tonight at six. the nhs under pressure as never before — we have a special report. on the front line — the inside story of an a&e department. more patients than ever before coming through the door. there's people lined up in corridors on beds, people all stood up in here, not enough seats to sit down, absolutely appalling. even the paramedics are forced to queue. and patients are treated in corridors. the problem is we are taking too many risks now — sending home patients we shouldn't be sending — don't know where to put them. nine out of ten hospitals have been overcrowded this winter. also tonight: inaudible john burqa says he doesn't want the american president giving a speech in parliament. —— bercow. has the

diesel car had its day? latest figures show we are turning away from them. alastair cook resigned as england captain after a record 59 matches in charge. in the sport on bbc news. director of cricket, andrew strauss, says alastair cook has stepped down as england captain because they lacked the energy and drive to continue. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. tonight we bring you a special report that highlights the unprecedented pressures facing nurses and doctors in the nhs. over the past week bbc news has been given exclusive access to the royal blackburn hospital — which was once in special measures but is now rated good. its a&e department receives more ambulances than any other in the north west of england.

in the first of two reports, our special correspondent ed thomas has been speaking to staff and the patients they treat. there are distressing images in what comes next. inside the royal blackburn hospital. the bbc was given unrestricted access to witness the pressures facing the nhs. they've had patients here for six, eight hours. can't find a bed for them. queueing for five hours in the corridor. it is not what we expect from a country like ours, really, is it? we need to get some blood from you. what's it like to be here when it's busy? dangerous. yeah, it's frightening. sunday night, a peak time in this a&e. 95 patients and just 33 cubicles and rooms. the sickest are seen first. we actually have corridor

nurses now, as well. which shows times are very desperate. the priority is to keep people safe. across the week we saw patients treated on corridors and side rooms. ifeel as though i'm going to collapse if i don't lay down. you need a bed. definitely. it's distressing. it's really distressing for people. how long have you been waiting for? ten hours. —— seven hours. we need beds and staff. it'sjust like banging your head against a brick wall. in a hospital you need some privacy. i am covered up, but it's not nice. at its busiest, this was the paediatric emergency department. these nurses and doctors are working really hard, but there just isn't enough of them. there are people lined up on corridors, on beds, there are people stood, there are not even enough seats to sit down.

it's absolutely appalling. our babies are sat on corridors. it's absolutely disgusting. absolutely ridiculous. it's heartbreaking. is there anywhere for you to sit down? no, the waiting room is full. they put me here. we have been stood here for a0 minutes. how do you feel about all of this? frustrated. worried. is it going to take something drastic for them to act quicker? you used to come, used to wait in a&e, at least you would have a seat, now we are sat on the floor. it is worrying. as a doctor, how do you feel when you see babies like that? it's unfair. it's putting us under the pressure. by monday morning, on average, patients are spending half a day in the emergency department. let the staff get on with what they are doing. those delays are difficult to ta ke for co nsulta nts like helen. i left here 11 o'clock one night, having referred him into the hospital.

earlier at about nine, ten o'clock. and i arrived at 11 o'clock the next morning, and he was still here. 12 hours in a&e? yeah. what did that do to you when you came back in and you saw your patient? it was upsetting. because you know it's not the care that you would want your own family to receive. i'm going to do what i can to shift this and create space. even paramedics queue. during our time here the a&e only hit its four our waiting target on one day. when you get 12 ambulances in an hour, you know, you are going to have queues like this. and as a team we work exceptionally hard. it is not that anything is going wrong, it is just the sheer volume of people that come. there is only so much we can do. has the doctor been in yet? no. the demands of a modern a&e, more and more older patients arriving with complex, acute conditions. staff say there are increasing addiction and mental health problems.

i can't send him back. to deal with these growing pressures, the a&e has a frailty doctor. started having sciatica pain two days ago... a gp, and dedicated alcohol and mental health nurses. we see up to 300 people. alcohol dependent patients, most of them. we've got a gentleman who has been here about 1060 times. what is that doing to this hospital? well, it's 1060 ambulances, 1060 attendances. chris is also an alcoholic. he is homeless with mental health problems. the last three months since i got out of prison, i've been sleeping in a toilet. in a and e? well, in the main part of the building. for him, it looks like he feels safe here. he can talk to people. in the morning he'll be fine. is that what a&e is for? this is not what a&e is for, but that is what he has been living.

