23/02/2017 Breakfast

Hello, this is Breakfast, with Sally Nugent and Charlie Stayt

Warnings of damage and disruption as Storm Doris heads

This is what it looked like in western Ireland overnight,

That this is the scene in Blackpool this morning.

Commuters here are being advised to take extra care as some

of the worst weather of the winter so far arrives.

It is right over the centre of Northern Ireland at the moment, the

eye of the storm, and it's packing three punches in a sense, heavy

rain, heavy snow and gales, even severe gales in the central swathe

of the UK. I'll have more details in 15 minutes.

Good morning, it's Thursday 23rd February.

Nearly 10,000 motorists are legally allowed

to drive despite having enough penalty points to be banned.

New figures show one man is still on the roads with 62

New advice to eat even more fruit and veg.

Researchers say 10 portions a day can significantly cut the risk

Good morning. HS two gets the royal seal of approval later, but amid

controversy over the route and the cost of the new high-speed line, I'm

in Birmingham finding out what difference it could make for

passengers. In sport Leicester City

lose in Spain but Jamie Vardy's away

goal in Seville means they still have a chance of making

it through to the last eight Also this morning,

a new sound for smoke alarms. Wake up, the house is on fire! Wake

up, the house is on fire! rather than a beep is much more

likely to wake up the kids. We'll be speaking to the people

behind the new device. Winds of nearly 90mph

have been recorded in western Ireland as the worst

weather of the winter hits Storm Doris is expected to arrive

in the UK in the coming hours, with heavy snow forecast

in Scotland and strong winds Some rail and air services have

already changed their schedules and drivers are being warned

to avoid some roads. Let's get a sense of what it's

like out there at the moment with our reporter, Allison Freeman

who is in Blackpool this morning. Good morning, Allison. Obviously it

doesn't look too pleasant there. Are you expecting the weather to get

worse? Well, here it Blackpool the wind and rain that we'd been

expecting just started to strike about half an hour ago. We know that

North Wales is getting quite a battering at the moment. And that on

the coast of the Republic of Ireland, on the Galway coast, they

recorded a gust of 87 mph this morning. The area that will be worst

affected by the snow this morning will be central and southern parts

of Scotland. There expecting there between ten centimetres on lower

ground and up to 30 centimetres on higher ground, and of amber warning

in place there and as a result all school transport has been cancelled

and drivers will be warned to take care when they get on the roads this

afternoon. The wind and rain will affect the north of England, the

Midlands, East Anglia and north Wales, which, as I say, is getting

the brunt of it at the moment. There's an amber warning in place at

the moment for wind and we're expecting gusts on the coastline of

80 mph and the knock-on effect of that is we're expecting possibly

some damage to the buildings and we're expecting problems with

transport. There have been some flights cancelled in and out of

Heathrow, that's mainly domestic and shorthaul flights. And we know on

the trains, the east coast Main line after 9:30am is going to run a

reduced service with the speed limit going to 50 mph. Those gusts of wind

are expected to be worst in the north of England around lunchtime

today and people are being cold they must take care today in these

treacherous conditions, which should be over at around 6pm. Back to you.

Allison, thank you very much indeed. That's the picture in Blackpool.

It's a small village that opens to the Atlantic Ocean in Erris,

We're joined now by Fergus Sweeney, who lives there.

What is it like for you this morning? Good morning, Charlie. It

is still pretty dark at the minute but the winds are still howling.

It's not as bad as it was at around 2am this morning, it peaked at the

west Coast at around 2pm with very violent gusts -- 2am. Where I am at

the moment we sustained damage to the roots and we have to wait until

daylight to see exactly how bad the damage is. -- grooves. Are emergency

services warning people about the conditions in advance? -- grooves.

People have been talking to the press and the national broadcaster

issued a warning and from the coastguard. I believe we're on an

orange warning, which is fairly high up. It isn't red, so it's not that

bad, but it is pretty high up so people would have been aware,

especially on the West Coast. We are used to storms so we are conscious

when we get these warnings and we keep an eye out. Fergus, thank you

very much. Fergus Sweeney keeping us across how those storms are emerging

through the morning. And we will be speaking to Carol as well this

morning. Prisons will be expected to reform

criminals as well as punish them under what's being described

as the biggest overhaul of the system

for a generation. The Justice Secretary, Liz Truss,

will present a bill later aimed at reducing prison violence

and cutting re-offending rates Here's our home affairs

correspondent Daniel Sandford. Some prisons in England

and Wales have been in crisis Violence and the use of illegal

mobile phones and drugs have been soaring after deep cuts

in the number of prison officers. But in other jails, like HMP

Onley in Warwickshire, it is still possible to prepare

inmates for life on the outside. Abdul Tahir is coming to the end

of a two year sentence and hopes to go

straight into a job He told me his experience of jail

time has been mixed. When I was in Pentonville before I

came here we were locked up 23 hours a day.

We had to ask for toilet paper, we had to ask for basic decency.

So coming here now, it looks like a completely different prison.

I firmly believe if you give someone a chance to change,

In her first prisons and courts bill, the relatively new Justice

Secretary Liz Truss wants to have it written into law

that it is her duty to rehabilitate prisoners and not just

As we're seeing fewer people committing a crime for the first

time, which is good news, more of the crime in our society

is committed by people who have already been in prison.

So we really need to deal with this issue which has been a problem

The Prisons and Courts Bill will also bring in new laws allowing

mobile phone companies to help the Prison Service to detect

and intercept devices being used behind bars.

The HS2 high speed rail link between London and Birmingham,

is expected to get final approval today.

The line, which is due to open in 2026, will reduce journey

But its feared the construction will bring wide-spread destruction

Ben's in Birmingham for us this morning.

I have to ask you first of all, I hope Storm Doris has been kind?

Yeah. I got a feeling we might be feeling Storm Doris over the course

of the morning and we'll keep you updated from here too. As you

mention, I'm here because just behind me, we will show you later,

is the site of the new terminus in Birmingham for the high-speed line

that's expected to get the royal seal of approval, it will get the

green light later today. Let me run you through what we know so far as

far as the timeline for HS2 is concerned. You might remember it was

first proposed in 2009 but it's been the set by all sorts of problems

since the controversy over how much it could cost, some estimates say

?60 billion. Other concerns over the route, where it would go and stop

and parts of the country that would face either demolition or changes to

the natural landscape, that sort of thing. The first stretch of that,

between London and the West Midlands, terminating in Birmingham,

is expected to open by 2026 and if that gets the go-ahead and all the

plans run to time, it could mean the journey between London and the West

Midlands is cut by about half an hour. That would be crucial. But

remember, the second phase of that line, that's expected to run from

here up to the north-west and north-east, so going on towards

Manchester and Leeds. That one is expected to open by 2033. Again, a

longer time scale for that but again it could cut about an hour of the

journey between London and the north-west. So over the course of

the morning we'll speak to both sides of the debate. I've taken a

journey from London to the West Midlands meeting people along the

route and finding out what it could mean for them and we'll talk more

about that in the next half an hour. See you them. Ben, thank you.

The partner of murdered children's author Helen Bailey is facing

the rest of his life in jail for killing his wife.

Ian Stewart smothered the writer and hid her body

She was found, alongside her dog Boris, three months

after she disappeared in April last year.

Mr Stewart will be sentenced at St Albans Crown Court

Voters are going to the polls today in two parliamentary by-elections

They were triggered by the resignations of the Labour

and Tristram Hunt in Stoke-on-Trent Central.

Polling stations open at seven this morning and close

The maker of Hotpoint and Indesit tumble dryers has changed its advice

owners of the machines, telling customers not to use

the appliances until they are repaired.

Whirlpool has been replacing or fixing an estimated 3.8 million

potentially faulty machines across the UK after it found excess

Previously, the company told customers they could continue

to use their tumble dryer, provided it was not left unattended.

An investigation by the BBC has found there are nearly 10,000

drivers across the UK still on the roads despite having 12

or more points currently on their driving licence.

Official figures reveal that one driver has over sixty points

Official figures reveal that one driver has over 60 points

on his licence, but has still been allowed to continue driving.

