Swindon Crown Court heard that Doctor Davinderjit Bains, 46, used his position as a GP to assault more than two dozen women.

Bains, formerly of Nyland Road in Swindon, filmed the attacks on his Tieex 4GB Waterproof HD Spy Watch DVR, which has been compared to something out of a 007 film, and can be bought online for less than £60.

Bains admitted a total of 39 charges, 13 of assault by penetration, 13 of voyeurism, 11 of sexual assault and two of sexual activity with a child.

He also asked for a further 65 offences to be taken into account.

His not guilty pleas to three charges of sexual assault and a single count of administering a noxious drug with intent to commit a sexual offence were accepted by the Crown and will lie on file.

The police investigation began in June last year.

Bains was arrested at the Tinkers Lane Surgery in Royal Wootton Bassett.

361 high-quality video clips were recovered from Bains's watch and home computer by detectives.

Passing sentence, Judge Douglas Field told Bains he had breached the trust patients put in their doctor.

He said: "When you committed these offences you breached this duty of trust in the most grievous way.

 "You are a disgrace to the medical profession."

Detective Inspector Mark Garrett, head of Swindon CID said: "I welcome today’s sentencing of Dr Davinderjit Bains who admitted a string of 39 sexual offences plus a further 65 sexual offences which were taken into consideration.

"A large number of female patients, including teenage girls, put their trust in this man to treat them with the professionalism, care and discretion that we all expect of our family doctor.

"But he utterly betrayed that trust for his own sexual gratification and I hope that today’s sentence goes some way to helping his victims get some closure on what has happened.

"This was a detailed and sensitive investigation by Wiltshire Police.

"Female detectives viewed hundreds of video clips. The investigation team then had the task of identifying the victims and letting them know the horrible truth that the intimate examinations they had undergone had been secretly filmed by their doctor, using a camera hidden in his watch and that many of those examinations were medically unnecessary.

"I would like to acknowledge the support which NHS Wiltshire and Wiltshire Council gave to this Wiltshire Police investigation.

It costs around £13,000 to put the event on, but because of the weather last year the committee say they're around £11,000 short.

Although the procession will go ahead on July 6th, the evening entertainment will be cancelled if they can't make up the cash through donations and sponsorship.

Paul Russell, Chairman of the Wroughton Carnival Committee, said: "This year will be our 17th year.

"Roughly, in the 16 years we've been running, barring last year, we've given approximately £100,000 to local charities and organisations."

If you can help by making a donation or offering sponsorship you're asked to contact Paul on 07891 586757 or carnival-secretary@hotmail.co.uk

It's the message from a team in the borough calling for more potential carers to come forward as they mark Foster Care Fortnight.

The focus of this year's campaign is to find foster carers for teenagers.

In Swindon, up to twenty teens need a home at any one time.

Graham Senior manages the family placement team at Swindon Borough Council. He said:

'If we're short in one particular area, it is single male carers.

There's absolutely no reason why males can't provide good parenting to a range of children.'

For more information about fostering in Swindon you can call the family placement team on 01793 465700 or email:

familyplacement@swindon.gov.uk.

They're two of the potential major transport schemes for Wiltshire that have been put on a shortlist by the Council.

Those proposals will now go on to another body, who'll review them and decide which to put to government.

The schemes that get final approval will begin in 2015.

Seventeen million pounds of government money will go towards paying for them.

The figures for the last financial year are ten times higher than the year before.

In the year to April, 40 tenants chose to get on the property ladder with the help of a government scheme, up from 4.

The scheme offers tenants who are eligible discounts of up to £75,000 off the value of their home.

18 year old Luke Cowley of Shipton Grove in Walcot crashed into a tree on Marlborough Road last year.

It caused the death of nineteen year old Constantine Voulgaris who was a passenger in the car.

He's been jailed for 21 months and banned from driving for two-and-a-half years after pleading guilty last month.

It’s prompted charity SMASH to call for volunteer mentors to join them.

Those trained by the Swindon Mentoring and Self Help Group spend a few hours a week with a young person to help them achieve their goals.

Rob Chappell, who’s Project Manager at Smash, says there are youngsters out there that need our help:

'Just this morning we had a phone-call from a young man who's been identified at school as having some issues and problems.

When we got to him, we found that he was at home, mum's been gone for three days, there's no food in the fridge and he's struggling.'

Seventy year old Nigel Bicknell of Vasterne Close was last seen at nine O’clock last night.

He has a number of health problems and was complaining of feeling unwell. 

Nigel’s described as a white stocky male with a red face and grey receding hair.

He was possibly wearing brown shoes and blue trousers.

He's guest editing the local paper and he's decided he wants to bring page 3 back, but he 'doesn't want it to be sexist.'

