:00:08. > :00:13.Severe disruption expected for the Christmas getaway,
:00:14. > :00:18.as the country braces itself for Storm Barbara.
:00:19. > :00:25.The weather has been horrendous, this is my last chance of getting
:00:26. > :00:26.way to get my shopping done. We watched the forecast and made plans
:00:27. > :00:29.around that. We'll be live from the
:00:30. > :00:31.Highlands with the latest. A political row, after a spending
:00:32. > :00:34.watchdog says Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority
:00:35. > :00:37.are facing a ?190 million Connecting more Scottish
:00:38. > :00:41.homes and businesses to superfast broadband,
:00:42. > :00:44.the UK government announces Scottish scientists create
:00:45. > :00:50.a black hole in the lab, as they try to prove it could be
:00:51. > :00:55.a huge source of energy. And as climbing is named an Olympic
:00:56. > :00:59.sport, a new facility opens in Perth to help Scottish hopefuls rise
:01:00. > :01:15.to the challenge. As Scotland prepares
:01:16. > :01:20.for the Christmas getaway, it s also Ferries to the Northern and Western
:01:21. > :01:26.Isles have been cancelled. Some train services for tomorrow
:01:27. > :01:30.have also been cancelled. And travellers are being urged
:01:31. > :01:43.to get away today, or wait On the Clyde coast the ferry to
:01:44. > :01:48.Rothesay was working normally this afternoon much to the relief of
:01:49. > :01:53.those travelling. My last chance of getting away to do my shopping
:01:54. > :02:00.today, got away and got it. But it looks like tomorrow will be much
:02:01. > :02:02.more challenging. It is highly likely that they will be
:02:03. > :02:06.cancellations on this route and other cloud roots tomorrow. Some
:02:07. > :02:11.services have been cancelled already, others will be reviewed
:02:12. > :02:15.throughout the day so their advice is keep checking their website for
:02:16. > :02:20.the latest updates. On the railways teams will be standing by to clear
:02:21. > :02:24.storm debris from the lines but some West Coast travellers hoping to head
:02:25. > :02:30.home by train for Christmas will have an early start as ScotRail is
:02:31. > :02:34.suspending the most exposed roots from the morning. On the Clyde line
:02:35. > :02:39.and the open and we are suspending services from 11 tomorrow morning to
:02:40. > :02:43.2000 hrs tomorrow night. We ask all customers to check the website
:02:44. > :02:46.carefully, check what journeys you have and make alternative
:02:47. > :02:58.arrangements were possible. We will reimburse tickets that have been
:02:59. > :03:02.bought and can't be used. Here is Stormer Barbara, bringing high winds
:03:03. > :03:04.and also snow on higher ground so driving conditions especially on
:03:05. > :03:07.roads like the A nine currently testing. Plan more time for your
:03:08. > :03:11.journey, let someone know when you are likely to be at your
:03:12. > :03:14.destination, make sure you have a fully charged mobile phone and some
:03:15. > :03:20.warm clothing with you so that you are safe and prepared should you
:03:21. > :03:23.come into some difficulty. They certainly prepared in the food sense
:03:24. > :03:28.and Shetland, nine massive certainly prepared in the food sense
:03:29. > :03:31.containers of festive food arrived by ferry today, with one more boat
:03:32. > :03:35.do before Christmas they are leaving nothing to chance. With planned
:03:36. > :03:40.ahead, got the stock in early, we'll have more than enough for everyone
:03:41. > :03:44.until Christmas Eve so no need for anyone to panic. A reminder today
:03:45. > :03:49.from the Kirk to put comfort and safety even before worship with the
:03:50. > :03:53.weather doing its worst, churches like this one in Falkirk streaming
:03:54. > :03:57.their services so you can join online from your living room. From
:03:58. > :04:01.the comfort of your own home but you can get a sense of joining in not
:04:02. > :04:02.only with the worship and the service but perhaps with your
:04:03. > :04:06.only with the worship and the friends as well, you can see them as
:04:07. > :04:12.well. Not quite the same as being their but you still get that sense
:04:13. > :04:15.of being part of something. With Stormer Barbara will bring up travel
:04:16. > :04:19.problems and might in by the tree may be very welcoming when you
:04:20. > :04:23.finally reach your destination. Aileen Clarke. Reporting Scotland.
