this is bbc news, i'm martine croxall. the headlines at 2: south wales police declare flooding caused by storm dennis a major incident, as heavy rain and strong winds continue to lash large parts of the uk. as you can see behind, the emergency services doing an incrediblejob trying to get people out of their homes, homes that have been ruined by water gushing through, destroying all their possessions. hundreds of flood alerts are in place across the uk including a number of red warnings, meaning there's a danger to life.

american citizens quarantined on a cruise ship injapan are to be flown home, after a jump in the number of new cases of cronavirus on board. and in half an hour here on bbc news, the week in parliament takes a look at this week's surprising cabinet moves, in boris johnson's reshuffle. good afternoon. a major incident has been declared in south wales as the strong winds and heavy rain from storm dennis causes flooding and disruption across the uk. there are a record number of flood alerts and flood warnings in england. travel continues to be affected. helena wilkinson has the latest. in south wales this lunchtime, a major incident has been declared. emergency crews are dealing with landslides like this, and widespread flooding.

this is what residents in the village of nantgarw near cardiff woke to this morning. a road now looking more like a river, the sheer volume of water left cars submerged. emergency services had to rescue people as the water levels rose, including this elderly lady. and this is a high street in pontypridd in south wales. not everyone heeded the don't drive through flood water advice. i workjust down on the corner, and i had to leave at about eight o'clock last night because of the floods, so to come down this morning and see it like this is a shock. others have been left stranded. that is what one family woke up to in crickhowell while on holiday. i can see coming down the street now where there is an inflatable boat, so i'm hoping we won't be here too much longer. so far in the calder valley in west yorkshire, it has not been as bad as people feared. it has not really gone up overnight.

it's all right at the moment. no panic as of yet, but keep an eye on it. in glasgow, the river clyde was battered by torrential rain. scotland has borne the brunt of the storm. three severe flood warnings remain in place for the borders. in carlisle, a lucky escape. a couple had to be rescued after their car was swept from the road by an overflowing river, leaving their vehicle wedged against this gate. this storm is far from over. communities continue to battle against appalling weather conditions. more devastation for those already bearing the brunt may be yet to come. helen wilkinson, bbc news. police have declared a major incident following flooding in south wales, as heavy rain and strong winds caused by storm dennis continue to lash the uk. emergency services in south wales are responding to floods and landslides and efforts are under way to rescue people after water

rushed into their homes. our correspondent tomos morgan is in nantgarw near cardiff. well, this is one of the few communities in south wales that has had to be evacuated due to storm dennis. around 100 homes here have been flooded. as you can see behind here, the emergency services are doing an incredible job trying to get people out of their homes, homes that have been ruined by water gushing through, destroying all their possessions, but it is a slow process in treacherous conditions as the rain continues to fall here, causing issues. there are severe flood warnings still in place in wales, that red alert has now come to an end but there are still alerts out there for rain and wind across the day, across wales and all of the uk. the issue has been here that we knew the weather was coming but we didn't know how quickly and how severe it would be. one of the people that was rescued here earlier told me that itjust happened in a matter of minutes,

her downstairs living room had been completely decimated. the hope is by the evening the rain will subside and then the rescue and the clean—up operation will begin. in a moment we will talk to alexandra mackenzie in hawick in the scottish borders, but first to fiona trott in york. life continues as normal here in york. you can see clifford is a tower behind me, many visitors here in the city centre at a weekend. you can see them going up to clifford's tower, one of the main tourist attractions but here we are, not far away in the middle of the city centre in a boat on a footpath and thatis centre in a boat on a footpath and that is because there has been flooding here already, preparations being made for more rain, possible flooding later in the next 2&48 hrs. not as bad as previous levels in 2015, expected to rise by about 4.8

metres, environment agency says, but volu nteers metres, environment agency says, but volunteers are on standbyjust in case. let me introduce you to one of them from york rescue. tell me what you'll be going to do over the next 24, 48 hours. we have a team on standby to respond to any flooding incidents that happen in the york area. what sort of things do you do when you have a call from the fire and rescue service? basically, you have equipment like this, boats to get to places they can't reach? yes, we are on a network of teams that do it. we can evacuate peoples buildings, we are qualified to evacuate people from cars or even just do the humanitarian, make sure people are ok if they are surrounded by water. and they can't get out of their homes. and this is a thing, it is not as bad as previous times. in 2015, you are working in the floods then, what you think of that flood levels at the moment? this is classed as normal york. it is

