Knives, novichok and Glastonbury: West's 2024 headlines

A judge who described a city as "plagued by knife crime", a power shift following a general election, and the twists and turns of a public inquiry into espionage and nerve agents in a Wiltshire city.

A lot has happened over the past 12 months, so we thought we would give you the highlights of some of the biggest headlines in the west in 2024.

2024 saw knife crime in Bristol - and across the UK - hit national headlines on multiple occasions.

A judge at Bristol Crown Court described the city as "in the middle of a plague of knife crime" as a number of teenagers and adults were killed by others with weapons.

This came on top of many more non-fatal stabbings, and sparked a city-wide plea for action.

Community leaders, campaigners, and media outlets including Bristol Live, joined forces to sign an open letter calling for an end to knife crime.

Avon and Somerset Police and Bristol City Council have carried out targeted work to combat the problem, and life-saving bleed kits have been rolled out across the region.

Guilty verdicts were delivered in court for the high-profile murders of teenagers Max Dixon and Mason Rist, Darrian Williams, and Mikey Roynon.

In October, a long awaited inquiry into Dawn Sturgess' death started.

The 44-year-old mother-of-three, was inadvertently exposed to a deadly nerve agent in Amesbury, Wiltshire in 2018.

She had unknowingly spraying herself with Novichok, which had been concealed inside a designer perfume bottle. It was the same substance that had been used in an assassination attempt on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal four months earlier.

The Wiltshire Times reported in mid-October that a public inquiry into her death had been launched.

It lasted more than six weeks, and followed a rollercoaster of Russian espionage and emotional family statements.

Earlier this month, the Salisbury Journal announced that open hearings have now concluded, and a report on the inquiry's findings will be published in the new year.

Far-right protesters turned violent during a Bristol city-centre demonstration on 3 August.

It followed the killing of three young girls in Southport, after false rumours were spread online that the person responsible was an immigrant who had arrived in the UK by boat.

Hundreds of far-right protesters and a counter-protest group gathered near Castle Park, before attempting to storm a hotel believed to be housing asylum seekers.

Police officers were assaulted, kegs and bricks were hurled at crowds, and racial slurs were cast with venom, the Bristol Cable reported.

A total of 52 people have been arrested in connection with the disorder, with 47 of those having been charged for their involvement.

In July, the west saw dramatic changes to its political landscape in what turned out to be a damaging General Election for the Tories.

There were big changes across Somerset, where the Conservatives lost all but one of their seats, while the Liberal Democrats saw several gains.

There was a Labour landslide in Bristol resulting in there now being no Conservative MPs remaining in the area.

Wiltshire became a Liberal Democrat seat following the victory of Roz Savage, who beat Conservative candidate, James Gray.

Gloucestershire saw a mixture of results, with gains for Labour and the Liberal Democrats, and only one Conservative hold.

Gloucestershire Police was left in the lurch this year after the two most senior positions at the force suddenly became vacant.

Chief constable Rod Hansen was suspended after the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) began investigating gross misconduct allegations against him.

Gloucestershire Live said the claims related to his handling of an allegation against a member of the force in August, and whether relevant policies and procedures were subsequently followed.

Following Mr Hansen's suspension, it emerged that deputy chief constable Shaun West had retired in June amid an investigation into "assault and misconduct in public office".

The Stroud Times reported that Maggie Blyth was later appointed as the new interim chief constable in October, making it only the second time in the force's 185 year history that a woman has been at the helm.

Once again, the peaceful pastures of Worthy Farm in Somerset played host to one of the world's biggest outdoor music festivals.

Somerset Live covered the event's opening, as more than 210,000 festivalgoers descended onto the site for a weekend full of music, comedy, poetry, dance and theatre.

Dua Lipa, Coldplay and SZA headlined the Pyramid Stage, with other performance highlights including Shania Twain, Jungle, Disclosure, Avril Lavigne, Fontaines, Jessie Ware and Charli XCX.

In true Banksy fashion, the Bristol street artist pulled off a political stunt during Idle's set involving an inflatable raft holding dummies wearing lifejackets, presumably symbolic of dangerous migrant crossings.

The West of England took a beating this year, with howling winds and relentless rain leaving many of us with little choice but to batten down the hatches.

In January, a total of 20 flood warnings were issued across Wiltshire and Gloucestershire.

The Wiltshire Times reported torrential rain during Storm Henk, which burst riverbanks and flooded railway lines.

In mid-November, Storm Bert brought more high winds and caused widespread disruption across Somerset, Gloucestershire and Bristol.

Businesses were flooded, homes were evacuated and roads were damaged in the chaos.

At the start of December, the government issued a red weather alert through our phones in the form of a shrill siren, warning us that Storm Darragh was fast approaching and surprising many.

As the storm passed through our area, Bristol Live reported that entire villages were plunged into darkness and left without power for days, wind gusts of up to 90mph (144kmph) battered the coastlines, while falling trees crushed cars and closed roads.

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