13/01/2017 BBC News at Six

The NHS struggling to cope - a major alert in half of all trusts

in England in the first week of the year.

That means no more beds were available and all routine

There have been moments in the last two weeks,

like the whole country has had, where actually it has

been quite frightening for members of staff,

for the nurses, the doctors, for the ambulance crews

And eight trusts issued the highest alert, meaning patient

Thousands of people are evacuated on the east coast of England

The Labour MP Tristram Hunt resigns, triggering a potentially difficult

Twitter storm - Donald Trump blames US intelligence again for releasing

And Lord Snowdon, the ex-husband of Princess Margaret and celebrity

In Sportsday we look ahead to the return of the Premier League,

with old rivalries renewed at Old Trafford,

Good evening and welcome to the BBC News at Six.

There's been further confirmation of the difficulties within the NHS,

as it's emerged nearly half of all hospitals in England

declared a major alert in the first week of the year.

That means they had no more beds available,

all routine surgery was cancelled and doctors were

Four out of ten trusts were forced to raise the alarm, as hospitals

and Accident Emergency departments struggled to cope.

NHS England says eight of the trusts overall issued

the highest level of alert, meaning patients' safety

How do you feel now? Is still sore but better. Another day, another A

patient. A fractured wrist is dealt with. Patients are waiting and NHS

staff doing the best they can under pressure. The story at Northwick

Park Hospital in London is the same as across the service. Things are

quiet today but they know bad weather could bring a surge in

patients this weekend. This consultant told me it was the

busiest she had known in 16 years. There have been moments in the last

two weeks like the whole country has had where it has been frightening

for members of staff, for doctors, nurses, ambulance crews bringing

patients in, and there have been moments where it has been very

sticky. But we have managed as best as we can and everybody has worked

incredibly hard. Today's figures show that last week 43% of hospitals

declared a major alert which means help is required to handle patient

numbers or safety is at risk. 16% faced this serious pressure every

day last week. We have acknowledged that the NHS is under pressure. We

always see increased pressure over winter periods. That is why in

preparing for winter ?400 million was put in to ensure winter

preparing must. In Northern Ireland, nearly four in ten patients waited

more than four hours in A over the Christmas period. In Wales, one in

five patients were waiting longer than four hours. Scotland was

performing better than that and England in the holiday week but at

this Glasgow hospital pregnant women were turned away yesterday and sent

other maternity units because of a high level of general admissions.

Management said safety was maintained at all times. This is the

sort of thing you will find in most hospitals each day, ambulance crews

queueing in a corridor with patience, waiting to hand them over.

