24/12/2012 BBC News

A fresh band of rain sweeps across the UK, threatening more flooding.

The downpours mean it is a festive washout for some, who will spend

Christmas clearing up damaged homes and businesses. Roads are closed

and rail services are disrupted as the bad weather caused his

cancellations and delays. expected it to happen. I knew what

was going on on the news and you still have to try and get back home

for Christmas. There is nothing worse than not being with your

family at Christmas. In America, a gunman attacks firefighters as they

tackle a blaze, two are killed and two critically injured.

Acceptable but not exceptional, the retailer verdict on the run-up to

Christmas. And the Queen and 3D. Her high-tech

Christmas message pays tribute to Good evening. People in many parts

of the UK are being warned to prepare for more flooding tonight

with another band of heavy rain sweeping across the country. There

are around 156 flood warnings in place in England and Wales and 259

flood alerts. Road and rail journeys are being disrupted,

particularly in the south-west with part of the main train line between

London and Plymouth closed all this week until Friday. John Kay has

spent the day in Devon and tries the from Tiverton Parkway railway

station. This is hugely frustrating for people, especially on Christmas

Eve? Absolutely, racing home on

Christmas Eve is never going to be easy. But tonight it is proving to

be exceptionally difficult for millions of people because of

flooding. At this railway station, people are having to get off the

trains, get on to coaches instead. But it's not just the south-west of

England. In many parts of Britain there are people for whom this is a

Christmas they would already sooner forget.

There will be no Christmas dinner served here tomorrow. While the

rest of us are settling down for a quiet couple of days, in Stonehaven

Aaron Burton is clearing a band moving out. Although driving away

will not be an option. I'm just in shock. Mud is everywhere, it has

got everywhere. As 600 miles south, the same story. In Braunton, they

have been flooded twice in the last few days. Instead of wrapping

presents, Darren has been throwing them away. Ruined stock from his

gift shop. It will be an anxious Christmas here. Hopefully it has

blown through and we have seen the worst. The trouble is, when you are

sitting at home and it starts raining again, you're thinking, I'd

better get down here again. track?

It might have been a drier day in most places, but rivers like the

Thames are still dangerously high. At this caravan park, they are

worried. If the river comes up even more, I would be able to get to my

daughters and spend Christmas with the grandsons. Tomorrow, we will be

stranded. I have taken precautions and got my own turkey. The rail

network has been thrown into chaos. This is the line in Exeter. As a

result, hundreds of thousands of passengers have been forced to get

off the trains and continue their journey by road. The rail companies

promise, one way or another, everyone would get where they need

to be. But that doesn't mean it would be easy. Coach, train,

another bus and then to my mum's. Quite a long time. There is nothing

worse than not being with your family at Christmas. With more rain

to come, the Environment Agency has spent Christmas Eve correcting

flood defences. Beneath the historic Ironbridge, there is some

new engineering. Do you think it will spoil your Christmas?

nothing can spoil Christmas! Tonight, flooded communities across

the UK are trying to revive some festive spirit. But in 2012, on

thousands of doorsteps, this could be the best Christmas present of

I have to say, it is astonishing. In Broughton an at this station, it

has been good natured, people helping it about and offering each

other lifts. It was summed up by a couple of passengers eyesore, Santa

hats on their heads, tinsel round their necks, but with rather pained

and anxious expressions on their face.

In the United States, a gunman shot at firefighters, killing two, as

they arrive to tackle a fire in Webster in New York State. Two

others were critically injured. It comes as debate continues about gun

control following the Connecticut School massacre.

A fire in a comfortable lakeside community. A phone call that leered

four small-town firefighters to the blaze. Out of nowhere, a violent

tragedy on Christmas Eve. Upon arrival, the firefighters all drew

fire. All four were shot at the scene. One was able to flee the

scene and the other three were pinned down at the location. To two

firefighters died of their wounds at the fire. It took an armoured

personnel carrier to evacuate residents. The town's leadership is

distraught. It's very... It's a very difficult situation. There is

a heightened awareness to this kind of violence in light of what

happened in Connecticut. I want everyone to remember it is

Christmas Eve. We have first responders and families in pain and

crisis today. As a community, we need to keep them in our thoughts

and prayers. It's a very, very difficult day. All week they have

been burying the dead in Newtown, Connecticut. All week, the

arguments over the kind of guns available in America and the kind

of people that can get hold of them have gone back and forth. A cold

Christmas awaits for two firefighters' families.

In Afghanistan, a police officer has shot dead six colleagues at a

checkpoint in the north-west of the country. Earlier, a policewoman

shot dead an American NATO adviser outside police headquarters in the

capital, Kabul. It's thought to be the this d'etat of its kind by a

woman there. A referendum on Egypt's draft

constitution has been postponed until tomorrow. It is already clear

there will be a comfortable majority in favour of the document

backed by President Morsi and The Muslim Brotherhood. But the

Electoral Commission must investigate allegations of voting

fraud. Opposition groups believe the document will quash religious

and other freedoms. The British Retail Consortium says

sales figures in the run-up to Christmas have been acceptable, but

not exceptional. Reports from shopping centres and high streets

across the country suggest that trade over the past few days has

The final countdown to Christmas and these shoppers were leaving it

late this evening to finish buying gifts and decorations. For some

families, all hands were needed to get the job done. Some stores have

been on the go since just after midnight. Marks & Spencer and Tesco

has opened some outlets to allow those who wanted to an escape from

the rush. I came here yesterday and it was a manic. You can see, there

is no one about. Easy stuff. In and out in half an hour, it's done.

rather stay up late and have a little bit longer in bed. It suits

us fine. We would be up anyway. It's quite exciting! By the time

Christmas Eve had dawned, shopping centres were filling up, including

at the Trafford Centre in Manchester. Some were not afraid to

admit they had left their Christmas shopping until the last minute.

