this is bbc news, i'm carole walker. the headlines at nine... after a surge in the number of migrants crossing from france, calls to step up patrols in the english channel potholes are getting worse — more than half a million were reported for repair last year, according to research. jeremy corbyn urges theresa may to recall parliament a week early to allow mps to vote on her brexit deal. and coming up — thousands more prisoners are to get phones in their cells under plans to tackle violence and re—offending. ministers say the measure will help inmates to maintain family ties and reduce tension on wings. and in 30 minutes i will be looking back at a momentous year for science, when astronomers send a probe to catch the sun, while back oi'i probe to catch the sun, while back on earth, climate scientists warned it was now or never to save the

planet. that's review 2018, the year in science, with me, palab ghosh. a surge in migrants risking their lives crossing the english channel has increased calls for the government to step up border patrols. 66 people have reached the uk in the past three days. only one of the five boats operated by the border force is currently patrolling the channel between dover and the french coast. simonjones reports. risking their lives, attempting to cross the busiest shipping lane in the world. despite the warnings, the attempts continue. this, one of four small boats used in the channel by migrants yesterday. it is totally unprecedented, what has happened over the last few days.

perhaps it's understandable. it's the long dark nights, the weather has been relatively mild, there has only been a gentle breeze blowing and the first few boats that made a success of it, the message gets back to the camp and then more and more people try. 23 migrants reached kent on thursday. that's in addition to a0 on christmas day. in total, at least 209 people have arrived by small boats since november. just one of border force's five cutters is operational in the channel along with two coastal patrol vessels. the former head of border force, tony smith, says that more resources are needed. and dover mp charlie elphicke has called on britain to get a grip. the home office says that the border force's deployments are under constant review but bringing back a cutter from the mediterranean

could encourage more people to make the perilousjourney, as it may be seen as a rescue rather than a patrol boat. those who support migrants say they should not be demonised. a small number want to come here because maybe there is a community they wish to join or because they already have english as a language but many more migrants are seeking asylum in countries such as germany. the national crime agency blames traffickers, organised criminals with a complete lack of regard for human life. it insists that by working with the french, a good number of crossings have been prevented but it warns that more of these types of attempts to reach the uk are likely. many believe that if they continue, it is only a matter of time before there is a tragedy. a ship carrying more than 300 migrants has arrived in southern spain. the open arms vessel, run by a migrant rescue charity, has docked in the city of algeciras near gibraltar, after being turned away by both malta and italy.

its passengers have been on board since being rescued off the coast of libya a week ago. they'll be provided with food, clothes and medical assistance before being moved to shelters. let's ta ke let's take you to some live pictures of the ship, which we can see there. it has just arrived at the port in southern spain. many of the migrants on board have been taken off for medical checks. the weekend, while the ship was still at sea, a baby and his mother were taken by helicopter from the boat to malta. malta refused to allow the vessel to dock. it has now landed. but a sign of the continuing problems, particularly in spain, where more

than fix 6000 migrants have arrived by sea so far this year. —— 56,000 migrants. more than 500,000 potholes were reported to local councils in england, scotland and wales last year, according to the rac. it's calling on the government to spend money raised from fuel duty on tackling the problem. our transport correspondent tom burridge has more. they're a hazard, sometimes huge, almost impossible to count. so, this is a typically damaged wheel. we see no less than six a day. sometimes as many as ten cars a day, which are only here because of pothole damage. just one garage, in one area. for the last two or three years it has been getting worse and worse. the scale of the problem nationwide, it must run into millions and millions in terms of the cost of damage to the road user at the moment, it is really scary. and today we have new figures confirming a big rise in potholes on our roads. the number of potholes reported

by people in 150 local authorities in england, scotland and wales rose by a whopping 44% in two years. this guy feels potholes are his calling. he argues that real investment in repairing road surfaces, instead of patching potholes up, would ultimately save money. if you did a proper investment plan, changed the culture, training, contracts, supervision, the right quality of materials, 95% of potholes could be eradicated from ever appearing on our road network. the rac says councils do not have the money and the government needs to act. what we require is a long—term funding mechanism whereby local authorities can plan ahead and actually deal with the specific issue of the structural defects, rather than simply filling in potholes. the government says it's giving councils an extra £400 million for local road repairs this year, and funding trials to identify potential potholes so roads can be repaired before they form. joining me now from buckinghamshire

