good morning. welcome to breakfast with charlie stayt and naga munchetty. our headlines today. hundreds of homes are flooded in nottinghamshire, leading to a major incident being declared, and flood warnings remain in place across large parts of england. so there travel disruption in the south of england with many train services cancelled or delayed. fitter services cancelled or delayed. after the recent heavy _ services cancelled or delayed. after the recent heavy rain _ services cancelled or delayed. after the recent heavy rain thankfully the weather _ the recent heavy rain thankfully the weather is — the recent heavy rain thankfully the weather is looking drier for today and into— weather is looking drier for today and into the weekend but it will take several days for floodwaters to recede _ former athlete oscar pistorius is due to be freed on parole, nearly 11 years after murdering his girlfriend reeva steenkamp. a shortage of foster carers. charities say 6,000 more volunteers are needed in england to meet rising demand.

the government cut to national insurance takes effect tomorrow but what is it, who benefits and how much will it really impact the amount we pay in tax?- much will it really impact the amount we pay in tax? good morning, the manic amount we pay in tax? good morning, the magic is — amount we pay in tax? good morning, the magic is missing _ amount we pay in tax? good morning, the magic is missing in _ amount we pay in tax? good morning, the magic is missing in the _ amount we pay in tax? good morning, the magic is missing in the fa - amount we pay in tax? good morning, the magic is missing in the fa cup - the magic is missing in the fa cup as the third round gets under way and is dominated by a controversial red card, dominic calvert—lewin. his boss says he is really losing patience with var. it's friday the 5th of january. flood warnings remain in parts of england and wales as hundreds of people have been forced to leave their homes due to heavy rainfall. areas in southern and central england are most affected. it comes just days after disruption caused by strong winds and rain from storm henk. 0ur reporter mairead smyth has the latest. yet more heavy rain on already sodden ground. in nottinghamshire, a major incident has been declared as the river trent continued

to rise, as high as it's been in more than 20 years. the peak expected today. hundreds of people have been evacuated from their flooded homes. and a few miles south in loughborough, this flat ruined by floodwater. darren�*s father had to be rescued in the early hours of yesterday morning. there was three feet of water whereas today i'm looking at it and there's no water. the river severn also expected to peak today. belongings piled high in this cottage in worcester to escape the worst of the damage. in the village of longford near gloucester, catherine is helping to look after her mum's house which was surrounded by water, again from the river severn. it's 2007 all over again and it's, yeah, itjust means, mum, if it does go through it would be nine months out again. and this is what the river avon did to alice and mark's garden in fordingbridge. the flood defence swamped. the garden would get flooded, it did last year.

so we had to start bringing all of the equipment and tools that we had in the garden and all of the toys for the children and start bringing them up closer to the house, which is on higher ground. the water breached a couple of weeks ago and now it's the river bank has gone as well. anyone travelling by train today is advised to check their service before they set off after major disruption to multiple routes, including great western railway and south western railway. this was the scene at hinton admiral station last night. in plymouth, the rail line between liskeard and looe looking more like a river. somewhere between newton abbot and totnes we ground to a halt and sat there for a couple of hours while they assessed whether they could go through the floodwater or not. there were 259 active flood warnings last night, meaning flooding is expected across much of england, and two in wales, and more than 300 flood alerts,

meaning flooding is possible. the environment agency is advising people in areas covered by flood warnings to turn off gas, water and electricity supplies, move belongings upstairs and seek safety for family, pets and cars. and after storm henk comes a cold weather alert for all of england from tomorrow until tuesday. let's get some more detail on the disruption to the rail network. mairead is at london paddington — he said check before you travel, how is it looking? that he said check before you travel, how is it looking?— is it looking? that still be advice as i stand is it looking? that still be advice as i stand at _ is it looking? that still be advice as i stand at paddington - is it looking? that still be advice as i stand at paddington station| as i stand at paddington station this morning. i'm pleased to say things are better than they could have been. many services on the board this morning but speaking to one member of staff, she said that although they are trying to get the early services out, there will still

be disruption until midday today. but advice is to check your service before you set off. the same woman told me she had never seen a night like it in her 15 years of working here. she said just one train left the station last night, just one came in and it's something she's never experienced. thankfully, she said that most customers were very understanding but of course you can expect one or two might be a bit put out by not being able to get to their destination. it's caused by severe flooding and this morning the line between liskeard and looe, that is still closed today. passengers in the south of england unfortunately, that advice does stand, check your train service before you set off. thank you. multiple flood warnings are in place along the river severn — including the town of tewkesbury, which is surrounded by flood water. breakfast�*sjohn maguire is there. john, what are residents

waking up to this morning? what's waking up to this morning? the damage, how aret feeling? what's the damage, how are they feelin: ? ~ , , , what's the damage, how are they feelina? ,, ,, , , ., ., feeling? tewkesbury is not a stranuer feeling? tewkesbury is not a stranger to _ feeling? tewkesbury is not a stranger to flooding - feeling? tewkesbury is not a stranger to flooding by - feeling? tewkesbury is not a stranger to flooding by any l feeling? tewkesbury is not a - stranger to flooding by any means. the big flood in 2007 is the one that rings loudly and people's ears whenever we get these heavy rains and heavily saturated grounds. we've seen the river severn and the river avonin seen the river severn and the river avon in this neck of the woods too. it's a grim site, a grim beauty to see a christmas tree reflected in flood water, some of these homes have been evacuated overnight but getting in and out of tewkesbury at the moment is still relatively easy although this road as you can see is closed. you mightjust be able to make out sandbags and water pumping through as people are doing the best they can to try to tackle the

waters. seven levels were expected to see rising but it's dry now of course. lots of travel disruption, driving here last night was very, very difficult, lots and lots of rain but it's been dry at the since and we are expecting to see the river levels drop. some of the highest levels we've seen, some of the highest level since the year 2000, probably the last biggest flood incident we saw in many parts of the country. quieting tewkesbury this morning, we've seen one gentleman walking past going to check his property, trying to see whether everything is all right. the abbey, that iconic view from 2007, the images sent around the world of the images sent around the world of the abbey surrounded by floodplains on all sides. perhaps not as bad as

we had anticipated, thankfully but still a fairly grim site and it will be a fairly grim couple of days for people flooded out of their homes, well, they will face months of disruption. well, they will face months of disruntion-— well, they will face months of disrution. ., ,, . . disruption. thank you. we'll get more on what _ disruption. thank you. we'll get more on what the _ disruption. thank you. we'll get more on what the weather - disruption. thank you. we'll get l more on what the weather holds, sarah will bring that throughout the programme today. the focus is now shifting to south africa. that's right. very high—profile case, this. the former 0lympian and paralympian 0scar pistorius is due to leave prison on parole today, nearly 11 years after murdering his girlfriend reeva steenkamp. the south african served just over half of his sentence following a trial that dominated international headlines. daniel de simone sent this report from pretoria. good morning. i'm not quite sure what the logistics are but take us through what is likely to happen today. through what is likely to happen toda . ,.. through what is likely to happen toda. ,., ,, through what is likely to happen toda. ,, ., today. oscar pistorius is due to leave prison — today. oscar pistorius is due to leave prison today _ today. oscar pistorius is due to leave prison today for - today. oscar pistorius is due to leave prison today for the - today. oscar pistorius is due to leave prison today for the first | leave prison today for the first time since being sentenced for

murdering reeva steenkamp. he is going to leave the prison behind me where he's been serving his sentence. there is a lot of media here and we are expecting him to leave fairly soon but there's nothing confirmed. he will have to be processed, it could happen here or it could happen elsewhere in pretoria and its widely anticipated the address where he'll be on parole will be his uncle's house which is about 25 minutes from here in pretoria. , ., , ., ., pretoria. tell us a bit more about the reaction _ pretoria. tell us a bit more about the reaction to _ pretoria. tell us a bit more about the reaction to his _ pretoria. tell us a bit more about the reaction to his release. - pretoria. tell us a bit more about the reaction to his release. he i pretoria. tell us a bit more aboutl the reaction to his release. he will be on parole. what about reeva steenkamp's family?— steenkamp's family? reeva steenkamp's _ steenkamp's family? reeva steenkamp's family, - steenkamp's family? reeva steenkamp's family, her . steenkamp's family? reeva i steenkamp's family, her father steenkamp's family? reeva - steenkamp's family, her father died last steenkamp's family, herfather died last year, her father steenkamp's family, herfather died last year, herfather and her steenkamp's family, herfather died last year, her father and her mother with the big representatives of her throughout the trial. she released a statement this morning saying they

are the ones serving the life sentence. she's reassured he'll have to take programmes on anger management and violence against women that that they are the ones who are suffering.— israel has outlined proposals for the governance of gaza once the war is over, saying it would retain overall security control and that hamas — which is proscribed as a terror group by the uk — would no longer control gaza. 0ur middle east correspondent yolande knell is injerusalem. this of course is one of the big questions about what happens afterwards. i think this is the first indication of some kind of official position from israel. yes and so far _ official position from israel. yes and so far there's _ official position from israel. yes and so far there's been very official position from israel. 19:3 and so far there's been very little comment on it, acknowledgement that this is unlikely to be the end of the discussion. it'sjust this is unlikely to be the end of the discussion. it's just presented as israel's principles and interests when it comes to setting up a

post—war plan. there's been so much pressure on israeli governments to come up with a detailed plan of what it has in mind for the day after the war which is still expected to go on for many months. the americans in particular have been pushing for that and we have the us secretary of state antony blinken back in the region and he is expected to come here in a few days. washington wants to see a revitalised palestinian authority, that's the body that governs parts of the occupied west bank being brought back to gaza. that would probably very unpopular with the palestinian people as things stand, the palestinian authority doesn't have much support among palestinians themselves at the moment. it seems this hasn't even been properly discussed because reports in the israeli media that

met last night but the cabinet meeting breakdown as they had a big row about a different subject. thank row about a different sub'ect. thank ou. a record number of electric cars were sold in the uk last year — 315,000 in all. the society of motor manufacturers and traders believes the industry has recovered from the pandemic, but says more needs to be done to promote the uptake of electric cars, including tax breaks for private buyers. the actor glynisjohns has died at the age of 100. she appeared in dozens of films over a career spanning more than six decades, and was best known for playing the suffragette mother in mary poppins. her manager described her death as "the end of the golden age of hollywood." rishi sunak has suggested a general election will be held in the second half of this year.

prompting criticism from labour who says he should call one earlier. we're joined by out political correspondent helen catt. rishi sunak has said something but he's left a lot of leeway as to quite what that might mean. he has indeed. he said _ quite what that might mean. he has indeed. he said it _ quite what that might mean. he has indeed. he said it was _ quite what that might mean. he has indeed. he said it was his _ quite what that might mean. he has indeed. he said it was his working i indeed. he said it was his working assumption that he would be calling assumption that he would be calling a general election in the second half of 202a. so, why has he come out and said that at this point? there's been a lot of speculation in westminster over recent weeks. a lot of that coming from opposition parties that despite the position in the polls, rishi sunak might go early and call an election in may. what was notable about what he said yesterday was that he volunteered this. he wasn't cornered, he hadn't previously spoken about election dates but this wasn't something he was pressured into signing. he wanted to get the message out there that he was not considering may. well, i look back to 2007 and what

happened to gordon brown gives a good example. then prime minister, he allowed expectations to grow that he allowed expectations to grow that he was going to call an election, he didn't do it, it allowed the tories to paint him as weak and indecisive so rishi sunak will have been wanting to avoid that. he will have been wanting to avoid what he does in the next few months being overshadowed by speculation. it hasn't stopped opposition parties painting him as indecisive. sir keir starmer talked about him swatting, dithering and delaying. the lib dem says he is running scared of the voters, the snp talking about a bit of cowardice. does this definitely mean we won't have an election earlier? listen carefully to those words, a working assumption. that doesn't entirely rule it out. ultimately he's going to call the general election when the circumstances suit the government best. :, ~ circumstances suit the government best. . ,, , :, do you want a way to spice up your life? :, :, i. :, .,

life? how would you do that, with stam s? life? how would you do that, with stamps? yes- _ the royal mail is issuing a set of 15 stamps to celebrate the spice girls' 30th anniversary — the first time a complete set of stamps has been dedicated to an all—female pop group. the images include group shots and individual portraits, including geri halliwell in that famous union flag dress. they are great. here's sarah with a look at the weather. good morning. we've still got widespread flooding. good morning. it's been a really wet start to 2024. off the back of the very wet december, many of us have seen over a month of rainfall in the first three orfour a month of rainfall in the first three or four days of january. scenes like this for many, this is stratford—upon—avon. thankfully, the weather is starting to quieten down but it will take for these flood waters to waters to start to recede. this is where we've seen the

rainfall. 0ver this is where we've seen the rainfall. over the past 12 hours we've had this rain piling across the midlands, central southern england, creeping through parts of east anglia and the far south—east as well. thankfully, heavy persistent rain starting to clear away from eastern areas. another couple of hours of wet weather for the likes of norfolk for instance. in the north—east of scotland more wet weather, a few showers that the sub but not heavy and relentless rain. west is best for some time today. eight or 9 degrees but cloudy skies in the east. into tomorrow, still low pressure close to the north of scotland but thankfully high pressure that builds and that will take charge of our weather over the next couple of days. quite a cold start to saturday, some mist and fog patches, a touch of frost around in the north and west. cloudy skies tomorrow for eastern parts of england in particular. thankfully, looking drier. temperatures around about 5—7 in the east, in the

sunshine towards the west 8—9. that dry spell continues through sunday and monday. it's cool assay mistiness and frost but thankfully we are losing the heavy rain we had seen. foster carers are in short supply at the moment — with one charity warning that around 6,000 more are needed in england alone, to meet current demand. as part of breakfast�*s care in 2024 series, jayne mccubbin went to meet two couples who have fostered children — and say it was the best decision they ever made. we've received so much more back than we've ever given, and that's been really lovely. "i love my nicky because she cuddles me, she takes me on holiday, she brings me to school and she gives us pocket money." laughs. "best carer ever. " c-a-r-a.

nicky and jeff started fostering nine years ago, and the family tree in their home carries all the names and all the faces of all the children they've ever looked after. but recently they took on a new role to help deal with a crisis for kids in care. unfortunately, more foster carers are leaving than new ones are coming in. why? well, i think the word that keeps coming up is support, all the time. not enough support. of course there's the financial issues as well. but i think that the biggest thing is support and that's why mockingbird is so important. the mockingbird scheme creates a model of care which is just like an extended family. nikki and geoff are the central hub home, where they offer advice and respite to several satellite homes where children are placed. lol is lots of love. lots of love, yeah. you give me lol. it sounds like you love this job. we do, it's the best job in the world. i had a message on the support group

today from a carer saying, if it wasn't for mockingbird and the support i get from other carers, i couldn't do what i do — so that says it all. and they're all in front of you on our wall. so important for the children to know that they are still in our lives... i don't want people to think we're sugar—coating this because it can be a very challenging job contes, can't it? yep. we owe it to these children to be the best we can be. we have to be fully trained. trauma informed training is vital. all of the children have suffered some form of trauma. so in order to give them the care they need, we have to make sure we focus on the professional element as well. this is from one of the parents. "to geoff and nikki, thank you for being so caring "and loving to my girls, and truly you are angels. "i will succeed with the girls." yes, that's from a birth parent. this work is life—changing — but for the second year running the number of foster carers is in decline as need increases year on year.

better training, more practical and financial support are the things nikki and geoff believe will encourage more carers to sign up, just as others leave. this is isobel and lee, who are in spain right now looking for their retirement home. after 20 years of fostering, lia will be their very last long—term placement. it couldn't end with anybody that i could be more proud of. she is the most important young person that we've had staying with us, and we've had a lot of young people. i would say that i love them very much and i appreciate _ everything they've done. they're very important to me. this is a relationship for life, isn't it? it definitely is. lee and isobel have given me a great kick up the backside _ and i appreciate it so much. so lots of holidays in spain, yeah? yes. 100%.

1000%. lia is part of our life, simple as. this is the power of fostering, but also the reality. too many foster parents are leaving, with too few people to take their place. all those lovely children that have come through your life will probably be watching this on telly. what would you like to say to them? well, you know that we love you. it's been a privilege to have you in our lives. now go out and achieve the great things that you all can because you're all so special. and what would you say to anybody watching this who is curious, who's thinking about fostering? don't miss out on what we've had. speak to your local fostering service and hopefully you'll enjoy what we've enjoyed. it's life changing. you know, you can change a child's life. we'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences on this topic.

we know so many of you have your own caring responsibilites. you can get in touch with us in all the usual ways, which are on screen 110w. with previous winners including adele, stormzy and ellie goulding, the bbc "sound 0f...." prize can be a great indicator of new music acts who are going to become huge. so, look out for the last dinner party — the group has just been named "the sound of 2024". they're an all—female rock band who only released their debut single eight months ago. 0ur music correspondent, mark savage, went to meet them. # but how you touch me. one of the uk's most talked about new bands, the last dinner party, have just won the bbc sound of 2024. # turn to the altar of lust. and you might be wondering why there's a spare seat here. and here's the moment they find out the news from one of their heroes. florence! whoo! you've had the most amazing year.

i know how overwhelming it can be. so ijust wanted to be here to give you my love and tell you have won radio 1's sound of 2024. for australian born bassist georgia davies, getting the endorsement of her idol meant the world. i discovered her music when i was like nine, and i was like, oh my god. like, i feel understood and, like, connected to a person. and she lived on the other side of the world. and so for her to say, like, that she's proud of us, it'sjust, like, so insane. the last dinner party formed four years ago when all the members were studying at university in london and released their debut single last april. after they wrapped up their interview with radio 1, i sat down with them for a chat in london's george tavern.

this is where you played your first show two years ago. what are your memories of that night? very little. how many songs did you have? five. it was really short set. like, i remember like rehearsing for like maybe a year or so before we did our first gig. because of covid and everything, we couldn't actually do a gig. so it felt like a really good feeling to actually go out for the first time and share it with an audience. and who came? how many people were here? 20? yeah, it felt like loads, though. i remember like standing on the stage and looking out and being like, "hi, i'm king of glastonbury!" # and you can hold me like he held her. # and i will, like nothing matters. the first song anybody heard from you guys was nothing matters, which is such a statement as a debut single. where did that song originate?

i was in love! so many stories. once, when i was a young boy! itjust came from a place of extreme love and, er, carnality. and then i didn't really think it was anything until i kind of bought it to my friends here. it was a ballad initially? yeah, yeah, it was, it was kind of slow on piano. like, i didn't write it and think, "oh, yeah, this is a big anthem and this is cool and big and electric." and then emily wrote a guitar solo and i was like, ah, that's what it should be! for the last 22 years, the sound of poll has predicted success for artists like adele, stormzy and dua lipa. # maybe it's the loving in your eyes. this year's runner up was the singer songwriter 0livia dean. and in third place was the korean superstar dj peggy gou.

but the last dinner party were the runaway winners with this year's voters. this has alljust happened. it's still sinking in. but how will you celebrate? shall we go for a drink? yeah, we're going to have a pint. watch that space. you're watching breakfast. still to come on today's programme. hello, how you doing? 0ur bbc news colleague sean dilley�*s long wait for a new guide dog is over. he's been put together with sean and they seem to be getting on a treat. we'll be talking to human sean late

in the programme and dog sean will be with us too. i don't how to distinguish between the two. it be with us too. i don't how to distinguish between the two. it was a lona distinguish between the two. it was a long wait- — distinguish between the two. it was a long wait- 17 _ distinguish between the two. it was a long wait. 17 months, _ distinguish between the two. it was a long wait. 17 months, yeah. - distinguish between the two. it was a long wait. 17 months, yeah. it - distinguish between the two. it was| a long wait. 17 months, yeah. it was a long wait. 17 months, yeah. it was a lona a long wait. 17 months, yeah. it was a long wait — a long wait. 17 months, yeah. it was a long wait and _ a long wait. 17 months, yeah. it was a long wait and now _ a long wait. 17 months, yeah. it was a long wait and now he _ a long wait. 17 months, yeah. it was a long wait and now he has - a long wait. 17 months, yeah. it was a long wait and now he has his - a long wait. 17 months, yeah. it was a long wait and now he has his dog l a long wait and now he has his dog so it's all good. we'll see them later. :, ., later. time to get the new travel and weather _ later. time to get the new travel and weather where _ later. time to get the new travel and weather where you - later. time to get the new travel and weather where you are. - hello, good morning from bbc london, i'm luxmy gopal. there's disruption to some rail services after the heavy rain last night. great western railway, which includes routes to paddington, says passengers should check before travelling today because of flooding and an incident in reading last night which left trains and crew in the wrong place. tickets for travel today will be valid tomorrow. south western railway asks people to check before travelling due to disruption to their network following many incidents of flooding. talks are continuing to avoid a strike on the underground which is due to begin on sunday evening. tube passengers are being warned of severe disruption

to services next week because of the strike over pay. members of the rmt union will stage a series of walk—outs in protest at a 5% pay offer. hotel stays for rough sleepers over christmas have been extended into the new year in an attempt to give them "extra time" to make plans. some 148 people, who would otherwise be sleeping rough in london, will be supported with a hotel room and a dedicated support worker untiljanuary 19th. the work, by the homelessness charities crisis and st mungo's, is being funded by the gla and the department for levelling up. one of london's oldest pub theatres reopens this evening at its new home just off upper street. the new kings head theatre will have a much larger auditorium along with a dedicated late night cabaret space. bosses say the new venue will continue to be a hub for emerging writers and artists and provide a much needed alternative to the west end. we are a space for artists to come

and do something that they're not able to do in other spaces, and for the mavericks and the misfits and the vagabonds of the industry to come and try out things. the scale and the professionalism of what we are able to present here will be entirely different to what we did in a pub theatre. let's take a look at the tubes now. there are severe delays on the district line and the piccadilly line is part suspended. now onto the weather with kawser. hello, good morning. it's still quite cloudy and damp out there. we have numerous flood warnings and flood alerts still around with surface water and spray on the roads making the morning commute a bit tricky but it will gradually improve over the next few days. the cloud mainly across more eastern parts, here we will see the worst of the showers and more of a breeze but elsewhere largely dry by the end of the day and temperatures around six to eight celsius. for this evening and overnight there will be a further few showers. some cloud around will leave the clearer skies, maybe one or two patches of mist and fog developing.

