:00:00. > :00:09.Winds of up to 100 miles an hour hit the UK, as Storm Doris blows in.
:00:10. > :00:13.There's been widespread damage on the roads and the railways,
:00:14. > :00:17.Thousands of homes are without power.
:00:18. > :00:23.I can tell you, as you can see the foam hitting me from the
:00:24. > :00:27.sea, that it definitely has materialised.
:00:28. > :00:29.The gusts here are so powerful, I can't even face in the
:00:30. > :00:31.direction that the wind is coming from.
:00:32. > :00:34.We'll be speaking to our correspondents in some of the areas
:00:35. > :00:36.worst affected in Scotland and in the north-west of England.
:00:37. > :00:42.Net migration falls for the first time in 2 years, although it remains
:00:43. > :00:49.Iraqi forces seize Mosul airport from Islamic State -
:00:50. > :01:04.Prisons are explicitly to become places of rehabilitation
:01:05. > :01:07.as well as punishment, under new government plans.
:01:08. > :01:14.A new sound for smoke alarms - safety experts say a voice,
:01:15. > :01:17.rather than a beep, is much more likely to wake children up.
:01:18. > :01:20.And the speeding driver who clocked up 62 points on his licence who's
:01:21. > :01:26.And coming up in sport on BBC News, Wayne Rooney's agent Paul Stretford
:01:27. > :01:29.is in China, to see if he can negotiate a big-money move
:01:30. > :01:49.for the Manchester United and England captain.
:01:50. > :01:53.Good afternoon and welcome to the BBC News at 1pm.
:01:54. > :01:59.Storm Doris has hit the UK, with gusts of wind of up
:02:00. > :02:02.Planes have been grounded, roads closed, and rail travel disrupted.
:02:03. > :02:05.In Northern Ireland, thousands of homes are without power.
:02:06. > :02:08.And in Scotland, heavy snow and high winds led to the closure
:02:09. > :02:15.The storm is predicted to continue for much of the day.
:02:16. > :02:20.And in the last few minutes we've had reports that a woman has been
:02:21. > :02:24.killed in Wolverhampton city centre in a weather related incident.
:02:25. > :02:28.Let's get the latest from our correspondent, Daniel Boettcher.
:02:29. > :02:34.Throughout the morning winds have been picking up as Storm Doris swept
:02:35. > :02:37.across the country. This is the seafront at Blackpool, there are
:02:38. > :02:41.severe weather warnings for North England, the Midlands and North
:02:42. > :02:45.Wales. Forecasters described the storm is weather bomb, an area of
:02:46. > :02:51.intense low-pressure, and this is some of the damage it has already
:02:52. > :02:55.caused. A car crushed by a fallen tree in west London, and more
:02:56. > :03:00.damage, this time in County Fermanagh. Trees have also brought
:03:01. > :03:06.down power lines, 3500 homes in Northern Ireland have been Lex left
:03:07. > :03:10.without electricity. These images from the International Space Station
:03:11. > :03:14.'s showbiz storm building up earlier today. Storm Doris is an example of
:03:15. > :03:17.what I weather bomb, an area of low pressure that sports severe gales
:03:18. > :03:21.across parts of the UK. We've had wind gusts over 90 miles an hour and
:03:22. > :03:25.disruption to power supplies and also disruption to transport. Those
:03:26. > :03:31.kind of strength winds can easily winds trees down. Problem is that
:03:32. > :03:35.air travel as well. This is Leeds Bradford Airport and he throws that
:03:36. > :03:39.its schedule has been reduced by 10% because of the weather, with some
:03:40. > :03:44.delays and cancellations. And on the rails the storm has also cause some
:03:45. > :03:48.disruption. 50 mile an hour speed limits have been imposed on several
:03:49. > :03:51.lines, including the West Coast Main line and earlier departures from
:03:52. > :03:58.Euston station were suspended but have now started running again. The
:03:59. > :04:01.centre of the storm is due to track towards the North Sea, but the
:04:02. > :04:09.strong winds are expected to last throughout the afternoon. And in
:04:10. > :04:13.Scotland crews have been out clearing roads, with poor driving
:04:14. > :04:17.conditions caused by a combination of snow, sleet and high winds. The
:04:18. > :04:21.biggest problems have been on the higher routes mainly in central and
:04:22. > :04:24.southern areas, and in places up to 30 centimetres of snow is expected
:04:25. > :04:26.during the day. Daniel Birch, BBC News.