It's all for a TV show he's filming at different locations around Britain depending on where people on Twitter suggest he should go.

Ross told JACK FM Swindon why he thinks a mature sow is the perfect page 3 girl.

You can hear what he had to say by clicking play.

If you can help you're being asked to tweet him @realrossnoble.

Organisers thought they would have to cancel the event at the Town Gardens after being told capacity would be halved.

That would have meant the free festival, which celebrates the Indian sub-continent, wouldn't have been economically viable.

But, they've now been given special permission by the Leader of the Borough Council to keep the limit at 10,000 people.

We're expecting to hear a definite date for the event within the next few days.

She was involved in the collision with a silver Toyota yesterday afternoon on Westfield Way just before 5pm.

She'd been crossing the road with her 9 year old brother and pet dog.

She received treatment at the scene before being taken to hospital.

A 40 year old local woman, who was driving the car, and the 9 year old boy weren't injured.

The road had to be closed for three and a half hours while collision investigators were on the scene.

Police want to hear from anyone who saw the collision. You're asked to contact PC Steve Fair on 101 ext. 7203109 or email steve.fair@wiltshire.pnn.police.uk.

Two hundred more have been identified as needing assistance from the borough council.

The idea is to get children back into school, cut youth crime and anti-social behaviour, and get parents into work by 2015.

The government's praised councils across the country, saying the project's on track.

31 year old Fatos Hamzaraj has been sentenced to 12 years in prison, Gugliemo Rossi, who's 29, got 6 years and 29 year old Paul Boulton was sentenced to 8 years at Bristol Crown Court this morning.

Michael Crossley, 28, has been sentenced to 4 years in jail, 33 year old Christopher Peter Hemming faces 6 years and Paul Matthew Bunney, who's also 33, has been sentenced to 20 months.

Finally, Jack Bowen Jones, who's 21, has been sentenced to 3 years imprisonment.

You can see custody shots of all the men below.

In addition to today's sentencing, four other men were convicted and sentenced for other drugs offences in 2011 in connection with this organised crime group.

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Inspector Steve Kirby said: "In 2011 Wiltshire Police identified that there was an organised crime group (OCG) working in Swindon that was responsible for the large scale distribution of cocaine.

"It was identified as having a hierarchical structure with the head of the group, an Albanian, Fatos Hamsaraj who lived within Swindon, coordinating the distribution network.

"Through surveillance, analytical work and working with other agencies, police believed cocaine was being brought into the country in cars specially adapted to conceal Class A drugs and mixed with other cutting agents such as Benzocaine, at different locations and then distributed throughout Swindon.

"This was a robust police operation which involved working with several partnership agencies including the Border Agency, DVLA, housing associations and Swindon Borough Council’s licensing department.

"Specialist officers have put the total approximate street value of the drugs seized at £250,000 but the some of the cocaine we seized had a purity of 97 per cent – the purist the drug can be, so this figure could be much higher.

"Although the live police investigation spanned 10 months in 2011, it is important to note that some of the offenders were arrested and charged during this period as well as the end of it.

"This is the first time Wiltshire Police has taken out an entire organised crime group – from the street dealers to those at the top. It highlights Wiltshire Police’s dedication to tackling this type of crime which has such a devastating effect on our local communities.

"Tackling organised crime is a force-wide priority and involves officers at all levels working together to tackle it – from specialist drugs officers to members of the Neighbourhood Policing Teams.

"It is also important to note the value of community-based intelligence. We rely on members of the public reporting anything they think is suspicious to police and it can be these tip-offs which alert officers to an organised crime group working in this area.

"We hope that this case acts as a deterrent to anyone involved in or thinking of setting up an organised crime group in Wiltshire."

Superintendent Gavin Williams said: "This operation is a great example of the cross-force working – from local Neighbourhood Police Teams to our specialist crime team.

"Organised Crime causes widespread misery in our communities by creating a domino effect of crimes being committed – many of the lower level offences designed to fund the more serious. Members of these groups also prey on the most vulnerable in our society – be that by plying them with drugs or forcing them to break the law for their benefit.

"Tackling Organised Crime Groups is a Wiltshire Police priority and is one which involves officers and police staff of all levels. Most of the initial intelligence on criminal activity in our communities comes via the local NPTs who are the familiar, trusted faces in our towns and villages.

"Although this Organised Crime Group was based in Swindon, the town remains a safe place to live and work with the overall total number of crimes reported in Swindon down by more than 1,470 incidents – from 19,953 in 2011/12 to 18,483 in 2012/13.

"Part of this is a reduction in serious violent offences in Swindon which have fallen by more than 25% in the last year.

"I would also like to thank the local community for the role they play in helping us reduce crime – community based intelligence is crucial in both detecting and solving crime."

