this is bbc news. i'm ben brown live in great yarmouth. the headlines at 3.00pm. there are flood warnings along the east coast of england — as a tidal surge and strong winds force people from their homes. meanwhile, snow and ice have affected much of the uk, causing travel chaos and school closures in some areas. i'mjane hill, the other headlines this afternoon. under increasing pressure — nearly half of hospitals in england declared a major alert in the first week of the year. tristram hunt resigns as a labour mp — triggering a by—election in stoke on trent central. the prime minister, theresa may, has held talks with her new zealand counterpart in downing street. trade and security were top of the agenda. and the british women's number one johanna konta wins the sydney tennis tournament — the final warm up before the australian open. hello, good afternoon. welcome to

bbc news from great yarmouth. one of the areas on the east coast of england where there are fears of extensive flooding because of a coastal surge expected later on this evening. here in great yarmouth at 9:15pm it will be high tide and that is when the environment agency are warning people that coastal waters may come over seed defences and flood homes. that is why you can see behind me people are getting sand bags prepared. this is a council run facility where they are providing

the bags and the sand. people are being told bring your own spades, fill up your own sandbags and take them to your homes to protect your homes. some 5000 homes in this area are being evacuated. also 2500 in essex, in jay wynne copying evacuated. across england and wales there are 17 flood warnings —— 2500 homes injay there are 17 flood warnings —— 2500 homes in jay wynne there are 17 flood warnings —— 2500 homes injay wynne are being evacuated. danny savage is in skegness. along the east coast of england, the floodgates on sea defences have been slammed shut. the hours of darkness were used for preparation. seaside business owners cleared out all they could, in anticipation of trouble. full moon, high tides, strong winds, the wind in the right direction coming down the north sea, rather than blowing off the land or onto the land. so, there will be a significant rise in the water, but whether it will be

enough to top the defences depends on mother nature, i suppose. soldiers were drafted in to lincolnshire to help with the operation. about 100 of them were briefed at the local police station. they were then sent door—to—door, warning residents that a storm surge was possible. sorry to disturb you. we are here to warn you about the storm and the flood. is it reassuring or alarming to have the army knock on the door? it's reassuring that they are looking after us, but also a bit alarming, you're thinking, is the house going to be flooded or something? but i think we are fairly safe, anyway. high tide in lincolnshire was early this morning. it passed without event, despite concerns. but there are worries about other parts of the east coast later today. the issue with the storm surge is, it is about the high winds, coinciding with what would be high tides anyway. if you get that, you get really, really high levels. that can be changeable

through the day. we are forecasting it as closely as we can. but it's really important that people stay alert, because some of these high tides will happen very late through tonight. by lunchtime, east anglia was where the most severe warnings were in force. in great yarmouth, sandbags were being filled, ahead of tonight's high tide. further south in essex, a reception centre has been opened after a decision was made to evacuate people from their homes injaywick, mistley and west mersea. have a look at individual situation, take some steps around planning and preparation. that could be bringing additional clothes, or looking at your medication. and really listen to what we are saying, which is try and use the facilities down here in the education centre injaywick, or make plans to stay with friends and relatives. people are being urged not to be complacent about the situation through tonight and into tomorrow. the highest risk of coastal flooding

is around high tide tonight. that time varies along the east coast. here in skegness it is quarter to seven. in east anglia at great yarmouth it is at nine o'clock and in essex around jaywick and clacton, it is the hour after midnight tonight. these are the times when things are most risky for people living in the coastal communities. well, here in great yarmouth, no one quite knows how bad it will be this evening when it is high tide at quarter past nine. people are hoping it will not be as bad as the warnings would have you believe. they are hoping for the best but preparing for the worst, and that is why people are coming to this area to get sandbags. let's talk to a couple of residence here. we have mark and andy who are digging sandbags. why do you think you need

this protection? because of the weather warnings issued by the environment agency this morning. we are with neighbours and friends to fill the bags up to see what happens. you are going to put the sandbags around the front of your house,is sandbags around the front of your house, is that the idea? the front and back. andy is closer to the river than i and back. andy is closer to the riverthan i am. and back. andy is closer to the river than i am. just hope for the best really. what is your feeling? do you think it will be as bad tonight? going by last time i don't think it will be too bad but we will see what happens. you do not think it will be that bad? in 2013 it came up it will be that bad? in 2013 it came up to the gate area along the south quays are hopefully it will be the same but we have to play safe. so thatis same but we have to play safe. so that is what you're doing, you are playing safe? absolutely. because it is really down to a combination of the high winds and the tide and the waves. and there is high winds hmmfi waves. and there is high winds forecast for later on tonight. we

will see at nine o'clock tonight. some people are being evacuated from their homes. is that necessary, do you think? we have had the police advising us to evacuate. i think we do not need to. i will stick it out. is that because you would rather stay with your property and protect it? exactly so. but you will not know until later tonight when you need to get out and it will be difficult? we have food upstairs and water so we will sit it out. are you thinking of evacuating from your property? no, i will sit it thinking of evacuating from your property? no, iwill sit it out thinking of evacuating from your property? no, i will sit it out as well and hope for the best. is that what most people are doing?” well and hope for the best. is that what most people are doing? i don't know anyone who will leave their property. especially if you have pets because there is nowhere to ta ke pets because there is nowhere to take them. if you have a dog or cat, you will be better staying. the last damage and floods were in 1953. do you think it will be as bad as that?