:04:27. > :04:32.In a moment, we'll be talking to Lorna Gordon who's near Dunblane,
:04:33. > :04:34.but first let's cross to Alison Freeman who's
:04:35. > :04:40.We saw you a little earlier almost unable to stand up, it doesn't look
:04:41. > :04:45.much better now. It isn't, and actually we just watched this storm
:04:46. > :04:48.unfold throughout the morning as the wind has become more and more
:04:49. > :04:52.powerful. It is so strong at the moment I can't look into it and this
:04:53. > :04:57.phone that's being blown from the sea is a bit more like being in a
:04:58. > :05:02.blizzard. If you look behind us, the thermometer for how strong the wind
:05:03. > :05:08.has been, those are meant to bend in front of Blackpool Trower, they have
:05:09. > :05:13.become parallel with the ground up points today. If you look out to
:05:14. > :05:17.sea, those waves really are far back now, the tide has gone out but that
:05:18. > :05:21.foam keeps flowing in against us. These routes really are strong and
:05:22. > :05:25.powerful. They are pushing us around, making us feel battered,
:05:26. > :05:29.very much like the coastline. We know they are expected to stay like
:05:30. > :05:37.this until about six o'clock this evening. Back to you. Lawn near
:05:38. > :05:41.Dunblane, the area has been hit by a very icy
:05:42. > :05:47.some roads and schools closed here in Scotland. Storm Doris dumping
:05:48. > :05:52.snow across large swathes of the country. The timing couldn't have
:05:53. > :05:56.been worse. Lots of it here as many people are going to work. This road
:05:57. > :06:03.is running clearly but the A9 has had problems and the M80 further
:06:04. > :06:05.south, appalling conditions, one of the main road in Scotland than
:06:06. > :06:09.ground to a halt completely earlier today. The road had been treated but
:06:10. > :06:13.it was the sheer weight of traffic on heavy snow and some cars and
:06:14. > :06:17.lorries having problems with traction. The road is now clear.
:06:18. > :06:22.There's been power cuts, some schools closed on this weather
:06:23. > :06:26.warnings in place until 6pm this morning. Lorna Gordon there, thanks.
:06:27. > :06:28.Ministers are calling it the biggest reform of prisons in England
:06:29. > :06:35.For the first time, the Government will state in black and white that
:06:36. > :06:37.a key purpose of prison is to reform offenders, as well
:06:38. > :06:41.At the heart of the changes will be dealing with drugs
:06:42. > :06:43.and violence in prisons, and also cutting re-offending rates.
:06:44. > :06:48.Here's our Home Affairs correspondent Daniel Sandford.
:06:49. > :06:55.The last year has been one of the worst for prisons since the 1990s.
:06:56. > :07:03.As the staff cuts of five years ago started to bite and drones and drugs
:07:04. > :07:13.were flown in violent sword. Some jails have been close to crisis
:07:14. > :07:15.point. But there are prisons, like HMP Onley in Warwickshire that
:07:16. > :07:18.despite their own problems of drugs and violence still managed to
:07:19. > :07:24.prepare inmates for life on the outside. Abdi is coming to the end
:07:25. > :07:29.of a two-year sentence for violence and is training for a job as a brick
:07:30. > :07:35.technician at Halfords. He told me his experience of jail has been
:07:36. > :07:40.mixed. When I was Pentonville before I came here we were locked up 23
:07:41. > :07:46.hours a day. Literally treated like animals. We had to ask for toilet
:07:47. > :07:49.paper, ask for basic common decency is, so coming here, now, it looks
:07:50. > :07:54.like a completely different prison. At the heart of the government's new
:07:55. > :07:59.proposals is the division to define for the first time in law what the
:08:00. > :08:03.purpose of prison is and that is not only to punish but also to
:08:04. > :08:10.rehabilitate, to prevent criminals offending again. And as well as
:08:11. > :08:15.today's prisons and court spill the Justice Secretary Liz Truss is
:08:16. > :08:19.reversing many of the cuts made by one of her Tory predecessors, Chris
:08:20. > :08:23.Grayling. Those cuts in the Chris Grayling Iraq were a mistake, won't
:08:24. > :08:26.they? I think it was always right to look at how we can be more
:08:27. > :08:30.efficient. But what I'm saying now is we do need the right number of
:08:31. > :08:36.prison officers, to be able to turn those lives around. In Onley
:08:37. > :08:39.prison's training cafe, a reminder of why rehabilitation is important.
