05/03/2014 BBC Points West

Ukrainians in crime era, as the high-level talks to resume the

Welcome to BBC Points West with Alex crisis continue.

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

story tonight. The 20 year plan to stop flooding on

the levels. The range of me`sures include new roads and a barrage and

would cost ?100 million. But some residents going back home today

don't believe a word of it. There are three papers written on the

barrage and flood defences over 14 years, nothing has been dond. I have

no faith in the Environment Agency at all.

The other stories in the news tonight. Sam, the three year old

boy, who died after a new NHS computer failed to call him for a

scan. Why black people are four thmes more

likely to be stopped and se`rched by the police in parts of the west

And a new home for Anne, thd elephant who was rescued by

Longleat. But will she be lonely? Good evening. The draft 20 xear plan

to prevent serious flooding in Somerset is due to be presented to

the government tomorrow. It's been eagerly awaited and the BBC has seen

a draft of the document. Now we understand that it could cost up to

?100 million to implement. Puestion is, where will that money come from?

Our Somerset correspondent Clinton Rogers is one of the first

journalists to see the report and he joins us from the Somerset Levels

now. As you can see, pumping is still

going on to get that water off the Moors, but still something like

23,000 acres of farmland ard still under water. You might remelber that

earlier this year, the environment Secretary, Owen Paterson, c`me

here, famously without his wellies, and he told the people of Somerset

they had six weeks to come tp with an action plan to stop this kind of

flooding happening again. So they went away, local people, landowners,

civic leaders, the Environmdnt Agency, to talk. To talk a bit

more. And then to come up whth this plan which I have now seen. A draft,

at least. It is content. Thd question is, is it affordable, is it

achievable? Do people who lhve around here believe anything will be

done to prevent a repeat of the kind of misery they have had to dndure?

You just do not know where to start. It is the first time Betty has been

back to her flooded home in Moorland for three years. Almost everything

here is ruined. She has no faith that the government will give to any

promises it makes to stop this happening again. Do you think they

will find the money for you? Of course not, all promises, that is

all it is. When you see this kind of devastation, it is easy to see why

flood victims like here in Loorland want action and they wanted quickly.

The draft Somerset flood pl`n I have seen is an enormous wish list, 3

pages long. It has got one big price tag attached to it. To do everything

that is in the report would cost more than ?100 million. So dxactly

what is in it? No surprises that top of the list is dredging. To start

with, at least eight kilometres of rivers. They also want artificial

channels leading to the sea widened, that is the King Sedgemore drain.

There is also talk of raising road levels, including the A361 `nd roads

leading to communities like Muchelney. Among the most expensive

suggestion is building a barrier across the river at Bridgwater,

using its to control the flow of water from the sea into the rivers

and vice versa, to reduce flooding on the moors and protect thd town of

Bridgwater. The big problem has always been we have got an

environmentalist saying that you cannot dam rivers. But thousands are

under threat, so it is basically a no`brainer. James has becomd the

face of flooding on the levdls. Like most farmers, his business has been

crippled by the worst flood in a century. He says the governlent

cannot ignore this report. The thing of it is, if they do not have

something now, and then it happens all over again, and it costs

millions if not billions, again you cannot afford to let it happen. We

are told tomorrow the Prime Minister will receive the report. People here

will be hoping his pockets `re deep but his heart is synthetic.

`` sympathetic. The Prime Minister was once quoted

as saying that money is no object with this flooding, this report will

be a test of that. The government has already promised somethhng like

?10 million but that leaves ?89 million gap. To be fair, sole of the

people involved in writing this report has said that in acttal fact,

a lot of the things they ard suggesting, like dredging the rivers

and this down, could be dond for 30 million and some of that money could

be raised locally. There is talk of a flood levee that everyone in the

area should pay annually. Interesting to see what people think

of that. People living locally you want concrete solutions to prevent

the kind of misery we have seen happening again next year.

Homes that have taken many xears to build, today being torn apart.

Because it is all foul water, penetrated into the plaster and

plasterboard. It has all got to come down. Because it is all bashcally

sewage. After the big flood, the big clean`up begins. Two all thd flaws

in our house downstairs are like this. Sue and her husband f`ced

months of rebuilding. A mountain which would be easier to tile, they

said, if they had faith that the floods would never come back. I just

think it is going to happen again next year. We are very angrx now and

upset, because you can put xour home back together, but I could not get

it again. My health would not me. You have still got seven or eight

inches inside the house in the main areas. It is just a disaster. For

Mark and Sharon, it is hard to know where to start. Inside, important

papers are ruined, all the furniture will be thrown away. As it came up

to their... And even above the flood line, the water has worked hts way

in. It is like this. The whole place is just soaking wet. Here, too,

everywhere this down `` every wire will need replacing, walls will have

to be demolished and rebuilt. The wood is too warped and wet to burn.

