:00:00. > :00:00.to British coastlines, with winds of up to 80 mph. That's all from
:00:00. > :00:00.industry is worth ?21 billion, and it's expanding by 20% every I
:00:00. > :00:00.industry is worth ?21 billion, and BBC News at Six, so it's goodbye
:00:00. > :00:09.from me, and on BBC One we now join the BBC's news teams where you are.
:00:10. > :00:13.Tonight on BBC London: More defences go in as people living in the flood
:00:14. > :00:15.hit areas on the Thames prepare for the waters to rise again over the
:00:16. > :00:19.weekend. Sandbags are now at a premium. Some
:00:20. > :00:27.people are stealing them and some selling them at inflated prices
:00:28. > :00:31.Knocking on vulnerable people's doors that can't get out, saying
:00:32. > :00:33.they will sell them to them for up to ?75.
:00:34. > :00:35.Plus, engineering work to fix the flood damaged rail line into
:00:36. > :00:39.Paddington could mean its closure for a week or more.
:00:40. > :00:42.And we'll have the rest of the days news.
:00:43. > :00:46.This man died in Woolwich in the "neknominate" drinking craze. Police
:00:47. > :00:53.say they'll talk to the person who nominated him.
:00:54. > :01:03.And a day to remember, as the Duchess pops in for these school
:01:04. > :01:07.children in west London. I shook her hand and told her happy Valentine's
:01:08. > :01:12.Day. She said I was the first person to say that to her. Not her husband!
:01:13. > :01:21.Apparently not. Good evening. Yet more rain and yet
:01:22. > :01:24.more flooding. That's what people living near the Thames in Surrey and
:01:25. > :01:29.Berkshire are preparing for this weekend. The Environment Agency s
:01:30. > :01:31.putting in new temporary defences in some of the most vulnerable areas
:01:32. > :01:39.and distributing thousands of sandbags. And those sandbags are in
:01:40. > :01:43.demand. There's evidence of people stealing them and others selling
:01:44. > :01:52.them at inflated prices. Let's go live now to Chertsey and speak to
:01:53. > :01:56.our reporter Nick Beake. Good evening from what feels like a
:01:57. > :02:02.forgotten corner of Surrey tonight. We are in someone's front garden,
:02:03. > :02:06.would you believe it. Completely submerged, and a canoe is the only
:02:07. > :02:10.way of getting out. As I make my way up the stairs, I can show you the
:02:11. > :02:13.property. The people here decided to stay and we will talk to them in a
:02:14. > :02:19.moment. They have been taking precautions. All of the furniture is
:02:20. > :02:22.up on bricks, everything up on the table. If you talk to people in this
:02:23. > :02:27.part of Surrey and also in Berkshire, you get different
:02:28. > :02:31.responses. Some say they are getting the support they need, others are
:02:32. > :02:34.angry they have been isolated, like here, and they are not getting
:02:35. > :02:41.support from the various people who could be helping.
:02:42. > :02:45.Chertsey's latest flood defence The first time the AquaDam has been
:02:46. > :02:50.deployed in this country. It will hold back the flood waters to come.
:02:51. > :02:55.The question for residents now, are you on the right side or the wrong
:02:56. > :03:00.side? For a mere's family, the answer is clear. The furniture is up
:03:01. > :03:05.in the garden is sodden, and worse to come. We have been told it is to
:03:06. > :03:09.save the houses on the other side of the road but we don't think it is
:03:10. > :03:13.fair that we are being sacrificed. We have had this house since we were
:03:14. > :03:17.tiny and if they say is going to get as bad as it is going to get, the
:03:18. > :03:22.house will fall to pieces and we will have no home. But hundreds of
:03:23. > :03:27.homes will be spared thanks to a half kilometre inflatable field
:03:28. > :03:31.ironically, with water. Our view, and we are very firm on this, is
:03:32. > :03:35.that we are not making the situation worse for others. If the insurers
:03:36. > :03:39.try to claim that is the case they will have to come back to us and we
:03:40. > :03:44.will say that we are protecting properties, not making the situation
:03:45. > :03:48.worse for others. Across the bridge, there is little in the way of
:03:49. > :03:53.defence. This water is still deep and really fast flowing, quite hard
:03:54. > :03:56.to move around in. The good news is that it is flowing away from the
:03:57. > :04:00.properties, back out into the river, but there is so much rain forecast
:04:01. > :04:06.and at some point it is likely to slow the other way. Simon battles
:04:07. > :04:14.on. He moved his family out a week ago. Four pumps, running 24`7, are
:04:15. > :04:17.now his only hope. Over the bridge there is a lot of activity with the
:04:18. > :04:20.AquaDam they are putting up, a lot of help from the military and
:04:21. > :04:27.Environment Agency. We haven't had much here. But to be honest, right
:04:28. > :04:32.now, I don't know what kind of help they can give me. Sandbags are the
:04:33. > :04:37.new currency. These men apparently making off with a newly built wall.