:08:40. > :08:43.A drug dealer serving seven years who'd been to prison before. It
:08:44. > :08:49.hadn't stopped him reoffending. Once I got released, I tried to search
:08:50. > :08:53.for a job but I wasn't qualified for anything, I had no know-how,
:08:54. > :08:58.therefore I got back into old ways and back in jail. Today's bill also
:08:59. > :09:02.includes measures to tackle mobile phones in prison. New laws to help
:09:03. > :09:07.the prison service detect and intercept devices often used to deal
:09:08. > :09:10.drugs and organised crime from behind bars. Labour said the
:09:11. > :09:12.proposals were an inadequate response to a prisons crisis that
:09:13. > :09:14.developed on the government's watch. Let's talk to Daniel who's outside
:09:15. > :09:28.Pentonville prison in north London. Daniel, how big a change is being
:09:29. > :09:33.proposed here? It certainly an end entered a period when Chris Grayling
:09:34. > :09:34.was in charge of prison and that focuses on cutting costs almost all
:09:35. > :09:38.costs. I think that is over now and there
:09:39. > :09:43.is a realisation in the government that actually if you reduce costs
:09:44. > :09:47.too far then prisons to become less safe places and places that are more
:09:48. > :09:52.difficult to control. This was a process that was started by Michael
:09:53. > :09:56.Gove last year and has at continued with the new recruitment of prison
:09:57. > :10:00.officers, with a different approach to prisons and now this prisons bill
:10:01. > :10:04.which says that rehabilitation is at the core of what they do. But this
:10:05. > :10:08.is, of course, not an easy thing to do. What happened over the last
:10:09. > :10:12.decade or so is drugs and mobile phones have become such a central
:10:13. > :10:17.part of life in prisons, to try and squeeze that out will be very
:10:18. > :10:21.difficult. Violence has come alongside the drugs, which causes
:10:22. > :10:24.violence and alongside the mobile phones which provides opportunities
:10:25. > :10:28.for blackmail and so on and so forth. So it is a massive task.
:10:29. > :10:32.There is still a problem that many people have been held in old and
:10:33. > :10:34.squalid prisons and rehabilitating under those conditions won't be
:10:35. > :10:36.easy. Daniel, thank you. Net migration to the UK has fallen
:10:37. > :10:39.to its lowest level in two years. Figures from the Office
:10:40. > :10:41.for National Statistics show that the difference
:10:42. > :10:43.between the number of people arriving and leaving the UK dipped
:10:44. > :10:46.below 300,000 in the year Figures also show that a record
:10:47. > :10:51.number of EU nationals were granted Our Home affairs correspondent,
:10:52. > :11:03.Danny Shaw, is with me. Danny, the net migration figures
:11:04. > :11:06.down for the first time in two years. The government will be
:11:07. > :11:10.pleased with that? Yes, I think this is good news for the government.
