this is bbc news. the top stories. more of the east and south—east of england will enter the toughest tea of restrictions on boxing day. the home secretary said it is difficult but necessary. this is not news anybody wants to deliver and i am truly sorry for the disruption it causes, but i think people know how important it is that we take decisions like this to keep people safe and protect the nhs. matt hancock also confirmed two cases of a different, new covid variant in the uk from south africa, saying all those who travelled from the country must quarantine immediately. the talks in brussels continue with suggestions opposed brexit trade deal could be finalised within

hours. and there is continued disruption in dover. the borders have reopened with france but thousands of lorry drivers are still waiting for their covid tests. hello, welcome to bbc news. in the last half an hour matt hancock held a news conference in downing street to confirm more areas of england will move into tier 4, the highest level of coronavirus restrictions. people must stay at home, non—essential retail is closed and movement in or out of the area isn't allowed. let's recap the main points. the health secretary said from boxing day, norfolk, suffolk, cambridgeshire and essex would move into ts four along with oxfordshire,

waverly and surrey and hampshire, including portsmouth and southampton, but excluding the new forest. more areas of england will move into tier 3, bristol, somerset, gloucestershire, the isle of wight, the new forest, cheshire and warrington. matt hancock also said two new cases of another new variant of coronavirus had been detected in the uk, both are contacts of cases who travel to the uk from south africa. anyone who has travelled from that country or had contact with someone who has been that must quarantine for a fortnight immediately. let's get the latest now from westminster and jonathan blake is there. jonathan, more areas added to the list of tearful restrictions, the toughest coronavirus restrictions. any surprises? no, broadly in line with what we were expecting. the only surprise is there aren't even more areas going into the tfr level of

restrictions. that was reflected in some of the questions are matt hancock faced in the news briefing from downing street. if the new variant of coronavirus is spreading at such a dangerous rate, as he put it, why are not more part of the country coming under tighter restrictions? the government believes this is a proportionate response for now and those areas moving up from tieri and two, into tier 3 is a pre—emptive strike to attempt to suppress the number of cases in those areas and stop the virus spreading as widely as we have seenin virus spreading as widely as we have seen in london and other parts of the south—east of england. but matt hancock said tier 3 is not enough in itself to stop the spread of the new variant of the virus, which has caused such problems in the last couple of weeks and has seen this extraordinary action, even before the tier levels were due to be reviewed. now, something approaching

50% of the population of england living under tfr, the highest levels of restrictions with the new part of the map added in the last hour. —— tier 4. man 50% living under tier 3 restrictions. the areas where household mixing is allowed and people can enjoy shops open and gyms and hairdressers in the lower tiers one and two are now vanishingly small. this reflects the level of concern in government at the speed and scale of the number of new cases seen at the speed of the spread of that new variant of coronavirus which has forced ministers to act in this way. it is a matter of time before new areas come under the same restrictions, but a brief reprieve for people who have been moved up because the new restrictions will not kick in until boxing day. matt hancock saying the government needed to be speedy, but questions at the

news co nfe re nce to be speedy, but questions at the news conference suggesting they haven't been quick enough, bearing in mind the speed with which this new variant is infecting people? yes, particularly areas like surrey and essex where large parts of the cou nty were and essex where large parts of the county were put into tier 4 but large parts remained in tier 3 and that has caused people to scratch their heads and say, how can you expect such a tiny area to stay free of worrying or dangerous level of cases of the virus and keep it under lower restrictions. we have seen those little areas of the map, then and all of essex and surrey now covered by tearful. there is also questions around the transmission by younger people, children and teenagers and whether that will have an impact on the planned reopening of schools after the christmas holidays, albeit in a staggered way, with some age groups learning from a distance and not going back at the same time as other year groups. but

we've asked. the government is hoping that tier 4 is enough to slow the spread of coronavirus and particularly this new variant within england. but nothing is ever ruled out and also, the health secretary said some worrying news about another new variant of the virus which has been detected in two people who have returned from south africa and that has the potential to spread, weaver told, even more quickly and is even more transmissible than the new variant that had already been discovered in england. so something further which could have an impact on the government's response. jonathan blake, thank you and we will get more information on the second variant from south africa with catherine da costa. but we will take a look at what folk in those areas,

what they can expect. and a stay at home audit will be issued to those residents, although those who have to travel for education or work will continue to do so. social mixing will be restricted to meeting one other person in an open, public space. all nonessential retail will have to close, along with hairdressers, nail bars and indoor entertainment venues. indoor leisure abilities must close like gyms and indoor swimming pools. people should not leave a tier 4 area except the limited reasons including work and education. and the guidance for the extremely vulnerable is to stay at home as much as possible. if they cannot work from home, then they should not go to work at all. 0k, should not go to work at all. ok, let's get more from our health correspondent, catherine da costa, who is here. matt hancock talking about a second variant on top of the one they have already gotten this

