today at six: from saturday, two—thirds of england's population will be under the toughest covid restrictions — from hampshire to bedfordshire, much of the south and south east is now in tier 3. in the north of england, hopes of moving down a tier are dashed but in the south—west, bristol and some surrounding areas see an easing of the rules. i know that tier 3 measures are tough, but the best way for everyone to get out of them is to pull together, not just to follow the rules, but do everything they possibly can to stop the spread of the virus. and the furlough scheme is extended by a month to the end of next april, in wales, covid is the leading cause of death again — a computer upgrade means that the number of cases could be twice as high as the previous estimate.

within the next hour, a call between borisjohnson within the next hour, a call between boris johnson and the within the next hour, a call between borisjohnson and the president of the eu commission. the latest attempt to break the deadlock. a staggered return to school after the christmas break for secondaries in england — they need time to prepare for mass testing. remember, the show will go on. and hopeful, celebrities and key workers tell their stories in just six words. and coming up in sport on bbc news, permanent concussion substitutions will be allowed in the premier league, as clubs agree to trial it from next month. good evening and welcome

to the bbc news at six. more than two thirds of england's population will be living under the toughest coronavirus restrictions from saturday, when a number of counties in east and south east england go into tier 3. bedfordshire, buckinghamshire, berkshire and hertfordshire will be subject to the strictest rules, as will parts of surrey, east sussex, cambridgeshire and hampshire. they'lljoin the other areas already in tier 3 — shown here in red — that's 38 million people in england. but there's better news for bristol and north somerset, which move from tier 3 to tier 2, and herefordshire which goes from two to one. here's our health editor, hugh pym. this is what tier 3 looks like, bars, pubs and some other venues closed, it's what many areas of england have experienced for some time and now more parts of the south

east are moving into, following others yesterday. the government says the tightening was required to bring cases down and help the nhs. yesterday, the welsh government made the decision to tighten restrictions gci’oss the decision to tighten restrictions across the whole of wales. no one wa nts across the whole of wales. no one wants tougher restrictions any longer than necessary but where they are necessary, we must put them in place to prevent the nhs from being overwhelmed and protect life. labour offered support for the new moves but called for tougher rules over christmas. portsmouth gosport and haven't had moved up from tier to tier 3. health officials say virus case rates in all age groups are increasing across most of the area. local people gave us their reaction to tighter restrictions.” local people gave us their reaction to tighter restrictions. i think we should have been put into tier 3 a little sooner, just to keep it lower again. portsmouth has got quite a rate of covid and i think we are only half that rate. i know we are so only half that rate. i know we are so close it must be awkward but i

think it would have been better to stay in tier 2. in tier 3 areas like this, pubs, bars and restaurants will be closed apart from take a ways and that will still be the case over the christmas period, even though up to three households are are able to mix at that time. pressure most hospitals is mounting, with more covid patients arriving each day and there are fewer beds than normal because of social distancing measures. here is what has been happening with daily covid hospital admissions in the south—east of england, the solid line is the seven day rolling average. you can line is the seven day rolling average. you can see line is the seven day rolling average. you can see it has been rising pretty steeply in recent weeks and is back where it was in late april, just after the peak of the first wave. here is what has been happening in the north west of england. hospital admissions rose sharply throughout october and then came down a bit but they do appear to have levelled off. a hospital system leader told me the christmas easing could create further problems. if people push those rules

much stronger than they should and they don't exercise proper restraint, then what you can see is very large numbers of people coming into hospital in january very large numbers of people coming into hospital injanuary and the nhs finding it very difficult to treat all of those patients. one area has moved down to tier i, herefordshire. that means up to six people can meet in households. it's just that means up to six people can meet in households. it'sjust really exciting and good to see that coronavirus is not as bad here so it means we can socialise more and be able to spend more time with our families, especially now it is near christmas. i think it's a nice idea that it christmas. i think it's a nice idea thatitis christmas. i think it's a nice idea that it is tieri but i think we need to be very, very aware of the situation. even here, health officials are worried. one said they we re officials are worried. one said they were disappointed and that relaxing the rules just ahead were disappointed and that relaxing the rulesjust ahead of mixing were disappointed and that relaxing the rules just ahead of mixing at christmas would inevitably lead to more infections. hugh pym, bbc news. today's announcement has caused dismay across many areas of the north of england — which had hoped to be moved out of the toughest restrictions. sir graham brady, a leading conservative backbencher