:04:38. > :04:43.As volunteers hand them out in Runnymede, others try to sell them.
:04:44. > :04:48.Bags they have stolen from us, they are knocking on vulnerable people's
:04:49. > :04:54.doors say they will sell them for prices of ten, 60 and 75.
:04:55. > :04:58.Preparations across Surrey continued for more rain. There is already
:04:59. > :05:07.water as far as you can see, and no end in sight. There are extremely
:05:08. > :05:11.strong winds tonight and lots of rain, too. We have sandbags here and
:05:12. > :05:15.you can see them doing the job so far. They hope the water will not
:05:16. > :05:18.rise farther but because of the deluge, they are worried. I
:05:19. > :05:24.mentioned this as a forgotten corner of Surrey and I will explain why. We
:05:25. > :05:28.can talk to the owner, Ian Berry. Thank you for being with us. What
:05:29. > :05:33.support have you had? Absolutely none. We have seen the fire brigade
:05:34. > :05:37.helping people on the other side of the river but we have had nothing.
:05:38. > :05:45.We have done everything ourselves. By canoe, single`handedly. Any help
:05:46. > :05:51.that anyone gets is brilliant but we feel we have been left to our own
:05:52. > :05:54.devices. We only knew about the plastic by watching the news so we
:05:55. > :06:00.had to take our defences down and rebuild them because no one has
:06:01. > :06:04.given us any advice. We can see the pictures which show your daily trip
:06:05. > :06:09.to get supplies, by canoe. What have you had to do in terms of generators
:06:10. > :06:13.to pump out the water? We have four pumps going, one diesel, three
:06:14. > :06:19.electric. In case the power goes out, we have an electric generator
:06:20. > :06:23.as well. When all of them are going, we are pumping out about 2.5 million
:06:24. > :06:29.litres of water just to keep the basement drive. Just your property
:06:30. > :06:34.alone, 2.5 million each day? Correct. It is a circle of every
:06:35. > :06:39.three hours feeding the generator with fuel, keeping it going and
:06:40. > :06:44.monitoring the levels. So you are getting no sleep, every three hours.
:06:45. > :06:48.Pretty much. You have to monitor everything. Even now when the levels
:06:49. > :06:52.have gone down, we set alarms to make sure that if they come up with
:06:53. > :06:56.are ready to react. It is not an instant process when it rains, so
:06:57. > :07:00.with the downpour today, do you think it will rise again?
:07:01. > :07:04.Definitely. We do not know if they are opening the locks further up the
:07:05. > :07:07.river, which may bring a dead huge down. Also, it takes a couple of
:07:08. > :07:11.days to the rain further upstream to come down. We have no idea when it
:07:12. > :07:16.will come, if it will come, and how bad it will be. Thank you for
:07:17. > :07:21.talking to us. I hope you stay dry and I hope you stay safe. That gives
:07:22. > :07:26.an indication of the challenges people are facing. This is one
:07:27. > :07:29.example, albeit an extreme example, but an indication of what people
:07:30. > :07:33.here in Chertsey, Surrey and other places are facing, and with more bad
:07:34. > :07:37.weather to come, we can expect more of this.