in today's world. facing these constant demands, nurses, like rachel and lauren. is this what you expected from the job? not to this extent. no, how we've had it the past three months, we've been risking ourjobs, because we've been working such a pressure. we are coming in every night, worrying about what is coming. in the triage it is just a trained nurse. and it is up to us to decide if the patient is poorly, if we need a doctor to see them, or whether they can wait on the corridor. what is that pressure like? scary. yeah, it is. it's hard, it's very hard. many here wanted to talk openly. doctor haq is a consultant. he's worked in the nhs for more than two decades. have you ever known it like this? no. in 26 years? no.

we've had pressures every now and then, but, no, this is continuous. we are taking too many risks now. we are sending patients that we shouldn't be sending because we have nowhere to put them. that is dangerous. dangerous. what should be done? that's the question for the government to answer, but we need more staff, we need more space. the chief executive here allowed the bbc in. to show the realities facing his staff in a hospital that is rated as good. i wanted you to see how busy we are, how difficult things can be, but also in those difficult circumstances how well those patients and their families are cared for. is there a point when the pressure gets too much? we cannot say that, i cannot say that, we have to keep our patients safe and we will continue to do so. but trying to cope with so many patients is pushing some doctors to their limits. i was getting to the end before my week off. what would have happened to you if you did not have that week off?

i don't think i could have done a job properly. and i think my patients would have started to suffer. it is going to make me cry. and it never stops. everyday lives saved in a&e. thank you for everything. thank you. you deserve more than you get. ed thomas, bbc news, blackburn. so that was one week, in one hospital. but it's not unique — across the nhs nine of ten hospitals have been overcrowded to the point of being unsafe this winter. the solutions are complex — from greater efficiency to more money. ministers say charging patients from outside the uk for non—urgent treatment will help. nearly three quarters of those surveyed in a poll for bbc news agree with that.

our health editor hugh pym has been taking a closer look at the issue. an nhs manager with a credit card machine. it's already happening at some hospitals as they try to claim back some of the cost of nhs care from overseas visitors who don't qualify for it. you're not entitled to free medical treatment. it is £800 a day. i'm very sorry. i understand that, but that's what we have to charge, sir. the government, which has been criticised for failing to collect enough money, now wants all hospitals to charge patients not entitled to free care upfront for nonemergency treatment. other countries in the eu, other countries outside the eu, like the us, like canada, like australia, they charge visitors to their country for using health services other than in urgent cases and we are just doing the same thing. but some argue the sums of money are small and the policy

is a distraction from the real issues facing the nhs. what we mustn't do is pretend that this reclaiming of money will somehow solve the problems in the nhs, which are about gross underfunding. we are several billion pounds short in terms of providing for the needs of the population. so what are the really big challenges facing the nhs and how much of it is down to money? and what sort of resources are needed to deliver the health care needs of the population around the uk in the decades ahead? total health—care spending across the uk is equivalent to just under 10% of annual economic output, that's below france at 11.1% and germany at 11. it might not sound much but the difference amounts to billions of pounds annually. the number of doctors per 1,000 people in the uk is 2.8. that's below france, with 3.3. the figure for germany is 4.1. well, i think there

is a growing concensus that the nhs needs more money. the question is, who pays, how much, and through what method? and all the research shows that the way we pay for it there, through a combination of taxes, income tax and national insurance, it's cheap to raise, it's fair, doesn't discriminate against the poor and the unhealthy. but could the nhs make better use of resources? here in yeovil, they are pioneering a new approach. this one—stop shop manages the needs of frail, elderly patients to avoid, if possible, costly hospital admissions. so they are seen by the nurses, a consultant, a junior doctor, a pharmacist, an occupational therapist and if they need to see a nurse specialist for diabetes, we will call them into the unit so they are seen in one place. and it's partly down to all of us as patients, lifestyles and prevention of future health problems, that's got to be part of any attempt to future proof the national health service. hugh is with me now.

