27/10/2016 Points West

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

Our main story tonight: The million pound fire.

The Averies brothers are sentenced for causing a massive blaze

at their waste site in Swindon, which raged for eight weeks.

There is black smoke coming off the top. What is your name, sir?

We look back at what Lee Avdries told us at the time and hear

A second report into a child's death at Bristol Children's Hospital

A plan to make the Severn more appealing to fish.

And Lord Sugar hired him, now he's hiring in Bristol.

Find out why this winner of the Apprentice is coming West.

Two brothers who were responsible for a massive fire at their waste

Lee and David Averies pleaded guilty last month

Today, the judge said the fhre had caused harm to people

He gave one of the brothers a suspended sentence and banned

the other from running a business for three years.

Here's our Wiltshire reporter, Will Glennon.

Fire Service. Can I call a fire engine please?

It spewed noxious smoke across Swindon for weeks

and it burnt for two months before it was extinguished.

Today, Lee Averies, who owned and ran the plant

with his brother David, was sentenced in court.

They'd already pleaded guilty to being reckless

and negligent, causing pollttion and harm to health.

The judge told Lee Averies that his offences cause significant harm an

disruption and they were serious enough for him to be sent to prison.

But he suspended a 12 month sentence for two years. He did imposd a

criminal behaviour order, which effectively bans Lee Averies from

the waste industry for five years. His brother, David Averies, was

disqualified as a company dhrector for three years and fined.

Living with the fire was horrible for many.

Residents had to keep windows closed, some went to hospit`l.

It was disastrous. The smell, the smoke, the burning plastic. It was

nauseating. The smell was horrendous. Having to work with it,

it was really not very pleasant And it took weeks and weeks and really

affected my business. We were extremely frustrated that wd were

not able to put the fire out more quickly. We needed to get a lot of

waste of the site to be abld to put the fire out properly and wd did not

know what was inside the waste tips. The Environment Agency estilates

there was 10,000 tonnes The Averies had

a permit for half that. There was a fire

at Swindon Skips in 2013. The council has to deal

with the tonnes of rubbish left People are paying good monex to have

their waste taken away by rdputable people to be dealt with properly and

it has just left someone else to deal with, and put the cost on

somebody else, this time thd public purse. It is not on, really.

The Averies also own Calne Aggregates, which was part

The Environment Agency's working to shut it down too.

There'll be another case next year under the Proceeds of Crime Act

It's hoped more money will be recovered then.

When the fire was at its hehght Lee Averies agreed to

Here's what he had to say at the time, when I asked hhm

about previous breaches by his company.

I think, to put things in perspective, there were bre`ches

many years ago and we did h`ve a fine last year which was for an

historic problem back in 2000, so that was for a half years ago.

Obviously we are pleased th`t the site is compliant. But therd was a

fire at another plant that xou own? Yes, there was a fire at Swhndon

Skips site, which we think was down to arson. There was a pile of wood

over there that caught fire. Well, earlier, I spoke

to Colin Chiverton from the Environment Agency,

who brought this prosecution and asked him for his response

to today's sentencing. I think it is a good result. The

judge in his summing up was very clear that Lee Avery 's actdd

recklessly and David Averies were disreputable and how they r`n their

signs. The impacts to local businesses was huge, not le`st to

environmental agency and thd public purse that has cost us monex. It has

cost a lot. The Averies werd well known to the Environment Agdncy and

had been issued warnings in the past. Will you look at how this was

allowed to happen from your point of view? We have prosecuted thdm on

four occasions now. The last occasion was two years ago when they

were at Bristol Crown Court where they gave an undertaking to look to

improve. They failed to do that and we prosecuted them again, and we now

have a criminal behaviour order against Lee Averies prohibiting him

getting involved in the waste industry. We would look to continue

to enforce that. Their sites in Swindon have been revoked so they

have no permits but we will keep an oversight, as we did in looking at

the proceeds of crime. Would you say the Environment Agency could have

done more? I know at some point there was confusion about who was

looking after this, the council or Environment Agency. Could something

round there have been tidied up a bit? I don't think it is, in this

instance. We have the support industry and the local commtnities

and businesses. -- we have do support. We have tried to work with

the brothers on numerous occasions but time after time we were told

stories, we were told things were going to be done and they ndver

happened. We gave them as m`ny warnings as they could about the

risks to the environment and the community but the bottom line is,

Lee and David Averies ignordd them. Colin, thank you very much for

joining us today. The care in a hospital treating sick

children with heart conditions was so far below the expectdd

standard, it amounted That's one of the damning fhndings

of a report into the treatment of four-year-old

Sean Turner from Wiltshire. He died in the Bristol

Children's Hospital in 2012. His parents have always maintained

that staff didn't have the training Now a government ombudsman `grees

with them, and the hospital trust has admitted they failed

Sean and his family. Sean Turner was a fun-loving

four-year-old boy. He knew about his

own heart condition before his operation at the Bristol

Children's Hospital in 2012. He told his parents he was looking

forward to being able to run We could see that he was

deteriorating, and as to parents we could see it.

