Retailers Geared Up For 'Busiest Day'

By Tadhg Enright, Business Correspondent

As the last full shopping day before Christmas Eve, today is expected to be the busiest day of the year on high streets and in shopping centres.

The British Retail Consortium expects between £4bn and £5bn to be spent throughout this weekend.

Researchers at the credit card company, Visa, have forecast sales to peak this afternoon between 2pm and 3pm.

At Brent Cross Shopping Centre in north London, management think today could be their busiest on record and extra security and traffic staff have been deployed to help customers.

Centre manager Tom Nathan told Sky News: "Everything shows us that when Christmas is on a Tuesday and the schools only broke up yesterday that today is going to be enormous because people haven't had the chance to go and do their full Christmas shop.

"So combine that with buying the turkey - and today is the start of the big turkey run - and today is going to be a huge one I think."

But the Local Government Association said confidence on the high street remained low.

Its annual Christmas survey found that 84% of town centre managers said confidence among shoppers had either not improved or worsened compared with this time last year.

It also suggested that the particularly cold and wet start to the winter could also be taking its toll on the number of shoppers visiting town centres.

Sales at Brent Cross Shopping Centre could be the busiest yet

Normally the busiest day of the year is December 23 - the last day before Christmas Eve - but this year that falls on a Sunday when trading hours for bigger shops are restricted by law to just six hours.

Big name retailers including John Lewis, Morrisons and Marks & Spencer failed in a bid to convince the Government to relax the restrictions on Sunday trading tomorrow.

M&S has responded by opening more than 100 of its stores at 12.01am on Christmas Eve morning to help shoppers get their Christmas essentials in time.

An M&S spokesman said: "We know that the days leading up to Christmas are some of the most hectic for our customers.

"Due to Sunday trading rules, we can only open for six hours on one of the busiest days of the year.

"We hope that these early bird hours on Monday will ease the pressure and give busy shoppers a bit more time to pick up Christmas food orders or last minute presents."

Waitrose, part of John Lewis, will also extend Christmas Eve trading hours in two thirds of its supermarkets by opening an hour earlier at 7am and closing an hour later at 6pm.

Sky News visited one of its four regional distribution centres at its head office in Bracknell, Berkshire, and saw staff working to deliver twice the normal volume of food to its stores.

They will be working 24 hours a day between now and 6am on Christmas Eve to ensure Waitrose shelves remain stocked.

But management are disappointed for them and their customers that trading will be curtailed on December 23 which is usually their most important shopping day.

Waitrose supply chain director David Jones told Sky News: "If you can imagine what you'd normally take in trading over 14 hours and shrinking that into six hours, it's quite challenging as you walk around the supermarket.

"You're trying to get people through checkouts and we would have loved to have had the opportunity to trade for a longer time."

Mr Jones will be taking time out from his executive duties to man the tills in his local branch over Christmas.

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Domestic Abuse Charities May Not Cope At Xmas

By Isabel Webster, West of England Correspondent

Cuts to domestic abuse charities are "putting victims at risk" as organisations warn they are expecting more cases than ever during the festive period.

The Association of Chief Police Officers reports a much higher volume of 999 calls from women over the Christmas holiday.

Gwent Police Chief Constable Carmel Napier said: "Normal life is not going on. The children aren't at school. People aren't at work.

"The expectation of a good time adds pressure and alcohol can be an aggravating factor.

"This combination of factors seems to cause a combustion of tensions that are already there."

According to the charity Refuge, one in four women in England and Wales experience domestic abuse in their lifetime and two women a week die.

Carol, a mother-of-four from Bristol, managed to escape her abusive relationship with the help of the grassroots charity, Survive.

Over several years her partner physically and mentally abused her, sometimes in front of her young children.

"The first night anything happened he just took his belt off and started whipping me. I was so shocked as I'd never seen him violent before," Carol said.

"He hit me with his mobile phone, so hard it left an imprint on my chest. He said he was going to kill me and threatened to throw me out the window - picking me up by my throat. He said he was going to rip my head off.

