20/12/2012 BBC News at Six

24 hours of continuous rain, trains cancelled and roads closed, just as

the Christmas getaway begins. More than 300 flood warnings and alerts

in England, Wales and Scotland - and there's more to come. We will

be having people in the incident rooms and out on the ground, right

over the Christmas period. Several motorists have been rescued from

their vehicles - only just in time for those inside. Two documents, we

managed to get them out before the car went under completely. Also on

tonight's programme... Back in court - the mother still trying to

delay her seven-year-old son's urgent treatment for cancer. The

bargain hunters are out in force - just as well, because latest

figures show November was a flat month in the shops. He got a pay-

off worth nearly half a million pounds - MPs say the BBC's former

boss was rewarded for failure. And the Domesday scenario - why people

around the world believe tomorrow The later on Sportsday, England

have lost their first Twenty20 international against India by five

Good evening and welcome to the BBC News at Six.

There are more than 300 flood warnings and alerts for parts of

England, Scotland and Wales tonight. After 24 hours of near continuous

rain, with the ground saturated after the rainfall of the last few

weeks, trains have been cancelled and roads closed. Several motorists

have been rescued from their cars. One of the worst-hit counties is

Hampshire. From there, Robert Hall Another miserable day among so many.

Dark skies over the New Forest, and puddles which merged into streams

flowing across the roots to work and Christmas shopping. Early

risers had been met with persistent rain and roads which could so

easily catch out the unwary. The New Forest Fords, so quiet in the

summer, presented a particular risk. One police community support

officer rescued a father and daughter from this vehicle near

Brockenhurst. I was on a routine patrol, coming across the Ford.

could see two occupants trapped in the vehicle. We managed to get them

out before the car went under completely. They are now very cold.

The message, repeated so often in recent weeks, is still not getting

through to drivers, who are driving too fast, or failing to take

account of the effect. We have got people driving through water like

this. Please do not do that, it is incredibly dangerous. Please stay

at home, do not like a journey unless you absolutely have to. If

you do have to, drive safely. Further to the west, a severe flood

alert was issued in the village of Wallington, near Fareham. Council

teams were trying to strengthen a cracked retaining wall, as high

tide approached. Villagers prepared to evacuate. Remembering the damage

caused by floods in 2000, they did what they could to protect their

belongings and homes. UK and do as much as you can do, then you just

wait and hope that these things will not be tested. If they are

tested, I hope they work. As the rain fell, the volume of calls for

help rose. Fire crews have been helping councils will have to keep

the floodwater moving in Cornwall. Environment Agency teams have been

mobilising to prepare flood defences on the River Severn and

the River Avon. Communities on the Somerset Levels were once again

watching their farmland disappear across the flood plain. Muddy

Waters were spilling across roads which have barely been open in

recent weeks. Right across the country, the ground is saturated.

We have had rain over the last few weeks, more rain this week, and it

is looking like an unsettled picture for the coming days.

the rain continues, bringing with it flood warnings extending into

the weekend, and the threat of travel disruption too much of the

UK, just when we needed it least. And we can talk to Robert in

Wallington now. I was interested to hear the man from the Environment

Agency saying that they were on alert dogfish till Christmas?

That's right. And really, the preparations in Wallington, where

we have a severe flood alert, are mirrored in communities across the

country. They are likely to be needed. The problem is that the

rain has stopped. But it never stops for long enough to allow the

groundwater to recede. Whilst the roads made clear, there is still

the potential risk of the weather turning bad. If you look at the Max,

as I have this afternoon, you can see bands of rain and strong wind

coming in. In Scotland, they are saying there could be coastal

flooding, all of this at a time when so many of us are preparing to

set off to visit friends and family. The message we are getting is, it

will not be white, it will be wet, and you could face disruption, so

you need to take care. Sally Roberts, the mother who wants

to delay her son getting what doctors believe is life-saving

treatment, has been back in court today. Seven-year-old Neon is

recovering from an operation to remove a brain tumour - after a

judge at the High Court overruled his mother earlier this week. But

as Branwen Jeffreys reports, Neon now needs further treatment. Sally

Roberts spent yesterday in hospital with her son. Today, she was back

at the High Court to take on both doctors and her former husband. Her

son is just seven. He has got a common type of brain cancer.

