:00:00. > :00:07.Fierce fighting in Afghanistan - the town where more than 100 British
:00:08. > :00:09.troops died, now reported to be almost entirely under
:00:10. > :00:17.Afghan soldiers under attack - Sangin, once held by British forces,
:00:18. > :00:23.is said to have fallen to the militants.
:00:24. > :00:26.We did hear from families who said all the blood that British troops
:00:27. > :00:29.have paid has been in vain - what do you say to them?
:00:30. > :00:32.They are too far away and they don't see the reality.
:00:33. > :00:35.Afghan commanders have appealed for more Nato support
:00:36. > :00:42.to help their troops, who are thought to be surrounded.
:00:43. > :00:47.amid warnings there is more torrential rain to come.
:00:48. > :00:50.A row over finances in the NHS, as Labour claims billions of pounds
:00:51. > :00:52.of extra money will be swallowed up to balance the books.
:00:53. > :00:55.An early Christmas present for motorists in Scotland,
:00:56. > :00:58.as the Forth Road bridge reopens earlier than expected.
:00:59. > :01:04.And the three-year-old who saved her unconscious mum
:01:05. > :01:14.The Forth Road Bridge reopens to cars, vans and buses in time
:01:15. > :01:26.But lorries will still have to go the long way round.
:01:27. > :01:29.And a court rules that government plans for alcohol minimum unit
:01:30. > :01:42.Good evening and welcome to the BBC News at Six.
:01:43. > :01:44.Tonight, one of the main towns in Helmand province is reported
:01:45. > :01:47.to be back in the hands of the Taliban.
:01:48. > :01:49.Sangin saw some of the fiercest fighting during the 13-year
:01:50. > :01:55.More than 100 British troops were killed there.
:01:56. > :01:58.Now the local governor has been airlifted out and officials say
:01:59. > :02:00.the militants have taken over the main police base
:02:01. > :02:05.The fighting in Sangin is ongoing, with British-backed Afghan troops
:02:06. > :02:09.There have also been clashes further south, at Marjah.
:02:10. > :02:20.Our correspondent Shaimaa Khalil sent this report from Kabul.
:02:21. > :02:27.As the Taliban announced victory in Sangin district, Afghan troops are
:02:28. > :02:32.fighting desperately to push them back, not just from the strategic
:02:33. > :02:36.town but from other districts in Helmand Province. It looked as if
:02:37. > :02:39.things could get better for the Afghan soldiers. Supplies were
:02:40. > :02:43.airdropped and additional troops arrived. But it seems this happened
:02:44. > :02:47.too late. Some, however, are still willing to fight.
:02:48. > :02:53.TRANSLATION: We are ready to defend our country. Even if we lose our
:02:54. > :03:00.lives. And when we get the order, we will fight the enemy. Here in Kabul,
:03:01. > :03:04.the acting Afghan Defence Minister insists the army is still resisting
:03:05. > :03:09.and that the operation is still ongoing. What do you say to British
:03:10. > :03:15.families who have lost relatives in Sangin in particular, who say the
:03:16. > :03:18.British military have provided support, training, money, they have
:03:19. > :03:28.paid with blood, only for the Afghan army to fail? The British and other
:03:29. > :03:31.nations have contributed, brought in their blood and contribution and
:03:32. > :03:36.sacrifice, that is always appreciated by the people of
:03:37. > :03:39.Afghanistan. But at the same time, only in one year we took over the
:03:40. > :03:43.responsibility. We were thinly spread throughout the country. And
:03:44. > :03:49.we were trying our best to hold all those areas. The latest fighting in
:03:50. > :03:52.Helmand has exposed significant weaknesses both among the Afghan
:03:53. > :03:56.army and the government in maintaining a solid there. On
:03:57. > :04:00.security after the withdrawal of Nato forces. And it is in that
:04:01. > :04:03.weakness that the Taliban found a chance to regroup and deal heavy
:04:04. > :04:07.blows to Afghan troops across the country. Many families have fled
:04:08. > :04:14.Sangin to the provincial capital. TRANSLATION: We left home with the
:04:15. > :04:18.clothes on our backs. Yesterday I returned to go to town. I went to
:04:19. > :04:24.the market and saw Taliban militants there. People are stuck in their
:04:25. > :04:28.homes. In a statement today, the Taliban condemned the British troops
:04:29. > :04:32.for returning to Helmand Province to support Afghan forces. They said the
:04:33. > :04:36.British Government has broken its promise to the people not to return
:04:37. > :04:41.to the Afghan war. More than 100 British troops were killed in Sangin
:04:42. > :04:46.alone. As the Taliban continue to tighten their hold on Helmand
:04:47. > :04:50.Province, many will continue to ask why those lives were lost.