and temperatures dipping to around three to five celsius. but looking ahead, high pressure will continue to build and we will see more in the way of drier conditions developing but also colder conditions as well. so if we look ahead to the next few days, the weekend itself will be largely dry after a few showers on saturday, becoming quite cold overnight saturday night into sunday, that mist and fog may be quite slow to clear in places on sunday morning. but for the rest of the week it will be colder but drier. that's it from me for now. i'll be back in half an hour but now it's back to naga and charlie. hello, this is breakfast with charlie stayt and naga munchetty. hundreds of flood warnings remain for parts of england and wales this morning. it comes just days after strong winds and rain from storm henk battered the uk. areas in southern and central england are most affected,

with nottinghamshire county council declaring a major incident because of rising water levels on the river trent. hundreds of people have been evacuated from their flooded homes including in radcliffe where the fire service were called in to help residents. and this is what the river avon did to alice and mark's garden in fordingbridge, the flood defence swamped. let's get more on this now with caroline douglass from the environment agency. she is the director for flood and coastal risk management will stop you are very busy at the moment so appreciate your time this morning. i wonder if you can plot us through some of the worst affected areas, we were showing pictures from nottinghamshire, give us your update of the situation there? if}. nottinghamshire, give us your update of the situation there?— of the situation there? 0, yes, it is a really _ of the situation there? 0, yes, it is a really wet — of the situation there? 0, yes, it is a really wet day _ of the situation there? 0, yes, it is a really wet day out _ of the situation there? 0, yes, it is a really wet day out there - of the situation there? 0, yes, it is a really wet day out there and | is a really wet day out there and certainly the rainfall overnight in southern parts of the country has added to the picture. in nottinghamshire, around nottingham, the trend is still peaking at the

moment, the river trent is peaking, some of the highest levels we have seenin some of the highest levels we have seen in 24 years so significant water in that part of the country. broader areas around lincolnshire, we have had a lot of farmland underwater which is providing a real risk there. anywhere along the river seven, there are lots of areas which are underwater —— the river severn. and bradford—on—avon in the south of the country, frome, shepton mallet, some of the areas that have been affected by significant rainfall overnight. a lot of water on many roads and over 1000 properties flooded so far that we have had reports of but probably there are more that will wake up to once it becomes daylight and we can get more boots on the ground. take becomes daylight and we can get more boots on the ground.— boots on the ground. take me through that if ou boots on the ground. take me through that if you you — boots on the ground. take me through that if you you can. _

boots on the ground. take me through that if you you can. 1000 _ boots on the ground. take me through that if you you can. 1000 homes - that if you you can. 1000 homes flooded, is that across england? give me a sense of where these places are. give me a sense of where these places are-— give me a sense of where these laces are. . , ., places are. that is across england, a lot of the — places are. that is across england, a lot of the areas _ places are. that is across england, a lot of the areas i _ places are. that is across england, a lot of the areas i was _ places are. that is across england, a lot of the areas i was just - a lot of the areas i was just talking about. 0bviously storm henk is included in there from earlier in the week, so that impacted about three to 400 properties that we know of and there have been a lot more overnight, reports coming in so we are basically trying to collate those at the moment. at the moment we are saying we have got records of around about 1000 properties that we know that is going to increase as the daylight breaks. we have still got rising river levels, peaking river levels in some parts of the country so we have got to be aware of that. i country so we have got to be aware of that. :, , , : :, country so we have got to be aware of that. . , , . ., ., of that. i appreciate that the situation is _ of that. i appreciate that the situation is changing - of that. i appreciate that the situation is changing all - of that. i appreciate that the situation is changing all the | of that. i appreciate that the - situation is changing all the time and as we speak, in terms of the homes evacuated, i understand there are many affected, what about evacuations, and are there places where there are people as we speak this morning being evacuated? there

is one place — this morning being evacuated? there is one place that _ this morning being evacuated? there is one place that we _ this morning being evacuated? there is one place that we know— this morning being evacuated? there is one place that we know of - is one place that we know of overnight that was evacuated, all the island in gloucester, only 50 properties, and they have an evacuation plan because they are used to it. that is one area we know will, that was alney island. but nottingham with the river trent peaking as we are talking. some of these places _ peaking as we are talking. some of these places like _ peaking as we are talking. some of these places like tewkesbury - peaking as we are talking. some of these places like tewkesbury is - these places like tewkesbury is often flooded. those places that are not so well known for flooding, what is the factor that has made the difference this time? i is the factor that has made the difference this time?— is the factor that has made the difference this time? i think the issue is, difference this time? i think the issue is. we _ difference this time? i think the issue is, we have _ difference this time? i think the issue is, we have always - difference this time? i think the issue is, we have always had, . difference this time? i think the l issue is, we have always had, we difference this time? i think the - issue is, we have always had, we are a country that is wet, we know that, and we get a lot of rainfall. we have had very wide rainfall at the moment, we had, over november and december, following on from the

storms, the ground was incredibly saturated right across the country particularly in the east. also that has been topped up in the pre—christmas period. the rainfall from this week has added to that. there is really nowhere for the water to go. the ground is completely saturated so in that situation we get more flooding and greater impact than we have seen and probably in areas that people are used to. certainly the rainfall overnight was quite widespread and quite heavy particularly in the south of the country and that does need to surface water flooding impact on roadways and rail infrastructure that we have seen and you have talked about as well. thahk you have talked about as well. thank ou for you have talked about as well. thank you for your — you have talked about as well. thank you for your time _ you have talked about as well. thank you for your time this _ you have talked about as well. thank you for your time this morning, - you have talked about as well. thank you for your time this morning, the updates on the situation. caroline douglass from the environment agency. douglass from the environment auen . :, ~ douglass from the environment auen . . ~' douglass from the environment auen . . , douglass from the environment aien . ., ~' , :, , . millions of workers should see a reduction

in their national insurance contributions from tomorrow, as a government pledge to cut the tax comes into force. peter is here to explain what's happening. there is a lot of detail to get through here, i think. absolutely and as ever _ through here, i think. absolutely and as ever the _ through here, i think. absolutely and as ever the devil _ through here, i think. absolutely and as ever the devil is - through here, i think. absolutely and as ever the devil is in - through here, i think. absolutely and as ever the devil is in the - and as ever the devil is in the detail stop people should see the impact on their payslips but the big question is when you zoom out, and at the tax burden, that is a bit more complicated. first let's just have a recap on exactly what national insurance is. forworkers, national insurance, like income tax, is a deduction from your salary. but, unlike income tax, it is only paid on your wages if you are in work. it is also paid by employers and the self—employed. so cutting it is seen as a way of incentivising employment. it goes towards paying for certain government benefits, like the state pension. today, the main rate is 12%. that applies to anyone earning more

than £242 pounds a week. but from tomorrow that rate will be cut to 10%. you should see that difference fairly immediately on your payslip. if you earn £30,000 a year this should work out at savings of £350 or £30 a month. if you earn more, you will save more. but it isn't quite that simple especially if you have had a pay rise recently. that's all because the threshold, the point at which you start paying national insurance, has been frozen, rather than going up each year. that means as people's wages increase, more of us end up paying the tax for the first time. when you take into account frozen income tax thresholds as well, many people's tax burdens will still go up this year, despite tomorrow's cut in national insurance.

the income tax freeze is often called — the income tax freeze is often called a — the income tax freeze is often called a stealth tax because lots of people _ called a stealth tax because lots of people don't understand it or don't see it _ people don't understand it or don't see it its— people don't understand it or don't see it. it's not that you don't pay -- you _ see it. it's not that you don't pay -- you pay— see it. it's not that you don't pay —— you pay more tax than you paid last year— —— you pay more tax than you paid last year it's — —— you pay more tax than you paid last year it'sjust —— you pay more tax than you paid last year it's just that you are paying — last year it's just that you are paying more tax than you would have done if _ paying more tax than you would have done if the _ paying more tax than you would have done if the government had not frozen — done if the government had not frozen the tax band. it's crafted by the government because people don't fully understand it and don't see they are — fully understand it and don't see they are paying more tax, so it is crafty, _ they are paying more tax, so it is crafty, so — they are paying more tax, so it is crafty, so it— they are paying more tax, so it is crafty, so it gets less moaning from people _ crafty, so it gets less moaning from people at— crafty, so it gets less moaning from people. at the same time if you do the cut— people. at the same time if you do the cut of— people. at the same time if you do the cut of national insurance, it can look— the cut of national insurance, it can look like you are handing out money— can look like you are handing out money to— can look like you are handing out money to people but when you put the two moves _ money to people but when you put the two moves together, people will be paying _ two moves together, people will be paying far _ two moves together, people will be paying far more in tax. important to remember, some of the national insurance charges paid by the self—employed are also being cut or scrapped from april. that will be an important boost to people like plumbers, hairdressers who have had a very tough few years. but, charlie and naga, the big argument as we move towards an election is likely to be on the taxes paid by workers, and the overall tax burden.

notjust not just the notjust the individual cuts come tomorrow, but essentially the tax burden as a whole across the course of the parliament and across the course of the conservatives time in government. course of the conservatives time in government-— course of the conservatives time in government. thank you very much, peter. let's discuss this further with the shadow paymaster general, jonathan ashworth. jonathan ashworth, good morning to you. jonathan ashworth, good morning to ou. , :, :, :, jonathan ashworth, good morning to ou. :, thank jonathan ashworth, good morning to you-_ thank you - jonathan ashworth, good morning to you._ thank you for i you. good morning. thank you for “oininu you. good morning. thank you for joining us- — you. good morning. thank you for joining us- we _ you. good morning. thank you for joining us. we have _ you. good morning. thank you for joining us. we have got— you. good morning. thank you for joining us. we have got national. joining us. we have got national insurance being cut for millions of workers, are you in favour of this? well, we did not oppose the tax cuts, indeed when rishi sunak put up a national insurance we can paint that and pointed out it was a punishing tax rise —— campaigned against that. the simple truth today is working people across the country this morning are already hurting from the mortgage increases thanks to the decisions taken by the conservatives. working people are also going to be worse off on average by around £1200 under the conservatives thanks to their 25

tory tax rises. and although rishi sunak and conservative editions claim that this is one of the biggest tax cuts in history, when you look at the small print, you quickly work out that this conservative parliament has been the biggest tax rising parliament in modern history and people are paying more in tax. so an electrician or plumber on a typical salary will be paying £660 more, one nurse will be paying £660 more, one nurse will be paying £660 more, one nurse will be paying £660 more. mr; paying £660 more, one nurse will be paying £660 more-— paying £660 more, one nurse will be paying £660 more. my question was, because our— paying £660 more. my question was, because our money _ paying £660 more. my question was, because our money reporter- paying £660 more. my question was, because our money reporter has - paying £660 more. my question was, because our money reporter hasjust| because our money reporter has just gone through the implications of the tax rises and the changes in the threshold. my question to you was do you support this cuts in national insurance and your answer was we did not oppose it. do you support it and will it remain in place if there is a labour government? we will it remain in place if there is a labour government?- will it remain in place if there is a labour government? we did support it and when rishi _ a labour government? we did support it and when rishi sunak— a labour government? we did support it and when rishi sunak put _ a labour government? we did support it and when rishi sunak put national. it and when rishi sunak put national insurance up, we campaigned hard

against it. the point today is that even with this change in taxation which is coming in, households are still on average £1200 worse off because of the 25 tory tax rises. 50 because of the 25 tory tax rises. so what would the government do to make it better? you what would the government do to make it better? :, ., :, :, ., ,~' what would the government do to make it better? :, ., :, :, ., , it better? you have got to ask why tax has gone _ it better? you have got to ask why tax has gone up — it better? you have got to ask why tax has gone up because _ it better? you have got to ask why tax has gone up because the - tax has gone up because the government have had no economic planner. we have had 14 years of economic failure which has led to very poor economic growth in this country and squeeze in living standards. that's why you have got to get your economy growing again, that's why you have got to get the economy improving, growing so that you can use the proceeds of that growth to invest in your economy and make people better off. we would have a completely different approach to managing the economy because we have got a detailed long—term plan for the economy. 50 have got a detailed long-term plan for the economy.— have got a detailed long-term plan for the economy. so what would an imrovin: for the economy. so what would an improving economy _ for the economy. so what would an improving economy look _ for the economy. so what would an improving economy look like? - for the economy. so what would an i improving economy look like? anyone watching now thinking, there could be an election tomorrow, well, not tomorrow, but very soon at some

point in 2024, i'm thinking about who to vote for and if i'm concerned about taxes and i want to consider voting labour, and it says, we need to see improving growth, we need to see the economy improving, what indicators can i look forward to think, even though labour is not putting out its plans, not fully costing plans yet, what indicators should they look at? we costing plans yet, what indicators should they look at?— costing plans yet, what indicators should they look at? we have said we wanted to see — should they look at? we have said we wanted to see growth _ should they look at? we have said we wanted to see growth in _ should they look at? we have said we wanted to see growth in the - should they look at? we have said we wanted to see growth in the uk - should they look at? we have said we wanted to see growth in the uk to - should they look at? we have said we wanted to see growth in the uk to be| wanted to see growth in the uk to be at the fastest rate amongst our g7 competitor countries. and if you can get to the fastest rate of growth, that means you have got more money to invest in public services and improving living standards. investing in public services is really important obviously because we know the national health service is on its knees and we have got schools with roofs falling in. we also want to introduce radical reforms to the planning system so we can build more houses. for example if there was a young couple watching this morning he wanted to get on the

housing ladder, we can say to them, under the labour government we are going to build 1.5 million... haifa going to build 1.5 million... how lona will going to build 1.5 million... how long will that — going to build 1.5 million... how long will that take? _ going to build 1.5 million... how long will that take? not many people will say that these plans are not something they want to hear, but these things take time. under a labour government, what do you have to see... let labour government, what do you have to see... , :, labour government, what do you have to see. . ._ growth - labour government, what do you have to see. . ._ growth is i to see... let me tell you. growth is at this. to see. .. let me tell you. growth is at this- or— to see... let me tell you. growth is at this. or does _ to see... let me tell you. growth is at this. or does it _ to see... let me tell you. growth is at this. or does it have _ to see... let me tell you. growth is at this. or does it have to - to see... let me tell you. growth is at this. or does it have to be i to see... let me tell you. growth is at this. or does it have to be the i at this. or does it have to be the best g7 performing country before my taxes come down? fin best g7 performing country before my taxes come down?— taxes come down? on the housing oint, taxes come down? on the housing point. because _ taxes come down? on the housing point. because i— taxes come down? on the housing point, because i know _ taxes come down? on the housing point, because i know a _ taxes come down? on the housing point, because i know a lot i taxes come down? on the housing point, because i know a lot of i point, because i know a lot of people want to get on the housing ladder, we want to build overfive years, over the period of the next labour government if we get elected, 1.5 million new homes across that period. that means the young people can get on the housing ladder. those young people who want to get on the housing ladder and start a family, if they want to start a family, when their children go to school, their children will benefit from free breakfast clubs that we want to introduce. when they progress through school, we are going to recruit more specialist teachers.

and if god forbid they full ill, there will be 2 million more appointments in our national health service. ~ :, appointments in our national health service. :, ., , appointments in our national health service. ~ :, ., , appointments in our national health service. :, ., :, service. when do taxes come down? keir starmer — service. when do taxes come down? keir starmer has _ service. when do taxes come down? keir starmer has said _ service. when do taxes come down? keir starmer has said he _ service. when do taxes come down? keir starmer has said he wants i service. when do taxes come down? keir starmer has said he wants to i keir starmer has said he wants to see a low tax uk so when do they come down?— come down? first of all there is robabl come down? first of all there is probably going _ come down? first of all there is probably going to _ come down? first of all there is probably going to be _ come down? first of all there is probably going to be at - come down? first of all there is probably going to be at least i come down? first of all there is| probably going to be at least two budgets, two fiscal events before the next general election because rishi sunak is hinting to be ruling out an early election and is running scared. we will make clear the tax plans and when the know what the public finances look like. we are never going to be reckless with the public finances and make irresponsible uncosted commitments to taxation, that is what the conservative did and it led to our economy crashing and mortgage is going up as a consequence of playing fast and most of the public finances. fast and most of the public finances-— fast and most of the public finances. , ,, .,~ , finances. rishi sunak has said he is workin: finances. rishi sunak has said he is working on — finances. rishi sunak has said he is working on the _ finances. rishi sunak has said he is working on the assumption - finances. rishi sunak has said he is working on the assumption he i finances. rishi sunak has said he is working on the assumption he willl working on the assumption he will hold a general election in the

second half of this year. i don't know if you have fully costed plans in place, it's been said the labour party would be prepared for an election tomorrow. what does that timeline mean to you? first election tomorrow. what does that timeline mean to you?— timeline mean to you? first of all that suggests _ timeline mean to you? first of all that suggests to _ timeline mean to you? first of all that suggests to me _ timeline mean to you? first of all that suggests to me that - timeline mean to you? first of all that suggests to me that rishi i timeline mean to you? first of all. that suggests to me that rishi sunak is running scared of the verdict of the british people and there are questions are what he is hiding if he is delaying the general election. every one of our policies, policies to build more homes, free breakfast clubs, 2 million more appointments in the nhs, are fully costed and fully funded. but we will not make commitments on taxation until we know the position of the public finances closer to a general election because if rishi sunak is now delaying a general election, if he is now no run...— he is now no run... he's not delaying _ he is now no run... he's not delaying it. _ he is now no run... he's not delaying it. he _ he is now no run... he's not delaying it, he is _ he is now no run... he's not delaying it, he is entitled i he is now no run... he's not delaying it, he is entitled toj he is now no run... he's not- delaying it, he is entitled to call one until early next year.- one until early next year. many --eole one until early next year. many people thought _ one until early next year. many people thought he _ one until early next year. many people thought he would i one until early next year. many people thought he would go i one until early next year. many people thought he would go in | one until early next year. intern people thought he would go in may and he has pushed it back, he is hinting he will push it back beyond

may. hinting he will push it back beyond ma . �* , :, ., hinting he will push it back beyond ma. �*, :, ., ., :, may. let's not deal in speculation. we are already _ may. let's not deal in speculation. we are already more _ may. let's not deal in speculation. we are already more than - may. let's not deal in speculation. we are already more than four- may. let's not deal in speculation. l we are already more than four years since the last general election and often general elections tend to be four years. that gives him space for a number of different fiscal events between now and a general election and given that we know what the conservatives do with the public finances, what a mess they make of it, we are not going to make taxation decisions when we don't know the full state of the books because we don't know what the tories are going to do with the public finances over the next 12 months. , :, . . public finances over the next 12 months. , :, ., ., ~ , ., public finances over the next 12 months. ., ., �*, :, ,, ., :, months. jonathan ashworth, shadow pa master months. jonathan ashworth, shadow paymaster general, _ months. jonathan ashworth, shadow paymaster general, thank— months. jonathan ashworth, shadow paymaster general, thank you i months. jonathan ashworth, shadow paymaster general, thank you for i paymaster general, thank you for joining us. paymaster general, thank you for “oininu us. :, ~ paymaster general, thank you for “oininu us. . ,, just want to update you on a story we have been covering this morning. the former 0lympian and paralympian 0scar pistorius has been released from prison on parole, we are told he is now at the home of his uncle which is around half an hourfrom the prison in pretoria where he was being held. the department of

correctional services saying that they confirm that 0scar pistorius is a parolee from the 5th of january 2024, he was admitted into the system of community corrections and is now at home. the pictures you can see are from the court house. he was convicted of murdering reeva steenkamp after he shot her multiple times through a locked door. that was the case that attracted huge international attention. 13 minutes to seven. let's look to sarah and find out what is happening with the weather. this image says it all, we have reporters around the country, people have been evacuated from their homes, no idea how long the wet weather is going to last, i'm sure you can tell us in the short—term.

yes, good morning. the rain has been relentless over recent months, it was a wet autumn, a wet start to winter, we have had eight name to winter, we have had eight name to winter, we have had eight name storms so far and the latest storm henk has left a trail of destruction. this was shrewsbury last night and many areas it seeing similar conditions. 0ver last night and many areas it seeing similar conditions. over 300 flood warnings in full is at the moment but there is some good news on the horizon because the weather is quieter, high pressure is building, drier and colder than it has been but a respite from the stormy weather. here is the satellite images showing the kernel of cloud which brought heavy rain across central and southern england over the last 24 hours or so, low—pressure lingering in the north of scotland so not dry out there completely, still rain in northern and eastern scotland, still wet weather across east anglia and a few more showers towards the west. the

heaviest of the rain is easing the way today, best of the sunshine will be in western areas where further east you will keep more cloud and light rain. temperatures between four to 9 degrees. into the evening, quite a bit of cloud across the eastern area with the odd spot of light drizzle but towards the west it will turn a much colder. the mist, fog and developing across scotland, frost free in england with low cloud. murky start to saturday, low cloud. murky start to saturday, low cloud. murky start to saturday, low cloud in the east, frost and fog that west. drier day tomorrow, best of the sunshine towards the north and west. a few scattered showers around the irish sea coast. cloudier in eastern england and eastern scotland, five or 6 degrees here. in the sunshine eight or nine further west. high pressure will build across the uk as we head through the

course of the weekend so thankfully that will be keeping the weather fronts at bay as we move into sunday. another predominantly dry day, might catch a shower in the south—east, a breeze through the english channel, one or two showers across the north—east of scotland. mist and fog around first thing that should clear, some low cloud and lingering fog patches to the central belt, temperatures colder than they have been. a bit of a change in wind direction as we head into next week, high pressure sitting across the north of the uk. the winds will rotate around that so bringing in a colder air mass from the east. it has been wet and mild recently but through tuesday into the middle of the week things are looking pretty chilly. could be some mist and rustiness to start next week, milder later on but a much drier outlook. regular breakfast viewers will know that our bbc news colleague sean dilley has been highlighting

the shortage of guide dogs for the blind. sean himself has been waiting nearly 18 months to get a new one, after his beloved sammy retired. well, that wait is finally over and sean thought you might like an introduction. hello, hello, how you doing? this is a tale of two seans. hi, shawn. isn't itjust brilliant to have you here? yup, good boy! it's early november, and we've got the weekend together to see how well we bond. i do a lot of drinking coffee. do you like the smell of that? i hope you do so. for now, it's all about getting close. # baby, we found love right where we are. # we found love right where we are.

oh, sorry! shawn, come back. it's been 16 months since my third guide sammy retired with family and 17 and a half months on the waiting list. so spending time with shawn the dog... you're lovely, aren't you? ..is the best feeling in the world. but too soon our weekend together was over. it was time for shawn to head back to his training fosterers, susie and anthony. a panel at the charity guide dogs would have to decide whether we'd be a good fit for each other. i didn't have to wait long, it was a match, the panel felt we'd bonded and suited each other well. you're going to have just the best life, this is what it's about. two weeks later, we were together again, spending the weekend with each other. this was now our home. hello, you! monday came quickly. we were on our way to begin five weeks of guide dog

training, the first two of which were from a hotel in essex. we were issued the kit we'd need for training and hopefully beyond. and then we were shown around. it's all right, good boy. i'm so excited, it's unreal. but also its a massive responsibility. so i've got an awful lot of learning. so we found where shawn needs to go for a comfort break and where i need to go for a coffee break. this was the prize we were aiming for. soon we'd get to try his new working harness out on a real life training walk with instructor graham. it feels lovely, this. he's proper set in work mode. yeah. ears back, tail down, nice. it suddenly felt very real for both of us. now put your right foot across. 0k. now ask him to go. very narrow. just give him the support and keep that speed to a safe speed, yeah? will do. come on, mate, find the way, find the way.

