02/03/2018 Breakfast

Hello this is Breakfast,

with Charlie Stayt and Tina Daheley.

The army has been called in to help

rescue drivers stuck

in snow and blizzards overnight -

hundreds are still stranded.

Police in Somerset

and Hampshire have

declared major incidents.

Troops, coastguard and search

and rescue teams have been working

through the night to clear roads.

Amber weather warnings still cover

most of the UK. Ten people are

thought to have died in severe

weather related incidents since it

began four days ago.

Good morning.

It's Friday the 2nd of March.

Also this morning.

A blueprint for Brexit -

Theresa May will deliver

a long-awaited speech

setting out her plans

for a future relationship with the

EU.

If you're affected by

the snow, is it worth

struggling to get to work?

And will you get paid

if you stay at home?

I'll explain all

the rules before 7am.

In sport, it's snow

joke for Arsenal fans.

Tens of thousands give

their side the cold shoulder

and miss their second

thrashing in a week

by Manchester City, as the pressure

builds on manager Arsene Wenger.

We will have all the latest on the

weather. Another bitterly cold day

up there with a combination of heavy

snowfall, more ice and those biting

easterly winds. I will bring you the

full UK forecast throughout the

morning.

Good morning.

First, our main story.

Hundreds of motorists

are still trapped after spending

the night in cars in freezing cold

temperatures,

stranded on motorways

because of heavy snowfall.

A Met Office red "danger to life"

warning covering south-west England

and south Wales has been lifted,

but amber and yellow warnings

remain in place for much

of the rest of the UK.

Ten people have died in weather-

related incidents since the severe

conditions first hit on Tuesday.

There have been three

serious incidents affecting

major roads overnight.

The M62 in the north

of England is closed around

Saddleworth Moor and Rochdale,

where people are still stuck

in strong winds and snow.

Emergency services and volunteers

have been working all night

to get people to safety.

In Hampshire, on the A31,

police declared a major incident

and brought in the army to help

free the road.

Traffic on the eastbound

carriageway has finally begun

moving after it was closed

for nearly 10 hours.

Hundreds of motorists were trapped

in freezing conditions.

A major incident was also

declared on the A303

near Taunton, when up to 100

vehicles became stranded.

Two BBC correspondents

have been trapped

in those closures overnight.

Duncan Kennedy was on the A31

in The New Forest, but first

Robert Hall sent us this report

from the A303 -

where he is still trapped.

With every mile, the clouds came

lower. More snow swirled, and the

carriageway began to disappear. By

the time we reached the hills of

Wiltshire, the blizzard had begun.

Pretty soon everything ground to a

halt. Travelling tonight from east

to west is absolutely horrendous. If

I put the window down, hopefully you

can see that, it is driving snow. We

have six or seven inches here. In

front and behind, hundreds of

vehicles were going nowhere.

We hope

to get to Taunton eventually but at

the moment it is not looking very

promising and we could be stuck.

With lorries blocking half the road,

the snowploughs struggled to clear a

path.

Got to get the heating on.

I've been stuck out here since 3pm

this afternoon. We think you will

get out? Of course we will.

There is

worse trouble at C! At the foot of

the next hill, delivery driver Mark

Brown had become a traffic marshal.

You seem to be taking charge of

this. Well, somebody needs to.

Finally after six hours the traffic

began to crawl on, but this was

going to be a very long night.

Robert Hall, BBC News, Cricklade in

Wiltshire.

This is one of the major routes

through the New Forest.

But last night hundreds of motorists

were trapped here for hours.

How long have you been here?

Um, I've been here about

eight and a half hours.

Eight and a half hours?

For six miles, the dual carriageway

became a snow-encrusted pavement.

What's that?

It's some overalls.

Brilliant.

That keeps it out a bit, doesn't it?

A little bit.

The wind dragged temperatures

down to minus ten.

How are you for supplies -

water, food, blankets?

I'm melting ice.

I'm melting snow to drink

because I've drank mine.

Everywhere we went people

shivered in their cars,

unaware of when they'd get out.

Many of these drivers will have

spent six, seven, eight,

nine hours stuck here on the A31

going absolutely nowhere.

Also lacking supplies of water,

food, blankets and fuel.

Some drivers went

the wrong way down the

snow-covered verge to escape.

Others decided to walk.

I think it's gridlocked.

By late evening, police declared

a major incident, which

gave the order to bring

in heavy equipment.

It wasn't until early this

morning, ten hours after it

started, traffic began moving, past

abandoned vehicles in the direction

of warmth and safety.

Duncan Kennedy, BBC

News, on the A31.

Let's catch up with Robert Hall,

trapped all night on the A303

somewhere and Wiltshire. Good

morning. Tel is what is happening.

How are you?

It is very, very cold

here, the snow has stopped, the cars

are entrusted with ice. That report

was in Chicklade. We drove from

there and we hit another queue. We

are told that there is a gritter

which has got into trouble on the

way into another village nearby. We

have been here since about two

o'clock this morning so four hours,

maybe about for a half hours.

Nothing is moving. We haven't seen a

policeman or a gritter, and there's

nothing coming the other way so we

sit here and wait for things to

happen. People are quite pragmatic.

The drivers I've been talking to.

Everyone wants to know what is

happening but they all seem to be

warm and safe. However, it would be

very nice to know just how long

we're going to be here. There is a

lot of lying snow. The roads or in a

very bad state. There's a lot of

ice. I've no idea how far we will

get even when we're through this

blog is.

There is some interference

on your microphone but we will carry

on because we can hear you are OK.

There is a couple huddled in the car

behind you there. How are people

reacting and how are they keeping

going in these long hours?

We've

been talking to people all evening.

I will keep my voice down, it might

distort a little less. Generally

people have been relaxed. People

have blankets. They are wrapped up

warm. When we were in Chicklade the

village garage was the only thing

that any lights on. The women there

was brilliant. There were people

pushing their cars into top up their

fuel, because they were running out

and couldn't keep the car is warm

and she has supplies of biscuits,

water, hot drinks, so people were

fine. We thought when we set off up

the hill that were on the move now

and the policeman that we had seen,

he said it was clear beyond here,

but sadly that was not the case.

People are resigned to it. I suspect

people are just getting a bit fed up

now, because we don't know what is

happening or when the road will be

clear, and there is nobody here to

ask.

