:00:07. > :00:11.Hello and welcome to Look East. In the programme tonight: The NHS in
:00:11. > :00:17.crisis. Two hospitals under the microscope for high death rates,
:00:17. > :00:20.two more for multi-million-pound financial incompetence. As the
:00:20. > :00:27.National Health Service faces critics on all sides, we ask what
:00:27. > :00:35.In other news: Tens of millions of pounds for new flood defences.
:00:36. > :00:40.Ipswich, Clacton and Great Yarmouth will benefit. And the cold
:00:40. > :00:50.conditions continue, but will we get any more snow? The full
:00:50. > :00:54.
:00:55. > :00:58.A First tonight, a day dominated by huge questions about - and for -
:00:58. > :01:01.the NHS, and over the most basic of subjects. Are too many people dying
:01:01. > :01:04.in some of our hospitals? And are millions of pounds of your money
:01:04. > :01:11.being wasted? We'll come to the finances later, but first high
:01:11. > :01:13.death rates at two of our hospitals. A reminder: the Government acted in
:01:13. > :01:16.the wake of the Staffordshire scandal. It highlighted five
:01:16. > :01:20.hospitals where the mortality rates are ringing alarm bells. First,
:01:20. > :01:26.Colchester. In the 12 months to June 2012, Colchester treated just
:01:26. > :01:31.over 51,000 patients. The NHS calculates that in that period
:01:31. > :01:40.1,851 might have been expected to die. In fact it was more than 2,100,
:01:40. > :01:44.16% more. Next, Basildon, 1,698 were expected to die. In reality,
:01:44. > :01:54.more than 1,900, 14% more than expected. We've had reporters at
:01:54. > :01:56.
:01:56. > :01:59.both hospitals. First, Gareth George at Colchester.
:01:59. > :02:07.Mac Ryu the letter of apology from the trust that runs Colchester
:02:07. > :02:12.hospital. It's a sorry for what happened to his father. 93-year-old
:02:12. > :02:18.war veteran Robert was admitted last year. His son found him
:02:18. > :02:28.hanging out of bed, a tube ripped out of his leg. I just couldn't
:02:28. > :02:34.believe my eyes. I just stood there. I tried to move him myself, and the
:02:34. > :02:38.nurse looked at me and said, he has been there for about an hour. Award
:02:38. > :02:43.did not take care of my father as much as he was entitled to.
:02:43. > :02:48.Meanwhile, at the hospital, work is under way on a �25 million
:02:48. > :02:54.radiotherapy centre. But the trust faces an investigation into what
:02:54. > :02:57.the NHS described as higher-than- expected patient deaths. We asked
:02:57. > :03:03.the chief executive here for an interview. He declined, but the
:03:03. > :03:06.trust has issued a media statement. It says, we will continue our
:03:06. > :03:12.relentless focus on improving the quality of care and reducing
:03:12. > :03:14.unexpected deaths. The NHS says a rapid response team will be walking
:03:14. > :03:19.the wards of the hospital, including the Essex County Hospital
:03:19. > :03:25.near Colchester can centre, where locals were surprised an
:03:25. > :03:31.investigation is under way. Do know anyone who has been there?
