Fire damages thatched homes

A terrace of thatched houses in south Somerset has been severely damaged by fire.

One person, believed to have been watching the fire, had to be treated for breathing smoke.

One house that was having its roof re-thatched has been declared unsafe.

Eight crews fought the fire, which broke out on Tuesday.

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Knitters make jumpers for penguins

People in Gloucestershire have begun knitting jumpers for penguins.

They are to be sent to Tasmania, for birds that have been damaged in an oil slick.

The oil means they cannot withstand the cold - and they are poisoning themselves trying to pluck it off with their beaks.

More than 140 people have contacted BBC Radio Gloucestershire asking for penguin knitting patterns.

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Babies die through poverty

Sixteen infants die each year in the Bristol area as a result of poverty, according to a new study.

A report from Avon Health Authority's Director of Public Health says babies from deprived homes are twice as likely to die in infancy than children from better-off families.

Figures showed 56 infants died in the area in 1999.

The death rate in deprived areas was 7.9 per 1,000, compared with around four per 1,000 in affluent areas.

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'Farmers should grow cannabis'

The National Farmers Union in the South West says farmers should grow cannabis if the government decides to legalise the drug.

Currently about 40 acres of land in west Cornwall are being used in an experiment for growing non-narcotic hemp.

The NFU says cannabis, which belongs to the same family as hemp, would grow very quickly in South West soil, and it would also enable farmers to diversify.

A man was jailed this month for his role in setting up the largest cannabis production unit ever found by the National Crime Squad, at a shooting range in Chacewater, Cornwall.

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Work starts on flood defence

Work is due to start this month on a £5m flood relief scheme to protect up to 500 homes in Bideford, north Devon.

Last week residents had a narrow escape when high winds combined with a high tide of nearly seven metres on the River Torridge.

The work - due to be completed by November next year - involves raising the quayside.

It is being planned so that cargo vessels, fishing trawlers and the Lundy island ferry can continue to use the port.

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Bride wins visa for wedding

A Somerset man's wedding is back on after being delayed when his bride was deported.

Paul Burrows, of Bridgwater, met Jelena Sokolova last December.

But just days before they were due to marry in the summer, she was forced to return home to Estonia.

Now she has been granted a visa to return, and the ceremony is to go ahead as soon as possible.