:04:24. > :04:26.Our reporter Craig Anderson is in Ullapool for us this evening.
:04:27. > :04:36.It seems almost like the calm before the storm here, if you can call
:04:37. > :04:41.showers of snow, sleet and hail and 50 mile an hour winds calm but as
:04:42. > :04:47.you can see behind me the Christmas lights may be on that no one is at
:04:48. > :04:50.home at the Ullapool ferry terminal. The last ferry for Stornoway left
:04:51. > :04:55.one hour ago and they won't be another leaving here until about
:04:56. > :04:58.10pm on the morning of Saturday, Christmas Eve. That's because
:04:59. > :05:03.tomorrow this route has been completely cancelled and that is the
:05:04. > :05:06.same picture up and down the west coast, in the Hebrides and the
:05:07. > :05:11.Northern Isles as well. There's also expected to be serious disruption to
:05:12. > :05:16.airline services in the Highlands and Islands, Loganair were asking
:05:17. > :05:21.any customers that want it to fly if they wanted to advance their tickets
:05:22. > :05:27.and fly today to do so and we talked to many people at the ferry terminal
:05:28. > :05:31.who had hastily rearranged their plans and made a mad dash to
:05:32. > :05:36.Ullapool to get to the islands for Christmas because tomorrow basically
:05:37. > :05:40.is a No- No. We heard again about rail disruption tomorrow and we also
:05:41. > :05:43.know it will be barred on the roads. The message to everyone who wants to
:05:44. > :05:48.trouble tomorrow is, go in the morning, it will be very bad in the
:05:49. > :05:50.afternoon. -- everyone who wants to travel. Thank you.
:05:51. > :05:52.The public spending watchdog says Police Scotland
:05:53. > :05:54.and the organisation which oversees it, the Scottish Police Authority,
:05:55. > :05:58.are facing a funding gap of almost ?190 million by 2020-21.
:05:59. > :06:06.Audit Scotland says there is continuing concern about their
:06:07. > :06:09.accounts. But the two organisations
:06:10. > :06:17.say they're working Scotland's national police force and
:06:18. > :06:22.the authority that holds it to account are two of the countries
:06:23. > :06:25.most high-profile bodies but no serious questions are being asked
:06:26. > :06:31.about how they are managing their annual budget of ?1.1 million. This
:06:32. > :06:34.report published by the public spending watchdog says that although
:06:35. > :06:39.Police Scotland and the Huw Williams have existed for three years they
:06:40. > :06:48.both suffer from poor financial leadership. The auditor general says
:06:49. > :06:52.that is not acceptable. I think one concern has been that the focus of
:06:53. > :06:55.day-to-day is keeping data date releasing going at the focus of the
:06:56. > :06:58.reform is making sure it is sustainable for the future given the
:06:59. > :07:05.financial and crime pressures and faces. The report dominated question
:07:06. > :07:11.time at Holyrood. Scotland is staring down the barrel of a ?190
:07:12. > :07:15.million budget deficit, we've heard all before. In response the First
:07:16. > :07:23.Minister indicated the UK Government 's refusal to accept Scotland from a
:07:24. > :07:27.VAT bill. Ruth Davidson won't have any credibility talking about police
:07:28. > :07:31.until she backs us in telling the Tory colleagues in Westminster to do
:07:32. > :07:36.the right thing and stop taking money out of the pockets of our
:07:37. > :07:41.police service. Away from Holyrood the Huw Williams said it was taking
:07:42. > :07:46.action. We acknowledge fully. Our standard of book-keeping could have
:07:47. > :07:50.been improved and we agree with the auditor on that point and we have
:07:51. > :07:57.taken steps to address that matter, some have already been taken. Police
:07:58. > :08:02.Scotland declined our request for a broadcast interview but in a
:08:03. > :08:04.statement is seared through the Scottish Police Authority David
:08:05. > :08:07.Page, the deputy chief officer, said the force was committed to ensuring
:08:08. > :08:11.that the financial management of the police budget was of the highest
:08:12. > :08:15.standard and would continue to work to ensure that the appropriate
:08:16. > :08:19.resources were in place to improve capacity and capability and make
:08:20. > :08:23.sure the this is addressed. That is likely to go down well with the
:08:24. > :08:27.auditor General, after three years of asking she is now expecting
:08:28. > :08:30.results. Andrew Black, Reporting Scotland, Edinburgh.