emanating out of south africa? yes, he said two cases had been picked up and they were close contacts of travellers who had come back from south africa. they said it was different to the variant seen in the uk, but also very transmissible. it is worth reminding people that viruses do mutate, it happens all the tyre and the uk does have systems in place to monitor those changes closely. but matt hancock did say it was concerning that it had mutated further in the south africa variant than the one in the uk. he has taken some action, immediate restrictions to and from south africa, anyone who has been to south africa, anyone who has been to south africa, anyone who has been to south africa in the last fortnight or is south africa in the last fortnight orisa south africa in the last fortnight or is a close contact of someone who has come back, should quarantine immediately. more work needs to be done so there will be further investigations going on in public health england and the laboratories in porton down to find out more about the behaviour of the south african variant, as well as ongoing

investigations into the variant that has seen circulating in london, the southeast and the east of england. all this is a huge worry for the national health service, in the middle of winter at a time when resources a re middle of winter at a time when resources are stretched anyway and there are various winter pressures. are we seeing the corresponding increase in hospitalisations, putting more pressure on the nhs, that the speeds of these new variants would suggest? matt hancock said cases across the country were up said cases across the country were up 57% on last week and the new variant was spreading at a dangerous rate. looking at the data of patients with coronavirus in hospital up until the 18th of december, that is close to 19,000 patients, and compare that to the peak in april when it was up to 21,000. we have had some response from nhs providers which provides

the nhs in england and they say it is right to respond to hospitalisations and deaths which are nearly at the height of the first wave of the pandemic in april. moving more areas into higher tiers is an important step. in the press conference, matt hancock was asked, given the spread of this variant, both the one in the uk and the south african variant, should the whole of the country be put into a national lockdown? matt hancock said he felt it was concentrated in london, is how and east of england and the tea rful how and east of england and the tearful restrictions should contain it. but clearly, ministers will be looking very closely at the data, rising case rates across the country to see if there are any changes and further restrictions may be needed. catherine da costa, thank you very much.

we have got the latest nhs figures for coronavirus for the last 24—hour period and it suggests there were 39,237 cases, up on yesterday. yesterday was the highest number of cases per day, per 24—hour period on record in the middle of this pandemic. that record has been broken by the latest 24—hour period of cases, 39,237. the uk is now recorded 744 deaths in the last 24—hour period, 744. that is up from the 691 in the previous 24—hour period. sojust to repeat, the uk, from the latest government figures has recorded 39,237 cases of covid—19 infections in the latest 24—hour period. that is the highest

daily number during the whole of the pandemic for the uk in the uk has now recorded 744 deaths in the latest 24 hour period. we are going to move on now because there has been disruption again in dover, despite the fact the borders have reopened, but thousands of drivers are facing more delays as they wait for their covid test. rail, airand sea they wait for their covid test. rail, air and sea services have resumed after the french government ease the ban of people entering from the uk. but lorry drivers say the situation is chaotic. there were scuffles with police as some protesters were arrested. some of the 3000 hauliers who are stuck say they are not getting enough information. simonjones they are not getting enough information. simon jones has they are not getting enough information. simonjones has more. the border to france may have finally reopened but this morning, angry drivers left the manston lorry park where they have been sleeping in theircabs, to park where they have been sleeping in their cabs, to vent their anger.

they have been stuck in the uk for days, they had been promised coronavirus test but they don't know when they will get out of here. what the police are now here in numbers on the outskirts of the app but they cannot answer that one question that hauliers desperately want to know and that is, when are they going to get out of here and go home? police? police from three days told us that testing will be started soon but they don't know why. . .when. they don't know when and that's the point why the people are protesting because wejust want to make the test and go straight to home. in one day, it's christmas. we are here three day, we are very tired, we stay in the cars, we don't have a lot of food, no money... it's not very good. some may now face a longer wait to get home.

this shows the scale of the problem — thousands of lorries parked up on a former runway half an hour from the port of dover. dover itself has reopened to traffic to france, but only for travellers who can prove they are covid—free. last night the uk and france reached an agreement which allows travel for urgent reasons, including hauliers, french citizens and british people who live in france. but in order to get across, they will have to have a negative test result within the past 72 hours before departure. rapid lateral flow tests will be given to drivers which can give results in 30 minutes. if it is positive, they will be asked to isolate in local hotels. the government is warning it'll take several days before everyone is able to return home. groups representing drivers say it's no wonder anger is growing. around about 4,000 trucks parked at manston, it is certainly full, and we can imagine that with that number of lorry drivers, toilet facilities, washing facilities, wherever they are,

will be pretty overstretched and, frankly, inadequate. the government insists there are adequate toilets and catering facilities being provided to hauliers. we are providing hot meals for the drivers. sikh groups, including khalsaaid, with an escort from kent police, have arrived in dover to help deliver food and water to stranded drivers. one thing that lifts people all over the world is a warm meal, so that was the aim, to see if we can reach out, provide a hot meal, to lift the spirits of these guys. they are prisoners in their cabs on the m20 without no services, no shops, no access to anything. the least we can give is a bit of human warmth and love. although the uk is no longer cut off from the continent, the queues continue to stack up. it's clear that the logistical scale of getting everyone tested means some are going to be cut off from their families this christmas.

