this is bbc news. the headlines: in iceland, three british tourists, including a child, have died after their vehicle crashed while crossing a bridge. four others are critically injured. an increase in hospital parking charges — new data suggests 4 in 10 nhs hospitals in england put up their fees in the last year. my friends's mother is dying, i have been into drop some stuff off, and it hasjust cost me £3. a woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder following the deaths of two young children in margate, kent. britain's most senior police officer says a "no—deal" brexit would potentially put the public at risk. we would hope that we will have as much as possible the instruments we currently have or something very similar, as quickly as possible, in order to keep our public safe. the defence secretary voices grave concerns

about the chinese firm huawei's involvement in upgrading the uk's mobile network. three british tourists, including a child, have died after their vehicle crashed while crossing a bridge in iceland. four other people in the a—wheel drive have been taken to hospital with critical injuries. the car crashed through a barrier on a single—lane bridge and then fell eight metres onto a river bank. wellt, the scene of the crash is in a particularly isolated area, as adolf erlingsson, a tour operator who was one of the first people at the scene, explained earlier. the fall from the bridge i'd

estimate is something like five or six metres. so about 15 or 20 feet. the car was a total wreck. when i got there, four people were out of the car, one of them deceased, and then there were three people trapped in the car. i think two of them were deceased, the driver was alive, and trapped more or less under the dashboard. i could not see his face, but we were trying to get the people out of the car and help them. it was a very difficult situation. outside of the car, there was one adult and two children, semiconscious. i talked a little bit to the adult, and then i tried to talk a bit to the driver and calm him down. as i say, he was trapped inside the car, i was trying to tell him to save his energy and try to be patient, we would try to get him out of there.

we just did what we could, and then more rescue people came, and when i had been there for about half an hour, there were enough rescue people and professionals there, so i left at that stage. but then they were starting to cut the car up and try to get the driver out. we had turned the car over a bit, soon after i arrived, we had a winch and we used it to sort of lift the car up little bit to alleviate the pressure on the driver and try to get him out. and they were just continuing with that work when i left. police in the south of iceland say the crash site

was extremely difficult to access. it was immediately clear that this was a very serious accident, the car had careened through the bridge and onto the river bank, every available responder was mobilised and all resources available were deployed. the location was extremely difficult. the car had fallen off the river bridge, as i said, the drop to the river bed is high, it is difficult to access the site without specialised equipment, so it was a very difficult scene. we can speak now to bjorn malmquist, foreign correspondent at the icelandic national broadcaster ruv. he's in the capital, reykjavik. thank you for speaking with us at bbc news, a little more information

we have learned in terms of accessibility to the crash site, very difficult, what else can you add? it is a very remote location in the south—eastern part of iceland, fluvial plane, south of iceland, and it is europe's largest iglesia. the bridge runs over the westernmost river from the galatea, the riverbed where the car landed was dry, however, like my ex colleague, adolf, said, it is seven to eight metres fall down. —— fluvial plain. it isa metres fall down. —— fluvial plain. it is a really difficult location, we don't yet know, and police really do not know what caused the accident. there is some speculation that the steel flooring on that bridge may have been slippery because of rain or some ice there, even though it was not really cold. two, three celsius. it might have

caused this really devastating accident. the first responders have been quoted today as describing the scene as absolutely horrifying. devastating. it is a terrible tragedy. is this a known black spot in terms of accidents? not really, i cannot say this particular spot is known for accidents, however, cannot say this particular spot is known foraccidents, however, it cannot say this particular spot is known for accidents, however, it is a fairly popular route for tourists who want to go to the east, to the south—eastern part of iceland, to see a iglesia lagoon, very famous, that lies a couple of kilometres east of this location. it is frequented by tourists. —— to see a clay seal —— glacial lagoon. the road was closed for four or five hours today because of the accident.

