:00:00. > :00:11.The stormy weather is still causing widespread disruption across the UK.
:00:12. > :00:15.More than 100 flood warnings are in place and thousands of homes are
:00:16. > :00:23.still without power. At Gatwick Airport, dozens of flights are
:00:24. > :00:26.cancelled, We will have the latest on the travel problems, as the
:00:27. > :00:32.severe weather moves northwards. The other headlines... An appointment to
:00:33. > :00:36.see the GP - millions of patients wait a week or more, say doctors'
:00:37. > :00:37.leaders. And a sunny Christmas treat in Melbourne, as cricket fans gear
:00:38. > :01:01.up for the start of the Fourth Test. Good evening. The stormy weather is
:01:02. > :01:04.still causing widespread disruption. Southern England has been badly
:01:05. > :01:08.affected, but the storm has since been heading to Northern Ireland,
:01:09. > :01:11.Wales and Scotland. Five people are now thought to have died in separate
:01:12. > :01:14.incidents because of the extreme conditions. The Environment Agency
:01:15. > :01:16.has around 150 flood warnings in place for England and Wales, where
:01:17. > :01:19.flooding is "expected", and more than 250 flood alerts where flooding
:01:20. > :01:22.is "possible". Trains have been cancelled, roads flooded and there
:01:23. > :01:30.have been long delays and cancellations at Gatwick Airport.
:01:31. > :01:35.And power cuts have affected more than 150,000 homes. Suppliers are
:01:36. > :01:38.warning that some customers may still be affected on Christmas Day,
:01:39. > :01:47.as our correspondent Jon Kay reports.
:01:48. > :01:54.Suddenly, Christmas seems rather irrelevant. For some, there are more
:01:55. > :01:59.pressing matters to deal with. In Kent, this lady has cancelled her
:02:00. > :02:06.family celebrations. Her home should have been full of Christmas cheer
:02:07. > :02:11.today. Instead, it is full of water. Christmas is off for us. I was
:02:12. > :02:14.having my sister over for Christmas dinner, and I have had to put her
:02:15. > :02:19.off because I cannot cook for them. And she is not the only one. For
:02:20. > :02:25.many, Christmas plans have been turned upside down. This was Redhill
:02:26. > :02:30.aerodrome in Surrey this morning. Near Bath, the River Avon burst its
:02:31. > :02:34.banks, flooding this restaurant. The tables may have been set for
:02:35. > :02:42.Christmas dinner, but the crackers will not get pulled. I have got to
:02:43. > :02:48.phone round people and tell them what has happened. People are not
:02:49. > :02:53.going to be very happy, and I am not happy. Across southern Britain,
:02:54. > :02:58.hundreds of people have been rescued from their flooded cars. Near
:02:59. > :03:04.Bristol, this lady returned to find her vehicle under water. Tonight, a
:03:05. > :03:07.warning for motorists. People always underestimate the dangers of
:03:08. > :03:10.floodwaters. The rivers will continue to rise over the next
:03:11. > :03:16.couple of days, even though it might not be raining. On the railways, it
:03:17. > :03:22.has been another day of disruption, with landslips and hundreds of trees
:03:23. > :03:26.falling onto the tracks. This train hit one of them near Taunton,
:03:27. > :03:32.leaving exhausted passengers stranded overnight for eight hours.
:03:33. > :03:38.Nightmare at Christmas! Horrible. Although there had been some
:03:39. > :03:42.nightmare stories, train companies say they were prepared for this
:03:43. > :03:46.storm and they have put alternative arrangements in place. They have
:03:47. > :03:49.been helped by the fact that Christmas is midweek this year, so
:03:50. > :03:52.generally, journeys have been staggered across several days. If
:03:53. > :03:58.these holiday-makers thought they were getting away from the Christmas
:03:59. > :04:02.stress, they were wrong. At Gatwick, thousands of would-be sun-seekers
:04:03. > :04:06.have spent the day waiting to fly. Disruption to the power supply at
:04:07. > :04:10.the airport has caused delays and cancellations. I am just trying to
:04:11. > :04:19.remain positive, hoping that I will get home on time. My main worry tens
:04:20. > :04:25.of thousands of people have been left without electricity because of
:04:26. > :04:28.the storm. Like this man, in Kent. Suppliers say some customers will
:04:29. > :04:32.still be without power for Christmas Day. You think you are on top of the
:04:33. > :04:37.game and you have got everything prepared, and now, it rather takes
:04:38. > :04:43.the edge of things a little bit. The longer it goes on, the more so.
