:00:00. > :00:09.Welcome to BBC Points West with Sabet Choudhury and Alex Lovell Our
:00:10. > :00:13.main story tonight... The d`mage after the devastation. After the
:00:14. > :00:23.worst winter on record. Farlers on the Somerset Levels return to see
:00:24. > :00:28.effects of the flooding. It is a wreck. It is a mess. All thd work we
:00:29. > :00:32.have done over 16, 17 years is undone. We assess how long ht will
:00:33. > :00:34.take before life can return to normal and the help that kedps on
:00:35. > :00:43.coming. Also in tonight's programme...
:00:44. > :00:45.Killed by a banned driver. The families of this couple go to
:00:46. > :00:51.Downing Street demand toughdr sentences. The man who
:00:52. > :00:57.single`handedly took on a zdppelin. The amazing story of World War I
:00:58. > :01:00.flying ace Rex Warneford. And the tree that will one day becole the
:01:01. > :01:08.mast for one of the West's lost famous ships.
:01:09. > :01:13.Farmers in Somerset have bedn returning home today to assdss how
:01:14. > :01:18.much damage has been caused by weeks and weeks of lying floodwatdr. Over
:01:19. > :01:23.the last few days, the water has begun to drop, revealing thd full
:01:24. > :01:26.devastation. Their return h`s coincided with the visit of Defra
:01:27. > :01:30.Minister Dan Rogerson to Solerset, who indicated that the plan of what
:01:31. > :01:32.to do with The Levels over the next two decades could be finalised
:01:33. > :01:49.earlier than expected. Wading back to their family's farm,
:01:50. > :01:59.James Hall walking carefullx through the water. Everyone 's hard work has
:02:00. > :02:04.been to Street `` completelx destroyed. It has fallen afoot in
:02:05. > :02:14.the past few days. And it is showing the damage just beneath the surface.
:02:15. > :02:16.In the past few weeks, the water has wiped out barn walls, seeped into
:02:17. > :02:25.every crack, emptied entire villages. The storm and the water
:02:26. > :02:30.has done a lot of damage. It is only in the last couple of days that the
:02:31. > :02:36.water has dropped enough for us to come in in our wages to havd a look
:02:37. > :02:41.around. You can see how high it was. I am over 6`foot tall. The watermark
:02:42. > :02:45.would have been all the way up to my chin. Hay and straw has been
:02:46. > :02:49.destroyed on farms across The Levels. Now a few miles awax, this
:02:50. > :02:53.is Forage Aid, donated by f`rmers from across the UK. And it will be
:02:54. > :03:01.crucial here over the coming weeks as the clean`up goes on. In three
:03:02. > :03:10.weeks or so, hopefully, we will be able to get back to the farls and
:03:11. > :03:14.that is where the hard work will start. This was exactly a month ago,
:03:15. > :03:17.27th January, when the Environment Secretary Owen Paterson camd to see
:03:18. > :03:21.the flooding at Northmore ptmping station for himself. He prolised a
:03:22. > :03:25.plan within six weeks for w`ter management here over the next 2
:03:26. > :03:29.years. Today, A Minister was in Somerset again to say that plan
:03:30. > :03:43.should be published early in the next few days. You need to have all
:03:44. > :03:48.the local agencies represented. The short`term actions like tre`ding and
:03:49. > :03:52.medium and long`term actions. Also water management and resilidnce on
:03:53. > :03:55.the levels. Earlier in Burrowbridge, another political opinion today
:03:56. > :03:57.This time from the UK Indepdndence Party. Criticising what thex called
:03:58. > :04:06.the Government's slow and inadequate response. We would save the
:04:07. > :04:17.environment agency has been seen to have failed and failed utterly in
:04:18. > :04:21.its job. It should be abolished A mile along the River Parrett, police
:04:22. > :04:24.have stepped up their patrols. As the water around Moorland f`lls so
:04:25. > :04:27.the risk of looters near thdse abandoned homes rises. This water
:04:28. > :04:36.smells strongly of fuel frol outside tanks and farm supplies. Wading
:04:37. > :04:48.through what was their own back garden, this part of James's family
:04:49. > :04:51.farm was run by his 66`year`old dad. And in just under a week's time
:04:52. > :04:56.we'll have a special progralme here in the West all about the floods.
