Browse content similar to 13/12/2011. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
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Falling wages and increasing bills - the growing financial struggle | :00:09. | :00:12. | |
facing families across the South West. | :00:12. | :00:15. | |
Good evening. There's increasing evidence that household income is | :00:15. | :00:18. | |
failing to keep pace with prices. We'll hear how it's affecting | :00:18. | :00:21. | |
families. Water charges could put finances | :00:21. | :00:25. | |
under further pressure. Most of the planned �50 rebate could go down | :00:25. | :00:30. | |
the drain, with a possible increase in bills of almost 8%. | :00:30. | :00:35. | |
A warning from a nursing union that patients are suffering. | :00:35. | :00:39. | |
Breathing new life into our town centres. We'll report from one | :00:39. | :00:44. | |
which is doing all it can to attract shoppers. | :00:44. | :00:47. | |
And five today - the remarkable little girl who defied all the odds | :00:47. | :00:56. | |
after being born several weeks Wages are being left way behind | :00:56. | :00:59. | |
rising prices for many people across the South West, according to | :00:59. | :01:04. | |
BBC analysis of official earnings data. Inflation may have fallen | :01:04. | :01:06. | |
slightly today, but nowhere near enough to turn around a problem | :01:06. | :01:10. | |
that's been biting for years now. In a moment, we'll have live | :01:10. | :01:13. | |
political reaction and we'll hear from a personal finance expert. But | :01:13. | :01:15. | |
first, Spotlight's business correspondent, Neil Gallacher, has | :01:15. | :01:18. | |
been hearing from some of those whose household budgets are | :01:18. | :01:28. | |
:01:28. | :01:29. | ||
stretched by the gap between wages and higher prices. | :01:29. | :01:34. | |
Wages doing one thing, prices quite another. A problem that some | :01:34. | :01:38. | |
viewers have been telling us about for years. To get a clearer feel | :01:38. | :01:44. | |
how it has developed, we have gone back in time. We first met Chris | :01:44. | :01:47. | |
Pollard in 2009 as a young apprentice. He did well to get a | :01:47. | :01:53. | |
job in the sharp downturn and he was distinctly optimistic. When you | :01:53. | :01:57. | |
are willing to put in the effort, there is quite a good future ahead | :01:57. | :02:02. | |
of you. He is still quite upbeat. It goes without saying he cannot | :02:02. | :02:06. | |
afford his own house. Aside from that, there is only one sign of the | :02:06. | :02:13. | |
pressures on him. Even though he can drive, he does without a car. | :02:13. | :02:19. | |
The worst of not Hull a car is probably when the weather, as it | :02:19. | :02:25. | |
does now, goes into horrible times. But you wrap up with the gloves and | :02:25. | :02:29. | |
hat. And sometimes after a long day at work, it would be nice to jump | :02:29. | :02:38. | |
in a car and go home. For Derek Bryant, things are less | :02:38. | :02:46. | |
philosophical. He certainly was in 2009. I can see I am going to soak | :02:46. | :02:50. | |
-- slowly soak into penury. He took a job but has now retired again | :02:50. | :02:55. | |
after a health scare. He now faces the same pressures as before even | :02:55. | :03:00. | |
though he has some savings and a private pension. I would go out | :03:00. | :03:05. | |
from the Bank each Friday morning with my pocket money for the week | :03:05. | :03:12. | |
and that is it. If anything comes out that his extraordinary, it | :03:12. | :03:18. | |
doesn't work. One unavoidable question faces all of them. How | :03:18. | :03:26. | |
long are they going to live? I am sure that my savings will run out | :03:26. | :03:31. | |
before the next 15 years. Because you are not getting any interest. | :03:31. | :03:37. | |
That is a worry and all I can keep doing is to try and reduce my | :03:37. | :03:41. | |
expenditure, my outgoings. auction might be to sell his house, | :03:41. | :03:47. | |
hardly appealing, but in his words, what is the point in owning a | :03:47. | :03:52. | |
property if you cannot go out for a pint? And the national debt charity | :03:52. | :03:55. | |