From speeding to drink driving, failing to have insurers or causing

a collision on the road, penalty points are given to motorists when

they break the law. 12 active points on a licence usually means a driver

will be banned for a minimum of six months. But figures obtained by the

BBC show that just under 10,000 drivers are still on the roads

despite having 12 or more points. Most are found in England, with the

largest number being in Greater London. Although one driver in west

Yorkshire is still on the road despite having more than 60 points

on their licence. The law doesn't seem to be working at the moment,

we've got people obviously being caught and going through the justice

system but actually the whole point system seems to be making a mockery

of that. Drivers are getting away with repeatedly breaking the law.

Motorists with 12 points can appeal to a magistrates court like this one

and claimed that a driving ban would deliver exceptional hardship on

their lives, meaning they lose a job or be unable to care for a family

member. There is no definition in law as to what exceptional hardship

means so one magistrate may decide if a driving ban would cause someone

to lose their job, that is exceptional hardship. Another

magistrate may decide it isn't. Every band is considered on a

case-by-case basis. The government says the vast majority of drivers

with 12 points are automatically disqualified and it only in

exceptional circumstances can judges decide not to issue a ban. The fact

remains, though, that there are drivers who have continually broken

the law and who are still on our roads. David Rhodes, BBC News,

Bradford. David Bowie dominated

the Brits last night He was awarded best British male

and best British album, Our entertainment correspondent

Lizo Mzimba was at the ceremony. Britain's biggest girl band Little

Mix kicked off the show with a glittering, energetic performance of

their number one and the song also won them the best single award. This

is for you! And the award for British Male Solo artist goes to the

late, great David Bowie. David Bowie went on to win a second award. Best

album for Blackstar, which was released two days before his death.

He's always been there supporting people who think they're a little

bit weird or a little bit strange. This award is for all the macro a

two and all the people that make the kooks. Thanks, Brits. Dashboard all

the kooks. Best British female artist went to Emily Sandakan who

brought her sister on stage when she collected the award. Thank you for

allowing me to make the music that I make and allowing me to express what

I think is important. Thank you so much. But perhaps the evening's most

poignant moment, Chris Martin from Coldplay's George Michael tribute.

Lizo Mzimba oh, BBC News. Time to have a look at all the

sport. Good morning for Leicester ish. They are still in the Champions

League, another loss, a big run of losses for Leicester but an away

goal in Spain is quite important. A good night for Jamie Vardy. Hasn't

scored for nine games but a goal finally for him.

Leicester City lost again last night, but Jamie Vardy's away goal

has given them a chance of reaching the last eight of the Champions

But Vardy popped up to score the goal, which means Leicester only

need a 1-0 win at home to go through.

Wayne Rooney could be on his way to China earlier than expected

with news that his agent is in the country trying

to negotiate a deal for the England captain to play

Manchester United cruised through to the last 16

of the Europa League with a 4-0 aggregate victory over St Etienne.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan scored the only goal of the game in France

Jonathan Joseph has been left out of the England squad preparing

to face Italy in the 6 Nations on Sunday.

The Bath Centre has played in all 15 matches under Eddie Jones but has

returned to his club after being cut from the 24-man squad.

So, yeah, the Six Nations is back after the rest weekend. Many stories

in the papers so I will run through those later. First, a quick chat

with Carol for the weather. Maybe not that quick. All highs on the

weather this morning. Storm Doris is on its way. The eye of the storm is

over Northern Ireland. Over the next the hours, you can see the track she

is making from west to east. Rain, snow, and even severe gales. Look at

this chart. Locale squeezed the isobars are on the south-western

flank. -- look how. This is where we will have the strongest winds. In

the centre, the wind will be like. We start off with the first Met

Office warning. An amber warning to look out for snow. The snow is in

Scotland largely, especially the Central Lowlands and the southern

uplands. 20-30 centimetres in the uplands above 100m. That is not very

high. Transient snow for a time today across parts of Northern

Ireland. Largely in the hills. Northern England and North Wales as

well. The other warning is another amber warning for wind. Strong and

gusty winds today. Gale force and even severe gale force. We are

looking where we see this swathe of orange, that is where the amber

warning is. 80 miles an hour locally. Further south, looking at

50-60 miles an hour. In this particular suede, the winds will do

things like bring down branches and possibly uproot some trees. It could

cause structural damage. In a vehicle it will be difficult. That

is just with the wind element. A third element, rain. The rain is

coming around this area of low pressure pushing from west to east.

Through the course of the day, as the squeezing isobars continued to

move across us, transient cold air coming in, with snow in the hills of

North Wales and perhaps Northern Ireland as well. And then through

the day as the local pressure centre goes on to the North Sea, the is

winds will come across the back of it. For the afternoon shower, gales

and severe gales in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and down to it. By

then, improving in the west. -- East Anglia. Not so much of the snow

brisk in parts of the east. A lot going on with Storm Doris. She is

still with us. She clears into the North Sea overnight. Behind her,

showers to be dry weather as well. Cold enough for frost and ice in

parts of Scotland. Especially where we have lying snow. That leads us

quite nicely into tomorrow. Tomorrow, we can loosen our corsets

and breathe a sigh of relief, because it will have passed. Cold

weather, a fine start, some sunshine, some showers, and through

the day, the next area of low pressure, bringing with it more rain

and strengthening winds receded by snow in Scotland and possibly in

northern England as well. Then this first front on Saturday. Then a warm

sector. We pulling up this warm air. The temperatures will go up. That in

itself, coupled with the rain coming in, will present a few problems. We

will see the ice thaw, providing surface water issues with flooding.

And then we are back up into double figures. The weather is not

finished. The unsettled theme continues. Sunday, we have dried

weather, but further fronts coming in bringing in more rain. Some of

that could also be heavy. Once again, the wind is picking up. It is

fair to say that over the next few days, the weather will be unsettled.

It is Storm Doris we are keeping an eye on today, Charlie and Sally.

Thank you. We know you will keep an eye on that. The front pages. We

will have some of the front page sport stories as well. The first

female commissioner of the Metropolitan Police was unveiled

yesterday outside the new Scotland Yard. The front page of the Scotland

Times. ?450 million lost over a failed green power programme.

Britain is wasting hundreds of millions of pounds subsidising power

stations. The Daily Mail. The front pages. A story about RAF pilots. A

suggestion they have been secretly taking out British jihadists. This

is the main picture with Ian Stewart and his wife Helen Bailey, convicted

of her murder yesterday. An interesting story. A picture of

Cheryl Cole. Sideways. It is showing definitely she is pregnant, if there

was any doubt. She is part of an advertising campaign for a big

cosmetics company and that is what she has chosen to show she has a

baby on the way. That is the official news. Some rugby stories

took my eye in the Times. Germany want to be the next rugby

superpower. They are funded by a marketing billionaire pouring money

into them over the last decade. They want to join the Six Nations one day

alongside George, Romania, Spain, Russia, and Germany, all pushing to

be the next European superpower. -- Georgia. Another nice nice story

about the England coach, Eddie Jones. He took his dog to the party

is today. I am waiting for the day our boss says we can bring our dogs

to work. A puppy. It looks like a big ball of white fluff in this

picture, it is difficult to tell. He ran around the training ground with

it. It is nice to see that other side of Eddie Jones, because he is

quite spikey sometimes. That is the word. The front page of The

Telegraph. If I can get to grips with the paper here. Sorry about

that. A story here about marmalade. I know this one. Marmalade is going

out of fashion for younger people, apparently. Consumer research is

saying younger people are rejecting it, with only one in five aged under

28 last year. It is disappearing. Wouldn't that be a sad thing? My

grandmother always brings five jars every time she comes to visit. Tell

us honestly, are you enjoying it? Yet. So glad you said that. It is a

shame we have run out of time. I have a great story about badly

dressed man. We will do that later in the programme, shall be? Are you

saying something about me? No! Boris Johnson yesterday going for a run.

How difficult it is for men to get sportswear and other things right.

Nonsense. We will see you later on. It's one of the biggest investments

in peacetime Britain, costing over ?56 billion,

and later today, the first phase of the HS2 rail line between London

and the Midlands is expected to receive the official go-ahead

in the House of Commons. The project promises increased

capacity and faster journeys, but building the line will see

ancient woodlands destroyed and disruption to the lives

of those living nearby. Here's Ben with a look

at the pros and cons. More of us are using the railways

than ever before. It means busier stations and busier trains. And so

the government says HS2 is the answer. But is it? I am taking a

journey on the first stage of the route from London to Birmingham to

see what impact it could have. The biggest challenge is tackling

overcrowding. The current tracks and stations cannot handle many more

passengers. But at as well as running more frequently, the trains

will be faster as well, and that is good news for passengers. Thank you.