:03:31. > :03:36.Yes, I had a friend in there, and they found out -- came out quite
:03:36. > :03:43.pleased with how they had been treated. I found them perfectly all
:03:43. > :03:50.right. I think visitors should be allowed into, relatives all day
:03:50. > :03:54.long, and help care for their own people if they can. Tonight, the
:03:54. > :04:00.Royal College of Nursing suggested job cuts had contributed to death
:04:00. > :04:03.rates, a claim dismissed by the Next to Basildon Hospital. We'll
:04:03. > :04:09.hear from the chief executive in a moment. But first, Kevin Burch has
:04:09. > :04:13.been gauging opinion in the town. If you look at what has happened
:04:13. > :04:21.here in recent years, certain phrases keep cropping up to
:04:21. > :04:24.describe the hospital. Crisis-hit, beleaguered, failing. Unjust,
:04:24. > :04:30.perhaps, to those trying to make things better, but understandable
:04:30. > :04:38.given what has gone on in the past. In 2009, worry surfaced over-
:04:38. > :04:40.mortality rates. There are calls for resignations. The Care Quality
:04:40. > :04:44.Commission called for improvements in the way young children were
:04:44. > :04:48.cared for after a 10-year-old girl died and a baby was given an
:04:48. > :04:51.overdose. Campaigners say they keep hearing reassurances from officials
:04:51. > :04:53.here, but all that has happened is that sticking plasters have been
:04:54. > :04:58.put to the problems which run deeper.
:04:58. > :05:02.The criticism has done little to inspire confidence among patients,
:05:02. > :05:07.although judging by this snapshot of opinion, there are many who have
:05:07. > :05:11.nothing but praise. I have lived here for 37 years, and never had a
:05:11. > :05:16.bit of problem with them. If there is an investigation, hopefully it
:05:16. > :05:20.will bring to light what is wrong and it can be put right. They got
:05:20. > :05:27.me in intensive care, no problem. There was a problem and this sort
:05:27. > :05:32.of it. The investigation, they all believe, will see the depth of any
:05:32. > :05:36.problems laid bare. It is a hope shared by politicians, too.
:05:36. > :05:40.These figures are concerning. Patient safety is of paramount
:05:40. > :05:43.importance. But having met the new management, I believe they will
:05:43. > :05:46.continue the improvement taking place. Critics argue that the
:05:47. > :05:51.problems taking place should have been tackled a long time ago. This
:05:51. > :05:56.investigation is a chance to expose the scale of any failings here,
:05:56. > :06:00.warts and all, once and for all. Kevin Birch, BBC Look East,
:06:00. > :06:02.Basildon. Earlier this afternoon I spoke to
:06:02. > :06:06.Clare Panniker, the chief executive of Basildon and Thurrock University
:06:06. > :06:09.Hospitals. And I started by putting it to her that this is an issue of
:06:09. > :06:16.life and death. In just one year more than 200 people died that
:06:17. > :06:20.weren't expected to. Rather than getting hung up in terms of the
:06:20. > :06:25.numbers, what is important for me and the border is to focus on how
:06:25. > :06:29.we improve, the quality of care at that patients receive here, so that
:06:29. > :06:32.we can be sure and they can be sure that they will come to no harm when
:06:32. > :06:35.they are at our hospital, and they receive high quality care delivered
:06:35. > :06:41.by a skilled professionals in a timely and effective and efficient
:06:41. > :06:44.way. What do you think is going wrong that causes these figures?
:06:44. > :06:49.What we need to be doing in the organisation and the hospital is
:06:49. > :06:53.making sure that we manage the care about are acutely unwell patients
:06:53. > :06:57.and emergency care patients coming into the hospital so that they get
:06:57. > :07:02.reviewed by consultants early in their admission, within 12 hours.
:07:02. > :07:06.They get daily reviewed thereafter by a consultant, and they are cared
:07:06. > :07:11.for by the right number of highly trained nursing staff on the wards.
:07:11. > :07:14.Are you saying that has not been happening? I am saying that the
:07:14. > :07:19.whole of the NHS is moving to a much more consultants delivered
:07:19. > :07:22.service, that the presence of consultants in the hospital seven
:07:22. > :07:27.days a week and into the evenings is something which the whole NHS
:07:27. > :07:32.has been trying to implement over the last few years. But we are
:07:32. > :07:37.talking about your hospital. Yours is one of five that is being
:07:37. > :07:42.pinpointed as needing an investigation. We are speeding up
:07:42. > :07:45.our efforts to have the consultants here for extended periods of the
:07:45. > :07:50.day and at the weekends to make sure that we have senior decision-
:07:50. > :07:53.making, senior responsible clinicians, in the hospital. What
:07:53. > :07:58.you know about the investigation and the form it is going to take?