"But the worst part was the mental abuse. I had to walk behind him, I was timed if I went out to pick up the kids and had to ask permission to leave the room to go to the loo.

"I thought if I just did what I was told, if I was better, I could make it right for everyone, but I was never going to win."

Survive chief exec Anna Smith says charity is under increasing pressure

Carol is now safe and rebuilding her life, but the effect on her and her children remains.

Breaking down in tears, she sobbed: "If I'd known what I know now - what a bad effect it would have on my kids I would have got out sooner.

"I tried to protect them physically but you can't protect someone mentally from what they hear, what they see."

Carol maintains that Survive is the one good thing that came out of her ordeal.

But the charity, which supports women in South Gloucestershire and Bristol, is under growing pressure.

It has seen a 76% increase in high risk cases in the last year.

Over the Christmas period it estimates it will have to turn away 15% of the women and their families who need emergency refuge.

Chief Executive Anna Smith said: "We've been cut, yet we're seeing more women and children than ever.

"I am seriously concerned about it. Vulnerable people won't necessarily be able to get access to the help that they need this Christmas."

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Weather: Heavy Rain Sparks Christmas Misery

Families preparing for Christmas have been hit by floods and travel chaos as heavy rain batters Britain.

The south west of England has been particularly badly affected by the downpours and four severe flood warnings for Devon and Cornwall are now in place.

Some residents in Helston, Cornwall, were evacuated overnight after river levels rose and the Environment Agency warned that widespread flooding was "imminent".

There are fears about the River Cober in the town with more rain expected later on Saturday, raising fears some families may not be back home for Christmas.

Cornwall Council spokeswoman Trisha Hewitt said: "There is expected to be 30mm of rainfall during a six hour period from 5pm.

"As this is falling on saturated ground, this could cause further flooding."

The River Fowey is also subject to a severe flood warning, with another two for the River Caen in Braunton, Devon.

Floods in Helston, Cornwall, led to homes being evacuated

Braunton, which is in north Devon, has already been effectively cut off after the river burst its banks.

"The public are not attempted to attempt to drive to the town as it is flooded," Devon and Cornwall Police said.

There are a further 101 flood warnings, where flooding is expected, and another 301 alerts where it is considered possible.

Much of Britain saw deluges of rain early on Saturday as millions started the holidays, with Christmas Day now looking set to be a washout.

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The water has already led to major issues on road and train networks, which will spell trouble for Britons travelling this weekend.

Conditions are so bad in the south west that First Great Western has told passengers not to travel.

Flood-hit streets in York

Flooding between Taunton and Exeter St Davids and a signalling problem are causing major disruption.

There are no trains between Plymouth and Tiverton Parkway or Taunton, and a replacement bus service is running from Exeter St Davids to Tiverton Parkway and Taunton.

Further road replacements are being organised to run between Plymouth and Exeter St Davids, but this is expected to add another 90 minutes to journey times.

First Great Western and CrossCountry services are accepting each other's passengers, National Rail said.

A major signalling problem caused by a fire yesterday that affected electrical cables and railside signalling equipment at Preston Park is also causing major disruption near Brighton.

Diversions are in place, with trains between Brighton and Gatwick airport travelling half-hourly and buses laid on for some passengers.

There are also signalling problems affecting some Cross Country and London Midland routes in and around Birmingham.

Flooding near Rhoose Cardiff International Airport is causing disruption on Arriva Trains Wales.

And there remain problems on all London Midland routes because of driver shortages that have been an issue since October.

A man wading through Braunton, Devon

Replacement bus services are also in place between Bedford and Bletchley because of a lack of crew and in Liskeard and Looe in Cornwall due to flooding.

A landslip has caused rail problems in the Glazebrook area near Warrington, affecting some First TransPennine Express services and links to Manchester.

On the roads, the A38 from Bodmin towards Exeter is currently closed because of flooding. The northbound exit slip road on the A19 in Cleveland at the junction with the A139 is also shut.

There are also delays on the A27 eastbound between B2144 and A285 near Chichester because of flooding.