:11:11. > :11:16.Politically very significant. In statistical terms, perhaps not quite
:11:17. > :11:18.there. What these figures show is net migration, the difference
:11:19. > :11:22.between the number of people coming to live in Britain for 12 months and
:11:23. > :11:30.people emigrating from the UK. They showed in the 12 months to September
:11:31. > :11:33.the figure was 270 3000. That is the lowest for two years, and it
:11:34. > :11:37.represents a fall of 49,000 on the year before, though there is some
:11:38. > :11:41.caution with that, in terms of the statistical significance. So it is
:11:42. > :11:46.edging closer to the government's target of under 100000 May, it might
:11:47. > :11:51.just be a sign that some people don't want to live in the UK after
:11:52. > :11:56.the EU referendum. But it's very, very early days to draw firm
:11:57. > :11:59.conclusions about that. Briefly, how do you interpret the residents
:12:00. > :12:03.figures? These figures about the number of people from the EU and
:12:04. > :12:07.other European countries who have been issued with cards proving that
:12:08. > :12:11.they have the right to stay in the UK. They have that right after five
:12:12. > :12:16.years. They don't have to get those cards, but they are clearly worried,
:12:17. > :12:19.some of them, about their status after Brexit and they are applying
:12:20. > :12:26.for the cards and been granted them in very big numbers. 65,000 last
:12:27. > :12:32.year, that's a massive increase, trebled the number of the previous
:12:33. > :12:35.year and also figures on citizenship are up significantly. Citizenship
:12:36. > :12:37.for EU nationals being allowed to stay in the UK permanently. Many
:12:38. > :12:38.thanks. The murderer of the children's
:12:39. > :12:41.author Helen Bailey has been sentenced to life in prison,
:12:42. > :12:47.after being convicted of her murder. The judge said that Ian Stewart
:12:48. > :12:50.would have to spend at least 34 years behind bars,
:12:51. > :12:52.saying it was "difficult to imagine Stewart drugged and suffocated
:12:53. > :12:55.Helen Bailey before throwing her body in a cesspit,
:12:56. > :12:57.hidden under the garage It's taken four years
:12:58. > :13:02.to get through Parliament, but today the go-ahead will finally
:13:03. > :13:06.be given for work to begin on the first phase of the high
:13:07. > :13:08.speed rail link between Critics say the project
:13:09. > :13:12.is a waste of money, But supporters say it will boost
:13:13. > :13:16.the economy and the number of people Phase One is due to open
:13:17. > :13:22.in 2026, at a cost of more More of us are using
:13:23. > :13:32.the railways than ever before. It means busier stations and busier
:13:33. > :13:34.trains, and so the Government I'm taking a journey on the first
:13:35. > :13:42.stage of the route from London to Birmingham, to see
:13:43. > :13:48.what impact it could have. The biggest challenge
:13:49. > :13:50.is tackling overcrowding. Our current tracks and stations
:13:51. > :13:53.can't handle many more passengers, but as well as running more
:13:54. > :13:56.frequently, the trains will be faster, too,
:13:57. > :14:02.and that's good news for passengers. Sometimes you don't get enough
:14:03. > :14:06.carriages, which can be a problem, and then it's really crowded
:14:07. > :14:09.on the trains as a lot I regard being on the train at work
:14:10. > :14:17.time, so don't get to sit down and then you'll feel really
:14:18. > :14:20.frustrated by that last hour. But it's not just commuters who
:14:21. > :14:23.stand to gain from the new railway. We are going to average about 10,000
:14:24. > :14:26.jobs over the course of the first phase of construction,
:14:27. > :14:28.peaking at 25,000 jobs a month, and that's just
:14:29. > :14:31.during the construction phase. When we go into operation again
:14:32. > :14:34.we'll have tens of thousands of jobs that are maintaining
:14:35. > :14:39.and running the railway. But there could be an even greater
:14:40. > :14:41.economic benefit too. With 50 minutes into the journey,
:14:42. > :14:48.but if this was an HS2 trains we'd already be in Birmingham,
:14:49. > :14:51.and that means spending less time travelling and more time working,
:14:52. > :14:53.and one estimate suggests that could add about ?15
:14:54. > :14:57.billion to the economy. The current price tag is close
:14:58. > :15:03.to ?60 billion, but many say it 60 ancient woodlands
:15:04. > :15:10.would have to be bulldozed, 350 homes will have to be demolished
:15:11. > :15:18.and thousands of businesses will be affected, like this
:15:19. > :15:20.farm in Buckinghamshire. The land will be split
:15:21. > :15:22.in two when work begins. It's going to completely
:15:23. > :15:26.alter the way I farm. I'll lose half the grazing
:15:27. > :15:30.that my cows can go out to. I'm not seriously convinced
:15:31. > :15:32.that the HS2 is a valid necessity The first section to the West
:15:33. > :15:38.Midlands is due to open by 2026. An extension to Leeds
:15:39. > :15:44.and Manchester will open by 2032. HS2 should make journeys faster
:15:45. > :15:49.and more comfortable. We're just on the approach
:15:50. > :15:52.into our final destination for today's journey,
:15:53. > :15:54.which is Birmingham New Street. But keeping the project
:15:55. > :15:56.on time and on track Ben Thompson, BBC
:15:57. > :16:12.News in Birmingham. The Iraqi army has captured Mosul
:16:13. > :16:16.airport from so-called Islamic state. The battle for the western
:16:17. > :16:22.half of the city began earlier this month and the capture of the airport
:16:23. > :16:25.would be seen as a strategic victory. Quentin Somerville is the
:16:26. > :16:26.only Western correspondent travelling with Iraqi government
:16:27. > :16:38.forces and sent this report. You can hear gunfire and one of the
:16:39. > :16:45.last remaining villages between Iraqi forces and Mosul airport.