:08:31. > :08:32.A man has been convicted of murdering his former partner
:08:33. > :08:35.Heroin addict Steven Jackson dumped Kimberley MacKenzie's remains
:08:36. > :08:38.at a number of locations in the Angus town of Montrose.
:08:39. > :08:42.A woman has been found guilty of helping him to dispose of the body.
:08:43. > :08:53.Kimberly McKenzie repeatedly battered and stabbed by her former
:08:54. > :08:59.partner Stephen Jackson. Afterwards as she laid dying he went to buy
:09:00. > :09:04.heroin with Michelle Higgins, the pair captured on CCTV in Montrose
:09:05. > :09:13.town centre. There's an element of drug addiction to the crime, but
:09:14. > :09:17.let's be clear, nothing would allow for that level of brutality that's
:09:18. > :09:23.been dished out to Kimberly McKenzie and caused her death. The next day,
:09:24. > :09:27.Jackson cut up Kimberly's body in the bottom of the flat and then she
:09:28. > :09:32.and Michelle Higgins dumped body parts in bins around the town and in
:09:33. > :09:39.another house. The murder, described by police as brutal and callous, led
:09:40. > :09:44.to a complex investigation, parts of Montrose sealed off, bin collection
:09:45. > :09:48.suspended while officers carried out detailed searches. During the five
:09:49. > :09:52.week trial the two accused blamed each other, Jackson convicted of the
:09:53. > :09:59.crime, Higgins found guilty of helping him dispose of the body.
:10:00. > :10:02.Kimberly is the mother, sister, her family have clearly been affected by
:10:03. > :10:10.these events and having to listen to the dramatic story unfolding through
:10:11. > :10:15.the trial, our thoughts are firmly with her family. Police say the
:10:16. > :10:19.crime traumatised the community of Montrose, that was underlined today
:10:20. > :10:23.by the judge, who told Jackson and Higgins that what they had done was
:10:24. > :10:27.horrific and depraved. They will be sentenced at the High Court in
:10:28. > :10:30.Liddington in January. Huw Williams, Reporting Scotland.
:10:31. > :10:33.The former Rangers owner Craig Whyte has pled NOT guilty to two charges,
:10:34. > :10:35.including one of fraud, in relation to his purchase
:10:36. > :10:41.Mr Whyte's lawyer entered the plea during a hearing at the High Court
:10:42. > :10:54.A trial is scheduled to begin in Glasgow next April.
:10:55. > :10:55.An extra ?18 million to deliver superfast broadband
:10:56. > :11:03.to some rural parts of Scotland has been described as disappointing.
:11:04. > :11:05.It represents only four per cent of a ?440 million investment,
:11:06. > :11:07.announced today by the UK Government for Britain.
:11:08. > :11:09.Willie Johnston reports from one community where
:11:10. > :11:11.the broadband is more snail's pace than super-fast.
:11:12. > :11:17.A typical picturesque village and parish in rural Galloway close to
:11:18. > :11:26.ages and with a pub, school and community hall there are many
:11:27. > :11:30.reasons to want to live in Borgue but broadband connectivity is not
:11:31. > :11:36.one of them. It depends what time of day you access it. On a good day
:11:37. > :11:40.they get speeds of 4 megabits per second while some neighbours
:11:41. > :11:45.struggle with 1 megabit, not enough, he says, to thrive, even survive in
:11:46. > :11:50.21st century Scotland, both socially and economically. Farmers, local
:11:51. > :11:54.businesses, individuals who want to continue doing things in the local
:11:55. > :11:56.area, they increasingly find that they need to have decent broadband
:11:57. > :12:22.and they can't do it. I know of a number of examples of
:12:23. > :12:25.people who would like to be working here, who have the IT skills but
:12:26. > :12:27.haven't got the infrastructure. The UK Government says the cash, which
:12:28. > :12:29.comes from efficiency savings and from money clawed back by the
:12:30. > :12:30.supplier BT will collect more Scottish homes and businesses by
:12:31. > :12:32.getting fibre connections into their Scottish homes and businesses by
:12:33. > :12:34.communities. This is money being used to upgrade cabinets to make
:12:35. > :12:37.sure we have the latest technology in them so that there is access to
:12:38. > :12:39.superfast broadband. But the Hollywood Minister says the amount
:12:40. > :12:41.earmarked for Scotland is not sufficient. Very much on the low
:12:42. > :12:47.side, if the Barnett formula applied there would be a far higher share,
:12:48. > :12:51.would there not? A concern shared in Galloway by one campaign. People
:12:52. > :12:55.often overlook this part of the world and I think economically we
:12:56. > :13:02.are important and we should really support local communities so ?80
:13:03. > :13:05.million doesn't seem an awful lot. Reporting Scotland, Borgue.