we understand it is very isolated, any indication from... of the location they would have left, they would have been travelling from, and two, would it have been some distance? well, based on the timing, this happened between nine and 10am, to get to this spot from reykjavik isa to get to this spot from reykjavik is a three hour drive, so, either they left very early from reykjavik 01’ they left very early from reykjavik or they were staying to the west of this location, there is various hotels and guesthouses located in this region. without knowing it, i would assume, i would think, that they were on their way to the glacial lagoon, all points east of that. if they stayed in reykjavik or not, iam not that. if they stayed in reykjavik or not, i am not sure. do we know whether the car they were travelling

m, whether the car they were travelling in, we understand it was a 4x4, much used in the country, would they have rented this? generally, do rental vehicles in iceland, are they kitted out for tourists, for the inclement weather and the road conditions? well, we understand this was a toyota land cruiser 4x4, a big vehicle, and, ithink toyota land cruiser 4x4, a big vehicle, and, i think it is safe to assume that the tourists, they rented this car, at a rental company, in reykjavik, in the south—west iceland. these cars are widely used in iceland, for obvious reasons, they are sturdy and safe and reliable. and, these cars are, when tourists rent cars here, they either rent cars you can drive on regular roads, or they rent cars that are specially outfitted for driving in the highlands, in the

interior, on bad roads in the interior. this was not a bad road, this was the main road in iceland, and so, but, you know, i guess they we re and so, but, you know, i guess they were renting this car because there we re were renting this car because there were several of them together, it is a roomy car, it is safe. thank you very much. more than a third of nhs hospitals in england have raised the cost of parking over the past year with some patients and staff now paying double the price. several trusts have defended the higher costs, saying some or all of the money went back into patient care or maintaining car parks. in wales and most of scotland, car park charges have been abolished but still remain in england and northern ireland. our correspondent, duncan kennedy, has more. hospital car parks, a place for health or wealth? that is the question posed by today's figures showing many hospitals have raised their prices

over the last year. this one in guildford tops the list in england, one of dozens of hospitals who made a total of over £226 million from parking fees. the hospital here says the money goes to front—line care and maintenance for all of the car parks, but what about visitors? what do you think about the parking charges here? they're expensive but like everywhere else, you have to pay it. i think the system is complicated and people are ill, you don't come here through choice. you know this is the most expensive hospital that there is in terms of parking? yes, typical surrey, isn't it, really? forty three per cent of hospitals admitted prices have gone up over the past year for visitors or staff or both. the royal surrey county hospital is already charging £4 for a stay of one hour,

making it the most expensive in england. the airedale nhs foundation trust in west yorkshire saw the cost of a 24—hour stay more than doubled to £8, something locals have strong views about. i think it's atrocious. i have been in to... my friend's mum is dying, i've been into drop some stuff off, and it's cost me three quid. it does work out expensive — it could be £10 per day. are the carparking charges fair? no, i don't think they are. they should be free because the people turning up to the car parks can't necessarily afford it. the department of health today said it is very clear that patients, their families and hard—working staff should not be subject to unfair parking charges. the charges have been abolished in most of wales and scotland but they remain in england bringing an additional pain that many people that come into hospital would rather do without. a 37—year—old woman has been

arrested on suspicion of murdering two children. police say the young children were discovered at a property in margate in the early hours of this morning. the woman remains in custody. britain's most senior police officer has said a "no—deal" brexit would be costly for her force and could potentially put the public at risk. the metropolitan police commissioner, cressida dick, said the scenario would be very challenging in the short term but that efforts were being made to help forces cope, post brexit. we've set up an eu coordination unit, absolutely, so that is to help local forces to understand how to work most effectively across europe after we exit the eu, under whatever circumstances. of course, we would hope that we will have as much as possible of the instruments

we currently have, or something very similar, as quickly as possible, in order to be able to keep our public safe, and at the same sort of cost. so you are saying clearly that the consequences of not having those things is that we will be less safe? the consequences are that we will have to replace — and if there was a no deal scenario, that would be very difficult to do in the short—term. we will have to replace some of the things we currently use in terms of access to databases, the way in which we can quickly arrest and extradite people, these kinds of things. we will have to replace as effectively as we can. that will undoubtedly be more costly, slower and potentially, yes, put the public at risk. earlier i spoke to georgina wright, an independent brexit researcher, who recently provided expert testimony to the "exiting the european union select committee" on the impact of brexit on security. i asked her what both sides had to lose if no agreement was reached. i mean, you are right

that there are budgetary implications in this and obviously the uk provides quite a lot to the eu budget. but the member states has said they have discussed their future eu budgets, which does not count uk british spending. and they have been allocated that. it is not really financial concerns, it is more that it's in both sides' interests to cooperate on satellite and also judicial and police matters and lots of issues, but how will that work? this is a very new form of negotiation, the first time any member state has voted to leave, and if you have your red lines and the other side has their red lines, you need time to see how you can make that cooperation work. at the moment, we are due to exit in march 2019. we need a withdrawal agreement in place to allow for the smooth exit, and if we don't have that agreement in place, what are we going to do? we are just losing and lacking

