22/12/2011 North West Tonight


22/12/2011

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Good evening. Welcome to NorthWest Tonight with Ranvir Singh and Roger

:00:04.:00:07.

Johnson. Our top story.

:00:07.:00:09.

Preparing for the great Christmas getaway as thousands head for the

:00:09.:00:19.
:00:19.:00:21.

roads, railways and skies. Most people just want to get away from

:00:21.:00:25.

the misery of everything going on around them. Where's busiest and

:00:25.:00:28.

which routes to avoid over the next couple of days. Also in the

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programme: Taking care of the troops - we go behind the scenes

:00:30.:00:37.

with the unsung heroes of Camp Bastion.

:00:37.:00:43.

And the BBC Sports personality of the Year award rolls out the red

:00:43.:00:46.

carpet treatment here in Salford. And don't cancel Christmas - the

:00:46.:00:48.

family feeling festive again after police track down their stolen

:00:48.:00:58.
:00:58.:00:59.

presents. The North West's Christmas getaway

:00:59.:01:02.

began in earnest today. Liverpool Airport has more passengers than

:01:02.:01:04.

anticipated - while Manchester is bracing itself for 132,000 people

:01:04.:01:13.

between now and Boxing Day. 8,000 up on last year. More families are

:01:13.:01:16.

flying abroad than 12 months ago, while 18 million cars will be on

:01:16.:01:20.

the roads. Our Economics Correspondent Jayne Barrett is at

:01:20.:01:23.

the Highways Agency control centre where staff are anticipating a busy

:01:23.:01:33.
:01:33.:01:36.

few days ahead. Very busy indeed but all good news

:01:36.:01:46.
:01:46.:01:46.

here this evening. You can see those roads moving freely. The only

:01:46.:01:55.

jam his last-minute shoppers heading to the Trafford Centre.

:01:56.:02:00.

Colin Sykes has been at Manchester airport where they are expecting a

:02:00.:02:04.

very busy few days. It's a break from the economic

:02:04.:02:11.

gloom as families opt for a Christmas getaway. So do people

:02:11.:02:19.

have more money to spend? We do not. I like colder weather but I'm going

:02:19.:02:24.

to visit my father. Just getting away from the misery of everything

:02:24.:02:30.

going on around us. We came into Manchester from Crete last week

:02:30.:02:33.

added was already busy. For the whole festive season passenger

:02:33.:02:41.

numbers are up. By 40,000 at Manchester bring the totals to

:02:41.:02:48.

670,000 and 190 at Liverpool. Spain and the Canaries remain popular

:02:48.:02:53.

destinations but many families are going further afield to Singapore,

:02:53.:03:02.

Australia and New York. People decided to put off holidays in the

:03:02.:03:06.

last two years. Winter it was especially down. But I think this

:03:06.:03:10.

year people have decided that they want a holiday and will treat

:03:10.:03:16.

themselves at Christmas. I'm on my way to you. For those staying at

:03:16.:03:23.

home, the roads are starting to get congested. People are getting

:03:23.:03:28.

prepared for Christmas. Many have already finished work. So in the

:03:28.:03:32.

next couple of days we will see unprecedented traffic on the roads.

:03:32.:03:38.

On the trains, intercity services are expecting a busy few days.

:03:38.:03:44.

team have been buried busy helping customers. -- very busy. It does

:03:44.:03:51.

help with Christmas being at the weekend. Travelling has never been

:03:51.:03:55.

more expensive. But when it comes to visiting families, people seem

:03:55.:04:05.
:04:05.:04:07.

prepared to dig deep for Christmas. Well with me now is the operations

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manager here at the Highways Agency. Just three incidents in the hall of

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the north-west right now. It is quite this evening, it could be the

:04:18.:04:24.

calm before the storm. We expect a increase in traffic volume from

:04:24.:04:30.

tomorrow. Any hot spots to avoid? Round the Trafford Centre it is

:04:30.:04:34.

building up there were people are doing last-minute shopping. And it

:04:34.:04:40.

will be the same on Boxing Day. Last year all these monitors were

:04:40.:04:47.

showing traffic backed up for the terrible weather. Last year was out

:04:47.:04:55.

of the ordinary. At this time last year we had a lot more incidents.

