tonight at six — concerns over the sharp rise in coronavirus cases — particularly among the young — as one part of greater manchester is placed under tight restrictions. bolton has the highest infection rate in england — pubs, restuara nts and cafes in the town are told they can now only do takeaways and must close by 10pm. we arejust beginning we are just beginning to we arejust beginning to build ourselves back up, albeit slow but we will go back to day one. new restrictions have just come into force in caerphilly as well, which has the highest infection rate in wales. but despite the rise in cases the number of patients needing intensive care treatment is still very low. also on

the programme tonight. the inquiry into the manchester arena bombing which killed 22 people — hears that a0 minutes after the explosion only one paramedic had arrived at the scene. this breaks international law in a specific way. this breaks international law in a specific way. a government minister admits a new bill to amend the uk's brexit deal with the eu will break international law. heading towards the point of no return — andrew lloyd webber warns of the damage done by the pandemic on theatre and the wider world of arts. and this is what an earthquake in england looks like. bedfordshire is hit by a quake measuring 3.3 — the epicentre was leighton buzzard. and coming up on bbc news. dealing with discipline. england's nation's league preparations in copenhagen are overshadowed, as gareth southgate is left with decisions to make

against denmark. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. tougher restrictions are being imposed in bolton in greater manchester after a sharp rise in coronavirus cases in the town. bolton now has uk's highest infection rate. restuarants, pubs and cafes have been told they can only do takeaways from today and they must close by 10pm. meanwhile, the government isn't ruling out reducing the number of people who can meet in groups in households in england. the rise in cases across the country is being largely driven by a big increase in cases among 18 to 30—year—olds. the health secretary, matt hancock, has urged them to observe social distancing. it comes amid a continuing rise in new cases and a

jump in the daily death toll. the latest government figures show there were 2,420 new confirmed coronavirus cases reported across great britain, in the latest 2a hour period. that means the average number of new cases reported per day in the last week was 2,193. 30 deaths were also reported of people who'd died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test. that means on average in the past week, 11 deaths have been announced every day. that takes the total number, across the uk, to 41,584. 0ur health editor hugh pym reports. new rules in bolton mean that cafes like this won't be allowed to have customers sitting in. it will be ta ke customers sitting in. it will be take away only. the owner gill says because of these restrictions she will have to close until further notice the news for me devastating,

we we re notice the news for me devastating, we were locked down for over three months, we were starting to build trade back up. i know they say we can do take away but unfortunately my shop isn't a shop that take away works. this pub and micro brewery will only be allowed to serve customers who take their drinks away with them. we have one eye on possible future event, so it is frustrating, disappointing, buzz you have to take it seriously, and try and get through it again. local people we spoke to weren't surprised by the new intervention. it is to be expected, really, to go back to where it was, really, to try and stop it. i mean it is rife in bolton, isn't it at the moment. and stop it. i mean it is rife in bolton, isn't it at the momentm is like the virus is getting more each day and people are not listening, not wearing face coverings and they are still large gathering. it is good for the health and safety but not for the economy, they are just get back on

track.. the new rules will be enforceable by law, no eating or drinking in pubs 01’ law, no eating or drinking in pubs or hospitality venues and all to close at ten. ten. socialisings by people in their 30s and 30s is said to bea people in their 30s and 30s is said to be a factor in the rise. i call the secretary of state matt hancock. the health secretary explained why young adults should take every step to avoid infection. while young people are less likely to die from the disease, be in no doubt that they are still at risk, the long—term effects can be terrible. and of course, they can infect others. research by the bbc for the week to september 4th shows bolton with the highest number of cases in the uk, 122 per 100,000 lacing. next was bradford with 71, then blackburn with darwen with 63, 0ldham 61 and birmingham salford rochdale caerphilly and burnley all with 60

cases per 100,000. there is mounting cowen tain in birmingham after a sharp increase in virus cases in recent days, local officials say one factor was people getting together over the bank holiday weekend and forgetting social distancing rules. they have warned additional restrictions are looking likely, in some areas booking tests is difficult and today one of the system bosses tweeted apologies to anyone who couldn't get apologies to anyone who couldn't get a test, she said laboratory processing was the pinch point. ministers say they are working flat out to boost capacity but with case numbers rising, widespread and rapid testing is as important as ever. the first local lockdown in wales has just come into force. no—one can now leave caerphilly county without good reason. family and friends living apart will no longer be able to meet indoors, stay overnight, or form extended households. the government says the restrictions could last until october. 0ur wales correspondent, hwyel griffith joins us from