Doctors want to give him the standard UK treatment, described as

the gold standard, because it offers more than 80% survival. And

his dad agrees. But Sally does not want her son treated with these

machines, which target invisible cancer cells with radiation. She is

worried about the side-effects. Experts say these are well known

and can be minimised. Radiotherapy could affect a child's ability to

learn, which might mean that they need more help in school. It can

also affect the hormone levels in the brain, but this is less of a

problem because it can be monitored and corrected if necessary. On 25th

October, Neon had an operation to remove a brain tumour. Radiotherapy

and chemotherapy will went to follow. But Sally Robertson her son

went missing. After a hearing at the High Court on 7th December, the

High Court was told that more tumour had been filled in the same

place. On the 18th, the judge ordered another operation on her

Achilles. That happened yesterday. And today, Sally Roberts requested

a further delay to the court case. The judge rejected the application

for further delays. He said, there is not the luxury of time in this

case, and he added that there needed to be decisions made about

the treatment for Neon. The role of the judge is to consider the

child's welfare and best interests. Although he will clearly listen to

the concerns of the parents, he will be looking at the medical

evidence as well. The benefits of treatment, which in this case are

considered to be life-saving, will be balanced against the risks, and

he will ultimately decide what option is in the best interest of

the child. Tomorrow, Neon's mother would get one more chance to try to

produce evidence of a credible alternative. Then, it will be up to

the judge to decide what happens Sales on the High Street are flat -

that's according to the latest figures on how we spent our money

last month. They make grim reading for many stores, who are worried

that customers are reining in their Christmas spending. Our business

correspondent is in London's Oxford Street, where many shop owners will

be hoping the last-minute rush will make a difference. Emma. That's

right. It is certainly busy here, despite the rain, but there was

little Christmas cheer in these figures today from the Office for

National Statistics. They were from November, a time when retailers

would be like in to see things ramping up for Christmas. And then

we had other survey evidence from yesterday, suggesting that business

was worse than usual for this time of year. So, our people tightening

their belts, or are they waiting right until the last minutes? I

have been gauging the mood. discounts and bargains are

everywhere. The battle for Christmas trade is well under way,

yet again - anything to get us to part with our cash at this crucial

time for retailers. So, how are we spending this Christmas? Here in

Leicester, people we spoke to did not seem to be cutting back, but

they were not splashing out, either. I started a lot earlier than I

would have done before, so I can still do it the same. Yes, probably

spending the same, but over a longer period. To be honest, when

you're out and about, you see people spending. I think they are

just being a bit more cautious, trying to get more value for money.

We have curbed it a little bit because we have got a little wan.

So, the signs are that we are leaving it even later this year.

But things are in full swing here. Last weekend, we had our busiest

weekend for three years, so you can really feel it now. Visitor numbers

are growing all of the time, it has been really good. But will that

translate into sales, and more importantly, profits, for

retailers? Experts are not predicting that much of a boost to

the economy, if this year is anything to go by cacked retail has

been pretty flat for the whole of the year. History shows that this

time of year is genuinely in line with the rest of the year. It is a

bit unrealistic to expect anything different, frankly. This is the new

economic reality. But it is a different story when it comes to

Christmas online. With a couple of clicks, it has never been easier to

shop, and retailers know that is where the future growth lies. We

are spending more than �700 million a week, which is 8% more than last

year. Online now makes up nearly 11% of all retail spending, a

record. But it has been at the expense of the high street. For

many retailers, it has been another tough year, and for some, even more

is riding on Christmas than normal. HMV is fighting once again for

survival. Last month may have been slow, but when it comes to

Christmas, it is the finish that really matters, and there is a

weekend of crucial trading ahead, which could make all the difference.

