22/03/2017 BBC News at One

The biggest fine ever handed to a British water company.

Thames Water is ordered to pay ?20 million for

Almost 1.5 billion litres of raw sewage was allowed to enter

the river for months between Oxfordshire

The fine is ten times larger than the previous record fine handed

Easyjet confirms it's the first airline to introduce a ban

on laptops being carried as hand luggage.

Iraqi troops edge closer to the centre of Mosul as tens

of thousands of civilians flee so-called Islamic State.

One year on, Brussels remembers the terror attacks which killed 32

And why the number of women working into their seventies has doubled

And coming up in the sport on BBC News: Liverpool pay tribute

to a true club legend, former coach and captain

Ronnie Moran, who has died at the age of 83.

Good afternoon and welcome to the BBC News at One.

It's the biggest fine ever imposed on a British water company

Thames Water has been ordered to pay ?20.3 million for polluting

the River Thames with almost 1.5 billion litres of raw sewage.

The judge at Aylesbury Crown Court said the scale of the problem

was such that bosses must have known about it.

He called it "a shocking and disgraceful state of affairs".

The ducks may be back, but this is one of the six outlets were raw

sewage surged into the River Thames. For months and months of the

untreated muck flowed in and this is what it looked like. The pictures do

not convey the stench or the dangers, but for mile after mile it

was what the judge called a catalogue of misery blighting the

river, and why he imposed a record fine. It is clear from the

sentencing today and the judge's powerful comment that the courts

take environmental offending very seriously. This record fine and

costs of over ?20 million sends a signal to the companies that

safeguarding the environment is not an optional extra. It is an

essential part of how businesses must operate. What was coming out

was brought, untreated sewage. Dominic lives and works on the

river, he was one of hundreds of people to complain and two were four

months ignored by Thames water. It was awful. You live next to the

Royal River Thames and you do not expect to see Royal sewage pass in

your garden. When the river was in flood it was coming across our lawn

and as it settled we had more sewage in the garden as well. The judge

said Thames water had offended on a vast scale. It said equipment failed

and alarms were ignored. He also said the company deliberately

concealed the problems from the Environment Agency. Warnings laid

out by staff in their logs were ignored by managers. One wrote,

illegal discharge, managers aware. Another said, this was a failure

waiting to happen. A third added, still discharging illegally, known

to managers. It all meant the sewage continued to pour out. In the end it

is thought around 1.4 billion litres of raw sewage ended up in the

Thames. Anglers and fishermen were put out of business, cattle poisoned

when they drank the water. The judge said he had to send a message to the

water companies that this was not acceptable. Today he imposed a

record ?20 million fine on Thames water, ten times larger than the

previous fine. We apologise for all of those failings, but in the three

years since those last incidents we have learned our lesson. There have

been swooping, far reaching changes across the waste water business.

