Summary

  • News, sport, travel and weather updates for the West of England

  1. Dead boa constrictors dumpedpublished at 17:22 Greenwich Mean Time 9 January 2018

    Dead boa constrictor snakesImage source, RSPCA

    Two dead boa constrictor snakes have been found dumped near garages in Swindon.

    The reptiles, which the RSPCA said were underweight and in poor condition, were discovered in a plastic box in Pinehurst Road on Thursday.

    The animal welfare charity is appealing for information after vets said the animals may have suffered prior to their death.

    Also found in the box were a heat mat and bowl.

  2. 'Drugs and alcohol used to kill gran, 84'published at 17:03 Greenwich Mean Time 9 January 2018

    Betty Guy's daughter and grandson deny murder and claimed she died of natural causes.

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  3. Rail disruption: The latest from National Railpublished at 16:56 Greenwich Mean Time 9 January 2018

    Rail passengers queuing in Bristol Parkway station

    All rail lines between Bristol Temple Meads and Bristol Parkway have reopened and train services are running again, but disruption is expected to continue until 8.30pm according to National Rail, external.

    The problems are a result of signal cable having been stolen in the Filton Abbey Wood area.

    National Rail said the cable had been replaced, however trains may still be cancelled, delayed by up to 10 minutes or revised as the service recovers.

    "This process is slower than usual, as drivers are still required to seek verbal permission to pass some signals," the website said.

  4. Major rail disruption after cable theftpublished at 16:55 Greenwich Mean Time 9 January 2018

    National Rail said the disruption is likely to continue "until the end of the day".

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  5. Travel: M5 crash cleared near Avonmouthpublished at 16:53 Greenwich Mean Time 9 January 2018

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  6. Have your say on new political map of South Somersetpublished at 16:40 Greenwich Mean Time 9 January 2018

    Somerset mapImage source, LGBCE

    Residents of South Somerset are being asked to comment on draft proposals for new council ward boundaries.

    A ten-week public consultation on the recommendations begins today and will end on 19 March.

    The consultation, being led by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE), is open to anyone who wants to have their say on new council wards, ward boundaries and ward names across South Somerset.

    The full recommendations and detailed interactive maps are available on the commission’s website, external.

    Quote Message

    Our review aims to deliver electoral equality for local voters. This means that each councillor represents a similar number of people so that everyone’s vote in council elections is worth roughly the same regardless of where you live.

    Colin Mellors, Chair of the Commission

  7. Safari park gorilla dies aged 56published at 16:35 Greenwich Mean Time 9 January 2018

    Keepers at Longleat Safari Park say Nico was one of the oldest silverback gorillas in the world.

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  8. Knitted characters jazz up Bristol gardenpublished at 16:21 Greenwich Mean Time 9 January 2018

    bollardImage source, Ruth Britton

    Ruth Britton, the knitter who has been raising money for charity though her bollard covers, says she gets her inspiration for characters from friends.

    She said her favourite is the Yoda but she also loves the soldiers.

    SoldierImage source, Ruth Britton
    MargeImage source, Ruth Britton
  9. Travel: Crash on the M5 northbound near Avonmouthpublished at 16:19 Greenwich Mean Time 9 January 2018

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  10. Ex-footballer offers advice to Bristol City playerspublished at 15:28 Greenwich Mean Time 9 January 2018

    Media caption,

    The former Bristol City and Manchester City player offered his advice for the team.

    Former footballer Shaun Goater has some advice for his former club Bristol City as they prepare to play Manchester City tonight.

    Thousands of city fans are travelling north for the semi-final first leg of the league cup.

  11. Forest Green sign Notts County's Hollispublished at 15:16 Greenwich Mean Time 9 January 2018

    Centre-back Haydn Hollis leaves Notts County and signs for Forest Green Rovers on an 18-month deal.

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  12. England's elite await Bristol Citypublished at 14:48 Greenwich Mean Time 9 January 2018

    Tom Garry
    BBC Sport

    Raheem Sterling (centre)Image source, Getty Images

    Tonight, Bristol City aren't just playing in their first major semi-final since 1989 and their biggest match for nearly 10 years.