reported that the south-west has some of the highest rates of | :03:55. | :03:59. | |
bankruptcy in the country. In a moment, political reaction to | :03:59. | :04:01. | |
today's figures. First, though, I'm joined by Alison Treharne, an | :04:01. | :04:04. | |
independent financial advisor, who is a regular contributor to BBC | :04:04. | :04:10. | |
Radio Devon's Interactive Lunch programme. If we start with the | :04:10. | :04:15. | |
example of the pension support and Derek Bryant, he is probably | :04:15. | :04:19. | |
speaking for a lot of people in that his income is not growing very | :04:19. | :04:24. | |
fast and yet prices are. What can people do to maximise their income? | :04:24. | :04:29. | |
It is very difficult and I do feel for pensioners. We have been told | :04:29. | :04:34. | |
that the state pension will be going up by 5.2% in April next year. | :04:34. | :04:38. | |
That was based on the inflation figures for September. It is good | :04:38. | :04:42. | |
news. But I would estimate that inflation is higher because the | :04:42. | :04:46. | |
majority of what they spend their money on his food and fuel, and | :04:46. | :04:53. | |
those prices have really been going up. It is very difficult to offer | :04:53. | :04:59. | |
advice. If there on a fixed pension, it is very difficult. Can I urge | :04:59. | :05:03. | |
anybody who is thinking about going on to retire, where they are coming | :05:03. | :05:07. | |
to a point where they will draw on their pension, if they have a | :05:07. | :05:13. | |
private pension, they must think very carefully about how they use | :05:13. | :05:17. | |
that income. Gilt yields are down and it has made things very | :05:17. | :05:22. | |
difficult for those who want to buy annuity pensions. You must get | :05:22. | :05:26. | |
financial advice and you should also think about making sure your | :05:26. | :05:31. | |
retirement income is index-linked. If I were to retire now and I said | :05:31. | :05:36. | |
my income was at a certain amount and it doesn't escalator at all, in | :05:36. | :05:41. | |
five years' time, if Fleche -- inflation continues as it is, I | :05:41. | :05:47. | |
will be poorer. If I have �100 in my pocket, it will buy a certain | :05:47. | :05:56. | |
amount of goods. If inflation is at 8%, I need �104 in my pocket to buy | :05:57. | :06:02. | |
the same amount of goods. And for families who are in full-time jobs | :06:02. | :06:06. | |
and of getting an income but they still cannot afford to keep up with | :06:06. | :06:09. | |
the increase in prices, what can they do to minimise the impact of | :06:09. | :06:17. | |
inflation? If you have never done so, write a household budget. It is | :06:17. | :06:21. | |
basic but it is a good start. You list what comes into the household | :06:21. | :06:25. | |
and what goes out. If your outgoings are more, you know you | :06:25. | :06:30. | |
are in trouble. A scene where you can trim them. It is all about | :06:30. | :06:34. | |
changing your behaviour. You might have to change the shops you shop | :06:34. | :06:39. | |
in. You might want to be on a water meter and you make sure your taps | :06:39. | :06:44. | |
don't trip. You might need of insulation and things like that. | :06:44. | :06:49. | |
Also, can you do extra hours at work, can you rent out a room? | :06:49. | :06:53. | |
must leave it there. Thank you. Our political editor, Martyn Oates, | :06:53. | :06:57. | |
has been following today's developments and is in Westminster. | :06:57. | :07:00. | |
The recent bad news from the Government here at Westminster is | :07:00. | :07:04. | |
that the effects of the recession and the economic pain will continue | :07:04. | :07:10. | |
for even longer than anticipated. I am joined by George Eustice, the MP | :07:10. | :07:15. | |
for Camborne. What can the Government do to help people cope | :07:15. | :07:23. | |
with it struggling household incomes and rising prices? I think | :07:23. | :07:28. | |
the Government recognises people are having trouble. They are | :07:28. | :07:32. | |
stopping the rise in fuel duty, as announced in the Autumn Statement. | :07:32. | :07:37. | |
