As it happened: West of England

1. News, sport, weather and travel updates from across the West of England on Thursday, 27 July 2017

Goodnight from us

Watch: Ian Fergusson says it should be mostly dry tomorrow morning

Thanks for being with us today - stories have included:

• How Avon Fire and Rescue is re-organising following a critical government report
• The 35th WOMAD festival opening
• One little girl raising money for the Grenfell Tower fire victims

We'll be back online from 7am tomorrow with more live news, sport, weather and travel updates for the West of England.

Womad music and arts festival kicks off

Watch: BBC Points West's Will Glennon reported from the festival

Thousands of music and dance fans are heading to Wiltshire as this year's Womad festival kicks off.

Womad is short for World of Music, Arts and Dance.

It's Wiltshire's biggest music festival and is now 35 years old.

Tech could lead to ticketless rail travel

Watch: The project works by creating 3D images of faces

Technology being developed in Bristol could mean an end to crowded ticket barriers in stations.

Cameras create a 3D image of someone's face which is then matched to a database.

The technology will be tested for the first time on the London Underground later this year.

Can you work out where our police helicopter has been?

Graffiti film screening ends with Q&A

The premier of a documentary about the Bristol graffiti scene has ended with a Q&A with producers and those who appear in the programme.

The panel discussed the legality of the murals and how to encourage artists without it venturing into the criminal realm.

Arriva Traincare 'disappointed' over strike action

Getty Images

Arriva Traincare has reacted with disappointment over plans for further strike action.

The firm, which has a base at Bristol's Barton Hill railway depot, said it would put "robust contingency plans" in place to deal with the impact of the strike, set to take place on the 18th August.

Arriva TrainCare are disappointed in the RMT's continuation of an industrial dispute over a pay claim that was settled a couple of months ago with the company's recognised trade union Unite. The accepted pay deal was awarded to all staff in May, backdated to January 2017, and there is therefore no actual pay dispute and therefore no grounds for strike action. That said, Arriva TrainCare management and staff are determined to put in place robust contingency plans to ensure our customers are not impacted by this unnecessary strike action.

Arriva Trains spokesperson

Machines moving in to destroy viaduct

The Stapleton Road viaduct in Bristol is being demolished this weekend with a new structure being erected in its place.

For more information on the works, visit the Network Rail website by clickiing here.

Dancing wheelchair helping students with movement

Watch: See the wheelchair being used

Technology is used for all sorts of things these days - but how about helping disabled adults to dance.

Students at the National Star College, near Cheltenham, have been working with Remap Gloucestershire, a charity which helps disabled people live more independent lives.

The result is possibly the UK's first dancing wheelchair.

Call for clarity over future leadership of criticised fire authority

Watch: Sue Mountstevens, police and crime commisioner, says she has been asked to join the leadership

There has been a call for clarity over the future leadership of Avon Fire and Rescue Service after a government report which heavily criticised the organisation.

Earlier today more than 60 recommendations were debated and passed by those at an authority meeting to improve the running of the service.

One recommendation was rejected - to explore whether governance should be handed to Avon and Somerset's Police and Crime Commissioner.

However, yesterday Sue Mountstevens and the leaders of four local councils said they intended to form a new and reduced size authority.

In the light of the announcement yesterday by the Police and Crime Commissioner and the leaders of the four unitary authorities there was a great deal of debate about the future constitution of the Fire Authority and how that can best serve local people. We need more clarity on that proposal as this came as a surprise to the Authority.

Cllr Donald DaviesChair of Avon Fire Authority

Guard honoured with train namesake

Watch: South West Trains honour guard with train named after him

A train has been named in honour of a South West Trains guard who died just before Christmas.

It's believed to be the first time a train has been named after a guard after colleagues wanted to pay tribute to Dave Gunson, from Tidworth in Wiltshire.

Mr Gunson, a father of three and grandfather of nine, died aged 65 after being hit by a car as her cycled to work.

The train was unveiled at a ceremony in Woking, attended by Mr Gunson's wife of 35 years, Chrystine, who said Mr Gunson had never held a driving licence and cycled everywhere.

Graffiti documentary given special screening

A special BBC1 documentary had its premiere at Bristol's Arnolfini tonight.

Vandals and Visionaries explores Bristol's graffiti arts scene, which gave birth to world-famous artists like Banksy.

It is being shown on BBC1 in the West tomorrow at 7:30pm.