His parents said Sean was badly dehydrated,

taking on water by sucking on wet wipes and a toothbrush,

that there were too few staff who didn't understand

how to help their son, and that when they complaindd

the responses were, at best, inaccurate and misleading.

He was grabbing the wet wipds when I was watching him. He was gr`bbing

the paper towels and I was trying to call him down so he had a

temperature and he would suck out the water from the wipes.

Now a new report has confirmed their fears.

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's report

about the hospital's high dependency capabilities,

that Sean's fluid levels weren't monitored properly

And says that the care for Sean fell so far

below the established good practice that it amounted

It's incredibly distressing. It is upsetting for us, to read the

failings, but it's what we need because it is what we lived. It s

what we said all along. Today University Hospitals

Bristol apologised. It is so important to us to have the

truth, this was our little boy and he was very brave about going in for

surgery and we have to live with the guilt that we put him in thd hands

of the wrong team. The Turners have been

fighting for four years for recognition that Sean shmply

wasn't treated properly, but are still left to wonder

whether better care might have meant that Sean

would still be alive today. Thank you for joining us

this Thursday evening. Why Tetbury is making sure that

sport isn't forgotten And the Apprentice winner who sold

all those hot tubs at the B`th West joins us in the studio

to tell us why he's setting Nearly ?20 million is to be spent

on helping threatened fish to thrive once more

in the Severn. The river was once teeming

with fish such as the shad which was said to be

the favourite of King Henry III But they'd all but vanished

after weirs were installed in the 19th century,

stopping them from reaching Here's our Gloucestershire reporter,

Steve Knibbs. Flowing for 200 miles from Wales

through to the Bristol Channel, the River Severn was a key transport

route during the Industrial Weirs like this, built

in the 1800s as part of that, led to many species of fish becoming

extinct because they couldn't reach the upper parts

of the river to spawn. Now threatened species

like the shad, the weaker in the Bristol Channel

but only in their thousands, It may look and sound impressive,

but this legacy of the industrial revolution is effectively a barrier

to many, many fish. There is a face pass -- fish pass to allow salmon to

get through, but this will tnlock the weir and open up a stretch of

the River Severn leading to bridal -- vital breeding grounds for

species of fish. Over the next few years,

passes like these filmed in Portugal will be installed fish to swim

freely up the river. It's a project that's

been broadly welcomed, and it seems it's not just good news

for the fish either. There are a whole host of species

like kingfishers and otters, and as the fish go upstream and sp`wn they

will have tens of thousands of flora and they will increase the

populations of many other animals that live in the river, which

includes many of the fish, because salmon fish eating fish.

?15 million a year along the river, and this

will hopefully bring in much greater returns.

Vitally important to the River Severn and the whole of the

catchment. It is the largest single river restoration project in the UK,

possibly in Europe and it whll bring benefits not just to the fish but to

the thousands of people who live along the river.

Over the next five years thhs project aims to turn back

the ecological clock and return the Severn's habitat to how

it was 150 years ago for the benefit of everyone.

The town of Tetbury is under real pressure to provide sporting

facilities to local people, according to its Mayor.

The number of houses is set to jump by a third in the next four years,

and questions are being askdd about what green spaces

will still be available for the new population.

Andy Howard has been to the rugby club, which has already had to give

The sun sets on another day of building work in the historical

A year ago, there were about 2, 00 homes here,

but that figure is rising by more than 800.

As the town opens the door to development, green

Take the story of Tetbury Rugby Club.

Their ground is being nibbled at from all sides.

Over there you have the trahning facilities where we have sole

floodlights. The plan is for the graveyard to expand, which hs

needed, so we will lose that. Over there you have the playground. We

used to play the mini rugby on their, up to 12 years old. They

needed a playground in one of the few places it could go was there, so

we lost that. And you also have a skate park that was built f`irly

recently. A brilliant resource for the town but it's starting to

encroach on the pitches, so we have some nice pitches here, but they are

slowly getting eroded around the edges and there is more pressure on

the town. For the rugby club,

the numbers no longer add up. It now has to use school pl`ying

fields for the younger age groups. As this town grows by a third

in the coming years, It is very much weighted towards the

property is being built. Thd planners look at what the

infrastructure is now but they don't look at the sports infrastrtcture.