Mike Williams, from the Environment Agency, said: "This is the last weekend before Christmas, so it will be particularly busy with people travelling through the region.

"We would urge people to take extra care when planning their journeys and we aware of the risk of flooding.

"Our teams have been out around the clock to minimise the risks and prepare for flooding.

"People need to keep up to date with the weather forecast and remain prepared for flooding in their area and stay away from dangerous flood water or attempting to drive through it."

Britons attempting to get to Heathrow have also been hit by changes to the Heathrow Express service, which on Friday forced thousands of passengers onto the Underground.

Rain is affecting much of the UK (Pictures: Met Office)

Trains are running normally on Saturday but are due to start later on Sunday and will then not run at all on Christmas Day and Boxing Day because of engineering work.

British Airways alone is set to handle nearly 31,000 passengers on Christmas Day as an estimated four million Britons travel abroad for the rest of the holidays.

There was some good news after two main line rail strikes that threatened to cause travel chaos over the Christmas period were called off.

But the train drivers' union Aslef is still striking on Boxing Day in a move that will hit the Underground and has already forced the cancellation of the Arsenal-West Ham United football match.

The other main train problem for the festive period is likely to be engineering work on the West Coast Line.

There are no direct services from London Euston to Milton Keynes, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool or Glasgow on December 23 and 24.

Direct services resume on December 27 but with two of the four lines closed up to and including New Year's Eve.

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A Middleton Christmas For Kate And William

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are to spend Christmas Day privately with the Middleton family, St James' Palace has announced.

Kate and William will break with tradition by not celebrating with the Queen and the rest of the royal family in Sandringham.

The decision will help the couple avoid the public eye and allow Kate to rest as she continues to battle acute morning sickness.

But it will come as a disappointment to royal fans who traditionally turn out to see the family attend church on Christmas morning.

Kate at BBC Sports Personality Of The Year

Last year, Kate and William were a huge draw as they made the walk from Sandringham up to St Mary Magdalene Church for the first time as man and wife.

Staying in Berkshire also means that the Duchess of Cambridge will be within closer reach of King Edward VII hospital in London where she was treated for hyperemesis gravidarum.

The move was made with the approval of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh and the couple will visit Sandringham at some point over the holiday.

Prince Harry will also not be at Sandringham this year because he is still serving in Afghanistan.

Kate, 30, is now believed to be close to the end of her first trimester after being forced to go public with her pregnancy early due to her illness.

She spent several days in hospital at the start of December after becoming sick during another weekend with her parents.

Since then, she has been resting at Kensington Palace in central London and cancelled all her scheduled appearances.

The Duchess did manage to recover enough to present the BBC Sports Personality Of The Year Award to Bradley Wiggins last Sunday.

And she was also seen going to the wider royal Christmas celebrations at Buckingham Palace earlier this week.

Experts have warned that she could continue to suffer with severe sickness throughout the pregnancy.

Kate was a big hit in Sandringham on Christmas Day last year

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Weather: Flooding Ahead Of Xmas Getaway

Britain has been warned it faces further flooding in some areas as more rain is set to sweep in over the next few days.

So far, southern and south western England have been the worst affected, with deluges in Devon, Cornwall and Hampshire leading to more than an inch of rain in some places.

Sky News weather presenter Nazaneen Ghaffar said: "There'll be a brief respite from the rain on Friday with drier and brighter conditions across southern parts of England, many central areas and Ireland.

"But, as we head into tonight, there are further heavy and persistent downpours across southwestern parts of England into Wales, continuing to sweep north and eastwards in Scotland.

"About 25-35mm of water is expected, which is more than an inch, and falling on already saturated ground. So localised flooding is likely.

Friday is expected to be the busiest of the festive period for travelling

"Saturday will continue to be another unsettled day with rather heavy and persistent downpours spreading northeastward across all parts of the UK and Ireland."

On Thursday, residents in Wallington, Hampshire, were advised to leave their homes because of fears that the River Wallington could burst its banks.

The weather is forecast to remain unsettled for up to seven days.

