A West Country city is seeing a rise in cases of the sexually transmitted disease gonorrhoea - and a leading expert blames it on swingers and homosexuals and warns that it will be untreatable in five years.

A leading expert has warned that Bristol has just five years left to bring the disease under control before it is expected to become immune to the last remaining effective treatment.

A consultant at the Bristol Sexual Health Centre Peter Greenhouse said he has seen a rise in Bristol's swingers coming into his clinic on Tower Hill in the city centre.

He said the last gonorrhoea outbreak from a swingers' club saw 20 people affected after members shared sexual partners for unprotected sex.

The number of patients contracting gonorrhoea went up from 167 in the city in 2012 to 225 last year, according to figures released by Public Health England. That represents a rise of more than a third in a single year.

One of the main ways the bacterial infection is spread is through oral sex and one in ten people infected will not know they have contracted it.

There is now only one antibiotic left which can treat the disease and its effectiveness is likely to end as the disease evolves, developing resistance.

Before the 1970s penicillin was widely used to treat gonorrhoea. When its effectiveness dwindled, other antibiotics were used but one by one they have lost their potency.

Mr Greenhouse said: "We are in real trouble with gonorrhoea – it's a matter of around five years before it becomes untreatable. Unless a new class of drugs is developed, it's going to be a really big problem."

Antibiotic resistance accelerated with gonorrhoea because lots of sufferers have the infection in their throat, which is harder for drugs to tackle.

Mr Greenhouse said that in addition to swingers, the surge in sexually transmitted diseases in the city had been fuelled by gay men having sex with multiple partners.

He said: "You only need to have one man who has multiple (male) partners and you soon see an increase in numbers.

"The number of people we see from the swingers' population fluctuates from week to week. If one person in the group has something then they are all likely to come down with it."

Mr Greenhouse warned it was crucial for people to have regular check-ups and to wear condoms, even during oral sex.

Steve Jones, Regional Manager for Terrence Higgins Trust in the West of England, said: "The more partners you have, the potential for the spread of any infection. We encourage people to get tested frequently if they have put themselves at risk.

"Certainly men who have sex with men do seem to have a greater burden of STDs. Possibly this is because men who have sex with men do tend to change their sexual partners more frequently than the heterosexual community.

"However men who have sex with men are more likely to be screened for infections more frequently – generally the infections are identified a lot sooner.

"Social networks also makes finding sexual partners a lot easier and that, I'd say, is for all communities."

Cases of syphilis recorded in the Bristol rose by more than a third, from 15 in 2012 to 22 last year.

Public Health England's figures also showed a seven per cent rise in cases of genital warts from 636 in 2012 to 694 last year.

Anyone wishing to arrange an appointment at the Bristol clinic should call 0117 342 6900. Weston-super-Mare residents should call 01934 881234.

Australian officials have come up with proposals to let cyclists treat red lights as Give Way signs. 

Is this the future for Britain?  A Bristol-based national cycling charity and pressure group Sustrans has praised the officials from the state of  Victoria for considering a raft of changes to road rules. 

The Australian government is considering various options to make the roads safer including banning cyclists from wearing headphones and forcing drivers to leave more than a metre of space between their vehicles and cyclists.

Ian Barrett, regional director for Sustrans said: "These are certainly an interesting set of ideas, some more radical than others. It's good that the Australian state of Victoria is thinking outside of the box with making cycling safer and more convenient. What would help the most in Bristol would be to design deeper cycling integration into the road system. Reducing traffic speeds and extending the network of high quality routes where cyclists don't need to come into contact with many red lights or vehicles will make the most impact, enabling more people to cycle for their everyday journeys."

Proposals also include allowing motorcyclists to share bike lanes with cyclists and allowing all riders to use the footpath, provided that they give way to pedestrians.

Bristol was made the UK's first Cycling City in 2008 and £22.8 million was pumped into the city to encourage more people on to bicycles.

Prior to Cycling City there were 73 miles of off-road cycle paths and tracks in Bristol. Cycling City has helped build, upgrade or improve 28 miles of cycle path.

Bristol cabinet member and keen cyclist Gus Hoyt said he supported some of the ideas, including the red light plans.

Mr Hoyt, Green Party councillor for Ashley ward, said: "I agree with giving way on a red light if it was treated as a proper Give Way and not a green light. It could keep the traffic moving and prevent cyclists clogging up junctions."