is martin tett, who is the transport spokesperson for the local government association. thank you very much forjoining us. we were hearing that motorists are very concerned about the damage it has caused, shouldn't your members be doing more to tackle, fill in and repair these potholes? well, repairing our roads and keeping them safe is probably one of the most importantjobs safe is probably one of the most important jobs that many safe is probably one of the most importantjobs that many councils have to do. we are very dedicated to that. we fill a pot hole about every 20 seconds. the reality is, the weather has not been helpful. but, fundamentally, the biggest problem of all is probably for the last 20 yea rs, of all is probably for the last 20 years, i completely agree with what the rac spokesman said, we have underinvested in resurfacing roads. we need to see a big step change

from government, to actually resu rfa ce from government, to actually resurface roads, rather than selling individual potholes. that is not good value for money. you are looking at money from national government, but they will say it is the responsibility of local authorities? well, if anybody listens to bbc radio or news, they will know that councils are really strapped for money. we rely on central government, a capital grant, the money that we spend on resurfacing roads each year. quite friendly, it is totally inadequate to even maintain the status of most roads, let alone improve them. what we need to see is notjust dollops of money, and i do really value the £400 million that the government matter has given to funding potholes. but we need to see funding, year—on—year, that we can invest on resurfacing entire roads. that means they will not develop potholes in the first place. it is a serious problem, it is notjust

damage to cars, there have been insta nces damage to cars, there have been instances where cyclists have been endangered, injured, in some cases deaths have been caused because of this. this is a serious issue which is at risk of causing further injuries? i completely agree, i am not just a injuries? i completely agree, i am notjust a driver, i am a road cyclist and i know what conditions for roads can be like, certainly around here and in neighbouring counties. i understand that. that is why it is really important that residents report potholes when they see them. one of the worst things, particularly this time of the year, in the dark, when it looks like a puddle it might be hiding a pothole. it is really important to report back to your local council. we can fix dangerous potholes when we know about them. you talked about the need for extra funding from the government. as we know, public finances are tight. clearly, it is good to be very difficult for the government to commit the money for this. don't you have to simply make

sure that, at a local level, you are ensuring that any of these dangerous potholes are dealt with? yes, well, dangerous potholes, we have a legal duty to do that. i would urge everybody to report dangerous potholes to us. what we do get is a lot of reports of relatively minor potholes. what we do with those is wait until the spring, rather than trying to deal with that when the ground is soaking wet, nothing will stick, it is better to wait until it is dry and warm and you can do a permanent repair. that is something that councils will do. fundamentally, the big issue is the lack of money. we need to see, and we have already suggested to the lga, that the government matter sets aside a small proportion of the money they raise from tax on petrol, paid for mainly by motorists, and a sign that specifically so that councils can resurface the roads and make them safe. 0k, thank you very much indeed. breaking news, we are

hearing that the music retailer hmv is at risk of becoming the first high street casualty after christmas, as it is on the brink of administration. the group, which trades from 130 stores and employs more than 2000 staff, has filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators, amidst a cash crisis in the firm. if it does go under, it would be the second time it has collapsed in recent years. it filed for administration in 2013 after it was then acquired by its current owner. so, that breaking news coming to us is that hmv has called in administrators. it says it is at risk of going into administration. jeremy corbyn has urged the prime

minister to recall parliament early to allow mps to vote on the brexit deal. he's accused theresa may of trying to "run the clock down" by not holding a vote until the third week of january. downing street said the labour leader was trying to frustrate brexit. as mps prepare to vote on the prime minister's brexit deal in the new year, there are continued reports of divsions within the cabinet over what an alternative to mrs may's agreement might look like. speaking to radio 4's today programme, the foreign secretary jeremy hunt was asked whether he still supported the prime minister's proposed way forward. we have a withdrawal agreement with the european union which is 585 pages. there is only one outstanding issue, and i believe it is soluble. it is concerns parliament has about the backstop. the eu has agreed that the backstop. the eu has agreed that the backstop. the eu has agreed that the backstop is temporary. what we need them to do is define what temporary is. my view is that this is not the time to be talking about what other major changes we might be

