:00:03. > :00:13.Good evening. In Wales Today: The winter vomiting bug on the rise
:00:13. > :00:32.
:00:32. > :00:37.Also tonight, Jodie is struggling to keep a roof over her head. Now
:00:37. > :00:43.thousands more like her asking for help. It was so hard. I didn't want
:00:43. > :00:49.to be in a hostel knowing I would be there when I had the baby.
:00:49. > :00:59.new housing estate was devastated by flooding. The council orders an
:00:59. > :01:04.
:01:04. > :01:06.independent investigation. This new housing estate was
:01:06. > :01:08.devastated by flooding. Now the council orders an independent
:01:08. > :01:11.investigation. Put our street lights back on - the
:01:11. > :01:13.residents facing a huge bill and a tough battle to get the switch
:01:13. > :01:16.flicked. The Christmas whisky rush is well
:01:16. > :01:19.under way, and now plans to triple production at Penderyn.
:01:19. > :01:22.And after breaking records at the Olympics, it's back to the day job
:01:22. > :01:23.for Gareth Evans. I tell them he's like Superman going back to being
:01:23. > :01:26.Clark Kent. There's been a significant increase
:01:26. > :01:29.in the number of people suffering from the winter vomiting bug,
:01:29. > :01:32.norovirus. Official figures show nearly 560 cases - an increase of
:01:32. > :01:35.66 per cent on last year. But with many sufferers choosing not to see
:01:35. > :01:45.a doctor, officials say the true figure could be over 150,000.
:01:45. > :01:52.
:01:52. > :01:55.Still in fine voice, but choristers are thinner on the ground at this
:01:55. > :02:01.school in Cardiff this time of the year. Like many schools and
:02:01. > :02:06.workplaces, it has been hit by norovirus, also known as the winter
:02:06. > :02:11.vomiting bug. This year, grown-ups have been hit hardest. More staff
:02:11. > :02:16.this year it than before. You can say to an adult, you are feeling
:02:16. > :02:21.queasy or nauseated, goal way, I don't want to see you for 48 hours
:02:21. > :02:28.so we don't spread this. Children are not as easy. Figures show a 66
:02:28. > :02:34.per cent increase in confirmed cases this winter, up from 334 to
:02:34. > :02:38.557, and it has affected hospitals all over Wales. At the moment, two
:02:38. > :02:42.wards are close to admissions at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital, while
:02:43. > :02:49.four are shut in Prince Charles Hospital. The University Hospital
:02:49. > :02:52.of Wales has six wards closed, and another has two closed. 35 people
:02:52. > :02:57.were taken ill in North Wales earlier this week, and two awards
:02:57. > :03:02.are still closed in Bangor. But a doctor who has seen more people
:03:02. > :03:07.suffering at his surgery near Prestatyn says this is the tip of
:03:07. > :03:11.the iceberg. Some of these viruses are incredibly infectious. We as
:03:11. > :03:15.doctors cannot emphasise good hygiene, particularly after you
:03:15. > :03:19.have been to the toilet, enough, but some of these viruses, you just
:03:19. > :03:23.need to be in the same room as someone who has it and you may be
:03:23. > :03:28.unfortunate and catch it through a droplets. So what exactly is
:03:28. > :03:31.norovirus? It is a small, round virus, also called the winter
:03:31. > :03:35.mutating disease because it can only get it during winter. It
:03:35. > :03:40.causes sudden, heavy vomiting and diarrhoea, and is normally passed
:03:40. > :03:46.from hand to hand. Most people recover after 24 hours but it can
:03:46. > :03:50.be worse for children. We asking these people, if they are unwell,
:03:50. > :03:56.because of the short duration of symptoms, but they don't attend a
:03:56. > :03:59.knee or GP practices. If they need to see a GP they should ring up in
:03:59. > :04:04.the first instance. -- attend accident and emergency. They should
:04:04. > :04:08.make sure they get enough fluids. For these children, it looks like a
:04:08. > :04:12.norovirus free Christmas, but it is fast becoming a fixture of the
:04:12. > :04:17.festive season that no one wants. Joining me now is Martin Semple,
:04:17. > :04:21.associate director of the Royal College of Nursing in Wales. How
:04:21. > :04:27.serious is norovirus? It is very contagious, as a contributor
:04:27. > :04:31.pointed out. It is very robust. It's a by some hard services for up
:04:31. > :04:35.to 24 hours so cleaning is important, and if it gets on so --
:04:35. > :04:39.soft services like clothing it can survive for several days --
:04:39. > :04:44.surfaces. While the symptoms are unpleasant, they are mostly not
:04:44. > :04:51.dangerous, so the emphasis is on hygiene, both hand hygiene and
:04:51. > :04:55.washing contaminated clothing and services. -- services. Is there an
:04:55. > :04:58.explanation for the increase this year? There might be, but one of
:04:58. > :05:04.the challenges with this virus is that it is not a notifiable disease,
:05:04. > :05:07.so many will suffer at home. For everyone reported we suspect
:05:07. > :05:12.hundreds don't have it -- haven't reported, and it is difficult to
:05:12. > :05:16.work that out. Many hospital wards have had to close, haven't they?