:04:51. > :04:53.And Shaimaa is in Kabul now - how much information are you able
:04:54. > :04:57.to glean about what's actually happening on the ground?
:04:58. > :05:03.Well, it is a very fluid and confusing situation, which makes it
:05:04. > :05:09.very difficult for journalists to find out exactly and verify the
:05:10. > :05:13.reports which are coming. But we do have reports of heavy fighting still
:05:14. > :05:18.ongoing, with the Taliban militants having the upper hand this time. We
:05:19. > :05:22.know of at least four Afghan soldiers dead. There are other
:05:23. > :05:30.reports of as many as 20 and 15 wounded. They have been airlifted
:05:31. > :05:34.from Sangin into Camp Shorabak, what used to be Camp Bastion. We also
:05:35. > :05:39.know that the district governor has been airlifted out of Sangin. A few
:05:40. > :05:43.hours ago, we spoke to a senator in Helmand Province who described a
:05:44. > :05:48.dire situation. He said there is serious fighting going on and if our
:05:49. > :05:52.support is not provided soon, all the soldiers including police and
:05:53. > :05:57.army as he put it will be killed. He said, whoever is saying that this
:05:58. > :06:01.fighting is not serious is responsible for the lives that will
:06:02. > :06:04.be lost. A very, very strong statement from someone close to the
:06:05. > :06:08.ground about the gravity of the situation. And also about how
:06:09. > :06:15.underequipped and overstretched the Afghan troops are, and how in dire
:06:16. > :06:20.need they are of a support, which they just do not have had the
:06:21. > :06:24.moment. The devilment here is still defiant, still insisting that the
:06:25. > :06:27.Afghan troops are pushing back. But there is no doubt that they are in a
:06:28. > :06:28.very critical position on how to move forward now against Taliban
:06:29. > :06:32.insurgents. Dozens of homeowners in Cumbria
:06:33. > :06:34.are mopping up today after they were flooded
:06:35. > :06:36.for the third time this month. And there are warnings of more
:06:37. > :06:39.stormy weather to come. The River Eden burst its banks
:06:40. > :06:41.in Appleby, and many homes in Glenridding were
:06:42. > :06:43.submerged once again. Forecasters say gale force winds
:06:44. > :06:46.and more heavy rain are due over This is now becoming
:06:47. > :07:05.all too familiar for newsagent Richard Maguire -
:07:06. > :07:10.for the second time hit by floods. When I first saw it,
:07:11. > :07:13.it is horrifying, We cannot go on like this
:07:14. > :07:20.all the time, not if towns like this We cannot have this
:07:21. > :07:24.as a regular occurrence. The River Eden had
:07:25. > :07:29.burst its banks, taken over the high street
:07:30. > :07:33.and invaded homes. Well, the first time,
:07:34. > :07:37.a fortnight ago, was about here. Philip Mawdsley is still trying
:07:38. > :07:42.to cope after the first flood here. Where do you begin when
:07:43. > :07:45.you have lost so much? Just going to have
:07:46. > :08:02.to get on with it. The next storm is due
:08:03. > :08:06.to arrive on Christmas Day. The problem is that rivers
:08:07. > :08:08.across Cumbria are full. The ground in places like Appleby
:08:09. > :08:11.is absolutely saturated. So when it rains here,
:08:12. > :08:14.there is nowhere So, how can people move
:08:15. > :08:19.on when they feel more The biggest issue here
:08:20. > :08:25.is the impact on our town. It has the potential to destroy
:08:26. > :08:27.the community, which... ..actually is a very, very,
:08:28. > :08:32.very strong community. There will only be two properties
