14/02/2014

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:00:00. > :00:00.to British coastlines, with winds of up to 80 mph. That's all from

:00:00. > :00:08.This is East Midlands Today. I'm Anne Davies and tonight we've a

:00:09. > :00:13.special programme marking the role of British troops in Afghanistan.

:00:14. > :00:15.I'm at Kendrew Barracks in Rutland, with the families spending

:00:16. > :00:26.Valentine's Day thousands of miles apart from their loved ones. And

:00:27. > :00:33.here in southern Afghanistan, I am here with dozens of trips from the

:00:34. > :00:37.East Midlands. Tonight we are out with the last British soldiers in

:00:38. > :00:45.Helmand province. There is always the risk of IED is. Here in Rutland,

:00:46. > :00:53.staying positive. How the families cope as the soldiers face of danger.

:00:54. > :00:57.Plus, an Army packing up and heading home and the dad who has missed

:00:58. > :01:06.Christmas. It is hard, it is hard because you miss them everyday.

:01:07. > :01:14.Welcome to Cottesmore in Rutland, home of the Royal Anglians' Second

:01:15. > :01:19.Battalion. Hundreds of troops from this barracks are spending the

:01:20. > :01:22.winter in Southern Afghanistan. It's the largest deployment from the East

:01:23. > :01:26.Midlands since the conflict began 12 years ago. And it involves two

:01:27. > :01:33.regiments that recruit from towns and villages across Derbyshire,

:01:34. > :01:37.Leicestershire and Lincolnshire. Tonight I'm with some of the

:01:38. > :01:40.families who have an anxious time waiting for their husbands, sons and

:01:41. > :01:43.fathers to return. We'll be hearing from them in a moment. But first

:01:44. > :01:46.let's link`up with Helmand Province in Afghanistan, where our

:01:47. > :01:48.Correspondent, Jeremy Ball and cameraman Adam Walker have spent

:01:49. > :01:55.this week with soldiers from right across the East Midlands. Good

:01:56. > :01:59.evening from camp Bastian. Camp Bastion is a vast British base

:02:00. > :02:02.that's not much smaller than the city of Derby. It's a place where it

:02:03. > :02:06.feels as though the army's already packing up and going home. But for

:02:07. > :02:10.hundreds of troops from the East Midlands, this is a mission that's

:02:11. > :02:13.far from over. And if you look at the map board, then... 8am at

:02:14. > :02:17.Forward Operating Base Lashkar Gar, and we are kitted out for a safety

:02:18. > :02:21.briefing that makes you sit up and listen. Should we come under any

:02:22. > :02:23.small arms fire... All this for a short walk to the provincial police

:02:24. > :02:27.headquarters where the Royal Anglians have been helping train the

:02:28. > :02:30.local Afghan Uniformed Police. Now those local officers are keeping

:02:31. > :02:33.this city relatively secure and open for business on their own, and soon

:02:34. > :02:37.there won't be any British soldiers here to help. It's only 200 meters

:02:38. > :02:41.between these two bases, but as you can see, we're very exposed here.

:02:42. > :02:45.They're not taking any chances. Overnight they found two improvised

:02:46. > :02:50.bombs or IEDs in this city, there is a threat from suicide bombers, too.

:02:51. > :02:56.But some people wave at us and greet us. It is easy to get into a false

:02:57. > :02:59.sense of security out there, people wonder why we are in full kit. There

:03:00. > :03:03.is always the risk of IEDs, vehicle`borne IEDs etc, coming down

:03:04. > :03:05.the main route, that we can't stop. Inside police HQ, a warrant officer

:03:06. > :03:11.from Loughborough and a Corporal from Anstey live and work with the

:03:12. > :03:16.Afghan forces. They are here to share intelligence about security

:03:17. > :03:20.threats. It takes time to build up a rapport with them, but once you do

:03:21. > :03:23.establish a rapport you can get a very good working relationship with

:03:24. > :03:28.them. They have a very similar sense of humour to ourselves, they do

:03:29. > :03:33.enjoy a good laugh. Back at the main base, they have been waking up to

:03:34. > :03:36.this. Desert sand covered in frost. And a meal tent protected by what's

:03:37. > :03:40.known as a guardian angel. And because the kitchens have just

:03:41. > :03:45.closed down here, this is breakfast. Hot chocolate in a water bottle and

:03:46. > :03:51.boil`in`the`bag ration packs. It is because most British Forward Bases

:03:52. > :03:55.have been closed. And this one is well on the way to being pulled

:03:56. > :03:59.down. And the Royal Anglians will be the last British soldiers in Lashkar

:04:00. > :04:01.Gar. If you could imagine an iso`container size, there's been

:04:02. > :04:03.about 700 iso`container sized equipment that's left so far.

