28/07/2014 BBC Points West

Welcome to BBC Points West with Alex Lovell and Sabet Choudhury Our

main story tonight ` in the footsteps of her predecessor.

The new environment secretary comes to see the continuing work to

protect people living on the Somerset levels from flooding.

The reason I am in Somerset within ten days of my appointment is it is

a real priority to make sure the area is properly protected against

flooding and to make sure we are putting in place the action plan and

that it is happening. The visit has been welcomed by many but some are

clearly still affected by the flooding and they feel disappointed

not to have met her. Also tonight after

the disappointment the questions. How did a Wiltshire coach company

which has traded The dolphin which has drifted

off course and found itself The west athletes trying to build

on a successful weekend The new Environment Secretary has

been in Somerset today, on her first visit to the area which was

devastated by the winter's floods. Ten days

after taking up her new position, Elisabeth Truss went to Burrowbridge

to see firsthand the dredging But some people who were badly

affected by the floods say they're deeply disappointed not to meet

the minister in person to talk Yes, this home six months on from

when water hit and the residents were living here but as you can see

it is still in pieces, completely needs to be gutted. This was the

office, that was the hall and this was the dining room stepping over

breaks, it is dirty, rotten timbers, this is very upsetting for the

family who were desperate to get back in. They will not return now

until Christmas. Today, the new Environment Secretary came to

Somerset to see what was going on, to hopefully present this happening

again. Monday morning and day 10

in the post and the new environment minister

Elisabeth Truss is deep in Somerset Seeing her herself

the dredging developments. After all it is costing her

government over five million pounds. The reason I am in Somerset within

ten days of my appointment is I see it as a priority to make sure the

area is protected against flooding and to make sure we are putting in

place our action plan and that the action plan is happening. I am

delighted to see the dredging taking place, the dredging is on schedule,

that is important for local businesses, local residents. The

dredging is on track, it is perfectly to time. They have been

doing it for four months. Owen Paterson was looking at the

possibility of a barrage outside Bridgwater which could cost ?30

million. Today, the new secretary said she would not be drawn on this.

Of course, we look at further proposals by the government has

shown its commitment by putting the funding in.

The secretary was then whisked off for talks with the

But some prominent farmers were disappointed not to meet her.

We built up a good relationship with Owen Paterson. He asked our opinion

and we are very disappointed and we will have two work hard to build

that relationship with a new Secretary of State. I am pleased she

came to see what is going on and how it is going. Ten days into the job

and she is showing an interest which is good.

The message though from Whitehall is there'll be no

change in policy ` the only change lies with the politician.

Coming into the kitchen on higher ground and the builders have been

here today doing a lot. What is it like being back here? Honestly it is

like wading through treacle and living hell. What we have been

through and experienced, we do not wish on your worst enemy. It is an

absolute nightmare. Tell us about your son. Yes, he is seven years old

but last night he was suffering with the heat, did not feel well and

asked if we could go home. We all want to go home but it is an

absolute state. How did you feel that the Environment Secretary came

here, ten days into her job. We are really pleased. Ten days in and she

is here all ready, fantastic news. She is taking it seriously. But

there is a lot of bits missing like meeting the locals and the people

who have been heavily involved as I have, we have not seen her today but

hopefully she will come down and next time she can come for a cup of

tea at the building site. People are delighted she came but disappointed

she did not see them. She promises to come back soon and next time

hopefully she will see the real people who are still being affected.

Wiltshire Police are renewing an appeal for witnesses following

It happened in the early hours of yesterday morning when a silver

The driver and two passengers died at the scene.

A driver involved in an accident which killed

a three year old boy in Bristol is to be prosecuted for manslaughter.

Freddie Hussey died in a collision in Bedminster back in January.

Following a police investigation 37 year old Tony Davies from Hallen has

been summonsed to appear before magistrates when he will be

charged with manslaughter and causing death by dangerous driving.

The Wiltshire charity Help for Heroes has condemned

a man who admitted stealing ?300,000 from them.

Christopher Copeland employed teams of collectors at supermarkets and

He told his helpers he was passing on the money to Help for Heroes

but instead put it straight into his own bank account.

Speaking outside court, Copeland said he would spend the rest of his

The public will look at you and think this is utter nonsense.

There's been something of a gold rush for West Country

Since Friday night our competitors have won an amazing five golds.

The weekend brought the best out of our competitors didn't it.

And it means the medal tally stands like this.

That flurry of golds began Friday evening when Bath`based Megan

Fletcher won her Judo final in the under`70 kilo category.

Just a couple of hours later the University of

Bath swimmer Chris Walker`Hebborn won the 100 metres backstroke title

On Saturday, Gloucestershire's Vicky Holland was part of the gold`medal

And Bristol shooter David Luckman also finished top of the podium

Yesterday, Bitton's Siobhan`Marie O'Connor finished

off a fantastic weekend with gold in the 200 metres individual medley

That is the sort of feeling which we trained so hard to have

It makes everything worth it, the sacrifices and stuff.

