hello this is breakfast, with louise minchin and dan walker. more cold weather sweeps the uk as the "beast from the east" tightens its grip. drivers and rail users are facing more disruption this morning with warnings there's worse on the way. this morning there is ice on the roads to content with, it is a bitterly cold start. some of us will not see much snow, but some of us will see a lot. the met office has put out amber warning areas again with 10-15 put out amber warning areas again with 10—15 centimetres falling, some more than that. a round—up in 15 minutes. we are live in the worst affected areas and this is the bbc‘s building in london as the freezing weather continues. good morning, it's wednesday the 28th of february. also this morning: downing street insists there'll be no hard border in ireland as the eu prepares to unveil its plan

for life after brexit. today is crunch—time for one of the most recognisable names on the high street — toys r us could go into administration today if it doesn't find a buyer or get the cash it needs to pay a tax bill. more than 3200 jobs are at risk. i will have the details shortly. and the ghostly sillouettes that are appearing across the country to mark a hundred years since the end of the great war. swa nsea swansea city's manager was not born when they last reached the fa cup quarterfinals. they have made it through for the first time since 1964 thanks to victory over sheffield wednesday last night. the uk is waking up to another morning of freezing conditions after temperatures fell to minus ten in some areas overnight. the cold weather has already caused major distruption, but forecasters say the worst is yet to come, with warnings in place until the weekend. here's our correspondent jon donnison with more. the so—called beast from the east

has already left much of britain under a blanket of snow. this is kent, which has received some of the worst of the weather so far. on the ground it has been a much less pretty picture for drivers, with the police reporting scores of accidents across the country. today again conditions on the roads are expected to be treacherous. weather warnings forice to be treacherous. weather warnings for ice and snow are in place for much of the uk. they are expected to remain until the weekend. yorkshire and the north east have seen some of the heaviest snowfall. with more expected today many schools are likely to stay close. when i was younger the snow was thicker and we still manage to get to school.” think it is the teachers who cannot get in. that is the problem in this area because of the outlying villages that the teachers come from. for britain's homeless, this

is in central london, it was another tough night, temperatures down to -10 tough night, temperatures down to —10 in some parts and feeling much colder in the wind. the elderly also are vulnerable. in hull extra staff at meals on wheels services are being brought in to deliver hot food. i cannot get out to get meals and things. so it isjust food. i cannot get out to get meals and things. so it is just wonderful. the only complaint i have got is they never bring you a drop of brandy! and over the next few days that might be needed. forecasters say they expect no letup in the freezing weather and at least the weekend. jon donnison, bbc news. jon donnison, bbc news. serious issues for lots of people and we will be discussing the weather throughout the programme and weather throughout the programme and we have got reported in yorkshire and as well. we would love to see some of your pictures. we will repeat that. the latest

travel news and school closures in your area. tune into your bbc local radio station and you will get all that information. we will have weather every half an hour of cause and we will keep you up to date with everything. we will show you the scenes about what is going on around the uk. the european union's chief brexit negotiator michel barnier will outline the progress made on negotiations later today. the 120—page document is expected to focus on northern ireland and any possible future role for the european court ofjustice. the report comes just hours after a leaked letter from the foreign secretary indicated a possible change of heart on the issue of a hard border with ireland. we will hear from adam flemings in

we will hear from adam flemings in brussels in a moment. we can speak now to the bbc‘s political correspondent eleanor garnier in westminster. it is about borisjohnson once again. it is and i think he thought he was being helpful but he seems to have put his foot in it because he used a potentially toxic phrase. in his letter which has been leaked to sky news, the foreign secretary says to the prime minister, 95% of traffic would still pass across the border between the northern ireland and the republic and checked if there was a hard border. it is that last bit, if there was a hard border, that has allowed critics to suggest that boris johnson border, that has allowed critics to suggest that borisjohnson and maybe the government also has been considering a regime

of physical infrastructure at the border. that is why that idea would bea border. that is why that idea would be a complete anathema to republicans, nationalists, to this irish government, and that is why downing street moved so quickly to saveit downing street moved so quickly to save it has not changed and theresa may wants as frictionless and movement as possible across the border and they would not consider a ha rd border and they would not consider a hard border. one of the issues put forward is to keep northern ireland alive with eu regulations. that is something the dup, who support theresa may needs, will not sign up to. they say the government cannot do that. the issue of the irish border will be the most difficult to solve when it comes to brexit and at every turn it will be extremely difficult for the extremely difficult for the prime minister. our europe reporter adam flemming is in brussels. we have been discussing this for many months now. are we any closer together on this? for brexit geeks like me today is a bit like christmas morning. we are about to unwrap the first draft of the treaty

that theresa may will sign at one point with a posh pen which will ta ke point with a posh pen which will take the uk out of the eu on march 2019. this document will turn the political pledges made in december by both sides into tight, legally watertight language in a treaty. it will be 120 pages, it will have protocols and articles, it will not be light reading. it is very symbolic because this will be the document that seals the deal eventually when it is finalised. in terms of the substance, all the stuff eleanor was talking about will be important. she was talking about full alignment in ireland and the republic of ireland and it is option c, the least favourite option. the question is how much detail is there about the preferred options. expect about the preferred options. expect a lot about the european court of

justice because this is the eu negotiators version of the document that still has to be negotiated with the uk. there will be plenty of areas of disagreement between them. good luck with your very special christmas present this morning! a couple of big high street names could be on the brink of collapse this week with both toys r us and maplin hoping to find buyers. maplin employes 2500 staff and has 200 shops but has made losses for the past few years. toys " r" toys "r" us employs around 3000 workers and if you go to any town or shopping centre you will see these. they are big names and they both have the same problem, they owe a lot of money and they have not got the cash to pay off those debts. toys " r" the cash to pay off those debts. toys "r" us had a deadline from yesterday to pay a £15 million vat bill. they have a parent company and they were hoping that that would help them, or they would have to

sell the business. it looks like neither of those options have come to fruition. now it is a case of them possibly going into administration where they would sell off as much of the business as they can. but that puts over 3000 jobs in jeopardy. toys "r" us is a huge business. i was talking about them in december because they have had problems for a while and they were looking at restructuring the business and they announced they would close 26 stores to help them get money together. but that has not worked. similarly at maplin it is the same situation. they have not got the cash they need to be able to pay the debts they have, so they will also be looking at somebody who can buy the business. they have been in talks with various companies about that, but it looks like neither company is getting anywhere in terms of being able to pay off those debts. it is a lot of worry

for the people who work there. as and when we get the news i will be telling you more about that. public satisfaction with gp services has fallen to the lowest levels ever recorded, according to a new survey. the findings from the british social attitudes survey show people in england, scotland and wales having concerns around a lack of funding and staff shortages. here's our health correspondent dominic hughes. each working day more than a million of us will access the nhs through oui’ of us will access the nhs through our local gp. of us will access the nhs through ourlocalgp. in of us will access the nhs through our local gp. in previous surveys of public attitudes to the health service they have been the most highly rated, but the most recent poll shows a significant fall in satisfaction, mirroring the overall picture of the nhs. the annual survey shows overall satisfaction at 5796 survey shows overall satisfaction at 57% is down by 6%, the lowest since 2011. gp services, normally top of the poll, fell by 7% to 65%, the

lowest since the survey began in 1983. staff shortages and a lack of funding were two of the main reasons people pay for being dissatisfied. we know people are increasingly dissatisfied with their access to getting gp appointments and so on, so getting gp appointments and so on, so there is something to be done. it is not just about so there is something to be done. it is notjust about money so there is something to be done. it is not just about money to fix the problem is, that these are the things the public notice and care about and it is something the government should also notice and ca re government should also notice and care about. overall satisfaction levels with the nhs are still higher than in the 19905 and the department of health and social care point5 than in the 19905 and the department of health and social care points out the majority of patients are satisfied with the nhs. but gps say underinve5tment and a shortage of doctors is now having an impact on their patients. president trump's 5on—in—law and senior adviser, jared ku5hner, has had his security clearance at the white house downgraded. having previously had a leading role in the administration mr ku5hner now won't be able to view 5en5itive documents. there's speculation his previous business dealings may be the reason

for his change of status. a supermarket in amsterdam i5 opening what it says is the world's first plastic—free aisle. an environmental campaign group helped replace plastic packaging with biodegradable materials on around 700 products. the company says it hopes to expand the trial to all its 75 stores by the end of the year. mel b has revealed that the spice girls have been invited to the wedding of prince harry and meghan markle. appearing on a us talk show, 5he declined to comment on whether the group would be performing at the royal wedding in may. the news comes after report5 that the five members of the group reunited recently for the first time since 2012. that would be something. if you are spice girl fan of a certain age that is big news, that they are

re—forming, even bigger than going to the royal wedding. it is big news in my house. my it is big news in my house. my daughter '5 estimation mark you are over 25 years of age! everyone is doing their bit to deal with the cold temperatures and swa nsea with the cold temperatures and swansea last night, they were giving out free tea and coffee to the fans. it was very nice. if you are making a journey and sitting in a cold seat, and it worked because swansea beat sheffield wednesday. swansea have reached the fifth round of the fa cup for the first time in more than half a century. that was before their manager carlos carvalhal was born. that was before their manager carlos carvalhal was born. they beat sheffield wednesday 2—0 at the liberty stadium, and they'll face either tottenham or rochdale next, who play their match tonight. england are a man down afterjason

roy went for eight, but morgan and there still are looking good. ryder cup captain, thomas bjorn, will partner solheim cup skipper, catriona matthew, in this year's golfsixes tournament. it'll be the first time women golfers play in a men's european tour team event. and cyclists laura and jason kenny are both back in action today. they've brought their six—month—old baby albie with them to the track cycling world championships in the netherlands. they're two of seven olympic champions in the great britain squad. interesting they have opted not to stay in the team hotel because they have got their baby with them. six months is really impressive. iamso six months is really impressive. i am so glad. she was speaking to jessica ennis—hill about tips over coming back after a baby. i wonder whether she has to take the

rings off. they flip it round and wear it on the underside. if they were to lose the mini second, somebody would say, it was the ring, you are not streamlined enough. our main story is of course, what is going on with the weather. here's carol with a look at this morning's weather. first of all, it is a bitterly cold start to the day. temperatures fell to minus 11 so there is the risk of ice on untreated surfaces. some of us ice on untreated surfaces. some of us won't see any snow at all. some will see a little, some will see some sunshine but some will see some significant snow. that is where we have the met office amber be prepared weather warnings. you can

see where they are, northern and eastern scotland, the central belt. eastern england in the direction of cumbria. we could see a further ten to 15 centimetres of snow fall in this area with the amber warning. this one, five to ten centimetres in some places. this expires this morning at ten o'clock. on the chart, it has been snowing heavily overnight in glasgow. likely to see some disruption today. we will also see some of the snow getting over towards the west. through the course of the day, as the wind comes to a south—easterly, snowfall across southern parts of cornwall, devon and for example, dorset. when you add on the wind, not only will the snow blow, it will feel cold. regardless of what the temperature says on your thermometer, this is how it will feel if you step outside. minus 12 is brutally cold.