Sometimes you do not get enough carriages, which can be a big

problem, and it is really crowded on the trains. A lot of people standing

up can make it difficult to get off of the train as well. I regard

getting on the train as worktime, so if you cannot sit down, you feel

frustrated. It is not just commuters who stand to gain from the new

railway. We average around 10,000 jobs over the first phase of the

instruction, peaking at 25,000 jobs a month. And that is just during

construction. There will be tens of thousands maintaining and running it

when we are done. That could mean even greater economic benefit. Take

this journey, for example. One hour and 20 minutes. We are 50 minutes

into the journey. But if this was an HS2 train, we would already be in

Birmingham. And that means spending less time travelling and more time

working. And one estimate suggests that could add about ?15 billion to

the economy. But at what cost? The current pricetag is close to ?60

billion. But many say it could be much higher. 60 ancient woodlands

would have to be bulldozed. 350 homes will have to be demolished.

And thousands of businesses will be affected. Like this farm in

Buckinghamshire. The land will be split into when work begins. It is

going to completely alter the way I farm. I would lose half of the

grazing my calfs can go out to. I am not convinced with HS2. We have far

more important things to do. Certainly we should not spend all

our money on a rail line that will be, in my opinion, outdated in 10-

15 years. The first section to the West Midlands will be opened by

2026. An extension to Leeds and majesty will open by 2032. HS2

should make journeys faster and more unstable. -- Manchester. This is the

first part of the journey, Birmingham. Keeping the reject

on-time and on track could prove more difficult, however. Dan

Thompson, BBC News, in Birmingham. -- Ben Thompson. And Ben Thompson

will be there for us all morning. Hello, this is Breakfast,

with Sally Nugent and Charlie Stayt We'll bring you all the latest news

and sport in a moment, ALARM: Wake up,

the house is on fire! That's the human voice

of a new type of smoke alarm. We'll find out why it might be

better at saving the lives of children in the

deepest of sleeps. Not too hot and not too cold these

are the planets that Nasa says could be just right

for supporting alien life. We'll speak to one of the team

behind the discovery. If you've ever kept a diary,

would you let anyone else read it? We'll hear how your journal

could help future historians find But now a summary of this

morning's main news: Winds of nearly 90mph

an hour have been recorded in western Ireland as the worst

weather of the winter so far hits Storm Doris is expected to arrive

in the UK in the coming hours, with heavy snow forecast

in Scotland and strong winds Our reporter Allison Freeman,

who is in Blackpool this morning The reason for that is Blackpool is

one of the first places to be hit. That's right, the weather has been

getting up in the last hour or so. We had a bit of torrential rain

that's been forecast and the gusts are released out in to blow across

the. The worst of the weather here in black Blackpool is expected to be

after 9am. There are a number of amber weather warnings in Scotland,

England and Wales. In Scotland there expecting 30 centimetres of snow up

in higher ground and people are being warned to take care when they

travel on the roads. In northern England and Wales, those gusts of

wind are what the amber warning is about, they could cause problems

with travel and damage to buildings. Heathrow has already had some

flights cancelled and the ease coast main line will run a reduced service

after 9:30am and people who are on their the roads are being asked to

take care on what could be treacherous conditions. It does not

look pleasant out there! And we will have the weather with Carol later on

this morning. Prisons should not only punish

criminals but reform them too under what's being described

as the biggest overhaul The Justice Secretary, Liz Truss,

will present a bill later today aimed at reducing prison violence

and cutting re-offending rates I think the fundamental problem

we've had as a country for decades is we've never been clear that

prisons do need to be places of reform and we've never put the

measurements in to see how well governments are doing and how well

ultimately the Secretary of State is doing with that system.

Plans for the multi-billion-pound HS2 project, to build a high speed

rail link between London and Birmingham, are expected to get

The line, which is due to open in 2026, will reduce journey

But its feared the construction will bring wide-spread disruption

to people living and working along the route.

The fiance of murdered children's author Helen Bailey is facing

the rest of his life in jail for killing her.

Ian Stewart smothered the writer and hid her body

She was found, alongside her dog Boris, three months

after she disappeared in April last year.

Ian Stewart will be sentenced at St Albans Crown Court

The maker of Hotpoint and Indesit tumble dryers has changed its advice

to owners of potentially dangerous machines, telling customers not

to use the appliances until they are repaired.

Whirlpool has been replacing or fixing an estimated 3.8 million

potentially faulty dryers across the UK after it found excess

Previously, the company told customers they could continue to use

them, provided they were not left unattended.

Researchers have developed a new smoke alarm sound

with a lower pitched tone and a woman's voice

which they say is more likely to wake children.

Teams based in Dundee and Derby began working

on the project after fire investigators warned that children

were able to sleep through conventional alarms.

Our medical correspondent, Fergus Walsh, reports

Smoke alarms save lives, in this demonstration it happened moments

after so it gave them time to escape but research has found that children

are often not roused by the sound of a standard smoke detector. Their

research was prompted by the deaths of six children in a house fire in

Derby in 2012, set deliberately by their father. Two smoke alarms

failed to wake them. Dave Coss was a fire investigator on that case.

Unfortunately that was the first one that brought it to my attention but

since that day I can recount half a dozen fires where children have

failed to respond during sleep and they have become trapped and died.

He's helped design a new alarm sound which combines a lower pitched tone

and a human voice. Wake up, the house is on fire. In this

demonstration it worked. Melanie Wilkins' four boys woke immediately

but now researchers won 500 families with young children to volunteer to

test the prototype. Fergus Walsh, BBC News.

Astronomers say the discovery of a record seven Earth-sized

planets orbiting a single star brings them a step closer finding

Three out of the seven have the environment necessary

The planets were detected using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope

along with several other observatories.

Are we saying there could be something out there? Possibly,

conditions are saying it could be possible and later we will speak to

experts to explore this a bit more. I thought for one minute you were

going to say we will be live talking to the extraterrestrials. That would

be a great day! Maybe one day! I hope I'm on that day. We've might be

leading on that story. We're leading with Leicester losing in the

Champions League, their only lifeline, they got an away goal in

the first leg so they still have a chance of going through to the last

eight, which would be amazing considering they are doing so badly

this season compare it to last season. The manager of Sevilla said

yesterday it would be hard to imagine a bigger difference between

two teams in the Champions League. A bit disparaging!

Leicester City were beaten 2-1 by Sevilla in their Champions League

second round match, but they did score an important away goal.

Sevilla are third in the Spanish League and dominated

the game, missing a penalty before opening the scoring.

Jamie Vardy got one back which means they only need a 1-0 win at home

Wayne Rooney could be on his way to China earlier than expected

with news that his agent is in the country trying

to negotiate a deal for the England and Manchester United captain

Rooney is no longer first choice of United manager

Jose Mourinho and agent Paul Stretford is in China

The Chinese transfer window closes next Tuesday.

A summer move still seems the likelier outcome however.

United coped OK without Rooney in the Europa League last night,

Henrikh Miktaryan's goal gave them a 1-0 win at French side

United have now lost only once in 25 games.

It's nice. It's a good feeling. We trust in each other and, you know,

one day we are going to lose. The important thing is after that defeat

we go back again to a good run because the team is playing in a

solid way. Tottenham host Gent in front

of a sell-out Wembley crowd Spurs are looking to overturn a 1-0

deficit from their poor display in the first leg in

Belgium last week. We were poor and they were better

than us. The fact they won didn't surprise me because we watched many

games about them and we knew the quality. This uprising thing was our

performance. We know how they play and it's up to us to try and be

better and to show that we deserve to go to the next round.

Jonathan Joseph has been left out of the England squad preparing

to face Italy in the 6 Nations on Sunday.

The Bath centre has played in all 15 matches under Eddie Jones

but has returned to his club after being cut

England will confirm their starting fifteen tomorrow morning.

George North will start for Wales in their match with Scotland

on Saturday, after recovering from a thigh injury.

It will be the only change to Rob Howley's side from the defeat

Budapest is to withdraw its bid to host the 2024

Summer Olympics, leaving only Los Angeles and Paris in the race.

More than a 250,000 Hungarians had signed a petition

against hosting the Games, with opponents saying the money

would be better spent on hospitals and schools.