:04:55.:05:04.

The recession is causing a few problems. Tell us why? People have

:05:04.:05:14.
:05:14.:05:15.

been running out if you're on the motorway -- running out of fuel.

:05:15.:05:20.

Our advice is to check that before you travel. And be careful going

:05:20.:05:30.
:05:30.:05:33.

home. Have a good Jenny and enjoy your Christmas. -- journey.

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Next tonight - it was the biggest fire in Lancashire in 10 years.

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Today the firefighters who tackled last night's blaze at the Business

:05:38.:05:41.

park in Leyland said it may be several days before they can leave

:05:41.:05:44.

the site. It was so ferocious the nearby West Coast main line was

:05:44.:05:47.

closed for several hours. Today businesses have been left wondering

:05:47.:05:51.

when they'll be able to reopen. And the search for clues to the cause

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continues. Here's our Chief Reporter, Dave Guest.

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Seen from the ground this was a fire that seemed frightening enough.

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But from the air, the pool or some ferocity of the blaze could be

:06:07.:06:11.

appreciated. These pictures were taken by the Lancashire police

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helicopter. Thermal imaging shows the intensity on the ground. More

:06:17.:06:21.

than 100 firefighters battled to bring it under control. The job

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made more difficult by a warehouse packed full of tissue paper. There

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were other complications as well. We had some beer kegs exploding and

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some of them were flying across the railway line. The West Coast main

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line was closed for several hours. Even those smoke continued to

:06:43.:06:48.

billow across at this morning, services digit return to normal. At

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the business park itself, things were far from normal. Smouldering

:06:53.:07:00.

ruins where businesses had once thrived. This is an outside storage

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facility and for our customers, this means that we have to find

:07:05.:07:09.

alternative accommodation to enable the business to continue. In all

:07:09.:07:13.

five buildings were completely destroyed. The cost of the damage

:07:13.:07:18.

is likely to run into millions. Today the fire is under control but

:07:18.:07:23.

still not out. Firefighters believe they could be on site for several

:07:23.:07:27.

days yet. Then the work begins trying to establish exactly how the

:07:27.:07:36.

fire started. That could take considerably longer.

:07:36.:07:37.

Former Liverpool defender Alan Hansen has apologised after

:07:37.:07:40.

describing black players as "coloured" on Match of the Day.

:07:41.:07:43.

Hansen used the word last night while discussing recent racism rows

:07:43.:07:47.

involving Luis Suarez and John Terry. In a statement he said he

:07:47.:07:51.

unreservedly apologises for any offence caused.

:07:51.:07:53.

Manchester City's plans for a �100 million training complex close to

:07:53.:07:57.

the Etihad Stadium have been approved by the council. They've

:07:57.:07:59.

also rubber stamped the Co-Op's design for a 14 storey hotel, next

:07:59.:08:03.

to Victoria Station. But proposals for a new research centre and car

:08:03.:08:08.

park at Christie Hospital have been deferred.

:08:08.:08:11.

The Cheshire home of former Liverpool player Peter Crouch and

:08:11.:08:14.

his wife Abbey Clancy has been burgled. The couple, who it's

:08:14.:08:16.

believed were out at the time, reported the burglary at their

:08:16.:08:20.

address in Mottram St Andrew yesterday evening. The striker was

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also targeted by burglars in 2006 when he lived in nearby Alderley

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Edge. Now it's one of the biggest nights

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in the sporting and television calendars and tonight the next

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winner of the BBC Sports Personality of the year award will

:08:33.:08:37.

be announced in Salford Quays. Among the contenders are Mark

:08:37.:08:41.

Cavendish from the Isle of Man and Bolton's Amir Khan. Our reporter

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Richard Askam is waiting for them with baited breath on the red

:08:44.:08:54.
:08:54.:08:55.

carpet. Richard, a big night. This is a really clamorous affair

:08:55.:09:02.

and the first one I have been too. This is the red carpet. Joe

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Calzaghe just walking past there. Guests have been having their

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photographs taken, Mark Cavendish a few moments ago. I had a word with

:09:11.:09:21.

