30/04/2012 BBC News at Six

More than 170 flood alerts across England, and there's more rain to

come. The Met Office says it's the wettest April for more than 100

years. Parts of the south west have seen three times the normal

rainfall. A man drowns as his car is caught in the floodwater -

firefighters couldn't save him. water was very fast flowing. At the

point where the car was submerged it was about 5 ft, it was

completely submerged. We'll have the latest from the forecasters.

Also tonight, ministers say they'll do more to ease the immigration

queues at Heathrow as they're accused of damaging Britain's

reputation. David Cameron refuses to order an investigation over his

Culture Secretary's handling of the Murdoch BSkyB bid. And is this the

new England manager? Roy Hodgson's interviewed for the job - the man

regarded as the fans' favourite gives his verdict. No problem. And

wish him all the best, he's a great guy. I've got a great job here.

Later, I'll be here at the Etihad Stadium with a Sportsday special,

as we look ahead to the local derby that the whole world is talking

Good evening. More than 170 flood alerts are in place across large

parts of England, with more heavy rain forecast the seating. A man

died in Hampshire after his car was submerged in 5 ft of water. His

passenger managed to escape. Elsewhere, the flooding has caused

disruption to travel and sporting events. This evening, the Met

Office confirmed that a pro has been the wettest in the UK since

records began. -- that a pro has been the wettest in the UK since

records began. This is the part in Tewkesbury on the banks of the

River Avon. But tonight you can't see the banks of the river, or you

can see is the River Avon. You might get this occasionally in a

bad winter, but the last couple of winters have been very dry here.

They'd not seen anything like this in April for some time. What's more,

the levels of creeping up. It's not just here, it's the same in many

other parts of England and Wales this evening. Just when we thought

we knew where the weather was going, everything has changed. After a

weekend of water, the Monday morning commute. This was Somerset,

where they've had more rain in the last few days than they had all

winter long. Every single river in this county is now on flood alert.

Here, and across much of England and Wales, they've been clearing

out the water weighs as levels continued to rise. At the moment it

is flash flooding and localised flooding. But the reverse will

respond. The effects go far and wide. Here in Hampshire, a man died

when the car he was in became completely submerged in 5 ft of

water. Thousands of rail passengers were left stranded when the main

line between London and South Wales was a flooded, and had to be pumped

clear. In Gloucestershire, it might look like everything is ready for

the Badminton Horse trials later this week but in fact they've been

cancelled. A major pre-Olympic sports event ruined by the weather.

Almost every region of England and Wales now has areas on some kind of

flood alert a warning. But despite all the rain, the areas in blue

here are still officially in drought. And it seems that is

unlikely to change any time soon. It's absurd when they see the

amount of rainfall they've seen over the last 48 hours. But the

fact is that groundwater levels are at an historic low. There are still

Severe drought problems in terms of water availability. We want to keep

people's taps flowing. Tonight, figures from the Met Office suggest

this is set to be the wettest April in 100 years. Many weather

monitoring stations across the UK have seen more rainfall than ever

before. This was Tewkesbury today. At the cricket ground, rain looks

like stopping play for the foreseeable future. They suffered

badly year in the summer floods five years ago. And although the

water meadows are filling up, so far there have been no major

problems here. People are quietly confident. I don't think it will

happen this time. Are you sure? There's not that confidence

everywhere. These are the latest pictures from Somerset tonight.

Although some streams and tributaries are now falling

slightly, it will be a while before the major rivers reach their peak.

And with more rain to in the next few days, it could be an anxious

week as well as a wet one. We haven't felt a single drop of rain

here all day. But the water levels are still creeping upwards. The

reason for that is the rivers bring the rainwater from further up in

the North of England and from Wales to places like Tewkesbury. But five

years ago, during the summer floods, the water came up to here. As it

can see, today is a very different story. But with a lot more rain

forecast tonight and for the next few days across the country, people

are understandably keeping many eyes on the skies. The Prime

Minister was forced to cancel local election campaigning today to go to

the House of Commons to defend his David Cameron has faced many

questions about Jeremy Hunt, but those questions just will not go

away. The Prime Minister was supposed to be out campaigning, but

instead he was rushing to the Commons to explain why he had not

ordered a new inquiry into what the culture secretary knew about his

contacts with the Murdochs. At first it was relatively calm.