in the evening and overnight period, we continued the snow in the warning areas in the north and east of scotland, central belt on southern parts of scotland and also north—east england. further south, wintry showers blowing across the country and the wind will pick up. it will be a cold night. temperatures lower than this where we have lying snow and in the countryside and we could see temperatures into minus double figures. the risk of ice. on thursday, more weather warnings. still the same area we are looking at today, that one is valid until 6pm on thursday. then we have this new one for snow and wind coming across wales on southern parts of england. this is actually what is called storm emma, named by the portuguese met service. it is called storm emma, named by the portuguese iv and 5rvice. it is called storm emma, named by the portuguese iv and it vice. it is called storm emma, named by the portuguese iv and it will it is called storm emma, named by the portuguese iv and it will it pushing across france and it will be pushing this way. as for its eastern extent,

still open to question, because it just needs to sway a bit towards the west or a little bit more towards the east and the areas covered by snow will change. what we think is able, across the south west and wales, which is where we will see the heaviest snow, there will be blizzards as well. it will clip potentially the capital as it continues to push in the direction of northern ireland. elsewhere we still have a weather warning so there will be more snow falling across northern and eastern scotland, central scotland and north—east england, heading in the direction of cumbria. with the strong winds, it is going to feel more like this. again, brutally cold. as we head into friday, still connected to storm emma, at the snow and rain and it will continue to advance northwards as we go through the course of the day. so, some disruptive snow on the cards for the next few days anyway. who are going to askew to explain

how you work out the feels like. great. some warm tried to explain it last night using the wind speed as a multiplier and we were both a bit confused. so we thought, we will ask why carol about it. there is a picture on the front page of the guardian. so dramatic. the cloud above london and snow and ice hits the uk. the uk is set to remain cold throughout the week. front page of the times, they have a picture of people on the southend seafront.

the main story for them is about brexit. theresa may will warn eu leaders not to use brexit to break up leaders not to use brexit to break up the uk. also northern ireland must remain in a customs union. daily telegraph, boris raises prospect of a hard border with ireland. and in clayton in west sussex, taming the beast is the headline there. some people getting in touch with us this morning saying it is not the beast from the east, it is not the beast from the east, it is just it is not the beast from the east, it isjust a it is not the beast from the east, it is just a winter weather. it is a media term used to spin the weather into a bigger story. some people, it is affecting them badly. i was about to say that. sorry, i must let you get a word in. talking about elton john, apparently his late mother handed her son a final snub by giving a chunk of her fortune to the

pa who fuelled their feud. because of the weather, our demand for gas has shot up. good morning everyone. the demand for gas is set to surge to its highest level. the bodies about that is, where the man goes up, prices go up. —— bad news. talking about the fa ct up. —— bad news. talking about the fact we're likely to see energy bills go up because of the pressure from the bad weather. it is so annoying. later will we be talking about that exact thing. it is important to keep your house is warm and i was talking to my gp about it. it is so expensive. but it might become life—threatening. a minimum of 18 degrees. we said in the sport how swa nsea degrees. we said in the sport how swansea were keeping their fans warmed by giving out free hot

drinks. when the snow hit the game with walsall, one of the players grabbed a brush to keep the game going, steven taylor. very keen. going round the box so they could see the lines and it was weather because they won't 2—1. now, with co nta ctless because they won't 2—1. now, with contactless cards, you don't know how much you are paying the things. you have to check it is the right amount. there is a quiz in here. do you know how much a loaf of bread. i know the answer because i have cheated and looked. 70p. it is £1.06. more expensive than you thought. i bought a loaf of bread last week, 80p. ididn't 80p. i didn't write this down so you can challenge it and i don't care.

it is the average uk price. you're putting in those artisan loaves of bread, £8 in london. you just take your card and lots of people don't know. i went to a train station in london and saw one of those bread stall things and i turned into my dad. it was £5 50 for this low. how can a loaf of bread be £5 50. you are turning into one of them. i know a lot of work has gone into it, but £5 50 for a loaf of bread! come on. i needed to get that off my chest. do stay with us this morning, we will keep you up—to—date with what is going on with the weather. in other news... the fishing industry provides the lifeblood of many coastal communities with the british catch being worth nearly a billion pounds a year.

but the government has now been accused of dragging its heels when it comes to explaining how the industry will be effected by brexit. as part of a day of special coverage across the bbc, our scotland correspondent lorna gordon has been to shetland — home to one of the eu's richest fishing grounds. in the low winter sun off shetland, the crew of the guardian angel are heading home. the waters here can be unforgiving, but this has been a good few days at sea. the skipper of this trawler voted to leave the eu. he believes decisions on who can fish here should be made much closer to home. out on the deep edge, the shetland area, you have got the foreign vessels coming up and down and there are plundering the stocks all the time. it's not a good feeling when you see that there, taking the stocks from out in front of you. how does it make you feel? ijust feel bad. it is our fish, our waters. how confident are you that the politicians are going to deliver what you want? at the moment i'm fairly confident to be honest with you. they are saying all the right things. i am very confident at the moment really. fishermen here say there is much to gain from brexit.

the waters around these islands are rich with fish and it is time, they say, that they got back theirfair share. more fish are landed in shetland than all of england, wales and northern ireland combined, but there is more to the industry than just catching the fish. there is the processing and selling of it too. at the moment selling fish into europe couldn't be any easier at the moment. if anything changes, to make that more difficult, it will be a backward step. but the problem with brexit is at the moment nobody really knows what the final deal is. this archipelago is the most northerly part of the united kingdom. the islands are wealthy and have close to full employment. there are many europeans working in industry here like fish farming and a fifth of the staff at this hatchery are from europe. so what of the future? we can't find enough people in shetland for all the jobs,

particularly the specialist jobs we need and it can be very hard to persuade people especially on a windy day like this, from the uk, that shetland is a place they want to come and live. very often we find it easier to find people from the eu to come to live on shetland. fishing is not a big part of britain's economy overall, but in places like this, it's vital. shetland's fishermen say they are not naive about the brexit negotiations to come. shetland counts for nothing with the european commission. it's a very remote place that decides things for others decides things for us without considering the consequences for our community. are you worried at all, what the fishing community is asking for might get negotiated away? at the end of the day, a negotiation needs to be had and things will given away, concessions will be made. you know, there's nothing to say, there's nothing written in stone we won't be one of those concessions. britain is an island nation. the fishermen say their industry is more than just symbolically important. as the details of a brexit

deal are hammered out, they are determined their voice will be heard. lorna gordon, bbc news, shetland. the department for the environment food and rural affairs told us: "the environment secretary has already set out the direction for the uk's fishing industry outside the eu. this will lead to amore profitable and resilient sector working alongside other countries to manage fish stocks sustainably and effectively." you can watch more of the bbc‘s special coverage on brexit and the fishing industry throughout the day on the bbc news channel. time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are. good morning from bbc london news, i'm alpa patel. now, there has been much talk about it, but the snow has arrived across much of london overnight, meaning commuters are waking up to tretcherous conditions this morning. on the roads — while there has been some gritting overnight many roads remain very icey.

this is the a12 into the ca ptial from essex. in south london, suburban streets around clapham are forcing cars to move at a crawling pace and in central london, snow and ice is meaning drivers are cautious. allow extra time fiore commute this morning and expect delays and disruption. let's have a look at the travel situation now. on the tube this morning, the district line is running with severe delays from edgware to wimbledon and earls court to tower hill after a signalfailure. there earls court to tower hill after a signal failure. there are severe delays on the piccadilly line because of the signal failure. london overground because of the signal failure. london overg round has because of the signal failure. london overground has minor delays

from stratford to richmond. and also from stratford to richmond. and also from euston to watford junction and from euston to watford junction and from liverpool street to cheshunt. greater anglia are running a reduced service again this morning. due to to whether there is bad news that some expecting to have their rubbish collected today. some councils are cancelling bin collections because of the weather. southend borough council said that icy conditions make it unsafe for waste crews to collect. residents should present their waste and recycling for collection next week instead. now let's get the weather with kate. good morning. many of us are waking up to a covering of snow this morning, even in central london. it was a bitterly cold night last night, temperatures widely down at minus four and minus five. further scattered snow showers through the morning and yes, it's going to remain bitterly cold. now the met office has issued a yellow weather

warning for snow showers. could cause some potential disruption on roads and rail. another parts of northern kent and parts of essex, an amber weather warning in place. snow perhaps a little bit more persistent overnight in those areas and a little heavier. the showers will clear away through the day, a dry afternoon, but a bitterly cold, strengthening easterly wind. temperatures struggling to get above zero. it's going to feel more like minus seven or minus eight. overnight, cloud will start to pile in ahead of our next low—pressure system. it's coming up from the south and is due to arrive through tomorrow morning. the minimum temperature in the meantime overnight again, bitterly cold, between minus two and minus five. so the tomorrow, this low—pressure system called storm emma will be moving up towards us, bringing with it some heavy snowfall for a time and strengthening winds. it is going to be bitterly cold through tomorrow, snow not very helpful either and that's going to continue as we head into friday as well. factor in the wind, it's really not going to be pleasant over the next few days. i'm back in half an hour, but there's plenty more on our website. hello, this is breakfast

with dan walker and louise minchin. it's wednesday 27th february. we'll have the latest news and sport injust a moment. but coming up later in the programme: the big freeze continues. temperatures plummeted again overnight with more snow for eastern areas and concerns about vulnerable people as the cold weather looks set to last until the end of the week. could this be the shopping experience of the future? as pressure increases on food companies to cut down on plastics, our reporter takes a trip to the world's first plastic free supermarket aisle. how many people has he killed? four or five now with gianni versace.

four or five now with gianni versace. and on a summer's day in 1997 the fashion designer gianni versace was shot dead outside his home in miami. we'll be talking to writer tom rob smith about his new series of american crime story, exploring the motive behind the murder. all that still to come. but now a summary of this morning's main news. the uk is waking up to another morning of freezing temperatures and snow as this week of unusually cold weather continues. there's already been major travel distruption, but forecasters say the worst is yet to come, with amber and yellow warnings for ice and snow in place until the weekend. phil bodmer is in the snowy village of thornton—le—dale in the north york moors for us this morning — how are things looking phil? good morning. another covering of snow, and we have had several centimetres of fresh snow overnight. i have to say the journey up here today has been really tricky. the m1

was completely covered in snow and at that time the a 64 approaching this direction was absolutely white out. i have to say the village looks absolutely beautiful. that bus has got to go to leeds. i have been talking to local people this morning who have been telling me conditions are much worse this morning than they were yesterday morning. what is significant today is the wind chill. it feels it could cut you in half. we estimate it to be roundabout —12 here today. that gives you a clue as to how cold it is. these weather warnings are in force for the whole of the north of england, throughout yorkshire up to the north—east. there are concerns about the welfare of vulnerable people, especially if they have to go out. if you live near somebody who may need help or shopping, go and assist them because they are concerned about people's welfare in this cold weather. the

snow is forecast to continue throughout the day. we are up to 12 centimetres here and on the north yorkshire moors and on the east coast up to the borders of scotland. we are in for a pretty tricky day and over the next 24 hours. and you mention the borders in scotland and we will be live in scotland where there is another amber weather warning and we will be there to see what the conditions are like. and we will be putting together our map with input from all of you as well. please get your pictures sent ten. the european union's chief negotiator michel barnier will publish the first draft of the eu's brexit treaty later today. the 120—page document is expected to focus on northern ireland and any possible future role for the european court ofjustice. it comes just hours after a leaked letter from the foreign secretary caused a new row over the issue of the border with ireland. a couple of big high street names could be on the brink of collapse this week with both toys r us and maplin trying to find buyers. the struggling retailers —

two of the uk's best known chains — are understood to have put administrators on standby after failing to secure a rescue deal. toys r us employs around three thousand workers whilst maplin has 2500 members of staff. the public‘s satisfaction with the nhs has seen a sharp decline over the last year, with our opinion of gp services at its lowest level since records began. the latest british social attitudes survey of 3,000 people across england, wales and scotland found that almost a third of respondents were unhappy with the nhs, with prolonged waiting times being cited as one of the main concerns. a supermarket in amsterdam is opening what it says is the world's first plastic—free aisle. an environmental campaign group helped replace plastic packaging with biodegradable materials on around 700 products. the company says it hopes to expand the trial to all its 75 stores by the end of the year. that is all the latest news. let us

