most of the west midlands are nearly all of the east midlands will be in tier 4from tomorrow all of the4 from tomorrow morning, i all of the east midlands will be in tier 4from tomorrow morning, i ran 6 million people. the conservative mayor of the west met once told me it was a necessary step because of the pressure happening on the hospitals. we have just the pressure happening on the hospitals. we havejust heard the pressure happening on the hospitals. we have just heard from the chief executive of the trust that runs four big hospitals and he says it is the busiest he has seen in 25 years. he says most mornings may start with no extra beds and they are getting 25 extra patients a day with the infection rate rising by 21% of the last week. people have been out today. there was a bit of a rush to get your hair cut and go to the shops before they close but tonight they are shutting and birmingham remains pretty much as deserted as it has been over the past couple of weeks. there is a call from the mayor of the west midlands for more government help. he thinks there needs to be more fin

could give another covering of snow across parts of northern england, the midlands and towards east,should be for the time of year. so, we'll be seeing out 2020 perhaps covered in white across parts of the midlands and eastern england with the snow around, all linked into the low pressure system, which still dominates to the east of us, keeping that northerly flow in place for new year's day. we will see this zone of rain, sleet and snow linger during the morning on new year's day, we think. it will start to fizzle. still a zone of cloud. wouldn't be surprised to still see a few showers in that as winds converge into it, but either side, bit of new year's day sunshine, good day for a walk. it will be cold, though, again, another day to wrap up temperatures at best, mid single figures. through the night, then, friday night and into saturday, low pressure starts to drift a bit further southwards. winds start to grow around into more of a northeasterly direction. the good news is that means those showers we've been seeing persistent through much of the week in wales and the far southwes

i see start to tuesday, snow again covering and more snow drifting through parts of midlands and waleshowers, which will turn to snow, chiefly over high ground and you have to watch for rainfall which is courting up across cornwall for the next few days and we have the keenest of the breeze with lighter and further east and like we saw on monday, some mist and fog lingering. tuesday evening, quite a few showers around the coast, many becoming dry, clear and very frosty, and i see with cold air in place meaning this next feature means we see it push around and it could give a wide spreads bell of snow. milder air, colder air on the north edge and its crucial to the track of that system who will see the snow. it is subject to change and one thing i will say is that at the moment, it seems like the dominant area is through wales. it is potentially disruptive as well. rain across giving aces impact on southern well. rain across giving aces impact on southern areas. well. rain across giving aces impact on southern areas. even if it doesn't impact during the day, we will see some snow for a

but, more recently, there has been some snow through the midlands, particularly over the peak districteen a messy picture because we've had these bands of cloud bringing wet weather swirling around an area of low pressure together with some stronger winds. that low pressure, though, will tend to move down into france, so, for a start, the winds will ease and through the weekend we should be turning drier as well. but we're still in cold air. with some clearing skies by the morning across some parts the midlands, eastern england, we are likely to find a frost and likely to find some icy conditions as well. elsewhere across the uk, it won't be quite as chilly, not going to be as cold as last night in scotland. there's more cloud around, there's wetter weather too. and the wetter weather across wales, western england will become confined to the south—west. we have a few showers breaking out, running into some eastern coasts of england but for many, it will be turning dry with some sunshine. the weather improving in northern ireland as well and those showers in scotland becoming fewer with

they could be 1-2,000,000 west midlands. people going into tier 4 in the east midlands. that announcement is coming at three o'clock. people are dreading it but expecting and knowing that they could well be placed in the highest tier simply because there was infection rates are going up so quickly here. come out 0k, phil, many thanks. 0ur correspondent phil mackie there. the education secretary is to make a statement this afternoon about the return of schools in england next month, amid growing concerns about rising coronavirus cases. all primary school pupils and year 11 and 13 secondary school pupils students had been expected to return to classrooms from monday, but school leaders and scientists have called for this to be reviewed. the prime minister, borisjohnson, has urged mps to "open a new chapter in our national story" by backing his post—brexit trade deal with the european union in a commons vote later today. mps are currently debating legislation which would put the eu trade deal into uk law. they're expected to ba

