this is bbc news. the headlines. aid agencies say hunger and disease are spreading in gaza , as uk aid supplies are air—dropped into the strip for the first time since the war began. a warning from police about drivers under the influence of illegal drugs. and london's iconic bt tower will become a hotel after being sold welcome to the programme. police in some areas say they're now catching more drivers under the influence of illegal drugs than of alcohol — with one force describing what they called

an "epidemic" of drug driving. senior offers say some motorists seem to view drug—driving as more acceptable than drink—driving. our transport correspondent katy austin reports. 9am on a tuesday morning and merseyside police are out in central liverpool. today, they're particularly looking out for drink and drug driving. officers have been pulling over any vehicles that look like they're unsafe in some way or are being driven in an unsafe manner. and already, within half an hour this morning, they've made three arrests after positive roadside drug tests. 927. those tests, called drug wipes, indicated the presence of cannabis, that gets them arrested and taken to the station for a forensic blood test. and the result of that dictates whether any further action is taken. how prevalent do you think drug—driving actually is? so we've seen quite a lot, it's really prevalent. over the last few years, we've seen year—on—year increases

of the number of people that were arrested for drug—driving. as a proportion — about two thirds the number of drugs to one third drink — that's generally throughout the year. driving with certain illegal or prescription drugs in your system above set limits can lead to a driving ban, a fine or potentially prison time. while causing death by careless driving under the influence of drugs can carry a life sentence. summerfrom king's lynn knows the impact drug—driving can have all too well. looking at this photo, itjust takes my breath away. just me being the only one left. a year ago, her mother, sister and stepdad were killed in a crash, caused by a driver with drugs in his system. the moment them people are gone, like your whole life has just been destroyed. it's absolutely shattered into a million pieces. she thinks greater awareness is needed and stronger punishments. we need harsher sentencing at the start. if someone is to commit drug—driving, it needs to be harsher straight away because if you have

a harsh sentence that puts someone away the moment they drug—drive, that is going to deter people. national police leaders also want to see tougher sentences. they don't think there's the same understanding or social stigma around drug—driving compared with drink—driving. we're definitely seeing more younger people, who are driving under the influence of drugs. i think generally in society we're seeing more use of cannabis, for example, and we are definitely seeing that when we are stopping and testing drivers. drink—driving, ithink, still remains more socially unacceptable. police say too many people are still getting behind the wheel under the influence of drink or drugs, but with drugs in particular, they're seeing the trend go in the wrong direction. katie austin, bbc news. in a statement, the home office said that driving under the influence of drugs is unaccepatable, adding that it has tough penalties and rigorous enforcement in place

to screen people at the roadside. it added that people found guilty of causing death by careless driving while under the influence of drugs, can now face a lifetime prison sentence. let's speak to joy allen who is the police and crime commissioner for durham and the association of police and crime commissioners lead. thanks forjoining us on bbc news. do you think the case is that sentences need to be stronger for those caught drunk driving? i sentences need to be stronger for those caught drunk driving? i would wholeheartedly _ those caught drunk driving? i would wholeheartedly support _ those caught drunk driving? i would wholeheartedly support that - those caught drunk driving? i would wholeheartedly support that call- those caught drunk driving? i would wholeheartedly support that call fori wholeheartedly support that call for stronger sentences for drink and drug drivers who kill and injure those on the roads, similar to homicide, the those on the roads, similar to homicide, the consequence those on the roads, similar to homicide, the consequence of those on the roads, similar to homicide, the consequence of the crime are similar. it has a devastating impact on families, friends and colleagues of those killed on the roads. you can be the safest driver on the road, but if these people who willingly choose to