:07:58. > :08:04.know very little about it. We only learned of the investigation
:08:04. > :08:09.yesterday. We understand that other clinical professionals will be
:08:09. > :08:15.pulled in to help with the work. But the emphasis of the review is
:08:15. > :08:21.to ensure that the trusts have the right support in place in order to
:08:21. > :08:26.limit the changes that need to be made. You haven't been in position
:08:26. > :08:31.that long. You have had to deal with a very for -- poor CTC report.
:08:31. > :08:34.You have an uphill battle to restore faith in this hospital.
:08:34. > :08:38.is a challenge, but already I can see signs of improvement in the
:08:38. > :08:43.hospital. I can see evidence that the staff are really up for change
:08:43. > :08:48.and want to make a difference, and want to improve the quality of care,
:08:48. > :08:57.so I feel very motivated and optimistic that we can deliver the
:08:57. > :09:00.care at Basildon Hospital that the And finally, just a word about the
:09:00. > :09:03.rest of our hospitals. According to the league tables, death rates
:09:03. > :09:07.across the board are normal. Apart from two hospitals, where the rates
:09:07. > :09:12.are actually quite a bit lower than average. They are the James Paget
:09:12. > :09:15.in Gorleston and Addenbrooke's in Cambridge. Later in the programme,
:09:15. > :09:25.more on the NHS - this time the financial scandal at Hinchingbrooke
:09:25. > :09:27.
:09:28. > :09:32.and Peterborough Hospitals. A Four major flood protection schemes
:09:32. > :09:35.for the region have been given the green light. They're to get a share
:09:35. > :09:43.of extra funding announced today by the Government and designed to
:09:43. > :09:49.protect homes and businesses. Today's funding is for flood
:09:49. > :09:55.defence schemes, which will bring the greatest benefit to homes and
:09:55. > :10:00.people. Four areas stand to gain from almost �75 million of cash.
:10:00. > :10:06.One of the area's most susceptible to flooding is here, around the
:10:06. > :10:09.industry's and 4,000 homes of Great Yarmouth. Today it has received
:10:09. > :10:14.almost �29 million which will go towards a fund to repair and
:10:14. > :10:19.replace part of the flood wall. A 2007, this area suffered a huge
:10:19. > :10:24.tidal wave. The defences held, but being low-lying and surrounded by
:10:24. > :10:28.water, it is particularly at risk. Another area at risk is in Ipswich.
:10:28. > :10:32.Work of a tidal barrier across the river is expected to start next
:10:32. > :10:39.June, protecting tens of thousands of acres of development land as
:10:39. > :10:43.well as 1,500 home us. It is important for Ipswich because it
:10:43. > :10:49.protects the sad -- town centre. We have been fighting very hard to
:10:49. > :10:53.protect this money. We have got it back, Government's list after some
:10:53. > :10:56.incredibly hard work. Funding for Clacton will be spent on coastal
:10:56. > :11:01.erosion measures which will prevent some 19,000 properties from
:11:01. > :11:07.flooding along the Clacton coastline. Austin King's Lynn, the
:11:08. > :11:12.flood gates at fishing fleet key will be prepared -- repaired,
:11:12. > :11:15.protecting thousands of homes. The schemes are being supported with
:11:15. > :11:18.partnership funding for businesses and local councils.
:11:18. > :11:21.The disgraced former leader of Essex County Council has been
:11:21. > :11:23.giving evidence in a legal action against Essex Police. Lord
:11:23. > :11:26.Hanningfield told the court about being arrested at his home just
:11:26. > :11:32.days after he was released from a prison sentence for fiddling his
:11:32. > :11:35.parliamentary expenses. He claims he was on the verge of a nervous
:11:35. > :11:39.breakdown and the arrest was unlawful. The police were
:11:39. > :11:41.investigating his council expenses, but no charges were brought.