in the west midlands darby, there was drama.e had the fastest we had the fastest and it's there that joe lynskey starts his report. up up to tuesday, newcastle's training ground was close. as a welcome wes braun, they put it straight behind them. —— west brom. just getting a team out for a while was touch and go. west brom need points. they lost their last match 5-1 at points. they lost their last match 5—1 at home but drew level here. darnell furlong ran in from the back to hit a brilliant volley. i—i darnell furlong ran in from the back to hit a brilliant volley. 1—1 but newcastle called for someone both sides who could store. dwight gale was west brom's top scored two years ago. here he was to bring them again. for newcastle, a week has brought a big result. it's well documented, the problems we have. there were a few bodies out there who are just recovering from the virus, so i can't be carrying after the players. in a tough couple of weeks, they've stuck at it and got a result, which is great to. this is a tribute to an abs

john kerry reported from one particular st in the west midlands.ers. sarah is on the front line. she is a health care assistant at the birmingham hospital trust that has had more than 600 covid deaths. does it help you get through? 100%. every deaths. does it help you get through? 10096. every thursday. it is like a release. it is like a release, yes. when they are all clapping, it is another week coming to an end. it is amazing, just fantastic, i can't believe it. at precisely eight o'clock, for the fifth week in a row, it felt like the whole of the uk erupted. # let it shine, let it shine, let it shine #. 8000 miles from home, members of the british antarctic survey joined 8000 miles from home, members of the british antarctic surveyjoined in. in the middle east, divers from hms ledbury clapped and washed their hands at the same time. in the skies above wiltshire, the pilot of a light aircraft plotted his flight path to spell out his gratitude. while on the ground, the social distancing red arrows. from bin collectors in norfolk, to the royal fam

you have just conservative mayor for the west midlands.ke i said, not a complete surprise but perhaps gone further, in terms of geography, than we were expecting?” gone further, in terms of geography, than we were expecting? i think that is fair. people will be disappointed, businesses frustrated but i think the majority of the view will be that is understandable, numbers here have been rising steadily in recent weeks, so tier 3 restrictions haven't helped the virus at bay, and frankly we want to act quickly to prevent the sort of numbers we have seen in london. about 300 the average rate here in at the moment, so the quicker will react the quicker we can without the other side. i know birmingham, the black country, coventry, solihull, the areas you represent have really struggled being in tier 3, now the retail sector is going to be hit, those small businesses like the barber around the corner here will be shut as well. is there enough help coming from central government? categorically we understand why this decision is being made and eve

on the way of rain and drizzle develop a bit more widely, not everywhere, and certainly from the midlandsrds, we have blue skies continuing, even if the sunshine turns hazy. a cold night to come to that, not quite as cold as last night but the simplest around, frost free for england and wales, more an array of cloud and outbreaks of rain here, temperatures dropping only a few degrees from this afternoon in areas around the channel. tomorrow, this area of low pressure. to pep up the rain for england and wales and strengthen their wins. scotland and northern ireland staying that bit drier and brighter, some rain to the south—east of both, some showers in northern scotland but rain at times across england and wales. some brighter moments towards the south and east but the rain could be heavy with the odd rumble of thunder. temperatures around the english channel around 13 celsius, but cold as the wind picks up from the midlands northwards, with winds touching 60 mph and wales and south—west england during the night. that low pressure on the move heading towards christmas eve, then cold air f

it comes as the numbers testing positive in london and the east midlands overtake the north of england. the prime minister says it's possible he'll be left with no choice. we are hoping very much we will be able to avoid anything like that but the reality is, the rates of infection have increased very much in the last few weeks. we'll have the latest on restrictions across the uk. also this lunchtime. headteachers say the last—minute demand for testing of secondary school children across england is a shambles. parents say they're confused. it is difficult to know at the moment but it is pretty chaotic because we've onlyjust found out yesterday and it is child care issues in january. cyber hackers have gained access to two us departments which manage the country's nuclear stockpile. long covid — doctors are urged to follow up with patients who may still suffer symptoms months after contracting the virus. and like father, like son — wayne rooney announces his 11—year—old has signed with manchester united. and coming up in sport on bbc news, england's world cup winning captain calls it a

