:00:00. > :00:12.George. Thank you. That's all so it's goodbye from me and on BBC One
:00:13. > :00:21.The Hello and welcome to South Today from Oxford. In tonight's
:00:22. > :00:24.programme: Forced out of their homes by flooding. The people who have
:00:25. > :00:27.chosen to leave rather than face rising water levels. Meanwhile,
:00:28. > :00:31.other residents are stuck in their houses. Their village has been cut
:00:32. > :00:34.off by the floods with no way in or out, without a boat. Also tonight:
:00:35. > :00:36.Defying expectations over rare debilitating condition. The woman
:00:37. > :00:40.told she would be housebound and in a wheelchair but who is now at
:00:41. > :00:43.university, hoping to become a doctor. And later on: Berries, close
:00:44. > :00:57.and even red sky at night. Are they just old wives' tales, or reliable
:00:58. > :01:02.indicators of the weather? `` cows. Good evening. 20 people have now
:01:03. > :01:06.moved out of their homes in Oxford and into emergency accommodation
:01:07. > :01:08.because of flooding. And tonight, hundreds of households have been
:01:09. > :01:12.advised to make plans to evacuate their properties in the next 24
:01:13. > :01:15.hours. There are still 17 flood warnings in place on rivers in
:01:16. > :01:19.Oxfordshire and water levels are still rising. These pictures have
:01:20. > :01:22.been filmed from the microlight flying over Oxford, there is
:01:23. > :01:28.Christchurch College in the city centre. More than one dozen major
:01:29. > :01:32.and minor roads have been closed, including two main routes into the
:01:33. > :01:37.city, the Abingdon Road and the Botley Road. That has caused delays
:01:38. > :01:41.on the A34 for commuters. In a moment, we'll be talking to the
:01:42. > :01:52.Environment Agency. First, Tom Turrell has spent the day in Oxford.
:01:53. > :01:58.The only way in and the only way out is said to be by boat or tractor.
:01:59. > :02:04.This village is cut off by flood water, only locals with the means
:02:05. > :02:10.can fetch supplies. Everybody wants to feel useful. I do not happen to
:02:11. > :02:13.own a tractor but I do have a passion for being on the water so
:02:14. > :02:19.that is one way I can help my neighbours. The people here live
:02:20. > :02:26.less and one mile from the city but it does not feel that way. I cannot
:02:27. > :02:37.get my car out. It is too deep now to even weed. We have got sand bags
:02:38. > :02:42.but they are not 100% effective. It is really a matter of sitting it out
:02:43. > :02:49.and waiting. People were evacuated from this blog of flats as the water
:02:50. > :02:54.level rose and power failed. Many were brought here to this leisure
:02:55. > :03:00.centre for temporary accommodation. Meanwhile, the man who lost his life
:03:01. > :03:08.on Saturday when he fell into the Thames on his mobility scooter has
:03:09. > :03:15.been named. This boat has been bringing medical supplies. We have
:03:16. > :03:21.been bringing prescriptions to people in the village who cannot
:03:22. > :03:27.walk. We have been trying to get a footpath specifically for this
:03:28. > :03:35.situation. Almost 10,000 sandbags have already been dispatched in the
:03:36. > :03:40.county. If water levels remained stubbornly high like they are at the
:03:41. > :03:49.moment, immunities like this will remain cut off from the outside
:03:50. > :03:54.world for some time yet. Earlier, I spoke to Barry Russell from the
:03:55. > :04:00.Environment Agency and asked when water levels were expected to peak
:04:01. > :04:07.in Oxfordshire. By tomorrow morning we think we will see the maximum
:04:08. > :04:11.levels reached. All that water will make its way into the others, it
:04:12. > :04:21.seems like a lot of water, along well that take? It will be a few
:04:22. > :04:29.days until it has drained off. It is a natural flood plain. Comparisons
:04:30. > :04:34.are being drawn between these floods and the ones in 2003, people might
:04:35. > :04:42.be wondering why more has not been done in the intervening ten years.
