26/01/2012 South East Today

Welcome to South East Today, I'm Polly Evans.

And I'm Rob Smith. Tonight's top stories:

400 workers told they have no job and won't be paid this month. Anger

and shock at Thamesteel. I am devastated. I and 63 so that is it.

I have got three kids so it is affecting the.

How a bomb scare has closed the Port of Dover, with a 400 metre

exclusion zone, causing traffic chaos. We'll be reporting on the

latest from the town. Also in tonight's programme:

After controversial multi-million pound merger, the school ranked as

the 3rd worst in England. We'll be reporting live from

Chatham. He watched his brother swept out to

sea - the Sussex man raising money in honour of the brave lifeboat

crew who tried to save him. Is Kent the UK's most patriotic

county? Signing up for more beacons to light up the Queen's jubilee

Good evening. 400 workers at the Thamesteel plant in Sheerness were

called to a meeting today to be told they are being made redundant,

following the collapse of the firm. Staff have described their shock,

some saying they fear they won't be able to pay bills and could face

losing their homes in the coming months. The company went into

administration yesterday. Simon Jones reports.

They turned up to work today to hear their job had gone. It is past

tense. At home, Jason has had to tell his family that the future

looks bleak. I immediately thought, I am not the man of the house any

more, I am not the breadwinner, I am here to look after my family and

provide a roof over their head and that is finished. I can no longer

do that. It was really upsetting. Thinking that she could be homeless

and that your dad has not got a job any more. I felt upset. Chris has

worked at the site for over 30 years. I have now it -- now got to

worry about domestic bills same as everybody else. We are all on the

same boat here. It is going to be very difficult. I have got three

kids so it is obviously affecting me. It is obviously affecting

everyone. And what are your worries? Obviously, worst comes to

worst, if you cannot find a job you could Russia House. Food, bills, --

you could lose your house. In parts of Sheerness, 43% of children live

below the poverty line. Unemployment in the town has risen

by more than 20% in some boards in the last year. On Sheppey a loan,

there are eight jobseeker's for every job. I have been struggling

for years to turn this island around, to get people positive,

this is just another nail in the Commons. People are demoralised.

There are not any jobs. uncertain future for people at very

different stages of their careers. Lots of people will be fighting for

the same jobs. For me, I do not know. I want to finish my

qualification. I am devastated. I am 63, so basically it is finished.

The chances of getting a job now are just about nil. Unions exert --

insist all hope is not lost. personally briefed our members

today and said that we would not give up hope. We're going to start

a campaign to save our steel here at Sheerness and work with

administrators to see if there is a buyer at then that will happen.

That was Simon Jones reporting and he joins us live now from Sheerness.

Simon, what real hope is there tonight for the 400 workers?

The administrator addressed the 400 staff here today. He stayed on a

pile of steel and told them he was now in charge of the site, the

owners have gone. The workers have not been paid for the past month.

They must now apply to the Government to try to get back that

money. Only 50 workers will remain on the site to keep it ticking over

in the hope of getting a buyer. There are hopes tonight of a task

fox -- force going in to try to offer some hope.

So, what's the background to the demise of Thamesteel? Its Saudi

Arabian owners Al Tuwairqi took over in 2002. Under them annual

production increased from 570,000 tons to over 800,000 last year. But

the recent financial crisis has caused a slump in building and

manufacturing - and a collapse in demand for steel in Europe. At the

same time, the boom in economic growth in places like China and

India has seen a sharp rise in prices for raw materials, such as

the scrap metal used at Thamesteel. The owners decided to sell up - but

they couldn't find a buyer. If we look at the recent history of the

way that Thamesteel has been run, they have been looking for a buyer

for some time now and their production was actually halted in

November. There have been no plans for restarting the mill at all and

they have not been successful in finding a buyer. There have been a

number of different trading groups linked with various agreements but

nothing has come to fruition. The job losses at Thamesteel come

as yet another blow to the wider UK manufacturing sector. The GMB union

says there've been 700,000 job losses over the last four years -

almost 20,000 of them going in Kent alone - making it the third worst-

affected county in Britain - and the worst in the Southern England.

Our Political Editor Louise Stewart joins us live from Westminster.