:11:41. > :11:48.They're defending his action for damages, claiming they had
:11:48. > :11:50.reasonable grounds for arresting Charges have been dropped against a
:11:50. > :11:53.man who filmed himself wandering around the headquarters of Norfolk
:11:53. > :11:56.County Council. Tom Smith, who lives in Trafalgar Street, had been
:11:56. > :12:02.due to appear before magistrates. The episode raised questions about
:12:02. > :12:06.A Catholic priest from Norfolk who was arrested as part of an
:12:06. > :12:11.investigation into child sex abuse has stepped down. The Reverend Tony
:12:11. > :12:21.McSweeney was held by the police working on Operation Fernbridge. He
:12:21. > :12:22.
:12:22. > :12:26.was later released on police bail. Father Tony McSweeney has been a
:12:27. > :12:31.priest for almost 28 years. Today the diocese of East Anglia
:12:31. > :12:36.confirmed in a statement that he has voluntarily withdrawn for all
:12:36. > :12:41.active ministry. The statement goes on: This is a neutral act that
:12:41. > :12:46.makes no judgment of guilt or innocence. Father McSweeney was
:12:46. > :12:52.arrested yesterday as part of an operation investigating claims of
:12:52. > :12:56.sexual abuse in south London 30 years ago. The 66-year-old priest
:12:56. > :13:06.was also a director at a high school in Norwich. He has now
:13:06. > :13:12.
:13:12. > :13:17.resigned that post, and the school Father McSweeney is currently on
:13:17. > :13:20.Southend Airport has gained another route. From May, easyJet will fly
:13:20. > :13:25.to Edinburgh six days a week. It brings the airline's total number
:13:25. > :13:33.of routes at Southend to 15. The airport is expanding under the
:13:33. > :13:36.With less than a day to go to the deadline, a disused defence base in
:13:36. > :13:39.Norfolk has only attracted one bid on an internet auction site. RAF
:13:39. > :13:44.Neatishead is up for sale on eBay with a starting price of �2.5
:13:44. > :13:54.million. The bid was placed on Monday. Bidding ends early tomorrow
:13:54. > :13:57.
:13:57. > :14:00.afternoon. The identity of the sole A former stately home once billed
:14:00. > :14:03.as one of the most popular wedding venues in East Anglia is back on
:14:03. > :14:06.the market for around �2 million. In 2009, parts of Bylaugh Hall near
:14:06. > :14:15.Dereham were repossessed by the banks, leaving a number of couples
:14:15. > :14:21.denied their dream weddings. This stunning stately home in 19,000
:14:21. > :14:25.acres, now in disrepair, partly demolished and for sale. This is
:14:25. > :14:30.the library. It is on the South West side of the house, and has
:14:30. > :14:35.wonderful views over the valley. We think that a buyer might want to
:14:35. > :14:40.run it as a wedding venue, letting rooms. Someone might want to turn
:14:40. > :14:45.it into a boutique hotel. Somebody might want to turn it back into a
:14:45. > :14:52.stately home. The family won the estate as the result of a card game
:14:52. > :14:57.in 1796. It was home to a bomber support group in the Second World
:14:57. > :15:01.War. Derelict for 50 years, it was bought in 2000 by Stephen Vince.
:15:01. > :15:06.Parts of the estate were repossessed in 2009. Wedding
:15:06. > :15:08.couples lost their deposits. Debts run into millions of pounds.