:04:04. > :04:07.Portacabins, iso`containers themselves, vehicles. From Lashkar

:04:08. > :04:14.Gar to Camp Bastion is 20 mile journey, less than the distance

:04:15. > :04:17.between Leicester and Nottingham. But you travel by helicopter to

:04:18. > :04:22.avoid using roads, where insurgents can set up an ambush. Now those

:04:23. > :04:25.insurgents are being targeted by local Afghan security forces who are

:04:26. > :04:29.taking over combat operations from their British mentors. And

:04:30. > :04:31.Derbyshire soldiers and from the ninth 12th Royal Lancers are

:04:32. > :04:37.supporting them in hostile territory, coming under fire. A

:04:38. > :04:42.bloke just appeared from nowhere and fired an RPG, which came over the

:04:43. > :04:46.top of us. I have been under a few contacts, it is pretty scary, my

:04:47. > :04:49.first one. Pretty much every mission has some success. We'd be finding

:04:50. > :04:53.drugs, targeting their IED networks, finding IED components, and we have

:04:54. > :04:56.had a lot of success. Now they are focusing on the mammoth task of

:04:57. > :05:01.ending combat operations, they are scrapping a lot of equipment that

:05:02. > :05:07.isn't cost`effective to send home. Then there is this machine that

:05:08. > :05:12.sounds like a popcorn maker. It is recycling 20,000 bullets every week.

:05:13. > :05:15.That noise you can hear is the sound of he explosive rounds being broken

:05:16. > :05:19.up. The metal bullet casings come out of the machine like this, they

:05:20. > :05:23.will be melted down and sold as scrap. More than 3,000 vehicles are

:05:24. > :05:28.being deep cleaned, half have already been sent back to the UK. It

:05:29. > :05:31.was engineers from Chilwell in Nottinghamshire who designed this

:05:32. > :05:37.huge in camp Bastion and they are here to take it down. I was out here

:05:38. > :05:40.in 2006 and helped build the camps that are still here today. It was

:05:41. > :05:44.quite a surreal feeling going back to somewhere that you had lived for

:05:45. > :05:48.that long. I stood in the position that might tent had actually been

:05:49. > :05:51.and that's gone. And seeing all the land stripped out. It was very, very

:05:52. > :05:54.strange. Strange feeling. Thousands of British troops have already left

:05:55. > :06:03.Afghanistan and by the end of this year it will be another chapter in

:06:04. > :06:07.Britain's military history. It is not until you travel out here that

:06:08. > :06:10.you realise just how tough conditions are for the soldiers. At

:06:11. > :06:15.night the desert sands are getting covered in ice. Bart offer, though,

:06:16. > :06:23.is being away from home for so long and that is just as hard for their

:06:24. > :06:27.families back in the East Midlands. It is indeed and I am with some of

:06:28. > :06:31.those families in the East Midlands. Let me introduce you to Jonathan,

:06:32. > :06:37.Keely and baby Ruby. If you are wondering why it is quiet, we are in

:06:38. > :06:43.the soft play area. Good to be home? Yes, it is. How old was this

:06:44. > :06:49.young lady the last thing you went? 24 hours old. What was it like

:06:50. > :06:54.leaving her then? Quite horrible. And leaving the boys as well. You

:06:55. > :06:59.have two boys being off`loaded, playing there. How old are they?

