04/02/2014 BBC News at Six

for over a month. He spoke to residents still affected by the

floods, and told them it was a tragedy nothing has been done for so

long. Have the Environment Agency done enough, sir? I couldn't

possibly comment. There's more stormy weather on the way. We'll

have the details. Also tonight: The BP boss says Scottish independence

would add to the company's costs. He's the most senior business figure

to intervene in the debate. My personal view is, that Great Britain

is great and it ought to stay together, in my view. More fracking

sites to be exsplord in Lancashire. The company says it will consult

local residents about the controversial technique. Is 10 years

old. It's changed the way we keep in touch, but will it still be around

in another 10 years? The daredevil Devon man who may have surfed his

way into the record books. Tonight, on BBC London. Bob and Boris finally

talk, but only on the radio. And, with no compromise, tonight's strike

is on. Police release CCTV of a suspected murderer who they fear

could kill again. Good evening and welcome to the BBC

News at Six. Prince Charles has been to flood-hit areas of Somerset andle

told residents it was a "tragedy" nothing had beenle done for so long.

Some villages have been cut off for more than a month. One of the

Prince's charities is donating ?50,000 to help victims. Government

has announced an extra ?300,000 of emergency funding. Theles Somerset

Levels have seen some of the worst flooding in recent weeks. Kitama

Cahill-Jackson is in Langport. Jon. Prince Charles timed his visit

right, no sooner had he left the sky turned black. The wind is chipping

up once again he was keen as he waded through the floodwater to

avoid wading into any political row about how this crisis on the

Somerset Levels has been handled. Some comments he made, that were

recorded by our cameras, are being interpreted tonight as some kind of

criticism. He came from the mainland to see the flooding for himself.

There was no getting away from the politics.

REPORTER: Have the Environment Agency done enough, sir? You might

very well think so. I couldn't possibly comment. Five weeks after

the village of Muchelney became an island, Prince Charles was here to

meet those who had been cut off. In a community that feels let down by

the authorities, they were glad to see him. It's really great. Morale

boost to all of us. We've had enough of all this water. To have him here,

with that presence, just adds that little bit of extra weight. Was no

ordinary Royal visit. Today his carriage was a tractor. His throne,

a park bench strapped on the back. As he was driven past miles of

saturated farmland, the Prince appeared to be shocked by the scale

of the flooding. Meeting local people in a nearby village hall, the

Prince appeared to criticise the way flooding on the Somerset Levels has

been handled. Prince Charles was shown around the

Curtis' families farmhouse. Abandoned at Christmas, likely to

stay that. For a community that that has been struggling, today was a

Welcome Break. Can you do hi, fives? It's exciting, as a community. The

circumstances of his visit are not exciting and it's... There is a

serious side to what has been happening today. His visit, it was

announced that the Prince's Countryside Fund was giving ?50,000

to help struggling families and businesses on the Somerset Levels.

With that, he left Muchelney by boat, no Royal limousine could get

through this. Prince Charles came here today, not just as a royal

visitor, also as a west country farmer and landlord himself. What do

you think of what you've seen today? I feel sorry for all those people

affected by the flooding. Their royal visit over, for the people of

Muchelney it was time to get back to work. There is a lot of it to be

done. Nice and sunny and still there, but the weather has changed

dramatically just in the last couple of hours. Winds of 70mph coming into

the South West of England tonight. Up to 30mm, more rain, some enormous

waves expected another twist in this ongoing, relentless story of this

wild, British winter 2014, George. Jon, thank you very much. The boss

at BP has become the most senior business figure yet to intervene in

the debate about Scottish independence. Speaking to the BBC

News, Bob Dudley said there were big uncertainties for BP, including a

question mark over which currency an independent Scotland might adopt. BP

is a major investor in the country, and the gas and oil industry is

worth ?22 billion to the Scottish economy. Mr Dudley's comments have

been dismissed by pro-independence campaigners who say there are other

energy firms who do not take the same view. Our Scotland

correspondent, James Cook, reports from Aberdeen. North Sea oil lies at

the heart of Scotland's economy, supporting some 200,000 jobs here.

For decades, BP has been at the heart of this industry. What does

the American boss of this famous British firm make of the prospect of

Scottish independence? There's much debate about the currency. What

would happen with the currency and, of course, whether connections with

Europe or not. These are quite big uncertainties for us. At the moment,

we're continuing to invest at the pace because these projects are

underway. It's a question mark. I think all businesses have a concern.