:07:38. > :07:40.It's been a dreadful week for many commuters, especially those using
:07:41. > :07:43.Paddington Station where there have been large numbers of delays and
:07:44. > :07:46.cancellations. But now there could be even more bad news. BBC London
:07:47. > :07:49.understands engineers are considering closing the mainline at
:07:50. > :08:02.Maidenhead so flood damaged signalling can be replaced. Here's
:08:03. > :08:06.Tom Edwards. Every morning 35,000 commuters use
:08:07. > :08:11.Paddington Station and this week it has been a real struggle, with only
:08:12. > :08:16.one in five trains running. It has been really bad, having to go the
:08:17. > :08:22.long route around by Waterloo. It is normally 40 minutes and now it is
:08:23. > :08:25.about an hour and 45 minutes. Trains are not moving. The other day I came
:08:26. > :08:30.here and the trains were just standing at the station. Disruption
:08:31. > :08:36.on the great Western line is being caused by signalling failures at
:08:37. > :08:40.Maidenhead. Signal boxes are submerged. The water table is 2
:08:41. > :08:45.metres higher than normal and will not drop, save the Environment
:08:46. > :08:50.Agency, for weeks. The speed limit through the area is just five miles
:08:51. > :08:56.per hour. Sources have told the BBC that engineers are now considering a
:08:57. > :09:01.block closure of a week or more of the great Western, which would cause
:09:02. > :09:06.huge disruption. Then engineers could either raise the track or
:09:07. > :09:11.refit signalling. Passenger groups are pragmatic. If they are told that
:09:12. > :09:15.two weeks of grief will lead to 10`year 's resilience, without the
:09:16. > :09:21.delays they have had up to now, they will probably live with it, not
:09:22. > :09:24.happily, but resolutely. It is a huge commuter belt. The numbers
:09:25. > :09:29.travelling into Paddington even on a normal day, it is really crowded.
:09:30. > :09:31.Lots of people live in that direction and with the problem is
:09:32. > :09:37.further in the south`west, that will put more pressure on the road
:09:38. > :09:40.network. Network Rail says it has no plans to close the line and options
:09:41. > :09:44.to increase capacity at Maidenhead will be announced soon. But the
:09:45. > :09:48.train companies are not ruling anything out. If there is no
:09:49. > :09:51.evidence the water is going to dissipate of its own accord, we will
:09:52. > :09:56.have to look, as a railway industry, at how we move signalling
:09:57. > :10:01.equipment to work around it. No one should be in any doubt that is a big
:10:02. > :10:05.job, big challenge, but all options are under review. Whatever the
:10:06. > :10:09.outcome, commuters face disruption for some time, and again, this will
:10:10. > :10:14.raise questions about infrastructure resilience.
:10:15. > :10:17.For the first time, a "red flag warning has been issued on the
:10:18. > :10:22.Thames urging rowers and boaters to stay away. The RNLI's Chiswick
:10:23. > :10:26.station says it's had its busiest start to the year since it opened
:10:27. > :10:30.over a decade ago. The main call outs have been due to rowers caught
:10:31. > :10:40.out by quick flowing water caused by the floods. Tarah Welsh reports
:10:41. > :10:44.Another rescue on the Thames. These rowers ended up pinned against a
:10:45. > :10:49.pier until they were pulled to safety. Chiswick is up to 32 shouts
:10:50. > :10:54.this year already, and that is our busiest year so far. Mainly the
:10:55. > :11:01.call`out is now our rowers getting caught out by the tides. And this is
:11:02. > :11:09.why. Water is flowing four times faster than usual, making it tricky
:11:10. > :11:14.for even the most experienced. I had to use more throttle to get us up
:11:15. > :11:18.there. This is the organisation in charge of safety on the river and it
:11:19. > :11:23.has had to issue its strongest warning ever. The red flag is saying
:11:24. > :11:27.to all recreational man powered rowers, kayaks, canoes, the river is
:11:28. > :11:33.really tricky, very dangerous and we advise you not to go out. In some
:11:34. > :11:38.areas, water is four metres higher than normal. The reason it is
:11:39. > :11:46.flowing so quickly is because of all of the extra water coming from
:11:47. > :11:51.flooded areas up river. The warning is expected to last for at least
:11:52. > :11:57.another two weeks. For this rowing coach, it means a chance to catch up
:11:58. > :12:01.on jobs inside, but practice has not completely stopped. We are doing
:12:02. > :12:06.less sessions than I would like and there are times when we cannot go
:12:07. > :12:09.out. But when there is an incoming tide and the wind is relatively
:12:10. > :12:15.benign, the experienced crews can manage. But for novices, the message
:12:16. > :12:18.from the authorities is don't learn the hard way.