caerphilly. yes, that new lockdown has come into place, we have moved to the county border, and for now, on, anyone found to be crossing in and out of caerphilly with good reason could face a £60 fine, if they are caught. now, these measures are familiar to some, travel restrictions in wales with were relaxed only a couple of months a be now trips have been cancelled people have been told if they are holidays they will have to be cancelled, that is because of a rapid rise in cases which has shown no sign of slowing. six weeks' ago caerphilly was officially clear of coronavirus. now, it is at the centre of one of britain's biggest outbreak, so what went wrong? house parties and people mixing in each other‘s homes are being blamed. most cases are among young

people. who stand accused of flouting social distancing rules. we are more likely to go out and see friends, more likely to break the rules if the option is there, but i mean, eve ryo ne option is there, but i mean, everyone has been going out. you can't point the finger at one demographic. people need to look at their actionings and people have forgotten what it is like and what damage it can do, how many people have lost their lives. the lockdown won't mean a shut down of pubs, cafes a nd restau ra nt, won't mean a shut down of pubs, cafes and restaurant, the evidence suggests that isn't where the virus has been spreading. but people can no longer meet indoor, and caerphilly has become the first place in wales where masks are mandatory in shop, the rule also be enforced. people who thought coronavirus was no longer a threat should sit up and take notice, people in those communities, who see behaviour taking place, who see and hear house parties, well, if they are going to tell the police about those we expect enforcement action

to be taken. while businesses can stay open, keeping their customers may be harder, sarah only fully reopened her spa four weeks' ago, the last 24 hours has brought a flurry of cancellation. it is still a lot of people who are two or three orfour miles away a lot of people who are two or three or four miles away who are in a different county, we are seeing the impact of that on today's business for example. this is the first local lockdown in wales but with cases rising in neighbouring counties, there are warnings others may follow with within days. despite a rise in cases, intensive care units remain quiet. our medical editor fergus walsh has been back to one london hospital that he visited at the peak of the pandemic. our medical editor fergus walsh explains. so this is one of the bays of our

intensive care unit that was full in april, may with patients with coronavirus. for weeks now london's university college hospital has hardly seen any coronavirus patients, across its 500 beds. what a difference from when we filmed here at the peak. then, the intensive care unit had to double in size, to cope with the influx. now, it is empty of covid patients. but confirmed cases of covid infection have risen four fold since mid july. as this graph shows, it is mostly people in their 20s and 30s who are testing positive. those figures showing who is getting coronavirus help explain why this and other intensive care units are not filling up intensive care units are not filling up with covid patients, the young are generally at low risk from the virus. but there is concern if it spreads further in the community,

things could change here, in the coming months. we are used to any way having more people come to hospital with respiratory virus infections in the winter, the worry is the sort of people who get infected are the sort of people we saw previously, the older population, the people with other risk factors for doing baldly and ending up in hospital. france has seen an even bigger spike in cases than the uk. that is having an impact in hospitals. in april, french covid hospital patients peaked at more than 32,000. and then fell steadily. but the numbers have begun to creep up again to nearly 5,000. covid deaths are rising too. shielding of those with health vulnerabilities may need to be reintroduced here if cases spike. it isa reintroduced here if cases spike. it is a difficult ambulance, to

safeguard those most at risk while keeping society functioning. we have to protect our children's education as much as we can, because the impacts of that will last for decades. we have also got to protect and encourage the economy in ways that won't actually unnecessarily increase the death rates. the nhs is open for business, but uch says many patients are still too scared to come to hospital because they fear catching coronavirus. it is one of the many hidden costs of covid. our health editor hugh pym is here. new cases are up, mainly among the young, the intensive care units remain very quiet, why do people need to worry? well, yes, sophie, average daily reported deaths remain low compared to early in the pandemic, average

