wading down the street in gloucestershire — elsewhere, roads and train lines are affected too. yes, lines are affected too. here in gloucester, the rive severn yes, here in gloucester, the river severn has burst its banks and has inundated plenty of homes. there are thousands of — inundated plenty of homes. there are thousands of people _ inundated plenty of homes. there are thousands of people struggling - inundated plenty of homes. there are thousands of people struggling with l thousands of people struggling with rising waters across a huge part of the country. oscar pistorius, the former paralympian convicted of murdering his girlfriend reeva steenkamp, is released on parole in south africa i don't think it's that difficult at the moment, but... to buy a house, in this country?! are we looking at the same country, or are you reporting from overseas? the verdict of the boss of a big bank on getting on the housing ladder — and it's caused indignation. and he was the blonde—haired, blue—eyed cop of the famous duo — david soul of starsky and hutch fame has died at the age of 80.

and coming up on bbc news, the first chapter of rafa nadal�*s comeback is over, beaten in brisbane byjordan thompson and with a possible new injury to contend with, too. good evening. hundreds more homes in england have been flooded after a week of relentless rainfall and the impact of storm henk. it was the eighth storm to hit the uk since september — and that is the highest number in a season since the met office started naming them in 2015. roads and train lines have also been affected — particularly on great western and south western railways. rishi sunak says people should be reassured by the response to flooding in affected areas. but labour says the government has been asleep at the wheel, and has failed to provide enough support. there are more than 250 flood

warnings remaining across england and wales. in a moment, we will speak to danjohnson in gloucestershire, but first navteonhal is in nottinghamshire, where a major incident was declared after rising water from the river trent flooded more than 100 properties. driving into an island. this is worse than the year 2000. simon lives in gunthorpe. it's one of the worst—affected places by the flooding in nottinghamshire. the situation is so bad that most vehicles can't get through the floodwater, so he's using his modified four—by—four to help transport people and supplies. he's agreed to let us join him. and we shouldn't have to do this, but you can'tjust stand by and let people struggle and let people miss doctors appointments. there's a lot of elderly people and vulnerable people around here, so you've got to do your bit. there are only two routes in and out of gunthorpe. one is up there, and it's underwater. and then there's this one, which is even worse.

so you can see why people living in this village are saying it's now effectively an island. it's because of scenes like these that nottinghamshire county council yesterday declared a major incident. it says this is one of seven areas where multi—agency support is being provided. 0vernight, the river trent reached its highest level in the county for more than 20 years. this is the scene in the village of farndon. right, here we go into the house. julia and dave have lived here for more than 25 years and say it's never been this bad. grin and bear it, you know? we're insured. it's not easy. let's be honest, it's not easy, but as you say, there's people worse off than what we are. as soon as it starts to recede, they're going to start - to work out what they're - going to do with everything. until that point, we're underwater. they say it's going to be many months before they're able to live here again, but the impact of what this

flooding has left behind could be felt for years. navteonhal, bbc news. the sign�*s a bit of an understatement that barely captures the reality of what floodwater�*s done to this village and its people. of what floodwater�*s done to this longford looks, well, like a really long ford. john and julie were taking the dog for a walk — or was it a swim? well, you can see it slowly creeping up, so you've got time. you move the important things. empty the cupboards in readiness to move those. and the plants. so... pumping is the new year obsession here. they're desperately trying to keep homes above water. the river severn flowed over these fields and into the village. some people have left. how are you doing? but not rodney. not too bad. what's it like? wet.