time because this has never been done before. a man has died in an explosion which destroyed a house in hampshire. the blast happened in the early hours of this morning in andover. rescuers are continuing to search the area and a number of neighbouring properties have been evacuated. gas engineers are working with the emergency services to try to identify the cause. the headlines on bbc news: in iceland, three british tourists, including a child, have died after their vehicle crashed while crossing a bridge. four others are critically injured. new data suggests 4 in 10 nhs hospitals in england have increased

parking charges in the last year. a woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder following the deaths of two young children in margate, kent. sport and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, unai emery has been charged by the football association for kicking a bottle that hit a fan, during the draw at brighton in the premier league on boxing day, the incident amounts to improper conduct, the bottle struck a brighton supporter towards the end of the match, he went to apologise immediately, and apologised again at full—time. earlier today before being charged he explained what happened. earlier today before being charged he explained what happenedlj earlier today before being charged he explained what happened. i kicked the bottle in frustration, but not at the supporter, i kicked it for myself, and it went near the supporter. i said to him, my apologies. and i repeated my apologies. and i repeated my apologies at full—time. i kick the

bottle because it was near me but not with this intention. two teams that have enjoyed an improvement in form over the last few weeks meet at st mary's tonight, southampton against west ham united. john murray will be commentating on the match for radio five live. the first thing to look out for tonight will be to see what the atmosphere is like within st mary's stadium, after two consecutive wins under their new manager, and after nathan redmond described the feeling around southampton as a new ethos, and, for west ham united, whether they can return to the form which has seen them win four matches this mouth, which has transformed their season, full commentary tonight on five live. —— ralph hasenhuttl. full commentary tonight on five live. -- ralph hasenhuttl. inter milan have been ordered to play two matches behind closed doors after a

napoli defender was racially abused during a match at the san siro stadium yesterday, the club is considering whether to appeal, the mayor of milan has since apologised, calling the abuse is a disgrace. the napoli head coach, carlo ancelotti, says they tried to have the game suspended. the former chelsea manager said they are three times for the match to be stopped due to the chanting aimed at the senegalese player. the player was put on edge by the crowd behaviour during the 1-0 by the crowd behaviour during the 1—0 defeat, according to carlo ancelotti. the player was eventually red carded after 80 minutes. translation: the frustrated mind of one player was affected by racism and that is very bad, we are doing campaigns, everyone is involved, we would like to know how many times we will have to complain before a match is halted, and next time, if they won't answer us, then we will stop the match ourselves. —— inter milan have been ordered to play two matches behind closed

doors after napoli defender kalidou koulibaly was racially abused yesterday during a match the san siro. the favourite elegant escape has won the welsh grand national at chepstow handing trainer colin tizzard a second success in three years. the 3—1 shot, ridden byjockey tom o'brien fought off a late charge from ramsees de tieyay to win by over a length. india hold the upper hand heading into day 3 of the second test against australia in melbourne after a 170—run stand between cheteshwar pujara and captain virat kohli. the tourists resumed day 2 on 215 for 2, pujara hit 106, while kohli added 82 to maintain their control of the match. however the australians fought back to take five wickets after lunch before india declared on 443—7. australia faced six overs before the close and made 8 runs without loss although aaron finch was unlucky this didn't carry to the slip cordon. the four match series is currently tied at one—all. michael "bully boy" smith is through to the fourth

round of the pdc world darts championship. the no 10 seed came back from a set down to beat scotland's john henderson 11—2 at alexandra palace and he'll meet ryan searle in the next round. elsewhere there were victories for luke humphries and devon peterson. that's all the sport for now. you can find more on all those stories on the bbc sport website. and a 7:45pm kick off at the football, southampton against west ham united. boxing day extravaganza in the premier league, news still coming in. we like extravaganzas we try our best! laughter the defence secretary has reportedly said he has "very deep concerns" about chinese firm huawei being involved in upgrading the uk's mobile network. gavin williamson's comments came after some nations restricted use of the firm's products in 5g networks —— over security concerns. our defence correspondent,