hospital numbers as we saw there in the pieces remain very low compared to before. but ministers are concerned there are although it is not inevitable they will go up because we have seen more cases they might do based on what has happened in france and spain with younger people maybe infecting older members of theirfamily people maybe infecting older members of their family or those who are vulnerable. that is why we have seen the tough new rules being imposed in bolton, that is why the scottish and welsh governments have brought in their own restrictions in certain areas and that is why the government at westminster isn't ruling out the possibility of tighter new rules on the numbers who can visit other people's houses, possibly even being announce tomorrow because it is household transmission which seems to be the worry at the moment. now, ministers and officials will hope if people keep to social distancing rules, the lid can be kept on the veers but there is no guarantee of that. thank you huw. young people — particularly 17 to 21—year—olds —

account for a large number of the recent positive coronavirus cases. and that includes students — many of whom are preparing to start the autumn term. today, the five universities in greater manchester have written to students with an official reminder of their responsibility to the local community and a warning that they could face sanctions if they fail to stick to safety guidance. 0ur education editor, bra nwen jeffreys reports. across manchester students are returning, 100,000 in this city. think campus will feel different. some new, others like rhys staying on, the start of term is normally party time, when students meet up with friends. it is very easy to do that and to make plans like that and not think what we are doing, oh my goodness it is out of order. you started university and you meet new people and you are excited. and of course people are silly, they are badly behaved when they are in that mind celtic so it will be difficult. in term time this

canteen would be humming with students, university campuses are very social place, they bring together thousands of students from all over the country. and that is why scientists are warning there is why scientists are warning there isa is why scientists are warning there is a very high risk of an outbreak. it is not just is a very high risk of an outbreak. it is notjust about how students behave when they are here, but also about how they behave in the community. so in these bags are mask for every student arriving, a nudge, salford university, like others, will ask them to sign up to a code of behaviour. to keep everybody on campus safe but also, recognising that when they leave campus they need to be careful to keep other people safe within the cities of salford and manchester. the first freshers at manchester metropolitan, teaching will be in small study groups, because tracing covid cases is crucial. students can pass it on even with few symptoms, so, all five universities in manchester are

issuing a joint warning. the stu d e nts issuing a joint warning. the students are not observing social distancing, if they are partying, if they are mixing households, we will absolutely act to ensure they understand the way to behave. but those living next to students say big parties have started in the last week. they need to be very strict guidelines and we need proper policing because the problem is once the parties starts, in a way the damage is done, if there is going to bea damage is done, if there is going to be a spread of the virus it is too late. they are not adhering to the numbers game, and they should, really respect, respect one another's potential vulnerability to covid. stu d e nts covid. students bring money and jobs to cities, but also this autumn extra risks to manage. bran well geoffrey, bbc news, manchester. the time is 6:16pm. our top story this

evening. concerns over the sharp rise in coronavirus cases particularly amongst the young as parts of greater manchester are placed under tight new restrictions. and coming up, it's not often you hear the words earthquake and leighton buzzard in the same sentence, but thatis buzzard in the same sentence, but that is what has happened here today, no reports of any injuries but we will be reporting on what happened. we hear from lucy we hearfrom lucy bronze on we hear from lucy bronze on why she is coming back to manchester city. the public inquiry into the manchester arena bombing three years ago has heard that forty minutes after the blast, only one paramedic had been in the room where it had taken place. 22 people died in the attack outside the ariana grande concert. the public inquiry into

the manchester arena bombing three years ago has heard that forty minutes after the blast, the inquiry has been asked to investigate whether the delays in getting to the injured made a difference to the number of people who survived. 0ur north of england correspondent judith moritz reports. come round this way. in the chaotic moments after a bomb went off at manchester arena, people started to call 999. there's an explosion at manchester arena. is anybody injured? that injured man wasjohn atkinson, who later died and today it emerged that he only received full medical attention after more than an hour. the issue of whether he could have been saved is significant. evidence suggest emergency services failed to coordinate with each other properly on the night. the enquiry will need to consider whether that is so and, if it is, why that occurred and

whether life was lost as a result of any failure. as is beyond obvious, even the loss of a single life due to such a failure would be com pletely to such a failure would be completely unacceptable. only three paramedics went into the fourier where the bomb exploded and only one stretcher was used with injured people brought out on barriers and hoardings. communications between police forces on the night was ineffective. because the arena is connected to a railway station, british transport police were supposed to be in charge, but they did not have a plan in place and did not coordinate with greater manchester police who themselves did not even know there was a concert on that night. gmp did not declare a major incident for nearly three hours. btp did so much earlier, but did not tell the other force. half an hour after the blast, the btp control room had this conversation with an officer at the scene.

