:00:20. > :00:21.had to deal with and pain so I managed track get out of and Good
:00:22. > :00:24.evening. This winter's floods left the Somerset Levels underwater for
:00:25. > :00:28.weeks and today, nearly thrde months since it all began, the hugd pumps
:00:29. > :00:31.that were brought in to help have finally been switched off. @s the
:00:32. > :00:33.dry land emerges, the extent of the damage is becoming painfullx clear.
:00:34. > :00:37.Clinton Rogers reports. From the moorland to the se` at the
:00:38. > :00:40.rate of 500,000 litres an hour. That's what these huge Dutch pumps
:00:41. > :00:44.have been doing since they were brought in to bolster the ptmping
:00:45. > :00:50.operation six weeks ago. Today they fell silent, their job done.
:00:51. > :00:53.Coincidentally, it was a dax that a Dutch dairy came to Somerset to
:00:54. > :01:01.visit farmers who've been lhving with the floods since December. When
:01:02. > :01:04.the BBC went to see Aad Str`athof, he was shocked by the pictures we
:01:05. > :01:11.showed him from Somerset, shocked enough to come here to offer his
:01:12. > :01:15.support. Back home, his farl is six metres below sea level and ht
:01:16. > :01:25.doesn't flood so he's confused by what's happened here. I was born in
:01:26. > :01:30.1963. I have never seen watdr in places it shouldn't be. I lhve six
:01:31. > :01:33.ought `` six metres below sda level. Michael Churches is one Somdrset
:01:34. > :01:37.farmer counting the cost of the worst ever floods on the Solerset
:01:38. > :01:41.Levels. This was his farm at Godney a month ago. Today the water has
:01:42. > :01:52.gone but the damage it has caused to the soil is all too evident. It s
:01:53. > :01:59.absolutely dead. This is under four feet of water. This all recdded last
:02:00. > :02:07.year. It must be heartbreakhng to see this. We asked a soil expert to
:02:08. > :02:10.come here to assess the long`term damage. He doesn't need complex
:02:11. > :02:14.scientific tests to tell hil this land has suffered badly frol being
:02:15. > :02:17.submerged under four feet of water for nearly three months. With a bit
:02:18. > :02:24.of luck, we might get something growing on it this year, but that
:02:25. > :02:28.won't be a viable crop. I would say two years or more before we get the
:02:29. > :02:31.soil chemistry and biology back to where it was. Tonight, the
:02:32. > :02:35.Environment Agency said thex hoped all this water would be gond by the
:02:36. > :02:38.end of next week, three months after it came, but it's clear the damage
:02:39. > :02:46.left behind will take much longer to mend for homeowners and farlers
:02:47. > :02:49.too. The Deputy Prime Minister h`s
:02:50. > :02:53.officially opened a new factory in Bridgwater. Nick Clegg, togdther
:02:54. > :02:57.with Wells MP Tessa Munt, w`s shown around the Mulberry plant. The firm
:02:58. > :03:00.got financial assistance from the government to set up the handbag
:03:01. > :03:05.production facility which elploys 300 people.
:03:06. > :03:07.Two men have been arrested hn connection with an investig`tion in
:03:08. > :03:13.Yeovil into alleged child sdxual exploitation.
:03:14. > :03:16.Three vulnerable women who were sexually assaulted by their care
:03:17. > :03:19.worker in Gloucestershire are facing another battle tonight over where
:03:20. > :03:22.they'll live. The women werd attacked by Colin Stokes who began a
:03:23. > :03:25.14`year jail sentence yesterday Now they've been told they need to leave
:03:26. > :03:28.their supported accommodation. Their relatives say it's cruel to move
:03:29. > :03:31.them at this time. All of the residents in these current homes,
:03:32. > :03:35.given that it's a private tdnancy, we will assist them, through their
:03:36. > :03:38.provider, to find new homes and I don't think there's any question
:03:39. > :03:43.that we will be successful hn doing that. But has the provider, in this
:03:44. > :03:59.case, have they acted appropriately and ethically? Really, that's a
:04:00. > :04:07.question for them. 8000 people have caught bre`king the
:04:08. > :04:11.rules driving through Bath's gates. People are being given a warning
:04:12. > :04:15.letters but ?60 fines will soon be issued.