We will try to ask some of

those questions to those who might

know as we go through the morning.

Thank you, Robert Hall in Wiltshire,

or the A3 03.

or the A3 03. Up to 30 people braved

the conditions and brought hot food,

and blankets to people stuck on the

end 62. One man was in a car with

children including a five-week-old

baby. The M62 is the highest

motorway in England. At the moment

we are hearing that it is an

passable. Highways England were

warned that there will be no cross

by Henry is open until those

conditions improved. The South

Ambulance Service appealed for

anyone with a 4x4 to help move their

staff around the areas they cover,

Bucks, Oxfordshire, Berkshire and

Hampshire.

John Donnison is at London's

King's Cross station.

What's the latest on the travel

situation where you are?

This is around the time that it gets

very busy. We know that there was

major disruption to most train

services yesterday.

What is it going

to be like today? Serious problems

again today. A lot of people will

probably try to stay home. Just

looking at the departure board

inside King's Cross and some trains

heading north to York and Newcastle,

places like that, have been

cancelled. A difficult day flying.

Some 4000 flights have been

cancelled across Europe since

Tuesday. It is not just in Britain

that it is very cold. That is going

to mean a huge backlog of passengers

that need to be shifted. Airlines

say, do check if your flight is

going before setting off for the

airport. And some updates on the

roads, we have closure of the A46 in

Gloucestershire because of snow on

the carriageway. The M40 in

Warwickshire has problems because I

like Laurie, and the M1 in

Leicestershire between junctions

Leicestershire between junctions 23

and 23A, big delays after a

collision between a lorry and a car,

and police on the scene.

John, thank

you very much. We will keep you

up-to-date with the travel situation

and the weather coming up later. You

may be aware that there have been

question marks over the gas supply

at this critical time.

Contrary to what you might read in

the newspapers, we're not running

out of gas as a country. It is a gas

deficit warning. The National Grid

is concerned that supplies might be

running low but domestic customers

turning on their heating, those are

the last people they will cut off.

What they have said the industry is,

if you using a lot of energy, things

like aluminium plants and power

stations, if you can reduce how much

you use right now, that would really

help out. They issued a warning,

industry followed suit and gas

supply levels are back up. There was

concern about prices, because the

wholesale price, prices are about

three times the average for this

time of year, because so much of it

is being used. Again there are

worries that that could lead to

higher bills. That's not necessarily

the case. Energy companies by the

gas months in advance, to make sure

that they have it delivered in time.

They have already bought Burgas --

the gas that we are delivering. For

now, prices will stay and supplies

will remain on. Crucially, if you

remain at home, you will have gas.

Yes, you can turn the heating on.

Theresa May will today spell

out her vision for Britain's

future relationship with the EU

as she seeks to lay

the ground for the next phase

of Brexit negotiations.

In a keenly-awaited speech,

the Prime Minister will tell

Brussels she wants the "deepest

and broadest possible trade

agreement" with the bloc,

while calling on warring parties

in the UK to unite.

We're joined from Westminster

now by our political

correspondent Eleanor Garnier.

Good morning to you. We have said

before that this is a big day. You

have said it a few times. How big on

the scale of big is this day?

We can

say this one is pretty big. It has

been a big week and this is a big

speech. Theresa May will have two

big hopes for her speech, first to

show credibility to the continent,

to the EU leaders she is negotiating

with and second, to bring unity back

home. She will set out five tests

she was to meet in the negotiations

to secure a deal that protects the

UK economy, our security and also

the country. So far, Theresa May's

negotiating position has been

criticised as being vague and

unrealistic. There will be more

detail not just what the Prime

Minister wants, but also where she

is prepared to compromise. Ahead of

this speech Labour has accused the

government of being paralysed by its

own divisions. Ministers know that,

with such different opinions inside

the Conservative Party over Brexit,

pleasing everybody is going to be

impossible. They hope this speech

will represent a step forward, not

just at home but in Brussels, two,

where they want the negotiations to

move onto the next stage.

It is

worth reminding you this morning on

that speech, talking about the

speech with the Transport Secretary

Chris Grayling at ten past seven.

Water companies have been

accused by the Environment

Secretary, Michael Gove,

of exploiting their market power

and neglecting the environment.

He said too many of them had

paid no tax

and hidden

their earnings in offshore accounts.

And he promised to back

the regulator Ofwat in tightening up

rules for the industry,

Until now, Diabetes has been widely

accepted as being either type

one or two but new research suggests

there could be as many as five

different strains of the disease.

Scientists in Scandinavia

believe their findings,

based on a study of 15,000 patients,

shows how different causes,

risks and complications can

respond to different treatments.

The condition currently affects one

in every 11 adults, worldwide.

A daily cocktail of air,

light and noise pollution is having

a significant impact on the health

of us all,

according

to England's Chief Medical Officer.

Dame Sally Davies' annual report

warns of a stark lack of awareness

of the risks associated

with exposure to each of these

elements which are linked to cancer,

heart disease and asthma.

The study also suggests the NHS's

one million employees

could be at the forefront

of the fight to reduce pollutants.

Now for our first opportunity to

have a look at the big weather

picture.

Yesterday was the coldest March day

on record. Today, probably not as

cold but it would be another

bitterly cold feeling day with the

severe wind chill and we are

expecting more disruptive snow

through the day. We still have cold,

easterly winds coming in in the

north and east of the country.

Further south something a little bit

milder. As the slightly milder air

comes in we have a weather front

bringing in disruptive snow. We have

seen it across Wales and the

south-west of England. The snow will

pop up in the south. Also warnings

will know in parts of Northern

Ireland, eastern Scotland and the

north-east of England. We could see

five to ten centimetres, even more

over the higher ground. An amber

weather warning across Wales, the

south-west and southern England as

well. There could be 20 centimetres

of snow over the high ground.

Blizzard conditions possible with

lots of blowing snow around today.

We will continue to see snow across

parts of Wales and the South West

today. Later on we will see more

persistent snow heading in across

parts of southern England. Further

north snow showers will continue to

be heavy in the North of England and

the east of Scotland, combined with

a brisk, easterly wind. Temperatures

about a degree or so either side of

freezing. When you add on the

wind-chill, it could feel much

colder. Into the evening hours, but

and of snow in the South trips

further north into the Midlands,

heading up towards the north of

England. It will weaken but we will

continue to see snow showers further

north. Again it will be a cold and

icy night with a lot of lying snow

and ice around first thing Saturday

morning. Through the weekend it

stays cold in the north of the

country unless cold in the south. An

ongoing risk of snow for some of us.