hopefully not. hopefully we will all be safe upstairs. apparently at this end the 1953 floods only came to the front doors but on the other side of the river it was up to the bedroom windows. good luck to both of you. let's hope it is not too bad. that is mark and andy filling up their sandbags just in case. let's get a picture now from south ferriby and oui’ picture now from south ferriby and our correspondent kate sweeting is there with the latest. we have extra staff from the council, the police, the fire and rescue and environment agency here to help people in lincolnshire. the army have been drafted in to help evacuate people. more than 3000 residents were told they should leave their homes or go u psta i rs they should leave their homes or go upstairs and temporary rest centres we re upstairs and temporary rest centres were set up for them. for people here, this is particularly worrying, because in 2013, there was a tidal

surge here. it came over the bags here and flooded many of the homes in this village. 11100 properties we re in this village. 11100 properties were flooded in this area. it is the worst tidal surge since 1953 when hundreds of people died. when it happened in 2013, people here were told and believed it was once in a 60 year event and yet here we are, three years on on high once again. that is kate sweeting reporting there. we have talked about the flooding warnings along the east coast of england but really, right across the uk, there have been severe problems caused today by snow and ice and high winds, causing real travel problems and some school closures as well. helena lee has this report. heavy snow in some parts of the scottish borders meant driving conditions were difficult. up to seven inches of snow fell in parts of scotland overnight. in newcastle, on the a19, traffic came to a standstill, with thick snow on the road.

for others, it was even worse. impossible conditions led to cars being abandoned. in the village of battle in east sussex, icy roads meant emergency services were dealing with cars which had come off the road. in canterbury, icy pavements made the school run this morning a challenge. across parts of the country, dozens of schools were shut because of the bad weather. for those who didn't have to travel, the snow brought much excitement to younger people, and left many parts of the country enjoying some beautiful scenes. well, here in great yarmouth both the police and the army are going around knocking on doors and telling people they need to leave their

homes. about 5000 people are being evacuated. but as they were hearing earlier on, people are reluctant to leave their homes. they would rather stay and protect their property. people do not think it will be that bad tonight but you can see this sandbagging operation continues. residents who are worried are free to come here, collect sand, put it in sandbags and take it to their home to protect their property. that is the latest from great yarmouth. back to you, jane, in the studio. thank you. we will keep an eye on that and a full weather forecast will be coming upjust that and a full weather forecast will be coming up just before half past as well. now, we're just hearing in the last few minutes the death has just been announced of lord snowdon. the photographer who was married to princess margaret for a number of years. born anthony armstrong jones, he married princess

margaret in 1960. he was already a photographer at the time of their marriage and went on to have an extremely successful career as a photographer, particularly with portage. a large number of his portraits hang in the national portrait gallery in london and he photographed the royal family on many occasions. a very brief statement from his family saying he died peacefully at his home today. he was 86. lord snowdon who died today at the age of 86. you are watching bbc news. good afternoon, these are today's main stories. there are flood warnings in place along the east coast of england as a tidal surge and strong winds force people out of their homes. lord snowdon, the former husband of

princess margaret has died at the age of 86. his family has just issued a statement saying he died peacefully at home. nhs figures show that nearly half of hospitals in england declared a major alert in the first week of this year. and we will talk more about that story. nearly half of hospitals in england declared a major alert in the first week of this year. nhs figures released today reveal that 66 of the 142 hospital trusts raised the alarm, as large numbers of patients experienced trolley waits and delays in a&e. eight of the trusts declaring a major alert reported the highest level of alarm — meaning patient safety was at risk. our health correspondent dominic hughes reports. another busy day for the health service, where the pressure

of winter is unrelenting. earlier this week, leicester royal infirmary was one of more than 60 hospitals in england to declare a major alert as the strain on services grew. the latest data from nhs england exposes how the health service is struggling to cope. one in five patients admitted as an emergency last week experienced a delay of at least four hours for a bed. nearly one in four patients waited over four hours to be seen in a&e. in some place it's reached nearly half. more than a quarter of ambulances arriving at a&e units waited longer than 30 minutes to hand over their patients, twice as long as they should. these latest figures are further evidence, if any more evidence was needed, of the immense strain the entire nhs in england is facing this winter. those strains are felt most acutely in accident & emergency departments, which are the front doors to most hospitals. the pressure is being felt right throughout the health service. a&e is the canary in the coal mine here for the health service. people arriving at a&e because they can't see a gp. they're arriving at a&e

