:00:13. > :00:15.Good evening. There's been `n first look at
:00:16. > :00:18.Good evening. There's been `n alarming rise in the number of
:00:19. > :00:22.children catching scarlet fdver in the west. The disease had almost
:00:23. > :00:28.died out in this country, btt now the highest number of infections in
:00:29. > :00:32.30 years have been recorded here. Phoenix Coles is now a bundle of
:00:33. > :00:35.energy just three weeks aftdr being diagnosed with scarlet fever.
:00:36. > :00:40.Antibiotics have cleared thd bacteria from her system. At first,
:00:41. > :00:49.her parents thought her sord throat was tonsilitis. It did surprise us a
:00:50. > :01:00.little bit. I did not know `nything about it, but after about tdn days
:01:01. > :01:05.or so on the medication, shd stopped and then literally within 24 hours
:01:06. > :01:10.she was poorly again. So we then had to put her on another ten d`ys worth
:01:11. > :01:19.of medication because the infection hadn't cleared up. The introduction
:01:20. > :01:24.of antibiotic 60 years ago was key in fighting the disease.
:01:25. > :01:27.Scarlet fever is a highly infectious disease causing a rash. It can also
:01:28. > :01:30.cause a high temperature, sore throat and a headache. Young
:01:31. > :01:33.children are the worst affected although adults can also develop it.
:01:34. > :01:36.Most cases are mild, but it can become more serious if the hnfection
:01:37. > :01:39.gets into the blood stream. But that's incredibly rare.
:01:40. > :01:43.Public Health England have recorded 181 cases in the west in thd first
:01:44. > :01:47.131 weeks of this year. That's more than double the 73 reported during
:01:48. > :01:50.the same period last year. The Bristol area has one of the
:01:51. > :01:55.highest rates of infection hn the country. So why is this happening?
:01:56. > :01:59.Well, no`one really knows, but it comes in cycles. It could bd because
:02:00. > :02:02.of the recent milder weather, or that immunity to scarlet fever in
:02:03. > :02:06.children has been reduced bdcause it has not been that common ovdr the
:02:07. > :02:09.last decade. Or that the strain of this bug is slightly differdnt.
:02:10. > :02:12.The advice is that children should stay at home for 24 hours after
:02:13. > :02:15.starting antibiotics...and to avoid sharing cutlery. It's hoped that
:02:16. > :02:22.with the weather turning, this outbreak will soon come to `n end.
:02:23. > :02:25.Well, a little earlier we spoke to Consultant in Public Health Dr
:02:26. > :02:36.Bharat Pankhania and asked how worried people should be about the
:02:37. > :02:44.increase in cases. Scarlet Feaver is relatively mild today. It is
:02:45. > :02:48.predominantly confined to the back of the throat and the tongud. It
:02:49. > :02:59.will make you feel unwell, but it is self`limiting. Treatment with
:03:00. > :03:08.antibiotic `` with antibiothcs is effective. It's not as drastic as it
:03:09. > :03:13.was 50, 60 years ago whether toxin produced by the bacteria cotld harm
:03:14. > :03:18.your heart and that sort of thing. We are not seeing this in this
:03:19. > :03:20.current scarlet fever upsurge across the country.
:03:21. > :03:23.A former mayor of Cheltenhal has apologised for equating the
:03:24. > :03:25.inevitability of the building of new houses with rape. Conservathve
:03:26. > :03:28.councillor Barbara Driver used the phrase during a debate to ddscribe
:03:29. > :03:31.how powerless planners are to control housing development. She's
:03:32. > :03:36.since apologised saying she used a term she had heard years ago without
:03:37. > :03:39.thinking. Network Rail says it will work
:03:40. > :03:43.harder to avoid disruption caused by the Great Western line
:03:44. > :03:46.electrification project. Ovdr the past few weeks, several roads and
:03:47. > :03:49.bridges have been closed off in Wiltshire, causing delays for
:03:50. > :03:53.motorists. This one at Dauntsey Lock, near Lyneham, will be shut for
:03:54. > :03:56.at least five months to allow works to take place. The company has
:03:57. > :04:00.offered Wiltshire Council a liaison officer to ensure people ard better
:04:01. > :04:03.informed. Van drivers pulled over in ` police
:04:04. > :04:07.operation this week have bedn told many of their vehicles aren't
:04:08. > :04:11.roadworthy. Avon and Somersdt Police found many didn't have tax, were
:04:12. > :04:18.carrying illegal waste, or tsing red diesel, which is only meant for
:04:19. > :04:21.agricultural vehicles. Police pulling over vans and small
:04:22. > :04:25.trucks in Bristol earlier this week. They know from previous roadside
:04:26. > :04:34.checks just how much crime they ll uncover. We found drugs, we have
:04:35. > :04:42.seized vehicles because thex have had no insurance or dangerots. We
:04:43. > :04:45.have had prisoners, people wanted on warrants, people who have absconded
:04:46. > :04:50.from jail. One of 68 vans checked for faults.
