28/12/2015 BBC News

Britain's flood defences need a 'complete rethink' according

There are still nine severe flood warnings in force across northern

England including six in the York area.

David Cameron was visiting York today where hundreds of people have

been forced to leave their homes and said extra measures

After any of these events we should look at what we are planning

to build, what we are planning to spend and think, do we need

In Essex an 81-year-old woman is shot dead by a relative at a care

home; a murder inquiry has been launched.

And in Durban, England's cricketers are in a commanding position

after the third day of the first Test against South Africa.

Britain's flood defences need a 'complete rethink'

following the widespread flooding in parts of northern England

The call was made as the prime minister visited the city of York

where hundreds of people have been forced out of their homes

Mr Cameron said the government would look carefully at suggestions

There are nearly 50 flood warnings in force across northern England

and another nine severe flood warnings, some of them in York,

where we can join our correspondent Judith Moritz for the latest.

The water level is down but there is still plenty of it on the ground in

these areas. It's made for a difficult day here in York, rescue

teams from as far afield as Norfolk and Cornwall have been working flat

out and the communications are nearly impossible. Phone lines have

been down, mobile signals lost. There have been queues at the banks

for cash because the shops that are open haven't been able to process

card payments. It feels like normal life still has a long way to go

before it can resume here. It's only from the sky that you can

appreciate the expense of ground covered by these floods and it's

from the air that help finally An RAF helicopter was flown

in to bring machinery and help The only way to bring this equipment

in use by the air because all along this stretch of the

River Foss, the roads The River Foss flood barrier failed

here on Boxing Day after water got The Environment Agency said it

chose to leave the gate open, as keeping it closed

would have caused even more The airlift brought in new equipment

to get the fence is working again, with the aim of pumping

water away from the river Foss, which hasn't flooded

here since the 1980s. With such widespread flooding has

come a massive emergency response involving soldiers

and rescue teams from Meeting some of them,

the Prime Minister defended his government spending

on flood protection. Here in Yorkshire for instance

we have spent ?100 million on flood defences since I became

Prime Minister and we are planning But that is of no

comfort to the people To be flooded is a terrible

experience and even more terrible when it happens at

Christmas, or New Year. As David Cameron spoke to one team

in the city centre he was heckled It wasn't clear she was

attacking government policy in general, I lack of investment

in defending York against flooding. Meanwhile, out in the city centre,

the rescue continues. Wheels are no use along

here and travelling by boat is the only way for teams like this

one from the West Midlands We've been deployed three times

in the last 12 hours, for medical emergencies,

assisting and ambulance crews to get people from the addresses

that are not All day, those stranded at home have

been ferried to safety, The job, to get absolutely

everybody to dry land. Judith, you mentioned the fact that

the people's worst fears about the water levels weren't reached today

thankfully, but what about the days ahead? That is right. At its height,

the water reached 5.2 metres, the critical level everyone was worried

about was 5.4, the height of the flood defences that line the River

Ouse. It didn't overtop, that is great news. It's starting now to go

down and the Environment Agency say that by tomorrow lunch time it will

have reduced by half a metre on what it was at its peak. As it goes down,

they are able to go along and check the flood defences, but more bad

weather is forecast on Wednesday. They say they are prepared for that.

They have already deployed 10,000 sandbags. They say they have another

6,000 to use if necessary. They are keeping staff on site here to keep

things ready and checked upon. The Foss barrier you saw in that report,

work continues upon that. They tell me here that if they get another

deluge midweek, they are prepared, they don't think they'll see the

sort of devastation we have seen earlier this week.

Some 14 miles south of York, the town of Selby is also threatened

About 200 soldiers have been working in the area trying to improve

The River Ouse is expected to peak later this evening.

For the latest, we can join our correspondent Dan Johnson.