simon jones, bbc news. earlier, simon centre is an update from marston airfield. yes, a sign of movement. we have seen activity increasing at the site. a lot of people in high vizjackets. we believe they are involved in this testing operation. military personnel is also involved, 170 of them being drafted into kent to try to get this operation running smoothly. and it is a huge operation, because there are currently 3800 lorries parked up on the site here, a former airfield. it is completely full now. if you take a look down there, there are lorries as far as the eye can see. it is going to be a big operation to shift those. 0n going to be a big operation to shift those. on top of the 3800 lorries here, there is another 1002 —— 1200

parked up on the m20. we see lorries parked up on the m20. we see lorries parked up on the m20. we see lorries parked up inlay buys and other parts of the road they can find a parking space and there is lorries not officially on the site. the government is morning this is going to ta ke government is morning this is going to take several days to clear because although the tests are pretty rapid, they get their tests within about 30 to 40 minutes. there area within about 30 to 40 minutes. there are a lot of drivers to be tested and it will take a lot of time to do that completely. 0verall, and it will take a lot of time to do that completely. overall, we are hearing from lorry drivers, they simply want to get out of this situation, they have had enough. but those drivers beginning to leave, heading down this road to the port of dover, but chaos in dover, too. what is going to greet them there, it could be their worst nightmare. simonjones reporting it could be their worst nightmare. simon jones reporting there. it could be their worst nightmare. simonjones reporting there. part of the problem in town is protesters we re the problem in town is protesters were blocking around about at an

entrance to the port. they have moved away but police are still stopping traffic from entering the area. i am standing on the roundabout outside the port itself and as you can see behind me, the police are blocking the road with hundreds and hundreds of cars, vans and lorries backing up throughout central dover. then that is the port itself, there is another line of police in front of that and no one has been going in or out since we have been here for several hours. that is causing huge frustrations, as you say. i have spoken to people who have been here since sunday night and one man told me he was out of food, drink and money and there is nowhere to go to the toilet here in central dover. people have been crying saying they were hoping to get back to see their children in time for christmas. it is difficult for the people in dover. unlike the drivers at manston, they are not

necessarily as in touch with the official lines of what is going on and they have not received the hot meals and the access to the testing, which, we are told is beginning to start here. people don't know what to do, they don't know how they will be able to get a test to be allowed onto the ferries. they can go back because both sides of the road here are completely blocked. it is an extremely difficult situation and we heard from the leader of dover council and he doesn't see how these people will be able to get across the channel in time for christmas, even when the port has reopened. very difficult time and people in dover are volunteering and people have been offering food, drinks and refreshments to the drivers and it is needed. amanda acas with that update from dover earlier. we are going to talk about brexit because the negotiators for the uk, david frost are understood to be still in the negotiating room in brussels.

there is increasing speculation that a deal could be agreed as early as tonight but there is still some haggling. it is thought the broad shape ofan haggling. it is thought the broad shape of an agreement is there but it has not been completely concluded. chris morris is here to tell us more. they are close to a deal? really? it is fair to say they are closer than ever before because the number of days in which they can do this deal are rapidly diminishing. it is right to emphasise they are not there yet and as long as there is haggling to do there is still a possibility the whole thing could fall apart. i don't think that could be discounted. could there be a deal tomorrow? possibly. hopefully not on christmas day but the number of days until the end of the year when the transition period comes to an end, is on one hand. we know the thing they have been haggling about most

in the last couple of days has been fish. economically, pretty insignificant on both sides, but so important politically, potentially explosive. it is partly about, at the moment, eu boats catch between five and £600 million worth of fish in uk waters every year. how much of that will they be able to catch in the future? to begin with the eu said it wants to keep 80% of the catch. the uk said it wanted 80% of it back. so it is haggling about numbers and there is a lot of detail about those numbers. i don't think the eu has moved all that farfrom its original numbers. we will see. the thing about the level playing field seems to have been sorted? it is the smelly issue of fish? it appears to have been the most difficult issue in the last couple of days. you move one piece of the jigsaw and another can potentially

