:00:00. > 3:59:59England's road to recovery. There is more throughout the evening on the
:00:00. > :00:15.Good evening. The Prime Minhster, BBC News Channel. We're back
:00:16. > :00:16.Good evening. The Prime Minhster, David Cameron, says more needs to
:00:17. > :00:20.Good evening. The Prime Minister, David Cameron, says more nedds to be
:00:21. > :00:23.done to help people in Kent and Sussex affected by flooding.
:00:24. > :00:26.Speaking in Yalding, he said councils #23450eed to provide ways
:00:27. > :00:29.for people to clear their homes and get rid of damaged property `` need
:00:30. > :00:35.to provide ways. He was takdn to to provide ways. He was takdn to
:00:36. > :00:39.task by a resident who felt abandoned over Christmas.
:00:40. > :00:45.It was during the Prime Minhster's It was during the Prime Minhster's
:00:46. > :00:49.visit to this village when ` resident vented her anger.
:00:50. > :00:54.Since Monday we have been trying to contact them and nothing. H`ve
:00:55. > :00:55.Since Monday we have been trying to contact them and nothing. Have the
:00:56. > :00:58.council been round since? Vdry council been round since? Vdry
:00:59. > :01:05.briefly this morning. The lady who challenged the Prime
:01:06. > :01:09.Minister was Erica, her home was flooded on Christmas Eve. She's had
:01:10. > :01:12.no electricity since then and her fridge freezer is full of rhver
:01:13. > :01:15.fridge freezer is full of river water. It's upsetting and I feel
:01:16. > :01:18.abandoned. We have had no rep water. It's upsetting and I feel
:01:19. > :01:18.abandoned. We have had no rdp from abandoned. We have had no rdp from
:01:19. > :01:20.the council or the Environment the council or the Environmdnt
:01:21. > :01:23.Agency and the police, well, the first time we saw any police was
:01:24. > :01:24.first time we saw any policd was when David Cameron turned up today.
:01:25. > :01:26.More than 1,000 homes flooded when David Cameron turned up today.
:01:27. > :01:29.More than 1,000 homes flooddd over More than 1,000 homes flooded over
:01:30. > :01:32.Christmas, Yalding was one of the worst affected places. Maidstone
:01:33. > :01:35.Council says it's been working throughout the holiday to hdlp
:01:36. > :01:38.people affected. But the Prime Minister accepts that
:01:39. > :01:41.more needs to be done. The Government is spending more on flood
:01:42. > :01:45.defences over the next four years than over the last four years.
:01:46. > :01:49.There's a lot of flood defences being built. 80,000 houses were
:01:50. > :01:54.protected this time but we have got to do more. In Tunbridge today,
:01:55. > :01:58.volunteers gave time to help residents clear their flood`damaged
:01:59. > :02:01.homes. Residents had little time to escape the flood surge. We had 0
:02:02. > :02:06.escape the flood surge. We had 20 minutes to basically grab some
:02:07. > :02:07.clothes, put the TV upstairs, but obviously we couldn't move any
:02:08. > :02:08.obviously we couldn't move `ny furniture, we had to go because the
:02:09. > :02:12.furniture, we had to go bec`use the water was coming in. There's
:02:13. > :02:20.frustration here too that there was little help and support in this
:02:21. > :02:25.street in their hour of need. Hundreds of people remain whthout
:02:26. > :02:28.power across Kent, Sussex and Surrey as engineers struggle to de`l with
:02:29. > :02:34.repairs following the recent stormy weather. In Kent, 1745 homes have no
:02:35. > :02:38.electricity, in Sussex, 890 and in Surrey, 680 have no power. Hn
:02:39. > :02:40.electricity, in Sussex, 890 and in Surrey, 680 have no power. In Upper
:02:41. > :02:45.Dicker in East Sussex, some residents have been without
:02:46. > :02:49.electricity since Monday. Playing with new Christmas toys, but it
:02:50. > :02:51.wasn't the time of festive fun that this family had been hoping for.
:02:52. > :02:54.this family had been hoping for With no power at all since Monday,
:02:55. > :02:57.With no power at all since Londay, it's been a very cold Christmas.
:02:58. > :02:58.it's been a very cold Christmas It's been really difficult. We have
:02:59. > :03:03.lost all the food in the frdezer, lost all the food in the freezer,
:03:04. > :03:07.everything's gone. ?179 worth of stuff for Christmas has all gone.
:03:08. > :03:12.Most of the village lost power on Monday, but these houses on the
:03:13. > :03:16.outskirts are still waiting to be reconnected. Another family on a
:03:17. > :03:19.nearby farm are heading for a hotel in search of a bit of warmth. The
:03:20. > :03:20.hardest thing for us has bedn in search of a bit of warmth. The
:03:21. > :03:20.hardest thing for us has been the hardest thing for us has bedn the
:03:21. > :03:22.animals out on the farm having to do animals out on the farm havhng to do
:03:23. > :03:24.everything by torch light because animals out on the farm having to do
:03:25. > :03:26.everything by torch light bdcause we are out there at 5 am, you know,
:03:27. > :03:30.are out there at 5 am, you know that's been the worst thing.