:13:06. > :13:07.It could be the energy source of alien civilisations,
:13:08. > :13:09.but until now it's been beyond mere Earthlings.
:13:10. > :13:11.It's called the Penrose Mechanism - the theory that huge amounts
:13:12. > :13:14.of energy could be harvested from a spinning black hole.
:13:15. > :13:17.Now researchers at Heriot-Watt university in Edinburgh
:13:18. > :13:21.are trying to prove it works by building their own black hole.
:13:22. > :13:23.Our science correspondent Kenneth Macdonald has
:13:24. > :13:38.Somewhere out there there are black holes. You cannot see them because
:13:39. > :13:44.not even light can escape. It might help if you think of a black hole is
:13:45. > :13:48.a giant cosmic train, the enormous gravity associated with it sucks
:13:49. > :13:53.everything down plughole. Well, not quite everything and that is where
:13:54. > :13:57.things get interesting. Almost 50 years ago the physicist Roger
:13:58. > :14:02.Penrose theorised that some objects might be split in two as they
:14:03. > :14:03.skimmed past a spinning black hole. One half will be swallowed, the
:14:04. > :14:28.other will be thrown clear and pick up energy from the
:14:29. > :14:31.spin of the black hole. Waves like light would also be amplified but
:14:32. > :14:34.until now no one striped to prove it in a lab. What we have here is a
:14:35. > :14:37.laser system and over there you can see a component where we are
:14:38. > :14:39.actually twisting the light and then this twisting light spinning like a
:14:40. > :14:41.vortex goes through our material. Happily for Edinburgh this is not a
:14:42. > :14:44.real black hole, it is simulated using twisting light yet the
:14:45. > :14:45.principle is the same. We are collaborating with another
:14:46. > :14:52.university, they are working with water draining down a hole. We at
:14:53. > :14:56.Herriot Watt are using light, laser beams that can be twisted into a
:14:57. > :15:05.vortex, and the idea would be that small waves hitting the vortex would
:15:06. > :15:11.be amplified, send small waves in, get big one side and you can use
:15:12. > :15:15.them to harvest energy. It has taken four years to build the black hole
:15:16. > :15:22.and now researchers aim to show that funding works in the real world. The
:15:23. > :15:26.beauty of this physics is that it is so general, so generic that it can
:15:27. > :15:30.be applied to almost everything. There's something magical about
:15:31. > :15:36.rotation, rotating objects seem to behave differently from objects that
:15:37. > :15:41.are not rotating. The and black holes remained theories for decades
:15:42. > :15:42.before experimenters proved them right, the Penrose mechanism could
:15:43. > :15:46.before experimenters proved them be next and we won't have to go near
:15:47. > :15:47.a real black hole. Kenneth MacDonald, Reporting Scotland,
:15:48. > :15:54.Edinburgh. Severe disruption expected
:15:55. > :16:01.for the Christmas getaway, as the country braces itself
:16:02. > :16:03.for Storm Barbara. we meet
:16:04. > :16:06.the deaf chef who's risen The football league authority says
:16:07. > :16:13.it'll investigate whether some players are being paid less
:16:14. > :16:15.than the minimum wage. The SPFL and the Scottish FA
:16:16. > :16:19.were appearing before a parliamentary committee
:16:20. > :16:21.investigating player welfare. But the SFA admits it doesn't
:16:22. > :16:24.have the manpower to check whether illegal player contracts
:16:25. > :16:34.are being registered. Those that run football here are
:16:35. > :16:38.used it facing the scrutiny of fans and the media. Today, it was the
:16:39. > :16:42.turn of politicians here at Holyrood, to ask serious questions
:16:43. > :16:47.about how they govern the game. In front of the petitions' committee,
:16:48. > :16:52.the group who dissect petitions from the public, both the SFA and the
:16:53. > :16:56.SPFL, faced heavy questioning over club's treatment of players and
:16:57. > :17:01.especially how they'd know if clubs were breaking employment law. To
:17:02. > :17:05.date this year, a process in excess of 18,000 transactions, they do not
:17:06. > :17:10.consider the terms of the contracts. So, I just want to make that clear.