Here is how Saturday is shaping up.

You can see this band of cloud and

snow in the north-east of England

full snow showers in the East of

Scotland as well. Further

Scotland as well. Further south

there will be snow as well.

Temperatures starting to come up,

about four to 7 degrees in the

south-west but freezing in the

north. Into Sunday now and there

will be some further snow across

northern parts of the UK will stop

in the south, some sleet, snow but

also rain showers moving in as

temperatures start to creep up.

Little less cold in the south of

England and Wales were still fairly

chilly with snow in the North will

England and Wales were still fairly

chilly with snow in the North will

stop it is Dave four of beast in the

east and Emma. -- Dave four. Right

now, Mike has the sport. The rugby

league was last night. Also, the

darts which was down in Exeter in

doors but fans could not really get

there and also the Scottish ski and

snowboard Championships in Glenshee.

The problem was getting the fans

there and the spectators and the

staff. The big match in the Premier

League went ahead. A lot of Arsenal

fans stayed away. They will possibly

be glad they did. They were beaten

3-0

game by Manchester City. They got

all goals in the first half.

in front of plenty

of empty seats at the Emirates.

Leroy Sane completed the scoring.

Later, Arsenal missed a penalty.

Wenger's side are now ten points off

the Premier League top four.

Better news for England's women.

Phil Neville's reign

as manager of

the England women's football team

has got off to the perfect start.

They thrashed France 4-1,

in the SheBelieves Cup in Ohio.

Laura Kenny won silver on her return

to competition at cycling's

World Track Championships,

and Great Britain's men took gold,

in the pursuit,

thanks to a teenager labelled

the next Bradley Wiggins.

And Laura Muir claimed

her first medal

on the global athletics stage,

with bronze in the 3,000 metres

at the World Indoor

Championships in Birmingham.

That's Great Britain's first medal

at the event so far.

Just a reminder on the weather front

and do check the BBC Sport website.

A lot of them will be affected.

A lot of them will be affected. -- a

lock of the fixtures.

The conditions this week have

been particularly harsh

for homeless people.

In some big cities, hundreds

of extra beds have been made

available in shelters,

hostels and churches.

But, in other cities, services

aren't available and it means people

are still on the streets.

Our Social Affairs Correspondent,

Michael Buchanan, has spent the past

two nights with some of those

who are still outside.

It's bad enough being

homeless, but in this?

Staying warm, never easy,

has been almost impossible.

Some have turned to

alcohol, lots of it.

Well, I'm going to be helpful

if you're going to let me.

In big cities like London outreach

workers have been encouraging rough

sleepers to use emergency hostels,

an offer that some

have readily taken.

But in other towns support

is less available.

By the coast in Eastbourne

the increasing numbers of rough

sleepers have a particular enemy.

A biting wind has frozen

Kevin to his core.

Time passes slowly

when the temperature

feels like 12 below zero.

A warm drink donated does help,

but only for a short time.

I've been shivering for about three

weeks and if it weren't for people

coming along with blankets,

do you know what I mean,

I would be dead in a doorway.

What are you doing tonight?

Sleeping in a doorway.

Like I did last night

and the night before,

and four weeks before that.

There are few services for rough

sleepers in Eastbourne,

the town struggling to cope

with its rapidly rising

homeless population.

Part of the reason a town

like Eastbourne has a growing number

of rough sleepers is that homeless

people from elsewhere

in the UK have moved

here because the weather tends

to be warmer.

It hasn't been this week.

Local churches are

taking the strain.

Each evening throughout

winter a different parish

hosts a homeless shelter.

A welcome respite for

those that can make it.

Refugee in my own country, I am.

That's the best way

of explaining it.

A refugee in my own country.

The breakdown of his marriage has

met Graham has been homeless

for the past fortnight,

the first time he's ever

had to sleep outside.

There's lots of dangers that

you have to watch out for.

Like not making yourself sweat.

Things like that.

Because hyperthermia's

just around the corner.

Are you frightened?

Yeah, wouldn't you be?

I'm 56 years old.

I'm not a young man.

Not a young man at all.

I'm sorry, but I'm

finding it impossible.

He's no idea what he'll do when this

shelter closes on Monday.

For others, perhaps suffering

with psychiatric problems,

they prefer to remain outdoors,

prepared to dice daily

with nature's wrath.

Michael Buchanan,

BBC News, Eastbourne.

We'll have lots more on the weather

throughout the morning

from our correspondents in some

of the most affected areas.

Just to show Year 1 picture coming

to us this morning. This is Taunton

and the south-west is badly

affected. Still there are people at

a standstill on the eighth 303 this

morning. That is where the major

problems are. -- A303. We know many

hundreds of people have still been

trapped in their cars. Also in the

north there have been some real

problems and the military has been

involved in evacuating people from

their vehicle. It is a changing

situation. Some of the pictures are

out of date. We heard yesterday a

seven-year-old girl was one of ten

snow deaths. There you go. The front

page of the capital at times as

well. Lots to follow freeze as

storms battered Britain. Hundreds of

motorists spent up to 20 hours

yesterday trapped in their cars.

That was on the M80. Gas prices

reaching our highest level in two

decades. Rail networks came to a

standstill yesterday with Paddington

Station in London closed due to

slippery platforms. Flights are

cancelled across the UK. The red

alert in the south-west has been

lifted. An amber warning is in place

for most places in the country.

Normally when there is snow it

affects certain parts of the country

but this is widespread, it is all

over the UK. Just looking at some of

the information that has come in,

still talking about widespread snow,

particularly in Dartmoor, South

Wales as well. We know motorways

have been affected. We were talking

about the A303 a while ago. Drivers

are still stuck. Some are stuck in

Somerset and Wiltshire as well. They

have been stuck for 12 hours in what

are very grim circumstances. There

is more snowfall expected but some

areas will have something of a

respite. We will try to get more

information what has been done to

help those people with those

problems. It is nice to know people

have set up centres offering hot

drinks and blankets and generally

trying to look after people. You

hear the lovely generosity in

amongst those terrible

circumstances.