It is one of the best moments of my life!

Well Megan Fletcher's Judo gold was extra special after her brother was

ruled out of the games with a knee injury just a fortnight ago.

I spoke with her earlier today to see if her sucess has sunk in yet.

I've had a couple of days but I cannot believe it has happened.

It would be nice to have a Commonwealth gold medal

I expected to see you wearing it, where is it?

I wasn't sure whether to put it on or not but here it is.

No, it has been tucked away in my bedroom most of the time.

Some people have taken them out on nights out but there is no way

no way I am losing this because I would lose it on a night out.

We hoped both yourself and your brother would be competing

in the games, it was disappointeing he pulled out with a week to go.

What is his reaction to your success?

After I won the semifinal he gave me a massive

hug and he was teary and he said to me that day was so amazing for him

even after his disappointment, I am glad I could make him happy

He has been a massive support even after his disappointment.

Ali will be back with a look ahead to the rest

of the day's action at the Commonwealth Games a little later.

Thanks very much for joining us on this Monday evening.

We still have plenty more to come, including...

The diggers are going in at the start of a major redevelopment

Investigations are continuing into the collapse of the Wiltshire

The company, which was based in Chippenham, collapsed after

It's thrown many holiday makers' plans into doubt, but as

our Wiltshire reporter Will Glennon explains ` there was some good news

They came back to their base today, possibly for the last time after 86

years in business, the company bosses called in administrators

saying they had run out of money. It is easy to say but that is the

problem. It has run out of cash. We got involved a week ago today and

have been working hard to see if there was a solution but there

isn't. I guess it was too late in the day and we have no option than

to close the business. All 89 employees were caused to a meeting

at lunch time to be told they were losing their jobs. It is one of

those things that happen in life and you have to get on with it. We have

all finished now. They run blush `` bus services and school transport.

It also ran a day trip and holiday business, a thousand customers will

now be left at home. Michael has retired. He has been looking forward

to four days in Weymouth for his wife?s birthday. It cost over ?350.