That is what happens. Because there is no structure to it, nothhng to

hold it together, it just w`rps This is a managed waterway. If you

don't dredge, if you don't lanage, this happens. And I don't w`nt to do

that again. I don't want to be here, continually doing this every

year, because I have got a life to live. The people here want one

thing. A guarantee that aftdr they have rebuilt this time, there lies

here will not keep sinking back down to this catastrophic level. `` their

lives here. As I said earlier the Prime Minister

will get his own copy of thd report tomorrow. But officially Owdn

Patterson will stand up in the House of Commons at 9.30 tomorrow.

Interesting to see if he has got anything concrete to say or if he

will say, I have got your rdport, I will take it away and read ht. We

will watch with interest. A coroner has ruled a three`year`old

heart patient died after a new NHS computer system failed to schedule

him for a vital hospital sc`n. An inquest heard today that Saluel

Starr's heart was disadvant`ged by the delays at the Royal United

Hospital in Bath, which meant he hadn't had tests for twenty months

following heart surgery. Sally Challoner reports. He didn't play

up. He was just so kind and gentle and he understood us. And wd

understood him. Samuel Starr was born with complex

cardiac problems. He had he`rt surgery in Bristol when he was just

nine months old. But a vital follow`up scan at Bath's Roxal

United Hospital didn't happdn on time, because a new computerised

booking system failed. During the lost six months, his heart got

worse, and he then didn't strvive urgent surgery. Samuel's surgeon had

told the inquest his condithon would have been picked up if he'd been

seen earlier. And that his heart had seriously deteriorated by the time

he had the operation in Augtst 012 Samuel wasn't the only cardhac

patient to fall through the cracks of the new system. He did h`ve a

convex heart condition, and if this could happen at any time, why was he

not monitored? It is like C`therine said, it is unforgivable. They can

say what they want. Samuel was never going to have a straightforward

life, we knew that and we understood that, but we thought there was a

care plan in place that he would be monitored regularly, seen b`ck in

Bristol and we had a good as chance as any heart child surviving. And

reaching adulthood. Samuel was not the only cardiac patient to fall

through the cracks of the ndw system. 63 had their appointments

delayed. We don't know the outcomes of those children. The RUH refused

to be interviewed today, but in a statement they offered their sincere

condolences to Samuel's famhly, and were very sorry for the del`y in his

outpatient's appointment. They added that they've now improved the

booking system that had failed. Identically been able to properly

grieve, because we've had this hanging over us. `` I don't think we

have been able to properly grieve. Maybe we will have some timd to take

out, remember Samuel as we want to remember him, rather than through

medical notes and statistics. Samuel's parents are among `t least

ten families currently taking part in a review of child heart services

in the Bristol area. They'll meet with the government lawyer leading

it next week. In the meantile they'll get an independent ledical

opinion into his care to trx and find the answers they still seek.

It is 6:40pm on Wednesday evening. We will have a full weather forecast

shortly. Also, still to comd. The Swindon dog with all the moves,

getting ready to well the crowds at Crufts.

Mack the dog is here and he will be joining us in the studio shortly.

Avon Somerset Police is bding accused of unfairly targeting

members of black communities in Bristol when it comes to who they

stop and search. Figures from the government show across the force's

area, black people are four times more likely to be pulled ovdr

compared to white people. Btt the police argue it's following the law

but takes any complaints seriously. Here's Chris Brierley.

Respect, it is respect. At this cafe in Lawrence Hill in Bristol, members

of the Somali community discuss their concerns. They believd the

police are an fairly targethng them. Government figures appear to back up

their claims. `` an fairly targeting them. In the Avon and Somerset area,

a black person is four times more likely to be pulled over th`n white

person. Stopping and searchhng us, not one time or two times, but

multiple times. Why is the police coming into this area and stopping

us as Somalis, and not the other communities? This community's

councillors say young black men feel victimised. This is an issud for

communities in my ward. It hs an issue disproportionately for young

black men and needs to be t`ken seriously and talked about. This

needs to be part of the bro`der discussion that we have as city For

the police to stop and search someone, they have two have what is

called reasonable grounds to suspect someone is carrying a weapon or

stolen goods. Across the West, 27,000 people were stopped last

year, double the number since 2 07. Despite using the powers more, the

police acknowledge it is far from perfect. Sometimes perception is

very important and I want to make people understand that stop and

search is an individual dechsion by the officer, and individual

interaction. That person is not happy about how the officer had done

it, only to know about it bdcause people should be treated with

respect and courtesy during a stop search. No one is wanting to be

stopped but it is necessary to keep the streets safe. The circld

people's concerns about stop and search, the police are workhng with

community organisations and one of those is this man. He is a xoung

film`maker who knows only too well what it is like to be stoppdd. It is

quite infuriating and embarrassing. It is intimidating as well. Now he

set to make a documentary to demonstrate to the police the impact

stop and search has on young people. Two what I'm

. What I'm going to do is investigate what people can do for

the police to help them change the organisation. The figures are stark,

black people are more likelx to be stopped than white. But it hs

conjugated and for the police, it is more about keeping the `` it is

complicated and for the polhce, it is about keeping the streets safe.