and a greater manchester mp, questioned what more the region could do to get out of tier 3. our north of england correspondent judith moritz reports. in greater manchester, they had high hopes of moving from tier 3 into tier 2. the lowry theatre took the gamble it would happen. having already postponed its production of six the musical once, it was scheduled to open on saturday. instead, the stage will continue to stay dark. along with the producer, we've committed to getting the show ready, the cast are here, they are rehearsed, the set is in place, we were good to go and incredibly disappointed today to hear that now won't be possible. for our business, for our sector, usually we generate about 25% of our total revenues over the christmas period so this is a huge issue. the government says that greater manchester hasn't satisfied all the criteria needed to move it from tier 3 down to tier 2.

but some boroughs, like stockport, trafford and tameside, have lower infection rates than the rest of the city. and there's frustration from some who say their progress hasn't been recognised. our rates are lower than they are in neighbouring warrington or in neighbouring cheshire, which have been put into tier 2, and are also lower than they are in bristol, which has been moved from tier 3 to tier 2 today. what exactly do we have to do to be moved out of tier 3? in leeds, infection rates have dropped by two thirds in four weeks but it stays in tier 3 meaning pubs, like the black bull in otley remain closed, even though those down the road in tier 2, north yorkshire, are open, to the irritation of publica ns mel and malcolm. people are just jumping over to harrogate, they're jumping over to ripon, north yorkshire. where does that leave us? obviously, financially, desperate. it's just very confusing. we appreciate there's got to be boundaries somewhere along the line. but we are so close to them.

it's a bit frustrating, really. the north—east also remains in the highest restriction level. local leaders there say they accept the decision on health grounds but need a greater understanding of how moving out of tier 3 will be decided in the new year. the government has acknowledged the disappointment from the north of england, saying no one wants tougher restrictions for any longer than necessary. judith moritz, bbc news, manchester. well, there was good news for bristolians today, after their city went down from tier 3 to tier 2. jon kay's in bristol for us tonight. i guess what we all want to know is what bristol has done so right that they have moved down? the government says that it is because cases here have levelled off and because the nhs appears to be coping at the moment and the mayor of bristol has thanked people here and said they have done a good job in driving the

rates down. but i have to say, even he is surprised by this. he was expecting that bristol would stay in tier 3, that these pubs and restau ra nts tier 3, that these pubs and restaurants would stay shut and he is warning tonight that unless people are careful and cautious in the days and weeks ahead, that there could be what he calls a whiplash of new cases in the days ahead. this is a really good example ofjust how mixed the restrictions are now across the country. if you step out of bristol in one direction into north somerset, well, hospitality they're also celebrating an reopening as they come out of tier 3. in the opposite direction into south gloucestershire, they are staying in tier 3 even though people they're coming to bristol for hospitals, education and to see family. so people asking, is that fair? is it practical? especially over christmas. easing the restrictions doesn't necessarily make life easier. thank you very

much. the true level of new coronavirus infections in wales could be twice the figure previously thought. an extra 11,000 positive cases have emerged because of data that was not originally counted due to computer maintenance. the number of those who've died after contracting the virus has also risen, making coronavirus the biggest cause of deaths in wales for the first time in six months. our correspondent sian lloyd reports on the struggle to control the spread in wales. christmas plans are changing. more restrictions are looming. people in wales face another lockdown as covid rates continue to climb. there is concern about the record number of covid patients in welsh hospitals and with 25% of her nursing team currently infected or self—isolating, there is hospital co nsulta nt self—isolating, there is hospital consultant feels the pressure daily. you just feel like you are firefighting, running from one sick patient to the next. you know, it is the staff dealing with these patients and have been doing it for

nine or ten months now but they are still there offering themselves on their day off. we may reach a tipping point where that goodwill ru ns tipping point where that goodwill runs out or we had so many people of stick that we can get the staff. the actual number of covid infections in wales is higher than people here thought. the delay in reporting more than 11,000 positive test result means that the number of cases in the last week was twice as high. public health wales said planned it maintenance work was the reason for the delay in the first minister said he was aware of the issue. this wasn't a computer problem, it was planned upgrading of the computer system. none of the data is missing. everybody who had a positive test was told that in wales last week. the situation is described as serious. today's figures show the covid case rate for wales has jumped to 530 cases per 100,000. the virus is now the biggest cause of death say, accounting for more than 21% of