:04:44. > :04:49.There are still serious concerns tonight, even though the storms have
:04:50. > :04:52.moved on from southern Britain. This river in Surrey is expected to peak
:04:53. > :04:56.in the early hours of Christmas morning. As we mentioned, the severe
:04:57. > :04:59.weather was heading towards Scotland this afternoon, with the Northern
:05:00. > :05:01.and Western Isles among the worst-affected areas. The Met Office
:05:02. > :05:04.has warned that gale-force winds could reach 80mph in exposed areas.
:05:05. > :05:18.Our Scotland correspondent, James Cook, has the latest. All day, the
:05:19. > :05:22.storm has been battering the West Coast of Scotland. It has cut power,
:05:23. > :05:27.caused damage and left the Christmas plans of many families in tatters.
:05:28. > :05:32.For the few ferries which did brave the waves, the crossing was rough.
:05:33. > :05:36.This was the last sailing of this particular ferry. The passengers
:05:37. > :05:41.knew they were lucky to be on it. We thought we might have a long drive
:05:42. > :05:47.round. We are going back to the parents-in-law. We are just bad that
:05:48. > :05:53.we were able to get over. But many other people were not so lucky.
:05:54. > :05:56.Looking at the boiling seas, it is easy to understand why so many
:05:57. > :06:03.ferries have been cancelled. It is simply not safe. But the result for
:06:04. > :06:07.many families is a Christmas Day which has been ruined. Other modes
:06:08. > :06:10.of transport are also finding it is tricky. At this airport in
:06:11. > :06:14.Shetland, this plane struggled to get off the ground safely. And there
:06:15. > :06:25.were some bizarre scenes, like seaweed on the street in Oban. The
:06:26. > :06:33.advice is always the same, plan your journey, give yourself a bit of
:06:34. > :06:37.extra time. And the snow has now arrived. Thousands of homes are
:06:38. > :06:40.already without power, and thousands more are being urged to prepare for
:06:41. > :06:43.Christmas by candlelight. For the latest on the weather
:06:44. > :06:46.problems, we can talk to our correspondent Sangita Myska at
:06:47. > :06:55.Gatwick Airport. But first, Sophie Hutchinson at Waterloo Station in
:06:56. > :07:01.London. Just bring us up to date on how it is looking, our most people
:07:02. > :07:05.going to get away? We think so, yes. The situation here has
:07:06. > :07:11.significantly improved now. This morning, if you looked at the
:07:12. > :07:14.departure boards, they were full of cancellations and delays, but now,
:07:15. > :07:19.as you may be able to see, most of these trains seem to be running on
:07:20. > :07:24.time for stop about a third of them are still cancelled or delayed.
:07:25. > :07:28.Network Rail says that last night, the storm made it extremely
:07:29. > :07:34.difficult for emergency teams to play and repair the tracks. Now,
:07:35. > :07:37.they say most of that work has been completed. That it has been a very
:07:38. > :07:44.frustrating day for passengers, with many of them laden with presents and
:07:45. > :07:48.suitcases and a number of dogs here in the station. But the message is,
:07:49. > :07:52.come to the station, you may have to wait but you will get away in the
:07:53. > :08:00.end. And to Sangita Myska at Gatwick Airport. Has it improved at all?