become unsettled. the level playing field and rules of fair competition have been difficult. if there were a disagreement about fish, where can you potentially, where could one side he was unhappy strike back? where could be the enforcement of any deal be implemented? then we get into this issue of how you define fair competition. we think they are almost there and that, but unless you are inside the room, it is very ha rd to you are inside the room, it is very hard to say. you can say congratulations to the negotiators, it is incredible they have got this far with such a complex deal in a short space of time, trade deals normally take years. on the other hand,it normally take years. on the other hand, it is fairly an unambitious deal given the amount of trade between the two sides but the uk has decided it wants to break away from eu rules on this is the result. decided it wants to break away from eu rules on this is the resultm isa eu rules on this is the resultm is a bare—bones deal but it is

something. if there is a deal announced in the next day, i hope not christmas day, we both have turkey to eat, we don't want to be here. but it has to be ratified by the european parliaments, ratified here as well. does that have to be done by the 31st? it doesn't have to be formally ratified but parliament has to legislate, so it is ratification in a sense. that can be donein ratification in a sense. that can be done ina ratification in a sense. that can be done in a day so i think the 30th of december has been pencilled in. on the eu side it is more complicated, but there can be provisional application, which means the 27 governments agree, they can agree on a video conference and then the european parliament could then actually ratify it after the event. it is not idealfor meps, what if they objective something? it is more difficult to change it once it has been provisionally applied. but there are ways on the eu side, it is

more complicated because there are 27 countries to do it provisionally, then go through the finer detail in january after the new deal begins. it is going to be more than 1000 pages of detail. the idea that either side, politicians on either side can scrutinise it properly in the time remaining is fantasy. there isa the time remaining is fantasy. there is a potential problem in that because twice already in this process , because twice already in this process, there was the backstop when it emerged on northern ireland, that was something agreed by the british side and then they decided they didn't like it. the withdrawal agreement itself and there were elements about northern ireland in that. we had the drama with the internal market bill. there are problems, there can be problems if things are pushed through very quickly and politicians haven't had time to scrutinise it properly, you can leave problems to emerge in the future. but for the two negotiating

teams and the government on all sides, the emphasis is, get it done. chris, thanks very much for that. i think we have a tweet from laura kuenssberg which i think we can bring up. government ministers on the cobra committee at the moment talking about the situation in kent... it was almost as if negotiators were wading through treacle over the last few weeks and days. now all of a sudden it is turning into water. things are moving very quickly. there may be an announcement of some kind of breakthrough on a brexit deal in the next few hours, possibly before christmas. who knows? but clearly the situation is moving pretty quickly. 0f clearly the situation is moving pretty quickly. of course, developments we will bring to you

here on the news channel. back to coronavirus and the rapid spread of the new strain of covid—19 has led to questions about how the uk carries out its vaccination programme. the pfizer biontech vaccine requires two doses to be fully effective. but the former head of immunisation at the department of health suggest the initial dose should be given to as many people as possible rather than preserving stock for the second jab to a smaller number of people. more than half a million people have received their first dose of the pfizer biontech vaccine, but with concern about any variant of coronavirus spreading 50 to 70% more quickly, there have been calls to speed up there have been calls to speed up the roll—out of vaccines by giving more people one dose, rather than two. given the circumstances we are facing with a rapidly expanding number of cases spreading through the country, we have to do what we can to save as many lives as we

possibly can, as quickly as we can and therefore giving second doses only gives a marginal benefit, compared with the benefit you get from giving more people first doses. trials found the vaccine found 52 5296 trials found the vaccine found 52 52% protection after the firstjab and that rises to 91% after the second and reaches 95% efficacy a week later. the argument is most of the protection comes from the first dose. the uk regulators approved the pfizer vaccine based on two doses so any changes would have to be approved. in the meantime, a decision on the astrazeneca vaccine is expected soon. if approved, around 4 million doses could be available straightaway. given it is easier to store and distribute, lodge community vaccination centres like this in epsom, could begin operation. questions have been

raised over whether the new variant in the uk will affect the impact of vaccines. those behind the pfizer vaccines. those behind the pfizer vaccine are confident it can work but a few tweaks can be made if necessary. it can directly start to engineer a vaccine which completely mimics this new mutation. we could be able to provide a new vaccine, technically within six weeks. further research into the new variant is still ongoing. some experts advising the government think it could be more widespread than first thought after ten cases we re than first thought after ten cases were picked up in denmark. in a country as small as denmark with a relatively low infection rate, it would suggest, in my view, this virus has been introduced into the great majority, if not all of european countries. while we wait for the vaccination programme to be ramped up, we are likely to see a greater use of community mass testing to help control the virus.

