As it happened: West of England
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- Live news, sport, weather and travel from across the West of England on Monday, 22 August, 2016
Live Reporting
By Ian Parker
All times stated are UK
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Summer is back with us tomorrow
The sun is returning tomorrow after several days of quite frankly miserable weather.
We've had our winter jumpers on in the office today but there's another heatwave on the way with temperatures peaking at 27C.
And that's all from BBC Local Live for the West of England today. We're back in the morning from 7am with all the latest news, sport, travel and weather.
Four women bailed after stabbings in Bristol
Four women have been released on bail after a series of assaults at nightclubs in Bristol early on Sunday.
A man was stabbed at Pryzm nightclub and four people were attacked outside Dojo on Park Row. One man remains in hospital.
A car linked to the incident was found on fire Chelsea Park in Easton.
An 18-year-old man is still in custody.
Bristol City Council job losses: 'We're in a very challenging situation'
Bristol mayor Marvin Rees has announced plans to cut 1,000 city council jobs in a bid to save £29m by next April.
He says he has inherited a "huge financial challenge" and could not "close the [savings] gap without reducing the number of jobs at the council".
The authority - which currently has around 6,970 employees - will launch a scheme which lets staff apply for voluntary severance later this week.
M5 northbound closure: Trapped traffic being moved
Longleat features on commemorative stamp
You can now send a little bit of Wiltshire around the world when you post a letter.
Longleat features in a commemorative set of Royal Mail stamps to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the birth of garden designer Capability Brown, who was responsible for Longleat's landscaped grounds.
Rio 2016: West country ranks 17th in medal table
So the Olympics in Rio has come to an end and what a games it's been for the West.
Athletes from our region contributed almost a quarter of Team GB's record medal haul.
And just for fun we worked out that if the West had been a country we would have finished 17th in the medals table.
BreakingM5 northbound closed at J18
The M5 northbound is closed between junctions 18 and 19 due to a serious collision.
Your reaction to Banksy Spy Booth removal
You've been having your say on the removal of Banksy's Spy Booth mural in Cheltenham on BBC Radio Gloucestershire's Facebook page.
A pile of rubble is all that's left on the ground next to the house it was painted on.
Bristol City Council job losses: Staff shocked at scale of cuts
It's been announced that up to a 1,000 jobs are to be cut at Bristol City Council.
Unions have branded the losses "completely unsustainable" and are warning that services will suffer.
Staff are being offered voluntary redundancy.
£60m has to be saved from the council budget as government funding is reined in, meaning departments will have to become more efficient.
Staycation for Chris Woods' Ryder Cup celebration
Bristol golfer Chris Wood is celebrating his first ever Ryder Cup place next month.
He's chosen to head down the M5 to take it all in - as well as the little matter of his wedding at the weekend!
Double congratulations Chris.
Ben Prater takes the Chicken Nugget Challenge
Usain Bolt celebrated his ninth Olympic gold medal in Rio last week with a box of chicken nuggets.
Legend has it he consumed 1,000 of them while at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, powering him to his first three golds.
So we challenged BBC Radio Wiltshire's breakfast presenter to find out if fast food really does help you run faster.
New Poldark series features West country locations
If you're a fan of the BBC series Poldark then you'll want to watch the new series very closely for some familiar sights.
The show has used John Wesley's chapel, the New Room, in Bristol for some of the scenes.
Filming has also taken place at Chavenage House in Gloucestershire and will feature in series two which starts on 4 September on BBC 1.
Dozens taken ill after bug found in swimming pool
At least 30 people in Swindon are now known to have fallen ill with cryptosporidiosis - the same infection that's closed the swimming pools at the town's Oasis Leisure Centre for three weeks.
Around a third of the cases have been linked to the pool, which is now being drained and cleaned.
There have been four times as many cases of the bug, which causes sickness and diarrhoea, in the South West this year.
Banksy Spy Booth removed 'to protect it', council says
The mystery disappearance of the Banksy Spy Booth in Cheltenham has been solved!
The owner of the property it was painted on removed the mural while urgent work - required by a council notice - was carried out on the listed building.
The council is advising people not to steal any remaining pieces of the Banksy as they could be breaking the law.
Bristol City Council job losses: Workforce cut by 17%
Bristol mayor Marvin Rees has announced plans to cut 1,000 jobs at Bristol City Council - that's 17 per cent of the council's workforce.
Mr Rees, who was elected to the post in May, is attempting to plug a £60m hole in the authority's budget over the next three financial years.
Memorial for British skydiver killed in French Alps
A private memorial took place over the weekend for a skydiver who died after his parachute failed to open as he was jumping in the French Alps.
