today at six, police confirm one of the vicitms of last night's mass shooting in plymouth was a three—year—old girl. she was killed along with four other people, in a quiet residential area. eyewitnesses saw the gunman, after he'd opened fire... i heard a bang and looked away in the corner. a bloke was walking towards me with a black rifle and ijust smelt the gunfire, you know what i mean? it was like... imitates gunfire and it was about a couple of seconds, and again, and again and again. the gunman has been named as jake davison. he was 22, and later turned the weapon on himself. one of the dead was his mother,

maxine, shot in her home. police say the killing spree lasted six terrifying minutes. we'll be live at the scene. also on the programme: the un urges afghanistan's neighbours to keep open their borders, allowing civilians to flee the fighting against the taliban. the majority of the population they are waiting to see how things unfold with a mixture of fear, anger, and resignation. and, much of southern europe continues to bake bone dry during one of the hottest summers ever recorded. coming up on the bbc news channel, the wait is almost over for brentford as they face arsenal in the premier league, almost 75 years after they last played in the top flight.

good evening, and welcome to the bbc news at six. police have confirmed that one of the five people killed by a gunman last night in plymouth, was a three—year—old girl. two other people are recovering in hospital, in what is the worst mass shooting in the uk for more than a decade. the attack started just after 6pm in the residential area of keyham. the gunman, who turned the weapon on himself, is thought to have used a "pump action firearm" and has been named as jake davison. detectives believe a domestic incident initially sparked the violence, that then spilled onto the streets. our correspondentjon kay is live in keyham for us this evening. jon. it was exactly this time yesterday just after six o'clock that the first gunshots were heard just there behind me. here we are 24—hour as later with people still trying to

get their heads around what has gone on. in the last few minutes devon and cornwall police have published the names of the people who were killed and the first victim was maxine davison, the mother of the gunman, jake davison, she was 50 years old, and she was killed at a property here. after she was shot there was more gunfire out onto the street, and the next victim was a three—year—old girl, a little girl who has been named as sadie martin, who has been named as sadie martin, who was just walking down that road with her dad, lee. two other victims, 59—year—old stephen washington, and 66—year—old kate sheppard. this is the kind of area where everybody knows one another. those names i mentioned had been circulating and been rumoured about all day, tonight the names are out there and people are having to deal with this reality.

just lucky, really. bert was on the street at six _ just lucky, really. bert was on the street at six o'clock _ just lucky, really. bert was on the street at six o'clock last _ just lucky, really. bert was on the street at six o'clock last night - street at six o'clock last night when the shooting started, and he walked right past his neighbourjake davison who was carrying a gun. i davison who was carrying a gun. i looked down and walked away in the corner_ looked down and walked away in the corner and _ looked down and walked away in the corner and the bloke was walking towards — corner and the bloke was walking towards me with a black rifle. i could _ towards me with a black rifle. i could smell the gunfire, you know what _ could smell the gunfire, you know what i _ could smell the gunfire, you know what i mean? i swear the way, then. —— | what i mean? i swear the way, then. -- i swerved — what i mean? i swear the way, then. —— i swerved away, and it is the woman— —— i swerved away, and it is the woman laid _ —— i swerved away, and it is the woman laid out on the doorstep, and i put pressure on the wound, until the police — i put pressure on the wound, until the police come.— the police come. what did he look like, what did _ the police come. what did he look like, what did you _ the police come. what did he look like, what did you see? _ the police come. what did he look like, what did you see? just - the police come. what did he look i