Louise, the local MP has been calling on the Government to

provide help for the 400 Sheerness steel workers losing their jobs but,

practically, is there any help they can give?

I know today there are calls to do for a task force to be set up, but

as the local MP said himself, there is very little the Government can

do. It is very difficult from a successful business, or where a

task force can attract other businesses. This is a feeling

business that has gone into administration. The Government

cannot step in and help them all. The shadow transport -- Minister

has said today that the Government needs to be doing more to prevent

the sort of job losses in the first instance. What is put important

here is that the Thamesteel where providing jobs for the construction

industry and the Government is refusing to change their plans

anything -- to anything other than their austerity plans. The local MP

is still hopeful that the Dutch firm may yet come into Sheppey and

open its work -- wind turbine factory there, if that happens it

will provide a much-needed jobs boost to the area.

Thamesteel's administrators say they have had some interest in

their search for a potential buyer but until they have fully examined

the books they can't say if or when workers will be paid. Tomorrow

morning the BBC Radio Kent breakfast programme will be

broadcasting live from the Isle of Sheppey as people there come to

terms with the loss of 400 jobs. In a moment, plans to make

landlords pay a 700 pound licence if they want to read to students in

Brighton. -- rent. A brand new school in Chatham has

the third worst GCSE results in England, the latest league tables

reveal. The Bishop of Rochester Academy was created through the

merger of two local schools, despite a fierce campaign by some

parents. Suss 16% of pupils there got five good GCSEs including

English and maths. Linda is live in Chatham for us tonight. I imagine a

lot of people are saying I told you Absolutely. Speaking to appearance

today, many said to me that they had said this merger would not work

out and that these results prove that. Speaking to the new head

teacher, he admits there have been problems but said that under his

watch improvement will be seen. Arriving at school this morning,

parents and pupils reacted to the dismal news that their Academy is,

according to the latest GCSE league tables, the third worst secondary

school in the country. If the teachers do not do it right,

because it will not do it right. son goes to the Academy and I am

very pleased with his education. Something desperately needs to be

done across both sides, to be honest. My youngest son is about to

come up, up to this school, and I am worried about how he is going to

get on. Formed by her at an -- a merger of two schools, it has been

a turbulent time for this new academy. In June 2008, pupils and

parents protesters at the merger -- protest at the merger plans. But in

2010 at the Academy opened. Last May, after being suspended

following a performance review, its principal stop down. Now a new

principle has started this month and, working alongside an interim

headmaster, is promising the academy will improve. The academy

had difficult times. We are anticipating this year that he will

meet the Government's target and lots of things are improving. Staff

and pupils work particularly hard to make sure things are improving.

There will be a significant difference. There are schools

elsewhere in the country that face similar challenges but perhaps have

a stronger leadership team. It is important that we bring this to the

Rochester or -- Bishop of Rochester Academy. We are looking at those

schools who are below the floor, and the commissioner well into the

been in that those schools that continued to underperform. But that

will not be necessary here, according to the new management

team. The EC changes have been made and results will improve.

Can you put this in context for us? How do problems at the school but

into the wider picture of educational achievement in mid-May?

We asked them to trot trot some camera, but they did not, they

said... Despite primary schools in this area being ranked bottom, at

A-level results in this area are much better than primary and GCSE,

ranked 69th in the country, so middle of the table. There is also

cause for celebration at another school in the area today, what with

the grammar, at the 4th best school in the country.

If you want to find out how your local school has performed, go to

the website below. The Port of Dover has been closed

tonight, after a car heading for a war and peace show was stopped

because of concerns about items it was carrying.

There is an exclusion zone around the port, leading to severe traffic

congestion and delays in the surrounding area. Let's cross live

to our reporter Peter Whittlesea in Dover. Peter, what more can you

tell us? Within the last few minutes, the

police have lifted that exclusion zone. They have dealt with that

this vehicle. What is understood to have happened is a vehicle that was

going to a military show had something on it that the Border

Agency thought could be potentially dangerous. That meant there has

been a lockdown in the port of Dover and caused huge traffic

congestion coming into the port and we will leave many cars and lorries

are still stuck in the port we teach know when they can leave.