A Bristol City Council spokesperson said: "We are always looking to learn from what other cities are doing, but clearly we have to be mindful of the legislative framework in the UK."

A West Country consultant who specialises in weight loss has called for a ban on Costa coffee shops which offer sugar-laden drinks and cakes in hospitals.

Dr Sally Norton works at the Bristol Royal Infirmary and Southmead Hospital, which both have Costa coffee shops and vending machines.

She said hospitals should promote independent food producers which provide healthy snacks instead.

Writing for news website Mail Online, Dr Norton said: "We read every week, in the BMJ (British Medical Journal) and other leading medical journals, of research detailing the perils of sugar and fizzy drinks.

"We frequently hear laments about the cost to the NHS of the epidemic of obesity and type 2 diabetes, which is threatening to engulf us. And yet, the NHS, which I understood to be an organisation that promotes and supports health - rather than just treating disease - is actually contributing to the problem.

"As a weight loss surgeon, I find it frustrating and, frankly, embarrassing to spend time in clinic, explaining to my patients how sugary drinks and snacks are one of the biggest drivers of obesity, when I know that just outside in our hospital foyer are not one, but two Costa coffee shops, as well as vending machines stocked full of coke and chocolate.

"When I try to grab a quick coffee from Costa, an obedient employee always tries to tempt me into buying one of their huge, sugar-laden and calorific cakes to go with it - hard to resist after a stressful morning in theatre or a busy night on-call."

She said there was more evidence now that sugar was addictive.

A spokesman for the University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the BRI, said they researched what staff and the public wanted before starting a competitive tendering exercise for a restaurant and shops.

He said: "We were able to transform the old dark and dingy entrance to the BRI with a light and airy Welcome Centre that has transformed the way staff, visitors and patients feel about entering the hospital."

A spokesperson for the North Bristol NHS Trust, which runs Southmead Hospital, said it would be inappropriate to comment, as Dr Norton was expressing a personal view.

From today, if you read your favourite West Country website on your smartphone, you'll automatically receive the new improved mobile version of westerndailypress.co.uk

Whether you're an Apple or Android fan, you don't need us to know that usage of mobiles is increasing fast with an increasingly large number of visits to westerndailypress.co.uk now coming through handheld devices.

We've listened to your demands and we want our mobile readers to have the best possible experience when browsing the westerndailypress.co.uk website on smaller screens.

That's why we've spent a long time developing and testing our new mobile website. We've made sure the site meets YOUR needs, including:

COMING SOON

As well as this launch, you'll see a lot of improvements to the mobile and desktop website over the coming months based on your feedback - improved page design, faster load speeds and other things we can't talk about yet but all with desire to give you the best possible web experience.

FEEDBACK

So what do you think? We've tested it endlessly but like all website redesigns, there will be things that don't quite work - that's where you come in!

If you spot any bugs, glitches or things that simply don't work, let us know in the Comments below, chat to us on Facebook, tweet us @WesternDaily or direct via email wdnews@b-nm.co.uk

As well as any problems, we'd love to know what you think in general so we can improve our site. Do you love it? Not love it? What other features would you like to see? Help us to make your site better and we'll move as fast as we can to improve your experience!

Wimbledon champion Andy Murray has declared his support for the Yes campaign for Scottish independence on the day of the vote.

The British tennis player tweeted at 2am this morning: "Huge day for Scotland today! No campaign negativity last few days totally swayed my view on it. Excited to see the outcome. Lets do this!"

The tennis star doesn't live in Scotland anymore and so does not have a vote - but does wield a lot of influence among his 2.7million followers. The tweet has been retweeted 14 thousand times at the last count.

The stepfather of Prince Harry's former girlfriend took his own life with an overdose, an inquest has heard.

Entrepreneur Christopher Shaw, 76, who was married to Cressida Bonas's mother Lady Mary-Gaye Curzon during the 1990s, had been suffering from ill-health.

Mr Shaw, an Old Etonian and former Grenadier Guards officer, was found on January 17 this year at his home in Salisbury, Wiltshire, by his housekeeper and landlord after they had become concerned for his welfare.

After his death, police found a 12-inch high pile of papers with information about different ways of committing suicide, the inquest in Salisbury heard.

Mr Shaw had been diagnosed with chronic renal failure and was told that he needed kidney dialysis.

Housekeeper Nicola Smith, who prepared his meals daily, said Mr Shaw had discussed his failing health with her and was prescribed a range of medications.