:05:17. > :05:20.What is being done to contain it? It is all about containment, so we
:05:20. > :05:24.don't want people in the wards to have the virus is taken out of the
:05:24. > :05:29.wards and into the community, or people in the community with the
:05:29. > :05:34.virus taking it into hospitals. So while it is very difficult, there
:05:34. > :05:38.is restricted -- restricted visiting during infection times at
:05:38. > :05:43.hospital wards. It is important that those who feel ill with
:05:43. > :05:48.nauseate or diarrhoea do not visit loved ones during that time. Those
:05:48. > :05:54.in hospital who were ill or frail are more susceptible to the side
:05:54. > :05:59.effects. Is the increase in cases putting great pressure on hospital
:05:59. > :06:02.staff? Enormous pressure, because staff get ill as well as patients
:06:02. > :06:08.and have to be covered by other staff who work longer hours and
:06:08. > :06:12.more days. While there is a massive voluntary effort, we can contribute
:06:12. > :06:22.to reducing the pressure by asking people not to visit when they feel
:06:22. > :06:26.
:06:26. > :06:29.unwell themselves. Martin Semple, thank you. The number of people
:06:29. > :06:32.asking for help with homelessness has gone up for the second year
:06:32. > :06:34.running. BBC Wales has found more than 19,000 people have approached
:06:34. > :06:36.councils desperate for help. Charities are warning there could
:06:36. > :06:38.be more people homeless than official figures show. Paul Heaney
:06:38. > :06:41.reports. Sleeping rough on the street like
:06:41. > :06:44.these people in Swansea is often the image associated with
:06:44. > :06:46.homelessness. But more families are asking for help keeping a roof over
:06:46. > :06:49.their head, too. Jodie Jones from Cardiff was on benefits and
:06:49. > :06:52.couldn't find anywhere to live whilst she was pregnant with her
:06:52. > :06:59.daughter. After being accepted as homeless, she's now in temporary
:06:59. > :07:05.accommodation waiting for a house. When they asked me to leave when I
:07:05. > :07:09.was pregnant, my parents, there was no room, so it was so hard. I
:07:09. > :07:13.didn't want to be in a hospital knowing -- in a hostel knowing I
:07:13. > :07:16.would have the baby there. More than 19,000 people went to
:07:16. > :07:19.their council and claimed they were homeless in the last financial year
:07:19. > :07:22.in Wales - up 27% on the year before. The councils then judged
:07:22. > :07:25.those claims. In 6,500 cases they agreed they were homeless according
:07:25. > :07:29.to set criteria. Those criteria include things like
:07:29. > :07:33.having a link to the local area, and whether or not someone has made
:07:33. > :07:36.themselves intentionally homeless by not paying their rent.
:07:36. > :07:40.This charity accommodation near Mold in Flintshire has noticed more
:07:40. > :07:43.families coming to them for help. 17-year-old Chiara Gath found
:07:43. > :07:50.herself homeless with her six- month-old baby, and is pregnant
:07:51. > :07:55.again. Becoming homeless and going through
:07:55. > :07:59.the stages with the refuges, you sort of see how many people are
:07:59. > :08:02.homeless and hear their stories. I think there could be a lot more
:08:02. > :08:05.family support to prevent it before this does happen.