because they're poorly, but could have been kept well if only they could have got access sooner. they're stuck in the hospital because of problems in community services and in social care. they can't get them out quickly. just as they have across the nhs, staff at northwick park hospital in north west london have been working flat out. there have been moments in the last two weeks, like the whole country, it's been frightening for the members of staff, for the nurses, doctors, for the ambulance crews who are bringing patients in. there have been moments where it's been very sticky. but we have managed as best we can. everybody‘s worked incredibly hard. it's not just england. the latest available figures from wales and northern ireland show a&e departments there are also struggling to treat patients within four hours. in scotland, the picture over christmas week was better. but every part of the nhs is finding this winter to be one of the toughest in recent memory. a woman who alleges

she was indecently assaulted by the tv presenter rolf harris when she was 12 years old, has told his trial how he put his hand up her skirt after she asked for an autograph. she told the jury the alleged assault was "horrible" and "wrong". mr harris denies seven charges of indecent assault and one of sexual assault. joining me now is our correspondent dan johnson who's outside southwark crown court for us. explain more about what the jury has been hearing? at have heard from the second complainant in this case, a woman who is now in her 50s. she described how as a 12—year—old she went with her mother antoinette radio station in portsmouth where rolf harris had been appearing on a programme. they went to get his autograph. she describes approaching

him as he left the building. he signed an autograph for her mother and then turned to the 12—year—old and then turned to the 12—year—old and said it is your turn now, let me have a cuddle first. she said he put his arm around her, and then down her skirt and touched her underneath her skirt and touched her underneath her underwear. she said, i pulled away, it did not feel right. it felt horrible and wrong. it only lasted four seconds and her mother horrible and wrong. it only lasted four seconds a shes; mother horrible and wrong. it only lasted four seconds a skies; flare—ther— , , horrible and wrong. it only lasted four seconds a skies; finevee -, , , m 57" §

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he has very the past, he has been very sun—sin! his mg the his % the labour his criticism ‘the labour 6:5 his criticism of the labour leader jeremy corbyn. whenjeremy corbyn became labour leader he stood down from the shadow cabinet and after the eu referendum in the summer he said he felt mr corbyn had failed to inject labour values into that whole referendum debate. he said the party now needed somebody with real strategic views and now is to try and ensure that labour values are injected into the renegotiation and he simply didn't feel thatjeremy corbyn was the man to achieve that. so he is insisting this is about the opportunities he has, but i think some will also see it as a wider

sign that afterjamie reed's departure, that there are a number of mps who used to be considered mainstream, but were considered by those around jeremy corbyn to be on the right of the party, out of step with the party, and i think they are now looking around to find other ways of finding fulfilment in their careers. and a quick word about his constituency as well, because there has been a strong showing there from ukip? yes, this is an urban working—class constituency. a lot of traditional labour voters and are very strongly brexit supporting constituency. one of the biggest votes in favour of leaving the eu in that referendum. ukip edged into second place at the last election. they will really fancy their chances here and i am sure will be fighting a very tough campaign. the tories will also want to fight it hard. it will also want to fight it hard. it will be a very difficult seat indeed

for labour to hold onto, as indeed it may well grooved to be in copeland, the other by—election we have got coming up. i think those by—elections will be seen as a critical test forjeremy corbyn‘s leadership. the poll rating for the party is dire at the moment. they will want to show the party can hold onto seats like this and reach out to some of the more traditional labour voters who are perhaps concerned about immigration at a time thatjeremy corbyn has said he is keen to retain as much free movement as he possibly can when britain is in the european union. i think this will be a test ofjeremy corbyn and his policies into macro key election tests. thank you. refugees and migrants are dying in europe's sudden cold snap and the united nations refugee agency is urging governments to do more. the unhcr said several migrants had died from cold and exhaustion in bulgaria — and it called on greece to move

migrants from poor conditions on islands to better facilities on the mainland. our correspondent sian grzeszcyk reports. desperate to get out of the bitterly cold waters, these are just some of the 800 migrants and refugees that were rescued from the mediterranean sea yesterday. the italian coastguard helped them out of the six rubber boats they were trying to cross in. freezing temperatures in europe over the last week have caused the un to call on governments to do more to help migrants. in greece, the situation was so bad that this ship was sent to lesbos at the request of the greek prime minister to house migrants, amidst health warnings that condition at the main camp had become inhumane. hundreds of others in lesbos are being transferred to hotels. i am afraid but i don't know where i go.