The International Olympic Committee will announce the winning city

It now looks like it's going to be either Los Angeles or Paris. Both

good options. Both really strong campaigns as well. Kat, thank you

very much indeed. Eating five portions of fruit

and veg a day is one of the best known bits of dietary

advice there is. But new research out this morning

says that while that's good, the figure should be more

like 10 if you want to get They've also identified

specific examples that can help

reduce the risk of cancer Let's speak to the author

of the report, Doctor Dagfinn Aune Very good morning to you, thank you

for your time this morning. Could you give us the basis, what you've

discovered in your research. Good morning, sir. What we did was we

conducted and we combined analysis of 95 already published studies on

fruit and vegetable intake to see the mortality risk. We found that

eating even moderate amounts of fruit and vegetables reduced the

risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and of course mortality. We

found that higher intakes, intakes as high as 800 g, ten servings per

day, was associated with a strong reduction in risk. Doctor, is it as

straightforward as saying if you eat twice as much, ten portions a day

perhaps, you're giving yourself twice as much protection or

reduction of heart disease or cancer risk? When we looked at the day for

coronary heart disease and stroke mortality, it seems like you could

say that... For mortality, most of the benefit is up to five a day but

there is some further reduction up to 800 g as well for all across

mortality. You look at specific food types that have specific benefits.

For heart that is for example, talk us through the specific items

related to benefits for heart disease -- for heart disease. For

cardiovascular disease, heart disease, stroke mortality we found

particularly apples, citrus fruits, pears, green leaf vegetables like

salads are very beneficial. For cancer, Consett fruits and

vegetables and green and yellow vegetables were beneficial. Doctor

Dagfinn Aune, thank you for your time this morning. He is the author

from the Imperial College London. The advice is ten portions of fruit

and veg instead of five is better and you get considerable health

benefits. And apples and pears. All good!

You're watching Breakfast from BBC News.

Winds of up to 80 miles per hour

are expected today as Storm Doris hits the UK.

Forecasters have warned road, air and ferry services could be

Ministers will publish plans later for what's described as the biggest

reform of prisons in England and Wales in a generation.

It sets in law for the first time that jails should reform offenders

The weather. Could today be some of the worst weather this winter? Yes.

This is the fourth named storm of this winter. It is crossing very

populated areas. Look at the wind gusts we have had in the past few

minutes. So, you can see the strongest winds at the moment are in

the west. Now, Storm Doris, the eye of the storm is currently across

Northern Ireland. This is where there is not much wind. Then the

storm will drift from the west to the east in the next few hours. In

doing so, you can see where the squeeze of the strong cost winds is,

the south-western flank. As it goes west to east, that will follow it.

Earlier on in the day it will be in the west and go to the east by the

second rush-hour of the day. The Met Office has two amber warnings to be

prepared. The first one is for snow. It is already snowing in the

highlands of Scotland just south of the Great Glen. But there is another

warning for the plan is. These are the warnings. 20 centimetres above

100m. And five and ten metres across the Central Lowlands, especially in

the western side. The other amber weather warning to be prepared is

for wind. The strength of the wind. It is very windy. Gales and even

severe gales. Now, as we go through the day, this strongest swathe as we

saw on the weather chart is coming in from the west. You can see where

it covers by the colour on the chart. 90 miles per hour. Locally,

80. That is enough to cause widespread disruption to

transportation and power cuts, for example. Structural damage. Trees

coming down. Outside of the amber weather warning. Still, we have very

strong winds. 50, 16, 70 in the east. -- 16. Heavy rain pushing

across Wales and going into the North Sea. It is all rotating around

that area of low pressure. Now, in the south, it will be windy, but

mostly dry. The odd showers. All the action is in this central swathe.

And by the time we get to the afternoon period, especially the

latter part of the afternoon, strong winds will be in parts of Yorkshire,

Lincolnshire, and East Anglia. Gales, possibly severe gales. The

evening and overnight period. The storm pulls away into the North Sea.

Things will quiet down. There will still be showers, some will be

wintry. Look out for highs on untreated surfaces, especially in

Scotland. -- ice. A lot going on today. Back to you, Charlie and

Sally. Thank you. We will talk to you soon.

HS2 has promised lots of some of the fastest trains

in Europe, thousands of jobs, and more than half an hour shaved

off the journey time between London and Birmingham.

Today, the project is due to get the final approval

in the House of Commons, but some fear the construction

will bring widespread disruption to the lives of people living

It is going to make a huge difference.

Ben's in Birmingham this morning, where a new station will be built

He is there in the wind and rain, I have to say. That is where it will

be built. Good morning. Good morning. You will have to bear with

us this morning because it is very wet and windy and wild out here. I

will try to persevere as much as I can. You might be able to make out

behind me the site for the new proposed terminal. The new terminal

for the new HS2 trender comes into Birmingham. That is the first phase

of the project. The second goes in to Leeds and Manchester. It was

proposed back in 2009 and has been beset by all sorts of problems,

concerns about the route and the cost, especially for people who live

and work along the line. Let us hear from both sides of the debate. We

have two guests. Let me start with you. You think this is a good thing

for Birmingham and you work in the Chambers of Commerce. We can see

there is huge investment in Birmingham. This is just the latest

in a whole line of investments. Absolutely. Into such great

location, having this conversation this morning here that you can see

the new investment, the cranes on the skyline, and the investment

opportunity with the HS2 upgrade. A lot of success stories. The HSBC

relocating to Birmingham. It has become part of the success story of

the city, the HS2 coming to Birmingham as well. And not just

direct investment from the HS2 line, but also associated benefits. A lot

of work going with local stakeholders about how they can

maximise this opportunity to kickstart investment and supply

chain opportunities. Even public transport from areas outside of

Birmingham into Birmingham to make the most of it. Laying out the

benefits for Birmingham, but you absolutely don't agree this is what

Birmingham needs right now. We are seeing a triumph for vested

interests today. It goes against evidence based policy. The whole

case for HS2 has been invented and totally made up by the people who

want to build it to be the construction industry and the

consultants within. They are running their own gravy train. The first set

of contracts went 88% over budget. We have just seen the chair of HS2

and CH2M come in 49% over budget. It started at 30 billion, it was going

to connect to Heathrow, that has been cut. The official cost is now

at ?56 billion. The cost will keep going up and up and up or something

only a fast train for fatcats. But something needs to be done, right?

All the trains are too busy. It is not just about speed, but capacity.

The trains as they stand cannot take many more passengers. Theresa May

admitted herself at promenades is Question Time a few weeks ago they

could upgrade capacity by 40% by putting in signalling. There have

always been cheaper ways of improving capacity and improving the

network. The bottom line is the vast maturity are commuters he will not

benefit from HS2. If you want to increase it, there is a requirement

of cuts to free up capacity which means losing the trains you already

have from many places not on the main route of McAdoo. You take his

point that money needs to be spent? But it needs to be spent on a

different way, he says. I disagree. It represents great money for value

overall. We need to make sure it is kept on message and budget. It is

incredibly difficult to predict what the cost of something like this will

be, a 20 year project. As we have seen in the last 12 months, things

can change and be unrecognisable in only 12 months. I understand the

problems with try to estimate things with the exchange rate and what is

going on with costs of imports, which have changed dramatically in

that time. Both of you, thank you very much. We will continue this

debate a little later. I hope you can stay with us. The cameraman is

doing a great job of keeping the lens clean. Storm Doris is making

her presence felt already this morning in Birmingham so I will go

inside. OK, thank you. Go and get a cup of tea. Poor Ben. The storm is

hitting and due to kick in mainly around 9-10 a.m. This morning. It

has already started. We will get all the detailed information from Carol

about what the weather will be like for you this morning wherever you

are. In a week, Northern Ireland

will see its second election The power-sharing government

collapsed in January amid a bitter row between unionists

and Republicans. Many have called this

a divisive election but, away from the old sectarian issues,

there are familiar concerns for voters like education,

the economy and health. Our Ireland correspondent invited

a group of people to the Whitla Hall at Belfast's Queen's University

to see if there was more that united Elections are a time when people

come together. United in the task of making a choice, but often divided.

