large parts of the uk grind to a halt as snow, blizzards and sub—zero temperatures continue to grip the country. a rare red alert for snow is now in force — this time in south west england and south wales — meaning there's a risk to life tonight. people here are being told to stay inside, to stay warm and to stay part. near glasgow, warm drinks and blankets are lowered down for hundreds of people stranded on a motorway, some for 20 hours. i got stuck here about eight o'clock last night and i've been here ever since. i have not moved an inch yet. a lucky escape for this driver — but police across the uk say they've dealt with hundreds of incidents in the past 2a hours. we'll have the latest on the situation around the uk as forecasters warn there's yet more to come tomorrow. also on the programme... britain's so—called lost children, forcibly sent abroad after world war ii. aow the government's urged to give survivors compensation.

the prime minister holds talks with the european council president donald tusk in downing street ahead of her major speech on brexit tomorrow. a woman who bludgeoned her husband to death with a hammer wins the right to challenge her murder conviction at the court of appeal. and hoping for oscar glory — the profoundly deaf 6—year—old from swindon who'll be joining the stars on the red carpet this weekend. and coming up on sportsday on bbc news: scottish rugby say they're appalled to hear that eddiejones suffered physcial and verbal abuse after their six nations win over england. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. a red alert — meaning there's a risk to life — is in force tonight in parts

of south west england and south wales as heavy snow and blizzard conditions sweep in. it comes after hundreds of drivers were stranded overnight on the m80 motorway near glasgow. in lincolnshire today, where many roads have been impassable, the raf has been drafted in to help the emergency services and police have asked farmers with tractors to help clear the snow. thousands of schools remain closed and many flights and trains have been cancelled. the met office has issued weather warnings for almost the entire uk tonight, with amber alerts, the second—highest level, in place of a large parts. it is this area in red from exeter to cardiff and beyond thatis from exeter to cardiff and beyond that is most at risk tonight. we'll be reporting from across the uk — from devon, south wales and stirlingshire but we start tonight in county durham and our correspondent danny savage. sophie, the biggest problem over the

last 2a hours has again been severe disruption to the transport network. on the trains, the airports, and especially on the roads. there has been a real change of conditions last night and today, with the wind getting stronger from east, last night and today, with the wind getting strongerfrom east, bringing atrocious driving conditions and visibility almost down to zero in places. there is more of this to come. in teesdale in county durham, communities woke up to find themselves entombed in snow. yes, they are used to winter weather here, but it hasn't been this bad for years. behind every frozen door was a snapshot of life around the uk today. children off school and parents wondering just how wrong this is all going to go on for. with a house full of children. childcare is an issue for a lot of parents and we end up with a house full of children. we have a people, vulnerable people that unfortunately can't get out. it's hard, you know? we dig each other out, there's a lot of community spirit that goes on.

and they were digging out from first thing, with all ages lending a hand before it snowed again. here in middleton, in teesdale, the unofficial snow depth is... 33 centimetres. venturing out into the countryside around here was a battle with the elements. what's different today is the wind and the immense wind—chill that comes with it, that's whipping the falling snow and the stuff that's lying around into these huge drifts. exposed to the strong easterly wind, drivers in norfolk ended up in bother, too. and out came the shovels. i phoned in to work and said i can't make it, because i'm stuck in the drift. i won't be in, so i'm just trying to get home. it's really deep. i was onlyjust able to get through in my range rover here. so this is going to be tricky, and i don't think i've got enough traction to pull this car through this snowdrift. what are you going to do? go home and have a cup of tea. i think that's the answer to everything, isn't it? neighbouring suffolk saw more heavy snow, too. lincolnshire, again,

was beset with problems. this van will not be going anywhere for a long time. if the public stop and speak to you, please engage with them. a control centre was set up to coordinate raf units drafted in to assist emergency services. this is what trans—pennine a—roads looked like in north yorkshire. and this wasn't even on high ground. the a65 between skipton and kendall was best avoided. in ireland, a severe weather warning has been issued for the republic. the siberian freeze from the east has crept further west. sales of anything to do with coping with snow have lept. it's all very different to what you might expect for the first day of spring. danny savage, bbc news. heavy snow is continuing to fall across large parts of scotland. last night hundreds of drivers were left stranded in freezing conditions on the m80 near glasgow —