oh, i know what he's trying to do. good boy, well done. training guide dog shawn was feeling the responsibility of guiding his blind handler. good boy, well done, i've checked the kerb, i'm happy with that. well, that's good. i was learning how to support and even trust my guide. i kind of don't really expect him to get through without brushing you, but if he can stop at it and acknowledge or point it out to you virtually that's fine. just gently encourage him. he's recognised there's something there. he got you through, good man. good boy, well done! spin on a few weeks and we're nearing the end of training from home. i caught up with one of the managers who oversaw my case at guide dogs to try to understand how they find the right dog for the right person. some people do have to wait longer than others, and that purely comes down to the type of dog that they need. we need to make sure that the partnerships are safe. that the speed is correct and the tension is correct for the partnership and for the dog's benefit. good boy. today, instructor graham and i are practising an important walk.

it's been decided that this will be our qualification route. good boy. in days, trainee guide dog shawn and human sean, that's me, would be assessed by an independent supervisor. that day came and, well, we smashed it. well done, well done! 0n the 20th of december, trainee gd shawn became qualified guide dog shawn and just in time for christmas too. he is my independence and i have got my life back. so thank you. sean dilly and shawn doggy, bbc news. the two seans will be joining us on the sofa just after half—past eight. asa as a great story to tell and shown in amongst, as in correspondence sean, he is very keen to draw

attention to the shortage. even after the long wait he has had, he wanted to draw attention to that. it wanted to draw attention to that. if we have trouble referring to them! hello, good morning from bbc london, i'm luxmy gopal. full disruption caused by yesterday's heavy rain. a london party boat two sank in the thames at temple pier amid heavy rainfall. you can see the master sticking out of the water. thankfully everyone is accounted for. last night 70 firefighters were called to hackney week after the hartford union canal burst its banks flooding several buildings. travel disruption continues today. great western railway, which includes routes to paddington,

says passengers should check before travelling today because of flooding and an incident in reading last night which left trains and crew in the wrong place. tickets for travel today will be valid tomorrow. south western railway asks people to check before travelling due to disruption to their network following many incidents of flooding. talks are continuing to avoid a strike on the underground which is due to begin on sunday evening. tube passengers are being warned of severe disruption to services next week because of the strike over pay. members of the rmt union will stage a series of walk—outs in protest at a 5% pay offer. one of london's oldest pub theatres reopens this evening at its new home just off upper street. the new kings head theatre will have a much larger auditorium along with a dedicated late night cabaret space. bosses say the new venue will continue to be a hub for emerging writers and artists and provide a much needed alternative to the west end. we are a space for artists to come

and do something that they're not able to do in other spaces, and for the mavericks and the misfits and the vagabonds of the industry to come and try out things. the scale and the opportunity professionalism of what we are able to present here will be entirely different to what we did in a pub theatre. let's take a look at the tubes now. there are severe delays on the district line and the piccadilly line is part suspended. now onto the weather with kawser. hello, good morning. it's still quite cloudy and damp out there. we have numerous flood warnings and flood alerts still around with surface water and spray on the roads making the morning commute a bit tricky but it will gradually improve over the next few days. the cloud mainly across more eastern parts, here we will see the worst of the showers and more of a breeze but elsewhere largely dry by the end of the day and temperatures around six to eight celsius. for this evening and overnight there will be a further few showers. some cloud around will leave the clearer skies, maybe one or two patches of mist and fog developing.

and temperatures dipping to around three to five celsius. but looking ahead, high pressure will continue to build and we will see more in the way of drier conditions developing but also colder conditions as well. so if we look ahead to the next few days, the weekend itself will be largely dry after a few showers on saturday, becoming quite cold overnight saturday night into sunday, that mist and fog may be quite slow to clear in places on sunday morning. but for the rest of the week it will be colder but drier. listen to bbc radio london for travel updates throughout the morning. i'll be back in half an hour. good morning. welcome to breakfast with charlie stayt and naga munchetty. 0ur headlines today. hundreds of homes are flooded in nottinghamshire, leading to a major incident being declared, and flood warnings remain in place across large parts of england.

and flood warnings remain in place here in tewkesbury some roads were flooded and some properties have been evacuated but as always the famous abbey remains dry and the bells tolling this morning. it’s bells tolling this morning. it's been a wet — bells tolling this morning. it's been a wet start to january but thankfully some dry weather is on the cards — thankfully some dry weather is on the cards through today and the next few days _ the cards through today and the next few days but it will take quite a few days but it will take quite a few days — few days but it will take quite a few days for the floodwaters to fully recede. few days for the floodwaters to fully recede-— few days for the floodwaters to fully recede. oscar pistorius has been released _ fully recede. oscar pistorius has been released from _ fully recede. oscar pistorius has been released from prison i fully recede. oscar pistorius has been released from prison on i fully recede. oscar pistorius has i been released from prison on patrol nearly 11 years after murdering his girlfriend reeva steenkamp. some online pharmacies selling prescription only drugs without safety checks putting lives at risk according to a bbc investigation. good morning, the magic is missing in the fa cup as the third round gets under way and is dominated by a controversial red card for dominic calvert—lewin.

his boss says he is really losing patience with var. good morning. flood warnings remain in parts of england and wales has hundreds of people have been forced to leave their homes because of heavy rainfall. areas in southern and central england are most affected and it comes days after disruption caused by strong winds and rain from storm henk. ella porter has the latest. —— our reporter. yet more heavy rain on already sodden ground. in nottinghamshire, a major incident has been declared as the river trent continued to rise, as high as it's been in more than 20 years. the peak expected today. hundreds of people have been evacuated from their flooded homes. and a few miles south in loughborough, this flat ruined by floodwater. darren's father had to be rescued in the early hours of yesterday morning. there was three feet of water whereas today i'm looking at it and there's no water.

the river severn also expected to peak today. belongings piled high in this cottage in worcester to escape the worst of the damage. in the village of longford near gloucester, catherine is helping to look after her mum's house which was surrounded by water, again from the river severn. it's 2007 all over again and it's, yeah, itjust means, mum, if it does go through it would be nine months out again. and this is what the river avon did to alice and mark's garden in fordingbridge. the flood defence swamped. the garden would get flooded, it did last year. so we had to start bringing all of the equipment and tools that we had in the garden and all of the toys for the children and start bringing them up closer to the house, which is on higher ground. the water breached a couple of weeks ago and now it's the river bank has gone as well. anyone travelling by train today is advised to check their service before they set off after major disruption to multiple routes, including great western railway

and south western railway. this was the scene at hinton admiral station last night. in plymouth, the rail line between liskeard and looe looking more like a river. somewhere between newton abbot and totnes we ground to a halt and sat there for a couple of hours while they assessed whether they could go through the floodwater or not. there were 259 active flood warnings last night, meaning flooding is expected across much of england, and two in wales, and more than 300 flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible. the environment agency is advising people in areas covered by flood warnings to turn off gas, water and electricity supplies, move belongings upstairs and seek safety for family, pets and cars. and after storm henk comes a cold weather alert for all of england from tomorrow until tuesday.

mairead smyth, bbc news. so, let's bring you up—to—date with what it's like in various places. we are going to the river severn and tewkesbury. john maguire is there. good morning. tewkesbury, for those people familiar with the place, it floods a lot. give us an idea of what it's like this year. its floods a lot. give us an idea of what it's like this year. its famous for those incredible _ what it's like this year. its famous for those incredible images i what it's like this year. its famous for those incredible images of i what it's like this year. its famous for those incredible images of the | for those incredible images of the abbey that's just behind us there, dry with floodplains all around. there are four rivers that come together here. the environment agency are reporting that the river levels are much lower than they were in 2007 but the highest they have been since that time. that gives you an idea of the scale. the road to gloucester is flooded at the moment, some of those properties evacuated just behind us. the christmas tree

reflecting on the flood water, reminding us of the time of year. reverend canon nick davies is with us from the abbey. what's the community response like at times like this? people are used to it but they don't want to get used to it. they don't. people are pulling together, i was out yesterday seeing people _ together, i was out yesterday seeing people just really responding, iooking — people just really responding, looking out for one another. local councillors — looking out for one another. local councillors filling up sandbags with our iocai— councillors filling up sandbags with our local search and rescue team rescuing — our local search and rescue team rescuing people, getting some people rehomed _ rescuing people, getting some people rehomed. tewkesbury is a resilient place. _ rehomed. tewkesbury is a resilient place, we've been here before, we'll .et place, we've been here before, we'll get through— place, we've been here before, we'll get through this and pull ourselves back together and next week will be open for— back together and next week will be open for business as usual. what strikes me _ open for business as usual. what strikes me about _ open for business as usual. what strikes me about the _ open for business as usual. twist strikes me about the abbey particularly as you think it's on top of glastonbury tor when you see those images, hundreds of thousands of feet up in the air but it's not really. of feet up in the air but it's not reall . �* , :, of feet up in the air but it's not reall. v .,, :, of feet up in the air but it's not reall. �*, :,, :, : , really. it's a small incline but the monks knew _ really. it's a small incline but the monks knew what _ really. it's a small incline but the monks knew what they _ really. it's a small incline but the monks knew what they were i really. it's a small incline but the. monks knew what they were doing really. it's a small incline but the i monks knew what they were doing when they built _ monks knew what they were doing when they built the place. at times like

this it _ they built the place. at times like this it feels like the abbey is like noah's_ this it feels like the abbey is like noah's ark in the midst of the floodplains. it's a place where we can be _ floodplains. it's a place where we can be a — floodplains. it's a place where we can be a beacon, a place of prayer, a place _ can be a beacon, a place of prayer, a place where we can cherish creation _ a place where we can cherish creation is _ a place where we can cherish creation is a fragile gift. if we can all— creation is a fragile gift. if we can all do— creation is a fragile gift. if we can all do a bit more of that we might— can all do a bit more of that we might see _ can all do a bit more of that we might see a bit less of this. thank ou, it's might see a bit less of this. thank you. it's a — might see a bit less of this. thank you. it's a good — might see a bit less of this. thank you, it's a good point _ might see a bit less of this. thank you, it's a good point but - might see a bit less of this. thank you, it's a good point but of i might see a bit less of this. thank| you, it's a good point but of course these events are increasingly frequent because of climate change. people will be getting back into their houses later but as we know with floodwater, whatever it touches it taints so any homes that have been flooded, wherever it is, people may well be out for months to come yet. may well be out for months to come et. :, , :, may well be out for months to come et. . , :, . ., may well be out for months to come et. :, . :, yet. really not nice for people. thank you _ yet. really not nice for people. thank you very _ yet. really not nice for people. thank you very much. a i yet. really not nice for people. thank you very much. a major| thank you very much. a major incident has been declared in nottinghamshire due to floodwaters with fears that river levels could come close to the highest on record. simon ward is in nottingham. nottingham, unlike gloucester and gloucestershire, isn't so familiar with annual flooding so what's the

situation there now?— situation there now? that's right. the big concern _ situation there now? that's right. the big concern overnight - situation there now? that's right. the big concern overnight was i the big concern overnight was flooding and the rising waters along the river trent in nottinghamshire. we are right by the banks of the river trent this morning, as you can see it's flowing fast but luckily not overtopping where we are this morning. there are a number of steps that go down closer to the water, so normally you would be able to see the steps and get a lot closer to the steps and get a lot closer to the water but that isn't the case this morning. nottinghamshire county council has declared this a major incident, meaning they are urging communities living along the river trent to be extra vigilant and we do understand that more than 100 properties across the county have been flooded out. it's been a difficult few days for communities across the east midlands, leicestershire, derbyshire and nottinghamshire. the aftermath of storm henk has caused misery for many. lots of businesses have been flooded out and we've seen animals rescued and some of them losing their lives, sadly, in the

floodwater this week. so, their lives, sadly, in the floodwaterthis week. so, people their lives, sadly, in the floodwater this week. so, people in nottinghamshire and the east midlands are looking forward to the water is receding.— water is receding. thank you very much, water is receding. thank you very much. simon. — water is receding. thank you very much, simon, in _ water is receding. thank you very much, simon, in nottingham. i water is receding. thank you very i much, simon, in nottingham. sarah is going to keep us up—to—date with the weather throughout the programme. now, in south africa, many people had seen the release of someone who is certainly a familiar face. we are talking about former 0lympian and paralympian 0scar pretorius who has been released from prison on parole nearly 11 years after murdering his girlfriend reeva steenkamp. he will live under strict conditions until his sentence expires in five years. in the heats of the 400 meters... 0scar pistorius, convicted murderer, today leaves prison on parole. he was once a paralympic and olympic superstar nicknamed the blade runner. his victim was girlfriend

reeva steenkamp, a law graduate and model. pistorius murdered her on valentine's day 2013 by shooting four times through a locked toilet door at his home. his trial absorbed the world. pistorius claimed to have shot reeva by mistake, thinking an intruder was in the house. i got to the bed and then i realised reeva wasn't there. at first only found guilty of the equivalent of manslaughter, he was convicted on appeal in 2015 of murder withjudges saying his story was inconsistent and improbable. reeva's close friend says she's heard no evidence he's changed. i want to know, has he been given proper anger management therapy? and in saying that, this rehabilitation, have they focused on all of that? because in my opinion, 0scar walking around as a free man without the necessary training

and treatments and psychiatric evaluations, he is deadly on the streets. in november, pistorius was granted parole with release set for today. for five years, he'll live under conditions and could be returned to prison if he breaches them. campaigners against male violence say his release sends a terrible signal. oscar's release is an indication that we have a serious problem, that there's, i guess, a normalisation of leniency when it comes to predators, when it comes to anyone who commits any type of femicide or gender—based violence. reeva steenkamp's mother says the void left by her murder can never be filled by anyone else. daniel, you are at the gates of the prison in which 0scar pistorius was held and there was some confusion

about how he would leave and we got this statement and were told he had already left. this statement and were told he had alread left. ~ �* this statement and were told he had already left-— already left. we've been here for a few hours. — already left. we've been here for a few hours, some _ already left. we've been here for a few hours, some of _ already left. we've been here for a few hours, some of the _ already left. we've been here for a few hours, some of the media i already left. we've been here for a | few hours, some of the media have been here a few hours. —— some of the media have been here all night. they got him out somehow without anyone seeing. we had a statement within the last hour from the authorities saying he's now officially a parolee and is at home. the conditions will include being at that particular home not far from here, he's not allowed to drink alcohol, he's got to do mandatory courses on anger management, on violence against women and girls and he is not going to be allowed to speak to the media so don't expect him to be popping up with an interview anytime soon. those conditions remain until 2029. reeva steenkamp's motherjune has released

a statement saying she is reassured he'll have to do those mandatory programmes, she says there can never be enoughjustice when programmes, she says there can never be enough justice when you lose someone like this and that reeva's family are the ones serving the life sentence. :, ~ family are the ones serving the life sentence. . ,, , :, , ., ., , sentence. thank you. israel has outlined proposals _ sentence. thank you. israel has outlined proposals for - sentence. thank you. israel has outlined proposals for the i outlined proposals for the governments of gaza once the war is over. yoav gallant said israel would retain overall security control. hamas would no longer control gaza. record number of electric cars were sold in the uk last year, 315,000. the society of motor manufacturers leads the industry has recovered from the pandemic and says more needs to be done to promote the uptake of electric cars including tax breaks for private buyers. the actor glynisjohns has died at the age of 100. she appeared in dozens

of films over a career spanning six decades. she was best known for playing the suffragette in mary poppins. her manager described her death is the end of the golden age of hollywood. let's take a moment to have a look at the weather and sarah has the details. we've been looking at all of those floods, gloucestershire particularly, nottinghamshire as well. it's looking grim for a lot of people. absolutely. still over 300 flood warnings in. day and it's a really widespread area of england and wales. but some improvement in the weather over the next 24 hours. things are drying up and we have dry weather on the cards over the next week. this is the picture in bath. many areas are still seeing those flood waters rising but they should gradually start to recede. he has all the wet weather we've seen over the past 12 hours. we've had this

hook of rain across parts of the midlands, central southern england, east anglia and the south—east. that is now easing away. the winds are easing, still a few more showers working into western areas but they won't be persistent and heavy. also some rain in the north—east of scotland. that could be heavy at times but for most it is a much drier day. less windy than it has been, still a rather cool temperature in the east weather cloud lingers. a bit milder where there is more sunshine across the west. thankfully, low pressure clearing away. lingering for a time in the north of scotland but higher pressure building through tonight and into the weekend as well. that'll squeeze away most of those showers. quite a chilly start tomorrow with frost and fog patches likely especially in the west. more cloud for central and eastern england and under that cloud feeling rather cool. thankfully, the drier

theme continues through sunday and into monday. it's going to turn a lot colder. a bbc investigation has found some online pharmacies are selling prescription only drugs without robust safety checks. bbc journalists were able to obtain more than 1600 prescription only pills from 20 online pharmacies without any kind of proof that they were ill. katie needed help. she'd become dependent on medications. she was going through a very traumatic time in her life. and she's just such a bright, beautiful, bubbly person. christine and ken's daughter katie was 38 when she overdosed on prescription medication. she'd become dependent on anti—anxiety and opioid

prescription medicines. she was able to buy medications online, lots of medications, medications that she knew would do her harm. although her gp had stopped prescribing the medicines to her, katie was able to get them from legitimate online pharmacies instead. the coroner at her inquest said her doctor had never been contacted by the pharmacies to check the drugs were even safe for her. you know, you see a gp or you see your doctor, it's personal. they've got your records there, whereas online pharmacies have no record of any previous medical history or anything, and you can just tell them anything you like. the pharmacy regulator says online pharmacies must get all the information they need to make sure a medicine is safe and appropriate. we wanted to find out what checks were in place, so we attempted to buy three prescription—only drugs online — a painkiller, an anxiety drug

and a sleeping medication. we've been able to buy more than 1,600 tablets of prescription—only medication. in fact, we've got more than the reported lethal dose of one of the medications here. and we've been able to get all of this without showing a single prescription. of the 35 we approached, 13 online pharmacies refused to sell to us without permission to consult our gp, access to some medical records or proof of a valid prescription. but at 20 pharmacies we were able to put in false information to answers to online questionnaires to buy one or more of the drugs, and didn't need to provide any further evidence, either to prove our medical history or that the drugs were even suitable. i've spoken to several people who say they've lied to bypass online safety checks, including a woman we're calling sophie. what made you try and get this medication online? i wanted to lose some weight. i was getting married and felt under pressure to drop a dress size,

so i ordered some prescription weight loss injections online. i said it was 19 stone, which is a lot more than i actually weigh. i didn't need to send a picture or speak to anyone or prove anything about my weight. when i took it, after a few days i felt really bad. i didn't feel hungry and just couldn't really eat anything. i stopped functioning, so i did stop taking them. looking back now it was just too easy to lie and to get whatever i wanted. the general pharmaceutical council says it expects pharmacy owners to identify which medicines are appropriate to supply online. it says it has made it clear that medicines liable to misuse are not suitable to be supplied online unless further safeguards have been put in place — and it's taken action where pharmacies fell short of its professional standards. but some of the high—risk drugs katie was able to buy appear to still be readily available online. itjust needs to be better regulated

with more background knowledge than just dishing out a few pills. it's just... it's people's lives. katie needed help. she didn't need more medications. divya talwar, bbc news. we arejoined by we are joined by a pharmacist and solicitor. so, you've got a legal background in health issues but you're also a pharmacist. what is your take on what you've heard? nowadays with the access to health care, people are accessing online services and those concerns that we've heard there are concerning but i think it's wider than pharmacy perhaps as well, though this package is particularly focused on pharmacies. when it comes to patient care, as a pharmacist, patient safety is vital and what we are

there to uphold. so, the investigation by the bbc has prompted some concerns and thoughts for me as to how the regulator should be better looking into supporting pharmacies to carry out their practice. supporting pharmacies to carry out their practice-— their practice. does this surprise ou, their practice. does this surprise you. seeing _ their practice. does this surprise you. seeing this _ their practice. does this surprise you, seeing this happen? it's i their practice. does this surprise i you, seeing this happen? it's going to surprise a lot of people but lots of other people will say, i couldn't get to the pharmacist, i could do it online, it's quicker, and i can get what i want. online, it's quicker, and i can get what i want-— online, it's quicker, and i can get whatlwant. :, , �* , , , what i want. so, it doesn't surprise me that more _ what i want. so, it doesn't surprise me that more people _ what i want. so, it doesn't surprise me that more people are _ what i want. so, it doesn't surprise me that more people are accessing online services but what we know is that digitisation and i'm going to say it, amazonification of health care, people see medicines as retail and then not, they need to be carefully prescribed.— carefully prescribed. you're absolutely _ carefully prescribed. you're absolutely right _ carefully prescribed. you're absolutely right but - carefully prescribed. you're absolutely right but does i carefully prescribed. you're absolutely right but does it| absolutely right but does it surprise you that these online pharmacies, the scrutiny is so low

it appears that they are giving out this medicine, does it surprise you this medicine, does it surprise you this is happening, patients or people are able to get medicines they haven't been prescribed easily? it's worrying. they haven't been prescribed easily? it's worrying-— it's worrying. that not surprising? it's worrying. that not surprising? it doesn't completely _ it's worrying. that not surprising? it doesn't completely surprise i it's worrying. that not surprising? it doesn't completely surprise me | it doesn't completely surprise me because we know people are trying to access medications from all sorts of areas. we know people are using social media to access medications from unregulated sources. but what we know is with regulated sources where there is a regulated professional, we know that standards should be much higher and we know that there needs to be better scrutiny of those providers and they are regulated so the general pharmaceutical council regulates pharmacies and make sure that they uphold good practice. edi pharmacies and make sure that they uphold good practice.— pharmacies and make sure that they uphold good practice. of course, you would be hoping _ uphold good practice. of course, you would be hoping albeit— uphold good practice. of course, you would be hoping albeit that - uphold good practice. of course, you would be hoping albeit that this i uphold good practice. of course, you would be hoping albeit that this is i would be hoping albeit that this is risky, that people are not harmed, ultimately that's the biggest risk. what evidence do you hear through

the legal process that there is damage being done to people, as in people are getting hold of drugs they might otherwise have been prevented from getting that then go on to harm themselves with? $5 prevented from getting that then go on to harm themselves with? as we've heard 'ust on to harm themselves with? as we've heard just there. _ on to harm themselves with? as we've heard just there, we _ on to harm themselves with? as we've heard just there, we are _ on to harm themselves with? as we've heard just there, we are aware - on to harm themselves with? as we've heard just there, we are aware of i heard just there, we are aware of coronial processes... heard just there, we are aware of coronial processes. . .— coronial processes... explained that. coronial processes... explained that- the _ coronial processes... explained that. the coroner's _ coronial processes... explained that. the coroner's court i coronial processes... explained that. the coroner's court look i coronial processes... explained i that. the coroner's court look into how people _ that. the coroner's court look into how people have _ that. the coroner's court look into how people have died _ that. the coroner's court look into how people have died and - that. the coroner's court look into how people have died and they i that. the coroner's court look into | how people have died and they also look into the prevention of future deaths and they play a very important role in our safety generally in society. so, this is a patient safety issue and what we know is that whenever people are accessing medication, if you come to accessing medication, if you come to a pharmacy and i see face—to—face, i can look at you in the eyes, can see how you've walked, you may give me some signals as to how your general health is. what we want to make sure is that when people access health online through any prescriber, that they are able to access that same

