still as many questions as answers. just how did the nerve agent novichok — used to poison a former russian spy — lead to two more people being treated in hospital? dawn sturgess and charlie rowley remain in a critical condition — police say there was "nothing in their background" to suggest the pair were targeted. speaking the in the commons in the last few minutes home secretary sajid javid said he understood the public‘s concerns. i recognise that some local wiltshire residents will be feeling very anxious. let me reassure you that public safety is of paramount importance. i'm in amesbury in wiltshire, where neighbours of the couple have been shocked and alarmed to discover they are in hospital because they've suffered from novichok poisoning. after so much time and money spent on decontamination, we'll be asking how novichok has re—emerged in wiltshire. also this lunchtime... ahead of a crunch cabinet meeting

tomorrow, more calls for clarity on brexit — as theresa may and angela merkel prepare to discuss the progress of negotiations during talks in berlin. don't try getting into london — the message to commuters using the uk's second—busiest rail station, after a signal failure brings travel chaos across the south east. archive: on july 5th, the new national health service starts. and what followed was seven decades of blood, sweat and tears — and plenty to celebrate, as the uk marks the 70th anniversary of the nhs. nursing injury worries — but england manager gareth southgate says we'll be ready for the quarter—final match against sweden on saturday. and coming up on bbc news, plenty of british interest at wimbledon today. both johanna konta and kyle edmund are due on centre court this afternoon. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one.

as two more people undergo life—saving treatment in hospital after they were exposed to the deadly nerve—agent novichok, questions are being asked about how this could have happened — just months after the massive decontamination operation which followed the attack on sergei and yulia skripal. investigators are working on a theory that charlie rowley and dawn sturgess came into contact with the deadly substance in a part of salisbury which was outside the clean—up area. home secretary sajid javid chaired an emergency cobra meeting this morning. he told the commons that he understood that the people of wiltshire would be worried by the latest developments. that go over to my colleague ben brown, who is in amesbury. yes, this is muggleton road in

amesbury, and it was in flat lying behind the police cordoned that the couple were ta ken behind the police cordoned that the couple were taken ill back on saturday —— flat number nine. first it was thought they'd had a drugs overdose of some kind, then several days later it became clear they've actually been exposed to novichok, the russian military grade nerve agent that it believed was used to poison sergei skripal, the former russian spy, and his daughter in salisbury four months earlier. not surprisingly that revelation has caused shock and disbelief and alarm amongst the couple's neighbours here in amesbury, people asking lots of questions of the authorities. a short time ago in the commons, the home secretary savage at —— sajid javid had this to say. home secretary savage at —— sajid javid had this to say. i recognise that some local wiltshire residents will be feeling very anxious. let me reassure you. the public safety is of paramount importance. public health england's latest assessment is that based on the number of

casualties affected, there is no significant risk to the wider public. their advice is informed by scientists and the police as the fa cts scientists and the police as the facts evolve. dame sally davies, the chief medical officer, has confirmed that the risk to the public remains low and has asked the book public to follow the advice of public health england and the police. she has also advised that people who have visited the area, that they, the areas that have been recently cordoned off, that they should wash their clothes and wipe down any items they may have been carrying at the time. that was the home secretary in the commons a short time ago. after the attack on the skripals back in march in salisbury the government accused russia, the russian state, involvement being behind that attack. today, the russian government again have said they had nothing to do with that or this latest incident here in wiltshire. richard galpin has this report. the poisoning of 30 and yulia

skripal with novichok in march led to an unprecedented response by the government here. 23 russian diplomats expelled from the embassy in london, many more from other european countries and the united states will stop when theresa may went to parliament, she was confident that intelligence showed moscow was responsible for the attack. there is no alternative conclusion other than that the russian state was culpable for the attempted murder of mr skripal and his daughter. this represents an unlawful use of force by the russian state against the united kingdom. unlawful use of force by the russian state against the united kingdomm now with two more people, dawn stu rg ess now with two more people, dawn sturgess and charlie rowley, in critical condition in salisbury hospital, accusations are against flying between london and moscow, with relations already at an historic low. can you provide reassurance to the people of

salisbury? this morning the government's emergency committee cobra has been meeting to discuss this latest crisis and how it should respond. we are taking this incident incredibly seriously and working around the clock to discover precisely what has happened, where and why. be assured that we have world leading scientists, intelligence officers and police on this case. but all this comes at a very sensitive time diplomatically. donald trump will be travelling to europe next week for a nato summit which could prove to be fractious, followed by a visit to britain and then finally a summit meeting with vladimir putin in which mr trump may try to bolster relations with the kremlin. and all that may mean little chance of concerted diplomatic action against moscow in response to this latest poisoning of british citizens. it will be particularly difficult with the world cup continuing in the england tea m world cup continuing in the england team about to play in the quarterfinals. richard galpin, bbc

