:00:00. > :00:13.it's goodbye from me and on BBC One we join the BBC's
:00:14. > :00:27.Good evening and welcome to BBC Newsline. The main story... A major
:00:28. > :00:32.incident at our biggest hospital. We hear the people caught up in it. I
:00:33. > :00:36.think at one point there were 130 people waiting to be seen. Every
:00:37. > :00:41.inch of the corridors were lined with people in wheelchairs and beds.
:00:42. > :00:44.Also on the programme this evening... New recruits to the
:00:45. > :00:51.Prison Service are to get special annual danger money.
:00:52. > :00:54.A new centre dedicated to the Irish language centre at in an improbable
:00:55. > :00:57.place. Ulster roll out the big guns for
:00:58. > :00:59.tomorrow's crunch European rugby game at Ravenhill.
:01:00. > :01:07.And a perfect evening for stargazing but it's not looking so pleasant for
:01:08. > :01:10.tomorrow. A major incident was declared at our
:01:11. > :01:14.biggest hospital last night. It wasn't because of an accident or an
:01:15. > :01:17.outbreak of illness but the sheer volume of people waiting to be
:01:18. > :01:19.treated or admitted. It's highlighted the pressure on the
:01:20. > :01:26.Emergency Department at the Royal Victoria Hospital. Our Health
:01:27. > :01:38.Correspondent Marie Louise Connolly is there. Good evening. The Accident
:01:39. > :01:41.and Emergency department at the Royal Victoria Hospital is just a
:01:42. > :01:47.few hundred metres behind me. Last night staff and patients described
:01:48. > :01:50.the scene as horrendous. Management said they reacted by declaring a
:01:51. > :01:57.major incident in order to get more staff into work. They say that
:01:58. > :02:01.worked. Members of the public along with the Royal College of Nursing
:02:02. > :02:10.said the conditions in which patients were treated were totally
:02:11. > :02:14.unacceptable. Mervyn Jess has been speaking to some people caught up in
:02:15. > :02:19.this last night. It look like a natural disaster. It was seven hours
:02:20. > :02:25.of help. It was like something you see in it hurt world country. Some
:02:26. > :02:32.of the voices from people affected by the events last night. The
:02:33. > :02:37.unusual spike in admissions picked last night when according to some
:02:38. > :02:41.staff the Accident and Emergency department was close to breaking
:02:42. > :02:45.point. The problem began building on Tuesday and by yesterday evening,
:02:46. > :02:50.the hospital administrators were forced to declare a major incident.
:02:51. > :02:55.We believed that last night the best way to deal with the pressures was
:02:56. > :03:00.to trigger that major incident protocol and it worked because we
:03:01. > :03:05.got 24 nurses in and eight or nine of our senior consultants who came
:03:06. > :03:10.in and it meant that we were able to deal with the situation within three
:03:11. > :03:20.hours. We called it a major incident at 845 PM and it start at 11:45pm.
:03:21. > :03:24.It was like a third world country. There were hundreds of people not
:03:25. > :03:33.being attended to. Elderly people were left in trolleys. To be quite
:03:34. > :03:38.honest, some of the staff begged people to contact the media on their
:03:39. > :03:42.behalf. It was a disgrace. The hospital said an abnormally high
:03:43. > :03:46.number of very sick bill arrived at Casualty and hospital admissions
:03:47. > :03:49.were nearly double that that they would normally be at this time.
:03:50. > :03:53.Patients were left waiting on trolleys and some were backed up
:03:54. > :03:59.into the x-ray areas and some placed in a day procedure unit, a fracture
:04:00. > :04:02.unit and a recovery area. This woman has a neurological condition and is
:04:03. > :04:08.a regular visitor to the hospital. She arrived here yesterday morning.
:04:09. > :04:11.It was terrible. I think at one point there was 130 people waiting
:04:12. > :04:18.to be seen, 50 people waiting for beds. Every inch of the corridor was
:04:19. > :04:25.lined with people in wheelchairs and beds. It looked like a scene out of
:04:26. > :04:28.a natural disaster. Ambulances were diverted to the Ulster Hospital in
:04:29. > :04:31.Dundonald for several hours as stab at the Royal Victoria Hospital
:04:32. > :04:38.struggle to get to grips with the situation. It was a volcano and it
:04:39. > :04:43.erupted. It was embarrassing to watch doctors and nurses in tears
:04:44. > :04:47.because they were struggling. One man his mother suffers from dementia
:04:48. > :04:50.says it is disgraceful she was moved to Musgrave Park Hospital in the
:04:51. > :04:54.middle of the night to free up a bed of the Royal Victoria Hospital. It
:04:55. > :05:00.has happened in the past and now I know what it is like. I do not know
:05:01. > :05:05.what is going to be next. It is very upsetting for myself and the family.