get in the car under the influence of drink and drugs can take somebody�*s life, it is unacceptable and i absolutely agree that sentences should be much stronger. what is going on here, are people not realising they can face the sentences, or if they are under the influence of drugs and they aren't thinking, what do you think is happening here? because we have seen a decline in drink—driving. that a decline in drink-driving. that art of a decline in drink-driving. that part of the _ a decline in drink-driving. that part of the client, _ a decline in drink-driving. that part of the client, we - a decline in drink—driving. twat part of the client, we have seen the impact public health campaigns and social media campaigns about seat belts many years ago, and we are now in a much safer place were 99% of people will be driving around with seat belts on. it has made it socially unacceptable also to drink—drive. the same thing is to be done with education and awareness raising of the impact of drugs, and

how long different drugs stay in the system. we have seen over the years, people think, and now the message do don't drink and dry at all, to take the risk. what we are also seeing is the risk. what we are also seeing is the public awareness, we have the exceptional service of crimestoppers were people ringing ioo% anonymously and report about seen to be drinking and report about seen to be drinking and drug driving and getting in their cars and that information and intelligence informs the work that we have done. the influence of the public and sometimes the intelligence we have got, we are using —— cams more than ever, where we might not detect drugs and drink in the system but you can see the person driving along that road is driving dangerously, and a lot of horses now use that evidence from

dashcams to prosecute drivers caught that way, and the prosecutions of those involved in the really serious drink and drug driving and the impact it is having. irate drink and drug driving and the impact it is having.— drink and drug driving and the impact it is having. we have seen officers doing _ impact it is having. we have seen officers doing their _ impact it is having. we have seen officers doing their roadside - impact it is having. we have seen officers doing their roadside test | officers doing their roadside test at christmas time. is it frustrating for officers that they're having to do this as a deterrent, presumably just taking up this time? fire just taking up this time? are officers, just taking up this time? are officers. are _ just taking up this time? fife: officers, are absolutely just taking up this time? fife officers, are absolutely so passionate about preventing death and injury on our rows. they are seeing first—hand the devastating consequences of what these people are doing to the individuals concerned and also the families. they are the ones that have you knock on the door and give those heartbreaking messages, that ones are no longer there, so what i would be calling for is to give us more resources. this is not a christmas issue, this is a year—round issue,

and we need the resources to do more drug and drink testing on the roads and i would love, only legislating site, if used test positive for drugs, you should pay for that test, it allows us to test more people. there are lots of opportunities we have to work more closely together with the police service and the association of police and crime commissioners as well as cyber services and local authorities, we are all determined to reduce those on the roads, but using education, and so that that risk of being caught is ultimately a key tool in our drive to reduce death and serious injury on our roads. joy allen, police and crime commissioner for durham, thank you. we've heard many stories recently about a shortage of medications for common conditions such as asthma, adhd, diabetes and the menopause —

now there's a warning that some of the drugs used to treat epilepsy, are also in short supply. charities say a lack of stock is leaving an increasing number of those living with the condition struggling to access what they need — with potentially serious consequences. charlie rose has more. i was a wreck. wendy had to travel from her home in cheshire to find the medicine she desperately needs from a chemist 75 miles away. i found some in wakefield, so i called that pharmacist and i said, "can you put my name down on them? can you hold them for me until i can get a prescription to you?" and they said they would, which was very nice of them. and by 2 o'clock, my nerves were just shot. epilepsy is a serious neurological condition, affecting more than half a million people in the uk — many of whom rely on being

able to access the same medication day in, day out. phil is one of them, but he says recently he's been having up to two seizures a week after he was given a generic unbranded version of his usual pills. with epilepsy, you can't keep mixing and matching and changing the types because, well, sort of fundamentally, all the ingredients is the same. how they process in your body and your brain isn't the same. i have a nocturnalform of epilepsy. you're sort of going to bed worrying what's going to happen that night. you read about stories where people don't wake up. and i think my wife touched on that. she's always concerned about it as well. so it makes it really importantjust to keep it all under control. if there's anything stressful happening, it's more likely that phil will have more fits. so worrying about him being stressed about getting the medication is... it's an extra layer of stress. epilepsy charities say more and more people are having difficulty