:08:33. > :08:35.occupied in the whole of this area on Christmas Day,
:08:36. > :08:38.which is really sad. But it is still an anxious time,
:08:39. > :08:47.because nobody is certain what the rivers here
:08:48. > :08:54.will do on Christmas Day. Labour says the Government's promise
:08:55. > :08:58.of an extra ?3.8 billion for the NHS in England next year will be
:08:59. > :09:01.swallowed up by hospital deficits They claim very little will be left
:09:02. > :09:07.to spend on improving services. But the Department of Health has
:09:08. > :09:10.dismissed the claims, as our health editor
:09:11. > :09:16.Hugh Pym reports. It looked like an early Christmas
:09:17. > :09:19.present from the Chancellor for the NHS in England -
:09:20. > :09:21.a significant funding increase for next year,
:09:22. > :09:23.announced in the November spending But now Labour says
:09:24. > :09:27.the glitter is coming off. At the time, George Osborne
:09:28. > :09:30.said he was giving the NHS money up front so it
:09:31. > :09:33.could implement its own plan The opposition now
:09:34. > :09:38.says the sums don't Most parts of the NHS
:09:39. > :09:44.are in huge deficit. They are being given money next year
:09:45. > :09:47.but it is not going to be enough Social care is being cut
:09:48. > :09:51.and the Health Service will continue was an increase in funds
:09:52. > :09:59.for the next year or ?3.8 But Labour says the deficits
:10:00. > :10:05.at NHS trusts will take up ?2.2 billion, because this year's
:10:06. > :10:08.likely overspend seems set Another ?1.1 billion will have to be
:10:09. > :10:15.paid out by NHS employers So it is argued that does not leave
:10:16. > :10:21.much for treating more But the Department of Health rejects
:10:22. > :10:26.these assumptions and says plans to reduce spending on agency
:10:27. > :10:30.staff will help hospitals NHS England's medical director,
:10:31. > :10:36.interviewed on the BBC's today NHS England's medical director,
:10:37. > :10:39.interviewed on the BBC's Today Today Programme, said that
:10:40. > :10:42.after covering next year's commitments, there would still be
:10:43. > :10:45.more money for front-line care. We have been given
:10:46. > :10:50.some additional money. Some of that will be used up
:10:51. > :10:53.on dealing with the deficits Some of it will go to
:10:54. > :10:56.some pension issues. But there is still some
:10:57. > :10:58.very real money left. Beyond next year, NHS spending
:10:59. > :11:00.will continue to rise, One former health financial watchdog
:11:01. > :11:07.warns that life will not get any It does mean that the pressure
:11:08. > :11:12.will still be on in the subsequent To generate enough
:11:13. > :11:15.efficiency to live with what will be relatively small
:11:16. > :11:18.increases after that first year is going to be a big
:11:19. > :11:20.challenge for the And as the NHS faces that big
:11:21. > :11:26.challenge, it seems unlikely the Chancellor will
:11:27. > :11:28.want to hand over A brief look at some
:11:29. > :11:34.of the day's other news stories. The UK economy grew less this year
:11:35. > :11:37.than previously thought, according to the Office
:11:38. > :11:39.for National Statistics. Gross domestic product, GDP,
:11:40. > :11:42.expanded by just 0.4% in the third quarter due to slower than expected
:11:43. > :11:46.growth in the services sector. It means the Bank of England
:11:47. > :11:50.is widely expected to hold back from increasing interest rates
:11:51. > :11:55.until well into 2016. The Scottish Government's plans