There is a �50 cut in water bills and also cutting of the rise in | :07:37. | :07:42. | |
train fares as well. So the Government is doing everything it | :07:42. | :07:45. | |
can do against this very difficult economic backdrop, to help people | :07:45. | :07:51. | |
with their weekly bills. We have already had a teacher today saying | :07:51. | :07:56. | |
she is struggling. The Government has just announced more bad news in | :07:56. | :08:04. | |
terms of pensions? Yes, but you have to bear in mind that public | :08:04. | :08:10. | |
sector pensions are higher than the private sector. It is a myth to say | :08:10. | :08:14. | |
public sector people have paid less than private sector. These are | :08:14. | :08:18. | |
difficult times but it is equally hard for everybody. Or we can do is | :08:18. | :08:22. | |
try to help them with their monthly bills, and that is what we are | :08:22. | :08:26. | |
attending to do with this package announced. Cornwall has the highest | :08:26. | :08:30. | |
rate of bankruptcy in the country and this is an issue you take | :08:30. | :08:40. | |
:08:40. | :08:42. | ||
particular interest in, isn't it? Apologies for the loss of sound | :08:42. | :08:47. | |
with some problems with our line to Westminster. | :08:47. | :08:50. | |
Well, today's inflation figures mean water bills in the South West | :08:50. | :08:53. | |
could rise by almost 8% next year. Customers and pressure groups have | :08:53. | :08:58. | |
reacted with concern. Spotlight's correspondent Simon Hall has more. | :08:58. | :09:02. | |
You take more interest than most in water when you live at an address | :09:02. | :09:07. | |
like this. Chris Campbell is also a fish-keeper and used his | :09:07. | :09:11. | |
considerable amounts of water, and so is concerned at the prospect of | :09:11. | :09:17. | |
his bills rising by up to 8%. is already astronomical! They are | :09:17. | :09:22. | |
already pretty high and this will add to it. Being a single man in a | :09:22. | :09:29. | |
house... It is just me paying the bills. It is difficult. The reason | :09:29. | :09:34. | |
for the significant rise in bills goes back to 2009, when the water | :09:34. | :09:40. | |
industry regulator set price limits of the coming years. Next year's | :09:40. | :09:46. | |
prices are based on the price index for next month. Plus an additional | :09:46. | :09:53. | |
sum for investment. Wessex Water were allowed to charge over 1.9% | :09:53. | :10:00. | |
above RPI, bring their bills to just over 7%. South West Water was | :10:00. | :10:05. | |
just over RPI, bringing their maximum increase to just over 8%. | :10:05. | :10:10. | |
think people will see it as another stress factor in a stretched system | :10:10. | :10:14. | |
where people on low, fixed income as learning nothing from their | :10:14. | :10:19. | |
savings are seen prices rise all around them. They are struggling to | :10:19. | :10:22. | |
meet those prices. This is just another instance where people have | :10:22. | :10:25. | |
to find the money to meet the extra cost. The recent storms are | :10:25. | :10:29. | |
rainfall have made water a prominent issue in the south-west | :10:29. | :10:33. | |
once more. The news about becoming an significant bill rises will only | :10:33. | :10:37. | |
add to that, particularly as there will erode much of the benefit of | :10:37. | :10:42. | |
the �50 rebate for South West Water customers. | :10:42. | :10:52. | |
:10:52. | :10:53. | ||
And Simon joins us now. Why are the water bill rises so high? It is his | :10:53. | :10:57. | |
story of changing times and a rapidly changing economy. These | :10:57. | :11:02. | |
water tariffs were set back in at 2009. Back then, inflation was much, | :11:02. | :11:08. | |
much lower. Below 1%, in fact. So you can see the authorities getting | :11:08. | :11:14. | |
together and thinking, if we raised bills by a bit more than inflation, | :11:14. | :11:19. | |
it is not too bad. Suddenly, there is Bill increases are looking a | :11:19. | :11:22. | |
whole lot more unpalatable, with the increase in inflation. What's | :11:22. | :11:30. | |
the outlook for inflation in future months? That is a good question. As | :11:30. | :11:36. | |