like, what did you see? just vacant, 'ust a like, what did you see? just vacant, just a vacant — like, what did you see? just vacant, just a vacant stare, _ like, what did you see? just vacant, just a vacant stare, like. _ like, what did you see? just vacant, just a vacant stare, like. the - just a vacant stare, like. the incident started _ just a vacant stare, like. the incident started on _ just a vacant stare, like. tie: incident started on biddick drive you were jake davison shot and killed his mother maxine, he then shot and fired again killing three old sophie martin and herfather, lee, then the gunman headed to a nearby park shooting and injuring another man and women, both being treated in hospital. in the park he killed 59—year—old stephen washington before heading to henderson place, where he shot his fifth victim, 66—year—old kate sheppard, who later died in hospital. it was on this road that the gunman then shot himself. he was declared dead at the scene at 23 minutes past six. we declared dead at the scene at 23 minutes past six.— declared dead at the scene at 23 minutes past six. we believe we have an incident that _ minutes past six. we believe we have an incident that is _ minutes past six. we believe we have an incident that is domestically - an incident that is domestically related that has spilled into the street and seen several people within plymouth are losing their lives in an extraordinarily tragic circumstance.—

lives in an extraordinarily tragic circumstance. ., circumstance. bad, mate, bad, bad. this neighbour. _ circumstance. bad, mate, bad, bad. this neighbour, who _ circumstance. bad, mate, bad, bad. this neighbour, who doesn't - circumstance. bad, mate, bad, bad. this neighbour, who doesn't want i circumstance. bad, mate, bad, bad. this neighbour, who doesn't want toj this neighbour, who doesn't want to be named, will neverforget this neighbour, who doesn't want to be named, will never forget the sound of the gunfire. it be named, will never forget the sound of the gunfire.— be named, will never forget the sound of the gunfire. it was like... imitates gunfire. _ sound of the gunfire. it was like... imitates gunfire. it _ sound of the gunfire. it was like... imitates gunfire. it was - sound of the gunfire. it was like... imitates gunfire. it was a - sound of the gunfire. it was like... | imitates gunfire. it was a couple sound of the gunfire. it was like... i imitates gunfire. it was a couple of seconds, _ imitates gunfire. it was a couple of seconds, and again and again and again _ seconds, and again and again and aaain. ., ., seconds, and again and again and a.ain_ ., ., , seconds, and again and again and aaain. ., ., , ., again. how long between each of the shots that you _ again. how long between each of the shots that you heard? _ again. how long between each of the shots that you heard? five _ again. how long between each of the shots that you heard? five seconds, | shots that you heard? five seconds, and another. — shots that you heard? five seconds, and another, and _ shots that you heard? five seconds, and another, and another, - shots that you heard? five seconds, and another, and another, and - shots that you heard? five seconds, and another, and another, and so i and another, and another, and so young _ and another, and another, and so young person, you know? in and another, and another, and so young person, you know?- young person, you know? in this close community, _ young person, you know? in this close community, many - young person, you know? in this close community, many people i young person, you know? in this i close community, many people know the victims. i close community, many people know the victims. close community, many people know the victims-— the victims. i feel devastated for the victims. i feel devastated for the family- _ the victims. i feel devastated for the family. paris _ the victims. i feel devastated for the family. paris and _ the victims. i feel devastated for the family. paris and billy - the victims. i feel devastated for the family. paris and billy found | the family. paris and billy found out today that _ the family. paris and billy found out today that the _ the family. paris and billy found out today that the youngest i the family. paris and billy found out today that the youngest to l the family. paris and billy found l out today that the youngest to be killed was just temperatures. it is killed wasjust temperatures. it is devastating- _ killed wasjust temperatures. it is devastating. it _ killed wasjust temperatures. it is devastating. it makes _ killed wasjust temperatures. it is devastating. it makes everything | devastating. it makes everything that much worse, _ devastating. it makes everything that much worse, it _ devastating. it makes everything that much worse, it being - devastating. it makes everything that much worse, it being a i devastating. it makes everything | that much worse, it being a child. it will be different here for ever, it will be different here for ever, iihink —