i'm afraid. at the european parliament in brussels, a warning about how prepared the eu is for a further increase in numbers. we are making a call for europe to prepare for possible new influxes. it may not happen, but we need to be prepared. we are very concerned in a number of situations, europe does not seem to have a plan a or plan b. conditions are also tough at this migrant camp in serbia. more than 1000 men from afghanistan and pakistan are relying on one meal a day from volunteers, and having to wash outside in the cold conditions. concern is growing that more migrants will die, trying to survive these harsh conditions. just to remind you of the news which

was announced 20 minutes ago, the death has been announced of lord snowdon who was 86 years old. he was married to princess margaret and had a long and very successful career as a long and very successful career as a photographer, especially in relation to portrait photography. we can talk to our royal correspondent nicholas mitchell who has joined can talk to our royal correspondent nicholas mitchell who hasjoined me. just the briefest of statements so farfrom just the briefest of statements so far from the family? yes, the queen is saddened by the news. she is at sandringham with other members of the royal family. there sandringham with other members of the royalfamily. there is little contact with those members of the family and lord snowdon. he had been ill for some time. it is a reminder of the rather chequered i suppose love story of the queen's younger sister, the late princess margaret. she and lord snowdon married in 1960

after she announced the man that many people feel she should have worried, and with whom she was and out ugly deeply in love, group captain peter townsend. the marriage to lord snowdon and they had two children, was not a happy one. a stormy marriage after the first few happy stormy marriage after the first few ha p py yea rs stormy marriage after the first few happy years ended in divorce. unthinkable for the queen's sister at the beginning of her reign to have divorced, but it was something that did happen. that presaged other divorces in the royalfamily. lord snowdon will be remembered for that and also as the first central member of the royal family, and also as the first central member of the royalfamily, as he became the queen's brother—in—law, to pursue a second career. he was the queen's brother—in—law, to pursue a second career. he was a distinguished portrait photographer. he had been a photographer when he met princess margaret and he continued that career for the sunday times, for vogue magazine and also asa

times, for vogue magazine and also as a designer. he was a man of considerable artistic design and capabilities. and that career continued late into his life. it did. his photographs stand testament to the skill he wielded as he wielded a camera. he photographed many beautiful women and he also did documentary photography in new york and elsewhere. he was not afraid to tackle hard subjects and to do some very gritty documentary work with his camera so he will be remembered for that as well. thank you very much for now. nicholas witchell, our royal correspondent, remembering lord snowdon who died, his family said, peacefully at home at the age of 86. we will talk more about him and his career later in this hour. but we will pause and catch up with the all—important will pause and catch up with the all—importa nt weather prospects. really very important in some parts of the country at the moment. tomasz

schafernaker has all the latest details. thank you. we are watching the east coast this evening for potential flooding. around the river humber and southwards across east anglia. this shows there are still some snow showers across northern parts of the uk. this is the direction of the wind. the wind pushing the north sea and hence the high tide and larger waves. we could see some potential flooding along those coasts. for tonight, the skies are going to be clearing. temperatures dropping away rapidly. ice forming in a number of areas. there will be some wintry showers. a risk of hazardous conditions. as far as the weekend is

concerned, it is looking pretty changeable. by the time we get to sunday, it looks like things will be warming up. a chilly saturday on the way but sunday will be milder. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines: there are 17 severe flood warnings for england and wales, as snow and strong winds hit much of the uk. almost half of hospitals in england declared a major alert in the first week of the year, as the health service comes under increasing pressure. the labour mp for stoke—on—trent central, tristram hunt, is resigning from parliament. his departure triggers a by—election. the prime minister theresa may has held talks with her new zealand counterpart in downing street, focusing on trade and security. and also to tell you of course that

in the next few minutes we will be talking more about lord snowdon, who has died today at the age of 86. we will just pause for has died today at the age of 86. we willjust pause for a couple of minutes right now though and catch up minutes right now though and catch up with all of the latest sports news from jessica wright. hello there. johanna konta has won the sydney international tennis tournament. the british number one beat agnieszka radwanska in straight sets, in what's ideal preparation for next week's australian open. world number ten konta broke her polish opponent in the third game, and hit 18 winners to five in the first set. she dominated the world number three with some stunning returns and powerful hitting, and convincingly won the second set — and her second wta title. i'm very pleased with the level that i was able to produce today. yes, especially in the final, i think it can always be a bit tricky. both of us i think had to produce a good level and play a great match.

i think it was great for us, but also great for the fans and for the people watching. but again, i'm also happy with just the progression i was able to make throughout the week. and ifelt each match i played i just got that much, i guess, match—fitter. better overall. i knew going into the match that it couldn't be anything short of a great level from me if i was going to have a chance, so i'm happy i was able to produce it. and dan evans is through to his first atp tour final. he beat russia's andrey kuznetsov 6—2, 3—6, 6—3 at the sydney international. evans will face gilles muller in tomorrow's final. evans and konta are two of seven british players who'll feature in next week's australian open. the draw took place overnight. it's the first grand slam andy murray has been top seed for. from melbourne, here's our tennis correspondent, russell fuller. andy murray's first challenge as top seed at a grand slam will be will be against marchenko.