although ambulances did arrive outside the arena, most paramedics remained away from the place where the bomb exploded. the first fire engine did not arrive until more than two hours after the blast. 22 people were killed in the attack. the youngest a child ofjust eight yea rs the youngest a child ofjust eight years old. the bereaved families are learning much of this detail for the first time and say they are finding it extremely distressing. a government minister has said a new law, due to published tomorrow, will change what was agreed as part of the uk's divorce deal with the european union and break international

law. brandon lewis said the bill would go against parts of the treaty related to the arrangements for northern ireland in a specific and limited way. former prime minister theresa may warned the change could damage trust in the uk over future trade deals with other states. it comes as a new round of trade negotiations with the eu got underway today. here's our chief political correspondent vicki young. mrjohnson, are we going to get a deal today? are we confident? you promise to get brexit done in the uk has left the eu, but now boris johnson's team is in a familiar place, trying to negotiate another deal and this time it's about how we will trade with the eu from january. progress is slow, but round eight of the talks started today. progress is slow, but round eight of the talks started todaylj progress is slow, but round eight of the talks started today. i am confident that our negotiating teams and the eu negotiating teams are all focused on getting a good outcome both for our friends and partners in

the eu and for us in the united kingdom. but there's another row brewing over the withdrawal agreement. yes, the one that was signed, sealed and delivered last year. it agreed that northern ireland would continue to follow some eu customs rules, that would mean extra paperwork, checks and ta riffs mean extra paperwork, checks and tariffs for some goods moving between great britain and northern ireland. now the government is introducing its own law so that uk ministers can decide how to apply the rules without the eu's agreement. the disapproval from this former prime minister was obvious. the government is now changing the operation of that agreement. given that, how can the government to reassure future international partners that the uk can be trusted to abide by the legal obligations of the agreements it signs? another conservative mp got this remarkable admission from the minister. yes, this does break international law in a very specific and limited way. that's not the kind of thing you

hear very often in the house of commons. and he's not the only one who is surprised. the labour leader told me that the government should not be acting in this way. at the moment what the government is doing, which in my view is wrong, is reopening old arguments that have been settled. the deal is there to been settled. the deal is there to be had. let's negotiate, get that deal. that's what the public want, and move on. ministers insist the new law they want to introduce simply clarifies what was agreed with the eu last year and does not rip it up completely. but even the government's top lawyer doesn't see it like that. he resigned today because he thinks the plans are in breach of the government's obligations under international law. eu and uk officials will continue their talks tomorrow with the british government accused of going back on old deals while they try to work on a new one. the british—iranian national nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe, who was arrested in iran four years

ago, has been told she is to face a new trial on sunday. she appeared in court today on an unspecified new charge. she was arrested on a visit to tehran in 2016, accused of espionage and sentenced to five years in prison. her family and the british government have repeatedly called for her release. the composer and theatre impresario, andrew lloyd webber, says the pandemic has caused so much damage to theatre and the wider arts that they're now approaching the point of no return. he has called on mps to name a date when productions can get underway again. here's our arts editor will gompertz. beverley knight performing at the london palladium in july. beverley knight performing at the london palladium injuly. the concert was put on by andrew lloyd webber as a way of persuading the government to allow theatres to fully reopen. but it was all to no avail. the show did not go on. and so, today, he was in front of a select committee of mps once again

making his case for theatres. we just simply have got to get our arts sector back open and running. britain is the leader in world theatre in my view, in many ways, and we really, really have to use this opportunity not only to say we wa nt to this opportunity not only to say we want to get the sector open but to demonstrate to the world how it can be open. a musical like phantom of the opera takes months of preparation before it can be staged, hence the call for more theatre owners asking for the government for a date in the future when it thinks reopening might be possible. that way, they say, plans at least can start to be put in place. andrew lloyd webber isn't just start to be put in place. andrew lloyd webber isn'tjust arguing for his own shows and theatres, he's making a much broader point about theatre in general and particularly its economic value to city sentence. you close les miserable is, the local book shop closes as well and the coffee shops and he argues if you have dark theatres you have city

