:00:00. > :00:00.Welcome to BBC Points West with Alex Lovell and Sabet Choudhury.
:00:07. > :00:17.The rough sleepers at risk as the cold spell bites 100
:00:18. > :00:24.100 emergency beds are set up to help
:00:25. > :00:27.homeless people get through the weekend.
:00:28. > :00:35.I'm sick of living like this. It's a Catch-22.
:00:36. > :00:37.The West's getting more money to help,
:00:38. > :00:49.A warning from the police after Asian families are targeted
:00:50. > :00:54.How the Severn bridge tolls are to be halved.
:00:55. > :01:04.We meet the woman caring for 20 injured bats in her own home.
:01:05. > :01:15.More than 100 extra beds are being set up tonight
:01:16. > :01:17.to get rough sleepers off the streets and into the warm.
:01:18. > :01:19.Councils are worried that prolonged cold weather has left
:01:20. > :01:22.many of the homeless in poor health and even at risk of death.
:01:23. > :01:25.And tonight our region will be gripped by freezing
:01:26. > :01:28.Scott Ellis is a hostel in Bristol for us now.
:01:29. > :01:43.This shelter in Saint Pauls opens at 9:30pm tonight. I can hear people
:01:44. > :01:49.queueing up outside. There will be beds, meals and even spare clothing.
:01:50. > :01:52.It's normally open five nights a week, but because of the cold
:01:53. > :01:57.weather they are going up to seven nights per week, in addition to the
:01:58. > :02:01.extra beds being laid on in the city. But the homeless charities say
:02:02. > :02:04.it's not just their job to help rough sleepers, you may be able to
:02:05. > :02:06.help too. It's a tent pitched at the back
:02:07. > :02:13.of a city centre car park. He says he tried to get
:02:14. > :02:17.into a hostel last night. There were 32 people last night,
:02:18. > :02:26.waiting for 16 beds? Tonight, he should have somewhere
:02:27. > :02:29.else to go with 100 extra beds being set up in Bristol and another
:02:30. > :02:31.30 in Bath. Charities hope it'll
:02:32. > :02:33.tempt in entrenched rough sleepers like Dan,
:02:34. > :02:42.who normally avoids hostels. They are full of drunken idiots and
:02:43. > :02:51.they kicked you out at 6am in the morning. I don't like being woken up
:02:52. > :02:55.by people kicking off. It's been shown in the past that when we have
:02:56. > :02:57.had these cold snaps, we can engage with people who usually avoid us.
:02:58. > :03:01.Another night in a car park's getting to John.
:03:02. > :03:05.Yesterday I had enough. I'm getting sick of this. Sick of living like
:03:06. > :03:07.this. But he has Bill to cheer him up,
:03:08. > :03:18.a passer-by who's become a friend. Hungry and cold the last couple of
:03:19. > :03:20.months, so we've got eight up of tea for John with his usual five or six
:03:21. > :03:22.sugars. Homeless charities want more
:03:23. > :03:24.volunteers especially to help In the last five years, the number
:03:25. > :03:29.of rough sleepers in North Somerset and South Gloucestershire
:03:30. > :03:30.has remained low. In the Bath area,
:03:31. > :03:32.a recent rise has eased. But look at Bristol where
:03:33. > :03:34.rough sleeping's gone up The Government's given the city more
:03:35. > :03:43.than ?2 million this year to tackle homelessness,
:03:44. > :03:57.a problem made worse And rising rents in the private
:03:58. > :04:07.sector leading to more evictions. It's a staggering rise. We have our
:04:08. > :04:12.guest, Richard runs this shelter. When I started volunteering here, we
:04:13. > :04:16.just used an open the door at 9:30pm and let people sort themselves out.
:04:17. > :04:21.But we haven't been able to do that. We had to take a list of people in
:04:22. > :04:26.the queue because numbers have gone up so much. We haven't been empty
:04:27. > :04:34.for any night I've been working here. Nevertheless, you don't think
:04:35. > :04:37.shelters and emergency beds are the long-term answer? No. They are not.
