britain's borisjohnson says he's "cautiously optimistic" about a brexit deal ahead of his first face—to—face talks with the european commission president next week. but the eu's chief brexit negotiator said he did not have "reasons to be optimistic." the hollywood actress, felicity huffman, has been sentenced to m days in prison for fraudulently securing a place at a top university for her daughter. the scandal has ensnared dozens of wealthy families. the bbc has learned that rising emissions of a synthetic gas used in electrical safety devices are damaging the environment. sulphur hexafluoride is thousands of times more potent than carbon dioxide. thousands of zimbabweans have been paying tribute to former president, robert mugabe, as preparations for his funeral ceremonies continue. now on bbc news, it's time

for inside out south. this week, it's a game of phones. you talk to them and you're on the verge of tears because of the pressure. i've been very stressed. worry about putting food on the table. we're on the trail of a gosport telecoms company owing thousands. do you think ever you missold? no. what it implies and what it says on the paperwork are two different things. how you read that and how you say it can be different things. also, will the nfl take a punt on a teenager from the south? you need kids who are driven, kids who are willing to commit. this literally means everything to me. and the garden designer chasing chelsea gold. i'm up for the challenge. hello. welcome to inside out. first, if you run a small business, you'll know how important it is to keep in touch with those customers. but running mobile phones is a costly expense. so if a company calls you and tells you they can give you a better deal, happy days.

it's not right. i've been missold a contract. i was really angry. really, really angry and ijust think it's disgusting. really disgusting. future comms were until recently based here, at these now empty offices on the hampshire coast. it was run by friends joe stickler and lewis tribble. future comms cold called small companies and sole traders with the aim of selling a 36 month business contract on the 02 network. in four years, future comms grew their client base to almost 8,000 customers. now there's just empty office space. nina from basingtoke is a former future comms customer. jed's property solutions is a small family run property maintenance business, and we have three employees. at first, nina didn't have any

problems with future comms. then, six months into her contract, she was offered an upgrade. this upgrade included new handsets. they gave us two sim cards, actually, that were promotional. so in total then how much were you expecting to pay per month? so at that point i was under the impression it would be £200 per month plus vat, with a £35 rebate once a month from future comms. that monthly £35 from future comms would bring her bill down to £165. let's pause nina there for a second to explain how the future comms rebates worked. to do that, you have to start at the top with 02.

02 have approved partners who sell business tariffs on their network. one of those partners is called chess. chess outsourced the sales to, amongst others, gosport based future comms. so when you sign up with future comms, you pay the network the full tariff. then you get a rebate directly from future comms. got it? 0k. instead of £165, nina's bill was more than £900. some of this turned out to be a roaming charge while she was on holiday. but nina also discovered she was paying a lot more than was agreed. i was distraught. cash flow was a huge issue for us at that point. 02 would say it was future comms'

problem because that was who our contract was with, so it was... and it was just before christmas, so i was broken. nina demanded the original sales call between her husband and future comms. so let's listen to some of the recording of the conversation. you also get two spare sims to give to a family member or friend. farfrom being included in the £165, nina is paying £120 a month extra for the two spare sims. and with future comms going bust, she's not getting any monthly rebates either, meaning this contract could cost her £16,000 over three years. her old contract would have cost £1,600. like i said to lewis tribble many, many times, future commns were almost responsible for our business going under on many an occasion. you talk to them and you're on the verge of tears because of the pressure and you know you don't know where to turn. i'm on my way to billericay in essex to meet a tyre fitter who says, like nina, she too is paying more than she signed up for. i'm probably one of the only tyre fitters in essex of the female variety. i meet lots of different characters and all sorts of different people and they love me.

always tell me i'm honest. how did you first get involved with future comms? they phoned me up and said we would like to give you a handset and i said no, thank you. it would be too expensive. so i've gone for a sim—only deal. we discussed what the tariff would be, which was going to be around £30 a month. i'm paying over £90 a month. why on earth would you agree to a deal which is three times as expensive as your old one? well, i didn't, iwouldn‘t. i would never have took it on. i said no to the handset. and like nina, she too was given an extra promotional sim card. he said, you can have that. we're doing a january special. just put it in a drawer. i've never took it out the envelope. aisha also requested the audio of her calls. i've actually given you a spare sim card. it also comes with 25 gigabytes of internet data.

if you don't want to use it, you canjust pop it away in a drawer and you don't have to use it at all. it turns out aisha is paying £36 a month for an extra sim card she believed was free. what do you think of the way they've behaved? i'm not impressed. i wouldn't do that to my customers. i've been very stressed, definitely. worried about putting food on the table. aisha and nina are not alone. we've been in contact with more than three dozen future comms customers. they told us they feel they were missold their contracts during their sales calls. 0fcom banned 36 month contracts for consumers back in 2011. however they are still legal for business customers but there's no cooling off period. jane rossiter gill is a millinerfrom bicester. like many of the people we spoke to, she says this was never explained by future comms. did they mention at all of any cooling off period or the fact that there wouldn't be?

