As it happened: West of England

People in Bath have been among the first in the country to get their hands on the new pound coin. 

The twelve sided coin came into circulation today and the city was one of the few places to receive them on launch day. 

80 thousand were released in Bath and were immediately snapped up by people who wanted to keep them as collectors' items.

A quiet corner of South Bristol has been transformed into a massive building site for the latest project from the BBC's DIY SOS.

The team are working around the clock to transform a house in Hartcliffe so Ryan Pollard can return home. 

The 24 year old collapsed after an operation five years ago and has lived in a care home in Gloucester ever since. 

Presenter Nick Knowles says the whole community had come together to help.  

Two sets of average speed cameras are now on the M32 in Bristol. 

One of them is for Highways England, which is working to replace a faulty central reservation barrier at Junction 2. 

The second set is run by Metrobus, to monitor speeds around the new bus lane which is under construction. 

Highways England hopes to introduce a graduated speed limit on the M32, starting at 30mph which will make it among one of the slowest motorways in the country. 

Gloucester director of rugby David Humphreys says the search for a new head coach is still ongoing, but he's hoping to have a new man in place within the next few days.

It follows the departure of Laurie Fisher earlier this month.

Humphreys also revealed that Andrew Symons has had surgery on his broken ankle, but could still play again this season.

One of the UK's tallest electricity pylons has been scaled to replace vital parts last touched almost 50 years ago. 

The pylon - one of two spanning the river Severn - carries cables buzzing with 275,000 volts.

The 500ft towers were built in 1958 and are part of the Aust Severn Power Line which feeds electricity to the South West and Wales.

Upgrade work will see new insulators put on the pylon arms which carry the weight of the power lines over the one-mile crossing.

The wife of Alexander Blackman has been hailed a "heroine" for her campaign for justice for him

Lord Ashdown, a former Royal Marine and MP for Yeovil, says she stood by her man and he welcomes the decision today for the relief it gives to her and her family.

Alexander Blackman has had  his sentence for killing a Taliban insurgent reduced to seven years .

Five judges at the Court Martial Appeal Court in London passed the sentence after changing his conviction from murder to manslaughter two weeks ago.

As he has already served three years in prison, he could be freed within weeks. He was serving a minimum term of eight years. 

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An outdoor education centre for children has been given permission to be a wedding venue at weekends.

The Wilderness Centre in the Forest of Dean offers residential escapes for young people Monday to Friday.

Now it has been given a license to operate 12 weddings per year to help it fund more renovation works.

The centre reopened in 2015 - under private ownership - four years after it was shut by Gloucestershire County Council because of budget cuts.  

Wiltshire PoliceCopyright: Wiltshire Police

Three men have appeared in court charged with slavery and drugs offences after a cannabis farm was discovered in a disused nuclear bunker near Salisbury. 

Martin Fillery, 45, from Bridgwater, Plamen Nguyen, 27, and Ross Winter, 30, both from Bristol, appeared at Salisbury Crown Court today. All three were remanded in custody. 

They are due to stand trial at the same court later this year.

Three video clips of an Afghan insurgent being killed by former Royal Marine Alexander Blackman have not been released to the media because of risks they could become propaganda, judges say. 

Blackman, 42, from Taunton in Somerset - known as Marine A - has been sentenced to seven years for  diminished responsibility manslaughter following the recent quashing of his murder conviction .

The clips were recorded by another marine on his helmet-mounted camera. Appeal judges said the footage would "significantly endanger" a large number of people.

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The Ministry of Defence argued that, if they were made public, any broadcast would be recorded by terrorist organisations and used as propaganda to radicalise others.

The judges, headed by Lord Chief Justice Lord Thomas, agreed, saying: "Releasing it would therefore present a real threat to life, the members of the armed forces and the wider British public, and to British interests overseas."

Police say answers to an unsolved murder exactly 30 years ago "may lie in the local community". 

The body of 66-year-old Helen Fleet was found in woodland near Weston-super-Mare in 1987. 

No one has ever been charged with her murder. 

This is how the murder was reported on BBC Points West at the time.  

Fire crews have rescued a dog that got itself into a tight spot in Wiltshire.

The dog became trapped in a gap between two buildings in Wood Street in Royal Wootton Bassett.

It's now being looked after by the RSPCA.

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We've been telling you about an upgrade to a busy road in Somerset.

The government has unveiled plans to build a new bypass around Stoke St Mary and Shoreditch and to make the A358 a dual carriageway as far as the A303.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said the road was a "key route" between the South West and London and provided a "vital link" to Somerset communities. 

Quote Message: The upgraded route is long overdue. from Chris Grayling Transport Secretary

The upgraded route is long overdue.

"A dual carriageway will help existing businesses thrive and create opportunities for new companies as well as boosting tourism. 

“The upgraded route is long overdue, but we are now taking action to cut congestion on the A358 to give motorists quicker, safer and more reliable journeys.”

Avon & Somerset PoliceCopyright: Avon & Somerset Police

A couple who inflicted "horrendous injuries" on a 10-week-old baby have been jailed at Bristol Crown Court. 

Rowan Spodris, 25, and David Andrew Toye, 32, of Lawrence Weston, both admitted a charge of child cruelty after the baby boy was found to have suffered 15 fractures to his body.  

false R ead the full story .

Claire Blackman, the wife of Alexander Blackman, who's had his sentence for killing a Taliban insurgent reduced to seven years , says she is "overjoyed".

Five judges at the Court Martial Appeal Court in London passed the sentence this morning after changing his conviction from murder to manslaughter two weeks ago.

As he has already served three years in prison, the former Plymouth-based sergeant could be freed within weeks. He was serving a minimum term of eight years. 

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Standing outside court with her lawyers and cheering supporters, Mrs Blackman said it was the "moment we have all been fighting hard for".

In their  sentencing remarks , the judges said that although Blackman's responsibility was diminished, he "still retained a substantial responsibility for the deliberate killing".

How old were you when you bought your first house? Or how old do you think you'll be when you do?

BBC Radio Bristol has been broadcasting from the South Gloucestershire & Stroud College in Filton, looking at how devolution and the new metro mayor may affect the housing market. 

Although some of the students gave pessimistic answers, the financial advice wasn't all doom and gloom.

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

Two peregrine falcons have been found dead in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire.

Police said the rare and protected birds were found on the Offa's Dyke footpath, near Devil's Pulpit in the Wye Valley.

They're appealing for information from anyone who knows anything about it to get in touch with them.

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Plans have been unveiled to upgrade a busy road in Somerset.

Part of the A358 between the M5 at Taunton and the A303 Southfields roundabout will be made into a dual carriageway.

The project will also see a new Stoke St Mary and Shoreditch bypass built, linking the road with the M5 south of Taunton.

The stretch of road is currently a mixture of dual carriageway and single carriageway, and traffic often gets caught in bottlenecks.

The project has been announced by Transport Secretary Chris Grayling, and a public consultation is due to end on 20 May.