Anne the elephant is finallx to get a brand new, purpose built home at

Longleat, the safari park that rescued her from a circus. But the

animal protection group which raised the alarm about her ill tre`tment is

still worried that she could be lonely. Michelle Ruminski's report

contains scenes that some m`y find upsetting.

16 years old and level`headdd. Anne has been having lunch at Longleat

here for almost three years. `` 60 years old. Soon she will get a

purpose`built home. It is ddfinitely an exciting milestone for Anne, we

want to give her something tailored to her needs, and she will hopefully

see it through to the rest of her life. She was re`homed here after

this secret footage showed her being kicked and abused by a formdr groom

when she worked in a circus. Plans were built a year ago to buhld a

purpose`built sanctuary for her and other elephants. Then in November,

Longleat announced that thex were being reviewed. Fears of a delay

sparked an angry reaction. We wanted to be sure we got it right, so we

assembled an elephant imposhng, which had experts around thd ``

symposium, which had experts from around the world and we talked about

the specifications for the house was it going to be suitable in terms of

size, and what restrictions we would place upon ourselves to futtre use

for the house. One change to the plan which has upset the anhmal

protection group that brought Anne's abuse in the circus to light

if there is a distinct posshbility she will live out the remainder of

her days alone, unless Longleat buys suitable companion. Animal defence

International has worked with leading experts and found that

companionship plays a significant part of recovery of animals who have

been isolated and abused, and Anne spent the majority of her thme with

other elephants and we think this will be a significant part of her

recovery. It will be very s`d thing if she has to spend the rest of her

days alone. We would take an opposite view. We are not alone in

this, the experts we consulted, specifically with Anne, would tell

us that she was better on hdr own. By the time the Haven is buhlt, Anne

will have lived here for more than three and a half years. Longleat

says this is just how long ht takes to Hill is the very best facility

for a very special animal. `` to build the best facility.

The future of tolls on the Severn Bridge was debated in Parli`ment

today with one west country MP suggesting the money could be used

to build a third Severn crossing. Mark Harper, the MP for the Forest

of Dean, says a new bridge between his constituency and Gloucester

would cut congestion and boost the economy. Here's our Gloucestershire

reporter, Steve Knibbs. This morning's commute into

Gloucester from the Forest of Dean, misery for thousands of drivers

every day. Mark Harper says these sort of bottlenecks could bd history

if a third Severn crossing hs built using toll money from the existing

bridges when ownership reverts to the government in four years' time.

I would like ideally it is to be paid for during taxation and the

tolls on the existing bridgds to be no more than is needed. I do not

want the Minister to rule ott, if we can get the crossing and earlier ``

sooner and earlier by getting some told money, I would together on the

table. I do not want to wait 20 years for a third crossing. No

decision has been made. No decision has been made on where any new

crossing would go yet but it would obviously benefit traffic coming

into the Forest too. A double edged sword maybe for those who'd welcome

the economic boost but have also campaigned for lower tolls. It would

be fantastic for the Forest of Dean but I would be very interested to

see, given his conversion of the third seven crossing, where Mark

thinks it is going to go and how it is going to be done, becausd there

is a lot of things happening both sides of the river, it will be

interesting to see where we can squeeze it in. A third Severn

crossing isn't such an unustal idea either. Before it was destroyed in

an accident on the river 50 years ago, a railway bridge used to cross

from Purton to the Forest. The remains can be seen on the river

bank. But today's call for ` new bridge appears to be taken seriously

the county council says it's already thinking about what would bd needed.

It is not just throwing a plank over a river. It is the infrastrtcture

you need on the 838 as well. We cross the river from here, where we

go to the other side, and also how you get the traffic into Gloucester

or onto the motorway. There's four years to go before we'll know what's

happening with the money from the Severn crossings. But the transport

minister did accept today that using existing revenue from tolls to fund

new bridges had worked elsewhere. Campaigners backing the

re`development of Bristol Rover s football ground were at Downing

Street today, hoping to demonstrate what they say is 'overwhelmhng

support' for the plan. It's ahead of a judicial review next week. That

will look at a decision to `pprove controversial plans to build a

supermarket on the site. Sarah`Jane Bungay reports.

In the blue and white, supporters of a shiny new stadium for Rovdrs. Dave

Thomas is one of them. A did`hard as head, he has been out in all

weathers electing signatures. Bristol Rovers have needed ` new set

`` steady since 1986. This hs the best scheme for a long time. It is a

good package at the end of the day, and Bristol needs to progress.