already there is a lot of interest in a potentialfourth—round meeting between murray and the return of roger federer. the trouble with being seeded 17, as federer now is after six months away from the tour in the second—half 2016, is that you can have some very tough matches early on. federer is due to start against a couple of qualifiers, but he may have to play tomas berdych as early as the third round. however, if he can make progress, murray and federer could meet in the last eight. all of the british men have drawn opponents outside the top 50 in the opening round. it's tougher for the women — they are playing seeded australians. naomi broady is against gavrilova. konta, seeded nine, has a really tough—looking first week — first up against kirsten flipkens, wimbledon semifinalist in 2013. the arsenal manager, arsene wenger, has spoken out against the january transfer window. amid all the rumours and signings taking place at the moment, wenger says the window "goes against the spirit"

of what a football club should be. i always was against it. you know, you would not have this kind of story, i believe it is completely... in a way, it's in a way easy news, and easy interest for the premier league. but on the other hand, i believe it is completely against the spirit of what the football club should be. once you are on the train at the start of the season, you stay on the train until the end of the season. and you do not have a stop in the middle and where half of the team goes out and another half comes in and you continue your trip. i personally don't think that it is right. sale sharks are being investigated for a potential breach of concussion management protocol. it follows an injury to back row tj ioane in last saturday's defeat to harlequins, in which he appeared to be concussed but remained on the pitch for the rest of the match. the rfu have announced a panel will meet to look at the incident. that's all sport for now.

hugh will have more in the next hour. it is 3:35pm. let's return to the news that has emerged just in the last hour. the dad has been announced of lord snowdon, renowned photographer of course, —— the death has been announced. he died at home peacefully, you was 86 years old. let's talk more about lord snowdon's life and career. i'm drawing on the phone by editor in chief of majesty magazine. thank you forjoining us so magazine. thank you forjoining us so quickly, ingrid. did you meet lord snowdon? how well did you know him? i met him, buti lord snowdon? how well did you know him? i met him, but i certainly did know him well. he was a very impressive person. i think because

he was extremely talented —— i did not know him well. because he was very good at his job, he was not only a film—maker and photographer, but he was a designer. he was extremely artistic. and a very interesting man. in what we? what do you mean in relation to that?” think on the you know, he had opinions on things. he knew what he was talking about. he was very straight in his opinions and what he said. andi straight in his opinions and what he said. and i think he was also extremely sad that his marriage to princess margaret didn't work out. and he remained friendly with the queen and the royal family and tell right now. just as you said that, we we re right now. just as you said that, we were seeing pictures of him and princess margaret and their wedding day, waving from the balcony of buckingham palace. it's hard perhaps the generations today to take on board just what an extraordinary

period of glamour that was, that union, the first royal wedding to be broadcast on television. it was an exciting time in that sense. it was an exciting time. lord snowdon and princess margaret were like the sort of creme de la creme of society. they hung out with the beatles, they hung out with peter sellers. these we re hung out with peter sellers. these were people who were sort of the pinnacle of the artistic world at the time. and it was very avant—garde. and it was very impressive. and they seemed to be at the cutting edge of everything that was going on. unusual as well, or was going on. unusual as well, or was it unusual, you can parts elaborate better than i will. but for him to... he went into the marriage, he was already if it refer at that stage, and there seemed to be no question that he absolutely wa nted be no question that he absolutely wanted to continue his career. he was starting to flourish and he did continue, he travelled a lot. he was

away a lot, because that career and that life is a photographer was very important to him. it was very important to him. it was very important to him. forgive me if i'm wrong, but he started working on the sunday times, and he worked on the supplement, he was in fact the only supplement, he was in fact the only supplement in those days was the sunday times, it always is with a little bit later. but he was very innovative. he knew all of the people at the time. he knew all of the editors, the magazine editors, jocelyn stevens, who was editor of queen magazine. he was right there. to princess margaret, he was something completely different and very, very glamorous. and they had two children, of course. his son in particular has very much continued his father's artistic endeavours. well, his son has a shop in the pimlico road, which ijust walked past, firmly enough. and his son

started with just doing sort of woodwork —— formally enough. he then progressed to his own business, which is huge now. and they were both, both princess margaret and lord snowdon, were very artistic. and they could have been a great coupling, and they were for a short time, they really were for a bit. but sadly it wasn't to last. ingrid seward, thank you for your time this afternoon. ingrid seward, editor in chief of majesty magazine. remembering lord snowdon. the briefest of statements coming through from his family, saying that he died peacefully at home. he was 86 years old. more now on our top story, and the nhs has released figures which show nearly half of hospitals in england declared a major alert in the first week of this year, as large numbers of patients