it will be different here for ever, i think. ,, .., , it will be different here for ever, ithink. ,, .., , ., it will be different here for ever, ithink. ,, .. , ., ,., i think. especially that it is over the road. tonight, _ i think. especially that it is over the road. tonight, a _ i think. especially that it is overj the road. tonight, a community i think. especially that it is over i the road. tonight, a community vigil will be held, — the road. tonight, a community vigil will be held, and _ the road. tonight, a community vigil will be held, and counselling - the road. tonight, a community vigil will be held, and counselling will. will be held, and counselling will be offered as the city tries to make sense of what has happened. jon kay, bbc news, plymouth. the gunman, jake davison, often posted videos online talking about his life. he said he was socially isolated, and struggled to meet women, making references to "incels", misogynist online groups of "involuntary celibate" men, linked to a number of violent acts around the world. police have confirmed davison was a licensed firearms holder. with more, here's our home affairs correspondent daniel sandford. just 22 years old, jake davison claimed in his increasingly manic social media posts to be isolated and defeated by life. now, he is responsible for the worst mass shooting in britain for more than a decade, and a key question for the police is y. decade, and a key question for the police is y-— police is y. there is no motive as we know at _ police is y. there is no motive as we know at present. _ police is y. there is no motive as we know at present. i _ police is y. there is no motive as we know at present. i again that| we know at present. i again that will be subject to inquiry but we

are at the moment not considering terrorism or a relationship with any far—right group orany terrorism or a relationship with any far—right group or any such other group. far-right group or any such other a rou . . . ., ~' far-right group or any such other a-rou. . .," i, far-right group or any such other group. jake davison's account shows that he thought _ group. jake davison's account shows that he thought of _ group. jake davison's account shows that he thought of himself— group. jake davison's account shows that he thought of himself as - group. jake davison's account shows that he thought of himself as an i that he thought of himself as an incel or involuntary celibate, an online subculture of people who resent their lack of a sexual partner. the culture can encourage violence against women and sexually active men. davison was also interested in mass shootings and wrote a... one month ago, he purchased the... —— he posted. i feel beaten down and defeated by bleep life, that a drive that i had is gone, it is literally gone, like, i don't have the power any more. were these murders idealistically inspired and do they count as an incel terrorist attack? irate inspired and do they count as an incel terrorist attack?— inspired and do they count as an incel terrorist attack? we see a lot

of incel attacker _ incel terrorist attack? we see a lot of incel attacker is _ incel terrorist attack? we see a lot of incel attacker is a _ incel terrorist attack? we see a lot of incel attacker is a kind - incel terrorist attack? we see a lot of incel attacker is a kind of- incel terrorist attack? we see a lot of incel attacker is a kind of thing i of incel attacker is a kind of thing i'm killing myself, i'm going to take out as many people as i can with me, the question of whether it is terrorism or not will ultimately be determined by whether these victims are targeted or whether there was a real ideological motive beyond his identity. at there was a real ideological motive beyond his identity.— beyond his identity. at his home in ke ham in beyond his identity. at his home in keyham in plymouth, _ beyond his identity. at his home in keyham in plymouth, davison i beyond his identity. at his home in i keyham in plymouth, davison posted hate filled online rants about single mothers and his own mother in particular, calling her, dysfunctional and chaotic. yesterday evening, he shot her dead. some previous mass shootings have resulted in tighter gun laws. the hungerford massacre in 1987 had 16 victims and lead to a ban on most semiautomatic rifles. 17 people were killed in the dunblane school massacre of 1996, 16 of them children, which led to a handgun ban, but in the cumbria shootings of 2010, in which 12 people died, and

in last night's murders, shot guns were involved, and these are still owned widely. there are almost 550,000 shotgun certificates issued last year in england and wales, a slight decrease on the previous year, but the number has remained steadily up half a million for many years. in the days ahead, police will need to piece together what they can of davison's mental health, his ideology, and what drove him to kill so many people. daniel sanford, bbc news, plymouth. let's rejoin our correspondent jon kay in plymouth. thoughts will of the victims the night including a three—year—old girl. how is this community going to come to terms with what has happened? i come to terms with what has happened?— come to terms with what has happened? come to terms with what has ha ened? ., , ., �* 4' ., happened? i really don't know the answer to that, _ happened? i really don't know the answer to that, clive. _ happened? i really don't know the answer to that, clive. it _ happened? i really don't know the answer to that, clive. it will i happened? i really don't know the answer to that, clive. it will take i answer to that, clive. it will take answer to that, clive. it will take a long time. you know what, so many people have said to me today that they are not thinking about the

