29/12/2015 BBC Newsline

Storm Frank, with its heavy rain and high winds,

is causing travel disruption and there's a warning from NIE

of possible damage to the electricity network,

In a moment we'll go live to Newcastle.

People living along the County Down shore are advised to prepare

Is storm hit the west of Ireland this afternoon, with heavy rain and

strong winds battering the coast. Here the PSNI are warning

of the dangers of driving This large hole opened on the main

A20 road from Newtownards to Portaferry when part of the road

was washed away in bad weather. NIE there could be damage

to the electricity network. The fire service have their

preparations in place. People do need to get out, there are

vulnerable people out there who need support from their family and

friends. Our advice would be to avoid travelling. Try to avoid

driving through the water. All P Ferries services

have been suspended While the rain has stayed for most

of today, the worst of the weather is yet to come. The wind is picking

up and the Met Office has issued amber weather warning which will

come into effect from nine o'clock tonight. Storm Frank is expected to

continue well into the early hours of tomorrow morning.

The Rivers Agency says its engineers have been checking river levels

and clearing drains to try to mitigate any flooding.

There is also a worry about coastal areas with a combination of a high

Our reporter Mervyn Jess is on the promenade in Newcastle -

As you concede down there, there's a heavy storm force winds coming onto

the promenade here at the seafront in Newcastle. Very high casting wins

hitting people as they are driving along. -- gusting winds. We had a

look at joggers and high viz jackets coming along the promenade. This is

due to get worse as the night progresses. The PSNI is warning

motors in coastal areas, from although we from Belfast right down

the coast to be careful. All sorts of stuff could be whipped over a sea

walls. There is a warning. Apologies for the break-up in sound.

A man has suffered severe head injuries when he fell into a 15-foot

concrete man hole in Sixmilecross in County Tyrone.

He was up to his waist in water and had to be rescued

He was working on his own, excavating land and somehow he

managed to slip into the portal and became trapped in water. He was

waged by a concrete pipe. He was taken to hospital with severe head

injuries and minor leg injuries. The road was saturated with heavy rain

A 46-year-old man has appeared in court charged

It follows a gun attack on a police car in north Belfast

The investigating officer said he could connect Matthew McMullen to

the charges which included attempted murder, threats to kill and criminal

damage. Two constables allegedly came under attack after responding

to reports of a man being assaulted. Mr McMullan is accused of coming out

of a house and shooting at their car as they investigated. The court

heard the man was described as forming at the mouth and acting

irrationally, like a madman on Christmas night. The court also

heard Mr McMullan had recently been treated for mental health issues and

has no recollection of what happened that night. Relatives in the public

gallery held each other and wept as they heard he would be remanded in

custody until the 5th of January. The Western Trust says

the recruitment of specialist staff for its new Radiotheraphy Unit

at Altnagelvin hospital is challenging but it hopes

to complete the process The major cancer unit

cost ?50 million. Work on the new radiotherapy unit at

Alma Gelson hospital is now progressing well. The building

should be completed in the next months before its scheduled opening

of 2016. -- Altnagelvin hospital. The catchment area will stretch from

Derry to Fermanagh and include parts of Antrim and Tyrone. Patience and

Nicol will also benefit as the Irish government is providing some of the

funding. -- patients from Moneygall. Fiona Nash says the new unit will be

warmly welcomed. She had breast cancer in 2011 and had to travel to

Belfast for treatment. It was pleasure for my husband, he worked

shifts, starting early in the morning so he was left with

everything in the house, doing the and everything. Getting uniforms and

dinner ready. It'll be fantastic to one closer. For doctors, promoting

awareness of breast cancer remains an important part of their jobs.

Doctor Paul Molloy says the unit is a major list for health care in the

Northwest. Although treatment will be under one roof saw all the

patients will be more comfortable without the considerable distances

involved for travelling. Families like to be around their loved ones,

especially when they are unwell. We will be able to attract top doctors

to the new departments because we will have all the different

modalities that are needed. We have planned recruitment phase ahead.

This is the time when we will be recruiting our remaining physics

team and the consultant oncologist team. Fiona Nash has made a complete

recovery and says access to cancer treatment is an important time to

hide your family at hand for help and support. More details about the

storm to come now. The weather forecast

is next with Barra Best. Hello there, the storm may cause

some flooding and I will give you the helpline number. You may want to

get as pen and paper ready. Storm Frank is bringing strong winds and a

lot of radio -- a lot of rain. The Met Office has issued a weather

warning, and amber warning, the second-highest level which means be

prepared for some disruption and some flooding is likely. We have a

warning about wins as well, some severe gales likely for the coast,

causing a big waves and danger for driving on the coast. It will not be

cold with temperatures around seven or 9 degrees. If you are affected by

flooding, this is the number you may need to call... There is good news,

into tomorrow, most of the rain will clearly and it will be dry but it

will remain Wednesday. The rain may return in the afternoon which could

be quite squally with strong winds. Also plenty of sunny spells to come,

before and after the wet weather. Temperatures around 10 degrees on

the East Coast, cooler on the west coast, eat or 9 degrees at best. A

big improvement across Ireland by the afternoon although we will hold

onto some wind and weather warnings. Storm Frank will then begin to

batter the rest of Britain. We have weather warnings for northern

Scotland and West Wales. The good news for Northern Ireland for the

afternoon, it will turn much drier. Sunshine before nightfall and a

fairly calm evening to come. Chilly tomorrow night with temperatures

close to freezing. We are likely to CF Rost to kick-start New Year's

Eve. -- to the frost. An improving picture for New Year's Eve, it

should be largely dry for revellers. Her next news is that 1025. Goodbye

for now. In 2015, we laughed.

THEY CACKLE