He doesn't know what will happen to his money. Gutted, disgusted and I

cannot say it on camera. It is depressing, stressful, the wife is

upset. We need it at this time. It is her birthday on Monday. It has

been ruined. People all over Wiltshire are affected. We have

lived here for about six or seven years and we have always gone on day

trips with them. It does affect us. Other day trips are from Trowbridge

so it will affect us. We like the day trips. The holiday business has

now stopped trading. With a company not affiliated to travel

Association, customers are being told to contact their bank or credit

card company to find out if they will get a refund. For this coach

company, it is the end of road. The force's police

and crime commissioner says it will save money, but it's being claimed

it could also lead to fewer officers This report by our Home Affairs

Correspondent, Steve Brodie. This state of

the art custody centre at Keynsham may look like something out of Star

Trek but is has 48 cells, digital Over

a thousand police officers and staff will work at the three centres which

crime commissioner Sue Mountstevens What we have done is by coming into

larger buildings we can be more efficient on processes such as

dealing with detainees for custody and it means now officers can get

back on the streets quicker. The older places, the bureaucracy and

waiting times would take an officer off the street for a few hours. That

will not happen here. It's 10.8 miles

from Bristol city centre via the M32 At 12 noon today the journey

time takes around 49 minutes. The journey from Bristol to Keynsham

is 5.7 miles From Minehead to

the Bridgwater centre is 26.7 miles But the force argues

the new structure is a step Once detainees are here they will be

`` there will be a team of staff dealing with them and releasing the

arresting officers backed their street duties. That is more

efficient and effective in dealing with detainees and we are conscious

we want officers on the street back in their community and

neighbourhood. Marine experts have told Points West

it's now highly likely a dolphin spotted in the River Severn will

make it's own way back to safety. The dolphin, which made it's way up

from the estuary, has been seen around Stonebench

and Elmore during the past week. Here's our Gloucestershire reporter,

Steve Knibbs. Filmed on Saturday morning `

a bottlenosed dolphin in the At just 2`3 metres long it's still

a youngster ` and although it's common to see such species

in the estuary ` seeing them this Nellie, as its been nicknamed

by some, took advantage of the high tides to get here to

look for food ` picking off some Alexandra, who filmed the dolphin at

the weekend said that, thankfully, A bit covered in silt

but that is to be expected. Seemed good to say the least

which was relieving for us because This isn't the first time that

unexpected species have paid a visit ` last year Keith the Seal, who

turned out to be a girl, was spotted In 2012 this whale lost it's life

after becoming stranded on the river bank ` despite a huge

effort by rescue teams to save it. But as for our dolphin `

experts are sure it can make it back home after coming to Gloucestershire

for a feed. It gains food by sonar, it

follows fish by sonar, not sight. It more less knows where is, it

knows it is confined from the sonar. The public have been asked not to

make a huge fuss if they see the dolphin to avoid causing it too

much stress but there have been no reported sightings since Saturday `

the hope is that it's used the high tide to negotiate the notorious

mudbanks south of here and back A major demolition project

at the home of Bristol City Football The historic Wedlock Stand is coming

down as part of a forty five million pound

rebuild of the Ashton Gate Stadium. Over the next two years

the stadium will be expanded to This is significant for the club

and the fans who have spent many years quite happily watching games

from the East stand. We have been careful with the design

to make sure a lot of noise stays in the stadium so filling

in the corners and building the roof The objective is to create

a fantastic atmosphere for rugby So after all those medals

at the weekend what are the prospects of more success

tonight at the Commonwealth Games? Ali is back with us `

what's been happening today? Well, we came close to a medal

in the shooting. Kristian Callaghan,

an engineering student at the University of Bath has been

competing in the 50 metres pistol. After qualifying for the final

in second place, he couldn't recreate the same form,

and finished in fifth place. But as you can see he still

thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Bath sprinter Sophie Papps

in the red shorts is another who's having a great time `

this is her 100 metres heat from earlier today ` she finished

in third and is through to the I only got told I was running

on Thursday. I have been thrown

in the deep end but I am excited and I am having such a good time

and Glasgow is so nice. Tonight Swindon swimmer Jaz Carlin

will be going for gold in the final The 23`year`old broke

the games record in her heat winning the world and goes into the race in

the next hour as one of the She's ranked number 2

in the world and goes into the race in the next hour

as one of the favourites for gold. I have been waiting around for a

couple of days to swim a main event. I've been training hard,

I put in all the effort this year. It is about staying calm

and relaxed for the final. I loved finishing

and the crowd are amazing. Two Bristol weightlifters

begin their Commonwealth Bradley Burrowes and Sonny Webster

both train at the Empire gym There's a 15 year age gap

between the pair, but they're the best of friends

as well as training partners. They're at opposite ends

of their careers but have been After three years

of training together, there is We knew we had to do it together, it

was not be one or the other going, We have such a great friendship

and we could not see ourselves He gives me stick

when I am training. I am in pain

but we have never fallen out. Their lives are very different, the

father of two Bradley has a family. He has taken unpaid leave from

his job to prepare for the games. His father was a Commonwealth

gold medallist back in 1982. Brad was a gymnast as a child

and quite late following I did not really know anything

about my dad?s career until when I I knew how well he had done

and what I had to live up to. I have to go to the

Commonwealth Games to live up to Sonny narrowly missed out on

competing at the Olympics, he has made sure everything has been right

this time, It is one

of the most important things, For me, I have to ensure I am

sitting around that weight whilst building muscle so it is super

important. So, how do they rate

each Brad has a bigger chance than he

believes and I am sure if he lifts to his ability and hard work he has

put in will come off for him and I Brad will be

the first to compete tonight. Half past seven on the red button

if you want to watch Bradley this Or there's

the artistic gymnastics which is underway featuring Ruby Harrold from

Lower Langford in North Somerset The gymnastics! Your explanation of

the gymnastics was very physical. You missed out. It was like

Morecambe and Wise. Thank you. Before we go congratulations to

Bath Olympian Amy Williams.The 31`year`old gold medallist

has announced she is It follows what one glossy magazine

has called a "whirlwind romance" Still dry conditions here in

Bristol. We are on the periphery between some showers in the east,

the skies are looking quite threatening. Further west, clearer

skies. Tomorrow, the skies will be much more in a widespread moat ``

note. A warm day, generally a good deal of sunshine around. There are

some caveats. You may have seen there has been some horrendous

weather across London and the south`east. The western extreme of

that system has brought cloud showers into Wiltshire. That is

drifting towards the south`east but into tomorrow a good deal of

sunshine lasting into the afternoon. A weather front is quite weak

introducing more cloud but nothing in the way of rain. Returning to

this evening, still 12 showers to cater for in Wiltshire and they may

be further west but a dying breed as the weather goes on. A fair amount

of cloud around towards the east of the M5 corridor. Through daybreak

tomorrow, pretty much in the same boat temperature`wise, 14 or 15

Celsius. Any of the cloud towards the East getting eaten away, a good

deal of sunshine developing through the morning and early part of the

afternoon. The UV levels will be high. Cloud increasing, a weather

front coming across us all, the cloud will break up again into the

evening. Temperatures tomorrow should get to similar temperatures,

23, 24. I would not be surprised if one or two spots get higher than

that, maybe 25 or 76. This is a taster, we are getting confident

there will be low pressure dominating from Friday so the chance

of showers around but equally some fairly prolonged dry and bright

spells. The temperatures getting down to about average for the time

of year, low 20s. Thank you very much. The sky looked really

dramatic. It will come down later. Apologies to those who noticed

technical problems earlier. We were going to bring you a report on the

latest travel company problems tonight. Also on BBC fortnight, a

programme from Bristol looking at the history of extreme weather in

Britain. Good night I leave the ashram, travel halfway

across the world to find my father, Oh, well. As Vashrati says,

gotta keep smiling!