experienced trolley waits and delays in a&e. earlier, the prime minister was asked what she thought about the comments made by chris hopson from nhs providers, who we'll speak to in a moment, that the nhs can no longer deliver everything that's being asked of it. i recognise, and we've acknowledged, that the nhs is under pressure. we always see increased pressures in the nhs overwinter periods. i mean, that's why in preparing for the winter period this time, £400 million was put in to ensure that winter preparedness. but of course what we've seen, we saw on the tuesday after christmas, the busiest day for our hospitals, and the hard work of medical professionals up and down the nhs in providing a vital service that people need. so the nhs is under pressure, but i'd like to say thank you, and recognise the huge amount of work that is being done by medical professionals. that was the prime minister talking

just in the last hour, hour and a half or so, she was giving a news conference at downing street alongside her new zealand counterpart. the bulk of that conference was about trade, but the prime minister was inevitably asked about the situation in the nhs, given those figures today. with me is chris hopson, the chief executive of nhs providers. good afternoon. i do think you heard all of that, but as part of that, the prime minister reiterated to journalists that is supplement had been given to the nhs to help it prepare for the winter, which can a lwa ys prepare for the winter, which can always be a difficult time. what's your take on the fact that that is a lwa ys your take on the fact that that is always given as a reminder that the nhs has had some extra funds. to be strictly correct, what happened was in the old days by nhs used to get a specific allocated separate out of winter money, and what's actually happened is it has been incorporated

into the main budget. there's an interesting question about whether that has been a potential small cause of the problem, because we no longer have that dedicated pot. it was great to hear the bremen is to praise the efforts of staff. wherever i, —— the prime minister praise. i saw trusts and chief executives yesterday, the overwhelming message that came across was that staff are working absolutely flat out to deal with what is record demand. we had 65,000 people coming to a&e departments on the 27th of december, just after the new year, that is a complete record. the good news was that we dealt with record numbers of patients with them four—hour standard. but what we do know is that some trusts are really struggling. and the system as a whole is really struggling. struggling. and the system as a whole is really strugglingm struggling. and the system as a whole is really struggling. it is interesting that you had a lot of very senior people in one room. i'm fascinated to know what the mood was, what the tone was, what some of the reasons those men and women were

giving you as to why they feel there is so much pressure now, notjust about it being winter, butjust broadly? let's start with the last question, in terms of why we are under pressure now. we know that as we are becoming an older population the post—war baby boom comes to the age of 75, 85, where people consume health more, we know we have many more people coming in, wanting health and care services. what we also know is that in some areas there are real problems in social care. people are saying in some areas they can't get a gp appointment. so what tends to happen is that people go to a a&e. when people come to a&e, there is a particular issue at the moment in terms of a respiratory illness, i don't know about your family... terms of a respiratory illness, i don't know about your family. .. 0h, yes! all four of us have had to some degree. but equally if you are older, it's difficult to shift. you need more complex courses of antibiotics to move them. there's a whole bunch of things going on in

terms of the extra demand. i thought it was a great question and was knee about the tone of the meeting. the tone of the meeting with a0 chairs and chief executives was a determination to provide the best possible quality of service. but a sense, to be frank, that we have reached a point where we are asking our staff, and trading on their goodwill and an unsustainable way. we can't carry on trying to manage the nhs with bits of sticky tape and plaster. actually we need a long—term, sustainable solution to this. so a long-term, sustainable solution, does that perhaps, you tell me, is that to do with tackling social care? because of course that's money that comes out of local council budgets. we all know that local councils have in real terms less and less money every year. is the biggest frustration around social care? is there any frustration around, as some politicians have suggested, some patients perhaps sometimes going to a&e when they could go and see a gp

instead ? a&e when they could go and see a gp instead? i'm curious whether bala nces instead? i'm curious whether balances of all of this. there are two or three things to say. we need to make the right decisions on funding. as many people will probably know, demand and the cost of the nhs goes up by a% per year, but the funding for this 10—year period between 2010 unprinted wendy is only going up by 1% per year. it doesn't take very many years of 3% gap for it to show. —— and 2020. evra £100 spent on health and social ca re evra £100 spent on health and social care in the uk, germany spends £130. are interesting discussions about how much of our national wealth who wa nt to how much of our national wealth who want to devote to health and social care. the second issue, we are becoming an older and more sick population. one thing we think is really important is the need to focus on prevention, in other words, to ensure that diabetes, alcohol, a whole bunch of things where if you go into hospitals, you can see that actually there are a bunch of preve nta ble actually there are a bunch of preventable things, which, if we got the wrenching right, that would work. the third bit i think is the

