:00:03. > :00:06.This is East Midlands Today with Dominic Heale and Anne Davies.
:00:06. > :00:11.Losers in the battle for Christmas shoppers, and the cities going head
:00:11. > :00:18.to head to keep our custom. Some stores lost out, others did well
:00:18. > :00:21.but the uncertainty remains. We're not expecting an easy year. However
:00:22. > :00:24.we'll do everything we can do to make sure that we're as successful
:00:24. > :00:33.as we can be. And tit-for-tat car-parking war as
:00:33. > :00:37.two of our biggest cities compete for the night-time economy.
:00:37. > :00:38.Also, the street where not one but six houses were burgled in one
:00:38. > :00:42.night. And as 2011 is provisionally named
:00:42. > :00:52.as the second warmest year on record, I take a look back at the
:00:52. > :01:02.
:01:02. > :01:04.year's weather and its effect on Good evening, welcome to the
:01:04. > :01:08.programme. First tonight, another sign of how
:01:08. > :01:10.tough it is out there on the high street. The giant fashion chain,
:01:10. > :01:12.Next, based at Enderby in Leicestershire, says sales in the
:01:12. > :01:17.run-up to Christmas were disappointing as competitors
:01:17. > :01:23.slashed prices. And that gloomy picture is also being reported by a
:01:23. > :01:26.long-established independent department store. In a moment we'll
:01:26. > :01:36.be speaking to a retail expert to get his analysis of consumer
:01:36. > :01:36.
:01:36. > :01:41.confidence. But first, this report The sales signs were out early as
:01:41. > :01:47.some retailers discounted heavily before Christmas. But Bennett's of
:01:47. > :01:53.Derby have been around a long time, 277 years in fact. It held its
:01:53. > :01:56.nerve and decided not to discount. Sales of 5% down in one year with a
:01:56. > :02:00.dip in the final two months. November and December sales were
:02:00. > :02:04.down a bit on last year which was a bit disappointing but we did not
:02:04. > :02:09.discount on the run-up to Christmas and a lot of the big boys did, and
:02:09. > :02:14.heavily. Around 80% of in some cases and I think that attracted
:02:14. > :02:18.people to discount stores. giant Next chain based at Enderby
:02:18. > :02:21.also chose not to discount in the run-up to Christmas. The company
:02:21. > :02:26.says that sales in November and December were disappointing.
:02:26. > :02:35.Between August and Christmas Eve in the shops were down by about 3% but
:02:35. > :02:40.online sales were up by around 17%. It is not all doom and gloom, the
:02:40. > :02:47.company is on target to make profits of �560 million. John Lewis
:02:47. > :02:50.described its Christmas period as outstanding. And that the High
:02:50. > :02:54.Cross shopping centre in Leicester, there's a feeling that shoppers
:02:54. > :02:57.have turned out in force. I don't think we went over budget at
:02:57. > :03:02.Christmas, we were quite good. Although I have to say that I am
:03:02. > :03:09.not the best at setting budgets. lost my job just before Christmas
:03:09. > :03:13.but we are OK. I had about �700 to spend on Christmas presents, I
:03:13. > :03:21.would about �400 over budget. 2 million people through the doors
:03:21. > :03:25.in December. On the 27th, we had 95,000 people through. We were 20%
:03:25. > :03:30.up on last year so a really significant foot fall and this,
:03:30. > :03:34.people were spending. Back at Bennett, they say it will be
:03:34. > :03:40.another tough year but with a track record stretching back to the 18th
:03:40. > :03:47.century, they are taking the long- With us now is Professor Joshua
:03:47. > :03:57.Bamfield, the director of the Centre for Retail Research. This
:03:57. > :03:58.
:03:58. > :04:02.phrase, FC -- footfall, that must be good news? I think it is but we
:04:02. > :04:08.also need to be cautious because the fat you are in the City does
:04:08. > :04:16.not mean that you are spending money. -- the fact that you are.
