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Headlines: 'Fines after hard shoulder crash' and 'river wife'

News imageGloucestershire Police A crashed motorhome on its side at the edge of the road, with police around it. The motorhome is badly smashed up and cars can be seen queueing behind it. Gloucestershire Police
Twenty "reckless" drivers were fined for using the hard shoulder to bypass queuing traffic - this picture shows a crashed motorhome on its side at the edge of the road

Here's our weekly roundup of stories from across local websites in the West of England.

What have been the big stories in the West this week?

There has been a lot of discussion recently about thieves stealing milk from people's doorsteps. A post on the Swindon Community Notice Board showed doorbell footage of a thief taking a whole crate of milk from someone's doorway early on Tuesday morning.

A Bristol City Council deal - made as part of a flagship development for hundreds of new homes and offices near Bristol Temple Meads - is no longer viable according to council reports, Bristol 24/7 has reported. The council has already committed £32m to clear up the Temple Island and pave the way for building works to be carried out by developers Legal & General.

Gloucestershire Live reported on the funeral of Sarah Jayne Crook, 38, who was killed in a crash with a van in Swindon in June. Hundreds of mourners filled a Cirencester church and the street outside in tribute to "an amazing mum and nurse".

Demolition work on a historic convent in Burnham-on-Sea has begun, to make way for a modern 70-bed care home, Burnham-on-Sea.com reports. Somerset Council approved the plans in 2025 despite dozens of objections, with the building design updated to reflect its heritage in the town.

Fairford residents were left bemused after utility workers painted only the word "keep" in large yellow letters outside a long-closed Cotswolds school, Gloucestershire Live reported.

Top five local stories for the BBC in the West

Something longer to read

Its walls were once a training ground for one of Bristol's biggest exports, Banksy, and over the course of generations it has been home to everything from boxing clubs to folk dancing groups.

Formally known as The George Wills Memorial Hall but long-called the Barton Hill Youth Club and, more recently, the Dug Out, the centre at the heart of the community was sold in 2025.

This feature from Bristol 24/7 not only takes a look back at the storied history of the building on Ducie Road, but also towards its future as a community and therapy space.

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