:08:01. > :08:04.Well, it seems that thousands of passengers are still in a state of
:08:05. > :08:08.misery. Many of them have been left in limbo today. Yesterday a river
:08:09. > :08:11.burst its banks, leading to the flooding of the airfield's
:08:12. > :08:16.substation and also the North terminal, meaning that 26 out of 250
:08:17. > :08:21.flights being cancelled. Passengers have taken to Twitter. Today, one
:08:22. > :08:27.said, Gatwick airport is a disaster zone. Power failed, no computers,
:08:28. > :08:33.baggage everywhere, as are people on floors. The airport authorities have
:08:34. > :08:36.apologised, and they are asking all passengers to check carefully travel
:08:37. > :08:40.information before setting out to Gatwick.
:08:41. > :08:43.For updates on the weather and the latest road and rail information,
:08:44. > :08:57.you can visit our website... Doctors' leaders say millions of
:08:58. > :09:00.patients in England are having to wait a week or more for an
:09:01. > :09:03.appointment with their GP. The Royal College of GPs says its members
:09:04. > :09:06.expect waiting times for appointments to get worse next year.
:09:07. > :09:17.Our health correspondent Jane Dreaper has more details.
:09:18. > :09:23.Patients value being able to see their GP quickly, but the latest
:09:24. > :09:27.figures suggest this is getting harder in some practices. The Royal
:09:28. > :09:32.College of GPs says family doctors expect the situation to get worse
:09:33. > :09:36.next year. GPs' leaders have looked at the results from a large official
:09:37. > :09:40.survey of patients . most said they had a good experience in making
:09:41. > :09:45.appointments, but there was a slight rise, to 15%, in those who had to
:09:46. > :09:50.wait a week or more for a slot with their nurse or doctor. Royal College
:09:51. > :09:54.of GPs says this represents a problem for millions of people in
:09:55. > :10:00.England. We are worried that the situation is going to get worse,
:10:01. > :10:03.because we have had three years of falling funding for general
:10:04. > :10:09.practice, and we have not got a lot more GPs in the pipeline. We are
:10:10. > :10:13.training three or four hospital doctors for every GP that we are
:10:14. > :10:18.training at the moment, and that balance is not right. Labour are
:10:19. > :10:21.calling for the return of a target Darren teeing a GP appointment
:10:22. > :10:30.within 48-hour is. They say this would help patients. If it is for
:10:31. > :10:37.normal consultation, it can be up to a week. Not too bad. I can have it
:10:38. > :10:40.next day if it is urgent. GPs say the ageing and growing population is
:10:41. > :10:43.keeping them busy. The Government wants doctors to do more
:10:44. > :10:47.consultations over the phone and by Skype so that fewer patients have to
:10:48. > :10:50.go to the waiting room. The Government says it has already
:10:51. > :10:56.recognised the need to increase the number of GPs and is funding extra
:10:57. > :10:59.training places. Ministers point out that most residents are happy with
:11:00. > :11:06.their family Dr. There are a reports of renewed
:11:07. > :11:09.violence in South Sudan, in East Africa. It is thought hundreds of
:11:10. > :11:12.people have been killed in recent days, including many shot by the
:11:13. > :11:14.South Sudanese security forces. The fighting has taken place in several
:11:15. > :11:17.areas, including the capital, Juba, and is linked to political tensions
:11:18. > :11:27.between the president and his former deputy. Our Africa analyst James
:11:28. > :11:31.Copnall has more details. The UN says it has found a mass
:11:32. > :11:34.brave in a rebel controlled area. There have been reports of security
:11:35. > :11:40.forces in the capital killing civilians. A military spokesman has
:11:41. > :11:44.denied that charge. The fighting continues to spread. These
:11:45. > :11:48.government troops hope to retake two key towns which had been captured by
:11:49. > :11:54.the rebels. It all began with reports of an attempted coup in the
:11:55. > :11:58.capital just over a week ago. Troops loyal to the president of fighting
:11:59. > :12:03.rebels under the command of his former vice president Riek Machar.