the uk regulators just testing to help control the virus. the uk regulatorsjust approved rapid tests that provide results in 30 minutes, can now be used by people at home. catherine da costa, bbc news. some news to bring you, the scottish model, stella tenna nt news to bring you, the scottish model, stella tennant has died at the age of 50. her family described her death yesterday as sudden and asked for their privity to be respected. she made her name in the early 1990s appearing in publications such as vogue and harper's bazaar. and now the weather. as we edge closer to christmas day, the weather eventually will be turning colder and drier as well. but certainly for the rest of today we have wet weather. scotland and northern ireland it is turning colder, clear spells and scattered showers. no showers could be wintry over the higher ground of scotland this evening and tonight. this evening,

this band of rain could be persistent for a time and localised flooding is possible. that rain clears to the south east overnight soa clears to the south east overnight so a cold start to christmas eve morning with temperatures below freezing for parts of scotland, close to freezing further south. after the initial chilly start, sunshine for christmas eve, but a brisk, northerly wind feeding in showers to northern scotland where they will be wintry over the higher ground and the north—east coast of england. sleet for the north york moors. colder than recent days, three to 8 degrees. goodbye.

hello. you are watching bbc news. i am clive myrie. top stories. more of the east and south—east of england will into the toughest tier 4 restrictions on boxing day. the health secretary says the action is difficult but necessary. this is not

news that anybody wants to deliver, andi news that anybody wants to deliver, and i am truly sorry for the disruption that it causes, but i think people know how important it is that we take decisions like this, to keep people safe and to protect the nhs. matt hancock also confirmed two cases of a different, new covid variant in the uk from south africa, saying all those who have travelled from the country must quarantine immediately. the talks in brussels continue with suggestions of a post—brexit trade deal between the eu and the uk could be finalised within hours. and continued disruption in dover. borders have reopened with france but thousands of lorry drivers are waiting for covid tests. let's ta ke let's take a breather and move away from all of that news into the world of sport with 0lly foster. hello, clive. we've got news too, you know? the atletico madrid and england defender kieran trippier has been

banned for 10 weeks and fined £70,000 for breaking the fa's betting rules. he was charged in may, in relation to seven breaches in july 2019, around the time of his move to spain from tottenham. four were proven by an independent commission. he denied any wrongdoing but will now be suspended from all football until the end of february. he won't miss any internationals but the ban will rule him out of at least a dozen matches with league leaders atletico, and also the first leg of their champions league last tie against chelsea. and also the first leg of their champions league last 16 tie against chelsea. liverpool and everton will be the only premier league clubs that can let fans in, following the government's latest announcement on coronavirus tiers today. southampton and brighton had been allowed to have fans into st mary's and the amex, but they are now in the highest level, tier 4, from boxing day, so matches there will be back behind closed doors. the semi final line up for the efl cup will be completed tonight, with holders manchester city and brentford already through.

at 5:30pm, championship side stoke host tottenham, and at 8pm everton host manchester united, who were beaten semi finalists last season. we wa nt we want to improve every season and to improve from last years to get to the final, and of course when you get to a final there is only one thing that matters, that is to lift the trophy. so, i remember myself winning my first trophy, even towards the end of my career, i think it was patrice evra and nemanja vidic‘s first trophy in the worthington cup, 2006, was it, —ish? i think that was their first trophy, and it does give something to a team. so we are desperate to get our hands on a trophy, these players are desperate to learn how to win. league two cambridge united have banned some of their fans until the end of the season for booing players when taking the knee before their last home match against colchester. the club gave fans the opportunity

to explain their actions. some will receive education and support without any ban. others will be banned to the end of the season with season tickets refunded. cambrige say "diversity and inclusion will continue to be at the heart of what we stand for as a football club". the chief executive of the tokyo 0lympic 0rganising committee says the opening and closing ceremonies will be "simplified" next year. the games, scheduled to start injuly, were postponed for a year because of the pandemic and today, the organisers admitted that the ceremonies will "not be done with grand splendour" that fans and athletes are used to. translation: there is no doubt that under covid—19, a simplified ceremony should be delivered. 0f course there are many reasons. the budget is tighter, and the risk of the spread of the virus. we can make a lot of excuses. in the past, opening and closing ceremonies at the olympic games were always full of surprises. i myself enjoy those

extravagant ceremonies but now that period is over. we've had a few upsets at the world darts championship but two—time champion gary anderson is through to the third round. he beat latvia's madars razma 3—1 at alexandra palace. england's ricky evans is also through — after beating michael mansell by the same scoreline. england's cricketers will be allowed to fly to sri lanka for next month's test series, despite the country's ban on flights from britain. the entire party will be tested for covid—19 before and after their flight on a chartered plane, due to arrive in sri lanka on the 3rd of january. they'll then spend 10 days in a bio—secure bubble before the first of two matches starts in galle on the 14th. that's all the sport for now. as we have been hearing, further