jonathan marcus, says concerns about the company have been building. it is something which is causing concern in many countries — australia, new zealand and the united states have all moved to restrict the use of its technology in communications systems. here in britain bt confirmed that it was stripping out huawei equipment in a new communication system for the police and emergency services. so there are genuine concerns, this isn't fantasy. the defence secretary is raising growing concerns inside government, concerns which were raised by the head of m16 only some days ago. just how embedded is huawei in britain's telecommunications system ? well, they are a huge global player now. china is fast becoming the united states of the 1960s and ‘70s in key areas of technology. the company, of course, was founded by an officer in the chinese army. it is widely regarded as having close ties to the chinese state. the company itself, of course, insists that it agrees with the need for the security and integrity of national communications infrastructures to be maintained. it says in a statement today that it is very willing to have a dialogue with the british government and with the industry here more generally. it notes that it is a major investor in the british economy. but it says that that dialogue has to be based on facts and demonstrable evidence. the extent to which this

is a statement designed to offer reassurance or is there just the hint there of a potential threat? it does underscore the problem that china is now both a major economic player, a major economic partner with many countries, as well as a potential strategic competitor. and that dichotomy, the balancing of those two aspects, is going to become more and more difficult, particularly for britain once it is on its own and it has left the european union. now, olivia colman, dominic west and lily collins,

just some of the big name actors starring in the bbc‘s new adaptation of les mis, but not one of them is singing from the rooftops about it. the six—part drama leaves the songs from the musical to one side, asjohn maguire has been finding out. action. taking les miserables from the page — and there are almost 1500 of them — to the screen requires a huge number of people. it starts with the writer. andrew davies' cv includes house of cards, pride and prejudice and war and peace. now he's recreating les mis. i've kind of got a taste for these great big books now. so, on set in brussels, is he nervous about watching his words come to life? yes, you can get a bit anxious hoping that they'll get it right. in fact, you're really hoping they'll do more than that, that they'll do something better than you even imagined,

and a lot of the time that is happening here. the clothes help to tell the story. it is a costume drama, after all, and i'm shown items that are created new and then distressed to make them look old and worn by relentlessly tough lives. it needs hours. it really needs a long time to get this kind of texture into it. i think they've done an amazing job. it's beautiful. much of this new adaptation has been filmed in belgium. from high—society paris to toulon prison, the locations help to transport the audience to the france of two centuries ago. so with the story, the script, the actors, the director, and vitally the costumes all in place, it comes time to choose the locations. what about this place? an original napoleonic jail. it's atmospheric and it's certainly quite spooky. of course, hair and make—up play a tra nsformative role.

not a bad match at all. there you go. that's transformed you straightaway into a dandy. it didn't take much, did it? here you go. we reckon you are the most famous movie make—up artist in the world. why? because of that picture of you with aidan turner. that one? yeah, but i always get cut out of that, don't i? we've used facial hair quite a lot in this to show class distinction. beards are used more for beggars and the prisoners have often got lots of journeys. the icing on the cake is costume. i've just tacked that on but it's something like what you would get, like that. very dignified. so from the beards to the barricades, les miserables is set to blow you away. john maguire, bbc news, belgium. now it's time for a look at the weather. hello, once again, the weather has

been pretty quiet through the christmas period, not too many problems, if you have been on the move, and the rest of the day off, with evening and overnight, will be fairly quiet, mainly dry for the most part, bit of cloud around, notable exceptions, great gaps in the clouds to the eastern side of the clouds to the eastern side of the pennines and across parts of the south—west. this quiet spell is thanks very much to the area of high pressure, centred a long way from the british isles, extended influence across central and southern areas. on the atlantic, awaiting the arrival of a weather front which will begin to make itself known in western ireland and scotland as we get to midnight, and continues itsjourney scotland as we get to midnight, and continues its journey east through the rest of the night, at the same time, the fog, which may not have got away from a few spots, will be more extensive come the dawn, across many southern counties. bear that in mind if you are on the move. passages of the weather front, it will move away from the mainland. leaving behind a somewhat brighter

prospect, certainly for good parts of northern ireland, north england, north wales. friday, a better prospect of seeing sunshine. temperature is getting on nicely, nine to 11 or 12 degrees. check that fog, may linger on. from friday on into the weekend, high pressure still doing its stuff, southern half of the british isles. different story further north, you can see rolling around the northern western climbs a weather front bringing thicker cloud and a better chance of rain, across scotland, northern ireland, and coming down into the western slopes, may be the top end of wales. further south again, cloud around, best of the brightness to the eastern side, and again, really quite mild. far north of scotland, temperatures will be in double figures. sunday, not a great deal of change. still something in the west east split. greater part of the cloud through northern and western parts, best of the brightness in the