Amir Khan on his way in it and he seems quite chipper. We are seeing

:09:21.:09:27.

a lot of famous names. We will try to have a chat with one of the

:09:27.:09:33.

former nominees from the north-west. That is Matthew Pinsent of course

:09:33.:09:43.
:09:43.:09:49.

and so Steve Redgrave. Back to you. We have been having a special

:09:49.:09:56.

series this week. And when you hear about the conflict in Afghanistan,

:09:56.:09:58.

it's usually those risking their lives on the frontline. But there

:09:58.:10:00.

are thousands of other unsung heroes doing vital jobs behind the

:10:00.:10:03.

scenes, and many of them are from the North West. As part of our

:10:03.:10:06.

series on Camp Bastion - Britain's biggest base in Afghanistan - Naomi

:10:06.:10:16.
:10:16.:10:21.

Cornwell's been meeting some of those who support the troops.

:10:21.:10:27.

Night time means nothing here. The darkness is never quiet. Around the

:10:27.:10:31.

clock the operation continues to send food and equipment to the men

:10:31.:10:36.

and women on the front line. This huge convoy of 40 vehicles are

:10:36.:10:41.

setting off to deliver supplies to the troops across Helmand. Camp

:10:42.:10:46.

Bastion exists to support the British control bases and

:10:46.:10:50.

checkpoints across southern Afghanistan. This work rarely hits

:10:50.:10:55.

the headlines but it has its risks. Many of those venturing out to

:10:55.:11:00.

deliver supplies of from the north- west. We take out anything from

:11:00.:11:10.
:11:10.:11:17.

spark plugs to equipment to improve the water supply. That will improve

:11:17.:11:22.

their quality of life during the winter period. It all helps with

:11:22.:11:28.

morale. The move forward is assisted by us doing our job and

:11:28.:11:33.

getting the stuff about to the guys who are actually at the sharp end.

:11:33.:11:37.

With so many people living under canvas, maintaining security of the

:11:38.:11:45.

camp is vital. I am a protection handler. We mainly they patrolled

:11:45.:11:51.

the base at night for security reasons. The worst is through in

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Cork in the morning when it is freezing! These unmanned aerial

:11:57.:12:01.

vehicles are sent across the country to spy on potential enemies.

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It is a controversial tactic but one designed to prevent attacks

:12:06.:12:11.

against British soldiers out on the ground. It supports the lads on the

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ground immensely and is an important job. But the support

:12:15.:12:18.

services year are not all about logistics. Sometimes it is a

:12:19.:12:27.

friendly ear that is needed. At home Reverend Mike Newman is in

:12:27.:12:33.

Cheadle. Out here he works with the army. People would get lonely or

:12:33.:12:37.

have other problems and to us like back home we would have a chat and

:12:37.:12:42.

I would try to help them with life. They have to deal with death and

:12:42.:12:49.

serious injury. For many of those people they find that the Padraig

:12:49.:12:53.

here it is a great comfort to them. In the air and on the ground there

:12:53.:12:57.

are hundreds of people from the north-west supporting those on the

:12:57.:13:02.

frontline. Their work behind the scenes is crucial. Tomorrow,

:13:03.:13:06.

Christmas at Camp Bastion for the men and women thousands of miles

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from home. And their messages to the families left behind.

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We wish them a very happy Christmas. And you can see all of those

:13:21.:13:31.
:13:31.:13:31.

reports from Afghanistan and on our Facebook page.

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Still to come on North West Tonight: Scrapping it out for top

:13:34.:13:36.

spot - United hit five, but Aguero's double keeps City in pole

:13:36.:13:42.

position. And the leading lights from the

:13:42.:13:45.

North West are among the contenders for BBC Sports Personality of the

:13:45.:13:53.