Now it's time to get the very

latest on the situation

where you are from our BBC

teams across the UK.

turned milder over the weekend. We

are back in half an hour. Goodbye.

Hello, this is Breakfast

with Charlie Stayt

and Tina Daheley.

We'll bring you all the headlines

in a moment but still to come

on Breakfast this morning -

Sarah will have the very latest

from the BBC Weather Centre

in about 10 minutes.

People have been struggling in their

cars overnight. We will have the

very latest.

Given the huge

amount of ongoing disruption, Ben

will be looking at what your rights

are as an employee -

if you're being forced

to have a snow day because

you can't get to work.

And after 7, away from the weather,

it's a big day for the Prime

Minister as she lays out her plans

for the next phase of

Brexit negotiations.

We'll speak to Transport

Secretary Chris Grayling.

Good morning.

Here's a summary of today's main

stories from BBC News.

Hundreds of motorists

are still trapped after spending

the night in cars in freezing cold

temperatures, stranded on motorways

because of heavy snowfall.

A Met Office red "danger to life"

warning covering south-west England

and south Wales has been lifted,

but amber and yellow warnings

remain in place for much

of the rest of the UK.

There have been three

serious incidents affecting

major roads overnight.

The M62 in the north

of England is closed around

Saddleworth Moor and Rochdale,

where people are still stuck

in strong winds and snow.

In Hampshire, on the A31,

police declared a major incident

and brought in the army to help

free the road.

Hundreds of motorists

are still trapped in freezing

conditions in a major incident

on the A303 near Taunton.

Are you all right for supplies?

I am

melting ice, the drink, because I

have drunk mind.

At the moment, it

is not looking promising. We are

trying to get to Taunton.

We could

be stuck. We want to get the heating

on. I have been stuck out here since

3pm this afternoon.

Will we get out

of the? Yes, of course we will.

There is worse trouble at C!

How

long have you been out here? We have

been up to several hours.

Meanwhile the South Central

Ambulance service took to twitter

overnight as they appealed

for anyone

with a 4x4 to help

move their staff around

the the four counties they cover

in Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire,

Berkshire and Hampshire.

We can get the latest

now from our reporter

Fiona Lamdin who is in Somerset

for us this morning.

Good morning. How has it been

overnight where you are, and what's

the reaction locally?

I am literally

a stone's throw from the M5. This

road would be full of traffic

queueing to get onto the M5. As you

can see, abandoned lorries and cars.

If I spin year-round, you can see an

empty road, empty traffic lights and

an empty park and ride. Last night

we got stranded here with many other

motorists. We all stayed in this

hotel behind me here. People were

coming from up north to down south

and they got to Taunton and thought,

this is too much, this is too

dangerous, we're going to pull in

and stay here for the night. I spoke

to one family who were staking his

84-year-old grandmother down to

Plymouth, and they said that the M5

had not been gritted, and they

described it as a white ice rink.

They said they were sliding all over

the lanes. When people got here,

they couldn't get anything to eat

because the shops were not open.

Extraordinary situation. People were

not prepared, even though there were

so many warnings, people did not

expect it to be quite as bad as it

actually was. Today we have had

alerts from Musgrove Park, the local

hospital, asking if any nurses will

not in today to come in, if it is

safe and if you are in an emergency

only ring 999 if you're desperate.

These do not bring unless it is an

emergency.

Fiona, thank you very

much. Stay warm. We will keep you

updated with the situation on the

roads. The full weather forecast

coming up later on.

coming up later on. Theresa May is

seeking to lay the ground for the

next phase of Brexit negotiations.

In a keenly awaited speech the Prime

Minister will tell Brussels she was

the deepest and broadest possible

trading agreement with the bloc was

calling on warring factions in the

UK to unite.

Water companies have been

accused by the Environment

Secretary, Michael Gove,

of exploiting their market power

and neglecting the environment.

He said too many of them had

paid no tax

and hidden

their earnings in offshore accounts.

And he promised to back

the regulator Ofwat in tightening up

Until now, diabetes has been widely

accepted as being either type

one or two but new research suggests

there could be as many as five

different strains of the disease.

Scientists in Scandinavia

believe their findings,

based on a study of 15,000 patients,

shows how different causes,

risks and complications can

respond to different treatments.

The condition currently affects one

in every 11 adults, worldwide.

Those are latest stories.

Now the latest sports news.

They got the game on at Arsenal last

night basically because of

old-fashioned people with shovels.

Is the turkey the? They have

undersoil heating but they still

need shovels to get rid of the snow.

Clubs like Southend have been asking

for fans to go and help, if they can

get there, to clear the pitch for

the match tomorrow at Southend. But

a lot of the problem is getting fans

to the fixture safely. Lots of

Arsenal fans stayed away last night.

Those who did were probably glad

that they did.

A sense of deja vu for the Arsenal

fans that did brave the weather.

Their team, put in another

poor performance,

which ended in their second 3-0

defeat to Manchester City in a week.

After City's third goal went

in, the sound of boos,

from the half-empty Arsenal stands

drowned out the City celebrations.

Arsenal are now ten points

adrift of the top four.

We have always to put things into

perspective when it is not at the

best and after what happened on

Sunday, we have gone through a lot

of difficulties. And I believe that

we have to accept that Manchester

City is at

City is at their best, and we have

this difference in the league, and

we have to work to reduce that

difference.

While one manager has perhaps

outstayed his welcome,

in the eyes of some fans,

Phil Neville made the perfect start

to his reign, in charge

of the England women's team.

His side thrashed France 4-1

in the SheBelieves Cup in Ohio.

And, after all the controversy

over his appointment,

it was good to get matters

on the pitch up and running.

I think bravery is the one word I

have used more than any other in the

last three days. It's easy saying

it, but the hardest thing is to do

it. The players played with massive

courage today against a side that,

you can say what you want, we have

been really brought against them,

one victory in 47, well, too, now.

He's been dubbed the next

Bradley Wiggins by one

of his own team-mates.

Teenager Ethan Hayter

helped Great Britain win gold

in the men's team pursuit

at the World Track Cycling

Championships in the Netherlands.