my gosh, yeah. you're paddling in it. yes. can we have a look? yes, you can. 81, lived here for 47 years, flooded for a fourth time and without heat. do you think you're going to stay tonight? well, probably i will, yeah. because it's peaked now... you can't keep wading about in this, can you? well, if i've got wellingtons, i woulnd't mind, _ but this is a bit odd. you haven't even got wellies? no, i haven't got any wellingtons. people are struggling to get through, whatever means they try. this was about the most effective way. but people here are looking out for each other. and further downriver, more battles lost to the rising water. how deep is it? that deep. they go fast, and look... and there's anger — about drivers adding to the problems, the damage, the necessary repairs. but it'sjust now wait until it all dries out, find a builder and go from there. back in longford, a special

delivery, but across a huge area, people are struggling. and while the worst may be over, the clean—up hasn't even really begun yet. the water continued rising here, evenin the water continued rising here, even in the last hour or so, after people were told the river had peaked. although the message is that the worst is over, some people are onlyjust the worst is over, some people are only just starting to feel the real impact of it. some who managed to keep their homes dry over the last 24 keep their homes dry over the last 2a hours or so, it is finally succumbing. this is a desperate battle, fought with just inches that make a difference. that is the problem, when people come through with a car and create a tidal wave, that could be what sends somebody�*s house underwater, causing so much misery. this street has flooded before, this area has experienced a lot of flooding. people are talking about it being as bad as 2007. they

are hardy and resilient. it's always impressive how people respond in this situation, but it is a miserable start to the new year for sony people. there are questions about how they will clear up, repair the damage and move on, whether the insurance will be there to help them. and people are considering, how much more frequently is this going to happen? are they going to have to face this every year with the extreme weather we are seeing even more of. the former paralympian athlete 0scar pistorius has been released from a jail in south africa, after serving half of his sentence of over 13 years for murdering his girlfriend reeva steenkamp. he's now on parole and will face a range of restrictions for five years. reeva steenkamp's mother said that her family was serving a life sentence. 0ur correspondent daniel de simone reports. commentator: in the heats of the 400m. .. l 0scar pistorius, convicted murderer, was once a paralympic and olympic superstar nicknamed the blade runner. his victim was girlfriend reeva steenkamp, a law graduate and model. he's been serving his sentence at this prison. earlier this morning, the authorities announced he had

left, was now officially a parolee, and is at home. that is understood to be this nearby house owned by an uncle, where flowers addressed to pistorius were delivered today and family members came and went. until late 2029, pistorius will live under parole conditions, including having to attend anger management sessions and not speaking to the media. he can be returned to prison if he breaches them. pistorius murdered reeva steenkamp on valentine's day 2013 by shooting her through a locked toilet door at his home. his trial absorbed the world. he claimed to have shot her by mistake, thinking an intruder was in the house. i got to the bed and then i realised reeva wasn't there. at first found guilty of the equivalent of manslaughter, he was convicted on appeal in 2015 of murder, with judges saying his story was inconsistent and improbable. reeva steenkamp's close friend says

they've had no space to grieve. we want to mourn and we would most certainly like reeva to rest in peace. every time we start processing and coming to terms with things, 0scar pops up. 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. what 0scar pistorius does next will be the focus of intense interest. campaigners against male violence say his release sends a terrible signal. 0scar�*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 today said those left behind after her murder are the ones serving a life sentence. daniel de simone,

bbc news, pretoria. here, the former political adviser and author derek draper has died at the age of 56. the news was broken by his wife, the tv presenter kate garraway. derek draper caught covid in march 2020 with disastrous consequences — he spent weeks in a coma, before returning home and needing round—the—clock care. 0ur political correspondent helen catt looks back at his life. derek draper, the husband of our very own kate garraway, has sadly passed away. all of us here at this morning, we're sending our love to you, kate, and of course darcey and billy. he was a former political adviser who became familiar to millions when covid changed his life and his family's. derek draper spent ten weeks in a coma after he caught the virus in 2020, and 374 days in hospital before he came home. he has difficulty speaking. he can't move without help and has

been left doubly incontinent. his wife, the tv presenter kate garraway, made this film about their experience. today in a post on instagram, she said... she ended her message with... music in the 1990s, derek draper worked behind the scenes to create new labour, an important part of the party's story, according to tony blair, who's paid tribute to him as a tough, sometimes ruthless political operative, someone you always wanted on your side. while gordon brown said he was brilliant, creative and multi—talented. don't quote me directly on this, but you could say that _ a friend of peter's... but he was also controversial and sparked a cash—for—access scandal when he was caught boasting about contacts with ministers and making money.