:03:31. > :03:31.Engineers have been working around`the`clock to reconnect
:03:32. > :03:32.supplies in the south`east `nd around`the`clock to reconnect
:03:33. > :03:38.supplies in the south`east and hope to reduce the number of households
:03:39. > :03:40.cut off from thousands to hundreds. The plan is by the end of today to
:03:41. > :03:46.get that down to around abott The plan is by the end of today to
:03:47. > :03:47.get that down to around abott 4 0. That'll be pretty much the
:03:48. > :03:48.individual properties who've That'll be pretty much the
:03:49. > :03:48.individual properties who'vd got individual properties who'vd got
:03:49. > :03:50.resources out there to get as individual properties who've got
:03:51. > :03:53.resources out there to get `s many of those done as soon as possible
:03:54. > :03:58.and the plan is to get them all done by Midnight tonight and then leaving
:03:59. > :04:00.the single premises. The Hicks family fear they could be among the
:04:01. > :04:04.family fear they could be along the last to see their power back. So
:04:05. > :04:08.what have the past five days been like? Quite cold normally but with
:04:09. > :04:13.like? Quite cold normally btt with this jumper it's warm. Sometimes at
:04:14. > :04:15.night we have the fire open to keep us warm.
:04:16. > :04:19.They are saying it will be at least They are saying it will be at least
:04:20. > :04:21.11 o'clock tonight. They have spoken to my his, so we don't know at the
:04:22. > :04:28.moment. I'm not staying herd with moment. I'm not staying here with
:04:29. > :04:35.the bows, it's too cold. `` boys, it's too cold.
:04:36. > :04:40.It's all weather related so let us get an update for the next few days.
:04:41. > :04:42.Over to you. We are not completely out of the
:04:43. > :04:43.woods as there are some mord We are not completely out of the
:04:44. > :04:45.woods as there are some more showers woods as there are some mord showers
:04:46. > :04:47.on the way. The weekend is looking somewhat better. There will be some
:04:48. > :04:49.showers around for some of us somewhat better. There will be some
:04:50. > :04:54.showers around for some of ts but sunny spells and certainly lighter
:04:55. > :04:57.winds. Tonight, the showers are going to mainly affect the
:04:58. > :04:59.south`east Kent coast more than anything. For most of us, that will
:05:00. > :05:01.be a dry night ahead. It's more anything. For most of us, that will
:05:02. > :05:03.be a dry night ahead. It's lore this be a dry night ahead. It's lore this
:05:04. > :05:05.evening that they'll be trotblesome. A cold night with temperatures down
:05:06. > :05:09.to freezing in some parts. Ice A cold night with temperatures down
:05:10. > :05:13.to freezing in some parts. Hce could to freezing in some parts. Hce could
:05:14. > :05:16.be a problem tomorrow morning. Heavy showers tomorrow. Some will escape
:05:17. > :05:19.the showers all together. They'll be mainly along the south coast.
:05:20. > :05:23.Temperatures struggling tomorrow with highs of seven, eight or
:05:24. > :05:24.perhaps nine. Lighter winds and at least we'll have some sunshhne
:05:25. > :05:30.least we'll have some sunshine around.
:05:31. > :05:34.Tomorrow night, a colder night than tonight even so if you don't have
:05:35. > :05:37.the frost tonight, you are lore mikely tomorrow night. Sunday
:05:38. > :05:38.the frost tonight, you are more mikely tomorrow night. Sund`y is the
:05:39. > :05:43.mikely tomorrow night. Sunday is the better day of the weekend. `` more
:05:44. > :05:46.likely. Sunday night into Monday, a lot of rain moving through then and
:05:47. > :05:51.unfortunately, we have another weather system moving through next
:05:52. > :05:52.week so it will be a wet and windy start.
:05:53. > :05:54.Thank you very much. That is it from us. We are back at
:05:55. > :06:14.10. 15. Bye. Good evening. What a week it has
:06:15. > :06:19.been, a stormy start, a law through Christmas, then a wild end to the
:06:20. > :06:25.week, had to keep up, isn't it? This was a vicious area of low pressure
:06:26. > :06:29.last night, but today the winds have been strongest across northern
:06:30. > :06:34.areas, where it is still blowing a gale. That will gradually subside as
:06:35. > :06:38.we go through the night, although a windy night across Scotland with
:06:39. > :06:42.frequent, heavy showers. A few showers whistling in elsewhere, but
:06:43. > :06:48.a lot of dry weather, and temperatures will ease down first
:06:49. > :06:49.thing tomorrow morning. Tomorrow, a different sort of