some for up to 20 hours. at glasgow airport some passengers are preparing to bed down for a second night after it was closed again today. our scotland correspondent lorna gordon is near the m80 at denny. she's sent this report. scotland's road to nowhere. hundreds of drivers stuck in miles of stationary traffic on what is usually one of the country's busiest roads. i left sterling at about eight o'clock and i've been here since, unfortunately. that is a good 17 hours, maybe, at the moment? just knocking on that, yeah. i think i've moved about 100 metres in that time. last night, some old boys came out with biscuits and crisps and this morning, it was all the schoolkids that came out, so, we're getting looked after. i've got two biscuits. the worst of circumstances bringing out the best in people. volunteers handing out food and water to those stranded in their cars. this storm was forecast well ahead of time, but,

despite the warnings, people did still venture out. now, after waiting nearly 18 hours on this stretch of motorway, it looks as if, finally, the traffic mightjust be about to start moving again. police officers clearing the way ahead, one by one. we've been coming up and down the northbound carriageway. because of the queueing vehicles and the vehicles stuck most of the night. hard work, i've seen the guys digging it out. very much so. giving the public reassurance to say we're getting to them albeit, yes, slowly. but the appalling weather saw even the emergency services struggling at times. no worries, thank you... those, though, who have experience of working in these extreme conditions have been putting their knowledge to good use. we are picking up a prescription for

somebody out in the countryside, somebody out in the countryside, somebody has not been able to get their essential medication so we are going to take it to them. for much of the day, trains in the affected areas have been off and the vast majority of flights were cancelled from edinburgh and glasgow, once again. there was fun for some, but with blizzards, freezing temperatures and drifting snow, there are serious concerns for those out in these conditions. even as those who could heeded the warnings to stay at home. tonight, across much of scotland, it is bitterly cold. the biting wind, pushing temperatures too well, well below zero. there are still weather warnings in place, the advice is to not travel unless it is absolutely essential. everybody is keen to

avoid a repeat of the chaos on the roads that we have seen over the last 2a hours. storm emma is sweeping across parts of south west of england and south wales this evening. a red alert is now in place until the early hours of the morning — and people are told to stay indoors because lives could be at risk. we'll get the latest from sian lloyd in south wales in a moment but first let's go tojon kay who's in devon. john? john? a lot of people woke up in this part of the country, looked out the window and thought it is not too bad. even when the red alert was issued at about eight o'clock, at brea kfast issued at about eight o'clock, at breakfast time this morning, it did not seem too bad for quite a long time. crucially, that red alert did not come into effect, did not become active until three o'clock this afternoon. almost bang on schedule, the sky turned white, rather than read, across the vast area, heavy snow started following, and with it came the wind, the blizzards that

whipped up the snow and cause drifting and cause roads to be blocked. that is what the authorities are really worried about. so, tonight there are a few ca i’s about. so, tonight there are a few cars around, but people are mainly at home, sitting tight, waiting to set this out, and trying to stockpile food. you can see lots of people going to the shops, trying to stock up with essentials, head of the storm coming in. the police and authorities are dealing with numerous incidents. we have heard tonight that a little girl, a seven—year—old girl has died in cornwall. we are not clear if it is weather—related. at the same time, police are dealing with an incident just outside exeter, a notorious spot which is steep, where there is snow, and they are trying to get traffic in and out of there. multiple incidents, but the key m essa 9 es multiple incidents, but the key m essa g es to multiple incidents, but the key messages to try to get indoors, stay inside, stay warm and then stay put until this is all over. let's go to merthyr tydfyll now. sian lloyd is there. does not look like it is snowing,

but is it expected to get much worse? yes, the snow is falling here. it is feeling bitterly cold. i am in the centre of merthyr tydfil and it is pretty deserted. people have been heeding the warnings here. the red warning came in early today, leading to an increased response with more schools closing, thousands of hospital appointments being cancelled and businesses being closed. we are expecting much more bad weather as we head into tonight. the beast from the east has travelled west. most of south wales had previously escaped snow. but today that changed. the county of torfaen is one of those where a red extreme weather warning is now in place. teams who usually work in the council's forestry division were drafted in to deliver hot meals to those unable to leave their homes, like stanley todd. he is worried that bad weather will prevent his care workers from reaching him.