:05:06. > :05:09.If people have had a bad experience I would apologise for that. We do
:05:10. > :05:13.not want that and that is one of the reasons we triggered the major
:05:14. > :05:23.incident protocol. That is to ensure we continue to provide safe services
:05:24. > :05:27.and people have a good experience. How have we reached this point where
:05:28. > :05:31.I major incident has to be declared in order to deal with the sheer
:05:32. > :05:34.volume of people coming through the doors and what has been the reaction
:05:35. > :05:42.of some of those charged with running the local health service? I
:05:43. > :05:46.have been monitoring reaction. Less than 30 miles away and it was all
:05:47. > :05:50.smiles and Ballymena as the Health Minister opened a new children's
:05:51. > :05:54.facility. He described the incident last night at the Royal Victoria
:05:55. > :05:58.Hospital as a one off and praised staff who had remained beyond the
:05:59. > :06:03.call of duty. The minister had this to say about the health service. We
:06:04. > :06:09.have a bus service now than we had two years ago. -- a Sabre service.
:06:10. > :06:14.If you have a heart attack in Northern Ireland you have a better
:06:15. > :06:17.chance of living, and you do if you have a stroke there are major
:06:18. > :06:23.trauma. You have people with massive expertise to deal with the
:06:24. > :06:26.situation. But tell that to these workers who gathered at the Royal
:06:27. > :06:31.Victoria Hospital to voice their frustrations. Health care workers
:06:32. > :06:38.expressed discontent with the Health Minister. Start starting up and stop
:06:39. > :06:41.proposals to take more beds out of the service. Start talking and
:06:42. > :06:46.cooperating to each other. This is supposed to be a collective health
:06:47. > :06:51.service, not one that competes. So what has led us to this point? Since
:06:52. > :06:55.the closure of Belfast City Hospital A apartment in November 2011,
:06:56. > :07:00.other casualty departments have experienced added measures on
:07:01. > :07:04.services. In March 2012 and elderly man was found dead on a trolley at
:07:05. > :07:08.the Royal Victoria Hospital fight he was waiting to be transferred to
:07:09. > :07:10.another hospital. There have been excessive waiting times at the Royal
:07:11. > :07:17.Victoria Hospital and in November last year, the College of Emergency
:07:18. > :07:22.Medical Facilities, said services were unsustainable. Closures at the
:07:23. > :07:25.down and Lagan Valley Hospital have added to the strain and last night
:07:26. > :07:30.came the unusual move of the major incident being declared to deal with
:07:31. > :07:35.intake in Casualty. It is clear that last night's problem has been
:07:36. > :07:40.simmering. On Monday, ambulances in Craigavon area hospital were
:07:41. > :07:44.diverted to Daisy Hill Hospital but with no snow, flu epidemic or major
:07:45. > :07:49.trauma, there are those people who insist that last night's incident
:07:50. > :07:52.could have been avoided. The pressures have been building for
:07:53. > :07:56.some time and have been an assistant for a number of years. The emergency
:07:57. > :08:00.department is the default position then other parts of the service are
:08:01. > :08:06.not running properly. Whether that is community services, GP services
:08:07. > :08:10.or older people services. According to the road map for change, Northern
:08:11. > :08:15.Ireland will have between five and seven emergency department at to
:08:16. > :08:19.facilitate that major change, there must be effective minor injury
:08:20. > :08:24.facilities, Edgar Bowers and GP services. Unfortunately, people
:08:25. > :08:28.become unwell unexpectedly. There needs to be flexibility in the
:08:29. > :08:32.services so people can get to their GP first thing in the morning or at
:08:33. > :08:38.the end of the day if they feel unexpectedly unwell. There is a
:08:39. > :08:40.challenge to the system in terms of Haitians being seen at the
:08:41. > :08:43.appropriate time in the appropriate place and we are all faced with that
:08:44. > :08:51.challenge. We need to make sure that practices are able to do that as
:08:52. > :08:56.well as A Local GP there. Last night's
:08:57. > :09:01.incident has been described as one of but it is a stark reminder of the
:09:02. > :09:10.pressures being faced by a emergency staff here in Northern Ireland.