centres that turn into ghost towns. he is also worried about regional theatres, many of which rely on the annual pantomime to survive. if it can't be put on this christmas, they will need a significant share of the government's emergency funding.“ we are very careful we can probably la st we are very careful we can probably last until christmas, but without this funding, it will be a very, very difficult situation for us and for the artists we work with and the orchestra that we host as their home. it's a very sad sight. this is her majesties theatre, where the phantom of the opera opened and should be playing now and it is ridiculous that britain, the country where so many people have come to in the 50 plus years i've been in the theatre, come to see theatre that we are dragging our heels. the live music business has also been hit ha rd music business has also been hit hard with the boss of the reading festival telling the select committee that he thought mass testing was the most likely loop —— route to reopening on the government

said it was working flat out to re—secure said it was working flat out to re—secu re a said it was working flat out to re—secure a world—class performing arts. the england defender lucy bronze has rejoined manchester city on a two—year deal. she's back with the women's super league side after leaving lyon in the summer at the end of her contract. the right back has made 70 appearances for england and scored eight goals. there was an earthquake this morning in southern england. the quake with a magnitude of 3.3 was felt in parts of buckinghamshire, bedfordshire and hertfordshire with people saying houses shook as if there'd been an explosion. 0ur correspondent duncan kennedy is leighton buzzard this evening. well, sophie, this was quite a jolt across bedfordshire and buckinghamshire. no reports of any injuries or major damage and the police were quick to make light of it. thousands of people have said they cannot believe they have lived through an earthquake. it was 9:45am this morning and dottie and sadie we re this morning and dottie and sadie were happily listening to the radio when this

happened. in another house, this woman was in the middle of her virtual pilates class. it just felt like there was an earthquake? she's right. it was an earthquake. we heard a big roar and the shaking of the house. steve jones was another who felt the magnitude 3.3 quake at his home in leighton buzzard. the whole house shook and there was a thumping and i thought the chimney stack would fall through the house, but it hadn't. the house opposite was also rattled. just like thousands of others in bedfordshire and buckinghamshire, stopping many in their tracks. but with no reported injuries or damage, thames valley police soon caught the prevailing mood, tweeting... extra resources have been drafted in to clea n resources have been drafted in to clean up the mess created by the duty inspector's coffee. it was a bit of a shock. others saw this

lighter side of the shaking. bit of a shock. others saw this lighter side of the shakinglj bit of a shock. others saw this lighter side of the shaking. i can't believe that leighton buzzard has had an earthquake. i'm a london girl and i've moved here and we've got earthquakes. it's ridiculous, but there you go. britain gets one or two of these events per year. a shudder in the shires for what is being called this quake, rattle and roll. duncan kennedy, bbc news, leighton buzzard. time for a look at the weather here's nick miller. this forecast is topped and tailed with warmth, very warm in the sunny —— southern parts of the uk and the lower mid 20s and on the satellite pictures you could see more sunshine around compared with yesterday but this cloud in north—west scotland is making for a very wet end to the day and the rain from this weather front is going to move south as we go through the night and into tomorrow but it's a cold front with a leading edge of cooler and fresher air although behind it there will be

sunshine again. so again, wet end to the day in north—west scotland and the day in north—west scotland and the rain will move south across scotla nd the rain will move south across scotland and into northern ireland and parts of northern england and north wales as the night goes on. south of that is where temperatures are the highest tonight and another quite warm and muggy night to come. tomorrow if you're looking for rain, not much left on the weather front as it works further south through england and wales are not clearing southernmost areas until late in the day. it does brighten up and for much of the day for northern england, northern ireland and scotla nd england, northern ireland and scotland it is dry with sunny spells and a few blustery showers in northern scotland. the cooler and fresher air behind the weather front brings temperatures into the mid and high teens range for most of us into the afternoon, and bear in mind tomorrow evening and night with clear spells it will be much cooler than the past few nights we have had. there is a ridge of high pressure a cross had. there is a ridge of high pressure across the sport thursday with sunshine to start, some cloud building and is another atlantic weather system gets closer chance of patchy rain in northern ireland and

scotla nd patchy rain in northern ireland and scotland and it will be turning wet and windy here for us on friday as this front moves in, so heavy rain in parts of scotland and northern ireland but this front will weaken as it moves south and into the weekend. 0ver as it moves south and into the weekend. over the weekend the chance of seeing rain at times especially in scotland but for much of the uk looking dry, getting warmer at the weekend and potentially very warm for some of us at the start of next week. weekend and potentially very warm for some of us at the start of next week. goodbye from the time to join the news teams where you are.