gunman, they are not thinking about his motives, they are thinking about his motives, they are thinking about his five victims and about how their families and their friends are going to be dealing with this in the days, weeks, months and years to come, but it is this whole city, normally pretty peaceful, the south—west of england, that is hurting so much tonight. to give you an idea of that, there will be a vigil at a church later, there are books of condolence, farmers are being laid, theatre performances have been cancelled, flags at half mast, and the iconic tower on the waterfront, smeaton's tower, is going to be lit up smeaton's tower, is going to be lit up later in memory of those who have been killed. . ~' , ., up later in memory of those who have been killed-— been killed. thank you, jon kay, live in plymouth. _ the united nations has urged afghanistan's neighbours to keep their borders open, potentially allowing tens of thousands of people fleeing fighting against the taliban, to reach safety. aid agencies are warning of a humanitarian catastrophe, as the militants continue their sweeping advance

across the country. latest reports suggest they now control another provincial capital, pali alam, just 45 miles south of the capital kabul, from where our correspondent, yogita limye, has the very latest. gunfire. the biggest taliban victory so far in their rapid march across the country. this is the centre of kandahar city, a political and economic powerhouse. the taliban were born in this province. to show off their gains, the group's fighters filmed themselves walking through the provincial governor's office. and they released this video, showing the traffic policemen welcoming them. after days of fierce fighting, afghan forces retreated. here, they are seen leaving the city. this woman work to educate

girls in kandahar, she fled before it was captured. i girls in kandahar, she fled before it was captured.— girls in kandahar, she fled before it was captured. i am sad and i am lost. it was captured. i am sad and i am lost- how— it was captured. i am sad and i am lost- how do _ it was captured. i am sad and i am lost. how do you _ it was captured. i am sad and i am lost. how do you feel— it was captured. i am sad and i am lost. how do you feel about i it was captured. i am sad and i am lost. how do you feel about the i it was captured. i am sad and i am | lost. how do you feel about the us and uk sending — lost. how do you feel about the us and uk sending in _ lost. how do you feel about the us and uk sending in troops _ lost. how do you feel about the us and uk sending in troops to - lost. how do you feel about the us i and uk sending in troops to evacuate own nationals? ii and uk sending in troops to evacuate own nationals?— own nationals? if you come from a weakened country, _ own nationals? if you come from a weakened country, you _ own nationals? if you come from a weakened country, you are - own nationals? if you come from a weakened country, you are not i weakened country, you are not important. weakened country, you are not important-— weakened country, you are not imortant. ., ,, ., ., ., ., important. hours before kandahar, herat was also _ important. hours before kandahar, herat was also captured, _ important. hours before kandahar, herat was also captured, a - important. hours before kandahar, herat was also captured, a major. herat was also captured, a major centre near the border with iran. an influential government leader ishmail khan had led the battle against the taliban and now he has been captured by the insurgent group. helmand province, where british troops fought some of their fiercest battles is also under taliban control. 15 provinces falling in seven days have raised questions about the future of the

afghan capital, kabul. what has happened in the span ofjust a week has taken the people, the government and its international partners by surprise. those who have the means are trying to get out of this country, and flights from kabul are completely booked, but for a majority of the population, they are waiting to see how things will unfold, with a mixture of fear, anger and resignation. many believe the government has let them down. i have had to flee from my hometown because the taliban captured it. they killed three of my brothers. afghan forces are not fighting, they are just handing over control, afghan forces are not fighting, they arejust handing over control, this man said. the fighting is less than one hourfrom kabul now, in the neighbouring province. many of the war wounded from there have been coming to this kabul hospital. this 14—year—old boy was injured in an explosion, he lost an eye and had his arm amputated. one of my

