School staff tackled a young boy brandishing a large knife outside school gates, it has emerged.

The footage of the child outside Downend School near Bristol was shared by parents with the BBC.

The school did not respond to a request for comment but a letter to parents from headteacher Lisa Howell has been seen by the BBC.

The letter says: "A knife was secured by duty staff, the police were called and the knife and the details of the incident have been passed to investigating officers who assure us that appropriate and robust action is being taken."

The headteacher said the boy carrying the knife "has no connection with the school and we expect no further issues".

The school is now bringing forward lessons on knife crime and has asked police to run an "extended clinic" on the issue.

A woman was racially abused by another passenger on a Bristol bus in a "disgraceful and unacceptable" incident, police have said.

The 53-year-old woman was subjected to the verbal attack by a female passenger on the X39A First Bus service at about 16:00 GMT on 14 November.

Police said the bus driver "ejected the offender" at Temple Meads.

They asked for a man who told other passengers he had filmed the incident on his mobile phone to contact them.

PC Megan Emery, from Avon and Somerset Police, said the incident, which is being investigated as a hate crime, was not reported until 26 November.

She said the suspect was a white woman, aged between 45 and 50, with brown hair worn in a ponytail and wearing a long skirt, Ugg boots and a cream jumper.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Image source, PA

Plans for a 2,000-home garden village in the green belt on the edge of Bradley Stoke would set a dangerous precedent, opponents have warned.

Ward councillors John Ashe and Roger Avenin have launched a petition against the proposals for Woodlands Golf and Country Club, which were put forward by South West Strategic Developments (SWSD).

The signatures will be submitted to South Gloucestershire Council, which has also opposed the site’s inclusion in the West of England joint spatial plan – the regional strategy for the next 20 years.

The councillors oppose the site being built out with 2,000 homes, a primary school and a local centre, although more recent proposals are to build 500 homes and retain one of the 18-hole golf courses.

SWSD says its plans will be "highly accessible and sustainable" and it will work positively with the community and council to bring the development forward.

A little girl from Swindon who was catapulted into fame when she starred in an Oscar-winning short film will be at Downing Street this evening.

Maisie Sly, star of The Silent Child, will be attending the Christmas lights switch-on where she will also meet Prime Minister Theresa May.

Maisie has also been nominated for the Points of Light award which recognizes outstanding work in the community.

Image source, Getty Images

Police say the search of a house has been completed in connection with the arrest of a 21-year-old man from Bath on suspicion of terrorism offences.

The man was arrested on suspicion of possessing material useful to someone preparing an act of terrorism and conspiracy to inspire racial or religious hatred.

A 17-year-old man from London and an 18-year-old man from Portsmouth were also arrested.

Ch Insp Steve Kendall, area commander for Bath and North East Somerset, said: "I'd like to reassure people there was no immediate threat to the public when the arrest took place this morning."

• Police arrest three men on suspicion of terror offences

Passenger Margaret Cryer, 75, of Dorset was killed and her driver was severely injured.

Image source, Gloucestershire Constabulary

A police van was rammed off the road and ended up in a ditch in Gloucestershire.

Police said the van was on Stoke Road near Bishop's Cleeve at about 14:30 GMT on 30 November.

Officers said a small white van - possibly a Renault Kangoo, a Peugeot or a Citroen - "ran it off the road".

Gloucestershire Police said neither of the officers in the vehicle were injured but "it could have been far worse".

Any witnesses or any drivers with dashcam footage are asked to contact police on 101.

A trust is accused of trying to "obtain mental health services on the cheap" by making changes.

Image source, Google

Somerset has been highlighted as having one of the highest rate of drownings linked to alcohol among people aged 17-29, according to the Royal Life Saving Society

The water safety charity, external is working with firefighters in Taunton to spread the message prompted by the death of a barman from Mambo nightclub in December 2013.

Volunteers will be offering advice to clubbers in Mambo and posters will highlight the danger of walking near water while under the influence of alcohol.

Image source, PA

The company which the Electoral Commission suspects may have been behind Britain's biggest political donation has no registered address - meaning it has failed to fulfil a key legal requirement - the BBC has found.

Rock Holdings is a firm registered in the Isle of Man and controlled by Leave.EU founder, Bristol-based Arron Banks.

