by!) gaggle fighting fer their liyeg, , ,, ,, ,, , the type used against the former russian spy and his daughter. it is completely unacceptable for our people to be either deliberate or accidental targets, or for our streets, our parks, our towns to be dumping grounds for poison. dawn sturgess and charlie rowley are critically ill in hospital. police say they touched a contaminated item, but the authorities say the risk to other people is low. we've only seen two members of the public come forward with symptoms that require treatment. so our general assessment on the information we've got, is that the risk to the general public remains low. 100 counter terrorism officers are now working on the case. we'll have the latest from the scene. pumping out water — rescuers are now able to walk further into flooded caves in thailand but still can't get the trapped children out. cake for the people who take care of us as the nhs celebrates

its 70th birthday today. and no waistcoat required. gareth southgate on why the training ground holds the key to england's world cup campaign. we might not have this opportunity again, so we've got to make the most of the opportunity in terms of being as prepared as we can be. coming up on sportsday on bbc news, we are inside the sweden camp to assess what threat they will pose for england, ahead of the world cup quarterfinal on saturday in samarra. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. the home secretary, sajid javid, has called on russia to explain the latest nerve agent attack that

has left two people from amesbury in wiltshire critically ill in hospital. they were taken ill on saturdayjust eight miles from salisbury where the former russian spy, sergei skripal, and his daughter were poisoned in march. mrjavid told mps he would not tolerate british parks and streets becoming a dumping ground for poison. moscow has denied being involved in either of the incidents. this afternoon public health england has again tried to reassure people in amesbury and salisbury saying the risk to the public remains low. from there, june kelly reports. this secluded new housing estate in rural vulture is now part of what has become an expanding police investigation. this was the scene this afternoon at the home of charlie rowley in amesbury. dawn stu rg ess charlie rowley in amesbury. dawn sturgess and charlie rowley fell ill on saturday and both are critical in intensive care. last night came confirmation that they had been

poisoned by the nerve agent novichok. can you provide reassurance for the people of salisbury? in london, on from the attack in salisbury on sergei skripal and yulia skripal, the cobra meeting was happening together. the home secretary later briefed the house of commons. there is no evidence that either the man or woman in hospital visit did any of the places visited by the skripals. our strong working assumption is that the couple came into contact with the nerve agent in a different location to the sites that have been pa rt location to the sites that have been part of the original clean—up operation. in wiltshire a number of locations linked to the couple are now cordoned off. in amesbury there is charlie roly‘s flat, a baptist centre and a branch of boots the chemist. in salisbury, eight miles away, a hostel where dawn sturgess lived has been closed. so to have

the queen elizabeth gardens in the city. the gardens are closed to the maltings shopping centre and a bench where sergei skripal and yulia skripal were found collapsed in march. the skripals home is also nearby. charlie rowley was at this church social event on saturday. he looked a bit out of sorts. you could sense there was something not right. one would have assumed it was possibly alcohol, but we don't know for sure. not long afterwards he collapsed at his home. this footage shows him being taken into salisbury general hospital. dawn sturgess had already been admitted, as a friend who didn't want to appear on screen described. on saturday morning i got a phone call. i was told that basically she had got rushed into hospital. she had basically passed out. it was the skill of the staff at salisbury general which saved sergei skripal and yulia skripal. this evening police say in the first

search of charlie rowley‘s house, officers found items that suggested a batch of illegal drugs might have been involved. now they know that once again they are dealing with a deadly nerve agent. 100 counterterrorism detectives are working on this investigation and the big questions for officers are how and where this couple came to be contaminated. in terms of the how, ina contaminated. in terms of the how, in a last half an hour at scotland ya rd have in a last half an hour at scotland yard have said they handled a contaminated items and earlier it was being suggested this could have been a file or syringe because of this couple's lifestyle. but the investigation goes on and this evening we have heard from the police that they believe more officers will be brought in and the public should be reassured that despite the police presence this area is safe. studio: june kelly, thank you. the authorities have been reassuring members of the public, stressing the risk remains low, as no—one else has presented with the same symptoms. police say the initial areas that were involved in the skripal attack have been fully decontaminated.