if a company hires my. company, how much... and they get me for an hour, - guess how much they have to pay. £15. 250. he remained a big supporter of new labour, but left politics to retrain as a psychotherapist. that is definitely me, yeah. at home, he'd found happiness in a marriage to kate garraway after a mutual friend and sent them on a blind date. well done! when covid struck, derek was fit, healthy and 52. kate garraway was given an honour for sharing the family's story on film to show how they and others coped with a life—changing event. # happy birthday to you...# keeping hope alive, doing their best and enjoying what time they had. # happy birthday to you.# hooray! derek draper, who's

died at the age of 56. former government minister chris skidmore has said he will resign the conservative whip and stand down as an mp as soon as possible over new legislation he argues clearly promotes the production of new oil and gas. lets get more now from our deputy political editor vicki young. tell us more about why he is going. first of all, who is chris skidmore? well, he is a former energy minister, as you say, who actually signed the uk commitment to net zero by 2050 into law. why is he doing this now? on monday there is going to be a vote in the house of commons on a bill that would allow more oil and gas licenses. so, he is extremely critical of all of that. in his letter tonight, he says he can no longer condone, nor continue to support a government that is committed to the course of action that i know is wrong and will cause

future harm. and therefore i am resigning my party with. labour, maybe not surprisingly, are congratulating him on this move. but, crucially, he is also going to stand down as an mp, he says as soon as he can. we think that would be next week. that, of course, doesn't mean another by—election for rishi sunak to face, and chris skidmore's gloucestershire seat has a majority of 11,000. normally you might think thatis of 11,000. normally you might think that is pretty safe, but in a by—election scenario in the current political climate, that looks pretty vulnerable. , ., vulnerable. many thanks, vicki youn: , vulnerable. many thanks, vicki young, there. _ 50 potential new victims of the post office it scandal have contacted solicitors since the broadcast of a tv drama about the case this week. around 700 sub—postmasters and postmistresses were convicted over a period of 15 years — linked to the faulty horizon computer system which made it look as if money was missing from branch accounts. some people were wrongfully imprisoned. but so far, only 93 convictions have been overturned. our business correspondent

emma simpson reports. sorry! it's one of the most powerful stories in this drama. jo hamilton's prosecution for huge losses in her post 0ffice branch account. i've declared my cash. i've declared my stock. here's the realjo at home in hampshire today, who's had quite a week seeing her darkest moments broadcast to the country. i haven't got that money, and i don't know where it's gone. she'd no idea the faulty horizon computer system was to blame. jo pleaded guilty to false accounting to avoid jail. it wasjust basically fighting for survival. i did, at one point, i had about ten cleaning jobs on the go, trying to keep the mortgage paid. and it really is a true story. yeah, i don't think the public realise just quite what we've all been through. what do you hope the impact of this drama will be? the public are behind us now, and i think if there's enough outrage out there, i mean, it may become an election issue. who knows?

it was a question for the prime minister today. it's important that all. those who suffered get the justice they deserve. and that's why we have set up three different compensation schemes. i we've paid out almost £150 million to over 2,500 people, _ and we're keen to work through that as quickly as possible. _ this isjo's old village shop, which she was forced to sell. there's still a post office sign here. the service, though, has all but disappeared. this terrible scandal has been going on for more than 20 years, but this prime—time drama has now put it firmly in the national spotlight. jo's solicitor represents many victims. he told me 50 potential new ones have now been in touch, including three former sub—postmasters with criminal convictions. i had one lady describe it to me as something that she parked in a dark place at the back of her mind that she simply couldn't face. but because of the drama, has now managed to find the courage to come forward. i guess you just wish