The Electoral Commission's ongoing investigation of Leave.EU funds was referred to the National Crime Agency.

Mr Banks denies any wrongdoing.

• Read the full story here

The investigation relates to alleged extreme right-wing activity in the UK.

A councillor has questioned what other council-owned buildings could be at risk after torrential rain poured in through the roof of a school library in Bristol and destroyed hundreds of books.

Councillor Ian Boulton claimed the repairs needed at Christ Church Junior School in Downend had been known about for years and warned there could be a “huge” liability on South Gloucestershire Council.

It is funding emergency work to the library roof and will help the school with a long-term solution, which could cost £40,000.

School leaders hope to raise more than £10,000 for internal repairs and to replace the lost books.

• Leaking roof at Christ Church in Bristol caused damage to books
• BBC Two School documentary

Speaking at Monday’s cabinet meeting, Mr Boulton said: “We’ve known about this problem for the last few years so it’s right that we support them know through this crisis financially – but a stitch in time saves nine.

“I wonder whether there are other buildings in the council’s estate we know are in the same situation, and whether this should be in the risk register.

“I’m sure many of us watched the episode of [BBC documentary] School this week.

We saw Lou Davies up at the Castle School talk of the premises up there with the holes in the wall that are patched up with cardboard.

“This must be happening elsewhere in our school estate. Does this need to be in our risk register?

“If they’re not going to get insurance payouts there must be a huge liability to us if this is replicated elsewhere.”

Council leader Toby Young said academies like Castle School get their funding from the government so the authority did not have a role.

He said the administration set aside significant funding in this year’s budget and will review the maintenance issues associated with its local authority-maintained schools and will be factored into the budget for 2019/20.

Police investigating extreme right wing activity in the UK have made three arrests.

They arrested a 21-year-old man from Bath, a 17-year-old man from London, and an 18-year-old man from Portsmouth.

The 21-year-old was arrested on suspicion of possessing material useful to someone preparing an act of terrorism and conspiracy to inspire racial or religious hatred.

The 17-year-old was arrested on suspicion of encouraging terrorism, dissemination of terrorist publications, and conspiracy to inspire racial or religious hatred.

The 18-year-old was arrested on suspicion of encouraging terrorism and dissemination of terrorist publications.

Searches are ongoing at properties in Bath, London, Portsmouth and Leeds.

The arrests were made by officer from the North East Counter Terrorism Unit.

It is understood the investigation relates to activity by a neo-Nazi group called the Sonnenkrieg Division.

The police said the arrests were pre-planned and not in response to the BBC story yesterday about Sonnenkrieg.

Image source, Google

The preferred route for widening the A358 in Somerset will be made public in the Spring, Highways England has said.

Earlier this year, the organisation held a number of public consultations about its ideas on how the route could be dualled from the Southfields roundabout into Taunton.

The project is part of the government's wider plans to dual the A303 from London into the south west.

More public consultations are set to held in the new year about this preferred option as part of the design process.

Image source, PA

A Bristol property owner has been fined £18,000 for failing to get rid of an invasive weed on his property.

MB Estate Limited was served with a community protection notice in May 2017 due to the weed growing on a property along Ash Road, Horfield.

As the owners did not take action the firm was taken to court for breaching the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.

The company now has to comply with a court order to detail how it will deal with the issue within 30 days.

Highways England will donate £500,000 to help a fundraising bid to restore the Wellington Monument.

The worms are scheduled to arrive at the International Space Station (ISS) on Saturday morning.

Paul Barltrop
Political Editor, West of England

Cuts to jobs and services are being proposed by Swindon Borough Council.

The Conservative cabinet is meeting this evening to discuss next year’s budget.

Government funding for all the West’s councils is continuing to fall.

Political Editor for the region, Paul Barltrop, said: "It's like a perfect storm - the West's councils have seen demand for social services rising - even as their funding from central government goes down.

"In Swindon they're been discussing gloomy proposals for next year including cuts in many departments and 150 jobs going.

"They've already shut all the children's centres and most libraries have been handed over to others to run.

"There'll be more pain ahead. This latest round of cuts will still leave Swindon with £5m of savings to find."