As it happened: West of England

The M5 is closed between J17 and J18 at Cribbs Causeway to enable the emergency services to work at a serious collision.

A diversion is in place. Southbound traffic should exit at J17 and follow the solid square symbol on local signs, taking the A4018.

Turn right at Canford on to the A4162 and continue to the junction with the A4. Turn right and head north on the A4 to Avonmouth and J18a of the M5.

Getting involved in your community can be as easy as smiling.

That's the message from community activists in East Bristol... and we love it!

Have a watch of the video below.

Avon and Somerset PoliceCopyright: Avon and Somerset Police

This adorable German short-haired pointer is the newest recruit at Avon and Somerset Police.

The puppy will be trained over the next year to become an explosives search detection dog.

He has been named Oz after army bomb disposal expert Olaf ‘Oz’ Schmid who died in Afghanistan in 2009.

Mr Schmid was posthumously awarded the George Cross in 2010 after disarming more than 70 Improvised Explosive Devices.

Celebrations have been held across the West of England today to toast the Queen's official 90th birthday.

This choir at Queen's Crescent School in Chippenham marked the day with a party in the playground.

After a day of heavy rain for some of us in the West Country, there's a glimmer of things improving over the next few days.

Here's Ian Fergusson with the weekend weather forecast.

Avon and Somerset ConstabularyCopyright: Avon and Somerset Constabulary

Child sex offender Mark Lester has been found guilty of more than 50 offences against children.

The 60-year-old, of Riverside Close, in Bridgwater, was found guilty of 51 offences including rape and sexual assault.

Here's the background to how he was caught:

• In January 2015 Lester is arrested after breaking into a house and threatening the two occupants with a knife, tying them up and sexually assaulting one

• He is convicted of two counts of false imprisonment and two counts of sexual assault in connection with this incident
• Lester is investigated for non-recent sexual crimes against children

• He is convicted of five counts of rape on a child and a further 42 counts of gross indecency on a child, sexual assault on a child, incitement to cause a child to commit sexual activity and making/taking indecent images of children

Lester is due to be sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on Friday 8 July.

BBCCopyright: BBC

A Wiltshire man has appeared at Bristol Crown Court today charged in connection with a tipper truck crash that killed four people in Bath.

Peter Wood, 55, of Brooklands, Chippenham is accused of unlawfully killing four-year-old Mitzi Steady, from Bath, Robert Parker, 59, from Cwmbran, Phil Allen, 52, and Stephen Vaughan, 34, both from Swansea.

They were all killed in the crash on Lansdown Lane on 9 February last year.

Two others, Philip Potter, 19, and Matthew Gordon, 29, have previously appeared in court charged in connection with the incident. 

During the hearing, Mr Wood did not enter a plea to the charge against him. 

The case has been adjourned to 1 July, when Mr Wood will appear alongside Mr Potter and Mr Gordon for a pre-trial hearing.

British Paralympic AssociationCopyright: British Paralympic Association

Sportswoman Issy Bailey will make her Paralympic Games debut after being selected on the Great Britain team for Rio 2016.

The 21-year-old shooter, from Cirencester, has made a rapid ascent through the ranks in recent years.

She was introduced to the sport as part of her rehabilitation after she was involved in a car accident in June 2013. 

Less than a year later she represented Great Britain for the first time at the IPC Shooting World Cup in Poland.

A Somerset man who loved Only Fools and Horses was given a Del Boy send-off when he was taken to his funeral in a replica yellow Reliant Regal.

Keith Drew, from Frome, who died in May aged 76, loved the BBC sitcom and once owned his own Reliant van.

Del Boy star David Jason sent a message of condolence to the family after Mr Drew's daughter contacted his agent.

An investigation by BBC Points West has discovered an increasing number of EU citizens are taking the citizenship test. 

Some have told the BBC this is so they can vote in General Elections and because they're worried what will happen if we leave the EU.

But how well do you think you know about the UK's history, culture and institutions? Here are some of the questions:

In case you don't fancy googling the answers as you go along, we'll post the answers later!

A West Country rowing duo will get the chance to defend their title at this summer's Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Helen Glover and Heather Stanning, who started their careers at the University of Bath, were today named in the squad who will represent Team GB in Brazil by the British Olympic Association.

They picked up gold back in 2012 and since then have remained unbeaten, winning two World and two European Championships.

BBCCopyright: BBC

Here's a selection of the stories making the headlines around the patch this evening:

Somerset Live: Somerset's obesity crisis: Over 4,500 admitted to hospital last year

Wiltshire Times: Euros 2016: Passports taken from 9 Wiltshire football fans

Gloucestershire Echo: The moment a law student stabbed a man on the Megabus

Bristol Post: Broadmead to undergo multi-million pound redevelopment

This heartwarming video shows the moment a Bristol woman heard her late husband's voice again - from her teddy bear.

Before Den Walters died of cancer 11 years ago he recorded a message to his wife Jean, which was transferred to the bear's voice box.

Mrs Walters, who has dementia, said it "broke her heart" when the device stopped working six weeks ago.

Her family made a social media appeal and the original developer managed to restore the voice.

The recording says, "I think you are the best girl in the world for me love Den," which is how he signed his letters to her when he was in the army.

She said: "Even though 11 years have gone by, it was like he never left me."

PACopyright: PA

Maternity services at Trowbridge Community Hospital have been postponed after legionella bacteria was found during a routine water test. 

The Great Western Hospitals Trust, which manages the building, says the bacteria which can cause a serious lung infection, has been found in a non-clinical area. 

They say the rest of the hospital is running as normal and patients who may be affected are being contacted.

Take a look at these colourful cars taking a spin along the runway at Filton Airfield today.

Around 20 different Bristols, ranging from the 1940s to the present decade took part in the drive past before the runway gets demolished and redeveloped.

Hampshire ConstabularyCopyright: Hampshire Constabulary

A man has been jailed for 16 months for crashing his Mercedes into a marquee, injuring 21 people.

Winchester Crown Court heard Peter Bialek was twice the drink-drive limit when he drove into a private ball - attended by 300 people - at a farm near Nether Wallop in Hampshire.

The 66-year-old, from Salisbury, admitted causing grievous bodily harm and furious driving and was banned from driving for two years.