today at 5. .. patients are dying in corridors — the stark warning from more than 60 a&e doctors who've written an open letter to the prime minister. they say conditions are at times intolerable despite the best efforts of staff. i think i was trolley number 12, and two more people came in after me. and they said, we can't take any more trolleys, so the ambulance was then having to wait outside. also — the number of people admitted to hospital with flu has doubled in the last week, gps are seeing almost 80% more cases. we will be discussing the pressures facing the nhs. also today on bbc news at 5... plastic—free supermarket aisles and a 5p bag charge extended to small shops. theresa may lays out her 25—year—plan to improve the environment. rescuers are desperately searching for at least 17 missing people as a further 17 are confirmed dead after the california mudslides. 2017 was the year of logan paul. it

was my rocket fuelled year. not such a great start to 2018 for the vlogger logan paul as youtube cuts its business ties with him, despite his apology for posting a video online of a man who'd taken his own life. it's 5 o'clock, i'm jane hill. our top story... doctors have warned the prime minister that patients are dying in the corridors of accident and emergency units in england and wales. the heads of 68 a&e departments have written to theresa may saying that the current level of safety compromise is at times intolerable, despite the best efforts of staff. and they say that thousands of patients are waiting for hours

in ambulances because hospitals don't have enough space. 0ur health correspondent catherine burns reports. is that the one that you want? yeah. rosie dawson was in severe pain when she went to a&e last week. she had a gynaecological problem and was bleeding heavily, but the hospital was so busy that she was examined on a trolley in a busy corridor. i think i was trolley number 12 and there were trolleys going all the way up. you can't see to someone‘s dignity, you can't ensure they are having a private conversation and that if they break down in tears, which i think i did, i think i'm pretty sure that i cried as well, but you can't look into anybody‘s kind of right to privacy or anything like that. today doctors from almost half the a&e units in england and wales have failed to deliver anywhere near what was needed. they talk about patients dying in hospital corridors under intolerable conditions.

in terms of these winter pressures that we see the nhs under, there have been a number of measures that we have taken that have helped. for example, for the first time ever, urgent gp appointments being available throughout the christmas period. but still, figures from nhs england show that at some point last week, just 3% of hospital trusts in england had enough beds free to provide safe care. they are supposed to have no more than 85% of beds occupied, but on thursday, just four out of 137 trusts were below that safe level. to add to this, more statistics showing that the symbol was the worst month for a&e waiting times 3,000 patients in england were not seen within the four—hour waiting target. and so, a warning that this is a watershed moment for the nhs. we have now clearly reached the point where the nhs cannot meet the standards of care that we would,

all of us in the nhs, ministers included, want to provide. so the key question is, do we abandon those standards, and none of us in the nhs wand to do that, or does the government make the decisions it needs to make about the long—term funding and it needs to make those decisions quickly. authorities in wales and northern ireland say they are under pressure too and a&e waiting times in scotland hit their worst ever levels at the end of december. the message from health care professionals is that despite staff's best efforts, the nhs is chronically underfunded and the government must act soon. catherine burns, bbc news. with me in the studio is saffron cordery, director of policy and strategy at nhs providers. do you recognise the sort of scenario that these 68 department heads have written about in their letter? i think what we know is that

the pressures on the front line are extreme. we know from our member trusts, leaders, chairs and chief executives from up and down the country telling us how tough it is out there. that is why we wrote to jeremy hunt, the secretary of state for health and social care, to ask for health and social care, to ask for him to be responsible for bringing about a long—term funding solution for the nhs. we have reached a watershed moment. solution for the nhs. we have reached a watershed momentm solution for the nhs. we have reached a watershed moment. it is that significant? i suppose my point is that we're notjust that significant? i suppose my point is that we're not just talking that significant? i suppose my point is that we're notjust talking about it again now because it is the winter and we know of the pressures at this time of year? no, we have to recognise that winter is symptomatic ofan nhs recognise that winter is symptomatic of an nhs that is extremely fragile. we have to look at it like that. it is not that winter is causing the nhs to be fragile, it is the other way round. the nhs is fragile and we have defined a sustainable way of funding it so it is fit to do the job that needs to do. you mentioned the health secretary and his new

title, health and social care, to your mind, does that go to the heart of this? calmly times do we hear stories, only people do i interview that talk about the pressure on beds, partly because there aren't the facilities within social care? people are staying in hospital longer than they need to. absolutely, that is the case. we have always said if you cut social ca re have always said if you cut social care the nhs bleeds. it is a really important point that we think about health and social care together. that is why we welcomejeremy hunt's newjob that is why we welcomejeremy hunt's new job title. it that is why we welcomejeremy hunt's newjob title. it is very important that we look at both of these things. most importantly, that we get that commitment to make sure that we have a sustainable funding settle m e nt that we have a sustainable funding settlement and investment in the nhs, and that the government commits to that as soon as possible. to that point, you would know, i am sure, that the department of health makes the point that there has been a 68% increase in the number of a&e co nsulta nts increase in the number of a&e consultants since 2010, the government has recently announced, it says, the largest single