ever, with economic forecasting, we have a health warning! But most | :11:36. | :11:42. | |
analysts are predicting inflation will now fall and continued to fall, | :11:42. | :11:45. | |
possibly quite dramatically, which would be welcome news for many. | :11:45. | :11:51. | |
What does South West Water say? Nobody was available for an | :11:51. | :11:54. | |
interview but the company released a statement and said they would | :11:54. | :11:59. | |
make an announcement on their price tariffs by the end of January on | :11:59. | :12:07. | |
their prized harass the next year. Thank you. -- on their price | :12:07. | :12:10. | |
tariffs. The car-licensing organisation, the | :12:10. | :12:13. | |
DVLA, has announced it's consulting on plans to close its two offices | :12:13. | :12:17. | |
in the South West. This office in Exeter and another in Truro could | :12:17. | :12:20. | |
close by the end of 2013, with nearly 50 redundancies. In all, 39 | :12:20. | :12:24. | |
regional centres could close, to save �28 million a year. Unions say | :12:24. | :12:28. | |
staff are devastated and industrial action is likely. | :12:28. | :12:30. | |
Gale-force winds overnight brought down scores of trees across the | :12:30. | :12:34. | |
South West, leaving many homes without power. In Dorset alone, 55 | :12:34. | :12:39. | |
trees blew down. The centre lane of the Tamar Bridge was also closed to | :12:39. | :12:44. | |
high-sided vehicles, and Brittany Ferry sailings were cancelled. | :12:44. | :12:47. | |
A Christmas Victorian fair in Truro had to be evacuated this afternoon | :12:47. | :12:51. | |
after a fire in a marquee. The Fire Service has praised a security | :12:51. | :12:55. | |
guard who managed to put out the flames and move gas cylinders away | :12:55. | :12:58. | |
from the heat. The security guard and two other people were treated | :12:58. | :13:02. | |
at the scene for the effects of breathing in smoke. It's believed | :13:02. | :13:11. | |
the fire started when sawdust was set alight by a heater. It was | :13:11. | :13:15. | |
dealt with very well by the people outside, a security guard and a | :13:15. | :13:21. | |
couple of other individuals. They helped him extinguish the fire. The | :13:21. | :13:24. | |
organisers did a good job of evacuating a very large marquee. | :13:24. | :13:28. | |
The wait for hospital treatment is steadily rising in the South West. | :13:28. | :13:31. | |
Most acute Trusts in the region have seen an increase in the number | :13:31. | :13:34. | |
of patients waiting longer than the 18 weeks the Government says we | :13:34. | :13:38. | |
have a right to expect. The Royal College of Nursing blames health | :13:38. | :13:41. | |
service cutbacks and says patients are suffering. Spotlight's health | :13:41. | :13:47. | |
correspondent, Sally Mountjoy, has the details. | :13:47. | :13:50. | |
Roy Wheeler will be home for Christmas following bowel surgery. | :13:50. | :13:54. | |
He has had long-running problems but was admitted to Torbay Hospital | :13:54. | :13:59. | |
for his MOTs right -- recent treatment about three weeks after | :13:59. | :14:09. | |
:14:09. | :14:11. | ||
his GP made the request. As soon as they could, it was done. No | :14:11. | :14:16. | |
complaints whatsoever. Government says we have a right to | :14:16. | :14:21. | |
expect Freeman within a few weeks of referral. But the number of | :14:21. | :14:26. | |
those who had waited longer in a recent survey was over 1,500. 60 | :14:26. | :14:33. | |
had waited over a year. This Trust has slashed those figures that by | :14:33. | :14:38. | |
20%. We have to work in orthopaedics why we had a high | :14:38. | :14:42. | |
volume of patients, a number of whom were waiting for 18 weeks. We | :14:42. | :14:46. | |
had additional clinics to clear the backlog of patients who had been | :14:46. | :14:51. | |
waiting for over 18 weeks to get us back to his state where we could | :14:51. | :14:56. | |
meet our requirements. In the past decade, waiting times have fallen | :14:56. | :15:00. | |
dramatically and very few patients wait longer than 18 weeks for | :15:00. | :15:03. | |