Police and Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire and Swindon Angus Macpherson said: "I welcome this news that seven defendants have been sentenced for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs in Swindon, and I am fully supportive of Wiltshire Police and its partners in their work to remove drugs from our communities.

"This was a robust operation involving different Force departments and partner agencies, resulting in drugs with an estimated street value of about £250,000 being seized and removed from our neighbourhoods. Serious organised crime has wide consequences in our communities fuelling lower level crime as well.”

Fatos Hamzaraj

Paul Boulton

Paul Matthew Bunney

Michael Crossley

Christopher Peter Hemming

Jack Bowen Jones

Gugliemo Rossi

The authority has revealed proposals for a council-wide voluntary redundancy programme in June, with consultation on the programme set to begin on 27th May.

It means any staff will be able to apply for redundancy, although we're told it's unlikely applications from social workers and public health staff will be accepted.

John Hubbard, the Leader of the Liberal Democrat opposition in Wiltshire, has slammed the council's decision not to reveal the plans sooner: "Decisions on this will have been made long in advance of polling day.

"The Conservatives have actively chosen to withold this information from the people of Wiltshire.

"It's frankly dishonest."

A report outlining the proposals will go to Cabinet on 21st May.

In a statement, a Wiltshire Council spokesperson, said: 

"Our number one priority is to protect frontline services which support the most vulnerable in our communities and we will continue to work innovatively to ensure this happens.

"More people are depending on the services Wiltshire Council provides, and this, alongside a reduction in funding from central government means we need to continue to make savings.

"To do this we are looking at the longer-term picture and not just focusing on the year ahead, merely rely on traditional and outdated methods of providing services. therefore, we need to make savings of £27million this year and £123million over the next four years. We will continue to develop modern services around the needs of the customer and not

"To ensure this happens we need to have the right people in the right posts and the right staffing structure. As well as proposing to reduce the number of posts, we will also be making savings by working more efficiently, removing duplication and waste and improving how we purchase goods and services.”

He was driving a Ford Fiesta which was involved in a collision with a lorry on the slip road of the northbound carriageway of the A419 at Commonhead.

It happened just before 4am on Saturday. 

His passenger, a 20 year old man, who was also from Swindon, was pronounced dead at the scene. 

The lorry driver wasn't injured. 

The road had to be closed for 10 hours to allow police to investigate. 

It had been hoped that it would be finished by Friday.

It’s had to be pushed back though because of the weather.

The work's due to take place between half past nine and half past three and isn't expected to last beyond tomorrow.

It happened on Swindon Road near to Binknoll Lane at around quarter to eight.

One female driver was treated by paramedics for minor injuries.

She didn't need to go to hospital.

As part of national Mental Health Awareness week Wiltshire council is wanting leisure centres and GP surgeries to help how much you can benefit from it.

Research shows that exercise releases chemicals that make you feel good.

Consultant in public health at Wiltshire Council Francis Chinemana told us the benefits.

'Exercising of any sort has been shown to help self-esteem.

It can raise our mood, it can also help very much with stress and reducing our responses to stress, allowing us to better manage it.'

Trading standards officers in Swindon have seized a haul of dodgy sunglasses that were being sold in the town.

Dozens of pairs of the sunglasses were confiscated from a street trader who claims to have purchased the items from two London-based wholesalers.

It's because of safety concerns as they're not CE marked and may not provide protection from the sun’s UV rays.

They were being sold in Swindon for £5.

The trader is now helping Trading Standards officers with their enquiries.

Cllr Richard Hurley, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Protection & StreetSmart, said: "Research from the College of Optometrists has shown that almost 80 per cent of under-25s put fashion and price before safety standards when choosing sunglasses.

"We’re urging all consumers to be aware and make sure they only buy CE marked sunglasses from reputable traders who they can return to for a refund if a problem occurs.

"It’s even more important to protect children’s eyes as they are still developing. Research has shown that 76 per cent of parents admit to not making sure their child wears sunglasses when out and about in the sun.

"It was therefore vital that we acted so quickly to remove these unsafe sunglasses from sale.”

For information on the importance of UV protection visit: www.lookafteryoureyes.org

An eight week consultation running until the 26th of June will ask people for their opinions on how they can improve their services.

The plan begins in 2015 and will run for five years.

Nick Fincham is Strategy and Regulation Director for Thames Water.

'High on the list is the issue of leakage and the issue of making sure that we have enough water to serve our customers'.

Dorset and Avon and Somerset Police forces will no longer have exclusive access to their own dedicated police helicopters from July.

The national service is a collaborative agreement involving all 43 police forces in England and Wales.

In Dorset, the final agreement has been achieved after several months of negotiations ­and will see the cost of air support to residents reduce by more than £500,000 a year – while simultaneously improving coverage, availability and response times.