know how the cold weather is affecting you. and we were looking at the spot and it was bitterly cold in the fa cup tie. if you were sitting outside for an hour and if you were sitting outside for an hourand a if you were sitting outside for an hour and a half, you would have felt the cold more than most. that is what the swansea fans did last night, but they were giving out free tea and toffee by the club. it makes a big difference. and it helped because they won. a good night all round. they have not been to the quarterfinals for a long time. swansea city have reached the quarter—finals of the fa cup for the first time in 54 years. they beat sheffield wednesday 2—0 at the liberty stadium,

nathan dyer with a cheeky nutmeg for their second. tottenham or rochdale await in the next round and play their replay at wembley tonight. the gap at the top of the scottish premiership is down to six points, after second—placed rangers beat stjohnstone 4—1, alfredo morelos rounding things off. leaders celtic can pull away again tonight though, they play dundee. the england women's manager phil nevellie believes his critics are just waiting for him to fail. he wasn't on the fa's initial short list for the job, and then a day after his appointment, had to apologise for past tweets about women. he takes charge of his first match in the she believes cup against farnce on thursday. i don't think i should bejudged solely on this tournament. there are probably people out there who probably want me to lose all three games and be told, "i told you so". but ultimately, i've got a four—year contract, i've got the backing of sue campbell

and dan ashworth of the fa board, so they have invested a lot in me and i see this as a long—term project, not just the next three games. to the cricket and it's been a fairly miserable few months for england — they've won only two of their six matches in february so far — but they could be on course for another victory in the second one—dayer against new zealand. they need 244 to win and they're 86—2 in the 16th over, they need 244 to win and they're 98—3 in the 16th over, bairstow and morgan going well. ben stokes is out at the crease. joe root is out. joe root is out. there's been a fair bit of controversy over paralympic classifications recently and the british paralympic association has published new guidance. the uk athlete classification code places athletes‘ rights and responsibilities at the heart of the process. i think it's about absolutely understanding who is responsible for what and particularly, how can we better educate the athletes, the support personnel,

everyone involved in the delivery of paralympic sport, to make sure they understand how the process works and more importantly, at a national level, what the responsibilities are. then when it comes to it, there will be a better understanding of that so anyone who has a concern can base that on a genuine concern rather than a lack of understanding. women golfers will play in a men's european tour team event for the first time, later this year. ryder cup captain thomas bjorn will partner solheim cup skipper catriona matthew, in the golfsixes tournament at the centurion club near st albans in may. the event has a six—hole match—play format — its aim is to be the equivalent of cricket's twenty20 competition. cyclists laura and jason kenny are back competing later today. let's hope they had a good night's sleep because they've taken their six—month—old baby albie with them to the track cycling world championships in the netherlands.

instead of staying in the team hotel, they've taken up residence in a city apartment, along with the grandparents who will help out with childcare. the kennys are two of seven olympic champions in the british team. we've been talking a lot about the wintery weather this morning. but if you thought your journey into work or school was hard, then take a look a this. vertical skiiers have been facing an uphill battle at the european ski mountaineering championships. this was the spectacular scene on the southern slopes of mount etna. the race had to be delayed for two days as the freezing conditions became simply unbrearable for competitors and spectators alike. it was exhausting workjust to reach the finish line. and there was a dog out there as well, amazing. we mentioned cold weather payments on monday and you can get a cold weather payments if you get certain benefits. if the average temperature

in yourarea is benefits. if the average temperature in your area is recorded orforecast to be0 in your area is recorded orforecast to be 0 celsius or below that for four days on the trot. lots of people are asking us about this. if you want to find out if you are eligible, go to the government website and type in cold—weather payments to find out if you are eligible for that. more on that later. we will be speaking to a we will be speaking to a doctor. the european union's chief negotiator michel barnier will publish the first draft of the eu's brexit treaty later today. it's expected to discuss the northern ireland border, but comes just hours after a leaked letter from the foreign secretary boris johnson caused new controversy around the issue. joining us now from westminster is the chief secretary to the treasury liz truss. good morning. iwant good morning. i want to pick up that thought about the letter. in it, it says this phrase, even if there is a ha rd says this phrase, even if there is a hard border. even to put it in those terms seems to be going against

government policy, doesn't it?|j cannot comment on leaked letters from the government. we are clear there will be no hard border in northern ireland. it is important we do not go back to the borders of the past and that is why we are seeking special arrangements with the european union. that takes us straight to the nutty issue of negotiation. this would be a red line for the government? we have been absolutely clear we are not going back to a hard border which was previously the case in northern ireland. there are a lot of different solutions we are looking at. it is important we are not part of the customs union. we need to be able to strike our own trade deals as well. the prime minister will be outlining all of this in her speech on friday. the language that boris johnson is using, can you comment on that at all? i will not comment on

lea ked that at all? i will not comment on leaked documents, or i will say is we are not returning to a hard border in ireland. this leaked document and other things that have been said in public, there seems to been said in public, there seems to bea been said in public, there seems to be a big division and cabinet. how does that affect you as a government going into negotiations? we had a meeting last week of the european subcommittee and it was a positive meeting. they have agreed on the terms on which we are going into negotiations. we have got another meeting of the cabinet tomorrow to talk through the detail of the prime minister's speech. i can tell you that the cabinet are very agreed on a way forward. we want to leave the single market and the customs union, get a frictionless trade deal. we are all on board with that and are moving forward. either cabinet meetings frictionless? yes, they are. they are positive, there is a sense of humour and we are working ha rd sense of humour and we are working hard together, not just sense of humour and we are working hard together, notjust on brexit

but on the other important thing is this government has to deliver as well. we heard from michel barnier reiterating there were significant differences on where the eu and the uk are on brexit and the clock is ticking. these are such tricky negotiations. will they happen in time? absolutely and when you saw what happened in december and the way the prime minister delivered the first stage, it was massively positive progress on that front. of course the european union will be in a different position to the uk. that is what negotiation is about. we are determined to move forward, we have made progress already and we are looking forward to the march council and we will be leaving the european union next year. i want to talk about the european court ofjustice, the eu demanding that the uk remains subject to rulings indefinitely until its brexit divorce deal. how do you stand on that? how do you go

forward on that? is that another red line? when people voted to leave the european union one of the things they were voting for was not to be subject to the jurisdiction of the european court of justice subject to the jurisdiction of the european court ofjustice and it is important we leave the european court ofjustice jurisdiction and we have control over our own laws. that is something the prime minister has been very clear about in her speeches. a winter related question. as chief secretary to the treasury we know there are cold—weather payments. will you accelerate those? are you looking at extra help for people? we are making sure those payments go out to the people and a number have been released. we are also making sure, and we have been working on this for weeks, that we have proper contingency plans in place in areas like transports people can go into work and get on with their lives. liz truss, chief secretary to the treasury, thank

you. despite the plummeting temperatures some of you have been heading outdoors with your cameras and sending us your pictures for our break—frost map. dan and paul in north wales sent us this picture of the snowman they built. robin ellis had an amazing view of the butley river in suffolk. a lot of people have been wrapping up warm and heading out to look at the snow, including rachel patterson who sent this picture from kielder in northumberland. and tracey bryne was getting a helping hand — or should that be paw? when sledging in tiptree in essex. we have the build—up to sport relief

andi we have the build—up to sport relief and i don't think the radio presenter greg will be able to com plete presenter greg will be able to complete his challenge. he needs a tip from caerphilly council, has sent out a humorous tweet who are advising you how to walk in the snow, they say you have to walk like a penguin. the key to that is loose knees and small steps with your toes pointed out. i am hoping you will

give us a demonstration later on. maybe later. here's carol with a look at this morning's weather. temperatures in parts of scotland fell as low as minus 11. not all others will see snow today, some of us others will see snow today, some of us will be dry with sunny intervals, some of us will say a little bit of snow and some will see significant snow. we will stop with the significant snow. the met office has two areas covered by the bee prepared amber warnings. the first is across northern, eastern and central and southern scotland. also pa rt central and southern scotland. also part of cumbria. this one runs until 6pm on thursday evening and we are looking at a further ten to 15 centimetres of snow fall in some of those areas. it has been snowing heavily overnight in glasgow. in the

south east, we have another amber be prepared for disruption due to snow fall, this morning. it runs until 10am this morning and we could see a further five to ten centimetres, may be locally a little bit more than that. as we go through the course of the morning, the wind will strengthen so the snow will keep piling into the areas i havejust highlighted where we are expecting disruption. further south, snow showers blowing over towards the west. it will feel cold today and the maximum temperature roughly from about freezing 2—2, but add on the strength of the wind, the wind chill will make you feel like minus five in aberdeen and minus 11 in the norwich area for example. wherever you are, it will feel brutally cold. worth bearing in mind if you are stepping out. some of the snow will be blowing in the wind. overnight we have the area covered by the amber

weather warning, which will still be producing more snow. further south, some snow showers drying out for a time across parts of the south—east. snow across southern parts of devon, cornwall and dorset. also snow showers getting into the channel islands. as we head into thursday, we still have our amber weather warning for snow across areas in the north we have already mentioned. but we have another one for snow and wind across south—west england and also wales. we are keeping a close eye on that because the storm coming our way named by the portuguese met service, emma. she will come across iberia and the bay of biscay and when she hits our shores, this is the kind of direction she will take and she will produce a bit of snow as she does so. the isobars also show it will be windy. depending on

the track that storm does take, we expect the snow to come in the southern areas in the morning. it might clip the london area but it will be this part of the uk that will be this part of the uk that will see the significant snow and strong winds with blizzards. all it would take for the storm to drift a little bit further east or west and these areas could change. we have these areas could change. we have the amber warning across parts of scotla nd the amber warning across parts of scotland and ingham. it will be bitterly cold once again. we're not done with the snowjust yet. we have just got an update from the scottish borders and the council has closed all the schools due to the forecast of snow. the local authority said they are likely to remain closed on thursday due to the conditions anticipated. that is in from the scottish borders council this morning. we mentioned caerphilly borough council has sent

out an informative tweet. yes, how to navigate across the ice and snow. they said to walk like a penguin. extend your arms, and snow. they said to walk like a penguin. extend yourarms, pointing your toes out like a penguin and soft knees. i shall be working on that. louise has asked me to demonstrate so i will pencil it in for about 7:35am. it is good advice, if you slip and fall, you are in trouble. louise, we are a public service broadcaster. you are going to demonstrate. today is crunch—time for one of the most recognisable names on the high street — toys r us. the chain could go into administration later. steph has been looking at how this happened. it isa it is a huge business. it is one of those names which were decades dominated the toy market in the uk and if you are anything like me you can probably still sing the advert from the 905.