there are obviously long—term solutions, but they are not going to help the patients and staff we have been seeing today, are they? that's right. a lot of long—term debate about health and social care adults to these challenges. the ageing population, and so on. there are four different health systems in the uk, scotland, northern ireland and wales and england, they all have differing approaches. they have to make decisions about how his their resources . make decisions about how his their resources. there is one threat across the uk this winter we have been seeing and that is the sheer volume of patients going into hospitals. they are being discharged back into the community. and there was a shortage of beds for emergency admissions, never mind routine surgery. admissions, never mind routine surgery. as we admissions, never mind routine surgery. as we saw admissions, never mind routine surgery. as we saw in that piece, andi surgery. as we saw in that piece, and i hear it from doctors and nurses of the time, there is immense pressure. they've never seen anything quite like it at the moment. 0ften anything quite like it at the moment. often it is because the problems in society. something to do with mental health provisional and social care. and that is why people

are seeing hospitals and a&e as a last resort. thank you very much. and if you want to find out what the situation is in your area in england, you can find out by visiting bbc dot co dot uk slash health and head towards the section detailing which "local services are under threat." —— bbc.co.uk/health. other news now and a man who was jailed last year for murdering a police officer and dissolving his body in acid — has been found dead in prison. stefano brizzi was serving a minimum of 2a years for killing pc gordon semple after meeting him on a gay dating app. a teenager has admitted killing an american tourist — and wounding five others — in a knife attack in central london last year. 19—year—old za karia bulhan denied murder but admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. the court heard he was suffering an acute episode of paranoid schizophrenia at the time of the attacks — as nick beake reports. pacing down the street with kitchen knife in hand, this teenager has just randomly stabbed six tourists enjoying a night out in london's west end.

police officers try to catch him before he can attack anyone else and they eventually taser him here in russell square, pinning him to the ground. but american tourist darlene horton had already been killed. the retired teacher was due to leave london the next day. her killer, 19—year—old za karia bulhan. 0ne witness said he had a crazed smile on his face as he moved silently from one victim to another. this firearms officer, who asked not to be identified, feared he was facing a terrorist attack. two of us have started giving chase, screaming commands for him to stop and drop the knife, numerous times. we knew that if he reached that corner and went out of our sight, he would have unrestricted access again to other members of the public. how close were you to shooting him? close. after bulhan was arrested here, a police officer heard him utter "allah, allah,

allah". he was also found to be carrying a pamphlet called fortress of the muslim. but detectives decided he wasn't an islamic extremist and that the killing had been motivated by mental health issues, not terrorism. the old bailey was told zakaria bulhan had been assessed by a mental health team four months earlier, but was not receiving any treatment at the time of the killing. nick beake, bbc news, central london. our top story this evening: the nhs under pressure as never before — nine out of ten hospitals have been overcrowded this winter. and still to come — are drivers deserting diesel cars? are we slowly falling out of love with diesel cars? i will have the latest sales figures. coming up in sportsday on bbc news, the former south african rugby captain joost van der westhuizen has died at the age of a5. a world cup winner in 1995, he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2011.

the commons speaker, john bercow, has said made a strong condemnation of president trump in the commons, and said he would not wish him to address parliament. as far as this place is concerned, i feel very strongly that our opposition to racism and to sexism and our support for equality before the law and an independent judiciary are hugely important considerations in the house of commons. cheering and applause 0ur chief political correspondent vicki young is in westminster. just how unusual is it for a speaker to be so outspoken? it is incredibly

significant, not least because john de caux is one ofjust three people who can decide who has this honour the stowed upon them, in the past, president 0bama, pope benedict and nelson mandela have come and addressed both houses of parliament but effectively today, the speaker has vetoed that idea and it is the language he has used. there has been growing opposition is, we have seen demonstrations in some cities against a state visit by donald trump but also in this buys and john bercow saying effectively the president has racist and sexist views and is not fit to come here and contrast that with downing street's approach, theresa may's approach, trying to forge a close relationship with the president. just an hour beforejohn bercow intervened, theresa may in the house of commons said we should engage patiently and constructively with the trump administration. john bercow was applauded by some on the opposition benches who feel he is standing upfor opposition benches who feel he is standing up for the values of this place but one tory mp just said to