:07:00. > :07:08.Your Mac to and three. Good to have them all? Amazing. Morice and Amber

:07:09. > :07:13.have been reunited. We are really have `` really happy. It has been

:07:14. > :07:27.three years. It will be a romantic occasion? A decent night. Is it good

:07:28. > :07:30.to be back? Yes. What is it really like to be over there? Obviously

:07:31. > :07:35.these guys know but it is one soldier's sorry.

:07:36. > :07:39.It is hard. It is hard because you miss them every day. I miss the

:07:40. > :07:43.cheeky little banter I get with my daughters. Christmas was a big one,

:07:44. > :07:46.I was away for Christmas. Not having Dad around on Christmas day is

:07:47. > :07:49.obviously a big thing for the girls.It was just hard knowing the

:07:50. > :07:53.girls were going to open their presents without you being there. I

:07:54. > :07:57.sort of employed my wife's parents to sort of assist in getting her big

:07:58. > :08:00.present. So she didn't think she was going to get anything, but they

:08:01. > :08:04.turned up on Christmas Day with a big present from me, which I am told

:08:05. > :08:08.she burst into tears about. So, my wife's part in this, and I am sure

:08:09. > :08:11.many wives' part in operation deployment is massive. They keep the

:08:12. > :08:15.houses running, keep the kids going to school, and they've also got the

:08:16. > :08:18.concerns of what we're doing at the time. You worry every day. Obviously

:08:19. > :08:22.there may be something they might need your help with. Looking forward

:08:23. > :08:25.to going home is definitely one of the big points, because it is a

:08:26. > :08:29.massive moment. There will definitely be tears, there is always

:08:30. > :08:33.tears when it comes to when you are leaving to go on tour, you know,

:08:34. > :08:37.both sides trying to fight back the tears but you know there's going to

:08:38. > :08:40.be tears. And when you get back there's almost tears of, like,

:08:41. > :08:52.elation if you like, that it's all over and you can get almost back to

:08:53. > :08:58.normal life. And here is certain theme and's wife, Joanne. And Chloe

:08:59. > :09:02.and Tamsin. What was it like seeing that film? It was really nice. It

:09:03. > :09:08.was nice to see where he has been living. Does it shock you? Yes, he

:09:09. > :09:14.does not show the pictures or tell you what it is like, really. It was

:09:15. > :09:18.interesting. I thought it was lovely as well, the importance he put on

:09:19. > :09:23.your roll back home. It was quite nice to hear that, it is quite hard

:09:24. > :09:31.being ( home wondering what they are doing. It is quite nice to hear it.

:09:32. > :09:35.It has been a difficult time over there and you have had to sacrifice

:09:36. > :09:42.a lot. In your mind, is it worth the sacrifice? Sundays, it is kind of

:09:43. > :09:47.questionable, but yes, of course it is. You have hard these when you

:09:48. > :09:50.think about how hard it is not when they come back and you see the look

:09:51. > :09:53.on the girl 's face when he walks through the door, it is really nice.

:09:54. > :09:58.It is one of those special moments. They know their daddy is away but

:09:59. > :10:03.when he comes back it is great. It is Valentine's Day and you are on

:10:04. > :10:09.your own. Have you had a letter? If fair few. We kind of made our own

:10:10. > :10:14.Valentines cards for each other. They make daddy is for when he comes

:10:15. > :10:20.home. Girls, was its nice to see daddy on TV? Yes. Are you looking

:10:21. > :10:26.forward to him coming home? Yes. We have made cards for him. That is

:10:27. > :10:30.fantastic. Thank you, we look forward to coming back.

:10:31. > :10:33.The jury in the trial of a man accused of attempting to murder a

:10:34. > :10:37.Sikh spiritual leader with an axe, has been discharged after failing to

:10:38. > :10:40.reach a verdict. Harjit Singh Toor from Oadby in Leicestershire had

:10:41. > :10:43.denied trying to kill His Holiness Sirisat Guru Uday Singh VI during a

:10:44. > :10:47.religious ceremony at a Leicester temple last August. A decision will

:10:48. > :10:50.be made within the next two weeks whether or not to hold a retrial. Mr

:10:51. > :11:05.Toor has admitted causing grievous bodily harm. The East Midlands has

:11:06. > :11:09.so far escaped the worst of the winter storms, but of course we

:11:10. > :11:13.might get similar weather patterns in the future. Experts have warned

:11:14. > :11:16.that people cannot just rely on outside organisations, but needs to

:11:17. > :11:23.protect themselves from future floods.