Not just by their jobs, their age, or the interests, but by their

backgrounds, beliefs, and experiences. First of all, thank you

very much for coming. I want to ask a couple of questions. We obviously

need you to be honest. Who has been to the gym in the last week? There

are the athletic, or at least the enthusiastic. There are magics who

sent valentines cards this year. -- there are romantics. And those who

admitted, or perhaps were forced to admit, they were drunk in the last

week. But it is shared experiences which could influence how

individuals vote. Who has waited four hours or more in Accident and

Emergency to get treatment for themselves or someone else? Waiting

lists in Northern Ireland are among the longest in the UK. Politicians

have described the health service here at as at breaking point. I am a

nurse. The reason people wait a long time in emergency departments is

because we have an older population. There is not enough investment in

primary care and the community. We have to remove the politicians out

of health and appoint someone in charge of it you will be responsible

for all the operational matters. This is not scientific, but the

responses suggest a lot connects these businessmen and farmers,

students, and senior citizens. Who has a close friend or a relative who

is gay or a lesbian? Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK

where same-sex marriage is still illegal. And in the past, Stormont's

biggest party, the DUP, used a veto to vote in favour of it. It is a

disgrace and everyone has a right to decide who they want to marry and

fall in love with. I am not quite sure. I have always believed it

should be a male and female to bring up a child. What all believe is that

politics matters. From arts to want more funding for languages. And

those who want Protestants and Catholics to be taught together,

which is the exception, rather than the rule. Yet a lot feel they do not

fit into Northern Ireland's traditional boxes, of Unionists or

Irish Nationalist, though that's how they vote. Who is proud of Northern

Ireland? It is interesting the split. The generations who did not

know the conflict and the other half. What sucks is that there is so

much to be proud of in Northern Ireland. People can be grateful of

what we have done. But we have an executive marked by scandal and

crisis and falling apart consistently. Different views that

will influence that election result when voters mark their preferences

in the boxes next week. Chris Buckler, BBC News, Belfast. It

Hello, this is Breakfast, with Sally Nugent and Charlie Stayt

Warnings of damage and disruption as Storm Doris heads

This is the scene in Blackpool this morning.

Commuters here are being advised to take extra care as some

of the worst weather of the winter so far arrives.

Storm Doris is packing three countries, bringing gales, severe

across our shores, some heavy snowfall and heavy rain. More

details on all of that later in the programme.

Good morning, it's Thursday 23rd February.

Nearly 10,000 motorists are legally allowed

to drive despite having enough penalty points to be banned.

New figures show one man is still on the roads with 62

Good morning. HS2 gets the green light later today but there is

controversy over the route and the cost of the new high-speed line.

Some here in Birmingham are affected by the new railway and I'm eating

them. In sport Leicester City lose

in Spain but Jamie Vardy's away goal in Seville means they still

have a chance of making it through to the last eight

of the Champions League. Also this morning,

a new sound for smoke alarms. And David Bowie dominates the Brits.

The award for British male solo artist goes to the late, great David

Bowie. He picked up two awards a year after this death from cancer.

Winds of nearly 90mph have been recorded in western Ireland

as the worst weather of the winter hits the British Isles.

Storm Doris is expected to arrive in the UK in the coming hours,

with heavy snow forecast in Scotland and strong winds for many parts

Some rail and air services have already changed their schedules

and drivers are being warned to avoid some roads.

Let's get a sense of what it's like out there at the moment

with our reporter, Allison Freeman who is in Blackpool this morning.

We are being blown about a bit by the blustery conditions, you can see

the famous swaying sculptures on the Blackpool promenade, giving way to

the breeze a bit in front of the tower and if we look down towards

the sea here, the white horses are really starting to pick up and the

waves are being blown in by the wind. But we don't think Blackpool

is experiencing the full force of Storm Doris just yet, that's

expected just after 9am. But there are expected to be high winds across

the north of England and north Wales, and that will cause

disruption to transport. We know Heathrow has already cancelled some

domestic and shorthaul flights and the east coast Main Line, trains on

that route are going to be pared down after 9am and they will run to

speed restrictions. We've had some pictures from black sod on the west

Coast of Ireland earlier this morning. Further down the coast we

know there was a gust of 87 mph recorded there, but the full force

of the storm doesn't seem to be hitting Blackpool yet and it's hoped

it will all be over by 6pm. Allison, thank you.

We can talk to Carol now. Carol, a summary of what's been happening so

far, what can we expect through the day? The eye of the storm is well

and truly over Northern Ireland and it will be drifting east through the

day. The strongest winds currently are in parts of north-west Wales,

you can see Aberdaron, 79 mph. It's not just the wind. The wind will

cause a lot of problems and the strongest winds will be in parts of

Wales, the Midlands, East Anglia and parts of northern England and here

we are looking at gusts widely between 70 mph and 80 mph. Even

south of that for south Wales and southern England we have gusts

expected between 50-6 deep. That can cause major travel disruption but it

can also cause power cuts and also bring up trees, should debris down

the road. There's a lot to be aware of but equally we have heavy snow,

heavy snow in the Central Lowlands and the southern uplands, again an

additional hazard. As the system moves to the east, this evening's

rush-hour will be particularly nasty with gales or severe gales in

Yorkshire, East Anglia and into the overnight period Storm Doris will

completely clear. That's good to know, thank you very much. Doris

will clear of eventually! We will keep you updated on the weather

through the morning. Prisons will be expected to reform

criminals as well as punish them under what's being described

as the biggest overhaul The Justice Secretary, Liz Truss,

will present a bill later aimed at reducing prison violence

and cutting re-offending rates Here's our home affairs

correspondent Daniel Sandford. Some prisons in England and Wales

have been close to crisis Violence and the use of illegal

mobile phones and drugs have been soaring after deep cuts

in the number of prison officers. But in other jails, like HMP

Onley in Warwickshire, it's still possible to prepare

inmates for life on the outside. Abdi Tahir is coming to the end

of a two-year sentence and hopes to go straight into a job as a bike

technician at Halfords. He told me his experience of jail

time has been mixed. When I was in Pentonville foe

example before I came here we were locked

up 23 hours a day. I'm saying we were literally

treated like animals. I'm saying we had to ask for toilet

paper, we had to ask for the basic common decency, know

what I'm saying? So coming here now, it looks

like a completely different prison, There are bits of downs

but you can work around those. I firmly believe if you give

someone a chance to change, In her first prisons and courts

bill, the relatively new Justice Secretary Liz Truss

wants to have it written into law that it is her duty to rehabilitate

prisoners and not just As we're seeing fewer people

committing a crime for the first time, which is good news,

more of the crime in our society is committed by people who have

already been in prison. So we really need to deal with this

issue which has been a problem The Prisons and Courts Bill

will also bring in new laws allowing mobile phone companies to help

the Prison Service to detect and intercept devices

being used behind bars. Daniel Sandford, BBC News

at Onley Prison in Warwickshire. The HS2 high speed rail link

between London and Birmingham, is expected to get

final approval today. The line, which is due to open

in 2026, will reduce journey times But its feared the construction

will bring wide-spread destruction Ben's in Birmingham

for us this morning. Braving the storm as well, Ben. Good

morning. Good morning, guys. I'm on the roof of Birmingham city

university and we get a wonderful vantage point but we are contending

with Storm Doris as well this morning. Let me show you where we

are, you can see this site is derelict at the moment but that will

be the side of the Curzon street station, it will be the terminus of

the HS2 line that runs from London to the West Midlands. It's a big

investment and it's been the set with controversy so let's go through

some of the numbers. You might remember in 2009 the line was first

proposed, it's a while ago but there's been all sorts of debate

about the costs. Experts say it could cost ?60

billion and there's been controversy about the root of the line will

take, cutting through countryside, businesses and homes. The first

phase of the line is expected to open by 2026 and that takes us from

London to the West Midlands here and it will cut around 30 minutes from

the journey time between those two cities. There will be a second phase

that takes the line onwards to Manchester and Leeds and that's

expected to open by around 2033. Again, if it gets the go-ahead and

everything runs to time, it should knock an hour of the journey so a

significant investment but not one that is without controversy. Already

this morning we've heard from both sides of the debate. Those welcoming

it say it's great for the city and investment but those on the other

side, who are affected, they say the muggy should be spent elsewhere.