"I knew from conversations with him that at some point he would have to go on dialysis, which he was not prepared to do," she said.

"I would say six or seven months prior to him being deceased he was told by his GP in London that without dialysis he had two years to live."

When Miss Smith could not open the front door of his flat she went to see his landlord Charles Bartlett, who lived in the basement of the property close to Salisbury Cathedral, and they found him.

PC James Nicholson said: "There was paperwork in the study, which did relate to a euthanasia website, which had been downloaded and printed from Mr Shaw's email account."

PC Nicholson said he did not find a note and police concluded there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding Mr Shaw's death.

A post-mortem examination found Mr Shaw died from an overdose.

Assistant Wiltshire and Swindon Coroner Dr Claire Balysz recorded a conclusion that Mr Shaw took his own life.

No members of Mr Shaw's family were present at the hearing.

Miss Bonas reportedly began dating Prince Harry in April 2012 after being introduced by Harry's cousin Princess Eugenie.

In April this year, it was confirmed they had split amicably but remained the best of friends.

Victoria Beckham has been hailed as the greatest fashion inspiration for UK women.

The Spice Girl-turned-designer topped a poll to find the greatest "style icon" as London Fashion Week drew to a close, ahead of runner-up actress Emma Watson.

In third place in the survey of 1,000 women for Hello! Fashion Monthly was model Kate Moss.

Seven out of the top 10 figures are British, with Alexa Chung, Cara Delevingne, her sister Poppy and Rita Ora with also ranking highly.

Hilary Alexander, the editor-at-large for the magazine, said: "It's great to see such a high percentage of British women represented within Hello! Fashion Monthly's new list of the most stylish stars.

"As a nation, we are really dominating the industry at present, with top designers such as Vivienne Westwood, Burberry, Matthew Williamson, Stella McCartney, Victoria Beckham, Alice Temperley, Jenny Packham, Christopher Kane and Mary Katrantzou excelling on the global stage, so it is fantastic that our style ambassadors are also following suit.

The top 10 is as follows:

1. Victoria Beckham

2. Emma Watson

3. Kate Moss

4. Olivia Palermo

5. Alexa Chung

6. Cara Delevingne

7. Jessica Alba

8. Kim Kardashian

9. Poppy Delevingne

10. Rita Ora

Experts are warning householders to expect an invasion of giant spiders this winter.

Rising temperatures and easier access to food has seen the creepy crawlies grow bigger than ever. And the eight-legged creatures that strike fear into a percentage of the population are set to move indoors to look for a mate.

Professor Adam Hart, of the University of Gloucestershire, agreed with researchers from Sydney University in Australia who issued the initial warning.

"This year has been seemingly a good one for the invertebrates which spiders feed on, and it's quite mild out there," he said. Spiders have been thriving in the September sun and families in the north have already reported larger than normal creatures in their homes this month.

With males about to hunt a mate, householders can expect to see more of them in their homes over the coming weeks..

But Professor Hart says people have nothing to fear because spiders are a free pest control service.

"They often feed on the most common species, preventing a few species from becoming dominant. We want to encourage people to respect and learn more about their little house guests," he said.

There are approximately 660 species of spider in the UK, and according to the preliminary results of the Society of Biology's House Spider Survey (which recently closed), the public struggle to differentiate between spider species and sexes.

A collaboration between the Society of Biology and the University of Gloucestershire produced a new identification-focussed mobile phone application called 'Spider in da House' which recently went into Android and Apple app stores. Using photos, identification tools, and further facts, the free app allows people to identify and learn more about 12 of the most common spiders found inside houses. Both sexes remain in their webs, most commonly in sheds, garages and wood piles, until the autumn when the males become nomadic and search for females.

Females usually stay in their webs to await a suitor and the following spring produces more than ten egg sacs, each containing around 40 to 60 eggs.

There is only one result for the Scottish referendum — which will be announced by the Chief Counting Officer, Mary Pitcaithly, from the national counting centre at Ingliston, just outside Edinburgh. But there will be 32 local counts — one for each local authority in Scotland. Each authority will declare its result separately, but smaller authorities are expected to declare earlier and some of the larger authorities such as Glasgow whose results could shift the overall result one way or another in a close race, are expected to declare late.

Perhaps most importantly, there is no provision for a national recount in Scotland, regardless of the result. But there can be local recounts — if they are requested and granted before the local count result is announced. Recounts will be granted, as always, at the discretion of the local counting officer, but if the overall race is very close, particularly towards the end of the night, expect both sides to ask for recounts in individual authorities.

