14/08/2013 South East Today

Welcome to South East Today. Tonight's top stories: 1,000 more

protesters are expected at an oil drilling site despite company claims

production in Sussex is unlikely. The Kent cricketer facing corruption

charges in an investigation into match fixing in Bangladesh.

Saved by his own fat. The man who survived a deadly flesh-eating bug.

I think it would've been more dangerous if I was smaller.

The 92-year-old Korean War veteran fighting for a medal to recognise

his bravery. And we did like to be beside the

seaside. How Kent company Sunbeam captured memories for millions in

the decades before digital. Good evening. Up to 1,000 more

anti-fracking protesters are expected to gather in Sussex despite

the oil company Cuadrilla announcing it is unlikely to move to full scale

production at its exploratory drilling site there. On this

programme last night we broke the news that the company believes other

sites will have better transport links and infrastructure. Our

reporter is in Balcombe now. Despite Cuadrilla's statement, the

campaigners are vowing to keep the pressure on.

Absolutely. Anyone expecting to see street parties as a result of this

announcement, there are some way off the truth. The announcement from

Cuadrilla has been met with universal cynicism here. Protesters

say they remain here and the protests continue.

Campaigners lead the line. Doubt may have been cast over full production

here, but the protesters say nothing has changed. They have said the word

unlikely. We think they are scared because of opposition. If we don't,

as a country, agree and make a stand that we believe this is

unacceptable, this could go anywhere. That was the message from

many today. Is not here, then where? Often when there are public

relations issues, you often get legal challenges. Bid could be that

the path of least resistance is to go somewhere where the opposition is

not as strong. This is the area they currently have an exploration

licence for. It is not a great site for production. That is a different

thing from exploration. Exploration for oil is a short-term project. If

the protesters would let us get on and do our work, we would be

finished in a few months. 1000 extra activists are expected for the start

of a five-day action camp on Friday. One campaigner today was a Dutch MP.

There was a town in the Netherlands that knew nothing about shale gas or

fracking. There was no information from the government. Together with

local residents, I got a moratorium on shale gas drilling in the

Netherlands. I am here to support the local people. I am here to

learn. I am interested in the strategy and tactics from the local

groups. Now the eyes of Europe are turning to Sussex.

I am joined now by a local resident. You have protested against

the site being here today. What are your principal concerns, as a

villager? I am concerned for our world water, for a, our safety. I am

also concerned about the industrialisation of a beautiful

part of England. There are licenses sold all over this country. This

could spread like wildfire. David Cameron says we need to get behind

fracking. The people behind you need to get behind this. The first thing

he said in the Telegraph was that it would bring down the price of gas

for consumers. That is simply not true. Everyone says that is not

true. Deregulator says that is not true. I think he has been badly

advised. His assertions are essentially not right. We cannot sit

in the dark. We have a good arrangement with no to supply gas.

It is working well. There is no problem with political difficulties

as they might be worth some other suppliers. It is going well. We are

not in a crisis. We have fossil fuel coming through to bridge the gap

until we can get alternative technologies into place for when the

fossil fuels run out. Thank you. Opposition here remains as strong as

ever. The Kent cricketer Darren Stevens is

facing charges of failing to report a corrupt approach as part of a

major investigation into illegal betting and match fixing in

Bangladesh. The 37-year-old all rounder denies any wrong-doing while

playing for the Dhaka Gladiators in the Bangladesh Premier League in

February. The International Cricket Council's anti-corruption and

security unit is investigating. Here's not in the class of Freddie

Flintoff or Ian Bolton, but Darren Stevens is a respected cricketer. He

is now being investigated by cricket authorities for match fixing.

Earlier today, he issued a scrupulous. Following a

comprehensive investigation carried out recently, nine individuals have

been charged with various offences that are alleged to have been

committed under the anti-corruption court. Potentially, this is very

serious and could carry a five-year sentence or ban from the game. He

has not been charged with spot fixing. We have to be clear on that.