:11:56. > :11:57.for a minimum price for alcohol would contravene
:11:58. > :12:00.European trade laws. That's the ruling of
:12:01. > :12:03.the European Court of Justice. Instead, judges said that tax rises
:12:04. > :12:06.on alcoholic drinks was likely to be The case will now go to the Court
:12:07. > :12:12.of Session in Edinburgh for a final The former England football player
:12:13. > :12:21.and coach Don Howe has died He played for West Brom and Arsenal,
:12:22. > :12:26.and earned 23 England caps before establishing himself as a renowned
:12:27. > :12:31.coach for club and country. A nine-year-old boy from Cornwall
:12:32. > :12:34.has become one of the first in the world to have testicular
:12:35. > :12:36.tissue frozen to help him have The procedure was carried out
:12:37. > :12:45.by surgeons in Oxford before the boy underwent treatment
:12:46. > :12:47.for a brain tumour, Our health correspondent
:12:48. > :12:52.Dominic Hughes has more. His family say nine-year-old
:12:53. > :12:54.Nathan Crawford loves his bike, his scooter and is
:12:55. > :12:57.mad keen on science. But he is also battling
:12:58. > :12:59.a brain tumour which can only be treated
:13:00. > :13:02.through powerful radio- and chemotherapy that
:13:03. > :13:05.could leave him infertile. So, in a short operation, surgeons
:13:06. > :13:09.and the John Radcliffe Hospital So, in a short operation, surgeons
:13:10. > :13:12.at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford removed
:13:13. > :13:14.a wedge of testicular tissue and have frozen it
:13:15. > :13:17.in the hope that it can one day be reimplanted and allow
:13:18. > :13:20.Nathan to become a father. Funded by a charity,
:13:21. > :13:22.this rare technique is not This cancer survivor,
:13:23. > :13:27.diagnosed in his late teens, says it could relieve
:13:28. > :13:30.pressure on both children and parents at a very
:13:31. > :13:34.stressful time. To comprehend just
:13:35. > :13:38.the disease itself So, to be a child
:13:39. > :13:44.and to be faced with I don't believe he will be able
:13:45. > :13:49.to understand entirely Each year in the UK,
:13:50. > :13:54.around 1,500 children are diagnosed Over 80% survive the disease,
:13:55. > :13:59.but around 10% of them are left Last year a woman in Belgium became
:14:00. > :14:07.the first in the world to give birth after ovarian tissue
:14:08. > :14:11.that was frozen when she was still Experts believe this latest
:14:12. > :14:17.development is a big step forward for young
:14:18. > :14:19.cancer patients. I think the important things are,
:14:20. > :14:23.it gives them hope - firstly, that they are going
:14:24. > :14:25.to survive their treatment, because we are talking about
:14:26. > :14:28.something which is for the future. But also it gives them hope that
:14:29. > :14:31.when they do survive, they are going to have the same
:14:32. > :14:34.options as everybody else. Nathan has now started treatment
:14:35. > :14:37.to shrink the tumour in his brain. His family say he is coping well,
:14:38. > :14:40.and like any nine-year-old, Almost three days after a landslide
:14:41. > :14:52.in China, a man has been pulled alive from the rubble
:14:53. > :14:55.in the city of Shenzhen. A huge rubbish dump collapsed
:14:56. > :14:59.and buried dozens of buildings in a pile of earth
:15:00. > :15:01.and construction waste. The 19-year-old man survived
:15:02. > :15:04.by eating the seeds and fruit that Rescuers used special radar
:15:05. > :15:11.detectors to seek survivors. When they found signs
:15:12. > :15:19.of life, they dug. After 67 hours buried