news. the home secretary said that around 100 counterterror detectives are now involved in this latest operation in wiltshire on top of the wiltshire police, who are already carrying out their investigations. let's get this report from my colleague, duncan kennedy. the police tapes are up again in wiltshire, after confirmation that nerve agent has returned to this community. a total of five sites are being examined in salisbury and amesbury as the new investigation gets under way. the victims this time our dawn sturgess and charlie rowley, both now critically ill in hospital. this has changed the testa m e nt hospital. this has changed the testament around not only our staff in hospital but also stuff in the nhs. we are so fortunate to have such skilled staff here and they've really co m e such skilled staff here and they've really come into their own and really come into their own and really been able to demonstrate not only their world—class care, as

sally said here at salisbury, but also what care across the nhs people receive every day. the last time charlie was seen in public was at this church party in amesbury on saturday afternoon. he was here just hours before he was taken ill. charlie had come here to the party with a friend but it's just not clear yet at what point he was exposed to the noppert shock, or at what time it took effect on his body —— exposed to the knobbyjock. what time it took effect on his body -- exposed to the knobby jock. he looked out of sorts, he looks not right. one would have assumed it was possibly alcohol, we don't know for sure. we did engage with him, we invited them to eat and they shared some of the food and wandered around for about 20 then it's on to then disappeared. charlie rowley and dawn stu rg ess disappeared. charlie rowley and dawn sturgess whereat their home in amesbury when they were taken to hospital. a friend of dawn's says they've all been shaken by the news. it's just like all of a sudden one minute they were fine, the next

minute they were fine, the next minute they were intensive care. it's scary. its four months since surgery and yulia skripal were targeted with the same nerve agency —— surrogate and yulia skripal were targeted with the same nerve agent. the question is how did the couple come into contact with novichok? you'd expect a halfway competent would—be assassin to dispose of those relatively carefully because there would be a forensic gold mine but it is possible and i think the implication is it's one of the leading lines of enquiry, that may be an item, one of these items, wasn't hidden as well as expected and has been found and that two individuals have become contaminated because of its. the government says the risk to health is low, but people who visited the sites under investigation must be vigilant. we can eschew scientific advisable not to do ina can eschew scientific advisable not to do in a situation and how to make sure you take precautions to keep yourself safe but the nature of a

nerve agent such as novichok is it's an absolute tiny needle in a very large haystack that we have to find. this double exposure of nerve agent affecting a town and a city seven miles apart has been a real shock here. the circumstances of who and why it happened may be different, but the impact has been just as potent. duncan kennedy, bbc news, in amesbury. people here in wiltshire and salisbury are asking the question this lunchtime, how could this couple have them into contact with novichok residue in salisbury after all the time and money that was spent decontaminating that city after the attack on the skripals. it's known that novichok, this russian military nerve agent, was developed during the cold war and that it keeps its potency over a long period of time, as our science correspondent pallab ghosh now reports. the removal of the park bench where sergei ustyugov were

found after they were taxed. this and other areas of salisbury were cordoned off and cleaned up. successful, it seems, as there have been no further incidents in the city. but how did the novichok nerve agent get to amesbury? the current explanation is that it came from an object that was used to make the agent that was carelessly discarded. if that's the case there are three crucial questions. could there be more objects? can they be detected? and are they still deadly? we have to bring in again the inspectors from the 0pcw, from the hague, and get them looking at what happened here and checking these compounds are making sure this time that we get some way to axe ablution as to who might have done this. the nerve agent was identified and britain's chemical weapons research laboratory in porton down. it spreads through contact with the skin, through the mouth, or by injection, even a tiny amount can cause the body's muscles

to contract, make it harder to breathe and causes a heart attack. there is no simple test to detect the agent and it remains highly poisonous for a long time. our assessment is the risk to the general public remains low. it's perfectly reasonable to carry on with your normal day—to—day activities. we are giving some highly precautionary advice to anybody who was in one of the areas of concern from 10pm on friday night onwards simply to wash your clothes. that's a sensible and easy precaution to take. and of course we should all remember not to pick up objects that we don't know what they are. novichoks can be decontaminated chemically if it's known where they are but the safest approach is to ta ke are but the safest approach is to take suspected objects away and to burn them. pallab ghosh, bbc news. now it is thought that the couple, as you heard earlier on in that report, went to queen elizabeth gardens in salisbury on friday night