there were more? 0urjob isn't done until everybody that has been tainted by horizon comes forward and clears their name. so the real drama is farfrom over. victims still fighting for financial redress and wanting those responsible to be held accountable. emma simpson, bbc news. and to find out more about the post office it scandal, you can listen to today's episode of newscast on bbc sounds, which includesjo hamilton, whom you saw in emma simpson's report. the time is 18 minutes past six. our top story this evening. hundreds more homes in england have been flooded after a week of heavy rainfall and storm henk. and coming up... the online pharmacies that have been selling prescription—only medication without the proper checks coming up on bbc news, the premier league teams hoping

to follow manchester city enter the fray, but those lower down the pyramid are hoping to make the headlines. we'll preview the fa cup third round weekend. the actor and singer david soul, best known for his role in the 1970s tv series starsky & hutch, has died at the age of 80. his wife, helen snell, said he had many extraordinary gifts and that he died after a valiant battle for life in the loving company of family. david sillito looks back at his life. # don't give up on us, baby. # we're still worth one more try...# david soul, and don't give up on us, baby. 1977 was the year for david solberg, the blonde, blue eyed son of a lutheran pastorfrom south dakota.

two number ones, the star of one of the biggest shows on tv and his uk tour was pandemonium. my abiding memories of my first trip to the uk with this record was terror. i'm talking about, "whoa!" the reaction was just extraordinary. he'd made his name as hutch in starsky and hutch — cops who relied on frequent car chases and the all—knowing huggy bear to fight crime. and every now and again, he'd find a reason to sing. david soul had long wanted to be known for his voice more than his looks. # i'm at peace with myself. # i'm at peace with my soul...# which is why his music career began with this... # i can reach any goal...# ..as a masked singer. but he had more success acting, appearing here as a malevolent policeman with clint eastwood in magnum force.

you heroes have killed a dozen people this week. what are you going to do next week? kill a dozen more. however, by the end of the 70s, he was keen to escape from hutch and the attendant fame. he ended up moving to the uk, appearing in holby city... i took this on because i had to know whether i could still do what i used to do. ..jerry springer: the opera... thank you and welcome to the show. ..and little britain. along the way there was a drink problem and he was arrested after hitting the third of his five wives. but for a certain generation, david soul would always be the blonde singing superstar of his �*70s heyday. # here i am, a million

miles from home...# david soul, who's died at the age of 80. now, how hard is it currently to get on the housing ladder in the uk? well, not "that difficult" according to the chairman of natwest, sir howard davies. he was speaking on the today programme on bbc radio 4. well, i don't think it's that difficult at the moment, but... to buy a house, in this country? are we living in the same country, or are you reporting from overseas? well, you have to save, and that's the way it always used to be. joining me now is the bbc�*s cost of living correspondent kevin peachey. pople have taken a dim view of this? very much so. the campaign group generation rent says that these comments are astounding from a senior banker. 0ne mortgage adviser described them as ludicrous and out of touch with reality. and i guess the key to it is that it is very tough to raise money for a deposit when rents have risen by 30% in

three years according to property portals, and the cost of an average home is many times average earnings, and according to one think tank, they say that actually if you are aged up to sa, you are most likely to be living with your parents, and the parents are helping with deposits too. so how did come back into the debate later in the day and said that he didn't intend to underplay people's difficulties, and he meant that actually getting access to a mortgage was easier, but he admitted that it hasn't quite come across as he'd planned in that interview. kevin, thank you. an american suspected of faking his own death and going into hiding in scotland has been extradited back to the us. last year a court ruled the man — who claimed to be an irish orphan named arthur knight — was actually a registered sex offender called nicholas rossi. he was arrested while being treated for covid at a hospital in glasgow in 2021. he's wanted in utah