Effective air support is critical to the Police and often provides the only tactical option to address major incidents, ranging from locating vulnerable missing people through to assisting in the tracking and apprehension of armed criminals.

The National Police Air Service - NPAS - will take responsibility for any future replacement helicopters, the cost of which would exceed £4m and would otherwise have to be met by local taxpayers.

Dorset's helicopter, based at Force Headquarters in Winfrith, will initially continue to operate from that site while the national team are investigating a number of alternatives for its permanent operating location. 

Under the agreement, the south-west region of police forces – will include Avon and Somerset, Devon and Cornwall, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, South Wales, Dyfed-Powys and Gwent. 

The Conservatives have taken the majority of seats for Wiltshire Council.

The Tory's took 58 - that's more than half.

Lib Dems were in second with 27, the Independents got 7, Labour had 4 and UKIP won one.

In our area, the Conservatives took Lyneham and Royal Wootton Bassett East while the Lib Dems got seats at Royal Wootton Bassett South and Cricklade and Latton.

The Head of Electoral Services at Wiltshire Council, John Watling is diappointed with a turnout of under 35%

{audio_http://mm.gmstatic.net/86/470863.mp3}

The Wiltshire Council unitary election results have been declared for all 98 divisions in the county.

The overall results are as follows:

Conservatives 58 seats
Liberal democrats 27 seats
Independent 7 seats
Labour 4 seats
UK Independence Party 1 seat
Other 1 seat

The overall turnout was 34.9 percent.

Individual results are available at www.wiltshire.gov.uk including an interactive map showing where seats have been won.

Luke Kaye, from fancy dress shop Skywalkers on Faringdon Road, has told us he's been zooming in on the films to make sure he's got everything down to the materials used correct.

At the moment it's all in storage, which is costing him £1200 a month, but he's hoping to find somewhere to display it, along with the rest of his memorabilia.

Luke told us what inspired him to start the project: "We went over to meet my friend Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker, and he took us to a show, which is the biggest Star Wars show in the world, in Florida.

"I saw this Cantina scene and I thought it was pretty bad, I can do better than that"

He added that this won't be his last major project: "I just can't stop. Next time I'd like to do a full-sized spaceship. When I see something I think I'm going to have a go at that."

We're told he was left with cuts to his face and ears following the attack not long after midnight on Tuesday on Cricklade Road.

Police have arrested and bailed a twenty five year old man on suspicion of attempted robbery.

Council elections taking place in Wiltshire are expected to be among the biggest in the country, with more than two thousand seats up for grabs.

You have until ten tonight to cast your vote.

But, there are no elections to Swindon Borough Council..

They won't be asking us to vote again until next year.

One person was taken to hospital for treatment, while somebody else from the first floor had to be rescued by firefighters.

The fire broke out at around twenty past ten.

The new Clinical Commissioning Group for the area has put together plans to show how £235 million could be spent in a year.

A consultation and workshops are being launched so the group can get our feedback.

Tony Ranzetta, from the Swindon Clinical Commissioning Group, said: "At the moment we spend money on things like local hospitals and on services that go into people's homes.

"The purpose of the workshops is to see whether we've got that mix of investment right or whether we should be investing more in helping people cope at home or in preventing illness in the first place."

He added that asking patients for their opinions is vital: "More often than not the patient is the only person who can describe the whole experience of their healthcare.

"Individual clinicians will see parts of the picture but it's the patient who can say this has been the impact on my family and this has been the impact on my job."

Find out how you can have your say by clicking here.

A new Morrisons supermarket, cinema and 8 restaurants are due to open there at the end of next year.

Diggers were moved on to the site towards the end of last week.

Chris Hitchings, Director of Development at Forward Swindon, who drive the regeneration of the town centre, said: "To have a cinema in the town centre again will be enormous.

"It will mean the night-time economy, which we've been very keen to improve over the years, will get a kickstart."

Commenting on the jobs the development will bring, Chris said: "All jobs are to be welcomed.  You'll have jobs in Morrisons, in the cinema and in the restaurants. That's very good news for Swindon."

Ask, Nandos and Prezzo have already been confirmed as taking units.
 

There's going to be huge disruption on Swindon's Great Western Way near to B and Q over the next few days.

The road has been closed because of a water main that burst near to the Bruce Street Bridges last night.

Swindon Borough Council say it's more likely to affect traffic going into the town than going out.

Great Western Way has been closed for resurfacing.

Thames Water spokesman Craig Rance has told us more:

{audio_http://mm.gmstatic.net/86/370078.mp3}

Diversions have been put in place for traffic coming into Swindon following the closure of Great Western Way due to a burst water main.