:16:46. > :16:49.These are moving forward from multiple directions. Up above, the
:16:50. > :16:54.coalition aircraft have been hammering this area all right long
:16:55. > :16:59.in preparation for this attack. At the same time, the Iraqi government
:17:00. > :17:05.have been dropping leaflets, warning people to stay in their homes. When
:17:06. > :17:09.we were here yesterday, we were able to see areas to the north others
:17:10. > :17:13.with the Islamic State flags are flying. These guys are trying to
:17:14. > :17:19.change that because the attack on Mosul airport is underway. The Iraqi
:17:20. > :17:23.forces have made it to the perimeter of Mosul's airport. Just over there,
:17:24. > :17:32.you can see the airport stretching out about four kilometres wide
:17:33. > :17:37.apparently. The sugar factory to the left of the picture, yesterday, the
:17:38. > :17:41.IS flag was hanging from there. It is no longer hanging there now. All
:17:42. > :17:48.around this area there have been heavy air strikes, we can see
:17:49. > :17:53.massive craters. The village was effectively taken last night. The
:17:54. > :17:57.men have been moving slowly forward through the village. If you have a
:17:58. > :18:03.little look, you can see it there. We are now on the airport of Mosul
:18:04. > :18:07.airport. That is the Iraqi flag, those Federal police units. In the
:18:08. > :18:12.distance, you can see burning and smoke from some of the terminal
:18:13. > :18:15.buildings. In the last few minutes, the so-called Islamic state have
:18:16. > :18:20.been more touring this position, just a little bit further ahead, in
:18:21. > :18:26.fact. Iraqi security forces were going down towards the airport when
:18:27. > :18:30.one of them hit a roadside bomb. Palu tenant was killed, and we
:18:31. > :18:35.believe there were other casualties. You might be able to hear
:18:36. > :18:39.helicopters still ahead. They will press on with the attack on the
:18:40. > :18:43.airport to try to make it to the terminal buildings. That is the
:18:44. > :18:45.target Iraqi forces are now inside Mosul airport.
:18:46. > :18:53.Quentin Somerville reporting there from outside Mosul.
:18:54. > :18:57.Storm Doris has brought widespread disruption
:18:58. > :19:00.across large swathes of the UK, with wind gusts of up
:19:01. > :19:06.A woman has died in a weather-related incident.
:19:07. > :19:10.I can tell you, as you see the foam hitting me from the sea that it
:19:11. > :19:14.The gusts here are so powerful, I can't even face in the direction
:19:15. > :19:18.Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao AND Britain's Amir Khan have
:19:19. > :19:21.announced on social media that they ARE now in talks
:19:22. > :19:33.We're all told to fit fire alarms in our homes,
:19:34. > :19:41.but new research suggests that when they go off like this...
:19:42. > :19:44.Most children aren't woken up by the noise.
:19:45. > :19:47.The study was carried out after a fire in Derby in 2013,
:19:48. > :19:51.It had been deliberately started by the parents,
:19:52. > :19:55.but investigators think the children died because they didn't hear
:19:56. > :20:00.So now they're developing new alarms, specially
:20:01. > :20:02.designed to wake children, as our Medical correspondent
:20:03. > :20:09.Smoke alarms save lives, but last year 300 people died
:20:10. > :20:12.in fires in England alone, too often where there was no
:20:13. > :20:19.Derbyshire Fire Service use this old shipping container
:20:20. > :20:25.Let's see how quickly a blaze would spread in a bedroom.
:20:26. > :20:27.The smoke alarm in this demonstration activated
:20:28. > :20:33.within seconds of the fire starting, giving minutes to escape.
:20:34. > :20:37.But research by Derbyshire Fire and Dundee University found children
:20:38. > :20:42.are often not roused by the sound of a standard smoke detector.
:20:43. > :20:47.Melanie Wilkins from Mansfield has tested her smoke alarm many times
:20:48. > :20:52.at night and only once has any of her four boys woken up.