level of health care. the they are able to access that same level of health care.— they are able to access that same level of health care. the point you are making _ level of health care. the point you are making is _ level of health care. the point you are making is that _ level of health care. the point you are making is that in _ level of health care. the point you are making is that in coroners i are making is that in coroners reports you've heard about cases where they are seeing evidence of people accessing more pharmaceuticals than they would otherwise be able to because of this? , a, , otherwise be able to because of this? , i, , a, otherwise be able to because of this? , a, , a, when this? yes, we have seen that. when ou sa this? yes, we have seen that. when you say the — this? yes, we have seen that. when you say the regulator _ this? yes, we have seen that. when you say the regulator needs - this? yes, we have seen that. when you say the regulator needs to - you say the regulator needs to strengthen regulations, what does that look like? is every form you fill into an online pharmacy the same? �* , fill into an online pharmacy the same? �*, ., ., ., fill into an online pharmacy the same? 2 ., ., ., �*, same? it's variation, there's too much variation. _ same? it's variation, there's too much variation. the _ same? it's variation, there's too much variation. the regulator i same? it's variation, there's too l much variation. the regulator can sa to much variation. the regulator can say to pharmacies, _ much variation. the regulator can say to pharmacies, you've - much variation. the regulator can say to pharmacies, you've done l much variation. the regulator can - say to pharmacies, you've done wrong after the event. so what does the regulator do to tighten up restrictions or regulations before the event? , , restrictions or regulations before the event?— restrictions or regulations before the event? , , ., ., ~ the event? this is what i would like to see. the event? this is what i would like to see- 50. — the event? this is what i would like to see. so, when _ the event? this is what i would like to see. so, when you _ the event? this is what i would like to see. so, when you go _ the event? this is what i would like i to see. so, when you go face-to-face to see. 50, when you go face—to—face into a pharmacy get access to a health care profession and you know them by their name. so, anyone who accesses provisions of medication online should know exactly the name of who is providing that medication

to them. i also believe...— to them. i also believe... personal responsibility- _ to them. i also believe... personal responsibility. there _ to them. i also believe... personal responsibility. there needs - to them. i also believe... personal responsibility. there needs to - to them. i also believe... personal responsibility. there needs to be l to them. i also believe... personal responsibility. there needs to be a more personal— responsibility. there needs to be a more personal connection - responsibility. there needs to be a more personal connection just - responsibility. there needs to be a more personal connection just like | more personal connection just like with a patient coming into the pharmacy. you normally have a history of them coming in and we know about your medical conditions, you've probably been coming in for a while. ~ ., �* ., , , while. what i'm hearing is there is a name attached _ while. what i'm hearing is there is a name attached to _ while. what i'm hearing is there is a name attached to a _ while. what i'm hearing is there is a name attached to a prescription | a name attached to a prescription then there is more onus on that person to do the right thing and do more thorough checks? it’s person to do the right thing and do more thorough checks?— more thorough checks? it's not impossible _ more thorough checks? it's not impossible online _ more thorough checks? it's not impossible online because - more thorough checks? it's not impossible online because you| more thorough checks? it's not - impossible online because you should be able to ask questions to that person prescribed to you that medication. they should be more of a connection between them rather than it being a simple transaction. this is not as simple as buying bread from a supermarket.— is not as simple as buying bread from a supermarket. which is what --eole from a supermarket. which is what peeple think _ from a supermarket. which is what peeple think it _ from a supermarket. which is what people think it is. _ from a supermarket. which is what people think it is. we've _ from a supermarket. which is what people think it is. we've got - from a supermarket. which is what people think it is. we've got to - people think it is. we've got to recognise _ people think it is. we've got to recognise that _ people think it is. we've got to recognise that with _ people think it is. we've got to recognise that with an - people think it is. we've got to recognise that with an increase people think it is. we've got to i recognise that with an increase in convenience, safety checks still need to be in place. the other key point for me, some of the options

but bbc reporters were offered was not to tell their gp about the item being prescribed. i don't think that should be an option. as part of the terms of service of using online pharmacies, you should have to tell, have to have that communication with the gp so that all of those items are being linked up. we can't have patients getting access from one online pharmacy and going to another online pharmacy and going to another online pharmacy. online pharmacy and going to another online pharmacy-— online pharmacy. thorrun govind, thank ou online pharmacy. thorrun govind, thank you for— online pharmacy. thorrun govind, thank you for your _ online pharmacy. thorrun govind, thank you for your time. - online pharmacy. thorrun govind, thank you for your time. thorrunl thank you for your time. thorrun govind is a pharmacist and lawyer in the health care field. thank you. storm henk may have passed but its effects are still being felt particularly in large areas of england. what we can show you now is a map that gives you a sense ofjust the scale of the flood warnings. the yellow flood alerts. it's a bit hard to see but if you close and a bit you'll be able to see the yellows of

the flood alerts, the flood warnings are the little triangles with what look like black houses in the middle. , ., ., , ,': :: middle. they are red triangles. 302 red triangles. _ middle. they are red triangles. 302 red triangles, 332 _ middle. they are red triangles. 302 red triangles, 332 flood _ middle. they are red triangles. 302 red triangles, 332 flood alerts, - red triangles, 332 flood alerts, those are the under triangles. and what we are not seeing is a severe flood warning which would be a red triangle with the red house. so, you're seeing areas particularly in the north—east, nottinghamshire, river trent is extremely high and there's been a major incident declared there. there's been a ma'or incident declared there._ there's been a ma'or incident declared there. you can see that it's very clear — declared there. you can see that it's very clear looking _ declared there. you can see that it's very clear looking at - declared there. you can see that it's very clear looking at the - declared there. you can see thatj it's very clear looking at the map of england, and were talking about england particularly today, how the south of england has been mostly affected and indeed one of the places where our correspondent is is tewkesbury which is often flooded, gloucester which is on the river severn and then the trent in

nottinghamshire, you can absolutely see the pattern of those floods following along the rivers because of so much rain on already saturated surfaces. let's pick to councillor a new clerk from nottinghamshire county council. councillor neil clark, thank you forjoining us. so, this major incident which was declared by nottingham county council, you declared it, what did it mean, how quickly where you able to come to that decision?— to come to that decision? obviously it's a very serious _ to come to that decision? obviously it's a very serious situation - to come to that decision? obviously it's a very serious situation and - to come to that decision? obviously it's a very serious situation and it i it's a very serious situation and it shows the seriousness of it that we did declare a major incident yesterday. 50, all our resources are stretched, we are working hard with the county council, district councils, emergency services, the environment agency and lots of other

partner agencies as well because there's been 100 or so properties flooded and yesterday there were lots of evacuations taking place and thanks to the fire brigade for helping those evacuations. lots of road closures and it is very dangerous to go anywhere near the flood water so we've been pleading with people to stay away from flood and with the road closures and diversions it makes it difficult to move around and there are people driving through flood water far too fast which can flood properties which are just escaping. unless people's journeys are absolutely necessary, we urge them to stay off the roads. ~ , ., ~' ., the roads. when will you know if this has peaked? _

the roads. when will you know if this has peaked? we _ the roads. when will you know if this has peaked? we are - the roads. when will you know if| this has peaked? we are advised the roads. when will you know if i this has peaked? we are advised by the environment _ this has peaked? we are advised by the environment agency _ this has peaked? we are advised by the environment agency that i this has peaked? we are advised by the environment agency that we i the environment agency that we believe that the river trent has now peaked overnight. it does appear as though it might be starting to recede very slightly. so, we believe that that's the case although the peakis that that's the case although the peak is probably now moving downriver towards the humber estuary. but there will still be flooding and communities along the side of the river, they will be flooded for some time as we have to wait for the water to recede as he reported, the ground is absolutely saturated. floodwater can't get away other than down the river. we saturated. floodwater can't get away other than down the river.— other than down the river. we were in gloucestershire _ other than down the river. we were in gloucestershire as _ other than down the river. we were in gloucestershire as well, - other than down the river. we were in gloucestershire as well, in i in gloucestershire as well, in tewkesbury today which is an area that's familiar with annual

flooding. nottinghamshire not so much, happened before i think in 2000 there was an incident. what are you going to do now? there will be demands for properties to be protected. what needs to be done to protected. what needs to be done to protect properties and people's homes? ~ �* ., ., , protect properties and people's homes? �* ., ., ., homes? we've already had quite a programme _ homes? we've already had quite a programme of _ homes? we've already had quite a programme of several _ homes? we've already had quite a programme of several years i homes? we've already had quite a programme of several years now l homes? we've already had quite a | programme of several years now of offering flood resilience, flood gates etc, for people's houses and that will continue and the offer will still be there. we've been working hard for some time now. so, we will absolutely be doing our best to offer that resilience. the fact is unfortunately the amount of rainfall we've had has been overwhelming. it's been repeated and on that saturated ground with the volume of rainfall that we've had,

it's just unprecedented and of course the river trent has lots of tributaries in derbyshire, leicestershire and staffordshire which all that water finds its way down the trent.— down the trent. councillor neil clark from _ down the trent. councillor neil clark from nottinghamshire i down the trent. councillor neil- clark from nottinghamshire county council, thank you for standing out in the cold on saturated ground to speak to us but we appreciated, thank you. time to get the news, travel and weather where you are. hello, good morning from bbc london, i'm luxmy gopal. there's rail disruption and some incidents after yesterday's heavy rain. a london party boat sank in the thames at temple pier, as rain battered the capital. you can just see the mast sticking out of the water here. the owner of the floating bar, restaurant and club, says everyone's been accounted for. the port of london authority says vessels should pass temple pier with "great caution".

last night 70 firefighters were called to hackney wick after a canal burst its banks, flooding several buildings in smeed road. london fire brigade has been working to divert the floodwaters. the weather conditions continue to affect the trains today. great western railway, which includes routes to paddington, says passengers should expect some short—notice cancellations until at least midday, after flooding and a death on the tracks caused major disruption west of reading yesterday. tickets for travel today will be valid tomorrow. south western railway asks people to check before travelling, because of many incidents of flooding across their network. talks are continuing to try to avoid a strike on the underground which is due to begin on sunday evening. tube passengers are being warned of severe disruption next week because of the strike over pay. rmt union members will stage walk—outs in protest at a 5% pay offer. one of london's oldest pub theatres reopens this evening at its new home just off upper street. the new kings head theatre

will have a much larger auditorium along with a dedicated late night cabaret space. bosses say the new venue will provide a much needed alternative to the west end. we are a space for artists to come and do something that they're not able to do in other spaces, and for the mavericks and the misfits and the vagabonds of the industry to come and try out things. the scale and the opportunity professionalism of what we are able to present here will be entirely different to what we did in a pub theatre. let's take a look at the tubes now. there are severe delays on the district line and piccadilly line, and minor delays on the central line. now onto the weather with kawser. hello, good morning. it's still quite cloudy and damp out there. we have numerous flood warnings and flood alerts still around with surface water and spray on the roads making the morning commute a bit tricky but it will gradually improve over the next few days. the cloud mainly across more eastern parts, here we will see the worst of the showers and more of a breeze but elsewhere largely dry by the end

of the day and temperatures around six to eight celsius. for this evening and overnight there will be a further few showers. some cloud around will leave the clearer skies, maybe one or two patches of mist and fog developing. and temperatures dipping to around three to five celsius. but looking ahead, high pressure will continue to build and we will see more in the way of drier conditions developing but also colder conditions as well. so if we look ahead to the next few days, the weekend itself will be largely dry after a few showers on saturday, becoming quite cold overnight saturday night into sunday, that mist and fog may be quite slow to clear in places on sunday morning. but for the rest of the week it will be colder but drier. bbc radio london will keep you across the travel news this morning. that's it from me for now. i'll be back in half an hour but now it's back to naga and charlie. hello, this is breakfast with charlie stayt and naga munchetty.

the former olympian and paralympian oscar pistorius has been released from prison on parole this morning nearly 11 years after murdering his girlfriend reeva steenkamp. the south african service just over half of his sentence after the trial that dominated international headlines. we have had a statement from reeva steenkamp's mother which says it is also in behalf of her late husband barry. it begins, 14th february 2013, the day life changed forever. the day south africa lost its hero oscar pistorius and then lay —— the day barry and i lost our precious daughter at his house. now the pain is still raw and real and idea late husband barry and i have never been able to come to terms with reeva's death and the way she died. the statement goes on specifically to talk about the parole which has

happened today. they hey said, we knew that the parole had to take its course. oscar pistorius's release on parole subject to some conditions has a firm barrier in the south african justice system. then goes on to ask a number of questions. has there beenjustice for to ask a number of questions. has there been justice for reeva, they say? has oscar served enough time? there can never be justice if your loved one is never coming home, no amount of time served will bring reeva back. we remaining behind other one is serving a life sentence. those are some of the thoughts and words of the family this morning of reeva steenkamp. journalist and author john carlinjoins us now. he covered the trial closely and knows all about this is a significant day, oscar pistorius is now on parole in particular conditions, he is with his uncle,

tell us a little bit about the scale of the story and this latest news below well,. well, we are reaching the final episode of an astonishing drama. i wrote a book nonfiction about this but if i had presented to this to a publisher as fictional they would have said that this is not credible, go away. a child born with a congenital deformity where the ankles and feet, both legs amputated at ii—month—old who not only goes on to become the great olympic and paralympic champion but also taking part in the olympic 400 metres race itself against full able—bodied, the fastest men in the world. it's a story that in the history of sport, there has been nothing quite like this, it is like greek mythology. he was a big figure

at the london olympics in 2012, along with usain bolt, he was the most visible face in london 2012. in six months later, on st valentine's day night of all nights, the heaven's sake, he shoots dead his girlfriend, this beautiful model reeva steenkamp. and then of course we had amazing vast international live coverage over the next few days, live coverage of the trial, and then the outcome was eventually that the initial trial verdict was overturned by an appeals court, his sentence was extended and he is now finally free on parole as the law allows. we were reflecting on the thoughts of the steenkamp family and very much reflecting what you were saying at the beginning, the day of the murder, they say, the day life changed for ever, the day south africa lost its hero, oscar

pistorius, and the day barry and i lost our precious daughter. that is that moment and that is what happened on that day.- that moment and that is what happened on that day. yes. after nelson mandela, _ happened on that day. yes. after nelson mandela, oscar— happened on that day. yes. after nelson mandela, oscar pistorius| happened on that day. yes. after- nelson mandela, oscar pistorius was south africa's great hero, cutting across all racial lines, didn't matter what shade of skin colour you had, if you are south african, pistorius was someone you felt immensely proud of as a south african. there is a sort of mystery that will remain at the heart of this, namely that we do not know, only pistorius knows, and maybe even he has forgotten, what exactly was going through his mind when he fired those four bullets through the bathroom window. the prosecution tried very hard to prove that it had been deliberate, that he had intended knowingly to kill reeva steenkamp but that was never established either in the original

trial or by the appeals court. the furthest that the law was able to go was to determine that he had shot with the intention to murder someone, in other words, with the intention to murder someone, in otherwords, if with the intention to murder someone, in other words, if he fired those four bullets through that bathroom door, he must have known he was going to kill or very likely kill the person on the other side. but what was never established, and this is particularly fascinating because of the millions of people who followed this around the world, a majority quite clearly believed and probably still believe that he deliberately wished to kill reeva steenkamp, possibly after some kind of row, but that was never, ever established by a court of law. there was never sufficient motive provided by the prosecution or by any court to substantiate the idea which i think was held by most people who followed this case around the world. we appreciate your thoughts this morning, thank you very much for your time. morning, thank you very much for yourtime. mr; morning, thank you very much for your time-—

your time. my pleasure. sarah will _ your time. my pleasure. sarah will bring - your time. my pleasure. sarah will bring us i your time. my pleasure. sarah will bring us up i your time. my pleasure. sarah will bring us up toj your time. my pleasure. i sarah will bring us up to date your time. my pleasure. - sarah will bring us up to date now with all of the weather. it is drying out even though there are many flood warnings in place, we will keep you up—to—date with that. pontins holiday camps used to be a by—word for affordable family fun but the business appears to be in trouble. it's closed three of its six remaining sites in the last few months, most recently southport, in merseyside. alison freeman has been taking a look at the firm with a glorious past, and an uncertain future. hello, campers! hi—de-hi! the yellow coats of hi—de—hi were familiar on our screens for years in the 1980s, but the blue coats of pontins entertained families for decades in post—war britain. they were a key part of the inspiration for the sitcom set in a british holiday camp. pontins' popularity revolved around family fun, activities for all ages, staying in self—catering chalets

in holiday villages. it was run as sort of a fun sort of place. and, you know, you'd encourage people just to get involved and enjoy themselves. we're doing all these activities. and we gained a real pleasure from those experiencing and giving people a really good week. you know, a week's holiday. you know, and it was testament because the amount of people came up and said, "fantastic week, loved it, you guys are brilliant." and it's those sorts of things that just stay with you. it cemented its place in popular culture in the 1973 film holiday on the buses, which was shot and set at the prestatyn pontins camp. have a lovely holiday. and it also spawned a series of entertainers who donned the famous blue coat before going on to become household names like shane richie, bradley walsh and lee mack.

the first pontins was created in 19116 by founder fred pontin. the business went from strength to strength throughout the �*50s, �*60s and �*70s, and at its peak there were 30 pontins holiday parks. the business was first sold in 1978. after numerous subsequent sales, the competition of cheap foreign holidays became too much, and in 2011 it had to be bought out of receivership by britannia hotels. the reputation from its heyday replaced by one of run down venues. by that time, there were only a handful of camps left. in november last year, a further two of the remaining six closed — prestatyn in north wales and camber sands in sussex. then this week, just days after a new year's eve party was held there, it was announced that pontins southport�*s doors would not be reopening after they'd closed due to flooding.

in a statement, pontins said it had made the announcement with great sadness and it had come to the difficult decision to close its doors after assessing the future viability of the park. the company apologised for any inconvenience caused. the decision came as a shock to many, including business owner amy phillips, who was due to hold one of her company's family weekenders there in february. she believes the effects will be far reaching. hearing that southport pontins is closing has not only affected businesses like mine that use places like pontins for events, but it's also affected families. because pontins is a bit of an institution, really. it's always been an alternative sort of budget holiday, if you like, and at a time where parents are really struggling, we're hearing this a lot this year across our events, you know, times are tight for families and without places like pontins, there's potentially families that won't get a holiday this year.

pontins was voted the worst holiday park provider in the uk in a which survey last year. and with just three sites left, it's not clear how much longer this once well—loved name will survive. alison freeman, bbc news. do you want to know what it is really like to be inside up on tins if you have never been? —— inside eight pontins? we can speak now to two people who used to work at the southport holiday camp, michael scotland and annabel nicholson. how long ago did you work there? 2016 to we left, 2013 to 2016. did 2016 to we left, 2013 to 20 16. did ou en'o 2016 to we left, 2013 to 2016. did you enjoy it? 2016 to we left, 2013 to 20 16. did you enjoy it? yes, _ 2016 to we left, 2013 to 20 16. did you enjoy it? yes, best _ 2016 to we left, 2013 to 20 16. did you enjoy it? yes, best job. i 2016 to we left, 2013 to 20 16. did i you enjoy it? yes, best job. neither you en'oy it? yes, best 'ob. neither of us you enjoy it? yes, best 'ob. neither of us went to t you enjoy it? yes, best job. neither of us went to university, _ you enjoy it? yes, best job. neither of us went to university, so - you enjoy it? yes, best job. neither of us went to university, so it i you enjoy it? yes, best job. neither of us went to university, so it was i of us went to university, so it was like the _ of us went to university, so it was like the university expense, 18 fresh _ like the university expense, 18 fresh out — like the university expense, 18 fresh out of college, and we lived there _ fresh out of college, and we lived there. ~ ., , ., fresh out of college, and we lived there. ~ ., ,, ., , fresh out of college, and we lived there-_ we i fresh out of college, and we lived i there-_ we were

there. what were your “obs? we were blue coats, there. what were your “obs? we were blue ooos.t so _ there. what were your “obs? we were blue coats, so in i there. what were your “obs? we were blue coats, so in the i there. what were yourjobs? we were blue coats, so in the entertainment i blue coats, so in the entertainment so i was _ blue coats, so in the entertainment so i was singing a michael was presenting. so i was singing a michael was presenting-— so i was singing a michael was ttresentin. �* ., ., presenting. and doing light and sound as well. _ presenting. and doing light and sound as well. so _ presenting. and doing light and sound as well. so it's _ presenting. and doing light and sound as well. so it's great i presenting. and doing light and | sound as well. so it's great work experience _ sound as well. so it's great work experience straight _ sound as well. so it's great work experience straight out - sound as well. so it's great work experience straight out of- sound as well. so it's great workl experience straight out of school, fun, opportunity for romance. yes. fun, opportunity for romance. yes, that is where _ fun, opportunity for romance. yes, that is where we _ fun, opportunity for romance. yes, that is where we met _ fun, opportunity for romance. yes, that is where we met 11 _ fun, opportunity for romance. yes, that is where we met 11 years i fun, opportunity for romance. yes, that is where we met 11 years ago and we _ that is where we met 11 years ago and we are — that is where we met 11 years ago and we are getting married this year~ _ and we are getting married this ear. ., ., ., ., , , ., year. congratulations. tell us a little bit about, _ year. congratulations. tell us a little bit about, for— year. congratulations. tell us a little bit about, for those i year. congratulations. tell us a | little bit about, for those people who have never been to pontins, what made it so successful and now, i don't know what you are hearing from people there, what is going on with these places closing down? i people there, what is going on with these places closing down?- these places closing down? i think for us, these places closing down? i think for us. people _ these places closing down? i think for us, people loved _ these places closing down? i think for us, people loved it _ these places closing down? i think for us, people loved it because i these places closing down? i think| for us, people loved it because the entertainment as well, to be honest. i have _ entertainment as well, to be honest. i have to _ entertainment as well, to be honest. i have to say— entertainment as well, to be honest. i have to say that because it was me! _ i have to say that because it was me! but — i have to say that because it was me! but it— i have to say that because it was me! but it was familiar to people, it was— me! but it was familiar to people, it was nice. — me! but it was familiar to people, it was nice, cheap and cheerful, you .ot it was nice, cheap and cheerful, you got exactly— it was nice, cheap and cheerful, you got exactly what you wanted, but may be over— got exactly what you wanted, but may be over time it hasjust dipped ever so slightly — be over time it has 'ust dipped ever so slithtl . ., , so slightly. some of the things you are talkint so slightly. some of the things you are talking about _ so slightly. some of the things you are talking about you _ so slightly. some of the things you are talking about you think- so slightly. some of the things you are talking about you think would l so slightly. some of the things you l are talking about you think would be bang on for now, budgets are tight,