:12:19. > :12:22.Stay with us. There's Friday night sport coming up.
:12:23. > :12:25.After shaking off the threat of administration, London's only rugby
:12:26. > :12:38.league club look to cause a stir as the new Super League season begins.
:12:39. > :12:43.An inquest has heard how police plan to speak to the person who
:12:44. > :12:45."neknominated" a man who died after taking part in the online drinking
:12:46. > :12:47.challenge. The craze, called "neknominate" involves people
:12:48. > :12:52.filming themselves quickly drinking alcohol before nominating others to
:12:53. > :12:55.continue the game. Isaac Richardson took part but collapsed in Woolwich,
:12:56. > :13:07.becoming the first British person to die playing the game. Emma North
:13:08. > :13:11.joins me now. Isaac Richardson was 20, from Essex,
:13:12. > :13:15.educated at Colchester grammar School, working as a receptionist at
:13:16. > :13:20.a backpack up 's mock hospital in Woolwich. On Sunday he accepted a
:13:21. > :13:23.neknominate challenge, which involves someone nominating you on
:13:24. > :13:27.the internet to drink a strong cocktail of alcohol. You film
:13:28. > :13:32.yourself doing it, post it on the internet and nominate someone else
:13:33. > :13:35.to do even worse, go further. Mr Richardson said he was apparently
:13:36. > :13:41.going to outdo everyone when he drank 1.5 litres of wine, whiskey,
:13:42. > :13:44.vodka and beer. He collapsed and paramedics tried to save Tim. He was
:13:45. > :13:51.taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital but died on Monday morning. The
:13:52. > :13:54.coroner 's office confirmed he had accepted a neknominate challenge and
:13:55. > :13:58.CCTV and a telephone were taken from the hostel. Police have said they
:13:59. > :14:03.know who nominated him to take on the challenge and have contacted him
:14:04. > :14:08.but not prosecute him or her. This game is gaining momentum. It is
:14:09. > :14:12.astonishing. It started in Australia. It is juvenile and
:14:13. > :14:17.idiotic but as people have been daring each other to go further the
:14:18. > :14:21.stakes have been raised. There are reports of people blending the likes
:14:22. > :14:26.of mice, grasshoppers, Goldfish and then drinking them. There has been a
:14:27. > :14:30.backlash because now four people are believed to have died because of
:14:31. > :14:35.this. Parents are now posting footage of their children who have
:14:36. > :14:38.indulged in this game to shame them, and their are growing numbers of
:14:39. > :14:41.calls for Facebook and YouTube not to allow these videos to be posted
:14:42. > :14:44.because they are believed to be directly harmful.
:14:45. > :14:46.Boris Johnson presented his final budget to the London Assembly for
:14:47. > :14:50.the next financial year this morning. Assembly members questioned
:14:51. > :14:53.him about funding for the Metropolitan Police, Fire Brigade,
:14:54. > :14:56.Transport for London and the London Legacy Development Corporation. The
:14:57. > :15:06.budget was approved despite over half of the Assembly Members voting
:15:07. > :15:09.to amend it. Sir Stuart Rose and the Health
:15:10. > :15:12.Secretary have visited Basildon Hospital, which is one of 14 NHS
:15:13. > :15:15.Trusts in England placed in special measures after concerns about care.
