more warnings about the pressure on hospitals across the uk as the new variant of coronavirus spreads. london's hospitals are particularly stretched. leading doctors talk of "wall—to—wall" covid and warn people not to underestimate the virus. european ambassadors back the post—brexit trade deal that was agreed between the uk and the eu on christmas eve. and how scientists have discovered 12 new species in the atlantic ocean good afternoon.

there are further warnings today of the pressures faced by hospitals, as the number of covid infections continues to rise across the uk. london's particularly affected, with the president of the royal college of emergency medicine warning of the difficulty of getting patients into wards, while the head of one of the capital's leading hospitals said her nurses and doctors are "incredibly stretched". london ambulance service says boxing day was one of the busiest days in its history, with calls 50% up on the same day last year. sangita myska has the latest. across the uk, the nhs is under pressure. in the south—east of england, the new variant of covid—i9 is spreading faster than anywhere else, accounting for 60% of positive tests. in london that's pushed some covid hospital wards to capacity. there are large numbers of patients

coming in with covid. i was on on christmas day and it was wall to wall covid. at the moment, the level of patient need is incredibly high. on boxing day, the london ambulance service received 7,918 calls. that is up 50% on last year. the government says it is aware of the situation and keeping it under review. i think we are per suing the right strategy, but we have to take into account the medical evidence to keep people safe to protect the nature toes save lives. in wales, nhs services say the services have been stretched to the limit. one hospital tweeted for trained volu nteers hospital tweeted for trained volunteers to help its care unit. with much more mixing over christmas

and the high transmissibility of covid would result in many more infections and therefore many more hospital admissions and, necessarily then, more admissions to intensive ca re then, more admissions to intensive care unit and more deaths. in scotland, clinicians are issuing another warning — that the nhs could be overwhelmed and are appealing to the public to adhere to tier 4 restrictions after they were eased on christmas day. i think it was right that the restrictions were only flexed for that day. but there will be a cost for this. one of the things that we are particularly concerned about here in scotland is that the new year fe festivities will be upon us and there is no relaxation for that and it is important that households don't mix.

there is however some hope on the horizon. there are india indications that the oxford vaccine may be approved by regulators this week. the uk government has 100 million doses on order. cabinet office minister michael gove has said the government hopes the staggered reopening of schools in england will go ahead in january as planned. speaking to the bbc, he said the government is confident primary school pupils, along with those due to sit exams in the summer, would be able to return in the first week of january, with other secondary pupils going back later in the month. ambassadors from all 27 eu member states have provisionally backed last week's post—brexit trade deal with the uk. the agreement allows tariff—free trade with britain to continue after it leaves the eu single market in four days' time. our europe correspondent,

kevin connolly, is in brussels. no real surprise they have approved this? i think that's right. the best way to look at this i guess is that it would have been amazing if anything had happened other than them giving their approval. they have been kept in the loop all the way through the negotiating process. so have the governments they represent. so it was never likely that they would do anything than sign off as a formality one of a series of steps you can expect to hearin series of steps you can expect to hear in the coming days, none of which affect the outcome of what is going to happen, that deal that was a achieved on christmas eve. of course no one as ever accused the eu of lacking layers of decision—making, so it may sound confusing, but it is running according to schedule. why is it

provisional? it has been to be approved in the new year. the government has warned there'll be some "bumpy moments" for british businesses as they get to grips with new eu trading rules in the new year. ministers are urging companies to use the short time remaining to prepare for the practical and procedural changes that are about to happen. our business correspondent vivienne nunis reports. this kent—based factory produces crisps made from fresh fruit imported from the continent. after manufacturing, the snacks are then exported back across the channel to customers in europe. the free trade deal agreed with brussels means no extra tariffs in either direction, but more paperwork and red tape. the founder, nimisha raja, is getting worried. i feel as if i'm going to be inundated with paperwork. i think it's going to cost us a little bit of money in staff costs as well in dealing with all of this and i know there are going

