today at six... the biggest rail strike in a generation — disruption everywhere, no services at all to parts of the uk. stuck in the sidings instead of moving millions of passengers — there's sympathy for railworkers, but frustration too. my daughter's doing her gcses. i've got to get her to and from school, so it's a right pain in the neck. i understand they want a pay rise and things change, i get that, but it's not fair for all the commuters. some 40,000 rail workers have walked out — their union accuses the government of getting in the way of a deal. the government could have made a move to settle this dispute, and instead they're escalating it. the lies that they're telling about railway workers and the railway industry are outrageous. we need to get ready to stay the course, to stay the course, because these reforms,

these improvements in the way we run our railways are in the interests of the travelling public. this afternoon, both sides have said they'll start fresh talks tomorrow. also tonight: a tablet for every day — but what's going to happen to vulnerable patients when some pharmacists stop supplying calendar blister packs? the prince we've watched since he was a child turns a0 — it comes as william takes more royal responsibilities. coming up in sportsday later in the hour on the bbc news channel, we'll head live to st george's park, where the england lionesses are preparing for the start of next month's european championship. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six.

millions of passengers have faced disruption today after the biggest strike on britain's railways for 30 years got under way. the rmt union and rail bosses say they will resume talks tomorrow — but even if there's any progress, it will come too late to avoid disruption on thursday, the next planned day of the walk—out. the red lines on this map shows where limited services will operate, but whole swathes of the country — where there are no lines — have no services at all. at the moment, the union plans to follow today's strike by two more on thursday and saturday. what's the dispute about? as ever, it depends on who you ask. for the union, pay and job security are key. rail bosses says it's also about modernisation — and they intend to start the process next month. and borisjohnson had his say this morning, urging commuters to stay the course because modernisation would be in their interest. we'll be reporting from across

the uk, but we start in bournemouth and our transport correspondent katy austin. hull, bournemouth and much of scotland and wales were among the places which turned into trained deserts as thousands of workers walked out in the biggest rail strike in three decades. this is one of the stations were some trains are running today, but across the country, only about 20% of the usual services are operating. and they are finishing much earlier. the last train from glasgow to crewe today departed just after 2.30. train from glasgow to crewe today departedjust after2.30. major stations like cardiff looked empty, as passengers heeded the warning to avoid the railway. and many commuters switched back into working from home mode. that is not an option for ruth, who relies on taking the train from southampton to her job taking the train from southampton to herjob in portsmouth, but there are no services to portsmouth today. i won't be able to work today. i no services to portsmouth today. i won't be able to work today. i have a work phone, so i can log in that

way, but i won't be able to do my fulljob way, but i won't be able to do my full job today. way, but i won't be able to do my fulljob today. but my colleagues have been really understanding. i have been really understanding. i have made the effort to try and get there, but today it is not going to happen. there, but today it is not going to ha en. ., , ., ., ., happen. commuters queued for london buses earlier — happen. commuters queued for london buses earlier stuff _ happen. commuters queued for london buses earlier stuff on _ happen. commuters queued for london buses earlier stuff on the _ buses earlier stuff on the underground walked out too. leisure plans this week will also be affected. so from bradford sympathises with striking workers, but has had to find another more expensive way of travelling to a special birthday theatre trip. i special birthday theatre trip. i would get a return train forjust £6 or £8. plan b is taxis. and adding on extra expense, really. the return taxi, i have been given an estimate of £22 each way. the taxi, i have been given an estimate of £22 each way-— taxi, i have been given an estimate of £22 each way. the rmt union has re'ected a of £22 each way. the rmt union has rejected a pay _ of £22 each way. the rmt union has rejected a pay offer _ of £22 each way. the rmt union has rejected a pay offer worth _ of £22 each way. the rmt union has rejected a pay offer worth 396 - of £22 each way. the rmt union has rejected a pay offer worth 396 and i rejected a pay offer worth 3% and insisted it had no choice but to defend its members against what it called aggressive cuts to jobs and conditions. it has warned that more strikes could follow. i conditions. it has warned that more strikes could follow.— strikes could follow. i don't think sunday will be _ strikes could follow. i don't think sunday will be the _ strikes could follow. i don't think sunday will be the end _ strikes could follow. i don't think sunday will be the end of - strikes could follow. i don't think sunday will be the end of it - strikes could follow. i don't think sunday will be the end of it from | sunday will be the end of it from what i can see. if we could negotiate a deal this week, it can