:04:16. > :04:21.Not much has happened to the city centres, it has been a lonely
:04:21. > :04:26.experience, all those retailers in shopping malls have done very well.
:04:26. > :04:32.Some shops were really fall before Christmas and some were empty. Have
:04:33. > :04:36.there been any specifics? It is too early to say that this is what
:04:36. > :04:41.happened, but independent stores I think have had difficulties.
:04:41. > :04:48.Suburban stores have had difficulties. People selling
:04:48. > :04:53.fashion have often had a lonely experience. It is often that half
:04:53. > :04:58.of the city centre does well rather than the whole. A lot of the sales
:04:58. > :05:02.started before Christmas. Did that help? All this discounting is
:05:02. > :05:06.presumably not good for business. Retailers had to discount in order
:05:06. > :05:12.to bring business in but customers were playing a game with them.
:05:12. > :05:18.waiting. That is right. We did not see the boost in retail spending
:05:18. > :05:25.until about 10 days before Christmas leave. And then it went
:05:25. > :05:29.stratospheric. It did extremely well. But of course, some retailers
:05:29. > :05:34.from their point of view, Christmas is a two month period rather than
:05:34. > :05:38.just a ten-day period so the fact that those 10 days were very good
:05:38. > :05:44.does not mean that the rest of the time has been good. Briefly,
:05:44. > :05:48.looking forward to 2012, lots of people in our City have invested in
:05:48. > :05:55.retail, can they look forward to a good year or could we expect
:05:55. > :06:00.something else? I am sorry to be pessimistic, but at best it will be
:06:00. > :06:04.flat, probably more likely it is going to be a fall in sales.
:06:04. > :06:08.Unfortunately more redundancies and so it will be a very, very
:06:09. > :06:18.difficult year for retailers, customers and the cities in general.
:06:19. > :06:19.
:06:19. > :06:21.We have to leave it on a SAT note, As we heard earlier, one of the big
:06:21. > :06:24.growth areas this Christmas was internet shopping. That's prompted
:06:24. > :06:27.one retailer in Leicester to close one of his shops. He reckons online
:06:27. > :06:33.sales will continue climbing while those on the high street will fall.
:06:33. > :06:38.But is he right? Helen Astle reports.
:06:38. > :06:44.If Irish clothing has been on the streets in Leicester for 13 years -
:06:44. > :06:52.- Irish clothing has been. But the shop is closing. If we did not
:06:52. > :06:57.pursue the internet, it would be dramatic. It has affected trade on
:06:57. > :07:01.the high street. Stock here is now on sale and some has been relocated
:07:02. > :07:05.to another branch down the road. Tom predicts the been online is the
:07:05. > :07:10.way forward. We believe the internet is the way to go so that
:07:10. > :07:14.is the way we will push more into that. Closing one of the shops is
:07:14. > :07:17.not what anybody wants to do but it is a tough decision. It seems life
:07:17. > :07:22.on the high street is pretty tough but is everything happening on-
:07:22. > :07:26.line? Where do you part with your money? You feel for the retailer
:07:26. > :07:31.but at the end of the day, the differentials are really
:07:31. > :07:37.significant. It is something like tens of pounds so online seemed a
:07:37. > :07:41.lot better. It is easier to come and try it on in the high street.
:07:41. > :07:47.looked at the products on internet, and then bought them in store. It
:07:47. > :07:52.is there in front of you. A bit of both? Yeah. Meanwhile, at this
:07:52. > :07:55.coffee shop, he is excited about the new year. 2012 is the lot of
:07:55. > :08:02.another new business for me which will be men's luxury food where
:08:02. > :08:08.basically. 80% of those will be sold online. It is 247. In terms of
:08:08. > :08:13.the high street, you cannot do that -- it is 24/7. The operating costs
:08:13. > :08:16.being on the high street are obviously huge compared to online.