:09:11. > :09:13.A short time ago I spoke to the Chief Executive of the Health and
:09:14. > :09:17.Social Care Board John Compton and he agreed with what staff have been
:09:18. > :09:21.telling us in that if there had been a major trauma such as a road
:09:22. > :09:27.accident or a fire last night, staff at the hospital might not have been
:09:28. > :09:31.able to cope. The health trust called a major incident at around
:09:32. > :09:36.eight o'clock last night but stood down at midnight. The reason was
:09:37. > :09:39.that we could bring staff in and we could alert the rest of the Northern
:09:40. > :09:45.Ireland system to provide support which happened in the system. Major
:09:46. > :09:50.incidents have come normal? Not at all. Staff tell us they are
:09:51. > :09:54.continually under pressure, continually stretched, they have to
:09:55. > :10:00.work extra avarice to fill the rotor. Using they are wrong? I think
:10:01. > :10:04.you need to clarify a few things. I major incident is only called for
:10:05. > :10:08.them there are exceptional circumstances and others different
:10:09. > :10:15.to being busy. I recognise casualty departments are busy. That was a
:10:16. > :10:19.major incident. For many people it was the tipping point and being
:10:20. > :10:24.under pressure is just part of the normal job. Many staff had said to
:10:25. > :10:28.us that they fear for patient safety. Politicians said today that
:10:29. > :10:32.major incident indicates that patients lives are now being put at
:10:33. > :10:37.risk, that the system of A is not working and you need to readdress
:10:38. > :10:41.it. There are a couple of things I would say. Look at the total number
:10:42. > :10:45.of people attending the emergency departments this year compared to
:10:46. > :10:48.the number last year. There is not a material difference. Look at some of
:10:49. > :10:55.the performance information, for example, the length of time people
:10:56. > :10:59.wait, we have fewer people waiting 12 hours this year than we did last
:11:00. > :11:03.year. I do not think you cant to a conclusion that on the basis of one
:11:04. > :11:07.event and one particular set of circumstances to say that the total
:11:08. > :11:11.system is broken. It is clearly pressured and we are making changes
:11:12. > :11:15.to that and we have signalled those changes and it will take a period of
:11:16. > :11:19.five years to get us through that and our journey. Do you not see that
:11:20. > :11:24.there is a crisis within casualty departments, across Northern
:11:25. > :11:27.Ireland. There is a shortage of doctors, of medical staff and in
:11:28. > :11:34.doing so well and having that shortage, there is pressure on staff
:11:35. > :11:40.already there. Of course there is. That has a knock-on effect? Yes, but
:11:41. > :11:44.you must discriminate by patient safety and risk. All I can say is
:11:45. > :11:50.that we have a robust system and I am not aware of the material changes
:11:51. > :11:53.in the number of adverse incidents being applied in our emergency
:11:54. > :11:58.departments. You could reassure viewers that it could happen tonight
:11:59. > :12:02.staff and resources could go? I could reassure viewers and if you
:12:03. > :12:06.look at what happened last night if we call a serious incident like we
:12:07. > :12:11.did last night, we got staff in and within a relatively short space of
:12:12. > :12:14.time, the system reacted well to the circumstances and I think that would
:12:15. > :12:22.happen tonight if than incident was declared. At what point, staff tell
:12:23. > :12:27.us they are at breaking point, but at what point is it broken? If you
:12:28. > :12:35.compare what happened for example in other parts of the UK in terms of
:12:36. > :12:38.emergency departments, none of that has happened in Northern Ireland.
:12:39. > :12:47.The system is functioning, it is very pressured but we are making
:12:48. > :12:50.changes and fixing that. Emergency departments all work seven days a
:12:51. > :12:55.week but senior doctors and staff are now available and we are making
:12:56. > :13:02.a transition. I believe we will do it successfully. There is more on
:13:03. > :13:12.that on our Facebook page where you can share your experiences.
