As it happened: West of England

Patients with life and death illnesses are being forced to wait a long time for an ambulance because the emergency vehicles are queuing outside hospitals waiting to offload casualties. 

The crisis in the ambulance service - revealed today by the BBC - means West country crews spend about the equivalent of 400 days a year waiting outside A&E, instead of responding to other 999 calls. 

We've been asking for your experiences of waiting for ambulances in the West and one of the people who got in touch was Tony Waite whose wife Vanessa became unconscious at their home - her ambulance didn't arrive for an hour. 

But John Packwood, who thought his wife was having a heart attack, has nothing but praise for the service. He said the ambulance arrived in ten minutes.

South Western Ambulance Service says it has changed the way it assesses patients which means that paramedics go to the most critical cases first.

A jewellery designer is catching the attention of some of the biggest stars on the planet. 

Lisa-Marie Carter was named Entrepreneur of the Year at last year's Rise awards in Bristol, which shine a light on successful individuals from the city's black community.

Twelve months on she's just launched her new range at London Fashion week.

The St Pauls Carnival could be set to return to Bristol's streets next year. 

The event was suspended this summer after the city council and the Arts Council withheld a £140,000 grant after losing faith in the organisation behind the event. 

A new Community Interest Company is now being set up to manage future events.

A decision is expected to be made next week as to whether the funding will be reinstated. 

Do you remember going to the Palladium in Swindon? 

It was built in 1927 and has had many uses since then, including as a cinema. 

Now a local group called The Bohemian Balcony is crowdfunding a project to turn it into a new arts venue.  

A Somerset-based hedgehog rescue trust says demand for its services is on the rise.

Prickles Hedgehog Rescue in Cheddar says the warm autumn and current cold weather is to blame for the number of youngsters needing its support.

Hoglets born late in the season often aren't big enough to survive the winter, those that have been taken in by the centre will be released back into the wild next summer.

Earlier this week a rescue centre in Cricklade, Wiltshire, said it had received almost 150 young hedgehogs. 

Family photoCopyright: Family photo

A 71-year-old man who was killed while crossing the A36 between Crockerton and Heytesbury has been named by police.

Michael Benjamin Curley was struck by a Mercedes car late on Sunday. He died at the scene.

The car driver sustained minor injuries.

Wiltshire Police is appealing for any witnesses to contact them.

Young gay and transgender people fear a group which supports them could close after losing its council contract.

2BU Somerset was set up in 2003 to help young LGBT people deal with issues like loneliness and depression.

Service user Fraser Amos said: "I have friends with mental health problems who would be dead if it wasn't for 2BU."

Somerset County Council said it is examining how best to support vulnerable children when the contract ends next year.

More on this story.

BBCCopyright: BBC

Organisers of a Vintage Air Rally across Africa say a 71-year-old pilot from Somerset is no longer part of the event. 

Maurice Kirk sparked a search operation last week when he vanished crossing into Ethiopia. 

He later rejoined the group, but it's believed organisers asked him to leave the rally in a dispute over his navigation equipment.

BBCCopyright: BBC

Cash-strapped Bristol City Council is extending its spending freeze as it attempts to combat a multi-million pound hole in its finances. 

Budgets for the upkeep of roads, buildings and parks will all be hit as it prepares for the five-year £92m financial gap from next April. 

It partially blames the soaring cost of providing social care services on its plight. 

Non-essential maintenance of council property will be suspended and there'll also be a freeze on recruitment and a review of all goods and services the council buys in.

A hundred jobs at Imperial Tobacco's HQ in Bristol are under threat as a result of restructuring plans, the company has confirmed. 

A spokesman for the company said: “We are talking to our employees about a number of proposed restructuring projects as part of our new phase of cost optimisation. 

“These projects include the potential disposal of our factory and research laboratory in France, the closure of a factory in Russia and structural changes in Bristol head office. This will result in the potential loss of several hundred of the 34,000 roles we currently have across our global operations.

“Potential job losses are always extremely regrettable and we will ensure that anybody affected is treated fairly.

“These are difficult but necessary steps for us to take to strengthen our competitiveness and sustainability.

“Consultations with unions and works councils are ongoing and we are therefore unable to make any further comment.”

Cameraman Mark Leach has been capturing some of the best frozen scenes in Frampton on Severn, Gloucestershire today.

Many people woke up to a frosty start as parts of the West dipped down to -7C.

Frost will form again overnight and the thermometer will again dip into minus figures, although it won't be quite as cold as last night.

The Brailsford brothers have been putting on a Christmas lights display in aid of charity for more than 20 years.

It started in 1994 after one of them bought a decoration in the Boxing Day sales and it grew from there.

They're raising money for Bristol Children's Hospital's Wallace and Gromit's Grand Appeal.

If you want to see the lights head for Trevisa Grove, Brentry, Bristol, BS10 6QU.

PACopyright: PA

Evidence against a former doctor accused of child sex offences is "unreliable", a court has heard.

Michael Salmon, 81, from Salisbury, is accused of 26 offences alleged to have taken place at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in the 1970s and 1980s.

His defence told Reading Crown Court a number of complainants' accounts were inconsistent and some may have "misremembered" events.

Mr Salmon, a former consultant paediatrician, denies all the charges.

Read more here.

A 92-year-old veteran of the D-Day landings has been presented with the highest French honour at a ceremony in Bristol.

Alan Griffiths from Congresbury was a radar operator during the Normandy landings and his station, supported the RAF, tracked German planes. 

He hopes his Légion d'honneur will help people understand more about the World War Two.