17/02/2014 BBC Oxford News

BBC Two in a few moments, asking what lessons the flood have

Good evening. David Cameron has urged insurers to

help flood victims as quickly as possible. Hundreds of homes in the

Thames Valley have been affected by the recent flooding, with some

people still waiting for insurers to pay out. Other properties are

uninsurable. In a moment, the new scheme designed to improve insurance

for high risk areas. But first, this report from Tom Turrell.

It might not look like it, but Peter's one of the lucky ones...

This is an old house that was built in the 1830s, when they didn't tank

the sellers. When the water table rises, the waterfall. . Despite the

fact his cellar at his Streatley home fills with floodwater, he can

get insurance for the rest of his property. They asked where the

flooding occurred and I said it was to water seepage in the basement,

and so they accepted the insurance, but they had an exclusion for any

damage in the basement. But not everyone's so lucky. It was scary.

My husband was outside petting the sandbags out, and we were hoping it

would stop, but it didn't and it started coming up through the floor.

Floodwater's destroyed the ground floor of Lyndsey's home, forcing her

and her young family to move out. But she says despite telling her

insurance company about the damage more than a week ago, they've still

not done anything to help. It's frustrating, because our

neighbours, their insurers have been fantastic. They have been in a hotel

since it happened and they have had the carpet ripped up and have had

people around. It seems like some thing is happening for them and

nothing has happened for us. We are still waiting to be told that we can

start. In this case it is unclear if the insurers will pay out and if

so, when, leaving Lindsay and many like her uncertain what will happen

next. The government and insurance firms

are now working together to change the way they cover properties in

future. Earlier I spoke to Malcolm Tarling is from the Association of

British Insurers, who explained how the scheme will work.

The new scheme we have agreed with the government and that comes into

force in 2015 aims to protect those households who are most at risk of

flooding and who will be least able to afford the cost of flood

insurance, by copying their flood insurance premiums. We believe that

this is a fairer way of helping people who are at risk of flooding

and we want to ensure that flood insurance remains as widely

available and affordable as possible and will believe this is the best

way. Of that belief people in low risk areas are subsidising those in

high`risk areas? `` does that mean that people. You do not have to be

beside the river or the coast because of flooding. We have seen

surface water flooding can affect anyone, anywhere at any time.

Everyone has to shoulder some of the responsibility. Don't forget that

the levy which is going to part fund this scheme, people are already

paying it anyway, because it represents a level of subsidy that

existed under a previous arrangement. This new scheme is not

asking people to pay more. It is helping those people who are most at

risk of flooding and helping them afford the cost of insurance and

that is what everyone wants. A man has been charged with the

murder of a 17`year`old boy in Oxford. Conor Tremble was stabbed

multiple times last week. He died on Saturday. 820 ruled from Banbury is

accused of killing him and will appear in court tomorrow. ``

20`year`old. A group calling itself the IRA has

claimed responsibility for sending explosive devices to Army careers

offices, including one in Oxford Seven suspect packages were

discovered at army offices across the country. Part of Oxford city

centre was evacuated last Thursday and bomb disposal teams removed the

package for analysis. Production at BMW's Mini plant in

Swindon is due to increase. The car manufacturer has announced that new

Minis will be built in Holland as well as Oxford. A BMW spokesman says

it's good news for Swindon, where the panels are made, as the factory

will be producing car parts for both plants.

A couple who thought they could never have children have described

their ten`week`old son as their miracle baby. Marie Andrews has

brittle bone disease and has suffered 200 fractures in her

lifetime. But despite the challenges, she was determined to be

a mum. Marie Andrews never expected this `

to be changing her own baby. It really was the impossible dream, the

final goal she set herself following a major operation at the age of 14.

It was either I give up, that I don't get through this back

operation, or that I do the best I can with the body that I've got is

how I saw it. I wrote it all down and I was just determined to do

everything on that list. And I think everything is pretty much ticked

off. At under four feet tall, Marie from Milton Keynes did not grow

properly because her bones kept breaking. She has the rare disease

commonly known as brittle bones. In and out of plaster 200 times. The

shopping list of goals gave Marie Ed chance to beat normal `` a chance to

be normal. She went to university, flew a plane and had a boyfriend,

last year, married him. Her son was carried by a surrogate and born in

November. It was amazing, and it was a homebirth. We rushed in and we

held him when he was two minutes old. We were there from the first

moment. There was a 50% chance he might have inherited the condition.

Thankfully, he is fit and healthy. But her personal assistant, Vicky,

helps you be the hands`on mum she wants to be, with her husband and

baby she is complete, her life turned around by hope and

determination. Football, and Swindon have missed

out on a Wembley final. They lost to Peterborough tonight in the Southern

Section area final of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy. It was

1`all at full time. Peteborough won on penalties.

Alexis is on the way with the weather forecast. South Today is

back in BBC Breakfast tomorrow morning. Good night.

Hello, there will be brainless week and went at time, but not as strong

as last week and the rain not as heavy. `` rain this week. The rain

light and patchy tonight. Mist and fog with temperatures dropping to

around six or seven Celsius. A frost free night to come and a damp start

for some of us. The showers continue in between sunny spells. The

brightness will be more so during the afternoon and the showers could

be on the heavy side in the middle part of the day, with temperatures

reaching eight or nine Celsius and the wind fairly light. We are

looking at rain tomorrow. As we look ahead to the rest of the week,

Whilst across the whole of the country the general weather pattern

shows no signs of completely settling down there is some good

news. There will be some drier spells over the next couple of days,

the wind is not as strong and it will be relatively mild. Cloud

tonight, the exception is the Northern Isles. The risk of a touch

of Frost. A weakening front sitting through Scotland. Some heavier

showers for Northern Ireland and