:08:16. > :08:21.Here you are going purely on price, then obviously the internet has a
:08:21. > :08:29.place but if you want to touch and feel and look and compare, the city
:08:29. > :08:36.So the face of the high street is changing. For retailers, it seems
:08:36. > :08:38.if he will not online, you are of course. -- off course.
:08:38. > :08:43.Meanwhile, a tit-for-tat war over parking charges is emerging as
:08:43. > :08:46.cities fight over what's been dubbed the late-night economy.
:08:46. > :08:48.While Nottingham has extended on- street parking charges into the
:08:48. > :08:58.evening and Sunday mornings, the city of Leicester has decided to
:08:58. > :09:01.
:09:01. > :09:04.Talking through concert dates for the Nottingham harmonic, they are
:09:04. > :09:08.expecting 150 singers for their next rehearsal but the introduction
:09:08. > :09:11.of evening charges for city centre street parking has struck a
:09:11. > :09:16.discordant note. The worst-case scenario, people will come up and
:09:16. > :09:22.said they were not be able to carry on coming to the choir because
:09:22. > :09:25.there will be in excess of �150 per year to park. One option would be
:09:25. > :09:35.to relocate out of the city centre and that would be a real blow
:09:35. > :09:37.
:09:37. > :09:39.because we have been a city centre choir four years. A Leicester is
:09:39. > :09:45.lifting evening parking restrictions to attract more people
:09:45. > :09:50.in. That frustrates Nottingham's business community, they have
:09:50. > :09:58.commissioned their own inquiry into the impact. Chris has just opened
:09:58. > :10:03.and wants the council to think again. I think they should think at
:10:03. > :10:06.reversing their decision and until that has been commissioned by a
:10:06. > :10:11.those in the retail and private sector and they come up with a
:10:11. > :10:15.defined solution of what would be the best way forward for parking
:10:15. > :10:18.for all parties involved. City- centre churches want some
:10:18. > :10:23.concessions after their protest over the introduction of Sunday
:10:23. > :10:27.parking charges. Three passes for bell-ringers and class -- clerics,
:10:27. > :10:33.but for worshippers, the offer of an annual parking permit, at a cost
:10:33. > :10:37.of �50. Legal action has blocked Sunday and late night street
:10:37. > :10:40.parking in central London for the moment. There's no talk of legal
:10:40. > :10:44.action in Nottingham but the city council's Labour leadership may
:10:44. > :10:48.struggle to Park this controversial issue.
:10:48. > :10:51.Still to come, why 2012 is a case of deja vu for one East Midlands
:10:51. > :11:01.Olympian. Don Scott won the silver in boxing at the 1948 London Games.
:11:01. > :11:05.
:11:05. > :11:08.We'll catch up with him at his home The trial of a police officer has
:11:08. > :11:12.started, accused of having sex with vulnerable women while he was on
:11:12. > :11:17.duty. Constable Jasbir Dhanda is alleged to have met women while
:11:17. > :11:19.patrolling a red light district in Derby. It's also claimed he misused
:11:19. > :11:29.police computers to find out information about the women. He
:11:29. > :11:32.
:11:32. > :11:36.denies the charges. Simon Ward 52-year-old Jasbir Dhanda faces a
:11:36. > :11:41.total of 12 charges involving sex, misusing personal data and drugs.
:11:41. > :11:44.His trial began at Nottingham Crown Court today. He is accused of
:11:44. > :11:48.misconduct in public office. The prosecution applied its case today
:11:48. > :11:52.and say he met the women through his police work and had sex with
:11:52. > :12:02.them while on duty. It is claimed that two women were vulnerable,
:12:02. > :12:05.they were prostitutes, had drug problems and lead chaotic lives.