Traffic coming into Swindon will be diverted along Wootton Bassett Road, into Penzance Drive, out onto Rodbourne Road and along Kemble Drive, to rejoin Great Western Way. The bus gate, which normally only allows buses to go from Penzance Drive into Rodbourne Road, has been suspended so that it can be used by all traffic.

Traffic leaving Swindon and heading for junction 16 can use Great Western Way as normal.

Heavy Goods Vehicles which would normally enter Swindon from Junction 16 of the M4 are being diverted to Junction 15.

The emergency repairs to Great Western Way, which are being carried out by Thames Water, are expected to last into the early part of the week beginning Monday 29 April.

Richard Dart, 30, who appeared in a BBC 3 documentary about Islam in 2011, had also planned to target members of the security services after receiving training at camps in Pakistan.

Dart, the son of Dorset-based teachers, was jailed at the Old Bailey with his co-conspirators Jahangir Alom, a former police community support officer, and Imran Mahmood.

Dart, who changed his name to Salahuddin al Britaini when he converted to Islam, was jailed for six years, Alom for four years and six months and Mahmood for nine years and nine months.

Mr Justice Simon told the trio they held "radical Islamist beliefs and have shown yourselves to be committed to acts of terrorism".

Dart, who was also formerly a BBC security guard, refused to stand when he was sentenced, saying: "I don't wish to stand up, I believe ruling and judging is only for Allah."

His extremist beliefs were exposed in the BBC television documentary made by his step-brother Rob Leech, called My Brother the Islamist, in which he is seen having close contact with the radical preacher Anjem Choudary.

Bearded Dart, who had only been a Muslim for six months at that point, declared: "I support the cause of jihad, that's part of being a Muslim."

Dart and Alom had travelled to Pakistan to get terrorist training and took advice from Mahmood who had already visited the country.

Dart and Mahmood discussed bomb-making and also that Royal Wootton Bassett, the military repatriation town, could be a potential target.

In fragments of computer conversations between Dart and Mahmood, which they attempted to hide by writing in Word documents and then deleting them, forensics experts discovered a reference to the town.

They had added: "If it comes down to it it's that or even just to deal with a few MI5 MI6 heads."

The trio admitted engaging in conduct in preparation of acts of terrorism between July 2010 and July last year at a hearing last month.

Mr Justice Simon said: "I'm satisfied to the required criminal standard that neither of you had ruled out an attack in the United Kingdom, and that you, Mahmood, were looking at arming yourself with a bomb."

Dart, 30, of  Ealing in west London, Mahmood, 22, of Northolt in west London, and Alom, 26, of Stratford in east London, had all been stopped at airports while travelling to and from Pakistan.

When Mahmood was stopped at Manchester in 2010, traces of explosives were found on two rucksacks that he had with him.

He later admitted that he had received rudimentary training in explosives while in Pakistan.

The three were arrested on July 5 last year just before the start of the Olympics.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Osborne, from the Met's counter-terrorism command, said: "These are dangerous men.

"Mahmood had received terrorist training in Pakistan and suggested he had knowledge of how to make home-made explosives, while Dart and Alom made great efforts to travel to Pakistan and aspired to seek training from terrorist groups there."

He added: "This case serves as a classic example of how terrorists live in our midst while preparing their acts and their determination to travel overseas to train before returning to the UK."

Nick Chitty, who runs Swindon Hearing Center, has almost 300,000 video views.

The videos include close up footage of earwax extraction.

Nick says, after putting up one, he rapidly gained a fanbase: "Very, very quickly, I started to get, quite literally, 20 to 30 emails every morning from America saying 'We love your accent, the videos are brilliant, so now I post a video about every two or three weeks."

Nick Chitty qualified for the F3K Gliding Championships after beating a series of events in the UK.

The competition has entrants from 28 countres and takes place over the last two weeks of July.

Nick, who runs his own hearing centre in the town, says: "All the models have to be inspected because they have to be under a certain weight, and then, like Formula One, you're not allowed to touch them. And then I have to have my drug testing done."

The National Institute for Health And Care Excellence has issued research on the use of balloon kyphoplasty - which can be used on fractures or to treat types of bones cancer.

Neil Orpen, a consultant Spinal Surgeon at BMI Ridgeway, says: "We are seeing very good results, with very few risks and side effects. Of course, it is a procedure - a surgical procedure - and it does certainly carry risk because we're dealing with the spine, but fortunately the complications are very uncommon."

The two week event will feature book readings, talks and open mic poetry slams, among other events, at various venues across the town.

It starts on the 6th of May in Lawn Woods with dawn storytelling.

Matt Holland's the Festival's Director. He says: "All around Swindon, people can see these authors and these speakers talking about what they do and why they do it. And they can ask them qestions and they can touch them, and they can get ther book signed, so it's a kind-of rock and roll literature festival."