# there's a magical place, we are on our way there. # toysin # toys in their millions all under one roof. but the toy giant has been struggling and is drowning under debt and now it has missed a deadline to pay a £50 million vat bill. so what's gone wrong? rob hutchins is the editor of toynews magazine. this is an interesting story because it isa this is an interesting story because it is a business that hasn't changed for yea rs it is a business that hasn't changed for years and that is part of the problem? yes, since the 1990s, it was a huge sort of arrival for the toy business at the time. but as you say, it didn't evolve, stuck with

the same mother, essentially a big warehouse filled with shelves of toys and they failed to keep up with the current consumer habits. what are the habits today of people buying toys? people are shopping online, town centre small stores, meeting the consumer where they are. now toys r us hasn't been able to adapt, what is going to happen?m hangs in the balance, we are not sure when they will go into administration, at the moment there are 3200 jobs on the line. it is a worrying prospect, but it doesn't necessarily mean those jobs will be lost immediately. as we saw with the likes of hmv a few years ago, buyers are looking out when the right time is to come in and perhaps pick up the pieces they believe will prosper in the future. it doesn't mean necessarily, those jobs are on the line. if a buyer came in, what would

they do to toys r us, is it still a valuable business? absolutely, it is a heritage in the brands, we have known them since the 905. they were locked at the most viable and prosperous areas of the business and make it work in today's current consumer trend. what will that mean, will we see more online, more toys r us popping up on high streets? i know it is like looking into a crystal ball, but with your knowledge with what works in the toy industry? i think they will enhance their online offering. they will look to scale down in the size of their stores, bring them into the town centres where people are shopping and try to ramp up the theatre, bringing ar technology into theatre, bringing ar technology into the store so people and kids can engage. like virtual reality? yes,

the fun and spiritual element back into the stores. thank you for your time and we will keep you updated. thank you, steph. in 2014 millions of us travelled to the tower of london to see the field of ceramic poppies, created to mark a century since the start of the first world war. now, 100 years after the end of the great war, plans have been announced for a haunting reminder of those who never returned from the front. we are going to go just outside our studios. this is one of the soldier silhouettes from the there but not there project, they'll be appearing at sites across the uk later this year. we'll be talking to man behind the project around 7:40am. it isa it is a poignant sculpture. he will

be seeing them across the uk across the weeks and months as well. time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are. good morning from bbc london news, i'm alpa patel. well, as you've been hearing, the snow has arrived and has hit much of london overnight, meaning commuters are waking up to trecherous conditions this morning.0n the roads while there has been some gritting overnight, many remain very icy. this is the a12 into the capital from essex. in south london, suburban streets around clapham are forcing cars to move at a crawling pace and in central london, snow and ice mean tricky conditions for drivers. so the message is leave extra time for your commute this morning and expect delays and disruptions. let's have a look at the travel situation now. this is the a13.

as you can see slow moving westbound between dagenham and barking. on the m25 there are hazardous driving conditions in both directions, betweenjunction 25 for enfield and junction 23 a1. on the tube this morning the district line is running with severe delays, from edgware to wimbledon and earls court to tower hill after a signal failure. and there are severe delays on the piccadilly line, because of a signal failure. london overground has minor delays from stratford to richmond and clapham junction and also from euston to watford junction and from liverpool street to cheshunt. severe delays also on the dlr from bank to lewisham. greater anglia are running a reduced service because of the bad weather conditions. c2c are running a reduced service between fenchurch street and barking because of a points failure. and due to the weather there's bad news for some expecting to have their rubbish collected today. southend borough council have

cancelled bin collections, saying that icy conditions make it unsafe. residents are being asked to present their waste and recycling for collection next week instead. now let's get the weather with kate. good morning. many of us are waking up to a covering of snow this morning, even in central london. it was a bitterly cold night last night, temperatures widely down at minus four and minus five. further scattered snow showers through the morning and yes, it's going to remain bitterly cold. now the met office has issued a yellow weather warning for snow showers. could cause some potential disruption on roads and rail. another parts of northern kent and parts of essex, an amber weather warning in place. snow perhaps a little bit more persistent overnight in those areas and a little heavier. the showers will clear away through the day, a dry afternoon, but a bitterly cold, strengthening easterly wind. temperatures struggling to get above zero. it's going to feel more like minus seven or minus eight. overnight, cloud will start to pile in ahead of our next low—pressure system. it's coming up from the south and is due to arrive through tomorrow morning. the minimum temperature in the meantime overnight again, bitterly cold, between minus two and minus five.

so the tomorrow, this low—pressure system called storm emma will be moving up towards us, bringing with it some heavy snowfall for a time and strengthening winds. it is going to be bitterly cold through tomorrow, snow not very helpful either and that's going to continue as we head into friday as well. factor in the wind, it's really not going to be pleasant over the next few days. i'm back in half an hour, but there's plenty more on our website. hello, this is breakfast, with dan walker and louise minchin. temperatures plunge to minus 11 as the "beast from the east" tightens its grip. hundreds of schools are closed in scotland and commuters are facing major travel disruption. the met office has a number weather

warnings out in some parts of the uk could have another 10—15 centimetres of snow ball and there is the added hazard of ice. the weather round—up in about 15 minutes. the weather round—up in about 15 minutes. good morning, it's wednesday the 28th of february. we will keep you right up to date with the weather throughout the programme. also this morning: downing street insists there'll be no hard border in ireland as the eu prepares to unveil its plan for life after brexit. toys r us is on the brink of administration as it's unable to pay back its debts. more than 3,200 job are at risk. i'll have the details shortly. food unwrapped. the world's first "plastic—free" aisle opens in a dutch supermarket. in sport, swansea city's manager wasn't even born when they last reached the fa cup quarter—finals.

they've made it through for the first time since 1964, thanks to victory over sheffield wednesday last night. good morning. the uk is waking up to another morning of freezing conditions after temperatures fell to minus—eleven in some areas overnight. the cold weather has already caused major distruption, but forecasters say the worst is yet to come, with warnings in place until the weekend. here's our correspondent jon donnison with more. the so—called "beast from the east" has already left much of britain under a blanket of snow. the satellite images showed just how fast the cold snap has moved in over the last 24 hours. this is kent, which has received some of the worst of the weather so far. the national police air service ca ptu red the national police air service captured the shock of the snow slowly edging over central london. on the ground it has been a much less pretty picture for drivers,

with the police reporting scores of accidents across the country. today again conditions on the roads are expected to be treacherous. weather warnings for ice and snow are in place for much of the uk. they are expected to remain until the weekend. yorkshire and the north east have seen some of the heaviest snowfall. with more expected today, many schools are likely to stay close. schools are likely to stay closed. when i was younger the snow was thicker and we still managed to get to school. i think it is the teachers who can't get in. that is the problem in this area because of the outlying villages that the teachers come from. for britain's homeless, this is in central london, it was another tough night, temperatures down to —10 in some parts and feeling much colder in the wind. the elderly too are vulnerable. in hull extra staff at meals on wheels services are being brought in to deliver hot food. i can't get out to get meals and things. so it's just wonderful.

the only complaint i have got is they never bring you a drop of brandy! and over the next few days that might be needed. forecasters say they expect no letup in the freezing weather until at least the weekend. jon donnison, bbc news. we will keep you right up to date throughout the programme with what is going on. this is a beautiful shot. this is from outside new broadcasting house in london. there isa broadcasting house in london. there is a smattering of snow on the ground. other areas really badly affected by what is going on. i imagine it is affecting transport in london as well. it looks beautiful, but it is causing problems for people as well. on the front page there is a picture

of that snow cloud. it looks like something out of a movie. it looks like something out of a movie. phil bodmer is in the snowy village of thornton—le—dale in the north york moors for us this morning — how are things looking phil? you were telling us about a bus that may or may not be able to get to leeds. we can see very snowy conditions on the road. yes, the bus left. it will be a slowjourney to leeds. the m1 was absolutely white out. there have been snow ploughs and gritting teams out, but the problem is the moment they go through, there is another dump of snow and that has been the case. it has been on and off all morning. here they had several centimetres overnight. it looks pretty perfect. but this is the main road. traffic is lighter than normal. the ploughs have not been through here this

morning, but conditions are less than ideal. yesterday when we were out and about it felt quite mild. todayit out and about it felt quite mild. today it is very cold, it cuts you in half. we estimate the wind chill at about —12 today. the advice is if you are driving, take extra time and precautions. yourjourney will you are driving, take extra time and precautions. your journey will take longer. bear in mind vulnerable people. if you can do some shopping for somebody, look out for them. the number weather warnings are in place for yorkshire and in the north east right up to scotland today and more snow is expected. catriona renton is in glasgow for us this morning — what kind of distruption is expected today catriona? we can see the weather coming in. we know many schools are closed. give us an know many schools are closed. give us an idea of the impact. it really is nojoke, it has been falling

overnight. the snow is coming down, it looks pretty and it is very quiet around here. the roads are silent around here. the roads are silent around here. the roads are silent around here and that is a sign that people are taking heed of those warning. the conditions on the motorways, for those of us who travelled in this morning, we can vouch for the fact that conditions are terrible. 12 local authority areas have said they have closed their schools. that means a day off for tens of thousands of children. there is a warning, not to travel if you can possibly avoid it. the airport apparently is still open at the moment, but the advice is to ta ke the moment, but the advice is to take lots of care and leave lots of extra time if you are planning on making the journey today. one way to travel, a joggerjust making the journey today. one way to travel, a jogger just ran making the journey today. one way to travel, a joggerjust ran past us before we came on air. that is the safest way to go. but the advice is

to mind how you go and take care of everybody in your local community, especially in rural areas where they may be power outages. we will let you get in from the snow and we will keep everyone up to date. we will talk later about cold—weather payments. various people are able to claim if you are on benefits. you can claim a payment if the average temperature in your area is recorded to be0 temperature in your area is recorded to be 0 celsius below that for seven days on the trot. if you want more information, go to the government website. liz truss from the treasury was saying they are trying to speed up those payments. schools are closed in scotland. the scottish borders council decided to shut all their schools. other schools in the united kingdom are closed as well. the best place to go is to listen to your

local radio station or the bbc website which is being updated all the time. we will give you as much information as we can. and we have got more details on the weather coming up shortly. the european union's chief negotiator will publish the first d raft negotiator will publish the first draft of the eu brexit treaty today. the document is expected to focus on northern ireland and any future role for the european court ofjustice. it comes hours after a leaked letter from the foreign secretary caused a new row over the issue of the irish ireland. ina new row over the issue of the irish ireland. in a moment we will go to adam fleming in brussels who described it as a christmas day present. ellen ghani is in westminster. we talk about this all the time, but either party is getting any closer? today will be an extremely contentious day yet again and the eu and the uk government

have a long way to go in the negotiations. once again the uk government has been thrown into the defensive because of comments boris johnson made. he got himself into hot water because he used a potentially toxic phrase. in a lea ked potentially toxic phrase. in a leaked letter that sky news got hold of it leaked letter that sky news got hold ofiti leaked letter that sky news got hold of it i think he was trying to show there was no need for an infrastructure at the border between northern ireland and the republic of ireland, but he used in that letter the phrase "even if there is a hard border", and that allowed his critics to say that the government was considering a physical infrastructure at the border. that would be an anathema to republicans and the irish government as well because that led to the government saying they would not contemplate a hard border. one idea is to keep

northern ireland in alignment with eu regulations, but the dup who support the votes that theresa may needs to get brexit through, they will not accept that. this issue of the irish border will be one of the most complicated issues to solve in this process and with every twist and turn it is politically extremely difficult for theresa may. our europe reporter adam flemming is in brussels. it doesn't be like today is a significant day, mentioning christmas day. it is very symbolic because this document is the first d raft because this document is the first draft of the treaty that theresa may will eventually sign, which will ta ke will eventually sign, which will take the uk out of the eu. that is a massive deal. then there is the substance of the document which could prove controversial. these are the eu's proposal. on northern ireland we will see fleshed out in serious detail and legal language

the government's least preferred option for dealing with preventing a ha rd option for dealing with preventing a hard border between northern ireland and the republic of ireland. the more preferred options will be mentioned but not in such detail. they will mention the european court ofjustice saying they will mention the european court of justice saying european they will mention the european court ofjustice saying european judges should have a big say in overseeing how this treaty works in the future. that is not what the uk agrees to and that is because this is the first draft provided by the eu. the other 27 countries have not had a say on it yet and it will be negotiated with the uk. a big symbolic moment but still quite a long way to go. adam fleming in brussels. i almost said paris for some reason. the public‘s satisfaction with the nhs has seen a sharp decline over the last year, with our opinion of gp services at its lowest level since records began. the latest british social attitudes

survey of three thousand people across england, wales and scotland found that almost a third of respondents were unhappy with the nhs with prolonged waiting times being cited as one of the main concerns. meghan markle willjoin her fiance prince harry alongside the duke and duchess of cambridge later as the four carry out their first official engagement together. they'll be discussing the work of the royal foundation, the organisation behind the heads together mental health campaign, united for wildlife and the invictus games. meghan will become the fourth patron of the charity after marrying prince harry in may. let's return to our main story now — freezing temperatures are continuing to sweep across the uk — causing widespread distruption for those of us trying to get to work or school. this is bbc broadcasting house in