increasing doctor training places in the history of the nhs. so, that is their argument that they are aware that more resources are going in. yellow mark rutte are aware that more resources are going in. what we need is is a commitment to investment now, and a commitment to investment now, and a commitment to investment over the long—term. investment now, and a commitment to investment over the long-term. there is one thing that we are seeing, the mind going through the roof. we have had more people than ever as emergency admissions over this december. 500,000 emergency admissions. we have to tackle demand, grow the workforce and also have the money in place to do that, for health and social care. for both, and it is crucial to keep them together? we have heard one former conservative minister today suggesting an idea, saying, let's look at national insurance. let's raise the level of national insurance so we raise the level of national insurance so we are raise the level of national insurance so we are all paying more, but let's also totally ring fence it and say that you cannot use that for anything other than health care, and

when people pay their national insurance they know it is going towards the nhs. should we be thinking and talking in those terms? i think the most important thing here is for the government to commit to the extra investment and to tell us to the extra investment and to tell us how they are going to invest that money. then we can talk about where it comes from and how we distributed. the most important thing is to say that money is there. i think those suggestions were very interesting, but i think that is further down the line in terms of how we raise that money. what we need to do is have the government telling us that they are going to invest that extra money and, also, that they are going to recognise that they are going to recognise that we really are in a situation where we will lose the hardwood mako gains for the quality of services, we will lose those constitutional standards we have gained. —— we will lose the hard won gains. thank you for coming in. we are

going to stay with health issues. hospitals in england are now seeing very high rates of patients with flu. today's figures relate to the last week and show the rate of admissions to hospital rose by more than 50% in the past week. gps also saw a sharp rise in cases, up 78% on the week before, while deaths from flu remained static, with 27 in the past week. paul cosford from public health england said the number of flu cases didn't amount to a pandemic. pandemic is when you get a completely new strain that we've never experienced before. and, of course, the worry then is that the whole population is susceptible. the strains that we see circulating now, there will be many in the population who have had the same flu before, so there tends to be better immunity against these strains. what i would say is we are seeing high levels. of course that is contributing to the pressures on the nhs and i would like to thank all our nhs staff for the work that

they're doing to treat people who've got the flu. but they're not unprecedented levels. 0ur health correspondent catherine burnsjoins me now. just an these flu figures, we come back to it, it is a bleak time of year. just give us an element of context? let's talk about the numbers. there were very high rates. hospital admissions last week, they we re hospital admissions last week, they were up 78%. 78% more people last week when to their gp because of flu than a week before. that sounds like a massively. in fact, that is more than at any time since 2011. at the same time, hospital admissions went up same time, hospital admissions went up by same time, hospital admissions went up by 50% compared to the week before. this does sound massive. we can't get too overwhelmed. this is not unprecedented. actually, we have had quite low flu figures over the

last few years. really, the last big outbreak was 2010—11. in context, even though the figures are high and there has been a sharp rise, it is not as big as it could be. still, 27 deaths from flu last week. what is being said about the flu vaccine? is there an argument not that people are taking it up, not the right people? it is therefore the vulnerable people, essentially. it is actually quite good for older people. they are pretty good at getting vaccinated. it is other groups that are more of a concern, pregnant women are supposed to get it and less than half of them have. 40% of two—year—olds have had it and they are seen as a vulnerable risk, because children are super spreaders and many have not had it. robert huth england has launched its campaign, they are saying catch it, bin it, kill it. —— public health england. the other issue is that they are encouraging nhs staff to make sure they have the vaccination

as well. thank you very much. the latest flu figures, that were out today. if you want to find out how your local hospital is performing you can use the bbc‘s nhs tracker at www. bbc. co. uk/nhstracker. you can learn much more about your specific trust wherever you live in the country. the prime minister has pledged to eliminate avoidable plastic waste within 25 years as part of a plan to improve britain's environment. she has urged supermarkets to introduce aisles where shoppers can buy products with no plastic packaging. a small charge for disposable plastic bags will also be extended to all shops, notjust big retailers. theresa may called plastic waste one of the great environmental scourges of our time. but environmentalists have criticised the plans,

saying they lack urgency, detail and bite. here's our environment analyst, roger harrabin. there's huge public anxiety about plastic litter, since david attenborough‘s blue planet series revealed sea creatures eating plastic waste. the prime minister's surfing that wave of concern — aiming for votes from young people who care deeply about the environment they will inherit. while the water in our rivers and beaches are cleaner than ever before, around the world 8 million tonnes of plastic makes its way into the oceans each year. she urged supermarkets to introduce aisles where shoppers can buy products with no plastic packaging. a small charge for disposable plastic bags will also be extended to all shops, notjust big retailers. and she announced government funding for plastics innovation. but is mrs may being ambitious enough?