jon kay reports from amesbury. for chloe, it is all too close to home. she lives just yards from the property where the couple collapsed. so she's taking no chances. following the official advice, she is washing her clothes, and wiping down her possessions. so we're just going to have to, i guess, keep waiting. she told me it was worrying that it took four days to identify the nerve agent. it was hard not knowing, because we just didn't know what to do. we just didn't want to assume something, but i guess we assumed the worst, and the worst was what we got. for friends and relatives of the critically—ill couple, the wait for answers is even tougher. one minute they were fine, the next minute they were in intensive care. it's a bit scary. salisbury, eight miles from the couple's home. this is the shopping centre where the skripals collapsed, after being poisoned in march. after a marketing push, things were just returning to normal here, when news broke of this latest

novichok alert. oh my god, where's it come from? despite assurances that the risk to the public is low, jenny, a grandmother, told me she's still anxious. you just don't know, do you? what frightens you, particularly? the fact this time that it is just two people, two random people, it could be any of us. where has it come from, how has it happened, why has it happened? and we don't seem to be told that much. we are told enough to frighten us, but not enough to put our minds at rest. the bench where the skripals fell ill in march has now gone, replaced with summer flowers. daniel stiles has a fruit stall right next to it. he says business was beginning to recover, when this latest major incident was declared. it can be a bit worrying, knowing that it is here and there, but you can worry until the cows come home, oryou canjust get on with your life. they are the choices you make.

and that's what you're doing, just getting on with things? yeah, just get on with it. so, despite having some answers tonight, people here have many more questions. the main one — could it happen again? jon kay, bbc news, wiltshire. our security correspondent gordon corera is with me — the police have said in the last half hour the couple did touch something. do they know what it was? they believe they were contaminated by an item they handled. my understanding is police do not know exactly what that item is and they don't have it yet, but they believe it may well be some kind of container or receptacle used to carry novichok. the understanding that the contamination on the couple came from handling is based on the strongest concentration being on their hands, when they have been tested in hospital. this still means that the most plausible line of enquiry remains that this was an item discarded after the attack on

the skripals which this couple then picked up. they still don't know that for sure and there are still other options and they are keeping an open mind, but this still points in that direction. all still very mysterious. the home secretary has pointed the finger firmly at russia again. the home secretary talked about russia using britain as a dumping ground for poisons and called on russia to cooperate. at the same time we have had a strong russian response, saying, as they have always said, that they want a joint investigation into the skripals' poisoning, and they say this is even part of trying to spoil the world cup, because it was going well and britain was trying to point the finger back at russia over this poisoning. we can expect more the war of words between the sides in the days to come. gordon corera, thank you. a 16—year—old boy has been charged in connection with the death of a six year old schoolgirl on the isle of bute. alesha macphail had been staying at her grandmother's house on the island when she was reported missing in the early hours of monday morning.

her body was found in woodland. the boy is due to appear in court tomorrow. authorities in thailand are still trying to decide how to rescue 12 boys and their football coach who've been trapped in a flooded cave for almost two weeks now. they're trying to pump as much water as they can out of the caves before further rainfall. the children were found on a rocky ledge around 2.5 miles from the mouth of the cave on monday. more than 128 million litres of water has been pumped out of the cave — allowing rescue teams to walk further into the tunnel. but some parts are too narrow to walk through. the boys are being taught the basics of diving — some need to learn how to swim, but it's feared that option could be too risky. our south east asia correspondent jonathan head is there. how long will they stay down there? the boys are now getting care and food, but the thai authorities are still debating whether to risk bringing them out quickly

or waiting, possibly for months. dozens of volunteers are helping the navy divers. this is an exhausting and sometimes dangerous operation. this television actor is one of them. "water is the main obstacle," he says. "if we can get the water level down, the boys can be brought out." but while a massive pumping effort is reducing it in the first section of caves, it's having less effect deeper in, where the boys are trapped. so, the thai army has been taking equipment to the other end of the mountains to try and lower the water table here, closer to their location. they have a number of ideas they want to try. but their first effort has been to divert the streams which feed