central london. you can see a covering of snow which will have an ongoing impact on travel. it does look beautiful, but at the same time it causes serious problems for people as well. this is glasgow. we spoke to katrina renton earlier and you can see very difficult conditions, which is why so many schools have been closed. we will give you details on that throughout the programme as well. and this is seen on the m1 about 30 ago. this was the journey seen on the m1 about 30 ago. this was thejourney phil seen on the m1 about 30 ago. this was the journey phil was making from lead up into north yorkshire. you can see the treacherous road conditions. that is normally a three lane motorway in parts. i think we can show you the dusting of snow because people are sending in pictures. that is not as deep as i

expected it to be around the angel of the north. and this is a stunning picture that was taken yesterday of the storm is coming in over london. we will get that later. it is unusually cold and eve ryo ne that later. it is unusually cold and everyone should take care and you should make it more bearable for the most vulnerable people in our community. what are your top priorities? the advice is to try and keep warm. most of it is sensible, you would know what to do anyway, so the room you spend most of your timing, keep it at 18 or 20 degrees. make sure you are having warm food, warm drinks

and make sure you have got your medication available. if you are having to go out, be sensible and you have the right shoes so you can be safe when you do get outside. look out for people who might be on their own and a bit vulnerable, neighbours, relations. make sure they are ok. just be sensible. neighbours, relations. make sure they are ok. just be sensiblem sounds basic, but one of daughters came down in a t—shirt ready to go outside. it is the youngest and the old est we outside. it is the youngest and the oldest we need to look after? yes, they tend to get more ill, but the people in between, they are out and about and they tend to slip and fall overi about and they tend to slip and fall over i get the breaks and the bruises. we were talking earlier about a tweeter which was sent out bya about a tweeter which was sent out by a council, telling people how to walk and to walk like a penguin.

that sounds silly, but actually it is quite sensible, isn't it, to be thinking about how you walk and what you wear on your feet? it is certainly what you are wearing on your feet. i have certainly what you are wearing on yourfeet. i have my slippers on certainly what you are wearing on your feet. i have my slippers on and nip out to the bin and then there is a patch of ice and down you go. look at what you are wearing, where are you going? maybe take a longer route if it will be safer. have that information. i can't understand the basis for the penguin walk, the wider gate. i am basis for the penguin walk, the wider gate. iam not basis for the penguin walk, the wider gate. i am not sure. basis for the penguin walk, the wider gate. i am not surelj wider gate. i am not sure. i think it was sent with wider gate. i am not sure. i think it was sent - with their it was sent slightly with their tongue in their cheek, but if it stops you from falling over, it is good. have penguins got knees? i don't know. point defeat out slightly and have your arms by your sides. it is from carefully council,

so people making jokes walking carefully. —— carefully. one more serious issue, talking about heating house to 18 degrees, but there are genuine concerns about cost and steph was talking about gas bills going up. if you are concerned about turning the temperature up, it is not just about going turning the temperature up, it is notjust about going outside, it is staying warm in your house, hot water bottles, layers? sometimes people have electric blankets and they use those. there is some financial help you can tap into and it is worth finding out about that. making sure you have lots of warm drinks to keep you warm. try and make sure you minimise the drafts and your house is insulated, keep the curtains drawn at night. keep yourself in layers, keeps moving, because when you move, you generate heat. fingers crossed by next week,

things should get a bit easier. you say fingers crossed, luckily we have carol. on the cold weather payments, you can find out if you are eligible for those in your area by going to the government website and looking on bass. search cold—weather payments. i am sure it will come up. carol, i know it is a busy morning, so we can look at the weather and tell us what is happening over the next few days? some of us will have some snow, some others won't. we have a cold start, temperatures in parts of england and scotla nd temperatures in parts of england and scotland fell as low as minus 11 espy. there is ice to watch out for, particularly where we have fresh know. there are amber warnings, be

prepared for disruption. the first one is central southern and eastern scotla nd one is central southern and eastern scotland heading towards cumbria. this is valid until 6pm and we could see further snowfall. the second area is this one in the south east, it expires at 10pm —— 10am this morning and we could have a total of ten to five centimetres but snow is falling in other parts of the country as well. this morning, a noticeable wind strengthening to the course of the day giving us a significant wind—chill. snow coming in all the areas i mentioned is covered by the weather amber warning. drying up in the south east but we will see more snow coming in across southern parts of cornwall, devon and dorset. we will see one or two showers for the west as well but

when you add on the strength of the wind, regardless of what it says on your thermometer, this is how it will feel. it will feel subzero across the uk. minus 12 in aberdeen, minus 11. it will be brutally cold. in the evening period we have the amber warning in the evening period we have the amberwarning in in the evening period we have the amber warning in force. we will be piling ina amber warning in force. we will be piling in a lot of snow. further south we have snow affecting parts of southwest england and with the strong wind, some of the snow will be blowing and again accents renting the cold feel so these temperatures are what you can expect in towns and cities. where we have lying snow and in the countryside, temperatures will be lower than this. some of us in minus double figures, possibly as low as —14, minus 15. on thursday we have a weather warning in force until six o'clock tomorrow but we have a new one coming in across

south—west england and wales. this is courtesy of storm. this is storm am pushing up across the bay of biscay in coming into our shores. a lot of moisture entangled in this and as it bumps into the cold are across our shores, it will fall as snow. we think the track of this will go this way. if i show you the chance, bear in mind if it goes a bit further west or a bit further east, it will change. if you look at the actual weather chart, we can see we have the snow coming up across southern counties. this significant snow currently is across south—west england and parts of wales. but if we drift further east, that will change. currently we think it may clip the capital as it continues moving northwards. still under the weather warning in the north, we will see significant snowfall and showers getting into western areas. but with the wind it will be drifting off the snow and it will feel bitterly cold. on friday, still

connected to storm emma, we have further spells of loan coming across northern ireland and still windy with the significant wind—chill. next week, it will be cold next week and there will still be some potential snow in the forecast as well. when are we going to talk about feels like? we have done it now. i wa nt to feels like? we have done it now. i want to be able to work it out, i think that is what it is. i can tell you now, we have time. the actual calculation of the figure is quite difficult. it is a complex formula that has been derived by meteorologists over many years. you put in things like air temperature, airspeed, put in things like air temperature, air speed, body temperature, which for most of us it is 37 celsius, hit a button and there it comes. easier than scratching your head. i

think we should let carol do it. i didn't know about the body temperature. carol, thank you very much. pleasure. she is clever. a couple of big high street names could be on the brink of collapse this week with both toys r us and maplin hoping to find buyers. maplin employes 2500 staff and has 200 shops but has made losses for the past few years. toys "r" us employs around 3000 workers and if you go to any town or shopping centre you will see these. they are big names and they both have the same problem, they owe a lot of money and they have not got the cash to pay off those debts. toys "r" us had a deadline from yesterday to pay a £15 million vat bill. they have a parent company and they were hoping that that would help them, or they would have to sell the business. it looks like neither of those options have come to fruition. they both have a similar problem in

why they have cash problems that is because they haven't kept up with how we buy and how we spend our money. times have changed and toys "r" us are still huge out of town stores, they don't have the presence on local high street. and we don't buy in that way, we buy more in convenience stores and they have suffered from that. so it doesn't mean, they have thousands of people working for them, it doesn't mean they will close their doors tomorrow. they have been trying to restructure, so some stores are closing, but what they will be looking for is for somebody to buy them. if they go into administration, they will be looking to sell. one main story on breakfast this

morning, it is the cold—weather. we will have the details in the next few minutes. we have a weather forecast from carol as often as possible and we will try to keep you updated on school closures and out on the roads. it is quite brutal, -11, -12 in on the roads. it is quite brutal, —11, —12 in places. so do take care. time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are. good morning from bbc london news, i'm alpa patel. well, as you've been hearing, the snow has arrived and has hit much of london overnight, meaning commuters are waking up to trecherous conditions this morning. on the roads while there has been some gritting overnight, many remain very icy. this is the a12 into the capital from essex. in south london, suburban streets around clapham are forcing cars to move at a crawling pace and in central london, snow and ice mean tricky conditions for drivers. so the message is leave extra time for your commute this morning

and expect delays and disruptions. let's have a look at the travel situation now. this is the a13 as you can see slow moving westbound on the m25 there are hazardous driving conditions in both directions, betweenjunction 25 for enfield and junction 23 a1. on the tube this morning the district line is running with severe delays, from edgware to wimbledon and earls court to tower hill after a signal failure. and there are severe delays on the piccadilly line, because of a signal failure. london overground has minor delays from stratford to richmond and clapham junction and also from euston to watford junction and from liverpool street to cheshunt. severe delays also on the dlr from bank to lewisham. greater anglia are running a reduced service because of the bad weather conditions. heathrow have cancelled over 100

flights. and due to the weather there's bad news for some expecting to have their rubbish collected today. southend borough council have cancelled bin collections, saying that icy conditions make it unsafe. residents are being asked to present their waste and recycling for collection next week instead. now let's get the weather with kate. good morning. many of us are waking up to a covering of snow this morning, even in central london. it was a bitterly cold night last night, temperatures widely down at minus four and minus five. further scattered snow showers through the morning and yes, it's going to remain bitterly cold. now the met office has issued a yellow weather warning for snow showers. could cause some potential disruption on roads and rail. another parts of northern kent and parts of essex, an amber weather warning in place. snow perhaps a little bit more persistent overnight in those areas and a little heavier. the showers will clear away through the day, a dry afternoon, but a bitterly cold, strengthening easterly wind. temperatures struggling to get above zero. it's going to feel more like minus seven or minus eight. overnight, cloud will start to pile in ahead of our next

low—pressure system. it's coming up from the south and is due to arrive through tomorrow morning. the minimum temperature in the meantime overnight again, bitterly cold, between minus two and minus five. so the tomorrow, this low—pressure system called storm emma will be moving up towards us, bringing with it some heavy snowfall for a time and strengthening winds. it is going to be bitterly cold through tomorrow, snow not very helpful either and that's going to continue as we head into friday as well. factor in the wind, it's really not going to be pleasant over the next few days. i'm back in half an hour, but there's plenty more on our website. hello, this is breakfast with dan walker and louise minchin. here's a summary of this morning's main stories from bbc news. the uk is waking up to another

morning of freezing temperatures and snow as this week of unusually cold weather continues. there's already been major travel distruption, but forecasters say the worst is yet to come, with amber and yellow warnings for ice and snow in place until the weekend. one of the worst affected areas is glasgow and catriona renton has been there for us. tell us what is going on. as you can see, it is very blustery at the moment and we are getting snow showers coming on and off and it has been happening all night. several inches of snow have fallen across large parts of the country and they are affected by an amber weather warning. in scotland it is at its highest level for an amberwarning, it is at its highest level for an amber warning, the worst that has been seen for a while in scotland.