:12:05. > :12:08.Jasbir Dhanda who is currently suspended from Derbyshire Police
:12:08. > :12:13.worked at Peartree police station. He patrolled a red light district
:12:13. > :12:17.in an area of Peartree Crescent. It is claimed he found out that when
:12:18. > :12:25.the warrants were issued, of a prostitute's houses, he would then
:12:25. > :12:32.look for them. A third woman also claims they had consensual sex but
:12:32. > :12:37.she would turn up -- he would turn up in police uniform and claimed he
:12:37. > :12:42.was on a break. It is claimed that he used police computer to find out
:12:42. > :12:46.addresses of women. It is claimed this was not in line with his usual
:12:46. > :12:54.police work and instead used to pursue sexual relationships. Jasbir
:12:54. > :12:58.A woman has pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer and
:12:58. > :13:01.being armed with a knife at a school in Loughborough. Claire
:13:01. > :13:07.Pladgeman, seen here on the left in the grey jacket, threatened staff
:13:07. > :13:10.at De Lisle College on the phone after her son was expelled. The 45-
:13:10. > :13:12.year-old was arrested by police on school grounds after officers
:13:13. > :13:16.discovered a knife in the glove compartment of her car. She'll
:13:16. > :13:20.appear in court for sentencing next month.
:13:21. > :13:24.The Chief Constable of Lincolnshire Police has announced his retirement.
:13:24. > :13:26.Richard Crompton joined the force in 2004. He says he made the
:13:26. > :13:32.decision for personal and professional reasons and believes
:13:32. > :13:34.now is the right time for someone else to take up the reins.
:13:34. > :13:39.Derbyshire-based adventurer Bryony Balen is in the final stages of her
:13:39. > :13:43.polar expedition. The 21-year-old from Melbourne is hoping to become
:13:43. > :13:46.the youngest person to trek to the South Pole. The team celebrated the
:13:46. > :13:56.New Year with a small tipple. They have around 350 kilometres of
:13:56. > :13:57.
:13:57. > :14:00.skiing left until they reach the pole. That is still a fair way!
:14:00. > :14:04.Next tonight, who would you choose to make sure the police do their
:14:04. > :14:06.job? This year we'll get to vote for the first police and crime
:14:06. > :14:09.commissioners. They'll set priorities for your local force,
:14:09. > :14:19.and make sure they serve the public effectively. It's controversial and
:14:19. > :14:23.
:14:23. > :14:26.some people are very worried about Policing is a tough at balancing
:14:26. > :14:30.act, protecting the streets, catching criminals and preventing
:14:30. > :14:35.serious crime as well. The new police and Crown Commissioners will
:14:35. > :14:39.be in charge of setting priorities. Rick more will stand for election
:14:39. > :14:45.as Leicestershire's commissioner, he has been a magistrate for more
:14:45. > :14:51.than 20 years. The obvious thing for me is called
:14:51. > :14:57.anti-social low-level crime. It really impact on people's lives and
:14:57. > :14:59.I would bring my business knowledge, my legal knowledge, my knowledge of
:14:59. > :15:04.the criminal justice system to bear in terms of shaping the strategy.