David Reader, 25, from Newnham-on-Severn in Gloucestershire, suffered head injuries during a base jump near Sallanches, close to Mont Blanc.
Everton to field strong side in Glover's league cup clash
Yeovil Town take on the mighty Everton tomorrow night - the first time the two clubs will have met in a competitive fixture.
Everton manager Ronald Koeman says he's taking it seriously and wants to win.
Woman killed in A303 collision
A 79-year-old woman has died in a two-vehicle collision on the A303 at Mere in Wiltshire.
The victim was driving her black Toyota Yaris on Sunday afternoon when it collided with a black Mercedes.
A Wiltshire Police spokesman said the woman died at the scene.
The Mercedes occupants were taken to Salisbury District Hospital with injuries not thought to be life threatening. Police are appealing for witnesses.
Hospital to investigate after woman dies in foyer
Southmead Hospital says it will be carrying out an investigation following the death of a woman yesterday morning in the entrance of its Brunel building.
The incident happened at around 10am inside the main atrium.
In a statement the hospital confirmed the woman wasn't a patient at the hospital but added it was working with the Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust.
The hospital says the trust is supporting staff and patients with help from the chaplaincy team.
The locomotive living in a bus depot
A bus depot might be the last place you'd expect to find a Great Western Railway locomotive, but that's not the case in Weston-super-Mare.
Jonathan Jones-Pratt has bought "Thornbury Castle" from music producer Pete Waterman and has put tracks down in his Crosvillle Motor Service depot to accommodate it.
The engine was built to run after the Second World War and Jonathan wants to restore it to full working condition.
Have you lost your peacock?
The RSPCA is trying to find the owner of a peacock which was found near Wellington, in Somerset, on Saturday.
It's not known where the bird has come from "but someone must be missing it," RSPCA Ch Insp David Steel said.
“They can’t fly very far but do sometimes hop from building to building so it’s likely to have only travelled a short distance of a mile or so.
“Most peacocks in this country are owned so we’d like to be able to reunite this one with its rightful owner.”
Jeffrey Monakana: Cheltenham Town set to sign former Arsenal and Preston forward
Cheltenham set to sign forward Monakana
Former Arsenal, Brighton and Preston forward Jeffrey Monakana is close to joining League Two club Cheltenham Town.
Read moreBristol City Council job losses: 'We can't cope with these levels of cuts', union says
As Bristol's mayor Marvin Rees announces up to 1,000 council jobs could go to balance a £29m deficit, union bosses are calling on Mr Rees to approach Theresa May to explain the impact of the cuts.
The people left to pay for it are the ordinary people of Bristol who are seeing their services being cut," Steve Crawshaw from Unison said.
"Local government has seen cuts year-on-year as long as I can remember....we simply can't cope with that scale of cut."
Banksy Spy Booth removal: Town's MP calls for urgent inquiry
The removal of Banksy's Spy Booth mural, near Cheltenham's GCHQ, has been described by the town's Tory MP as "absolutely shocking news".
Conservative Alex Chalk said the artwork was a much admired piece of Cheltenham’s artistic heritage.
"We need an urgent inquiry to get to the bottom of what happened. Whoever is responsible needs to be held to account," he said.
Meanwhile Cheltenham Borough Council said it had been made aware of the recent development affecting the property the mural was painted on.
"We are currently investigating the situation and are in conversation with the owner," a spokesman said.
Bristol City Council jobs cut: Union slicing money off budgets 'not realistic anymore'
A "deeper than expected hole" in Bristol City Council’s budget means a different approach is needed if public services in the city are to survive, the union Unison has said.
Bristol branch secretary Steve Crawshaw said slicing more and more off budgets while expecting the same service to be delivered is not realistic any more.
"We are seeing the beginnings of a crisis in social care and you only have to look around the city streets to see the homelessness that results," he said.
Mr Crawshaw added real political leadership is needed from the mayor.
"Firstly to decide what kind of public services he wants given the lack of money, and second to unite with the leaders of other core cities and say to Theresa May: give us the funding we need – or we risk failing our residents."
Bristol City Council jobs cut: Mayor has inherited 'huge financial challenge'
More on the job cuts at Bristol City Council.
Faced with a budget deficit of £29m, the authority has launched a scheme to allow staff to apply for "voluntary severance".
Staff and trade union officials were told the news a short time ago and legal processes have been put in place ahead of a formal consultation.
Elected mayor Marvin Rees said he had "inherited a huge financial challenge which is proving bigger than we knew even a month or two ago".