treatment. However, the latest available figures show that in the | :15:03. | :15:07. | |
past year, most of the acute hospitals in the south-west had | :15:07. | :15:12. | |
seen a rise in the number of those who wait longer than that. Plymouth | :15:12. | :15:22. | |
:15:22. | :15:33. | ||
saw a 30 it cent rise to nearly the Growing demand and economic squeeze | :15:33. | :15:37. | |
has put pressure on hospital budget. The Royal College of Nursing is | :15:38. | :15:41. | |
concerned patients will suffer while they wait -- while they wait | :15:41. | :15:47. | |
We are seeing the impact on cuts to public services, and it is starting | :15:47. | :15:51. | |
to bite now. If you cut the number of staff available, it is | :15:51. | :15:56. | |
inevitable it will take longer for people to access services. We need | :15:56. | :16:00. | |
to be quite clear about those individuals and the impact it is | :16:00. | :16:05. | |
having on them. The Government says it will find | :16:05. | :16:08. | |
hospitals that do not clear backlogs of long waiting patients, | :16:08. | :16:18. | |
though critics say that will not The shopping guru of Mary Portas | :16:18. | :16:22. | |
announced her musician today to breathe new life into that -- | :16:22. | :16:26. | |
Britain's high street. Her plan it recommends a range of measures | :16:26. | :16:30. | |
including new taxes on car parks on out-of-town shopping centres. Will | :16:30. | :16:34. | |
have plans work in the South West. Our correspondent has been to | :16:34. | :16:41. | |
Saltash. This street in Saltash was busy with cars today. | :16:41. | :16:46. | |
The car parks will full, too. In the run-up to Christmas, the town's | :16:46. | :16:52. | |
four mean car parks are three after 10pm. This man runs a picture | :16:52. | :16:57. | |
framing shop in the High Street, and says the parking helps. | :16:57. | :17:02. | |
It has levelled our he wrote again, we have achieved what we set down | :17:02. | :17:08. | |
as a budget figure. I would say it has helped this month, about 35 % | :17:08. | :17:12. | |
up. Everyone likes something for nothing, and so if people felt they | :17:13. | :17:17. | |
were getting free parking, they would feel given some of the great | :17:17. | :17:20. | |
shops we have we would offer something extra over the | :17:20. | :17:23. | |
supermarkets. It is those supermarkets already in | :17:23. | :17:27. | |
the town that are paying for the scheme. Money is going to Cornwall | :17:27. | :17:31. | |
council what they would have received in parking fees. Whether | :17:31. | :17:35. | |
we are looking at parking, change of usage, access delivery times, | :17:35. | :17:39. | |
all that red tape I am trying to three Upshall business can flourish | :17:39. | :17:45. | |
in the future. Free parking since the beginning of | :17:45. | :17:48. | |
December has certainly brought, for what traders tell me, some people | :17:48. | :17:55. | |
back into the town. Not all are convinced. Some traders say they | :17:55. | :18:04. | |
have not seen an increased and custom. Arrive in the car park | :18:04. | :18:08. | |
around ten o'clock, pay for -- around eight o'clock, pay for two | :18:08. | :18:13. | |
and was then after 10am it is free. I cannot get into the car park. But | :18:13. | :18:16. | |
I do not mind because there is more fruitful of which is great for | :18:16. | :18:21. | |
businesses. I think the majority of people are shopping more. | :18:21. | :18:25. | |
The future of high streets like this depend on a reason for giving | :18:25. | :18:35. | |
:18:35. | :18:35. | ||
people -- depend on giving people a Now sport, and of the first of our | :18:35. | :18:42. | |
sports awards starts with three young person's award of 2011. This | :18:42. | :18:47. | |
year, the award is given to a 17- year-old golfer. Among other | :18:47. | :18:51. | |
triumphs, Harrison Greenberry became the boys' amateur golf | :18:51. | :18:55. | |
champion and established himself as a name to watch. Natalie owner went | :18:55. | :18:59. | |
to the Exeter Golf and Country Club to surprise him with his award. | :18:59. | :19:04. | |
I know this is a complete surprise to you, but we have come here to | :19:04. | :19:07. | |