:13:13. > :13:15.Still to come... I am live at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum
:13:16. > :13:20.where we are hoping to see something special in the skies. By and
:13:21. > :13:29.outfought later. -- find out what. More than 1000 Prison Service staff
:13:30. > :13:32.are to receive special annual danger money payments because of the threat
:13:33. > :13:34.they face from dissident republicans. An independent pay
:13:35. > :13:39.review body has recommended that they should each be paid more than
:13:40. > :13:42.?1300 a year on top of their normal salary, for as long as the security
:13:43. > :13:46.threat remains. Our Home Affairs Correspondent Vincent Kearney
:13:47. > :13:50.reports. The names of 31 members of the Prison Service killed for doing
:13:51. > :13:56.their jobs. The most recent was David Black, shot dead 15 months ago
:13:57. > :14:00.as he drove along the M1to work in a prison. Even before he was killed,
:14:01. > :14:03.prison staff had been lobbying for extra payments to reflect the threat
:14:04. > :14:11.they face. The Justice Minister David Ford referred the issue to pay
:14:12. > :14:14.body and it has now said what it refers to a supplementary risk
:14:15. > :14:18.allowance should be paid. The decision applies to staff who joined
:14:19. > :14:23.the Prison Service since 2002 including wood than 350 employed
:14:24. > :14:28.during the past 18 months. The majority in between 18 and ?21,000.
:14:29. > :14:39.It has been recommended that each receives an additional ?200 every
:14:40. > :14:43.year. That does not apply to main grade prison officers recruited
:14:44. > :14:47.before 2002 who earn more than ?38,000 every year. A special
:14:48. > :14:51.allowances already built into their salary. The Justice Committee
:14:52. > :14:54.chairman Paul Givan says the payments are justified. These
:14:55. > :14:58.officers are being advised that they need to alternate the roots when
:14:59. > :15:01.they are coming to work and going home. There are areas they are not
:15:02. > :15:05.allowed to socialise and so there is a clear impact on their lifestyle
:15:06. > :15:11.and the environment they operate in and that has a financial cost. The
:15:12. > :15:16.extra payments will cost more than ?1.5 million every year. In a letter
:15:17. > :15:18.to the Justice Committee David Wood said the recommendations represent a
:15:19. > :15:21.significant cost to his department and no additional resources would be
:15:22. > :15:27.made available. It is understood the extra money needed to be found from
:15:28. > :15:32.within the existing budget for the Prison Service. The association that
:15:33. > :15:34.represents prison officers has not welcomed the recommendation that the
:15:35. > :15:44.allowance should be paid but says the man on offer is not enough. --
:15:45. > :15:48.the amount on offer. A DUP Special Adviser has told MLAs
:15:49. > :15:51.that there was "nothing shady or nothing dodgy" regarding a meeting
:15:52. > :15:54.with a double glazing firm or the way that meeting was recorded by
:15:55. > :15:57.officials. Stephen Brimstone who advises the Housing Minister Nelson
:15:58. > :15:59.McCausland was giving evidence to a Stormont committee. The committee is
:16:00. > :16:02.investigating allegations broadcast by the BBC's Spotlight programme
:16:03. > :16:15.about political interference in the running of the Housing Executive.
:16:16. > :16:17.Here's Stephen Walker. It was after the busy Spotlight programme last
:16:18. > :16:22.summer that an investigation was set up. Much of the inquiry has centred
:16:23. > :16:28.on an inquiry with the glazing firm. The committee was told that had
:16:29. > :16:33.supported the DUP in the past that election time. Stephen Brimstone who
:16:34. > :16:37.advises Nelson McCausland initially met members of the firm who wanted a
:16:38. > :16:42.meeting with the minister. He thought they wanted to have
:16:43. > :16:48.discussions as discussions as members of the Glass and glazing
:16:49. > :16:51.Federation. I genuinely felt there was an impression that a letter was
:16:52. > :16:57.going to be sent to the Minister on behalf of this the direction. And
:16:58. > :17:00.then them letter arrived it was a request from the Turkington is and
:17:01. > :17:04.not the Federation. After the meeting, it was initially recorded
:17:05. > :17:09.in departmental records as a meeting with Turkington but it was
:17:10. > :17:13.subsequently changed to a meeting with the Federation. Today Barbara
:17:14. > :17:17.McConnachie civil servant was asked why the details of the meeting were
:17:18. > :17:24.changed. Your evidence to us is that you do not make changes to the diary
:17:25. > :17:34.or beheading of your own volition. Is that right? I made the changes. I
:17:35. > :17:37.am not quibbling that. I am asking you did you do it up your own