:15:16. > :15:23.The former boss of Marks and Spencer is to become an unpaid adviser for
:15:24. > :15:26.the NHS in England. Sir Stuart will mentor senior managers and give
:15:27. > :15:32.guidance on how to attract the best leaders. We depend on those people
:15:33. > :15:34.every single day to do their job properly and with enthusiasm and
:15:35. > :15:41.skilfully to make sure we're the right output. Here it is about
:15:42. > :15:43.making sure that patients get the right service, promptly and safely,
:15:44. > :15:46.and the right outcome. Now, as we've been hearing, Team GB
:15:47. > :15:50.are celebrating their first gold medal of the Winter Olympics. Here
:15:51. > :15:52.with the rest of the weekend's sport is Chris Slegg.
:15:53. > :15:57.Yes, congratulations to Kent's Lizzie Yarnold in the women's
:15:58. > :16:00.skeleton. And her training partner, London`born Dom Parsons, has also
:16:01. > :16:04.been in action today in the men s event. The first two runs took place
:16:05. > :16:07.today with two more tomorrow. He began the competition with hopes of
:16:08. > :16:10.a top`six finish, and at the halfway stage he is currently tied for tenth
:16:11. > :16:14.after making a couple of mistakes towards the bottom of the run.
:16:15. > :16:19.Parsons' British team`mate Kristan Bromley is in joint eighth.
:16:20. > :16:23.Also tomorrow, Surrey`based skier Chemmy Alcott has her strongest
:16:24. > :16:28.event. The 31`year`old is competing in Sochi despite having endured
:16:29. > :16:31.three leg breaks during her career. She said finishing 19th in
:16:32. > :16:38.Wednesday's downhill felt like winning gold. While a medal is
:16:39. > :16:46.likely to be well beyond her in the Super G, she's confident of another
:16:47. > :16:49.good performance. The target is the same for the downhill, to go for
:16:50. > :16:57.that finish and know that I am pushing my boundaries and I haven't
:16:58. > :16:59.chickened out, I have put everything on the line.
:17:00. > :17:02.Now, these two have never exactly seen eye to eye, and today Jose
:17:03. > :17:05.Mourinho branded Arsene Wenger a "specialist in failure". Wenger had
:17:06. > :17:08.been asked by journalists why he felt rival managers like Mourinho
:17:09. > :17:12.were keen to play down their own title chances. He said it might be
:17:13. > :17:20.because of "a fear to fail". This is how Mourinho responded.
:17:21. > :17:29.You know, he is a specialist in failure. I'm not. But the reality is
:17:30. > :17:35.that he is a specialist, because eight years without a piece of
:17:36. > :17:42.silverware, that is failure. And if I do that in Chelsea, eight years, I
:17:43. > :17:45.leave London, I don't come back Chelsea and Arsenal are among three
:17:46. > :17:48.London teams chasing a place in the FA Cup quarterfinals. The Blues aim
:17:49. > :17:51.to repeat their recent Premier League win over Manchester City
:17:52. > :17:54.Just eight days after losing 5` to Liverpool, Arsenal meet them again.
:17:55. > :17:56.The capital's only representatives from outside the top flight are
:17:57. > :17:59.Charlton, who face fellow Championship side Sheffield
:18:00. > :18:04.Wednesday. Live commentary of that game on BBC London 94.9.