A spokesman from Bell-Pottinger's political team said: "Declaration times for the Scottish referendum are difficult to forecast owing to the lack of precedent. Some councils have given estimates to the Press Association of when they expect to announce the results of their count, whilst others have not given estimates to either the media or the campaigns. High turnout levels could delay some results and recounts could throw declaration times completely

They added: "The Chief Counting Officer has said that the best estimate that she can give for a final overall result is "breakfast time". Expect an earlier announcement during the night if there is a clear result, but one coming later during the day on Friday if there are recounts, challenges and the overall result is on a knife edge."

#scottish Tweets

Most weddings are take months, if not years of planning – almost always by the bride with the groom nodding nervously in agreement.

But for one builder from Gloucestershire, not only was planning the perfect wedding for his beautiful bride entirely his responsibility – but he had just four weeks to pull it off.

That is pretty much the scenario for the reality TV show 'Don't Tell The Bride', but this time there was no £10,000 sweetener from a TV production company – Cirencester building contractor Scott Hackett had to do it all himself.

The 32-year-old had been due to marry his sweetheart Anastassiya, 26, earlier this year but cancelled the wedding because of hold ups in getting visas for the bride's family to come over from her home country of Kazakhstan.

Then Anastassiya had to return to Kazakhstan because her visa ran out, but Scott did not give up hope, and when he discovered a date at his local church became free in August, he swung back into action, secured the visas and set about arranging the entire wedding on his own.

The couple met in Cirencester three years ago when Anastassiya was studying at the International Language School in the town, and have been an item ever since.

But when it came to planning an entire wedding, Scott called in some favours. "A date became free for the church in August, one of the busiest months of the year for weddings, so I called in favours, booked cars, suits, flowers and even had to order the dresses alone and then looked for a venue for the wedding breakfast."

He managed to find room at The Crown in Cirencester, and Anastassiya and her family duly arrived not expecting anything.

"Anastassiya had no idea what was to happen on the day but with a lot of help from friends and family I was able to pull off a perfect day in a very short period of time," Scott added. "The bride is normally the orchestrator of a wedding and it is something normally built out of childhood dreams and a wish list of perfection. I hope I did ok," he added.

But, none of this was enough for one cyclist, CBRE Bristol's Matthew Prior, who completed all three courses in a single day, covering 190 gruelling miles. His attempt began at 4.00am and lasted for 13 hours.

The event raised £5,000 for charity, with Penny Brohn Cancer Care and Transplant Sport the causes selected this year.

Jeremy Richards, BPAA President, said: "I am absolutely delighted that our Cyclosportive attracted 323 riders and countless helpers en route. I am grateful to all participants for helping to raise funds for our chosen charities and all those who sponsored them."

The Cyclosportive event was organised by BPAA members Philip Morton, Head of Agency & Development at CBRE Bristol, and Lucy Elliott of Knight Frank.

Philip Morton said: "Our aim was for participants to have a great day out, cycling through beautiful North Somerset countryside and the Mendips. The rides were primarily run on quiet roads away from the main flow of traffic. It was great to see some impressive efforts - not least Matthew Prior's fantastic marathon effort."

The start and finish line for all three distances was the car park at Redwood Lodge Hotel and Country Club at Beggar Bush Lane in Failand.

Further donations can still be made by visiting www.justgiving.com/cbrebristolmattprior.

Next month's ending of the need to display a car tax disc could lead to tax evasion costing the economy £167 million a year, according to the RAC.

It said it feared that the number of tax-dodgers could equal the number who try to avoid paying motor insurance.

RAC chief engineer David Bizley said: "We could be looking at around £167 million of lost revenues to the Treasury, far exceeding the £10 million that will be saved by no longer having to print tax discs and post them to vehicle owners."

From October 1, motorists will no longer need to display a tax disc on their vehicle windscreen. They will still need to pay their vehicle excise duty car tax, with records being monitored electronically.

An RAC survey of more than 2,000 drivers showed that 36% were unaware of the scrapping of the paper disc, while 47% did not know when the change was due to take effect.

The poll also showed that 63% feared there would be a rise in the number of untaxed cars on the road, while 44% reckoned the change would actually encourage people to break the law.

From October 1 vehicle tax will no longer be transferred when a vehicle is sold, with buyers of used vehicles having to renew the tax when they make a purchase.

