26/12/2016 BBC Newsline

The Boxing Day sales in Belfast have attracted the usual large crowds.

There were queues outside some shops in the city centre.

And despite the bitterly cold feel and the growth of online retailing,

the streets were still awash with bargain hunters trying

Normally just looking for a really good deal like half-price. Last year

I got a brilliant deal on handbags so it is worth it. Do you find the

deals are better in the shops done online? Definitely, it means you can

try them on as well so it is quite good. Did you start early today? I

left my house is about eight o'clock. As online not done away

with that sort of thing? No, you have to get out!

The gritters have been out as usual this winter but have you ever

wondered where the road salt comes from?

Our North East Reporter Sara Girvin went underground

Deep below Carrickfergus lies the only salt mine

Rock salt has been drilled, cut, blasted and crushed here since 1965,

but the site is much much older than that.

Basically, we are mining out an ancient, dried out salt bed.

It was formed back in the Triassic period about 200 million years ago.

The mine operates all year with people permanently below

the surface, stockpiling rock salt for winter.

We are now 400 metres below the ground and that is

greater than the height of the Empire State Building.

Now, every year, half a million tonnes of salt are brought

from the depths of this mind to the surface and are now sent

all over the UK and as far as the United States to grit roads.

One of the mine's biggest customers is the Department of infrastructure.

It spends up to ?2 million on salt every year.

We know this time of year, weather conditions can make driving

We know if it is wet weather, for example, your braking distances

twice as far and icy conditions, maybe ten times as fast

so the messages it is great we have salt and could take these measures

but drivers have to take that bit of extra care themselves.

Tonnes of salt will leave here bound for Northern Ireland's wrote

And with sub-zero temperatures expected tonight it looks

like we'll be needing the salt on the roads again.

We'll have a full forecast in a few minutes.

It was a year of fluffy squirrels, biblical plagues and killer insects

as the environment continued to delight and surprise

Our Agriculture and Environment Correspondent Conor Macauley has

been looking back at some of his favourite animal

Huge amounts of work have gone into putting the red squirrel back,

so the news of the pox outbreak near one of its strongholds

But when we went to check on the reds of Dudley

more Forest weeks later, all was, if you will pardon the pun,

The disease had and take hold, the Reds were in good shape

and the volunteers who care for them were mightily relieved.

We haven't seen the same effect as in 2009.

From red to green and in August, there was a plague of

biblical proportions in a Belfast housing estate.

Tens of thousands of caterpillars munching their way through these ash

All a bit disconcerting for the families nearby.

They turned out to be ash larvae and the infestation was put

If you listen really closely, you can actually hear the larvae

The problem is you are so close that they are constantly

Not many people keep seals in their backyard,

but Sue Wilson has been saving stranded pups for years.

These had been washed up underweight, a certain death

sentence, but for the fact that soon had intervened.

But after seven weeks of hand rearing, there is an inevitable bond

that is hard to break and it took the arrival of inquisitive adults

to persuade the reluctant return that it was time to leave

And finally, Fluff the baby barn owl was probably the feisty is feathered

I can get a hold, not particularly difficult.

If it gets a hold of me, much more difficult.

Not happy to be ringed and recorded as part of conservation programme.

Even when we finished, she was still fighting and the Ringo

was happy to get rid of this awkward little owl with his

Football now, and it's been a busy day in the Irish Premiership,

with wins for Ballymena United, Dungannon Swifts and league leaders

Crusaders, while Carrick Rangers drew 1-1 with Ards, and it was 2-2

The Boxing Day big two derby between Linfield and Glentoran

And there are more details on the website ? bbc.co.uk/sport

Well, after all the excitement of Christmas the weather is settling

Because of the clearest skies an icy temperatures will drop away. The

winds have been easing through Boxing Day. It has been down to this

area of high pressure building in. That is settling down our weather

through this Christmas week. Tomorrow will be a very nice day.

Start off cold with a widespread frost across Northern Ireland but

then plenty of winter sunshine around through the day. A big change

in the breeze. Much later winds tomorrow. Pretty good despite

temperatures not getting above six or seven. Chilly but bright. A

pretty good day. Overnight Tuesday and into Wednesday just starting to

see a bit more moist air which means a little bit more cloud so not quite

as cold overnight. Generally in for a very settled we go further.

Feeling a bit cooler than we had last week but those winds much much

later so this is the picture on Wednesday, a bit more in the way of

cloud around and those temperatures much more than we expect for the

time of year, six or seven Celsius. A pretty settled week if you are

lucky enough to be off work, absolutely no excuse for not getting

out and about and making the most of it.

Our next television news is at 12:40pm tomorrow.

In the meantime you can follow this programme

From all of us on the BBC Newsline team, good evening.