:04:38. > :04:45.It's helping people in the immediate cold, arts the long-term answer is
:04:46. > :04:51.to firstly help them off the streets, but more importantly, stop
:04:52. > :04:56.more people coming onto the streets or becoming homeless who might end
:04:57. > :05:03.up rough sleeping. What else can the public do as well as volunteer? Be
:05:04. > :05:08.aware of the risks of homelessness. More than the people you see rough
:05:09. > :05:13.sleeping and drug and alcohol problems which is what people
:05:14. > :05:18.immediately think. People can be homeless because they don't have an
:05:19. > :05:23.income to support them rent, they have relationship issues. The
:05:24. > :05:28.counter people in your family and think, how long can you survive if
:05:29. > :05:33.something goes wrong? Thank you for your time. Scott, thank you.
:05:34. > :05:35.Police say a car's been clocked doing 131 miles an hour
:05:36. > :05:39.The car was spotted in the early hours of the morning
:05:40. > :05:43.A 31-year-old man's due to appear in court.
:05:44. > :05:47.It's been revealed that the Vice Chancellor of the University of Bath
:05:48. > :05:54.has had a pay rise of ?45,000 according to a Freedom
:05:55. > :05:57.Professor Glynis Breakwell now earns ?451,000.
:05:58. > :06:00.Critics from the local Labour party say this is 30 times
:06:01. > :06:02.higher than some employees at the organisation.
:06:03. > :06:06.The university says the pay rise was decided by an independent
:06:07. > :06:13.committee, and is in line with other top universities.
:06:14. > :06:16.Police say there's been a big increase in the number of Asian
:06:17. > :06:18.families being targeted by burglars because of the amount
:06:19. > :06:27.In some cases more than ?100,000 worth of gold has been
:06:28. > :06:35.that's more than in a typical bank robbery.
:06:36. > :06:38.In the last 6 months in Avon Somerset there were 137
:06:39. > :06:42.Wiltshire had 21, Dorset 20 and in Gloucestershire there were 5.
:06:43. > :06:44.Lee Madan's been to meet one family who've been affected.
:06:45. > :06:48.So they opened all the wardrobes up and everything was on the floor.
:06:49. > :06:57.A trying start to the new year for the Godbole family
:06:58. > :07:07.So my children are five and eight and they are terrified.
:07:08. > :07:09.It was very scary knowing that someone might be watching.
:07:10. > :07:15.Detectives say there's been a big rise in of burglars
:07:16. > :07:21.It's because they often have high quality, 24 carat gold jewellery.
:07:22. > :07:24.Even when it's well hidden, the burglars don't give
:07:25. > :07:28.So they didn't find what they were looking for in here.
:07:29. > :07:35.So they came up here, in the storage area where the jewellery was hidden
:07:36. > :07:46.For burglars, this type of crime has become one of the most lucrative.
:07:47. > :07:54.There's often in one high value gold burglary,
:07:55. > :07:56.more in value stolen than in a typical
:07:57. > :07:59.In the past, jewellery was stored inside safety deposit boxes
:08:00. > :08:03.But, of course, in recent years, many local branches like this one
:08:04. > :08:06.have been closing down, leading to an increase in the amount
:08:07. > :08:09.of gold being kept at home, something which police
:08:10. > :08:15.Don't turn your house into a gold mine.
:08:16. > :08:17.Instead, store your high-value gold jewellery at professional safety
:08:18. > :08:30.In the last three months, Avon and Somerset police have set up
:08:31. > :08:32.a task force specifically to deal with this type of crime.
:08:33. > :08:44.Since then, there have been 33 arrests and 10 people charged.
:08:45. > :08:46.A message to the burglars from detectives is clear.