birmingham, along with most of the west midlands region, faces tier 3 restrictions.of deprivation, the rate of covid transmission had been climbing, and so transmission had been climbing, and so have the number of hospital admissions. but the impact the measures will have on people's livelihoods is causing grave concern. before the pandemic, 135,000 people worked within the hospitality sector in the west midlands. it contributed some £12.6 billion to the local economy. but jobs have been going, and businesses are under threat. the conservative mayor of the west midlands, and the labour leader of birmingham city council have both been calling for more financial support for the sector from the government. taxis are lined up, but with nowhere to go. no office parties or christmas drinks. that means far fewer fairs. as you see, it's like a ghost town. at night time, it's completely empty. 6096 or 7096 down on our income, and it will have a great impact on us going forward. if things don't improve, i can see bankruptcies. we have to weigh tier 3 four hours, just to get fa

probably quite murky for a time over the hills, with hill fog patches — wales, midlands, northern englandireland, but we will probably see some snow showers pushing in to northern areas of scotland as we go through wednesday, particularly over the higher ground. that colder air is going to be pushing southwards. through christmas eve and christmas day, we'll see some pretty widespread frost. a lot of dry weather with sunshine, but there will be some showers working down the north sea coast. that's your weather. this is bbc news. the headlines at seven: millions of people in england and wales are told to stay at home on the first day of tough, new coronavirus restrictions, as action is taken on a new variant of the virus. the new variant is out of control and we need to bring it under control, and this news about the new variant has been an incredibly difficult end to, frankly, an awful year. the health secretary labels crowded scenes at london stations last night as ‘irresponsible' — the transport secretary says extra police officers will be deployed to enforce the rules. france and germa

across western areas, western scotland, northern ireland, north—west england, wales, perhaps the midlandsh ground, and perhaps even at quite low levels at times. it's going to be a very chilly night indeed. temperatures as low as —7 or -8 indeed. temperatures as low as —7 or —8 in parts of scotland. there is the potential for icy stretches to start tomorrow morning, and this slow—moving area of rain, sleet and snow could give some accumulating snow could give some accumulating snow even at quite low levels, most likely in parts of wales, the midlands, central southern england and the west country. that will slowly pivot away put up another area of rain and some snow for western northern ireland and western scotland. some showers in eastern areas. brisk winds in the west, lighter further east. there will be some spells of sunshine on what will bea some spells of sunshine on what will be a decidedly chilly day. temperatures between two and possibly seven. low pressure still in charge of the scene as we move into tuesday. a northerly wind. these frontal systems in western areas indicate wher

already down to 100 metres in places with the foggy weather really from essex northwards into the east midlandsshire, and yorkshire. that's where the poorest visibility is likely to be. whereas further west, the skies tending to clear. this is where we'll see some of the lowest temperatures early on saturday morning. and saturday itself, it's a day where pressure is going to be rising across the whole of the uk. what that will do is it will squish this area of low pressure. so, in the next 2a hours, it won't exist at all, it willjust be gone. further west we get this ridge building in and that will have quite a big impact on the weather. it means across these western and southern areas, it's an improving weather picture with sunny spells developing but with that slow—moving area of low pressure close by, it stays pretty cloudy and there probably will still be some patches of rain well on into the afternoon across the north—east. for many of us, though, saturday morning will be a rather grey start to the day. extensive cloud, some patches of light rain and drizzle. very slowly pushing eastwards

maybe the midlands, the english channel coast as well.a fair amount of cloud in the skies as well. around double figures in the south of the country but at this stage the weather is quickly deteriorating in the north—west of the uk as storm bella approaches. the thinking is during the course of the evening on boxing day the weather will go downhill first in the north—west of the uk and then quickly the bad weather will spread from the north—west towards the south—east. we think particularly along this cold front we will see some nasty conditions across wales and also england, and that's where the worst of the wind will be. the met office has issued an amber warning. this is certainly for southern parts of wales and along the english channel. damaging winds, up to 80 mph are possible. also across england there will be gale force winds causing problems so storm bella is likely to bring some flooding, particularly across parts of wales and the south—west of the country and those damaging winds as well. as we go through the course of sunday m