:08:05. > :08:12.Campaigners say the root causes of homelessness need to be looked at
:08:12. > :08:16.closely. They really have to go through an ordeal very often,
:08:16. > :08:19.because that family has not been looked at as a unique family. You
:08:19. > :08:24.can put a roof over their head or help resettle them into the
:08:24. > :08:27.community, but it goes around and they fall out again, and this is
:08:27. > :08:30.one of the deepest concerns. The Welsh Government say they've
:08:30. > :08:33.made extra funding available to help prevent people ending up on
:08:33. > :08:36.streets, and changes in the benefit system are having a negative effect
:08:36. > :08:39.on housing. But the UK Government say they're making the system
:08:39. > :08:45.fairer by cutting housing benefits for people in houses that are
:08:45. > :08:50.bigger than they really need. Homeless charities say they expect
:08:50. > :08:54.the situation to get worse. For now, Jodie's on a housing
:08:54. > :08:59.waiting list and is glad to have a roof over her head this Christmas,
:08:59. > :09:02.when thousands of others in Wales The rock band, Lostprophets, have
:09:02. > :09:05.released a statement saying they're in a "state of shock" after their
:09:05. > :09:07.lead singer, Ian Watkins, appeared in court charged with child sex
:09:07. > :09:10.offences. The 35-year-old from Pontypridd faces six charges
:09:10. > :09:16.relating to sexual offences against two young children, including a
:09:16. > :09:20.one-year-old girl. He's due to appear at Cardiff Crown Court at
:09:20. > :09:23.the end of the month. Government ministers have offered
:09:23. > :09:26.to support Pembrokeshire Council after two reports criticised its
:09:26. > :09:29.actions. Its policy on safeguarding children was criticised last year,
:09:29. > :09:35.while earlier this week the Auditor General questioned the "speed and
:09:35. > :09:40.rigour" of change. The council says it's committed to addressing the
:09:40. > :09:43.issues. Residents of a Swansea housing
:09:43. > :09:46.estate are battling to keep their street lights on this Christmas.
:09:46. > :09:50.The problem all started when the developer went bust and stopped
:09:50. > :10:00.paying for the electricity. Now they're in a dispute with the
:10:00. > :10:04.council over who should pay the bill. James Williams has the story.
:10:04. > :10:08.The street lights are off, yet everyone is home. But the residents
:10:08. > :10:12.of this housing estate in Birch Grove have done their best to gear
:10:12. > :10:16.up for Christmas despite being in the darkness for some two months.
:10:16. > :10:20.Our first response was, maybe it is a problem with the lights, and a
:10:20. > :10:23.few cub -- phone calls later it turned out the electricity had been
:10:23. > :10:28.deliberately cut off by the electricity company because the
:10:28. > :10:35.bill hadn't been paid. Since 2008, as it turns out, when the property
:10:35. > :10:39.firm who built by housing estate, David Maclean, went to the wall. It
:10:39. > :10:42.went unnoticed by Swalec into recently, and they refuse to flick
:10:42. > :10:46.the switch into will Swansea Council or the residents pay up.
:10:46. > :10:50.Because the street was never handed over by the builder to the council,
:10:50. > :10:54.the council actually has no obligation to maintain the street,
:10:54. > :10:59.but it is willing to do so if it is up to the required standards, which
:10:59. > :11:04.will cost �17,000 to the residents. As a goodwill gesture, the council
:11:04. > :11:07.will meet 20 per cent of the cast, leaving more than �300 per
:11:08. > :11:11.household. Swansea Council has said it sympathises with the residents
:11:11. > :11:19.and has been working with them to resolve the matter when no one else
:11:19. > :11:23.would, but it is little comfort for the people of the estate. Hello.
:11:23. > :11:28.For this woman and her husband, providing a safe home for Jessica
:11:28. > :11:32.and Ben is paramount. They don't necessarily know the situation, and
:11:32. > :11:37.it is a concern that someone could come around the corner one day in
:11:37. > :11:43.the dark and not see the children, and we're in this situation at the
:11:43. > :11:48.moment. We have been played -- paying full council tax for nine
:11:48. > :11:54.years since Jack -- in January, and as we understand abortion is
:11:54. > :11:56.supposed to go towards street lighting. Discussions -- back a
:11:56. > :11:58.portion is supposed to go towards street lighting.