you know what you're getting, you can have fun. in some ways he would say it was perfect when you have got the cost of living crisis. but something wasn't working. i think when we were _ something wasn't working. i think when we were there, _ something wasn't working. i think when we were there, we - something wasn't working. i think when we were there, we were i something wasn't working. i think i when we were there, we were there at such a good time, it was the peak, it was such a good affordable holiday for families who might not necessarily be able to travel abroad or go to the same places and they come to pontins.— or go to the same places and they come to pontins. slightly distracted b those come to pontins. slightly distracted by those snakes _ come to pontins. slightly distracted by those snakes there! _ come to pontins. slightly distracted by those snakes there! what i come to pontins. slightly distracted by those snakes there! what was i by those snakes there! what was going on? by those snakes there! what was ttoin on? ., by those snakes there! what was ttoin on? . .,, , by those snakes there! what was ttoin on? ., , going on? that was 'ust the welcome .a l going on? that was 'ust the welcome -a , we going on? that was 'ust the welcome party. we wouto — going on? that wasjust the welcome party, we would have _ going on? that wasjust the welcome party, we would have certain - going on? that wasjust the welcome party, we would have certain things l party, we would have certain things coming _ party, we would have certain things coming in _ party, we would have certain things coming in so when the guests arrived they would _ coming in so when the guests arrived they would have something to do when they would have something to do when they were _ they would have something to do when they were checking in, different animals. — they were checking in, different animals, there would have been loads _ animals, there would have been loads. ., , animals, there would have been loads. ., loads. there was always something ttoin on loads. there was always something going on when _ loads. there was always something going on when we _ loads. there was always something going on when we were _ loads. there was always something going on when we were there. i loads. there was always something going on when we were there. you | going on when we were there. you thoutht going on when we were there. you thought you _ going on when we were there. you thought you would be good to welcome people with snakes? i like snakes, but... i people with snakes? i like snakes, but... ., �* people with snakes? i like snakes, but... j . , ~' people with snakes? i like snakes, but... ., , ,, ,, but... i don't really like snakes! we had safari _ but... i don't really like snakes! we had safari sam. _ but... i don't really like snakes! we had safari sam. who? i but... i don't really like snakes! we had safari sam. who? he i but... i don't really like snakes! i we had safari sam. who? he hates but... i don't really like snakes! - we had safari sam. who? he hates the croc crew, captain _ we had safari sam. who? he hates the croc crew, captain croc _ we had safari sam. who? he hates the croc crew, captain croc is _

we had safari sam. ham“ he hates the croc crew, captain croc is the leader— croc crew, captain croc is the leader of— croc crew, captain croc is the leader of the croc crew!- croc crew, captain croc is the leader of the croc crew! very famous entertainers — leader of the croc crew! very famous entertainers have _ leader of the croc crew! very famous entertainers have come _ leader of the croc crew! very famous entertainers have come out - leader of the croc crew! very famous entertainers have come out of i leader of the croc crew! very famous entertainers have come out of that. l entertainers have come out of that. have you got a list? i,ee entertainers have come out of that. have you got a list?— have you got a list? lee mack, if ou look have you got a list? lee mack, if you look at _ have you got a list? lee mack, if you look at this _ have you got a list? lee mack, if you look at this stage, _ have you got a list? lee mack, if you look at this stage, at - have you got a list? lee mack, if you look at this stage, at the i have you got a list? lee mack, if. you look at this stage, at the stage if you look at this stage, at the stage it you _ you look at this stage, at the stage it you look— you look at this stage, at the stage if you look up, you could still see where _ if you look up, you could still see where he — if you look up, you could still see where he painted his name. shane richie as well. _ where he painted his name. shane richie as well. and _ where he painted his name. shane richie as well. and bradley - where he painted his name. shane richie as well. and bradley walsh | where he painted his name. shane i richie as well. and bradley walsh as well. i richie as well. and bradley walsh as well- i know — richie as well. and bradley walsh as well. i know you _ richie as well. and bradley walsh as well. i know you had _ richie as well. and bradley walsh as well. i know you had a _ richie as well. and bradley walsh as well. i know you had a lot _ richie as well. and bradley walsh as well. i know you had a lot of - richie as well. and bradley walsh as well. i know you had a lot of fun. i well. i know you had a lot of fun. but was it tough as well? entertaining people is not easy. ila. entertaining people is not easy. no, eah, and entertaining people is not easy. no, yeah. and if— entertaining people is not easy. iirrl, yeah, and if your shift starts at 8am, even if you arejust yeah, and if your shift starts at 8am, even if you are just walking around the park, you have to have a smile on yourface. around the park, you have to have a smile on your face. you around the park, you have to have a smile on yourface. you are pontins so you have to keep a smile on your face and as soon as you finish at 11pm, you have got to keep it up. that is in the end why we decided to hang up our blue coats, as much as we loved it it was a lifestyle. there is times when we would not see our family, there is times when we would not see ourfamily, we had one day off and it might be a monday and no one else is off so that is why we went to the

95 life. ~ , ., , ., is off so that is why we went to the 95 life. ~ i. , ., i. 95 life. when you finished, what you do now? you — 95 life. when you finished, what you do now? youjust _ 95 life. when you finished, what you do now? you just don't _ 95 life. when you finished, what you do now? you just don't do _ 95 life. when you finished, what you do now? you just don't do that i 95 life. when you finished, what you do now? you just don't do that line | do now? you just don't do that line of work any more? no, no. did you think that you had run out of smiles? smiling out of time is hard. for some people it is hard, charlie! it comes— for some people it is hard, charlie! it comes naturally _ for some people it is hard, charlie! it comes naturally to _ for some people it is hard, charlie! it comes naturally to some - for some people it is hard, charlie! it comes naturally to some people! | it comes naturally to some people! but i work in recruitment now, its transferable skills, keeping a smile on yourface and transferable skills, keeping a smile on your face and the confidence to be able to speak to anyone. if i can't do anything i think, i have stood on stage and made a fool out of myself on a daily basis. fir stood on stage and made a fool out of myself on a daily basis.— of myself on a daily basis. or you could just — of myself on a daily basis. or you could just sing — of myself on a daily basis. or you could just sing or— of myself on a daily basis. or you could just sing or do _ of myself on a daily basis. or you could just sing or do a _ of myself on a daily basis. or you could just sing or do a routine. i of myself on a daily basis. or you | could just sing or do a routine. we could 'ust sing or do a routine. we do could just sing or do a routine. we do that could just sing or do a routine. , do that when we are cooking tea at night, that is what our household is. ., , , . is. relive the pontins experience? we 'ust is. relive the pontins experience? we just put _ is. relive the pontins experience? we just put music _ is. relive the pontins experience? we just put music on. _ is. relive the pontins experience? we just put music on. and - is. relive the pontins experience? we just put music on. and dance. | we just put music on. and dance. good luck for _ we just put music on. and dance. good luck for the _ we just put music on. and dance. good luck for the wedding. i we just put music on. and dance. good luck for the wedding. thank| we just put music on. and dance. i good luck for the wedding. thank you so much, good luck for the wedding. thank you so much. lovely _ good luck for the wedding. thank you so much, lovely to _ good luck for the wedding. thank you so much, lovely to meet _ good luck for the wedding. thank you so much, lovely to meet you - good luck for the wedding. thank you so much, lovely to meet you both! i lots of attention on the weather

today, we were having a look on the map earlier on, we were seeing the scales of the warnings and the alerts particularly in the south of england. yes, that's right. good morning. 50 many flood warnings in place in yorkshire, east anglia, centraland southern england and south wales so a big area is experiencing conditions a bit like this in bath. a lot of rainfall over the first few days of 202a. the good news is, it is going to look drier over the next week or so. this is the rain overnight, in the midlands east anglia and that south east, it is becoming lighter and more patchy in nature. a few showers in the west but not the heavy and persistent rain we have seen of late. a drier day but not completely dry. heavy rain lingering in the east of

scotland where it will be windy. the best of the sunshine is to be found across the west of the uk. further east there is more cloud, producing a few spots of light rain. 6—8 in the east, nine or ten in south—west. this evening and overnight, low—pressure lingering close to the north of scotland but for most of us low—pressure is clearing away. higher pressure building into the weekend. lighterwinds higher pressure building into the weekend. lighter winds and clearer skies, a cold start to saturday morning, frost and fog patches towards the west. further east we have got more cloud so it will not be as cold and through the day keep the cloud in the east with a few spots of light patchy rain. 7 degrees in eastern england maximums. further west, and more dry story so good news in terms of the heavy rain and flooding, still a few showers coming in across the coast of wales, perhaps the odd one towards the south—west of england and temperatures eight or 9 degrees. the

good news is that drier themes of the weather will continue through the weather will continue through the weekend so into sunday largely dry, and the story continues into the new working week. mist and fog could cause some problems particularly where we have got wet ground, likely to be frost overnight at the temperatures are dipping down over the next few days so turning colder but thankfully drier as well. there is a bit of a lag between what is falling out of the sky is on the ground so it will take a few more days to receive all of the floodwaters. —— for the floodwaters to recede. brass bands have provided the soundtrack to many british events for the last 200 years but there's a warning the tradition is in danger of dying out. one band leader says that apart from the lucrative festive rush, they're being squeezed by rising prices and waning interest. before we hearfrom him, let's have a blast of brass.

we'rejoined by daniel, jack and ian from the stackstead brass band. let's get the sense of what this is all about. good morning. where is that, tell is a bit about stackstead? ,, ., , .,

stackstead? stackstead is a little villa t e stackstead? stackstead is a little village between _ stackstead? stackstead is a little village between rawtenstall- stackstead? stackstead is a little village between rawtenstall and| stackstead? stackstead is a little i village between rawtenstall and make up. village between rawtenstall and make u,. , in up. whereabouts in the country? in lancashire. — up. whereabouts in the country? in lancashire, sorry! _ up. whereabouts in the country? in lancashire, sorry! it _ up. whereabouts in the country? in lancashire, sorry! it is _ up. whereabouts in the country? in lancashire, sorry! it isjust- up. whereabouts in the country? in lancashire, sorry! it isjust south i lancashire, sorry! it is just south of burnley. lancashire, sorry! it is 'ust south of tummy.— lancashire, sorry! it is 'ust south of burnley. and the history of the band? this _ of burnley. and the history of the band? this has _ of burnley. and the history of the band? this has been _ of burnley. and the history of the band? this has been running i of burnley. and the history of the band? this has been running for. of burnley. and the history of the i band? this has been running forjust band? this has been running for 'ust over 150 band? this has been running for 'ust overtso years. �* band? this has been running for 'ust over 150 years, it i band? this has been running for 'ust over 150 years, it started i band? this has been running for 'ust over 150 years, it started offi band? this has been running forjust over 150 years, it started off with i over 150 years, it started off with the collieries and things like that. basically to keep people out of trouble. and then it has developed into a movement but it is such a key part of all our community within the area. all brass bands become a major part of communities in these villages. part of communities in these villates. , ., . ~ part of communities in these villates. . . . ~ ., part of communities in these villates. . . . ~' . ., , , villages. jack, what does being in the band means _ villages. jack, what does being in the band means to _ villages. jack, what does being in the band means to you _ villages. jack, what does being in the band means to you in - villages. jack, what does being in the band means to you in terms i villages. jack, what does being ml the band means to you in terms of being part of the community? i'm assuming, did you grow up in the area? , , ., ., so area? yes, i grew up in the area. so ou saw area? yes, i grew up in the area. so you saw the — area? yes, i grew up in the area. so you saw the band, _ area? yes, i grew up in the area. so you saw the band, it _ area? yes, i grew up in the area. so you saw the band, it was _ area? yes, i grew up in the area. so you saw the band, it was part i area? yes, i grew up in the area. so you saw the band, it was part of i you saw the band, it was part of your life? it you saw the band, it was part of our life? ., , ., you saw the band, it was part of your life?— your life? it was to me in particular— your life? it was to me in particular because ian i your life? it was to me in particular because ian is| your life? it was to me in i particular because ian is my your life? it was to me in - particular because ian is my father so i saw— particular because ian is my father so i saw a — particular because ian is my father so i saw a lot of the band. but even

throughout— so i saw a lot of the band. but even throughout the community, the band is always— throughout the community, the band is always there at christmas particularly, and any thought of summer— particularly, and any thought of summer carnivals that are put on, there's— summer carnivals that are put on, there's always the band there. so they are — there's always the band there. so they are very recognisable in the community. they are very recognisable in the community-— they are very recognisable in the communi . �* , ., community. pretend he's not here. where was — community. pretend he's not here. where was there _ community. pretend he's not here. where was there any _ community. pretend he's not here. where was there any pressures i community. pretend he's not here. where was there any pressures for| where was there any pressures for you to join the band? just where was there any pressures for you to join the band?— you to 'oin the band? just a lot, es! you to join the band? just a lot, yes! ian. _ you to join the band? just a lot, yes! ian. you — you to join the band? just a lot, yes! ian, you play... _ you to join the band? just a lot, yes! ian, you play... we - you to join the band? just a lot, yes! ian, you play... we call- you to join the band? just a lot, yes! ian, you play... we call it i you to join the band? just a lot, l yes! ian, you play... we call it an e flat base _ yes! ian, you play... we call it an e flat base but _ yes! ian, you play... we call it an e flat base but it _ yes! ian, you play... we call it an e flat base but it is _ yes! ian, you play... we call it an e flat base but it is a _ yes! ian, you play... we call it an e flat base but it is a tuba. i yes! ian, you play... we call it an e flat base but it is a tuba. and i e flat base but it is a tuba. and this is a euphonium. _ e flat base but it is a tuba. and this is a euphonium. did i e flat base but it is a tuba. and this is a euphonium. did you i e flat base but it is a tuba. and i this is a euphonium. did you have any choice — this is a euphonium. did you have any choice in _ this is a euphonium. did you have any choice in what _ this is a euphonium. did you have any choice in what instrument? i any choice in what instrument? actually, yes. beauty with a brass band _ actually, yes. beauty with a brass band is_ actually, yes. beauty with a brass band is you — actually, yes. beauty with a brass band is you are given an instrument for next _ band is you are given an instrument for next to— band is you are given an instrument for next to nothing, free, basically _ for next to nothing, free, basically. and they will find an instrument that suits you and most people _ instrument that suits you and most people start and if you are any good you end _ people start and if you are any good you end up — people start and if you are any good you end up on the euphonium. and as ou aet you end up on the euphonium. and as you get older. — you end up on the euphonium. and as you get older. you _ you end up on the euphonium. and as you get older, you end _ you end up on the euphonium. and as you get older, you end up _ you end up on the euphonium. and as you get older, you end up here! - you get older, you end up here! apart from this light about the comet, which we will not accept! ——

cornet, which we will not accept! —— recruit the slight! you can join for next to nothing is that still true? there is a demand in brass bands, is that due to finance and lack of interest —— there is a lack of demand? interest -- there is a lack of demand?— interest -- there is a lack of demand? , ., ., ., , demand? yes, a lot of bands, the beau of demand? yes, a lot of bands, the beauty of them — demand? yes, a lot of bands, the beauty of them is _ demand? yes, a lot of bands, the beauty of them is that _ demand? yes, a lot of bands, the beauty of them is that they - demand? yes, a lot of bands, the beauty of them is that they are i beauty of them is that they are grassroots. _ beauty of them is that they are grassroots, they— beauty of them is that they are grassroots, they provide - beauty of them is that they are grassroots, they provide free l grassroots, they provide free tuition— grassroots, they provide free tuition and _ grassroots, they provide free tuition and somewhere - grassroots, they provide free tuition and somewhere to - grassroots, they provide free tuition and somewhere to go| grassroots, they provide free - tuition and somewhere to go and play for free _ tuition and somewhere to go and play for free quite — tuition and somewhere to go and play for free quite often. _ tuition and somewhere to go and play for free quite often. the _ tuition and somewhere to go and play for free quite often. the way- tuition and somewhere to go and play for free quite often. the way that- for free quite often. the way that we do _ for free quite often. the way that we do that— for free quite often. the way that we do that is— for free quite often. the way that we do that is we _ for free quite often. the way that we do that is we perform - for free quite often. the way that we do that is we perform and - for free quite often. the way that we do that is we perform and putl we do that is we perform and put concerts — we do that is we perform and put concerts on — we do that is we perform and put concerts on a _ we do that is we perform and put concerts on a people _ we do that is we perform and put concerts on a people book - we do that is we perform and put concerts on a people book the i we do that is we perform and put. concerts on a people book the band and we _ concerts on a people book the band and we take — concerts on a people book the band and we take bookings _ concerts on a people book the band and we take bookings and - concerts on a people book the band i and we take bookings and donations. in the _ and we take bookings and donations. in the last _ and we take bookings and donations. in the last 12— and we take bookings and donations. in the last 12 to — and we take bookings and donations. in the last 12 to 18— and we take bookings and donations. in the last 12 to 18 months _ and we take bookings and donations. in the last 12 to 18 months we - and we take bookings and donations. in the last 12 to 18 months we have i in the last 12 to 18 months we have seen _ in the last 12 to 18 months we have seen a _ in the last 12 to 18 months we have seen a significant _ in the last 12 to 18 months we have seen a significant drop, _ in the last 12 to 18 months we have seen a significant drop, all- in the last 12 to 18 months we have seen a significant drop, all bands. seen a significant drop, all bands across— seen a significant drop, all bands across the — seen a significant drop, all bands across the movement, _ seen a significant drop, all bands across the movement, in - seen a significant drop, all bands across the movement, in peoplel across the movement, in people bucking — across the movement, in people bucking the _ across the movement, in people bucking the band _ across the movement, in people bucking the band for _ across the movement, in people bucking the band for concert - across the movement, in people i bucking the band for concert work. this is— bucking the band for concert work. this is due — bucking the band for concert work. this is due to— bucking the band for concert work. this is due to the _ bucking the band for concert work. this is due to the cost— bucking the band for concert work. this is due to the cost of— bucking the band for concert work. this is due to the cost of living - this is due to the cost of living crisis _ this is due to the cost of living crisis that— this is due to the cost of living crisis that means _ this is due to the cost of living crisis that means events - this is due to the cost of living crisis that means events look. this is due to the cost of living i crisis that means events look to shave _ crisis that means events look to shave the — crisis that means events look to shave the costs _ crisis that means events look to shave the costs and _ crisis that means events look to shave the costs and they - crisis that means events look to shave the costs and they lose i crisis that means events look to i shave the costs and they lose that try shave the costs and they lose that by some _ shave the costs and they lose that by some of— shave the costs and they lose that by some of the _ shave the costs and they lose that by some of the performers. - shave the costs and they lose that by some of the performers. whatl by some of the performers. what about the image _ by some of the performers. what about the image of _ by some of the performers. what about the image of brass - by some of the performers.- about the image of brass bands? by some of the performers— about the image of brass bands? it's

traditional, nothing wrong with that, but that tradition alice he can slip into old—fashioned. 1881533 can slip into old-fashioned. 10096 and can slip into old-fashioned. 100% and brass band _ can slip into old-fashioned. 100% and brass band have _ can slip into old-fashioned. 100% and brass band have a _ can slip into old-fashioned. 100% and brass band have a real - can slip into old—fashioned.100% and brass band have a realjob as a movement— and brass band have a realjob as a movement to — and brass band have a realjob as a movement to change _ and brass band have a realjob as a movement to change that - and brass band have a realjob as a i movement to change that stereotype. that comes _ movement to change that stereotype. that comes with — movement to change that stereotype. that comes with bringing _ movement to change that stereotype. that comes with bringing young - that comes with bringing young people — that comes with bringing young people through _ that comes with bringing young people through your— that comes with bringing young people through your band - that comes with bringing young people through your band are i that comes with bringing young - people through your band are getting those interested _ people through your band are getting those interested but— people through your band are getting those interested but it _ people through your band are getting those interested but it also _ people through your band are getting those interested but it also means. those interested but it also means that bands — those interested but it also means that bands have _ those interested but it also means that bands have to _ those interested but it also means that bands have to look— those interested but it also means that bands have to look at - those interested but it also means that bands have to look at the - those interested but it also means. that bands have to look at the music they are _ that bands have to look at the music they are playing. _ that bands have to look at the music they are playing, are _ that bands have to look at the music they are playing, are we _ that bands have to look at the music they are playing, are we playing - that bands have to look at the music they are playing, are we playing the| they are playing, are we playing the old-fashioned — they are playing, are we playing the old—fashioned marches _ they are playing, are we playing the old—fashioned marches and - they are playing, are we playing the old—fashioned marches and hymns, | old—fashioned marches and hymns, brilliant _ old—fashioned marches and hymns, brilliant and — old—fashioned marches and hymns, brilliant and a _ old—fashioned marches and hymns, brilliant and a lot _ old—fashioned marches and hymns, brilliant and a lot of— old—fashioned marches and hymns, brilliant and a lot of people - old—fashioned marches and hymns, brilliant and a lot of people enjoy. brilliant and a lot of people enjoy that but — brilliant and a lot of people enjoy that but we — brilliant and a lot of people enjoy that but we need _ brilliant and a lot of people enjoy that but we need to _ brilliant and a lot of people enjoy that but we need to be _ brilliant and a lot of people enjoy that but we need to be looking i brilliant and a lot of people enjoyj that but we need to be looking at what _ that but we need to be looking at what is _ that but we need to be looking at what is in — that but we need to be looking at what is in the _ that but we need to be looking at what is in the charts, _ that but we need to be looking at what is in the charts, the - that but we need to be looking at what is in the charts, the topics, | what is in the charts, the topics, is there — what is in the charts, the topics, is there any— what is in the charts, the topics, is there any r&b _ what is in the charts, the topics, is there any r&b music- what is in the charts, the topics, is there any r&b music we - what is in the charts, the topics, is there any r&b music we can l what is in the charts, the topics, - is there any r&b music we can play? this music— is there any r&b music we can play? this music exists _ is there any r&b music we can play? this music exists and _ is there any r&b music we can play? this music exists and brass - is there any r&b music we can play? this music exists and brass bands i this music exists and brass bands are very— this music exists and brass bands are very versatile. _ this music exists and brass bands are very versatile. [— this music exists and brass bands are very versatile.— this music exists and brass bands are very versatile. i like the sound of that. are very versatile. i like the sound of that- all — are very versatile. i like the sound of that. all very _ are very versatile. i like the sound of that. all very well _ are very versatile. i like the sound of that. all very well you - are very versatile. i like the sound of that. all very well you sitting i of that. all very well you sitting here with your instruments, can you make some noise, do we have to brace ourselves, will it be super loud? presumably. ourselves, will it be super loud? presumably-— ourselves, will it be super loud? presumably. pass it down that is caettin presumably. pass it down that is getting ready. — presumably. pass it down that is getting ready, look. _ presumably. pass it down that is getting ready, look. 0h, - presumably. pass it down that is getting ready, look. oh, i- presumably. pass it down that is i getting ready, look. oh, i couldn't