for those of us who have made it in this morning the weather conditions have been treacherous on the roads. the main route between scotland and england has problems on it, the forth road bridge is closed for high winds. it is dangerous out there and the advice from the police is if you have to travel, take extra care. they are urging people not to travel if they can possibly avoid it in these amber affected areas. trains are affected and glasgow airport has suspended operations at the moment while they try and clear the runway. the big story is for schoolchildren, 15 council areas are closing schools and tens of thousands of children affected. you can keep up—to—date on our website which areas are affected. katrina is in the middle of one of those amber warning areas and we can go to the north york

moors because phil is in another one. steady as you go on the roads today, isn't it? yes, that is right. we drove in at 5am this morning and the conditions were horrendous. our broadcast truck struggled to get here as quickly as we had hoped. ca rs here as quickly as we had hoped. cars are making their way gingerly along this road. this is the main route between scarborough and pickering. if you pan round to the right, there are some big trucks coming through and that should hopefully make the road surface a bit better to travel on. but the moment they come through we have another snowfall and that exacerbates the problem further. local people tell me they think we had about six centimetres of snow last night in this village and with more forecast it will create more problems. it is below zero at the

moment. the wind calculation for the wind chill is about minus four and the wind speed is about 14 knots and we think that is —12 in terms of the wind—chill factor. it really does cut you in half. local people say they have got a stoical, yorkshire view on this and they will keep on struggling through. hundreds of schools shut yesterday and we are expecting more to be shut in yorkshire and the north—east today. more information about school closures in a moment. it is —20 in norway at the moment. they had somebody on saying what you do when it is that cold. a layer of socks, a plastic bag and then another layer of socks. it stops your feet from getting damp and it traps the temperature in as well. that could be the secret. if you want to try that, let us know. also with school closures, more than

200 in suffolk are closed. sapphic please say travel only if it is essential. 250 closed in norfolk, more than 400 in scotland. 170 in essex are close. ctc, greater anglia, london overground, scotrail, south western railway, said eastern, sta nsted express south western railway, said eastern, stansted express have all reported delays and cancellations. there is a lot going on. stay with us. we will keep you up to date. there will be more information for your individual areas when we go to the news where you are. and we will have a full weather forecast at 7:45am, and it is not just here. the siberian cold has brought heavy snow to all corners of europe. record snowfall and sub—zero temperatures paralysed parts of croatia, causing havoc on the highways and leading to the evacuation several villages. and here we can see the depth of the snowfall in bosnia. in bulgaria, villages were left without electricity and schools

were closed in several areas. but some of the iciest conditions were reported in italy — with rome seeing snow for the first time in six years. the siberian bite is affecting all parts of europe. the siberian bite is affecting all parts of europe. and there is other news! the eu's chief negotiator michel barnier will publish the first draft of the brexit document today. it comes hours after a leaked letter from the foreign secretary caused a new row over the issue of the border with ireland. and a couple of big high street names could be on the brink of collapse with both toys "r" us and maplin trying to find buyers. the struggling retailers are

understood to have put administrators on stand—by after failing to secure a rescue deal. toys " r" failing to secure a rescue deal. toys "r" us have about 3000 workers and maplin has about 2500 members of staff. the public‘s satisfaction with the nhs has seen a sharp decline over the last year, with our opinion of gp services at its lowest level since records began. the latest british social attitudes survey of 3,000 people across england, wales and scotland found that almost a third of respondents were unhappy with the nhs, with prolonged waiting times being cited as one of the main concerns. meghan markle willjoin her fiance prince harry alongside the duke and duchess of cambridge later as the four carry out their first official engagement together. they'll be discussing the work of the royal foundation, the organisation behind the heads together mental health campaign, united for wildlife and the invictus games. meghan will become the fourth patron of the charity after marrying prince harry in may.

you are watching breakfast. how are you doing? some people arejust some people are just getting on with it. in yorkshire people are being very stoic. and in swansea they were handing out cups of tea and coffee last night. yes, interesting. the clu b last night. yes, interesting. the club decided because it was so cold they would give out tea and coffee to warm them up. that is nice. if you are sat in the cold for a couple of hours watching football, yes. they reached the quarter—finals for the first time in 54 years with a 2—0 win at the liberty stadium, nathan dyer with a cheeky nutmeg for their second. tottenham or rochdale await in the next round, they play their replay at wembley tonight. if it was cold in swansea last night, take a look at the conditions peterbrough had to deal with.

as snow storms hit with minutes of their league one match with walsall remaining, defender steven taylor grabbed a shovel to clear parts of the pitch to stop the match from being abnandoned. and it worked as they held on for the win. they played on and cleared the lines. did he do it right? i think it was pretty accurate. some furious brushing there. a bit like curling! a bit like curling! the gap at the top of the scottish premiership is down to six points, after second—placed rangers beat stjohnstone 4—1, alfredo morelos rounding things off. leaders celtic can pull away again tonight though — they play dundee. the england women's manager phil nevellie believes his critics are waiting for him to fail. he wasn't on the fa's initial shortlist for thejob, then a day after his appointment he had to apologise for past tweets about women. he takes charge of his first match in the she believes cup against france in ohio on thursday.

i don't think i should bejudged solely on this tournament. there are probably people out there who probably want me to lose all three games and be told, "i told you so". but ultimately, i've got a four—year contract, i've got the backing of sue campbell and dan ashworth of the fa board, so they have invested a lot in me and i see this as a long—term project, not just the next three games. ben stokes is back in england's one day side and making his prescence felt this morning as they look to beat new zealand. they've won only two of their six matches in february so far but could be on course for victory — they need 244 to win and they're 192—4 after 18 overs. captain eoin morgan and jonny bairstow got into the runs, but bairstow has just been caught out. it's brought ben stokes

out to the crease. he hasjust he has just reached he hasjust reached half he has just reached half a century. cyclists laura and jason kenny are back competing later today. let's hope they had a good night's sleep because they've taken their six—month—old baby albie with them to the track cycling world championships in the netherlands. instead of staying in the team hotel, they've taken up residence in a city apartment, along with the grandparents who will help out with childcare. the kennys are two of seven olympic champions in the british team. great to see them back. she was training after six weeks after having her first child. good on her. november this year will mark 100 years since the end of the first world war. remembrance events will take place around the world but organisers face a challenge of connecting new generations to those who lost their lives a century ago. later this year silhouettes representing fallen soldiers will appear around the country. it's been inspired by the success of another striking remembrance project from 2014, as our correspondent robert hall reports.

the tower of london, 2014, a wave of scarlet flowing around the ancient walls. every one of nearly 900,000 ceramic poppies representing the british colonial servicemen who died in the four—year conflict. the installation was called blood swept lands and season of red and it made a real collection with the public. an estimated 5 million people came here and many bought a poppy as their own tribute to the fallen. for any of us is the only real links with past conflicts can be found in our cemeteries or war memorials, names from so long ago that it is very difficult for today's generations to make a connection. but what if these men could return to their cities, towns and villages?

this is penshurst in kent. 51 of the men from this tiny village who volunteered to fight in the first world war never came home. and yet here they sit, ghostly figures in the pews, a powerful, physical presence. it is about bringing them back into their community, how they lived. martin barrett believes this installation can inspire other communities across the uk. this is about physically trying to get them back into the village psyche. when the schoolchildren come in here and see the 50 names sitting on the pews they identify with these people and when they see where they live, just up when they see where they live, just up the hill, or they were in the choir, they can really identify with this. villagers have been fascinated by the idea of taking the last of the memorials and now the government

has agreed to help fund more installations like this one. but other figures have sprung installations like this one. but otherfigures have sprung up installations like this one. but other figures have sprung up to date, linking past with the present, as the armistice centenary approaches they want us to remember them in different ways and in doing so raise funds to help those who have been scarred by more recent conflicts. in kent are veterans have helped to create an army of tommy ts, helped to create an army of tommy ‘s, which like the poppies of the tower, will be available to all of us. the importance of the tommy project is huge. my family has quite a lot of military. my grandad and great uncle were in the first world war. i always think of them. in places of worship, in schools and public buildings, wherever people gathered to remember, the past can become more real. there is something very fitting that this should come at the end of four years. it brings

it back to the homely and the local and that works very well. robert hall, bbc news, kent. robert hall, bbc news, kent. another brilliant idea. you can see one of these figures, known as tommies, outside the studio next to the imperial war museum north on salford quays. this is the little figurine, the silhouette outside the imperial war museum. it is striking when you see them in various parts of the uk. one of those leading the project is the former head of the army, general the lord dannatt. this is really important. why? we are now 100 years on from the first world war and 2018 is 100 before we

entered it. it is really important that we remember that people have lost their lives, that we commemorate those who have served and lost their lives. it is also important we educate the younger generation that these wars, we never wa nt to generation that these wars, we never want to repeat that kind of tragedy. the consequence of that war and other wars and recent consequences, we have got lots of young people with mental health issues. the third objective is to contribute raising money to help here the hidden and mental wounds of those who have served. it isa it is a powerful image. the parties outside the tower were amazing, are you hoping to have a similar impact with these? we are. the thing is, the parties in the tower, on first

look it looked like an army. but then each party represented a life lost and family shattered. we have taken the names of the memorials and brought them to people'shomes. in the centenary year at the end of the first world war, it could be someone from your village, take the name off the wall associated with the tommy and then becomes personal to all us. in the same way those copies were sold in bitterly to raise money, these will be available? they are. go on the website and they are there to be bored. part of the proceeds will be going to a number of service charities, including the royal foundation heads together programme.

i want to talk about your experience over the years, talking about mental health, talking about raising money for people affected by it, particularly. has there been a change in the way we approach that and is it good? it is good. the traditional military way of dealing things when things weren't right in your head, you buckled down and you thought, we can sort this out. but mental health issues, like any other illness, you get a fifa, you get a cold, you put your hand up and you get treated. with mental health, you have to say, something isn't right. there is a 24—hour helpline.” have to say, something isn't right. there is a 24-hour helpline. i did see that. anybody who is serving can ring up and say, i have got a problem. it is easier to bring someone up problem. it is easier to bring

someone up and — problem. it is easier to bring someone up and — van problem. it is easier to bring someone up and — van gogh to someone in your regiment. is there a change of culture as well, in the same way? it is like turning a big tanker, it ta kes it is like turning a big tanker, it takes time. it takes time for individuals to say to their mates, i am not feeling right, iam individuals to say to their mates, i am not feeling right, i am going to see the doctor. also the chain of command, if they understand somebody has a mental health problem and they get treated for it, it shouldn't affect their career at adversity. that is why this third macro —— there but not there programme understands that years ago, many of them ran away and they shot a lot of them. but we want to recognise it earlier and help people so they can go on serving the nation. there will

be one in edinburgh, tower of london, giants call is way and there is this one outside the imperial war museum as well. i am sure many people will be interested already and hopefully have a bit more information. you saw the dusting of snow outside the imperial war museum, there is quite a bit more. here's carol with a look at this morning's weather. we have got some figures, 13 centimetres currently of lying snow in cumbria. ten centimetres in cambridge, five centimetres of lying snow in glasgow. more snow in the forecast today. not all others will see it, some will see a dry day some will have sunny spells. but we have

an amber, be prepared warning issued by the met office. first of all across northern, easton, centraland southern scotland, north east england and parts of cumbria. it is valid until 6pm tomorrow evening. we could see a further five to ten centimetres. further south across parts of the south east, this one is valid until 10am this morning. the snow has already been falling and by the time it expires we could see an extra five and ten centimetres of lying snow. the snow will pile in across the north and all the areas i have mentioned, on a strong, cold wind. snow showers coming in across the midlands, the south—east towards wales. we will see further snow showers, some heavy ones getting in across southern part of devon, cornwall and dorset. this is what the thermometer might tell you what the thermometer might tell you what the temperatures will be but this is

how it will feel when you out on the wind—chill. minus 11, minus 12 in parts of the north and also in parts of the south. that is brutally cold and you will have to wrap up warmly if you are going out. overnight, we continue with the snow coming in in areas covered by the amber warning. further south, drier conditions and snow showers across parts of the south—west. some of them getting into the west and it will be another cold night in prospect, with the risk of ice on untreated surfaces. tomorrow, we off with another amber weather warning in the areas we are looking at today. we have another one coming in across the south—west and also wales. these areas could change because we have storm coming up change because we have storm coming up from the bay of biscay and iberia. there is a lot of moisture and tangled in this and as it entangles the cold air of southern counties of england and wales, it