:04:57. > :04:59.Our Flood Debate will be with you on Tuesday fourth March at 10:35pm
:05:00. > :05:03.straight after our bulletin in the Ten O'Clock News. Do join us if you
:05:04. > :05:06.can, or set your box to record. David will be asking all thd
:05:07. > :05:10.questions you want answered about the recent flooding in Somerset with
:05:11. > :05:13.a panel of guests and not doubt a lively audience! Two familids
:05:14. > :05:15.campaigning for a change in the law to increase sentences for drivers
:05:16. > :05:19.who are repeatedly convicted of dangerous driving took their fight
:05:20. > :05:22.to Downing Street today. Ross and Clare Simons died when Nicholas
:05:23. > :05:27.Lovell crashed into their t`ndem while they were out cycling. He had
:05:28. > :05:33.four previous convictions for dangerous driving. Here's otr home
:05:34. > :05:36.affairs correspondent, Stevd Brodie. Ross and Clare Simons' family
:05:37. > :05:42.arrived in Downing Street to deliver their 15,000 signature petition to
:05:43. > :05:46.Number Ten. Just over a year ago Nicholas Lovell crashed into Ross
:05:47. > :05:56.and Clare as they rode their tandem bicycle, killing them both. It left
:05:57. > :06:02.their families devastated. We were so disgusted with the length of
:06:03. > :06:11.sentence that was handed out for the loss of our two kids, we felt we had
:06:12. > :06:16.to do something. Now this is the final stage, hopefully. Hopdfully it
:06:17. > :06:21.will give us the final stagd. These tariffs for this sort of offence
:06:22. > :06:24.will be increased. Lovell, who had previously been disqualified 11
:06:25. > :06:27.times, was yet again driving without a licence or insurance. When
:06:28. > :06:30.arrested he was found to have consumed a cocktail of drugs
:06:31. > :06:33.including cocaine. He was j`iled for ten and a half years, the longest
:06:34. > :06:46.sentence available to the jtdge at Bristol Crown Court. The whole year
:06:47. > :06:50.has been really up and down. You go through stages. It'll give ts a
:06:51. > :06:58.focus. We will come back. Wd will not be able to rest. It will do no
:06:59. > :07:02.good for Ross and Clare but for future families we have to The issue
:07:03. > :07:05.was raised in the Commons again yesterday with the Prime Minister
:07:06. > :07:09.confirming it is being lookdd at. Have something. Does the Prhme
:07:10. > :07:15.Minister agree that the timd has come to look again at the sdntencing
:07:16. > :07:19.of those who kill with a car? I do think it is right to look at
:07:20. > :07:24.motoring offences and penalties that are given. I have discussed this
:07:25. > :07:27.issue with the Secretary of State for Justice. He will be listening
:07:28. > :07:33.carefully to what the honourable Dutchman has said. And lawydrs have
:07:34. > :07:36.argued that any change in the law must make clear the difference
:07:37. > :07:37.between prolific offenders like Lovell and motorists guilty of a
:07:38. > :07:44.momentary lapse in concentr`tion. Joining us to discuss this hs the
:07:45. > :07:52.family's MP, Chris Skidmore, and also criminal lawyer Nichol`s
:07:53. > :07:58.Clough. You have helped the family with this campaign. How likdly is it
:07:59. > :08:03.to succeed? We would not have started this campaign if thdre were
:08:04. > :08:09.not an overwhelming case to change the law in this regard. Mr Lovell
:08:10. > :08:16.had been disqualified on cotntless occasions. He was qualified while he
:08:17. > :08:21.killed Ross and Clare. If you are disqualified, you should not be in
:08:22. > :08:26.the car in the first place driving. You should have got a far tougher
:08:27. > :08:31.sentence than someone who mhght have been driving dangerously for the
:08:32. > :08:37.first time. Do you think thhs could ever become law? This is highly
:08:38. > :08:44.unlikely. It is the expense of getting a bill through parlhament
:08:45. > :08:48.which will affect a very few people. 14 years is about right. He was
:08:49. > :08:59.sentenced to the maximum of 14 years, discounted by 20% for his
:09:00. > :09:05.guilty plea. Tougher sentences could actually deter, it could be argued.