reach! that _ getting ready, look. oh, i couldn't reach! that is _ getting ready, look. oh, i couldn't reach! that is why _ getting ready, look. oh, i couldn't reach! that is why he _ getting ready, look. oh, i couldn't reach! that is why he had - getting ready, look. oh, i couldn't reach! that is why he had to - getting ready, look. oh, i couldn't reach! that is why he had to give i getting ready, look. oh, i couldn't. reach! that is why he had to give up the comet! — reach! that is why he had to give up the comet! you _ reach! that is why he had to give up the comet! you can _ reach! that is why he had to give up the comet! you can go _ reach! that is why he had to give up the comet! you can go again. - the comet! you can go again. iteautiful- _ the comet! you can go again. beautiful. he _ the comet! you can go again. beautiful. he has _ the comet! you can go again. beautiful. he has been - the comet! you can go again. beautiful. he has been up i the comet! you can go again. beautiful. he has been up all| the comet! you can go again. - beautiful. he has been up all night ractisin: beautiful. he has been up all night practising that- _ beautiful. he has been up all night practising that. it _ beautiful. he has been up all night practising that. it is _ beautiful. he has been up all night practising that. it is such _ beautiful. he has been up all night practising that. it is such a - beautiful. he has been up all night practising that. it is such a lovely l practising that. it is such a lovely sound, practising that. it is such a lovely sound. it's _ practising that. it is such a lovely sound. it's big — practising that. it is such a lovely sound, it's big and _ practising that. it is such a lovely sound, it's big and soft. - practising that. it is such a lovely sound, it's big and soft. it's - practising that. it is such a lovely sound, it's big and soft. it's nice | sound, it's big and soft. it's nice until it is 7am _ sound, it's big and soft. it's nice until it is 7am and _ sound, it's big and soft. it's nice until it is 7am and he _ sound, it's big and soft. it's nice until it is 7am and he decides i sound, it's big and soft. it's nice until it is 7am and he decides to | until it is 7am and he decides to practice and we are still in bed! that practice and we are still in bed! at home we can get noisy. what is the deal with practising at home? mr; deal with practising at home? my rule deal with practising at home? m rule was that deal with practising at home? m1: rule was that you deal with practising at home? m1 rule was that you were able to practice between 9am and ibm. especially fudge drastic —— 9pm. especially fudge drastic —— 9pm. especially for brass instruments, you have to consider the neighbours. practising scales and arpeggios. it can be boring when you play things you can't play! you can be boring when you play things you can't play!— you can't play! you guys are going to -la is you can't play! you guys are going to play is out— you can't play! you guys are going to play is out later? _ you can't play! you guys are going to play is out later? we _ you can't play! you guys are going

to play is out later? we are. - you can't play! you guys are going to play is out later? we are. you i to play is out later? we are. you are having _ to play is out later? we are. you are having a _ to play is out later? we are. you are having a real— to play is out later? we are. you are having a real laugh, - to play is out later? we are. you are having a real laugh, it's- are having a real laugh, it's obvious. you guys must have a real laugh together. thank you for your little moment then, you will come back later and play a bit more. try and keep it quiet when you are walking out! we and keep it quiet when you are walking out!— and keep it quiet when you are walking out!- thank i and keep it quiet when you are l walking out!- thank you. walking out! we will! thank you. that is something _ walking out! we will! thank you. that is something to _ walking out! we will! thank you. that is something to look- walking out! we will! thank you. | that is something to look forward walking out! we will! thank you. - that is something to look forward to before 9:30am. time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are. hello, good morning from bbc london. i'm luxmy gopal. ten fire engines and around 70 firefighters were called to flooding in hackney wick. it was caused by a canal bursting its banks, with water affecting an area of around ten acres. around 50 people had to be led to safety. a london party boat sank in the thames at temple pier amid heavy rainfall. you can just see the mast sticking out of the water here. the owner says everyone's been accounted for. it sank on thursday as rain battered the capital.

rail travel�*s still affected by yesterday's heavy rainfall. great western railway says passengers should expect disruption until at least midday, after flooding and an incident west of reading yesterday. tickets for travel today will be valid tomorrow. south western railway asks you check before travelling, because of flooding on its network too. talks are continuing to try to avoid a strike on the underground which is due to begin on sunday evening. tube passengers are being warned of severe disruption next week because of the strike over pay. let's take a look at the tubes now. there's are severe delays on the district line and picadilly line, and minor delays on the central line. now for your weather. rain will gradually clear away to the east. in the afternoon, there will be a few brighter spells at times, but large areas of cloud as well with the odd spot of rain. high of 8 celsius, 46 fahrenheit. this evening staying mostly cloudy tonight, with some light spells of rain or drizzle drifting in at times. keep across your local bbc radio station for up—to—date travel news throughout the morning. i'll be back in half an hour with a full update for you — speak then.

good morning. welcome to breakfast with charlie stayt and naga munchetty. our headlines today. hundreds of homes are flooded in nottinghamshire, leading to a major incident being declared, and flood warnings remain in place across large parts of england. there have also been hundreds of evacuations in gloucestershire. we are in tewkesbury where once again the abbey stands dry amongst a sea of floodwater. the the abbey stands dry amongst a sea of floodwater.— of floodwater. the weather has caused a lot — of floodwater. the weather has caused a lot of— of floodwater. the weather has caused a lot of disruption - of floodwater. the weather has caused a lot of disruption but i caused a lot of disruption but thankfully turning drier and brighter through today and for the weekend — brighter through today and for the weekend too. some good news but it'll take _ weekend too. some good news but it'll take several days for to recede _ oscar pistorius has been released from prison on patrol nearly 11 years after murdering his girlfriend

reeva steenkamp. a shortage of foster carers, charities say 6000 more volunteers are needed in england to meet rising demand. the are needed in england to meet rising demand. ., . , ., demand. the government cuts to national insurance _ demand. the government cuts to national insurance takes - demand. the government cuts to national insurance takes effect i national insurance takes effect tomorrow but what is it and how will it really affect the amount we pay in tax? good morning, the magic is missing in the fa cup as the third round gets under way and is dominated by a controversial red card for everton's dominic calvert—lewin. this tackle wasn't even deemed a foul untit— this tackle wasn't even deemed a foul until it — this tackle wasn't even deemed a foul until it was played in slow motion — foul until it was played in slow motion and then became a sending off leaving _ motion and then became a sending off leaving both managers scratching their heads. good morning. flood warnings remain in parts of england and wales as hundreds of people have been forced to leave their homes because of heavy rainfall. to leave their homes more to leave their homes than 300 flood alerts and warnings more than 300 flood alerts and warnings are in place across much of

southern, eastern and central england. in nottinghamshire a major incident has been declared as water levels of the river trent remain extremely high. our reporter has the latest. yet more heavy rain on already sodden ground. in nottinghamshire, a major incident has been declared as the river trent continued to rise, as high as it's been in more than 20 years. the peak expected today. hundreds of people have been evacuated from their flooded homes. and a few miles south in loughborough, this flat ruined by floodwater. darren's father had to be rescued in the early hours of yesterday morning. there was three feet of water whereas today i'm looking at it and there's no water. the river severn also expected to peak today. belongings piled high in this cottage in worcester to escape the worst of the damage. in the village of longford

near gloucester, catherine is helping to look after her mum's house which was surrounded by water, again from the river severn. it's 2007 all over again and it's, yeah, itjust means, mum, if it does go through it would be nine months out again. and this is what the river avon did to alice and mark's garden in fordingbridge. the flood defence swamped. the garden would get flooded, it did last year. so we had to start bringing all of the equipment and tools that we had in the garden and all of the toys for the children and start bringing them up closer to the house, which is on higher ground. the water breached a couple of weeks ago and now it's the riverbank has gone as well. anyone travelling by train today is advised to check their service before they set off after major disruption to multiple routes, including great western railway and south western railway. this was the scene at hinton admiral station last night. the rail line between liskeard

and looe looking more like a river. somewhere between newton abbot and totnes we ground to a halt and sat there for a couple of hours while they assessed whether they could go through the floodwater or not. there were 259 active flood warnings last night, meaning flooding is expected across much of england, and two in wales, and more than 300 flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible. the environment agency is advising people in areas covered by flood warnings to turn off gas, water and electricity supplies, move belongings upstairs and seek safety for family, pets and cars. and after storm henk comes a cold weather alert for all of england from tomorrow until tuesday. mairead smyth, bbc news. let's ta ke let's take a closer look at the situation in tewkesbury and speak to

john maguire. i know you explained earlier on, you're on top of tewkesbury abbey with that extraordinary view. tewkesbury is a place familiar with flooding. give us a sense of what it's like. you're riht. us a sense of what it's like. you're right- they — us a sense of what it's like. you're right- they talk— us a sense of what it's like. you're right. they talk hear _ us a sense of what it's like. you're right. they talk hear a _ us a sense of what it's like. you're right. they talk hear a lot - us a sense of what it's like. you're right. they talk hear a lot about i right. they talk hear a lot about 2007, it's crucial to say that this is the biggest flooding since 2007 but nowhere near as bad. tewkesbury abbey became iconic, the image of the abbey surrounded by floodwater and floodplains travelled all around the world. as you know, the floodplains as you can see are doing theirjob really well. tewkesbury has four rivers and the river severn being the major one surrounding it, which is why you get these flooding incidents increasingly because of climate change at this time of year. people are well used to dealing with

it as best as they possibly can. a couple of the roads into the town closed and a few homes have been evacuated overnight. people have been put up in a local hotel. but the town is still open and it's a resilient community. people are used to it. we saw flood pumps running earlier this morning when we arrived, trying to get rid of some of that water. we think the peak might come later today. we know from the forecast that over the next few days it's going to be dry so there shouldn't be any more floodwater or certainly no more rain on its way. communities are dealing with things as best they can but as you can see an absolutely spectacular viewpoint this morning from tewkesbury abbey as the vicar was telling us earlier this morning, the monks knew what they were doing when they built this place. it's not a particularly hilly area, were not stuck on top of the mountain, it'sjust area, were not stuck on top of the mountain, it's just that this remains dry. much of the old part of

the town also remains dry. just look at those views, pretty much floodwater as far as the eye can see in certain directions. i'm looking towards the malvern hills in worcestershire, again a county hard—hit by such sodden ground, such heavy rain over the past few weeks but a resilient community and the way the floodplains are engineered seem to be doing theirjob. the pictures tell their own story. thank ou, john pictures tell their own story. thank you. john in _ pictures tell their own story. thank you, john in tewkesbury _ pictures tell their own story. thank you, john in tewkesbury with - pictures tell their own story. thank you, john in tewkesbury with that. you, john in tewkesbury with that vantage point on tewkesbury abbey. a major incident has been declared in nottinghamshire due to flood waters with fears that river levels could rise close to the highest on record. simon ward is in nottingham. good morning. more of a ground side view than a bird's eye view that we had from john but still the picture is

very clear behind you._ from john but still the picture is very clear behind you. yes, good morning from — very clear behind you. yes, good morning from the _ very clear behind you. yes, good morning from the banks - very clear behind you. yes, good morning from the banks of - very clear behind you. yes, good morning from the banks of the l very clear behind you. yes, good i morning from the banks of the river trent and this was the big concern overnight, the rising waters of the river trent. as you can see, as it becomes like its fast flowing, very swollen river this morning. where we're standing there are steps that normally go down to the water and normally go down to the water and normally you can get lot closer at its normal level but it's really high this morning. it hasn't reached the record of 23 years ago. as you say, nottinghamshire county council have declared this a major incident and we heard from them in the last hour, they are hoping that it has reached its peak so hopefully not too many problems. there may be another surge, hopefully the river trent has peaked. more than hundred properties across the county have been affected and flooded during this latest incident. communities

have been asked to be extra vigilant along the path of the river trent. leicestershire, derbyshire and nottinghamshire, the aftermath of storm henk has hit all sorts of communities, businesses flooded, animals having to be rescued and many communities where homes have been affected and people have had to find alternative accommodation but hopefully its peak and people will be looking forward to the water receding. be looking forward to the water recedin. ., .. be looking forward to the water recedina. ., ,, , ., be looking forward to the water recedin. ., ~' ,, ., be looking forward to the water recedin. ., ,, ,, ., ., be looking forward to the water recedin. ., .. ,, ., ., , receding. thank you, simon. sarah is auoin to receding. thank you, simon. sarah is going to keep — receding. thank you, simon. sarah is going to keep us— receding. thank you, simon. sarah is going to keep us up-to-date - receding. thank you, simon. sarah is going to keep us up-to-date with - receding. thank you, simon. sarah is going to keep us up-to-date with the going to keep us up—to—date with the weather and we will keep an eye on flood alerts and warnings around the country. the focus now moves to south africa and a very high profile case but not many people will have forgotten about. a story from a trial that went international. former olympian and paralympian oscar pistorius has been released from prison on parole, nearly 11 years after murdering his girlfriend reeva steenkamp. he will live under strict

conditions until his sentence expires in five years. our correspondent daniel de simone is in pretoria. your location is the prison where oscar pistorius was held. tell us about what's happened and who we've heard from in terms of reaction to his release.— reaction to his release. we've been outside this — reaction to his release. we've been outside this prison _ reaction to his release. we've been outside this prison for _ reaction to his release. we've been outside this prison for a _ reaction to his release. we've been outside this prison for a few- reaction to his release. we've been outside this prison for a few hours. outside this prison for a few hours and some of the media have been here since last night but no one here saw him leave, so he appears to have been smuggled out in some way. we got a statement around an hour ago from the authorities here saying he is now officially a parolee, he's been released and is at home. home we think is a family home about 25 minutes away owned by his uncle. we think that's where he is. he's going

to be under various conditions including staying at home at fixed hours, he's got to attend anger management classes, classes on violence against women. he's also not going to be allowed to speak to the media under conditions last until 2029. we've had reaction from june steenkamp, reeva's mother who says he's reassured he's going to be made to do those mandatory programmes of anger and violence but she says there can never be justice when a loved one like reeva isn't coming back and that those left behind, reeva's family, are one is really serving a life sentence. thank you. israel has outlined proposals for the governmence of gaza once the war is over. yoav gallant said israel would retain overall security control. hamas, described as a terror group by the uk, would no longer control the territory.

record number of electric cars were sold in the uk last year, 315,000. the society of motor manufacturers believes the industry has recovered from the pandemic and says more needs to be done to promote the uptake of electric cars including tax breaks for private buyers. the actor glynisjohns has died at the age of 100. she appeared in dozens of films over a career spanning six decades. she was best known for playing the suffragette mother in mary poppins. her manager described her death is the end of the golden age of hollywood. new stamps out today celebrating the spice girls. you can see royal mail issuing a set of 15 stamps to celebrate their 30th anniversary. the first time a complete set of stamps has been dedicated to an all p0p stamps has been dedicated to an all pop group. images include group shots and individual portraits

including geri halliwell in that famous union flag dress. we are looking at some of the other images. that's one of the group shot and i think we'll see the last of the set, those stamps are available now. there's a lot of attention on the flooding. there we sought gloucestershire, tewkesbury particularly, nottingham too, real problems. that's right. a really widespread area has been affected by flooding. still over 300 flood warnings in force and they are creeping up a number. this is the picture in northamptonshire. the sun has risen, the river has burst its banks and for many places it's hard to tell weather channel of the river starts and ends. ongoing flooding but some good news in the forecast. the weather will be drying up over

the next 21! hours but it will take awhile for floodwaters to recede. this is where it's been raining overnight, this curl of rain is the latest in a series of storms tracking across the uk. that's now fragmenting and using towards the east. still a bit of rain for the likes of norfolk and kent and more wet weather in the north—east of scotland. not the heavy, relentless rain we've seen recently. coming into the west, drier and brighter weather, generally more sunshine. further east more cloud and a few spots of rain. through this evening and tonight we still got low pressure close to the north of scotland but generally that area of low pressure is clearing. higher pressure building, not many isobars say the winds lighter, clearing skies and a cold night. frost and fog patches especially in the west to start the day on saturday. more cloud around in the east with the

odd light shower, much drier than it has been. that dry spell of weather continues through sunday into monday as well, so you'll notice it's turning colder over the week ahead but thankfully it's turning much drier too. foster carers are in short supply at the moment. 6000 more are needed in england to meet current demand. our reporter has been to meet two couples who have foster children and say it's the best decision they ever made. we've received so much more back than we've ever given, and that's been really lovely. "i love my nikki because she cuddles me, she takes me on holiday, she brings me to school

and she gives us pocket money." laughs. "best carer ever. " c-a-r-a. nikki and geoff started fostering nine years ago, and the family tree in their home carries all the names and all the faces of all the children they've ever looked after. but recently they took on a new role to help deal with a crisis for kids in care. unfortunately, more foster carers are leaving than new ones are coming in. why? well, i think the word that keeps coming up is support, all the time. not enough support. of course there's the financial issues as well. but i think that the biggest thing is support and that's why mockingbird is so important. the mockingbird scheme creates a model of care which is just like an extended family. nikki and geoff are the central hub home, where they offer advice and respite to several satellite homes where children are placed. lol is lots of love. lots of love, yeah. you give me lol. it sounds like you love this job. we do, it's the best

job in the world. i had a message on the support group today from a carer saying, if it wasn't for mockingbird and the support i get from other carers, i couldn't do what i do — so that says it all. and they're all in front of you on our wall. so important for the children to know that they are still in our lives... i don't want people to think we're sugar—coating this because it can be a very challenging job contes, can't it? yep. we owe it to these children to be the best we can be. we have to be fully trained. trauma informed training is vital. all of the children have suffered some form of trauma. so in order to give them the care they need, we have to make sure we focus on the professional element as well. this is from one of the parents. "to geoff and nikki, thank you for being so caring "and loving to my girls, and truly you are angels. "i will succeed with the girls." yes, that's from a birth parent. this work is life—changing — but for the second year running

the number of foster carers is in decline as need increases year on year. better training, more practical and financial support are the things nikki and geoff believe will encourage more carers to sign up, just as others leave. this is isobel and lee, who are in spain right now looking for their retirement home. after 20 years of fostering, lia will be their very last long—term placement. it couldn't end with anybody that i could be more proud of. she is the most important young person that we've had staying with us, and we've had a lot of young people. i would say that i love them very much and i appreciate _ everything they've done. they're very important to me. this is a relationship for life, isn't it? it definitely is. lee and isobel have given me a great kick up the backside _ and i appreciate it so much.

so lots of holidays in spain, yeah? yes. 100%. 1000%. lia is part of our life, simple as. this is the power of fostering, but also the reality. too many foster parents are leaving, with too few people to take their place. all those lovely children that have come through your life will probably be watching this on telly. what would you like to say to them? well, you know that we love you. it's been a privilege to have you in our lives. now go out and achieve the great things that you all can because you're all so special. and what would you say to anybody watching this who is curious, who's thinking about fostering? don't miss out on what we've had. speak to your local fostering service and hopefully you'll enjoy what we've enjoyed. it's life changing. you know, you can change a child's life.

sophia hall is a journalist who spent time in foster care as a teenager. along with us his foster carerjackie. and sarah thomas from the fostering network. sophia, you're the one who has experience, you're the one who has experience, you are care experienced so around the time you are doing your gcses you went into the care system. what happened? you went into the care system. what ha ened? ~ ., ., ., , , happened? well, a lot of my friends were worrying _ happened? well, a lot of my friends were worrying about _ happened? well, a lot of my friends were worrying about boys _ happened? well, a lot of my friends were worrying about boys at - happened? well, a lot of my friends were worrying about boys at that. happened? well, a lot of my friends| were worrying about boys at that age and what great they were going to get in their maths gcse. i left my maths gcse to go into a police safe house to have an interview done, so my life flipped upside down. what i would really like to say is it flipped the right side up ijust didn't really know it. i went into care with a foster family and i had a couple of different foster

placements because i was a teenager, i'm not sure how many people want teenagers in the care system, which is a really sad thing to think about. i bounced around a few places but it really shaped me into who i am today and i became a journalist because of it. am today and i became a 'ournalist because of at because of it. great profession, miht i because of it. great profession, might i say! _ because of it. great profession, might i say! it's _ because of it. great profession, might i say! it's interesting - because of it. great profession, might i say! it's interesting you| might i say! it's interesting you say as a teenager, and i imagine as a teenager when you were told you're going to go into care system, what were your initial impressions? i don't know if you knew much about it. you said your friends were thinking about boys and going out or whatever. i thinking about boys and going out or whatever. .. ., thinking about boys and going out or whatever. ,, ., ., ., , , ,�* whatever. i think a lot of my peers' idea of the — whatever. i think a lot of my peers' idea of the care _ whatever. i think a lot of my peers' idea of the care system _ whatever. i think a lot of my peers' idea of the care system is - whatever. i think a lot of my peers' idea of the care system is learned l idea of the care system is learned through tracy beaker, is something you hear a lot from my generation because a lot of the time that was people's any reference point. tracy beaker is a residential children's home which in and of itself is different from fostering. so, i was quite lucky when i went in, i felt

really alone, it was really scary, i went to a location where i knew no one around, it was the summer holidays and i was so far away from my friends. a tv show had come out in america called the fosters and i would watch it and the like, that's me because it was about a 16—year—old who had just gone into care and i saw myself through the tv and that's why i went into journalism because i really want to advocate for care experienced voices in the media because for me it was seeing someone who was like me, even if it was just a fictional setting. jackie, welcome. you're a good listener, i saw you listening so carefully, you're obviously a good listener. tell us what you can about your experience of being a foster carer. i your experience of being a foster carer. ., , ., ., ,., carer. i initially thought about foster care — carer. i initially thought about foster care and _ carer. i initially thought about foster care and i _ carer. i initially thought about foster care and i was - carer. i initially thought about foster care and i was working | carer. i initially thought about i foster care and i was working in carer. i initially thought about - foster care and i was working in the nhs, _ foster care and i was working in the nhs, so _ foster care and i was working in the nhs, so i _ foster care and i was working in the nhs, so i had been in the nhs fora lon- nhs, so i had been in the nhs fora long time— nhs, so i had been in the nhs fora long time and then made the decision to contact—

long time and then made the decision to contact barnardos, the agency i've been— to contact barnardos, the agency i've been with for 17 years now. so, i've been with for 17 years now. so, i was _ i've been with for 17 years now. so, i was approved in 2007, my children were grown— i was approved in 2007, my children were grown up then, so i had an e>