So we understand that this vehicle was heading to some sort of

military history show. That is right. Probably a bit like

the war and peace show where enthusiasts take historical

vehicles and historical equipment dating back to the First or Second

World War. There was an incident here a few years ago when some

military enthuse and -- enthusiasts brought back an Ordnance which

meant there port had to be closed or the bomb squad dealt with it. At

the moment, it looks like the situation has been dealt with and

we are not quite sure now exactly how long it will take for the port

A driving instructor has been jailed for eight years after rating

a woman more than 25 years ago. Martin Eke was caught using new DNA

techniques after a 15 month investigation. His victim was 22

when she was attacked. She died from kidney failure 10 years ago.

She was a vulnerable young lady. She has described as the life and

soul of the party, lighting up the room when she came into it. She

struggled her whole life with a serious illness and to be so

brutally attacked by this man was just shocking. Martin Eke believed

for 25 years he had got away with An investigation has been launched

into the death of a teenage boy at Cookham Wood young offenders

institution in Rochester. 15-year- old Alex Kelly was serving a ten-

month sentence for burglary and theft from a vehicle and had been

identified as being at risk of self-harm or suicide.

A 16-year-old boy has appeared in court charged with the murder of a

father of one in East Sussex. 25- year-old Darren Croxton was stabbed

in Hailsham on Sunday and died in hospital the following day.

As an 11-year-old, Martin Adams watched helplessly as his

stepfather and older brother was worked into the sea in a gale. His

stepfather was saved but his brother to drive -- died. Martin

has never forgotten that the bravery of the crew that saved her

stepfather and his now fundraising for the RNLI in Sussex. -- he is

now. The worst thing I can ever remember, to be honest. Martin

Adams looks out of the sea that is what his brother to his death 20 --

30 years ago. 13-year-old Simon and his step father Donald were caught

by huge waves close to their home. I was at the beach with my step dad

and my brother. We used to go down there a lot. It was a rough day, we

probably shouldn't have been there. I stepbrother got swept in and my

brother went in after him. A full- scale rescue effort was launched,

which included the RNLI team from Eastbourne. The launch took place

and disappeared under an incoming wave, rose up and then went off to

carry out the service. Forever linked with the Arab ally to the

death of his older brother, Martin has volunteered to his company's

services to help with their latest appeal. I cannot stress what a

magnificent job Martin has been doing for us. He has been

distributing 60,000 leaflets, shoving what our appeal is all

about. For the past 185 years, the RNLI has relied heavily on

volunteers to help raise awareness and funds. It is with this funds

they're able to afford boats like this. They never know when they may

be called into action, but thanks to people like Martin Adams, the

Arab ally will remain a well- equipped and able to respond when

the next call comes. This is our top story: 400 workers

at the Thamesteel plant in Sheerness have been told they are

losing their jobs and will not be paid this month. They were called

to a meeting today to be told they're being made redundant, after

the firm went into administration yesterday.

Also tonight: His Kent the most patriotic county in the UK? A

record number of applications are made to light beacons in

celebration of the Queen's Jubilee. And we had a wet start the day but

that soon cleared out to leave a dry day. Join me later for all the

details. Landlords in Brighton and Hove

could be forced to pay up to �700 for a licence if they want to rent

out a house to students. The city has a large student population and

there have been problems of some it lives with late night noise and

disruption. The council says a licence would help crack down on

that and ensure that month -- young people are provided with good

quality homes. But critics say it would push up the price of rent and

lead to a shortage of accommodation. John, how might this scheme work in

practice? Under the new proposals, if a landlord has more than three

tenants and a property in certain designated parts of the city, he or

she will have to apply to the Council for a licence. The property

will have to meet certain specific standards. The council hopes it

will dry about rogue landlords, the kind that does not care if a tenant

is causing a nuisance. There are 35,000 students studying Brighton,

many of them living in private, rented accommodation in the city,

like this three-storey house. is one of the properties that

Bayern. There are three tenants in here, he would fall under the new

licensing. This landlord would have to carry out expensive

modifications of the new licensing system gets approved. It is going

to be costly. On a larger properties, it could be up to

�7,000 for a landlord to get a property through licensed. I don't

think it would be quite as much on the smaller properties, but still

enough to make landlords need to recoup that through higher rent,

which is not looking after the tense' interest by the.

licensing student accommodation, the council hopes to tackle noise

problems. But this woman is sceptical. She says she was forced

to sleep in her car because of noisy students who lived next door.