:08:47. > :08:49.We are hunting you down and we will catch you,
:08:50. > :08:51.and we will bring you to justice for these offences.
:08:52. > :08:53.Despite this reassurance, the Godboles say there
:08:54. > :08:59.is still widespread fear among their friends
:09:00. > :09:02.about who is watching and who might be targeted next.
:09:03. > :09:20.You are watching BBC Points West. It's Friday the 13th. Stay with us.
:09:21. > :09:28.There's lots more to come. Including: A decade since they last
:09:29. > :09:33.met here, Bath and Bristol face off in the European challenge cup. Did
:09:34. > :09:38.you have to dig at yorker from the snow this morning? We will have the
:09:39. > :09:43.best pictures of the West getting a dusting.
:09:44. > :09:46.The cost of crossing the Severn bridges is to be cut
:09:47. > :09:53.It's expected the new tolls will come into force next year
:09:54. > :09:55.and the amount drivers pay will be halved.
:09:56. > :10:13.For 50 years, the seven Bridge has been the fastest way into Wales. But
:10:14. > :10:19.the bridges will soon pass back into public ownership, so how much, if
:10:20. > :10:25.anything should drivers be paying? A magnificent bridge over be River
:10:26. > :10:36.A magnificent bridge over the River Severn.
:10:37. > :10:44.The Queen and Prince Philip were spared the toll charge.
:10:45. > :10:47.A trip across would cost you 2 shillings and sixpence.
:10:48. > :10:48.30 years later, a new bridge was opened.
:10:49. > :10:51.The second severn crossing, coming with a cost of ?330 million
:10:52. > :10:55.By then a crossing by car costing ?3.80 charged just in one direction
:10:56. > :10:58.to stop traffic backing up onto the bridge itself.
:10:59. > :11:00.Debate's raged ever since about what should happen when these
:11:01. > :11:02.privately financed projects passed back into public hands,
:11:03. > :11:05.The Government says it wants to see the charges
:11:06. > :11:14.I've got some people arguing that they should be no tolls at all, even
:11:15. > :11:20.though there is a debt still. But there are others saying it should be
:11:21. > :11:22.paying to keep traffic down. ?13.40 for a minibus ?20
:11:23. > :11:32.for anything larger New plans New plans are for charging
:11:33. > :11:33.in both directions. ?1.50 each way for a car or minibus
:11:34. > :11:37.and a fiver each way 50 years since Her Majesty
:11:38. > :11:41.oversaw it's opening, 50 years since Her Majesty
:11:42. > :11:44.oversaw its opening, the Severn Bridge and its younger
:11:45. > :11:47.brother have almost been paid off and will pass back
:11:48. > :11:49.into public hands next year. They generate around
:11:50. > :11:51.?80 million a year. Many now feel that they've been
:11:52. > :12:06.thoroughly paid for, The Government says those new
:12:07. > :12:09.charges won't be to make a rough it but for the future upkeep and
:12:10. > :12:14.maintenance of the bridge. They were saying they would try to reduce the
:12:15. > :12:22.charges in future. But they face opposition. Road user Association
:12:23. > :12:23.says people already pay for the upkeep of roads through their road
:12:24. > :12:25.tax. A toddler from Wiltshire who has
:12:26. > :12:28.cystic fibrosis is to be one of the first in England to get
:12:29. > :12:31.a life extending drug. William Foord is
:12:32. > :12:32.nearly two years old. Previously the treatment called
:12:33. > :12:34.Kalydeco was only available Our Wiltshire reporter,
:12:35. > :12:43.Will Glennon, went to meet him. William Foord's not quite two yet,
:12:44. > :12:45.but already he's survived three life saving operations
:12:46. > :12:49.and several scares. It's a genetic problem that means
:12:50. > :12:57.mucus builds-up in his body. His lungs will easily get damaged,
:12:58. > :13:17.and it shortens his life. I was devastated. It was, to me, I
:13:18. > :13:22.saw William's life flash before my eyes. I saw him not living to old
:13:23. > :13:26.age, not been able to have children. I felt that his life was over before
:13:27. > :13:29.it had even started. A new drug called Kalydeco isn't
:13:30. > :13:32.a cure, but it is being called It balances salt and
:13:33. > :13:35.water in the cells, keeping the lungs clear of mucus
:13:36. > :13:39.The first one is before Kalydeco, So it can reverse the
:13:40. > :13:46.effects of the disease. It was only licensed
:13:47. > :13:48.for children over 6, but will now be available
:13:49. > :14:00.for younger ones. Myself and my husband felt that we
:14:01. > :14:07.had a weight lifted off our shoulders. We really thought that it
:14:08. > :14:12.wouldn't happen through William. We thought we would have to wait until
:14:13. > :14:15.he was six. So to find out that news, it was splendid.