secretary of state did not act in any way contrary to the ministerial

It is neither necessary nor right to have a parallel investigation

that could duplicate, cut across or possibly pre-empt what Lord Justice

leaves and is doing. The reason why it was essential for the Prime

Minister to come to the house today is that the Culture Secretary is in

clear breach of the ministerial code. And the Prime Minister stands

by and does nothing. That code is 25 pages of dos and don'ts for all

ministers. Labour claims Jeremy Hunt has breached the code by

failing to take responsibility for his special adviser, by giving MPs

inaccurate information about the extent of his officers' contact

with Newscorp. The Labour leader said all this should be

investigated by Mr Cameron's independent adviser on the

ministerial code. Then things got a little heated. In view of three

clear breaches of the cold, why would he not referring to the man

whose responsibility it is, Sir Alex Allen? The Prime Minister is

defending the indefensible and he knows it. A Mr Cameron hit back,

saying Mr Miliband was weak and wrong. If you are going to make

these accusations, get your facts right. Endlessly questioning the

integrity of someone when you don't have the evidence is bad judgment,

rotten politics and plain wrong. We have learned something about the

Labour leader today, and I think it is something he will regret. Labour

accused Mr Cameron of dodging and weaving and failing to explain why

he hadn't ordered a separate inquiry. Downing Street also said

Mr Miliband had also overplayed his hand and failed to elicit any new

information. Is it time for an inquiry, Prime Minister? Not yet,

is his answer. But another day last on a row he would rather go away.

The Clydesdale and Yorkshire banks will cut 1400 jobs across the UK in

the next three years. The bank's owner, National Australia Bank,

said the decision was taken after what it said was a significant

downgrade in the growth prospects for the UK economy. Immigration

officers from Manchester have been rushed down to Heathrow as

passengers arriving at Britain's premier airport report long delays.

The London mayor, Boris Johnson, has raised concerns about the

Olympics, saying that queues could give a terrible impression of the

UK. A border Agency employee has told the BBC that staff shortages

are affecting security checks. But ministers insist security is

paramount. Our Home Affairs correspondent reports. Smile. They

won't believe me. Welcome to Britain. Passport, please. But last

week at times it was taking passengers two hours plus to hear

those words. When one traveller finally made it through, this was

the reaction. Good luck, guys. Darren Pike arrived back in the UK

on Thursday. His experience was typical. I've never seen the

airport so busy. The queue was down the corridor before you even got

into passport control. It was ridiculous. This Heathrow board

officer, whose asked to remain anonymous, said at times a handful

of staff are coping with hundreds of passengers. Despite the passport,

take the Prince, ask the bare minimum of questions then stamp

them and left them in. It is quicker to stamp somebody than

adequately examine them, and dealing with the key was not the

overwhelming priority for frontline immigration officers, over and

above making sure this person is doing what they say they are

supposed to be doing. Leaked figures suggest the waiting target

for non-European passengers was breached on all but two days in the

first half of April - the target is 45 minutes. But in the Commons, the

immigration minister said the queues were shorter than passengers

had claimed. The longest queueing time for immigration control was

one-and-a-half hours on Friday night at Terminal 5 for non EU

nationals. Times we UK and EU nationals were significantly lower.

But these times are too long. Passengers demand an efficient

service and the British public demands tough border controls. We

need both. Labour blamed government incompetence and a lack of staff.

There's no doubt the queues are resulting in angry passengers, but

are they also affecting the way the Passport Control officers do their

jobs? According to figures leaked to the BBC, the number of forged

documents detected is falling - by 26 % in February. Is there a link

between the number of staff on duty and this fall in the rate of

detections of forged documents? There is no question in my opinion

and the opinion of my immigration and customs colleagues that the

fall in detection of forged documents is directly related to

the lack of available staff. Home Office says better checks

macro abroad and the use of biometric passports has reduced

fraud. But the plan is to draft in more officers - 400 a week - before

the Olympics. The inquest into the death of Gareth Williams, the MI6

officer whose body was found in a bag, has heard that poisoning or

suffocation could be to blame. A pathologist told the inquest that

the post-mortem examination has been hampered by heat levels inside

the bag. Radiators had been turned on them in the flat, even though it

The second week of the inquest into the death of intelligence officer

Gareth Williams. And still no definitive answers on how he died.