the underground pools. we followed them up, along pipes that had been laid just in the past few days. this creek has completely dried up. a week ago it was filled with water. so you can see that this project, with all these pipes, is definitely having an impact. higher up, we were shown a newly built dam. work like this is now going on all over these mountains. no one is sure yet how much they can bring down the water that is blocking the boys' escape, or whether they'll win the battle against the imminent monsoon rain. they just know that they have to try. jonathan head, bbc news, tham luang caves, northern thailand. the uk's biggest carmaker, jaguar land rover, has warned a bad brexit deal would hit profits and threaten billions of pounds worth of investment plans for the country. the chief executive

ofjaguar land rover — which is owned by india's tata motors — said the car market needed "free and frictionless trade with the eu and unrestricted access to the single market" in order to ensure future success. the prime minister has said she hopes her cabinet will be able to discuss and decide on a substantive way forward on brexit tomorrow. meeting german chancellor angela merkel this afternoon, theresa may said she hoped this would lead to an increase in the "pace and intensity" of the uk's negotiations with the eu. our europe editor katya adler is in berlin. katya, how did today's meeting go? the words were definitely warm. angela merkel referred to the prime minister as dear teresa. the prime minister as dear teresa. the prime minister responded with a thank you in german. but no niceties could hide the awkward position the women found themselves in. the prime minister came here to berlin ahead ofa

minister came here to berlin ahead of a stormy few days in british politics with a plea for all the eu, not to rush into rubbish a new uk negotiating plan for brexit when it emerges. for the prime minister is ha rd emerges. for the prime minister is hard enough to keep her unruly cabinet together. a attack from the eu would only come to take things further. the eu want to wait until this new plan is official. they wa nted this new plan is official. they wanted proof, particularly in customs, by the cabinet and then hand it to brussels. four angela merkel, ever since the referendum, she has turned the prime minister's words on herself. brexit means brexit, she says, you leave the club and you lose the special relationship. the uk can decide after brexit to keep the eu close or keep it at an arm's distance, as long as it respects the eu and its rules. the national health service is celebrating its 70th birthday today. it was created on july 5th 19118, and since then, the nhs has grown to become the world's largest publicly funded health service — employing

1.5 million people. today, staffjoined patients and charities at a service at westminster abbey. many others will attend a service this evening at york minster. and the prince of wales has met patients at a hospital in blaenau gwent. our health correspondent dominic hughes reports. 70 years old, and the nhs is still going strong. at the christie hospital in manchester, a patient who has relied on the nhs for all of her 70 years. as a baby, jeanjones was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. she's been treated here ever since. i always think of the people who were around before the nhs, how they used to think, we either have a meal on the table or we call the doctor. you know, that sort of thing. and i think about all the treatments and all the medication i've had over the years, and it will have cost a fortune. a more formal commemoration took place at westminster abbey,

with a recognition of the central role the health service plays in all our lives. to those who fought to bring the nhs to life, to the staff and volunteers who have sustained it ever since, and ourfamilies who rely on it in their troubling times of need. all these people are represented here in this abbey today. in scotland, the first minister was marking the anniversary. and a royal visit in wales to the hospital named after aneurin bevan, widely seen as the father of the nhs. his legacy lives on, notjust in the nhs, but in his family. great grandniece jasmine stokes is studying to become a mental health nurse. being related to aneurin bevan has had a massive impact on the choices i've chose and the career i've chose, because he obviously did our nation proud. and i want to do the same thing. i want to make a difference

to people's lives. as bevan‘s dream for universal health care system was realised 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. there were very few things at the beginning, but with the money coming forward, we did better as we went on. the health service has had its share of ups and downs, but today a celebration of a very british institution. dominic hughes, bbc news, manchester. the time isjust the time is just after quarter past six. our top story this evening. police say a couple poisoned in wiltshire after touching an item. wimbledon woe for the british number one, asjohanna konta crashes out in straight sets. coming up on bbc news, we will be