instead, they sent us this statement. 02 diligently manages all of its business partnerships. we are aware of issues with future comms and we are working closely with our partners to ensure they address and resolve the issues these customers are facing as a matter of urgency. as for chess, the new owners of the future comms client list, we asked them if they would be honouring the rebates that future comms promised. they told us the same thing as 02. we got our distribution license through them originally... the two men behind future comms, lewis tribble and joe stickler, came to our offices for an interview. they said that some rebates weren't paid because of customer error, but accepted they'd made mistakes. there are some customers who haven't had a discount because you didn't pay. absolutely. some customers that we've just completely missed off. yeah, but it sounds a bit careless. it was careless. when we first started out, we were 22 years old. we don't have degrees in university. we don't, we didn't even go to college. it was very careless and that there is elements that

future comms could have done much much better. do you think as a company you behaved properly? ido, yeah. personally i think as a business and as individuals now we conducted ourself correctly every day. do you think all of your customers were made aware of exactly what they were getting into? absolutely. so every single customer, i mean every single customer would have had to sign a contract and a purchase order to be connected. i've listened to the recordings. yes. especially with sim cards which seem to crop up. yeah. promotional offers, these are your words. well they are said promotional offers. we have examples where it's said that the sim cards are included in that... absolutely. ..monthly price that they're being given. and then they find they're an additional cost. something's gone wrong, hasn't it? absolutely. so in some cases, customers would have read that and misread that. no, it's what they're told. sure, on a verification call, it says that it would be a promotional offer so we would add an additional line in for the customer.

why would anyone who understands the terms and conditions put a sim card that is costing them hundreds of pounds in a drawer and be told that you can just put in a drawer. that implies it's free. what it implies and what it says are two different things. do you feel guilty about anything? guilty, no. upset that individuals feel this way, of course i do. i'm a human being at the end of the day. do you think ever you've missold? no. never. do you think future comms are aware of what they're doing to small businesses? all day long. they know. they absolutely know what they're doing. now, if all of that sounds far too familiar and you've got a story to tell, do get in touch. you can find us on twitter. still to come — the garden designer with big chelsea boots to fill.

there is pressure, i'm not going to deny that, but i'm up for the challenge. this is one of the biggest days of our lives. i'll give it all i've got. this is a one time, lifetime opportunity. before this, i had no goals in life. nothing. at the new spurs stadium in london, this is our chance to become professional american football players. i think it's a massive, massive experience. i'm paul. i'm 17 and i'm from reading. we come here notjust to learn but to show our skills. this literally means everything to me. here we go! for the touchdown! you must‘ve heard of the super bowl. the american nfl is watched by millions around the world.

now, it's launching the first ever uk nfl academy where 16 to 18—year—olds can learn the game. the ultimate goal — get to uni in the states and get drafted to the nfl. let's go now! more than 1,000 athletes applied but there were only 80 places at the academy up for grabs. that's head coach tony allen, the main man to impress today at the final trials. once they get into the academy and you're lifting weights in the gym four days a week, you're learning football in class four days a week, you're on the field three days a week and then you've got to do your academics — ain't much time to do everything else. you need kids who are driven, kids who are willing to commit. at home i've been putting in the hours with the help of my big brother. my position is running back. i need to be fast and agile to carry

the ball down the field. these things that we do here will help in the game as well. yeah there was such a side to side shuffle did. he's my little coach basically because you never. . . no. he helped me a lot. and you know especially if it was my mum coming out here then you know i really won't listen, but my brother... luke is studying economics at bristol uni but he still finds time to knacker me out. i've got to do my bit to help him achieve these goals and passions he has, for american football, getting into the nfl. so the least i could do is spend an hour or two out here in the park making this boy sweat and pant. yeah, it's good. i enjoy it. that's fine. let's go! this is my mum, nana. she's amazing.

as well as working full time, she takes me to training, cooks my meals and keeps me in line. how would you feel about having to leave home and go and live somewhere else? i've been waiting for this from day one. i want to go now, please! you don't mean that, do you? yes, i do, i do. if you didn't get in. have you thought about what you're going to do? i would be a little upset but i can keep trying. i can come back next year. i could go back to college as well or i can do an apprenticeship. but i'm trying not to think like that. for now, i'm just concentrating on my football. on three — one, two, three! this is my team, the thames valley tigers under—19s. we train here in swindon at the leisure centre. coach is the awesome adrian meas. the confidence it gives them is quite noticeable.