:04:43. > :04:48.The big event was in 2007 with 300 properties were flooded. Since then
:04:49. > :04:53.we have spent ?3.5 million on measures to reduce the risk of
:04:54. > :04:58.flooding. But homes are still flooding, what more needs to be
:04:59. > :05:05.done? We have plans for a bypass channel to go round the western side
:05:06. > :05:09.of Oxford. The need to be a lot of contributions to make that scheme
:05:10. > :05:13.work but there are elements that can be brought forward and done
:05:14. > :05:21.earlier. Two people have died in flood water, it has the ability to
:05:22. > :05:30.look relatively shallow but it can be dangerous? 15 centimetres of
:05:31. > :05:35.flowing flood water can knock you off your feet, you do not know what
:05:36. > :05:45.is under the, mammals could have been lifted. Stay safe. `` manholes
:05:46. > :05:48.could have been lifted. We asked you to send us photos of any flooding
:05:49. > :05:51.near you. Adrian Olsen emailed us this sunset, as the River Cherwell
:05:52. > :05:54.overflowed into a very flooded Christ Church Meadow. Dennis Jackson
:05:55. > :05:58.in Abingdon wrote in saying the road and river are one outside The Old
:05:59. > :06:01.Anchor pub. Chris Bishop sent us this picture of The Thames path,
:06:02. > :06:04.heavily underwater, at Dorchester on Thames. William Mankelow emailed us
:06:05. > :06:07.the scene at Redbridge ` showing why rail services are disrupted. And
:06:08. > :06:10.finally, a reminder of just how dangerous the floods can be, this
:06:11. > :06:14.van is at Shillingford Bridge. Thank you if you took the time to send us
:06:15. > :06:18.some pictures. It really does help paint a picture of the flooding. And
:06:19. > :06:22.if you have pictures of flooding where you are, you can send them to
:06:23. > :06:25.us at oxpics@bbc.co.uk. We'd like to see either your photos or any video.
:06:26. > :06:32.That's oxpics@bbc.co.uk. You can see more pictures at bbc.co.uk/oxford.
:06:33. > :06:35.Supermarket bosses who want to turn a former pub in South Oxfordshire
:06:36. > :06:39.into a Tesco Express have faced questions from local people.
:06:40. > :06:42.Hundreds of residents of Goring`on`Thames turned up to a
:06:43. > :06:47.meeting held last night over plans for the store. Tesco says it would
:06:48. > :06:55.bring benefits to the village. But more than 1,000 people have signed a
:06:56. > :07:02.petition opposing the plans. I think it will mean the death of our high
:07:03. > :07:10.Street. It is not anti`Tesco but there is a shot being opened in that
:07:11. > :07:14.locality. We feel we can add to the town centre. Lots of people
:07:15. > :07:18.currently do their shopping away from the village and we would like
:07:19. > :07:22.them back here. When a rare illness lead to an Oxfordshire teenager
:07:23. > :07:26.becoming bed bound, she was told her life was going to be very different
:07:27. > :07:29.to that of a normal young woman. Annalize Brooks was likely to be in
:07:30. > :07:33.a wheelchair for the rest of her life and told she would be unable to
:07:34. > :07:36.go to university. But the 19`year`old from Chalgrove is
:07:37. > :07:47.defying all odds and fulfilling her rain of becoming a doctor. `` dream
:07:48. > :07:53.Jessica Cooper reports. Playing sport seemed a thing of the past.
:07:54. > :08:00.Chest pains saw her taken by ambulance to hospital where she
:08:01. > :08:06.stayed for three weeks. I was told I would probably be in bed for most of
:08:07. > :08:12.the time because I had been unable to walk for so many weeks. I wanted
:08:13. > :08:16.to get back on my feet and do things I had not done and prove the doctors
:08:17. > :08:23.wrong. I did not want to be in bed underneath wheelchair. The scaly
:08:24. > :08:27.thing is not knowing what is going on or what is happening. `` the
:08:28. > :08:35.frightening thing. And dreams of going to university were starting to
:08:36. > :08:41.look unrealistic. But she has been able to go and she studies medicine.
