at least some of the
:09:30. > :09:33.rubbish we generate here will carry on generating electricity in other
:09:34. > :09:44.parts of Europe. Julia Causton, BBC Points West, Avonmouth.
:09:45. > :09:50.North Somerset councillors discussed that in the meeting which started at
:09:51. > :09:55.six. In Bristol, the council meeting started at 2pm and there is no sign
:09:56. > :10:01.of that ending whatsoever. They are discussing the budgets and Maher has
:10:02. > :10:03.to get other parties on board. The Conservatives are behind him but the
:10:04. > :10:08.Liberal Democrats and Labour could vote against his budget which raises
:10:09. > :10:11.the possibility it may not pass tonight which means we would have to
:10:12. > :10:20.come back here in March and do it all again.
:10:21. > :10:36.We had the bit of a break from the rain today and we will have a full
:10:37. > :10:43.forecasts for you later. England's Roman's cricket captain brings the
:10:44. > :10:55.Ashes to Somerset. And we need the singer hoping to triumph at the
:10:56. > :11:03.Radio 2 folk awards tomorrow. Covering 50 areas of a celebrated
:11:04. > :11:07.landscape with poly tunnels could violate it say protesters who say it
:11:08. > :11:16.could destroy view is revered by some of our greatest poets.
:11:17. > :11:29.These fields have been admired for decades and some of our most famous
:11:30. > :11:38.writers met here. Edward Thomas and Rupert Brooke what inspired here.
:11:39. > :11:46.This is on a par with the lake district. Modern farming practices
:11:47. > :11:58.are intruding on the area. Poly tunnels have already been put up in
:11:59. > :12:07.the area. This farmer says poly tunnels will let him grow asparagus
:12:08. > :12:11.all year round. Our history is important but we need to look to the
:12:12. > :12:19.future and there will be some visual impact from certain areas but I do
:12:20. > :12:25.not think it is changing the landscape that drastically or
:12:26. > :12:32.permanently. These proposals mean that a footpath in memory of the
:12:33. > :12:52.poets will have to change. If the plans have the go`ahead, there will
:12:53. > :12:59.be a difference of 120 metres. The friends of the Dymock poets have
:13:00. > :13:05.created this exhibition and fire them the words of the heroes will be
:13:06. > :13:13.forever tainted if this area is covered with poly tunnels. The trek
:13:14. > :13:16.by Bristol schoolboy Lewis Clarke to the South Pole has been officially
:13:17. > :13:18.recognised by Guinness World Records. The 16`year`old has
:13:19. > :13:24.officially become the youngest person ever to reach the most
:13:25. > :13:27.southerly place on earth. Guinness has personally invited Lewis to
:13:28. > :13:37.accept a certificate at their London office. Swindon will not be going to
:13:38. > :13:42.Wembley for the Johnstone's Paint Trophy this season. Their area final
:13:43. > :13:45.against Peterborough was settled by a penalty shoot out, but as Alistair
:13:46. > :13:55.Durden reports, supporters blamed the referee for the defeat. The
:13:56. > :14:01.worst way in football to lose. The referee cost us the game. Swindon
:14:02. > :14:06.were trying to make it to Wembley for the third time in five seasons.