Thames Water says shareholders, not customers, will pay the massive

fine. This is the Thames now, cleaner and safer, but today's case

is a warning for all water companies, that their failings will

not go unpunished if they soiled the environment. We can talk to Duncan

in Aylesbury. The judge is clearly sending a message and that message

is loud and clear. And not just to Thames water. He was

sending a message to all companies. You conclude that from the size of

the fine and the way he addressed the management. The fine is ten

times the previous record, a ?2 million fine for Southern water last

year. But the language the judge used where he spoke of their

shameful actions, their disgraceful way of management, and also the fact

they deliberately concealed the pollution. He said all water

companies have a duty to protect the environment. You also sent this

message was picked up by Thames water. Richard a large, who you saw

there, he too said this was a message to all water companies who

had a duty and responsibility now to protect the environment. EasyJet has

become the first airline to confirm a laptop ban affecting passengers

flying to the UK from six countries in the Middle East and north Africa

has come into effect today. Travellers will no longer be allowed

to carry electronic devices bigger The ban is also being brought

into effect in America where it is being reported that

so-called Islamic State has been working on ways to smuggle

explosives on to planes by hiding Here's our home affairs

correspondent Daniel Sandford. Beirut's Hariri International

Airport this morning. As the consequences of the laptop

ban start to sink in. No passenger taking

a direct flight to Britain will be allowed to have any

electronic devices in their hand E-readers, tablets and laptops,

will all have to go in the hold. You sit in the plane

for four or five hours I totally believe

the intelligence it is based on is sound,

so we just have to put up I do not understand

the technical details of But putting something in the hold

presumably has the same effect, so I do not really

understand why preventing it on board, upstairs,

is going to make a great

deal of difference. The countries affected by the UK

laptop ban are Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt,

Saudi Arabia and Tunisia. It affects all airlines including

British Airways, easyJet We will continue to work closely

with the wider industry over the next few weeks to ensure passengers

with the wider industry over the know what is expected of them. I ask

for their patience as these new measures bed in.

What has been worrying ministers is a device like

the one that blew a hole in the side of this Somali airliner last year.

So why is a laptop all right in the hold but not in hand luggage?

In the cabin a relatively small device can

make a hole in the side of the plane and crash the plane.

In the hold it is much less likely and the pilot

has a good chance of getting the plane down on the ground.

EasyJet has already started implementing the

ban on its flights from Turkey and Egypt.

Other airlines are expected to follow by the end of the week.

Our business correspondent Theo Leggett is here.

This has been brought in for safety of passengers, but it raises a lot

of practical questions for travellers. Absolutely, for a start

if passengers have not put their electronic goods in the hold at

check-in, where will they be sifted out? Those passengers will be going

along security queues alongside other passengers going to different

destinations who are not covered by the band. The airlines will have to

have an extra check on the gate. What happens with passengers who are

travelling without baggage? EasyJet say they will make arrangements to

put laptops for people who do not hold baggage in the hold. Then there

is the question of endurance. Terms and conditions state if baggage is

not attending, then you are not covered. That will be an issue as

Iraqi forces are entering what could be the final phase

of their operation to drive so called Islamic State

out of Iraq's second biggest city, Mosul.

It's been in the hands of IS militants since 2014

and is their last stronghold in the country.

The United Nations says around 45,000 people have fled the fighting

in the past week alone, creating fears of a

Our correspondent Wyre Davies reports.

Under the protection of overwhelmingly superior airpower

and coalition heavy artillery, Iraqi forces are entering

what they say is the final phase in the fight to drive militants

from so-called Islamic State out of Mosul.

But with snipers on rooftops trying to dislodge fighters who have

been dug in for months, progress is slow.

In some parts of the maze of narrow streets that make up the old city,

militants are even reported to have pushed government troops back.

But observers on the ground and military commanders say it's

We are only a few hundred metres away from the al-Nuri Mosque, says

It's very symbolic and gives a huge morale boost

Capturing the mosque has become a significant goal

While Islamic State fighters are equally determined to defend it.

It is where the IS supreme leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi delivered

a famous sermon three years ago just days after a caliphate had been

Many civilians have been killed by retreating IS fighters,

But amid the grief and loss, there is relief and even joy.

This family reunited after being separated in the bitter

I haven't seen my daughter for five months, since

she was trapped in western Mosul after the East was liberated.

The United Nations says at least 45,000 civilians have fled

135,000 since the battle for western Mosul began.

Most receive basic food and shelter in camps on the edge of the city.

Camps that are now almost full to overflowing.

The National Governors Association has urged the government to "stay

brave" and press ahead with controversial plans

for a funding shake-up for schools in England,

A BBC survey of 4,000 governors has revealed deep

concerns about budgets, with some describing the situation

What do I like most about our school?

Drayton Park primary school says it's already operating on very

But it predicts its budget in real terms by 2019 will be

The proposed new national funding formula in England will change

Ministers argue it will narrow historical inequalities in funding

But schools across the country are facing rising costs.

Cuts to funding mean cuts to our service.

So what we will see is fewer members of staff, lower quality of service

and things that we currently do that we will have to

In a survey for the BBC, school governors who responded

and had a view on the proposed new formula were broadly

in favour of the principal, but many also expressed serious

concerns about the financial pressures ahead.