:15:20. > :15:26.under a mountain of mud, 19-year-old Tian Zeming is pulled
:15:27. > :15:29.out of the darkness. He survived in a pocket
:15:30. > :15:32.of air created by rafters He lived on oranges he found
:15:33. > :15:41.around him, and on hope. On Sunday the waste swept down
:15:42. > :15:46.and covered the industrial estate. Many fled but many were trapped
:15:47. > :15:49.and are still missing. TRANSLATION: The Fire Department has
:15:50. > :15:54.found vital signs at three spots. We are now working at these points
:15:55. > :16:02.to see if others are trapped there. As work continued today,
:16:03. > :16:08.questions were being raised about why so much waste soil
:16:09. > :16:12.from construction was stored exactly Social media postings
:16:13. > :16:17.critical of the authorities Tian Zeming is
:16:18. > :16:24.recovering in hospital. At the site the search
:16:25. > :16:27.for any sign of buried life In Afghanistan, the town where over
:16:28. > :16:39.100 British soldiers died is almost And still to come,
:16:40. > :16:46.a canine conundrum - do dogs tune into each
:16:47. > :16:50.other's emotions? And coming up on Reporting
:16:51. > :16:52.Scotland at 6.30: Tens of thousands hit the trail
:16:53. > :16:55.as they head off for the great And meet Dancer the reindeer,
:16:56. > :16:58.who has taken some time out to deliver presents
:16:59. > :17:13.to children in Glasgow. Today is expected to be one
:17:14. > :17:16.of the busiest days on the roads over Christmas as millions begin
:17:17. > :17:19.to head off to see friends and families over
:17:20. > :17:21.the festive period. In England hundreds of miles
:17:22. > :17:24.of roadworks are being temporarily And in Scotland there
:17:25. > :17:32.was good news for drivers when the Forth Road Bridge,
:17:33. > :17:35.which has been closed for repairs, In a moment, Sian Lloyd
:17:36. > :17:38.on the great getaway, but first our Scotland
:17:39. > :17:43.correspondent, Lorna Gordon. Christmas has come early
:17:44. > :17:45.for these drivers. For just under three weeks the road
:17:46. > :17:48.network in the east of Scotland had been cut many half after
:17:49. > :17:50.the Forth Road Bridge was closed But now it's working once again,
:17:51. > :17:56.with cars, small vans, Engineers dangling high
:17:57. > :18:15.above the Forth have been working hard to repair the cracked steelwork
:18:16. > :18:18.that forced the bridge to close. Its shutdown led the traffic jams,
:18:19. > :18:24.long detours and packed trains for those who chose
:18:25. > :18:26.the leave the car at home. Local businesses that rely
:18:27. > :18:29.on the bridge for trade have been Christmas is normally our busiest
:18:30. > :18:33.time of year and it has been absolutely dead, but hopefully our
:18:34. > :18:35.friends from over the water But while the bridge re-opening has
:18:36. > :18:39.delighted most motorists, large lorries are still barred
:18:40. > :18:41.from it until a permanent repair The impact on the haulage industry
:18:42. > :18:45.could run to ?40 million. For us it is adding
:18:46. > :18:47.on a 60-mile round trip, The closure is costing
:18:48. > :18:53.her company dear. From our point of view we operate 15
:18:54. > :18:59.lorries and on average most of them will be crossing the bridge each
:19:00. > :19:03.day, so the cost for us is running The effect could be catastrophic
:19:04. > :19:08.on us and other hauliers. For some the transport disruption
:19:09. > :19:14.and worries continue, but for others the partial
:19:15. > :19:17.re-opening of this crossing is a much welcomed early