:08:42. > :08:50.She was told she had a condition that often goes undiagnosed called
:08:51. > :08:56.pots. The characteristic is that when they are upright they tend to
:08:57. > :09:02.have a raised heart rate which can manifest as palpitations or a
:09:03. > :09:09.thumping in the heart. Now doctors are unsure of what her illness is so
:09:10. > :09:14.she will need to have more tests. Whatever the diagnosis, her outlook
:09:15. > :09:20.on life has changed. Little things that everyone takes advantage `` for
:09:21. > :09:27.granted, like being able to sit in bed, I needed people to watch me and
:09:28. > :09:35.everything. It has made me think about everything. Campaigners
:09:36. > :09:40.fighting to bring back the hound racing to the former Oxford Stadium
:09:41. > :09:46.are claiming victory after plans to build 200 homes on the site were
:09:47. > :09:51.rejected. People opposed to the plans had gathered a 2000 signature
:09:52. > :09:56.petition asking councillors to reject the scheme, they would like
:09:57. > :10:03.greyhound racing and speedway to return to the stadium. There will be
:10:04. > :10:12.changes following complaints about the Westway scheme. Plans to reduce
:10:13. > :10:18.the height of buildings and add a pay`as`you`go gem. There will be
:10:19. > :10:24.more space to independent traders. I think in hindsight the building was
:10:25. > :10:32.too tall. I think by altering that and making it a much more human
:10:33. > :10:39.scale, really emphasising the local nature of important local retailers
:10:40. > :10:43.is the way forward. Electric buses which can operate all be without
:10:44. > :10:49.needing to be plugged in our going into service in the UK. Eight new
:10:50. > :10:53.vehicles will operate on a busy route in Milton Keynes. The buses
:10:54. > :11:00.will be charged wirelessly meaning they can run for 18 hours at a time.
:11:01. > :11:08.Among the exhaust fumes and engine noise something different. Not much
:11:09. > :11:14.more than a harm, one of eight new electronic buses. They are powered
:11:15. > :11:20.by pads in the road. There are two charge plates like this either end
:11:21. > :11:25.of the roots. As the bus arrives it connects with the played down here.
:11:26. > :11:30.Within seconds, the receivers under the bus will drop down and the bus
:11:31. > :11:37.will charge for ten minutes which is enough to power it for one hour. Not
:11:38. > :11:42.all went to plan, an engineer was called after the boss got stuck at
:11:43. > :11:48.its stop but this could change public transport for ever. This is
:11:49. > :11:54.the first time we have put a complete fleet of electric buses on
:11:55. > :12:00.the road and made them work against their diesel counterpart. We will
:12:01. > :12:06.see if it works electronic clay and technologically. It is a world
:12:07. > :12:11.first. The transport minister joined us for a trip. It is very
:12:12. > :12:16.important, it will feedback the data which will show us whether we really
:12:17. > :12:22.can run long`distance bus routes on timetable with electric vehicles.
:12:23. > :12:27.They are already plans for driverless pods to ferry passengers
:12:28. > :12:33.from the train station to the shops, now this. Milton Keynes is leading
:12:34. > :12:38.the way nationally and internationally. The public
:12:39. > :12:46.transport agenda is a massive priority for local authorities. If
:12:47. > :12:51.it works, the plan is to replace diesel buses with these, not just
:12:52. > :12:58.here, but everywhere. That is all from us for now. I will have the
:12:59. > :13:02.headlines just before eight and the bulletin at ten 25. Here is Sally.
:13:03. > :13:10.pupils on the island attends a good school. A number have been put in
:13:11. > :13:14.special measures. Still to come in this evening's
:13:15. > :13:17.South Today: Old wives' tales, or reliable sources for a weather
:13:18. > :13:22.forecast? We examine berries, cows and that red sky at night.
:13:23. > :13:27.He's one of Britain's best`loved artists, famous for his depiction of
:13:28. > :13:30.English landscapes. Now a new exhibition of the work of John
:13:31. > :13:34.Constable is opening at Petworth House in West Sussex. It features
:13:35. > :13:38.paintings and drawings from the time Constable spent at the house in
:13:39. > :13:51.1834. Sean Killick has been getting a preview.
:13:52. > :13:56.It is a classic view of one of the most historic mansions in the South.
:13:57. > :14:06.John Constable also thought so and painted the leak in 1834. Constable
:14:07. > :14:10.is mainly known as a painter in oil but he also spent time with his
:14:11. > :14:16.sketchbook and what colours, inspired by the surrounding
:14:17. > :14:26.countryside. At this time he was quite cruelly. You get the
:14:27. > :14:37.impression that this visit cheered him up. On one occasion he described
:14:38. > :14:43.the landscape as the best landscape you could ever find for a picture.
:14:44. > :14:51.Now a selection of watercolours never shown together is being
:14:52. > :14:56.exhibited at Petworth House. This is of Chichester Cathedral
:14:57. > :15:03.hinted in 1834. This is a Rundle Castle, drawn also
:15:04. > :15:08.in 1834. The curator told me how his research
:15:09. > :15:20.for the exhibition has added to the knowledge of Constable's work in an
:15:21. > :15:26.unlikely way. It was clear that this represents a
:15:27. > :15:30.view of the Surrey Hills. That is the view I get from my kitchen
:15:31. > :15:36.window. The exhibition runs from Saturday
:15:37. > :15:45.until March 14, costing ?12 for adults.
