:00:00. > :00:00.celebrity as we see here on the streets. Two sides of the modern
:00:00. > :00:00.monarchy. There's more throughout the evening
:00:00. > :00:09.on the BBC News Channel. I'll be back at 10:10pm. Now on BBC One
:00:10. > :00:23.time for the news where you are Goodbye.
:00:24. > :00:25.Good evening from BBC London News. A 50`year`old gardener from e`st
:00:26. > :00:29.London has been remanded in custody over what the Metropolitan Police
:00:30. > :00:37.describe as one of the biggdst gun hauls ever. 30 firearms werd seized
:00:38. > :00:39.on Wednesday. Dean Stokes from Leyton appeared at Thames
:00:40. > :00:41.Magistrates' Court charged with possession of a pump action rifle
:00:42. > :00:50.and ammunition without a certificate. As the boating season
:00:51. > :00:54.gets underway, river users `re being urged to take extra care on the
:00:55. > :00:58.Thames. The Environment Agency says the recent heavy rain has ldd to
:00:59. > :01:00.stronger currents and higher water levels than usual upstream from
:01:01. > :01:01.Teddington. Nicola Ford reports A beautiful blue sky, bright warm
:01:02. > :01:06.sunshine and smooth waters. Very inviting for those who enjox the
:01:07. > :01:09.river. Looking at this lock, it s hard to believe that just two months
:01:10. > :01:12.ago we had the wettest wintdr on record. But two miles away parts of
:01:13. > :01:15.the Thames were badly flooddd and although the rain may have stopped,
:01:16. > :01:20.the water still remained, creating a fast`flowing current. The
:01:21. > :01:26.Environment Agency says it's this that can pose a hidden risk. It
:01:27. > :01:30.looks fairly placid at the loment. The flows have declined since the
:01:31. > :01:34.floods earlier in the year, but we are very susceptible to the impact
:01:35. > :01:37.of any further rain. The river will respond quickly and we want boaters
:01:38. > :01:42.to be aware that just a couple of days of heavy rain and the river
:01:43. > :01:45.could be a strong stream ag`in. More than 2.5 million tonnes of water
:01:46. > :01:49.came through the River Thamds this winter, which is greater th`n two of
:01:50. > :01:53.London's biggest floods combined. And although it looks relathvely
:01:54. > :01:58.calm at the moment, water is still coming in from nearby tributaries.
:01:59. > :02:05.The lock master, Ralph, is `n old hand at working these locks. He says
:02:06. > :02:08.he's seen a few disasters when river users got out of their depth during
:02:09. > :02:11.the floods. Seen boats that have become powerless because thdy've
:02:12. > :02:14.perhaps got plastic bags or ropes wrapped around the propeller.
:02:15. > :02:17.Because all these things ard in the river when it's flooding and once it
:02:18. > :02:21.gets wrapped round the propdller, they are powerless. They go with the
:02:22. > :02:24.flow of the current and we have to go out there and rescue thel.
:02:25. > :02:28.Repairs to the locks were fhnished just in time for the boating season
:02:29. > :02:38.to begin. It's hoped there'll be as much sunshine now as there was
:02:39. > :02:41.rainfall over the winter. A south American giant bird has been
:02:42. > :02:44.spotted in Hertfordshire. The six`foot Rhea escaped from ` small
:02:45. > :02:51.holding last month. People `re being warned not to approach it. Ben Bland
:02:52. > :02:55.reports. Golfers out today in North Herts,
:02:56. > :03:00.but the missing bird was kedping its head down. This is the creature
:03:01. > :03:03.keeping everybody interested. Not everyone has been able to gdt so
:03:04. > :03:13.close. One local grabbed thdse images of it. I was out with my kids
:03:14. > :03:19.and I spotted her and took ` photo. Where you worried about your safety?
:03:20. > :03:22.No, I was quite happy. The bird is owned by Joe Clark who has three
:03:23. > :03:26.others. She is astonished it has gained worldwide attention, and she
:03:27. > :03:29.says it would