so you have a slightly mixed picture for the east midlands.to sort of work out what the situation is in northern ireland and wales, which are two areas that are going to have stricter coronavirus rules after christmas than in england. welcome in northern ireland is a really interesting example, because it tells us it's notjust about really interesting example, because it tells us it's not just about the two numbers, it's notjust about the infections, the big difference is the ability of the health system to cope. northern ireland has fewer infections, half the rate of infections, half the rate of infection of great britain, and hospitalisations aren't rising at the same rates, but winter pressures are coming in as well. colder weather, demands on hospital always goes out, and that is the big difference between northern ireland and great britain, and that's one of the reasons why they've been one of the reasons why they've been one of the first to take that very big step of introducing the lockdown after christmas. very interesting point to mak

earlier in the west midlands derby, there was late drama as aston villa snatched a stoppage time winnerlves, while at stjames park, we had the fastest goal scored all season by miguel almiron in newcastle's win against west brom. it's there thatjoe lynskey starts his report. this has been a week in football only 2020 could bring. a covid outbreak postponed newcastle's last match up to tuesday their training ground was still close —— training ground. as they welcome west brom, they put it straight behind him. it's the best possible start! that was my gal are moron scoring and 20 seconds, i start predicted —— miguel. west brom need points. they lost their last match at home, but they drew level here. darnell ran in from the back post. 1—1, but newcastle called for someone both sides knew could score. gail was west brom's talks over two years ago. —— top scorer. defeat leaves the back stranded near the bottom. for newcastle, this week has brought a big result. it's well-documented, the we had. there were a few out there who are just recovering from there who are just recovering from the vi

the east midlands and leeds and a potential between leeds and manchester. those who oppose hs2. i'm delighted that finally, the experts are starting to agree with the yorkshire communities that east—west connectivity is more important than a train to london that may not be built in 2040. we would have never started from here if we'd have started from scratch in the north, and the money needs to go into the north for next year's great yorkshire recovery, and they need to completely forget hs2 and have some sensible plans for the north. we're getting on both with the eastern leg of h52 and the northern powerhouse rail. just last week, the prime minister reaffirmed his commitment to hs2, but business leaders still worry that manchester will get its links out and yorkshire will miss out. what i think they've got wrong is they haven't considered building hsz from the north to the south starting in leeds, which is the right way to phase the eastern leg of h52. and what we need is an integrated, high—speed network, and that means the east midlands and yorkshire ha

somewhat drier weather, though, i think for the midlands and eastern areas of england.terly winds, 10—13 celsius really sums it up on monday. moving quickly into tuesday, the winds won't be as strong on tuesday, there will be some showers around, southern and western areas in particular. they probably will become fewer during the afternoon, and many places will be turning dry. those temperatures still pretty good for the time of year around 9—11 celsius. it is a very unsettled week ahead, and wednesday could see a return of wet and windy weatherfor a while, and then things calm down a bit on thursday. we get some sunshine and just 1—2 showers. goodbye. this is bbc news. i'm james reynolds. our top stories: talks between the eu and the uk about a post—brexit trade deal continuing overnight in brussels but a british government source warns the offerfrom brussels remains unacceptable. doses of the coronavirus vaccine are being distributed across the us as first innoculations are due to take place on monday. hundreds of students are feared missing in north—western nigeria a

somewhat drier weather though, i think, for the midlands and eastern areas of england.south to south—west winds so 10—13 really sums it up on monday. moving quickly into tuesday, the winds will not be as strong on tuesday. there will be still some showers around, southern and western areas in particular. they probably will become fewer during the afternoon and many places will be turning dry. those temperatures still good for the time of year, around 9—11 degrees. it is a very unsettled week ahead and wednesday could see a return of wet and windy weatherfor a while, and then things calm down a bit on thursday. we get some sunshine and just one or two showers. goodbye. welcome to bbc news — i'm james reynolds. our top stories: talks between the eu and the uk about a post—brexit trade deal continue overnight in brussels but a british government source warns the offer from brussels remains unacceptable. hundreds of students are feared missing in north—western nigeria after a raid by gunmen on a secondary school. the head of the un urges countries to declare climate emergen