They look at the schools and if they have the capacity at school to take

extra children. Some would say at the moment that they are not being

served as well as they could be Unfortunately, yes. That is a view.

But hopefully, in three or four years' time, that will be completely

transformed. a nine-acre site to the north

of the town, which is privately We are looking to put three pitches,

possibly in the corner over there. I'd perk up when I come out here.

The town will benefit hugelx from it, so it's really exciting. These

are some of the biggest changes that Tetbury has ever seen, and laking

sure that everyone is happy is a tough task, but the rugby club at

least want to make sure that the grassroots are looked after.

While Lord Sugar continues his hunt for his next apprentice

tonight on BBC One, one of the former winners

of the show is also on the look out for candidates right

Mark Wright won series ten hn 2 14 and launched his digital marketing

He's now expanding with a ndw office in Bradley Stoke near Bristol.

Thank you for coming in. Welcome to the West although you are no

stranger, but we will go into that in a second. How has life bden since

that moment you got into Al`n Sugar's vehicle? It has been a

whirlwind and I cannot belidve I'm up to two years since it was my

series, and I remember the fun and games, and that was the easx bit.

Running a business with Lord sugar is the hard bit. It's been `n

incredible journey but I can't believe I am here opening up an

office in Bristol two years later. Have you made a million yet? We have

made a million. Are you a millionaire? No, not yet, btt I m

getting there. I should havd warned you, David is tough. Do you run your

business like Lord Sugar? Do you give them a ticking off frol time to

time? The honest answer is we run a tight ship. The key for us hs we are

a service business and we nded to provide the best service and I run a

tight ship, put it that way. Just to remind everybody what you do and

also not to sound like Lord Sugar, he was always trying to get to the

crux of things. Reminders. Basically we help any company build a website

and get it to the top of Google All companies needs leads and no one

uses the Yellow Pages and mx job is to get you in front of your

customers and get the phone ringing. Lord Sugar and I were successful in

London in the first year. Wd looked at research that said Bristol was

the most up-and-coming town in the country for start-ups, and we

thought, let's do Bristol. Well you have. You've also been in this

county before because you wdre in Somerset and you're flogging hot tub

Xabier Bath West show. Let's remind people. My most succdssful

whatever. Good price on that. I will squeeze you for a bit more. Three

and five. Dunn, with a ?500 deposit today. Thank you very much. That was

such a controversial day and I remember that series so well. I

always tip Jufer the top. Thank you. -- tipped you for the top. What a

creep. Can I ask you what you think of this year 's contestants? I need

to be careful. The first three episode have probably been the worst

I've ever seen. The guys haven't got it together and they can only go

from here. But I've heard that tonight 's episode is one of the

books. Wilkie posted on that. It is one to watch -- we will keep you

posted. We are going to see Lord Sugar losing his rag. I've heard

tonight it is the most interesting one for a long time. He's going to

lose his rag, but he's done it before. Look at this. I'm not

putting my name to either of these advertising campaigns. They are

useless, both totally, absolutely useless. I feel so angry. Btt not

one of you geniuses came through and ran this thing properly. I'l glad

it's them and not me. It brhngs it all flooding back. You remelber what

it's like to be sat there in front of him and I've had some colplaints.

Tellings off, we prefer to say. Thank you very much. I will report

you to Lord Sugar. Apologies for that. Great to see you guys.

The Somerset Rebels speedwax team have the chance to complete a league

They're taking on Sheffield Tigers in the second leg of

Our sports editor Alistair Durden is at the Oak Tree Arena

Good evening. Welcome to thd pit area at the Somerset Revels. What I

like about speedway is that the fans can come and mingle and look at the

riders before the action st`rts This is the Somerset Rebels captains

bike. This can go zero up to 16 over -- just under two seconds. The fuel

tank is tiny. Just that little silver thing there. Just enough fuel

to get round four laps of the track as the bikes have to be as light as

possible. Somerset and Sheffield met last night and the Rebels one that,

46-44, so they come into thd second leg with a crucial 2-point `dvantage

and trying to become champions again. Let's speak to the c`ptain.

Happy with that 2-point adv`ntage? Yes, good for us to get a vhctory.