:17:11. > :17:18.We absolutely are not aware, I was not aware of that issue. . ... A
:17:19. > :17:22.contract that is ale illegal? Under the registration, you can, yes.
:17:23. > :17:27.Under what circumstances would that be defined as a registration scheme,
:17:28. > :17:31.worthy of its name? Well, we do not look at the terms of all the
:17:32. > :17:36.contracts? Is this something you are going to change? We have no
:17:37. > :17:40.immediate plans to change the registration system. That's a
:17:41. > :17:44.position that angered some of those present. If these contracts and if
:17:45. > :17:47.young people have been taken advantage of, in the way they appear
:17:48. > :17:52.to be taken advantage of, obviously the legality has to come into it as
:17:53. > :17:55.well. If that's the case it should be the responsibility of those
:17:56. > :18:00.highest up in the organisations that have to pay a price of this attitude
:18:01. > :18:06.of complete lackadaisicalness, when it comes to the well fair of young
:18:07. > :18:12.footballers. The SPL has written to clubs reported to be playing less
:18:13. > :18:16.than the minimum wage, and there has been a promise to investigate fully
:18:17. > :18:21.but football faces more scrutiny now than ever before and a political
:18:22. > :18:23.will to hold those to account, who are running the game.
:18:24. > :18:25.Laser technology is being used across Scotland
:18:26. > :18:27.to help prevent power cuts during the winter weather.
:18:28. > :18:30.As Storm Barbara prepares to bite, the country's two electricity
:18:31. > :18:32.companies have revealed they've spent more than ?80 million
:18:33. > :18:34.in the past year upgrading the network.
:18:35. > :18:41.Our energy correspondent, Kevin Keane, reports.
:18:42. > :18:45.They crisscross our landscape, bringing heat and light to our homes
:18:46. > :18:50.and businesses, weaving through trees that threaten to bring them
:18:51. > :18:51.down. This technology combines innovative airborne mapping
:18:52. > :18:57.techniques. This year a plane has innovative airborne mapping
:18:58. > :19:02.been taking to the sky to laser map the electricity cable network T
:19:03. > :19:05.creates a 3D image of Scotland, identifying which trees pose the
:19:06. > :19:11.greatest threat. The accuracy is down to 2 cms in some situations, we
:19:12. > :19:15.can understand where our lines are in terms of relation to trees, we
:19:16. > :19:18.understand how high they are off the ground, whether there are any other
:19:19. > :19:21.buildings that have been built into the line over the last year. The
:19:22. > :19:26.next job after that is to trim them back or chop them down. That goes
:19:27. > :19:30.back to good old-fashioned elbow grease.
:19:31. > :19:36.On this golf course in West Lothian, the team is running the full length
:19:37. > :19:39.of the line. So these guy also go along this electricity table,
:19:40. > :19:44.cutting back the foilage from either side and of course because it begins
:19:45. > :19:49.to grow back immediately they'll do it on rotation and be back here
:19:50. > :19:54.again in three years. In 2013, one of the fiercest of recent winter
:19:55. > :19:57.storms meant Aaron and many other parts of southern Scotland without
:19:58. > :20:01.electricity for long periods. ScottishPower which serves central
:20:02. > :20:04.and southern Scotland says it's reduced its average reconnection
:20:05. > :20:09.time over The Passion five years, from 88 minutes to 65, critical, say
:20:10. > :20:12.some charities. If they are vulnerable to picking up some
:20:13. > :20:18.ailments in the winter where they are not able to keep warm, that can
:20:19. > :20:22.have a greater impact on their health and dramatic it might sound
:20:23. > :20:26.actually can lead and we do see an increase in deaths in the winter
:20:27. > :20:29.amongst older people. SSE and ScottishPower both have rolling
:20:30. > :20:33.programmes to improve the distribution network. Resilient
:20:34. > :20:36.already, they say, to gusts of up to 80 miles per hour.