areas of england are to be placed under the tougher set of coronavirus restrictions from boxing day. one of the area moving tiers is southwold in suffolk are our reporter kevin birch is there. kevin, bad news for the folk where you are. were they expecting it? yes, i think they actually were, clive, to be fair. you can see behind me you don't need me to tell you, it has been incredibly quiet, the rain has been torrential. people are absorbing the news saying yes, we thought it was a matter of time, the saying it won't matter of time, the saying it won't matter to us, the saying of course it will. just a few weeks ago there was a concerted effort to get suffolk move down from tier to tier 1. that never happened. last week there was a move everyone thought we would go from tier to up to tier 3, that never happened. now we're up to tier 4, the highest you can go. talking to the mayor here today, he said he was worried for some months about the creep of cases and it was only a matter of time before it caught up with them here. he makes

the point, stating the obvious, that they have very few places they can go to. the sea is that way, they got the coast that way, so they are limited, and remember 60% of the properties here are either second homes or property let's, —— holiday lets, one of the reason they did not get a surge of people was because the letting company said if you are from tier 3 or tier 4, you are not welcome. so there has been moves to try and protect things here. the mayor today said if he had his way he would go for immediate lockdown. that he thought would be harsh, tough on nonessential trade, but he felt traders here were resilient and would survive, the priority he said was keen people say. talking to the director of public health in suffolk, he told me that in the past week they have seen a 100% increase in cases, in some parts of suffolk a 200% increase. they said this was the only option, they didn't really have time to do anything else. they need to get back ahead of this virus

and get it back under control. cheers, kevin, in suffolk. thank you. sussex is another area that will be moving to tier 4 restrictions will stop i am joined byjames restrictions will stop i am joined by james mccleary, the restrictions will stop i am joined byjames mccleary, the liberal democrat leader of lewes district council. rank you forjoining us. —— thank you. when did you first hear your area was going to be shifting gears into the toughest tier 4 coronavirus restrictions, did you hear it when we heard it or did you have heads up? i heard it when you heard it, when the secretary of state announced it. we had some suspicions we might be moved because sussex has been hit quite badly by the increase in infections but the first official confirmation we had was from the secretary of state. did you think there should have been more pre—warning? you think there should have been more pre-warning? i think this is the way it has been through the pandemic for us, councils tend to get told, so it was not a shock for

us, councils well prepared for it. but the numbers have been going up over the last few days in your area, so that's the way it is. it is. and obviously other parts of sussex have gone into tier 4 before us so it wasn't a shock, but clearly a hammer blow for local businesses who are finding it incredibly difficult to plan right now for the future when we keep getting moved about with these different instructions from government, so hopefully we'll see a bit more predictability, because that's what we really need. so are you detecting then, or are you suggesting that there is no strategy to dealing with all of this? well, i think that is the worry, it is hard to see what the plan really is here. we have seen all the way through, the government has much response has been quite chaotic, they have chopped and changed around, residents have complained they don't know which tier or measures they are under, and the lack of information makes things very difficult, and when you have the business community who rely on planning for the future, being moved around lots and having a

lack of predictability makes things very difficult, and a lot of businesses around here, we have lots of small and medium enterprises, they will struggle. but this is a new variant causing all the problems now, its infection rate is something like 50, 60% higher than the original variant of covid—19. the government says it is responding to the science, it is simply doing what it can. it is good they are taking measures in response to the science but it seems all the way through the pandemic, obviously yes there is this new variant, but we have seen it all the way through, this has been a highly variable and disease from day one, and at times they appear to be following the science but other times it appears they are just trying to respond to other things. i think what we need to see here, if that is the case, it's great, and we can have some predictability and a strategy going forward , predictability and a strategy going forward, i think that would be helpful for both businesses and residents. james mccleary, leader of lewes district council, thanks for joining us. the first western

country to be hit hard by coronavirus was of course italy. now it also has the highest number of covid—related deaths anywhere in europe. the city of bergamot in the alps was particularly badly affected, with the italian government tightening measures again to try to bring measures under control. the country's skiing resorts are seeing their incomes vanish. clearing the pistes for no one. it should be open for a bumper season but all italian ski resorts have been shut below by the government. now there is the financial shock. translation: at christmas, we make up translation: at christmas, we make up half of our season. losing it causes irreparable damage we will never make up and i imagine some businesses here won't survive. what we are from bergamot lived through

in march was very frightening, hearing the sound of ambulances. we must take care not to relive it, but the mountains can be enjoyed safely, and this is not a fair decision. the first wave of the virus close to these pistes on the 8th of march. having to shut down again is a devastating blow for resorts that make up11 devastating blow for resorts that make up 11 billion euros of the italian economy, but there always a trade—off between economic damage and halting the virus, and losing this christmas on the pistes is a sacrifice to government feels it has to make. desperate measures to stop a repeat of march, when deaths in bergamo were more than five times previous years. christmas won't ease the pain of a city whose despair became a symbol of italy's struggle. this lady's father was the first —— one of the first to die at home, the kindly face of the local centre. his

body stays in the living room for two and half days before the overwhelmed authorities could retrieve it. translation: someone like him deserved a funeral, something dignified, instead of being thrown into a coffin in our house, like a carcass. they will be an empty place at the table this christmas. he was the life and soul of the party. i'm angry too with the authorities, who didn't close down kokomo fast enough. they put the economy ahead of human lives. the scenes in march of bergamo's main hospital short of beds and oxygen woke the west up to what it would face. today, it's quieter. numbers are lower, so many cases he has created some heard human —— immunity, but locals say the scars run deep. translation: patients told me of dreams of being in a room on fire, needing someone to save them.