BreakingBristol City Council to shed 1,000 jobs
Bristol City Council says it expects to reduce its number of full-time roles by approximately 1,000 "to contribute towards closing a remaining budget gap of around £29m this year".
More to follow...
Rugby players help family achieve dream
A family from Shepton Mallet - whose youngest two children have a life-limiting condition - have achieved a dream they never thought possible.
The Copp family climbed Glastonbury Tor on Sunday - with sons William and Lewis in their wheelchairs - using the help of a local rugby club.
More cuts on the way at Bristol City Council
We'll bring you more as soon as we get it.
Pride brings a splash of colour to Swindon
Thousands of people turned up for the ninth annual Swindon and Wiltshire Pride festival on Saturday - a big celebration for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities in the county.The event started with a colourful parade through Swindon's Old Town, with an enormous rainbow ribbon being carried through the streets as the centrepiece of the march.
TRAVEL: M5 near Weston - all lanes open again following crash
£9m upgrade for roundabout - a year of roadworks
Work starts today to improve one of the busiest road junctions in Gloucestershire.
The Elmbridge Court roundabout in Gloucester is being given a £9m upgrade with work including widening the approach lanes and updating the traffic signals.
The improvements are expected to help relieve congestion and will be completed by September next year.
Queuing traffic northbound on the M5 near Weston-super-Mare
This was the scene on the M5 near J21, the Weston-super-Mare junction, a few moments ago.
We're told two lanes have been closed northbound after an earlier accident between Weston and Clevedon.
Highways England is advising drivers to allow extra time for their journey.
Cheltenham's Banksy: A timeline
A Banksy artwork painted on the side of a listed building in Cheltenham has been removed.
Its future has been a big talking point in the town since it appeared more than two years ago, as you'll see from this timeline...
From Rio to the rumba for Bristol's Claudia Fragapane
She's used to taking on the world's best at gymnastics but now Bristol's Claudia Fragapane is going up against heavyweights like Ed Balls, Will Young and Louise Redknapp for this year's Strictly Come Dancing.
The 18-year-old was revealed on Saturday night as the 11th celebrity to take part in this year's competition, after helping TeamGB to fifth in the women's team final at the Rio Olympics.
But she told BBC Radio Bristol she's more used to wearing flat-bottomed shoes than heels.
Making the headlines in your local newspapers
Bristol Post: Two-year-old girl fighting for life at Bristol Children's Hospital after being swept out to sea
Bath Chronicle:Bath boat comes loose from mooring and drifts down River Avon
Swindon Advertiser:Couple narrowly avoid being conned out of thousands
Gloucestershire Live: 'Her smile hid the darkest secret': mum pays tribute to Cheltenham hairdresser who died in Ibiza
What's making the news on your BBC local radio station
Radio Bristol: Has Rio 2016 inspired you to try something new? One place that's noticed a big increase in interest is the City of Bristol Gymnastics Centre in Hartcliffe.
BBC Somerset: A group of churches in Taunton have set up their own charity to sponsor a family of Syrian refugees to come and live in Somerset as part of a government-backed scheme.
BBC Gloucestershire: It was one of Cheltenham's modern landmarks, but over the weekend Banksy's Spy Booth mural disappeared.
BBC Wiltshire: Do you use a council-subsidised bus to get to work, college or school? If you live in Swindon you might have to consider a new way to travel by 2020.
Bristol nightclub assaults probed
Investigations are continuing in Bristol this morning after several assaults at nightclubs in the city over the weekend.
Three areas in the centre were cordoned-off after fighting broke out in the early hours of Sunday morning.
A man was assaulted at Pryzm nightclub on Cannons Road and four were attacked near Dojo on Park Row.
A car linked with the incident failed to stop for police and was later found on fire in Chelsea Park. Five people were arrested.
Moon pic on its way to the USA
A rare signed photo taken during the first moon landing in 1969 is on its way from Wiltshire to America.
The shot of the lunar module Eagle ascending from the moon's surface is one of only a few known to exist with the signatures of astronauts Neil Armstrong, "Buzz" Aldrin and Michael Collins.
It was sold for £5,200 at auction in Devizes at the weekend. The buyer was a space museum on the other side of the pond.
Has Cheltenham's Banksy gone for good?
A Banksy artwork painted on the side of a listed building in the town two years ago was removed over the weekend.
It's caused anger among locals, who had wanted to keep the Spy Booth mural - depicting 1950s-style spies "snooping" on a man in a phone box.
A pile of rubble is now all that remains of the piece that gained listed status last year after Cheltenham Borough Council granted it retrospective planning permission.