:04:51. > :04:56.In all, 15 were found to have faults and drivers told they need hmmediate
:04:57. > :05:01.repairs. There or a number of their calls out there that aren't safe on
:05:02. > :05:08.the road. If you have someone with bald tyres, especially when it is
:05:09. > :05:11.wet like this, they can skid and called accidents.
:05:12. > :05:17.Another check was for licenses to carry waste. This driver didn't have
:05:18. > :05:27.one. So where would it have gone? Anywhere.
:05:28. > :05:31.Diesel was also syphoned out of every fuel tank and checked for
:05:32. > :05:33.traces of diesel that's dyed red ` meant mostly for tractors.
:05:34. > :05:37.Drivers using red diesel illegally are fined. A third offence `nd the
:05:38. > :05:41.van's sold and the money given to the Treasury. In all three vehicles
:05:42. > :05:45.had traces of red diesel, 17 drivers are being investigated over tax and
:05:46. > :05:58.?1,700 worth of fines handed out. So, does white van man mind? If it
:05:59. > :06:03.clears the roads of rogue vdhicles, I'm happy to sit every ten linutes.
:06:04. > :06:08.It is good, but that for us because we want to work and earn sole money.
:06:09. > :06:10.The police carried out similar checks in Shepton Mallet and south
:06:11. > :06:13.Gloucestershire and say gendrally drivers welcome checks, espdcially
:06:14. > :06:20.if it catches waste carriers who are working without a licence. That is
:06:21. > :06:26.all from the late team. Newsnight is about to begin on BBC Two, but let's
:06:27. > :06:33.have a look at the weekend weather. There was a lot of new sky `round
:06:34. > :06:36.when this photograph was taken. Tomorrow though it will be `
:06:37. > :06:44.different story. More cloud around, but it will be dry. A littld bit of
:06:45. > :06:50.power she `` a little bit of patchy rain in the afternoon. The skies are
:06:51. > :06:54.clearing tonight. Temperatures down to three or four Celsius, so there
:06:55. > :06:59.could be some frost in the countryside. The best of thd
:07:00. > :07:08.sunshine on Saturday squeezdd into the morning. A few brighter spells
:07:09. > :07:22.remaining and a moderately breezy day. Temperatures will be down on
:07:23. > :07:28.today, around 11 or 12 Celshus. More sunshine on Sunday, a very pleasant
:07:29. > :07:31.afternoon on offer. Similar weather as we head
:07:32. > :07:37.UK, Alex Deakin has the National forecast for you. Good night.
:07:38. > :07:43.Good evening. This weekend should be a little brighter than last weekend.
:07:44. > :07:47.Most of us will see spells of sunshine. Across northern Britain as
:07:48. > :07:51.well as any sunshine there will be a brisk breeze developing some rain.
:07:52. > :07:55.In the south, generally it should stay dry with spells of sunshine. In
:07:56. > :07:59.the South at the moment we have largely clear skies. Hence another
:08:00. > :08:03.cold night. Further north, the wind is increasing and the cloud bringing
:08:04. > :08:08.persistent rain across western Scotland. The breeze, rain and cloud
:08:09. > :08:14.keeping it miles. In the south again, five - six, in towns and
:08:15. > :08:17.cities. In rural areas, not far off freezing. A chilly start to the
:08:18. > :08:21.weekend. Generally sunny across the south. It will cloud over through
:08:22. > :08:25.the day but we should hang on to sunny spells across East Anglia and
:08:26. > :08:29.the south-east. The sun has got some power in it, it will start to lift
:08:30. > :08:32.the temperatures. By 9am the cloud is thickening across North Wales and
:08:33. > :08:34.north-west England. Rain