east. if you have plans, i don't think the weather will get in the way: 11, 12, 13, really good. on towards new year's eve, more plans, still dry, largely cloudy, mild side. the rising cost of parking in hospitals in england — more than a third have increased their prices. some trusts have defended the higher charges, saying they use some of the extra money on patient care, but visitors are not impressed. the nhs is probably the largest employer in the country and has got the biggest budget of anybody. they should be free, because the people turning up to these car parks aren't necessarily those that can afford it. also today in iceland, three british tourists including a child have died in a car crash, four other passengers were critically injured. and all shops in england, big and small, could soon be charging 10p for a plastic bag. good evening.

our main story is the rising cost of parking at many of england's hospitals. more than a third of nhs hospitals have increased their prices, with some patients and staff now paying double. some trusts have defended the higher charges, insisting that some of the extra money is spent on patient care. parking charges have been abolished in welsh hospitals, and in most of scotland, but they still remain in england and northern ireland, as our correspondent duncan kennedy reports. hospital car parks, a place for health or wealth? it isa it is a place where the debate over the nhs goes from inside to outside. this is the royal surrey county

hospital in guildford. just try bringing up the subject of parking fees to visitors. .. bringing up the subject of parking fees to visitors... what do you think of the parking charges here? they're expensive but like everywhere else, you have to pay it. i think the system is complicated and people are ill, you don't come here through choice. you know this is the most expensive hospital that there is in terms of parking? yes, typical surrey, isn't it, really? this hospital says it raises nearly £1 million from its parking fees and that helps pay for the equivalent of 40 that helps pay for the equivalent of a0 nurses. but whilst this hospital is one of those that didn't raise its prices this year, it will still cost you a minimum of £a to park here, making it the most expensive in england. overall, hospitals raised a total of £226 million in parking fees this year. and you can see white, from today's figures, gathered by the press association, from 12a nhs trusts across england. a3% of hospitals

admitted prices have gone up over the past year for visitors or staff or both. the airedale nhs foundation trust in west yorkshire saw the cost of a 2a—hour stay more than doubled to £8, of a 2a—hour stay more than doubled to £8. no wonder it provokes this kind of response. i think it's atrocious. i have been in to... my friend's mum is dying, i've been into drop some stuff off, and it's cost me three quid. it does work out expensive — it could be £10 per day. are the carparking charges fair? no, i don't think they are. they should be free because the people turning up to these car parks aren't necessarily those that can afford it. the department of health today said it is very clear that patients, their families and hard—working staff should not be subject to unfair parking charges. but nhs providers of, which speaks

for hospitals, insisted those charges were being kept to a minimum and they said they had to pay to maintain car parks. wales and parts of scotla nd maintain car parks. wales and parts of scotland have abandoned their fees and many say that england and northern ireland can do the same. they say hospitals should be places to generate better health, not wealth. duncan kennedy see, bbc news. our health editor hugh pym is here. clearly there are very strong feelings about this issue but the calculation is not straightforward, is it? you're right, huw, it is a complicated issue. wales was the first part of the uk to completely scrap these charges at nhs hospitals. but some hospitals it has to be said have been introducing numberplate recognition and so want to ensure that staff and visitors actually get spaces, there is a gridlock around hospitals. english hospitals are arguing that the money raised does go to the maintenance of

car parks and it does go to front—line care. if they don't get that money would have to come from general taxation, they say. but political pressure in england is growing, there was a private member's bill. in the charges in the commons earlier this year. labour has said once again that it would be party policy if elected to these charges. a lot of people looking at this sum of money of £226 million per year, £70 million of which is being paid by staff going to work — i think more and more people will find that very hard to justify. hugh pym, thank you very much. in iceland, three british tourists including a child have died after their vehicle crashed while crossing a bridge. four other passengers were critically hurt in the accident. according to local media, the crash happened on a bridge in a popular tourist area in the south—east of the island, as our correspondent ben ando reports. the tourists were in a toyota land cruiser that crashed through railings and then fell around 20 feet onto a dry riverbed below the bridge. first on the scene were the police and a local tour guide, who told the bbc he did all he could to help.