:15:08. > :15:11.Stephen been some blamed the credit crunch and the banks, but he did
:15:11. > :15:15.preserve parts of the building, which are already falling into
:15:15. > :15:18.disrepair. As you can see, the previous owners
:15:18. > :15:22.spend a small fortune trying to restore the house, but a lot more
:15:22. > :15:29.money is needed to finish it off. A health spa and white room was
:15:29. > :15:33.started but never finished. A roof was never replaced. It could have a
:15:33. > :15:37.future, and that is why I am saying that people who want to buy it
:15:37. > :15:43.should have a very clear vision, but more importantly, have very
:15:43. > :15:48.deep pockets. The hall, with its additional property, sounds
:15:48. > :15:58.relatively cheap, but its council taxpayers �40,000, and the repair
:15:58. > :15:58.
:15:58. > :16:03.bill is expected to run into Back now to the NHS and a damning
:16:03. > :16:06.report from a group of MPs. They were looking at Hinchingbrooke, an
:16:06. > :16:11.NHS hospital run by a private company. And, 24 miles down the
:16:11. > :16:15.road, the new Peterborough Hospital. The MPs say there had been a
:16:15. > :16:20.complete lack of strategic oversight. The sums didn't add up.
:16:20. > :16:23.And as a result, the future of both hospitals is in doubt. In a moment,
:16:23. > :16:26.what the region's health authority made of the report, and we'll hear
:16:26. > :16:34.from the local MP. But first, this report from our political
:16:34. > :16:39.correspondent Andrew Sinclair. It was all so different six years
:16:39. > :16:43.ago. There was great excitement in Peterborough as, after 14 years of
:16:43. > :16:49.waiting, work was finally beginning on a brand new hospital, a private
:16:49. > :16:52.company paying for it it all and leasing it back to the NHS. If we
:16:52. > :16:56.want new health care facilities in Peterborough, and I am passionate
:16:56. > :17:01.we do, the only way to do that is PFI. There were warnings at the
:17:01. > :17:06.time about the cost of the deal, and they were proved right. The
:17:06. > :17:10.hospital trust has run up a deficit of �45 million, and MPs are
:17:10. > :17:14.outraged. Back in December, the Public Accounts Committee called in
:17:14. > :17:20.NHS managers to try to find out what had gone wrong. The chair
:17:20. > :17:25.didn't mince her words. Nobody has been held to account. It almost
:17:25. > :17:30.seems to me I can issue negligence here. And I have never felt that on
:17:30. > :17:34.another NHS report. In its report published today, her committee
:17:34. > :17:39.questions the decision to build a new hospital just 24 miles away
:17:40. > :17:43.from the one at Hinchinbrook, in a part of the region with an over-
:17:43. > :17:53.provision of acute health care. The trust failed to recognise the
:17:53. > :17:57.
:17:57. > :18:01.strain that would be put on trust The management at Peterborough
:18:01. > :18:05.hospital has since changed, so no apologies from here, just a
:18:05. > :18:09.recognition of the trouble the hospital is now we in. The reality
:18:09. > :18:13.is that we will be paying, as a country, for this fabulous facility
:18:13. > :18:17.for the next 30 years. The Government is under contract. The
:18:17. > :18:23.Secretary of State has said that this hospital will not close. So
:18:23. > :18:28.the question is, how do we make the best use of it? MPs are also
:18:28. > :18:34.unhappy about Hinchingbrooke. It has so far not achieved the savings
:18:34. > :18:39.expected. This private bid, it is said, was also not properly
:18:39. > :18:45.assessed. At the end of the day, the buck stops with the strategic
:18:45. > :18:51.health authority. They wanted to push ahead with this experiment.
:18:51. > :18:55.They were the ones who proved the PFI build up. They should be held
:18:55. > :18:59.to account. The Department of Health promised the findings of
:18:59. > :19:02.this report would be swept under the carpet. The financial viability
:19:02. > :19:06.of both hospitals is now being questioned. The taxpayer has lost
:19:07. > :19:09.millions of pounds. But no one seemed prepared to accept
:19:09. > :19:11.responsibility. Andrew MacPherson is the Director
:19:11. > :19:14.of Customer Service Strategy for the Strategic Health Authority.