me he has completely overstepped the mark. vicki, thank you. meanwhile, some of america's biggest companies have joined the opposition to president trump's controversial travel ban on people from seven mainly muslim countries. almost 100 firms, including apple, google and facebook, have filed legal papers arguing it would inflict significant harm on their businesses. their action follows a flurry of legal activity over the weekend which means the ban is, for the moment, suspended. 0ur north america correspondent nick bryant reports. # god bless america... in a country as deeply divided as america, even patriotic songs aren't as unifying as they seem. # stand beside her... lady gaga kicked off a super bowl half—time show last night lady gaga kicked off her super bowl half—time show last night with god bless america, written by a jewish immigrant, and another song often heard at protests in the 1960s. she didn't make an explicit political statement, but was this high—profile

hillary clinton supporter sending a message to donald trump? one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. welcome to america. you're not wanted here. go back home. even the adverts last night seemed loaded. this pro—immigration message from the brewers at budweiser depicted the arrival of one of the compa ny‘s founders from germany. it's prompted calls for a boycott from some trump supporters. this is the beer we drink. the pre—game entertainment came from an interview with the president and what's seen by members of his own party as a spectacular own goal. do you respect putin? i do respect him. do you? why? well, i respect a lot of people but that doesn't mean i'm going to get along with them. putin's a killer. there are a lot of killers. we got a lot of killers. what, you think our country's so innocent? that statement has caused ructions in washington, with senior republicans rejecting the notion there is moral equivalence between america and russia. putin's a former kgb agent, he's a thug. the russians annexed crimea,

invaded ukraine and messed around with our elections. no, i don't think there's any equivalency between the way the russians conduct themselves and the way the united states does. and the kremlin has also weighed in, complaining about the question characterising the russian president as a killer. all this as immigrants from the mainly muslim countries hit by the travel ban continue to enter america, knowing that the door opened by the legal challenge to the executive order could soon be closed if appeals judges side with the president. side with the president. the appeal will be heard in san francisco, but as with most of the great legal showdowns in america, the case will likely come to the supreme court and the question in dispute has huge ramifications. just how much power does the president have in deciding who comes to this country? nick bryant, bbc news, washington. now are the headlines over diesel

cars finally hitting sales? figures seem to suggest that fears over pollution and health issues are hitting sales. 0ur transport correspondent richard westcott is in central london. richard, just take us through these figures. car sales are still basically very healthy, record highs. they are actually up 2.9% in january compared to the year before, but we are perhaps starting to see a slowing down in diesel sales. they we re slowing down in diesel sales. they were actually down 4.3% injanuary compared to the month before and we are seeing bad trend in a few of the months leading up to christmas as well so i guess the big question is is ita well so i guess the big question is is it a blip or a long—term trend? well, still just about is it a blip or a long—term trend? well, stilljust about half is it a blip or a long—term trend? well, still just about half the is it a blip or a long—term trend? well, stilljust about half the cars we buy our diesels, but one of the number—1 questions i am being asked that the moment by all sorts of people are should i buy a diesel

car? why? because they are worried the government might start taxing diesel a little bit more because it is more polluting. they are also worried that potentially they might start banning them in some city centres. we have seen in paris, mexico city, madrid and happens, the mayors are talking about banning the worst polluting diesel diesels by 2025. so if you are buying a diesel car, you don't want to be paying more to use it or be banned from city centres. there is a budget next month and after that, the following month, we get the government strategy to clean up the areas around towns and cities and it will be interesting to see how much they mentioned diesel. the queen has become the first british monarch to reach a sapphire jubilee — marking 65 years on the throne. this portrait of her majesty in blue, taken a few years ago by british photographer david bailey, has been reissued for the anniversary. and to mark the occasion, there was a 41—gun salute earlier

in london's green park and other salutes around the country. she spent the day of her accession, as she always does every year, at her estate in norfolk. now, he's captained more england test matches than anyone else and is the country's most prolific test match batsman. but, today, alastair cook announced he's stepping down as england captain after five years at the helm. as our sports editor dan roan reports, despite leading the team to two ashes victories, cook's captaincy wasn't without controversy. 4.3 his report contains some flashing images. winning the ashes series 2015, england! as a batsman, prolific, the legacy of alastair cook the captain is less clear. there were historic highs, leading england to two ashes triumphs, but also plenty of lows, the most recent also plenty of lows, the most recent a humbling defeat in india, proving the final straw. in a statement