:20:53. > :20:54.ALARM: Wake up, the house is on fire.
:20:55. > :20:59.Now, she's trying something different, and alarm
:21:00. > :21:02.ALARM: Wake up, the house is on fire.
:21:03. > :21:09.It's like a voice of a parent that they're
:21:10. > :21:11.used to listening to day in, day out.
:21:12. > :21:15.Maybe subconsciously, that's what they're hearing
:21:16. > :21:20.The new alarm was designed with the help of her uncle
:21:21. > :21:30.Prompted by a notorious case in Derby when these six children
:21:31. > :21:33.died in a house fire, deliberately set by their
:21:34. > :21:41.Dave Kos says more often than not, smoke alarms simply
:21:42. > :21:47.Unfortunately that was the first one that brought it to my attention,
:21:48. > :21:50.but since that day I can probably recount at least half a dozen fires
:21:51. > :21:53.where children failed to respond from sleep and have then become
:21:54. > :21:56.trapped the wrong side of a fire and have unfortunately died.
:21:57. > :21:58.Derbyshire Fire Service and Dundee University want
:21:59. > :22:00.500 families to test the prototype alarm.
:22:01. > :22:04.Researchers predict alarms with the human voice
:22:05. > :22:11.ALARM: Wake up, the house is on fire.
:22:12. > :22:14.Quite often we hear alarms going off, we don't quite know
:22:15. > :22:17.whether they are just a warning or if it's for real.
:22:18. > :22:20.So putting the human voice into that, I think is going to be
:22:21. > :22:22.one of the key important additional things that we'll bring
:22:23. > :22:28.Fire investigators stress that standard smoke alarms
:22:29. > :22:40.But parents need to know, it could be up to them
:22:41. > :22:42.to wake their children in the event of a fire.
:22:43. > :22:47.British Gas saw its profits fall by 11% to ?553 million.
:22:48. > :22:50.But the profits of its parent company, Centrica,
:22:51. > :22:57.prices in the face of higher energy costs and a weaker pound.
:22:58. > :23:07.Here's our Industry correspondent John Moylan.
:23:08. > :23:14.At British Gas we've got some great news for our customers... There has
:23:15. > :23:17.been good news from British Gas recently, they are freezing its
:23:18. > :23:22.standard tariffs until August, it has even launched a loyalty scheme.
:23:23. > :23:27.It hopes that will stop customers leaving, one of the reasons why its
:23:28. > :23:36.profits have been hit. In 2016, British Gas made ?553 million. That
:23:37. > :23:41.was down 11% on the previous year. It says that is because it lost
:23:42. > :23:47.4009000 customer accounts as households switched to other
:23:48. > :23:51.suppliers. The reason it's down is because of competitive intensity. We
:23:52. > :23:56.lost customers in the first half of last year. The pricing pressure has
:23:57. > :23:59.resulted in a reduction in margins in general and there have been other
:24:00. > :24:08.cost pressures coming into the system. A price cap to protect
:24:09. > :24:13.customers on prepayment meters will cost the firm ?53 million this year.
:24:14. > :24:18.But that did not prevent the criticism of the level of costs. We
:24:19. > :24:23.have vulnerable consumers paying too much. Older people and lower income
:24:24. > :24:29.people. It underlines it again, the energy market isn't working for
:24:30. > :24:34.consumers. Price rises by rise of firms have put energy prices back on
:24:35. > :24:39.the agenda. The boss of Centrica, which owns British Gas, insists
:24:40. > :24:44.there is no case for wide-ranging price controls. This market is
:24:45. > :24:48.incredibly competitive. We have 50 suppliers and margins are down year
:24:49. > :24:53.on year. I don't believe it is healthy for governments to find
:24:54. > :24:57.themselves in the position of setting prices. If you do it once,
:24:58. > :25:03.when do you stop? There was no word today on whether British Gas will
:25:04. > :25:04.hike prices later this year. As for government intervention, a consumer
:25:05. > :25:09.Green paper is due in the spring. In a week's time, the people
:25:10. > :25:12.of Northern Ireland go to the polls to vote in elections
:25:13. > :25:14.for a new Assembly. It was triggered because of a row
:25:15. > :25:17.over a green energy scheme that went hundreds of millions
:25:18. > :25:19.of pounds over budget. But if the DUP and Sinn Fein
:25:20. > :25:22.are as expected the main winners in the vote,
:25:23. > :25:24.what are the chances of them being able to form
:25:25. > :25:26.a new power-sharing government? Let's cross to Belfast,
:25:27. > :25:38.and to our Ireland I am in the Titanic Quarter weather
:25:39. > :25:42.has been new developments, but the old divisions are clear at Stormont.