i tried to talk a bit to the driver to calm him down. he was, as i say, trapped inside the car. i was trying to tell him to save his energy and try to be patient, we would try to get him out of there. it was a very difficult situation. two adults and a child died at the scene. four others, including two children aged between seven and nine, were airlifted to hospital in a critical condition. translation: it was immediately clear that this was a very serious accident. a car had careered off the bridge, so immediately all available responders and resources were mobilised. the bridge is a single—track with a steel deck and is part of iceland's national ring—road, known as route 1. it crosses a river in the south—east of the island in an area known for its spectacular waterfalls, volcanoes and glaciers, and popular with visitors. the crashed vehicle has now been taken to a nearby town while investigations

into the cause continue. police have already said conditions meant the bridge surface may have been icy. our correspondent ben ando is at the foreign office in central london. what is the latest that the foreign office have to say about what has happened? well, are understanding this evening, huw, is that these we re this evening, huw, is that these were two separate families, all seven of them in the vehicle were a british nationals, of indian origin. today in reykjavik, where the four survivors, two men and two children, are being treated for critical injuries, they were visited, the doctors and nurses treating them, by the indian ambassador, who spoke to them and found out exactly what was happening. in the meantime, british foreign office officials are also assisting the icelandic authorities in any way they can. they haven't confirmed the identities of the families involved just yet. and in

the meantime, of course, in iceland, investigations continue to try to establish exactly what caused this terrible tragedy. many thanks again for the update, ben ando, our correspondent at the foreign office. 23 migrants have been detained in kent after crossing the english channel in small boats. nine of them were found on a beach in folkestone, six at dover, and then eight were rescued off the coast nearby. the french authorities say they intercepted another group of 11 migrants trying to reach the uk in an inflatable boat. ministers described the number of incidents in recent days as deeply concerning. britain's most senior police officer has said a no—deal brexit would be costly for her force, and could potentially put the security of the public at risk. the metropolitan police commissioner, cressida dick, said the no—deal scenario would be very difficult in the short term, as changes were made to databases and the extradition process. our home editor, mark easton, has the story. brexit means britain loses its seat

in the boardroom at europol, and with it, unfettered access to shared intelligence databases, the european arrest warrant and eu extradition agreements. the national crime agency has expressed its concern at the security implications, and now, the country's most senior police officer has warned that were the uk to leave without a deal, public safety could be comprised. we will have to replace some of the things we currently use in terms of access to databases and the way in which we can quickly arrest and extradite people, these kinds of things, we will have to replace as effectively as we can. that will be more costly, undoubtedly, slower, undoubtedly, and potentially, yes, put the public at risk. the government has long argued that mutual interest is likely to mean collaboration on security after brexit is as good or better than now. the prime minister has said she wouldn't countenance a deal that comprised the safety of british citizens. compromised the safety of british citizens. we will not let that happen.

we will together protect and project our values in the world and we will keep our people safe, now and in the years to come. but the met commissioner says police are concerned that even with a deal, security arrangements may not work as seamlessly as now. an eu coordination unit has been set up here at scotland yard to help establish arrangements with each eu nation on issues such as access to intelligence data bases, arrest warrants and extradition arrangements. there's concern that even with a deal, it will be incredibly hard to match existing levels of co—operation in the short term. the uk is currently one of the biggest contributors to europol intelligence and has shaped the priorities of the organisation. police are working to ensure the security advantages that has brought will survive after brexit. mark easton, bbc news. the alert level for indonesia's anak krakatau volcano has been raised

to the second—highest level, after a series of eruptions. all flights around the volcano have been rerouted, and a three—mile exclusion zone has also been imposed. last saturday, the volcano triggered a tsunami which claimed the lives of more than a00 people. around 500 staff have been made redundant at a waste disposal company based in north lanarkshire, caught up in a row over the stockpiling of nhs rubbish. healthcare environmental services, which stopped trading today, always denied allowing human body parts to build up at its sites. the firm lost nhs contracts after a criminal inquiry was launched. it blamed "unfair government pressure" for the redundancies. it's been a challenging year for the high street, prompting renewed concern about the future for many town centres, already struggling with decline. a growing number of local councils have been buying shopping centres to try to revitalise their towns. since 2016, 26 shopping

centres have been bought by local authorities at a total cost of more than £800 million, as our business correspondent emma simpson reports. wigan's galleries shopping centre, once worth £83 million in 2006. but it went for £8 million this year. sold to the local council. there are three shopping centres in shrewsbury worth £119 million pre—recession. they went for less than half that price — sold to shropshire council. and here in bolton's crompton place, once valued at nearly £80 million, it went for £1a million in the summer, sold to the local authority. sounds like a knock—down price, but no—one else would have bought this right now, given the state that retail is in. it's huge, and slap bang in the middle of town, but this shopping centre has seen better days. there is a gradual decline that's taking place and clearly,