will fall as snow. all it takes is for this to drift a little bit further east or a little bit further west and the areas might change. if west and the areas might change. if we look at that in graphical form, the snow will come up through southern counties this morning and it will be pushing steadily northwards. we think the areas most likely to see heavy snow across wales and south—west england, but i stress, this could change. it could clip the to call —— capital on its journey towards northern ireland. we still have areas covered by the weather warning in the north and the north—east. more snow for you. weather warning in the north and the north—east. more snow foryou. in between, there will be drier bits but it will be bitterly cold. minus 11 with a strong wind—chill. as we head into friday, more snow on the cards, still connected by storm emma, still windy and a significant wind—chill. we have a message from caerphilly

council, they have done this with a sense of humour, but it is a serious point. they say stay safe by walking like a penguin. dan, you have volunteered to walk like a penguin. i shall be upstanding. you need to keep your knees lose. penguins do have knees, i checked. extend your arms to the side to keep balanced. widen yourfeet arms to the side to keep balanced. widen your feet slightly and walk. little steps like this? possibly, i think you could do it in a more relaxed manager. steps might be an issue. can penguins do steps? i haven't got any instructions for stats. we spoke toa any instructions for stats. we spoke to a doctor earlier and she said, where the right shoes. she talked about somebody who had gone out in

their slippers and slipped over. this is the tweet and lots of people talking about their name as well. walk like a penguin. take care if you are on your bike. just be careful. the average cost of childcare for under twos is up 7pc, for under twos is up 7%, while government subsidies reduce costs for three and four year olds. steph‘s been looking into this. the average cost for a part time nursery place for a child under two years old has risen to £6,300 according to the family and childcare trust's annual survey. it's tough on working parents, as we found out when we spoke to some at the kids mix after school club at the english martyrs primary school. it's quite a big chunk of your salary that gets taken into childcare so in some essence you are paying, going back to work just to pay for your childcare.

over the years it has increased significantly. a necessary evil i would say. incredibly expensive. more than a mortgage for the best part four years. with this particular nursery, the price is quite reasonable, but when you speak to other friends and colleagues, the amount they pay isjust ridiculous. oh, it goes up, every year there is this incremental, so i've had to just cope with that. to try make sense of it all, we can talk to purnima tanuke, ceo of the national day nurseries association. good morning. this is a rise of six or7%, good morning. this is a rise of six or 7%, why is it going up? it includes a number of things, the cost of living is about 3%, but most

of the nurseries have huge business costs, business rates, the national living wage has gone up, enrolment into pensions, so their costs are rising continuously. but the government only gives nursery is an average of £4 50 to deliver high—quality care. so they are making huge losses on the three—year—olds and four—year—old child care. they had to make up the funding somewhere so the children under three, the parents are picking up under three, the parents are picking up the cost. it is not free childcare, it is subsidised. the costs are going up for some parents are not for others, so why is that? pa rents of are not for others, so why is that? parents of three and four—year—old children, the government has introduced 30 hours free childcare. there is a limited amount of funding they are passing it on to nurseries. asa they are passing it on to nurseries. as a result, nurseries are making losses. so for the 30 hours, preparing can claim 30 hours

subsidised childcare, but if they purchase any extra hours, they will have to be costed at the normal rate, which is costing them to deliver. there is a huge crisis out there in terms of the 30 hour policy. so the children under three are picking up this policy in terms of paying for the cost of childcare. do you think childcare is affordable these days? it is for parents of three and four—year—olds, because they actually get the tax free childcare as well as the 30 hours. where it becomes unaffordable it is for younger children. that is when pa rents for younger children. that is when parents struggle. that is a worry for your members because if people cannot afford it, they will not put their children in nurseries? one of their children in nurseries? one of the biggest issues that came out of the biggest issues that came out of the report is we need more childcare places. there are plenty chat of childcare places. nurseries are

limiting the places they are offering because they cannot afford to offer more places. but they cannot do is make more losses, so there are childcare places available but the government needs to look at the whole policy and invest more into that hourly rate. interesting, thank you for your time this morning. iam thank you for your time this morning. i am sure of people thoughts on it, so get in touch with us. time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are. good morning from bbc london news, i'm alpa patel. snow has arrived in many parts of london. it means trecherous conditions for many of us this morning. essex and kent have also received more snow. these suburban roads near chelmford are thick with snow making journeys slow. and in central london, this is regent street — as you can see snow and ice mean tricky conditions for drivers. the message is to leave extra time for yourjourney this morning and expect delays and disruptions.

so let's take a look at the situation on the roads. this is the blackwall tunnel it's slow northbound from blackwall lane. on the m25 there are hazardous driving conditions in both directions, betweenjunction 25 for enfield and junction 23 for the a1. on the tube lots to tell you about. the central line is part suspended with no service between woodford, epping and hainault. the district line is part suspended with no service between earl's court and ealing broadway, and richmond and severe delays on the rest of the line. there's mionor delays on the overgournd. severe delays on the picadilly between acton town and heathrow airport. and also severe delays on tfl rail. on the trains — greater anglia are running a reduced service again today. there is no service from liverpool street to bishops stortford. and there is no stansted express

service running either. heathrow have cancelled over 100 flights so do check the status of your flight before you travel. also disruption at london city airport. now let's get the weather with kate. good morning. many of us are waking up to a covering of snow this morning, even in central london. it was a bitterly cold night last night, temperatures widely down at minus four and minus five. further scattered snow showers through the morning and yes, it's going to remain bitterly cold. now the met office has issued a yellow weather warning for snow showers. could cause some potential disruption on roads and rail. another parts of northern kent and parts of essex, an amber weather warning in place. snow perhaps a little bit more persistent overnight in those areas and a little heavier. the showers will clear away through the day, a dry afternoon, but a bitterly cold, strengthening easterly wind. lew: pressure, systemi

it's coming up from the south and is due to arrive through tomorrow morning. the minimum temperature in the meantime overnight again, bitterly cold, between minus two and minus five. so the tomorrow, this low—pressure system called storm emma will be moving up towards us, bringing with it some heavy snowfall for a time and strengthening winds. it is going to be bitterly cold through tomorrow, snow not very helpful either and that's going to continue as we head into friday as well. factor in the wind, it's really not going to be pleasant over the next few days. i'm back in half an hour, but there's plenty more on our website. hello, this is breakfast, with dan walker and louise minchin. for some of us

for some of us once for some of us once again, we're under a net of this amber weather warning forfurther snow under a net of this amber weather warning for further snow in scotland and the south—east, five to ten sentiment is coming your way, and the additional hazard of ice, but not all of us will see some snow. the full round—up in 15 minutes. good morning, it's wednesday the 28th of february. also this morning: downing street insists there'll be no hard border in ireland as the eu prepares to unveil its plan for life after brexit. toys r us is on the brink of administration as it's unable to pay back its debts. more than 3,200 job are at risk. i'll have the details shortly. and the ghostly sillouettes that are appearing across the uk to mark a hundred years since the end

of the great war. this is outside of the imperial war missy north of this morning. in sport, ben stokes shows the fire england have been missing. he puts in a man of the match performance as the tourists beat new zealand to level their one day series. good morning. the uk is waking up to another morning of freezing conditions after temperatures fell to minus—eleven in some areas overnight. the cold weather has already caused major distruption, but forecasters say the worst is yet to come, with warnings in place until the weekend. here's our correspondent jon donnison with more. the so—called "beast from the east" has already left much of britain under a blanket of snow. the satellite images showed just how fast the cold snap has moved in over the last 24 hours. this is kent, which has received some of the worst of the weather so far.

the national police air service captured the shock of the snow slowly edging over central london. on the ground it has been a much less pretty picture for drivers, with the police reporting scores of accidents across the country. today again conditions on the roads are expected to be treacherous. weather warnings for ice and snow are in place for much of the uk. they are expected to remain until the weekend. yorkshire and the north east have seen some of the heaviest snowfall. with more expected today, many schools are likely to stay closed. when i was younger the snow was thicker and we still managed to get to school. i think it is the teachers who can't get in. that is the problem in this area because of the outlying villages that the teachers come from. for britain's homeless, this is in central london, it was another tough night, temperatures down to —10

in some parts and feeling much colder in the wind. the elderly too are vulnerable. in hull extra staff at meals on wheels services are being brought in to deliver hot food. i can't get out to get meals and things. so it's just wonderful. the only complaint i have got is they never bring you a drop of brandy! and over the next few days that might be needed. forecasters say they expect no letup in the freezing weather until at least the weekend. jon donnison, bbc news. we can see a serious issue is being caused, let's go to glasgow this morning where it's been snowing on and off for several hours. tell us about the impact. it's really called! let me tell you that. this

would normally be rush—hour in the middle of it, and it is eerily quiet here in glasgow. the city has more or less ground to a halt as big a dish and have got worse and worse. that is the picture across most of the country where that amber warning is in place. first of all let's talk about the traffic, the roads are terrible, white out conditions on the 74, the main route between scotla nd the 74, the main route between scotland and england. queues on the m8, the forth road bridge is closed so there is chaos across the central belt. the advice is to not drive if you can possibly avoid it. we can all vouch for that, those of us driving in this morning have its pa rents to driving in this morning have its parents to some pretty awful conditions, things we have not really seen in a long time. —— experienced some awful conditions. tens of thousands of school children will have the day off as most of the

schools are closed today. go and put some gloves on! thank you! i don't fit she's got anywhere near enough clothes on! phil is in thornton—le—dale, you are seriously layered up, well done!” thornton—le—dale, you are seriously layered up, well done! i tell you, i am mighty cold. that wind is biting and we think it about —12 wind—chill here in thornton—le—dale. talking about the school closures, several hundred schools across the north—east were closed yesterday, more than 100 in yorkshire alone. the local village school here in thornton—le—dale is closing today, so the kids have got a day off in the snow. we haven't seen to many of them yet, they have been having a lion. this is the main road, and traffic is negotiating it gingerly. we have seen critters coming through, the snowploughs come

through, the snowploughs come through and then we have snow falling again. it isjust through and then we have snow falling again. it is just falling again and then we have spelt of respite, but still cold. the advice if you are heading out today in the northern areas, north—east coast and yorkshire, take extra care and allow plenty of time for your journey because conditions are worse than they were this time yesterday. thank you very much. we will keep you up—to—date, carol is talking about the weather continuing and another storm on the way. the european union's chief negotiator will publish the first draft of the eu brexit treaty today. the document is expected to focus on northern ireland and any future role for the european court ofjustice. it comes hours after a leaked letter from the foreign secretary caused a new row over the issue of the border with ireland. our europe reporter adam flemming is in brussels. you described this as christmas?