we have players of all shapes and sizes. there's a job for everybody. american football is inclusive and it's getting more popular here. there are now more junior teams than ever but more players need more coaches. because the sport is growing, the demand for coaches has grown and i know when we advertised ourselves we got very, very little response. coach's son and my mate lewis is a linebacker in our defense. he's also made it to the final trial day for the academy. you look really nice. so why do you want to be part of the nfl academy? being a thames valley tiger has fuelled my love of football, but the field here at swindon feels like a different world to the turf at white hart lane. at the trials, we're being put through four drills — the a0 yard dash, broad jump, verticaljump and the shuttle run. we're judged by the coaches and some

true superstars like 0si umenyiora, two time super bowl winner with the giants. that'sjuju smith—schuster, wide receiver for the pittsburgh steelers. oh, and this guy, jason bell, pundit on the bbc nfl show. come on, look at me. of course i'm excited. i'm excited, i'm around all this youth, all this speed, athleticism. i feel like i'm them, and i want to get involved just like them. one guy who's a real motivation for us is carolina panthers defensive end efe 0bada. born in nigeria, he was brought to england illegally when he was ten years old. this is where it started for me. before the nfl, i was an illegal immigrant. i couldn't travel, couldn't work, couldn't provide. iwas, you know, getting caught up in the wrong crowd. now i can travel the world,

i can provide for my family, i'm around great role models and i'm also fortunate enough to be in that position of being a role model. efe is the product, he is the final product. you know, when you're a kid and you are able to see someone from your community that made it, it gives you all the inspiration you need. efe is a true inspiration. but what he's done is super rare. only 3% of players in last season's nfl were born overseas. but the academy could help open doors. there's 84 universities here in the uk starting to give out scholarships for american football. so if you could get a scholarship coming from here, forget the us. i mean, that's where they want to go, but if you didn't, a chance of getting a scholarship here in the uk. with just a day to show what we can do, the pressure is on. i want to make my family proud. i really hope paul goes the distance and he achieves what he wants, but even if he doesn't,

at least he's given his best shot. but everyone‘s giving it their all. the competition is fierce. give it 100% and see what happens. i'll give it 100% as always. my grandad and my dad used to play. basically it's been a generational dream. it would mean a lot to me. especially doing it for my mum as well. it's good to see just how much effort you've put in, and no matter what happens, even if you don't get in, you've done really well and that's what you've got to bear in mind. and i'm proud of you for that. eat your vegetables. why did you have to say that? it was going so well! two weeks later, i got the call. i didn't get in.

i'm not going to lie, i cried. but i'll be back next year to try again. until then, i'll keep training and eating my veg. unlucky, paul. better luck next year. keep on going, we know you can do it. now, finally, as we enter the autumn, summer begins to feel like a distant memory. but for one young garden designer, it's a summer she'll never forget. rebecca parker explains why. the chelsea flower show, the world—renowned garden spectacular. it draws celebrities, royalty and common as muck gardeners like me. for designers, it's all about getting their hands on one of these. a gold medal. it's the gardener‘s equivalent of an olympic medal,

with a little less lycra. hillier nursery and garden centre based in romsey are perennial winners at chelsea. they've won 73 consecutive gold medals working with some of the most decorated and established designers, but this year they're taking a risk. so this is how the site is going to be? this is it to scale. up and coming designer lilly gomm has never competed at chelsea before, but hillier had given her the task of delivering their 74th gold. is it hard not to let the worry about whether or not you get a gold medal affect you? there is pressure. i'm not going to deny that. i think pressure can push you forward sometimes and i'm up for the challenge, but i'm not going to deny i'm quite nervous about it at the same time. so let's have a look at the design then? oh, wow, that's beautiful. you know, the first thing i think

when i look at that is it's really kind of soft, feminine planting. was that one of your aims behind that? it was, actually. i wanted to be quite different from last year. this is using a different colour palette of plants and going quite heavy on the pinks. you've got water marked at various points around the design. it's build week. 25 lorry—loads of flowers, shrubs and trees are being shipped up to london. some of those are being kept in suspended animation in a refrigerated barn especially for the show. 0n—site, construction is under way. i have to use these in areas where it wouldn't necessarily flower. it will look completely different in a few hours, which is quite unbelievable if you see it now. i've been dreaming about trees. people have been chopping them down in my dreams. ijust get haunted by the worst that could happen. lilly's specially commissioned water feature is being installed. it's the central

focus of the design. we've seen it working offsite, but today it's being turned on here for the first time. fingers crossed that goes smoothly. when it's all running, we'll see if the light has any effect. back at hillier hq, i'm meeting head honcho george hilliers. this is where you get that real fireworks. you get the mix of the herbaceous... george has been working for the family company for 20 years and he has a proud legacy to maintain. we're in the guinness book of records for 73 consecutive gold medals, so we're hoping to make it 74. but with that, of course, comes a bit of pressure. i know it's a whole team effort that goes into this but you are taking a bit of a gamble with a relatively new designer. certainly someone who hasn't designed at chelsea before. yeah, when we're looking for a garden designer, we judge them not on age, their gender or anything. we purely judge them on their ability and lilly has