all registered deaths. over 27% of all registered deaths. over 27% of all patients in hospital are being treated for coronavirus people are being placed under new restrictions to try to prevent further cases and deaths here but families are facing difficult choices. in wales, only two households can form a christmas bubble together with a single person. it is a bit of a relief for me, soi person. it is a bit of a relief for me, so i don't have that risk of what if. sue and her family had planned on spending christmas day with her parents and brother's family but will now celebrate together online. we can't risk it, it's just too difficult because they are in tier3 it's just too difficult because they are in tier 3 now. we are going on lockdown after whenever it is, after boxing day or whenever it is, so, you know, it's all becoming... let's just put the shutters up. the months ahead looks challenging. the wales lock dan will begin in december 28 but as yet, there is no date for when it will end. sian lloyd, bbc

news, cardiff. the government's furlough scheme will be extended for an extra month, until the end of next april. the scheme allows for up to 80% of a worker's wages to be paid by the government, for hours they can't work because of the pandemic. the latest government figures on coronavirus show another 35,383 cases have been recorded in the latest 24—hour period — that includes those previously unreported cases from wales. it means the average number of new cases reported per day in the last week was 22,983. 1,704 people were admitted to hospital, on average, each day over the week to last friday. 4,532 deaths were reported for the last 2a hours, 532 deaths were reported in ‘ last —— 532 deaths were reported in the last 2a hours. that's people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test. on average in the past week,

there were 424 deaths per day. the total number of uk deaths is now 66,052. boris johnson will speak to the president of the european commission ursula von der leyen in the next half hour or so, as talks continue between both negotiating teams, to try to secure a brexit trade deal. our political editor laura kuenssberg is in westminsterfor us. we kuenssberg is in westminsterfor us. have onlyjus we have onlyjust heard about this in the last half an hour or so, it may be an impossible question but what is going on? i suppose the first question tonight is why should we really be bothered about a phone call that will take place between two politicians? is our viewers probably know, negotiated in recent months have really been struggling to try and finalise a deal that will cover everything from fishing, how we do business, to how the eu and uk share security details for years and yea rs share security details for years and years to come. of course, we have left the european union but the status quo has been in operation since that happened at the end of

january but on the 31st of december... that will run out. now, ifa december... that will run out. now, if a deal can be done... i'm so sorry, we obviously have problems with that line to laura kuenssberg. secondary school pupils in england and wales will have a staggered return to the classroom injanuary. exam—year students will go back as normal after the christmas break but others will start school online. the government says the move will allow head teachers to set up the mass covid testing scheme for schools announced earlier this week. but there are big questions about how testing will be delivered, as our our education editor bra nwen jeffreys reports. a couple of weeks ago, this school was still full. now pupils are learning remotely. the kent coast hit by too many cases. today the news that january will see a gradual return. threatened schools with the coronavirus act to then two days later effectively actually actually,

online learning is the important thing and we will stagger the return after christmas, to me, itjust shrieks of not clear thinking and not a great deal of understanding of what is happening on the ground. not a great deal of understanding of what is happening on the groundm the new year children who are vulnerable, those of key workers, can go back at the start of term. primary schools will be straight back on the first day of term but in secondary schools, only years 11 and 13 will be going straight into their classrooms. all the other year groups will have to learn remotely untiljanuary11. now, that is exactly the date that was suggested by at least one council leading some to see this as a massive government climb—down. to see this as a massive government climb-down. what we have said all the way through and we have said ever sincejune, the way through and we have said ever since june, maximising the number of children in school, and it is so important to get children into school and into the classroom, at

every stage we will take a robust and strong stance to ensure schools are open because as the chief medical office for england said there is actually... children are best in schools, it is the safest place for them to be. some parents wa nt place for them to be. some parents want greater certainty. testing sta rts want greater certainty. testing starts in january in want greater certainty. testing starts injanuary in england's schools. the army helped try it out. schools are now expected to train volunteers, get parents to give consent for every child. how is that going to work? how is the training going to work? how is the training going to work? how is the training going to be done of staff who have never done that before ? going to be done of staff who have never done that before? how will it be reassuring to parents and what will the role of the army be in all of this? once again we are left on the back foot with so many questions and a sense of chaos when our young people and their parents, frankly, deserve better. with the term almost over, schools face making new plans over, schools face making new plans over the holidays. although some will welcome this more cautious