nothing out of the ordinary, this happens a couple of times a year. what is going to happen in the next 24 hours we will see. you are volunteers, how many are on standby to go out at a moments notice? on the team we have 26 operational volu nteers the team we have 26 operational volunteers that we can call in with different skill sets, we have flood rescue teams, medics, they'll come in depending on what the job rescue teams, medics, they'll come in depending on what thejob is. thank you very much for speaking to us thank you very much for speaking to us here in york city centre. the latest information we have on the environment agency is that there are 33 flood warnings in place in the north yorkshire area which means immediate action is necessary and for flood warnings in immediate action is necessary and forflood warnings in place immediate action is necessary and for flood warnings in place for york city centre. thank you fiona. let's join alexandra in hawick. what are conditions like there? it is quite difficult to hear anything because of the wind so i can just about hear you at three rivers here in the borders reached record levels last

night causing severe flooding and one of the areas that has been badly affected is hawick. the river here behind me, the levels have gone down but it is still very fast flowing and at what we did notice as we were driving in to hawick is that a lot of the low level fields were either saturated or completely flooded because hawick was quite badly affected by storm ciara last week and now with storm dennis this week so and now with storm dennis this week so there has just been no time for the water to dry it so everything is com pletely the water to dry it so everything is completely saturated. now, 20 miles further south in newcastleton, that village was also badly affected at last night. people had to be evacuated from their homes and there was flooding to property and businesses there. we do believe that the levels, they are not likely to

be any more flooding here today. the levels are likely to go down. the council emergency... has gone down a little which is great. the council emergency bunker has been up and running for the last couple of days was up yesterday, they were involved in getting up sandbags and putting up in getting up sandbags and putting up flood defences and now they will be helping with the clear up and helping those who have been affected by the flooding. also talking of that wind, there is a yellow wind warning in place for the whole of scotla nd warning in place for the whole of scotland today and that will run until about 11am tomorrow morning so during the rush hour tomorrow morning a lot of transport will be affected. transport is being affected. transport is being affected today, a lot of the ferries are either cancelled or not running. trains are also affected. the wind is causing a lot of problems here

today and will tomorrow morning as well. alexandra, thank you very much. just about hearing us above that howling gale. today and will tomorrow morning as well. and for the latest information on storm dennis in your area, you can find out more, on your local bbc 0nline pages, or, tune in, to your local radio station. further tributes have been paid to caroline flack, the tv presenter, who was found dead at her home yesterday. herfamily‘s lawyer said she had taken her own life. laura whitmore, who succeeded caroline as presenter of love island, criticised newspapers and socia media users over their treatment of her friend. caroline flack had been due to stand trial next month for assaulting her boyfriend, a charge she denied. angus crawford reports. it's the return of the flack! love island, x factor, i'm a celebrity — caroline flack, a life which appeared successful and glamorous. let's talk love. until december last year,

when she was arrested and charged with assaulting her boyfriend. yesterday, her family confirmed she had taken her own life. today, friend and fellow presenter laura whitmore, who replaces her on love island, could not hide her grief and anger. anyone who knew caroline knew she was vivacious, loving, and had a passion for life. to the press, the newspapers who create click bait, who demonise and tear down success, we've had enough. you don't have to tear down someone to feel good about yourself. there have been many other tributes from friends, fans and fellow celebrities. a media scrum at her first court appearance, distressing allegations she denied, a trial date in march and bail conditions banning any contact with her boyfriend, lewis burton. he denied being a victim and did not want the prosecution to go ahead.

today, he posted this message. "my heart is broken", and, "we had something so special". he also appeared to criticise the way the case was handled, saying, "i was not allowed to be there this time. i kept asking and asking". questions, too, from her management, who labelled it a "show trial". the crown prosecution service says it won't comment. weeks before her death, she wrote of the weight of media intrusion, saying... our home affairs correspondent, june kelly joins me now. what is this criticism that the crown prosecution service is facing? this is very strong criticism from caroline flack‘s management company

who have described this as a show trial, her upcoming trial which was due to take place in march and they say it shouldn't have been happening because she was very vulnerable. to counter that, just to say the crown prosecution service, although they won't discuss this case, they will say that to bring any prosecution it has to be two benchmarks, first there has to be a realistic prospect of conviction so they can'tjust ta ke of conviction so they can'tjust take a case to court because they think someone should be prosecuted, they have to think there could be a chance that the person who was in court could be convicted and the other benchmark is there has... the case has to be in the public interest. in terms of her mental state, if this case had got to court, her lawyers would have been able to put evidence before the courts about her mental state and that would have been considered by the magistrate who was dealing with the magistrate who was dealing with the case because it was going to be a magistrate who dealt with this case, it wasn't deemed serious enough to go to crown court. her

boyfriend, lewis burton, has said, i didn't want this case to proceed. what bearing does that have? it really doesn't have any bearing at all because we have seen in a number of domestic abuse allegations by cases have got to court where the alleged victim has withdrawn consent to the prosecution and certainly there has been a big focus and push on police and prosecutors in recent yea rs on police and prosecutors in recent years to bring more domestic abuse has cases to court and take them seriously and when they examine the behaviour and the reason that person doesn't want to get the case to court. that can't bear down on prosecutors decision. they must have felt that there was enough evidence for the case to be tested in court. how mindful are prosecutors in the crown prosecution service of the impact of the mental health of