:19:14. > :19:22.Earlier this afternoon I put it to him that the authority appears to
:19:22. > :19:26.be washing its hands of any responsibility.
:19:26. > :19:31.It is not a question of washing our hands. We will continue to work
:19:31. > :19:37.with the legal regulator and the trust itself to ensure it has a
:19:37. > :19:41.sustainable future. In the report, it says: The status of Peter Bryan
:19:41. > :19:44.Stamford as a foundation trust did not justify the strategic health
:19:44. > :19:51.authority, your organisation, abdicating their responsibilities
:19:51. > :19:58.in the areas we have been talking about. This is in the report.
:19:58. > :20:02.chief executive made it quite clear that the legal entity responsible
:20:02. > :20:10.for governing that hospital is indeed Monitor, and while that is
:20:10. > :20:15.not an abdication on our part, it is a legal clarity. A complete lack
:20:15. > :20:21.a strategic oversight resulted in separate decisions being taken to
:20:21. > :20:26.build a new PFI hospital in Peterborough. Strategic. Comes
:20:26. > :20:31.right to your door again. At the end of the day, we refute that
:20:31. > :20:34.particular statement. It was a collective series of events with
:20:34. > :20:41.different bodies working with the trust, that arrived at that
:20:41. > :20:44.position. If somebody came to with a similar PFI request to build a
:20:44. > :20:51.hospital somewhere in the region similar to the one for Peterborough,
:20:51. > :20:55.what would you do now? I think the process would be not dissimilar in
:20:55. > :20:58.many respects. The appropriate business case would be evaluated,
:20:59. > :21:03.an examination of whether there was a demand, whether the market was
:21:03. > :21:06.there, whether indeed it was sustainable, and whether, most
:21:06. > :21:12.important, patient and the community needed that kind of
:21:12. > :21:15.facility in whatever area it was dedicated -- designated to be.
:21:15. > :21:21.you would look at the financial sustainability of it? Father there
:21:21. > :21:26.was a need for it? Why didn't you do that in Peterborough? Of that
:21:26. > :21:29.examination was an integral part of the business case. But it has been
:21:29. > :21:37.shown that the financial arrangements were very hard to live
:21:37. > :21:41.with. �1 million a week, they are losing. Certainly the situation
:21:41. > :21:47.subsequently, subsequent to the decision been taken, did indeed
:21:47. > :21:51.deteriorate. And it has ended with a hospital in deep debt. As I say,
:21:51. > :21:58.time has moved on, and certainly the hospital is extremely
:21:58. > :22:04.challenged, as the report has made quite clear. We are working hard
:22:04. > :22:14.with stakeholders and the community to rectify that problem.
:22:14. > :22:16.
:22:16. > :22:25.A Mr Macpherson, thank you. Stewart Jackson is the local MP. He is in
:22:25. > :22:28.Peterborough now. What do you make of that? It doesn't stack up. It
:22:28. > :22:36.was clear at the committee meeting in September that no one was
:22:36. > :22:42.willing to be honest and say, we are culpable. William MacKay, paid
:22:42. > :22:47.�2 million a year as chief executive of the Trust, took his
:22:47. > :22:52.eye off the ball. It is a catalogue of errors. The word catastrophic
:22:52. > :22:55.has been used in terms of the deal for taxpayers. And unfortunately,
:22:55. > :23:00.tax payers and my constituents are going to have to live with these
:23:00. > :23:03.mistakes for the foreseeable future. The Government is chipping in to
:23:03. > :23:08.help them meet this �50 million per year that they are in trouble over.
:23:08. > :23:18.They can't go on doing that. Will Peter Brooke Hospital have to Danns
:23:18. > :23:20.