brothers was also killed in the fighting one year ago, if my mother finds out what has happened to me, she will have a stroke, he says. more than 1000 have been killed in the past month, in a country engulfed by suffering. yogita limaye, bbc news, kabul. the prime minister chaired a meeting of the government's cobra emergency committee this afternoon to discuss the worsening situation in the country. and plans to help repatriate british citizens. it was a us—led military coalition, including british troops, that ousted the taliban in 2001, following the 9/11 attacks. now most foreign forces have pulled out with the final withdrawal in recent weeks, helping to trigger the current fighting. a54 british personnel or mod civilians lost their lives between 2001 and 2014. nearly 2,300 us troops have died, and more than 120,000 afghan military, police and civilians also lost their lives.

it's estimated around 4,000 british citizens are still in the country, and there are worries for the safety of those afghans who've worked alongside british forces. our defence correspondent jonathan beale now looks at the strategy to get them all out. this was the capital, kabul, this morning. on the face of it, business as usual. but the taliban advance is now getting ever closer, with us officials admitting it could fall within weeks. with the us and britain preparing to fly out their own citizens, there's a sense the country will soon be on its own. the last 36 hours has been pretty intense, because of the speed in which the insecurity and the sort of takeovers have happened. there is a little bit of worry now amongst the aid agencies that we're not going to be able to serve the serious humanitarian crisis. these carefully targeted actions are designed to disrupt

the use of afghanistan as a terrorist base of operations. america and its allies, including britain, went in soon after the attacks on the us on 9/11. the initial goal — to prevent afghanistan from being a safe open for al-anda. but subsequent efforts over the past 20 years to create a more stable country now largely appear to have been futile. the prime minister admitting there is no military solution. what we certainly can do is work with all our partners, in the region and around the world, who share an interest with us in preventing afghanistan from once again becoming a breeding ground for terror. afghanistan's location is of strategic importance. to the north, there are the former soviet states such as turkmenistan, uzbekistan and tajikistan, all of whom still have

close ties to russia. to the west is iran, which has already seen an influx of afghan refugees. afghanistan's largest border is with pakistan, which in the past has been accused by the west of providing shelter and support to the taliban. and further to the eest is china, which is growing economic and security interests in the region. so what happens next in afghanistan really matters. when the soviet union troops left in 1989, the victorious mujahedin started fighting each other, so the countries in the region poured fuel on the fire of the afghan civil war, and the fear now is, because we have lots of enmity between the countries in the region, it is a danger that could happen again. the in the region, it is a danger that could happen again.— could happen again. the us and britain leave _ could happen again. the us and britain leave a _ could happen again. the us and britain leave a country - could happen again. the us and britain leave a country in - could happen again. the us and britain leave a country in limbo. the question now is notjust what it was awful, but can they really afford to stand by as afghanistan

once again descends into civil war? jonathan beale, bbc news. let's return to yogita limaye in kabul. the talybont are just 45 minutes south of kabul now, is itjust a matter of time before they launch an all—out assault on capital? weill. all-out assault on capital? well, --eole all-out assault on capital? well, people here _ all-out assault on capital? well, people here are _ all-out assault on capital? well, people here are really _ all-out assault on capital? well, people here are really looking i all-out assault on capital? well, people here are really looking at the country's government for direction on how things will unfold in the coming days. we haven't heard yet from president ashraf ghani, and the more he remained silent the more there is speculation and rumours here. today the country's first vice president put out on social media that the president had shed a national security council meeting and decided to stand against the taliban. but at this point in time, when there is such a vulnerable position, just those words aren't going to be enough to boost troop morale or allay fears here, and the conversation in a very short span of time has gone from weather kabul