Division, 21,000 seater stadium the outskirts of the city. That has been

improved. To pay for it, Rovers need to sell the Memorial ground.

Sainsbury's want to buy it `nd build a supermarket there, permission

granted, so far so good. But then comes the opposition. The c`mpaign

group here says it will be ` severe blow to independent traders on

nearby Gloucester Road and bringing illegal challenge. Gloucestdr Road

is a really important accepted all the things fit together well, the

food shops, cafes and flower shops and the different services. People

come up to me and say well done for you are doing. People say, H am a

Rovers fan and I support yot so if the picture is given, it is us and

them. But there is a lot of support in the city for our campaign. At

Downing Street, time for thd Rovers going to hand in their 13.5 thousand

signature petition. It was to demonstrate the enormous support for

the faint breeze and stadiul. Britain has got to stop thinking of

itself as a backstreet city. We have had this saga of any progressive

idea being shot down by minority groups and I do not want thhs to be

the latest victim. Next week a judge rules decision `` it will ddcide if

the council looked at how the supermarket would affect local

shops. That is just a stallhng tactic according to this calpaign

group. The world famous dog show Crufts

starts this Thursday and a pooch from Swindon has a starring role.

Mack is not just any old dog though, he's a Bouvier des Flandres, a

French breed originally put to work herding cows. Mack has been chosen

to carry out two prestigious roles. He'll be representing his breed and

demonstrating his intelligence, because as we know, dogs ard very

clever. And he joins us in the studio now with his owner J`net

Garret. Hello, and welcome to you both. They give very much. Tell us

about your pet and how you got him. Here two years old, Bouvier des

Flandres, his name is Mack he is one of three in our house. I am a

trainer, I have trained him. There you go! He is going to cross

specifically to show him off and his skills as well? He is going not as

the supermodel role, as the beautiful role, although he should!

He is going to demonstrate what a Bouvier des Flandres looks like

Stand! So you are looking to buy a car and would, to show, it hs like

that, if you wanted to buy one, you would ask somebody. He went last

year and he was a hit? Yes. You have trained him so well, what would

happen when you had a cold? I would sneeze and I would get a tissue It

is because I moved them! And he will do something else? 12, good boy And

he can take lots of? Mac, P`ul! He just nibbled at the end. Good boy.

How do you encourage and to do that? Any of it. Della Fordgate h`ve got

young babies, I train them to pick things up and give me things back.

If I asked to give me the, he would. I asked him to give me things back

and you get a treat every thme he does it. And then I take it further.

And it is all about reward? It is all about reward. The assochation is

that, he is going to be in ten `` devastating his intelligencd. Their

motto is kind, fair and effdctive. He is a workaholic! Dare we say

almost total walkies? Time to go to sleep. Dogs across the West now you

will be in trouble with thehr owners!

Former airline pilot flew into Gloucester today but chose `n

unusual place to land. He used a seaplane and lived `` and l`nded on

the river. John told us that amphibious plane owners havd two

practice every six months and he was using the video `` the river he was

visiting! At least he had some decent weather

for once to do some of that practice water landing and take`off. It is

going to be a different story as we head into tomorrow. First of all,

let's see this photo taken xesterday by Derek Hitchens. This is `n

optical phenomena we call a sun pillar, this is only for very rarely

will me have plates of ice crystals falling in the swaying motion and

reflecting the light in precisely the same way, and the sun h`s to be

in a certain angle, just above or below the horizon to give this

effect. So some of you on the banks of the Bristol Channel saw the same

thing yesterday and pondered what it was. You might see that tomorrow, a

lot of cloud tomorrow, patchy rain, like in nature, that is out towards

the western part of our viewing area. Tonight, we drank clotd in

from the West. We will see the signal out there for this frontal

zone to stay to the west of us. That is introducing patchy light rain

which will eventually moving across us to introduce more rain for us

all. The amounts will be insignificant compared to what we

have had of late. This evenhng, steadily increasing cloud, ` pretty

benign, quiet patent despitd the cloud. Some patchy light rahn or

drizzle out in the western part of Somerset at dawn, but no threat of a

frost. Temperatures above freezing. Then tomorrow, we will have some

hill fog quite readily over the Mendips, Exmoor and elsewhere.

Ladies and gents of brightndss but I would not hold your breath,

generally just cloud and a loderate breeze. You will see an err`tic

signal for light rain here `nd there, maybe the odd heavy burst but

that should be the exception. Temperatures slightly down on today.

Beyond that, still grey and down through the first part of Friday,

high pressure is dominating into the weekend. For a number of daxs,

thereafter. Hurray! From all others here, my macro

particularly, who is ready to go, good evening. I will see at 10pm!