and it's there, possibly, and this is one of the police theories, there that they got exposed to the novichok. let's is good i was worried that —— is correspondent thomas morgan who is there now. what can you tell us? there's still a significant police presence outside queen elizabeth gardens here in salisbury today, as you can see, the garden is still cordoned off at the moment. it's still unclear if it was here that the couple came into contact with the novichok nerve agent. i've been speaking to some of the residents of salisbury today, there is bemusement, there's also some worry that something like this has happened again in their town, something incredible, and incredible incident that has happened in their town in the same time in one year. there is also concern for local businesses that have just recovered after what happened in march earlier this year. this is one of six sites in the city that has been cordoned off by the police as they continue their investigation into exactly what happened to the couple from amesbury as they recover in their

local hospital. thank you very much, thomas morgan reporting will stop here in amesbury outside the property where the couple fell ill there's a police cordon as you can see. we've seen a lot of detectives carrying out house—to—house enquiries. the home secretary has said there's no significant risk to the wider public, but at the same time it's also underlined the advice from health officials which is that if you have travelled to one of those fixed cordoned off areas that we re those fixed cordoned off areas that were visited by the couple from friday night onwards coming you should wash all your clothes and wipe down your possessions and belongings. from amesbury, back to you. ben, thank you very much. downing street has set out some of the detail of a new plan for how customs could be handled after brexit. the latest model is known as a "facilitated customs arrangement". number ten said it would harness the best aspects of two previous options under consideration — whilst allowing britain to strike its own trade deals. the car—makerjaguar land rover says it urgently needs greater certainty if it is to continue to invest heavily in the uk. our political correspondent iain watson reports. here are the problems downing street

it's trying to solve. how to keep the irish border open with no customs checks. and how to avoid what the government calls friction, and what the rest of us call queues at the uk's borders. otherwise simply businesses such as car—maker jaguar land rover are threatening to reduce investment and possibly remove production, but never mind the economic. the politics are even more important for now at least. the prime minister has to convince those who campaigned to leave that brexit really does mean brexit. so what's the government's future customs plan after brexit? well, the title just rolls off the tongs. the facilitated customs arrangement, to keep access to eu markets and keep manufacturers happy, the uk would mirror existing eu rules and regulations on goods. to try to keep brexiteers happy the

uk would decide whether to adopt new ewood new rules —— eu rules, this wouldn't happen automatically. and uk would set its own tariffs on goods from outside the eu allowing the government to do trade deals, but technology would track goods that go on to the eu and the eu's ta riffs that go on to the eu and the eu's tariffs would be charged on them. the prime minister's complicated plan is designed to answer some tricky questions, but in the process it raises quite a few more, practically, how long would it take to put new customs technology in place? economically, what would the eu want in return for access to their markets? and politically, would unite all further divide the prime minister's own party? some say that anyone who doesn't back the prime minister should be swept aside. we should be able to bring the cabinet behind her, finally producing a unified front and i think if there are any who can't get behind than they really should be either sacked or walk away at this stage because it can't carry on with

this mixed message coming out of the government. that some leave campaigners are not on board. it's farcical. to be honest we'd be better off just saying if you farcical. to be honest we'd be better offjust saying if you don't wa nt to better offjust saying if you don't want to do a freed free—trade deal with this just sound in that case we'll have a global free trade deal based on wto rules. that's the choice. cabinet ministers will discuss the plan at the prime minister's country retreat tomorrow. no one is expected to walk out, it's a long way to the gate, but it doesn't mean they'll all be in agreement. iain watson, bbc news. thousands of passengers are being urged not to travel to the uk's second busiest station due to a signalling error. dozens of gatwick express, thameslink and southern services to and from london victoria were cancelled due to the fault. national rail says the disruption is likely to continue for the rest of the day. our transport correspondent victoria fritz reports. the service to west croydon has been cancelled... and all-too-familiar

warning and another tough morning for passengers using britain's rail services. over 75 million people come to london victoria each year. for some, it is the route to work. for some, it is the route to work. for others, it is the way home or to other days. how destructive is this to your journey today? other days. how destructive is this to yourjourney today? it sucks! it is so bad. it is either this or get a two our bus home. where are you trying to get to? i am trying to get to balham, i just trying to get to? i am trying to get to balham, ijust came from luton airport, and with heavy bags. stephen has been standing here for an hourand a stephen has been standing here for an hour and a half trying to get to work. his shop is closed, he is losing business, and he is fed up with excuses. i have been doing this journey for almost 15 years, and there is always delays and stuff like that, and nothing has been done since. we are always getting excuses and promises, nothing has been done. at the end of the line and the end of their tether, passengers in brighton took to twitter to show