approach. branwen jeffreys, bbc news. our top story this evening. from saturday, two—thirds of england's population — that's 38 million people — will be under the toughest covid restrictions. it follows the first review of the tiering system. and coming up — we go back to burnley to see how two charities we featured on this programme have benefited from a huge increase in support. and coming up on sportsday and bbc news, adding their names, more former rugby union players come forward to join others like steve thompson is suing the sport's authorities for alleged negligence. the chief executive at the port of dover, europe's busiest trucking port, says he's expecting some disruption when britain finally pulls away from the eu at the end of the year. dover is also struggling to cope with end—of—year supply issues due

to the coronavirus pandemic. the port handles up to £122 billion — or 17% — of the uk's trade in goods. it deals with up to 120 ferry movements a day, and up to 110 miles worth of lorries per day. so how prepared is the port — along with the companies which use it for the weeks and months ahead? from dover, our business editor, simonjack, reports. radio: there are long, long delays because of lorries waiting to get into the docks into dover... this might be the most important trade route in europe, the approach to dover. 9,000 lorries a day transport nearly a fifth of all goods bought and sold in the uk. avoid the a2 in that area at all costs... that wasn't an option for these drivers this morning. here on the road, six hours. six hours in traffic? there are still two weeks to go before the biggest change in decades to trade with our biggest partner,

so it is dover ready? the port is as prepared as they can be. we have been at this for four years now. i think the most uncertain thing is how prepared is business to trade post 1st of january? there is an aspect of our operation where certainly if we add some additional friction to it, it's going to slow things down but the critical thing will be, at what point is that a tipping point? because it would take 24—36 hours via other routes to do the same thing that we can do in about six hours via this route. dover is the most important artery serving the blood stream of uk business and the challenge ahead is set against the logjam of other issues: disruption coming out of china, people bringing christmas stock, brexit stockpiling and on top of that, in 1a days, a whole new set of procedures for the first time in decades requiring paperwork that many businesses haven't mastered, which they will need, deal or no deal. at the moment, they seem to be stuck at calais. logistics director adam shooter said he's seen truck movements rise 50%

as traders scrambled to get stuff in before year end. he said his customers haven't been given all the information they need. the detail is not there and because the detail‘s not there, people are saying, yes, we need to get ready but they don't know what to do and in lots of respects i think they are just giving up and i think they are just saying, we will wait and see what happens. brexit will mean 200 million additional customs declarations, requiring tens of thousands of customs agents that we don't have, according to a man who is training new agents. it could well be that we have a chronic shortfall of customs agents. it's the export side of things, that's what really worries me because if you want to take your goods to france, you've got to do an export from now on and if you've got no means of doing that, it's going to be hard to find that means when it comes to the ist ofjanuary because if you came to our company, we'd almost certainly turn you away and most other agents would as well. we just don't have the staff to take on the additional work.

the government has provided grants for training new agents and will waive requirements for customs forms on imports until july but this isn't about lorries, it's about toys, car parts and building supplies going undelivered. supply chains are fraying before the uk's journey into the unknown. simonjack, bbc news, dover. the government is to spend £30 million on fire alarms for tower blocks because three and a half years after the grenfell tower fire hundreds of thousands of families are still living in flats with flammable cladding and other fire safety defects. the end of year deadline to access a £1 billion fund to help fix the problems has also been extended. campaigners say it's a late recognition of the slow progress being made to make homes safe. here's our consumer affairs correspondent sarah corker. for those living on the top floors of this sheffield block, it's been a nightmare before christmas. last week, 35 families were forced to leave after the building failed to fire safety tests. i don't really feel safe any more.

weronika has been staying in a hotel. today, the government said it would provide emergency funding to fit fire alarms so they can return home. i am own my own here, i don't have any friends or family around. so, it was really upsetting to stay in a hotel room, not being able to be in my own home. but today it has been brilliant news, so, hopefully, iwill be spending christmas here now. this evacuation has brought the scale of britain's building safety crisis into sharper focus. buildings have also been given more time to apply for government money to remove dangerous cladding. the deadline for the £1 billion building safety fund has been extended by six months to the end ofjune. welcome news for thousands of leaseholders but there is still concern the money won't go far enough. we see the incredible unfairness of the situation. these are people who have done the right thing, they've bought their home, and then found themselves faced with extraordinary costs, and we want to make sure