:14:07. > :14:09.The game was level at two`all after the first leg. But it was decisions
:14:10. > :14:14.like this that got the home fans backs up. Dany N'Guessan appeared to
:14:15. > :14:17.be fouled as he ran towards goal ` but the referee said no penalty
:14:18. > :14:21.Swindon took the lead before half`time. Some generous
:14:22. > :14:27.Peterborough defending allowed Alex Pritchard to score. But they started
:14:28. > :14:35.to tire, and a mistake in defence gave Britt Assombalonga the sort of
:14:36. > :14:40.chance he rarely misses. No more goals, so onto penalties. With one
:14:41. > :14:50.left each up stepped Swindon's Brazilian winger Tee`jan ` surely a
:14:51. > :14:55.safe bet. And he has put it wide. That gave Tommy Rowe the chance to
:14:56. > :15:03.win it ` no mistake this time. Peterborough are off to Wembley
:15:04. > :15:07.Only one team can win and unfortunately it was not us tonight
:15:08. > :15:11.and we have to pick ourselves up and go again. And that's still possible
:15:12. > :15:17.with Swindon eighth and a third of the season left to play. Alistair
:15:18. > :15:20.Durden, BBC Points West. Tonight Yeovil play one of their two games
:15:21. > :15:24.in hand in the Championship. They're at home to Watford. Yeovil are
:15:25. > :15:43.bottom of the table and seven points away from safety. Wiltshire's Paula
:15:44. > :16:02.Walker is competing in the Winter Olympics and she'll be hoping to
:16:03. > :16:09.finish in the top ten. The England women's cricket skipper passed on
:16:10. > :16:17.tips today. Spilling her first century at the County ground, makes
:16:18. > :16:23.Taunton Place of happy memories for Charlotte Edwards. Today she gave
:16:24. > :16:28.some back and it also marked her first appearance as a full`time
:16:29. > :16:39.England professional after the announcement of a new ECB deal. Last
:16:40. > :16:49.Wednesday when we got the news I was overwhelmed and I do not think it
:16:50. > :16:53.has sunk in yet. I am very honoured to be one of the first professional
:16:54. > :17:02.women to play cricket and hopefully I have a few more years to enjoy
:17:03. > :17:06.that time. At ?40,000 a year it will likely help her job of inspiring
:17:07. > :17:13.youngsters. The numbers of girls playing cricket are already on the
:17:14. > :17:19.up and has scheme has seen 1 million take part already. It is important
:17:20. > :17:23.that we are in schools and visible the younger roles because I did not
:17:24. > :17:28.have any role models when I was growing up in the sport which I
:17:29. > :17:32.play. It was all male role models and is important that we have
:17:33. > :17:36.success on the pitch but when we go into schools we act in a way that
:17:37. > :17:52.hopefully inspires girls to play the game. Charlotte hopes to sow the
:17:53. > :18:00.seeds to make these girls have memories and show the men what they
:18:01. > :18:03.can do. Next, do you remember all the things you've done since the
:18:04. > :18:11.beginning of December? It's been 11 weeks and chances are, you've packed
:18:12. > :18:14.in quite a lot. So spare a thought for two Bristol students who have
:18:15. > :18:17.spent every day since then, crammed into a small boat, surviving on
:18:18. > :18:20.rations, hardly sleeping ` and trying to row their way across the
:18:21. > :18:24.Atlantic. The students were hoping to finish their epic race today `
:18:25. > :18:27.but all is not going according to plan, as Laura Jones reports. We
:18:28. > :18:31.followed them on a map on a daily basis and it is updated every four
:18:32. > :18:35.hours which gives the position on the Atlantic Ocean. Considering the
:18:36. > :18:40.difficult times they are having their making progress. Waiting
:18:41. > :18:43.anxiously for news back home. John Lawton's daughter Hannah, along with
:18:44. > :18:47.her friend Lauren, are currently stuck, in a very small boat, in the
:18:48. > :18:51.middle of a very big sea. They are having a very difficult time and we
:18:52. > :18:55.have all seen these horrendous weather conditions that we have
:18:56. > :18:59.experienced in the UK for some time now and they are going through those
:19:00. > :19:08.conditions on a daily basis. They are coping with them very well but
:19:09. > :19:12.nonetheless it is very difficult. Hannah and Lauren met at the
:19:13. > :19:15.University of the West of England in Bristol, where they developed a love
:19:16. > :19:21.of rowing, which ultimately led to this epic race. The teams set off in
:19:22. > :19:27.December last year heading for Antigua in the Caribbean. Several
:19:28. > :19:34.had to drop out but the others have got the apart from Hannah and Lauren
:19:35. > :19:52.were stuck 1000 miles from the finish line. `` who are stuck.