:19:18. > :19:19.gift for those heading It's a journey millions of us
:19:20. > :19:29.are making over the holiday season, But hitting roadworks along the way
:19:30. > :19:35.is dampen the festive spirit. The people who control the network
:19:36. > :19:38.say they're doing their bit to keep We like to try and give something
:19:39. > :19:47.back to the motorist over There is an awful lot
:19:48. > :19:52.of work goes into planning The predominant schemes we've had
:19:53. > :19:56.to leave on are for safety reasons During this year's getaway 31
:19:57. > :20:02.million car journeys will be taken, but there will be fewer
:20:03. > :20:05.roadworks along the way. 400 miles are being lifted,
:20:06. > :20:08.leaving 196 miles of It's been absolutely
:20:09. > :20:16.awful this morning. Traffic's been horrendous on the M6
:20:17. > :20:19.and then we've got M25 to look But something nice when you get
:20:20. > :20:22.to your destination? Hopefully a nice
:20:23. > :20:26.dinner this evening. We were aware it is probably
:20:27. > :20:29.the busiest time of year, the busiest day of the year
:20:30. > :20:31.to travel, but needs must and we want to be with the family,
:20:32. > :20:35.so we are on our way. Whether you're making a long journey
:20:36. > :20:38.or travelling locally, the advice from motoring
:20:39. > :20:40.organisations is the same. Try to avoid peak times,
:20:41. > :20:46.and think of an alternative route. Experts say cheaper fuel prices
:20:47. > :20:49.at the pumps have helped increase Despite the improvements,
:20:50. > :20:56.queues look set to continue in places, with Christmas Eve
:20:57. > :20:58.expected to be the peak time Manchester United manager Louis van
:20:59. > :21:14.Gaal has walked out of a press He answered just three questions
:21:15. > :21:35.before bringing the conference Has anybody in this room not a
:21:36. > :21:40.feeling to apologise to me? I was already sacked, I have read, and
:21:41. > :21:45.enjoy the wine and a mince pie. Goodbye.
:21:46. > :21:47.Our sports correspondent, David Ornstein, is in Old Trafford
:21:48. > :21:59.There has been plenty of speculation about his future. Is he on his way
:22:00. > :22:03.out? In short, Sophie, no. This was an extraordinary news conference.
:22:04. > :22:07.You saw then Louis van Gaal asking the media to apologise for their
:22:08. > :22:16.coverage of Manchester United's recent slump. They've not won in six
:22:17. > :22:20.games. That is an experience they haven't had since 1998. It is one of
:22:21. > :22:24.the biggest clubs in the world, so accustomed to success. On the one
:22:25. > :22:28.hand this could have been seen as an opportunity to gavelise the fans,
:22:29. > :22:31.the players and staff. On the other hand, could this be Louis van Gaal
:22:32. > :22:34.starting to feel the pressure? Manchester United, let's not forget,
:22:35. > :22:40.are only fifth in the Premier League. Did but it doesn't get
:22:41. > :22:45.easier. They face a trip to Stoke City on positioning day. Two days
:22:46. > :22:48.later they welcome champions Chelsea here to Old Trafford.
:22:49. > :22:51.A three-year-old girl from Nailsea near Bristol who called 999
:22:52. > :22:53.when her heavily pregnant mother fell down the stairs has received
:22:54. > :23:02.Emma Bazzard ran to get the phone, gave it to her mum who managed
:23:03. > :23:09.Ambulance Service, tell me exactly what's happened.
:23:10. > :23:20.Did mummy and the baby fall down the stairs at the same time?
:23:21. > :23:23.Alright my darling, we're going to help mummy, OK.
:23:24. > :23:36.Alright my lovely, bear with me a second.