:11:58. > :12:00.Still to come: Aiming to take Welsh whisky around
:12:00. > :12:04.the world - Penderyn looks to triple production.
:12:04. > :12:14.And after Olympic success, it's back down to earth and back to the
:12:14. > :12:14.
:12:14. > :12:17.Denbighshire Council is launching an independent investigation into
:12:17. > :12:20.flooding in Ruthin last month. More than one hundred properties were
:12:20. > :12:24.flooded on the Glasdir estate, and a report by the Environment Agency
:12:24. > :12:34.said blocked culverts were partly to blame. Our reporter, Dafydd
:12:34. > :12:36.
:12:36. > :12:39.Evans, is in Denbigh for us tonight. Thanks, Lucy. I am at Denbigh High
:12:39. > :12:45.School, where sixth-formers are tonight holding an auction to save
:12:45. > :12:48.money for flood victims in the area. Some people have just started
:12:48. > :12:54.arriving and the students have been going around local businesses
:12:54. > :12:58.gathering pledges worth �700, and I know they are looking to top �1,000
:12:58. > :13:03.later tonight. The fund-raising efforts are ongoing, then, as our
:13:03. > :13:08.efforts to find out exactly why so many people were affected last
:13:08. > :13:14.month. Yesterday, we heard the Environment Agency's explanation of
:13:14. > :13:17.events at Glasdir. Today, Denbighshire Council responded.
:13:17. > :13:21.Over 100 properties were affected on the Glasdir estate at the end of
:13:21. > :13:26.November when waters rose from the River Clwyd. This is the culvert
:13:26. > :13:29.that was supposed to keep residents say from floods, but a report by
:13:29. > :13:34.the Environment Agency suggests that on the day of the floods, it
:13:34. > :13:38.had become partially blocked. An aerial photo taken from a police
:13:38. > :13:42.helicopter that day showers water wasn't flowing probably under the
:13:42. > :13:47.road and into flood prevention channels. The report states that it
:13:47. > :13:51.appears the road was acting as a damn. Today, the body responsible
:13:51. > :13:55.for clearing the culvert, Denbighshire Council, says the
:13:55. > :13:58.conclusion of yesterday's report is a partial explanation. They are
:13:58. > :14:02.setting up an independent investigation into what happened.
:14:02. > :14:08.There is an issue with the performance of the Carl Roberts,
:14:08. > :14:12.and we are responsible for them, -- the culverts. We didn't investigate
:14:12. > :14:16.them because there was no flood warning issued on the day. Having
:14:16. > :14:20.known there was a risk of a flat, we would probably have done it, so
:14:20. > :14:26.yes, they should have been checked on the day of the floods, that is
:14:26. > :14:30.clear. This is a photo sent to BBC Wales by a resident on the estate,
:14:30. > :14:39.appearing to show how neglected the area close to the culvert had
:14:39. > :14:41.become. Here we go. Shall we go to the front room? Many residents are
:14:41. > :14:46.facing Christmas in temporary accommodation, their homes
:14:46. > :14:50.uninhabitable. Now, when it starts to rain, you look out the window
:14:51. > :14:55.and think, what's going to happen? We need reassurance and guarantee
:14:55. > :14:59.now what will be done, like they had promised from day one, that the
:14:59. > :15:03.river gets seen to, and it just doesn't happen again.
:15:03. > :15:07.construction firm Taylor Wimpy today confirm that they are not
:15:07. > :15:13.responsible for the Culbert but will look at what improvements can
:15:13. > :15:17.be made. -- the Culbert. The group representing local residents has
:15:18. > :15:22.met local politicians. What is important is that we find out
:15:22. > :15:25.exactly what happened. I don't think people in Ruthin are
:15:25. > :15:30.interested in the blame game. They want the truth, to find out what
:15:30. > :15:36.has been going on. Denbighshire Council expect the report to be
:15:36. > :15:39.ready by April next year. Well, the auction will begin here
:15:40. > :15:43.at Denbigh High School very shortly, and fund-raising is certainly
:15:43. > :15:48.needed, Lucy, because by that time that report is published, some
:15:48. > :15:51.people may still be without a home. Thank you.