but, more recently, there has been some snow through the midlands, particularly over the peak districtling around an area of low pressure together with some stronger winds. that low pressure, though, will tend to move down into france, so, for a start, the winds will ease and through the weekend we should be turning drier as well. but we're still in cold air. with some clearing skies by the morning across some parts the midlands, eastern england, we are likely to find a frost and likely to find some icy conditions as well. elsewhere across the uk, it won't be quite as chilly, not going to be as cold as last night in scotland. there's more cloud around, there's wetter weather too. and the wetter weather across wales, western england will become confined to the south—west. we have a few showers breaking out, running into some eastern coasts of england but for many, it will be turning dry with some sunshine. the weather improving in northern ireland as well and those showers in scotland becoming fewer with sunshine especially in the south—west. another chilly day, not as windy as it was o

somewhat drier weather though, i think, for the midlands and eastern areas of england.will not be as strong on tuesday. there will be still some showers around, southern and western areas in particular. they probably will become fewer during the afternoon and many places will be turning dry. those temperatures still good for the time of year, around 9—11 degrees. it is a very unsettled week ahead and wednesday could see a return of wet and windy weatherfor a while, and then things calm down a bit on thursday. we get some sunshine and just one or two showers. goodbye. this is bbc news. i'm james reynolds with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. talks between the eu and the uk about a post—brexit trade deal continue overnight in brussels, but a british government source warns the offerfrom brussels remains unacceptable. hundreds of students are feared missing in north—western nigeria after a raid by gunmen on a secondary school. the head of the un urges countries to declare climate emergencies as part of efforts to tackle global warming. and a

but, more recently, there has been some snow through the midlands, particularly over the peak districtnds of cloud bringing wet weather swirling around an area of low pressure together with some stronger winds. that low pressure, though, will tend to move down into france, so, for a start, the winds will ease and through the weekend we should be turning drier as well. but we're still in cold air. with some clearing skies by the morning across some parts the midlands, eastern england, we are likely to find a frost and likely to find some icy conditions as well. elsewhere across the uk, it won't be quite as chilly, not going to be as cold as last night in scotland. there's more cloud around, there's wetter weather too. and the wetter weather across wales, western england will become confined to the south—west. we have a few showers breaking out, running into some eastern coasts of england but for many, it will be turning dry with some sunshine. the weather improving in northern ireland as well and those showers in scotland becoming fewer with sunshine especially in the south—west. anothe

somewhat drier weather though, i think, for the midlands and eastern areas of england. it up on monday. moving quickly into tuesday, the winds will not be as strong on tuesday. there will be still some showers around, southern and western areas in particular. they probably will become fewer during the afternoon and many places will be turning dry. those temperatures still good for the time of year, around 9—11 degrees. it is a very unsettled week ahead and wednesday could see a return of wet and windy weatherfor a while, and then things calm down a bit on thursday. we get some sunshine and just one or two showers. goodbye. 00:29:08,072 --> 4294966103:13:29,430 in a single day, on saturday. this is bbc news, the headlines: talks about a post—brexit trade deal between the uk and the eu are continuing through the night in brussels. a decision is due sometime on sunday about whether enough progress has been made to carry on negotiations or abandon them, leaving the uk on course to leave the eu without a deal. americans are due to start receiving the pfizer—biontech coronavi

could be a bit further north, which means rain into the midlands, snow into northern england. it will be, but a cold day for all once again. even if it is a bit further north, once that system clears, we could see some snow for a time through wednesday night to thursday morning, east anglia and the southeast. on thursday, new year's eve, a run of northerly winds. batches of showers could bring yet a further covering of snow mainly across central and eastern parts of the country, which could linger around into new year's day morning, but for most, new year's day 2021 will start chilly but dry. this is bbc world news. the headlines... the daily number of coronavirus cases in the uk has passed 40,000 for the first time. there were 41,385 new cases with 357 more deaths, increasing pressure on hospitals still further. a chinese journalist, zhang zhan, who reported on the early days of the coronavirus outbreak in the city of wuhan, has been sentenced to four years in jail over reports that criticised the authorities‘ response to the pandemic. the british government is warning of bum

most likely snow through wales, the midlands towards the east anglia but bearin midlands towards theher north the further north are brighter but called for all. we could seasonal for a time wednesday night thursday morning, then on thursday new year's eve are run of northerly winds, batches of showers could bring further covering of snow. that could linger to new year's day morning, for most, new year's day 21 will structurally but dry.