:17:38. > :17:42.volition in either or both cases or did someone tell you to do that. I
:17:43. > :17:44.would have done it under instruction. Stephen Brimstone
:17:45. > :17:52.insists he had no role in changing departmental records. I do not see
:17:53. > :17:57.how anyone could interpret that as being an attempt to write something
:17:58. > :18:03.out. There was nothing shady or dodgy or in any way that would be
:18:04. > :18:10.inappropriate. He was also asked if he knew that Turkington had in the
:18:11. > :18:14.past supported the DUP. I am not aware of who the DUP is financed by
:18:15. > :18:18.or supported by or anything else. During the session, the DUP said
:18:19. > :18:22.Barbara McConnachie had been badgered by some MLS and they
:18:23. > :18:25.objected to the manner of some of the questions. The committee will
:18:26. > :18:38.reconvene in two weeks time. Irish classes have become so popular
:18:39. > :18:42.among Protestants in East Belfast that an Irish language centre is
:18:43. > :18:47.opening there. It's being run by the sister-in-law of the loyalist leader
:18:48. > :18:51.David Ervine. Chris Page has more. The Lord in North Road is often
:18:52. > :18:55.described as a loyalist heartland but amidst the union flags and
:18:56. > :18:59.murals and Irish language centre five and is taking place. -- the
:19:00. > :19:06.Lower Newtownards Road. Dozens of people here have in taking classes
:19:07. > :19:10.like this one filmed for a BBC documentary. So many people are
:19:11. > :19:15.interested that and Irish language centre is opening here. It is being
:19:16. > :19:20.run by Linda Ervine whose brother-in-law was the late loyalist
:19:21. > :19:23.leader David Irvine. I think they are claiming something that is part
:19:24. > :19:29.of their heritage and has been lost to them in recent years. To help
:19:30. > :19:33.explain what she means, there are some interesting historical
:19:34. > :19:39.documents on display. This is the senses of 1911. There are records
:19:40. > :19:42.for a family called Irvine which included David Ervine is
:19:43. > :19:46.grandparents who lived of the Lower Newtownards Road. It was a family of
:19:47. > :19:49.eight and all of them could speak Irish and the records show that a
:19:50. > :19:54.number of other Protestant families in this area could as well. The new
:19:55. > :20:00.centre harks back to that time and features this wall painting by Mark
:20:01. > :20:05.Irvine, showing the 1911 Map And St names in Irish. It also includes a
:20:06. > :20:11.library, classroom and teaching aids and has enthused keen learners of
:20:12. > :20:16.Irish like this man. It is not an easy language to learn. The grammar
:20:17. > :20:22.is different. But with perseverance I should manage to be fluent by
:20:23. > :20:27.2015! He is one of the new generation of Protestant Gaelic
:20:28. > :20:48.speakers. 20 more are expected to sign up for classes after the centre
:20:49. > :20:51.officially opens this evening! Ulster Rugby have announced tonight
:20:52. > :20:54.that Stephen Ferris has signed a contract extension. The flanker told
:20:55. > :20:57.this programme in November he was determined to battle back from
:20:58. > :21:00.injury. And with this short-term extension, he can continue his
:21:01. > :21:02.rehabilitation from the injury he sustained against Edinburgh 14
:21:03. > :21:05.months ago. He's now making good progress although no date has yet
:21:06. > :21:15.been set for his return to play. Meanwhile prop Declan Fitzpatrick
:21:16. > :21:19.has signed a new two-year deal. And some of Ulster's key internationals
:21:20. > :21:22.return to the line up for the visit of French side Montpellier in the
:21:23. > :21:25.Heineken Cup tomorrow. Hooker Rory Best has made an earlier than
:21:26. > :21:28.expected recovery after breaking his arm in Ireland's agonising defeat by
:21:29. > :21:31.New Zealand in November. Nick Williams replaces Roger Wilson at
:21:32. > :21:34.number eight on a night when winger Andrew Trimble will make a record
:21:35. > :21:37.58th appearance for Ulster in Europe. Captain Johann Muller has
:21:38. > :21:50.overcome a calf injury and starts in the second row. Was always great to
:21:51. > :21:57.get world-class and international players back from injury. -- it is
:21:58. > :22:04.always. It is hoped they bring on the field and off the field and
:22:05. > :22:10.their leadership is spectacular. I am delighted to have them back. Has
:22:11. > :22:17.been a great atmosphere in training already.
:22:18. > :22:20.After today's first round of the Volvo Champions event in Durban,
:22:21. > :22:23.Darren Clarke lies in second place at three under par. Clarke has
:22:24. > :22:27.emerged from winter training three stones lighter and he showed good
:22:28. > :22:35.form with a round of 69, to lie just two shots off the early lead.