she said all avoidable plastic waste should be stopped by 2042. that's 25 years from now. environmentalists are not impressed. we don't think it's urgent enough, we don't think it's robust enough and we don't think it's detailed enough. the oceans, which are bearing the brunt of our addiction to throwaway plastic, can't wait 25 years for solutions. but plastics form just part of the the government's 25—year plan for the environment launched today. the environment is something personal to each of us. but it is also something which collectively we hold in trust for the next generation, and we have a responsibility to protect and enhance it. but it's a crowded island we live on. woodlands, like here at lodge hill in kent, have been decimated over the decades. this is the uk's prime

site for nightingales, but the local council wants to build much—needed houses on part of it. if housing development was to go ahead at lodge hill, it would constitute the biggest destruction of one of our finest wildlife sites for 25 years. and at a time when the government has clearly expressed a commitment to restoring nature, it seems madness to conceive, let alone to consent, to such a development. a walk in the woods is good for your mental and physical health. the government's acknowledged that. it wants to increase woodland cover, especially near where people live. it wants to bring back wildflower meadows and improve rare habitats like heathlands. but the pressure's on for development. we have a housing target we have to meet of 29,500 between now and 2035 — huge demand in medway and in north kent for housing, affordable housing and a whole housing mix, and those houses have to go somewhere. there's pressure on the natural

world from road—building, too. the department for transport can't foresee a time when new roads won't be needed. the rail line hs2 will damage many ancient woodlands. and the farmers' union is demanding that all prime agricultural land is kept forfarming, not wildlife, to maximise food output. but the government's plan for nature will attempt to bring some nature back to farmland and replenish depleted soils. environmentalists welcome the government's plans to restore britain's nature, but the problem, they say, is that, so far, it isjust a plan. to really convince them, ministers would need to introduce legislation and there seems no sign of that. roger harrabin, bbc news, kent. 0ur chief political correspondent vicki young is in westminster. why the environment? why this topic

now? it is interesting, it is the first time the prime minister has ever made a significant speech on all of this. this idea of a long—term plan for the environment has been in the pipeline for quite a while. in some ways, they are reacting to a change in the public discussion. that is partly because ofa tv discussion. that is partly because of a tv programme, because of that documentary, blue planet. it has got people thinking about it, it is an issue that people do care about because they can say what is going on around them, they can see the pollution. many people want to do something about that. it is also partly to do with the politics of the general election, trying to appeal to maybe younger voters who ca re appeal to maybe younger voters who care about all of this, the conservatives in the election did not do well in the younger categories, if you like. the under a5s , categories, if you like. the under 45s, they hope that talk about this issue, something a bit different

that people care about, could maybe attract a different kind of voter to the conservative party. i think it is also about personality. the fact that michael gove, a big hitter in government terms, is in that department. we have seen a bit of a change. he has raised the profile, and his own profile at the same time, by talking about these issues. what would be very interesting is how far the conservative government is willing to go when it comes to things like new regulations, the possibility of new taxes. there is talk of a new tax on plastic coffee cups that you use once and chuck away. what a conservative government with a tiny minority be willing to ta ke with a tiny minority be willing to take on that challenge is to not michael gove is suggesting that they might. that will be the test on whether they are able to bring in new laws, taxes and regulations to do it. she mentioned blue planet, we are going to be talking to one of the cameramen that worked on that after 5.30. this is bbc news at 5 —

the headlines: patients are dying in corridors, a stark warning from more than 60 a&e doctors who have written an open letter to the prime minister. as we have been discussing, prost leeds plastic free supermarket aisles and the 5p bag charge extended to small shops. theresa may lays out her 25 year plan to try to improve the environment. and rescuers are desperately searching for about a dozen people missing in california mudslides. 17 people are known to have died. in sport, johanna konta will play madison brengle in the opening round of the australian open. kyle edmund is britain's soul male representative and will play kevin anderson. the australian open organisers defend the decision to allow maria sharapova to take part in the draw ceremony at the same venue where she failed a doping test two years ago. and 24—year—old

lancashire batsmen liam livingstone has been given a first call—up to england's test squad for the tour of new zealand. more on those stories in15 new zealand. more on those stories in 15 minutes. lawyers for victims of the serial sex offender john worboys are calling on the crown prosecution service to bring further prosecutions against him. they say 93 cases should be reassessed. worboys was jailed indefinitely in 2009, the parole board has recommended that he should be released after serving about ten years in prison. richard scorer from the victim's lawyers, slater and gordon, joins me now from salford. their good evening. just explain for viewers what you

wa nt to just explain for viewers what you want to see happening now, what you are calling for and the clients you represent are calling for? what happened in this case was thatjohn warboys was prosecuted only in respect of a small fraction of the crimes that he was suspected of committing. many women came forward before the trial who were not included in the indictment, and there were others that came forward after the trial. there are many allegations that have not been prosecuted. what we and the other lawyers involved have done today is right to the crown prosecution service to ask that they review those cases, to see if further prosecutions are possible. you will know, i am sure, that the cps says its decision—making was on the basis of all available evidence, there is no plan to review it, we would considerfurther no plan to review it, we would consider further charging advice if matters referred to it by the police. that is the way the legal system works, isn't it? isn't that