that cloud and outbreaks of rain push through the midlands towards east anglia and the southeast.wers. the wintry showers in scotland and northern ireland should get pushed away, so it's turning drier through the day with more sunshine. but it's going to be cold here. temperatures onlyjust a few degrees above freezing. the highest temperatures will be towards the south coast of england, where we have rain developing, of course. and we could see some heavy rain tomorrow night in the southeast of england. this weather system around the low pressure though could be more significant in scotland and bring some travel disruption. snow falling early in the morning, quite widely in scotland, some heavierfalls over the hills. tending to turn back to rain through the day. and near the center of the low, we've got this weather stuck in northern england, the midlands and east anglia. that's going to bring a bit of snow to the high ground and could bring some sleet to lower levels as well. now, the details still could change, but at the moment, it looks drier across south wales and the southwe

school attendance has ranged from 37% in the sandwell district of the west midlands as opposed to 92%ot a usually properly this area “— which is not a usually properly this area —— usually prosperous. children in many schools, state and independent, who have received a lot of online teaching and also children who have received absolutely none. if nothing else comes out of this awful pandemic, putting things like that right would be a huge step forward. katy, can we move onto the post? what to do in terms of funding for hsz. what to do in terms of funding for h52. yes, i think the concern for support is there are lots of transport links, railways, trains that ought to be fixed and ultimately, the concerned is because of hs2 in the huge sum of money, that could mean these regional services do not get the same look and. ithink services do not get the same look and. i think this is the... he obviously chose to press ahead and i think the length of time it takes, also in terms of how coronavirus has changed with lots of people working at home. that might not be permanent, but even if we do

somewhat drier weather though, i think, for the midlands and eastern areas of england.e. we've got those blustery south to south—west winds so 10—13 really sums it up on monday. moving quickly into tuesday, the winds will not be as strong on tuesday. there will be still some showers around, southern and western areas in particular. they probably will become fewer during the afternoon and many places will be turning dry. those temperatures still good for the time of year, around 9—11 degrees. it is a very unsettled week ahead and wednesday could see a return of wet and windy weatherfor a while, and then things calm down a bit on thursday. we get some sunshine and just one or two showers. goodbye. welcome to bbc news — i'm james reynolds. our top stories: talks between the eu and the uk about a post—brexit trade deal continue overnight in brussels but a british government source warns the offer from brussels remains unacceptable. hundreds of students are feared missing in north—western nigeria after a raid by gunmen on a secondary school. the head of the un urges countrie

across england and wales, some of the heaviest across north wales and three line through wales, midlands is bbc news. i'm ben brown. our latest headlines... france is expected to announce plans to lift the cross—channel travel ban. there are now thought to be almost 3,000 lorries stuck in kent waiting to leave the uk. there's severe disruption in dover, and more than 50 countries have now banned arrivals from the uk over fears of the new coronavirus variant. behind me are some of those 3000 lorries in and around the port of dover. they are stuck here with absolutely no sign of when the gridlock will end. retailers are warning of future food shortages of some products unless the border problems are resolved.

there was some sunshine earlier today through the midlands, southeast england and east anglia, stillcolder the fog persisted here and there. wasn't too much around this afternoon but a few hours thickening up. good day to have an umbrella handy with the rain tumbling down, it's been quite wet across the northwest of england, north wales and showers in scotland, for a while in northern ireland and that what or whether moving southwards into the midlands. heading towards the southeast where ahead of that rain with god some fog and east anglia in the southeast of england. but that will tend to lift as that rain comes in, washing things away, the rain could be quite heavy for a while. showers then do follow on behind, but we will get some clearer skies for northern ireland, wales and the southwest. maybe a few pockets of frost, but generally speaking, it should be frost—free by the end of the night. the wetter weather from earlier in the night will move away from east anglia, and then we will have a few showers, but those showers will be diminishing, and for many, it will be brightening