We'll hear more from them later and I've been taking a journey from

London to Birmingham meeting the businesses and the people affected

and we'll hear that a bit later. We look forward to it, Ben. Thank you

very much indeed. The fiance of murdered children's

author Helen Bailey is facing the rest of his life in jail

for killing his wife. Ian Stewart smothered the writer

and hid her body in a cesspit She was found, alongside her dog

Boris, three months after she disappeared

in April last year. Mr Stewart will be sentenced

at St Albans Crown Court Eating 10 portions of fruit and veg

a day can give us longer lives. The study by Imperial

College London showed consuming small amounts

have a health benefit However, Public Health England say

adding pressure to eat more creates Some breaking news bore you this

morning from the business world, in the last few minutes there's been a

fall in profits at British Gas over the past year. In 2016 operating

profits in residential energy supply fell by 11% to ?553 million compared

to ?623 million a year ago. British Gas said this was in part down to a

3% fall in customer accounts largely in the first half of the year.

David Bowie dominated the Brits last night a year

He was awarded best British male and best British album,

Our entertainment correspondent Lizo Mzimba was at the ceremony.

Britain's biggest girl band Little Mix kicked off the show

with a glittering, energetic performance of their number one

The song also won them the best single award.

Cheers to our exes for helping us do an amazing song.

And the award for British Male Solo Artist goes to the late,

David Bowie went on to win a second award.

Best Album for Blackstar, which was released two days

He's always been there supporting people who think they're a little

This award is for all the kooks and all the people

Best British Female Artist went to Emily Sande,

who brought her sister on stage when she collected her award.

Thank you so much for allowing me to make the music that I wanted

to make and express what I felt was important.

But perhaps the evening's most poignant moment,

Chris Martin from Coldplay's George Michael tribute.

Usually, if you clock up 12 penalty points on your license within three

years you'll be facing a ban from driving.

But a BBC investigation has found there are nearly 10,000 motorists

still on the roads despite having reached that number.

The figures reveal that one man from West Yorkshire has 62

points on his licence, but has still been allowed

to continue driving as David Rhodes reports.

From speeding to drink driving, failing to have insurance or causing

a collision on the road, penalty points are given

to motorists when they break the law.

12 active points on a licence usually means a driver will be

But figures obtained by the BBC show that just under 10,000 drivers

are still on the roads despite having 12 or more points.

Most are found in England, with the largest number

Although one driver in West Yorkshire is still on the road

despite having more than 60 points on their licence.

The law doesn't seem to be working at the moment.

We've got people obviously being caught and going through the justice

system but actually this whole points system seems to be making

Drivers are getting away with repeatedly breaking the law.

Motorists with 12 points can appeal to a magistrates court like this one

and claim that a driving ban would deliver exceptional hardship

on their lives, meaning they would lose a job or be unable

There is no definition in law as to what exceptional hardship

means so one magistrate may decide if a driving ban would cause someone

to lose their job, that is exceptional hardship.

Another magistrate may decide it isn't.

Every ban is considered on a case-by-case basis.

The government says the vast majority of drivers with 12 points

are automatically disqualified and only in exceptional

circumstances can judges decide not to issue a ban.

The fact remains, though, that there are drivers who have

continually broken the law who are still on our roads.

Joining us now to discuss the matter further is Jeanette Miller,

Good morning. You specialise in helping people in these situations.

Absolutely. Karen actually has got in touch with us this morning and

asked the question everyone will be thinking straightaway, how can

someone still be on the roads with 62 points? It shows a disregard for

the law and there are no circumstances that should allow

this, it beggars belief. I was scratching my head myself as to how

that could have happened but a court has heard that person's

circumstances and we don't know those. That's the point, every court

has to consider each individual case on its own facts. Everytime you

present to the court, 12 is when you lose your license, we're talking

about 62 but you've represented people with 30. Everytime you have

to present a different reason, is that correct? You can't present

exceptional hardship price on the same facts within a certain period

of time. The first time I go to court I say my mom needs a lift to

hospital every Tuesday but I can't use that again the next time I have

more points? You would have to say something more than that and

ultimately the court has to be satisfied based on evidence, it

isn't a sob story, you can't use an example like that, there has to be

exceptional hardship and the court will consider whether or not people

connected to the offender are likely to be cause hardship. They have to

place greater weight on people, such as a relative that might need

assistance, although visits to hospital once a week isn't going to

cut it. They would have to consider whether the hardship would be

affected like their input or their children, a doctor, it could be all

manner of things, it could be anything as long as the court is

satisfied its exceptional hardship. But you can't present the same

argument twice. Do you understand the call, 12 points on the that's

it, nothing, no appeal. I know it's in your interest to defend these

people. We're not defending them, we're presenting mitigation, which

is different. The person walking into court accepting they've done

wrong but they asked the court to consider the ramifications of a

six-month ban, the starting point, what they would be.

We need to maintain the ability of the court to do this. For example,

somebody's direct debit lapses and they find themselves with no

insurance. There is no defence. You cannot say they did not realise and

they will get out of it. That is six penalty points. If that happens a

couple of times they very quickly reach 12 penalty points. It is

nothing to do with their skill. Is unfair they lose their job? I am not

sure that it is. I am trying to do maths while talking to you. If he

represented the poor who have 30 points on their licence, they may

well have come back to court. -- if you represented people who have.

Every time you have managed to come up with another absolutely certain

reason why they have to give their licence, no matter how many times

you have helped them in court. It does not seem plausible. I can only

think of nine cases in the last decade with that many points to bite

a legitimate reason five or six times in a row? Many times the cases

have been joined together. It is not that they go to court multiple

times, multiple offences are being decided on the same day in we have

dealt with. It is not the case that people have it five times. You are

not on trial personally yourself. People will be thinking that you are

almost complicit in keeping people on the road who even you, you must

drive on the road, you would not want to drive on the road next to

them if they have such flagrant disregard for the rules that we all

stick to. Again, I point to instances where it is not

necessarily flagrant disregard. It is a lot of the time innocent

oversight. While I accept that someone who is clearly a danger

because of their driving skill, that should be considered differently to

someone who has found themselves in the situation through a series of

events that does not reflect that danger on the road. The court needs

to retain that ability to look at each individual case, otherwise it

can result in many people being caused exceptional hardship. That is

why it is called that. Quite a few people getting in touch with us this

morning. We will give you some of those a little later on. Thank you

so much for coming in. We have talked a lot about Storm Doris, the

weather. Some information to bring you from the Heathrow Airport

website. Strong winds and a poor weather forecast is related to Storm

Doris and expected to cause issues at the airport. 39 games departures

so far and 38 cancelled a rival. -- cancelled. -- cancelled arrivals.

Carol has more information. Storm Doris packing a punch. At the

moment, the wind we have, it is on the board, which you can see. Even

in the lower two, 55 - 51 miles per hour. The strongest winds in the

west. This is Storm Doris, continuing to move from the west

already affecting our shores, going east through the day. I brought up

this chart because I want to show you the isobars. The closer they are

together, the stronger the winds. It is on this southern flank of low

pressure where we have the strongest winds. In the east, that wind will

go with it. It is not just wind, it is rained. The Met Office has a

couple of amber weather warnings out. Heavy snow this morning. It is

already snowing in the southern uplands and Central Lowlands in

particular. That is what the amber weather warning covers. Snow in the

highlands. Above 100m, especially high, 20-30 centimetres. More with

height. The Central Lowlands, looking at about five centimetres.

That could lead to travel disruption. The winds. Another amber

weather warning to be prepared. The strongest winds are coming in from

the west, as we saw with the area of low pressure. You will see the chart

going amber, that is where the amber weather warning covers. Wales,

northern England, the east, East Anglia, 70 miles per hour. Locally,

80. We expect this in the winter in the north-west of Scotland, but this

is England. This could lead to damage, like uprooted trees, debris

going down the road. And further south, the winds will be lighter.