Today, the coroner heard from three pathologists who had examined his

body. One said he could not be totally sure of that thought that

poisoning and asphyxiation of the foremost contenders for cause of

death. Gareth Williams' body was found in the top bathroom of his

Pimlico flat. It was inside a padlocked sports bag, lying in the

foetal position. A set of keys were found underneath, but the back had

been locked from the outside. Last week, an expert to try it said it

was almost impossible to lock the bag from within, and said he

thought Gareth Williams was unconscious or dead when placed

inside. But today one pathologist disagreed, saying he thought it

more likely he was alive when he went in. There were no clear signs

of struggle or injury to suggest otherwise. By the time police came

to Gareth Williams' flat, it is thought he'd already been dead for

a week. That meant his body was badly decomposed, making it

impossible to be certain about the cause of death. The court heard

that even though it was the middle of summer, the radiators of the

flat were turned on - 18 decomposition. DNA found in the

flat has also proved inconclusive. With final evidence from police

tomorrow, the coroner is expected to give her verdict on Gareth

Williams' death by the middle of the week. Our top story tonight.

More than 170 flood alerts across England, and there is more rain to

come in the wettest April for more than 100 years. Still to come,

opening up another side of the man who gave us the Mona Lisa. Later,

1400 jobs go at the owner of the Clydesdale and Yorkshire banks. And

Spain is in recession, after its economy shrinks in the first

It's increasingly likely that the next manager of the England

football team will be the West Bromwich Albion manager Roy Hodgson.

He had talks today with the Football Association as front-

runner for the job. The big question though is what happened

with Harry Redknapp, the choice of many fans and footballers? Today,

he wished Hodgson all the best. Live now to our Sports

Correspondent Dan Roan at Wembley. Roy Hodgson has been talking to the

FA for the last three hours. Those discussions continue. There could

be an announcement later this evening. He could be unveiled as

the new England boss as early as tomorrow. So why have the FA gone

against public opinion and surprised a nation? This report

contains some flash photography. Roy Hodgson arriving at Wembley for

the biggest job interview of his life. He is seen as the safe choice

as England manager and a surprise 1. He seems to be beeper third

candidate of the FA. Harry Redknapp had been that they brought with the

press, public and players, but today he was philosophical. There

is no problem. I wish Roy the best. He is a nice guy. I do not hold

grudges. I am very fortunate. Hodgson is one of the most

experienced and well travelled managers in world football. His

coaching career began in 1976. Over the years, he took charge of a host

of clubs across Europe, including Italian giants Inter Milan. In

England he masterminded Fulham's place in the Euro final. Hutcheon

has major tournament experience. More recently, he endured a painful

spell at Liverpool, lasting six months in the job. England fans

will not be excited by the appointment, but will be excited if

we make it through the European Championships. The biggest plus a

for Hodgson is he will lower expectations. Redknapp was

considered the front runner after being acquitted of tax evasion

charges. The FA would have to pay millions in compensation to prise

him away from Spurs, but many said he deserved an interview. If I was

Harry Redknapp, I would be upset. The FA really need to justify their

process. After the departure of Fabio Capello, an Englishman will

now be in charge of a national side. It would be wrong for us to assume

the only reason Hudson will be offered this job is because he

comes cheap, but after the �24 million that is estimated to have

been spent on Fabio Capello, I think the fact he is out of

contract at West Brom counts in his favour. One thing for sure is that

he is seen by many to buy into the long-term vision of the national

team. But because of the controversy, I think he will have

no honeymoon period. England will play France in six weeks' time and

the pressure will be on immediately. Details of a military exercise for

the Olympics have been unveiled. Voters go to the polls on Thursday

in local elections. In Wales, Labour is hoping to regain much of

the ground it lost in 2008. But there are challenges for all four

main parties - Wales has a higher proportion of older voters than

anywhere in the UK and more than fifth of young people are out of

work. Our Wales Political Editor Betsan Powys reports. The North

Wales coast - coast of coalitions with the outlook of Labour been

grim. The party that once led half of all Welsh councils only had

control of two. In places like Conwy, a quarter of voters are over

65. We have worked hard, we have saved, we have paid our taxes as we

go a long and suddenly things are changing. Lack of police on the

street. I don't see them at all. In fact, I haven't seen a policeman on

the street for about a year. Conservatives and Liberal Democrat

say the backlash against the coalition is fading. People also

fed up we beat inaction of the Welsh government. This man wants to

know how the education system is going to be improved. I would vote

for them if they were going to use the money properly. In Wrexham,

Labour is keen to get back in power. The major issue here is the economy.