    On top of that, they're playing against the side widely described as the best in the country right now.

    Opponents Manchester City - the Premier League leaders - have world-class individuals throughout the club, from Champions League-winning manager Pep Guardiola to record goalscorer Sergio Aguero.

    Because of that rare chance to meet one of the best sides in Europe, in front of a global audience, and with a potential final at Wembley just 180 minutes away, Tuesday, 9 January is undoubtedly one of the most anticipated days in any Robins' fans' football life so far.

    A heavy defeat would be no disgrace, against such a formidable, in-form Manchester City side.

    But, as Bristol City head coach Lee Johnson has said, "the dream is still on".

  13. Travel: Rail lines reopen at Bristol Temple Meadspublished at 14:06 Greenwich Mean Time 9 January 2018

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  14. Major disruption leads to train delayspublished at 14:01 Greenwich Mean Time 9 January 2018

    A signal fault and cable theft leads to delays and cancellations on the railway in south Wales.

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  15. Sadness over Nico the gorilla's deathpublished at 13:35 Greenwich Mean Time 9 January 2018

    NicoImage source, Grant Osborne

    Longleat's visitors have been sharing their sadness over Nico the gorilla's death.

    Craig Hobbs, who took the photo below, said on Facebook that Nico was an "incredible animal" and that he felt lucky to have seen Nico the last time he visited.

    Sarah Edwards said it was "devastating news" to hear that Nico had died.

    "It speaks volumes about the care he received, for him to have had a long life in captivity," said another Facebook user.

    Nico gorillaImage source, Craig Hobbs Photography
    NicoImage source, Charlotte Hannah
  16. Train services severely disrupted after theft of signalling cablespublished at 13:02 Greenwich Mean Time 9 January 2018

    Media caption,

    Watch: Passengers queued at Bristol Temple Meads

    Train services have been severely disrupted after the theft of signalling cables from Filton Abbey Wood.

    CrossCountry and GWR services to and from Bristol Temple Meads, Parkway, Gloucester and Cardiff central were all affected and GWR is urging passengers not to travel unless it's completely necessary.

    Tickets will be honoured tomorrow to help travellers.

    It's believed new cabling has now been installed at Filton and testing is taking place, which would allow services to resume as normal.

  17. Highbridge Asda re-opens after package found to be 'not suspicious'published at 12:46 Greenwich Mean Time 9 January 2018

    Asda in Highbridge has re-opened to the public after police confirmed a package was "not suspicious and poses no harm".

    The store and car park were evacuated at 7:15am for a few hours.

    They said there was a "small, controlled explosion" to ensure the package was dealt with appropriately.

  18. New £11m hospital rejected by residentspublished at 12:38 Greenwich Mean Time 9 January 2018

    Gloucestershire Care Services NHS Trust's "preferred option" was to replace Lydney and Dilke, which are not "fit for purpose", with a new hospital.

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  19. Keen knitter raises money for charity by transforming boring bollardspublished at 12:13 Greenwich Mean Time 9 January 2018

    bollardImage source, Ruth Britton
    SimpsonImage source, Ruth Britton

    A keen knitter has been jazzing up the "boring" concrete bollards outside her home by creating covers for them and raising money for charity in the process.

    Ruth Britton, from Oldland Common, Bristol, said people started seeing the bollards and donating money without being asked.

    "We put them out to make people smile, not to make people pay up," she said.

    She has donated the money to Bristol Homeless.

    SantaImage source, Ruth Britton
  20. Train problems: New cable installed at Filton Abbey Woodpublished at 11:34 Greenwich Mean Time 9 January 2018

    The signalling has been fixed and Network Rail is hoping that operations will start again soon.

    Quote Message

    The new cable has been installed and the signalling in the area has been reset and final testing is taking place which is expected to take an hour. Once this is complete it is hoped services will resume.

    Network Rail spokesman