be. otherwise, we will have to look at what campaigns we have got going forward. we think other unions will join this dispute on the railway. the rail industry is under pressure to save money after the financial hit from the pandemic, and says ways of working need updating, from using more technology and maintenance to making weekends part of the normal rota. network rail says changes involving 1800 fewerjobs will enable a higher pay offer. it now hopes to push them through. thea;r hopes to push them through. they could stop that _ hopes to push them through. iie: could stop that process hopes to push them through. tie: could stop that process at hopes to push them through. tierg could stop that process at any hopes to push them through. tieg could stop that process at any point if there is a willingness to strike the deal. ~ , the deal. the prime minister told cabinet the _ the deal. the prime minister told cabinet the country _ the deal. the prime minister told cabinet the country must - the deal. the prime minister toldj cabinet the country must prepare the deal. the prime minister told i cabinet the country must prepare to stay the course during the strikes. these improvements in the way we run our railways _ these improvements in the way we run our railways are in the interests of the travelling public. they will help _ the travelling public. they will help to — the travelling public. they will help to cut costs for fare payers up and down — help to cut costs for fare payers up and down the country. but they are also in _ and down the country. but they are also in the — and down the country. but they are also in the interests of the railways. _ also in the interests of the railways, of railway workers and their_ railways, of railway workers and their families.— their families. services are now drawin: their families. services are now drawing to _ their families. services are now

drawing to their— their families. services are now drawing to their early _ their families. services are now drawing to their early close - their families. services are now. drawing to their early close across the country. tomorrow morning, fresh talks are planned between the two sides in this dispute. the station behind me is one of the places where there have been no trains at all today. trains will start running again tomorrow, but it won't be back to normal. it will start later than normal and over the course of the day, there will still be fewer services running than you would see usually. as for those talks tomorrow, they are due to take place in the morning. but as i understand it, even if there is a deal tomorrow, that is too late to prevent disruption on thursday because the timetable for that day is already baked into the system. if there is a deal, it could potentially prevent disruption on saturday, but given the words we have seen from both sides in this dispute in the past few days, that does feel like a very big if. many thanks, katy. large parts of the country have had no passenger trains for the entire day, including most

of scotland and wales. northern ireland has not been affected. and in london, separate industrial action on the london underground left commuters with an even bigger headache. in a moment, we'll hear from our correspondents in london and cardiff, but first to lorna gordon in glasgow. this is normally scotland's busiest train station, 130,000 people pass through every day. but look at it, it is pretty much deserted. the departure board behind me is blank. the last train from central for the evening left at about 5.45. in fact, the last west coast cross—border train down to england left even earlier, just after 2.30 this afternoon. 90% of scotrail services, the services within scotland, have been cancelled today. 0nly around 200 trains have run compared to a normal timetable of about 2000. that has been on five routes within the central belt. there have been no trains north of the central belt

today, no trains north of edinburgh or glasgow, so no trains to cities including aberdeen, inverness, dundee and perth. scotland's transport minister has called on the uk government to get around the table. she is also calling for a full devolution of rail powers in terms of the impact here in scotland. some hospitality venues, some hotels are saying they are seeing cancellations, a downturn in revenue. but in terms of commuting, only around one in 20 of us prior to covid used the rail network to commute. those numbers dropped slightly post—pandemic, and transport scotland are saying they have seen no significant increase in the number of people on the roads today, which would suggest that many people are choosing to work from home. ., , ._ ., , ., people are choosing to work from home. ., , ., , ., , home. the longest day of the year is robabl home. the longest day of the year is probably feeling _ home. the longest day of the year is probably feeling a _ home. the longest day of the year is probably feeling a lot _ home. the longest day of the year is probably feeling a lot longer - home. the longest day of the year is probably feeling a lot longer for - probably feeling a lot longer for people trying to travel around wales today. 0verall, fewer than 10% of scheduled train services running