Just getting bits and bobs for Christmas, last minute shopping,

everything I need. I prefer to shop properly instead of doing it online.

Get it all in one day! All done, one bag, a voucher and chocolate!

We are going out tonight and we don't have an outfit. So we are

going for that. And I'm getting a teddy bear for my nephew. Earlier,

it suggested a slow start to shopping. But figures show that

football was up slightly, 1.3% in the week up until Sunday compared

to last year. October and November were marginally disappointing. But

we have seen some rise in consumer confidence. I think that will be

enough to support people when they say, right, let's just make sure we

have a good Christmas. I think the last 10 days they have gone out to

spend. These are challenging times for consumers. Inflation is running

well ahead of average pay rises, there is a squeeze on household

budgets. Policy makers as well as retailers are keen to know if

spending has been holding up its Christmas season. They will not get

the answer until a full set of figures is published in January.

Retail bosses were cautious ahead of Christmas. They say that sales

have been acceptable, but not much more. There will be hoping for a

turnaround in fortunes in the new year.

Three people have been killed in a road accident in the east of

Scotland. Lothian and borders police say the accident happened at

around 7:30am on each Aor 68 near Pathhead. One car carrying five

people ended up on its roof. The driver escaped and fire crews cut

another man free but three passengers died at the scene.

Police in Manchester are searching for a mugger who still a

substantial amount of money from an elderly woman on her way home from

a casino. The man snatched the handbag from the 83-year-old as she

got out of a taxi. Police say she had a won a relatively large amount

of money at the casino in Salford and was also carrying some life

savings in her handbag because she was afraid of being burgled at

Christmas. Parents who want to adopt in

England will be allowed to play a greater role in selecting a child

under new plans aimed at speeding up the adoption process. The

changes would let approved would-be parents see the register of

children waiting to be adopted. It is hoped that the changes will

reduce the number of children in care.

More than 25,000 families inquired about adoption in England last year.

But just 4000 saw the process through. The Government admits

there is a problem and says the new plan will help. It will give

confidence to anyone that wants to come forward, thinking about

adopting, that we are on their side. We want to help them through that

process. If it is right for them, it is right for the child that the

match is made as soon as possible so that child can get that

permanent family, that stable, loving home. Ministers want to give

new rights to potential adoptive parents, including access to the

nationwide register of children to give families more say in the

selection process. There would be allowed more time off work to meet

their future son or daughter and more paid leave and free child care

entitlements to match those of biological parents. Francesca's

adopted her children in Mexico after being told that there were no

suitable children in her area. She welcomes the help on offer but says

the bigger problem is being allowed to adopt in the first place. There

is almost some sort of hostility towards adoptive parents at the

moment. When you enter the process, it seems like they start looking

what is wrong with you, rather than looking for what is right with you.

The whole system is in complete crisis. By trying to address one

little problem here or there, we are not addressing the bigger

problem, though one of the system actually needing a complete review.

But local councils say that they accept adoptive parents at twice

the rate of other agencies and they warned that finding the right

families for children in care is never going to be a speedy process.

What we do need to make sure is that if you're taking on

responsibility for a child that may have suffered serious sexual or

physical abuse, neglect or have very significant health needs that

you are ready for that challenge. We want to make sure that every

parent that comes forward willing to adopt goes through that system

with their eyes open so that children find loving, stable and

long-term homes to go to. Families hoping to adopt will not benefit

from these proposals for a while. The Government says that some

measures will require legislation and may not come into force until

2015. The Queen has praised the UK's

Olympic and Paralympic athletes in her Christmas message, which will

be broadcast in 3D for the first time. Buckingham Palace has

released a short excerpt of the speech, filmed earlier this month.

Yesterday, she missed a church service at Sandringham because of a

cold but she is expected to be there tomorrow.

At the end of a memorable year for Britain and the Royal Family, the

Queen's Christmas broadcast is expected to look back at some of

the highlights, from her Diamond Jubilee when crowds celebrated his

60 years on the throne and the London Olympics. The broadcast was

recorded earlier this month at Buckingham Palace. For the first

time, a version has been made in 3D, the Vueling of which requires not

just a special television but 3D glasses. The Queen, we are told, is

happy with the result. In an extract issued in advance of the

broadcast, she talks about the achievements of the 2012 Olympic

and Paralympic Games. As London hosted a splendid summer of sport,

all those who saw the achievement and courage at the Olympic and

Paralympic Games were further inspired by the skill, dedication,

training and teamwork of athletes. In pursuing their own sporting

goals, they gave the rest of us the opportunity to share something of

the excitement and drama. Much of the Royal Family is at Sandringham,,

where they traditionally spend Christmas. Absence will be the Duke

and Duchess of Cambridge, they are spending Christmas with The

Duchess's parents, a departure from normal routine to hold Catherine,

still in the early months of her In Bethlehem, thousands of