ability in abundance. so how are you going to feel early on that tuesday morning when you walk into the floral pavilion and you see what colour medal you've got? well, i'd be lying if i said i wasn't going to be nervous just before, because obviously we will be. we've got the same goals, we'd love to make it 74. at the showground, the whole team are digging deep. it's going in. not that one! it's incredibly unstable. it is, yeah. it might just need fluffing out of the side. at chelsea, every millimetre counts. the water's on and the feature‘s running, but it still needs a little bit of perfecting.

0k. whereabouts, here? who would have thought that putting together an exhibition for a flower show would be this nerve racking? everyone wants to get that gold, they want it to look the absolute best it possibly can. got any crops? think we're winning? i've got no idea! the final plants go in and finishing touches are made. tomorrow is judgment day. no more time to tinker. it's 6:15 on medals morning. i'm a bundle of nerves. i've no idea what colour metal they've got.

——medal. we're standing here in front of the hillier exhibit waiting for george hillier to arrive. lilly is so nervous she's not even here. she's in a hotel room waiting to find out what the colour of the medal is going to be. here we go. morning. how are you? all right. spring in your step? nervous, butterflies. yes, i know. should we get this out of the way? let's get it done. come on then, george. let's go find out. i'm glad i'm with you. i'm glad i'm not on my own. my goodness! it'll be fine. i'm sure it'll be fine. let's have a look. 0h! well done. team effort, i'm so pleased for everyone. and for lilly. well done. i knew it. just fantastic, there it is. well done.

so relieved. i'm stunned, really stunned. the risk has paid off. it's hiller‘s 74th and lilly's first chelsea gold. soak it up. yeah. i love it. i think it's my favourite ever. yes. just brilliant. well done, lilly. i think he's going to stare at it for a bit.

hello there. the kind of weather you should expect this weekend depends very much upon where you are going to be spending it. the further south you are across the uk, you can expect plenty of sunshine, it will be dry and it will turn warmer. the further north you are across the uk, there will be some outbreaks of rain at times, not all the time, it will feel a bit cooler and it will be windy, particularly across the far north of scotland. because low pressure will be trying to muscle its way in here, quite a deep area of low pressure with a set of frontal systems, down towards the south though, high pressure will hold on, giving a lot of dry weather. underneath that high, quite a cool start to saturday morning — in fact one of two spots in the countryside hovering around two or three degrees. after that start is where we will see the mess curling, after that,

very windy and fun of scotland where they will also be some outbreaks of heavy and persistent rain. temperature wise on saturday, 16 degrees in aberdeen, 19 in belfast, 23 or 2a across the south—east of england. as we go through saturday night, the wind could cause one or two problems across the north of scotland, particularly for shetland where they are likely to be gusts of 60-70 mph, where they are likely to be gusts of 60—70 mph, maybe a little stronger in places. 0utbrea ks 60—70 mph, maybe a little stronger in places. outbreaks of rain pushing southwards across scotland and northern ireland in northern england, the rain tending to fizzle all the while to the south of that, light winds and clear skies but generally not quite such a chilly start on sunday morning. sunday's weather will be dominated by this frontal system, this front will be wriggling around across the central swathe of the british isles, a bit of uncertainty about exactly where those wrinkles will take weather front, and where the rain will be, but there will be some splashes of rain at home for northern ireland, friending into southern part of scotland, may down into the north

midlands and north wales. to the south about whether front, sunday will be a pretty warm day, the warmest day of the weekend, 25—26, to the north of the weather front things will be very cool and fresh, 14 things will be very cool and fresh, 1a or 15 degrees. as we go into the start of next week, that frontal system will slide its way southwards, and all of us will get into some cool air, they could be the jar at times, particularly in the jar at times, particularly in the north and east, but some dry weather and sunshine as well.

this is bbc news. i'm nuala mcgovern. our top stories: borisjohnson says he's cautiously optimistic a brexit deal can be struck as he prepares for talks with the european commission president. but the eu and ireland say they've still not seen enough detail. we are in contact with the british government and also the european commission to explore ideas around that, but i have to say, what has been put forward so far falls very far short of what we would need. american actress felicity huffman is sentenced to 1a days in prison for her role in a university admissions scandal. it's one of the world's most powerful greenhouse gases, but chances are, you've never heard of it. we look at the dangers of sf6. thousands of people turn out to pay their respects

to zimbabwe's former president robert mugabe as preparations