faced with making. because actually we can get it through. you still think it can get through parliament? it absolutely can. only if they make changes come i think they are suggesting? what we are doing is getting the eu to define temporary. we are saying, tell us what you mean. if it is temporary, parliament can live with that. but you need to show us. i am a supporter of theresa may's deal, with those qualifications to the backstop. i think mps, if we reflect on how close we are to an agreement, and how cataclysmic it would be if we didn't end up having an agreement we could get through parliament, the best thing is to put our heads down, make sure we have a version of this agreement we can get through parliament. are you interested in becoming the leader of the party? think we have a very good leader of the conservative party, a very good prime minister, probably doing the most difficultjob of any leader in the western world right now. what we need to do, as she is battling for britain, is to get behind her.

thousands more prisoners will be able to make phone calls from their cells under government plans to tackle violence and re—offending. currently 20 prisons in england and wales have in—cell phones, which are monitored and can only call pre—approved numbers. £10 million will be spent extending the scheme to 50 prisons by early 2020. thejustice secretary, david gauke, said inmates would benefit from the extra support. one of the things that helps reduce reoffending is maintaining family ties. and i think it's really important that we allow prisoners the opportunity to maintain those family ties, maintain links with their loved ones, because when they're released, those relationships are going to be really important in keeping them on the straight and narrow. we can speak now to andrea albutt, president of the prison governors association. she's has been a governor at a number of prisons. thanks very much indeed for talking

to us. is this a good idea? yes, absolutely. the prison governors association will be behind this project. just as david gauke said, research shows that if prisoners are able to maintain family ties, contact their loved ones, it will help to reduce reoffending. there are some concerns raised about this. conservative mps, andrew rossendale, for example, saying that prisons are supposed to be places where people go for punishment. part of that should be about losing some of their creature comforts. that this will make prison less of a deterrent? well, we would disagree with prison being a place of punishment. the fa ct being a place of punishment. the fact that you are sent to prison is the punishment. we should not further punish people while in prison. our role is to reduce reoffending, so that when they go back into the community, they are able to integrate and there is less chance of them reoffending. so, by having things like intercell

telephony, if normalises life, it allows them to access their family ina much allows them to access their family in a much more regular way. the problem you have at the moment imprisons, although it is improving, we have been giving prisoners very poor regimes. they have been locked up poor regimes. they have been locked upfor poor regimes. they have been locked up for long periods of time. access to things like communal telephones has been really difficult. then what happens is you get disaffected men and women in prison, and itjust adds to the stability issues that are seen over recent years. so, telephones in cells will actually help to stabilise prisons as part of a bigger package. when prisons are s0 a bigger package. when prisons are so overstretched, when we are hearing that staff are desperately overstretched, where there is a real need for more staff on the wings, more programmes to help the rehabilitation process, our phones in cells really a good use of taxpayer money? yes, they are. just

to reiterate, if they can maintain family ties, it will reduce or help to reduce reoffending, because when you've got prisoners that are in despair, that are disaffected, they will not engage in activities, they will not engage in activities, they will not engage in activities, they will not engage in offending behaviour programmes. but if they've got family that can encourage them, support them, then, actually, they will be better people while in prison and on release. but it is going to require very careful monitoring, isn't it? at a time when we know that prisons are very overstretched. some victim organisations have raised concerns that prisoners might use this new facility to intimidate or harass victims or witnesses. we've got a long history of monitoring the telephone calls that prisoners make. so, we will be in control of what numbers they are able to dial, who those people are, and to protect the

public. ok, andrea albutt of the prison governors association, thank you forjoining us. it's been a year of extreme weather in the uk, from the beast from the east at the start of the year to sizzling heatwaves in the summer. but how has this affected our wildlife? well, our reporterjayne mccubbin is at a wetland centre in ormskirk, west lancashire. tell us more about how the wildlife has been affected by the weather we have seen. it is doing really well here, actually. you have spoken about the erratic weather, which the national trust has likened to a roller—coaster ride this year. peaks of 35 degrees in the summer, the likes of which we have not seen since the 1970s. then that really arctic, icy winter at the start of the year that we have, with lows of -14, the year that we have, with lows of -i4, the the year that we have, with lows of —14, the likes of which we have not really seen since perhaps on a handful of occasions in the 1960s.