Beating the home nation

in the final were Hayter,

Charlie Tanfield, Kian Emadi,

and elder statesman Ed Clancy.

Decent. I think he is the next

Wiggins, do the honours. He is

really that good. Peasgood on the

road, good on track and arguably the

strongest guy in our team today and

modesty, 19 years old? -- what is

he, 19 years old.

Laura Kenny said was shattered,

but loved every minute

of being back on the track,

after winning silver

in the women's team pursuit.

It was her first race

since the Rio Olympics.

She said they couldn't help but feel

disappointed, with second place,

but the United States were just too

strong.

Obviously I am very pleased. I never

expected to be back at a World

Championship so soon. I have really

enjoyed being back with the girls.

We would like to have come away with

a gold medal, any race we enter, and

we want to win so you cannot help

but feel a little bit disappointed.

And Laura Muir gave

Great Britain their first medal,

at the World Indoor Athletics

Championships.

She were stuck in a taxi on the M6

for six hours. It cost £1500! And

she gave Britain the first medal.

She won bronze in Birmingham,

in the 3,000 metres -

that's her first podium

finish on the world stage.

One of the major talking

points, during and

after the Winter Olympics

in Pyeongchang, was of funding

for British athletes.

Basketball was one of the sports

to criticise the millions spent

on Team GB, at the Winter Games

whilst they had their funding cut.

Well after a record five medals,

for Team GB, in South Korea,

Sports Minister Tracey Crouch says

she hopes there can be

a resolution to the issue soon.

Basketball is an incredibly

important sport and it does a great

deal of social good. It inspires

people in very urban communities to

participate in sport. It is a sport

that they see a pathway to be able

to represent the country. And with

that in mind I am hosting an

emergency summit next week to bring

all the parties together so that we

can have some sort of solution to

the issue around funding.

Now the big freeze has

also been causing havoc

with the sporting fixtures.

We've seen the how

the Premier League game,

between Arsenal and Manchester City

survived, and as well as the brave

fans that made it, spare a thought

for BBC commentators John Murray

and Martin Keown, wrapped up warm

there for 5live but many other

fixtures and events have

been forced off.

They include the non-league match

between Boreham Wood

and Macclesfield Town.

In Rugby League Leeds Rhinos won't

be playing against Catalans Dragons

in Super League.

And racing at Kelso has

also been postponed.

No racing anywhere until Sunday.

The BBC Sport website will keep

you up-to-date with all the major

events affected this weekend.

Commentating must be one of the

hardest things. Because you can't

get warm. And it is a real test of

whether or not you are a true fan

because if you still go out to

support your team in those

conditions... And the true fans will

not just attend the match they will

help clear the pitch before, with

shovels. Thank you very much.

The frail and elderly can become

even more vulnerable during the snow

and freezing temperatures.

But, with snow drifts

and frozen roads, getting

to them is challenging.

We can follow the footsteps now, and

we are down near Tiverton.

Breakfast's John Maguire

is in Somerset this morning looking

at how carers are managing.

In these conditions, we need to take

special care for certain people,

don't we?

POOR SOUND QUALITY.

We have some problems with John's

microphone. Hold on from. John has

been out and about near Tiverton and

talking to some of those caught up

in the problems. Let's have a look.

You have got to be careful.

Yes.

After her car skidded on ice

earlier, Carla is taking no chances.

She's been driven to her next

appointment by a boss who has hired

four-wheel drive to ferry his care

staff around to see the people they

look after.

We make sure that there

are additional checks that the staff

perform when they are going out. We

make sure that their heating is

adjusted accordingly, that they have

got money on their gas and electric

meters to make sure that they are

not going to get into difficulty.

As

the snowfall increases and the

temperatures drop, the roads become

increasingly hazardous. Meanwhile,

Marvin is at the window awaiting

Carla's arrival.

Carla's arrival.

If we had waited a

couple of months we could have had a

white Christmas.

This is a welfare

check. Kalla make sure that Mervyn

is warm, has eaten and has enough

food.

Wright, shopping, love, what

do we need?

He remembers the days

when freezing winters were not such

a rarity.

And remember seeing a post

and it would be white.

In that I'm

taking the appointments conditions

had worsened. Progress between

peoples homes might be slow but the

carers are determined to get

through, although often it is their

safety that the clients are worried

about.

Lots of them wanted to cancel

the calls because they were worried

about is getting to them. But we

were like, need is to check that

you're right, you're warm, you are

fed and you are safe. That is one of

our main priorities.

We need to be

there. The vulnerable people who

rely on Care on The own homes, for

those people, people like Carla are

lifeline, a vital service, whatever

the weather.

Sorry if you lost sound

a little bit earlier on. Two things

you learn when the weather is like

this. Everything takes twice as long

as you expect it to, and if

something can go wrong, it

absolutely will. We're at the 16th

century Stonebridge near Tiverton

across the River axe. I've only seen

one vehicle crossed the bridge since

we have been here, and it was a

four-wheel drive vehicle from the

local electricity company taking

engineers around. That gives you an

idea of the type of people that are

out and about. We have been telling

people to stay home if you possibly

could. Of course, others have no

choice. They are the real snow

heroes. Not just emergency services

and Armed Forces who have been

drafted on, but an army of volunteer

drivers taking people to hospital

appointments, things like dialysis,

I have heard of volunteers driving

patients do dialysis appointments

yesterday. That essential part of

life must continue regardless of

what the elements are throwing at

us.

Thank you very much, John. It

looks very dramatic down there and

tough for people coping with the

conditions. Let's get the bigger

picture. Sarah is looking after the

weather for us today. It is looking

stunning in some places. What is the

picture?

More snow in the forecast today. It

is picturesque across many parts of

the country but the snow is causing

severe disruption. Dangerous weather

conditions on the cards once again

through today. Another bitterly cold

day. Yesterday we had the coldest

March day on record. Today there is

severe wind-chill again and some

snow. We have the cold, easterly

winds bringing in the bitter end

mass from Siberia, particularly in

the north and east of the country.

In the south we will see milder air

working in with the remnants of

Storm Emma working in in the south.

This will bump into the cold air and

bring more snow. The warnings in

force from the Met Office for the

North of Scotland, the North of

England and some of Ireland as well.

