24/04/2017 Points West

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

Shock for the Liberal Democrats in Yeovil.

Their candidate stands down with just a few weeks to go.

The South Somerset constituency was Liberal Democrat yellow for more

than 30 years until the last general election when the Conservatives won.

Now Theresa May has called a snap election and the Liberal Democrats

The new service being offered to those at risk of being stalked.

The secret tunnels under the Wiltshire countryside

and the vital role they played in World War I.

And the Robins are relegated from League One.

Swindon lick their wounds after a season to forget.

The woman hoping to be Yeovil's next Member of Parliament has

shocked her party by announcing she's pulling out of

Daisy Benson was picked by the Liberal Democrats to stand

in the constituency, which they dramatically lost

Here's our Somerset correspondent, Clinton Rogers.

The South Somerset constituency - Liberal Democrat yellow

The heart of Paddy Ashdown territory.

That was until the last general election, when,

for as far as the eye can see, the political landscape turned blue.

Nationally, the bookies may have the Conservatives

But around here, both parties still view this as a winnable seat.

And both parties point to the history books.

After the First World War, Yeovil returned Conservative MPs

for 65 years, the last 32 of those exclusively by John Peyton.

That was until former Royal Marine Paddy Ashdown

painted the town yellow, as first a Liberal then

His successor David Laws lost the seat in 2015,

handing Yeovil back to the Tories after a 32-year break.

The yellow team have been buoyant in Yeovil since the snap

election was called, an opportunity, they say.

And they had big hopes for their young candidate, Daisy Benson.

Until today, that is, when she suddenly announced she'd

pulled out of the race, for personal reasons.

So in Lib Dem HQ she's now a discarded poster in the corner

While upstairs, volunteer supporters continue to stuff canvassing

I think life never is a straight road and things appear and you deal

As if the town doesn't have enough to think about,

the football team battling to stay in League two, the biggest employer

So on the streets what's the big issue?

Well, you stopping me and stopping me going into Marks Spencer's.

What matters to me is that we can run our own country.

Does that mean that the Liberal Democrats, pro-European,

Wherever you look, the Tories are just wrecking everything

so there is another way, there's a choice, so it's

He may know what party he's voting for about the big question is whose

Our political editor Paul Barltrop is here to help us

Yeovil is a really important seat, isn't it?

So this must be causing some concern for the Liberal Democrats.

It certainly is. The whole south-west is so vital to the party

and if you look at Somerset, until the last election the help all but

one seat. They lost to the Conservatives although by not very

much, a majority of just over 5000. It is a top target for the Lib Dems.

Today's news for the sitting MP Marcus Fish should put a smile on

his face as he tries to hold onto his job.

We've actually got a huge list of achievements.

I was probably more in doing mode and getting things

set up for the future, thinking had a few more years

to communicate that, but I've got to do it in seven weeks

so that's where we are and I'm looking forward to cracking on.

We heard one voter in the piece talking about Brexit. How much will

it influence the vote? The difficulty is that Yeovil

actually voted Leave. Lib Dems hope it will go down better in other

areas of the region where there are still people who want Britain to

remain in the EU, for instance Bath which is a key marginal. Michael

Fallon visited the Bristol and Bath science Park and was stocking up the

need for a bigger Conservative majority.

Voting Lib Dem will simply weaken Theresa May's hand

If people don't like Brexit, they may want to do exactly that.

Well, we decided on Brexit last year with one of

Get on with it! And they have to because time is ticking by. There

must be a rush to find the candidates for all parties.

Yes, and the Lib Dems have a number of other seats where they had

selected people and some of the candidates are saying they cannot do

it. Labour are also doing their selections. Coming back to Yeovil,

speculation as to whether this prime target for the Lib Dems could

actually see a big name being parachuted in. Speculation as to who

that might be. Graham Watson, former MEP, will not go for it because he

is recuperating from a serious illness. We asked the chairman of

the local party, Lord Paddy Ashdown, if he could give us any clues.

You are a very good journalist and you are now trading in areas

I am the chairman of my constituency.