:20:37. > :20:40.Climbing is to be an Olympic sport at the next Games in Tokyo in 2020.
:20:41. > :20:42.And in an effort to provide world-class facilities
:20:43. > :20:44.for Scottish hopefuls, a new indoor facility is up
:20:45. > :20:51.Its aim is to challenge climbers, no matter their level of expertise,
:20:52. > :21:06.Jamie still rises to the challenge of climbing. In 1999 he lost both
:21:07. > :21:12.hands and feet to frost bite after an accident where he was stranded on
:21:13. > :21:17.a mountain summit for five days. Now, 17 years' later, he still loves
:21:18. > :21:22.his sport and believes its Olympic inclusion will have a positive
:21:23. > :21:26.effect. Hill walking, mountain climbing and orren tier something
:21:27. > :21:30.one of the more participant sports in the whole country and it is
:21:31. > :21:34.growing and with climbing coming up as a competition sport in Tokyo, it
:21:35. > :21:40.is only going to get bigger. Lowering you down. It is as yet
:21:41. > :21:44.undecided if climb willing make it into the Paralympic Games but would
:21:45. > :21:46.Andrew chase a place on the British team? I would be delighted to be
:21:47. > :21:50.involved but not as a competitor. I'm past the age where I want to
:21:51. > :21:55.start devoting that much time to getting involved in competitions.
:21:56. > :22:00.There are over 90 different climbing routes of various grades at the new
:22:01. > :22:05.Perth facility. Scottish champion, William Bosie, believes it is a
:22:06. > :22:08.training venue where he can work towards his newly-available Olympic
:22:09. > :22:12.dreams It's a big difference having places like this, in the training
:22:13. > :22:16.area they have got at the back, because the walls that they have are
:22:17. > :22:20.broader, they are amazing, so getting these walls now here is
:22:21. > :22:25.really good, a really big step in the right direction. Whether you are
:22:26. > :22:28.William Bosi, Scotland's up-and-coming young climber or
:22:29. > :22:30.someone like me with amputations, you can always find
:22:31. > :22:36.somethingchanging at the right level.
:22:37. > :22:40.From beginning, to owe livian, the Perth College Climbing centre will
:22:41. > :22:44.be open in the new year. -- to Olympian.
:22:45. > :22:46.It's a hectic time of year for restaurants and hotels
:22:47. > :22:49.and head chef Bruce Pirie runs one of the busiest in Scotland.
:22:50. > :22:52.He's overcome a disability to rise to the top of his profession.
:22:53. > :23:03.It's hotting up in the kitchen at this hotel resort in Perthshire. At
:23:04. > :23:11.the centre of it all, executive chef the centre of it all, executive chef
:23:12. > :23:15., Bruce Pirie. He has been run kitchen here since 2012. He doesn't
:23:16. > :23:20.hear much of the noise, though, he is profoundly de. He began his
:23:21. > :23:25.career back home in new zae in the early '80s I started pot washing in
:23:26. > :23:29.1982. I moved on to breakfast and then made apprenticeship. I may have
:23:30. > :23:33.found it a little hard to understand Bruce, those who work with him,
:23:34. > :23:37.though, have no such difficulty. I don't see any difference,
:23:38. > :23:42.communicating with Bruce now, than to anybody else. Both on a work
:23:43. > :23:48.level and a personal level. Bruce overseas a team of 45 chefs. His
:23:49. > :23:53.kitchen produces around 1,500 meals a day and Bruce is there keeping a
:23:54. > :23:59.close eye on it all. From dish washer, Bruce Pirie has risen to the
:24:00. > :24:07.top of his profession. He's been Scottish Chef of the Year three
:24:08. > :24:12.times now. I think he tries harder. When you put something in front of
:24:13. > :24:19.him and he has a disadvantage. He works harder. He is one of the
:24:20. > :24:25.hardest workers I have ever seen. I think what Bruce is saying, is he
:24:26. > :24:28.never found it an issue, for Bruce himself, he has lived with it and I
:24:29. > :24:32.think other people, it takes maybe two or three weeks, a month to
:24:33. > :24:36.understand everything he is saying. And for those of us daunted by the
:24:37. > :24:39.prospect of preparing Christmas dinner on a much smaller scale,
:24:40. > :24:46.Bruce Pirie and his team, make it look so easy.