today. here in canada, the last train towards london left over two hours ago. you have to wait until after seven i am tomorrow morning for the next train through to london. but arguably, people in the south—east corner of wales around cardiff are lucky. this is the only part of wales where there are some services. nothing west of cardiff and swansea, carmarthen and pembrokeshire. nothing in mid wales at all, or in north wales. and while only a small proportion of people use trains to travel for work in wales, they are important for leisure and tourism, so saturday's scheduled action could have an even bigger impact in wales. it is important to note that transport for wales drivers are not striking today. they have agreed an undisclosed pay deal with a welsh government owned employers. because network rail are on strike, most trains can't run. the welsh labour government for their part have been highly critical of the uk government, claiming this is a dispute they have created. but

unlike their labour colleagues in westminster, mark drakeford says he has no problem with welsh labour's senedd membersjoining picket lines. senedd members joining picket lines. well, senedd membersjoining picket lines. well, this is usually one of the busiest stations in the country, but not today. earlier, i went the concourse and it was a lot quieter, not the frequent tannoy announcements that passengers are so used to hearing. 0ne announcements that passengers are so used to hearing. one part of the station that remains closed is the entrance to the tube station. that is because today, an estimated 10,000 london underground staff walked out. that has had an impact on the estimated 5 million journeys that usually take place on the tube. earlier, i spoke to a cleaner who told me she was able to get to work because of the reduced service that was on the elizabeth line. but many of her colleagues come to work on the bus and they were heavily

impacted today because of those packed out buses and people queueing. now, all tube lines have been severely impacted, with some not even running at all. and how did we get here? well, this is a strike overjob cuts and working conditions and pensions. and many of the local businesses here wonder whether this could have an impact on profits, particularly as passengers are having to deal with a rail strike as well. , ., ., , ., well. celestina olulode, hywel and lorna, well. celestina olulode, hywel and lorna. thank— well. celestina olulode, hywel and lorna, thank you _ well. celestina olulode, hywel and lorna, thank you very _ well. celestina olulode, hywel and lorna, thank you very much. - with all the advance warnings about the strike, many people have made alternative arrangements — working from home, for example. but for some, there's been no choice but to get into the car. the aa has reported some traffic hotspots around the country.

here's our midlands correspoindent phil mackie. it wasn't as bad as expected. in most places, and for most of the day, traffic on the major routes was marginally quieter than normal. it seems like the message had got through. at the national traffic 0perations centre on the outskirts of birmingham, the banks of screens were showing free—flowing motorways where, normally, there would be delays. it seems that those who could switched back to a lockdown routine and worked from home. things have moved on, technology has improved, we're able to talk to each other on social media groups, so things have changed dramatically and people have got a really robust plan b and, in some cases, a plan c as well. plan b forjohn hayes was to work from home, but that's not straightforward when you're a head teacher at two primary schools in north london. so, i live in stevenage, so i commute via train every day into london. today, i decided that it would be best for me to work from home and organise all my meetings via zoom. because of the additional pressures to the system from the tube strike,

i felt that it would be not a good use of my time today to be sitting in trafficjams throughout the day. at watford gap services on the m1, it was also quieter than usual, but some people hadn't expected to be here at all. we're on an event for works, going to a dragon boat race in windsor, and we've travelled all the way from yorkshire. and, basically, trains are on strike, we wanted to do a quickjourney on the trains, but unfortunately, we can't do that, so we were stuck on a bus forfour hours, basically! you know what? honestly, it's not been too bad, it's not been too bad at all. a few disruptions, but i was expecting a lot worse, to be honest with you. this is the evening rush hour on the m5 in worcestershire. 0rdinarily, there would be queues in the roadworks, but again, it's not too bad. the trouble is, if everybody thinks, "well, it was quiet today, "so i'm going to drive to work for the rest of the strike," well, we'll be back at square one