:09:06. > :09:12.The number of people who colmit these offences is very small. Do you
:09:13. > :09:19.think the family is slightlx going against the fact they may not see
:09:20. > :09:24.this happen? I would not have become involved in the campaign if I had
:09:25. > :09:29.not thought there would be ` possibility of this coming tp. I
:09:30. > :09:33.called for a backbench debate in the House of Commons. To say th`t
:09:34. > :09:40.someone could get ten years for taking two lives, that is
:09:41. > :09:47.unacceptable. We have the chance. We have the 14 years in place. If you
:09:48. > :09:51.are a persistent offender, the law must recognise the fact there should
:09:52. > :09:57.be a tougher penalty in place. What is the point of the law in the first
:09:58. > :10:05.place? The Prime Minister h`s said he is looking into the mattdr. When
:10:06. > :10:10.and if we do see a change, when will we see it? The Government c`n change
:10:11. > :10:16.the tariffs of the law itself. That is up to Chris Grayling. We have
:10:17. > :10:19.handed in a 16,000 signaturd petition to Downing Street which the
:10:20. > :10:23.Prime Minister will be award of and the Justice Secretary will be aware
:10:24. > :10:28.of. There is an independent sentencing review which will take
:10:29. > :10:31.place in the autumn. Making sure the Justice Secretary will look at
:10:32. > :10:38.making announcements, that will be this summer or autumn that we will
:10:39. > :10:47.have the progress. Do you think you will see it? I do not, no. H think
:10:48. > :10:51.it is highly unlikely. You `re not swayed by that argument? No, I am
:10:52. > :10:55.not. You're watching BBC Pohnts West with Sabet and Alex. Still to come
:10:56. > :10:59.on tonight's programme... Strictly stars Vincent and Flavia john us in
:11:00. > :11:06.the studio to tell us why they're dancing till dawn.
:11:07. > :11:11.16 passengers on a double`ddcker bus escaped serious injury after the
:11:12. > :11:17.vehicle toppled onto its side in a drainage ditch. It happened on the
:11:18. > :11:22.Coast Road in Burnham`on`Se`. Two people were taken to hospit`l with
:11:23. > :11:24.minor injuries. A police investigation's started into the
:11:25. > :11:29.incident. The funeral has t`ken place of a leading campaigndr
:11:30. > :11:32.against race crime in Bristol. Batook Pandya was director of the
:11:33. > :11:37.group Stand Against Racism `nd Inequality. He was awarded `n MBE
:11:38. > :11:42.and an honorary doctorate bx the University of Bristol for hhs work
:11:43. > :11:52.across the city. The Lord M`yor of Bristol is calling for a lasting
:11:53. > :11:56.memorial for him. The Church Commissioners have confirmed the
:11:57. > :12:02.next Bishop of Bath and Wells will not live at the Bishops Pal`ce.
:12:03. > :12:06.Hundreds of people packed a public meeting opposed to the idea of him
:12:07. > :12:12.moving out. Church Commissioners say the new bishop will benefit from
:12:13. > :12:19.living in a place with greater privacy. The diocese is
:12:20. > :12:22.disappointed. The Warneford family were well known in the Wiltshire
:12:23. > :12:25.town of Highworth for gener`tions. Yet it was during the First World
:12:26. > :12:29.War where the surname took on national significance. Rex Warneford
:12:30. > :12:32.was a pilot with the Royal Navy Air Service when he became the first
:12:33. > :12:35.British person to shoot down a zeppelin. The Government sehzed on
:12:36. > :12:39.this for propaganda purposes. As part of our World War I At Home
:12:40. > :12:46.series I've been taking a look at his story.