as a council, we've taken the decision to do something about it. not half. the council has bought it as part of a big plan to regenerate bolton. do you think this is the best use of £1a million? this £1a million is a temporary investment, and we're very confident that we'll get the money back. this will be a game changer. it will be transformational. you might be wondering, where has the £1a million come from to buy this? well, it's not from council tax or existing projects well, it's not from council tax or existing budgets which have been slashed. councils can access cheap loans, and over the last few years they've been pouring money into commercial property to generate an income to help fund services. there are better ways to make money then buying shops. here in camberley, the council not only bought this mall, but also the house of fraser building right next to it, not long before the retailer collapsed. they could have bought

it for a lot less now. there is risk attached to local authorities intervening, and if they're simply doing it to try and make a quick profit, then that's the wrong motivation, but if it's being done in order to regenerate the towns, then that absolutely is the right thing. because no—one else is going to do it. the private sector can't take that long—term view, it's not viable. it used to be so easy attracting people into our town centres. it's a real problem today, though. but bolton council's bold purchase is kick—starting crucial private investment to help make this place fit for the future. emma simpson, bbc news, bolton. a man has been killed following an explosion which destroyed a house in hampshire. the blast happened in the early hours of this morning in andover. a number of neighbouring properties had been evacuated. gas firm sgn said its engineers were helping with the investigations. police are investigating

after a double decker bus crashed into a house in south london. the bus, travelling between morden and brixton, destroyed a fence and hit the building on streatham vale late last night. three people have been treated for minor injuries. police say no—one has been arrested, but they're continuing to investigate the circumstances behind the crash. the search is continuing for a 20—year—old british cruise ship entertainer who went overboard in the caribbean on christmas day. the us coastguard was alerted after arron huff didn't turn up for his shift on "harmony of the seas". royal caribbean, which operates the ship, said it was supporting mr hough‘s family. the cost of plastic bags provided by some shops in england could double to 10p under new government proposals, which would also extend the charge to smaller retailers, who are currently exempt. schools are also being urged to end the consumption of single—use plastics by 2022. our correspondent theo leggett has

more details and joins me now. what is in these plans, then? well, it is to double the existing charge on plastic bags in england and extend it to smaller retailers, who as you mentioned are exempt at the moment. we have had charges on plastic bags in the uk for several yea rs plastic bags in the uk for several years now. it started out in wales, scotla nd years now. it started out in wales, scotland and northern ireland and since october 2015 in england as well. the reason was environmental, they account for a lot of plastic waste which can harm aquatic life if it gets into the rivers and the sea. soa it gets into the rivers and the sea. so a charge was brought in and to begin with it was quite unpopular but it has proved effective and according to the government, as a result, 15 billion bags which would have been out there

in the embodiment are not as a direct result of the charge. and the major supermarkets say that they have been handing out 85% fewer bags than they were before the charges came in. so there is a reason for doing this. the government now believes that people have had a chance to get used to the charges and also there is a greater awareness of the environmental harm done by plastic bags because of programs like planet earth, and so the time is right to move on and they want to double the charge as well as introduce it to smaller retailers, corner shops, who at the moment still hang out billions of rustic bags every year without a charge. thank you very much. a french adventurer has set off to cross the atlantic in a rather unusual vessel, a barrel—shaped orange capsule, using ocean currents alone to propel him. 71—year—old jean—jacques savin left el hierro in the canary islands and hopes to reach the caribbean within three months. he will drop markers on his 3,000—mile journey to help oceanographers study the atlantic currents. there's more throughout the evening on the bbc news channel. i'm back with the late news at 10pm. now on bbc one, it's time for the news where you are. goodbye. let's return to the news that

british tourists have died when their vehicle crashed crossing a bridge in iceland. we spoke to a tour operator that was one of the first people on the scene. it happened in the south of iceland, along the main road. what we call the ring road. it is by a river, about half an hour east of a small town on the map. this is a one track bridge, and it crashed through the railings? yes, very strange, but somehow