:15:04. > :15:06.The winner will replace the police authority which currently holds
:15:06. > :15:09.Leicestershire's Chief Constable to account. The Government thinks the
:15:09. > :15:17.new elected commissioner will have a lot more cloud but police
:15:17. > :15:22.officers think that they are an expensive waste of money and fears
:15:22. > :15:25.about a low turnout are bound. have got two universities in this
:15:26. > :15:30.town. If they run a campaign and all the students turned out, that
:15:30. > :15:34.could swing an election. You could have somebody who is doing it for a
:15:34. > :15:40.project or somebody with political aspirations could get elected. That
:15:40. > :15:48.would affect the policing for the entire county. Whoever wins, the
:15:48. > :15:51.new police and crime Commission -- commissioners could have a great
:15:51. > :15:54.level of responsibility. Jeremy Ball is with us in the
:15:54. > :15:57.studio. Just how controversial is this shake-up? It is pretty
:15:57. > :16:03.controversial. There are worries the police could be politicised if
:16:03. > :16:09.party politicians get in. Or someone might get elected by
:16:09. > :16:12.pledging to put a lot more police on the beat, for instance. But that
:16:12. > :16:15.might force Chief Constables to move them off other important jobs
:16:15. > :16:17.like solving murders. And this really boils down to worries about
:16:17. > :16:21.meddling and interference. Isn't that a danger? Well, in a way
:16:21. > :16:24.that's the whole point. They've got a system like this in the States
:16:24. > :16:29.and one Government advisor told me it will only work if the
:16:29. > :16:32.relationship isn't too cosy. Because these elected commissioners
:16:32. > :16:36.might have to bang their fists to make the police focus on what the
:16:36. > :16:38.public want. If you don't like what they're doing, you can always vote
:16:39. > :16:42.them out. The police in Leicester are warning
:16:42. > :16:47.people to be especially alert after six houses in one road were burgled
:16:47. > :16:49.in one night. It's believed the thieves got in through insecure
:16:50. > :16:59.windows or doors. One man had his children's Christmas presents taken,
:17:00. > :17:02.
:17:02. > :17:09.Peter strive on the east side of Leicester. The residents told me it
:17:09. > :17:12.has been an unremarkable Street up until now. Not one but half a dozen
:17:12. > :17:16.families work up yesterday morning to find they had been burgled.
:17:16. > :17:23.Bobby work at about 3 o'clock yesterday morning to find light on
:17:23. > :17:28.downstairs. Event in his car. took my kids' stuff, everything. I
:17:28. > :17:32.can't believe it, it is really bad. The first time I heard this in
:17:32. > :17:38.Leicester. Six burglaries, really bad. All the burgled houses were on
:17:38. > :17:42.one side of the street. This family who run a nearby shop found their
:17:42. > :17:47.house raided just after returning from a wedding in India. All the
:17:47. > :17:54.kitchen cupboards were open. And then we looked into the side room,
:17:54. > :17:58.all the suitcases were open and everything was scattered. Other
:17:58. > :18:03.residents are worried that the burglaries happened while many
:18:03. > :18:07.people were inside their own homes. Everybody was in bed. Anything
:18:07. > :18:13.could have happened. I am very upset about it and I hope it will
:18:13. > :18:17.not happen again. One would be too many but for us to have six
:18:17. > :18:22.occurrences on a quiet, suburban street, that is very difficult or a
:18:22. > :18:25.major impact for the community. Four of those were insecure doors
:18:25. > :18:29.to the property so we are urging residents to do the final security
:18:29. > :18:33.checks and make sure their doors are locked and windows locked.
:18:33. > :18:36.police say this number of burglaries is unusual and
:18:36. > :18:42.burglaries overbought are going down in Leicestershire but they say
:18:42. > :18:52.anyone with information should ring the emergency 101 number --
:18:52. > :18:59.
:18:59. > :19:05.burglaries overall are going down. It is time for the sport. Some
:19:05. > :19:08.lovely Olympic work coming up later The former Nottingham Forest
:19:08. > :19:11.manager Steve McClaren may soon be back in work. He's confirmed today
:19:11. > :19:13.he's in talks to return as manager to the Dutch side FC Twente.
:19:14. > :19:16.McClaren was at Forest for less than four months.
:19:16. > :19:19.It's angering the fans. But next months's game between Leicester
:19:19. > :19:22.City and Derby County at Pride Park has been switched from Saturday
:19:22. > :19:25.afternoon to a Thursday evening. The game's been chosen to be shown
:19:25. > :19:28.live on Sky. The switch may be causing complaints but there are
:19:28. > :19:34.few grumbles about Derby at the moment. They were the only team in
:19:34. > :19:40.the country to win all three games over the Christmas holidays. It is
:19:40. > :19:45.a great effort from the lads. They are working hard with each other.
:19:45. > :19:48.When you put everything into the mix together, it is obviously all
:19:48. > :19:51.the right ingredients and you come up with the result.