:25:43. > :25:51.With the DUP and Sinn Fein exchanging harsh words over lots of
:25:52. > :25:56.issues. It is a very divisive election. Are people as divided as
:25:57. > :25:57.the politicians? I have been speaking to a group Queens in
:25:58. > :26:05.Belfast. Elections are a time when people
:26:06. > :26:09.come together, united in the task of making a choice but divided in their
:26:10. > :26:14.views. Sometimes it can be because of their age, background or beliefs.
:26:15. > :26:18.I will ask you a number of questions. We need you to be honest.
:26:19. > :26:31.Who has been to the gym in the last week? There are the athletic, or at
:26:32. > :26:38.least the enthusiastic. The romantics who send valentines cards
:26:39. > :26:47.this year. And those prepared to admit, or forced to admit that they
:26:48. > :26:50.have been drunk in the last week. But it is shared experiences who
:26:51. > :26:56.could influence how individuals vote. Who has waited for hours or
:26:57. > :27:00.more in accident and emergency to get treatment for themselves or
:27:01. > :27:04.someone else? Waiting lists in Northern Ireland are one of the
:27:05. > :27:09.longest in the UK and politicians here have described the health
:27:10. > :27:13.service as a breaking point. I am an emergency nurse and there isn't
:27:14. > :27:16.enough investment and in the community. We have to move the
:27:17. > :27:21.politicians out of health, appoint someone in charge of it he will be
:27:22. > :27:28.responsible for the operational matters. This isn't scientific, but
:27:29. > :27:33.the response suggests this connects businesses, farmers, students and
:27:34. > :27:37.senior citizens. Who has a close friend or relative who is gay or
:27:38. > :27:42.lesbian? Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK where same-sex
:27:43. > :27:47.marriage is still illegal. It is a disgrace, everybody has the right to
:27:48. > :27:51.decide who to marry and who to love. I am not sure, I have always
:27:52. > :27:57.believed there should be a male and female to bring up a child. While
:27:58. > :28:01.many here feel they don't fit into the traditional boxes of national or
:28:02. > :28:07.Unionist, it is how the majority vote. Who is proud of Northern
:28:08. > :28:10.Ireland? Interesting the split is right across the generation who
:28:11. > :28:15.never knew the conflict, yet they are not proud of their country. The
:28:16. > :28:20.reason it sucks is because there is so much we could be proud of but we
:28:21. > :28:24.have an executive Mark by scandal, crisis and falling apart
:28:25. > :28:27.consistently. Different views will influence that election result when
:28:28. > :28:32.voters mark their preferences next week.
:28:33. > :28:38.So far this election campaign has reflected the weather, it has been
:28:39. > :28:43.pretty stormy. For the opposition parties hope to make gains could be
:28:44. > :28:45.down to the DUP and Sinn Fein to make a deal if power-sharing is to
:28:46. > :28:49.return and that could be difficult. For more information including
:28:50. > :28:51.the candidates standing just go The BBC has learned that
:28:52. > :29:04.around 10,000 motorists were still driving last month,
:29:05. > :29:08.despite having too many penalty Usually drivers are banned
:29:09. > :29:11.when they exceed 12 points. But magistrates are allowed
:29:12. > :29:13.to waive the rule in cases Supporters say it gives
:29:14. > :29:16.drivers another chance, but critics say bending the rules
:29:17. > :29:18.puts other people at risk. Our correspondent
:29:19. > :29:20.David Rhodes has more. From speeding to drink-driving,
:29:21. > :29:22.failing to have insurance or causing a collision on the road,
:29:23. > :29:25.penalty points are given to 12 active points on a licence
:29:26. > :29:29.usually means a driver will be But figures obtained by the BBC,
:29:30. > :29:40.it just under 10,000 drivers But figures obtained by the BBC,
:29:41. > :29:42.show just under 10,000 drivers are still on the roads
:29:43. > :29:45.despite having 12 or more points. Most are found in England,
:29:46. > :29:47.with the largest number Although one driver in
:29:48. > :29:56.West Yorkshire is still on the road despite having more than 60 points
