12/09/2011 South East Today

Welcome to South East Today, I'm Natalie Graham. And I'm Rob Smith.

Tonight's top stories. We have some of the fattest towns in Europe -

and experts are warning the health consequences are dire.

I did not want anyone to see me, I had no confidence.

Four people are arrested on suspicion of murder, after the

deaths of mother and baby in a house fire in Kent. We'll have the

latest on the investigation in Chatham.

Also in tonight's programme: The pub that could save your life - why

one landlord is so concerned about ambulance response times, she's

installed a defibrillator. Shocking pink - why Kent cricketers

are defying tradition and playing with a different coloured ball.

And life after death by Dutch elm disease - the trees that have been

turned into art. Good evening. Kent has some of the

fattest people in the country, according to new Government figures.

Almost one in three adults is now classed as obese in four English

council areas. Medway meanwhile, is ranked fourth, with a figure only

fractionally lower at 30 %. The national average is 23 %. Doctors

say it's placing a growing burden on health services in the county,

as Simon Jones reports. The streets are increasingly so

criticised. Tanya Mills until recently was in a wheelchair

because she had reached 22 stone. did not want anyone to see me. I

had no confidence at all. You talk about teenagers and children, you

have to try to get them to exercise. Trevor Roberts was 30 stone. He is

now down to under 20 after a gastric bypass operation

effectively shrinking his stomach. He had had enough of being abused

by passers-by. Look at the size of him, what a fat man. It got quite

aggressive. It just seems to be that if people are overweight they

seem to be a target. Certain people will say eat less and exercise more.

It is not as easy as that. figures suggest that in 15 years'

time if there are no big changes than 30% of us will be obese. But

here in this region the time has already arrived. Experts say that

poverty means we do not always choose the healthiest option.

are seeing a lot more people who are overweight and a piece. It has

doubled in my practice in the last decade and so we have to work much

harder to help people there was a - - lose weight. Anyone with a body

mass index of more than 30 is considered obese. For the average

height British man they would have to wait around 14 stone to have a

body mass index of 30. For the average woman, just over 12 stone.

Week looked to provide preventative services to try to address that

issue before people get to the stage where they get long-term

conditions. But it is placing more stress on the health service.

Obesity has long been recognised as a serious problem in the United

States with up to 50% of the population predicted to be obese

shortly. How are they are tackling the issue over their? There are

attempting to tackle it through education. For example Michelle

Obama grows vegetables in the White House garden to try to encourage

young people to eat healthier meals. In Los Angeles there is a law that

says that restaurants have to display the number of calories in

their dishes. I was quite shocked to see that one salad contained

1500 calories. That does make you think. Many people say these

measures are just touching the serve -- the surface. That they

should be at ban on the appetising of unhealthy foods to children.

Well we want to know what you think. What should be done to tackle

growing levels of obesity in the South East? Send your emails to

[email protected], or join the debate on our Facebook site -

and we'll hear your views later in the programme.

One man says we should ban computers for all young people to

encourage them to go out to play. Another says you should ban by one

get one free offers on unhealthy junk foods.

Four people have been arrested on suspicion of murder, following the

deaths of a 20-year-old mother and her 15-month-old son in a house

fire in Chatham. Melissa Crook and her son Noah died in the fire in

Chatham Saturday. Her father and brother remain in hospital with

serious injuries. Jon Hunt has more. Friends have been paying their

respects to a mother and toddler killed in a fierce fire. Police

suspect it was started deliberately. An investigation into food did this

and why is at full speed. I cannot comprehend who would do this. I

cannot understand. A close friend told me that Melissa had much to

look for four stop she was so young. She had come down here for a better

start. She was supposed to have a job interview today. I just cannot

believe it. I have come to put some flowers down and pay my respects.

Such a lovely girl. Firefighters were called to the terraced house

in the early hours of Saturday morning. They said they had to

fight their way in through an extreme blaze. Detectives were keen

on the case have ruled out links to a spate of arson attacks locally.