to be delays, especially at the port, you know? cabinet office minister michael gove said the government is doing all it can to advise businesses on the new rules, but he warned there will be some disruption. as we leave the european union and we're outside the customs union, those new requirements will mean that, in particular, when people arrive at the french border, they do need to have the paperwork in order. if they haven't, then we would advise them absolutely not to make the journey because they'll only be turned back. the clock is ticking... the government has been advising businesses to prepare for months. for the thousands of british companies who rely on goods crossing the border, there are nowjust four days to get to grips with the necessary changes. we need to translate these 1200 pages of legal text into practical business guidance that every firm can understand. secondly, we need to understand how the europeans are going to be applying the deal at the borders on thursday night.

as the government itself acknowledged today, there could be a bumpy road ahead. vivienne nunis, bbc news. there's growing concern about the impact that new immigration rules will have on the uk's ability to recruit enough staff to care for people who are older and disabled. in england, its estimated there are 112,000 job vacancies in care homes and home care. under the new rules that come in on january first, most overseas care workers won't earn enough to qualify for a work visa. the government says it's confident that care companies will be able to recruit enough people from within the uk. here's our social affairs correspondent, alison holt. hello, my name is pedro, i'm from spain. this is where i live in mancha real. this is the home that 22—year—old pedro is leaving. with just days before the end of the brexit transition, he's heading to cornwall to become a care worker. residential homes they can't

recruit enough local staff. i knew i should do something to help. this is why i decided to work in a care centre. there are an estimated 112,000 care vacancies in england alone. everything is fine. many who are recruited, like pedro, make the journey from the eu. this is his new home in penzance. old manor residential home has recently been refurbished, but there aren't enough staff to reopen it. hello. hello, you must be pedro. it's run by mary anson. she's recruited six people from the eu before the rules change. they'll start work in one of her other homes, but she hopes it will allow her to bring new residents in here. just empty and waiting for someone to occupy. it is a shame, it's a terrible waste, all for the lack of staff, or sufficient staff. we've got some great staff butjust not enough of them. that pool of people coming

and living here is going to decline. home care providers also warn of increased staffing problems, as most new uk arrivals will have to earn over £25,000 a year, much more than the majority of care workers get. we call on the government, in the short term, to add care workers to the shortage occupation list. then, in the longer term, to make good on their promises to fix social care so that we can invest properly in the workforce. if you want to do something important, care for others... in april, as the first wave of covid—19 peaked, the government rolled out a recruitment drive. the bbc‘s been told that, by the end ofjuly, the campaign had shortlisted just 716 people. we need you now, and they need you always. but the government says it's had tens of thousands of applications across its platforms, which have helped cut the vacancy rate. and covid has forced

some, like christian, to rethink their careers. he was an airline cabin manager, but, needing a change after getting the virus and being furloughed, he now works in a west sussex care home. here, you've still got call bells and you've still got trolleys to push around. here, it's a bit more special than that, a lot more special. i leave here and i'm feeling i've done something pretty good with myself and for somebody else. and, for many, the pandemic has highlighted the need to do much more to recognise the importance of care workers. alison holt, bbc news. at least 200 british tourists are reported to have fled the swiss ski resort of verbier to avoid quarantine, because of the coronavirus. a ten—day isolation period was ordered by the swiss government after the discovery in england of the new, more contagious variant of covid—19. heavy snow has hit parts of the uk, including in the west midlands and the cotswolds.

there were reports of snow falling in counties such as worcestershire and staffordshire, as well as in birmingham, stourbridge and gloucestershire and lighter dustings as far south as devon. police have warned people to take care on the roads, saying the weather is likely to cause travel disruption. a five—year—long study of the atlantic ocean has discovered 12 species previously unknown to science. using remotely controlled deep sea robots, the project looked at the ocean and its hidden ecosystems in unprecedented detail. it also revealed just how life in the deep ocean is being threatened by climate change, as victoria gill reports. an ocean that covers one fifth of the earth's surface and from populous industrial coastlines to pristine ice—filled waters, one four and half year study of the atlantic, exploring and taking samples from 12 regions of this vast ocean has discovered a dozen species new to science.