:04:16. > :04:17.An Army medic from Somerset has won national recognition for his
:04:18. > :04:20.extraordinary bravery while under fire in Afghanistan. Lance Corporal
:04:21. > :04:24.Wes Masters dodged enemy bullets to reach his friend, who had bden shot
:04:25. > :04:27.through the neck. Today he was awarded the Military Cross `nd
:04:28. > :04:33.another West Country soldier was given a Queen's Commendation.
:04:34. > :04:35.Seconds after a firefight in Afghanistan, a bullet has p`ssed
:04:36. > :04:40.straight through this soldidr's neck. Running to his rescue, Lance
:04:41. > :04:47.Corporal Wesley Masters, who said he forgot the danger to save hhs
:04:48. > :04:52.friend. Lance Corporal Mastdrs was awarded the Military Cross for
:04:53. > :04:57.gallantry. It was in one side and out the other, so he had two holes
:04:58. > :05:03.in his neck, bleeding. So that was what I was faced with. That's what I
:05:04. > :05:06.had to deal with. I've seen some other crazy stuff. I'd never had to
:05:07. > :05:10.deal with something like th`t. Among rows of male servicemen being
:05:11. > :05:13.honoured, one female stands out Lance Corporal Sinead Dodds from
:05:14. > :05:15.Taunton, given the Queen's Commendation for bravery, hdlping
:05:16. > :05:23.rescue her commander after their vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb.
:05:24. > :05:28.I was unconscious and then H woke up and there was this horrible,
:05:29. > :05:33.piercing pain in my ears. And then, I heard the casualties scre`ming.
:05:34. > :05:37.That's when I knew I had to get up and do something, so I managed to
:05:38. > :05:43.quickly chuck myself over, get out of the seat belt and then go and try
:05:44. > :05:46.and find a casualties. An Army cameraman captured the moment that
:05:47. > :05:51.Lance Corporal Wes Masters came to aid his friend, showing a stpreme
:05:52. > :05:55.lack of panic in the face of such a serious injury. Holding the wound is
:05:56. > :05:59.Lance Corporal Simon Malonex and despite his injury, he then carried
:06:00. > :06:06.on fighting, even running aboard as their airlift arrived. He w`s given
:06:07. > :06:10.a Conspicuous Gallantry Cross. Two stories among so many that could
:06:11. > :06:15.have ended differently were it not for the bravery of the soldhers
:06:16. > :06:18.involved. One football result for you tonight:
:06:19. > :06:23.At the Memorial Stadium, Brhstol Rovers were held to a goalldss draw
:06:24. > :06:26.by Southend. Rovers are now 17th in the table, though, five points from
:06:27. > :06:30.the drop zone. That's it from us. We'll be back
:06:31. > :06:31.with you throughout the weekend but for now, the weather with S`ra
:06:32. > :06:46.Thornton. Last weekend felt a bit likd summer.
:06:47. > :06:53.This weekend certainly will not I chilly start of the weekend. Air
:06:54. > :06:58.frost and sunspots. We will have dry weather to start but these showers
:06:59. > :07:05.rack through and they could be wintry at time. The women's
:07:06. > :07:15.certainly will take the edgd of the temperatures. At best, 7`8 Celsius.
:07:16. > :07:20.Sunday, plenty of dry weathdr and sunshine. The wind changing
:07:21. > :07:24.direction to a north`westerly. Fewer showers than tomorrow. Still fairly
:07:25. > :07:37.chilly, though. you with our summary, but now, the
:07:38. > :07:43.National forecast. Good evening. If you can cast your
:07:44. > :07:45.mind back to this time last week, we were looking forward to sunshine and
:07:46. > :07:51.warmth, we got temperatures of 0 Celsius. This weekend, it will be
:07:52. > :07:56.cold and windy, with showers. We saw quite a few earlier on today, then
:07:57. > :08:06.this organised band of cloud, containing gusty wind, rain, sleet
:08:07. > :08:11.and snow. Some gusty wind and blustery Wayne moving east, clearing
:08:12. > :08:16.out to the North Sea, and further wintry showers coming in overnight.
:08:17. > :08:22.It will turn quite cold, with icy conditions expected in parts of
:08:23. > :08:26.Wales, and into Scotland. Do not be surprised to see a dusting of snow
:08:27. > :08:31.in the south-west of England, but apart from that, it is a windy
:08:32. > :08:37.morning with a bit of sunshine and heavy early showers. Some showers
:08:38. > :08:41.across Wales in the morning. Potential for ice in parts of Wales
:08:42. > :08:44.and into Northern Ireland, and showers working in from the west,
:08:45. > :08:45.potential for wintry weather for