They are safe, but there is no room in the Accident Emergency unit for

them to be treated or assessed. The hospitals praised the hard work of

staff under pressure but they know a prolonged cold snap or a flu

outbreak could make life even tougher on the front line. Hugh Pym,

BBC News. Thousands of people living

on the east coast of England are being evacuated after the threat

of severe flooding caused by high Preparations have been underway

since yesterday, with the Army helping police forces

and volunteers. This is the latest picture tonight

issued by the Environment Agency, with those living in Norfolk,

Suffolk and Essex most under threat. The red triangles down

the coast here, 17 of them, denote severe flood warnings,

which mean there is danger to life. And where you can see a black house

inside the triangles, those are 90 flood warnings that

require people in the area Sophie Long is in

Great Yarmouth tonight. Well, Fiona, it is raining and

windy. People are still coming to fill sandbags. It is just over three

hours until high water in Great Yarmouth, and that is the crucial

moment. That is when the high tides will combine with high wind,

creating the conditions that could cause severe flooding. It is the

moment people up and down the east Coast have spent the day preparing

for. From early this morning people

in Great Yarmouth braved the cold and snow to prepare for worse,

potentially life-threatening, There are some centres

on there you can go to. Emergency services knocked

on thousands of doors urging people to leave their homes,

stay with friends and family or head A little bit worried but this

happened a couple of years ago and we got evacuated and it was OK,

thankfully, because they Fingers crossed, the Environment

Agency have done a good job and build the defences well enough

to protect us, but who knows? We live over the road and we do get

flooded quite a bit. As long as we've got

the sandbags for now, we've moved everything upstairs

so it's a waiting game. In Essex, police activated a full

evacuation plan at Jaywick, And emergency services were poised

to assist anyone in need. Here, this morning's high water

was lower than expected but the Environment Agency

is warning people not The issue with a storm surge is it

really is about the high wind coinciding with what would be

high tides anyway. And if you get that,

you get really high levels, but it can be changeable

through the day. We are forecasting as closely

as we can and watching it through but it is really important

that people stay alert because some of these high tides will happen very

late through tonight. Police in Essex have been

urging people to comply with their instructions,

to come to centres like this, Some needed less

persuasion than others. The moment I knew

I had to go, I left. Left my phone behind,

everything else, more or less. As long as I was safe,

that was all that mattered. 200 troops are now helping

with the evacuation operation in Great Yarmouth, where thousands

of homes and businesses are facing That risk will peak here, along

with high water, at about 9:30pm. People here are doing

the best they can to Then, like thousands of others up

and down the east coast, Sophie Long, BBC News,

Great Yarmouth. High tide is expected

there within the next hour. What are the emergency services

concerned could happen? Well, there are concerns it will

come right up to the defences, but we should look at what it has been

doing throughout the afternoon. I tide is the most dangerous time and

high tides depends where you are on the east coast. It has already

happened in north-east England on the Yorkshire coast. There has been

damaging Scarborough and Whitby. High tide here is about 6:45pm. They

expect it to reach the defences. Further south, it will not be in

Great Yarmouth until about 9pm and in Suffolk and Essex it will be

midnight before the waters peak. But look what it has been doing so far.

As it comes down the North Sea this afternoon and evening it is getting

right up to flood defences and over them in places. It seems the

precautions that have been taking place today are well-placed because

flood defences down the East Coast tonight are going to be tested, and

in places, the water may well get over. Thank you.

The Labour MP Tristram Hunt has announced he's resigning,

to become the director of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

He's represented Stoke-on-Trent Central since 2010.

In his resignation letter, the former education spokesman said

serving in Parliament had been "deeply rewarding and

His departure triggers what could be a difficult by-election for Labour.

Stay with Labour, convinced they will lose, or walk away and leave

politics behind? Tristram Hunt chose to walk. His leader doesn't like it

but for this famous TV historian, when I caught up with him in Stoke,

this job offer was too good to turn down. Being director of the Victoria

and Albert Museum was my dream job and not something I could turn down.

You have been clear that Labour is heading for trouble with Jeremy

Corbyn as leader. We haven't changed your mind. I have had differences

with Jeremy in the past but I am off to be an impartial director of a

great museum, so it is not the time to rehearse those differences. I

spoke to Jeremy this morning and he was gracious, interested in the

job... Also rather disappointed? Well, he was thrown. Nobody wants

this on Friday the 13th. He was pulling his punches but his verdict

on Jeremy Corbyn is on the record. We face a historic wipe-out of the

Labour Party. Jeremy Corbyn is glossing over troubles ahead. I do

not want to lose any MPs but he has taken this position as director of

the V Good luck to him, and we will have a by-election. But here in

Stoke, where most voted for Brexit and Ukip game second by 5500 votes,

ask anyone, this will be a hard test for Labour. Ukip, Labour, it will

always be in the balance whether Labour get in or not. They will have

a tough time holding on? More tougher time, I think. Politics is

muddled. Traditional Labour voters do not know how to vote, because the

Brexit thing... You want Labour to win. You are a Labour man?

Historically, but today there is no clear choice. Ukip seems up for the

fight. Tristram Hunt feels he has a brighter future away from Jeremy

Corbyn and the Labour Party. We are confident there are a large number

of voters in Stoke Central who will feel the same way. For Labour, this

is a difficult time for a by-election. It is in a tough place,

and it is not the only one. Some Labour MPs have told me they are

either preparing to quit before the next election, or resigned to defeat

when it comes. Can Labour hold its ground, or our traditional

supporters turning their backs on walking away?

The FTSE 100 share index has closed at yet another new high.

It's finished the day up 45 points, at 7338.

It's the 12th record high in as many days, and the 14th day

Experts say the record-breaking run has been driven by the weakness

of the pound, due to the ongoing uncertainty over Brexit.

Donald Trump has accused his political opponents,

both Democrats and Republicans, of putting together a dossier

of what he calls "totally made up" claims linking him to Russia.

In a series of tweets the President-elect repeated his

accusation that the material was probably released by the US

He promised a report into allegations of Russian

hacking within 90 days, as Nick Bryant reports.

There are storylines that could easily come from a Cold War

spy thriller and plot twists involving sex allegations

and potential Russian blackmail that even the TV series House Of Cards

But this is reality, not a show, and the first episode of Trump

the Presidency airs in just one week's time.