:23:20. > :23:25.del? -- downsize? I think there are going to have to be tough decisions
:23:25. > :23:31.taken about services and how the PFI contract is working. But
:23:31. > :23:35.ultimately, my priority as the local MP is that we retain an
:23:35. > :23:38.enhanced service there. I have had an undertaking from the Secretary
:23:38. > :23:45.of State himself that there is no question that a hospital will be
:23:45. > :23:50.closed. Given our local health care economy, it is an issue for the
:23:50. > :23:53.Department of Health to sort out this mess with the Private Finance
:23:53. > :23:58.Initiative which we inherited from the previous government. You say
:23:58. > :24:03.enhanced. Surely this is a hospital losing money already. If it does
:24:03. > :24:10.more, it will lose more money. of the issues is the fact that
:24:10. > :24:12.there was no strategic thinking about how different district
:24:12. > :24:17.general hospitals could compete in a relatively small health care
:24:17. > :24:24.economy. That doesn't mean Peterborough hasn't got centres of
:24:25. > :24:27.excellence, brilliant staff and the affections of local people. I think
:24:27. > :24:32.obviously the financial problems are paramount, but it is a viable
:24:32. > :24:37.health care facility. If we can work towards sharing facilities
:24:37. > :24:41.with other hospitals, working with commissioners like local GPs, etc,
:24:42. > :24:46.there is a way forward, but ultimately, they will have to be
:24:46. > :24:56.some top-level decisions to sort this mess out by the Treasury.
:24:56. > :24:57.
:24:57. > :25:00.Mr Jackson, thank you for being The wintry feeling our weather
:25:00. > :25:05.continues. It will be cold enough tonight for a frost and the risk of
:25:05. > :25:09.icy patches on untreated surfaces. You can see a couple of things
:25:09. > :25:15.going on. We still have this north- westerly wind, not quite as strong
:25:15. > :25:18.but bringing with it the chance of some wintry showers. We have also
:25:18. > :25:24.had this weather front pushing in from the West. It has weakened as
:25:24. > :25:28.it has done so. It has brought little bits of patchy rain. We
:25:28. > :25:33.might just see a little more of that across parts of Essex and into
:25:33. > :25:37.the south of the region. Elsewhere it does look largely drive. Some of
:25:37. > :25:41.these wintry showers could well affect parts of Norfolk.
:25:41. > :25:46.Temperatures quite widely below freezing. A little more cloud in
:25:46. > :25:51.the east. Certainly in the countryside it is quite possible we
:25:51. > :25:54.could get a couple of degrees below freezing. These are the values for
:25:54. > :25:59.towns and cities. This is the pressure pattern for
:25:59. > :26:03.tomorrow. We have a weather front strung across us. The East might
:26:03. > :26:10.see some bright whether to start with, but then patchy rain will
:26:10. > :26:14.push its way through, and they could be a wintry flavour to this.
:26:14. > :26:23.Another very cold day on the way. Tempered as tomorrow, three or four
:26:23. > :26:26.Celsius. -- temperatures tomorrow. Into the afternoon and evening, as
:26:26. > :26:32.the temperatures fall away, little flurries of snow, but they
:26:32. > :26:37.shouldn't really amount to very much. Interesting weather is
:26:37. > :26:41.looking like Sunday. A weather front putsches in from the Atlantic,
:26:41. > :26:45.and that has the potential to produce some snow, but there is
:26:45. > :26:51.still a lot of uncertainty over the details, so stay tuned to the
:26:51. > :26:56.forecast. Certainly we are still establishing the details for that.
:26:56. > :27:01.For the next couple of days, it is looking like it will stay cold and
:27:01. > :27:05.mainly dry for Saturday. Much of Sunday does look dry, but later in
:27:05. > :27:10.the day, the potential for some of that rain to turn to sleet and snow,
:27:10. > :27:20.meaning quite a wintry start to next week. Still cold into the
:27:20. > :27:21.
:27:21. > :27:26.middle of next week, and an Thank you very much. Susie
:27:26. > :27:29.apologises for coughing. apologises for coughing.