today, cook said... the man he replaced as captain and then reported to told me that cook had simply had enough. deep down, he was getting drained by the, i suppose, the relentlessness of being england captain. you are the only one who knows how much all of the many demands of being england captain, how much that is taking out of you, and, you know, alastair cook was honest about that and he feels it is time for some new blood, some new impetus. england's longest serving captain, cook led the team ina serving captain, cook led the team in a record 59 tests. despite the burden of opening, who scored almost 5,000 runs as skipper. he won almost 40% of games he captained, not the best record but better than most of his predecessors. he has worked feverishly hard on his technique throughout the years to improve their technique and we see, you

know, fantastic test cricketer, the rock of the england batting for the last decade. like his batting, alastair cook was cautious as captain, sometimes appearing relu cta nt captain, sometimes appearing reluctant leader. the chastening ashes defeat led to a fallout with kevin pietersen. cook, as ever, battled on but since then england have become inconsistent and now need a fresh start. the heir apparent has always beenjoe root but whoever steps into the role, he will be well supported by england's highest ever run scorer. just 32, alastair cook's time as captain may be over. his time at the crease could continue for years to come. time for a look at the weather. here's tomasz schafernaker. george, it is not nice out there, wind and howling gales in northern ireland earlier, costs over 70 mph ina ireland earlier, costs over 70 mph in a pretty nasty in parts of scotla nd in a pretty nasty in parts of scotland as well. further south across the country, not quite so bad but still pretty wet and if the rain

hasn't reached you yet, it is on its way. it has been plaguing western parts of the uk and is marching ever eastwards. let's have a look at the north of the country over the next couple of hours, those gale still blowing well in excess of 50, 60 mph. starting to improve across northern ireland, some snow across the grampian parts of the pennines, and a covering through the course of the night, mostly across the higher—level roots. to the south, we are talking about rain. the winds eventually will these for scotland and northern ireland and ice maybe the problem first thing tomorrow. this is what it looks like first thing on tuesday, temperatures of four or thing on tuesday, temperatures of fouror5 thing on tuesday, temperatures of four or 5 degrees, not especially frosty and we start on a really gloomy note across the eastern areas, not a pleasant day, the wind off the north sea and bits and pieces of rain from east anglia, flirting with the lincolnshire coast line, just about into eastern scotland. in the west, a little bit better but some blobs of rain across wales and the south—west giving some

hailand wales and the south—west giving some hail and thunder. that is the worst period of the week as far as the weather goes in terms of wind and rain, monday and tuesday, by the time we get to wednesday, things do calm down, but it does start to turn colder. easterly winds win, they push out any weather fronts back out in the atlantic, so that means towards the end of the week, we are really going to feel that bitter cold coming in and, yes, there is the risk of a little bit of snow. just how much, we don't know, a little bit too early but maybe, maybe just about a snowman over the hill. a reminder of our main story: the nhs under pressure as never before — nine out of ten hospitals have been overcrowded this winter. that's all from the bbc news at six, so it's goodbye from me and on bbc one, we nowjoin the bbc‘s news teams where you are. this is bbc news. the headlines. no address in parliament for donald trump on his state visit,

says the commons speakerjohn bercow. he cited the president's views on race and sexism, as reasons why there'll be no invitation. as mps begin debating the brexit bill, the prime minister insists britain wants to remain a good friend and ally with the eu, long after it leaves. we wa nt we want a strong and successful european union, that is in our interests and the interests of the whole world. data obtained by the bbc, shows the number of patients on hospital wards in england, has reached unsafe levels at 9 out of 10 hospitals this winter. the situation‘s getting so dire, even paramedics are forced to queue, and patients are sometimes being treated in corridors. a teenager has pleaded guilty to killing an american tourist and injuring five others, during a random knife attack in london last summer. in a moment it will be time for sportsday but first a look