For now, Donald Trump mainly delivers his lines on Twitter.

It now turns out that the phoney allegations against me were put

together by my political opponents and a failed spy

Totally made up facts by sleazebag political operatives.

Probably released by intelligence even knowing there is no

My people will have a full report on hacking within 90 days.

On Capitol Hill today, lawmakers received a behind closed

doors briefing on the unverified dossier and Russia's

alleged interference in the presidential election.

And many are left demanding more answers.

The American people are owed the truth and there is a great deal

of evidence to say this is an issue of high interest to the American

people, the strength, the integrity of our own democracy.

A senior US official confirming today there were frequent contacts

between Donald Trump's top national security adviser and Russia's

ambassador here in Washington and that those contacts took place

on the day that President Obama expelled dozens of Russian

officials in retaliation for the alleged hacking.

It again raises questions about the Trump team's

All this as Barack Obama performs his final act and one

of them took his deputy completely by surprise.

I am pleased to award our nation's highest civilian honour,

I can say I was part of the journey of a remarkable man who did

But Washington moves on, it has always been a city

And this time next week this capital, this country, will be under

Nearly half of all NHS trusts in England declared a major alert

Can the most expensive player in the world work his magic again

Coming up in Sportsday in the next 15 minutes on BBC News,

Johanna Konta has won her second tour title.

Now for the first major of the year that starts next week.

Lord Snowdon, the former husband of Princess Margaret and celebrity

The first commoner to marry a king's daughter for 450 years,

the then Anthony Armstrong-Jones married Princess Margaret in 1960.

Theirs was the first royal marriage to be televised.

But they separated after 16 years and eventually divorced.

Our Royal Correspondent, Nicholas Witchell,

He was the society photographer who took pictures of the Royal

family and who married one of its leading members.

It was in 1960, the start of a decade of considerable social

change, that the then Anthony Armstrong-Jones

married the Queen's younger sister, Princess Margaret.

He was an untitled commoner, she was the princess who,

a few years earlier, had had to renounce her love

for a royal official because she was divorced.

With unbounded enthusiasm, acclaim for Princess Margaret

and her husband when they appeared on the balcony.

The couple brought glamour to the British Royal family.

This was them on a visit to San Francisco.

A-list celebrities before the term had really been invented,

presenting an image of Britain more in keeping with the

Although he became the Earl of Snowdon, he continued

One of his proudest achievements was designing

The Queen wanted above all else her sister's happiness and her sister

seemed to have found happiness with this very different young man

who was extremely artistic, very talented, and I think people

By the late 1960s, the couple had two children, but their marriage

was in serious difficulty - both were having affairs.

In 1976 Lord Snowdon announced that he and Princess

Naturally, desperately sad in every way.

Throughout his life he campaigned on behalf of disabled people

and in latter years, despite his own increasing

frailty, he retained his passion for photography.

I like these ones because they are simple.

He could look back on a life notable for his marriage into the Royal

family but which had also produced many professional achievements.

Memorable images, among them this one of the Queen which ended up

on Britain's postage stamps, or this relaxed 80th birthday

As for the photographer himself, he shared the view of many

I'm always relieved that they come out!

Lord Snowdon, who has died at the age of 86.

At the end of a week in which Theresa May promised

to transform the way mental illness is treated in the UK,

we've a special report tonight on mental health among children.

One in ten children in Britain has a a diagnosable

The latest figures show 231 young people aged 10 to 19

The charity Childline says calls from young people contemplating

suicide has doubled in the last five years to nearly 20,000.

Our UK Affairs Correspondent, Jeremy Cooke, follows

Two families with difficult stories to tell.

I'm Sarah, I'm mum to Ben and Sam, my twins.

My name is Kim and my daughter is Georgia.

Ben was a fun loving, caring, happy-go-lucky child.

Fantastic sense of humour, life and soul of every party.

She was full of life, she was a great kid,

she had lots of friends and she would have parties at home.

For Georgia there was all the appearance of

For Ben too, no thought of how desperate things would become.

Ben went off to do his paper round, I waved him goodbye,

we said we loved each other and off he went and I didn't

He was late and I can't remember what attempt

it was to call his telephone, somebody answered it

And I was like, it's mum, that's Ben's phone, why have

She is the first child from our family to actually go

to university and everything seemed to be going so well

and I was relaxed, thinking she's there, she's doing it,

The two officers turned up at the door and I knew straightaway

We were told that he had died on the motorway and that was the day

This week the government said it wants to reduce the stigma

of mental health problems, get more support into

schools, to young people who desperately need it.