this creature is a zonantharian, it uses its tentacles to trap food from the water. the researchers also found shellfish and five new species of coral. these static sea bed dwellers provide the food and shelter that's the foundation of hotspots of life in the deep ocean. you can think of them as underwater cities. the scientists say their atlantic—wide study is just starting to map out where the most important places for life are. we can still say that we know less about the sea floor of the oceans than we do about the surface of the moon or mars. a very percentage small of the sea floor is actually being sampled. that means that pretty much anywhere that you go that's new, you're going to find new species and they might be tiny little worms, nematodes and things like that, but certainly the diversity‘s huge. and just like our natural environment on the land, life on the the oceans

is being affected by human activity. as the climate changes, so do our oceans and the oceans are changing in ways that scientists are still learning about and trying to understand. so some of these whole eco—systems and newly—discovered species could already be under threat. our oceans have absorbed nearly a third of carbon dioxide that has been released into the atmosphere since the industrial revolution and this has shifted the chemistry of the sea water that these animals have evolved in. we have this really terrifying the prospect that right across the global ocean the sea is becoming slightly more acid. so we face the prospect that the corals of deep sea are changing, their skeletons are getting more porous as that slightly acidic sea water corrodes and damages their skeletons. it is like an osteoperosis, they're becoming more brittle, more vulnerable to breaking. and it's those coral skeletons that form the structures that are the buildings, the architecture of those cities of deep sea.

this research is unravelling how diverse and interconnected life in the deep ocean is. and as our world changes quickly, these insights could be key to making sure that species don't disappear before they're even discovered. you can see more on all of today's stories on the bbc news channel. that's all from me. good afternoon, it's 1.30pm and here's your latest sports news. liverpool managerjurgen klopp says he expects to see a response from his players after the premier league leaders dropped points at anfield for the first time this season in yesterday's1—1 draw with struggling west brom.

liverpool had opened the scoring early on thanks to sadio mane, but failed to turn their domination into clear cut chances. and it cost them. as sami ajayi equalised with around ten minutes remaining to give sam allardyce his first point since taking charge of west brom. as semi ajayi equalised with around ten minutes remaining to give that slip—up from liverpool yesterday means that leicester could movejust a point behind the champions with a win at crystal palace this afternoon. that's the first of three premier league games today. seventh take on eighth as aston villa go to chelsea, while everton can go joint top with victory over manchester city. lionel messi says he's yet to decide whether he'll stay at barcelona beyond the end of the season when his contract expires, having expressed his desire earlier this year to leave the club where he's been for two decades. the club's record goal—scorer has told a spanish tv network that he'll leave any decision over his long term future until the end of the season. messi also says that he's like to play in the united states

"and experience life and the league there." six—time champion roger federer will miss february's australian open for the first time in his career at the age of 39 as he continues his recovery from knee surgery. federer‘s last competitive match was against novak djokovic in last year's semifinals in melbourne. the 20—time grand slam winner says being fit for wimbledon and the tokyo olympics in the summer is now his priority. australia have it all to do to avoid defeat against india in the second test in melbourne after the tourists dominated day three. after bowling india out for 326, and facing a big defecit in their second innings, the home side then collapsed to 99 for six, matthew wade falling here for a0. australia eventually closing on 133 for six, that's a lead ofjust two runs. india with a big chance of winning the game and levelling up the four match series.