:19:53. > :19:56.They've had a tough time. Their GPS stopped working just 20 minutes into
:19:57. > :19:59.the race. On day two, their steering went. Then, a battery fire destroyed
:20:00. > :20:03.their navigation charts ` and their rudder fell off. Hannah and Lauren
:20:04. > :20:06.are taking part in the race in memory of their close friend Eleanor
:20:07. > :20:09.Ellis, who tragically died from cancer. In a recent blog, the
:20:10. > :20:12.students spoke of their motivation and said that they were "continuing
:20:13. > :20:16.to be inspired" by their friend ` and what "she had gone through" And
:20:17. > :20:20.that no matter how tough it gets ` they won't give up. Laura Jones BBC
:20:21. > :20:22.Points West. They have not got the luck but they certainly have the
:20:23. > :20:25.spirit. Gloucestershire singer Hattie Briggs will find out tomorrow
:20:26. > :20:37.if she's won the BBC Radio two Young Folk Singer Award. The ceremony will
:20:38. > :20:41.be held at the Royal Albert Hall in London, and ahead of the big night
:20:42. > :21:02.Hattie joins us now. We'll be speaking to her in just a second,
:21:03. > :21:17.but first let's hear her sing. # This one's about a friend I've known
:21:18. > :21:24.for years I wish my friend was writing songs about me. Tomorrow
:21:25. > :21:30.night is a mass of note for you What does it mean for you? I have
:21:31. > :21:38.never been there before and there will be a lot of people in the
:21:39. > :21:44.industry there as well. Even if I do not when, to get to this stage is
:21:45. > :21:52.amazing and a huge honour. What stage argue that at your career You
:21:53. > :21:56.said you do not have a manager? I did not have anything. I have a
:21:57. > :22:04.producer who I have been working with my new single but up till now I
:22:05. > :22:08.only took the decision to do music full`time about a month ago. I
:22:09. > :22:15.dropped out of university to do that. You have played locally? I
:22:16. > :22:24.have been playing for 89 months locally and in London but I took the
:22:25. > :22:30.plunge quite recently. How difficult is it for a young recession at the
:22:31. > :22:35.moment? There are a lot of us trying to do it. You can see on you Tube
:22:36. > :22:47.and many people are trying to do the same thing. How did you come to be
:22:48. > :22:57.nominated for the folk awards? I sent the track in to the e`mail
:22:58. > :23:02.address I saw. I hope it is the beginning of great things for you
:23:03. > :23:16.and Hattie will sing the rest of that song if you stick with us.
:23:17. > :23:19.Millions have tuned in to watch Jeremy Paxman's series on the Great
:23:20. > :23:22.War here on BBC One. Next week Points West and our local BBC Radio
:23:23. > :23:26.stations will be broadcasting a series of reports on what was
:23:27. > :23:28.happening here in our region during the conflict. Here's a little taster
:23:29. > :23:32.of what to expect. Bristol zoo is one of the oldest in
:23:33. > :23:40.the world. By the time the war broke out in 1914, it had been going for
:23:41. > :23:49.70 years. This place would have been packed with wounded troops. He
:23:50. > :24:00.single`handedly brought down an enemy zeppelin. He is illegal and
:24:01. > :24:24.should be remembered as one. They died so young and so far from
:24:25. > :24:41.home. He is a `` hero. It was this beauty that inspired attempt on Mac
:24:42. > :24:47.`` Ivor Gurney in northern France. The memory of Rex lives on. C of
:24:48. > :25:01.that rain will keep away. We will have a few showers to
:25:02. > :25:06.content with. There will be a band of rain arriving later in the gale
:25:07. > :25:13.force when is that I was talking about. The rainfall could amount to
:25:14. > :25:18.have financial of rain. Over the next day we are expecting a weather
:25:19. > :25:22.front to push through and introduce a few showers which may last through
:25:23. > :25:25.the course of the night before the next batch of rain arrives tomorrow
:25:26. > :25:34.evening and overnight into Thursday morning. We will see some gale force
:25:35. > :25:38.wind gusts of around 40 mph to 0 mph. Over the next 24 hours, those
:25:39. > :25:59.showers will be with us and they will gradually ease and we're
:26:00. > :26:05.showers to clear `` where showers do clear will see temperatures of four
:26:06. > :26:10.or five degrees. Tomorrow there will be highs of ten to 11 Celsius and
:26:11. > :26:16.through tomorrow night, though winds will increase up to gale force in
:26:17. > :26:21.some places, there will be brisk winds along the south coast and the
:26:22. > :26:28.band of rain will clear around lunchtime on Thursday and following
:26:29. > :26:34.that, we will have a few blustery showers and maybe some hail and
:26:35. > :26:40.perhaps some thunder. Next they will be fairly windy and we could have
:26:41. > :26:45.some hail and thunder. Here is the outlook for the rest of the week.
:26:46. > :26:49.Tomorrow there will be a few showers initially and a band of rain will
:26:50. > :27:29.last until Thursday morning. Here is Hattie the players out. ``
:27:30. > :27:48.play us out. SHE SINGS.