and there will be traffic chaos. and the end of the week will be much busier. after all, this is the road from the midlands and north to glastonbury. phil mackie, bbc news, worcestershire. businesses are struggling today, with many reporting the difficulties faced by staff trying to get to work. and, of course, the same applies to their customers — staying at home instead of being out and about, spending money. some estimates put the cost to the hospitality industry at half a billion pounds. 0ur correspondent danny savage reports from york. on a fine summer's day, people would normally be pouring out of york station to visit the city. not today. barely a trickle of people were passing by. 0utside, they were queuing for the coach to london and leeds instead. today's strike has ruined people's trips. we've had to book a bus, not get a refund on train tickets

and then pay for a hotel in london, which was not part of our plans. and you're flying to australia tomorrow? tomorrow. i think it throws a lot of tourists especially off, because you don't anticipate dealing with stress and strife while you're on vacation. it took me, like, four hours to get to here. | it's an absolute joke, mate, you know what i mean? - this man was trying to get to wakefield. he wasn't having a good day. there's normally trains every sort of 15, 20 minutes. and that's it. it's either a bus, a taxi, a coach or walk. by lunchtime, pub staff were definitely noticing the difference. normally by about 1pm, the beer garden out here would be full and the restaurant itself would be full, and it was empty until about 2pm today. no real tourism trade today that we would normally have. this market trader says footfall is down, and some of his customers haven't much sympathy for the strikers. and of course, with less footfall, it's less people to buy things,

so it's a knock on effect, you know? a lot of my locals that come here start saying, "well, i ain't had a pay rise in five years. you know, why are they holding the country to ransom?" i take great pride in making sure all of my prisoners - feel...uncomfortable! it's a bit of a horror show for this tourist attraction too. staff travel to the york dungeon by train. they've had to adapt. due to the rail strikes, the actors that do live further afield from york, we have taken them off the rota this week. so it's those that live in york or more locally that are coming in to work this week. for a weekday outside of the school holidays, this is unwelcome, but manageable. further strikes, though, especially this saturday, will hit this city harder. danny savage, bbc news, york. as we've heard, borisjohnson urged commuters to stay the course during the strike but labour has accused ministers of deliberately sowing division.

let's get the latest from our deputy political editor vicki young at westminster. it may be the rail bosses and union negotiating, but this is turning out to be an increasingly political issue. exactly. ministers might not be in the room doing the negotiating, but ultimately they do oversee the finances of the railways so they have real influence in this process and it's very clear too what the government thinks about this, condemning the strikes, talking about the need for modernisation of the railway. the official prime ministerial spokesperson said double—digit pay rises are not likely, they are not feasible across the board at the moment. that's because they say it would increase inflation. so the message from the government is stand firm, that is easy to say on day one of the strike top if this becomes protracted and of other people join in, top if this becomes protracted and of other peoplejoin in, if top if this becomes protracted and of other people join in, if you top if this becomes protracted and of other peoplejoin in, if you have nurses, doctors and teachers balloting for strike action, it quickly becomes a real headache for the government. it has been tricky too for the labour leader. yesterday

he said to his senior mps, don't show any support for the strikes, don'tjoin picket lines. a few of them have to fight him. the question for him now is what, if anything, he's going to do about that. there's more updates, news and analysis on bbc news 0nline — that's bbc.co.uk/news — and by using the bbc news app. the time is 6:18 pm. our top story this evening: the biggest rail strike in a generation, there is disruption everywhere with no services at all in parts of the uk. coming up, i am at eastbourne where serena williams will shortly make her return to competitive action for the first time in nearly a year. coming up in sportsday in the next 15 minutes on the bbc news channel: anthonyjohsua says he's the comeback king and can still unify the heavyweight division. he must first beat 0leksandr usyk in their august rematch.