:22:36. > :22:38.The Belfast-born hockey player Iain Lewers is spending the next six
:22:39. > :22:41.weeks playing in India, where he will compete in the new professional
:22:42. > :22:45.Hockey League there. But first, as part of the Great Britain set-up, he
:22:46. > :22:48.qualifies to play for England in the World Hockey League tournament which
:22:49. > :22:51.starts in Delhi this week and he's keen to make up for disappointment
:22:52. > :22:58.at the Olympics. Nigel Ringland reports. It is one of the places you
:22:59. > :23:00.want to experience playing hockey. It is an experience for a lot of the
:23:01. > :23:06.guys on the team and we are looking forward to it and hopefully we come
:23:07. > :23:14.back on the right side of a result. We will keep you updated with his
:23:15. > :23:18.progress. All this week we've been asked to
:23:19. > :23:22.look beyond this world to universes near and far in the BBC's Stargazing
:23:23. > :23:25.Live series. One of the UK's biggest public events is happening tonight
:23:26. > :23:33.at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum in Cultra and our reporter
:23:34. > :23:38.Julie McCullough is there. The conditions are ideal for a night of
:23:39. > :23:45.stargazing. The skies are clear and as you can see, the telescopes are
:23:46. > :23:53.out. I am joined by a special guest and he is hoping to see something
:23:54. > :23:56.special. We have a great chance of seeing the Northern lights because
:23:57. > :24:01.the sun has been very active recently. Yesterday it sent out a
:24:02. > :24:07.big cloud of electrified gas. If it reaches us and interacts with the's
:24:08. > :24:14.magnetic fields and that is what causes the Northern Lights. The
:24:15. > :24:21.night is young. You can see it anywhere? Anywhere you have a good
:24:22. > :24:28.view to the northern horizon, you can see it. They could be any colour
:24:29. > :24:33.but the bubbly orange,. What about the people who have come here
:24:34. > :24:38.tonight. What is an opera? We have fantastic use of the Moon and
:24:39. > :24:43.Jupiter with some of its moons. People are amazed when they see it.
:24:44. > :24:48.The million is spectacular and then everyone looks set that we will see
:24:49. > :24:55.the Orion nebula. Lots of other things. Whatever people want to see,
:24:56. > :24:58.you can see it. This event at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum
:24:59. > :25:08.goes on until 10pm this evening. BBC Radio Ulster is going live from here
:25:09. > :25:12.from 7pm until 9pm. Let's find out if the sky will be
:25:13. > :25:16.clear at that big BBC Stargazing Live event in County Down and for
:25:17. > :25:20.the rest of us. The weather forecast is next with Angie.
:25:21. > :25:23.clear at that big BBC Stargazing Live event in County We do have more
:25:24. > :25:34.wet weather on the way that today we have been through some weather
:25:35. > :25:39.systems. For this evening, apart from a few coastal showers it is
:25:40. > :25:43.mainly dry and clear. It is the BBC Stargazing Live event. Here in
:25:44. > :25:50.Northern Ireland it is at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum at Cultra
:25:51. > :25:54.until 10pm. Conditions are ideal. It looks as though we will see the
:25:55. > :26:00.showers in the North Brazil out. The first part of the night is try and
:26:01. > :26:11.clear. It is also cold. -- try and clear. Initially to note that could
:26:12. > :26:20.be mist and fog patches but as the breeze picks up the mist and fog
:26:21. > :26:26.will left. Tomorrow will be wet and windy. The rain will reach the West
:26:27. > :26:32.but early in the morning and it will extend eastwards. It is not
:26:33. > :26:44.particularly heavy burden will be persistent. -- but it will be. The
:26:45. > :26:47.rain will linger towards the afternoon but drier conditions will
:26:48. > :26:52.follow. With that drier weather comes colder air. Temperatures are
:26:53. > :26:56.around seven degrees initially but they start to plummet as the clear
:26:57. > :27:00.air comes in and they will continue to vote tomorrow night. A few
:27:01. > :27:06.showers in the north and West will turn wintry. Many places will be dry
:27:07. > :27:14.and clear and tomorrow night we are looking at a widespread frost. On
:27:15. > :27:18.Saturday there is the risk of someone true showers towards the
:27:19. > :27:22.north. Most places are dry and bright but it will be cold with
:27:23. > :27:27.another widespread frost on Saturday night. The next batch of wet and
:27:28. > :27:29.windy weather comes on Sunday. Starry night tonight. That's all
:27:30. > :27:31.from the BBC Newsline team. Keep up to date with News Online and you can
:27:32. > :27:45.follow us on Facebook and Twitter.