there have been winners and losers. let's chat to louise to hear about the winners. the cold weather has brought huge numbers here, hasn't it? it has been absolutely fantastic. a lot of the birds that we get here in the winter at martin mere are from places like the continent, russia, they are escaping the cold, they congregate here at martin mere and they really love it. an amazing spectacle. you get pink footed geese, how many do you get? normally we get ten or 20,000, this year it was 30,000 or 40,000. lots of birds all at once. absolutely amazing. brilliant for you guys, but there have been losers as well. peter, you are an animal ecologist with the national trust. what have you been most concerned by, the numbers being affected by the weather extremes? this year, while

the adult butterflies, things like the adult butterflies, things like the large blue and chalk hill blue, they did really well, but because of they did really well, but because of the drought conditions, the plants that they feed on were scorched and dry. so the caterpillars might not have done as well as we would have liked. it is very much a case of keeping an eye on what happens with the adult butterflies next year. you are keeping an eye, you are trying to mitigate against some of the worst of the weather extremes, by creating a nature corridor. tell me more. the national trust is creating 25,000 hectares of new habitat. that is about 96 square miles of high—quality habitat all across the country. also, the way we farm, most of our land country. also, the way we farm, most of ourland is country. also, the way we farm, most of our land is going to be in high nature status. that means that the animals will be able to move around. one of the things with climate and weather, we need the animals and plants to be able to move and to

adapt to new conditions. adapt and survive. thank you very much for joining us. we have had quite a spectacle over my shoulder this morning. they have quietened down now, but the flamingos on the far bank have been doing their mating dance, which is hugely impressive. and then the eider ducks, i don't know if you can make them out, the black and white ducks here which, as per live television, have managed to go away from us, they have been responding with something that sounds like a kenneth williams call, a kind of "oooooh". you can practice that one at home. peaks and troughs, weather conditions, the roller—coaster ride. the only thing thatis roller—coaster ride. the only thing that is certain for next year is more of the same, more erratic weather on the way. it looks very peaceful and mild therefore the time of the year. thank you forjoining us. sport and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's katherine downes. good morning.

i can't quite compete with a kenneth williams duck call! west ham are into ninth position in the premier league after coming from behind to beat southampton at st mary's. felipe anderson was the star for the hammers. after southampton took the lead, the brazilian scored this beauty from outside the box just two minutes later. west ham's most expensive signing really starting to show his worth. and if you thought that one was good, well, his second wasn't bad either. an eighth goal of the season smashing the hammers into the top 10. i think that tonight was a very good game, from the beginning, it was high pace. we didn't allow southampton to reach our box. they didn't get one chance. u nfortu nately we started one goal down, but we drew as soon as we can and after that we completed the second goal. the way we lost as well, it is a bit too easy. we didn't play such a good

game today, i think. we have a lot of players on a higher level. i think we have the chance to win. that is disappointing because we didn't make a good game, although we could have won. but if you gave it away so easily, like today, you don't deserve to. arsenal manager unai emery has been handed an fa charge for improper conduct. it's after he kicked a bottle which hit a brighton fan towards the end of wednesday's 1—1 draw. the spaniard went to apologise to the home supporter immediately after the incident and again at full—time. i kicked the bottle in frustration, but not for the supporter. i kicked for me, and it is going near the supporter, and i said today, my apologies. not another communication. my apologies. i kicked the bottle because it was near me,

but not with this intention. russia's anti—doping agency has appealed to president vladimir putin to help them avoid being suspended again by the world anti—doping agency. a wada inspection team was denied full access to a moscow anti—doping laboratory last week. russia must transfer athletes‘ sample data by monday or risk being banned again from international events. india are edging towards victory in the third test down under, despite a late fight back by australia. they're leading by 346 runs with two days to go. pat cummins has given the hosts a faint hope of a comeback after they were bowled out for 151. he took four quick wickets, including india's captain virat kohli for a duck, as the tourists ended the day on 54 runs for 5. the series is currently tied at one all with just the sydney test to go next week. the favourite elegant escape won the welsh grand