:11:24. > :11:27.With all the rain we have had recently this trickle should be a

:11:28. > :11:30.torrent but the Hamilton estate in North West has been carefully

:11:31. > :11:36.designed by the special drainage system that holds water back to stop

:11:37. > :11:40.flooding downstream. We have done away with pipes, there are no

:11:41. > :11:43.drainage pipes, it is all about getting the water into natural

:11:44. > :11:49.drainage channels above ground, a mixture of grassland reedbeds so the

:11:50. > :11:52.water trickles down slowly. Residents here pay towards

:11:53. > :11:56.maintaining the drainage system, many claiming expenses or

:11:57. > :12:00.organisations must take control of flood prevention just as workers

:12:01. > :12:04.from British gypsum did here in East Nottinghamshire after floods in

:12:05. > :12:07.2012. Government and emergency urbanisation is no longer have the

:12:08. > :12:12.money or staff to provide all the help. As we have seen in the

:12:13. > :12:15.south`east, Eagle are waiting for someone to turn up and very often

:12:16. > :12:20.they do not have the staff numbers to do that. Individual resilience is

:12:21. > :12:24.very important. The father of a young man who went

:12:25. > :12:26.missing on a night out in Derby has made an emotional appeal for

:12:27. > :12:29.information about his son. 20`year`old Nadish Kunwar was

:12:30. > :12:32.spotted on BBC Radio Derby's CCTV after leaving friends at the Jurys

:12:33. > :12:36.Inn hotel two weeks ago. Officers say he had been drinking heavily. He

:12:37. > :12:44.hasn't been seen or heard from since.

:12:45. > :12:46.There is absolutely nothing to suggest anything sinister has

:12:47. > :12:50.happened, it is literally that. A missing person enquiry. And we have

:12:51. > :12:54.come to a point with CCTV where we are desperately appealing to members

:12:55. > :12:58.of the public to help us at this point. Every night we are searching

:12:59. > :13:01.that area, the police have given some hints, it should be this area.

:13:02. > :13:07.We are leafleting that area, putting posters on all the stops. Every

:13:08. > :13:17.night, we can't, we don't have appetite, we can't sleep at night.

:13:18. > :13:19.If somebody watching... Nottingham figure skating legends

:13:20. > :13:23.Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean recreated their Gold medal`winning

:13:24. > :13:27.Bolero dance last night. They took to the rink in Sarajevo, the city

:13:28. > :13:34.where they won at the Winter Olympics 30 years ago. From there,

:13:35. > :13:41.Mark Shardlow reports. Jayne Torvill And Christopher Dean!

:13:42. > :13:46.For most of us it was a night of pure nostalgia. For others, it meant

:13:47. > :13:51.much, much more. Thank you very much. We are so excited to be here

:13:52. > :13:57.this evening. Sarajevo is right here, beating in my heart from 30

:13:58. > :14:01.years ago. Local children performed in the show, their parents this age

:14:02. > :14:09.when the Olympics were on, but who lost their childhood in the

:14:10. > :14:12.desperate, brutal war. Amongst the crowds last night, the flower girls

:14:13. > :14:15.who helped Torvill and Dean, like Elmer Krazni, just a tot in 1984,

:14:16. > :14:21.now reunited with her childhood heroes who helped her through the

:14:22. > :14:24.horrors. I think a lot of people during the bad moments remember

:14:25. > :14:27.those Olympics, and remembered how positive this city once was, and

:14:28. > :14:31.really tha tkept them going, I think, so Torvill and Dean coming

:14:32. > :14:45.back means that we won this big battle. Life! So Bolero was and is

:14:46. > :14:50.more than Olympic gold. And that's why last night was so poignant. For

:14:51. > :14:56.people here, it reminds them of another time. It reminds them of

:14:57. > :15:01.when the Olympics was here and all the fun that happened around that.