the only option? the police have to give their documents to the cps? we have just seen the cps statement a few minutes ago. 0bviously have just seen the cps statement a few minutes ago. obviously we will consider it with our clients. my immediate reaction is two things. 0ne immediate reaction is two things. one is that the explanation that the cps given as to why further prosecutions were not brought does not seem, to our clients, to be consistent with what they were told at the time. there is an issue there that has to be looked at. the other issue, without getting too technical, is that the cps talks about the evidential test. it is our view that the way that the evidential test might be applied might be different now, because what has happened is we have had one trial, that has established, beyond reasonable doubt, that john trial, that has established, beyond reasonable doubt, thatjohn warboys operated a particular system, a particular modus operandi, in terms of how he drugged and raped vulnerable women. that is evidence that could be produced, potentially, another trial as propensity evidence. these are the things that

the cps come in our view, need to look up properly. we will consider the statement they have pulled out and comment on that. do you believe, and comment on that. do you believe, and do some of the lawyers involved in this case, believe that perhaps some of those cases were not pursued further because he had been given an indeterminate sentence? admittedly, with an 80 minimum term, which is why we are discussing it over the last couple of weeks, but do you think there was a sense at the time, rightly or wrongly, horrific though the experience of the women were, the experience of the women were, the man had been given an indeterminate sentence? that is precisely the explanation that was given to some of the clients at the time. they were told it was not necessary to bring further prosecutions, because he was locked up prosecutions, because he was locked upfora prosecutions, because he was locked up for a very long time. the impression they were given at the time was that he was going to be serving a lot longer than the eight

yea rs serving a lot longer than the eight years that now appears to be the case. you are right, that was the explanation was offered to some of our clients at the time. as i say, it does not seem to be consistent with what the cps is saying now, which is one of the issues we have. thank you very much for your time. we may talk about this again. the prime minister's spokesman says britain will not hold a second eu referendum after nigel farage said he's warming to the idea. the former ukip leader and brexit campaigner told channel five's the wright stuff programme that he is close to backing a second brexit vote to end what he called the "whinging and whining" of anti—brexit campaigners. let's return now to one of our top stories , the prime minister's aim to eliminate avoidable plastic waste within 25 years. we have been discussing the issue of

plastic and plastic waste a lot today. let's speak to barry turner, director of the plastics and flexible packaging group, which represents the uk plastic packaging industry. do you fear that yourjob and your industry is somewhat threatened today after what theresa may says she would like to achieve? well, we support the notion that we should move rapidly towards a circular economy for plastics and we wanted to see an end to the leakage of plastics into the wider environment. so, we are quite supportive of the comments. we were somewhat surprised that she made reference to the plastic free aisles, because typically the products you find in supermarkets, that you shop and take home, they are not the products that lea k home, they are not the products that

leak into the wider environment. because people... well, it is a touchstone issue, because people look at fruit and vegetables which, when we were children, for the most part, they were not wrapped up in the way they were now, and will think, really, do i need to buy four apples wrapped in plastic? i am sure people say this to you all the time. what is the reasoning for it? supermarkets are in business to sell products, not to sell packaging. they will use the least amount of packaging to do the job. and to ensure that the product arrives in the consumer's home fresh and ready to be consumed. they have found through practice that if you sell product loose, a lot of it gets wasted because it gets bruised and consumers tend to select items because they look better or they have not got bruising. supermarkets

will only package something if they get a benefit. you might get a situation where you give with one hand but take with the other? you say it is not this kind of packaging that ends up scattered on skis and democracy shores. —— scattered on the seashore. we have said to government that we should concentrate on items that are more prone to leak into the wider environment. if you look at those sort of products, you are looking at the products that will find their way through waste management systems in terms of sewerage, like cotton buds, and look at the products of we consume on the go, when we are out and about consuming food and ring. that can lead to letter, it can end

up that can lead to letter, it can end up in ouroceans, that can lead to letter, it can end up in our oceans, and does, in some cases. we want to see a really determined action in that space, where there is an opportunity to act and reduce all litter. do you think your industry is doing enough in terms of research into biodegradable is, making every effort to develop products that biodegrade more quickly than they do now? is there more are “— quickly than they do now? is there more are —— research that can be done? there is a lot that can be done. we want to get all of that material back and recycled. i was at a company today that could lead to a breakthrough in recycling in this country. so, there is an awful lot of work being done in that space. in terms and compostable, that in terms of biodegradable and compostable, there is a lot that can be done, but

it is not the solution. we have to stop material finding it is not the solution. we have to stop materialfinding its way it is not the solution. we have to stop material finding its way into the wider environment, we have to get it back and put it to work. good to talk to you. in california rescue teams are searching for 17 people who are still missing after the flash floods and mud slides on tuesday. 17 people are known to have died when a torrent of mud carrying boulders the size of small cars smashed through the town of montecito. over 100 homes have been destroyed. the area in santa barbara county was onlyjust recovering from the recent devastating wildfires. 0ur north american correspondent james cook is there. in montecito, they are still combing the ruins, looking for survivors. but with every hour that passes, hope fades. the surge of mud and debris was just too powerful. it consumed everything before it, turning homes to matchwood. we had, you know, between us, a dear friend that didn't make it. he lives upstream. and that was brutal.