:14:16. > :14:16.At the moment, William's functioning well.
:14:17. > :14:20.The hope is the drug will keep it that way.
:14:21. > :14:32.The drug has been approved on the NHS for children over the age of tea
:14:33. > :14:35.which means William should get this in the next few weeks. His
:14:36. > :14:38.quality-of-life will be better bringing hope that this family and
:14:39. > :14:39.many others. Darren O'Keefe from
:14:40. > :14:42.the Cystic Fibrosis Trust It's been described
:14:43. > :14:59.as a wonder drug. I wouldn't call it an overstatement.
:15:00. > :15:07.What we have here is the first treatment for cystic fibrosis that
:15:08. > :15:14.tackles the defect causing the problem and not just the symptoms.
:15:15. > :15:19.It's made an incredible difference Judy Spires. What other stories are
:15:20. > :15:31.you hearing? People on this drug are talking about a huge boost in their
:15:32. > :15:36.lung health. And the key to it is it works over time. There's been a
:15:37. > :15:43.dramatic reduction in hospital admissions, so we are talking about
:15:44. > :15:46.the possibility of people living a life unlimited by cystic fibrosis.
:15:47. > :15:51.Doing the things that we would normally do and take for granted.
:15:52. > :15:55.I'm guessing it would help many people? What is particularly
:15:56. > :16:01.encouraging is that at the age of two, the drug's got far more of a
:16:02. > :16:06.chance to make a difference at that early stage because it halts decline
:16:07. > :16:09.in lung function, so the earlier patients can get on the drug the
:16:10. > :16:17.better. So it really is fantastic news. Will it help everyone? Its
:16:18. > :16:28.treatment targeted at a particular mutation, so at around 4% of people
:16:29. > :16:33.have this in this country. We have a pipe lines of treatments targeted at
:16:34. > :16:39.other mutations. There's a treatment that is licensed at the moment but
:16:40. > :16:44.not available, that is targeting a mutation of which 40% of people
:16:45. > :16:50.have. We dare dream of a situation in the future where the majority of
:16:51. > :16:57.people with cystic fibrosis could be on a similar drug. Darren. Thanks
:16:58. > :16:59.for speaking to us. That's really good news.
:17:00. > :17:01.Before we get the sport, we just wanted to tell
:17:02. > :17:03.you about another boy from our region who's
:17:04. > :17:07.You may remember we met eight year old Bailey who was facing
:17:08. > :17:10.Christmas in hospital as he was being treated for cancer.
:17:11. > :17:12.His family and friends had put out an appeal for cards
:17:13. > :17:20.He just needs one more block of chemotherapy and the best bit -
:17:21. > :17:25.You can hear from him on our Facebook page.
:17:26. > :17:27.Rugby and it's Bristol against Bath tonight.
:17:28. > :17:30.The third time the sides have met already this season.
:17:31. > :17:33.This is a European Challenge Cup game, and it's taking
:17:34. > :17:39.Our sports editor, Alistair Durden, is there.