pharmacies run by the high street chain boots have been criticised for telling some patients, who need to take multiple drugs, that they can no longer be issued with dosette boxes. these are weekly pill organisers which help people keep track of what medicine to take on a daily basis. critics say the plans will present problems for older and more vulnerable patients. 0ur health editor hugh pym reports. they are known as blister pack or dosette boxes. tablets for elderly patients prepacked by pharmacists in compartments for different times of day. pat is 88 years old. she suffers from epilepsy and struggles with some memory problems. and here is her dosette box with pills arranged clearly showing what needs to be taken and when. it helps her stay independent at home. but her daughter got a call from the local boots pharmacy saying

the dosette boxes would be stopped. they said, "it's ending in four weeks' time, and after that time if you still want us to dispense your mum's medication, then it will have to be in the manufacturer's individual boxes." and how difficult would that be? it would be incredibly difficult. there is no way that mum could cope with multiple boxes, with different instructions in each box. a boots spokesperson said the latest royal pharmaceutical society guidance indicates the use of multi—compartment compliance aids is not always the most appropriate option for patients that need support to take their medicines at the right dose and time. pharmacists are speaking with patients to discuss whether it is the right way to support them. but some independent pharmacists are continuing to issue the dosette boxes, but they say it is a costly process. we haven't had any one of our members basically

withdrawing their service from the patient, but they are under a lot of pressure, because the service is not funded at the moment. and doctors emphasised how important the boxes are for some patients. blister packs enable people with mild dementia or some memory problems to take their own medication and remain independent. they can check that they have taken it and they know they have taken the right thing because it's already sorted. later on, it enables paid carers and families to help them take the medication and remain in a community and remain as well as possible. boots said if patients were concerned, they should contact their local pharmacist. the charity age uk says for those who needed the boxes, it would be deeply regrettable if the service were to go. hugh pym, bbc news. as we've been hearing, pay is a key issue for rail workers — as it is for millions of others also facing a cost of living crisis. royal mail workers are

voting on strike action and there's trouble brewing in the nhs. other companies are looking at one—off bonuses. our business editor simonjack is with us now. yes — while the dispute in the rail industry has brought trains to a halt in much of the uk, more pay flashpoints are coming down the track. nhs workers are expecting a report from their independent pay review body in the coming days. same for school teachers and the police. now, teachers�* and nhs workers' unions have said they will ballot their members on strike action if they don't get a pay offer close to inflation — currently running at 9% and forecast to go to 11%. these pay review bodies can be ignored and have been in the past, but in the current environment, that would throw fuel on the industrial dispute fire. it's notjust the public sector where disputes are brewing. royal mail announced in the last few hours it would ballot over 100,000 workers on strike action,

having received a 2% pay rise. a different approach from some companies — lloyds is paying 64,000 workers a one—off payment of £1,000 this autumn on top of a pay rise of 3.6%. rolls royce has offered 70% of its workers a payment of £2,000 on top of a pay rise this year of 4%. that offer has been rejected this afternoon by the unite union. they are saying it is a below inflation pay rise in disguise. but remember, some will see their incomes rise by inflation. pension rises are indexed to inflation and so will see their incomes rise by whatever inflation is in september — likely to be 10% or higher. the government may face questions as to why that is not inflationary wage rises for others are. the government says we have also given £37 billion in support already this year. final

thought, all of this could be notched up, ratcheted up a notch tomorrow when we get new inflation data, which is once again expected to rise. a former royal engineers afghanistan veteran who stabbed his neighbours to death while their young children slept upstairs has beenjailed for at least 38 years. collin reeves killed stephen and jennifer chapple at their home in norton fitzwarren, near taunton in somerset, in november last year after a long running dispute over a parking space. moscow has threatened lithuania with "serious and negative" consequences for banning the transport of some goods through the baltic state to the russian territory of kaliningrad, calling it a hostile act. kaliningrad has no land connection with the rest of russia. lithuania maintains its implementing eu sanctions imposed over the invasion of ukraine. nearly 70 people are now known to have died in severe floods in bangladesh and india. millions have been displaced from their homes following incessant rain. north eastern bangladesh

and assam in india are the worst affected regions. the military has been involved in the rescue efforts, but it's struggling to reach remote areas. a russian journalist has raised a russianjournalist has raised more than £80 million to help children displaced by the war in ukraine by auctioning off his aching peace prize. he founded an independent newspaper which was often critical of the russian government and was recognised last year for his efforts protecting free speech. he said he would keep a copy of the medal, which is made of chocolate. in a few minutes' time serena williams is due to play her first competitive tennis match for thr first time in nearly a year. the 23 time grand slam champion will be playing in the doubles at a grass court tournament in eastbourne. williams has received a wild card for wimbledon. 0ur sports correspondent laura scott is in eastbourne.