we just heard that there is concern about parts of the midlands and stoke—on—trent.d? can you hear me? clearly not, we will try and get back to phil later. liz kendal, labour mp and shadow minister for social care, joins us now. there seem to be concerns about other parts of the country, where perhaps this new variant of covid—19 is spreading. are you expecting a widening of the tier 4 restrictions to other areas in england? that is what we are expecting, and it is essential that the government moves swiftly on this. if the independent scientific advisers sage recommend that more areas going to tier 4 or that more areas going to tier 4 or that we have to go further, the government must act swiftly. we have seen extremely worrying rises in the number of people infected ring admitted into hospital, being on ventilators, and tragically dying. the government needs to move much more swiftly than it has in the past to save lives and make sure pressure doesn't overwhelm the nhs. given that this new variant, it is estimated, can spread anything from 50% to 60% more quickly t

but, more recently, there has been some snow through the midlands, particularly over the peak districtthese bands of cloud bringing wet weather swirling around an area of low pressure together with some stronger winds. that low pressure, though, will tend to move down into france, so, for a start, the winds will ease and through the weekend we should be turning drier as well. but we're still in cold air. with some clearing skies by the morning across some parts the midlands, eastern england, we are likely to find a frost and likely to find some icy conditions as well. elsewhere across the uk, it won't be quite as chilly, not going to be as cold as last night in scotland. there's more cloud around, there's wetter weather too. and the wetter weather across wales, western england will become confined to the south—west. we have a few showers breaking out, running into some eastern coasts of england but for many, it will be turning dry with some sunshine. the weather improving in northern ireland as well and those showers in scotland becoming fewer with sunshine especially in the south—west

into the north midlands and wales through the night, into tomorrow morning.t to tomorrow morning. from south—western gwent, wales, through to northern england, continuing to see cloud tomorrow. 0ne continuing to see cloud tomorrow. one or two showers, particularly in the morning. most will have a dry start to 2021. over the days that follow, it will stay cold, maybe not as cold as it has been. but be prepared. there will be a stronger win for england and wales and it will bring in rain at times. a bit of hill snow, nothing too significant. if you want to sunshine, it will be in western areas, particularly western scotland. that is how the weather shapes up for the end of this year, the start of next. from me, happy hogmanay.

but, more recently, there has been some snow through the midlands, particularly over the peak districtuse we've had these bands of cloud bringing wet weather swirling around an area of low pressure together with some stronger winds. that low pressure, though, will tend to move down into france, so, for a start, the winds will ease and through the weekend we should be turning drier as well. but we're still in cold air. with some clearing skies by the morning across some parts the midlands, eastern england, we are likely to find a frost and likely to find some icy conditions as well. elsewhere across the uk, it won't be quite as chilly, not going to be as cold as last night in scotland. there's more cloud around, there's wetter weather too. and the wetter weather across wales, western england will become confined to the south—west. we have a few showers breaking out, running into some eastern coasts of england but for many, it will be turning dry with some sunshine. the weather improving in northern ireland as well and those showers in scotland becoming fewer with sunshine especially in

south—west tomorrow, some snow developing in the hills of wales, some of that rain pushing into the midlandsnglia and the south—east, northern england writer with some showers and those wintry showers in scotland get pushed away, so it is turning drier through the day. increasing amounts of sunshine but it's cold. temperatures barely above freezing. the highest temperatures tomorrow along the south coast but without rain coming in and some wet weather in the south—east tomorrow evening. low pressure in charge, bands of wet weather swelling around it, the one in the north could be more significant. travel disruption likely on friday morning with snow falling across much of scotland, heavy on the hills, gradually that's no tending to turn to rain but we are stuck with wetter weather across northern england, the midlands and east anglia on friday, some snow in the hills here and maybe some sleet at lower levels too. the details could change but at the moment it looks dry in the south of wales, and the south—west of england. it will be cold on friday and windy, especially around coastal areas. b