:18:05. > :18:10.The financial problems facing London Broncos last year almost killed off
:18:11. > :18:12.rugby league in the capital. But the club avoided administration and as
:18:13. > :18:14.Emma Jones reports, on Sunday London's only Super League team kick
:18:15. > :18:27.off a new season. A magic moment for the London
:18:28. > :18:32.Broncos, walking out at Wembley in the challenge cup final in 1999 But
:18:33. > :18:37.recently, there has been less cause for celebration. The team preparing
:18:38. > :18:41.for this season is very different to the one that ended the last
:18:42. > :18:46.campaign, when the club found itself homeless after seven years, most of
:18:47. > :18:50.the senior players left and the Broncos almost went into
:18:51. > :18:53.administration. But they now have a new home. For the next two years at
:18:54. > :19:00.least, they will be sharing with Barnet football club. I believe
:19:01. > :19:08.there should be rugby league in London, in the south. I have watched
:19:09. > :19:11.the sport, and it is exciting. It is an opportunity for them and for us
:19:12. > :19:15.to grow together. These fans checking out their latest
:19:16. > :19:18.home are relieved they still have a side to support. But they also know
:19:19. > :19:24.there could be more tough times ahead. If we can manage to survive
:19:25. > :19:30.and stay in the top flight for another year. I think it is good
:19:31. > :19:37.that they have got is `` a secure future, but I hope they can keep
:19:38. > :19:41.their place within Super League The team going to round one of the new
:19:42. > :19:45.season away at Widnes is one of the favourites to be relegated, but what
:19:46. > :19:51.they have battled through already could give them the added strength
:19:52. > :19:54.to deal with what's to come. I think in the long`term, the club's got a
:19:55. > :19:57.very exciting and bright future We have just got to make sure we do
:19:58. > :20:03.really well this year, because it will be sad to see a London team not
:20:04. > :20:07.in Super League. The hard work to keep a top`flight rugby league team
:20:08. > :20:10.in the capital isn't over yet. Hopefully a rather more stable
:20:11. > :20:15.season off the pitch for London Broncos this time round. That's all
:20:16. > :20:19.from me. Asad. Another busy weekend of sport! Thank
:20:20. > :20:22.you very much, Chris. It was no ordinary day for students
:20:23. > :20:25.at a school in west London today. It's because they got a visit from
:20:26. > :20:28.the Duchess of Cambridge. She was there to open a new charity`funded
:20:29. > :20:40.art room, and our reporter Helen Drew was there too. Ed Davey
:20:41. > :20:45.students will never forget. Because of a very special guest. The Duchess
:20:46. > :20:49.of Cambridge made a visit to open the art room, a charity art project
:20:50. > :20:53.that aims to help children and young people who are facing difficulties.
:20:54. > :20:58.It is full of keen students today, but would usually hold small
:20:59. > :21:02.classes, maybe with children at risk of exclusion from school or with low
:21:03. > :21:08.self`esteem. The Duchess is patron of the charity, and her visit made
:21:09. > :21:11.many people's day. She looks gorgeous in the papers, but in
:21:12. > :21:18.person, it is another level. She is just another beefed `` such a
:21:19. > :21:24.beautiful person inside and outside. Did you have a conversation with
:21:25. > :21:28.her? I told her happy Valentine s Day, and she said I was the first
:21:29. > :21:37.person to say it to her. Not her husband? ! Apparently not. It is the
:21:38. > :21:39.seventh art room in the country and will help students not just in this
:21:40. > :21:45.country but throughout the borough of Ealing. The arts room is a
:21:46. > :21:50.resource for all the students in Ealing, so the fact that it offers a
:21:51. > :21:55.calm space for students to step back and reflect was one that I couldn't
:21:56. > :21:59.really miss. The idea of this room is to create a fun and relaxing
:22:00. > :22:03.environment, rather than just using canvases, students can paint on
:22:04. > :22:19.tables, on chairs and even on clocks. The country's seven Art
:22:20. > :22:23.Rooms are funded centrally, and you can see the power of art. It gives
:22:24. > :22:26.every single person the possibilities and succeed. That is
:22:27. > :22:31.what our children need. Another will open in the autumn
:22:32. > :22:37.when no doubt those students will be hoping for their own special guest.
:22:38. > :22:43.Lots of smiles at that school. Now let's check on the weather with
:22:44. > :22:47.Elizabeth. It is going to turn stormy again
:22:48. > :22:56.tonight, with the usual barrage of weather warnings out. There will be
:22:57. > :22:59.yet more rain to come, so still the impact from today's reign over the
:23:00. > :23:03.course of the weekend causing the rivers to rise. Tonight we are more
:23:04. > :23:08.focused on the strength of the wind. We are looking at strong wind in
:23:09. > :23:14.deed, possibly up to 70 mph in some places.