Now, with Christmas falling on a Tuesday, that is effectively two

extra days of trading. But of course, we will not know the full

story of how Christmas went until A former Radio One producer has

vehemently denied allegations put to him by police investigating sex

abuse claims against Jimmy Savile and others. Ted Beston, who's 76

and from Bromley in south London, was released on bail yesterday

after being questioned by officers on suspicion of sex offences.People

left disabled by the drug thalidomide in England and Scotland

are to receive support worth �94 million over the next 10 years.

There has been mounting criticism over the BBC about its pay-off to

its former Director-General. A committee of MPs called it a

cavalier attitude to public money. There have also been criticisms of

the way the BBC is run, and the way it handled the dropping of an

investigation into Jimmy Savile. David Sillito reports. For those in

charge of the BBC, the papers made grim reading today. Chaos,

confusion, melt down, the verdict on how it handled the dropped

investigation into Jimmy Savile was damning. So, too, is a new report

into the �450,000 pay-off for former Director-General George

Entwistle. The BBC chairman, Chris Patten, claimed that this had to be

paid in order to avoid a costly legal battle. This looks wrong, and

it might have been a better call to say, OK, we will challenge him to

take the BBC to court. In its defence, the BBC chairman, speaking

on BBC Radio for, said his hands were tied. He said the treatment

being meted out was a little shabby, given that he had explained...

we had not done the settlement there and then, we would have had

to do a more costly settlement, with a constructive dismissal, and

probably an unfair dismissal, on top of that.. The BBC is still

digesting the Pollard report, and those stinging criticisms about its

inability to deal with a crisis, find out facts, and, crucially, its

lack of leadership. And one of those leaders, the BBC's Head of

News, Helen Boaden, today returned to work. That is for this to decide,

I am just going in to do my job. How can you wrist or trust in BBC

News? It is still the most trusted news organisation in this country.

I have to go... Nick Pollard said that during the Savile crisis, her

department had been in virtual meltdown. The pressure is now on

for some real change. The important thing is that there needs to be a

fundamental overhaul of the entire management structure of the BBC,

which does not mean shifting a few people around. And of course, the

BBC will have to brace itself in the coming months for more

revelations. The second inquiry, looking back over 40 years of the

BBC and Jimmy Savile, has only just Our top story tonight: 24 hours of

continuous rain. Trouble on the roads and rail just as the

Christmas getaway begins. Coming up: The Gloucestershire

woman spared the death sentence for Are elderly cancer patients being

denied treatment simply because of their age? A leading charity says

they are and that thousands of lives could be saved every year if

the NHS focused on the health of individual patients. A new study

suggests that far too many elderly patients are written off as too old

to treat. Our health correspondent, Dominic Hughes, reports. The older

we get, the more likely we are to develop cancer, but older patients

are less likely to get access to treatments such as surgery,

radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The accusation is that in some cases