Year in Salford. Newfield Special School in Thornton

:13:53.:13:55.

on Merseyside does what many other schools cannot - it teaches

:13:55.:14:01.

children who have been permanently excluded elsewhere. They face a

:14:01.:14:06.

number of challenges from poverty, to learning difficulties to abuse.

:14:06.:14:08.

Each year those children go on an adventure weekend, possibly their

:14:08.:14:12.

only chance for a holiday. But the pot of money has run out for next

:14:12.:14:15.

year, so the pupils have started fundraising themselves.

:14:16.:14:23.

Our political editor Arif Ansari has been to meet them.

:14:23.:14:29.

Why not do a sponsored walk? They have a target and a special helper.

:14:29.:14:33.

Can this kangaroo will help them leap up a fund-raising Totaliser

:14:33.:14:40.

and get enough money to go on holiday? All people from our school

:14:40.:14:47.

had been on holiday and really enjoyed it. If we do not get people

:14:47.:14:52.

to sponsor us with money, we will not be able to go on it and we will

:14:52.:14:56.

be sad. To avoid that fate they have written to the Prime Minister

:14:56.:15:01.

asking for help. We would like to welcome you to join the walk.

:15:01.:15:07.

Alternatively, if you could organise a collection on our behalf

:15:07.:15:12.

in the House of Commons, we would very much appreciate it. David

:15:12.:15:17.

Cameron did not get his collecting tin out but he did reply.

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Unfortunately being the Prime Minister means I'm usually very

:15:20.:15:25.

busy and it is not widely I will be able to join you. They did make me

:15:25.:15:32.

smile when I read your letter. Best wishes. They say the specific grant

:15:32.:15:36.

for a residential weekend has run out and the need to raise around

:15:36.:15:42.

�3,000 themselves. So the teacher is going on a sponsored walk.

:15:42.:15:45.

not done understatement to say that it is life-changing for children

:15:45.:15:52.

like this. Some of the quietest ones suddenly become heroes in

:15:52.:15:56.

their own field. Life has already thrown a lot worse at these kids

:15:56.:16:01.

than a lost holiday, but they are determined to pull a rabbit out of

:16:01.:16:11.
:16:11.:16:25.

the hat. Richard is on the red carpet with

:16:25.:16:35.
:16:35.:16:41.

as tonight. The excitement is building. We have just seen it Rory

:16:41.:16:46.

McIlroy, one of the contenders, walk past. We have to be impartial,

:16:47.:16:53.

but we might be hoping for an north-west winner. Mark Candlish or

:16:53.:16:59.

Amir Khan. Let's take a look at both of them in action.

:17:00.:17:02.

Mark Cavendish has had the sort of year which has propelled him from a

:17:02.:17:11.

star of cycling, to one of the stars of world sport. He became the

:17:11.:17:13.

first British rider to win the green jersey at the Tour de France,

:17:13.:17:16.

handed out to the best sprinter. Cav has now won 20 tour stages in

:17:16.:17:20.

his career. And followed that by winning the world road race,

:17:20.:17:24.

Britain's first British male champion for 46 years. And the

:17:24.:17:32.

right to wear cycling's coveted Rainbow jersey.

:17:32.:17:39.

This is the biggest achievement. I'm going to wear it on behalf of

:17:39.:17:42.

Great Britain. Amir Khan's star is still very much

:17:43.:17:46.

on the rise. But by his standards it's been an up and down year. A

:17:46.:17:48.

masterclass in winning another wold title in July. Disappointment after

:17:48.:17:51.

controversial defeat and the loss of his titles earlier this month.

:17:51.:17:57.

Expect the Bolton man to bounce back.

:17:57.:18:03.

I am still looking for those big Super fights. I want to draw the

:18:03.:18:07.

point. I am a better fighter. And Lancashire's Jimmy Anderson and

:18:07.:18:09.

his England cricket team are strong contenders for team of the year.

:18:09.:18:12.

Jimmy helped England win the ashes in Australia and become the top

:18:12.:18:22.
:18:22.:18:24.

test side in the world. And you can get a list of all 10

:18:24.:18:29.

contenders on the website for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year

:18:29.:18:37.