:17:40. > :17:50.Someone's told me its three degrees here. It feels it, but the pitch was
:17:51. > :17:54.covered overnight so it's absolutely fine stop the game will go ahead for
:17:55. > :17:59.just the fourth time in this fixture's illustrious history. Just
:18:00. > :18:11.over a decade since the last happen. A decade since the last -
:18:12. > :18:14.when the game attracted a crowd of over 20 thousand and Bristol ran
:18:15. > :18:17.out winners to go top But they haven't managed
:18:18. > :18:20.to beat Bath since. Tonight it's about Europe -
:18:21. > :18:22.either of these sides can still make the quarter finals
:18:23. > :18:25.of the Challenge Cup and have named strong teams -
:18:26. > :18:27.Bath have five England But it's Bristol coming
:18:28. > :18:34.into the game in better form. Bristol have obviously had to rest a
:18:35. > :18:39.few players, they've not had many consistent games. I think the mood
:18:40. > :18:44.with the squad seems to be upbeat. I'm hoping we will win to keep up
:18:45. > :18:58.the momentum we've had. Put one over on Bath. If we win this we should
:18:59. > :19:04.then go through. I think we will get it right tonight. But it will be
:19:05. > :19:11.very, very close. Let's grab a word with Martin Haig, who played for
:19:12. > :19:20.Bath for many years and is coached too. Who do you think will win? I
:19:21. > :19:26.think app Bath. Some great results however for Bristol. There is all to
:19:27. > :19:31.play for. Are you surprised that Bath have gone so strong on this?
:19:32. > :19:37.No, they are coming back from a few losses, so they need is a momentum.
:19:38. > :19:44.They could also qualify. Cardiff are level points with them so it's a big
:19:45. > :19:52.game for them. You can hear more from Martin on BBC Gloucester
:19:53. > :19:55.tonight. There is also football here at Ashton Gate tomorrow.
:19:56. > :19:57.Bristol Rovers could give a debut to defender
:19:58. > :20:00.Joe Partingdon who they've signed today from Eastleigh.
:20:01. > :20:06.As for the rest, Swindon, who signed three Chelsea
:20:07. > :20:08.youngsters earlier this week, are at Bolton.
:20:09. > :20:12.All of those could feature in the game.
:20:13. > :20:19.Goalkeeper Scott Brown has rejoined Cheltenham and should play tomorrow.
:20:20. > :20:27.That's all the football. I think I going to find another layer. It
:20:28. > :20:28.could be a cold one. BBC radio 's Bristol and Somerset belief all
:20:29. > :20:35.game. A new group's been set up
:20:36. > :20:38.in Somerset to help rescue bats The county is a specialist
:20:39. > :20:41.conservation area as it's home to all 16
:20:42. > :20:43.British species. Frome Bat Care takes in ones that
:20:44. > :20:46.have been grounded or injured and Pam Caulfield went to meet
:20:47. > :20:54.one of the volunteers. The thought of having bats
:20:55. > :21:03.in your home might scare you. She's been taking them
:21:04. > :21:06.in for the past year, converting her attic
:21:07. > :21:11.into a bat cave! We've got some whiskered bats. Some
:21:12. > :21:24.hip strolls. She's rescued around
:21:25. > :21:28.60 bats and currently She's trained to handle them
:21:29. > :21:32.so we're allowed a quick look, but if you find bats in your home,
:21:33. > :21:38.you shouldn't disturb them. They are protected by law. Sometimes
:21:39. > :21:41.they wake up and it's warm so they think they will be insects around.
:21:42. > :21:43.And Liz has to sift a lot of meal worms.
:21:44. > :21:47.The most common pippestrelle species can eat up to 3,000 insects a night.
:21:48. > :21:49.With the babies need round the clock care,
:21:50. > :21:51.she even took one to a wedding, hidden in her outfit!