accessing medication. some of the reasons for this may be problems of supply of _ the basic product to produce drugs. so we need to probably think. about a strategic drug reserve. so for this sort of- things not to happen, because this really affects the life of many people. l the department for health and social care told us issues of this kind affect not only the uk and it's working with the pharmaceutical industry, the nhs and others to improve the supply of epilepsy medications as quickly as possible. but industry experts are warning of a shortage in many other medicines, including drugs to treat parkinson's, asthma and diabetes. they're blaming the uk's pricing strategy in an increasingly competitive global market. for now, it seems there's no end

in sight for the stress and anxiety phil and many others are facing over the supply of their life—saving drugs. itjust feels like people are playing god with my medical condition and i've got no control over what i'm going to get next for my medication. so, yeah, it's a really sort of worrying time at the moment. charlie rose, bbc news. apologies for the technical issues in that report. it's hoped a new teachers�* timetable being trialled at one midlands school, could lead to happier staff and better outcomes for students. the new flexible rota at west grantham academy gives teachers an additional day off each fortnight — within existing budget and staffing levels. crispin rolfe has been to find out more. things you'd like to do with an extra day off in the week.

and of course, the reality. i drop my daughter off at 9:00 and then i pretty much work solidly until i pick her up at 6:00. and that's on rachel's new flexible day off. can you please make sure that all your sheets are inside your exercise books, please? yes, the pressure on teachers. it's why one school in grantham is offering every full time staff member who wants it one school day off every two weeks. they can work from home or manage their time to suit their personal needs. what is this worth to you? it's brilliant — came from leeds originally and you struggle down every day. it really helpful that the extra day because obviously go back and see my children on a weekend. so it's been really helpful for that. it allows me to get out a little bit now, so weather's getting better. i've been out my bike quite a bit. that's nice. nice things to do. i can use it to catch up

on work that you need to do through the week. does it benefit you? yeah, it does. it means that on a sunday i don't have to do quite so much work, whereas normally i would work on a sunday afternoon and evening. it gives me a bit of flexibility to then do that on a monday. west grantham academy's done this within existing resources, but it has meant timetable changes, including lengthening lessons from an hour to 75 or 80 minutes each. this is an incredible rota. is it worth the effort you've got to go into to make all of this work? it's no secret that there is a massive issue with recruitment and retention in education. i think if you're looking for the very best people to come and work and stay within education, you have to look at the differences and the ways in which you can attract people to come to work within schools. we are working with professionals and how they choose to use their free time. i have professional trust in them to use it effectively. the teachers taking part are still working the same hours for their fixed day away from school each fortnight. but what do the pupils make of it?

how do you feel about your teachers getting to skive off school when you guys don't? i don't have an actual problem with it. as long as we get through the lessons and you know, if it actually gives them a day off and it makes them a happier person, you know, having a happier teacher always makes the class a bit better. i think for the teachers it's good for them to take a break as well from just teaching in general. before they had that day off, they looked quite i like, overworked and overrun. but now they can do their work one | day every two weeks at their home| in their own comfort zone. so i think it's very beneficial for the lessons as well. - other schools across the country may follow west grantham's example, but it's probably safe to say that most teachers�* days off won't look like this. crispin rolfe, bbc news. from today, bereaved parents in england can apply for official certificates to mark the loss of a baby before 2a weeks of pregnancy. the documents are intended to help families cope with grief,

we have our little jack and aj. sometimes it does feel like it's alljust been a bad dream. and it's like i need something — to know that it was real, they did exist. nat has a healthy two—year—old daughter but, before she was born, nat lost three babies during pregnancy. i lost my first son in 2019 at 20 weeks. we lost our daughter sophie in 2020 at 38 weeks. and then in my third pregnancy, i found out that i'd lost my little girl's twin at about five weeks. until now, the loss of a baby in england before 2a weeks' gestation hasn't been officially recognised. it was hard. so whilst nat received a death certificate for sophie, who she lost at 38 weeks, there was nothing for a] and jack. my worry is we were always going to leave this world and apart