:15:02. > :15:05.It's an Olympic city, and remember how London felt in 2012, and that's

:15:06. > :15:15.what they were carrying. And then, the tragedy of the war. But the

:15:16. > :15:18.city, the country is coming back. Anything that can be done to

:15:19. > :15:24.highlight that, that's wonderful, and that's part of us being here as

:15:25. > :15:26.well. The reception showed the appreciation. The perfect sixes of

:15:27. > :15:38.Valentine's Day 1984 repeated last night.

:15:39. > :15:44.And if you want to have another look at Torvill and Deans Bolero routine

:15:45. > :15:47.there's a short video clip on the East Midlands Today Facebook page.

:15:48. > :15:55.Now, though, it's time for a round`up of the day's sport ` here's

:15:56. > :15:59.Colin Hazelden. Welcome to Bramall Lane, this is the

:16:00. > :16:04.whole of Sheffield and football club but the reason I am here is this is

:16:05. > :16:09.where forest are coming in the famous old competition, the FA Cup,

:16:10. > :16:14.on Sunday. 5000 Forest fans will make the trek up the M1, they will

:16:15. > :16:18.see their team at this stage of the competition for the first time in

:16:19. > :16:22.nine years. If they win they will back themselves a quarterfinal. A

:16:23. > :16:27.big game and Natalie Jackson has been in the camp today. It is just

:16:28. > :16:39.over a year since manager Billy Davies returned to Nottingham

:16:40. > :16:47.Forest. 12 months on and it is a cold, wet, windy Valentine's Day at

:16:48. > :16:55.training. Be careful! The honeymoon period for Davies is definitely

:16:56. > :17:01.over. , and! Seven of his best players are out injured in the gym

:17:02. > :17:04.and on the treatment table. But just injuries, the way in which we are

:17:05. > :17:13.picking up the injuries, every injury we have had has been, has

:17:14. > :17:16.happened in a game situation. That value, Chris Cohen, Kelvin Wilson,

:17:17. > :17:23.Eric Levi, David Vaughan, Henry Lansley, Dexter Blackstock. Injuries

:17:24. > :17:27.he said the critics did not take into account. We are focused on this

:17:28. > :17:32.current group of players who should have more points. Should have more

:17:33. > :17:36.points even though they are missing. But seeing that conservatively. ?10

:17:37. > :17:41.million worth of players? Even though we are the only 16 game

:17:42. > :17:46.unbeaten run in the top six, five points from second place, fantastic

:17:47. > :17:51.form at home. His team are two games away potentially from a Wembley

:17:52. > :17:55.semifinal. Defensively two games away from the sack in football! I

:17:56. > :18:01.prepare for the match `` I prepare for the next match. That is what I

:18:02. > :18:04.encourage my staff and players to focus on. Preparing for the next

:18:05. > :18:09.game. There are no shortage of reasons why this should have added

:18:10. > :18:13.space. The manager here have so many years at Forest and it is not a

:18:14. > :18:17.secret that he had current Forest manager Billy Davies are not the

:18:18. > :18:20.greatest of friends. Add to that the fact he was sacked by Derby five

:18:21. > :18:27.months ago and this seems like the ideal time for a catch up. We are

:18:28. > :18:35.going to have hopefully 20,000 in there, between 20 and 20,000 would

:18:36. > :18:41.be a great atmosphere. Whenever a deeply at Bramall Lane it is a great

:18:42. > :18:45.atmosphere. `` whenever you play. We hope the scheme goes ahead, you can

:18:46. > :18:49.CD covers on the pitch at Elliott on it was very badly waterlogged

:18:50. > :18:54.underneath there. We'll keep you on that. It is a big weekend elsewhere,

:18:55. > :18:59.not least in league one for Notts County. They are travelling to

:19:00. > :19:03.Wolves. In league two Mansfield town are off to Oxford United, in the

:19:04. > :19:08.Rugby Leicester Tigers are back at home welcoming Gloucester to Welford

:19:09. > :19:14.Road. At the Winter Olympics it is a chance to take a look at the ace

:19:15. > :19:17.dancers in the short programme. For me here at Sheffield United that is

:19:18. > :19:21.just about it. We have our fingers crossed. If the forest can win they