I have to be impartial in the process and I'm certainly not

giving an indication of what kind of person might be elected.

That is not up to me, that is up to our members.

Of course they have to get their skates on. All those members and

party officials, and a couple of key dates to mention. May 11, all

nominations must be in for candidates. And you have to register

by the 22nd of May. Postal votes, the deadline is one days later. And

there are local elections in nine days.

So many dates! So much to think about.

A perpetual state of election. You're watching Points West

with Alex and Seb at Still to come on this

evening's programme... Join me in the World War I tunnels

and trenches found under Salisbury Plain and find out why

they were so vital in training our And a little bit of kindness

in Keynsham, the town People at risk of being

stalked will get more help in Gloucestershire from today,

thanks to the Hollie Gazzard Trust. Hollie was murdered by her former

boyfriend in the hairdressing But now money raised in her memory

will be used to fund a new case worker who,

alongside the police and others, will help identify

those most vulnerable. Here's our Gloucestershire

reporter, Steve Knibbs. In February 2014, Hollie Gazzard

complained to police that her former boyfriend,

Asher Maslin, was harrassing Now the trust set up in her name,

headed by her dad Nick, wants to stop that happening

to others and is paying for a case worker to help high-risk

victims of stalking. Early intervention,

looking at behaviours, not just actions but intentions,

even the small elements of stalking can lead further down the line

to rape and homicide, so we must take it seriously,

get professionals keyed up as to what to do,

get the police keyed up, get them, in terms of the stalking clinic,

ready to deal with high-risk stalkers and then provide that

support to victims so they do not go Awareness of the new support

available is key to this project and will involve the likes

of the police, clinicians and probation, who will

all identify and work Ellie Aston is a Gloucestershire GP

who was stalked for nine years. Nobody should have to go

through nine years of living in fear and really not knowing where to go,

who to go to, how to manage the situation, and this

is gone to put experts here in Gloucestershire

who are going to be able to help Today's launch comes

on the day that the University of Gloucestershire published

research showing that 94% of homicides had

elements of stalking, such as obsession, control

and surveillance, and often That is the biggest number of cases

and I have worked on cases where there have been cameras

in the home that the person didn't know about, there

has been GPS tracking, tracking on the car,

bugging devices. Those are all really serious

stalking behaviours and those Stalking is a growing problem,

with easy access to online data This new support clinic wants

to make sure that anyone who feels threatened now has the confidence

to ask for help in the knowledge The MP for Cheltenham, Alex Chalk,

successfully fought for tougher sentencing for stalkers and he joins

us from Westminster. Do you think enough people are

coming forward and reporting stalking? I do not and that is part

of the problem. We are starting to understand that at the beginning of

some of these horrible offences, violence or even murder, stalking is

taking place but sometimes people do not recognise it. This is an

exciting development which will hopefully stop some of this serious

offending. Is there enough help? It is a growing and changing landscape.

As recently as 2012 there was no offence of stalking. We now realise

this is a really serious matter. I think the police have been fantastic

at changing their attitudes towards this and recognising how serious it

is, and there is now greater sentencing power. This comes on the

day that the University of Gloucestershire published research

that 94% of homicides had elements of stalking. If someone is being

stalked what are they meant to do with that information? It will worry

them more. That is staggering. We found similar evidence not as stark

when we were doing research in Parliament. People who are being

stalked need to take it seriously, don't panic but take it seriously.