the driver must have lost control of the car and itjust went through the railings, and crashed down onto the bank, which is kind of sandy, there's no river, so it wasn't submerged in water or anything, itjust landed there on a sandy bottom and flipped over and was totally destroyed. i don't know how soon after it happened you got there, but there was obviously some sort of rescue operation to get those who had been injured out? well, just before i arrived at the scene, i was overtaken by a police car with flashing blue lights, high—speed, and when i got there, there were two police cars and i got out of my van and went to see if i could help. there were just two police officers and me to begin with. and we were trying to assess the situation, find out who was alive and who we could help, and so on, and try to get people out of the car. very difficult, and i appreciate

you talking about it now, this only happened a few hours ago. how difficult was it to get the people out? how far down from the bridge was it where it came to rest? the fall from the bridge i would estimate something like five or six metres. so about 15 or 20 feet. and the car was a total wreck. when i got there, four people were out of the car, one of them deceased, and then there were three people trapped in the car. i think two of them were deceased, the driver was alive, and trapped more or less under the dashboard. i couldn't see his face, but we were trying to get the people out of the car and help them.

and it was a very difficult situation. we understand that we're talking about seven british people. were they able to talk? did you talk to any of them? yes, outside of the car, there was one adult and two children, more or less semiconscious. i talked a little bit to the grown—up, and then i tried to talk a bit to the driver and calm him down. as i say, he was trapped inside the car, i was trying to tell him to save his energy and try to be patient, we would try to get him out of there. and he gave you no indication as to what had happened, why the car had come off the road? no, no, no. and is this a popular tourist area? oh, yes, this is the most popular tourist area. this road leads to, among other things, the glacial lagoon where i am right now.

and my guess is they were on their way here. this is the most popular destination on the south coast, so probably they were on their way here. a horrible thing for you to see, and clearly you did everything you could for those that were still alive. yes, of course. we just did what we could, and then more rescue people came, and when i had been there for about half an hour, there were enough rescue people and professionals there, so i left at that stage. but then they were starting to cut the car up and try to get the driver out. we had turned the car over a bit, soon after i arrived, we had an suv with a winch

and we used it to sort of lift the car up a little bit to alleviate the pressure on the driver and try to get him out. and they were just continuing with that work when i left. and presumably an area like this, an incident like this, everyone will be in shock. of course. the road is now closed and has been since the accident, and will be presumably for a couple of hours more. and i know they had two helicopters flying in to take people to hospital. the first news was that four people had died, but then they corrected it

to three, fortunately. but yes, it was a horrible sight to come there and see the wreckage and the people there. time for a look at the weather with phil avery. the weather has been quiet through the christmas period, not causing too many problems if you have been on the move. the rest of the day, through the evening and overnight will be quiet, merely drive for the most part. quite a bit of cloud around, with some noticeable exceptions. little cloud on the eastern side of the pennines and in the south—west. this high pressure is centred and long way away from

the british isles. out in the atla ntic we the british isles. out in the atlantic we are waiting a weather front that will make its way no one into northern ireland than west of scotla nd into northern ireland than west of scotland as we get towards midnight, then will continue its journey eastwards through the night. at the same time, the fog which may not have got away from one or two spots in the south—west, will be more expensive extensive by dawn. further north, we need to wait for the passage of this weather front, which will move away smartly from the main lines of the british isles, leaving a brighter prospect. friday, better prospect of seeing some sunshine, temperatures getting up to about 11 or 12 degrees. watch out for the fog, it may linger on in the southern counties. from friday on into the weekend, the high pressure still doing its staff in the southern half of the british isles, but a different story further north.

rolling around its northern and western flanks there will be cloud and it better chance of rain in northern ireland and scotland, coming into the western slopes of the pennines and maybe the top end of wales. quite a bit of cloud around, the best of the brightness to the east of the pennines and really quite mild. temperatures will be well into double figures. sunday, not a great deal of change. i would have thought and east west splits. the greater part of the clouds in the north and west. if you have plans, the weather should not get in the way, and 13 degrees is very good for the time of year. for new year's eve, it will be dry, largely cloudy but on the mild side. this is bbc news, i'm lukwesa burak.

the headlines: in iceland, three british tourists, including a child, have died when their vehicle crashed while crossing a bridge. four others are critically injured. an increase in hospital parking charges — new data suggests a in 10 nhs hospitals in england put up their fees in the last year. think the system is very complicated. and, people are ill! you do not come here through choice. britain's most senior police officer says a ‘no—deal‘ brexit would potentially put the public at risk. a growing number of local councils have been buying shopping centres to try to revitalise their towns. our business correspondent emma simpson will have more on that