what it stops is people calling. because normally, several people a day called for a chat or whatever, various services. so that will make it very lonely. the weather warning covers visits and high wind nowell, the weather warning covers high wind, which could pose a risk to life. remote hilltop communities are used to seeing the bad weather coming in, but the valleys towns below are also heeding this warning. in merthyr tydfil, schools have been warned to close. more than a thousand are shut across wales. on the high street, one of the only shopkeepers to open today soon gave up. usually a busy centre, it looked more like a ghost town. people had heeded the warnings given to avoid travel. well, i think if there's a risk to life, you've got to take

sensible proportions, really. people are going into shutdown and panic mode, i think. it's starting to worry people. the welsh transport secretary warned people to leave work early with the weather expected to get worse. plenty more information on the bbc news website. we will have a full weather forecast for you later in the programme. our top story this evening... snow, blizzards and sub zero temperatures continue to grip the country, with a red alert in force for south west england and south wales. and still to come... the moment they found out they were nominated. we follow the team behind short film the silent child as they head to the oscars. coming up on sportsday on bbc news: england women's head coach phil neville takes charge for his first game tonight against france in the she belives cup tournament in the usa. they've been called

britain's lost children — around 4,000 of them who were forcibly sent abroad to countries like australia, canada and new zealand in the years after world war ii. they were promised new lives in the sunshine. instead, many suffered horrendous physical and sexual abuse. now, an independent inquiry into what went on has urged the british government to pay compensation to all the survivors. our home affairs correspondent tom symonds reports. a dark history — british children lied to, deported, sexually abused, even tortured. i've lived for 60—odd years with this. it went unmentioned for decades. even today, this is not a well—known scandal. but it has devastated lives and continues to blight them. all we did was do as we were told.

and suffered immensely for it. the child migrants were from poor backgrounds, promised a better life in the sunshine. and when visitors came, especially from britain, that's how it seemed. but last year, the now—elderly migrants gave hours of chilling evidence of what their carers said. they said that you're a nobody, you've got nobody, you've got no parents, they're all dead. ..and even worse, did. the verdict today, even by 1940s standards, what happened was indefensible. several governments ignored warnings, carefully filed in the official archives to avoid upsetting the charities and religious groups involved. or the australians. politics put before children. they ignored our plight, they encouraged paedophilia, to a degree. because they were made

aware of problems in australia, where they were sending us to. and yet, they continued sending us. what does that tell you? that tells me that they didn't give a rat's backside, if you'll pardon the vernacular, about the british children. campaigners were delighted today that the british government has been held responsible. at last, a measure of truth and a measure of responsibility. the buck stops with the government. britain apologised in 2010 that this report has called for all surviving migrants to receive compensation within a year. the government is considering its response will stop its the first time this much criticised inquiry has bared its teeth. but the evidence heard in this room was never really in doubt. and this was a scandal very much of the past. the inquiry‘s other investigations may not be as straightforward. but this to come

first. because half of those who had been called britain's lost children have already passed away. the prime minister has met donald tusk ahead of her major speech on brexit tomorrow expecting to set out her plans for the next stage of negotiations. but there are tensions with brussels on the way ahead. the eu's chief brexit negotiator, michel barnier, says britain is closing the doors on itself, one by one, because of its insistence on leaving the eu's single market and the customs union. our deputy political editor john pienaar reports. foreign secretary, will the whole cabinet agree? time for the cabinet to stick together. too cold not to. not just the weather, the chill between britain and brussels over brexit. borisjohnson and fellow brexiteers counting on theresa may at today's cabinet to map out firm lines in her big speech tomorrow. is this government on a sure footing on brexit? former remainers, too, joining the united front. is the government skating on thin ice? a fragile truce against a chorus