kind of recognised —— if we got the prevention right. we do spend a lot of ourtime and prevention right. we do spend a lot of our time and money and effort in hospitals. we know there or about 30% of people in hospitals who actually don't need to be there. because they are medically fit to discharge. but we haven't got social ca re discharge. but we haven't got social care right. we haven't got community ca re care right. we haven't got community care right. we haven't got community care right. so i think we all know in the nhs that the right thing to do is to move care out of hospitals. but if we want to do that, we have to invest in social care, we have two investing community care. what's the mood around prevention? it's so interesting you mention that, because we do so many stories about, for example, the rise and rise of diabetes, the number of cases of diabetes, the number of cases of diabetes in this country. surely if we could bring that number down, that in itself is a saving to the nhs, isn't it? exactly. and i think me you know, there is set of issues around how we really get this prevention agenda right. it's very interesting, we've been talking about this for 20 years and think

it's really important. to be fair, some stuff is actually working quite well. 1 billion fewer smokers in this country, that will be helpful --1 this country, that will be helpful —— 1 million. however, one thing that concerns us is, a story i know you have covered a lot, look at local governments, actually there is a real squeeze on local government finances. what has happened is that as public health is transferred from the nhs to local authorities, actually we are finding that drug and alcohol services, sexual health services, they are no longer as well funded as the need to be. if we really, if we really want to make prevention work, we need to hopefully that famous phrase, walk the walk, as well as talk the talk. at the moment we're actually cutting the amount of money we spend on public health on prevention, just that the point when actually we need to make it better. very interesting. good to talk to you. chris hopson from nhs providers, thank you. we will talk more about the other

story that is dominating here today, that of course is the weather. let's get more on one ostory this afternoon — the severe weather across many parts of the uk, and in particular the severe flood warnings in place. let's ta ke let's take a few minutes in particular to discuss the issue around flooding. let's cross live to hull, and speak to the chair of the environment agency, emma howard boyd. thank you forjoining us. you talked to us from a city that has suffered badly in the past. what ruc and there about the situation, about —— what are you seeing that there about the situation, about preparedness? i'm here today in hull, where we are about to lower the barrier to protect the city. what we're seeing isa protect the city. what we're seeing is a very dynamic situation. we're working very closely with the met office to make sure that we are working with very up—to—date information. but we have a high tide

just before 7pm. and it's important that we take the precautionary measure to protect the city. roughly 17,000 properties. but throughout the day, we've seen, throughout the earlier tied, about 170,000 properties protected. and you are confident, are you, that they are fully protected, that hull and other cities that have gone through terrible experiences in recent years won't have to live through that again, that lessons have been learned? i've, absolutely lessons have been learned. but it's really important for everybody in the country who is at risk of flooding to recognise that we can only ever protect up to a certain level. so since the last floods and the last east coast tidal surge that took place in 2013, we've had a huge recovery exercise, making sure that lots of defences have been repaired.

we've had an extensive programme of building new defences. we've also got lots of temporary flood barriers, some of which we've been putting out today in different parts of the country. so there's a whole range of measures. it's very important that individuals take account of the warnings that we are giving, particularly in those parts of the country where we've asked people to evacuate to heed those warnings. and a quick broader thought about our country's approach to this generally. i know you are relatively new in the dog, if i can say that. are you happy with your country —— new in the job. say that. are you happy with your country —— new in thejob. are say that. are you happy with your country —— new in the job. are you happy that we are taking sensible attitudes towards new house—building, and properties are not being built in areas that are susceptible? i think we, not being built in areas that are susceptible? ithink we, as not being built in areas that are susceptible? i think we, as the environment agency, do give out advice as to where properties should be built. that's something that

ultimately the decision rests with the planning authorities. but there's also a whole range of measures that property developers, individuals within their houses, can ta ke to individuals within their houses, can take to make sure that houses a —— are built in a more resilient fashion. howard boyd, thank you for joining us on a busy day. the head of the environment agency is beating to us from hull. in a moment, a summary of the business news this hour. but first, the headlines on bbc news: there are flood warnings in place along the east coast of england, as along the east coast of england, as a tidal surge and strong winds force people from their homes. lord snowdon, the photographer and former husband of princess margaret, has died at the age 86. his family says he died peacefully at his home. nhs figures show nearly half of hospitals in england declared a major alert in the first week of the

year. in the business news: the department for transport is urgently asking for more information on a us investigation into fiat chrysler diesel emissions software. the car—maker has been accused of not telling authorities about software that could allow excess diesel emissions in thousands of vehicles. fiat has rejected the allegations which affectjeep grand cherokees and dodge ram 1500 trucks. the number of men in low—paid part—time work has increased fourfold over the past 20 years. the institute for fiscal studies has found that one in five low—paid men aged 25 to 55 now work part—time. while wage inequality for men has risen, for women the opposite is the case, as more have received better education and moved into full—timejobs. more on this injust more on this in just a more on this injust a moment. there were more first—time home buyers in 2016 than at any time since the start of the financial crisis, according to research by the halifax.