The Environment Agency has more than 200 flood alerts in place across the UK, where people should be prepared for flooding, and more than 70 flood warnings, which means flooding is expected and immediate action is required.

It comes as the great Christmas getaway is set to begin, with airports, ports and the transport network braced to cope with high demand.

Some 123,000 passengers are expected to leave through Heathrow Airport today, with thousands more heading across the English Channel by ferry or through the Channel Tunnel.

On the roads, the Highways Agency said more than 250 miles of roadworks will have been completed before Christmas.

A further 57 miles of works will be suspended between today and January 2.

But busy sections of the M4, M25 and M5 will still have works taking place.

Engineering work is also affecting a number of train lines, although strike action over the Christmas period has been called off.

VisitEngland said that as many as 12 million Britons intend to take at least one trip over the festive period, generating around £2.1bn for the economy.

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Stunt Rider Eddie Kidd: Wife's Assault Charge

The estranged wife of paralysed motorbike stunt rider Eddie Kidd has been charged with assaulting him.

Samantha Kidd is due to appear in court next month accused of assaulting the 53-year-old six times in four months.

The 44-year-old, of High Street, Seaford, allegedly beat her husband between July and October this year.

A spokesman for Sussex Police said they received a report of domestic abuse on December 11.

He said Mrs Kidd was charged after a "prompt and thorough investigation" and bailed to appear before magistrates in Brighton on January 9.

Eddie Kidd received his OBE earlier this year

She must not contact Mr Kidd or visit the area where he lives during that time.

Mr Kidd, who made more than 10,000 daredevil jumps during his career, was paralysed and suffered brain damage in a motorbike accident near Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, 16 years ago.

In 1984, aged 18, he broke a world record by jumping 190ft over 14 double-decker buses in London.

He jumped the Great Wall of China in 1993 and was challenged to a duel by Robert 'Evel' Knievel in the same year.

His stunts have also featured in a number of films, including Hanover Street, Riding High and the James Bond movie Goldeneye, in which he appeared as Pierce Brosnan's double.

Mr Kidd carried the Olympic torch through Lewes in July and was made an OBE at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace in October.

In 2011, he completed the London Marathon in 50 days, raising nearly £100,000 for the charity Children With Cancer UK.

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'Miracle Baby' Jessica Home For Christmas

By Gerard Tubb, Sky News Correspondent

A baby born with a rare combination of potentially fatal heart problems has defied the odds to be allowed home for Christmas.

Jessica Muse had open heart surgery within minutes of being born at Newcastle's Freeman Hospital in July and has spent almost all of her life on a high dependency ward.

Her parents, Claire, 31, and Dom, 29, said Jessica had had eight separate operations since then - and that each time they were told she might not survive.

"Up to six weeks, she was sedated most of the time," said Mrs Muse.

"From then on she's had a couple of little hiccups, but it's mainly been ups and she got stronger and stronger until she eventually came off the ventilator at 20 weeks old."

Jessica was diagnosed in the womb at 20 weeks with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a collection of problems with one half of the heart that are fatal unless operated on.

But later doctors discovered she also had a much rarer problem at the top of her heart, which meant major surgery was required as soon as she was born.

Jessica was delivered in one operating theatre as a cardiac team waited in the theatre next door to operate on her heart, which was the size of a walnut.

Consultant paediatric cardiologist Dr Milind Chaudhari said the Freeman is one of only three hospitals in the country capable of providing the multidisciplinary care needed by a baby with such complicated heart problems.

Dr Chaudhari described Jessica's treatment as "a massive effort" involving obstetricians, cardiac surgeons, cardiologists, intensivists, respiratory physicians and gastro-enterologists.

"Jessica was born with a very serious form of hypoplastic left heart syndrome, with intact atrial septum," he said.

"She's a bright, alert infant now and she's gaining weight. She still needs a second and third stage operation, but she's on course for that, which is great."

Jessica will return to hospital for her next operation in January, and although her parents know her heart will never work properly, they are delighted to have her home for a family Christmas.

It is no surprise the couple describe Jessica as their "Christmas miracle".