If they need to get support and intervention, even if it is fairly

small-scale, they have reassurance. They cannot have the case like my

constituent who went seven or nine years without it being solved. This

gives hope that these problems can be addressed early on. There is an

element of reaching out to grassroots, people identifying

stalking, and the perpetrators. The last point is important. The

overwhelming priority is the victims but we also have to rehabilitate

stalkers. These people often have borderline mental health problems

and we want them to have the intervention that they need so they

can be brought back into society. Victims, yes, but perpetrators as

well. Police have issued CCTV images

of a missing Bristol woman who hasn't been seen

for nearly two weeks. 27-year-old Anna Lewis,

who's from Fishponds, was last seen leaving

Southmead Hospital just after midday Anna is a trainee nurse studying

at the University of the West of England and was working

at the hospital on placement. A strike by taxi drivers

at Temple Meads railway station this morning added to rush hour

congestion throughout They circled the station

in their blue hackney cars The taxi drivers were

protesting about changes How much do you think a first class

train ticket from Taunton Nope, according to two

websites, the hour-long The price was spotted earlier today,

and has been put down It's a nice trip, but I'm not

sure it's that nice. A huge network of World War I

trenches and tunnels has been discovered at Larkhill on Salisbury

Plain. They were built to train soldiers

for battle but have lain They were only unearthed

after the Army started Here's our Wiltshire

Reporter Will Glennon. Hidden under the chalk of Salisbury

Plain, trenches and tunnels from the First World War. Designed to be as

real as possible, they were used for training soldiers for fighting in

France and Belgium. You think an enemy are tunnelling towards you.

You have picked them up, listening on stethoscopes, and right at the

back it looks like a rabbit burrow but that is where they have used a

device to put a charge towards the enemy tunnel and you wait until you

think you're next to or just behind them coming towards you and you blow

their charge and you either kill them or bury them alive. They were

found when the army began work to build more than 400 homes here for

today's soldiers. Archaeologists have been amazed at the detailed

system. It is a timeline to the front line, and trench warfare. We

had no idea at the extent of the training grounds are peer of the

World War I period. There were hints there would be some year but we had

no idea it would be so large and so intact. It is an incredible sight

and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and all of our archaeologists have

been profoundly affected. Many tunnels have graffiti on the walls

with names and dates so the exact history can be traced. There are

thousands of soldiers here from Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

Many died in training before even seeing action. Archaeologists have

learnt what they can from these incredible trenches and tunnels

because soon they will be gone. The Army has to build over 400 homes

here and will cover these up, consigning them back to history.

Swindon Town's Chairman has estimated that relegation will cost

But what will the drop to League two mean for the fans,

Our sports editor Alistair Durden is here.

Chairman Lee Power says he will be staying, but the future of head

coach Luke Williams is less clear cut, as well as director of football

There's likely to be a big turnover in players again too.

But there was little doubt on Saturday what supporters thought.

Many are angry at how the club has been run this season.

Fingers pointed firmly at the boardroom.

With relegation confirmed, some angry supporters gathered

outside the County Ground to make their feelings clear.

He has wrecked this club. I am gutted. The chairman appointed the

manager on the cheap, no preseason recruitment for two years. We get

what we deserve. I can see us going down with the sky in charge.

Lee Power took over the club in 2013.

The blueprint - clear the club's debt and bring in promising young

It almost won them promotion two years ago, before defeat at Wembley.

But this year, a young squad has been beaten 23 times.

The arrival of director of football Tim Sherwood in November was hailed

as one of Swindon's best ever signings, but it hasn't worked.

And the chairman has promised a full review.