others what they are up against. ordinarily, these tracks are some of the busiest in britain. today they are eerily silent. the reason — a power failure to the signalling system power failure to the signalling syste m m ea ns power failure to the signalling system means that almost all services from the south of england to the capital have been cancelled or delayed. thousands of services in the north and south of england have been cancelled in the last month. those that do run have been late and overcrowded. pressure is mounting on politicians to act. what we need is concerted action by the government, by network rail, and by the train operator, to fix these desperately serious transport problems. it is not acceptable for my constituents using great northern to be subjected to this day after day. season-ticket holders and thameslink and great northern will now be eligible for special compensation. the industry will foot the bill until a solution for all becomes clear. victoria fritz, bbc news.

our top story this lunchtime. still as many questions as answers — just how did the nerve agent novichok used to poison a former russian spy lead to two more people being treated in hospital? i recognise that some local wiltshire residents will be feeling very anxious. let me reassure you that public safety is of paramount importance. coming up on bbc news, injury worries for gareth southgate — strikerjamie vardy is a doubt for england's world cup quarterfinal against sweden. the national health service is celebrating its 70th anniversary with a host of events being held around the uk. since its birth in 19118, the nhs has grown to become the world's largest publicly funded health service. staffjoined patients and charities at a service at westminster abbey, and many others will attend a service this evening at york minster, the prince of wales has met patients at a hospital in blaenau gwent, and the duke of cambridge

will attend a commemorative reception in edinburgh. our health correspondent dominic hughes reports. 70 years old and still swinging. at the christie hospital in manchester, a leading centre for the treatment of cancer, birthday celebrations are under way. for those receiving cutting—edge treatment here in particular, the benefits of the nhs are very real and very personal. i didn't think that this treatment was available, i thought it was... obviously you had to pay for it in, you know, another country, but to have it in the nhs isjust phenomenal. the outlook now is great, you know, it really is. if i'd have done nothing, the "do nothing" option was an option, so here i am a year later, and the cancer is under control, let's say, and i feel great. there was a more formal commemoration at westminster abbey with an acknowledgement

of the central role the health service plays in all our lives. a health service that belongs to us all, to those of all faiths and none, to those who fought to bring the nhs to life, to the staff and volu nteers the nhs to life, to the staff and volunteers who have sustained it ever since, and our families volunteers who have sustained it ever since, and ourfamilies who rely on it in their troubling times of need. in scotland, the first minister was marking the anniversary. and a royal visit too in wales to the hospital named after aneurin bevan, widely seen as the father of the nhs. archive: the new national health service starts, providing a hospital and specialist services, medicines... 70 years ago, in the aftermath of the second world war, the uk was being prepared for what was to become the biggest government reform of the 20th century. so this is where it all began

70 years ago today — symbolically, at least. the then health secretary, nye bevan, came here, to what was known as park hospital in trafford in manchester to receive the keys of the hospital from lancashire county council. now, that marked the birth of the nhs, and the culmination of a truly ambitious plan to create a health service that's free for everyone and funded by taxation. in 19118, joyce thompson was training as a nurse. now aged 90, she marvels at what the health service has become. well, we couldn't do without the nhs now, we had very few things at the beginning, but with money coming forward, we did better as we went on. and the bevan legacy lives on. his great grandniece, jasmine stokes, is studying to become a mental—health nurse. i always remember going into hospitals and saying, "i'm going to be like that one day, i'm going to be a nurse."

and i suppose, being related to aneurin bevan has had a massive impact in the choices i've chose, and the career i've chose, because he obviously done our nation proud. and i want to do the same thing, i want to make a difference to people's lives, so yeah. as far as i'm aware, i'm one of the only ones that have gone into the nhs and kind of followed my dreams, but yeah, i think he would be very proud of me. i hope so, anyway. over the past 70 years, the nhs has had its ups and downs, but today, across the country, celebrations marking the creation of what's become a very british institution. dominic hughes, bbc news, the christie hospital, manchester. almost two weeks into the heatwave that has seen temperatures hit 30 degrees in many places, and farmers are warning of the impact the weather could have on crops and livestock. in many areas grass has stopped growing and some livestock farmers are struggling to find feed for their animals. however, it's boom time for owners of solar panels, many of which are postioned on farmland. from gloucestershire, claire marshall has sent this report. with the heat come the flies.