There will be regular activities throughout the month, all starting off on Saturday the 4th with a three mile trek around Lydiard Park.

The festival ties in with a number of national schemes, including Get Walking Month and Walk To Work Week.

It comes after research showing that only a third of adults in the UK are active enough.

The event, which is also a heat of the Miss England competition, is on the 19th of May in the town.

They're currently looking for more women from Swindon to enter.

Rhona Shafik, one of its organisers, says: "We don't even have a swimsuit heat in Miss England anymore and what we're looking for are young women to be role models. And I think that young women these days would not allow themselves to be exploited: they really know their own minds."

The 25 year old has played for a number of Premier and Elite league teams, including Telford, Peterborough, Sheffield and Cardiff.

Wildcasts head coach Ryan Aldridge says Towe is a 'huge signing' for the club.

The death of Swindon woman Becky Godden Edwards will remain a mystery according to the coroner, who's recorded a narrative verdict.

Her body was found on farmland in the Cotswolds in 2011, where she suffered a 'violent' death.

Taxi driver Christopher Halliwell led detectives to where she was buried.

But he was never prosecuted because he wasn't under caution and wasn't offered a solicitor upon questioning.

Becky's mum, Karen Edwards, says she wants a conviction. Speaking today, she said: "We've got to do this. She's my daughter. And I am not going to give up... I won't rest."

Karen spoke to the press following the inquest in Oxfordshire:

{audio_http://mm.gmstatic.net/86/748261.mp3}

Some of the discounts available to people who hold a Swindon Card are being reduced.

As of the 7th of May, over 75s and means tested adults will no longer receive upto 70% off council run leisure activities, instead joining a blanket concession rate of between 25 and 50%.

Likewise, currently students, over 60s and juniors receive up to 50% off some council leisure activites.

As of 7th May, they'll be joining a blanket rate of 25% for most of them.

Keith Williams, cabinet member for leisure and strategic transport, says: "leisure facilities in Swindon are subsidized by the council taxpayer to the tune of £1.6 million per year. So, these would actually be discounts on top of discounted contributions towards leisure, so what you'll find is that people are still getting a very good deal."

An ambulance was involved in a crash with another car on Queen's Drive this morning.

One paramedic was taken to hospital with minor injuries after the collision at around twenty past eight.

Emergency services attended the scene, and the road was reopened around 10.

South Western Ambulance Service clinical staff from the station were immediately on hand to assess and treat occupants of both vehicles. The male driver of the other vehicle, and his young son, were not injured and both were discharged at scene after being assessed.

The trust's paramedic was taken to Great Western Hospital by ambulance suffering minor injuries and has since returned home.

A second unit was immediately dispatched to the original 999 emergency - a man in his 60s complaining of chest pains. A back-up ambulance crew has since taken the patient to Great Western Hospital.

A SWASFT spokesman said: "Clearly our immediate concern is for the welfare of all those involved in both the original 999 call and the collision. As a trust, we have robust procedures in place for dealing with such incidents and will carry out our own internal investigation as well as supporting any police investigation."

Entries are open for the 2013 Wiltshire And Swindon Sports Awards.

Now in their fourth year, the awards recognise the achievements of individuals and organisations in the world of local sport.

Categories include Sports Personality of the Year, Unsung Hero Of The Year and Team Of The Year - amongst others.

People have until the end of June to get their nominations in.

They can be made online here.

A veternary clinic in Swindon's trying to track down the owner of a budgie that was brought in earlier this month.

The blue and white bird was found in a back garden in the town by a member of the public.

When he was handed in on April 11, the budgie was covered in oil, but it made a miraculous recovery.

Now Vets Klinic want to find out who he belongs to.

They can be contacted at 01793 876619.

The borough council's launching its first ever Collective Switching Scheme.

It works by using the combined power of residents to negotiate cheaper prices with energy companies.

Residents can register to switch prices as a large group rather than as individuals.

Swindon Town are now on course for promotion to the Championship.

The Robins 3-0 win over Stevenage yesterday took them up to 4th in the table guaranteeing their play off place.

Gary Roberts and Aden Flint found the back of the net for manager Kevin MacDonald's side.

Here's our reporter Clive Fisher.......

{audio_http://mm.gmstatic.net/86/757963.mp3}

The charity has just released a report and is calling for a new approach to prevent abuse from happening.

The NSPCC has recently rolled out a new programme in Swindon.

The programme allows volunteers to visit Primary schools to educate pupils about what abuse involves.

That's the claim from Network Rail which says the drop's down to successes in tackling the crime.

Network Rail's John Baker told Jack FM the thefts can affect anyone who catches a train:

'People go on to the railways to steal metal or cable' he said. 