quite a moment, laura? it is, george- _ quite a moment, laura? it is, george- after— quite a moment, laura? it is, george. after 358 _ quite a moment, laura? it is, george. after 358 days - quite a moment, laura? it is, george. after 358 days off - quite a moment, laura? it is, j george. after 358 days off the court, serena williams is back and there are many people within the tennis world doubted whether we would ever see her play competitively again. remember, last year at wimbledon, she slipped during herfirst round match year at wimbledon, she slipped during her first round match and hobbled off centre court. since then she has turned 40 and she has been out with injury, but she's been practising here at eastbourne and in the next hour or so she will make a hotly anticipated return to a match in the women's doubles match alongside tunisia's and juba who joked she would not be too nervous standing next to her. withjust six days to go until wimbledon begins this is an important part of her preparation. yes, she isn't going there as the one to beat. she is ranked 1204th in the world and goes with a wildcard but she obvious he knows how to win it, having done so

seven times before and tonight's match will be an important first test of how she's feeling and playing. he's been in the public eye all of his life — key moments from his birth onwards filmed and documented. the duke of cambridge is celebrating his 40th birthday today, and he's been spending it privately with his family. this milestone comes at a time of increasing responsibility for prince william — as our royal correspondent, daniela relph, reports. where do you go for your 40th? it seems, a supermarket in west london. there was a surprise shopper there this afternoon. the duke of cambridge popped in to give some birthday cake to big issue seller dave martin. the pair met a couple of weeks ago, when prince william went out with dave to sell the magazine. as he enters a new decade, tackling homelessness is the priority for william. he's invested in the problem and he's invested in trying to find a solution for those

who are affected by the problem, and "long may it continue" is what i say. on a personal level, marriage to kate and fatherhood have suited him. their children were some of the stars of the show over the platinum jubilee weekend. and his focus on his family will see a big move this summer, when the cambridges leave london to set up home in windsor. the move here has been driven by personal reasons. behind the castle walls, there is greater freedom for the family than they currently have in london, the children will go to school nearby, but it also puts william closer to his grandmother at a time when he is stepping up his official duties. 0ne unresolved issue is the fallout with his brother, prince harry. i do know from sources very close to william that he is still very hurt about some of the things that his brother and his sister—in—law have said and done. there is not the closeness there once was. i think there's probably quite a few bridges to be rebuilt before they get to that stage.

the years ahead will be filled with significant change, but for now, at 40, the once cautious, contained prince has become a more open, confident future king. daniela relph, bbc news. time for a look at the weather — here's louise lear. things are hotting up again? a glorious day for england and wales once again but not for all of us. in fact, this is scotland. yesterday you had a glorious day but today there has been quite a lot of cloud and that has been thick enough for a spot of light drizzle at times. the best of the sunshine has been further south across england and wales. it has been glorious. but look at where the cloud has been sitting, a few splits and spots of drizzle across parts of eastern scotland but push further south, lots of clear sky and sunshine. a beautiful day. temperatures widely into the mid 20s this afternoon, very nice indeed. as you can see,

this was buckinghamshire a little earlier, a glorious afternoon in prospect with light winds. we keep the clear skies as we go into wednesday for many of us and certainly through eastern scotland, i suspect we will see a little bit more in the way of sunshine tomorrow. still the chance of a few scattered showers further north and west. just that bit cooler, 15 to 20 celsius but once again we are likely to see widespread temperatures into mid 20s, maybe some in the north west of england to see temperatures into the high 20s. moving out of wednesday into thursday, we need to keep our eye on this frontal system. it will push up from the south and potentially trigger a few scattered showers. that could spoil the day i suspect on thursday. some of the showers may even be tandoori and once again we keep some cloud across the far north—west of scotland and maybe northern fringes of northern ireland. basically another drive, settled in sunny, and if you like it hot, we will see temperatures once

again back into the high 20s.