26/04/2014 South Today

it has belonged to Ryan Giggs. Much more on the BBC News channel

it has belonged to Ryan Giggs. It was one of the strongest images

of the South's floods. Tens of thousands of sandbags, laid down by

soldiers, in a desperate attempt to prevent the river breaching its

banks. Today work began in Romsey to remove thousands of those s`ndbags

placed alongside the River Test And the equally tough job continues of

negotiating just who pays for the winter no`one will ever forget. Ben

Moore reports. As they were delivered, thex are

finally being removed. 14,000 sandbags that strengthened the banks

of the river in Romsey. The state. The going. We are pleased to see it

go. We are tired of looking at it. And we will be pleased to gdt our

gardens back. You have not got people taking a few and storing them

in the garage just in case? One or two have gone missing for slall

building projects, I must admit But otherwise, they are too heavy to

lift! These are Steve's pictures from February. The military faught

against the rising river to try to protect homes as the market town was

submerged. Whilst residents here are glad to see the sandbag wall go the

river remains at an unusually high level for this time of year.

Although it is falling. It hs the Environment Agency's call to remove

the flood defences. Those hdlping clear the banks are hundreds of

volunteers. Many usually desk`bound in council offices. The main thing

is that they are not just going to be put into landfill. I know some of

the sand is already being used to sweep along some of the recreation

grounds. It can go into mixhng concrete. And anything that you can

use sand for, it will be usdd for. It will take one week to relove all

of the sandbags. This small market town can, for now at least, finally

forget the floods. A four`year`old girl has bedn

seriously hurt in a road accident in Oxfordshire. She's believed to have

been struck by a Hyundai car, as she rode her bike in Cowley this

morning. She was airlifted by helicopter to the John Radcliffe

Hospital, where her condition is described as serious. Policd are

appealing for witnesses. What may have been the last letter

written on the Titanic has, this afternoon, fetched ?119,000 at

auction in Wiltshire. The ldtter was written by survivors Esther Hart and

her seven`year`old daughter Eva eight hours before the ship hit an

iceberg and sank in 1912. It only survived because it was in the

pocket of her husband's coat which he had given her to keep warm.

The new Mary Rose Museum, at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, has

been selected as a finalist for the prestigious Museum of the Ydar Award

2014. The museum, which opened last May, is competing against fhve other

short listed attractions. The annual Art Fund Prize is worth ?100,00 . It

is a huge deal, getting short listed as one of six of the best mtseums in

the country for the prize. @nd with the ?100,000 prize, which wd

desperately need quite honestly to improve for when we open it for the

next phase, it is wonderfully important. Important to us but also

important to Portsmouth and the South of England. It is one of the

greatest museums of the country Onto football and in the

Championship Reading are up to fifth and are back in the playoffs after

beating Doncaster Rovers 3`0. If they win their final gamd they're

potentially three games frol the Premier League. Brighton, who beat

Yeovil last night, are one point off the playoffs. Bournemouth are out of

the running but demolished Nottingham Forest 4`1.

In the Premier League, Southampton beat Everton 2`0 without evdn

scoring a goal. Two own goals in the first half proved to be the deciding

factor in the game and keeps Saints eighth in the table.

In League One, Swindon lost 2`1 at Notts County. The MK Dons drew `2

at Rotherham. In League Two, two goals in the last

two minutes saw Portsmouth come back to draw 4`4 against Bury. Andy

Awford's men are now in the top half. Oxford lost 2`1 at hole to

Accrington Stanley. Let's take a look at the we`ther.

Hello. Tonight is bringing some heavy showers, perhaps some rumbles

of thunder as well. Those showers are being driven through by some

blustery winds. Quite misty and murky perhaps through the e`rly

hours, as well. Tomorrow st`rts with some heavy showers in places. Quite

murky at first but it might brighten a little throughout the day. We

continue to see some showers and they could bring some hail `nd

thunder and we could see a bit of surface water flooding. There after,

through the rest of the working week, it stays unsettled with

showers and longer spells of rain. That's all from me. Bye.

Good evening. An area of low pressure has wrapped itself around

the British Isles for this weekend. There have been a number of showers

today, particularly in the south-west, and there is more to

come overnight. You can see this swirl of cloud, the centre of it in

the south-west of England. Close to the centre of that there will be

some strong winds in the south-west of England and some heavy showers as

well. There will be some big waves along the south coast as well. The

rain will affect eastern Scotland and the North East of England with

low cloud and missed. The best