:23:37. > :23:37.Stay on the phone, I'm not going to hang up
:23:38. > :23:59.Today, Emma, who's just turned four, met the call handler,
:24:00. > :24:12.She gave me all the information. It was amazing. I was stunned she was
:24:13. > :24:16.only three. Listening back to the audio and hearing how calm she was
:24:17. > :24:21.considering I was unconscious is amazing. The detail she was able to
:24:22. > :24:24.give makes us cry every time he listen to it. I'm not surprised. One
:24:25. > :24:29.clever little girl. Now, they're known as "man's best
:24:30. > :24:32.friend" but can dogs really Well, scientists in Italy
:24:33. > :24:35.are claiming they can copy each other's facial expressions
:24:36. > :24:37.and display basic empathy. We share our lives with them,
:24:38. > :24:43.but are they more like us This is a fragment of the hours
:24:44. > :24:50.of video filmed by researchers in They say there's clear evidence that
:24:51. > :24:54.dogs mimic facial expressions and movements, mirrored behaviour
:24:55. > :24:58.which helps them establish a bond. Talk to any dog owner
:24:59. > :25:03.and the chances are they will tell you that for at least some
:25:04. > :25:06.of the time their animal can But can that same empathy
:25:07. > :25:09.really exist between dogs? She'll smile if another dog
:25:10. > :25:12.is friendly and wagging the tail. I know that sound crazy,
:25:13. > :25:16.but you have to know your dog. Since we first reported
:25:17. > :25:22.the findings, a growing pack of owners have been sending
:25:23. > :25:24.us their own evidence Shared emotion or just our tendency
:25:25. > :25:31.to humanise our pets. We all humanise, we all behave very
:25:32. > :25:34.anthropomorphically towards dogs. Even if we try hard not to,
:25:35. > :25:41.we are probably doing it. Until now the split-second copying
:25:42. > :25:43.of behaviour has only been identified in humans
:25:44. > :25:46.and some primates. Scientists agree more
:25:47. > :25:49.research is needed. What all the people who've studied
:25:50. > :25:52.canine science over the past 20 years have now agreed is that dogs
:25:53. > :25:55.are incredibly good readers They don't necessarily have
:25:56. > :26:00.to and indeed they may not be able to understand the thought
:26:01. > :26:02.going on behind it. Centuries of domestication have
:26:03. > :26:07.taught dogs to read our emotions, and when it comes to some daily
:26:08. > :26:24.pleasures, their communication Good evening to you. We've got storm
:26:25. > :26:28.Eva approaching, impacting Northern Ireland as well as north-western
:26:29. > :26:35.parts of Scotland and the Northern Isles over the next 12 hours or so.
:26:36. > :26:39.Tomorrow all of us will feel a bit of this storm but not its full
:26:40. > :26:44.force. It will sweep to the north-west. Gusts of 70 miles an
:26:45. > :26:47.hour off western parts of Scotland and the Northern Isles. To the
:26:48. > :26:51.south, rougher weather. At 8 o'clock in the morning, this is a selection
:26:52. > :26:57.of some to which motorways. Early in the morning through the M 5, M4,
:26:58. > :27:01.M40, through the Midlands and the Pennines, heavy rain passing
:27:02. > :27:05.through. It also will produce very strong gusts of wind. Conditions on
:27:06. > :27:09.the roads for a time tomorrow morning will be pretty atrocious.
:27:10. > :27:12.But the weather will improve. By the afternoon we'll start to see
:27:13. > :27:18.sunshine. But that's not the end of it. On Boxing Day, more heavy rain.
:27:19. > :27:22.The advice is stay tuned to the weather forecast, as it will be
:27:23. > :27:26.changing from day-to-day. In the afternoon of Christmas Eve we've got
:27:27. > :27:31.sunshine, one or two showers. Brisk winds and gales raging in the far
:27:32. > :27:35.north of Scotland. Temperatures relatively mild, around 13 in
:27:36. > :27:40.London. Colder in Scotland. 6 to 8 Celsius. Christmas Day itself, the
:27:41. > :27:44.forecast remains unchanged. Mild. However, first thing in the morning
:27:45. > :27:50.there could be frost in Scotland. Maybe one or two wintry showers.
:27:51. > :27:55.Rain sweeping across the country. Mild in the south, 13, maybe 14
:27:56. > :28:00.Celsius. Colder in Newcastle, around 5. On to Boxing Day. This is the
:28:01. > :28:06.real trouble heading our way. This line of rain just about lining up
:28:07. > :28:11.where Cumbria is. We could expect 60-80 mm of rain, 20 is enough to
:28:12. > :28:15.cause problems. We already had 20 or so last night. Not great for Boxing
:28:16. > :28:24.Day. Fierce fighting in Afghanistan.
:28:25. > :28:26.Sangin, where more than 100 British soldiers died, is now almost
:28:27. > :28:29.entirely under Taliban control. That's all from the BBC News at Six,
:28:30. > :28:32.so it's goodbye from me,