BBC Radio Bristol are tweeting from the premiere:

Battle of Passchendaele remembered

Watch: Carol Peace's grandfather Bill fought in the battle

On the 31st July 1917, the Battle of Passchendaele began.

It was one of the bloodiest battles in the First World War with around 325 Allied soldiers, and 260,000 German soldiers, dying.

Poor weather made the battleground so muddy that some soldiers and horses drowned in the water.

The battle saw British forces gain just five miles of land.

Carol Pearce's grandfather - who emigrated from Avonmouth to Canada - was one of those who fought in that famous battle.

Vulnerable mother left 'traumatised'

BBC

A vulnerable mother, whose baby was removed from her unlawfully last month, has said she was traumatised and distressed by it.

She told the BBC the whole incident had been "incredibly traumatic and distressing" and that she hoped no other family has to suffer in the way she and her child has.

The child, who can't be named for legal reasons, was taken into foster care in Gloucestershire while on a supervised visit with its father.

A judge ruled the parents should have been given 14 days notice, and "serious errors" were made by Gloucestershire County Council.

The council has apologised unreservedly and says it has now updated its policies.

BBC Points West: The headlines

BBC

BBC Points West's 6.30pm programme is now live.

Here's its three top stories:

• An attempt to rescue Avon Fire Brigade from it's own internal problems has ended in stalemate today
• A motorist has been jailed after driving off with another man on the bonnet of his car
• It has emerged that a fortnight before a highly critical report into children's services in Gloucestershire was published, the department unlawfully took a child away from its mother

Watch the programme live on the BBC iPlayer, or afterwards by clicking here.

Baby removed from mother 'unlawfully'

BBC

A baby was removed from its vulnerable mother unlawfully, a judge has ruled.

The child, who can't be named for legal reasons, was taken into foster care in Gloucestershire last month while on a supervised visit with its father.

The parents should have been given 14 days notice and "serious errors" were made by the local authority, a family court ruled.

Gloucestershire County Council has apologised and said it had now updated its policies.

Transgender former RAF pilot praises Trump response

MOD

A transgender woman who flew search and rescue helicopters in the RAF has praised the British military response to Donald Trump's proposed ban on transgender soldiers in the US.

Anya Holdom, 36, was born in Somerset and said her colleagues supported her when she began the transition in 2010.

Rear Admiral Alex Burton was one of those who criticised Donald Trump on Twitter.

I've heard senior leadership talking before proudly about diversity and the need for diversity. I have heard that before, so I knew already that we had their support. But to do so publicly and in such quick defence like they did yesterday was actually very special. It would have been easy for them to say 'well you know that we support you' and leave it at that.

Ayla HoldomFormer RAF pilot

Upfest preparations begin

Bristol's North Street will be transformed this weekend as graffiti artists and crowds visit for this year's Upfest.

Here's a work in progress shot from the Tobacco Factory on North Street. We can't wait to see what it will become!

Plaster

The annual event celebrates graffiti art with artists from around the world using various large buildings as their respective canvases.

Click here to visit the Upfest website.

Man shown clinging to car bonnet in dashcam footage

Watch: Dashcam footage courtesy of Gloucestershire Police

A motorist has been jailed after he was filmed driving off with another man clinging to the bonnet of his car.

Michael Seale, 29, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and was banned from driving for 18 months, after the incident involving another driver, Radomir Seredynski, in Barton Street, Gloucester.

Gloucestershire Constabulary

The court heard Mr Sarodynski was driven 160m along the street on the bonnet before Seale (pictured) finally stopped and let him jump off.

Mr Sarodynski had been trying to exchange insurance details with Seale.

Rail maintenance workers to stage another strike

BBC

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union at Arriva Traincare are set to go on strike from the 18th August for 24 hours.

It comes as part of a continuing dispute over pay and conditions.

Mick Cash, the general secretary of the RMT, said another strike had been called because Arriva Traincare "did not table any improvements to their original pay offer".

The firm has a base at Bristol's Barton Hill railway depot.

In order to force the company to start treating our members with the respect and dignity they deserve, we have decided to call further industrial action.

Mick CashRMT General Secretary

50,000-year-old animal bones found in cave

Watch: A university team is excavating the site

Thousands of years ago, bears, hyena and reindeer roamed through Somerset.

Thankfully today's wildlife isn't as wild.

Evidence of those historical animals is being uncovered at a dig in a cave at Ebbor Gorge, near Wells.

The team of archaeologists, paleontologists and geologists is hoping to use the preserved animal bones to help understand how our climate changed and why some animals survived while others died out.