03/01/2017 Points West

Hello and welcome to BBC Points West, our headlines this lunchtime.

Anger here as rail fares are on the up, at a time

Doctors warn about the dangers of diabetes from eating too

much sugar as people start their new year healthkicks.

And we open the archives as Points West begins to celebrate

Unions in the West have reacted angrily to the news some rail fares

The government says it's needed to pay for upgrades including

to the Great Western mainline, but commuters have told the BBC

they'll be hit hard by the rise at a time when wages haven't been

Scott Ellis is live for us at Swindon Railway Station

If you were to walk in here and buy a return to London, it would cost

you ?129. Do the same journey by car, a 150 mile croaked that would

be only ?60, half the price. The great Western company and other

train operators would say it is cheaper to buy in advance. But we

have been chatting to passengers about this latest increase in rail

fares. Well, I'm on an apprenticeship

at the moment so I find it quite Because I am only on ?3.40,

so I think it's quite difficult. Extortionately expensive, really,

considering they never really invest I travel so rarely that it doesn't

bother me, but I am really sorry for people who have got to have

season tickets because it Chris Irwin joins us from travel

watch South West which represents passengers. The government says this

money goes back into the railway network. What do you say? I say it

has been under invested for other long time. We have trains that are

40 years old, one in four arrives late and passengers cannot get a

seat. It is the most overcrowded part of the network. There are

supposed to be big protests outside the station 's this morning. Hardly

anyone turned out to protest and the ones we went to this mornings. So

passengers can absorb the costs. They don't like it, it is part of

the feel bad factor. But people here know how to celebrate Christmas and

New Year, so it might be a bit early to go on the streets. The government

says they are managing to keep rail prices down. The truth is that many

people are still suffering from wage freezes or reduced wages, the

inflation rate used by the government to put up rail

Police are still questioning two men, arrested on suspicion of murder

they are not the same ones used for child benefit and pensions. Don't

after a man We will have more tonight.

after a man was found stabbed to death on Christmas Eve.

Mohammed Abduerezak's body was discovered in Siston

Detectives investigating his death are searching two properties

A third man arrested has been released on bail.

People living in Cheddar have been sharing their concerns about

It involves riders free-wheeling down steep hills,

Over a million people have watched this film online,

but locals have told the BBC they're worried it's not safe

I have seen it, actually and quite frankly it is horrifying.

It's terrifying to see these young people on their drift trikes

haring down Cheddar Gorge when there are ordinary motorists

The parish council at salute the deplores it and, you know,

we really can't understand why these people should take such terrible

risks with their own lives and also endanger the lives of ordinary

law-abiding motorists coming up the other way.

Drifttriking UK say it was a well organised event and they took safety

precautions including putting up signs to warn

With the New Year for some comes a new health kick,

after all that overindulging over the Christmas period.

And sugar is one of the foods doctors are warning about.

Dave Harvey has been to meet one woman who's given it up altogether

When he actually said those words, you've got diabetes,

you have gone over the line, you've got type two diabetes,

I thought, right, this is it, I've got to do something

I decided to give up sugar completely.

It turned out to be a lot harder than she thought.

I mean, I really like my coleslaw, but that's got sugar in it.

The big culprit for me initially was the fizzy drinks.

This one is a lot healthier because it's a lot more natural,

but it's still got just as much sugar in it as Coke.

And quitting sugar was just a half of it.

When I first started running, it was literally one minute

And now I can run for an hour or more.

I've done a half marathon, I've done a 10K.

After three months of all this, Becky went back to her GP.

It's really improved, so you were in the range

where your blood sugar would have been in the diabetic range

and actually now it's gone back completely to normal which is really

Yes, Becky had reversed the diabetes completely.

It's remarkable but not unique and doctors would love more people

Approximately 10% of people within our city

Those are the people who we really want to get through to,

they can do something now to prevent themselves getting

That is obviously hugely beneficial to themselves, to their families,

to the health service and to the overall

Becky faced a clear choice - cut sugar or live with diabetes.

Becky's New Year challenge, to run a marathon.

Points West is celebrating 60 years of broadcasting

Throughout 2017, we'll be marking our diamond anniversary

on air with a series of special events.

To kick things off, David Garmston has been looking

through our archives at our first broadcast and just a few

For our first news summary we have a film of events in Dorset

and Hampshire and news of a strike in Cornwall.

Armine Sandford presented the first television news for the West.

One of the first reports was about a post office,

but Miss Squires, the postmistress didn't like newfangled TV

and bizarrely would only allow her bottom to be filmed.

She is shy and does not want to face the cameras.

The news service brought TV reporters closer than ever

to the audience as we shared a joint experience.

The terrible winter of 1963 saw local news in the front line.

Deliveries in Bristol two or three weeks behind schedule

because of the frozen state of many of the side roads.

And all this year we'll be looking back at the stories that have shaped

us and forward to what the next 60 years might hold in store.

And there will be much more from our archives on our programme

tonight when we'll be asking you to get in touch with us

if you've been in a big story we've covered.

Time for the weather now with Holly Green.

It was a very cold start to things this morning,

Now, through this afternoon we have got a bit of cloud around

into parts of Somerset, say, and a bit more working

But in general, some good spells of sunshine,

staying largely dry but feeling chilly with highs

Into tonight then, more cloud appears and that could get thick

enough to bring a few spots of rain, though not too much of that.

Most of us stay above freezing although we could see a little bit

of patchy frost here and there, although these are

Breezier as we head through tonight as well.

Quite cloudy then to start tomorrow morning,

a spot or two of rain, but in general much

The best of those coming out into the afternoon and temperatures

Cloud thickens on Friday with some outbreaks of rain

That is that from us for now, but we have a full-length programme at 6:30

p.m.. It is my first day back, so may I wish you happy New Year. The

team Panorama investigates

the deadly terrorist attack and should British tourists

have been warned about the risks?