will fall to how many days it will take, and there has been condemnation of the lack of planning for the number of displaced coming into kabul. one of the british soldiers injured in afghanistan was rifleman craig monaghan from manchester. serving with c company, 2 rifles, he sustained serious head injuries and is still on medication. he says the news that the taliban are back makes him wonder why so many fought, bled and lost their lives. ten of his colleagues were killed. he's been speaking to our correspondentjeremy cooke. the pain i felt this morning was... like i felt sick. like physically went to the toilet, retching, thinking i was going to be sick. we are just dealing with our issues about afghan, and then it'sjust been ripped open, and i can't imagine would be like, as a parent, who had lost a son or daughter, waking up this morning to know

the very town that we kicked doors in and patrolled and fought for had just gone, like that. i was 18 years old when i arrived in country, coming up to my 19th birthday. i'd aspired to go to afghanistan, like i wanted to be in afghanistan. during that period, it was like we went to bed one night, woke up the next day, and the world was against us. the only time in my life i've ever thought no—one was going to come home was when we were literally on the back foot, cut off, surrounded by the enemy. i mean, were you in combat every day at that point? yeah, by mid—june, yeah, every single day we were. that 2nd ofjune incident was, like, the first time i'd ever experienced death. you remember the date? yeah. and, sadly, there was more to come. yeah, a lot, nine more fell on the 2nd ofjune, yeah. nine more from your company? yeah. like so many of your mates, you were injured. yeah. can you remember that day? i'd ratherjust not go into the whole... but you were injured, right? yeah, so i've lost my vision

in my eye, like a brain injury, which then results in my left arm not working as well as it should. but my body is literally battered, like i take eight tablets a day just to manage my brain, stop the pressure build—up. the mental health side of it, as someone who has now lost 12 friends to suicide who served afghan with me, outweighs the cost of the combat. you can't fight what's going on in your head. i've been in the situation where i've been stood on the edge of a train track, thinking... like, i didn't want to die, i just didn't want to live with... i didn't want to live with what i was living with. you've talked about the cost of all of this — to you, to physical health, mental health, the friends that you lost. watching the news in the last few days cannot have been easy. so, for me, i'd always have to hold on to the fact that it had to be worth something. when you wake up this morning and you see the news, you see lashkar as fell, kandahar has fell,

it's a really tough pill to swallow when so many of your friends died there but are still dying because of it. was it worth it? it has to be. it's... i've lost everything, and my friends have lost everything. at some point, we're going to have to find a way to justify it, even for our own personal sanity, because otherwise the emptiness will never leave and the whole mental health side of the war willjust spiral out of control, and it already is spiralling out of control. and if you want more information on the issues raised injeremy�*s report go to the bbc action line — or you can call forfree at any time to hear recorded information on 08000155 998. the time is 6:23. our top story this evening: police confirmed that a

three—year—old girl and the government's mother are among those killed in last night's mass shooting in plymouth. —— the gunman's mother. and a promotion for brentford. and coming up on sportsday on the bbc news channel, england's james anderson completes his 31st five—wicket haul in test cricket as england try to fight back against india much of the mediterranean is sweltering under some of the hottest temperatures ever recorded in europe. the italian island of sicily registered 48.8 degrees celsius on wednesday, which, if verified, would be the continent's highest temperature ever recorded. the latest heatwave is being caused by an anticyclone, nicknamed lucifer, moving up from africa. firefighters have been battling numerous wildfires in italy and in spain, where temperatures are reaching record levels. our correspondent mark lowen reports now from sicily.

they climb to the coolest place around — the peak of an active volcano. when mighty mount etna is a relief from the heat, you know it's an extreme. legend has it the ancient god of fire worked beneath etna. for the tourists here, he still feels close. we booked the holidays, like, half a year ago, so we didn't know anything of the heat! would you have come if you had known how hot it would be? no. no! bad, bad, because it's totally hot in the last days, but here we came and enjoyed a lot because there are approximately 15 degrees less than next to the area of the sea. italy is sweltering — sicily hitting 48.8 degrees this week, believed to be the highest temperature ever recorded in europe.