:12:04. > :12:07.The president belongs to the largest ethnic group in the country, while
:12:08. > :12:13.Riek Machar belongs to the second-biggest. Oil is the
:12:14. > :12:17.country's main source of wealth. The UN peacekeepers are short of men and
:12:18. > :12:22.equipment. A vote on sending over 5000 more soldiers will take place
:12:23. > :12:29.soon. Until then, the message is clear - the world is watching. The
:12:30. > :12:35.United Nations will investigate reports of human rights violations
:12:36. > :12:40.and crimes against humanity. Those responsible at a senior level will
:12:41. > :12:46.be held personally accountable and they will face the consequences.
:12:47. > :12:50.South Sudan split away from Sudan only two years ago, but now even
:12:51. > :12:55.those born after independence and know the bitter taste of war.
:12:56. > :12:59.A surgeon in Birmingham has been suspended following allegations that
:13:00. > :13:00.he marked his initials on a patient's liver. University
:13:01. > :13:04.Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust said it was investigating the
:13:05. > :13:13.claims. The letters were reportedly found by another surgeon during a
:13:14. > :13:15.follow-up operation. Alan Turing, the computer pioneer
:13:16. > :13:19.and wartime code-breaker, has been given a posthumous royal pardon. It
:13:20. > :13:21.relates to his conviction in 1952 for homosexual activity. Ministers
:13:22. > :13:24.said Dr Turing was an exceptional man, whose work at Bletchley Park
:13:25. > :13:28.saved thousands of lives during the Second World War.
:13:29. > :13:33.Cricket, and England have promised to boost their game ahead of the
:13:34. > :13:37.Fourth Test against the Australians on Boxing Day. Kevin Pietersen has
:13:38. > :13:39.been sharing his views on the team's troubled tour, as our chief sports
:13:40. > :13:46.correspondent, Dan Roan, reports from Melbourne.
:13:47. > :13:52.You know things are going well when even Father Christmas is on your
:13:53. > :13:57.side. For Australian cricket fans, Christmas has come early, having
:13:58. > :14:00.been gifted the Ashes by an England team who have given their support is
:14:01. > :14:05.very little to feel festive about. We owe it to a lot of people who
:14:06. > :14:08.have paid a lot of money to come over here and support us, especially
:14:09. > :14:14.in Melbourne and Sydney. We have let a lot of people down, and we now
:14:15. > :14:17.need to turn ourselves on, and that starts today. Geoffrey Boycott says
:14:18. > :14:21.you are a mug and you should be dropped, you want to respond to
:14:22. > :14:26.that? I have the greatest admiration for the way Geoffrey Boycott played
:14:27. > :14:29.for England but the way he played and the way I play are totally
:14:30. > :14:33.different. It is the barmy Army, rather than a few wise men, who have
:14:34. > :14:40.made the cricketing pilgrimage to Melbourne, and somehow, they have
:14:41. > :14:44.remained faithful. It has not been great, we have been a bit gutted,
:14:45. > :14:52.but we are here to win and turn things round and show the Aussies we
:14:53. > :14:56.can play cricket. Dead rubber, but we England are having to prepare for
:14:57. > :14:59.the Fourth Test here at the MCG without the man who was their best
:15:00. > :15:04.spinner, Graeme Swann, who has retired in the middle of the series.
:15:05. > :15:09.The fallout from his shock departure continues. His parting shot was to
:15:10. > :15:13.accuse certain unnamed players of arrogance. He denies suggestions
:15:14. > :15:17.that it was aimed at Kevin Pietersen, but the England batsman
:15:18. > :15:21.does not seem convinced. Do you think he was being rude to you? You
:15:22. > :15:24.should come and see what I get called when I am fielding on the
:15:25. > :15:30.boundary. There are a lot worse things I have been called. Out in
:15:31. > :15:34.the middle, England's batsmen have struggled with an Australian barrage
:15:35. > :15:36.all tour. Let's hope this guy has a lot more success with