bergamo has always been a very lively city, full of people and light, suddenly became a wounded city, ground to a halt. silenced. i too needed psychological help and i think we will see patients for more years to come. in a year of hospital heroes, the building itself has become a christmas nativity scene here, with memories of the horrors of 2020, and dreams of a medical miracle to come. mark lowen, bbc news, bergamo. the continuing situation in italy, and news just coming the continuing situation in italy, and newsjust coming in the continuing situation in italy, and news just coming in that italy has now recorded over 70,000 deaths asa has now recorded over 70,000 deaths as a result of the covid—19 pandemic. it is only the fifth country in the world to record more than 70,000 deaths. many here have made sacrifices this year to keep their loved ones safe, none more so than their loved ones safe, none more so tha n staff their loved ones safe, none more so than staff at a care home in somerset.

they left their families and moved into the home for several months, to care for those who live there. now the residents families want to say thank you this christmas. fiona landon reports. # someday soon we will all be together. happy christmas and a huge, huge hug. hello, mum. hello, just to wish you a very happy christmas, mum. these are just some of the families who won't be together this christmas. we miss you loads, i would really like to see you this christmas but unfortunately due to the covid laws, i'm not able to. christmas is a time to say thank you, and for those at this care home, their thanks is more heartfelt than most. as the pandemic began, staff at court house in somerset moved in, to keep covid out. 84 days away from their families, to moved in, to keep covid out. 84 days away from theirfamilies, to keep the people who lived here safe. for tina, it meant sleeping on the stock

room. we've got no washing facilities, we've just got a ladies down the corridor, which is our bathroom and our toilet, so we have a little wash in the sink. in july, staff were reunited with their families. and since then, while residents have been able to see their families, with a vaccination on the horizon, they say they'll wait for a hug until they feel it is safe. staff and residents families singing side by side. residents havejust been watching the staff christmas pa nto, been watching the staff christmas panto, and been watching the staff christmas pa nto, and they been watching the staff christmas panto, and they have no idea we are in here. we have put up these screens and we're so excited show them the courthouse christmas choir. # have yourself a merry little christmas.

# make the yuletide gay. # make the yuletide gay. # from now on, our troubles will be miles away. merry christmas, nanna. love you. they're happy christmas, mum. merry christmas, pat. # someday soon we all will be together, if the fates allow. #so together, if the fates allow. # so having a shining star upon the highest # and have yourself a merry little christmas now. applause

it brought tears to our eyes. didn't it? my son would say to me, oh, turn the water works off, mother! laughter this really made me cry and made me realise, actually, just how different this year is really hit home to me. # and have yourself a merry little christmas now. a little bit of christmas cheer, fiona langdon reporting, but 2020 has been a year many of us would like to forget, frankly, but the stories of everyday heroes who have gone above and beyond have helped put a smile on many of our faces. jane mccubbin has spoken to a few of the incredible people who have been nominated as hero of the year.

this year, more than any year, we have needed a hero. and there have been plenty. some familiar, some unknown. but look around you. there are heroes walking amongst us and you have nominated some of yours. hayley nominated ben. we think ben is an absolute hero, and it's a privilege to nominate ben for this. he ran his second marathon on the 2nd of december for camille. right now, ben is running 31 marathons in 31 days for children with brain tumours. all these beautiful children that i have to see every day, and i run with their names on my vest. and when it gets tough when i'm running, and it always does when you're running 26 miles, especially when you're running 26 miles the day after running 26 miles, and the day after and the day after, you know, i always look down

and look at the name on the vest and there is my inspiration. oh, thank you so much, ben. i mean, what you're doing is just incredible. don gardner. he is a total hero. simon reeves nominated don who runs a food bank in cornwall. he fed those in need right through the pandemic, even when he lost his own wifejen. he never stopped working. i have a feeling he'll be working all over christmas if people let him. he gives and gives and gives, and absolutely rightly, people love him for that. oh, thank you. it's what i love doing, i love to serve the community. yeah, ok, i lost my wife, which i've struggled with at times. but after being married for 53 years, you've got to go forward and she would want me to. that's good to hear. i'm doing a little clap. let's all do a little

round of applause for don. come on, britain, give him a clap! emma asks us all to applaud kate and her donor. hello! surprise! her sister rushed back to work as a gp practice manager after a kidney transplant so she could fight the pandemic. i'm just so proud of everything that you've gone through. you're an inspiration. oh, totally shocked. i wish you'd told me to do my hair! there hasn't been a day that has gone by over these last six months where i haven't thought about my donor, and my donor's family. kate decided to go back into work regardless of her own recovery in order to be instrumental in getting the covid vaccination rolled out. so inadvertently, this gift has helped 975 people get vaccinated last week.