, and now it has been a com plete midlands, and now it has been a complete reverse. are seeing rates largely fall, when is the south—east, and in particular london, the east of london, parts of essex and kent, are seen cases continually growing up. but it is not just the fact that cases overall are going up, cases are rising, albeit more slowly in the over 60s, who are more susceptible to serious disease, and we are also seen hospital admissions creep up. now more than 2000 patients in hospital with covid in london. just over a month ago, it was just over 1000. and last countjust shy of 1500 beds free in london. the concern is if those covid cases kept going up, hospitals would soon start to fill up. and that is why the government has taken this action earlier than it planned to, because a review is happening on wednesday, and why it london and some of the surrounding areas are all affected by the move to first on wednesday. thank you very much. so more than 3a million people in england will be living in areas under the highest covid restrictions. let's recap what st

millions of people across northern england and midlands will stay in tier 3. regret having to take the action we have to take. i deem it necessary and there is a strong view right across government that these actions are necessary. greater manchester has been under the toughest restrictions for months and the rate of infection has come down, below the average. despite that the government has decided not to move it to tier 2 yet. the problem with tier 3 as it is devastating from an economic point of view and that is what we said to the government. if they will keep places in tier 3 today, then there has to be much more financial support. some areas will move down a tier. bristol and north somerset to tier 2, herefordshire to the very rare tier 1. herefordshire to the very rare tier i. the latest hearing decision comes less tha n i. the latest hearing decision comes less than 2a hours when the prime minister urged us to be cautious over christmas. have yourselves a merry little christmas. i'm afraid this year i do mean little. merry little christmas. i'm afraid

the government should focus on improving regional rail links between cities in the north and midlandsnational infrastructure commission. it argues that halting — or at least building in phases — the eastern leg of hs2 from the midlands to leeds could help pay for the plan. the government said it would consider the commission's proposals. aston villa captainjack grealish has been banned from driving for nine months and fined a total of £82,499 after crashing his range rover during march's coronavirus lockdown. the england international was sentenced at birmingham magistrates' court, after previously pleading guilty to two charges, including one linked to the incident in which his 4x4 hit two parked vehicles in solihull in the west midlands. a group of former rugby union players is setting out their claim for negligence to the sports authorities. they include the world cup—winning former england player steve thompson who has been diagnosed with early onset dementia aged just a2. 0ne former player who has been helping them is jamie cudmore. the ex—canada international has been pursuing h

with some clearing skies by the morning across some parts the midlands, eastern england, we are likelyoss the uk, it won't be quite as chilly, not going to be as cold as last night in scotland. there's more cloud around, there's wetter weather too. and the wetter weather across wales, western england will become confined to the south—west. we've got a few showers breaking out, running into some eastern coasts of england but for many, it will be turning dry with some sunshine. the weather improving in northern ireland as well and those showers in scotland becoming fewer with sunshine especially in the south—west. another chilly day, not as windy as it was on friday but those temperatures 4—7 degrees. heading into the evening, clearer skies in the evening allowing those temperatures to fall quickly but we are likely to find some cloud and wetter weather just running into the far east of scotland and into the north—east of england as well. that'll keep the temperatures up here, perhaps, but elsewhere we're likely to find frost, probably more widely, and it brings the risk of some icy patc

probably not much rain for the east midlands, east anglia and the east midlands, east anglia and theth—east of england but it will be a windy day with gales likely in the south—west and is a southerly wind so it is unusually mild for this time of year, 13—14. the rain is the story which continues into the evening pushing eastwards, clearing away in time for the weekend where we will have a mixture of sunny spells and scattered showers. the last of the rain clears east anglia and the south—east early on saturday then it is sunshine and showers, rattling into western scotland, wales, western england, heavy and thundery, some showers elsewhere but further east, dry largely. not quite as mild on saturday, it is still windy. it stays windy into sunday, more showers in the same sort of areas so again further east in more sheltered places, more likely to be dry with sunshine. windy on sunday and a little bit cooler. george. that's all from the bbc news at six, so it's goodbye from me, and on bbc one we nowjoin the bbc‘s news teams where you are. hello, and welcome to sportsday — i'm chetan