live from wimbledon where british hopes rest on the shoulders of kyle edmund, as he battles for his place in the third round. two days to go until england take on sweden in the quarter finals of the world cup, and the pressure is really on the young team. the england manager gareth southgate says his squad might not have this oppounity to reach a world cup final again. they're getting ready at their base in repino. our sports editor dan roan has been speaking to gareth southgate about the huge task ahead. he's the man who's put some pride back into english football. ever since arriving here in russia, gareth southgate's mantra has been the same — take one game at a time — but having masterminded his side's progress to the last eight of the tournament, the manager today told me such a chance to go all the way may never come again. you're two wins away from the biggest stage

that football can offer. is now the time to change your message to them, and say, "it's on"? now would be a dangerous time to change what we've been doing, and what's been working. equally, it's a great opportunity for us, and, although our team will be individually better in two years, and with more life experiences, maybe the cards on injuries and things don't fall as kindly as they have this time, and we might not have this opportunity again. so we've got to make the most of the opportunity, in terms of being as prepared as can be. commentator: oh no! as an england player, southgate suffered extreme lows, even marketed as a man who made mistakes. thanks a lot, boys, i feel much better now. oh, this time he's hit the post! but no one is laughing now, with the manager suddenly firmly in fashion. there's songs, waistcoat sales going through the roof, they're even calling for you to lead the negotiations on brexit. how does it feel to know that there's been a shift in perception?

i think it's dangerous territory, for me, if we start to get carried away with things. iam asiam. the key here is to do as good a job as we can, and i'm proud of the way the team are playing, but we're being successful because we are a team. but southgate does acknowledge the effect his young team's success is having back home. football — sport — but football, in particular, can really bring connection for the country, and it feels, from what we are being told, and the little bits that we are seeing, that that is the case, so i'm delighted that we're exciting people, i'm delighted that we're bringing enjoyment, and we want to keep that going. southgate's emphasis has always been on the collective, but as his players prepare for the game of their lives against sweden on saturday, his leadership has emerged as critical to england's success. dan roan, bbc news, repino. more than 200,000 people who use london's victoria station every day were told to avoid it

completely today, after a major signalling problem. the disruption caused chaos during this morning's rush hour, and things don't look much better for this evening's rush hour. our transport correspondent, victoria fritz, is near the station. how much longer is this expected to go on? well, that the $1 million question, isn't it, sophie? it is very ha rd to question, isn't it, sophie? it is very hard to say with any great certainty. what we do know is about 125,000 people were expected to use gatwick airport today, it is the busiest time of the year for the airport, but with one rail group in operation, the chances are there will be people who will have missed flights. regular rail passengers, well, they have become very used to announcement of cancellations and delays, it has become the unwelcome soundtrack to their summer, so if i cani soundtrack to their summer, so if i can i want to show you some pictures of these tracks here this morning. they should be absolutely crawling

with trains, but, in fact, a power failure to the signals not far from him and that 40% of the services between london and the south of england were completely cancelled. network rail, the track operator, say they have a temporary solution in place and that power has been restored to the london to brighton line. however, trains are coming back into service, although you can see one stuck there already, but it means that the delays we had earlier on in the day, it means there will be trains and crews in the wrong place, so rail operators are urging passengers not to travel. victoria fritz, thank you. the nhs in england is promising to put an extra £22 million into helping people with learning disabilities get out of institutions and receive support in the community instead. a recent review into the deaths of people with learning disabilities in england found they can die up to 29 years earlier than other people. nikki fox reports.? this is james, happy on a night out. he has a learning disability and

usually lives at home with his mum. fran works tirelessly, planning james's care, and employs a number of support workers. but he recently hit crisis point and has been admitted to an institution. as a result, the funding that enables him to live at home could be taken away and fran may have to lay off his entire team. i'm terrified that i'm not going to have any staff when he comes home and it will delay his discharge. the system doesn't work when he goes to hospital. fran's concerned her son might end up as another statistic. currently there are more than 2,300 people with learning disabilities in institutions. today, nhs england is putting £22.2 million of new money into a programme designed to get people out. and £53 million is being moved from inpatient services to community support. is that not a drop in the ocean? the additional money we are investing will grow to be more if local councils and local nhs

bodies help more people to live at home. if we are going to make this work, then we need to move the money that we currently too often spend in inpatient settings, and helping people to spend it with and in their local communities. it's notjust about getting people out of institutions. it's making sure they get proper medical care across the nhs. here at salford university, student nurses are being assessed on how best to look after patients. they are using people with learning disabilities as actors, but abi has had her own real—life experience. the nurses and doctors treated me. and the younger students. when other patients do come in with a learning disability, listen to them. specialist nurses like these are crucial to ensure people with learning disabilities get proper hospital care.