Award. We can chat now to our very own Beth Tweddle. You have been

:18:37.:18:42.

nominated for the ward before. How exciting is it when you're part of

:18:42.:18:47.

that list? It is a massive achievement. The first year I was

:18:47.:18:53.

nominated, no gymnast had ever been put forward onto the list. So it

:18:53.:18:58.

was a massive honour. To be in such company with such big sports stars

:18:58.:19:04.

is something you can't put into words. It is astounding to see the

:19:04.:19:09.

number of big names that have been walking past. It is a chance for

:19:09.:19:14.

athletes to catch up with fellow athletes. And half the time you're

:19:14.:19:20.

out of your sport skier and do not run denies each other! -- sports

:19:20.:19:28.

gear. And with the Olympics coming up, how are you feeling? Looking

:19:28.:19:34.

forward to the challenge. There is still a long training period ahead.

:19:34.:19:39.

The team will not actually be selected until the end of June.

:19:39.:19:49.

Soak until I have got that letter in my hand, it is a long way to go.

:19:49.:19:55.

Well let's bring you some of the sports news around today. Football

:19:55.:19:57.

now, and Luis Suarez's lawyer says the Liverpool player will appeal

:19:57.:19:59.

his eight-match ban for racially abusing Manchester United's Patrice

:19:59.:20:04.

Evra. Last night the entire Liverpool team wore Luis Suarez T-

:20:04.:20:06.

shirts to show their support for the striker, who faces an eight-

:20:06.:20:15.

match ban and a �40,000 fine. The team said in a statement, we know

:20:15.:20:21.

he is not racist. Kenny Dalglish also expressed his support.

:20:21.:20:27.

We have said we will always support him and we will. Not just the

:20:27.:20:31.

people at the football club but the people who the football club means

:20:31.:20:34.

something to do. Blackburn Rovers fans who want

:20:34.:20:36.

Steve Kean sacked as manager say they'll be staging a protest

:20:36.:20:39.

outside the club's training ground tomorrow. They're stepping up their

:20:39.:20:42.

campaign because they claim the club has failed to hold "clear the

:20:42.:20:45.

air" talks with supporters. The Blackburn MP, Jack Straw, has added

:20:45.:20:49.

his voice to those calling for Steve Kean to stand down. But the

:20:49.:20:51.

League Managers' Association says the Rovers manager has been

:20:51.:20:59.

subjected to unacceptable aggression and abuse.

:20:59.:21:08.

Happier times for Roberto Mancini and Sir Alex Ferguson. Santa

:21:08.:21:11.

delivered a sackful of goals as City put three past Stoke, and

:21:11.:21:21.
:21:21.:21:24.

United hit five at Fulham. Stuart Pollitt looks at last night's

:21:24.:21:31.

action. Whatever you can do, we can do too.

:21:32.:21:35.

Once again City and United traded goals and wins. Sergio Aguero

:21:35.:21:37.

scored twice, but Adam Johnson curled in the pick for City against

:21:37.:21:41.

Stoke. United romped to victory at Fulham. Three up by half time, they

:21:41.:21:45.

turned on the style after the break with this from Wayne Rooney. And a

:21:45.:21:49.

dash of brilliance from Dimitar Berbatov. But try as they might,

:21:49.:21:58.

it's their rivals who stay top. I said three days ago it was

:21:58.:22:03.

important to be at the top of the end of the season. Now it is good,

:22:03.:22:13.
:22:13.:22:13.

but only because it is Christmas. Manchester City were top at

:22:13.:22:23.
:22:23.:22:25.

Christmas in 1969. Is that kind of thing irrelevant? It does worry me

:22:25.:22:30.

a little bit. As long as we're there or thereabouts, going into

:22:30.:22:37.

January, that will do us. United traditionally have a strong finish

:22:37.:22:41.

at the end of the season. Elsewhere, Leon Osman headed

:22:41.:22:43.

Everton to victory over Swansea. All eyes were on Luis Suarez at

:22:43.:22:47.

