As it happened: West of England

1. The latest news, sport, travel and weather from across the West of England on Thursday 10 August 2017

Goodnight from Local Live

Weather 10 August

That's it from us for today.

We'll be back again tomorrow with all the news, sport, travel and weather from across the region.

Here's Ian with your weather forecast.

Hope you enjoyed the night glow and fireworks

Google

As the balloons are packed up the logistics of getting thousands of people off site is now under way.

Don't forget there are road closures and one-way systems in use around the site so please follow the signs.

The Clifton Suspension Bridge is closed until midnight to both drivers and pedestrians.

Have a safe journey home and thanks for the hundreds of kind messages you sent us.

Nightglow fireworks ... they were ace!

More footage of the amazing Bristol Balloon Fiesta nightglow

Balloon nightglow

Night glow in pictures

Bristol Balloon Fiesta: Nightglow

Bristol balloon nightglow

South Western rail franchise: 'No commitment to train guard future'

BBC

The boss of the new South Western rail franchise has refused to commit to protecting the role of train guards, despite calls from the RMT trade union.

FirstGroup and Hong Kong's MTR take over on 20 August and will provide 90 new trains with doors that can be operated by the driver.

Driver-only operated trains on Southern Rail services has led to 16 months of industrial action by the RMT.

The union has called a meeting with FirstGroup on 17 August.

Read the full story here.

Bristol Balloon Fiesta: Nightglow live

Bones reveal macabre ancient cannibal rituals

Listen: Richard Hamilton reports for the BBC World Service

Cannibalism is known to have been an ancient practice, but now scientists in Britain say they have evidence that our ancestors ate each other with some relish.

This relates to a human bone found in a cave in the Cheddar Gorge.

(Photo: Human bone engraved by cannibals. Credit: Trustees of the Natural History Museum)

Balloonists setting up for spectacular night glow

BBC

Preparations are already under way for the nightglow at the Bristol Balloon Fiesta.

For those unfamiliar with the event it is where balloonists fire their burners - in groups - in time with a musical soundtrack.

And to round the evening off there is a firework display high over the site.

We're hoping to livestream the event later on this page so don't go away.

Did you witness a police chase in Swindon yesterday?

A 29-year-old Swindon man was arrested after a car failed to stop for Police in the town yesterday, which resulted in a short pursuit.

Officers would like to speak to anyone who witnessed the chase, which started in Whitbourne Avenue, just after 5pm, and ended in Wimpole Close.

The driver then ran off but was caught by officers on Denholme Road at 5.10pm.

PC Scott Young said: "We would like to speak to anyone who heard or saw the pursuit involving a Ford Focus or anything suspicious in this area around this time."

Wiltshire Police

Routes of the vehicle and foot pursuits across Swindon yesterday.

Equality gripe sinks women-only swimming

Loraine Patrick

A notice at the Pulse leisure centre in Dursley informed swimmers about the discrimination row

Women-only swimming classes have been axed at a leisure centre following a complaint that they discriminated against men.

The sessions at the Pulse leisure centre in Dursley, Gloucestershire have been changed to adults only.

Stroud District Council said they hoped people would "understand we have to abide by the law".

The decision has been derided on social media and described as being against the spirit of equalities legislation.

Read the full story here.

Gough's Cave bone engraving 'a component of the cannibalistic practice'

Trustees of the NHM

More now on the evidence that cannibals were active in Somerset some 15,000 years ago.

Markings on a human bone, found in Gough's Cave in the Cheddar Gorge, apparently reveal that prehistoric cannibals marked up the bones of the people they ate.

The engraved motif on the Gough's Cave bone is similar to engravings observed in other Magdalenian European sites. However, what is exceptional in this case is the choice of raw material (human bone) and the cannibalistic context in which it was produced. The sequence of modifications performed on this bone suggests that the engraving was a purposeful component of the cannibalistic practice, rich in symbolic connotations. Although in previous analyses we have been able to suggest that cannibalism at Gough's Cave was practiced as a symbolic ritual, this study provides the strongest evidence for this yet.

Silvia BelloLondon’s Natural History Museum

Why are the balloons not flying tonight?

Here's the event director, Clive Bailey, with his view.

"We've spoken to the Met Office, we've spoken to Bristol Airport and it's just too windy". he says.

BreakingNo flying tonight - winds too high, say organisers

Don Cameron on flying chance at Ashton Court tonight

BreakingAscent at the fiesta: It's 'right on the balance'

Don Cameron, fiesta founder, on any potential flying tonight...

We think he's saying, get those fingers crossed.

It's right on the balance as whether they fly or not. That's the thing about ballooning you've always got to be hopeful.

Bristol Balloon Fiesta - still awaiting a decision

It's a bit windy for flying tonight.

Organisers are expected to make a decision any minute on whether or not we will see balloons in the sky tonight.

Either way, we still have the night glow to look forward to!

Balloon Fiesta 2017 - lots of balloons

Latest video from the fiesta as the balloons are inflated ahead of the mass ascent

Too windy to launch right now ...