since 2010, the numbers have dropped by nearly a0%. and many see this as an example that not enough is being done. the national audit office estimates that up to £195 million a year is needed to pay for health and social care in the community. but what families want is progress, and the right for their loved ones to live independently with the right support. nikki fox, bbc news. tennis, and there is only one british player left in the singles at wimbledon. kyle edmund is on court at the moment. but the two remaining british women both lost today, including last year's semi—finalistjohanna konta. joe wilson reports from wimbledon. three opportunities to gorge yourself on britishness today, if that's your thing at wimbledon. on court 2 before lunch, leicestershire's katie boulter showed some nice touches against the world number 18. commentator: oh, wonderful court craft from boulter. she lost 6—3, 6—5 to naomi osaka, but boulter, who is 21, should be back. if you are a british

player at wimbledon, you sense that expectation. itjust grows around you. whether it inspires or intimidates, there's no escaping it. jo konta knows how wimbledon can turn a home player into a summer celebrity, but it's not easy, well, not when you get dominika cibulkova in the second round. a fiercely determined opponent, she'd seethed when wimbledon removed her seeding to promote serena williams. motivated, and too much for konta, in straight sets she was gone. so, from a british point of view, kyle edmund, it's all down to you. joe wilson, bbc news, wimbledon. time for a look at the weather... with matt taylor you've got the easyjob, nothing has it? you say that, try saying dry and sunny again and again!|j it? you say that, try saying dry and sunny again and again! i am quite

happy with it, keep going! that is because today, here in northern ireland, a different feel to the day compared with yesterday. a good deal more comfortable for many of you. the dividing line between the fresh air in the north and the humid air in the south has been this fragmented area of cloud in parts of northern england producing the odd shower in the pennines, but the south it has been very humid, 30 degrees in parts of worcestershire and derbyshire. this is royal tunbridge wells, some big storms, flash flooding here. storms to the south of london and southern counties will fade away quite quickly through this evening and overnight. back to a dry story uk wide as we go into tomorrow morning, a bit of cloud here and there, easier to get some sleep in across the north, but another humid and muqqy the north, but another humid and muggy night in the south. 17 or 18 degrees for one or two into the morning to stop you know the story friday, dry, sunny, for the vast majority. the morning cloud in

eastern areas will push out to the north sea. still the chance in the south—east of the odd isolated storm, and still that temperature contrast with a few spots in the south getting up to 30 degrees, low 20s across no northern ireland ‘s. for the weekend, with highs in place, high means dry, and that will be the case just about all throughout the weekend. saturday, blue skies topped a tale to begin with, a bit more cloud into parts of northern ireland and western scotla nd northern ireland and western scotland later, maybe bringing the shower, and some fair weather cloud turning up, sunshine turning hazy across the northwest. more widely close to 30 degrees across projects central and southern england and wales. it could even be warmer still into sunday for england and wales, but the rest of the weekend and into next week, high pressure still in charge for stop the temperatures drop away just charge for stop the temperatures drop awayjust a little bit next week, so maybe for it feeling a bit more, double by day and of course by night, but the story basically isn't changed, i think you know what it

is. dry, sunny, warm. not complaining, thank you. a reminder of our top story... police say a couple critically ill in hospital in wiltshire were poisoned by a nerve agent after touching an item — the home secretary points the finger at russia for this latest novichok attack. that's all from the bbc news at six — so it's goodbye from me — and on bbc one we nowjoin the bbc‘s news teams where you are. hello this is bbc news. the headlines... a couple from wiltshire exposed to the toxic nerve agent, novichok, remain critically ill in hospital.