'That causes delays and disruption to services and many minutes or hours are spent trying to fix it.'

It follows violence involving around twenty youths in North Swindon.

One teenager was stabbed during the scuffle in a field on the sixth of March.

Police are continuing to appeal for information.

The number 22 service has been left out of a group of bus route renewal contracts by the council.

The route runs bewteen Fleming Way and The Link Centre.

It's not yet clear if the 22 will be re-routed, have its timetable altered or pulled from service altogether.

Police are looking for a group of three men after a man was mugged and assaulted in the Lawn Woods area of Swindon.

The 38 year old victim's money and wallet was taken and he was then attacked, meaning he had to be hospitalised.

Officers say the attack happened at 2.30am on Sunday morning.

The team behind it have now appointed the contractors who'll build the college, which will teach teenagers vocational skills.

They want to set up on the Mill site, but are still in negotiations to do that.

Paul Inman is the Pro-Vice Chancellor at Oxford Brookes University, who are sponsoring UTC Swindon. He said:

'It wasn't just a stroke of luck that we chose Swindon.

It was based out of research for the needs of that particular area.

It has a very strong engineering heritage and the site that we've chosen is on the site of the former railworks there, which was a huge engineering factory.'

Four men have gone on trial accused of the murder of Charles Roger Millar from East Street [pictured].

They all deny the charge.

The jury's heard a fifth man, 19 year old Shelton Thulani Sibanda, has pleaded guilty to murder, and will be sentenced at a later date.

Deborah Simister from the town was discovered with multiple wounds to her neck on Monday.

She was forty five.

49 year old James Simister of Maple Way, Amesbury, is charged with her murder and is due to appear at Winchester Crown Court in June.

The full tribute can be read below:

'Debz was an extremely loving daughter, mother and grandmother who absolutely doted on her family.

She was always chatty and made lots of friends in the community. She loved cooking and reading and happily walked her dogs for miles.

She will be sorely missed by all her family and friends and we fervently hope justice will be served.

For Debz to have her life snatched away so young leaves a big hole in all our lives.'

Daughter Amy’s Special Tribute to "My Lovely Mum”

'She’s really very precious and she means the world to me for no one can compare with her in any way, you see. '

A man's pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving at Swindon Crown Court.

Eighteen year old Luke Cowley crashed a silver Vauxhall Corsa into a tree on Marlborough Road in Swindon on June the 14th last year.

It caused the death of nineteen year Constantine Voulgaris who was a passenger in the car.

He'll be sentenced on the 17th of May.

Margaret Thatcher - the UK's first female Prime Minister - has died at the age of 87.

Her family say she had a stroke and passed away peacefully at the Ritz in London this morning.

David Cameron has described her as a great Briton while Buckingham Palace says the Queen is sad at the news.

Baroness Thatcher's supporters have been fulsome in their praise of the woman who led the country for 11 years from 1979 - winning three general elections as leader of the Conservatives.

Former Prime Minister Sir John Major called her a "true force of nature" while Michael Howard says she was a 'titan' of British politics.

But her political career wasn't without its controversies.

She was vilified for taking on the unions - most notably the one representing the miners in the 1980s - and for introducing the Poll Tax.

Her government privatised several state-owned industries and she survived an assassination attempt when the IRA bombed the Grand Hotel in Brighton in 1984.

Recently, she'd stepped away from public life as her health deteriorated.

Flags in Westminster and at Buckingham Palace are flying at half mast this evening.

Downing Street has announced that Lady Thatcher will receive a ceremonial funeral with military honours at St Paul's Cathedral.

North Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson says her impact on British politics will be felt for generations to come::

{audio_http://mm.gmstatic.net/86/582497.mp3}

North Wiltshire MP James Gray has given us his reaction:

{audio_http://mm.gmstatic.net/86/758395.mp3}

A woman's died after an incident at the Wyvern Theatre in Swindon this morning.

It's believed she fell from the top of the car park at around 11.30am and police and ambulance crews both attended.

Police tell us they're currently investigating to establish the circumstances surrounding the death.

Statement from Wiltshire Police:

We can confirm that there was a sudden death close to Islington Street car park, Swindon, this morning shortly after 11.30am. Wiltshire Police are currently investigating to establish the circumstances surrounding this incident.

The deceased is an adult female.

Police investigating an assault in Old Town in the early hours of Monday morning have made a second arrest and charged a man in connection with their investigation

27 year old Abuzer Erdem of St Austell Way, Swindon has been charged with wounding and inflicting grievous bodily harm without intent.

He appeared at Salisbury Magistrates Court this afternoon and was released on bail.

He is due to appear at Swindon Crown Court on April 19th 2013.

The victim remains in a critical condition at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford after he was found with head injuries outside The Kings Arms hotel on Wood Street.