My personal, my personal view is, Great Britain is great and it ought

to stay together. But here in Aberdeen, the UK's oil capital,

there's little sign of uncertainty, smart new office blocks are

springing up as cash pours in, not least from BP, which is investing

?10 billion in the North Sea over five years. Kenny Anderson's

building company is thriving in this boom. He thinks independence would

make business even better. When the referendum was first muted, the

opponents of independence, the the people seeking the status quo, said

investment would stop as a result of just the referendum. The reverse has

been the case. Not just in oil and gas, but in all aspects of industry.

Here in Aberdeen, Bob Dudley's remarks have caused considerable

surprise. Until now, seenor figures in the oil industry, indeed in most

industries, have been unwilling to speak out on such a sensitive,

political subject. The Cue the politicians. Scotland's First

Minister, himself a former oil economist, insist there is snowing

to worry about. Obviously Mr Dudley is entitled to his personal opinion.

He stressed it was that. The main thing is BP have massive investments

planned in Scottish waters. Rightly so, they make lots of money from

exploiting the natural resources. We will continue to co-operate. Of

course there are many, many chief executives who are firmly in favour

of Scottish independence. Campaigners against independence

have seized on Bob Dudley's interview with the BBC. That is a

further example of the potential economic damage of independence and

the cost to the people of Scotland of independence. So the people of

Scotland must plough through the rhetoric and decide how to vote.

Decision day is now just seven months away and the debate is

picking up pace. James Cook, BBC News, Aberdeen. The energy company,

Cuadrilla, has announced two new sites in Lancashire where it hopes

to explore for shale gas using the controversial fracking technique.

It's applying for planning permission to drill near Blackpool

and say it is will consult local residents. Our business

correspondent, Jon Moylan, has the the details. To some, fracking is

dangerous, controversial and could threaten our environment. It led to

weeks of protests in west suss suss -- Sussex this summer. To others,

the shale rock far beneath this field in Lancashire, could hold the

key to our future energy needs which is why Cuadrilla wants to frack

here. There is a lot of gas under the ground here. What we haven't

answered and what everyone wants to know is how much of that gas will

fill out of that ground? How much gas can we use in our homes and

heating systems? To do that we need to drill wells, fracture them and

test them. Water sand and chemicals are injected at high pressure into

shale rock to unlock the gas trapped within. When Cuadrilla did that here

three years ago it set off minor earth tremors. Little wonder there

was mixed views among local people who only found out about the

proposed site this morning. Very frightened. Very nervous. It's

needed, but nobody knows exactly what's going to happen. It's new in

England. We shouldn't be dredging up the final bits of fossil fuel. We

should be genuinely investing in green technology, which is

sustainable. It's a greenfield today, if there is a fracking

revolution coming, this site, and another one five miles away, maybe

about to play a really important role. Yes, they could become the

focus for protesters, they could also provide us with the vital

energy that we will need for decades to come. The two new sites are at

Roseacre and Little Plumpton in Lancashire. They are not far from

the first we will drilled by Cuadrilla back in 2010. A rival

firm, igas is drilling for shale gas near mast Manchester. There are 10

more sites, four in North Yorkshire, three Lincolnshire and three in West

Sussex. Experts say the industry is still finding its feet. It's in its

infancy. It could develop, it developed quickly in the US. It

depends on regulation. It depends on other things. It could play a major

part. We will need international, energy. It probably will be gas.

Cuadrilla says communities near its sites could receive up to ?400,000.