:19:22. > :19:28.will be one game away from a Wembley semifinal. That is your news and

:19:29. > :19:32.sports letters goodbye from me. Let me have you back to an with her Army

:19:33. > :19:36.families in Rutland. Welcome back to the Royal Anglians'

:19:37. > :19:41.home base here in Rutland. They're among thousands of

:19:42. > :19:47.`` little Oliver has been very good until this moment. We looked at him

:19:48. > :19:50.in the moment. He is going back very soon, one of the thousands of men

:19:51. > :19:55.and women who have served in Afghanistan. It has been some of the

:19:56. > :20:00.toughest fighting that the British Army has experienced since World War

:20:01. > :20:06.II. Many of them as we now have lost their lives. Jeremy Ball has been

:20:07. > :20:12.falling for the last 12 years and the is giving his take on big

:20:13. > :20:15.achievements. When you watch the troops preparing

:20:16. > :20:18.their weapons it is easy to forget by the troops preparing their

:20:19. > :20:21.weapons it is easy to forget why we ended up in the Desert so far away

:20:22. > :20:24.from home. It was all because of the 911 attacks in New York, attacks

:20:25. > :20:30.coordinated right here in Afghanistan. The response to those

:20:31. > :20:34.attacks came within weeks. Soldiers from Leicestershire and Lincolnshire

:20:35. > :20:39.when among the first to arrive here after Afghanistan's brutal Taliban

:20:40. > :20:43.government was forced out of power. They found a capital city shattered

:20:44. > :20:47.by decades of civil war. Out of these photos in Campbell, 12 years

:20:48. > :20:53.ago, these children came up to shake hands. The Royal Anglian shoulders

:20:54. > :20:56.did not even need to wear helmets. We found this school where girls

:20:57. > :21:01.were being educated for the first time in years. Last autumn

:21:02. > :21:04.Afghanistan finally had something to celebrate when the country won the

:21:05. > :21:09.first international football tournament. For many, life has

:21:10. > :21:13.improved year, so much so that millions of Afghan refugees have

:21:14. > :21:18.come home. What is in it for us? I put that to the government minister

:21:19. > :21:22.in charge of the Armed Forces. Our troops have been helping to protect

:21:23. > :21:26.people back home from terrorist threats. They have been fighting to

:21:27. > :21:30.help keep bars and our families safe. I believe ultimately it has

:21:31. > :21:34.been successful. Interview in Helmand province solos from

:21:35. > :21:39.Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire were drawn into battle is on a daily

:21:40. > :21:45.basis. This is what happened when I filmed the patrol with the messy in

:21:46. > :21:48.Redmond five years ago. This exchange of fire was so routine the

:21:49. > :21:52.crack jokes about how close the bullets came, but it was deadly

:21:53. > :21:56.serious. It is the photos of troops that have been killed that brings

:21:57. > :22:02.home the real cost of this conflict. These are 23 men from the East

:22:03. > :22:06.Midlands, victims of a war that has claimed the lives of thousands of

:22:07. > :22:11.civilians. Cuban hell was from Nottingham. There have been too many

:22:12. > :22:18.people who have suffered massive sacrifices. `` Kieron Hill. People

:22:19. > :22:24.suffering from post`dramatic stress. It is not worth it for me. I have

:22:25. > :22:37.lost too much. But it has destroyed my life. `` post`traumatic stress.

:22:38. > :22:40.The question now, what is Afghanistan 's future? Who will be

:22:41. > :22:45.in charge after the elections next month? And will be sacrifices of so

:22:46. > :22:57.many British troops take a lasting evidence here? `` make a lasting

:22:58. > :23:03.difference. As we said, Captain Barranquilla is about to go. When do

:23:04. > :23:11.you go? Approximately two weeks. If little Oliver gets to set up we

:23:12. > :23:18.might have to stop. This is a snapshot, we take over 45 kilograms

:23:19. > :23:23.of kit and weapons systems. I can hardly hold, that that is your body

:23:24. > :23:30.armour. Body armour and plate carrier, we get plates issued. It

:23:31. > :23:37.will be even heavier. What are the things that mean something that you