they have all been pretty straight making it hard for us to score so, yes, we intend to score runs obviously, as a batting gfoup yes, we intend to score runs obviously, as a batting group and individually but yes they are making it quite challenging at times. to be fairwe it quite challenging at times. to be fair we haven't gone deep enough yet to really catch tired bowlers late in the day, so we have only got to blame a little bit there but they have been pretty much on the mark. well, one man not playing at the mcg is india captain virat kohli, who has returned home for the birth of his first child. he's also been named today as the icc‘s men's cricketer of the decade. kohli claimed the sir garfield sobers award for his performances across all formats of the game and has also won the odi cricketer of the year award. australia's elysse perry has been named women's cricketer of the decade as well as picking up

the odi and t20 prizes. sussex batsman phil salt top scored for adelaide strikers as they beat perth scorchers by 71 in their latest big bash league match. salt smashed 51 off only 31 balls, including some huge sixes, as adelaide set the scorchers 166 to win. it was a target which always looked beyond perth, with any hope of victory being ended when england batman liam livingstone was dismissed for 22. and finally, following the cancellation of two premiership rugby matches over the weekend, newcastle falcons are now second in the table after being awarded four points. their game at home to leicester was called off when a number of tigers players returned positive tests. leicester have been awarded two points. bath against london irish was also cancelled, with bath given four points and london irish two.

that's all your sport for now. the british government's issued a statement about the situation regarding schools and coronavirus, and whether term will start normally in january. the statement says they want "all pupils to return injanuary as school is the best place for their development and mental health". but it adds that it has to follow the path of the pandemic and keep our approach under constant review. " it goes on, "our huge expansion of rapid testing will support secondary schools and colleges to stay open to all pupils and reduce the risk of transmission within local communities." the opposition labour party's education spokeswoman, kate green, says schools and colleges need more support. we have known for the best part of two weeks that there is a real concern about this new variant spreading more rapidly among children. the government has come out

with some frankly half baked plans for mass testing in the school very late in the dayjust before the christmas holidays. we need to know how those plans can be operationalised, school staff are saying it's very difficult to put them in place on the basis of what the government announced just before christmas so what's the position now? is that going to be in place at the beginning ofjanuary in schools and what support to school staff and schools receive to implement that programme? do you think the staggered reopening of schools in england should go ahead as it is planned? i want to return of students safely to school to happen after the christmas holidays, but we need to know that mass testing programme will be effective, that schools will be able to operate and they will have the support they need to run that system. they were told about itjust before the start of the christmas holidays, expected to put all of that in place over the last few days. i don't know if that is going to be effective at the beginning of january and that's what we need to hear from the government.

parents will be extremely concerned that all they're getting is rumour and innuendo, teachers and school staff will need to what's expected of them and the fact we are not ahead of the curve on this is once again because the government is not open and transparent about the situation with parents and staff and then does not act quickly enough to support schools and colleges. scientists have discovered 12 new species living in the depths of the atlantic ocean. most are previously unknown forms of coral. the researchers used special deep—sea robots to explore the ocean floor over five years. professor murray roberts who you saw in that report leads the changing oceans research group. he told me more about the significance of the new findings. it's fantastic, it is really every biologist‘s dream.

but as we heard in the report, when you go to these places we discover new species, but one of the really exciting things for us was unravelling how those special places work and the deep see coral and sponge grounds are just like cities. they recycle waste, look after their inhabitants and are super important in ways we did not anticipate before the project started. one of your colleagues said we know less about the ocean floor than the surface of the moon or mars. yes, it's true, it's really hard to get the information through the water, its as simple as that. we have to map the sea bed using sound waves, using solar technology, it's a really slow process but the technologies are far better than they used to be. we used a lot of these techniques in the atlas project working internationally to share that expensive technology which really helped us make the discoveries we have now been able to report. the bad news is that, even as we make these new discoveries about new species,

we discover also that they are under threat from climate change? it's a game changer. the oceans are changing more rapidly than we have ever seen in a geological record of the planet. things are going to shift, we are aware of fish species moving into cooler more northern waters, the oceans are really connected so things can change very quickly, but those organisms, animals that live on the sea bed, cannot necessarily move as quickly so we are really concerned about the implications of climate change on things like deep see corals. how fast is that acidification happening? is it very rapid? how easily could be slowed down if the world does united do more steps against climate change? as we heard in the report, the estimates are about one third of the carbon dioxide we have