heroes really are amongst us, like victoria, nominated by simon. 0h, i'd just like to say, stay up late are absolutely fantastic, you are absolutely fantastic, victoria. well, just want to say thank you. stay up late is a charity which helps people with a disability do just that. stay up late and have fun. and in 2020, victoria's work was needed more than ever. it's just incredibly important to have, especially in this uncertain time, to at least have the ability to stay connected with friends, gain new friends. like, it has been a crazy year, but i think it's so nice when simon says a big thank you. i do it to change people's lives, make them more happy because that makes me happy at the end of the day. paul has been nominated by robin.

paul gibbon, my local postman. he knocked on my door in march, and said, during lockdown, if you want any help, get your medication orshopping, oranything, support me, he would do it. he was as good as his word. he and his wife kim were there when he needed them. seven weeks ago, i was very poorly in the morning. i phoned him and he came round and within ten minutes he got me an ambulance, and i was rushed to great western hospital. as far as i'm concerned, he saved my life. i presume between the three of you, you have put all this together without me knowing. we hatched a plan. hatched a plan? right, ok, well! thank you. thank you so much honestly. for me, it'sjust what i think i should be doing.

and so many of you told us of heroes in your own family. william among them. i can't believe he's got to where he is now, kind of. the autism and the learning difficulties, that in itself is amazing. but obviously with the pandemic on top of that in the mix, there's been extra challenges. through the pandemic, william conquered his anxieties to travel to and from hospital where he volunteered and trained. in difficult times, he's just landed his very first job. is this william ? this is will. we're super proud, aren't we? you're a good lad, aren't you? yes, lam. what a year it's been. no one will miss 2020, but in 2021, plenty will look back with gratitude and love to all those people who made a difference.

no time for a look at the weather news. “ 110w -- now time for a look at the weather news. for the rest of today, a real north—south split to our weather, with contrasts and temperature certainly. the scotland and northern ireland, turning colder, clearer with some scattered showers, england and wales, still very mild and also pretty wet as well, so we have low pressure bringing further outbreaks of rain, could be some localised flooding across parts of england and wales because this rain is falling in pretty saturated ground. the winds also feature, picking up, through the english channel, they could be some gales for a time, rein in the south pushing southwards and eastwards, further north, clearing skies and a cold northerly wind blowing in some scattered showers. they will be falling on fairly chilly ground across parts of scotland, there could be some snow particularly over hills, some iciness as well, further south, some frost to start off your christmas eve. heading through tomorrow, then. christmas eve, high pressure sits out to the west of the uk, so quite a lot of dry weather around but the winds

will be coming from a northerly direction, so the blue colours across the map, it will be much chillier on christmas eve than it has been recently. a lot of dry, sunny weather to be enjoyed, but some scattered showers along the east coast, could be a little wintry for the north yorkshire moors, north eastern scotland as well, wintry flurries. a lot of dry weather elsewhere. temperatures three to 8 degrees, it will feel chilly, particularly where you are exposed to the northerly wind. then heading thursday night into friday, heading right into the big day itself, christmas day. high—pressure still very much the dominating feature, so a cold start your christmas morning, in fact sub zero across the board. cold and frosty first thing. still a bit of a brisk northerly blowing around the east coast of finland, could be the odd wintry flurry, some showers late in the day for scotland and northern ireland. further south it should remain dry, temperatures on the chilly side for christmas day, quite a cool, frosty field to the weather, around four to seven degrees for most of us. boxing day, a much more

unsettled story here. outbreaks of rain heading in from the north and the west, some snow over the high ground of scotland, dry weather further south and east but we are back into double figures in the south. ten degrees or so. pretty wet and particularly windy across the board for boxing day. then it remains unsettled for further spells of rain, turning cold again through sunday and into monday. goodbye for now.

this is bbc news. the headlines. more of the east and south east of england will enter the toughest tier 4 restrictions on boxing day. the health secretary says the action is difficult but necessary. this is not news that anybody wants to deliver, and i am truly sorry for the disruption that it causes. but i think people know how important it is that we take decisions like this to keep people safe and to protect the nhs. matt hancock also confirmed two cases of a different new covid variant in the uk from south africa saying all those who have travelled from the country must quarantine immediately. this comes as the government reported record infections of more than thirty nine thousand, and the highest death figures from coronavirus since april, with a further 744 people dying