:23:15. > :23:20.You can see quite nicely on the radar picture, some really heavy
:23:21. > :23:27.bursts at times. Many areas could see more than an inch of rain. This
:23:28. > :23:30.evening's rush`hour is truly horrible outside, more showers to
:23:31. > :23:37.come at times, some of them quite heavy, and the wind picking up. Just
:23:38. > :23:43.take a look at the wind speeds. They are the average, not the gusts. We
:23:44. > :23:44.could be looking at up to 60 mph towards parts of the Essex coast
:23:45. > :23:52.line. Very windy conditions, peeking
:23:53. > :23:58.through the early hours of tomorrow morning. Things will gradually
:23:59. > :24:03.improve through the course of tomorrow. The winds will ease down,
:24:04. > :24:15.the showers will still be there but probably only about 5`10 millimetres
:24:16. > :24:19.of rainfall tomorrow. But then things start to improve. Saturday
:24:20. > :24:23.night into Sunday is looking dry, and also quite chilly. Sunday will
:24:24. > :24:29.be a lovely day, a nice day of the weekend. The wind will be a lot
:24:30. > :24:33.lighter. Unfortunately, this is Monday's whether pushing in from the
:24:34. > :24:42.West, looming in the distance. We are going to see quite a wet spell,
:24:43. > :24:46.but not as stormy, and that will be the pattern for the rest of the
:24:47. > :24:52.week, too. It will stay on settled, but no prolonged dry weather. It is
:24:53. > :24:55.not going to be quite as intense and stormy. Until then, we still have
:24:56. > :24:58.all the severe flood warnings on the Thames.
:24:59. > :25:05.Thank you, Elizabeth. Before we go, a reminder of tonight's main news
:25:06. > :25:08.headlines. More severe flood warnings have been issued as high
:25:09. > :25:10.winds and rain batter southern Britain. Forecasters are warning
:25:11. > :25:14.that some places could see two inches of rain and winds of 80mph.
:25:15. > :25:17.In Berkshire and Surrey, people living near the Thames are being
:25:18. > :25:21.warned that water levels could rise again this weekend.
:25:22. > :25:24.The Prime Minister has dismissed suggestions that more than 500
:25:25. > :25:32.Environment Agency jobs involved in tackling flooding will be cut as
:25:33. > :25:35.part of plans to reduce its budget. It's emerged the former editor of
:25:36. > :25:37.the Daily Mirror, Piers Morgan, has been interviewed by police over
:25:38. > :25:38.allegations of phone hacking. Mr Morgan was questioned under
:25:39. > :25:46.caution in December. And Lizzy Yarnold has won Great
:25:47. > :25:49.Britain's first gold medal of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics. It's
:25:50. > :25:54.Britain's second medal in Sochi and tenth gold in Winter Games history.
:25:55. > :26:01.That's it for now. But we're going to leave you this evening with some
:26:02. > :26:04.of the moments and images of the storms and floods along sections of
:26:05. > :26:13.the Thames during what's been an extraordinary week. Good night.
:26:14. > :26:17.She is worried about getting the hospital. Anything like this
:26:18. > :26:31.before? The last time, 1947. There seems to be a lack of
:26:32. > :26:36.co`ordinated between the authorities. We don't have a direct
:26:37. > :26:43.telephone number that we can phone up. Are you going to survive this?
:26:44. > :26:48.None of us know that, do we. The house down the road is going under.
:26:49. > :26:57.All of the bungalows at the back of going under. Are you going to
:26:58. > :27:03.school? No. We can't get there. We need to get to work. We don't want
:27:04. > :27:09.to put our jobs at stake. I am just freezing. I think they could have
:27:10. > :27:13.communicated a lot that are with us. The scale is immense, and you can't
:27:14. > :27:18.imagine unless you are here just how bad it is for some of these
:27:19. > :27:24.residents. We have sunk these submersible pumps. Fortunately we
:27:25. > :27:29.have cats, so we have a cat flap which is essential for getting the
:27:30. > :27:34.pipes out. This is not our day job. That looks a little bit more like
:27:35. > :27:38.Afghanistan. But our job is to defend the country from any threat,
:27:39. > :27:44.and if it is a weather threat, we can help with that as well. The army
:27:45. > :27:47.have said we are taking you out in a boat, get ready.