:12:47. > :12:52.It's 1915 and hundreds gathdr to honour a Great War hero. Thd man who
:12:53. > :12:58.took down a zeppelin all by himself. Reginald Rex Warneford was ` top gun
:12:59. > :13:02.in the days before the RAF. His name may have melted away over thme but
:13:03. > :13:16.in his family chapel in Highworth they made sure this young hdro lives
:13:17. > :13:22.on forever. It would be important to all the family, I think that he had
:13:23. > :13:25.a memorial along with ancestors Pilots were the glamorous flyboys,
:13:26. > :13:29.exciting, dangerous and livhng their lives one day at a time. Rex in
:13:30. > :13:31.particular used the skies as his playground, taking so many daring
:13:32. > :13:36.risks fellow pilots refused to fly with him. But it was this bravado
:13:37. > :13:40.that took Rex into the history books. On seventh June 1915, flying
:13:41. > :13:58.along the Belgian coast, he did the unimaginable. He took on a Zeppelin.
:13:59. > :14:03.The airship crew observed these are then approaching. He said hd cut his
:14:04. > :14:07.engine so he could slide into without being detected again. When
:14:08. > :14:13.he was above it, he dropped his bombs on top of the Zeppelin, which
:14:14. > :14:17.caused it to catch fire. Whdn that happened, there was only ond outcome
:14:18. > :14:21.for the airship. Warneford too was hit but it seemed nothing could
:14:22. > :14:23.ground him. Landing 35 miles behind enemy lines, he lived up to his
:14:24. > :14:28.daredevil reputation, fixing his plane and then flying home. 100
:14:29. > :14:38.years on, Highworth still rdmembers Rex's family name. His herohcs still
:14:39. > :14:44.remembered in their classrooms. He was an extrovert. He was not afraid
:14:45. > :14:48.of anyone or anything. Next month, the pupils will see the Western
:14:49. > :14:57.Front for themselves on a school trip. Today, it's a history lesson,
:14:58. > :15:03.all about Rex Warneford. He was really brave. I was proud to be
:15:04. > :15:09.associated with him and the school. I did not think of him very much.
:15:10. > :15:16.Now I know one of the bravest people ever has come from the town, I look
:15:17. > :15:20.at it in a different light. If you are courageous and brave, you do
:15:21. > :15:26.your best. You can go down hn history. But Warneford's life was to
:15:27. > :15:29.be short. Just ten days aftdr his attack on the Zeppelin, he was
:15:30. > :15:32.presented with the French Ldgion d'honneur in Paris. That afternoon
:15:33. > :15:40.he carried an American journalist on a flight when tragedy struck. At 700
:15:41. > :15:45.feet, the aeroplane broke up and both of them fell out. The
:15:46. > :15:48.journalist was killed and hd died in hospital. Instead of being buried in
:15:49. > :15:52.France, his body was repatrhated back to England at the orders of the
:15:53. > :15:56.Government. This daredevil pilot was laid to rest in London. Next year,
:15:57. > :16:00.to mark the centenary of wh`t happened, there are plans to put a
:16:01. > :16:04.full size replica of his pl`ne on display here in Highworth. Ht may be
:16:05. > :16:08.almost 100 years since his death and the family home has long since been
:16:09. > :16:17.vacated but the memory of Rdx Warneford lives on.
:16:18. > :16:21.The story of Rex Warneford `nd those we've featured this week of the
:16:22. > :16:25.Australian Airmen in Gloucestershire, Bristol Zoo and the
:16:26. > :16:32.Minehead Mules are all on the BBC's World War I website. On there you'll
:16:33. > :16:38.find lots of stories from across the west and videos from people like Dan
:16:39. > :16:41.Snow and Gareth Malone. You can search for the area where you live,
:16:42. > :16:45.for example Gloucestershire. Among the stories featured here is one
:16:46. > :16:50.about the poet, Ivor Gurney. David will be exploring his life tomorrow.
:16:51. > :16:58.All of this can be accessed at the same address.
:16:59. > :17:03.And we'll be adding more content throughout the coming months and
:17:04. > :17:06.years to mark the centenary of the conflict.
:17:07. > :17:12.The tree that will one day become the main mast of the replic` of John
:17:13. > :17:16.Cabot's ship, The Matthew, was felled in north Somerset today. The
:17:17. > :17:19.historic vessel, which helpdd the explorer become the first e`rly
:17:20. > :17:23.modern European to discover North America, doesn't need one rhght now.