Wigan. He won this penalty, but Ali Al Habsi saved Charlie Adam's spot

:22:47.:22:51.

kick. Despite decent chances for both sides, this one ended without

:22:51.:22:54.

any goals. Not a problem affecting either Manchester club at the

:22:54.:23:04.
:23:04.:23:04.

moment. Ricky Hatton has just arrived. All

:23:05.:23:12.

I need to do now is find my way into this event. I would just

:23:12.:23:22.
:23:22.:23:35.

mentioned you're names! I doubt it! Next, who wants to hear a magical

:23:35.:23:37.

Christmas tale, from Bolton? One family nearly had Christmas ruined

:23:37.:23:40.

by thieves who stole more than �200 worth of presents from the back of

:23:40.:23:44.

their car. They of course thought they were lost forever. But this

:23:44.:23:49.

Christmas tale has a happy ending. Thanks to the detective work of two

:23:49.:23:52.

binmen, two police officers and one toy shop sales assistant, they're

:23:52.:23:56.

now all wrapped and ready for Sunday morning. Nina Warhurst

:23:56.:24:04.

reports. Paige is busy guessing what's in

:24:04.:24:11.

this enormous collection of presents. They were very nearly

:24:11.:24:14.

lost forever. On Monday, her Dad left the presents in an unlocked

:24:14.:24:16.

car. When they'd disappeared in the morning, he saw no point in

:24:17.:24:25.

reporting it. It was like, thanks a lot, what am I going to do it now?

:24:25.:24:27.

Meanwhile, thieves had taken the presents from Great Lever and

:24:27.:24:31.

dumped them in a bin two miles away in Haliwell. When they were

:24:31.:24:33.

discovered the next morning by binmen, they had no clue about the

:24:33.:24:36.

owners, apart from a receipt from Toys R Us and knocking on doors in

:24:36.:24:45.

the local area didn't bring them any closer. That quick thinking

:24:45.:24:51.

officers refused to get up. They went back to the toy store where a

:24:51.:24:54.

member of staff remembered a customer complaining that he was

:24:54.:25:04.
:25:04.:25:04.

having to replace stolen presents. They had taken note of his address

:25:04.:25:14.
:25:14.:25:14.

as well. It has made Christmas present again. It is a bit magical.

:25:14.:25:19.

I'm so happy for the little girl, more than anything. So a merry

:25:19.:25:26.

Christmas to one and all. But there has been one tricky question. Paige

:25:26.:25:28.

is busy wondering, how come Father Christmas dropped the presents off

:25:29.:25:38.
:25:39.:25:39.

with Dad so early? with Dad so early?

:25:39.:25:45.

Let's take a look at the weather. A lot of people looking for a white

:25:45.:25:55.
:25:55.:25:55.

Christmas but it is not coming our way. As we head through the next 12

:25:55.:26:00.

to 24 hours, the colder air is coming in and there will be a drop

:26:00.:26:05.

in temperatures. But that is a temporary blip because by Saturday

:26:05.:26:13.

the warmer conditions return. Through the day to date we have had

:26:13.:26:22.

a lot of cloud cover around. First thing tomorrow morning we have the

:26:22.:26:30.

arrival of a band of rain. But today was all about the cloud cover.

:26:30.:26:34.

There will be no sunshine tomorrow because that cloud cover is

:26:34.:26:41.

building all the time to light. And then we have the next area of rain

:26:41.:26:47.

working its way in during the night. In terms of temperatures, staying

:26:47.:26:55.

up quite nicely. The rain moves in during tomorrow morning. So

:26:55.:27:05.
:27:05.:27:08.

conditions far from ideal during the rush-hour. As the colder

:27:08.:27:11.

conditions coming, and daytime temperatures tomorrow at six or

:27:11.:27:15.

seven degrees Celsius at best. That seven degrees Celsius at best. That

:27:15.:27:24.

is more normal for the time of year. And we have another happy ending?

:27:24.:27:28.

Well the ring and that we showed you yesterday, it has been spotted

:27:28.:27:33.

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