:15:51. > :15:54.A man accused of killing Cardiff student Amir Siddiqi has told a
:15:54. > :15:57.court he cannot explain how the teenager's blood came to be found
:15:57. > :16:00.on one of his shirts. The 17-year- old was killed at his home in
:16:00. > :16:03.Cardiff two years ago. Jason Richards denied the blood was on
:16:03. > :16:08.his clothes because he had carried out the murder. He says his co-
:16:08. > :16:11.defendant Ben Hope killed Mr Siddiqi. The case continues.
:16:11. > :16:15.The number of people prosecuted for attacks on NHS staff in Wales has
:16:15. > :16:18.gone up significantly in the past year according to new figures.
:16:18. > :16:22.There have been nearly 400 prosecutions in the last two and a
:16:22. > :16:25.half years. More than 500 sanctions like ASBOs were also given. It
:16:25. > :16:31.comes as a new campaign is launched warning people against violence
:16:31. > :16:35.towards hospital staff. The main whisky distiller in Wales
:16:35. > :16:37.has set out plans to triple production. The expansion at
:16:37. > :16:40.Penderyn Whisky, near Aberdare, will transform it from a niche
:16:40. > :16:43.operation into a whisky maker capable of producing more than
:16:43. > :16:53.400,000 bottles a year. Here's our Business Correspondent, Nick
:16:53. > :16:56.
:16:56. > :17:01.The Christmas rush is well under way at Penderyn. In future, this
:17:01. > :17:06.rich could be much greater as a result of an investment of close to
:17:06. > :17:09.�1 million. It is a big milestone for the company, bringing a
:17:09. > :17:12.distillery into being is a challenge in itself, and getting
:17:12. > :17:17.that business and the brand established is quite a challenge,
:17:17. > :17:21.but we are now at the next stage, of expanding to become a much more
:17:21. > :17:25.significance sized business. Penderyn whisky launched its single
:17:25. > :17:29.malt on St David's Day eight years ago. It was so successful it ran
:17:29. > :17:33.out to stop within days. That would be a problem after this expansion,
:17:33. > :17:37.although because of the ageing process, it will take up to seven
:17:37. > :17:41.years before the new whisky is ready to be sold. Most of its
:17:41. > :17:47.current sales are with British supermarkets. In future, it will be
:17:47. > :17:51.making a big push on exports. But can it compete against so many
:17:51. > :17:55.well-established Scottish brands out there? Well, one way could be
:17:55. > :18:01.to make a virtue of the fact that instead of being one of many, it is
:18:01. > :18:06.in fact the only distillery in Wales with its whisky on sale. End
:18:06. > :18:10.yet the company is keen not to overplay that and become a kind of
:18:10. > :18:14.one-off Welsh novelty purchase. So interestingly, it has a house rule
:18:14. > :18:19.which bans the use of dragon's and daffodils bar on any of its
:18:19. > :18:25.marketing. One branding expert believes it has got a chance of
:18:26. > :18:31.success, but there are major challenges. If you have two brands
:18:31. > :18:36.of similar price and equal quality of packaging, one is from Wales and
:18:36. > :18:40.one is from Scotland, it as a consumer, about 90 per cent will
:18:40. > :18:46.choose the Scotch whisky, because Scotch whisky has provenance and is
:18:46. > :18:50.known for producing quality products. There will be local
:18:50. > :18:54.benefits to this, but the biggest potential benefit here will be
:18:54. > :18:58.whether a brand named after a village in the Brecon Beacons can
:18:58. > :19:01.establish itself in a global whisky industry.
:19:01. > :19:04.Rugby, and Wales winger Alex Cuthbert has signed a new three-
:19:04. > :19:07.year deal with Cardiff Blues. He rejected offers from other clubs,
:19:07. > :19:15.bucking the trend of top players moving to France, with Jamie
:19:15. > :19:19.Roberts and Dan Lydiate leaving next season.
:19:19. > :19:22.2012 has been an Olympic year. Many stars of the Games will go on to
:19:22. > :19:24.fame and fortune, but for athletes competing in sports without a high
:19:24. > :19:28.profile it means returning to the day job. Holyhead weightlifter
:19:28. > :19:31.Gareth Evans broke all his personal bests in London, but is now back
:19:31. > :19:41.working full time, eaming of a gold medal in the Commonwealth games in
:19:41. > :19:46.