:15:46. > :15:58.That is going to be some exhibition. Worth seeing.
:15:59. > :16:08.On to sport. An inspiring story from last year. A
:16:09. > :16:10.stellar cast list of top sailing names were in London for the
:16:11. > :16:15.prestigious Yachting Journalists Association awards. Southampton's
:16:16. > :16:19.round the world sailor Mike Golding received a special award while the
:16:20. > :16:22.young sailor of the year went to an inspirational teenager who took on a
:16:23. > :16:24.remarkable challenge in 2013. Joe Campbell was at Trinity House in
:16:25. > :16:45.London for us. Natasha Lambert never thought her
:16:46. > :16:49.cross`channel voyage would end here. She was here after being nominated
:16:50. > :16:58.for the title of young sailor of the year. She crossed the English
:16:59. > :17:12.Channel last summer in a boat adapted by her father.
:17:13. > :17:18.And the winner is Natasha Lambert. It was such a lovely surprise and an
:17:19. > :17:26.honour. You are determined when you make your mind up. But we did not
:17:27. > :17:38.expect anything like this when we set out. It is something you wanted
:17:39. > :17:45.to do and you did it. Also honoured was Mike Golding. He
:17:46. > :17:57.is the only sailor in modern times to have rounded the hope on six
:17:58. > :18:03.occasions under seal. This is the crowning point of our
:18:04. > :18:09.fabulous 12 months. There is another challenge. At the
:18:10. > :18:20.moment we cannot give any specific details. This year we will be doing
:18:21. > :18:31.something bigger. The adventure has only just begun.
:18:32. > :18:35.We will wait and see what that next challenge will be.
:18:36. > :18:38.Dorset darts player Scott Mitchell is out of the BDO World
:18:39. > :18:41.Championships at Frimley Green in Surrey. Mitchell, seeded 15th was up
:18:42. > :18:46.against number two seed James Wilson. The Bransgore based player
:18:47. > :18:58.fought back from two sets down to level the match before Wilson went
:18:59. > :19:01.on to win 4`2. We are starting to see some
:19:02. > :19:04.movements around our clubs. AFC Bournemouth defender Elliott
:19:05. > :19:08.Ward has signed a two year extension to his contract. Ward signed from
:19:09. > :19:11.Premier League Norwich in the summer and has impressed in the opening
:19:12. > :19:13.months of his Cherries career. Meanwhile former Reading defender
:19:14. > :19:17.Nicky Shorey has joined Portsmouth on a short term deal to the end of
:19:18. > :19:21.the season. He's joined by free agent striker Jake Jervis while
:19:22. > :19:23.front man Ryan Taylor is also set to sign after his release from Bristol
:19:24. > :19:25.City. Meanwhile Portsmouth have thrown
:19:26. > :19:28.their weight behind a campaign to trial safe standing in stadia. The
:19:29. > :19:33.Football League asked their member clubs for their opinions on bringing
:19:34. > :19:36.standing areas back into grounds. Pompey have become one of the first
:19:37. > :19:39.clubs to publicly back the scheme. Standing is still permitted in
:19:40. > :19:43.Leagues One and Two, but clubs with all seater stadiums cannot revert
:19:44. > :19:50.back to standing. All Championship clubs currently must have seats
:19:51. > :19:57.only. That is going to be quite a debate.
:19:58. > :20:01.It stirs up a lot of emotions. It is something that the football league
:20:02. > :20:05.have been looking at for a while. A lot of clubs feel it is a sensible
:20:06. > :20:10.move. Let us talk about the weather now.