Foreign investigation is in full swing. -- if they're up

investigation. Our Hearts go out to the family and friends of those

involved. Police made their first arrests on Saturday afternoon. Two

men arrested in Coventry. None is believed to be the husband of Mr

Crooks. Another man was then arrested in Maidstone and today a

woman was arrested in the Coventry area. Mr Crook had only just

returned to Chatham to start a new life but she and her young son are

now dead. Her father and brother still seriously ill in hospital.

Jon Hunt reporting, and he joins us live from Chatham. Melissa Crook's

parents and brother were injured in the fire - what's the latest on

their condition tonight? Wellman has a's father was most seriously

injured. His condition is still said to be life-threatening. His

wife Amanda we understand has now been discharged from hospital. But

Melissa's brother who broke his legs trying to escape from the

flames, we understand he's still in hospital and his condition is still

described as serious. In a moment: Why a row about land

ownership is costing Hastings taxpayers �20,000 a month.

The landlords of a Kent village pub are so concerned at the slow

response time from ambulances, that they have decided to install a

life-saving defibrillator. The South East Coast Ambulance

Service has promised to improve its performance in rural areas, after a

BBC Freedom of Information request revealed that crews are failing to

meet emergency response targets in many parts of Kent and Sussex.

Ian Palmer has more. This box can save lives. It is here

because the family that run the pub asked for it to be put there.

Because of where we are located we can be quite cut-off especially in

the winter. We can become quite isolated as a community. It became

apparent that should we needed to call an ambulance and it was bad

weather, could they get to ask him time? Paramedics always find it

more difficult to reach rural and remote areas. Ambulances should

respond within eight minutes. In Kent, that target was missed in

just over half the districts. In Sussex, targets were missed in

exactly half the districts. Last week this piece of equipment was

used for the first time. Sadly, it was too late for that particular

person, but people did know exactly where to find it. We can achieve

reaching the most critical patience within eight minutes but actually

to have a good outcome for a patient you need access to this

within a couple of minutes. Paramedics here have taken more

than half an hour to respond. Villagers say that knowing the

machine is there is reassuring. Do you know where it is? I know

exactly where it is. A basic piece of equipment like this and basic

first aid knowledge means that people are reassured that they can

make a difference. The south-east coast Ambulance Service says the

average response time across the region is eight minutes and 39

seconds. But here they know an emergency needs a quicker reaction

time. Motorists are being warned to avoid

the M23 motorway in Sussex following a serious collision this

afternoon. The road has been closed in both directions between

junctions 9 and 10, near Gatwick Airport, after a crash between two

vehicles. One person has been seriously injured.

More than 100,000 extra passengers travelled through Gatwick last

month, compared with the previous year. Around a half a million

people used the airport over the August bank holiday weekend alone.

Short haul flights to countries like Spain and Italy saw the

biggest increases. Investors who ploughed tens of

millions of pounds into the Dockside shopping centre in Chatham

have won an �18 million pound payout from the company that

advised them on the deal. A High Court judge has ruled that

surveyors Drivers Jonas' valuation of the site was negligent - and led

investors to pay over �60 million for it, when it was worth far less.

Hastings Borough Council has been forced to spend �20,000 a month on

electricity generators to power its seafront buildings in a row over

who owns the land. The UK power network has apparently refused to

install equipment to power the buildings. Let's cross live to

Peter Whittlesea in Hastings. land was given to Hastings Borough

Council in 1893 by the Crown. But when they were given the land they

were given that in a charitable Trust which was not allowed to

develop the land, so they leased it to a third party so the land could

then be developed. This is what sparked the ownership row. This

evening I asked how many -- how much money the borough council had

therefore spent on generators. the reverse of the company were

brought to the table and instructed by their clients to get a move on,

then we will see a speedy resolution to the matter. He never

exactly said how much they had paid to the electricity company. The

private company said they shared Hastings Borough Council's urgency

that getting the matter resolved and said they believe the rest --

the restrictions had been lifted and electricity equipment would be

installed as quickly as possible. This is our top story tonight: Kent

has some of the fattest people in the country, according to new

Government figures. Over 30 per cent of adults are now classed as

obese in four English council areas, including Medway and Swale.