Some said they planned to cut back on staff,

others that they were looking at ways of raising extra cash

including asking parents for voluntary contributions

Everybody pretty much agrees that the principle

of the formula is right, the elements in the formula

are right, but actually the problem is there isn't enough money

The government says funding is at record levels

and that the proposed formula is a fairer way to help all schools.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies said the proposed changes

would correct clear inequities in funding levels

But that such a radical reform would necessarily

Well, the new schools funding formula dominated

with angry exchanges between Theresa May

His Shadow Home Secretary said her child to a private school. His

shadow attorney general said her child to a private school... He

sent... He sent his child to a grammar school. He went to a grammar

school himself. Typical Labour take the advantage and pull up the ladder

behind you! I want a decent, fair opportunity for every child in every

I want a staircase for all, not a ladder for the few!

Our Assistant Political Editor Norman Smith is in Westminster.

They certainly were angry exchanges. Just a week ago we had the

government having to climb down over national insurance contributions and

this week Theresa May is under pressure to climb down over the new

funding formula for schools. The similarities with the U-turn over

national insurers are striking. It is Conservative MPs who are most

unhappy with the changes. Very often it is schools in Conservative

constituencies that are hit hardest. Again there is the potential for a

conservative repeat with loyal Tory MPs threatening to rebel. There is a

manifesto pledge threatened to be broken and you wonder whether the

government's political antenna have gone on the blink. Although this

change makes sense in the corridors of the Department of education,

outing or communities, head teachers, governors and local

councillors are up in arms. The difficulty Theresa May faces is that

in a time of austerity there is not much spare cash to put into the

changes. And the government is ?2 billion further short after Philip

Hammond's U-turn over national insurance contributions. But Theresa

May does not want to look like a push over at Westminster because she

has got difficult changes to get through, but she does not want to

look like a pushover ahead of the Brexit negotiations because she

knows EU negotiators are watching her to see if she cracks under

pressure. The biggest fine ever handed

to a British water company - Thames Water is ordered to pay

?20 million for polluting Pastures new - why some farmers

are turning to free range milk England manager Gareth Southgate

says his side need to "lose They face World Champions Germany

in a friendly this evening, while Scotland face

Canada in Edinburgh. It's a year since three bombers

killed 32 people and injured hundreds more in attacks at Brussels

airport and on the subway. Today the King of Belgium

has been leading events to remember the victims -

with a minute's silence held at the city's airport to mark

the moment when two of the suicide attackers blew themselves up

in the departures hall. About friends, family,

and those they never knew. And to consider the what ifs

and maybes of a year ago. Chance decisions that

determined life or death. That morning, two suicide bombs

shattered the terminal. Through the dust and the panic,

a camera captured one After eight operations,

he's starting to walk again. You know, sometimes I have a good

cry, sometimes I just have a moment to myself where,

you know, I find energy in that place, I find

the strength to continue, you know, building myself

back up to being even In this corner there

was Sebastien Bellin, This is the journalist who caught

that moment of terror. Personally for me it is

very, very difficult. And we must remember those

who lost their lives here. How important do you think your

photographs are in showing people what actually happened,

what people went through? Yes, I think that we should show

to our viewers and readers In the city centre the Belgian

Royal Family joined survivors of the underground train blown up

an hour later. The shock wave knocked

a nation out of step. Security has been tightened

here in the last year, the Army But more generally, some feel

the security services They face big challenges monitoring

extremists plotting alone. And Sebastien thinks

they are failing. I'm a victim, I know the pain

and suffering my family went I know the pain and

suffering I went through. I want this to be preventable

as much as possible. People are still healing

and they will not forget why. Plans are under way for two

new prisons to be built at Full Sutton near York

and Port Talbot in South Wales. The Justice Secretary Liz Truss also

confirmed that jails at Rochester, Kent and Hindley

in Greater Manchester The proposals are part of a ?1.3bn

government pledge to create 10,000 The Scottish Parliament

will vote today on a call by the First Minister,

Nicola Sturgeon, for a second The motion, which is

likely to be passed after a second day of debate,

will give the Scottish government a mandate to open negotiations

with Westminster on Our Scotland Editor Sarah

Smith is in Holyrood. The Scottish Parliament is expected

to back the call later today for a second referendum? That is right,

the debate is set to get underway in about an hour, the second day of the

vote. Of course there were strong positions put out yesterday here in

the Scottish Parliament and I think we can expect more of the same today

from the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon set out her stall, she