:20:11. > :20:13.Long before television weather forecasters existed, people used to
:20:14. > :20:18.let Mother Nature tell them what the weather was doing. The clouds, The
:20:19. > :20:29.Sun, the moon, plants and animals all showed signs of change. Alexis
:20:30. > :20:31.Green has been looking at some of those old wives' tales to see if any
:20:32. > :20:45.of them are true. We all like to know if we will need
:20:46. > :20:59.our umbrellas but I see the weather forecast becomes a much more serious
:21:00. > :21:04.matter. What if it was not there? This sailor teaches techniques for
:21:05. > :21:17.reading the signs that nature provide. I still teach how to
:21:18. > :21:21.navigate with the stars. It brings you back to the environment you are
:21:22. > :21:33.in. One of the simplest things would be the North Star. If you know how
:21:34. > :21:54.high it is in the sky you can work out your latitude. If I look at the
:21:55. > :21:59.horizon, that is roughly 20 degrees. By measuring the angle I would know
:22:00. > :22:09.my latitude. The weather does not always do what you think it is going
:22:10. > :22:20.to do. That is correct. The worst storm was in high pressure.
:22:21. > :22:32.The waves are quite strong at the moment. These are wind driven waves.
:22:33. > :22:40.These methods are based on science, but folklore provide some
:22:41. > :22:43.forecasting methods which while well`known are less reliable. Cows
:22:44. > :22:47.are said to lie down if there is rain on the way. But most of them
:22:48. > :22:56.are outlining the same way close to a hedge it will rain.
:22:57. > :23:03.The upturned clients are swept up because of the wind up there. They
:23:04. > :23:08.are called messengers. It will rain in three days or 24 hours.
:23:09. > :23:14.According to folklore there are more clues all around.
:23:15. > :23:20.There are lots of areas on the tree it means we will have a long hard
:23:21. > :23:27.winter. How about red skies?
:23:28. > :23:32.When it comes to lambing time the weather is essential. I asked this
:23:33. > :23:45.retired shepherd if there is truth in the old sayings. It is a clean
:23:46. > :23:54.sheet. It is only an indication. It is only a warning.
:23:55. > :23:59.It is interesting. We have got pine and seaweed.
:24:00. > :24:12.I'm corns amidst the Open left the weather is dry.
:24:13. > :24:22.This is dry. Rain is on the way. We have a picture of the pine cones.
:24:23. > :24:27.This was when we had high pressure. Low pressure rise and the pine cones
:24:28. > :24:33.closed. We hang the seaweed up on a wall.
:24:34. > :24:44.The seaweed to stay dry when it was dry weather. But you could not
:24:45. > :24:49.pocket when the rain arrived. A bit of seaweed over there and we
:24:50. > :24:57.could just pop it. It is interesting. So many people
:24:58. > :25:09.have so many bits of folklore. I always think about the berries.
:25:10. > :25:12.We have some lovely pictures. Joanna Grierson captured the
:25:13. > :25:15.glorious skies over Tichborne on a walk to Cheriton in Hampshire.
:25:16. > :25:21.The Sun lit up the Hockley viaduct in Winchester. This picture was sent
:25:22. > :25:23.in by Roy Venkatesh. And the "Nunney Castle" passing
:25:24. > :25:33.Midgham in Berkshire, captured by David Canning.
:25:34. > :25:40.There is the risk of the odd shower tonight. They will be few and far
:25:41. > :25:49.between. Drying out to the early hours of the morning. Possibly down
:25:50. > :25:58.to freezing in the countryside. A big risk of ice on and cheated
:25:59. > :26:05.services. The Met office have issued a yellow weather warning for ice. I
:26:06. > :26:17.cold Frosty start to the day tomorrow. Showers will run on land
:26:18. > :26:23.during the afternoon. The best of any dry and bright conditions will
:26:24. > :26:29.be further East. The winds are from the South West. The rain will move
:26:30. > :26:37.into more evening. Nothing too significant but that will hinder the
:26:38. > :26:39.drying out process. Clearing first thing on Saturday morning.
:26:40. > :26:49.Temperatures falling away sharply under those clear skies. The risk
:26:50. > :26:57.once again of ice. A cold start on Saturday. The best day of the week.
:26:58. > :27:04.And the best day of the weekend. High pressure in charge of our
:27:05. > :27:09.weather. Staying dry and settled. More cloud through the day on
:27:10. > :27:18.Sunday. Rain will arrive. A little uncertainty as to how much rain, so
:27:19. > :27:20.stay tuned to the forecast. In piecing cloud tomorrow afternoon. A
:27:21. > :27:27.band of rain tomorrow night. I dry start to the AA on Saturday. A cold
:27:28. > :27:42.start on Sunday. I will have a go at the weather
:27:43. > :27:53.tomorrow. Take the seaweed. That is all for now. Goodbye.
:27:54. > :28:14.TOM: # And if there's anybody left in here
:28:15. > :28:17.# That doesn't want to be out there... #