I got in the car and I drove up there and I just felt

sick the whole journey, I felt sick.

I didn't know what was going on, what had happened.

She had managed to call the Samaritans for help.

I didn't want to be here any more, I didn't want to feel the hurt

and the pain that nobody else could see.

And that's when I thought it would all stop, it would be over

For Georga and her mum there is now plenty to look forward to.

That was a really difficult time in my life.

I've learned so much from it and it's made me

the person I am today, but I'm so grateful to be

here on this land having a really good time.

But for Ben's family it's all about memories and unanswerable

questions for a 14-year-old who took his own life

It's just not knowing, that's the hardest part.

Ben's mum knows the pain of losing a child.

Now she's working with the Papyrus charity to tell his story,

raise awareness, work to prevent more young lives

Details of organisations providing support for people in distress

or with mental health problems are available at

Or you can call 0800 066 066, at any time.

Turkey has ruled out withdrawing all its troops from Cyprus as part of

any unification deal unless all Greek troops also leave the island.

The two sides have been holding UN brokered talks aimed at resolving

the future of Cyprus which has been partitioned between Turkey and

Greece since 1974. A Sky programme about

Michael Jackson will not be broadcast following a backlash

by the late pop superstar's family. His daughter Paris said

the programme Urban Myths, which cast the white actor,

Joseph Fiennes to play Jackson, was incredibly offensive

and made her feel sick. It's arguably British

football's biggest rivalry and when Manchester United

and Liverpool face off on Sunday afternoon,

it will be their one of their most Both clubs are challenging

for the Premier League title and are hoping

to maintain their good form. Manchester United midfielder

Paul Pogba has told the BBC's Football Focus that manager

Jose Mourinho has turned the club around, but many Liverpool fans

believe this could be their year. As one power faded

the other took their place. Liverpool and Manchester

United are English football's most successful clubs,

but rarely have they fought a direct Right now Liverpool

are Chelsea's closest challengers and while United are

five points behind they've recently COMMENTATOR: Well hit by Pogba.

Brilliant strike. So too has Paul Pogba, the world's

most expensive player was brought back to Old Trafford

for games just like this. He says he's enjoying his return

to Manchester and working You know, he talks to me, like,

you know how to play, do what you want, he lets

me free on the pitch. He says, just go and enjoy

yourself and play. That's all I need, that's all I need

to hear from my manager. As anyone here will tell you,

you can't challenge for the They're on their best run of form

in eight years and they'll feel this is a good time to be

playing their fiercest rivals. Liverpool, such a free-scoring force

for much of the campaign, have hit They were recently held

by League Two Plymouth in the FA Cup and haven't won since New Year's

Eve. I hear when I talk to

different people that it's and now Man United and all that

stuff. But, yeah, give me 11 players

and we will be competitive. It's not about being

confident before the game. It's about getting

confidence in the game. Klopp's reassurance will be

welcomed by Liverpool fans. It may only be January but this

match could offer a hint at which team will be demanding

our attention come May. Snow, people being evacuated on the

east coast a lot going on. It is the scene in West Yorkshire at

the moment, very wintry and some of that snow has been drifting around

courtesy of the blustery wind which is causing problems on the east

coast. The combination of those strong winds and high tide moving

down the East coast in the next few hours, they will be critical as that

surge of water heads towards the Thames Street. If you have any

concerns about conditions, check out the flood line number. Weather-wise,

it is cold and if you have snow on the ground you will do in the

morning because things are not going to melt overnight. An icy night,

further wintry showers in the north and west and some of those will

creep in into the Midlands also temperatures close to or below

freezing but no doubt in some Scottish glens we could get as low

as -10. Another chilly day tomorrow, more wintry showers on the east

coast and the gales will continue. Further west, more showers but they

will turn back to rain, something a bit milder creeping in to western

areas in Northern Ireland and Wales and West of England. Seven or 8

degrees. Another chilly day for the East. We have changes afterwards

because France will start to push in from the West, trying to introduce

some milder air -- fronts. That meant a different day on Sunday with

a fair bit of rain. It will stall across more eastern areas with wet

weather and a raw day in eastern counties with that cold air hard to

dislodge, just four or five. Further west it will get milder and a bit

dry up with temperatures reaching 10 degrees.

Nearly half of all NHS trusts in England declared a major alert

So it's goodbye from me and on BBC One we now join the BBC's