Let's stay with this story for a moment. Fitness instructor

Catherine is with us now. You have an interesting take on this because

you're our yourself clinically obese yet you are a fitness

instructor. As far as I'm concerned there is not a problem. I think

this is a story that keeps getting passed around. I think people can

be fit and healthy whatever size they are. But the Department of

Health says there is a risk of type 2 diabetes, heart and liver disease.

There are problems involved with being seriously overweight.

these are not diseases that are exclusive to being large. I would

dispute those diggers quite heavily. I think the research is extremely

flawed. But having said that we do need to address the issue of health.

What would you say is the way forward? I think to make exercise

more accessible. Not to forward the red herring of focusing on obesity.

I think it is about being fit at the signs that you are. Health

clubs and fitness centres are not fat friendly.

Coming up: Revived as a work of art - how trees killed by Dutch elm

disease are being given a new lease of life.

It is the wind going to be staying blustery into tonight? Joined me

later to find out. Kent's cricketers are making

history this evening, by playing a County Championship match under

floodlights with a pink ball. The first recorded county cricket

match took place in 1709 - and of course the ball was red.

In 2003 they introduced the white ball for Twenty20 matches. And

today, Kent are taking on Glamorgan with a ball that they hope will

show up better under lights. Neil Bell joins us live from the St

Lawrence Ground in Canterbury. A pink ball, Neil! How are the

traditionalists taking it? No-one has actually fainted. This is what

the fuss has been all about. The brand new pink ball. Not just a

fashion statement, it should be easier to seek under lights. That

means raw evening cricket, attracting bigger crowds and that

could be a boost for at cash strapped sport. County Championship

cricket has barely changed in the last couple of centuries. There is

now more or polyester around but other than that the game has been

frozen in time. Until today. The umpire appeared with a pink ball

for the first time ever in this country. So cricket history has

been made in Canterbury, one of the most traditional cricket venues in

the world. It goes to show that the club is innovative and forward-

thinking. If at the end it has not worked I am not sure that we have

lost a lot. I think people will not stop watching. It is not just the

colour of the ball that has changed. Play will now continue until 9

o'clock in the evening thanks to the new flashlights -- floodlights.

I saw it earlier and I find it difficult to pick up. I think to

expect people to sit out in September at 8 and 9 o'clock is

expecting a bit too much. I do not think there will be many in the

crowd at that time tonight. I have my doubts. Most of us members are

pretty ancient and don't like to stay up too late! The introduction

of 2020 cricket a few years ago has put a whole new at the audience.

Some believe that the changes may have a similar impact on county

cricket. Well we have seen a batsman wearing a helmet, we have

seen floodlights, there are a lot of firsts. And it would be nice to

think that if this does have a future, it all started in Kent.

brace you were old or a bizarre experiment soon to be forgotten?

Time will tell but even cricket has to change sometimes. I would love

to say that Kent were in the pink today but they have struggled.

There's still a pretty good crowd here and the club are offering free

admission for the final session of this game. And there's ball-by-ball

commentary of all four days of Kent's match on our website:

bbc.co.uk/kent. It's wiped out around thirty

million trees in the UK since it arrived almost a hundred years ago,

but now an artist from East Sussex has made sure that something good

has come from Dutch elm disease. You have to visit at tea room in

Wilmington near Eastbourne to appreciate just what the artist has

done. A sign of hope amidst the destruction. Eight trees in this

garden have succumbed to Dutch elm disease this year but instead of

chopping them down sculptor Christine was asked to create

something from them. inspiration actually came from

Dutch alarm disease itself because it is such a devastating disease. I

wanted to make a piece that brought something positive out of something

negative. A kind of transformation if you like. Millions of trees were

felled and burnt in the 1970s, two thirds of their population in the

UK succumbing to disease. And it has never gone away. Teresa and

Barry Taylor have only been able to wait and watch as one by one the

elm trees in their garden have been destroyed. Over the years we have

been here we have just watched the trees dying and it is just such a

shame. In one day they have just gone. Which is where Christine came

in. Normally she sculpts cut pieces of wood. Here she had to build

scaffolds around the trunks so that she could work. The trees are no

longer infectious with the Bach removed. The onus of this garden

now have works of art instead of their stumps. -- the owners. It is

reclaiming it as something with a more positive light rather than

just fell them and take them a wave. For two months Christine has

chiselled away in his garden, as symbolic fight back against a so

far unstoppable disease. Now it was a good weekend for

Charlton and Brighton fans, as both clubs continued their bright start

to the football season. But Gillingham dropped points at home

for the second match running and Crawley suffered something of a

thrashing at Morecambe. John Young has our round-up of the action.

They may have been flying high at the top the table when they arrived

but Crawley were about to crash to earth. Too many goals to choose

from for this news report, all in the wrong net. This penalty towards

the end sealed things off. It was much more balanced until Accrington

Stanley produced this goal six minutes from time. The jewels only

saved by this foul. A lucky escape perhaps. And an apology of sought

for the fans. We did not impress the crowd. We understand that. By

impressing the crowd, that would be winning the game. At the Valley and

Exeter there was sent off for protesting too much that his shot

had crossed the line. The sending- off changed the game. I do not

really know what happened. It is a case of job done, three points and

a clean sheet. Brighton and Hove Albion have plenty of chances at

Bristol but they only needed this want to retain their record

unbeaten at home. Three out of three victories away.

Now, it has been quite breezy Now, it has been quite breezy

today! It has been a very blustery day and

quite a wet start. Tomorrow sees the return of those blustery

showers. Earlier we had this deep area of low pressure moving in from

the West. Rain through the morning. Increasingly Jo Whiley in the

But temperatures not too bad, temperatures of around 20 degrees.

As we move through the first part of tonight, at still seeing a

strong wind. Easing off as we move through the night. And quite a mild

night for what it is worth. Tomorrow initially has a dry start

but once again we have these does she showers moving from the West.

By lunchtime again these showers will be prevalent. Top temperatures

at a high of around 19 degrees. The showers clearing pretty quickly as

we move through the first part of the evening. Also becoming

increasingly saddled. -- settled. And as we move into Wednesday, it

looks like the most settled day of the week. Top temperatures again at

of around 20 degrees. And the reason for that - this area of low

pressure up which will be building from the south-west. By the time we

get to Friday however once again those showers will be with us.

Tomorrow sees the return of the showers. Top temperatures around 19

degrees. Wednesday is the date to be out and about with plenty of

sunshine. A bright picture for Thursday. But the showers back

Thursday. But the showers back again for Friday.

Let's recap tonight's top stories. Britain's banks are to be ordered

to separate their retail operations from their much riskier investment

divisions to try to prevent a repeat of the 2008 banking crisis.

The Kenyan army has joined the search for a British woman who's

been kidnapped, after her husband was shot dead at a luxury resort.

And new Government figures show that Kent has some of the fattest

people in the country. Over 30 % of adults in Medway and Swale are

classed as obese. We asked for your views on what

should be done to tackle growing levels of obesity in the South East.

Here are some of your comments. Part of the problem is caused by

the spiralling cost of food. People go for the unhealthy options

because it is what they can afford. And many people suggesting that we

raise the price of unhealthy foods. Another one says the move that

television from the lounge. Increased the price on foods known

to be high in saturated fats and sugar. And get some more exercise

machines. Stop selling off school playing fields. People should send

their children to a local school and make them walk. And stop every

vacant shop from becoming a take away. As a 14 year-old I do not