wants the Scottish Parliament to support her in thinking the

authority to hold a second referendum from Westminster. The

timing is crucial, would like it to be between the autumn of next year

and the spring of 2019 although she indicated this is negotiable. But

the Prime Minister has said no, not now, she said now is not the time.

That is not -- that is a sentiment that has been echoed by the Scottish

Conservatives in error, Scottish Labour and the Scottish Liberal

Democrats are also opposed to the move. They believe the Scottish

people do not want a second independence referendum, not at this

time. Now at 5:30pm members of the Scottish Parliament will vote, we

expect Nicola Sturgeon to have a majority backed by the Greens but

this will be significant, Downing Street say not now, the Scottish

Government will see this as a mandate for the second referendum.

New figures show that the number of women working into their seventies

has doubled over the last four years.

More than 11% of women are still part of the workforce

Many are working longer to try to maintain their standard of living.

Here's our Personal Finance Correspondent, Simon Gompertz.

How do you measure your working life and where is the cut-off point

Anne, who runs a fabric store in Bristol's St Nicholas market,

is one of a growing band of women in their 70s working on.

She has little beyond the state pension to fall back on.

Well, we have absolutely no pensions, little

We always invested money into the business.

It would certainly be a struggle and life would have to change,

The proportion of women who don't stop working

until they are beyond 70 has grown from one in 20 four years ago

It has doubled and it is catching up with men.

The government is encouraging people to work on, encouraging employers

But if at least some are doing it because they're

desperate for the money, then there is still a question,

what happens when you really do have to stop?

It is a concern because women tend to have much less than men in a way

Particularly for women, if they haven't saved enough

and in some cases they need to keep working later because they simply

Women have smaller pension pots than men typically,

and will continue to do so for some time to come.

I've been selling jewellery for 30 odd years.

Like many women, Elaine, who is 74, doesn't even get

She loves her shop, but she too needs the extra money.

I probably wouldn't be able to go to the hairdressers as often,

I've probably wouldn't be able to go out for a meal as often

And you know, these are things that are important to me.

They talk about the rich pensioners, don't they, but a lot

A lot of pensioners, you know, are just hanging on.

It's got the nicest sound you'll ever hear.

The pressure means the number of women like Elaine who are working

into their early 70s has risen to around 150,000.

Simon Gompertz, BBC News, in Bristol.

The Northern Ireland Assembly is gathering today for a special

sitting to allow politicians to reflect on the life

Last night, thousands of people gathered at a candlelit vigil

in west Belfast for the former Deputy First Minister who died

Our Ireland Correspondent Chris Page is in Londonderry.