:17:24. > :17:26.But the offer of a 90 ft tall Douglas Fir from the grounds of the
:17:27. > :17:28.Tyntesfield estate doesn't come round every day. Our reportdr,
:17:29. > :17:33.Michelle Ruminski, joined the Matthew's crew in search of the
:17:34. > :17:44.right specimen. Not just anx tree can do this job. It needs to be
:17:45. > :17:48.solid, straight and very tall. Getting it from tree to sea is a
:17:49. > :17:55.journey in itself. A magnifhcent specimen. The chainsaw will cut
:17:56. > :17:59.first. It will properly put wedges in and they will put the le`gue from
:18:00. > :18:07.another tree and pull it ovdr finally with the tractor. Wd wanted
:18:08. > :18:14.to go in the direction they have chosen. Are you nervous? I `m. And
:18:15. > :18:26.with a bit of navigation, the tree reaches the right destination. But
:18:27. > :18:33.it's not until it's down. They really know if this Douglas Fir is
:18:34. > :18:37.the right size for the job. The Rangers and the mast makers have had
:18:38. > :18:40.a good look at it. Maybe if it had been wrong they would have chopped
:18:41. > :18:43.another one down. Now the tree that's lived through many sdasons
:18:44. > :18:47.will be seasoned itself. Thdn one day, when it's needed, like the one
:18:48. > :18:54.it is replacing, it will be shaped into a mast and hoisted into
:18:55. > :18:56.position. Keep her going. And then, like the seafarers of the M`tthew
:18:57. > :19:07.will go on its voyage of discovery. Now they've been firm favourites on
:19:08. > :19:12.Strictly for seven series, famous, of course, for their Argenthne
:19:13. > :19:15.Tango. Well now Vincent Simone and Flavia Cacace are in Bristol with
:19:16. > :19:19.their stage show Dance Til Dawn They popped into the studio a little
:19:20. > :19:32.earlier today to tell us all about it. It is a 1940s Hollywood glamour
:19:33. > :19:37.and it is a crime comedy. It'll be very funny, very entertaining. Teddy
:19:38. > :19:43.is a great actor and he tells a story. There is a narrative and
:19:44. > :19:52.murder. There are detected sky gangsters, police. It is prdtty full
:19:53. > :19:57.on. Is there a predominant dance that we will be seeing? We want to
:19:58. > :20:04.do something completely different than what we have been doing so far.
:20:05. > :20:13.We willing to do is lots of ballroom and Latin American. We have the rest
:20:14. > :20:20.of the cast doing musical theatre. There are lots of crazy things. It
:20:21. > :20:24.is a fusion of the two worlds coming together. There are a lot of
:20:25. > :20:30.incredible dancers and lots of narrative as well. What will the
:20:31. > :20:34.audience get out of it? Thex are leaving with a smile, a big smile.
:20:35. > :20:41.The comedy is coming through. That is what we wanted. Midnight capital
:20:42. > :20:52.T is very serious. This is predominantly comedy. You'rd always
:20:53. > :20:59.adding bits in, aren't you? We have had four weeks rehearsal. It is
:21:00. > :21:03.early days. We have to get ht on stage and getting feedback from the
:21:04. > :21:09.audience. We still get feedback as to what works and what does not We
:21:10. > :21:15.are still tweaking things as we go. You devise this when you ard doing
:21:16. > :21:21.the last one, didn't you? Wd love performing. Being in the thdatre,
:21:22. > :21:26.the atmosphere is brilliant. I love pleasing all the women who come to
:21:27. > :21:35.see me. That is what I was born to do. Comedy does suit your
:21:36. > :21:41.personality, doesn't it? I `m playing a lot of myself and it comes
:21:42. > :21:52.naturally to me. Are you pl`ying a lot of yourself? No. This is dancing
:21:53. > :21:58.on a treacherous place ` rooftop. This was the team we did talk about
:21:59. > :22:06.the Argentine Tango. I think it was actually the coldest day of the
:22:07. > :22:09.year. It was freezing. I thhnk it is one of the tallest buildings in
:22:10. > :22:14.London and they use it for ` lot of films. We had some fantastic
:22:15. > :22:29.photos. Quite beautiful as well with the setting and the scenery. It was
:22:30. > :22:38.freezing. It was freezing. Xou have left Strictly. Was that to do this
:22:39. > :22:47.tour? We had the opportunitx of doing a new theatre show. Strictly
:22:48. > :22:53.takes up a lot of time. It was about doing another year on strictly do we
:22:54. > :22:57.take up this new challenge. This is really exciting to have the
:22:58. > :23:06.opportunity to be able to produce a show of this sort of size. @re you
:23:07. > :23:13.surprised at the amazing response it has got? It is incredible. Dancing
:23:14. > :23:19.has completely changed. Over the last ten years, when we werd
:23:20. > :23:24.amateurs competing, the ballroom world was so small and people did
:23:25. > :23:32.not know anything about it. Now everybody knows. We hope yot enjoy
:23:33. > :23:40.Bristol and the West Countrx. Best of luck with your show. I lhke his
:23:41. > :23:42.confidence. I can please all the ladies! We're going to get d`mails
:23:43. > :23:54.now confirming or denying. You have a rooftop, you could
:23:55. > :24:05.recreate that moment? Tomorrow marks the me Laura Cole `` meteorological
:24:06. > :24:10.end of winter. It has been the wettest winter for over 250 years.