and i— years and it's been very successful and i really. — years and it's been very successful and i really, really do advocate foster— and i really, really do advocate foster care, i really enjoy it, it's something — foster care, i really enjoy it, it's something that's a passion. and you are changing — something that's a passion. and you are changing someone's _ something that's a passion. and you are changing someone's life - something that's a passion. and you are changing someone's life and - are changing someone's life and getting care as well which is rewarding in itself. however difficult it — rewarding in itself. however difficult it may _ rewarding in itself. however difficult it may be _ rewarding in itself. however difficult it may be which - rewarding in itself. however i difficult it may be which you've both alluded to. sarah, sophia said teenagers for example, i'm sure you are a usual teenager, difficult as we all were, may not be an attractive prospect for potential foster carers. there is a shortage, something like 6000 shortage at the moment, how do you attract more people? moment, how do you attract more --eole? moment, how do you attract more ieoile? moment, how do you attract more iieole? , , ., ., moment, how do you attract more iieole? , ., , people? the thing is you need to be able to meet _ people? the thing is you need to be able to meet people _ people? the thing is you need to be able to meet people like _ people? the thing is you need to be able to meet people like jacky - people? the thing is you need to be able to meet people like jacky and i able to meet people like jacky and the people — able to meet people like jacky and the people you _ able to meet people like jacky and the people you interviewed - able to meet people like jacky and the people you interviewed and i able to meet people like jacky and l the people you interviewed and hear from them _ the people you interviewed and hear from them directly _ the people you interviewed and hear from them directly about _ the people you interviewed and hear from them directly about what - from them directly about what fostering — from them directly about what fostering is— from them directly about what fostering is and _ from them directly about what fostering is and how _ from them directly about what| fostering is and how rewarding from them directly about what i fostering is and how rewarding it from them directly about what - fostering is and how rewarding it is and the _ fostering is and how rewarding it is and the difference _ fostering is and how rewarding it is and the difference you _ fostering is and how rewarding it is and the difference you can - fostering is and how rewarding it is and the difference you can make i fostering is and how rewarding it is| and the difference you can make to someone's — and the difference you can make to someone's life _ and the difference you can make to someone's life because _ and the difference you can make to someone's life because it- and the difference you can make to someone's life because it is- and the difference you can make to someone's life because it is truly. someone's life because it is truly life changing _

someone's life because it is truly life changing for— someone's life because it is truly life changing for these _ someone's life because it is truly life changing for these children. i life changing for these children. how easy— life changing for these children. how easy is— life changing for these children. how easy is it? _ life changing for these children. how easy is it? if— life changing for these children. how easy is it? if someone - life changing for these children. how easy is it? if someone is. how easy is it? if someone is watching and they don't have a spare bedroom, i'm struggling in terms of costs in the cost of living crisis, what if i can't cope, what if a child is further uprooted because they don't settle? you said you went to a second foster... they don't settle? you said you went to a second foster. . .— they don't settle? you said you went to a second foster. . .- do ii to a second foster... multiple. do i want to be — to a second foster... multiple. do i want to be involved _ to a second foster... multiple. do i want to be involved in _ to a second foster... multiple. do i want to be involved in a _ to a second foster... multiple. do i want to be involved in a child's - want to be involved in a child's life he's already been uprooted are not big enough, how do you those impressions? for not big enough, how do you those impressions?— not big enough, how do you those imiressions? ., ., ., ., , impressions? for a lot of people you have to take — impressions? for a lot of people you have to take a _ impressions? for a lot of people you have to take a moment _ impressions? for a lot of people you have to take a moment to _ impressions? for a lot of people you have to take a moment to think - impressions? for a lot of people you l have to take a moment to think about what is _ have to take a moment to think about what is it— have to take a moment to think about what is it that — have to take a moment to think about what is it that you've _ have to take a moment to think about what is it that you've got _ have to take a moment to think about what is it that you've got to _ have to take a moment to think about what is it that you've got to offer- what is it that you've got to offer and a _ what is it that you've got to offer and a spare _ what is it that you've got to offer and a spare run— what is it that you've got to offer and a spare run is— what is it that you've got to offer and a spare run is critical. - and a spare run is critical. obviously. _ and a spare run is critical. obviously, the _ and a spare run is critical. obviously, the space - and a spare run is critical. obviously, the space is. and a spare run is critical. - obviously, the space is critical. there _ obviously, the space is critical. there are — obviously, the space is critical. there are allowances _ obviously, the space is critical. there are allowances that - obviously, the space is critical. l there are allowances that foster carers _ there are allowances that foster carers receive _ there are allowances that foster carers receive so— there are allowances that foster carers receive so that _ there are allowances that foster carers receive so that that - there are allowances that fosterl carers receive so that that aspect should _ carers receive so that that aspect should be — carers receive so that that aspect should be covered _ carers receive so that that aspect should be covered along - carers receive so that that aspect should be covered along with - should be covered along with support _ should be covered along with support. there's— should be covered along with support. there's a _ should be covered along with support. there's a lot - should be covered along with support. there's a lot to - should be covered along with support. there's a lot to be i should be covered along with - support. there's a lot to be done in the fostering — support. there's a lot to be done in the fostering sector— support. there's a lot to be done in the fostering sector to _ support. there's a lot to be done in the fostering sector to improve - the fostering sector to improve these _ the fostering sector to improve these things _ the fostering sector to improve these things and _ the fostering sector to improve these things and without - the fostering sector to improve these things and without a - the fostering sector to improve i these things and without a doubt there _ these things and without a doubt there needs _ these things and without a doubt there needs to _ these things and without a doubt there needs to be _ these things and without a doubt there needs to be investment. these things and without a doubtl there needs to be investment into fostering — there needs to be investment into fostering to — there needs to be investment into fostering to improve _ there needs to be investment into fostering to improve it. _ there needs to be investment into fostering to improve it. but- there needs to be investment intoi fostering to improve it. but people out there _

fostering to improve it. but people out there listening _ fostering to improve it. but people out there listening will _ fostering to improve it. but people out there listening will be - fostering to improve it. but people out there listening will be able - fostering to improve it. but people out there listening will be able to i out there listening will be able to do it, _ out there listening will be able to do it. if— out there listening will be able to do it. if you — out there listening will be able to do it, if you think— out there listening will be able to do it, if you think you _ out there listening will be able to do it, if you think you can- out there listening will be able to do it, if you think you can do- out there listening will be able to do it, if you think you can do it i do it, if you think you can do it and _ do it, if you think you can do it and you've _ do it, if you think you can do it and you've got _ do it, if you think you can do it and you've got the _ do it, if you think you can do it and you've got the space - do it, if you think you can do it and you've got the space on. do it, if you think you can do it| and you've got the space on the do it, if you think you can do it - and you've got the space on the tyne and you've got the space on the tyne and you _ and you've got the space on the tyne and you care — and you've got the space on the tyne and you care about _ and you've got the space on the tyne and you care about children - and you've got the space on the tyne and you care about children and - and you care about children and young _ and you care about children and young people _ and you care about children and young people in _ and you care about children and young people in the _ and you care about children and young people in the future - and you care about children and young people in the future of. and you care about children and i young people in the future of our country. — young people in the future of our country. really. _ young people in the future of our country, really, which _ young people in the future of our country, really, which is - young people in the future of our country, really, which is down i young people in the future of our country, really, which is down to| country, really, which is down to the next — country, really, which is down to the next generation _ country, really, which is down to the next generation then - country, really, which is down to the next generation then speaki country, really, which is down to. the next generation then speak to your local— the next generation then speak to your local fostering _ the next generation then speak to your local fostering service. - the next generation then speak to your local fostering service. sarah, i'm sure all — your local fostering service. sarah, i'm sure all the _ your local fostering service. sarah, i'm sure all the details _ your local fostering service. sarah, i'm sure all the details of - your local fostering service. sarah, i'm sure all the details of their- i'm sure all the details of their but are there things that preclude you from being a foster carer? some people will be watching and going, do you know what, maybe. other things... do you know what, maybe. other thinis... do you know what, maybe. other thinis. .. ., , . things... there are very few things that will preclude _ things... there are very few things that will preclude people _ things... there are very few things that will preclude people from - things... there are very few things i that will preclude people from being able to— that will preclude people from being able to foster~ — that will preclude people from being able to foster. ultimately, _ that will preclude people from being able to foster. ultimately, the - able to foster. ultimately, the space. — able to foster. ultimately, the space. the _ able to foster. ultimately, the space, the time _ able to foster. ultimately, the space, the time and _ able to foster. ultimately, the space, the time and the - able to foster. ultimately, the| space, the time and the ability able to foster. ultimately, the - space, the time and the ability and desire _ space, the time and the ability and desire to _ space, the time and the ability and desire to want _ space, the time and the ability and desire to want to _ space, the time and the ability and desire to want to learn, _ space, the time and the ability and desire to want to learn, because i space, the time and the ability and desire to want to learn, because it| desire to want to learn, because it isn't something _ desire to want to learn, because it isn't something people _ desire to want to learn, because it isn't something people will- isn't something people will naturally— isn't something people will naturally be _ isn't something people will naturally be able _ isn't something people will naturally be able to - isn't something people will naturally be able to do - isn't something people will- naturally be able to do necessarily. there _ naturally be able to do necessarily. there is _ naturally be able to do necessarily. there is one — naturally be able to do necessarily. there is one thing _ naturally be able to do necessarily. there is one thing i've _ naturally be able to do necessarily. there is one thing i've learned - there is one thing i've learned about— there is one thing i've learned about fostering _ there is one thing i've learned about fostering and _ there is one thing i've learned about fostering and that - there is one thing i've learned about fostering and that is - there is one thing i've learnedl about fostering and that is that 'ust about fostering and that is that just because _ about fostering and that is that just because you've _ about fostering and that is that just because you've been - about fostering and that is that just because you've been a - about fostering and that is that i just because you've been a parent about fostering and that is that - just because you've been a parent it doesn't _ just because you've been a parent it doesn't mean — just because you've been a parent it doesn't mean you _ just because you've been a parent it doesn't mean you will— just because you've been a parent it doesn't mean you will automaticallyj doesn't mean you will automatically be able _ doesn't mean you will automatically be able to— doesn't mean you will automatically be able to foster. _ doesn't mean you will automatically be able to foster. for— doesn't mean you will automatically be able to foster. for many- doesn't mean you will automatically be able to foster. for many foster. be able to foster. for many foster carers. _ be able to foster. for many foster carers. they— be able to foster. for many foster carers, they would _ be able to foster. for many foster carers, they would say— be able to foster. for many foster carers, they would say it's - be able to foster. for many foster carers, they would say it's a - carers, they would say it's a totally — carers, they would say it's a

totally different _ carers, they would say it's a totally different skill- carers, they would say it's a i totally different skill because carers, they would say it's a - totally different skill because you are parenting— totally different skill because you are parenting somebody- totally different skill because you are parenting somebody else's i totally different skill because you - are parenting somebody else's child. what do _ are parenting somebody else's child. what do you — are parenting somebody else's child. what do you have _ are parenting somebody else's child. what do you have to _ are parenting somebody else's child. what do you have to have _ are parenting somebody else's child. what do you have to have been - are parenting somebody else's child. what do you have to have been a - what do you have to have been a parent? — what do you have to have been a parent? not~ _ what do you have to have been a parent? not i— what do you have to have been a parent? not-— what do you have to have been a parent? not. i thought being in the nhs i had a — parent? not. i thought being in the nhs | had a lot— parent? not. i thought being in the nhs i had a lot of— parent? not. i thought being in the nhs i had a lot of other _ parent? not. i thought being in the nhs i had a lot of other skills - parent? not. i thought being in the nhs i had a lot of other skills that l nhs i had a lot of other skills that i brought— nhs i had a lot of other skills that i brought to my fostering and that helped _ i brought to my fostering and that helped immensely. still, the training _ helped immensely. still, the training i— helped immensely. still, the training i get now helps me a lot and the — training i get now helps me a lot and the support i get with my own family— and the support i get with my own family of— and the support i get with my own family of grown—up children, because i brought— family of grown—up children, because i brought them up on my own. it was a hard _ i brought them up on my own. it was a hard job— i brought them up on my own. it was a hard job but it's very rewarding being _ a hard job but it's very rewarding being a _ a hard job but it's very rewarding being a foster carer.— being a foster carer. sophia, the last word is _ being a foster carer. sophia, the last word is yours. _ being a foster carer. sophia, the last word is yours. there - being a foster carer. sophia, the last word is yours. there will - being a foster carer. sophia, the last word is yours. there will be | last word is yours. there will be people watching thinking maybe i could do that, what would you say? i think it's a privilege to be a foster carer, to have that absolute impact on a young person at such a developmental and important stage of their lives. i think what's so key is you could be the first adult for them that they can trust, because a

lot of us grew up without those role models and if we did have an adult in their lives perhaps they weren't the safest person to be around, so you could be that for someone. i think what a privilege. i bet you could be that for someone. i think what a privilege.— think what a privilege. i bet you are already _ think what a privilege. i bet you are already making _ think what a privilege. i bet you are already making a _ think what a privilege. i bet you are already making a great - are already making a great journalist. i'm sure your experience makes you better, what you do now, so thank you. thank you. morning live follows on bbc one at 930. you've got a longer programme. it's a packed show for you. coming up. bidding wars, threats of eviction and sky—high prices are now the reality for tenants — we're rounding up our cost of living week by tackling your biggest rental issues with our consumer champ matt allwright. new laws to support tenants and landlords should be on the way — but for now, i'll explain how grants

can help bring down the cost if you're struggling to find a home and which schemes will stop landlords unfairly taking your deposit. there's also been a hike - in criminals creating fake number plates by cloning your car'sl registration, leaving victims picking up the crook's - parking and speeding fines and even their points. innocent people are getting completely stitched up because the onusis completely stitched up because the onus is on you to provide the evidence. and it takes hours and hours and hours of frustrating time. we'll hear why always - keeping your mobile nearby can prove you're not guilty. plus, the lack of sun in winter means 60% of uk adults aren't getting enough vitamin d, dr punam wants to help you top up your levels. i'll tell you why sitting in front of a window won't actually help, and how taking supplements costing just 2p a day, are just as effective as expensive brands. lack of sunlight might be an issue, but apparently the cold is ok. - michael mosley tells us why dialling

down your thermostat _ won't just save money — - it could help you sleep better and even help combat diabetes. plus, chefjohn gregory—smith is serving up his creamy sausage pasta. it's the ultimate january comfort food, costing just £1 per portion! see you at 9:30. time to get the news, travel and weather where you are. hello, good morning from bbc london, i'm luxmy gopal. ten fire engines and around 70 firefighters were called to flooding in hackney wick. it was caused by a canal bursting its banks, with water affecting an area of around ten acres. around 50 people had to be led to safety. a london party boat sank in the thames at temple pier, amid the heavy rainfall. you can just see the mast sticking

out of the water here. the owner says everyone's been accounted for. it sank on thursday as rain battered the capital. the weather conditions continue to affect the trains today. great western railway, which includes routes to paddington, says passengers should expect disruption until at least midday, after flooding and a death on the tracks caused major disruption west of reading yesterday. tickets for travel today will be valid tomorrow. south western railway asks you to check before travelling due to flooding across its network. talks are continuing to try to avoid a strike on the underground which is due to begin on sunday evening. tube passengers are being warned of severe disruption next week because of the strike over pay. rmt union members will stage walk—outs in protest at a 5% pay offer. let's take a look at the tubes now. there's severe delays on the district line, and minor delays on the central line and piccadilly line. one of london's oldest pub theatres reopens this evening at its new home just off upper street. the new kings head theatre

will have a much larger auditorium bosses say the new venue will provide a much needed alternative to the west end. we are a space for artists to come and do something that they're not able to do in other spaces, and for the mavericks and the misfits and the vagabonds of the industry to come and try out things. the scale and the opportunity professionalism of what we are able to present here will be entirely different to what we did in a pub theatre. now onto the weather with kawser. hello, good morning. it's still quite cloudy and damp out there. we have numerous flood warnings and flood alerts still around with surface water and spray on the roads making the morning commute a bit tricky but it will gradually improve over the next few days. the cloud mainly across more eastern parts, here we will see the worst of the showers and more of a breeze but elsewhere largely dry by the end of the day and temperatures around six to eight celsius. for this evening and overnight there will be a further few showers. some cloud around will leave the clearer skies, maybe one or two patches of mist and fog developing. and temperatures dipping to around three to five celsius. but looking ahead, high pressure will continue to build

and we will see more in the way of drier conditions developing but also colder conditions as well. so if we look ahead to the next few days, the weekend itself will be largely dry after a few showers on saturday, becoming quite cold overnight saturday night into sunday, that mist and fog may be quite slow to clear in places on sunday morning. but for the rest of the week it will be colder but drier. keep across your local bbc radio station for up to date travel news throughout the morning. that's it from me for now. i'll be back in half an hour but now it's back to naga and charlie. hello, this is breakfast with

charlie stayt and naga munchetty. millions of workers should see a reduction in their national insurance contributions from tomorrow, as a government pledge to cut the tax comes into force. peter can tell us more. on the face of it, pizza, people are thinking, oh, good. iwill have on the face of it, pizza, people are thinking, oh, good. i will have more pay in my wage packet —— on the face of it, peter. but it's not straightforward.- of it, peter. but it's not straightforward. of it, peter. but it's not straiihtforward. ~ , ., straightforward. when it comes to taxi never is- _ straightforward. when it comes to taxi never is. it _ straightforward. when it comes to taxi never is. it is _ straightforward. when it comes to taxi never is. it is complicated - taxi never is. it is complicated because people will see the benefits of the national insurance rate in their payslip but if you look at long—term, the amount we pay in tax, our tax burden is still going up. first let's just have a recap on exactly what national insurance is. forworkers, national insurance, like income tax, is a deduction from your salary. but, unlike income tax, it is only paid on your wages if you are in work.

it is also paid by employers and the self—employed. so cutting it is seen as a way of incentivising employment. it goes towards paying for certain government benefits, like the state pension. today, the main rate is 12%. that applies to anyone earning more than £242 a week. but from tomorrow that rate will be cut to 10%. you should see that difference fairly immediately on your payslip. if you earn £30,000 a year this should work out at savings of £350 or £30 a month. if you earn more, you will save more. but it isn't quite that simple especially if you have had a pay rise recently. that's all because the threshold, the point at which you start paying national insurance, has been frozen, rather than going up each year.

that means as people's wages increase, more of us end up paying the tax for the first time. when you take into account frozen income tax thresholds as well, many people's tax burdens will still go up this year, the income tax freeze is often called a stealth tax because lots of people don't understand it or don't see it. it's not that you pay more tax than you paid last year, it's just that you are paying more tax than you would have done if the government had not frozen the tax band. it's a crafty move by the government because people don't fully understand it and don't see they are paying more tax, so it is crafty, so it gets less moaning from people. at the same time if you do this cut of national insurance, it can look like you are handing out money to people but when you put the — two moves together, people will be paying far more in tax. important to remember, some of the national insurance charges paid by the self—employed

are also being cut or scrapped from april. that will be an important boost to people like plumbers, hairdressers who have had a very tough few years. but, charlie and naga, the big argument as we move towards an election is likely to be on the taxes paid by workers, and the overall tax burden. thank you very much, peter. regular breakfast viewers will know that our bbc news colleague sean dilley has been highlighting the shortage of guide dogs for the blind. sean himself has been waiting nearly 18 months to get a new one, after his beloved sammy retired. well, that wait is finally over and sean thought you might like an introduction. hello, hello, how you doing? this is a tale of two seans. hi, shawn. isn't itjust brilliant to have you here?

yup, good boy! it's early november, and we've got the weekend together to see how well we bond. i do a lot of drinking coffee, old bean. do you like the smell of that? i hope you do. for now, it's all about getting close. # baby, we found love right where we are. # we found love right where we are. oh, sorry! shawn, come back. it's been 16 months since my third guide sammy retired with family and 17 and a half months on the waiting list. so spending time with shawn the dog... you're lovely, aren't you? ..is the best feeling in the world. but too soon our weekend together was over. it was time for shawn to head back to his training

fosterers, susie and anthony. a panel at the charity guide dogs would have to decide whether we'd be a good fit for each other. i didn't have to wait long, it was a match, the panel felt we'd bonded and suited each other well. you're going to have just the best life, this is what it's about. two weeks later, we were together again, spending the weekend with each other. this was now our home. hello, you! monday came quickly. we were on our way to begin five weeks of guide dog training, the first two of which were from a hotel in essex. we were issued the kit we'd need for training and hopefully beyond. and then we were shown around. it's all right, good boy. i'm so excited, it's unreal. but also it's a massive responsibility. so i've got an awful lot of learning. so we found where shawn needs to go for a comfort break and where i need to go for a coffee break. this was the prize we were aiming for. soon we'd get to try his new working

harness out on a real life training walk with instructor graham. it feels lovely, this. he's proper set in work mode. yeah. ears back, tail down, nice. it suddenly felt very real for both of us. now put your right foot across. 0k. now ask him to go. very narrow. just give him the support and keep that speed to a safe speed, yeah? will do. come on, mate, find the way, find the way. oh, i know what he's trying to do. good boy, well done. training guide dog shawn was feeling the responsibility of guiding his blind handler. good boy, well done, i've checked the kerb, i'm happy with that. well, that's good. i was learning how to support and even trust my guide. i kind of don't really expect him to get through without brushing you, but if he can stop at it and acknowledge or point it out to you virtually that's fine. just gently encourage him. he's recognised there's something there. he got you through, good man. good boy, well done!