Abbess local project, there is one question that really matters -

whose plans will bring jobs and growth to Wrexham? -- at this local

project. You cannot get your foot in the door. You just cannot go

anywhere. Then need to do whatever they can to get people into work. -

- they need. The largest ever exhibition of

Leonardo da Vinci's drawings of the human body go on display in the

Queens Gallery at Buckingham Palace later this week. Da Vinci has long

been recognised as a great artist but he was also a pioneer in the

study of anatomy, dissecting the corpses of executed criminals or

the destitute. The artist as an anatomist. Across nearly 90

drawings, Leonardo da Vinci depicts the human body in astonishing

detail. Using his skill as an architect and engineer, three-

dimensional structures are revealed with extraordinary clarity. It is

the biggest ever exhibition of its kind, but is it art or science?

They are scientific papers. They are not works of art and he didn't

conceive than as that. We find them beautiful and fascinating and so

one and they are expressions of the human spirit that match art, but it

is not art, it is science. Leonardo injected wax into the cavities of

the brain to draw it more accurately and he created A-class

model of the aortic valve so he could experiment how blood flowed

through the heart. These drawings were made in Florence in 1507,

following Leonardo of's first section of a 100 year-old man. They

contained the first clear descriptions of narrowing of the

arteries and cirrhosis of the liver. This museum in London contains

thousands of anatomy specimens collected in the 18th century. By

this stage, Leonardo's drawings were still unpublished and would

remain so for another 200 years. But even today, anatomists say that

some of the studies, such as these hands, using layers to build up the

bone, muscle and tendons, are as accurate as any modern depiction.

This idea of looking in layers is what we can now do with modern

technology. So he predated an anticipated what we are doing 500

years later. Leonardo produce the first accurate depiction of the

spine. Again, compare it with a modern-day medical image. In

anatomy as in so many fields, he was a genius far ahead of his time,

showing a thirst for knowledge and a mastery of art and science.

In less than two hours time the eyes of the football world will be

on Manchester where City take on United in a crucial derby match

which could decide who will be crowned Premier League champions.

Just three points separate the two clubs with three matches to go. It

promises to be a nail-biting evening for the teams' supporters.

It is a night to say, I was there. It is being dubbed the biggest

Manchester derby ever as fans arrived United in hope, but divided

by loyalty as never before. Fans like this couple. We are going to

win. We are going to win. It is for the title, we will win. Indeed it

is. City versus United is rarely dull, but this has the Premier

League up for grabs. City demolished United 6-1 a in the

season, but they stop behind tonight. -- but they start behind

tonight. They have to win, but we only have to draw. We start ahead

of the game. I think they have got more chance than ours. -- than ours.

City last won the title in 1968 when Manchester also brought the

footballing world. So can they turn back the clock tonight? It will be

an exciting game. Both sides will cost anything to the wind. They

would just go for it. And it City do win, they what edge ahead of

United on goal difference with just two matches left. The stage is set

for a night of sporting drama. April was the wettest on record and

does not break the drought one little bit. There are some Met

Office and the warnings in force for more heavy rain tonight and

into tomorrow. These other areas where river levels are still very

high. There are areas of the heavy rain across central England and

Wales on their way. Let us focus on the rain for the morning. The

heavies will be across Wales and south-west England. Even if it is

not raining, there will be surface water from the rain during the

night. A lovely start across western Scotland with the sunshine.

Temperatures will warm up through the day and reach highs of 19

degrees. Much of Scotland and Northern Ireland spend the bulk of

the day dry and bright. Wednesday, light and patchy rain across some

parts of central, in eastern England and Wales. Many will have a