give you a bit of an eerie Christmas present, because you may | :19:07. | :19:12. | |
not know but you have been voted the BBC South West Young Sports | :19:12. | :19:16. | |
Personality of the Year, and saw, a Christmas tree and a little gift | :19:16. | :19:20. | |
for you, Harrison. There is your trophy, congratulations on what has | :19:20. | :19:25. | |
been a marvellous year for you. What has it been like for you? | :19:25. | :19:31. | |
It has been amazing, really. I have not been able to take it all in. I | :19:31. | :19:37. | |
am still loving it, it is awesome. I know this is a bit of a shock, | :19:37. | :19:41. | |
but Young Sports personality of the Year previous winners include Tom | :19:41. | :19:46. | |
Daley. How do you feel about that? It is hard to put into words, | :19:46. | :19:50. | |
really. The best I can think is, outstanding. Thank you to the | :19:50. | :19:55. | |
people who voted for me. The what has been the highlight of | :19:55. | :20:01. | |
your ear, Harrison? The British boys was a highlight, | :20:01. | :20:06. | |
it made everything else possible. I just went to Abu Dhabi, came back | :20:06. | :20:13. | |
from that, but was unbelievable. What does the future hold for you? | :20:13. | :20:17. | |
I know it is a difficult question, but what is your ambition? | :20:17. | :20:22. | |
At the moment I am going to Kentucky University in America next | :20:23. | :20:28. | |
year under will be there for 40 years. After that I intend to turn | :20:28. | :20:32. | |
pro to see if I can make it in the professional world. | :20:32. | :20:36. | |
Given the start you have had and of the Year you have had, that is | :20:36. | :20:43. | |
definitely an achievement. Definitely, hopefully I can do it. | :20:43. | :20:48. | |
Harrison, thank you for so -- thank you so much, sorry for giving you a | :20:48. | :20:53. | |
shock, but congratulations, you are our Young Sports Personality of the | :20:53. | :20:57. | |
Year. Thanks very much. Tomorrow night we will reveal who | :20:57. | :21:02. | |
has won our unsung sporting hero award for 2011. | :21:02. | :21:06. | |
Now to a little girl who left -- weighed less than a bag of sugar | :21:06. | :21:12. | |
Wenborn four months premature has celebrated her fifth birthday. Erin | :21:12. | :21:16. | |
McDonald was given a one-in-three chance of survival when he was born | :21:16. | :21:23. | |
but has six it -- exceeded all expectations. | :21:23. | :21:28. | |
Balloons, cards and Dolls, the perfect way to mark your fifth | :21:28. | :21:33. | |
birthday, but Erin McDonald has more reason to celebrate than most. | :21:33. | :21:43. | |
When she was born in 2006, she was tiny. She arrived 15 weeks | :21:43. | :21:48. | |
premature. Transferred to Plymouth, she spent | :21:48. | :21:52. | |
months in Derriford Hospital. Parents, Mark and Rachel, kept | :21:52. | :21:56. | |
constant vigil. All only a one-in-three chance she | :21:56. | :22:02. | |
would survive, and we are here five years down the line. We look back | :22:02. | :22:06. | |
at a lot of things that went on in Derriford, but we live for today, | :22:06. | :22:11. | |
now. In the time since -- in that | :22:11. | :22:15. | |
instance, Spotlight has caught up with Erin at various stages in her | :22:15. | :22:21. | |
life. Unlike most toddlers, she could not cry and was born thought | :22:21. | :22:25. | |
only her vocal cords were damaged. She still has the tracheotomy which | :22:25. | :22:29. | |
allows her to breathe through an incision in her windpipe. She has | :22:29. | :22:34. | |
been able to talk properly for months. | :22:34. | :22:36. | |
What you see is what you get with Erin. She has her own little | :22:36. | :22:41. | |
character. She tells you exactly what she thinks. | :22:41. | :22:45. | |
On Monday, Erin is off to the Children's Hospital in Bristol to | :22:45. | :22:50. | |
see if and when the tracheotomy can be removed. While a sore stomach | :22:50. | :22:55. | |
kept her off school today, this is 15-year-old who has divide -- | :22:55. | :23:05. | |
:23:05. | :23:05. | ||
defied the odds. -- this is a five- year-old who has defied the odds. | :23:05. | :23:10. | |