Mr Bizley said: "There is clearly concern among motorists over the issue of enforcement. Most of the changes make sense and will benefit the motorist, but too many motorists are unaware of the detail.

"The big question has to be whether enforcement using only cameras and automatic number plate recognition will be sufficiently effective."

Downton Abbey star Laura Carmichael has revealed Hollywood hunk George Clooney will be seen planting a kiss on Dame Maggie Smith during his guest appearance with the cast.

Oscar-winner Clooney has a role in a specially filmed Downton sketch to be screened for ITV charity appeal Text Santa later this year.

Carmichael – who plays Lady Edith – said the cast were unsure whether he would actually take part until he arrived on set as she spoke on ITV's This Morning.

"It's amazing and we didn't even know if it would actually happen until he turned up," she said.

"We were filming away and then heard 'he's here, he's here, he's arrived'... But he was wonderful and so brilliant and I'm very excited for everyone to see it."

When news of Clooney's role emerged last week, programme bosses kept a lid on details including the names of stars from the drama with whom he would share a scene.

But Carmichael has now told how he will be seen with the Dowager Countess (Dame Maggie), who swoons during their encounter.

She said: "There is a very brilliant moment with Maggie and George – and I don't know if I want to give away any more than that really – but Maggie does a very comedy fall – George plants a kiss and Maggie ends up on the floor, it's wonderful. He was hilarious."

One of the West's most prominent Tories, transport minister Claire Perry, appears to have defied David Cameron's pledge for 'Devo-Max' for Scotland if they vote 'no' in today's independence referendum, and warned against the promise of 'financial party bags'.

The Wiltshire MP said a 'no' vote north of the border would create two problems – one of which would be an even better offer for Scotland in the form of 'a whole raft of goodies'.

That sets the junior transport minister against the 'Devo-Max' proposals that were outlined by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown in the days before today's referendum and backed by all three Westminster party leaders, including Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron.

Mrs Perry said: "With polls narrowing and campaigns ever more acrimonious, it really is too close to call although my sense is that there will be a narrow 'No' victory, and that creates two problems.

"The first is that if the result is a narrow 'No', this will be a running sore in politics for years to come with demands from Holyrood every few years for another go at the question.

"The second is that there will be a whole raft of goodies on offer for Scotland that will be paid for by us south of the border to try and appease the 'Yes' voters," she added.

Mrs Perry became the first West MP to question the increased spending on people in Scotland, compared to people in Wiltshire and the south west on schools, roads and hospitals.

"The funding formula for Scotland, the rather cobbled together Barnett formula, already delivers per capita funding north of the border well in excess of that spent per head in the other parts of the union, and if there is a proposal to allow devolution of local taxation, as well maintaining the current level of funding as a dollop from the UK parliament, then that can hardly be equitable for those of us in the Devizes constituency and all other areas in the non-Scottish union.

"Cool, calm analysis, not promises of financial party bags to appease Mr Salmond, are what is needed from tomorrow and onwards, but either way I am expecting Parliament to be recalled next week to understand the result and any proposed settlement," she added.

James Thomas has joined BDO as Director after 13 years at ICON Corporate Finance in Bristol. His appointment bolsters the firm's expertise in the South West to facilitate deals in the broader cleantech and renewable energy markets. With a national and international remit, James will help clients raise money for projects in the solar, wind, waste and energy services sectors, as well as providing advice and support on cleantech fundraising transactions and M&A activity.

Following three years at KPMG in Bristol, Sean Ward has joined BDO's Corporate Finance team as Manager. In his new role, Sean will concentrate on business development and seeking out opportunities in the mid market area with a particular focus on owner managed businesses across the South West and South Wales. He will work closely with partner Laura Shaw, who heads up the South West team.

BDO is also now providing a dedicated Transactional Services offering from its Bristol office with the addition of Oliver Burton as Director. Oliver joined BDO's Reading office in 2007 and will now also focus on developing opportunities in the South West. With over ten years' experience in corporate finance, Oliver will leverage the strong relationships he and BDO's Bristol M&A team have built. He will focus on providing financial due diligence reviews for corporate and financial buyers and investors.

Laura Shaw commented: "We have ambitious plans to continue our rapid growth of the Bristol office over the last few years and are delighted to welcome James, Oliver and Sean to the team. Their arrivals significantly enhance our offering and the specialist knowledge each of them bring to their roles will ensure we continue to deliver exceptional service for our clients."