people who find themselves in the system particularly defendant?” think, as i say the cps aren't making a particular comment but last autumn it was said, i am not suggesting we should stop prosecuting people with mental health conditions that what we need to do is balance our approach and make sure that those with mental health conditions and i'm including victims and witnesses are treated fairly and proportionately. that goes back to the point that if caroline flack had been in court, all of her mental health issues should be looked at and dealt with and they should have been reports but clearly, there is massive anger amongst those who loved her about what has happened. june, thank you very much. let's hear a little more of the tribute by laura whitmore, who took over presenting love island from caroline flack. she started her show on 5 live this morning by speaking about the abuse her friend had received.

i wish we were talking under better circumstances and i was debating whether i could come on air today. at the age of 40, caroline flack took the decision to take her own life and i want to give her the respect that she deserves and she didn't always get. i met herjust shy of ten years ago and then we became friends. she was bubbly and for such a small stature commanded a room. she loved to laugh and had the most infectious chuckle. she also had many struggles, i'm not going to pretend she was perfect but as anyone she lived every mistake publicly under the scrutiny of the media. caroline loved to love. that is all she wanted. which is why i love island was important to her

because it was about finding love and friendship and having a laugh. the show to work on is loving and caring. the problem is the outside world is not. anyone who's ever compared one woman against another on twitter, knocked someone because of their appearance, invaded someone else's privacy, who have made mean and unnecessary comments on an online forum, need to look at themselves. sorry. to the press, the newspapers who create clickbait, who demonise and tear down success, we've had enough. i have seen journalists and twitter warriors talk of the tragedy who themselves have just twisted what the truth is. you don't have to tear down someone to feel good about yourself. so to listeners, be kind. only you are responsible for how you treat others and what you put out in the world.

i've had messages and been harassed just for doing myjob, and this is where the problem is. i want to use my platform to call people out, because it's gone too far. and if you've been affected by any of the issues raised, information and support is available from bbc action line, and there's the number for you. the united states has sent two planes to japan to bring home its citizens, quarantined on a cruise liner in the port of yokohama for the past 11 days. there are now 355 cases of coronavirus on the ship — making it the biggest cluster outside china. rupert wingfield—hayes is in yokohama and sent this update. i think it is very clear from the statement put out by the us government that they do not, or at least they are very concerned, that the quarantine going on on board the diamond princess behind me here that has been going on for the last 12 days is perhaps not working and that the virus, the coronavirus,

is still spreading around that ship. they think that their citizens are in danger and that is why they have triggered this evacuation which is happening now as we speak. there are buses that are pulled up, you can't quite see them but they are beside the ship behind me here, they are processing the 380 us passengers who are being put onto those buses, taken to tokyo's haneda airport sometime tonight where two planes are due to land in the next hour or so. they will be put aboard those planes and flown to california to a military base in california where they will be processed, checked to see whether they have the coronavirus and then quarantined if they test positive. now, there are obviously more than 2000 other passengers still stuck on this ship in quarantine for a number of days yet. the canadian government, the hong kong government, the taiwan government, has said they will send planes too. that is really putting the pressure now on the uk government to decide what it is going to do for the 57 uk passengers and 20 crew who are still on board.

a british couple quarantined on the cruise liner have accused the uk government of ignoring their pleas for help. david abel spoke to bbc breakfast this morning. the americans that have tested negative, they are leaving the ship today. there are two aircraft that have been sent and i understand have now landed in yokohama, probably at haneda airport, i'm not sure which airport, but that doesn't matter. they are being taken out. we're told the canadians are also sending an aircraft over to repatriate the canadians. australia has sent a specialist to assess the situation and then see what remains for them. the british, we have not heard. i've had a message from the ambassador here, or the office, let's say. this is what i was told ten minutes ago.

"we have been told by the us government that they are organising an evacuation flight for their nationals. this process is likely to begin today. however, the general clinical advice of the world health organization is not to repatriate. therefore, we are working urgently with the japanese government and other partners to explore the options". other countries are seeing the need and the necessity to get their people back to their home countries and take them into quarantine there. that is what the brits on board would love to happen to them. and from what you have just read there, if the world health 0rganization are going to strongly suggest to the brits, it's not going to happen. sounds negative.

we understand that some 300 people have tested positive on the ship. are they testing you regularly? what's going on? the test takes two to three days for the result to come in. we had our throats swabbed yesterday, and we are now awaiting the result. depending on the result, it will determine whether we are allowed to be released on the 19th of february. if one of us is tested positive, that person will be taken into a medicalfacility. currently, the hospitals are now so filled that it would be at least four hours away. can you tell me as well, how are you keeping up morale and how are you feeling? i'm really trying to put a brave face on. it's not easy.