they got blown right out of the house. his wife is still alive. the kids are traumatised, of course. it came really close. it came right up to our hedges. thank god that it didn't take out our home or our car and our children are safe. but, yeah, our neighbours weren't as fortunate. more than 500 firefighters and other rescue teams have been working around the clock, hoping beyond hope that they can still save lives. i have been a firefighter for 26 years. yeah, for most people that are here on this incident, we have never seen an event like this. parts of the town are still cut off, but some residents have been returning to inspect the damage. the house being gone isjust a house, you know. it'sjust some clothes in a house. but in a neighbourhood this small, every single name that turns up is someone's dad, someone's cousin, someone's teacher, and that's got to be the worst part of it all, i think. i'm just happy for everyone that makes it. the sky lit up because some buildings have blown up. the gas mains, it turns out. here is all this fire coming down, and fire going up,

and here is all this rain coming down, and you wonder, what's happening? i mean, it was an incredible experience. that was the bunny that i missed catching. oh, my gosh. i was in the kitchen, trying to get out through the back when we saw the wall of water coming. i couldn't reach her. we had our dog. grabbed our dog. we grabbed our dog by the collar, but missed the cats and the cat and the bunny and the water hit and knocked out... went to our house, took everything. but somehow, in the cage... the firefighters found her and we found this on top of our car. i thought i would find a dead bunny in it, but she was alive. amazing. the mudslide didn't just claim lives, it paralysed this part of california. this is the main motorway along the pacific coast, the 101 freeway. police say it will not be open until monday at the earliest.

the trauma will last much longer. this james cook, bbc news, montecito. here's helen willets. joining me for a look at our own weather prospects, starting with a thought of what people are going through there? the good news in terms of the recovery operation is that high pressure is building, there is dry weather for the next few days. here in the uk it is mostly dry as well. a stagnant weather picture, a real contrast in the weather today. those in the west with some beautiful sunshine, a really lovely day. in stark contrast we've had clouds stuck across the east of the country. it has been raining in the south—east, persistent drizzle, it is really wet out there. a contrast under what it is fairly benign

conditions but the fault is the main issue again. thickening up, freezing fog with temperatures close to freezing in the countryside. the difference as we go into tomorrow is the wind picks up across northern ireland. it gets rid of the fog more quickly and it could help to overturn the cloud elsewhere. providing some brighter spells here and there but we need to get rid of that morning fog first and it will not be particularly warm, like today, 6—8d is typical but it looks set to get much colder, wet and windy into next week. but do watch out for the fog. this is bbc news — the headlines. patients are dying in corridors — the stark warning from more than 60 a&e doctors who've written an open letter to the prime minister. they say conditions are at times intolerable despite the best efforts of staff. plastic—free supermarket aisles and a 5p bag charge

extended to small shops — theresa may lays out her 25 year plan to improve the environment. rescuers are desperately searching for eight people still missing in the california mudslides. 17 people are know to have died. dozens of homes have been destroyed after heavy rains hit the area. 2017 was the year of logan paul, this was my rocket fuel year! not such a great start to 2018 for the vlogger logan paul as youtube cuts its business ties with him — despite his apology for posting a video online of a man who'd taken his own life. we are going to talk more about the plastics story in the next little while, i will be speaking to a cameraman who worked on blue planet.

that's coming up but now time for the sports news. sarahjoins us now. thank you. starting with news that... kyle edmund and johanna konta face tough opening tests in tennis‘s australian open. edmund, the only british man in the draw following andy murray's withdrawal, faces 11th seed kevin anderson. while konta will face the american madison brengle, a player she has a poor record against. with more, here's our tennis correspondent russell fuller... johanna konta has won only one of four matches. she's an awkward opponent, she is 83 places below johanna konta but ifjohanna konta makes progress to the second week, she will have some very challenging matches. but given how she finished last season, winning five matches in a row, she would relish that opportunity. she has a very good record. she could play karolina pliskova in the next round and current world number one simona halep in the quarterfinals. that's a conversation for another day.

heather watson starts against the world number 50, a player ranked slightly higher than she is. it will just be kyle edmund for great britain, it is tough against evan anderson. they ultimately lost in five sets, but the advantage is if he is one of these people who believes that the glass is half full rather than half empty, he could beat anderson in the opening round that he is playing well, it assuming his ankle scare from last week's events in brisbane is not a major concern. he could find himself in reasonably favourable sections of the draw afterwards. the nba comes to london tonight as the boston celtics and philadelphia 76ers go head to head at the 02 arena. for more build up to that we can head now to holly hamilton who's there for us.