:19:51. > :19:54.In rugby, there's a double injury blow for the Leicester Tigers and
:19:54. > :19:57.England. Manu Tuilagi's likely to be out for a month, and Louis
:19:57. > :20:00.Deacon for up to four months. Meanwhile the Tigers seem set to
:20:00. > :20:10.sign Worcester wing, Miles Benjamin. The 23-year-old averages around a
:20:10. > :20:13.try every other game. We have spoken to Miles Benjamin but
:20:13. > :20:18.nothing is signed or sealed. He is one of several players we are
:20:18. > :20:22.talking to at the moment because after the 1st January, you are
:20:22. > :20:27.allowed to speak to players from other clubs and we will see what
:20:27. > :20:31.comes. But, you know, he is a good player and there's lot of good
:20:31. > :20:34.players and lots of guys on the market as you well know.
:20:34. > :20:36.It's been a great start to the Olympic year for badminton hopeful
:20:36. > :20:39.Chris Adcock of Nottinghamshire. He and his partner Imogen Bankier have
:20:39. > :20:42.beaten the World Champions in straight sets in the first round of
:20:42. > :20:44.the Korean Open. There'll be no Olympics for one of
:20:44. > :20:50.Rebecca Adlington's training partners at the Nottinghamshire
:20:50. > :20:52.Nova Club. 25-year-old Kathryn Wyld is giving up the sport because of a
:20:52. > :20:54.hip injury. And an injury blow too for
:20:54. > :20:59.Nottinghamshire gymnast Sam Oldham. He'll miss next week's Olympic test
:20:59. > :21:05.event in London. $NEWLINE Sam is one of many competitors aiming for
:21:05. > :21:08.London 2012. But some of our viewers have been there and done it
:21:08. > :21:12.before. They were at the last London Games in 1948. Tonight we'll
:21:12. > :21:17.hear about a silver medal-winning boxer from Derby. His speech is
:21:17. > :21:27.affected by Parkinson's disease. So he asked his daughter to share his
:21:27. > :21:28.
:21:28. > :21:33.Awarded to the City of London. is the moment Britain's athletes
:21:33. > :21:39.began dreaming of winning Olympic medals in front of a home crowd.
:21:39. > :21:45.Just like Derby's Don Scott did in 1948. He was a 20-year-old light
:21:45. > :21:49.heavyweight boxer then. It was just after the war fare, berry or steer.
:21:49. > :21:54.Not much was made of it like it is now. They were not given as much
:21:54. > :22:04.time to train as they do now. There are facilities were not there. --
:22:04. > :22:05.
:22:05. > :22:09.very austere. He did have a friend that went around with him just
:22:09. > :22:13.because of the extra rations! extra meat did the trick. He
:22:13. > :22:16.returned with a silver medal and the chance to be a hero. He was
:22:17. > :22:21.quite a well-known local boxer anyway. But to come back with the
:22:21. > :22:28.silver medal was amazing at the time. It did not last very long and
:22:28. > :22:31.he went back to work at the foundry as a grinder. Don could have his
:22:31. > :22:37.moment to shine again when the torch relay heads to Derby in June.
:22:37. > :22:42.My dad has been nominated to carry it for one of the legs. Whether he
:22:42. > :22:46.will get there is another matter but I don't think he will be
:22:46. > :22:50.running very far but we will make sure he has got some mobility
:22:50. > :22:55.scooter or wheels of some description to help him along. If
:22:55. > :22:59.he gets chosen. New heroes and new memories are about to be created
:22:59. > :23:04.this summer. Don's family though will certainly not forget his
:23:04. > :23:08.achievements in a hurry. It is part of my childhood. My dad went to the
:23:08. > :23:17.Olympics and every four years, the metals come out and everybody will
:23:17. > :23:21.want to see them. But I didn't win! Don't say you are not proud, we are
:23:21. > :23:25.all proud of you. Wasn't that lovely?
