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Tributes to city 'legend' and tax row for van dwellers

News imagePA Media Judah Adunbi is standing, looking away from the camera wearing a navy blue suit, a light blue shirt and a dark blue tie. He has a grey beard and grey dreadlocks. Behind him are cars.PA Media
Judah Adunbi, known locally as "Ras Judah", reportedly died on Friday

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

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

Tributes have been paid to the "legendary" Bristol race relations campaigner Judah Adunbi, reports Bristol Live. Adunbi, also known as Ras Judah, was involved in the 1980 St Pauls Uprising and spent decades working as an independent race relations adviser to the police.

Van dwellers living on so-called meanwhile sites in Bristol will have to pay band A council tax from 1 April, reports ITV News West Country. This charge will be added on top of the £140 per month pitching fee.

On Friday morning, Bristol Live reported that the M5 near Bristol was brought to a standstill after a deer ran out on the M5. Avon and Somerset Police said the deer suffered "unsurvivable injuries".

The story of an escaped dachshund which was rescued after running across the M4 features on Burnham-On-Sea.com. Two-year-old Mabel sparked a huge search after slipping her collar at Leigh Delamere Services before running onto the M4.

And demolition work will start in April at a neolithic monument where - legend has it - the bones of Merlin the magician are buried, according to the Swindon Advertiser. Demolition will include the removal of a carpentry workshop and plant room that were partially dug into the side of Marlborough Mound.

News imageMarlborough College/Pete Davies Photography A birds-eye view of a large grass mound with a swirling path, on the grounds of a school college. There are trees on the mound and it is dipped at the top.Marlborough College/Pete Davies Photography
Demolition work will start soon at 'Merlin's mound' on the grounds of Marlborough College

Top five local stories for the BBC in the West

Something longer to read

The former partner of a woman who died after getting a liquid Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) has backed calls for a ban on the cosmetic procedure.

Alice Webb died in September 2024 after falling unwell following a non-surgical Brazilian Butt lift. Her former Ben Kingscote spoke to ITV West Country about the impact of her death.

Earlier this week, a committee of MPs said tighter restrictions are needed immediately on high-risk cosmetic procedures such as BBLs. The government has yet to confirm when restrictions will come into place.

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