As Christmas approaches, railway companies are urging travellers to check ahead to avoid unnecessary delays to their journey.

Engineering work is often planned during the Christmas break when fewer people are travelling.

Passengers from the West are being warned of severe disruption to trains in to and out of London.

Paddington will be closed for four days from Christmas Eve although a reduced service will run in to and out of London Marylebone.

A family in Bristol whose life was transformed by the programme DIY SOS have received some good news today.

Dave and Rachel Pollard have been visiting their son Ryan in hospital in Gloucester every day for five years - but this afternoon he was finally able to come home.

We'll be bringing you more on his return home later.

Twenty drug dealers have been sentenced following one of the biggest operations ever undertaken by Wiltshire Police to target the supply of class A drugs.

More than 100 officers were involved in multiple early morning raids in the Salisbury area in July.

Half of those charged have been sent to prison for their role in the network of dealers who often targeted vulnerable people.

The other 10 people were given suspended prison sentences.

A further three people are yet to be sentenced.

Image source, Peter Webb

More than 100 knitted characters have been strung to a bridge in Wiltshire to raise money for a Wiltshire charity.

The bridge sits between the villages of Dauntsey and Great Somerford.

It's taken Lesley Webb, her friends and members of the North Wilts Chicks With Sticks knitting group seven years to make them all.

The money will go towards Doorway Wiltshire, external, a drop-in charity helping homeless people.

Image source, Peter Webb

A tweet posted on Philip Winter's account used offensive language about black people.

Image source, PA

A potential £3.3m in extra funding for policing Gloucestershire has been announced by the Home Office – but taxpayers will have to pay towards that.

Police and Crime Commissioners (PCC) are to be given the power to raise council tax by up to £12 per household a year.

Tap here to read more about the national picture.

Gloucestershire PCC Martin Surl says he will now consider his options.

Image source, Google

Journalists at the Swindon Advertiser newspaper are to go on strike for two days in January over pay.

The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) said the strike action was in response to "low and unfair" pay at the daily title which is owned by the Newsquest group.

In response, Newsquest said it was "disappointed" and said the NUJ was "not in touch with the real world and oblivious to the huge pressures on the economics of local newspapers".

The strike is due to take place on the 2nd and 3rd January.

The rugby club has said, after reviewing evidence, it "stands by the pair unreservedly".

Chief executive Stephen Vaughan confirmed an "incident" did take place but said he was "completely satisfied" it had been instigated by others.

He added the club "takes any allegations extremely seriously" and "we have conducted a full investigation in to this matter".

Wales wing Aled Brew signs a new undisclosed-length extended contract with Premiership club Bath.

Gloucester Rugby says it has reviewed evidence and stands by Johan and Ruan Ackermann "unreservedly".

Image source, St. Andrew's Church

A former telephone box in Backwell. Somerset, is being used to house a Christmas nativity installation.

Within the phone box are three scenes related to the Christmas story representing themes of joy, peace, love and hope.

The work was created by members of Andy’s Café Church and St Andrew’s junior church in Backwell.

Image source, St. Andrew's Church

Syvil Morris raped and assaulted his victim after meeting her at a swingers' club in Bristol.

Wiltshire Police say they're determined to rid the county of the damage caused by drivers who drink or take drugs before getting behind the wheel.

That means another Christmas Drink and Drug Drive campaign is under way.

Over the next fortnight officers will be carrying out targeted checks on anyone they think may be unfit to drive.

You are likely to see uniformed officers running temporary checkpoints on many of our major roads, and unmarked police cars will be patrolling throughout the county.

A fault on a steam train has led to delays on services between Salisbury and Exeter St Davids.

Services running between these stations may be cancelled, delayed by up to 40 minutes or revised and disruption is expected until 17:00 GMT.

Police are seeking the family of a man who died as a result of a house fire in Gloucestershire.

David Russell was rescued from the property on Kemble Drive in Cirencester at about 07:00 GMT on 8 December.

CPR was administered, but he later died.

Bristol City boss Lee Johnson has a "£450 bottle of wine" ready for the visit of Manchester United's Jose Mourinho in the Carabao Cup.

BBC News understands that the Home Office is to announce extra funding for the police in England and Wales for the next financial year - which could amount to an additional £450 million.

Local police and crime commissioners are to be given the power to raise the portion of the council tax which goes towards policing by £12 per household per year.

This would raise an extra £270 million. But council tax payers would have to pay.

In addition, the Home Office will pay an extra £130 million for national police priorities - such as firearms and forensics.

Avon and Somerset will increase funding by £8 million pounds next year from £273.7m to £281.8m - an increase of 2.92%.

Previously, the chief constable and Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) of Avon and Somerset Police, Sue Mountstevens, previously said that Avon and Somerset police force were at "tipping point" after years of funding cuts.

A UKIP councillor suspended by his party over a racist comment, that appeared on his Twitter account, has been cleared of breaching his council's code of conduct.

Philip Winter, of Almondsbury Parish Council, claimed the account displaying his political title had been hacked when the tweet appeared in February.

Following an investigation, South Gloucestershire Council said, even if Mr Winter sent the tweet, he had not been acting in his official capacity.

Image source, Twitter

Image source, Getty

• Weston, Worle & Somerset Mercury: Villagers ‘ignored’ over 3,000-home plan for North Somerset, external
• SomersetLive:Police say death of man found at Yeovil Ninesprings is not suspicious, external
• Wiltshire Gazette & Herald:Dirty memorial is disrespectful, external
• Stroud News & Journal:Longney Primary School gets festive, external with Christmas carols around the campfire

A BBC News report on 19th December 2002 about fare increases came from Bristol Temple Meads railway station.

Back then, rail passengers reacted angrily to the news that fares were going up in the new year by more than the rate of inflation.

They said the service has got to improve before prices are increased. Seems times never change....