yes, for brexit geeks, this is a really big day. this is going to be the first draft of the document that will eventually become the brexit treaty which theresa may will sign at some point which will take the uk out of the eu. these are the terms under which this will happen. it's a first draft, produced by the brexit negotiators at the european commission, led by michel barnier. the diplomats from the 27 remaining eu countries are about to see it for a first eu countries are about to see it for afirst time, eu countries are about to see it for a first time, they can make potential changes and then it'll have to be put in front of the uk in negotiating session and the uk will be able to take it and shape it and twea k be able to take it and shape it and tweak the bits that it doesn't like. today the focus will be on northern ireland, because this document is going to focus on what's called option c, the government's least favourite option about what to do

for northern ireland and the most controversial one, although it will mention the other options that the government prefers. expect a few mentions of the european court of justice, that's what the eu wants to oversee this treaty when it's done, the uk doesn't agree and they have not been able to reach, my son that yet. thank -- reach a compromise on that yet. the public‘s satisfaction with the nhs has seen a sharp decline over the last year, with our opinion of gp services at its lowest level since records began. the latest british social attitudes survey of three thousand people across england, wales and scotland, found that almost a third of respondents were unhappy with the nhs with prolonged waiting times being cited as one of the main concerns. when so many of us were told to stay indoors yesterday, radio one's greg james did this, cycling 100 miles to compete day to of his sport relief challenge. you called it a

gregathlon, look at this. i find challenge. you called it a gregathlon, look at this. ifind it challenging cycling in the rain but he cycles in the snow. he is climbing the three highest mountains in the uk, cycling the 500 miles between them in five days, he has raised £133,000 so far. hopefully he will be able to go up scott fell pike today and yesterday he had just been pulled off last night because it was too severe, the temperatures. it's the worst possible weak to do it. hopefully he'll be able to do it at some point. how many of the things you buy at the supermarket come in plastic packaging? we are more aware of things like the coconut being wrapped in plastic and

things in plastic trays. as we all become more aware of our environmental impact one supermarket in the netherlands is piloting a plastic—free aisle, with 700 products wrapped in compostable or sustainable packaging. danjohnson's been to take a look. all that shines is not necessarily plastic. it may look familiar, but despite appearances, everything on these shelves has been wrapped in something else. it is necessary, notjust for us but it's also what the consumer wants. what you want as a citizen, what you want for your children for the next generation, so it should bejust as simple as that. are customers going to pay more for these products when they get to the till? no. british campaigners are involved here. and there is a call, for our supermarkets to do more. but remember the other view, that plastic is a cheap, convenient way of keeping our food fresh. plastic is the most resource efficient material. but there's so much plastic in our supermarkets, shouldn't they be taking a lead

to cut down the amount of packaging? if you're trying to stop litter going into the ocean, it's not really the right solution because the sort of things that you store in your fridge and your freezer are not the sort of things that tend to go in the ocean. most of the british supermarkets to have targets for reducing plastic packaging but we asked the major chains if they had got plans for an aisle like this and none of them do. we're joined now by bettina maidment, who tries to live plastic free, and mollyjohnson, a retail analyst who specialises in supermarkets. good morning to both of you. you have brought in some things? yes, shopping accessories. what do you set out to do? so, i have set out to try and live plastic free. mainly

single use disposable plastics to try and cut those out of my life. was it harder than you thought? no, it isn't actually. it has taken a while to get to a stage where i know what i'm doing. but it takes a bit of preparation and that's it. i haven't found it that hard, to be honest. so things like this? i take them to shops with me. the first time you do it you feel... can i put —— can you put my cheese on my tupperware? but it saves them money. my tupperware? but it saves them money. my local deli offer 10% off if you take in your own packaging. it is win—win. take in your own packaging. it is win-win. that's a personal choice, some people refuse plastic bags and you take it a step further. and in supermarkets, we have seen these plastic free i/o is being brought in, is it feasible? it is good to see them cutting down on plastic

like coconuts and apples that are wrapped in plastic —— aisles. but it is difficult in the supply chain, to implement these initiatives would be very expensive. when we look at what consumers really want, they are all very much on board for becoming more sustainable and environmentally friendly but the main drivers of spendis friendly but the main drivers of spend is still price, convenience and value. and ethical and environmental issues don't come up there in terms of purchasing. we have noticed over the last few weeks and on blue planet two, there is a fraction of customers willing to pay a little more to guarantee that there are changes, that single use plastics are reduced by supermarkets. we have seen growth in the amount of consumers who are environmentally conscious and would be willing to pay more but it is still a significant minority. hopefully that will grow over time

and people become more aware, and supermarkets make it easier for people to make the switch. there is potential but in terms of the uk having entirely plastic free aisles, it will be a long time coming. and interns practicalities, if you want to buy yoghurt, for yourfamily, what do you do? i try and make my own. we live in a society that is com pletely own. we live in a society that is completely consumed by plastic. it is difficult to buy it when it isn't an plastic so sometimes a break. i live as plastic free as possible but there are limitations. if my family wanted, i will buy them a yoghurt. that approach to living is being more mindful of how i spend my money and a vote for how we want the world to be. supermarkets are under

pressure to make changes, many have come out and said they will stop doing this or, for example, wrapping the coconut. but they appear as though they are trying to make a difference, don't they? they both appear to want to make a difference but it is in their interest to cut down on plastic waste. it becomes more expensive. it will save them cost if they are not individually wrapping coconuts. the individual benefits, consumers are aware of the environment now, and that the benefit for customers, they appear more environmentally conscious. benefit for customers, they appear more environmentally consciousm is very interesting. thank you very much indeed. you try and turn down plastic bags in shops, don't you?” do. every little helps!” plastic bags in shops, don't you?” do. every little helps! i get myself in knots, trying to carry everything! thanks mike a really interesting discussion. an update, all flights out of london

city airport are on hold until work is clear the snow. that is an update according to the airport. here's carol with a look at this morning's weather. we can see and the weather warnings on the screen behind you. what do you have for us? good morning all, we have two areas covered by the met office amber be prepared for disruption snow warnings. in the north of the country, this encompasses northern, easton, central and southern scotla nd easton, central and southern scotland and north east england and parts of cumbria. it is valid until six o'clock tomorrow evening. expect to find 10—15 centimetres of snow fall in that time. for some, it will be even more, especially but not exclusively with height. in the south—east, this amber warning runs out at ten o'clock this morning, it has snowed heavily in some parts but by the end of it we could have a further 5—10 centimetres. not all of

us will see snow today. some will be dry with sunshine, some willjust see snow showers. through the course of be you can expect the win to strengthen. we have a significant wind—chill. snow piles in across these areas covered the amber warning. the wind is going to fear to more of a south—easterly, that will bring snow showers, some heavy potentially in southern devon, cornwall and dorset. these are the kinds of temperatures you can expect to see on your thermometer but when you add the wind—chill, it will feel better. brutally cold, —12 degrees is how it feels against your skin in aberdeen. —11 around norwich. elsewhere, we are expecting temperatures to feel subzero as we go through the day in the uk. there will be some clear spells, snow showers affecting parts of the west and the wind picking up again. it will be a cold night, a risk of ice

on untreated surfaces and in rural areas, especially where there is lying snow, temperatures fall to minus double figures. tomorrow we start with our amber weather warnings in the same areas, it expires at 6pm tomorrow and this new one in south—west england and wales down to the isle of wight. this might change. the reason i put that caveat on it is simply because we have storm emma coming across the bay of biscay, if she moves by west or east, that area of snow may change slightly. as this moisture engages with cold air across our shores, it readily turns to snow. the isobars tell you it will also be windy and that means blowing snow and potentially blizzards. that comes in from the south through the morning. heading in the direction of northern ireland, it is making slow progress though. we think it will clip the london area and move over

towards wales, and we still have an amber weather warning in force across the east of scotland today, brighter conditions, fewer snow showers but it will feel cold. a significant wind—chill, —11s across the central swathe of the uk. into friday, still systems are connected with snow emma and blowing northwards, blowing in potential blizzards and in the north, still some snow showers. inglot to play with. carroll, thank you the iconic angel of the north was surrounded by snow in gateshead. that was a lovely picture. and look at this, absolutely beautiful. an elephant in a fountain in colchester. it froze when temperatures fell below zero. colchester. it froze when temperatures fell below zerom

looks like it has a dress on. so and parts of cornwall, icicles formed on some boulders around the coast. look at that and in the sunshine! thank you very much indeed, everyone. the fishing industry provides the lifeblood of many coastal communities with the british catch being worth nearly a billion pounds a year. but the government has now been accused of ‘dragging its heels' when it comes to explaining how the industry will be affected by brexit. as part of a day of special coverage across the bbc, our scotland correspondent lorna gordon has been to shetland — home to one of the eu's richest fishing grounds. in the low winter sun off shetland, the crew of the guardian angel are heading home. the waters here can be unforgiving, but this has been a good few days at sea. the skipper of this trawler voted to leave the eu. he believes decisions on who can fish here should be made much closer to home. out on the deep edge, the shetland area, you have got

the foreign vessels coming up and down and there are plundering the stocks all the time. it's not a good feeling when you see that there, taking the stocks from out in front of you. how does it make you feel? ijust feel bad. it is our fish, our waters. how confident are you that the politicians are going to deliver what you want? at the moment i'm fairly confident to be honest with you. they are saying all the right things. i am very confident at the moment really. fishermen here say there is much to gain from brexit. the waters around these islands are rich with fish and it is time, they say, that they got back theirfair share. more fish are landed in shetland than all of england, wales and northern ireland combined, but there is more to the industry than just catching the fish. there is the processing and selling of it too. at the moment selling fish into europe couldn't be any easier at the moment. if anything changes, to make that more difficult, it will be a backward step. but the problem with brexit

is at the moment nobody really knows what the final deal is. this archipelago is the most northerly part of the united kingdom. the islands are wealthy and have close to full employment. there are many europeans working in industry here like fish farming and a fifth of the staff at this hatchery are from europe. so what of the future? we can't find enough people in shetland for all the jobs, particularly the specialist jobs we need and it can be very hard to persuade people especially on a windy day like this, from the uk, that shetland is a place they want to come and live. very often we find it easier to find people from the eu to come and live on shetland. fishing is not a big part of britain's economy overall, but in places like this, it's vital. shetland's fishermen say they are not naive about the brexit negotiations to come. shetland counts for nothing with the european commission. it's a very remote place that decides things for others without considering the consequences for our community. are you worried at all,

what the fishing community is asking for might get negotiated away? at the end of the day, a negotiation needs to be had and things will given away, concessions will be made. you know, there's nothing to say, there's nothing written in stone we won't be one of those concessions. britain is an island nation. the fishermen say their industry is more than just symbolically important. as the details of a brexit deal are hammered out, they are determined their voice will be heard. lorna gordon, bbc news, shetland. the department for the environment food and rural affairs told us: "the environment secretary has already set out the direction for the uk's fishing industry outside the eu. this will lead to a more profitable and resilient sector, working alongside other countries, to manage fish stocks sustainably and effectively." you can watch more of the bbc‘s special coverage on brexit and the fishing industry throughout the day on the bbc news channel. this is a picture of london from

outside the bbc building. a light covering of snow. all flights out of london city airport are on hold while workers clear the runway of snow this morning. there will be knock—on effects, schools closed across the uk too. real disruption due to the cold weather today. time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are. this morning, it's down towards part of lincolnshire, norfolk, suffolk, essex, towards north kent, ten to 15 centimetres of snow. the real focus is this north—eastern quadrant where there will be heavy and thundery snow showers moving in, so thunder snow showers moving in, so thunder snow across the central belt, there could be as much as 25 centimetres, perhaps more than that where we have got some drifting snow. i'll swear sunny spells, a few flurries, temperatures struggling to get above freezing. all of us will experience of severe winter chill today. it's going to feel like —62 —14 celsius if you are out and about, so

bitterly cold. overnight tonight, the heavy smoke showers bitterly cold. overnight tonight, the heavy —— |oke showers bitterly cold. overnight tonight, the heavy —— heavy 1owers bitterly cold. overnight tonight, the heavy —— heavy snow 5 bitterly cold. overnight tonight, the heavy —— heavy snow showers. the morning. —— heavy snow showers. the very cold night, temperatures well below freezing. this is the met office warning for thursday, parts of wales will be affected and the west country, into thursday where we have got heavy snow showers in the east, snow will move up through the morning, getting heavier and thicker as the day goes on. those temperatures struggling to get above freezing. add on the wind—chill, it's going to feel bitterly cold once again. —4, and is ten, minus 11. more snow thursday and friday,

stay tuned to the forecast. this is business live from bbc news with ben thompson and samantha simmonds. brexit breakdown. the eu publishes its first formal look at how things will work once the uk leaves. live from london, that's our top story on wednesday the 28th of february. business continues to fret about uncertainty as the document says northern ireland might have to follow eu rules to avoid imposing a hard border. we'll look at the implications. also in the programme. the biggest recall in car making history gets even bigger. australia orders a compulsory return of more than two million takata airbags.