There needs to be a complete clean out, no two ways about it. Review

everything top to bottom at the club and one thing is for sure, the hard

work starts again and I will not rest until the club is back in

League 1. The Swindon Supporters Trust believe

there could be worse to come, The attendances have been going

down, nearly 20% over the last couple of seasons, and you have seen

more and more lack of engagement with the fans. What you have to do

is come together and take action. There is no point sitting there and

taking it from the sidelines. We would like to have a majority owned

by the fans' football club. The future of head coach

Luke Williams and many of his Gloucester Rugby fans have been

snapping up tickets for next month's They went on sale to priority

groups at midday today. Gloucester beat the French

league leaders La Rochelle on Saturday to reach the final,

with Billy Burns scoring They'll now face Stade Francais

in Edinburgh on the 12th of May. Getting to play at Murrayfield,

fantastic stadium. I'm sure Stade will give us

a fantastic game and then hopefully previous form goes with us and we'll

win it again, yeah. We've got a good chance and,

credit to the lads, they cut the mustard and earned their wages

on Saturday night, I've not stopped smiling

since we got back to Southampton last night from La Rochelle

and I just hope we can do it and win Bath were close to making it

a West Country final. They led Stade Francais

with ten minutes to go, George Ford missed this penalty

with the final kick of the match, which would have taken the tie

into extra time. Despite finishing top of the league,

they lost yesterday's Premiership final to Aylesford 17-8

despite this second-half try. So it was runners-up medals

for the Bristol players after a fantastic season that's seen

them win 13 out of their 16 matches. I think we have to be massively

proud of what we have achieved. It has been a hell of a season and to

be able to win 13 out of 16 games, that is not too bad and I don't

think any other team has done that so I am really proud of all of the

girls. It has been a really emotional season, it has been great.

In cricket, Somerset have lost again in the County Championship.

Gloucestershire's match in Division Two against Durham

was drawn, after the first three innings in the game all

What's the kindest thing you've done today?

I made you a hot lemon drink for your properly throughout.

Well, if you live in Keynsham, you might have a long list.

That's because today was Kindness Day in the town

and organisers hope it might lead to something more.

Monday morning and children here at St Kenya Primary

They sing it every morning in assembly but today their song

about the importance of being kind is especially significant.

That's because this is officially a town-wide day of kindness

here in Keynsham and most pupils think it's a great idea.

I think it is important because if you are kind then it makes people

feel happy and joyful and if you are not kind it can make people a bit

sad if they have had a bad day. I help my friends feel better if they

feel sad buying making them laugh but it can be tricky. I think

kindness is the best way. Across town, bathed in yellow,

the main event was showcasing Not just to one another,

but to ourselves, our environment There is a lot of kindness but we

live in a world full of doom and gloom, all the news is gloomy and

there are things that are quite depressing, so this is a way of

trying to counterbalance it with something more positive that is a

bit more up beat and that can help people to connect with each other.

Many more events are planned over the next few months,

some with a serious message, to help those suffering

Others simply to put a smile on someone's face.

Just before we go to the weather, a man from Wiltshire could be

heading for the record books after having his 53rd

Ricky Viner, from Warminster, loves the cartoon character

so much he's had him inked all over his body.

He could soon hold the record for the highest number of tattoos

of the same character, once it's all been verified.

Who knew? There are some achievements that

leave you speechless and this is one of them. Over to you for the

weather, Ian. It will be a quite marked change in

the weather conditions. For a few days, a chillier and colder regime

of weather. At times there will be showers around. Many gardeners have

been crying out for some substantial amounts of rain. Given the potluck

nature of sharia outbreaks of rain, I cannot promise that, but the key

message for those of you in the gardening community is the risk of

frost. That will get underway tonight so we sacked tomorrow on a

cold note. The first part of the Felix generally and bright. Through

the afternoon some areas will remain that way and others will see fairly

heavy showers. The reason for the change is a northerly cold front

running through us at the moment and starting to bring in colder air. Not

unusual for this time of year, we saw something similar last year at

this time, but given the mild conditions we have experienced, you

will notice this key change. We have some showers at the moment across

northern and eastern districts which will move south. The sky will tend

to become clear through tonight and call their will -- cold air will

come in from the north. Some areas will get down to freezing, possibly

even a degree or two below. There is a risk of frost for some of you

tomorrow morning. Tomorrow morning, apart from one or two showers, it

looks mostly dry. We should hang onto those conditions and other

afternoon and then we have the risk of some showers. There will be a

component to those likely to bring some hail and some lightning in some

spots. But it will be potluck. You will see these great cumulonimbus

clouds in some places but could stay dry. Temperatures on the getting up

to 10-11. Wednesday is broadly similar. Temperatures will go the

other way towards the end of the week and next week looks warmer as

well. At least Richard Viner and cover his

tattoos until next week. There are times in the life

of a nation when the choices we make define

the character of our country, times when people stand up

and demand real, significant change. we have the chance to shape

a brighter future for Britain