of critics, british and european. are you confident the brexit plan is going to fly? without question, absolutely confident we'll make a success of it. all the doubters, though, ex—prime ministers, donald tusk, what do you make of them? fantastic investment from toyota yesterday demonstrates real money invested, creating real jobs. and that speaks louder than any prediction. in downing street, they're preparing for a hazardous journey. inside, mrs may was rehearsing her brexit speech, hopes of all trade routes clear. of all trade routes free and clear. rules made in britain, squaring with europe's, only when they suit the uk. and when the cabinet broke up, ministers were behind what they'd heard. is the plan realistic, in a word? very much so. you have no doubts? not a single doubt, yourself? not at all. wait until you hear the speech, tomorrow. the eu council president, chairman among leaders, came in for his speech preview, too. expecting to dislike a lot of it, despite the diplomatic chumminess. and in their meeting fully expected to say so.

i'm not happy with... "not happy with her red lines", he said. she wanted trade with no barriers and, as he'd argued earlier, he wanted britain playing by eu rules. there can be no frictionless trade outside of the customs union and the single market. fiction is an inevitable side—effect of brexit. in brussels, there was no backing down from the demand britain has rejected outright, to avoid a hard irish border, northern ireland must stay in a customs union, if all else fails. be calm and be pragmatic. no chance of mrs may accepting that. it's been hard enough just clearing the path to the start of brexit talks, which looks like becoming very hard going. hard going uniting the cabinet, may

be hard to avoid the collapse of brexit talks over the irish border and if they go ahead, hard to ove 1120 m e and if they go ahead, hard to overcome eu objections to britain leaving and trading on its own terms. tomorrow, theresa may will set out her plans in detail but there are many obstacles to overcome and it won't get much easier any time soon. a woman who killed her husband has won permission to challenge her murder conviction. sally challen, who was sentenced to 22 years, admitted killing richard challen at their home in surrey in 2010, but denied murder. her lawyers say she was the victim of "coercive control". charlotte gallagher reports. victory for sally challen‘s supporters. herson, david, hugs her lawyer outside the court of appeal. sally challen killed her husband, richard, in 2010, by repeatedly hitting him over the head with a hammer. she was found guilty of murder and sentenced to a minimum of 22 years. her lawyers will now attempt to challenge that murder conviction. sally challen‘s legal team say she was the victim

of coercive control, a type of psychological abuse that wasn't recognised by law when sally challen was first convicted. it's now a criminal offence. her legal team say her husband degraded, humiliated and controlled her for many years, and that was what led to the killing. this was going to be her last chance at challenging a conviction and a very, very long sentence for what was very, very tragic events that happened in extreme circumstances. her son was relieved with the decision. overcome, overjoyed, most of all thankful. thankful we're getting this chance, thankful that the justice system acknowledges an issue might have been overlooked or not properly investigated. campaigners admit there is still a long way to go, but hope the case could help other men and women who may have subjected to mental abuse.

charlotte gallagher, bbc news. the england rugby coach, eddiejones, has said he'll no longer travel on public transport, after being verbally abused by scotland fans after england's defeat to scotland over the weekend. bbc footage shows mrjones initially posed for photograph with a group of men, after getting off the train at manchester, before he was subjected to taunts and abuse, as he tried to get into a taxi. the stars will be out in force in la on sunday for the oscars. and joining them will be a 6—year—old girl from swindon who is profoundly deaf. maisie sly stars in the oscar nominated british drama the silent child. it was written and directed by two former actors from hollyoaks, as our entertainment correspondent colin paterson reports. "hello, i'm maisie. i'm in hollywood for the oscars." it's a story so happy it could be the plot of a hollywood film. maisie sly had never even acted

before her parents were told about film—makers looking for a profoundly deaf girl to star in their film, the silent child. and now, here are the nominees for best live action short film. this is the moment injanuary when the team gathered to find out if they had been nominated for an oscar. ..my nephew emmett. the silent child. cheering yes! and so, this week, they reunited at heathrow... hello, welcome on board. and headed to los angeles. most people prepare for the oscars by meeting stylists and planning acceptance speeches. maisie's schedule has been rather different. "my favourite thing this week

was kidspace and the zoo." "yep, that's my favourite thing this week." welcome to hollywood! although she is having to get used to people recognising her. i saw her on television, just last week. they say she's nominated. do you think she'll be able to get a job one day? rachel shenton wrote and starred in the silent child. she learned sign language after her own father lost his hearing. the nomination means that ultimately, now, we are in over 600 cinemas in the us, which is huge for us as a short film. and it's really important for the subject, which is obviously deafness, and shining a much—needed light on access to education for deaf children. there's meryl streep. her former hollyoaks co—star chris overton directed the film and, at a lunch for all the nominees, they got to meet one of his heroes. steven spielberg was in between me and rachel. and the person taking the photo said, oh, can we move, because the light's not good. so we were ordering spielberg around!