Gazing down at his daughter, Mr Muse said: "It's amazing to have her home, the time we've been through over the past five or six months, it's been unbelievable.

"We've been living at the Freeman Hospital for five months now, so that's basically become our home. It's just nice to get back to some normality and spend Christmas with my family."

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Derek Keilloh Struck Off Over Iraqi's Death

Former Army doctor Derek Keilloh is struck off the medical register for misconduct over the death of Iraqi detainee Baha Mousa.

More follows...

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Flood Fears Rise Ahead Of A Soggy Christmas

Flooding is set to hit Britain as successive bands of heavy rain move across the country ahead of a damp Christmas.

Most of England, Wales and Scotland is expected to be wet today with heavy rain in some places.

Snow is also likely over the Scottish mountains, especially on southeast-facing slopes of the Grampians where blizzard conditions are possible.

The Environment Agency (EA) said large swathes of southern and southwestern England, southeast Wales and the Midlands are potentially under threat today, with flood warnings likely in parts of the South West, the South East and East Anglia.

Some 25mm to 35mm fell overnight in parts of the South West.

Wind caused heavy waves to crash near the lighthouse at Seaham

Sky News weather presenter Isabel Lang said: "Although it will ease during the day in the South West, there will be persistent rain elsewhere.

"Amounts of rain will vary but a further 25 to 50mm is forecast today which will continue to raise flooding concerns.

"Driving conditions will also be difficult in places with standing water and localised flooding already reported."

Although Friday will largely be dry in the South West, the next band of rain is set to move in by the evening and brings renewed flood risks.

Lang said: "The next band coming through is very moist and warm air. There is the potential for major disruption.

"After a white Christmas in 2010 and an unseasonably warm 2011, we may have a wet 2012 Christmas."

Areas of England and Wales were last month engulfed by flood water that surged through streets and down roads.

Rivers burst their banks and fields were flooded as several days' rain fell in just a few hours.

EA flood risk manager Craig Woolhouse said: "Our teams are out around the clock to minimise the risks and prepare for flooding, clearing drainage channels and ensuring that flood defences are working properly.

Flooding last month in Old Malton, North Yorkshire

People have been advised to check their route for disruption before travelling, and not to drive or walk through floodwater.

The EA now offers a free flood warning service on its website.

Mr Woolhouse said: "We urge people to keep up to date with the weather forecast and local news overnight and remain prepared for flooding in their area by signing up to receive free flood warnings and staying away from dangerous flood water."

:: Information is available on the Environment Agency website or by calling the EA Flood Line on 0845 988 1188.

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Ryanair: Airline Bottom Of Which? Survey

Ryanair is the least popular short-haul airline, according to a survey that gave the carrier its lowest approval rating ever.

The Irish firm received an overall satisfaction score of just 34% in a table put together by consumer magazine Which? from its members' votes.

It was 16th and last in the table, which was compiled from views of passengers on a home-bound flight in the 12 months to October.

On Ryanair, Which? said: "We were inundated with comments about Ryanair - many about its extra charges.

"This partly accounts for the paltry one-star ratings for baggage allowance, boarding arrangements, seat allocation, and food and drinks."

Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary is known for his controversial comments

Which? said it was the first time Ryanair had been at the bottom of its survey, adding its customer score was the airline's worst to date.

The most popular short-haul airline was Swiss, with an overall score of 82% and a maximum five-star score on a number of the rating categories.

These included check-in process, baggage allowance, seating allocation and airline staff.

Second in the table was Turkish Airlines with a score of 78%, with German carrier Lufthansa third, Aer Lingus fourth and KLM fifth.

Only airlines which received at least 30 responses were considered.

Swiss' results were based on 59 responses, Turkish Airlines on 38, Lufthansa 74 and Aer Lingus 65.

Ryanair's results were based on 563 responses. In 15th place was Thomas Cook Airlines with a score of 36%, with Thomson Airways 14th on 45% and Monarch 13th with 47%.

Swiss' customers spoke of the staff's "politeness and great service", while Turkish Airlines was the only carrier to get more than three stars in the food and drink category.

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