:23:38. > :23:43.take? Things that I take, high`powered, cameras, every person

:23:44. > :23:47.is different but for me it is the connection to everyone back home. As

:23:48. > :23:54.that made a big difference for soldiers? You can skate and see

:23:55. > :23:59.people back home. It makes a huge difference. The Internet provisions

:24:00. > :24:04.are amazing, people speak and see one another all the time. How do you

:24:05. > :24:08.prepare mentally for going? It is a job but there are dangers and you

:24:09. > :24:12.know what they are. Our training has made is confident in the fact that

:24:13. > :24:17.we know we can do the job. The last thing I was when I was single with

:24:18. > :24:20.no family. Now it is different. You get yourself into a position where

:24:21. > :24:25.you look forward to coming back and he wants to do the job the best of

:24:26. > :24:29.your ability. We wish you all the luck. And U2, Lisa. Let's see what

:24:30. > :24:37.the weather is doing. The weather has been nicer in

:24:38. > :24:41.Afghanistan than here, we have been subjected to more wet and windy

:24:42. > :24:47.weather today. Here is the latest instalment. It looks like it did

:24:48. > :24:51.yesterday, another area of low pressure has been sweeping in from

:24:52. > :24:54.the south. We stay under the influence of that tonight and

:24:55. > :24:59.tomorrow but hang in there because by Sunday we get some high`pressure

:25:00. > :25:05.that'll settle things down nicely. It is a game of two parts, and looks

:25:06. > :25:10.as though Saturday will be our showery, posterity. By Sunday things

:25:11. > :25:14.will be improving considerably. We will get some winter sunshine back.

:25:15. > :25:17.Back to these years and now we have more rain to get through tonight.

:25:18. > :25:21.The rain is showery but it is looking as though it will pick up

:25:22. > :25:25.into the early hours of the morning. We will see heavier rain here and

:25:26. > :25:30.there but we have not seen the peak of the winds it. They will pack up

:25:31. > :25:35.as well. Gusts of around 50 or 60 males per hour. It could be higher

:25:36. > :25:41.than that across eastern part and into Lincolnshire. At least we have

:25:42. > :25:46.a mild evening, temperatures not following very far, 56 degrees. It

:25:47. > :25:49.wet and windy start tomorrow, showery outbreaks of rain throughout

:25:50. > :25:54.the day in the wind will stay strong. Eventually things will climb

:25:55. > :25:58.down as he headed towards the end of the afternoon and the showers will

:25:59. > :26:01.be fading away as well. Sunday is looking a much better day, much

:26:02. > :26:07.drier and greater with some sunshine.

:26:08. > :26:16.That's just about it from all of us here at Kendrew Barracks in Rutland.

:26:17. > :26:19.I must say thank you to everyone who has organised that and do all of the

:26:20. > :26:24.families who have been here all evening. The kids have been really

:26:25. > :26:29.good. A big thank you to everyone here. It is the dramatic day of the

:26:30. > :26:33.year, it is Valentine's Day. And it wouldn't be Valentine's Day

:26:34. > :26:37.without a few special messages so we leave you tonight with just a few of

:26:38. > :26:46.them sent from the Afghan desert. From all the East Midlands Today

:26:47. > :26:51.team. Goodnight. A message to my wife, Gemma Evans, I am sorry I will

:26:52. > :26:55.not be there on Valentine's Day but I will make it up to you when I get

:26:56. > :27:00.back. I miss my fiance Anabelle Goodall and I will be glad to see

:27:01. > :27:05.you very shortly. For my wife, Ely, I miss you and I love you and I look

:27:06. > :27:10.forward to spoiling you. This is to sell my wife, happy Valentine's Day.

:27:11. > :27:17.I wish I could be with you. `` this is to set up my wife. And should be

:27:18. > :27:24.home. But I love you. A shout out to my wife. I miss you loads. I will

:27:25. > :27:29.season. Happy Valentines to my lovely wife Samantha and to my kids.

:27:30. > :27:42.Joe, sorry I am not there. I miss you loads and I love you what's as

:27:43. > :27:44.well. Fully I will be back soon. On Sunday politics, the crisis in our

:27:45. > :27:47.county council.