from the few family and friends that do acknowledge them, that they'd be forgotten. from today in england, parents who've lost a baby before 2a weeks' gestation will be able to apply for a certificate free of charge. the voluntary scheme will be available to those who have experienced the loss since the 1st of september, 2018. we know that there'll be lots of people, who had losses prior to that date, who will possibly want one of these certificates, too. we can understand, you know, that these things are complicated. you know, there's potentially so many people, who will want these things, so they need to make sure that the systems are robust and that people can get it and test those systems. but we do... we desperately do want to see it extended to losses previous to that date. the change follows years of work from campaigners, including actress kym marsh. i was 21 weeks five days pregnant when i went into labour and lost my son, sadly. one of the most upsetting things for me was the fact

that there was no record of him ever being here. i lost sophie. nat was able to take part in a trial scheme, which is why she already has her certificate. what difference do you think this will make for many families? it will make a huge difference for so many families. it's that extra connection to their babies. i've got friends in the lost community that had their babies born at 23 plus five, so a matter of two days and they have nothing to show for their little one. and that breaks their heart. the impact of the certificates on nat has already been profound. so, no, they're never going to be forgotten. tim muffett, bbc news. the bt tower in central london has dominated the skyline in the city for decades. but it's faced an uncertain future in recent years. it's now been announced that a hotel company has bought it for £275 million.

ross miklashewicz has been taking a look back at its history. built in 1964, the bt tower rises 620 feet above the capital. i'm sitting on top of the most noticeable example of britain's new post office. its primary purpose was to revolutionize telecommunications. why do you need a high tower like this right in the middle of london? microwave system. the prime minister at the time, harold wilson, opened the building in 1965 by making one such revolutionary call to birmingham. you can hear very clearly on the monitor... with the word microwave behind him. there was a revolving restaurant on the 34th floor. there's priority in the lift for diners on the way up to the restaurant. it was also a race at the tower�*s stairs in 1968 because,

well, why not? it took 4 minutes, 46 seconds, by the way. but beneath the surface of excitement lay a world of secrets. the tower�*s role in national security remains cloaked in intrigue. in 1978, a journalist was tried for collecting information about it. during the trial the judge said the tower could only be referred to as "location 23". the tower was also a target. this bomb was a far more powerful and far more sophisticated device than others used in recent bomb outrages in england. it was just this awful bang. and as i say, it was panic. the restaurant closed shortly after, then all public access stopped in 1981. the london exchanges are overloaded. the stock exchange lines we've had problems with as well. trying to solve those. in the 2000, it got its now famous led lights, announcing everything from scorching hot summer days

to the birth of royal offspring. announcing they've sold it, bt said the deal will help preserve the building for decades to come. ross miklashewicz, bbc news. this mightjust be the best wedding anniversary present anyone has ever received. richard and debbie nuttall were on holiday in fuerteventura celebrating 30 years of marriage, when found out they'd won a £61 million share of a euromillions jackpot. at first the couple thought they'd only won £2.60, and then thought they were being scammed, as yunus mulla reports. oh, there you go. wahey! there is a way to celebrate, even in the rain. but it was in the sun of fuerteventura where richard and debbie nuttall found out they were euromillions winners. big smiles, debbie. the couple were there on their 30th wedding anniversary and at first thought they'd won a prize with a few less zeroes. i saw a figure of £2.60. so i said to debbie,

we won £2.60 on the lottery and she said, yeah, great. let me get this right. you thought you'd won £2.60? absolutely. there was another email from the lottery saying you need to check your account. and when i opened the account, it was there. you've won £61,708,231 and call this number. i was half asleep and richard showed me the laptop and i thought we'd won £61,000. and i was like, whew! i was really happy with £61,000 until he started talking about millions. and then i sort of woke up properly then. you thought it was a scam. and even when you rang the lottery people, you thought it was a scam. i said to her, can you prove to me that you're not scamming me? and she went, no, i can't. debbie, it's no scam. you've already spent a bit of the money. tell me what? i bought some new bedding and i boughta hairdryer, an expensive hairdryer.