in connection with rape claims. police say they've arrested two boys aged 16 and 17 on suspicion of murder in connection with the death of 16—year—old harry pitman in north london on new year's eve. he was fatally stabbed as people gathered near a viewing platform in primrose hill to watch the fireworks. some regulated online pharmacies have been selling prescription—only medication without the proper checks, a bbc investigation has found. journalists were able to buy potentially dangerous quantities of various drugs without showing a prescription. the royal college of gps says this presents a genuine threat to patient safety. divya talwar has more. this woman, who we're calling sophie, was able to lie to get a prescription medication from a regulated online pharmacy. 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 i was 19 stone,

which is a lot more than i actually weigh. how easy was it to get hold of the pills? i didn't need to send a picture, orspeak 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. the regulator, the general pharmaceutical council, says online pharmacies must get all the information they need to make sure a medicine is safe. we wanted to find out what checks are 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. 13 online pharmacies we approached 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 other pharmacies, we didn't need to pass any of these checks. this is a good one. that's a good one. christine and fred's daughter katie was 38 when she died after accidentally overdosing on prescription medication. i know that she ordered it 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, you know? and it's notjust katie, it's us, it's the whole of the family. it's the children. you know, we're all without her now. the regulator says medicines liable to misuse shouldn't be sold without further safeguards in place, and they've taken action where conduct fell short of their professional standards. but some of the high—risk drugs katie was able to buy appear to still be readily available online.

there's still work to be done. it's a disaster waiting to happen. and ijust know it was too easy for katie. divya talwar, bbc news. indie rock band the last dinner party have won bbc radio 1's sound of 202a. the honour, which has been going for more than 20 years, predicts artists likely to become the next big thing in popular music. the five—piece band received the news from a former nominee — florence and the machine. theyjoin the likes of adele, lady gaga and sam smith as winners of the prize. there is a shortage of guide dogs in the uk, so there can be a long wait for someone who's visually impaired to be matched with one. 0ur correspondent sean dilley waited nearly 18 months after his guide dog sammy reached retirement age. but now there's good news because, as sean now reports, he has a new companion.

hello, you. hello! how you doing? this is a tale of two seans. good boy, come on, then. good boy! it's early november, and we've got the weekend together to see how well we bond. it's been 16 months since my third guide sammy retired with family, and 17 and a half months on the waiting list. touch. 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. 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 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. 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. it suddenly felt very real for both of us. now, put your right foot across. 0k. now ask him to go. very narrow. find the way. find the way, 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. i kind of don't expect him to get through without brushing you, but if you can stop at it and acknowledge it, point it out to you, virtually. just gently encourage him. he's recognised there's somebody there. he got you through, good man! good boy, well done!

good boy. we spent another three weeks learning and practising routes together, but it all paid off — we passed our assessment with an independent supervisor with ease. good boy! 0n the 20th of december trainee gd shawn became qualified guide dog shawn, and just in time for christmas, too. we had made it. sean dilley and shawn doggie, bbc news. time for a look at the weather. here's ben rich. hello, reeta. some good news to end the programme, and i have good news too, because after some tumultuous weather, and there are still flood warnings in force of course, but the forecast for this weekend is drier. it is going to be colder but that will be a small price to pay. it is still not completely dry, quite a lot of cloud and showery rain across eastern scotland, but where we have

clearer skies, particularly across the west and north, temperatures will drop away. they will be frost in places, some fog patches and with all the water we have in place right now, ice is likely to form. that could happenjust now, ice is likely to form. that could happen just about anywhere that you get those temperatures down to freezing or below. still, quite a lot of cloud and showery rain across central and eastern parts which will take time to clear, and rain across the northern isles where it will stay windy. but many spots will see more in the way of sunshine, the odd shower. temperatures coming down a little, five in aberdeen, nine in cardiff and plymouth. through saturday night it becomes widely cold, sunday morning star to below freezing in many locations, meaning frost, fog and ice. not quite as cold across the south—east, more cloud and a few showers perhaps grazing the south—east where it will be windy, but further north and west, largely dry with some spells of sunshine once any early fog has cleared. but it will be