good evening, this is only the eighth regular season for nba games to ta ke eighth regular season for nba games to take place here it is fair to say, they have really brought their a—game, think back to the start of the season when they thought it would beat the philadelphia 76ers featuring in this london fixture, now two of the most exciting teams in the league. the celtics top—seeded in this. what an incredible season their star player has had, ever since he was brought over not that long ago from their rivals, cleveland. he may have been stuck in the shadow of lebronjames at that point, he has stepped out the shadow since then. averaging 2a points and five assists per game. as for the 76ers, boasting a wealth of young talent, four of the most exciting prospects of the nba in

that team under the age of 24. you can see how popular the sport has become here. tickets for tonight sold out in less than an hour. last night i spoke to the nba commissioner who said that european expansion was a priority but it's unlikely we will see a london—based nba team any time soon... if you said to me 15 years ago that by 2018 you could have a team in london or europe i would have said is fairly likely but we've learned more about the impact of travel, changing time zones, fatigue, on our players, especially in correlation with injuries. we've now gone the other way. it isn't something that we are rolling out, it may be that over time, as its popularity grows, we have two revamp our schedule from the first day of the season to the la st the first day of the season to the last day. there's no doubt that innovation of all kinds will have an impact on our ability to be a global business. apologies for the

technical issues there, we will try and sort them out through the evening and holly will keep us updated on that nba game. finally... james vince and mark stoneman have kept their places in england's test squad for the tour of new zealand, despite struggling with the bat in that ashes defeat. bowler mark wood is also back in the 16—man squad while there's a first test call—up for 24—year—old lancashire batsman liam livingstone. the newly appointed lancashire captain has shot to prominence with big scores in the one day game, but he says he can adjust to life as a test player. a lot of people see me as a white ball cricketer wearers myself, i see myself the other way around. my stats would show that my actual strength is in red bull cricket. i've already had a taste of international experience with the twe nty20 international experience with the twenty20 pull this year and it would be nice to go into this environment this time with more confidence in my game. that's all the sport for now.

you can find more on all those stories on the bbc sport website. that's bbc.co.uk/sport and we'll have more for you in sportsday at 6.30. thank you. more now on the new environment strategy outlined by the prime minister this morning, which was targeted at changing our throwaway culture, especially when it comes to plastic. the main pledge is to eradicate all avoidable plastic waste in the uk within the next 25 years. although labour joined environmental groups in saying the target lacked urgency. in order do so this, supermarkets will be urged to introduce "plastic—free" aisles, where all the good are sold loose. taxes will be considered on single—use items, such as takeaway containers. the five pence charge on plastic carrier bags will be extended to all shops in england, not just the major retailers. and there was also a commitment to use the foreign aid budget to help developing nations tackle pollution and reduce plastic waste. here's some of what theresa may had to say this morning. the uk will demonstrate global

leadership. we must reduce the demand for plastic, reduced the number of plastics in circulation and improve recycling rates. we will ta ke and improve recycling rates. we will take action at every stage of the production and consumption of plastic. as it is produced we will encourage manufacturers to take responsibility for the impacts of their products and rationalise the number of different types of plastic that they use. part of theresa may's announcement. earlier today the scottish government said it would ban the sale and manufacture of plastic—stemmed cotton buds. it's another aspect of a groundswell of policy changes to tackle the issue. we've been to south london to hear the public‘s view on the plastic problem. when you go into a supermarket and you see how much wrapping is put on produce, it is ridiculous. that is the one thing that has happened. it has made me stop using large supermarkets. something needs to be

done about it. i'm not sure these plastic bags are going to work. you need something bigger than that. straws are the worst, i use them. it is so easy to you is a hard straw and not the ones that you throw away over and over and not the ones that you throw away overand overand and not the ones that you throw away over and over and over. some opinions from earlier today. well it's pictures like these, on the bbc‘s blue planet 2, that have raised the profile of the issue. here's a clip from the series which illustrates the impact plastic can have on wildlife. we have some plastic that this check has had to bring up. —— chick. a plastic bag. some food packaging, it looks like rice. this chick managed to get it out of his stomach,

fingers crossed there isn't any more plastic left in there. a tiny segment from blue planet. joining me now from plymouth is hugh miller, who worked all over the world on blue planet 2, as an underwater cameraman. it is fantastic that you could speak to us tonight. i should say thank you for the extraordinary work that you for the extraordinary work that you and the team did, its been the most remarkable series. i wonder if you started all of your filming for that and had any sense that it would raise awareness in the way that it has done? it has come, to me, as a huge surprise. it's not the first time i've touched on this issue before but the response to it has been quite overwhelming and it should be encouraged. i'm incredibly thankful it has had that impact. and that a film has had that kind of impact. when you were filming you went all over the world, where there are things that you saw that amazed