:23:25. > :23:35.And tomorrow we hear from a 1948 gymnast and take him on a visit to
:23:35. > :23:40.
:23:40. > :23:44.1948, how wonderful. You are with us now because of the really weird
:23:44. > :23:48.weather last year. Everybody thought so. It was a bit unusual.
:23:48. > :23:53.We had a very warm spring, a very warm autumn and now it has been
:23:53. > :23:57.named as one of the second warmest years on record. That is using
:23:58. > :24:04.provisional figures. As we go back to look at 2011, we look at the
:24:04. > :24:08.effect on the wildlife. Last winter saw lots of snow in the
:24:08. > :24:13.East Midlands and temperatures as low as minus 15 degrees. Even this
:24:13. > :24:18.total below seemed surprised. Fast forward to a mild spring and then
:24:18. > :24:23.this. An autumn bonus. He would not think this was the last day in
:24:23. > :24:28.September. Just look at the forecast there. One of the hottest
:24:28. > :24:33.September's on record. A blue sky yet again to get round
:24:33. > :24:37.off a cracking week. Hot sunshine, temperatures could possibly top 29
:24:37. > :24:41.degrees. So what happened to 2011? And how
:24:41. > :24:45.is it affecting things now? I popped down to Attenborough nature
:24:45. > :24:48.reserve to find out. We went from a situation where this time last year,
:24:49. > :24:54.this area was completely frozen over and we were having to bring in
:24:54. > :24:58.fish from the fishmonger's to feed to the rarer birds. And then in
:24:59. > :25:03.springtime, we had a very warm spring and then the flowers out at
:25:03. > :25:08.least one month earlier. A shock to the system? Yes, the weather has
:25:08. > :25:12.been changeable for the past few years. The breeding season got off
:25:12. > :25:17.very early and things started very well. And then we had the dry month
:25:17. > :25:24.of June, July and August. Yes, the birds struggled to find enough
:25:24. > :25:30.insects for their chicks. Problems with some of the war blows. -- some
:25:30. > :25:34.of the birds. The fact it was warm right through last year has meant
:25:34. > :25:37.that we have had butterflies flying round in the last couple of weeks
:25:37. > :25:45.and now we have got things like blackberries, brambles trying to
:25:45. > :25:50.flower and set fruit now in January. It does turn -- if it does turn
:25:50. > :25:55.cold, hopefully things will be OK. So these second warmest year on
:25:55. > :26:05.record provision made for the UK, also the third driest on record for
:26:05. > :26:08.
:26:08. > :26:15.These are the differences, it was all down to high-pressure blocking
:26:15. > :26:18.the wet weather systems and sending them up to Scotland. We will
:26:18. > :26:22.continue to have stronger St winds as we go through this evening.
:26:22. > :26:28.Thank you to Mike for this picture of a little Robin sheltering from
:26:28. > :26:32.the wind. We have a yellow warning in place for these gale force winds
:26:32. > :26:37.we are expecting this evening. We could get gusts of up to 60 mph and
:26:37. > :26:39.that continues into the early hours of Thursday morning. We are
:26:39. > :26:44.starting to see the rain coming in and it is fairly heavy and
:26:44. > :26:47.persistent. We will notice those winds picking up further as we go
:26:47. > :26:50.through the next couple of hours. The rain will start to break up as
:26:50. > :26:57.we go through the night and temperatures holding up quite
:26:57. > :27:05.nicely. Six Celsius is your minimum. The winds will still be gusting at
:27:05. > :27:08.around 35 mph in Thursday morning. Later on it becomes drier in the
:27:08. > :27:12.afternoon. Some wintry sunshine, I am sure you will welcome that. A
:27:12. > :27:17.bit of breeze, with a top temperature of eight Celsius.
:27:17. > :27:26.Thursday night with the lighter winds and clear skies, we are
:27:26. > :27:35.expecting frost. And then Friday, the isobars much further apart. My