that is as affordable as possible so that the remediation can happen and they can move forward with the rest of their lives. it gives our residents a little breathing space before christmas. in greater manchester, cladding campaigners say at least 190 buildings have dangerous cladding. the problem is still there is only one billing on the table and the potential costs are up to £50 million. the government is starting to wake up to the scale of this crisis but still is not addressing the full root cause and making sure residents are protected from all costs. and another concern has been the use of these around the clock fire wardens costing flat owners tens of thousands of pounds a month. a new £30 million fund will help to pay for alarms in the highest risk tower blocks. we had waking watch now for a couple of months. first—time buyer matt hopes that will reduce the need for patrols at his block. fire alarm fund very sensible, and i think it'll put a lot of peoples mind at ease.

will it help people that are concerned about how much we've paid for the waking watch already? no. campaigners have even recorded a christmas carol asking for more government help to cover rising costs. today's news, they say, a glimmer of light in this ongoing cladding crisis. sarah corker, bbc news. a few weeks ago we brought you the story of father alex and pastor mick from burnley, and their work to help people in the poorest parts of their community to cope with the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic. many were struggling with unemployment and mental health problems and faced an uncertain future. well, since that report, thousands of people have donated to the cause, raising more than a quarter of a million pounds. our special correspondent, ed thomas reports. keep social distancing or going to get in trouble! high—quality bag for you, love. in november, we follow pastor mick.

see all these people, they have children. hungry children. as he fed and clothed families during the pandemic. the needs massive, absolutely colossal. a couple of day's food would mean a lot to us. if it hadn't been for all these, basically, we'd be dead. and we witnessed father alex struggle. facing so much desperation. it's hard to watch it, it's really difficult. but it's important stuff. it's been more than two weeks since this report went out. there's tuna pasta and all sorts in here. in that time, more than a quarter of £1 million has been donated to st matthew's and church on the street. really overwhelming to see so much money come in. we didn't expect any money and we certainly didn't do the piece to raise money but peoples generosity will mean we can do some really lovely things. we're going to be able

to open a community hub. they'll be able to hook up with councils, be able to speak and offer some great services people can't get. theyjust can't access, they will be able to do that. and what impact will that have on peoples lives? it'll keep them alive. they won't die. and it is that simple. pot noodles, that kind of stuff, all right? father alex and pastor mick have been inundated with messages of support from around the world. well, the last days and weeks have been an absolute whirlwind. it's been mind blowing, the phone calls. people ringing from france and johannesburg. what's been achieved in a week would have taken us five years. kind of restores your faith in human nature, notjust in god. it seems to have touched a nerve and a chord across the country. for now, the donations are providing much needed hope. we've been heard and we've been heard by the people and it's

the people who have supported us. there's not many people lose a child. but the worry is that, post—pandemic, the struggles, seen in places like burnley, will deepen. i don't want to think about the future. there isn't one. you showed a burnley problem but you showed a problem in the wider country. somebody has to find a solution to this issue. not sure it lies as the responsibility of a vicar or a pastor. we pray this prayer injesus name, amen. the government says it's committed to reducing deprivation and has spent £100 billion on welfare support this year. ed thomas, bbc news, burnley. the iconic author ernest hemingway is often credited with creating the six—word story format — a mini masterpiece that has a powerful, often poignant, message. but, as 2020 comes to an end, we thought perhaps it was time for people to use just six words to say something hopeful.

some celebrities — and key workers — have given it a go. # joy to the world...# gardening brings great comfort. thanks, monty. the vaccine's coming, that's great news. midwinter miracle. blackbird song at dawn. hugging friends. sharing chocolate. live performance. music is creativity... peace, change. love. renewed appreciation for what's actually important. dear older me...

..don't look back. always remember, this too shall pass. trees, birds, sky, mud, dog, relax. covid vaccine, the best christmas present. thank god it is nearly over. let's see if darren has anything hopeful for let's see if darren has anything hopefulfor us? let's see if darren has anything hopeful for us? thank you. let's see if darren has anything hopefulfor us? thank you. earlier today we had a brief respite from this wet and windy theme but we've seen this wet and windy theme but we've seen cloud rattling in from the atla ntic seen cloud rattling in from the atlantic rain which is moving away from northern ireland and pushing across scotland and further into england and wales, overnight towards the south—east. by the end of the

night other areas might turn drier with a