In the south-west there are Met

Office weather warnings as well. We

could see guests up to 60 miles an

hour on the south coast. Parts of

south-west England and into Wales we

have the combination of heavy

snowfall as well as a biting

easterly winds. A very wintry day

ahead. A bit of a respite, less for

these south of Wales and Northern

Ireland. More snowfall to come in

Wales, southern England and Northern

Ireland will stop further north the

snow showers are blowing in on the

easterly wind. If we look at top

temperatures this afternoon, they

will probably be a degree or so

either side of freezing. In the

wind-chill and the cold easterly

wind it will feel around -4-macro

2-9d for many. Into the evening, the

band of snow in South heads further

north. -- -4 to -9 for many. We will

continue to see snow showers pushing

in on the easterly wind in North

East England and east of Scotland as

well. The snowfall not quite as

heavy as we have seen. A further

accumulation of several centimetres

as well as icy conditions.

Temperatures overnight plummeting

below freezing. How is the weekend

shaping up? Cold weather in the

north. Further south things will

turn milder and there is an ongoing

risk of snow at times as well. On

Saturday morning we will have lying

snow and icy conditions. More snow

in the north of England. Further

south glad things are looking a

little bit quieter and not quite as

cold as they have been. Temperatures

up to 4-7d. The snow showers will

turn back to sleep and rain showers.

-- sleet. There could be freezing

rain in the south which could be

difficult as they fall on to frozen

surfaces. Rain showers likely

further south at times. There will

be some drier weather in between the

showers. The wind-chill not so

severe as we head through the

weekend. We're back the rights died

of freezing across the country.

Thank you very much.

We will keep you updated with the

latest about the weather.

If you cannot get to work, what are

your reasons for not getting to

work. Should you still get paid?

The

advice has been to stay at home and

not travel unless absolutely

necessary. The emergency services

have been out in force helping

stranded drivers will stop there

have been determined delivery

drivers who have an unusual way of

getting around. Have a look.

I am not quite sure if whatever he

is delivering stayed warm enough to

deliver it to the person who ordered

it. If you genuinely cannot make it

out of the house or usual bus or

train is cancelled, maybe your

child's School is closed and you

have to stay at home, what are your

rights?

John Palmer is from the workplace

advice service, Acas.

Let's break this down. The first one

I touched on was actually getting to

work. What are your rights if you

cannot get to work because of the

snow.

The most important thing is

you stay safe and do not take

unnecessary risks. Your health is

far more important. In terms of your

rights and there is no basic legal

right to get paid for work if you

cannot get in full stop there is

something you need to arrange for

yourself if you can reasonably do

it. If your employer provides

transport and they cannot provide it

for weather related reasons or you

have special arrangements and your

employer is able to offer something

discretionary, it could be that you

would get

would get paid there are alternative

ways of working like home-working

meaning you can get paid as well.

The trick is to have a conversation

with your boss beforehand? It is

essential for your employer to know

where you are if nothing else.

If

you get to work and it is cold when

you get there, there are rules

stating if it is too cold you do not

need to work.

There are no

particular set minimum temperatures

but your employer has a health and

safety duty to make sure you're able

to work safely. That means, do they

need to provide you with warm gear

to work with machinery and things

like that?

That is assuming your

workplace is open. What about if it

is closed entirely? The boss has

said, we are going to lock up, stay

at home.

In most places where your

employer has closed up and said he

will not be able to come in no

matter what, if you're ready,

willing and able to work, you should

be paid for that time. Many

employers will have contingency

arrangements in place and you should

check what they are. I am in a

position where I can home work. It

might be there are other workplace

is closer to you then you would

normally go to, all those sorts of

options need thinking about.

One

thing that would have affected so

many parents is the number of

schools that are closed as a parent

maybe you can get to your child is

at home and you need to stay at

home.

This affects a lot of people.

Your children are your dependents.

Work provides full-time or for that

reason. It is about dealing

unexpected emergencies like

arranging unexpected childcare

rather than taking four days. Many

employers will choose to pay but it

is worth checking with your

contract. Even if it is not in

there, talk to your employer pulls

at these are exceptional

circumstances we are in. See if

there is a chance of looking after

your child and working at home at

the same time.

Really useful advice.

After seven o'clock I will talk

about your rights when it comes to

things like disruption on the trains

or flights being disruptive meaning

you cannot go on holiday. We will

talk about that.

Noise pollution from roads,

chemicals in the air we breathe

and light flooding our homes

at night are all having

a significant impact

on our health, according

to England's Chief Medical Officer.

Dame Sally Davies's your report

could lead the way cutting these

types of pollutants and the risk

they pose to as she joins us from

our London studio. Before that, I

want to talk to you about the

weather. We were hearing yesterday

that troops have been deployed to

take hospital workers to and from

their shifts last night what are you

hearing?

How bad is it? Difficulty

-- clearly it is difficult to get to

hospital. I worried about patients

who may have had falls and might

have damaged themselves.

Particularly the vulnerable patients

at home. Have they had enough

medication to last them through this

bell? If not can get a neighbour or

family member to make sure they have

got what they need. -- this spell.

This is unprecedented. There is

advice on the Public Health England

website. People should not drive

when it is unsafe because that will

cause accidents, will end up with

pressure on the NHS. It is our duty

to help the whole community stay

warm and hydrated and get medicines

that they need.

Let's come back to

pollution of the cocktail of

pollution you have described you say

there is a horrifying lack of

awareness. Air pollution might be

more obvious but what is the noise

and light pollution you are warning

people is so dangerous?

We do know

about air pollution that people are

not taking enough action yet because

we cannot see it. Most pollution is

localised. It is about getting local

authorities to use powers and work

with communities. Noise pollution is

very irritating, annoying, stops

sleep and impacts on mental health.

That is the biggest cause of

complaint to local authorities. That

is already an issue and may get

worse. We need decent soundproofing

and considerate neighbours. Light

soundproofing is something we are

becoming more aware of. We started

realising we could not see the stars

at night in urban areas. As more

blue light is used it can impact on

the brain

the brain puts you disturb your

sleep pattern. One of the things

that people are talking about and I

have highlighted is he really should

turn your screens of, your mobile

phones but when you go to bed, for

instance.

That is good advice. When

you wake in the morning and are

getting ready for work, they are not

thinking about air pollution or

light pollution were now going to

bed and the noise. They are

irritating but is it really that

serious when it comes to our health?