A 25 year old man who was detained in connection with the investigation has been bailed.

Wiltshire Police would still like to hear from any witnesses to this incident which took place at approximately 4.40am on Monday 1st April 2013 outside The Kings Arms hotel on Wood Street, Old Town, Swindon.

The victim was discovered with serious head injuries lying on the street outside The Kings Arms.

He was wearing a cream shirt, dark blue jeans and black leather shoes at the time of the incident.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Wiltshire Police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where information can be left anonymously.

Police think two vehcile fires in Swindon over the weekend could be linked.

The first took place outside the Moonrakers pub early on Sunday morning when a Silver Renault Megane was set alight.

A suspect on a bike waering dark clothing may have been left with burns after the blaze started.

It may be linked to a similar fire involving a Fiesta on Monday morning outside Lloyds TSB on Cricklade road.

Services are now expected to be disrupted until Monday while improvement works are underway at Reading station.

For the remainder of today [Wednesday] some services scheduled to run between London Paddington and Cheltenham will start at Swindon instead.

You can see the revised timetables by clicking here.

First Great Western have apologised for any inconvenience caused.

They've issued the following statement: "Delays to some train services yesterday were related to a number of problems in the region. These problems were compounded by the very limited capacity at Reading station, while improvement work continues, which had a greater affect on our ability to recover quickly from otherwise relatively small delays than originally thought.

"We worked hard with Network Rail to minimise the delays, but it quickly became clear that the number of trains we were trying to operate through the area was affecting our ability to get our services back on track, and our customers to where they needed to go, as quickly as we would have liked.

"Having re-looked at our plans with Network Rail and other train operating companies yesterday afternoon, we have revised our special timetable for the remainder of the week. This will reduce the chance of congestion in the area and make sure our services are as robust as possible while Network Rail continues its important improvement work.

"While we know this decision may cause difficulties for some customers, we are confident this will deliver a more reliable service for the vast majority of customers. We will, of course, be making every effort to let people know about the changes being made, and we would like to take this opportunity to apologise for the inconvenience caused.

"Our normal timetable will resume once Network Rail has completed their work on 8 April."

Cheltenham Services - Wednesday 3 April

The 15:45 Paddington-Cheltenham service will start at Swindon instead of Paddington. Customers wishing to travel to Cheltenham are advised to catch the retimed 15:42 Paddington-Swansea service to Swindon for the onward connection, which will now leave Paddington at 15:45.

The 17:45 Paddington-Cheltenham service will start at Swindon instead of Paddington. Customers wishing to travel to Cheltenham are advised to catch the retimed 17:42 Paddington-Swansea service for the onward connection, which will now leave Paddington at 17:45


 

The football league has lifted Swindon's transfer embargo.

The Robins have agreed to sign three Spurs players with defender Nathan Byrne and midfielders Dean Parrett and Massimo Luongo joining on loan until the end of the season.

Click here for the full club statement

In a statement, Di Canio said: "It is with great regret that I issue this statement but, unfortunately, the events of the last few days have left me with no alternative other than to consider my position and explain the reasons why.

"We were assured that Matt Ritchie was going nowhere and money would be made available for the squad to be strengthened. Within an hour I received a phone call from Matt Ritchie telling me that the club had agreed to sell him and he was in the process of agreeing personal terms.

"I regard this as a clear breach of my contract with the club and, moreover, a clear attempt to undermine my position notwithstanding the success we have achieved in the last 18 months. Matt Ritchie was sold behind my back.

"If it wasn't for the players and fans of Swindon Town, I would have walked away from this club a long time ago. I didn't because I was given repeated assurances that the project to achieve success was always in place and I wanted to deliver this for the players, staff and most of all, the fans of this great club.

"I am forced to consider my future as I don't know how I can continue to work in this environment. Too many questions remain unanswered. The future is clouded with uncertainty. At this moment of time my future remains unclear."

Swindon Town also issued a statement on the clubs' website overnight.

The Police and Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire and Swindon, Angus Macpherson has appointed Patrick Geenty as the permanent Wiltshire Police Chief Constable.

Macpherson is the first PCC to recruit a Chief Constable since the elections in November 2012.

Mr Macpherson said: "I am delighted to be appointing Patrick Geenty as the substantive Chief Constable of Wiltshire Police.As it is such an important role, it was priority for me to recruit for this police as soon as possible after taking office.

"Mr. Geenty has been the temporary Chief Constable since March last year. During this time, and through the recruitment process, he has shown a real commitment to leading the force effectively, working to ensure Wiltshire continues to be one of the safest counties in the country."

Mr Geenty added: "We are working within a challenging financial climate, however I am confident we will continue to provide an effective and efficient police service for the people of Wiltshire."