It now needs to win hearts and minds and get the required regulatory

approvals before it commences fracking early next year. A couple

whole trafficked a 10-year-old girl to the UK and held her as a servant

for almost a decade have had their sentences increased by the Court of

Appeal. Ilyas Ashar who repeatedly raped the girl at his home in

Salford had his sentence extended from 13 to 15 years. Hiss

69-year-old woil, Tallat had an additional 12 months added to her

six years jail term. The victim, now in her 20's was found in a cellar in

2009. The girlfriend of a soiled soldier accused of raping a royal

military police officer has who was found hanged two years later has

denied. Corporal Ellementel was found dead at her Bulford barracks

in Willshire in October 2011. Her sister told the ongoing inquest into

her death that she had been "absolutely devastated" by the

decision not to prosecute the two soldiers who she claimed had raped

her. The Foreign Secretary has confirmed that Britain did advise

the Indian government on the 1984 storming of the Sikh Golden Temple

in Amritsar. The military operation sent shockwaves through Sikh

communities around the world, including Britain. William Hague

told MPs Britain's assistance was "purely advisory" but Sikh leaders

say his can comments were smug and descending our political

correspondent, Vicki Young. The storming of had shrine unleashed a

wave of violence which claimed thousands of lives. When

declassified documents revealed that Britain gave advice to the Indian

government ahead of this deadly attack, Sikhs here spoke of a sense

of betrayal. Today the Foreign Secretary outlined the conclusions

of an inquiry by the country's most senior civil servant. The Cabinet

secretary's report finds that the nature of the UK's assistance was

purely advisory, limited and provided to the Indian government at

an early stage it had limited impact on the tragic events that unfoldled

at the temple three months later. Today's report found that the UK

Government did send one military officer to India for a few days. He

advised that action by Indian troops should be as a last resort when all

other courses of negotiation had failed. The report found no evidence

that any other UK military assistance was given. For the

hundreds of thousands of Sikhs living in this country, the

suggestion that Britain was involved in events at Amritsar is deeply

upsetting. Some of the them have told ministers here at the Foreign

Office today that only a public inquiry will convince them that the

whole truth has been told. I found that statement smug and condescend,

not addressing any of the real issues that Sikhs are concerned

about. We were asked for disclose sure from day one and full

transparency. We would like all documents and all facts in relation

to UK involvement in India and these issues to be put on the table.

Insist today's report, which looked at more than 20,000 documents, was

rigorous and thorough. So far, it's done little to quell the anger over

such a controversial episode in Indian history.

our top story this evening: Prince Charles has visited areas of

Somerset flooded for over a month and said it was a tragedy that

nothing had happened for so long. Still to come, the toll on our

roads. Some may close one councils if they are too costly to maintain.

Later on BBC London: Tube workers begin their strike tonight. We will

have the information you need to keep you moving over the next two

days. And vowing to keep a monthly vigil. Friends of a man who died in

police custody say they are determined to find answers.

From a college project to a global phenomenon, Facebook is ten years

old today. It is the world's biggest social network with 1.2 billion

users and that is what makes it so valuable. It is worth an estimated

?92 billion, $150 billion. But it has faced criticism for breaches of

its members' privacy. The date it confirmed it handed over information

on up to 6000 users to the US security services. Rory Cellan-Jones

reports. Facebook is celebrating an

extraordinary decade which has seen it transformed the way we

communicate. Here is a question for its founder Mark Zuckerberg. Has it

changed our lives for the better? Jennifer was one of the first people

in the UK to sign up. She joined while a student in Cambridge in

2005. What is that? Our first few photos. She is still quite

enthusiastic about Facebook having watched it spread in all

directions. When we first came onto Facebook it was just orcs read and

Cambridge and now my mum and my dad are on there and I discovered my dad

had a moustache in November through Facebook. When Facebook was born,

the social network scene was crowded. But they soon faded into

obscurity, leaving Facebook as the undisputed champion earning huge

sums from advertising tailored to each user. But now it faces fresh

challenges, new mobile apps are proving attractive to teenage

users. A huge proportion of young people

still use Facebook, but for some there in enthusiasm is waning. It is

kind of like old. I organised a lot of stuff to it and I play a lot of

sport through it. I would say it is really cool. It is becoming less

cool because people move to Twitter. Victoria is an academic and

an infrequent user. When did you join? In 2008. Her research suggests

the way we communicate through it may not be positive. Sometimes the

way teenagers may take an argument and put it online and their

friendship circle are a part of that argument and it is public and it

will be there forever. Still, it's huge and growing audience will mean

it will get wealthier. The key is to keep the users so that the older

users do not move elsewhere. The Mayor of London says the next Tory

manifesto may contain a pledge to change the law to make strikes on

central public services harder to call.

Boris Johnson's comments come as millions of commuters prepared to

try to get to work tomorrow with most of London Underground affected

by industrial action. The RMT leader Bob Crow insists the strike is

justified because of a threat to jobs. Our political editor Nick

Robinson is at Westminster. Is Boris Johnson flying a kite or could this

become party policy? It certainly could. For millions tomorrow it

might seem a little bit irrelevant for those who do not work in the

capital. But the Mayor made it pretty clear he has been speaking to

the Prime Minister and tomorrow's strike may well in the future change

policy, not just about workers on the London underground, but workers

all over the UK. We could have a small change to the law that

essential, vital public services, such as mass transit, that you had

to exceed a certain threshold in the ballot before you could take people

out on strike. I am encouraged by some of the things I am hearing from

number ten. That idea of a legal requirement for more than half the

workers to back a strike is just one proposal. They are also looking at

minimum service agreements that could limit the right to strike, and

are also looking at tightening up the law on strike ballots. The

Tories say they cannot do anything in coalition. The Lib Dems along

with Labour say Boris Johnson should concentrate on getting into

negotiations with Bob Crow and dealing with these current strikes,

instead of worrying about future changes to the law. Ed Miliband has

won the support of Labour's ruling National Executive to overhaul his

party's links with trade unions. The reform would mean future leaders

would be chosen under a one member, one vote system, although the unions

will still have a big say in party decision-making. The decision needs

final approval at a special Conference next month. Mr Miliband

said the move marks progress. It has taken a lot of progress of

discussion and debate to get to the step where we are today. I think it

is a sign that this is a Labour Party which is willing to change,

which has the courage to change, because it knows that if we are to

properly govern this country, we have to represent people from all

walks of life and move with the times. Councils in England are

warning that parts of the road network could become so unsafe they

need to be shut completely. Local authorities say years of

underfunding have been followed by several extremely cold or wet

winters. Figures show the amount of council funding on road maintenance

has fallen from ?3.1 billion in 2009-10 to ?1.4 billion last year.