Irish flags are flying at half-mast in the Bogside area of Derry where

Mark McGuinness lived. The mood across Northern Ireland is of

contemplation. Both were people who suffered greatly as a result of IRA

violence and for those who regard Martin McGuinness mainly as a

peacemaker. This shows how much

Martin McGuinness was In west Belfast hundreds

attended a vigil to remember The life of the former IRA

commander was a complex story He ended up as the joint head

of Northern Ireland's The Stormont assembly has

held a special meeting to reflect on the man

who was Deputy First Martin McGuinness was

a political visionary. He played a key and enormous part

in delivering fundamental change in this society and in transforming

the relationships on this island But the memories of the IRA campaign

are still strong and personal. The Democratic Unionist Party leader

Arlene Foster survived the bombing Things have fundamentally

changed since I was growing up in the 70s and 80s,

and changed immeasurably And Martin McGuinness did play

a role, which I will always condemn, But I also have to acknowledge

the role which he played over this last decade and more in government

in Northern Ireland. The coalition between her party

and Sinn Fein collapsed in January. Negotiations are going

on to try to restore A clergyman who was a mediator

in the peace process says Martin McGuinness passionately

wanted power-sharing to work. Reaching out, that

was his great phrase. I want to keep reaching

out and getting people As we now, we've got

the structures, but what we now Mr McGuinness's death has come

as Northern Ireland is facing But in his home city people

are still considering the legacy of the leader who moved

from the shadow of the gun As preparations are being made for

the funeral service here tomorrow there has been News from a town not

far away from Derry showing that the relative peace here remains uneasy.

The police say some officers are lucky to be alive after a bomb

exploded in Strabane last night, they believed it was a clear attempt

to murder members of a police patrol. It is likely the attack was

carried out by dissident republicans opposed to the peace process.

Now, we've all got used to seeing free-range eggs and free-range

meat in the supermarket but what about free-range milk?

That's milk from cows who spend more time out in the fields,

feeding on grass and if it takes off, it's hoped that it could keep

One leading supermarket has already begun stocking free-range

milk and they're hoping others will follow.

Our Business Correspondent Emma Simpson reports.

The cows hitting the field after winter indoors.

But it's been increasingly hard for small dairy farms like this

In actual fact, personally, I don't think I've ever been

We were just lucky free range came along and gave us a new outlook.

We've seen friends, neighbours, go out of business, we've seen

In just ten years the number of dairy farmers has reduced, many

But farmers are delivering more milk per cow, the average

So fewer farms with bigger herds and some are kept in all year round.

And Jenny is keen that shoppers know about it.

You've got skimmed, semi-skimmed, whole, filtered,

It's cheaper than organic, but 15p more than your average litre.

Can I interest you in a milk taste test?

We would probably try it and see how we get on.

But long-term, I'm not sure, it depends on the cost of it.

Asda said the milk sold better than they thought and they're now

After a few rough years for this industry, here they are trying

And hoping free range will earn them a fairer price.

Emma Simpson, BBC News, Gloucestershire.

Former Liverpool captain, coach and caretaker manager

Ronnie Moran has died at the age of 83.

He made 379 appearances between 1952 and 1968,

and then became part of Bill Shankly's famous

He had two spells as caretaker manager in his 49 years

I hope there is no more snow. It is the date for woolly coats and

for most of us a day for the waterproofs. This has been a typical

scene across the UK, wet, miserable and cold. But by the weekend there

is quite a transformation, it is going to feel like spring at last

with some lovely sunshine for most. That is courtesy of high-pressure.

At the moment we have no pressure and hence we have rain and a bit of

snow across the far north of England and southern Scotland this morning.

Some of those showers mean business, pushing up into the East of England,

more persistent rain still across the north of England. Most of the

snow turning back to rain. The northern half of Scotland enjoying

some sunshine but not warm at around 34 degrees. And the wet weather is

lodged across the far north of England with again some slow over

the higher ground. More rain coming in to the south-east again. Where

the skies are clear across parts of Wales and the South West of England,

there should be some frost around. And up in the northern glens of

Scotland as low as minus eight. Everything begins to head west, the

band of rain pushing into Wales and the South West England and

brightening up in the north and East. Not exactly warm but heading

in the right direction. Still single figures for many, perhaps double

figures further south but you have to factor in the cloud and blustery

wind. That is still with us on Friday, further north things are

settling down. Some rain across the far Northern Isles. But in between

that wedge of sunshine as high pressure begins to build. And high

pressure will be the dominant force as we head into the weekend. Around

the periphery of that is still a notable breeze and for example

across some Southern counties not feeling all that warm out in the

breeze. But for the vast majority this weekend is looking good. Dry,

plenty of sunshine, pinning warm. But still cold enough at night for

some frost. But we will put up with that with some sunshine in store.

A reminder of our main story this lunchtime.

The biggest fine ever handed to a British water company guide Thames

Water ordered to pay ?20