the group we've got here are all huddled up to try and communally move the flies away, create a little personal shade. when cows are uncomfortable, they don't eat a lot, which means they don't produce as much milk. this is already having a financial impact. this farm is now losing around £1400 a week. we've lost about 500 litres a day. it adds up, yeah, and that's off the top, so that's £200 less we've got to pay bills and do other things, so you wouldn't want it to get worse or carry on for too long. so it's a worry. it is, it's a real worry. crops are also suffering. this barley should still be green and growing. instead, it's scorched. the heatwave means that, in many areas, grass that livestock should be grazing is withering. some farmers are having to use feed they were saving for winter.

the national farmers' union is now helping to provide emergency supplies. take a look at this. what the sun has done to this earth here, it's completely dried it out. so for some farmers, the heat has called real problems, but for others it's a different story. last weekend, solar power supplied almost 30% of the uk's electricity, and farmers own two thirds of britain's solar power supply. andrew troughton's family made the decision to diversify in the 1990s. now panels cover a quarter of their land. forthe solarfarm, i mean, it's great, it's just basically, the summer are the months that pay the bills on it and produce the income. there's nothing else farming wise that could just sit here and produce the revenue, the energy and the revenue, so it is better. but much of the countryside now wants and needs relief from the heat and what it's bringing with it.

clare marshall, bbc news, gloucestershire. at the world cup, england are back in training today, ahead of saturday's quarterfinal with sweden. the team had the day off yesterday, in order to recover from their extraordinary penalty shoot—out victory over colombia. but there are injury concerns for gareth southgate's side as they prepare to travel to samara tomorrow. in a moment, we'll speak to richard conway, who's with the swedish team, but first david ornstein is at the england camp. and how serious are these injury worries, david? well, england endured a fairly brutal 120 minutes of football, not to mention penalty kicks, in an unforgettable to mention penalty kicks, in an u nforg etta ble over to mention penalty kicks, in an unforgettable over colombia in moscow on tuesday night, and it didn't come without a cost. it's now emerged that jamie vardy received didn't come without a cost. it's now emerged thatjamie vardy received an injection for a groin problem picked up injection for a groin problem picked up after coming on as a substitute, while dele alli is still struggling with a thigh problem. ashley young

with a thigh problem. ashley young with an ankle injury, harry kane was among those who came away with a few bumps and bruises. it is, however, understood that vardy is the only serious doubt for this enormous quarterfinal against sweden, who should not be underestimated. they are fit and fresh, by all accounts. now, that match will be played in temperatures in excess of 30 celsius in samara, so these days are crucial for recovery and preparation. on the flip side, fabian delph is back with the squad after returning to the uk for the birth of his third child, a young baby girl arrived yesterday morning. england trained again this morning. england trained again this morning behind closed doors, they will train once more tomorrow, and then fly to samara. can you believe that england are nowjust two games away from a world cup final? we will have to! richard conway, let's go to him at the sweden camp in krasnodar, what is the mood there? down here on the black sea coast, it is a lot warmer than where

david is in repino, the swedish team are in relaxed mood, they have trained also today behind closed doors, where theirfinal trained also today behind closed doors, where their final preparation session before departing for samara. i have spoken to a few of the squad members, sebastian larsson, of course, he knows english football very well, having spent 17 years there in total, and he feels all the pressure is on england. he says the expectation levels in england are such that the swedish team can go in something under the radar. that is a reflection, really, of how they have gone on throughout the tournament. they topped the group that contains germany and mexico, but many expected switzerland to beat them in the round of 16. not so, they have gone on, and there is a belief now, a spirit in the squad that does not contain big egos or superstars, but there is a collective spirit and believe that they can get past england and get to first semifinal in the world cup in 1994. they have departed in a coach in the last three minutes, heading for the airport, they will arrive in samara

later today, that quarterfinal against england awaits. both teams know how big an opportunity this is to progress to the very end, perhaps, of the world cup. thank you very much for that, richard conway there. let's have a look at the weather with matt taylor. familiar story today, lovely blue skies across scotland, this is western scotland, and indeed northern ireland, but some subtle changes, particularly scotland and northern ireland, if you are under the sunshine, because substantially cooler than yesterday. very pleasant there, but compared to yesterday, there, but compared to yesterday, the giant's causeway, aviemore, 29 degrees, for some it is over 10 degrees, for some it is over 10 degrees cooler, but very nice in the sunshine. this area of cloud which extends into the south of northern ireland, it is a very weak cold