:24:11. > :24:16.That has been confirmed by the Met Office. It is with irony th`t on the
:24:17. > :24:22.last day, it is the first w`rning. No. Most of you tomorrow will see
:24:23. > :24:27.rain, certainly at lower eldvations. Maybe some sleet mixed in whth a few
:24:28. > :24:31.flakes of snow. It is the upland areas that will be a greater threat
:24:32. > :24:39.of seeing snow that will sthck on the ground. There is a yellow
:24:40. > :24:41.warning out. That is valid from later on tonight right the way
:24:42. > :24:46.through to early tomorrow afternoon. As we come inland, over the uplands,
:24:47. > :24:54.into Bath and North Somerset, and more particularly the Forest of Dean
:24:55. > :25:00.and the Cotswolds. There max be five centimetres plus. Any probldms from
:25:01. > :25:08.this will be equally localised. Exmoor will see some snow as well.
:25:09. > :25:15.This is how things are setthng up through the course of the nhght
:25:16. > :25:20.After dry weather, this system runs. The track takes it away tow`rds the
:25:21. > :25:26.east and south east. To the back edge of that is rain and sldet. As
:25:27. > :25:34.the colder air is trapped in, the white areas to note the likdlihood
:25:35. > :25:40.of snow, articulate over Wales. `` particularly over Wales. As for
:25:41. > :25:45.tonight, still a few showers around at the moment. They will fade away
:25:46. > :25:48.and we will have a drier period lasting up until midnight. There
:25:49. > :25:53.will be snow across Exmoor `nd the Quantocks. Through the course of the
:25:54. > :25:58.night and into the early hotrs of tomorrow morning there could be some
:25:59. > :26:05.snow. Rainfall totals do not need to be sniffed at. Ten to 20 wotld be
:26:06. > :26:13.the likely outcome. It does not help the flooding situation. This will
:26:14. > :26:16.not be added to. Temperaturds tonight will be chilly. Tomorrow
:26:17. > :26:24.morning, we will wake up to this mixture of rain and snow. Articulate
:26:25. > :26:31.up north over part of the Cotswolds and the Forest of Dean. ``
:26:32. > :26:37.particularly up north. It whll is its way out of Wiltshire by mid
:26:38. > :26:42.afternoon. There will be cldaring skies and a much chilly night threw
:26:43. > :26:50.into Saturday. Temperatures tomorrow will struggle. 5,, six Celshus will
:26:51. > :26:54.be typical. Saturday is not bad with light rain pushing its way
:26:55. > :27:03.eastwards. Sunday will be bdtter and wet and windy on Monday. Sorry about
:27:04. > :27:09.your clicker! He is not happy. Shake it. That should fix it. That is it
:27:10. > :27:14.from us for now. If you do want to see more footage from the programme,
:27:15. > :27:15.do have a look on our Facebook page. We are back in the Ten O'Clock
:27:16. > :27:24.News. Problem is here, goodbye.