you, did you have any sense that the problem, in some parts, was the scale that it is? what strikes you about this? plastic rubbish is something that i find worldwide, at every shoot i go on, it is there in some degree or another. in some places it is much worse than others. it is an increasing problem. it spreads. it doesn't go away. it is just building and building. it is horrible to have to start every shoot, if you are filming a particular area, by basically litter picking for 30 minutes to get all of the rubbish away before you can start to fill. —— film. you and your tea m start to fill. —— film. you and your team have to do that? you are an underwater specialist, you have to spend time clearing detritus away if

you are going to get unacceptable shop that you can use? in some areas there is so much rubbish you wouldn't be able to film or have any clear shot at all without doing that. remind us of the damage this causes? we are speaking about it now as if it is the visual clutter but it is more serious than that to certain species? the visual clutter has been known about for a long time. the ingestion by sea birds and marine mammals, and marine reptiles is devastating to them at an individual level and as a whole population. you have populations of sea birds starving, they are gorging on floating plastic. it has devastating consequences. u nfortu nately devastating consequences. unfortunately when plastic breaks down, there is the micra plastic problem too. some plastics are

designed to break down in the mistaken belief that solves the problem. it doesn't, you have the micra plastic problem. they are eaten by zoo plankton —— microplastics problem. they move up the food chain. at whatever size it is, drastic is a huge issue. does it break your heart when you are working? it does. there are times, when you see it, it is therefore an indefinite period of time. it isn't going away. you think, when will it end? we have to stop using it and stop letting it end up in the ocean and we had to clear up what there is. has your

experiences changed your habits and yourfamily ‘s experiences changed your habits and your family ‘s habits? do experiences changed your habits and yourfamily ‘s habits? do you think more about what you are buying and consuming and how it is thrown away? has it made a practical impact?m has had a huge impact on me, i'd choose unwrapped products, i use reasonable cups, steel water bottles, that kind of thing. i personally have changed a lot of habits to reduce or stop using these single use plastics. hugh miller, thank you so much for talking to us. hugh miller, the underwater cameraman who worked on blue planet universal credit is the biggest welfare reform in decades. but teachers and charities are warning that the new benefit could cause chaos in the provision of free school meals in england. they believe that plans to link

eligibility for the free meals to household earnings — which often fluctuate — will also undermine the core principal of the universal credit, that work always pays. 0ur social affairs correspondent, michael buchanan reports. breakfast time at a south london school, a handy aid to working families and those struggling to get by. around half the pupils at charlton manor primary get free school meals, a by—product of getting certain benefits. but universal credit which families can move on and off when earnings change could make it hard for the school to know who is eligible. it would be very complicated for the school and we would find it hard to be able to monitor and follow that. parents would not understand. one week we are asking for money, the following month, we are not, and i think they would be confused. it is confusing for the school, for the parents, and it is not a good way of doing it. the school has invested heavily

in giving children healthy food, currently all families who get universal credit can get free school meals. the department for education plans to restrict provision. in future, families whose earnings are less than £7400 a year before benefits will qualify. the school has a complete commitment to healthy eating, it has its own garden for growing vegetables, it has even got chickens forfresh eggs. what campaigners say is that the consultation was an opportunity for the government to reassess free school meals, to see them not as a cost but as an investment in the future, to help tackle in particular the growing problem of childhood obesity. as universal credit is rolled out across the country, ministers say it is unaffordable to give all families on the benefit free school meals — it would cost about £600 million. they say their plans will see 50,000 more children getting free food than currently do so,

but charities take a dim view of the planned restrictions. there is evidence it increases attainment, it increases concentration in the afternoon, and for most of the children in poverty it can mean the difference between getting a nutritious meal in that day and not getting anything at all. a consultation on these plans for england ends today. similar restrictions have been announced for scotland and northern ireland. whatever the benefits of free school meals, the cost of extending provision is deciding policy. michael buchanan, bbc news, south london. christmas sales figures for retailers have presented a mixed bag this season. marks and spencer sales fell over the key christmas period, while tesco reported record festive trade. a number of major retailers have alluded to difficulties in the market and tough trading conditions. our business correspondent emma simpson reports now on the winners and losers. it worked out all right in the end, didn't it?

it did, too, for britain's biggest retailer. despite a few problems with their turkeys, tesco's christmas sales were up. food has long been a bright spot for marks & spencer — a premium product. but this christmas quarter, sales went into reverse. the grocers have done well. there is food inflation and we also buy a lot of food over christmas because of entertaining and just eating. so it is very disappointing that m&s hasn't matched the rest of the grocers and i think that's a lot to do with its competition producing very good premium ranges at low prices. so it is up against a challenging market, and of course its clothing hasn't been doing well either. christmas — it feels like a long time ago now. for retailers, it can be make or break. here on the high street it's been incredibly challenging. consumers have less money to spend. house of fraser has been really feeling the pressure. it has seen another fall in sales today. but, as ever, there are winners