She has brightened up what has been a pretty gloomy day, news worries. | :23:10. | :23:14. | |
If you were watching Spotlight on Friday she -- you will have seen | :23:14. | :23:17. | |
our story on Christmas lights that have been working every day since | :23:17. | :23:23. | |
1959. Some of you have got in contact with your own stories. | :23:23. | :23:29. | |
Among them was this man's Christmas fairy, bought in 1955. At the time | :23:29. | :23:33. | |
she was a festive must have, but now most of the family are not so | :23:33. | :23:37. | |
keen. I was getting out of my mother's ft | :23:37. | :23:42. | |
on Christmas Eve, and she said popped down to Woolworths and sort | :23:42. | :23:47. | |
out a doll for us. There she is, a magnificent thing. | :23:47. | :23:53. | |
To me she is a blend of Marilyn Monroe and our lovely Victoria | :23:53. | :23:58. | |
Graham. I have addressed just like that! | :23:58. | :24:02. | |
I can see the resemblance, Marilyn Monroe and Victoria Graham, | :24:02. | :24:09. | |
flattery. After a BBC executive decision on | :24:09. | :24:12. | |
when the Christmas tree should go when the Christmas tree should go | :24:12. | :24:17. | |
up, it is finally there. Let's have a look at the weather | :24:17. | :24:22. | |
today, but chilly, as well. These are some of the strongest gusts we | :24:22. | :24:32. | |
:24:32. | :24:33. | ||
have seen in the last 24 hours. The rainfall totals from last legs | :24:33. | :24:38. | |
do not look particularly impressive, but I am sure form many locations | :24:38. | :24:42. | |
the rainfall was double what we see here, as much as two inches falling | :24:42. | :24:48. | |
last night, thus the problems on the roads in the evening and this | :24:48. | :24:52. | |
morning. Tonight it will not be as windy or wet, but still looking at | :24:52. | :24:58. | |
showers, some could be wintry, and a cold night, as well. Some places | :24:58. | :25:07. | |
close to freezing with a risk off icy stretches on roads. This little | :25:07. | :25:13. | |
kernel of cloud out here we are all watching quite closely. That will | :25:13. | :25:18. | |
track across the Atlantic and coming to southern Ireland my day | :25:18. | :25:25. | |
tomorrow and move into the Bristol Channel tomorrow evening. That will | :25:25. | :25:29. | |
bring more frequent showers, a risk of those becoming wintry over the | :25:29. | :25:34. | |
nose. Thirsty is hanging in the balance, the strongest winds looked | :25:34. | :25:38. | |
to be in the English Channel, the Channel Islands and northern France. | :25:38. | :25:45. | |
Uncertainty to wear that will go. The brighter colours here | :25:45. | :25:49. | |
illustrate where the heaviest bursts of rain are. If there ever | :25:50. | :25:55. | |
was a good demonstration of why Victorians chose Torquay to go to | :25:55. | :25:59. | |
one holiday it is because of the shelter of Dartmoor it gives it a | :25:59. | :26:06. | |
summer's day look here. It has been chilly with waves, but this has | :26:06. | :26:10. | |
been finding a little shelter from the westerly gales. The sunshine | :26:10. | :26:16. | |
was out. Contrast that with the higher parts of the mirrors of | :26:16. | :26:22. | |
where winds have been very strong and frequent heavy and blustery | :26:22. | :26:28. | |
showers. Tonight, the showers will breeze through. The sleet and snow | :26:28. | :26:34. | |
off and on through the night. Low temperatures, too, getting down | :26:34. | :26:38. | |
towards feasting -- freezing across parts of north Devon and it is | :26:38. | :26:48. | |
:26:48. | :26:49. | ||
Somerset. Showers will continue through the evening tomorrow, quite | :26:49. | :26:53. | |
cold feeling, temperatures no higher than seven Celsius. For the | :26:53. | :26:58. | |
Isles of Scilly, frequent blustery showers possible. The times of high | :26:58. | :27:08. | |
:27:08. | :27:21. | ||
The coastal waters forecast... Thursday, we are keeping a close | :27:21. | :27:25. | |
eye on, it turns cold again Friday into Saturday with further wintry | :27:25. | :27:30. | |
showers. Thank you for all your e-mails, | :27:30. | :27:33. |