:24:47. > :24:55.Indeed. Some very strong weather heading towards us. My graphics are
:24:56. > :24:59.not working because of this very strong weather. There is lot of data
:25:00. > :25:02.on the graphics. But for tonight at least we'll expect some wintry
:25:03. > :25:06.showers to continue across the far north-west of the country. Across
:25:07. > :25:11.the east, some clearer spe.s under clearer skies it'll turn chillin
:25:12. > :25:15.deed. A touch of frost in some places and maybe icy stretches but
:25:16. > :25:18.it is the calm before the storm. Across north-west by the early
:25:19. > :25:20.hours, we'll start to see thicker cloud, outbreaks of rain pushing
:25:21. > :25:23.through and also the strengthening winds. Now the strengthening winds
:25:24. > :25:27.will continue throughout the day tomorrow. We do have Met Office
:25:28. > :25:33.weather warnings in force across the country. A yellow, be aware weather
:25:34. > :25:38.warning is in force across Scotland. Gusts widely of 60 to 70. But the
:25:39. > :25:40.second, be prepared amber warn something in force from midday
:25:41. > :25:43.tomorrow across the very far something in force from midday
:25:44. > :25:47.north-western fringes of the country, so the Western Isles, with
:25:48. > :25:51.Skye as well, the northern fringes and up to the Northern Isles but
:25:52. > :25:54.later on in the day there will be a band of heavy rain making its way
:25:55. > :25:58.across the country door the middle part of the day. Some very squally
:25:59. > :26:00.winds, causing difficult driving conditions across the central belt,
:26:01. > :26:04.too, during around lunch time and the early part of the afternoon. But
:26:05. > :26:09.this will clear through, so by the end of the afternoon, we are looking
:26:10. > :26:12.at the rain, mainly across the borders but still remaining windy
:26:13. > :26:15.throughout the day. The strongest winds I can canning off across the
:26:16. > :26:19.far north later on in the eepg, so tomorrow evening is when we'll have
:26:20. > :26:22.the gusts reaching up to 80 miles per hour, storm-force winds. There
:26:23. > :26:26.is the potential for structural damage, damage to the power supplies
:26:27. > :26:28.as well and as you have heard so far on the programme, cancellations for
:26:29. > :26:32.the ferries and some travel disruption, too. So the strongest
:26:33. > :26:37.winds, Friday night. As you look ahead to Christmas Eve itself there
:26:38. > :26:41.will be a bit of a respite. Still a very windy day, very strong winds
:26:42. > :26:44.indeed. Wintry showers continuing, too, especially across the
:26:45. > :26:47.north-west and again with thunder, lightning possible as well in
:26:48. > :26:51.between the showers but brighter spells in between and considering
:26:52. > :26:54.all, that tomorrow, Saturday is the better day for travelling because by
:26:55. > :26:58.the time we reach Christmas Eve night and the start of Christmas
:26:59. > :27:02.day, we're expecting another area of low pressure heading towards us.
:27:03. > :27:07.This won't be as intense as storm Barbara. We have strong winds in
:27:08. > :27:09.store, especially for the far north and we're expecting exceptionally
:27:10. > :27:13.mild air. Christmas day itself, by the time we reach the afternoon, we
:27:14. > :27:18.could reach highs of 15 Celsius in the north-east. Potentially record
:27:19. > :27:23.breaking but there is a chance, once we get cold air plunging in later on
:27:24. > :27:27.in the day, of wintry showers, too. Lots to keep up on.
:27:28. > :27:32.Apologies for the absence of the weather graphic there. A reminder of
:27:33. > :27:35.the main news: It is as we have heard, Scotland is preparing for
:27:36. > :27:39.storm Barbara to hit. Ferries to the northern and Western Isles have been
:27:40. > :27:40.cancelled and some train services for tomorrow have also been
:27:41. > :27:44.cancelled. That's reporting for tomorrow have also been
:27:45. > :27:46.Scotland. I'll be back after the late bulletin after the Ten
:27:47. > :27:52.will come up and say, there is 10p. You know the person who