and it's fuelling wildfires — 500 have torn through the country, killing four people. firefighters here in sicily battling for hours. the heatwave has been triggered by an anticyclone, an area of high pressure, across southern europe and north africa. the fires and the scorching temperatures are likely to pass in the coming days, but this is not a temporary phenomenon. our climate is heating, and human activity is a majorfactor behind it. sicily, and many other areas, could see more and worse than this in the years to come. they've got the right idea. in a sizzling sicily, there are few other places to go. the heat, my gosh, it's so hot... tiger, from london, comes here every year, and she's never known it like this. maybe climate change. i'm quite scared about that's the reason why, if i'm honest, because it's never really

been quite as hot. i've been coming, au—pairing, like three years, and it's never been like this. are you worried about the fires? about the fires? yeah, i think they're terrifying. for these sun—seekers, it is fun. after the lockdowns, italy is thirsty for tourists. and they will need quenching too. mark lowen, bbc news, sicily. the latest government coronavirus figures show there were 32,700 new infections recorded, in the latest 24—hour period, which means on average there were 28,585 new cases per day in the last week. 5,875 people are in hospital with coronavirus. 100 deaths were recorded in the last 24 hours, which means an average of 89 deaths a day. more than 89% of adults in the uk have now had theirfirstjab. and 76% have had both jabs.

and the latest weekly estimate by the office for national statistics shows variations in case rates around the uk. our health editor, hugh pym, is here. what are the trends? well, the good news is that despite predictions of a surge in hospital cases during august, made by official scientist and modellers, it hasn't happened after the opening up in latejuly, it hasn't caused a new wave, cases fell back from late july. it hasn't caused a new wave, cases fell back from latejuly. but it hasn't caused a new wave, cases fell back from late july. but they do appear to have stabilised, the daily reported cases. the underlying trend is up week on week, but hospital admissions continue to fall. the office for national statistics' community survey of infections covers thousands of households, and eight includes people who do not have symptoms, and it shows last week the situation in england was unchanged, uncertain in wales and northern ireland, although cases continued to fall in scotland. so officials want to get the message

across that people shouldn't be complacent about the virus, and public health england have put out a message this evening, ahead of the english premier league season in football, with big crowds expected, that people should be careful about their travel arrangements, wear masks inside the ground if you are going forfood and drink. tqm. masks inside the ground if you are going for food and drink. 0k, many thanks, hugh _ going for food and drink. 0k, many thanks, hugh pym _ going for food and drink. 0k, many thanks, hugh pym there. _ brentford are preparing for theirfirst game in the premier league since 1947, opening the new season this evening at home to arsenal. the match will be the first taking place since the coronavirus pandemic with no restrictions on fan numbers, and it's sure to be a full house at the community stadium in west london. here's our sports correspondent laura scott. empty, echoey stadiums became the unwelcome norm for a year and a half. but from tonight, they will look, sound and feel like this again. sell—out crowds are back, and so is the premier league — a big step closer to how we used to know it. it's an even more significant day for one club — brentford are back in the top—flight. well, i think we can hold our own...

derek has been waiting a while. when we played arsenal in 1946, i was there as a boy of 14, i think. we've had a lot of disappointments, but at long last, you know, i think i've been waiting about 74 years. as long as it's a good game of football and we all enjoy it, that will please me. covid remains a big issue for the league. fans will face covid status checks, and players are still routinely tested. clubs are estimated to have lost £2 billion, though some seem more immune than others. manchester city spending big on transfers — £100 million onjack grealish, and england captain harry kane could come next. manchester city are the premier league champions! but to repeat that victory, the man in charge says they'll need to raise their game. every season, when you begin, its a new challenge. we celebrate our title, now it's in our cabinet, in our memories, and we start again.