Councils say that has left many rural roads dilapidated with

dangerous potholes though the government says billions of pounds

of investment is being made available. Our local government

correspondent Mike Sergeant has been to Cornwall to investigate.

How much more can some of our country roads take? Soaked by

relentless rain, battered by storms. In places now scarred by

potholes and mud churned verges. Matthew Rowe's dairy farm has a

small lane running right through it, but this vital link for getting

produce in and out has been deteriorating. We have not seen any

investment. We saw somebody come around with tarmac and they drove

over them. That is budgeted up to keep us happy, but it is not

acceptable. The storms and floods did dramatic damage. The water came

up from the Valley undermining and cracking this whole section. But the

extreme weather also longer term problems. A lack of investment in

the rural road network over many years. The government says billions

are being invested in road maintenance with extra help for

councils most affected by the storms. But Cornwall is one of many

authorities saying the money is not enough. We are squeezed in terms of

council tax, government grant and the income we can make. We are

having to consider withdrawing maintenance from the rural road

network. Does that mean councils will completely abandoned some

roads? Repair teams say they cannot continue patching up pot holes and

cracks forever and will be forced to take strategic decisions about which

roads can be maintained properly. That is worrying for Cornish

businesses that depend on tourism in this remote and beta cool location.

The recent tidal surge dumped tonnes of sand on this beach-side cafe. A

previous storm nearly destroyed the main route customers used to get

here. Driving down that road and looking down a precipice dropping

down to the river is not encouraging and it puts some customers. Some

have said they are sorry but they do not want to come down that road.

Ministers say local authorities have to take responsibility for their

roads, ensuring they have long-term maintenance plans and contingencies

for more severe weather. The councils say without more funding

large sections of Britain's rural road network could become too

dangerous to use. M Sargent, BBC News, Cornwall.

A plumber from Devon is waiting to hear if he has managed to set a new

world record for surfing the biggest wave. Andrew Cotton says he wrote

the 80 foot wave following a storm of the Portuguese coast, an

experience he described as intimidating, bumpy and far from

perfect. Watch closely, this is Andrew Cotton

harnessing a monster wave that could be the biggest ever ridden. He held

his position for ten seconds in an attempt to enter the record books. I

am very focused what I want to do and where I want to be and I want to

surf the wave and not hurtle down it like out of control. A four hour

session and we only caught one wave each, which is not ideal, but that

is how it is. See it again and the size of the wave hits you. Andrew

rides at 80 feet, higher than the Angel of the North and nearly half

the height of Nelson's column. The current record of 78 feet is held by

Gareth McNamara, seen here off the coast of Ireland with Andrew last

year. The mission is to serve the biggest wave in the world. No doubt

when the summer comes I will be back on the beach lifeguarding and back

on the building site! At Atlantic storms and the unique geography of

the coastline in this part of Portugal have produced gargantuan

waves. Surfing judges will now watch this footage and decide whether

Andrew Cotton has set a new world record or not. What a brave man. Now

it is time to look at the weather. We are going to get stormy

conditions for all of us over the next 24 hours and there could be

further coastal flooding. It has been stormy in the South West so

far. Winds gusting up to 80 miles an hour and it sweeps from the south

west to the North East overnight. Tomorrow morning the strongest winds

are back. Potentially 80 miles an hour. With some of the sea defences

damaged this is where we could see some further coastal flooding. More

rain is going to add to the risk of further inland flooding. The North

West of Scotland starts the day with dry and bright weather, but it will

not last. The North East of Scotland has rain and snow on the Grampians.

The winds strengthen across the country, and those damaging gusts of

wind continue around the post. Lots of showers which will come thick and

fast. It will feel much cooler than that given the strength of the wind

and the outbreaks of rain. It will continue as we go into tomorrow

evening's rush hour. Some bridges will see restrictions, as will

coastal roads. The winds whip up some rather large waves. On Thursday

it looks quiet to begin with, but after some sunshine to start there

is more persistent rain pushing in from the South West and it will last

into Friday morning and enhance the risk of flooding. That is all from

us, so