We know that breaches of the targets

for air pollution caused admissions

to hospital with asthma and heart

attacks. There is increasing

evidence that moderate levels of air

pollution and probably other

pollutants, personal and household

chemicals, as it were to contribute

to long-term conditions. That then

means it will contribute to our

illness, our admissions to hospital

and bring deaths forwards. That is

why we need to measure the data much

more. I don't want us to wake up in

ten, 20 years, and say, this is like

smoking or eating junk food if only

we had known this ten, 20 years ago

we would have done something about

it and now people are dying.

We will

have to leave it there.

Now it's time to get the very

latest on the situation

where you are from our BBC

teams across the UK.

Goodbye.

Hello, this is Breakfast,

with Charlie Stayt and Tina Daheley.

The army has been called in to help

rescue drivers stuck

in snow and blizzards overnight -

hundreds are still stranded.

Police in Somerset

and Hampshire have

Troops, coastguard and search

and rescue teams have been working

through the night to clear roads.

The M6 to do is block near Rochdale.

And join us live on the A303 were

these drivers are still waiting for

news as to when they will be able to

move on.

Across the UK, the armed

forces are helping

essential NHS staff get to work.

Ten people are now thought to have

died in weather-related incidents

since the severe weather began

four days ago.

We live in the south-west. This was

the heart of the storm yesterday. We

have been out with care teams in the

rural community to see how they are

keeping elderly people safe and

warm.

Good morning. A blueprint for

Brexit. Theresa May will deliver a

long-awaited speech setting out our

plans for a future relationship with

the EU.

If you've been disrupted

by the snow this week -

on the roads, the railways

or at the airports -

are you entitled to compensation?

I'll explain all the rules on travel

disruption, just before 8.

In sport, it's snow

joke for Arsenal fans.

As the pressure builds on manager

Arsene Wenger, tens of thousands

give their side the cold shoulder

and miss the team's second

thrashing in a week

by Manchester City.

And Sarah has the big picture on the

weather. Good morning. We have at

least one more day of disruptive

weather. Today we are set to see

more heavy snowfall, ice, freezing

rain, combined with that biting

easterly wind before things turn

gradually milder through the

weekend. I'll bring you a full

forecast in about 15 minutes.

Good morning.

First, our main story.

Hundreds of motorists

are still trapped after spending

the night in cars in freezing cold

temperatures, stranded

because of the continuing

impact of heavy snowfall.

The Armed Forces are helping

to ensure essential NHS

staff can get to work.

They are also rescuing drivers.

A Met Office red 'danger to life'

warning covering south-west

England and south Wales has been

lifted, but amber and yellow

warnings remain in place for much

of the rest of the UK.

Ten people have died in weather

related incidents since the severe

conditions first hit on Tuesday.

There have been three

serious incidents affecting

major roads overnight.

The M62 in the north

of England is closed around

Saddleworth Moor and Rochdale,

where people are still stuck

in strong winds and snow.

Army, emergency services

and volunteers have

been working all night

to get people to safety.

In Hampshire, on the A31,

police declared a major incident

and brought in the Army

to help free the road.

Traffic on the eastbound

carriageway has finally begun

moving after it was closed

for nearly ten hours.

Hundreds of motorists

are still trapped in freezing

conditions in a major incident

on the A303 near Taunton.

Two BBC correspondents have

been trapped

in those closures overnight.

In a moment, we'll hear

from Duncan Kennedy who was

on the A31 in the New Forest,

but first Robert Hall sent us this

report from the A303 -

where he is still stranded.

With every mile,

the clouds came lower.

More snow swirled, and

the carriageway began to disappear.

By the time we reached

the hills of Wiltshire,

the blizzard had begun.

Very soon everything

ground to a halt.

Travelling tonight from east to west

is absolutely horrendous.

If I put the window down,

hopefully you can see that,

it is driving snow.

We probably have six

or seven inches here.

In front and behind, hundreds

of vehicles were going nowhere.

We hope to get to Taunton eventually

but at the moment it is not

looking very promising

and we could be stuck.

With lorries blocking half

the road, the snowploughs

struggled to clear a path.

Trying to get to an old people's

home to to get the heating on.

I've been stuck out here

since 3pm this afternoon.

Do you think you will get out?

Of course we will.

There is worse trouble at sea!

At the foot of the next hill,

delivery driver Mark Brown had

become a traffic marshal.

You seem to be taking

charge of this.

Well, somebody needs to.

Finally after six hours

the traffic began to crawl on,

but this was going to be

a very long night.

Robert Hall, BBC News,

Chicklade in Wiltshire.

This is one of the major routes

through the New Forest.

But last night hundreds of motorists

were trapped here for hours.

How long have you been here?

Um, I've been here about

eight and a half hours.

Eight and a half hours?

For six miles, the dual carriageway

became a snow-encrusted pavement.

What's that?

It's some overalls.

Brilliant.

That keeps it out a bit, doesn't it?

A little bit.

The wind dragged temperatures

down to minus ten.

How are you for supplies -

water, food, blankets?

I'm melting ice.

I'm melting snow to drink

because I've drank mine.

Everywhere we went people

shivered in their cars,

unaware of when they'd get out.

Many of these drivers will have

spent six, seven, eight,

nine hours stuck here on the A31

going absolutely nowhere.

Also lacking supplies of water,

food, blankets and fuel.

Some drivers went the wrong way down

the snow-covered verge to escape.

Others decided to walk.

I think it's gridlocked.

By late evening, police

declared a major incident,

which gave the order to bring

in heavy equipment.

It wasn't until early this morning,

ten hours after it started,

traffic began moving,

past abandoned vehicles in

the direction of warmth and safety.

Duncan Kennedy, BBC

News, on the A31.

We can speak to Robert Hall

now, who's been trapped

all night on the A303.

This is the first chance we have had

to see you in daylight and I can see

all the traffic trapped there. Tell

others what the situation is.

I

would estimate that we have close to

100 lorries and cars here. They

stretch for about one mile in front

of us. This blockage has been cause,

I'm told, although not officially,

by a greater that has got into

trouble and blocked the road ahead.