After the rain this morning, largely dry. Wristy- 60 miles per hour,

still gusty. -- 50. That is something you should consider. The

wind is all rotating around the area of low pressure that it will carry

on in the snow. As it drifts towards the North Sea, the centre, it will

take the wind with it. Remember the southern flank. By the end of the

day, the strongest winds will be with the second rush-hour in

Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and East Anglia. It won't be windy out

towards the west, but it will be windy skill. -- as windy. This is

the picture tonight. One or two showers. A cold night. The risk of

ice and frost in the north. Tomorrow, we are looking at a

largely dry and cold start some sunny spells. Once again, another

system coming in from the west. Rain and stronger winds, but nothing like

we are looking at today to be back to you. Thank you. We will talk to

you again very, very soon. Keeping us up-to-date on the weather

situation today. It's one of the biggest investments

in peacetime Britain, costing over ?56 billion,

and later today, the first phase of the HS2 rail line between London

and the Midlands is expected to receive the official go-ahead

in the House of Commons. The project promises increased

capacity and faster journeys, but building the line will see

ancient woodlands destroyed and disruption to the lives

of those living nearby. Here's Ben with a look

at the pros and cons. More of us are using

the railways than ever before. It means busier stations

and busier trains. And so the Government

says HS2 is the answer. I'm taking a journey on the first

stage of the route from London to Birmingham to see

what impact it could have. The biggest challenge

is tackling overcrowding. Our current tracks and stations

can't handle many more passengers. But as well as running more

frequently, the trains will be faster too, and that's good

news for passengers. Sometimes you don't get enough

carriages, which can be a problem, and it is really

crowded on the trains. And that can make it difficult

to get off of the train as well. I regard getting on the train

as worktime, so if you cannot sit down, you feel frustrated

about that lost hour. But it's not just commuters

who stand to gain from We are going to average around

10,000 jobs over the first phase of the construction,

peaking at 25,000 jobs a month. And that is just

during construction. There will be tens of thousands

maintaining and running it But there could be an even greater

economic benefit too. But if this was an HS2 train,

we would already be in Birmingham. And that means spending less time

travelling and more time working. And one estimate suggests that

could add about ?15 billion The current pricetag

is close to ?60 billion. But many say it

could be much higher. 60 ancient woodlands

would have to be bulldozed. 350 homes will have

to be demolished. And thousands of businesses

will be affected, like this The land will be split

into when work begins. It is going to completely

alter the way I farm. I would lose half of the grazing

that my cows can go out to. I am not seriously convinced the HS2

is a necessity to this We have far more

important things to do. Certainly we should not spend

all our money on a rail line that will be, in my opinion,

outdated in 10-15 years. The first section to

the West Midlands will be An extension to Leeds and Manchester

are due to open by 2032. HS2 should make journeys faster

and more comfortable. We are just approaching the final

part of today's journey, But keeping the reject on-time

and on track could prove Ben Thompson, BBC

News, in Birmingham. We'll have more from Ben on HS2

in the next half hour. He is looking directly over where

the new station will be in Birmingham. So we will talk to him

later this morning. These are the planets that NASA

says could be just right We'll speak to one of the team

behind the discovery. Hello, this is Breakfast,

with Sally Nugent and Charlie Stayt. Winds of nearly 90mph

an hour have been recorded in western Ireland as the worst

weather of the winter so far hits This is the live scene in Blackpool

this morning. Storm Doris moving further inland into the UK. Heavy

snow forecast in Scotland with strong winds of up to 80 mph for

many parts of England and Wales. Prisons should not only punish

criminals but reform them too under what's being described

as the biggest overhaul The Justice Secretary, Liz Truss,

will present a bill later today aimed at reducing prison violence

and cutting re-offending rates Plans for the multi-billion-pound

HS2 project, to build a high speed rail link between London

and Birmingham, are expected to get The line, which is due to open

in 2026, will reduce journey But its feared the construction

will bring wide-spread destruction to people living and

working along the route. The maker of Hotpoint and Indesit

tumble dryers has changed its advice to owners of potentially dangerous

machines, telling customers not to use the appliances

until they are repaired. Whirlpool has been replacing

or fixing an estimated 3.8 million potentially faulty dryers

across the UK after it found excess Previously, the company told

customers they could continue to use them, provided they were

not left unattended. The fiance of murdered children's

author Helen Bailey is facing the rest of his life

in jail for killing her. Ian Stewart smothered

the writer and hid her body She was found, alongside her dog

Boris, three months after she disappeared

in April last year. Ian Stewart will be sentenced

at St Albans Crown Court In the past half hour the parent

company of British Gas, Centrica, has reported a return

to the black with profits But at British Gas itself

profits were down by 11%. The company blames that on a 3% fall

in customer accounts. Eating 10 portions of fruit and veg

a day can give us longer lives. The study by Imperial

College London showed consuming small amounts

have a health benefit One portion counts as 80g,

the equivalent of a small banana or three heaped

teaspoons of spinach. However, Public Health England say

adding pressure to eat more creates Esearchers also identified specific

vegetables that they say can help reduce the risk of cancer

and heart disease. We heard leafy green vegetables.

Apples and pears very good for heart related problems. Ten per day, how

are you doing so far? About struggling with five, now they've

upped it, don't know how I'm going to cope. You have to stop and think,

I'm going to eat this Satsuma, because it's one of your five a day.

You have to put it in different pasta sauces and I don't know how

I'm going to get my boy to do it! What's going on this morning? We've

been talking about Leicester City, fourth from bottom in the Premier

League after winning last season, got through to the Champions League

and they've been doing phenomenally well even though they are fourth

from bottom in the Premier League this season. What a story, winning

the Premier League last season, facing relegation this season but

what if they go on to the last eight and win the Champions League, is it

possible? And all the money that comes with it. You can't ask is it

possible with Leicester because last season they proved anything is!

Leicester City were beaten 2-1 by Sevilla in their Champions League

second round match, but they did score an important away goal.

Sevilla are third in the Spanish League and dominated

the game, missing a penalty before opening the scoring.

Jamie Vardy got one back which means they only need a 1-0 win at home

We go back and score a goal, it was important for things. Three things

give strength to us. Vardy, go back to the goal, reopen the match in the

second leg, and that is important. We know they are better than us, a

very high quality team, why experienced team, everything is

high, OK? But we have a very big heart.

Wayne Rooney could be on his way to China earlier than expected

with news that his agent is in the country trying

to negotiate a deal for the England and Manchester United captain

Rooney is no longer first choice of United manager

Jose Mourinho and agent Paul Stretford is in China

The Chinese transfer window closes next Tuesday.

A summer move still seems the likelier outcome however.

United coped OK without Rooney in the Europa League last night,

Henrikh Miktaryan's goal gave them a 1-0 win at French side

United have now lost only once in 25 games.

We trust in each other and, you know, one day

The important thing is after that defeat we go back again to a good

run because the team is playing in a solid way.

Tottenham host Gent in front of a sell-out Wembley crowd

Scottish Cup holders Hibernian knocked out their Edinburgh rivals

Hearts in their fifth round replay at Easter Road,

Hibs won 3-1 and Championship side Ayr United

will provide their opposition in the next round.

Jonathan Joseph has been left out of the England squad preparing

to face Italy in the 6 Nations on Sunday.

The Bath centre has played in all 15 matches under Eddie Jones

but has returned to his club after being cut

England will confirm their starting fifteen tomorrow morning.

George North will start for Wales in their match with Scotland

on Saturday after recovering from a thigh injury.

It will be the only change to Rob Howley's side from the defeat

Budapest is to withdraw its bid to host the 2024

Summer Olympics, leaving only Los Angeles and Paris in the race.

More than 250,000 Hungarians had signed a petition

against hosting the Games, with opponents saying the money

would be better spent on hospitals and schools.

The International Olympic Committee will announce the winning city

It looks like Los Angeles or Paris. Two good options, I know which one I

would prefer! Go on. Paris. There would be less of a time difference,

all the live action would be while you're awake. You could sit and

watch the Olympics from 9am until 10pm. If it's in LA you will have to

get up in the middle of the night to watch things live. We do that

anyway! Let's take it to Hollywood I say, let's do the Hollywood

Olympics! I'm all for that. A bit of sunshine would be nice and in Paris

that's not always guaranteed but it will be interesting to see where it

ends up. The fact from dairy and have signed those petitions, you saw

the protests in Rio before the Olympics about how they wanted the

money spent on hospitals and schools. It went ahead there but

obviously in Budapest they have listened.

Ben is in Birmingham for us this morning looking at HS2,

but there's another big breaking business story this morning.