and losers and this one is in the winner's camp. there is demand there, you just have to find it and create the conditions where people want things and of course that comes down to having fabulous products. it means being brilliant in terms of the experience people get in your shops has never been more important, and it means you have to be outstanding at online and shops and that is something we work very hard to do. in nottingham, shoppers seem to be careful in parting with their cash. i had a budget and we tried to stick to it as far as possible. i did it all online, because i didn't want to be in the rush of everyone. normally you can look at deals that pop up, normally via facebook, and a different site will be doing certain a percentage off, or e—mails, and then i will go onto the site and have a look through. no surprise then that online accounted for a quarter of our non—food shopping last month. boohoo, the small but fast—growing

retailer, has seen its sales soar and expects growth of 90% in 2018. that is something they can only dream of on the high street. the sales are on. after a quarter that has been farfrom golden, and this year could be just as tough as the last one. video bloggers — or vloggers as they're known — can do big business online on sites such as youtube. some of the most famous post videos which are watched by millions and millions of people around the world. but now youtube has cut some business ties with the video blogger logan paul, after he was heavily criticised for posting a video appearing to show the body of a suicide victim. this report from our correspondent chi chi izundu. # girl, what you trying to do? # because i don't have a clue...# he's one of the most popular video bloggers on youtube.

15 million subscribers watch his comedy vlogs. but last night, youtube said it was cutting some business ties with logan paul over a video he posted at the end of last month. the video, which we can't show, featured the dead body of a man who appeared to have taken his own life. it had been viewed millions of times before logan removed it from his channel. in a statement, youtube acknowledged it had taken a long time to respond, but that it also had been listening to comments and criticisms. it added that it recognised the actions of one creator could affect the whole community and it said it would soon announce steps to make sure any similar videos were never circulated again. i have made a severe and continuous lapse of myjudgment and i don't expect to be forgiven. i'm simply here to apologise. youtube said that they would put on hold projects with the 22—year—old

and that they would no longer feature his channel on the google preferred programme. effectively, lowering his advertising profile with top brands. logan paul isn't the only one being criticised. anger is being directed towards youtube with questions like, why they didn't take down the offending post initially in the first place, why it took them so long to even issue a statement in response, and why his channel is still up on their platform, allowing him to make money from advertising. at 22 years old, i bought my first house for $6.5 million... last year, forbes magazine estimated logan paul's wealth atjust over £9 million. but with youtube's sanction, it's still not clear whether that will shrink considerably. chi chi izundu, bbc news. much more on all of today's stories coming up in a moment on the 6pm news. but now we will catch up with

the weather prospects. here's helen willets. good weather prospects if you like snow for next week, and win, and rain... -- snow for next week, and win, and rain... —— and wind. but there is stag na nt rain... —— and wind. but there is stagnant fog through the rest of the week, the lack of wind means it does not clear. we did have some glorious sunshine today, this was the west of the country and the east of the country, there are some dreary and damp conditions across south—eastern parts of the country but in the west, some breaks in the cloud. what is happening, the sun goes down, and fog is forming. patchy and dense fog develops as we go through the night. the last not clearing in northern ireland. a hazard here. temperatures in freezing in towns and cities. freezing fog is what you have to content with for this commute. some

fog around first thing in northern ireland but it will lift readily. also on the western fringes, but for many, parts of north—west england and eastern wales, the west midlands and eastern wales, the west midlands and down to the west country, areas highlighted as having thick patches orfog which highlighted as having thick patches or fog which affects the main motorway networks. so we do have some nasty travel conditions to come, further eastwards with our weather front, fog at low levels as well. a mixed bag, a dog's dinner with the weather tomorrow. with all of that cloud, it is thick enough for drizzly rain but not for all. the wind strength and, it blows some brea ks the wind strength and, it blows some breaks in the cloud but it also brings a threat in at tea—time. through tomorrow evening and overnight, it turns wet across northern ireland, wet and windy and through the course of saturday, on the western fringes of england and wales but further east it is largely

dry. a week weather front that we have had this week, a lot of cloud, temperatures of six or 7 degrees, not feeling very pleasant. sunday, there is a lot of dank weather around. grey and drizzly and later in the day, things turned more settled. we have a spell of wet weather and gale force winds pushing southwards. behind that, this cold blast of arctic air, a risk of snow in creases. as for what is happening over the next 24 hours, fog is the main concern. a stark claim by doctors — winter pressures have left patients dying prematurely in hospital corridors. they say safety in a&e units in england and wales is being compromised at a sometimes "intolerable" level. there is a clear emergency and what a number of other observers have clearly described as a crisis. the doctors' warning comes as a&e waiting time targets in england

and wales hit their lowest level in 14 years. also on tonight's programme. the plastic pollution problem — the government lays out plans to cut out all unnecessary plastic use. the desperate search continues for those still unaccounted for after the california mudslides. iam22 i am 22 years old... the vlogger punished by you tube — after posting film of a suicide victim for his millions of followers.