:19:46. > :19:50.two years' time. Here's Matt Murray. 2012 has been Gareth Evans's
:19:50. > :19:55.greatest year, breaking one Welsh record and equalling another. But
:19:55. > :19:59.now five months later, the gloss of the Games has faded and it is back
:19:59. > :20:04.to the day-job for Gareth. I have been brought down to earth a little
:20:04. > :20:09.bit. People ask me and I tell them it is like Superman going back --
:20:09. > :20:13.back to being cut Kent, when he takes his suitor off and that.
:20:13. > :20:16.26-year-old made major personal sacrifices to make their games,
:20:16. > :20:21.moving to Leeds and quitting his job and leaving his three-year-old
:20:21. > :20:25.daughter at home with his family in Hollywood -- Holyhead. He and his
:20:25. > :20:29.friend James have started their own painting and decorating business,
:20:29. > :20:34.so he balances being a dad, a decorator and a dedicated athlete.
:20:34. > :20:39.It is not easy. I envy all the athletes out there who can train
:20:39. > :20:48.twice a day. After close to 15 years of training, London saw
:20:48. > :20:52.Gareth smash all his personal bests. The 6000 people cheering me on on
:20:52. > :20:57.27th July was worth all 14 years. I would do every injury, every bad
:20:58. > :21:02.session, every pair of sore hands I have ever had in 14 years, I would
:21:02. > :21:06.do it all again for another six goals on that platform. It was
:21:06. > :21:10.absolutely incredible. He has to fit in training after work. This
:21:10. > :21:14.week, weightlifting receive extra funding for the real Olympics, but
:21:14. > :21:18.it doesn't go far. When Gareth was training full-time for London he
:21:18. > :21:23.received just �400 a month and needed a high-calorie diet which
:21:23. > :21:28.wasn't cheap. I was on 8000 calories a day in Leeds just to try
:21:28. > :21:33.and sustain my body weight. I have come back, gone to work, I don't
:21:33. > :21:39.have four or five meals a day, and I have lost the weight, and I am
:21:39. > :21:45.struggling to put strength on, so I need to find a big bag of cash and
:21:45. > :21:48.stop working and just train full- time. So if anyone finds one...!
:21:48. > :21:52.Gareth trains in this new weightlifting centre in Holyhead
:21:52. > :21:56.and hopes more youngsters will get involved in the sport. Holyhead has
:21:56. > :21:59.a rich history when it comes to weightlifting. Gareth is their
:21:59. > :22:03.first Olympian but the town has produced three Commonwealth
:22:03. > :22:07.medallists, and Gareth now has his sights firmly set on Glasgow and
:22:07. > :22:11.that gold medal. One of those Commonwealth champions is Gareth's
:22:11. > :22:18.coach, Ray Williams, who is now focusing on getting a gold for his
:22:18. > :22:24.student. To win a gold medal in Glasgow would be an accolades that
:22:24. > :22:27.I felt and cherished and it gets better with age. I am the best
:22:27. > :22:32.lifter to come out of the club so far, be only one who has gone to
:22:32. > :22:38.the Olympics, but might opinion is... I have to win a Commonwealth
:22:38. > :22:43.gold medal to equal him, so that is the plan. So painting and training
:22:43. > :22:49.will now have to go side by side if Gareth plans on being a
:22:49. > :22:59.Commonwealth champion in Glasgow and making real in four years' time.
:22:59. > :22:59.
:22:59. > :23:03.-- map-making Rio de Janeiro. Many of us have had a good soaking
:23:03. > :23:06.today. There is more wet and windy weather --
:23:06. > :23:09.There's more wet and windy weather on the way on Saturday, but
:23:09. > :23:12.tomorrow is going to be much drier. The radar shows today's rain.
:23:12. > :23:16.Tredegar one of the wettest places in the last 24 hours, with rising
:23:16. > :23:23.rivers and flooding on some roads. This picture was taken in Cadoxton
:23:23. > :23:29.near Neath by Mike Davies. At the moment, there is one flood warning
:23:29. > :23:32.in force in the Lower Dee Valley, and 13 flood alerts. This evening
:23:32. > :23:42.and tonight, the rain will ease and clear, so turning much drier, but
:23:42. > :23:47.