In the last hour, British Gas parent company Centrica

Good morning. I'm in Birmingham and we have nipped inside to get away

from Storm Doris for a bit but I want to talk about Centrica, results

out this morning and it has marked a return to profitability, profits are

up, figures of ?2.5 billion in profits for last year. Up from a big

loss, a loss of ?857 million in the year before. If you look down to the

detail, some interesting stuff, it says revenues were down 4%. A 3%

reduction in the number of customer accounts that it holds. British Gas

still one of the biggest suppliers of domestic heating to our homes and

electricity and gas and one of the big six that's coming for lot of

criticism about their prices and whether they would increase prices

over the winter. Remember, they decided not to do that but already a

lot of criticism about how much money they make as a result of not

only supplying energy but generating it. Let's speak to the boss, chief

Executive Ian Conn joins me from the City. Good morning. Looking at your

numbers, a return to profitability, talk me through those details, as I

mentioned, you not only sell the energy but you generate it too. Let

me correct one thing you said, you reported correctly the statutory

accounts but that includes lots of write-offs and revaluations. The

underlying profits were up 4% at ?1.5 billion and we delivered strong

cash flow last year, which obviously allows us to pay dividends to

shareholders and invest for the future. In British Gas residential

energy, obviously what our consumers worry about, our profits were down

11% to just over ?550 million. Quite a challenging time in the UK energy

market at the moment. Yeah, let's talk about some of those challenges

and one I note in your statement is the cap has been introduced for

prepayment metres. It was a controversial decision at the time

and something that will affect you and I note from your statement you

said it will affect you negatively as far as revenues are concerned to

the tune of ?50 million. That is a factor but let me return to what

we're trying to do for our customers. The first thing we're

trying to do is actually offer good value and for the first time in a

while our standard tariff, which I know comes in for a lot of

criticism, is actually cheaper than 95% of the ones out there and in a

range of about 900 out to ?1200, we're right in the middle, a bit

below, at 1044 and our fixed tariff is pretty good value as well. The

second thing to say is we've improved customer service

significantly and we've launched a new British Gas rewards programme to

reward the loyalty of customers and give them new offers that I think

they will really want and light as opposed to just energy. I wanted to

ask you about that, you've launched British Gas Rewards and that gives

people that stays with you incentives like discounts and TV

packages. Why not just cut your prices? I've said to you, we're no

longer the company that has the highest prices that everyone is

trying to shelter underneath. We are very world valued in terms of them

e.g. Pricing and we have decided to freeze our prices all the way to

August -- energy pricing. They've stayed at the same level. That's

when new suppliers and other competitors are putting prices up.

The first thing to say is about the delivery of value for our customers,

it's true, some people only one value energy fixed-price deals,

although they have to keep shopping around because those prices tend to

go up at the end of the contract. What we found is a lot of customers

actually want more than just energy. We're going to give people

reductions on their bill, the longer they're with us, they're going to

get rewarded with reductions on their bill but we're also offering

other things, like, as you say Sky packages but also boiler servicing

alive with energy, which our research says people value, and

being able to control your home with the energy package, which a lot of

people really value, so that's what we're doing. I want to pick you up

on that idea of freezing your prices, you've made a big deal about

not putting your prices up on your standard tariff certainly, but

looking at the detail it's already one of the most expensive Caris.

People would be better off switching to a cheaper alternative --

expensive tariff. That's not true. It's true you can find cheaper

prices if you only want energy from some smaller suppliers but as we've

seen some are offering energy at a loss to them and I'm not sure how

sustainable that is. Some of the more vocal independent suppliers,

actually their standard tariffs are above ours, I want to make that

really clear, and the standard tariff range today, including all

the new suppliers, is ?900 to ?1200 or thereabouts and we're at ?1044.

And our fixed tariff is about just over ?1000 and most of the fixed

tariffs in the market are between ?930 and ?1000. So I don't think we

are the overpriced company at all. We're actually offering good value.

OK, Mr Conn, it's good to talk to you.

Some clarification there on the return to profitability, but as he

pointed out, certainly the residential bit as far as they're

concerned, competition is tough and many more people switching to

alternative suppliers. The number of customer accounts at British Gas

down by another 3%. More from here, talking about HS two and we could

even mention Storm Doris, we could be going outside to see what it's

doing in Birmingham later. You better put your code back on! Thank

you. Carol, Ben Carol, Ben was mentioning the storm in Birmingham,

pretty bad conditions there. What about the rest of the country?

Birmingham is by no means the worst, the worst conditions are in the

west. We're looking at gusts of wind:

These are really strong gusts. Storm Doris has been coming in from the

Atlantic. You can see where the eye of the storm is and continuing to

push steadily towards the east. Through the morning, here's the eye,

things are fairly calm as you can tell from the lack of isobars but

look at the squeeze out towards the west and as the whole storm system

moves to the North Sea, that squeeze will continue across other areas.

That's only one element of the storm, the other is heavy rain

wrapped around it and also heavy snow. The Met Office has to amber

warnings, the first is for heavy snow, that is a be prepared warning.

We're looking at a lot of snow in the Southern Uplands and Central

Lowlands. Above 100 metres in the Southern Uplands, which isn't

particularly high here, we have 25 and 30 centimetres of expected snow,

more with height, five centimetres, especially along the west of the

Central Lowlands. But outside the area and the amber warning we're

looking at snow in the Highlands and Grampians. Then the wind amber

warning, be prepared, very strong winds. We're looking at gusts of

widely 70-80 mph. Here's B and the plume, this is where you can expect

the gusts -- the amber plume. This is inland. It takes in parts of the

Home Counties. Those gusts of wind can bring down trees and cause

structural damage, debris flying down the road and major travel

disruption. South of that we're still looking at 50- 60 mph gusts,

covered by a yellow warning, a level down from amber. Through the day

here's the rain rotating around that area of low pressure. Further snow

to come and as the low pressure system drifts to the North Sea the

squeeze of wind comes in producing snow in the hills of Wales and the

Pennines and then it pushes to the east coast. By the time we get to

the afternoon rush hour, the strongest winds and severe gales

will be in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and East Anglia and for a time in

north-east England we'll see some snow. Through the evening and

overnight period, there's the centre of the storm, it all pulls away onto

the near continent leaving us with a quieter night. Still some showers

and wintryness around, some frost and the risk of ice on untreated

surfaces, especially more in Scotland. Tomorrow a much quieter

day, we start off on a cold note, dry weather, sunshine and a few

showers and then later in the day another weather front from the west

will introduce wet and windy conditions, but nothing like today,

although it will be preceded by hill snow in western Scotland and

north-west England possibly as well. In a week, Northern Ireland

will see its second election The power-sharing government

collapsed in January amid a bitter row between unionists

and Republicans. Many have called this

a divisive election but, away from the old sectarian issues,

there are familiar concerns for voters like education,

the economy and health. Our Ireland correspondent invited

a group of people to the Whitla Hall at Belfast's Queen's University

to see if there was more that united Elections are a time

when people come together. United in the task of making

a choice, but often divided, not just by their jobs,

their age, or the interests, but by their backgrounds,

beliefs, and experiences. First of all, thank

you very much for coming. Who has been to the gym

in the last week? There are the athletic,

or at least the enthusiastic. There are romantics who sent

valentines cards this year. And those who admitted,

or perhaps were forced to admit, But it is shared experiences

which could influence Who has waited four hours or more

in Accident and Emergency to get treatment for themselves

or someone else? Waiting lists in Northern Ireland

are among the longest in the UK. Politicians have described

the health service here The reason people wait a long time

in emergency departments is because we have

an older population. There is not enough investment

in primary care and the community. We have to remove the politicians

out of health and appoint someone in charge of it you will be

responsible for all the operational This is not scientific,

but the responses suggest a lot connects these businessmen

and farmers, students, Who has a close friend or a relative

who is gay or a lesbian? Northern Ireland is the only part

of the UK where same-sex marriage And in the past, Stormont's

biggest party, the DUP, It is a disgrace and everyone

has a right to decide who they want to marry

and fall in love with. I have always believed it should be

a male and female to bring What all believe is

that politics matters. From the arts, who want more funding

for things like languages. And those who want Protestants

and Catholics to be taught together, which is the exception,

rather than the rule. Yet a lot feel they do not fit

into Northern Ireland's traditional boxes of Unionists

or Irish Nationalists, The generations who did not know

the conflict and the other half. What sucks is that there is so much

to be proud of in Northern Ireland. People can be grateful

of what we have done. But we have an executive marked

by scandal and crisis Different views that will influence

that election result when voters mark their preferences

in the boxes next week. Looking ahead to the elections in

Northern Ireland. The time now is 7:50.

Is there life somewhere out there in space?

Scientists are excited after the discovery of seven

Earth-sized planets orbiting a distant star.

Researchers say that three of them have the environment necessary

We're going to discuss the implications, but first,

astrophysicist, Tim O'Brien, has this explanation.

This is a model of our solar system. You can see the earth with the moon