:29:57. > :29:59.on their licence. The law doesn't seem to be
:30:00. > :30:01.working at the moment. We've got people obviously being
:30:02. > :30:04.caught and going through the justice system but actually this whole
:30:05. > :30:06.points system seems to be Drivers are getting away
:30:07. > :30:09.with repeatedly breaking the law. Motorists with 12 points can appeal
:30:10. > :30:13.to a Magistrates' Court just as this one and claim that a driving ban
:30:14. > :30:15.would bring exceptional hardship upon their lives,
:30:16. > :30:18.meaning they'd lose a job or be There is no definition
:30:19. > :30:22.in law though, as to So one magistrate may decide
:30:23. > :30:28.if a driving ban would cause someone to lose their job,
:30:29. > :30:30.that is exceptional hardship. Another magistrate
:30:31. > :30:33.may decide it isn't. Every ban is considered
:30:34. > :30:38.on a case-by-case basis. The government says the vast
:30:39. > :30:40.majority of drivers with 12 points are automatically disqualified
:30:41. > :30:44.and only in exceptional circumstances can judges
:30:45. > :30:46.decide not to issue a ban. The fact remains though,
:30:47. > :30:49.that there are drivers who have continually broken the law,
:30:50. > :31:10.who are still on our roads. As we have seen, Doris is a serious
:31:11. > :31:14.storm, rain, wind and snow. The storm has been hurtling towards us
:31:15. > :31:19.over the last few hours. Still has a sting in the tail for some before it
:31:20. > :31:25.goes into other parts of northern Europe. The snowfall earlier on this
:31:26. > :31:29.morning has been further north than we first anticipated. Some
:31:30. > :31:33.disruptive snowfall north of the Central Belt. A winter wonderland
:31:34. > :31:38.for some, but with the headache getting to work for others. That is
:31:39. > :31:45.now heading further south and an amber warning in forced especially
:31:46. > :31:50.in southern Scotland. Wintry showers pushing in across Northern Ireland.
:31:51. > :31:54.A cold afternoon here. Further south, rain around but the main
:31:55. > :32:01.story is the wind. I am putting on the gusts here, 50, 60 miles an hour
:32:02. > :32:05.and in some places, as we have seen, they can cause some problems. Seems
:32:06. > :32:12.like this early on in Chiswick in west London. An amber warning in
:32:13. > :32:16.force for disruptive and damaging winds this afternoon. 60, 70 miles
:32:17. > :32:23.an hour gusts will cause issues over the next beer hours. The worst of
:32:24. > :32:27.the gusts will ease down. Last clear away from East England. Doris will
:32:28. > :32:31.be clearing and the weather will settle down. But wintry showers will
:32:32. > :32:36.be pushing in from the West with a lot of surface water. Ice will be a
:32:37. > :32:40.hazard across Scotland, Northern Ireland and north-west England as
:32:41. > :32:44.well. Might be a slippery start on Friday morning. A chilly one but a
:32:45. > :32:49.much more tranquil day on Friday. Welcome sunshine and a sparkling
:32:50. > :32:54.start. One or two showers on the breeze as specially around coastal
:32:55. > :33:00.areas. More rain turns up across Northern Ireland initially, pushing
:33:01. > :33:03.in across Scotland and turning to snow on the Highlands. Temperatures
:33:04. > :33:06.slow to rise but temperatures will continue to rise as we head into the
:33:07. > :33:12.weekend. In combination with active fronts across the West of the UK, a
:33:13. > :33:17.lot of surface water from the rain and a lot of snow melting. Problems
:33:18. > :33:20.on the horizon across parts of the north-west and the UK and creeping
:33:21. > :33:26.across north-west England, we could see some flooding. On Sunday, dry
:33:27. > :33:30.weather, albeit cloudy at times. All the rain will be further north and
:33:31. > :33:35.west. Blustery but thankfully not as windy as it is just now.
:33:36. > :33:40.A reminder of our main story this lunchtime:
:33:41. > :33:46.Storm Doris has brought widespread destruction across large part of the
:33:47. > :33:48.UK. In Wolverhampton, a woman has died in a weather-related incident.
:33:49. > :33:51.That's all from the BBC News at One, so it's goodbye from me