:23:47. > :23:57.with all the moisture on the ground. Misty in places with fog patches,
:23:57. > :24:04.
:24:04. > :24:07.and chilly inland. Temperatures falling as low as two Celsius. I
:24:07. > :24:11.wouldn't rule out ground frost. Milder on the coast. Tomorrow will
:24:11. > :24:14.bring a respite from the rain, but more fronts are looming over the
:24:14. > :24:19.Atlantic and they are heading our way. The good news - tomorrow is
:24:19. > :24:24.the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. Weather-wise,
:24:24. > :24:29.tomorrow we're in for a better day, much drier. Mind you, it will be
:24:29. > :24:33.grey and murky in places first thing. Some low cloud and mist and
:24:33. > :24:42.a few fog patches as well. Perhaps a spot of drizzle in Snowdonia,
:24:42. > :24:45.otherwise dry with light winds. Temperature Wise, seven Celsius, 45
:24:45. > :24:48.Fahrenheit in Cardigan. During the day, any mist and fog will lift,
:24:48. > :24:51.leaving a dry afternoon, and in places brightening up with some
:24:51. > :25:00.sunshine. Top temperatures around eight to 10 Celsius with light
:25:00. > :25:04.winds in Flintshire tomorrow. Not bad for this time of year. Dry and
:25:04. > :25:07.brightening up, some sunshine, with a high of 10 in Holywell. In
:25:07. > :25:17.Pembrokeshire tomorrow, dry, some cloud and mild. A high of 11 in
:25:17. > :25:20.
:25:20. > :25:27.Newgale. 5252 Fahrenheit. Tomorrow evening, mostly dry with mist and
:25:27. > :25:32.fog patches but more rain will arrive after midnight. -- -- 52
:25:32. > :25:35.Fahrenheit. The wind picking up as well. Saturday wet and windy -
:25:35. > :25:38.another dose of heavy rain with an ongoing risk of flooding. Sunday
:25:38. > :25:41.should be drier. Quite windy and mild. More rain by Monday, with a
:25:41. > :25:44.green rather than white Christmas. So, much drier tomorrow, but rivers
:25:44. > :25:48.will remain swollen. A few will even continue to rise. And with
:25:48. > :25:51.more rain on the way by Saturday, we're not out of the woods as far
:25:52. > :25:57.as flooding is concerned. Time for the Christmas pictures.
:25:57. > :26:03.The first is by Megan Jones from Llangattock in Powys. Next, Father
:26:03. > :26:08.Christmas by Theo Broughton from Dinas Powys. And last but not least,
:26:08. > :26:11.a reindeer by Ellie Daniels from Llwynypia. Well, there's been
:26:11. > :26:21.plenty of rain today with more on the way, but tomorrow will be much
:26:21. > :26:23.
:26:23. > :26:28.We need to make the most of it, don't we? The headlines from the
:26:28. > :26:33.BBC: There are more than 300 flood warnings and alerts across the UK
:26:33. > :26:36.tonight after 24 hours of near continuous rain and the ground
:26:36. > :26:41.saturated after the rain fall of the last few weeks. Trains have
:26:41. > :26:44.been cancelled and roads closed. There has been a significant
:26:44. > :26:51.increase in the number of people suffering from the winter vomiting
:26:51. > :26:56.bug, norovirus, in Wales. Official figures show nearly 560 cases, an
:26:56. > :27:01.increase of 66 per cent on last year. If the viruses -- virus gets
:27:01. > :27:04.on soft services like clothing, it can survive for several days, so
:27:04. > :27:09.while the symptoms of the disease are unpleasant, they are mostly not
:27:10. > :27:13.dangerous, so the emphasis is on hygiene, both hand hygiene and
:27:13. > :27:16.washing up contaminated clothing and services.
:27:16. > :27:20.And the number of people asking for help with homelessness has gone up
:27:21. > :27:24.for the second year running to more than 19,000.
:27:24. > :27:27.Apologies for that. Just a quick reminder, if you have
:27:27. > :27:34.a story you think we should cover, let us know, we would love to hear
:27:34. > :27:40.from you. E-mail us, or call our audience line.