They have been trying to recover

that for several hours. And back

that way is the village of Chicklade

that you saw in that report, were, I

suppose, we are no more than two

miles from there and all of the cars

that got up that hill thinking,

great we're on our way, this is what

happened to them. It is the lack of

information, really, we don't know

what is happening. We have seen two

policemen in the last seven, eight

hours, very briefly down in

Chicklade. They are very stretched,

but people are pragmatic, but they

just want some information, some

sense that something is being done

or that there is a timetable, and

that just isn't happening at the

moment.

We are trying to find out

more information for you. What we do

know from Somerset police is that at

this stage they have not yet called

in the military. In some places,

they have. Right now we are trying

to find out more information to help

those people trapped. We will be

back with you a little later on.

Thank you very much.

In the last half and hour,

Electricity North West say 5000

properties are without power

because of the continuing

bad weather.

Our correspondent, Sian LLoyd's

outside Cardiff for us this morning.

How has it been for you overnight?

I'm standing beside what is one of

the busiest motorway interchanges on

the M4, and it is deserted this

morning with stranded cars behind

me. Last night we passed a lorry

stuck, cars sliding across the

carriageway. On a hill nearby cars

were stuck in the snow. We helped a

few of those get moving with the

help of other motorists. South Wales

Police have said they dealt with a

number of weather-related incidents

with drivers overnight. We were in

the red warning yesterday. That has

subsided, a few hours ago. Now we're

on an amber warning with a threat of

potentially more snow to come.

Yesterday over 1000 schools closed

in south Wales and we expect that to

continue. A number of hospital

appointments were cancelled this

morning. The big hospital in

Cardiff, and in Newport, is

appealing to start to try to get in

using 4x4s if they can but we know

that there is more disruption that.

Thank you, Sian Lloyd, just outside

Cardiff.

Chris Grayling, the

Transport Secretary is just outside

London's King's Cross station. We

are due to speak about Brexit but I

wonder if you can address some of

the issues that we are seeing this

morning, with a lot of people in

serious trouble. We have seen the

situation on the A303 and in

Rochdale near the end 62. Can you

give as your analysis of situation?

Is a very difficult situation in

many parts of the country. We have

teams from highways England, on some

places the Armed Forces are

providing support on the ground and

we will try to get motorists moving

as quickly as possible, and to get

railway lines reopened. IMac King's

Cross where many of the trees --

trains are still running but many

parts of these coast main line are

still not opening. Everyone at

Network Rail is trying to get those

routes opened as soon as we possibly

can.

Robert Hall who are stuck on

the A303 was saying there is no

information at this stage and people

are getting frustrated although they

are being patient and looking after

one another but they are not getting

enough information. The other

question is about bringing in the

military. When the situation is as

extreme as this, we understand Haven

and Somerset police have not yet

asked for help from the military.

Are you involved in that

decision-making process?

The offer

is there but it is down to the local

police to decide when they need that

help. We have said through highways

England and to the local police that

additional support can be provided

and defence ministries are on

stand-by to ask the forces whether

they can make a difference. And I

would like to pay tribute to those

members of the public who have been

using 4x4s to get health service

after work. I know that highways

England will try to get information

to people through their website and

through Twitter, but of course we

also had technical problems around

the country in many places getting

information out. Everywhere is doing

their best to get people the

information they need as quickly as

possible.

Turning our attention to

Brexit, Theresa May is coming up

with a 5-point plan. Can you give us

some insight into what she will be

saying today?

What she's going to be

doing is setting out how we believe

the future trading relationship and

economic relationship with the

European Union should work. She's

set out principles that underpin

those discussions, a commitment to

respect the result of the

referendum, to try to secure an

enduring deal, not to be revisiting

this again and again in the coming

years, a lasting agreement, that is

mindful of the needs of the country

to protect jobs and security and to

protect the union, that is very

important, as well, a commitment

from the government that the deal

that we do will protect the

integrity of the union of the United

Kingdom. There has been some

criticism about confused thinking,

that even amongst the cabinet there

is a great deal of contrary thought.

Is it true that in BTR were meeting

to work out what the Prime Minister

was going to say, -- that in the two

our meeting, that she change the

thinking and the words of the speech

because of complaints from Boris

Johnson and David Davis about

specific wording, is that true?

I

would be the wrong person to ask

because I was answering questions in

the House of Commons and I had gone

through the detail of the speech

before that. We've had discussions

about what is the best approach. We

are not clones. Of course this has

been a discussion about what is

right for Britain, about how we

achieve the right balance between

the different views in the country

and that is what the government has

been working to do, and when people

see the Prime Minister's speech

today, they will think this is a

sensible approach, that reflects the

different concerns in the country,

that looks to protect jobs and

security relationships for the

future, looks to protect the union,

and I

and I hope can give something that

the whole country can rally behind

and say that this is a sensible

blueprint for the future for our

relationship with the European

Union.

.1 is about respecting the

referendum result, .2 is, whatever

conclusions they come to, we must

protect people'sjobs. Is it possible

those things might clash, and if

there are indications like there

were yesterday from the car

manufacturing industry, many jobs

could be lost as a result of Brexit,

there is a problem between

recognising those two things.

I

don't believe that's the case. I am

on my way, after being at King's

Cross, up to Humberside to help

Siemens launch a major investment,

the German company expanding

operations in the UK. Earlier this

week we saw Toyota committing to

build a new model in Derby so we are

seeing businesses commit to Britain

and what we are saying is that we

want to secure a deal that is good

for business in Britain but also

business in Europe because this is a

two-way process. We are the EU's

second biggest export market with

thousands of jobs across the EU

depending on British consumers. We

want those jobs to survive in the

same way that be what jobs in

Britain to survive. It's about

creating a constructive, sensible

trading relationship of the future,

protecting jobs across the whole of

Europe.

Chris Grayling, Transport

Secretary, thank you very much for

your time this morning.

Breaking news and hundreds of

Breaking news and hundreds of

the train has lost power and people

are tweeting on board so they are --

saying they are sitting in darkness.

That is a stranded train. A lot of

drivers are trapped in cars as well.

They will be wondering what the

weather will do next.

They will be wondering what the

weather will do next. Things will

certainly turn a bit milder through

the course of the weekend gradually.

It is Italy cold today, particularly

when the actor on the severe winter

chill. There is not only ice and

freezing rain but more snow in the