spin on a few weeks and we're nearing the end of training from home. i caught up with one of the managers who oversaw my case at guide dogs to try to understand how they find the right dog for the right person. some people do have to wait longer than others, and that purely comes down to the type of dog that they need. we need to make sure that the partnerships are safe. that the speed is correct and the tension is correct for the partnership and for the dog's benefit. good boy. today, instructor graham and i are practising an important walk. it's been decided that this will be our qualification route. good boy. in days, trainee guide dog shawn and human sean, that's me, would be assessed by an independent supervisor. that day came and, well, we smashed it. well done, well done! on the 20th of december, trainee gd shawn became qualified

guide dog shawn and just in time for christmas too. he is my independence and i have got my life back. so thank you. sean dilly and shawn doggy, bbc news. it's a great story. the two seans join us now, as well as esther browne from guide dogs. good morning, sean, and an official introduction to shawn.— good morning, sean, and an official introduction to shawn. which one are ou talkini introduction to shawn. which one are you talking to? _ introduction to shawn. which one are you talking to? how— introduction to shawn. which one are you talking to? how are _ introduction to shawn. which one are you talking to? how are we _ introduction to shawn. which one are you talking to? how are we doing - you talking to? how are we doing this, you talking to? how are we doing this. sean _ you talking to? how are we doing this, sean the _ you talking to? how are we doing this, sean the dog? _ you talking to? how are we doing this, sean the dog? canine - you talking to? how are we doing this, sean the dog? canine sean. esther is here _ this, sean the dog? canine sean. esther is here as _ this, sean the dog? canine sean. esther is here as well. _ this, sean the dog? canine sean. esther is here as well. this - this, sean the dog? canine sean. esther is here as well. this is - this, sean the dog? canine sean. esther is here as well. this is a l esther is here as well. this is a great story, isn't it? i will put you front and centre first of all. this is a result, and sean's smile says it all. this is a result, and sean's smile says it all-— says it all. this is why we are here, says it all. this is why we are here. to _ says it all. this is why we are here. to see _ says it all. this is why we are here, to see sean _ says it all. this is why we are here, to see sean and - says it all. this is why we are here, to see sean and shawn says it all. this is why we are - here, to see sean and shawn together in a partnership. here, to see sean and shawn together in a partnership-— in a partnership. absolutely loving it. it has been _ in a partnership. absolutely loving it. it has been a _ in a partnership. absolutely loving it. it has been a long _ in a partnership. absolutely loving it. it has been a long time - in a partnership. absolutely loving | it. it has been a long time coming, hasn't it? in terms of partnering

dogs and those who need them. absolutely and it's been a lot longer than we would like, 17 months isn't it? �* ., longer than we would like, 17 months isn't it? . ., ., , �* ., isn't it? and one half, but i'm not countini! isn't it? and one half, but i'm not counting! you _ isn't it? and one half, but i'm not counting! you have _ isn't it? and one half, but i'm not counting! you have been - isn't it? and one half, but i'm not counting! you have been very - isn't it? and one half, but i'm not. counting! you have been very open and honest — counting! you have been very open and honest about _ counting! you have been very open and honest about how— counting! you have been very open and honest about how difficult - counting! you have been very open and honest about how difficult the | and honest about how difficult the time has been in between having your two guide dogs. to remind people a little bit of the significance for someone, just trying to live their life, and then losing their guide dog? it life, and then losing their guide doi ? . .. life, and then losing their guide do ? , ~' ., life, and then losing their guide doi ? , ,, ., , ., life, and then losing their guide do ? , ~' ., , ., , dog? it feels like having your legs choi ied dog? it feels like having your legs chopped off- _ dog? it feels like having your legs chopped off- and _ dog? it feels like having your legs chopped off. and i _ dog? it feels like having your legs chopped off. and i don't _ dog? it feels like having your legs chopped off. and i don't want - dog? it feels like having your legs chopped off. and i don't want to i dog? it feels like having your legs i chopped off. and i don't want to use dramatic— chopped off. and i don't want to use dramatic language but i'm a different person to the person who was sitting in the studio in september 2022. was sitting in the studio in september2022. because was sitting in the studio in september 2022. because at the time, i was 23 _ september 2022. because at the time, i was 23 years and one month of the guide _ i was 23 years and one month of the guide dog _ i was 23 years and one month of the guide dog and all of a sudden you havent— guide dog and all of a sudden you haven't got one. sammy who retired with my— haven't got one. sammy who retired with my mother, who is doing very well. _ with my mother, who is doing very well. my— with my mother, who is doing very well, my mother is very appreciated, that is— well, my mother is very appreciated, that is a _ well, my mother is very appreciated, that is a bereavement to lose the

dog _ that is a bereavement to lose the do. ~ that is a bereavement to lose the doi. ~ ., that is a bereavement to lose the doi _ . ., , ., that is a bereavement to lose the doi. ~ ., , ., , . , that is a bereavement to lose the dog. we are showing pictures, people seeini it dog. we are showing pictures, people seeing it home _ dog. we are showing pictures, people seeing it home sammy _ dog. we are showing pictures, people seeing it home sammy and _ dog. we are showing pictures, people seeing it home sammy and your- dog. we are showing pictures, people seeing it home sammy and your hugs| seeing it home sammy and your hugs and the bond that you had. flan seeing it home sammy and your hugs and the bond that you had. can i seeing it home sammy and your hugs and the bond that you had.— and the bond that you had. can i ask and the bond that you had. can i ask a question. — and the bond that you had. can i ask a question, sean? _ and the bond that you had. can i ask a question, sean? some _ and the bond that you had. can i ask a question, sean? some people - and the bond that you had. can i ask a question, sean? some people will| a question, sean? some people will be thinking. — a question, sean? some people will be thinking, don't _ a question, sean? some people will be thinking, don't retire _ a question, sean? some people will be thinking, don't retire sammy- a question, sean? some people will be thinking, don't retire sammy if. be thinking, don't retire sammy if there _ be thinking, don't retire sammy if there is— be thinking, don't retire sammy if there is not— be thinking, don't retire sammy if there is not one _ be thinking, don't retire sammy if there is not one available, - be thinking, don't retire sammy if there is not one available, why. be thinking, don't retire sammy if. there is not one available, why does not work— there is not one available, why does not work in — there is not one available, why does not work in times _ there is not one available, why does not work in times of— there is not one available, why does not work in times of timing? - there is not one available, why does not work in times of timing? that i there is not one available, why does not work in times of timing? that is| not work in times of timing? that is a reasonable — not work in times of timing? that is a reasonable to _ not work in times of timing? that is a reasonable to think. _ not work in times of timing? that is a reasonable to think. you - not work in times of timing? that is a reasonable to think.— not work in times of timing? that is a reasonable to think. you get guide doi users a reasonable to think. you get guide dog users asking _ a reasonable to think. you get guide dog users asking it _ a reasonable to think. you get guide dog users asking it as _ a reasonable to think. you get guide dog users asking it as well— a reasonable to think. you get guide dog users asking it as well on - dog users asking it as well on social— dog users asking it as well on social media. but they would deserve their retirement. it would be highly selfish _ their retirement. it would be highly selfish of— their retirement. it would be highly selfish of me to have kept my guide do- selfish of me to have kept my guide dog onto _ selfish of me to have kept my guide dog onto a — selfish of me to have kept my guide dog onto a point where the retirement life will be shortened for my— retirement life will be shortened for my benefit they get tired. could it not have been _ for my benefit they get tired. could it not have been timed, _ for my benefit they get tired. could it not have been timed, maybe you can e>

retire _ before we think the dog is going to retire we — before we think the dog is going to retire. ~ , ., , before we think the dog is going to retire. ~ , .,, ., before we think the dog is going to retire. ~ , ., , ., ., retire. we get people to the waiting list. the retire. we get people to the waiting list- the tricky _ retire. we get people to the waiting list. the tricky part _ retire. we get people to the waiting list. the tricky part is _ retire. we get people to the waiting list. the tricky part is finding - retire. we get people to the waiting list. the tricky part is finding the i list. the tricky part is finding the right dog for acro one. and sean and shawn make an amazing partnership. we are looking at really specific things to make that much right. it's notjust things to make that much right. it's not just a things to make that much right. it's notjust a case of things to make that much right. it's not just a case of the things to make that much right. it's notjust a case of the next dog which is ready and the next person, off you go. it's likely that a lot off you go. it's likely that a lot of things will not match. mr; off you go. it's likely that a lot of things will not match. my match was iuite of things will not match. my match was quite unique, _ of things will not match. my match was quite unique, it _ of things will not match. my match was quite unique, it was _ of things will not match. my match was quite unique, it was a - of things will not match. my match was quite unique, it was a bit - was quite unique, it was a bit difficult _ was quite unique, it was a bit difficult. ., ., was quite unique, it was a bit difficult. ., . , ., was quite unique, it was a bit difficult. ., ., , ., ., ., difficult. not that you are a difficult. not that you are a difficult person, _ difficult. not that you are a difficult person, sean! - difficult. not that you are a difficult person, sean! myl difficult person, sean! my circumstances, _ difficult person, sean! my circumstances, you must have read the details — circumstances, you must have read the details and thoughts, heck, how can we _ the details and thoughts, heck, how can we find — the details and thoughts, heck, how can we find a dog that does all that? — can we find a dog that does all that? ., , , that? one of the first things we look at a speed _ that? one of the first things we look at a speed of— that? one of the first things we look at a speed of the - that? one of the first things we look at a speed of the dog - that? one of the first things we | look at a speed of the dog which that? one of the first things we i look at a speed of the dog which is quite interesting for people to hear. how fast the dog walks and how fast sean walks needs to match to make the partnership work. ihind fast sean walks needs to match to make the partnership work. and so sean is a fast _ make the partnership work. and so sean is a fast worker? _ make the partnership work. and so sean is a fast worker? they - make the partnership work. and so sean is a fast worker? they are -

make the partnership work. and so | sean is a fast worker? they are both ire sean is a fast worker? they are both pretty fast- — sean is a fast worker? they are both pretty fast- and _ sean is a fast worker? they are both pretty fast. and the _ sean is a fast worker? they are both pretty fast. and the types _ sean is a fast worker? they are both pretty fast. and the types of - pretty fast. and the types of environments that he worked in, he is busy, in and out of london, he uses tubes and trains, and shawn loves being busy, he likes busy environments. and as you can both see, they both love the camera! ihind see, they both love the camera! and do ou see, they both love the camera! and do you know. _ see, they both love the camera! and do you know, sean, the correspondence, do you know, we saw a sense in the film a moment ago, is there an instance, do you kind of nostraightaway that there is going to be some kind of report? i got the iuite earl to be some kind of report? i got the quite early on _ to be some kind of report? i got the quite early on with _ to be some kind of report? i got the quite early on with shawn _ to be some kind of report? i got the quite early on with shawn but - to be some kind of report? i got the quite early on with shawn but we i quite early on with shawn but we covered — quite early on with shawn but we covered it — quite early on with shawn but we covered it in the film, every dog is different — covered it in the film, every dog is different. shawn here is half shepherd, people are seeing it as i hold it _ shepherd, people are seeing it as i hold it he — shepherd, people are seeing it as i hold it. he is half retriever. at half— hold it. he is half retriever. at half shepherd. i trusted him quite early— half shepherd. i trusted him quite early on —

half shepherd. i trusted him quite early on. can i apologise for the guitar? — early on. can i apologise for the guitar? i— early on. can i apologise for the guitar? ijust wanted to get him used _ guitar? ijust wanted to get him used to— guitar? ijust wanted to get him used to it — guitar? ijust wanted to get him used to it. we guitar? ijust wanted to get him used to it— used to it. we saw that he was fearful of _ used to it. we saw that he was fearful of it. _ used to it. we saw that he was fearful of it. i— used to it. we saw that he was fearful of it. i am _ used to it. we saw that he was fearful of it. i am not - used to it. we saw that he was fearful of it. i am not want - used to it. we saw that he was fearful of it. i am not want to i used to it. we saw that he was - fearful of it. i am not want to blow m own fearful of it. i am not want to blow my own trumpet — fearful of it. i am not want to blow my own trumpet but _ fearful of it. i am not want to blow my own trumpet but we _ fearful of it. i am not want to blow my own trumpet but we have - fearful of it. i am not want to blow my own trumpet but we have a - fearful of it. i am not want to blow i my own trumpet but we have a brass mandated _ my own trumpet but we have a brass mandated to do that! sean my own trumpet but we have a brass mandated to do that!— my own trumpet but we have a brass mandated to do that! sean if someone shouts our mandated to do that! sean if someone shouts your name, _ mandated to do that! sean if someone shouts your name, will _ mandated to do that! sean if someone shouts your name, will shawn - mandated to do that! sean if someone shouts your name, will shawn the - mandated to do that! sean if someone shouts your name, will shawn the dog| shouts your name, will shawn the dog respond? trr;r shouts your name, will shawn the dog resiond? , shouts your name, will shawn the dog respond?- sean? _ shouts your name, will shawn the dog respond?- sean? he _ shouts your name, will shawn the dog respond?- sean? he is - shouts your name, will shawn the dog respond? trr;r it. sean? he is too respond? try it. sean? he is too busy watching — respond? try it. sean? he is too busy watching himself _ respond? try it. sean? he is too busy watching himself on - respond? try it. sean? he is too busy watching himself on tv! i i respond? try it. sean? he is too i busy watching himself on tv! i was wonderini busy watching himself on tv! i was wondering about _ busy watching himself on tv! i was wondering about the _ busy watching himself on tv! i was wondering about the confusion. hej busy watching himself on tv! i was i wondering about the confusion. he is named after— wondering about the confusion. he is named after the _ wondering about the confusion. he is named after the pop _ wondering about the confusion. he: 3 named after the pop star sean mendez. ,, . ~ , named after the pop star sean mendez. ,, ., ~ , ., mendez. -- shawn mendez. there is no reason i could — mendez. -- shawn mendez. there is no reason i could not _ mendez. -- shawn mendez. there is no reason i could not change _ mendez. -- shawn mendez. there is no reason i could not change his _ mendez. -- shawn mendez. there is no reason i could not change his name, i reason i could not change his name, but its— reason i could not change his name, but it's his _ reason i could not change his name, but it's his name, and out of respect _ but it's his name, and out of respect for— but it's his name, and out of respect for the volunteers who had him in _ respect for the volunteers who had him in his— respect for the volunteers who had him in his first year of life, and the foster— him in his first year of life, and the foster who had him in the

advanced _ the foster who had him in the advanced training, particularly who had a _ advanced training, particularly who had a time — advanced training, particularly who had a time and he at the premium, i don't _ had a time and he at the premium, i don't want _ had a time and he at the premium, i don't want to — had a time and he at the premium, i don't want to rob them of that so we williust_ don't want to rob them of that so we williust be _ don't want to rob them of that so we willjust be confused, it's fine. it's very— willjust be confused, it's fine. it's very rare that i would be in charge of security in this building. that would be a bad thing. but this is a bbc path for... have you got one, sean? i is a bbc path for. .. have you got one. sean?— is a bbc path for... have you got one, sean? i have got one, do you want to check _ one, sean? i have got one, do you want to check is _ one, sean? i have got one, do you want to check is faded. _ one, sean? i have got one, do you want to check is faded. so, - one, sean? i have got one, do you want to check is faded. so, can - one, sean? i have got one, do you want to check is faded. so, can wej want to check is faded. so, can we see that _ want to check is faded. so, can we see that. ., . want to check is faded. so, can we see that. ., , ,, ., �* , want to check is faded. so, can we seethat. ., ,,, ., �*, ,, see that. that is shawn's pass, matching. _ see that. that is shawn's pass, matching, this _ see that. that is shawn's pass, matching, this is _ see that. that is shawn's pass, matching, this is for _ see that. that is shawn's pass, matching, this is for him, - see that. that is shawn's pass, matching, this is for him, can i j matching, this is for him, can i pass that to you? do matching, this is for him, can i pass that to you?— matching, this is for him, can i pass that to you? do you think i will iet pass that to you? do you think i will get in _ pass that to you? do you think i will get in the _ pass that to you? do you think i will get in the building - pass that to you? do you think i will get in the building if- pass that to you? do you think i will get in the building if i - pass that to you? do you think i will get in the building if i wear| will get in the building if i wear this? _ will get in the building if i wear this? i— will get in the building if i wear this? i have done that once. no! and esther as well? _ this? i have done that once. no! and esther as well? explain _ this? i have done that once. no! and esther as well? explain what - this? i have done that once. no! and esther as well? explain what this - esther as well? explain what this is. this is the _ esther as well? explain what this is. this is the official _ is. this is the official qualification - is. this is the official qualification pack, i is. this is the official| qualification pack, so is. this is the official - qualification pack, so sean is. this is the official _ qualification pack, so sean and shawn qualified on the 20th of

december, this is a physical document. december, this is a physical document-— december, this is a physical document. ., , ., ., document. hold it up for the camera! so he can now _ document. hold it up for the camera! so he can now officially _ document. hold it up for the camera! so he can now officially go _ document. hold it up for the camera! so he can now officially go solo. - so he can now officially go solo. there are a few things, you get an id book— there are a few things, you get an id book as— there are a few things, you get an id book as well. i will be honest, it is not— id book as well. i will be honest, it is not the — id book as well. i will be honest, it is not the size to carry in your pocket — it is not the size to carry in your pocket and _ it is not the size to carry in your pocket. and you get cards as well. one thought from you if i may, esther, if people are interested in getting involved, go to the website? yes, the guide dog website, particularly looking for volunteers. lovely to see you all here. you are both official _ lovely to see you all here. you are both official now. _ lovely to see you all here. you are both official now. we _ lovely to see you all here. you are both official now. we are - lovely to see you all here. you are both official now. we are both - both official now. we are both official! — both official now. we are both official! thank you and thank you bbc breakfast. oh, official! thank you and thank you bbc breakfast.— official! thank you and thank you bbc breakfast. ., ., , ,, ., bbc breakfast. oh, gorgeous, shawn. not ou, bbc breakfast. oh, gorgeous, shawn. not you. sean! _ bbc breakfast. oh, gorgeous, shawn. not you, sean! chill— bbc breakfast. oh, gorgeous, shawn. not you, sean! chill out, _ bbc breakfast. oh, gorgeous, shawn. not you, sean! chill out, shawn - bbc breakfast. oh, gorgeous, shawn. not you, sean! chill out, shawn the i not you, sean! chill out, shawn the dog. all important weather now with sarah. the weather has been causing some trouble, relentless heavy rain, a very wet start to 202k. this is the

picture in york this morning and york city centre, the river whose is no stranger to flooding problems but the flood warnings are widespread. —— the river ouse. this is the rain clearing away now, from the south—east. there are a few showers in the west of wales and south—west england. more rain for the north—east of scotland, low—pressure to north of scotland but the good news is the rain is easing for most of us today and it will continue to do so over the next few days. sunshine in northern ireland, wales and a few scattered showers, eight or 9 degrees in the sunshine, lingering cloud in the east means it is cooler. low—pressure state of the north of scotland but away as higher pressure builds into the weekend.

clearing skies and light winds, quite a cold start to saturday, frost and fog patches around especially towards the west, further east you have a low cloud. that will produce the odd spot of rain but an improving picture certainly. looking drier, best of the sunshine further west. some mist, fog and frost possible over the next few days. thank you, sarah. we have got some pictures here. one of my favourite few days of the football calendar, third round of the fa cup, or the big names against the fa cup, or the big names against the minnows, magic and romance but the minnows, magic and romance but the first game had var controversy. now it is all slow motion, we see things differently than we used to.

this was a disappointing game, dominic calvert—lewin, but this was not even given as a foul in normal time but var spotted some thing and he was sent off. it's a moment and decision that has many ex players and managers scratching their heads and asking is football, as we knew it, finished. without var and slow motion, everton's dominic calvert lewin would have stayed on the pitch when this happened in the 79th minute, it was the main talking point of the goaless draw at crystal palace. at the time the referee didn't even give a foul, but var officials took a closer look as play continued and after looking at it, in slow motion, called the ref to the monitor, because calvert lewin's studs were up as he made minimal contact, with the palace player. if you slow something down it looks much worse, if you look at it live, it looks different. i don't get all

this delaying are looking at the screen, ijust don't get it, it's a minuscule chance. we're still reeling after that incredible performance by luke littler, the 16—year—old who reached the final of the world championship on his debut. well, on top of his £200,000 prize, he's earned a place on the pdc tour — the youngest player to achieve that. he's taken one of the eight spots in the premier league competition, a 16—week tournament that will take place across europe, beginning in cardiff on the 1st of february, by which time he'll have just turned 17. the man who beat littler in the world final — luke humphries — will also make his debut on the tour. tomorrow i will have all of the passion and library of the tyne and wear derby and explain where it all started, newcastle versus sunderland.— started, newcastle versus sunderland. ., , ., , sunderland. oh, we get a history lesson, looking _ sunderland. oh, we get a history lesson, looking forward - sunderland. oh, we get a history lesson, looking forward to - sunderland. oh, we get a history

lesson, looking forward to it! - how would you fancy spending three months in the congolese rainforest trying to befriend a 32 stone silverback gorilla and his pals? that's what the wildlife cameraman vianet djenguet did and you can see the results on a new bbc documentary. this is the moment he tried to bond with the troops alpha male. and i emphasise the word try! barking. the previous terrain he was able to gauge, but this is between his family and us. so he will be more relaxed. barking. he can't see where we are

so we are moving forward. the teen doesn't realise that the crossing cleared the boundary so that's the reason why he's coming and he's charging. this is very dangerous. barking. oh, my god! can you imagine even being in that situation? this man can. joining us now is vianet djenguet. good morning, charlie, naga. we have seen the pictures. _ good morning, charlie, naga. we have seen the pictures. tell— good morning, charlie, naga. we have seen the pictures. tell me, _ good morning, charlie, naga. we have seen the pictures. tell me, when - good morning, charlie, naga. we have seen the pictures. tell me, when you i seen the pictures. tell me, when you are standing there and you have that silverback, charging, you have to stand your ground. it's almost like you have to show, i'm not scared. you must have been petrified. extremely petrified. but i must say,

i had a great team behind me. my heroes, the rangers. if i take you back to how we started, before you a chilly start tracking and trying to find gorillas, they go through the procedure and they will tell you everything you need to know safety wise etc. and then they will take you to the gorillas. and that's heritage. and by then, i'm ready —— that's how it is. by then i'm ready mentally, and physically to face the gorillas. but i must say i was extremely petrified. i was numb on that very day when the silverback nearly grabbed my foot. hold on, let's not rush _ nearly grabbed my foot. hold on, let's not rush through _ nearly grabbed my foot. hold on, let's not rush through that - nearly grabbed my foot. hold on, i let's not rush through that moment in time. so, punguey, he is called, weighs around 32 stone. i do behind

a camera at this point and he is coming towards you. what happens? well, yeah, keep myself, well, fatal, strong. and ready. but he oies fatal, strong. and ready. but he goes close _ fatal, strong. and ready. but he goes close to — fatal, strong. and ready. but he goes close to you _ fatal, strong. and ready. but he goes close to you that _ fatal, strong. and ready. but he goes close to you that he - fatal, strong. and ready. but he goes close to you that he could | fatal, strong. and ready. but he - goes close to you that he could grab your leg? well. the big story here of course is why you are there in the first place. the effort is to try to safeguard these extraordinary animals. tell us about that. the eastern lowland _ animals. tell us about that. tue: eastern lowland gorillas have suffered a huge blow so only in 2021, there were around 630 of them in the park. because this is a stronghold for the eastern lowland. towards 2023, there were less then,

literally 170 left. and that is an urgency for this species to get the attention of the world. just urgency for this species to get the attention of the world.— attention of the world. just as a technicality.- — you're watching bbc breakfast. it's 8:59

this is bbc news. we will be bringing you the latest on the flooding that has hit large parts of england and wales following storm henk. the environment agency says levels on the reeva trent or some of the highest seen in 2a years. right now, more than 300 flood alerts and many were warnings are in place. look at this map from the environment agency. it shows all the places that have alerts. you can see most of them are in southern, eastern and central england. we will be live on some of the worst hit area shortly. mairead smyth reports. yet more heavy rain on already sodden ground. in nottinghamshire, a major incident has been declared as the river trent continued to rise, as high as it's been

in more than 20 years. the peak expected today.