national at chepstow, a second success in three years for trainer colin tizzard. the 3—1 shot, ridden byjockey tom o'brien, fought off a late charge from ramsees to win by over a length. the tournament favourite michael van gerwen is through to the quarter—finals of the pdc world darts championship. he beat adrian lewis by four sets to one at alexandra palace. also through to the last eight is gary anderson, who came through a final set decider against chris dobey. now how's this for a late contender for own goal of 2018? it happened during a serie b clash after a back pass to the goalkeeper. ascoli's filippo perucchini then dribbled the ball into his own net. it didn't end well. his side lost to palermo. not how you want to end your day. that is all of the sport for now.

music retailer hmv is at risk of becoming the first post—christmas high street casualty as it teeters on the brink of administration. the group, which has 130 stores and employs over 2,000 staff, has filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators. our business correspondent theo leggett is with me now. so, another big high street store in trouble? yes, we understand hmv will be an administration, if not by the end of today then within days. this is the culmination of what has been a dreadful period on the british high street, names like toys "r" us and poundworld collapsing, and hmv under threat. it's not the first time hmv has been in this situation. it went into administration in 2013, it was bought out of administration bya it was bought out of administration by a company called hill co—capital, and now it seems the business model has run into trouble again. is at a

kaushal silva fact that so many of us kaushal silva fact that so many of us get our music and other programmes online, people are less inclined to go out and buy seed these and dvds? yes, the high-street stores have been a victim of online shopping, with hmv, there has been another aspect, the things that it made its reputation selling, you can get the music streamed directly, you don't need to go into a store. over christmas, i wanted to buy some old—fashioned cds for my family, and i found it hard, old—fashioned cds for my family, and ifound it hard, there are not old—fashioned cds for my family, and i found it hard, there are not many sellers around, there is not a market for it. hmv‘s business model that has sustained it since the 19205 that has sustained it since the 1920s is now looking rather dated. there are 130 stores left, in its heyday there were more than 400. the question now is what happens to the business? what happens to the stores and the employees that work within them? it is all very uncertain. what

other prospects, in for those employees, who will be very worried aboutjob employees, who will be very worried about job prospects employees, who will be very worried aboutjob prospects at this time of year? and administrator's the first job is to try to keep the business asa job is to try to keep the business as a going concern and sell it as a growing concern. the problem with hiv as this has been tried once already. the business has struggled. at the moment, as we have been discussing, the business model does not look up—to—date. the question is whether somebody can come forward with a new model, which can build on watch hmv is still managing to do, and updated for the modern era. the question is, if the business model is not working at the moment, what can the buyer due to put that right? thank you very much forjoining us. the number of illegal knives seized at the uk's borders has more than doubled in a year. official figures show officers took possesion of more than 7,600 blades during the 12 months to september. it comes as knife crime in england and wales reaches an eight—year high. the united states coastguard has

suspended its search for a missing british cruise ship entertainer. 20—year—old arron hough from sunderland was working on the harmony of the seas. he was last seen on deck during the early hours of christmas day, but the alarm wasn't raised until nearly 10 hours later when he failed to turn up for work. media reports in iceland say that a bridge where three british tourists died in a car accident yesterday, does not meet current safety standards. the car ca reered through a barrier on a single track steel bridge and fell on to a dry river bed below. four other british people in the vehicle were airlifted to hospital in the capital, reykjavik, with serious injuries. a fisherman who fell overboard off the cornish coast clung onto his nets forfive miles before being rescued. the alarm was raised when the fishing boat crashed into the south pier in newlyn yesterday afternoon. the solo skipper was rescued by lifeboat and taken to hospital with severe hypothermia.

coastguards say he had fallen overboard whilst repositioning nets some five miles offshore but was able to hang on to netting over the side as his boat steamed along on automatic pilot. the man is now recovering at home. the federal government shutdown in the united states, now in its sixth day, looks set to continue into the new year after congress failed to resolve the impasse over president trump's demand for funds for a wall on the mexican border. the closure affects about 25% of government programmes. president trump blames the democrats for blocking his amendment that would add $5 billion of spending onto the budget bill to build the wall. the democrats say a wall would be ineffective