released is absorbed into the sea and 90% of global heating, so it's not only getting more acidic but warmer. clearly the oceans are massive, but we are now able to see these effects even in the vastness of the open oceans of the world, we can see the acidification and warming signals. they are particularly acute in the polar regions, they are particularly under these pressures so what is the solution? there is really only one solution to this problem and that is limiting carbon dioxide emissions and doing all we can to live sustainably on our planet so we can eke out the resources, fairly share them across the planet and limit this kind of damage. tell us briefly what plans you have for future research, because as we said at the beginning, it's really exciting, you have got plans presumably to carry on this kind of research? yes we do. we are embarked on a new project that takes us from the north to the south of the atlantic, east to west, brazilians,

argentinians, europeans, canadians and americans to work together and that's really important, the sharing of expertise and resources that allows us to understand oceans. at least 200 british tourists have reportedly fled the swiss ski resort of verbier rather than face a 10 day quarantine. the holidaymakers are thought to have left the town, popular with travellers from the uk, during the night. that was after the swiss government ordered anyone arriving from britain after december 14th to self isolate, following the discovery of a new variant of covid—19. reports say tourists were even offered free champagne on christmas day to make their stay more comfortable. well, i've been talking to martin nydegger, the director of switzerland tourism. he told me it was only a small number of people who had left verbier to avoid quarantine. we have usually, in verbier, the village that everyone talks about, we have in the winter season

about 30,000 people. so you can see that this is actually a very small amount of number and most british have unfortunately not arrived yet and some of them are holding secondary homes in verbier and a small, small fraction decided to leave rather than stay in quarantine. what would you say about that? they should have stayed in quarantine presumably, that is the view of you and the authorities having been told they needed to quarantine, they should have stayed? of course, the rules are there to be stuck to, right? i think it is now important that we look into, that we look into the comfort of those who stayed there and really make sure that they're being taken care of and they're being informed properly, what to do, what the rules are, the hotels are really taking care of them, they make sure they're provided properly and there is food supply, that they have all the advice they need. so i think we are now focusing on those who stay

and stick to the rules. do you know how many have just left, having been told to quarantine? we are being told 200, is it maybe more than that? that is probably going to be difficult to finally establish. because let's not forget, many british do have a secondary home in verbier and they're not properly registered. you can actually only figure it out by the air travel and that is very difficult. apparently they left even though they were offered champagne on christmas day, that wasn't enough to tempt them to stay? apparently not, maybe it was the wrong beverage. can i just ask you, it was quite controversial that switzerland opened the slopes, because other ski slopes were not opening in europe because of the coronavirus crisis, why did switzerland open the slopes? i can tell you exactly why, because winter did not surprise us.

we know for a fact and for many months what is going to happen in winter. the swiss tourism industry has prepared thoroughly with very strict safety protocols for this coming winter. i can really tell you hundreds of thousands or even millions of swiss franks have been invested. we were not taken by surprise, we were actually ready with safety protocols and let's not forget winter sports, skiing, snowboarding, cross country skiing, it is an outdoor activity in the mountains, where there is not so much density of people. the bottleneck is not skiing, the bottleneck is transportation and catering at the slopes and this has been taken care of. now, in milan, afterflash flooding in some districts over christmas many residents woke up this morning to a blanket of heavy snowfall.

it follows an unusually sharp drop in temperatures right across northwestern italy, with some transport disrupted and more than a foot of snow falling. a cold and bright day but it has been a winter wonderland for many. snow as far south as the cotswolds and the downs, we will continue to see some further bouts of snow across the country, different areas one day to the next but always good for a fine balance between snoring and sleep. ——between snow, rain and sleet. a bit of sleet and snow towards pembrokeshire and cornwall, rain and sleet clearing away from southern counties of england through the rest of today but more showers down the eastern coasts. rain on the coastal strip by the time we hit the evening already temperatures close to freezing, rain along the coast turning to sleet and snow inland,

upper parts of sheffield,