You must make those people accountable. Landlords, parents of

the students, the students themselves and the universities. No

fresher should be allowed to live in these houses. They should all be

on campus. Responsible students are worried about the possibility of

rising rents and an increasing shortage of homes. Also, the

council's desire to limit the number of student homes in certain

parts of the city. Students a very important part of the community in

Brighton. Without Alf -- without a viable alternative but it would

decrease the quality of housing and increase the price. But Brighton

and Hove council believes there are benefits to students and longer

term residents. This would benefit the community, where it is about

the litter and the noise. Not all students caused problems and not

all the problems are caused by students either, but we do want to

be able to control it and perhaps deal with it more quickly. The new

licensing regime is now open for public consultation. As well as to

tearing rogue landlords by licensing student lets, the council

will be aware of who was responsible for each and every

property. If there is a property in the future, the council hopes it

can deal with that problem quicker In June, the Queen will celebrate

60 years on the throne with spectacular diamond Jubilee

celebrations. Gent looks set to claim the title of Britain's most

patriotic county. A 79 applications to light a Jubilee beacons have

already been approved in Kent, more than anywhere else in the

Commonwealth, with Sussex close behind. Royal wedding fever was

Elton full force last year -- was out in full force. Now, it seems

Kent has made the most applications to light the Jubilee beacons than

anywhere else in the country. And this quaint village near Canterbury

is one such place hoping to mark the Queen's 60 years on the throne.

But the idea that the beacons will blaze at 12 ft above the ground

might be concerned. We will do a risk assessment on the day to make

sure we have got the wind direction right can we will not destroyed

their 1,200 year-old church. This beacon was last lit for the golden

Jubilee. It takes its place in the village life now since the last

Jubilee. I think the village people enjoy it, it is a gathering place.

And this more than landmark -- and this landmark, hopefully the

beacons should be seen from all across the town. Kent and Sussex

have 10 % of all the beacons so far. We have got just over 1,600 beacons.

We're confident with Kent already leading the way that we will at

least get 2012. This tradition has been used for hundreds of years.

Beacons have become a symbol of unity and celebration, and with

almost 160 across Kent and Sussex, it looks as though the south-east

will be seen to be leading the way. A packed year ahead. Yes, we will

get a summer of street parties again.

In football, poor mutt are thought to be chasing Will Hoskins, but the

club would deny they have had a bid to accepted for the player --

Bournemouth. Will Hoskins says he only joined in the seagulls in the

summer and he is concentrating on scoring goals in the championship.

We are being told that the port of Dover is now fully open.

7th February is the two hundredth anniversary of Charles Dickens'

birth, and from tomorrow, in a series of films and beaches, we

will tell the story of one of the greatest of English novelists and

his lifelong links with Kent. made this town. Great Expectations,

a lot would have been written in this room. I am the great, great,

great granddaughter. Please, sir, I want some more. Join us tomorrow

when we will tell you how you can join us for a special screening of

Great Expectations, which will be shown in the nave of Rochester

Cathedral on Friday the tent the peppery. And my piece, which I have

been delighted to make, will be on air tomorrow. Let's find out what

the weather will be doing. Good evening. A wet start of the day.

That rain cleared and we were left with plenty of winter sunshine but

some scattered showers. The showers stay with us through the night. The

best of any brightness tomorrow is likely through the morning. Today,

this cold front was clearing eastwards through the morning.

Behind it can have some scattered showers but some blue skies around

as well. Temperatures a little bit down on here today. In Brighton,

highs of nine degrees. True tonight, we hold on to those clear skies and

scattered showers. -- through tonight. Temperatures will drop to

freezing. Tomorrow, a touch of ground frost with plenty of winter

sunshine through the morning. Those winds are still from the westerly

direction, slightly easing off. Temperatures still around average

for the time of year can have ranging between six and eight

degrees. True tomorrow night, a similar story. Showers eventually

dying out. Temperatures, a little bit cooler than they have been of

late. We start the day on Saturday with a faster. Plenty of winter

sunshine around. -- with a frost. Colder air will come in from the