people miss out because of age discrimination. 81-year-old Les was

diagnosed with cancer but was concerned that the doctor seeing

him was more concerned about his age than his illness. I was quite

angry that age was an issue and it seemed to be coming before the

diagnosis of the problem. The thought ran through my mind that

perhaps I wasn't going to get the treatment because of my age. So how

do you in ensure that doctors and other medical staff treat

patientsing could to their fitness and not their age. Here on

Merseyside they've been working to try to ensure that older patients

get the treatment they need. The idea is pretty simple - a detailed

assessment of the patient's fitness and assistance at home to help them

cope with the sometimes demanding treatment, judging each case on its

own merits. Maybe 20 years ago a 70-year-old patient might have had

other medical conditions that meant they weren't able to tolerate

treatments, but nowadays 70-year- olds are fitter and able to

tolerate treatments. Leaders within the NHS recognise that this is a

problem that needs to be addressed. I think there is a measure of

ageism within the NHS. I do not think that is intentional ageism,

but unintentional, and that means that patients are being treated on

the basis of their age, not on the basis of their fitness for

treatment. Cancer survival rates in the UK are improving, but there is

still a significant difference between those diagnosed when they

are relatively young and the elderly. Experts say a growing

number of older people are now well enough to be diagnosed with cancer

and still survive. A second arrest has been made by

police investigating the aftermath of the row between officers in

Downing Street and the former Chief Whip, Andrew Mitchell. Mr Mitchell

resigned his Cabinet post after the argument. He admitted swearing at

officers, but denied calling them plebs. Our home affairs

correspondent, Tom Symonds, reports. The closed-circuit television

pictures show what happened in the darkness of Downing Street that

night, but not what was said. Andrew Mitchell continues to insist

he did not call the police plebs. His reputation hangs on the police

investigation, and now a second arrest has been made. Officers

investigating the circumstances surrounding a police officer's

claim to have witnessed an incident in Downing Street in September 2012

have arrested a man on suspicion of intentionally encouraging or

insisting the commission of an indictable offence. This is a live

fast-moving criminal investigation. Scotland Yard have said little more

about this arrest, but it is likely to be connected with information

police received last week and the subsequent arrest of a serving

police officer. Detectives want to know if he was involved in a

conspiracy with someone else. This officer is accused of falsely

claiming he witnessed the incident from a position here on the

pavement outside Downing Street. The cameras suggest that no-one was

close enough to easily overhear what happened. Now the suggestion

that Andrew Mitchell just might the wronged party has led to

Conservative fury at campaigning by the police against him. The police

must be above politics in our country. The Police Federation

decided to become a lobbying, an extremely aggressive lobbying body

determined to get a Minister, and a Cabinet Minister. Certainly the

Police Federation didn't hold back from using the P word in their

campaigning against cuts. But following recent events, the tone

has softened. I'm going to wait to see what happens in relates to the

investigation. If he has been done a calumny in relation to what's

happened I will be one of the first in the queue to apologise. Under

the shadow of that possible calumny - a false acquisition in case you

were wondering - Andrew Mitchell visited his local police station

today. The pictures confirm that efforts were being made to keep

things civil. People left disabled by the drug

Thalidomide in England and Scotland are to receive support worth �94

million over the next ten years. It'll help over 380 people as they

get older. The health of a 50-year- old affected by the drug is

comparable to that of an 80-year- old, according to the Thalidomide

Trust. Grants for those born disabled and living in Wales and

Northern Ireland will be announced in the near future.

A 56-year-old woman from Gloucestershire has been spared the

death penalty at her trial for smuggling drugs on the Indonesian

island of Bali. Lindsay Sandiford is facing a possible 15-year jail

term instead. She was arrested in May after officials found nearly 4

kilos of cocaine in her luggage. From Bali, Karishma Vaswani sent

this report. I should warn you it contains flash photography.

Covering her head from the glare of the cameras, as she entered the

courtroom. 56-year-old Lindsay Sandiford listened intently to her

translator as an Indonesian prosecutor read out his demands.

Lawyers could have asked for the death sentence for the mother of

two from Gloucestershire, but instead they demanded 15 years,

saying she's co-operated with the police. Still, Mrs Sandiford was

visibly agitated after the court proceedings. Throughout the trial,

she's said she was coerced by the others involved in the case into

bringing the cocaine from Bangkok to Bali. Mrs Sandiford was arrest

inside May when she entered Bali airport as a tourist. Police parade

her in front of the cameras, with the 4.8 kgs of drugs they say they

found in the lining of her suit case. And this is the woman plgs

Sandiford says forced her into it. Rachel Dougall from Brighton.

Initially Bali police thought this mother of a six-year-old was a

major player, but today they sentenced her to a year in prison

for the charge of failing to report a crime, saying her involvement was

minor. I'm just happy to be reunite with

my baby. Thank you. But for Lindsay Sandiford the wait isn't over yet.

Her investigate is still a few weeks ago. Lindsay Sandiford's

trial and that of the three other British nationals involved in the

case here in Bali has put the international spotlight on

Indonesia's strict drug laws. The maximum penalty here is death by

firing squad. This peaceful holiday spot draws millions of tourists to

its shore every single year. Authorities want to ensure that

nothing ruins that image, and they won't hesitate to enforce the law.