and i've bought some golf clubs and a golf bag. apart from the bedding, it's not the most glamorous of first purchases. no, because it's because you don't. when you actually do win the lottery, you're in such a daze because the numbers are so huge that you can't comprehend it. and you start thinking, well, i can't go out spending the money till i've got it. they will support the charity bk's heroes, which was set up in memory of their nephew, ben king, who died aged 27. every bit of money that is raised goes to research towards brain and kidney disease and to help families. the couple from colne in lancashire are the first uk winners this year and the first to go public since 2022. if we stayed private, which is the option, and we were helping friends and family, somewhere along the line the stories become unbelievable, and somebody would find out and then it would be a completely different story than it is today. i know what you're going to say. it's not going to change you.

will it change you? we will have nicer things and we will do nicer things. but we'll still be the same people because we'll have our friends and family around us. of course, you don't need to work now, do you? no, no, no, no, no. absolutely not. yunus mulla, bbc news. let's hope that debbie is her twice soon! —— gets that hairdryer soon. before we go just wnat to bring you an update on the controversy in teh house of commons last night during a vote on a ceasefire in gaza. 50 mps now say they have no confidence in speaker sir lindsay hoyle after wednesday's debate on a call for a ceasefire in gaza descended into chaos. sir lindsay hoyle is to hold talks with party leaders. there is a live page on our website

for you to keep across that story on our updates. now the weather with carol kirkwood. hello again. currently, there are a lot of flood warnings in force across england in particular. there are also a few in wales. something to keep a close eye on because, today, again, it is going to be a wet and windy day and it is also turning colder, particularly so through the day, in the south. that is where the passage of this weather front bringing the rain is moving eastwards. another one following on hot on its heels. behind that, we will see a return to cooler conditions. so we start the afternoon with the milder conditions but look how the colder air follows through, through the course of the day. this is the band of rain and squally winds, both of them pushing eastwards. you could well see on the back edge of this, some wintriness on the hills, the welsh hills in the south—west with gales and severe gales at times through the english channel. and strong winds across the

coastlines of kent and east anglia. inland, you can see from the black circles the strength of the gales we are looking at. it will brighten up behind those bands of rain and for scotland and northern ireland, it is a day of sunny spells some of the showers could be heavy and thundery with hail, wintry on higher ground and later we could see some of that wintriness getting down to lower levels across the north—west. the rain pulls away through the course of the evening. clear skies following behind. there will be a lot of showers coming in on the wind in western areas. it will be a colder night, especially further south, than it has been of late. we are looking at frost and the risk of ice in the north—east. heading into tomorrow, this weather front will enhance the showers coming into the rest. we still have a westerly wind. most of the showers will be in western areas but some of them blow over toward central and eastern parts of the country but equally, a lot of dry weather with some of those showers, because we are now

in the cold air mass, could be wintry, especially so in the hills, the temperature is between 6—10 degrees, more like you would expect in february. heading into the weekend, we have a slight ridge across us, so things fairly settled, then we have this area of low pressure squirting past the south—west. on sunday it may bring rain, and windy conditions, but into the weekend there will be some mist and fog around, a slow to clear in the mornings, with some frost and some

live from london, this is bbc news. aid agencies say hunger and disease are spreading in gaza, we have rare access to a british they're about to open the door, and flyout, and land in northern gaza, and get help to the people of gaza. here in the uk, over 50 mps call on the commons speaker to quit after wednesday's ceasefire vote chaos. former barcelona footballer dani alves is sentenced to four and a half years injailfor rape. hello, i'm kylie pentalow. there's growing concern about

the humanitarian situation in gaza. it's particularly acute in northern gaza, which has received little