the lender estimated there were almost 336,000 first—time buyers last year, the highest figure since 2007. however, the average first—time deposit has more than doubled since 2007 to stand at more than £32,000. we're going to hear more about that wage inequality report. new research by the institute for fiscal studies has found that one in five low—paid men aged 25 to 55 now work part—time. that means wage inequality for men has risen over two decades. but for women, the opposite is the case. jonathan cribb is a senior research economist at the ifs. jonathan, let's talk a little bit about what's behind these low—paid wages. essentially, what i have seen from the reporters that a lot of these jobs are based from the reporters that a lot of thesejobs are based in from the reporters that a lot of these jobs are based in sectors like retail and hospitality, which traditionally lower paid. is that

what's driving this trend? it's certainly true that low—wage, part—time working men are disproportionately in retail, wholesale, hotels and restaurants. almost 60% of them or in those sectors. the thing about those sectors. the thing about those sectors is that they are low pay as well is no hours. meaning that this is leading to fewer pounds people are taking home at the end of the week. 0k, and we seeing this migration into those sectors? is it because sort of areas like manufacturing, there are less jobs there. we are seeing people who would have gone into those sectors move into the service sector industries? it's certainly true that the sharing jobs in manufacturing has declined over the last 20 years —— the share ofjobs. there has not been a huge increase in the share of jobs in these sectors, but it seems that men are now working in these sectors in a way that traditionally women would have been working in them. 0k, and we're seeing

irreversible and for women. women are now going more into full—time working. —— a reverse trend for women. your report says that is because of better education. could the same apply with men? could better education get them into better education get them into better paid jobs? the big thing with education and women, you are right, thatis education and women, you are right, that is leading to more women in work. more women working part—time, full—time, excuse me, and when they are in work or higher wages. in terms of men, the higher educated people who are middle earners or high earners, they are not seeing these increases in part time work. that low—paid men are. it's not totally clear what happens if you have even more educated people. that's not necessarily going to reduce part—time work. but it should lead to them earning more in terms of their hourly wages, which would bea of their hourly wages, which would be a bonus for their earnings. 0k,

jonathan, thank you forjoining us. london's ftse100 was on track to set yet another record high, with shares in house—builders leading the way. house—builders helped to lift the index, with barratt developments up 3.a% and persimmon 2% higher. that's all the business news for now. we can hear the weather now, with john. it's chilly out there. we're going to see if frost quite widely overnight tonight. we have had some snow around again in some places today, drifting across the moors of west yorkshire. courtesy of the strong north—westerly wind, and that wind is still a feature out there. it's slowly beginning to subside. it has generated huge waves, as we know, down the east coast of england in particular. a storm surge is tracking its way down the north sea. as the high tide spreads its way down the east coast of england, obviously we are on a high alert, the potential for coastal flooding, as you will have heard in the news.

that's why we've got several severe flood warnings in force. there is the number if you've got any concerns across this part of the world over the next two hours. the threat should subside later on in the night. the winds continue to ease away. still a bit of a breeze. the breeze will continue to carry wintry showers across northern and western areas, some creeping inland. ice swore by a wider hazard across the uk courtesy of the showers and that melting snow freezing again. in the glens of scotland, —10 degrees. a cold, crunchy start a saturday morning. plenty of sunshine out there to enjoy. still some showers, wintry showers in the east coast. rain and sleet showers in the more western parts. the air turns a little bit milder out west during the course of the day. sixes and sevens here, compared to threes and fours. despite the sunshine, further east, across the uk. as we look ahead to the second part of the

weekend, we going to see the smile bear trying to push on from the west ona bear trying to push on from the west on a set of weather fronts. how quickly that displaces the cold air isa quickly that displaces the cold air is a bit ofa quickly that displaces the cold air is a bit of a question mark. it will and damp day across eastern areas. some early snowfall with that rain pushing across scotland. milder weather spreading across central parts of the uk. double figures here. much chilly across eastern counties of england. that battle between the mild and the cold continues to be early part of this week. the cold makes a comeback in the southeast, but further north and west it is much milder. a north— south split, much milder than it has been across the moor north—western areas for the southeast. plenty of sunshine by date but some sharp frost, to come overnight. i'll be backin frost, to come overnight. i'll be back in half an hour. this is bbc news. i'm ben brown live in great yarmouth. the headlines at four. there are flood warnings along

the east coast of england — as a tidal surge and strong winds force people from their homes. absolutely lessons have been learned but it is really important for everybody in the country who is at risk of flooding to recognise we can only protect up to a certain level. meanwhile, snow and ice have affected much of the uk, causing travel chaos and school closures in some areas. i'mjane hill, the other headlines this afternoon. lord snowdon, the photographer and former husband of princess margaret, has died at the age 86. his family says he died peacefully at his home.