One of the men accused of stabbing a Cardiff student to death in a

contract killing that went wrong has said in court that he can't

explain how the teenager's blood came to be on his shirt. Amir

Siddiqi was murdered by two masked men who had gone to the wrong

address. Hywel Griffith is at Swansea court. As I understand it,

the two accused blame each other for the killing? Yes, both Ben Hope

and Jason Richards blame the other man for the botched contract

killing in April 2010 that claimed Amir Siddiqi's life. Today in court

Jason Richards said he had waited for years for the opportunity to

explain his innocence. He turned towards members of Amir's family in

the Public Gallery as he said, "I did not commit this murder, I did

not kill their son, I wasn't part of it." However, when asked how

some of Amir's blood came to be on his shirt, he said, "I honestly

cannot explain it." The defence barrister said Mr Hope had been

asleep during the killing having taken a dose of heroin, and had no

part in the plot. Both men deny Amir Siddiqi's murder and deny

attempting to murder Amir's parents as he tried to protect their son.

Thank you. Football - the draw has been made

for the last 16 of the Champions League, and British clubs will be

facing stiff opposition. Manchester United will take on Real Madrid.

Celtic will play the Italian side, Juventus, and Arsenal will face

last year's beaten finalists, Bayern Munich.

"The end is nigh" has been the prophesy of choice for doomsters

down the ages, and it seems that millions around the world now

believe it's really true. According to Mexico's ancient Mayan calendar,

the world will end tomorrow. So, with 24 hours left, here's Nick

Higham on whether this could be the Whatever else it may be, the end of

the world is good for business. Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, site of

the ancient Mayan civilisation is enjoying a tourist boom, but the

locals say it is not the world that's ending, just one period in

the Mayan calendar. TRANSLATION: What's ending is a cycle called a

baktun. And another baktun is beginning, which you can see here.

After every 52 cycles, the length of a back tungs our calendar is

renewed. In China one inventor has created an end of the world pod for

those planning to survive the Armageddon. In Britain there are

parties. I could do a party but if the end of the day is tomorrow, the

party's not going to happen, so get one last one in. No-one knows what

the end of the world what might be like, but John Martin had a good

try at imagining in this painting. There are predictions as to when it

might be. The Seventh Day Adventists predicted the end of the

world in 1874. Sir Isaac Newton thought it would be 2000, but

Harold Camping predicted tend of -- the end of the world six times

between 1994 and 2011. He was wrong every time France this village has

been sealed off by police and surrounded by journalists after

rumours spread that the local mountain would prove a safe haven

tomorrow. The locals feared an union salute of end of the world

survivalists. You came here for the fun of the story? The same of the

journalists. We came to meet some crazy people and maybe see some

UFOs if we are lucky. Though it might take more than a UFO to

survive this if it turns out the myians were right after all.

-- Mayans were right after all. If we are still here tomorrow, what

we are still here tomorrow, what will the weather be like? I'm

hoping it will be drier for most parts, but only briefly. There are

severe weather warnings out in the UK for the weekend. For the next 24

and 36 hours it is for eastern Scotland. After the last 24 hours

of rainfall we've got one severe flood warning and numerous warnings

out in England and Wales and Scotland. No surprise, look at the

radar picture. 50-70mm, two to three inches in many parts. Will it

keep falling. With significant snow over the hills, but it does dry up

a little in the south. We could have problems with the rains

running into the rivers and the rivers continuing to rise. We may

have mist, fog and potentially ice in western areas first thing. Still

the rain continues for most of Scotland throughout the day. Snow,

significant snow on the hills as well. Some fairly unpleasant

conditions for eastern Scotland, the likes of Angus, Aberdeenshire,

Perth, Kinross and sterling. A drier and brighter day for Northern

Ireland and many parts of England and Wales. It is just a brief

window of drier weather. The river levels may continue to rise,

despite the rain having eased The South West, that's tomorrow night's

rain, which will take hold across the country by Saturday. Sweeping

its way northwards. An intense band of rain for six to nine hours for

many parts, particularly the South West, up into Yorkshire. Strong