We had an 8-point lead at one stage but we slipped up and crawldd it

back. We just have to see how to night pans out. It will be ` tough

meeting, and everyone is gohng for it. Happy with the conditions? The

track is nice and four October the weather is good. We expect rain at

this time of year but it's holding avarice. In 2013 when Somerset won

the trophy, the promoter described it as the best night of her life.

She has been involved with the Rebels for 16 long years. Ldt's see

how she's feeling tonight. @s the club grown a lot in the you've been

here? Massively. It has gond from strength to strength and it's a

great feeling for everybody involved. You are such a successful

club at this level and you've been in the grand final four of the last

five seasons. Would you ever consider moving up to the Elite

League? Maybe it's time to think of that, but we have to get ovdr to

night concentrate on one thhng at a time and then worry about what

happens after that next season. Just to explain how it will work. 15

heats, for riders go out in each heat and hopefully by 10pm tonight,

Somerset will have regained the Premier League trophy. We whll let

you know in the ten o'clock bulletin. Best of luck. I'm still

thinking about the Apprentice. I am Nick, and you are Margaret. No

offence, Margaret, but can H be Karen?

A dance teacher from Swindon is celebrating almost six ddcades

running her own dance school single-handedly,

Over the years, Patricia Bennett has taught thousands of women

and girls in the town, as Lee Madan's been finding out

Stepping in time for almost 16 years.

When I was about ten, I started teaching the other

kids to do little dances with in the Sunday school

and I think it's sort of went really from there.

On her 18th birthday, Miss Bennett, as she is still known

by pretty much everyone set up her own dance school

She has now got 150 and works six days a week teaching

When they do it right, satisfaction, I think.

When they don't, you think, oh, next week.

And next week, they keep coling back.

She is funny and just great. Heads up, smile, keep off your hedls until

you stamp. I can't believe it that

she's been running it I don't know how she can do it

because it is a really long time. A little blunt, perhaps,

that age is just a number. As long as I kept healthy,

I would like to continue. All ages come here, which mdans some

lessons have mums dancing To do the shows, to find

a hobby that you both love and to be able

to do it together, to be on stage

at the same time is brilliant. Sometimes it's a bit awkward

because you have got your mtm Why does your mum in Paris xou? She

is just embarrassing -- emb`rrass you?

Family dynamics aside, one thing here everyone agrdes on...

Very graceful. David was actually copying all the moves. Sarah should

be very pleased. He's a verx good pupil.

The launch of this year's Poppy Appeal has been marked

Sailors from the Royal Navy warship HMS Somerset created

a human poppy on deck, while at Cabot Circus in Brhstol

today, West Country band Thd Korgis performed one of their hit songs

from the eighties, which thdy've dedicated to the Poppy Appe`l.

All proceeds from the play or sale of the song will go

How is it looking? Hi, Alex, it s decidedly quiet whether that will

take us through the west of the week and through the rest of the month --

rest of the week. Let me take you to the forecast for tomorrow, `nd the

most part there will be clotd around but there will be some exceptions

with brightness around or stnny spells but underpinning all of that,

cloudy or not it will be a lostly mild day for this time of ydar and

we expect it will stay dry `cross the board. A wider look at things

shows high pressure in charge as things stand and the winds have been

shifting to the West, Inc contrast to much of October, hence the milder

feel which has been equally notable through the course of tomorrow. The

breeze has picked up and thdre is more cloud around this evenhng and

to night against recent nights. For that reason, we are unlikelx to see

fog in a widespread sense, but areas of East Somerset could yet see some

patches of fog developed a night and equally hill fog over Exmoor, but no

great risk of seeing fog on the roads to the extent that many of you

did this morning. It will bd a fairly mild night with many urban

areas holding at ten or 11 Celsius and parts of the countrysidd may be

as low as six or seven, but they will be the exception. Into tomorrow

morning, apart from the odd patch of fog, it should be a decent start

with brightness about, but that will readily compete with a lot of cloud,

and for many of you it will be an overcast picture but conversely

there will be one or two spots of the high ground where we sed

brighter spells developing. Either way money underpinning factor for

all of this will be a prettx mild field to things, and even under

cloud cover it goes to the lid teens, and if we get some stnshine

around we could get as high as 6 or 17. Saturday will see more of the

same, so expect generally a lot of cloud and largely dry conditions, as

will be the case going into Sunday. Signs of change and chilly `ir from

the north, but more on that to Nora. -- tomorrow.

That's it from us now. We'll see you tomorrow.