People here held their breath around high tide this morning waiting to

see what the rising water levels would do, but once again, this town

and villages across the lower part of the River Ouse were spared. But

that doesn't mean they haven't been affected. This town is besieged by

water. Selby is surrounded and it's had an effect on all sorts of people

in many different ways. What does a farmer do without land? Chris's

family have been here 80 years and seen a few floods. The boat has

replaced the track for before. It's bad this time, a bit worse than

2012, but it's looking like it's receding quite well now, so

hopefully the next few days the river will stop running over and

we'll start getting rid of the floodwater.

In the meantime, five feet beneath the surface, the wheat fields Chris

relies on are doing an important job.

Up there is the river overflowing the banking, that is the flood

defence, meaning all the water is filling up these fields. It looks

dramatic, but this is what is supposed to happen, it's a food

plain in action. That means the town, Selby, stays

dry, even when the river is at peak level. But those who live closest to

it are still left feeling vulnerable, hoping more water

doesn't pour through the defences. I've been here over seven years but

never seen anything like this before. Karen's home is a downstairs

river front flat. If the water comes in, she's got nowhere else to go. I

would like some help down here. I think we all come together as we are

as a neighbourhood and hopefully have something rezovled and hope it

doesn't get any higher. What sort of help do you think you need? I would

say the army probably need to come down and actually get some

sandbagging. Even escaping all this has been

difficult. There's disruption to traffic and trains because the main

bridges are closed. And, back on the farm, it will be a few weeks before

it's even possible to work out if Chris's crop can be salvaged. We are

getting a bit used to it these last few years, so it's becoming a sight

that we are seeing quite regular. Is this just something you accept as

part of this... We can't do anything else but accept it, can we? You

know, this water's got to go somewhere. It's not expected to go

much further even though the river will peak again tonight. They may be

through the worst of it, but few here will rest easy fearing more

water could be heading their way. So they wait for high tide again at

11 o'clock this evening and what will that bring? Plenty of people

coming down the river to have a look and see what the river levels are

doing. It will be a difficult time. There is a lot of sympathy from

people with the folk in York upstream who have been flooded but

people here are getting weary of the anxiety of not knowing what the

river will bring next. They want an end to all this now. Thank you very

much indeed. As we heard, the Environment Agency

has called for a 'complete rethink' of Britain's flood defences along

with extra measures including better waterproofing of homes and improved

warning systems as experts warn extreme weather is likely

to become even more familiar The Government says it will spend

?2.3 billion on flood Our science editor

David Shukman reports. The astonishing sight of a torrent,

thundering down a hillside A glimpse of the huge volumes

of water causing such The emergency response

is now well drilled. The sight of rescue teams,

all too familiar but these scenes raise questions about why

the defences were overwhelmed Always after major

incidents like this we look at what happened, what we can take

and what we need to do differently and this will be no different

to any other incident we've But many of the challenges

are nothing new. In 2007, serious flooding

in the north and west of England left 300,000 people without running

water and there was a very detailed study back then

into what went wrong. That review into the country's flood

defences called for a long list of improvements but have

lessons been learned? The study called for better

coordination between the emergency services, and far better equipment

like the inflatable boats we've been seeing and that's

definitely happened. But it also wanted key

infrastructure far better protected, And it said that sandbags should no

longer be relied on, that New technology,

plastic and metal, should But even now, sandbags

are still proving vital. And this comes as many people claim

that the areas hit hardest in northern England

are being let down. There is a real discrepancy,

people are starting to get very angry across the North at levels

of funding going to the north compared to other

parts of the country. I think that all council leaders

will be coming together and working to lobby the government

and say enough is enough. The government denies this,

pointing to this map of flood It says that a ?2.3 billion budget

is being spent fairly. As the floodwaters linger

and as the calm conditions make way for another storm tomorrow night,

the arguments will intensify over how much to spend on flood

defence, and where. Police in Essex say

an 81-year-old woman has been shot dead by a relative at

a care home in Walton-on-the-Naze. A murder inquiry has been