oh, an oscar! now all that remains is to find out if there will be a hollywood happy ending. on sunday night, maisie could get her hands on a real one of these. colin paterson, bbc news, los angeles. good luck to her. let's return to our main story, and that red weather alert in south wales and the south west. jon kay's in tiverton. a difficult few hours ahead? it is. it is difficult for, particularly, those bigger communities that aren't so used to this kind of weather. there are people who live on the moors who get hit by snow pretty much every year but this red warnings that was declared this morning by the met office ta kes declared this morning by the met office takes in some big cities like exeter. it goes towards taunton, cardiff, the edge of bristol. there are big urban areas and urban communities who might not be used to

the amount of snow and freezing rain that could fall over the next few hours. this isn't going to push through particularly quickly, this will go through the night, the early hours of tomorrow and then another wave tomorrow and tomorrow night. that's why the authorities also worried. that freezing rain and mentioned is when rain falls, it warms up mentioned is when rain falls, it warms up and falls as rain and then freezes as it hits the ground and that could be absolutely treacherous for rush hour tomorrow morning. once again, lots of warnings and expect more warnings in the hours and days that followed. thank you. time for a look at the weather. here's louise lear. this is farfrom over? this is far from over? severe weather through the night and into tomorrow as well. you have been hearing red weather warnings issued. this has been the story with the snow. this feed of showers across eastern scotland but in the last few

hours, the snow has gathered in intensity across the south—west. you can see quite clearly. in the last few minutes, the met office has extended the amber warning. this red warning is the real issue. this one means take action. the weather is so that there is a potential for the loss of life. blizzard like conditions across the south—west. and into south wales overnight. that extends its way, perhaps brushing the southern part of northern ireland and through the night, we can't forget those showers across eastern scotland which have been such a nuisance. they will continue, perhaps not as widespread that they will still be there. a veil of cloud through the night, perhaps temperature is not falling quite as low as night just temperature is not falling quite as low as nightjust past but still no news of minus four. bitterly cold start, and a grey and grim start for many of us with a lot of cloud. that

biting easterly wind will make it feel much colder. a brief lull tomorrow morning, some showers in the east but it will continue into the east but it will continue into the afternoon, more snow in the south and the channel, the south midlands, wales and south—west england. keep abreast of the forecast, the position of that snow may well change. factor in the strength of the winds, perishing me cold. the wind direction will change slightly and pushed the beast from the east into the far north—east. the weekend, something less cold but still the risk of some snow showers. thank you. that's it. now on bbc one we can join the bbc‘s news teams where you are. a dark history, british children leve nson this is bbc news , our latest headlines. as storm emma sweeps in from the atlantic, a red weather warning is in place for south west england and south wales — it means conditions pose a potential risk to life. across the uk, snow and ice continue to cause chaos as freezing conditions affect roads, airports and trains. many motorists found themselves stranded.

iphone themselves stranded. into work to say i couldn't make iphone into work to say i couldn't make it, i'm stuck in a drift, and i won't be in. —— i phoned in to work. go home and have a cup of tea, i think. british children forcibly sent abroad, many of them abused, should receive compensation, an inquiry says. theresa may meets the eu's donald tusk in downing street to discuss preventing a hard irish border. it comes ahead of a big brexit speech by the prime minister tomorrow. in a moment, it will be time for sportsday but first a look at what else is coming up this evening on bbc news. as the snow continues to fall and temperatures are stuck below zero, we'll be asking whether those sleeping rough are being able to find shelter. the national grid says the country could run out of gas today. the freezing temperatures mean there's not enough to meet demand. we'll find out what that might mean.