deep inside, we're very frightened. we really are frightened. we don't want to be split up if one of us is proved positive. after 50 years being together it's just unbearable, the thought of being split up, so we are struggling now. we are, as are others on the ship. it's not just about us, as are others. we are all going through the same thing. the foreign office says it's "working around the clock" to ensure the welfare of britons onboard. the transport secretary grant shapps has denied holding any talks with china about building the hs2 high speed rail line. it's reported the china railway construction corporation wrote to hs2 limited last month, saying it could complete the project faster and more cheaply than current plans. mr shapps was speaking on the andrew marr show earlier: i think what's happened is they have clearly had a letter sent to hs2 limited.

there has been no conversation with me as a minister, as the secretary of state, or not. but i have to say, by the way, i kind of really want to get this thing built faster, if it's possible. so we would be fools not to have a conversation, but i think, you know, five years, when you look at what is required and the contracts that need to be laid and so on and so forth, it is an enormous project. you are not going to build it in five years. thousands of australians are attending a ten—hour fundraising concert for those affected by the recent bushfires. queen, olivia newton—john, and alice cooper are among those performing in sydney. the australian government has come in for harsh criticism for its response to the disaster. the comedian, celeste barber, opened the event. the volunteers across this entire country, they are the ones who have saved us. they are the ones who actively go out and help. they are the ones...

cheering. they are the ones that cancel holidays to stay here and look after us. now it's time for a look at the weather with darren. there is much talk in the early part of the day about a red weather warning for the southern parts of wales and i'm here to tell you that from 11am, that warning will have ceased but you see that we still have other warnings across northern and western britain. these are amber warnings, a slightly lower level of concern from the met office, they run through to 3pm. the one in the

south—east keeps on going till 6pm. that is a completely separate issue compared to the number of flood warnings. there are still severe flood warnings in both parts of england and wales and the websites will keep you right up—to—date. just because the rain is showing signs of wanting to pull away from the north of england and parts of wales during the course of the afternoon, that doesn't mean to say that the flood situation turns offjust as quickly, it is by no means doesn't. this rain is just taking its time to slump its way down to east anglia, east midlands and down into the south—east and that is why we have the lingering concern of that amber warning down in the eastern quarter and it will still be a windy day across many parts of the british isles. gusts of 40, 50, 60 mph. there will be a call at fresher feel to proceedings than there has been in recent days. through the early pa rt in recent days. through the early part of the evening, the small hours of the evening will turn backed to the wind, especially in the north of

scotland, northern ireland as you see it through the central belt, 60, 70 mph and further north 75 may be 80 mph. the centre of storm dennis heads towards the norwegian coast, it should be a frost free at night for many better chilly start to monday, a date not of persistent rain but there will be some really heavy, squally showers, urged by a noticeable west to south—westerly wind and there will be that fresher feel. having said that, at least the persistent rain would have disappeared, the rivers will take time to disgorge their content out into the neighbouring seas. not a great deal of difference on into tuesday, it is wednesday where we will see at last a somewhat quieter day across many parts of the british isles. take care, goodbye.

hello, this is bbc news, i'm martine croxall. the headlines... south wales police have declared flooding caused by storm dennis a major incident, as heavy rain and strong winds continue to lash large parts of the uk. hundreds of flood alerts are in place across the country, including a number of red warnings, meaning there's a danger to life. as tributes continue to pour in for the love island presenter, caroline flack, her management have criticised the crown prosecution service for refusing to drop charges that she assaulted her boyfriend. american citizens quarantined on a cruise ship injapan

are to be flown home, after a jump in the number of new cases of coronavirus on board. now, bbc parliament's programme looks back at the week in westminster. hello and welcome to the week in parliament. as the reshuffle derails some cabinet careers, it's full steam ahead for the hs2 express. and a sign to the world that, in the 21st century, this united kingdom still has the vision to dream big dreams and the courage to bring those dreams about. will new rules on bullying stop mps treating commons staff like this? that member then found me in a remote corridor in the house

of commons later that day, shouted at me, sort of basically pinned me against the wall, did the whole, you know, "don't you know who i am, how long have i been here, what do you think you're doing?" and a new play explores the political deals behind britain's abolition of slavery. and i think it is about time that the public really knew what went into the abolition act and what wasn't really delivered. life would be a bit dull after borisjohnson's crushing but first, let's be honest — some people thought westminster life would be a bit dull after borisjohnson's crushing election victory and mps voting to get brexit done. how wrong they — we — were. it's true we no longer have the knife—edge votes of the may years, or the serial government defeats and ministerial resignations, but there's no shortage of political drama at the moment. the new cabinet met on friday. many of those faces around the table were familiar, some less so. more striking were the absentees, chief among them