launched and a man has been Essex police have this

evening named the victim Zblued Delamere is the home where

reports came through that a woman had been seriously injured. Officers

and ambulance crews arrived but the woman, thought to be in her '80s had

died, apparently having been shot by a man who was also a resident at the

home. A very unusual investigation. Both parties involved are residents

of the care home. The next of kin have been informed, so if there are

any other families out there, don't worry, we have told the people that

need to know and the investigation is ongoing around forensic recovery

and inquiries. Police say a weapon's been recovered and that a man in his

mid 80s has been arrested on suspicion of murder. Detectives say

he and the woman who died were known to each other. The manager of the

home described how she managed to get hold of the weapon after the

alleged attack. First of all, I thought it wasn't real, I thought it

was a toy gun. As I got nearer, I could see it was a real gun. I was

aware I'd got two other staff behind me and there were other residents

nearby. All I remember thinking was somehow I've got to get that gun.

Officers have been speaking to members of staff to see who they

witnessed, they have also been helping the staff to reassure

residents. Tonight, the police inquiries continue, but officers say

they are not looking for anyone else in connection with their

investigation. Some of the day's other news;

hundreds of prisoners, including some in custody

for murder, have been mistakenly released from jails

in England and Wales. Figures from the Ministry of Justice

released under the Freedom of Information act show more

than 500 prisoners were let out The Prison Service says the mistakes

are ''very rare' and the vast majority of prisoners

are returned to custody. The Iraqi military says it is now

in full control of the city of Ramadi which has been held

by Islamic State fighters since May. Iraqi government forces,

backed by coalition air strikes, have been trying to retake

the city since November. At least 43 people have died

over the past few days as a result of severe storms

across southern and western parts Flash floods, tornadoes and snow

have destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses

and disrupted transport. The governors of Missouri, Oklahoma,

and New Mexico have declared Our correspondent Laura

Bicker has the latest. It took just minutes for roads to

become rivers in parts of the South and midwest. This man is lucky, the

tree stopped his car from being swept away. Help was also nearby. In

midyear read and Illinois, at least 11 people have died in flash floods

including four international soldiers. Most were killed when

their cars were washed away in high waters. It is certainly sad that we

lost people. So close to home in such a small community, it makes us

sick to our stomachs. As the rivers rise, people have been warned not to

travel. We are known for getting three inches a year and we got one

quarter of that this weekend. Crazy year. A state of emergency has been

declared. This is one of the earliest we have seen a flood on the

Mississippi River, this high, probably for this time of year. In

Texas, this is the devastation caused by one of the most powerful

tornadoes to hit the state. Twisters with wins over 200 mph swept through

the town of Garland. Thousands of homes have been destroyed and 11

people were killed and there are warnings that the death toll may

rise. Some are trying to pick up the pieces. They are spending their

Christmas break trying to clear up. But there is a new threat. Snow.

Temperatures have dropped in Texas. Blizzard conditions have closed

roads and cancelled flights. This may be more seasonable weather, but

across southern and Midwestern states they are hoping this is the

last in a week of deadly storms. Cricket, and in Durban,

England are in a commanding position after the third day of the first

Test against South Africa. Stuart Broad is now a bowler of such

stature that it seems his reputation is enough to break

a batsman's concentration. Second ball he was

still getting loose. England would need more than that,

Moeen Ali providing the intricacy. JP Duminy and then Kyle Abbott,

foxed by spin, leaving Dean Elgar conducting the South African

innings almost solo. His century of resistance

was a rousing response, but there was no

lasting accompaniment. England finished the morning's

work with the new ball. Six wickets taken,

a lead of 89 runs. South African chances now

depended on their bowlers. The strain was too

much for Dale Steyn. Injury stopped him

shouldering the attack. Alex Hales took a look and decided

to put him in his place but unfortunately that was to

the hands of the fielder. For a moment, South Africa had

a faint grip on this match. Were these the moments

it slipped away? Joe Root, pardoned

by AB de Villiers. Using their second lives,

they pushed England's lead up With his reputation, England's

advantage could grow stronger. There's more throughout the evening

on the BBC News Channel and we're back at 10.05 with the late

news but now on BBC One, it's time

for the news where you are.