:21:52. > :22:04.I had a little baby, it was about as big as my arm. It was on milk, so I
:22:05. > :22:14.spoke to my trainer. She said to him in a little bag in the front of your
:22:15. > :22:15.close, then keep it warm. In the wild, they are tucked under their
:22:16. > :22:18.mum's wing. In the Spring, her spare room
:22:19. > :22:21.becomes a flight training centre. They might seem scary to us but bats
:22:22. > :22:35.themselves are under threat. It's about putting them back in the
:22:36. > :22:39.wild. We've become more developed in Britain, more intensive with our
:22:40. > :22:48.farming and we've used pesticides as well, which has impacted on bats and
:22:49. > :22:53.they declined by 70% after the war. It is hoped with a bit of care and
:22:54. > :22:58.compassion that that decline will be reversed. I think they are lovely,
:22:59. > :23:01.but I think some people probably think they aren't.
:23:02. > :23:03.On our Facebook page there's a little film showing
:23:04. > :23:15.you what you should do if you find a bat that needs help.
:23:16. > :23:19.We did have a sprinkling of snow, although it didn't hit us like it
:23:20. > :23:34.did in the Scottish Highlands. chance of that for a lot
:23:35. > :23:42.of us this morning. But parts of Wiltshire were white,
:23:43. > :23:47.there was a thin blanket over Bristol, and Gloucester
:23:48. > :23:49.was glistening a bit. Some had to dig the car
:23:50. > :23:54.out with a spoon. Others just had a colder
:23:55. > :24:05.breakfast than usual. But, some like Harry
:24:06. > :24:09.on Exmoor, managed it here, MUSIC: Do you want
:24:10. > :24:45.to build a snowman? Any more snow? I'm not overly
:24:46. > :24:50.concerned about the threat of snow, in fact, the wintry element of the
:24:51. > :24:54.forecast will diminish by detailing that Saturday. Let me take you
:24:55. > :25:04.through the weather for the course of the week and our viewer pictures.
:25:05. > :25:12.A dusting of snow out near Bath. For a while, certainly over the uplands,
:25:13. > :25:17.still running into cold air, certainly through the night and
:25:18. > :25:25.indeed, tomorrow. A bit less cold than today. Heading through for
:25:26. > :25:29.Sunday, milder. Temperatures will push upwards and equally give us
:25:30. > :25:35.more in the way of some patchy rain. Here is a wider look at how things
:25:36. > :25:39.will shape up. Still caught in this north westerly flow, cold
:25:40. > :25:42.conditions, occasional streams of showers running down from the
:25:43. > :25:48.north-west and then as we get through tomorrow, and beyond that
:25:49. > :25:55.into Sunday, we can see that warm front running through, introducing
:25:56. > :26:04.warm air. It's certainly not mild that the moment, as I can attest.
:26:05. > :26:08.The high ground of Wales doing an effective job of soaking up some of
:26:09. > :26:18.that cold air but some of it will get through. For all of us, it will
:26:19. > :26:24.be cold. Some spots up above 1 degrees, but most, freezing or
:26:25. > :26:29.below. There could be some areas prone to seeing some of those
:26:30. > :26:35.showers, that the character of Saturday, prolonged dry spells,
:26:36. > :26:38.still a fairly keen wind. Note that towards the evening, the cloud is
:26:39. > :26:47.increasing. We will turn our attention to the patchy rain so the
:26:48. > :26:55.winter is -- will have gone by them. It will be fairly cold but not so on
:26:56. > :26:59.Sunday. It will be a marked change. There will be cold rate to the South
:27:00. > :27:05.East and moulded to the north-west. Have a lovely weekend. It was lovely
:27:06. > :27:10.to see these snow today. I was staying in Gloucester where my
:27:11. > :27:17.parents are and there was a blanket of snow. Not just a sprinkling? No,
:27:18. > :27:22.it blanket. Have a lovely weekend, whatever you do. Goodbye.