He has been charged with failing to report an approach. Darren Stevens

is expected to play for Kent tomorrow. His career, however,

remains under threat. In a moment, why a former MI6 agent

is going on hunger strike in Sussex in support of a Guantanamo Bay

prisoner. Doctors say a man who was almost

killed by a flesh eating bug may well have survived because he was

clinically obese. Russell Kimble from Chatham weighed 27 stone when

he went to hospital for a routine operation, and picked up the highly

dangerous infection necrotising fasciitis. He very nearly died,

having to undergo 20 operations to cut away infected layers of skin. He

spent nine days in a coma. But he has now recovered, and is getting

married later in the year. This report does contain some graphic

photos of his injuries. Russel Kemble weighed 27 stone when

he went into hospital for a routine operation. Within 24 hours, he

picked up a potentially lethal flesh eating bacteria. The hospital ran

some tests. They were not sure of what was going on. I went through

the CT scanner. A surgeon took one look at me and realised there was

something wrong. That is the last thing I remember. He was rushed to

the operating theatre where he took nine days in -- where he spent nine

days in an induced coma. The bug was cutting away three centimetres of

flesh every hour. If they found more dead skin, they were taking me back

to the theatre and cutting me away. I believe I had 20 operations.

Necrotising fasciitis attacks the soft tissue that surrounds organs.

Sometimes there is no obvious entry point. The bacteria can take five

days to take effect. Russell is now campaigning to raise awareness. He's

working with a charity who lost her son to the condition. I have been

aiming for 14 years to educate all levels of clinicians on the early

onset of necrotising fasciitis. How an everyday incident can develop

into necrotising fasciitis. One day feeling very well and within three

days really struggling to be alive, basically. Russell is getting

married in October. He says he now has a second chance at life. I think

it could've been much more dangerous if I had been smaller frame. For

once, being flat has done me a favour. -- being fat.

A convicted murderer who walked out of an open prison in West Sussex is

wanted in connection with a series of burglaries in Brighton and Hove.

Paul Flint, who has convictions for murder and burglary, absconded from

Ford Prison on the first of July. Police say he should not be

approached. Emergency services were called out

to rescue a man from a ditch. He was trapped for 14 hours. The man was

treated by paramedics and a doctor. He is currently in a stable

condition in hospital in Ashford. A former MI6 officer from Sussex is

staging a week long hunger strike to highlight calls for the release of

the last British detainee at Guantanamo Bay. Harry Ferguson has

joined the campaign to free Shaker Aamer who's been held at the

controversial US detention centre in Cuba for 11 years since he was

arrested in Afghanistan. Harry Ferguson used to be a spy.

are briefing against him. They don't want him in the UK because UNIX

expected to give evidence that British intelligence officers were

present when he was tortured. From me, that is something which is

beyond the pale. The prisoner was placed in Guant?namo Bay despite

never having been charged with any crime. He was cleared for release in

2007. David Cameron raised the case with Barack Obama at the G8 summit.

98% of the people in Guant?namo Bay have either been released or cleared

for release. In this case, he has been cleared for release, so proven

innocent. It is unlawful and immoral to keep him in detention. Others say

there is a more complex picture regarding his activities in

Afghanistan. Who he knew, who he was connected to and the reason for his

detention in the first place. separate sources at Guant?namo Bay

all identified him as an extremely close to -- as an individual

extremely close to Al-Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden. One person has

identified him as a recruiter for Al-Qaeda. We don't often see that

picture here. But I think that is something we should consider.

Foreign Office say the case remains a high priority for the UK

Government. Harry Ferguson is now joining the hunger strike for a week

to show support. A new policing system in which

officers use computer analysis to target potential hotspots before

crimes have been committed is being rolled out across Kent. On last

night's programme, we showed you how the predictive policing system works

in Los Angeles, the US city where the system was created, analysing

data on previous crimes to predict where officers should focus their

patrols. After trials in North Kent, officers say the method has

successfully cut street violence. But some critics have questioned how

effective predictive policing will be against a backdrop of budget

cuts. On patrol in a hotspot identified by

computer somewhere crime is most likely to occur. We are trying to

reassure the public. The computer uses advanced maps, historic crime

data and analysis of human behaviour to make predictions. The research in

the United States has shown that crime is not displaced. These

sisters say it took officers two days to respond to a problem with

their neighbours. You would like to see more police on the ground?

we would. The Police Federation here have given the system a cautious

welcome, but with some concerns. there the right number of officers

to go and police these patrol areas? Either too many patrol areas for

them to go to? In America, the targeted theft of motor vehicle

break-ins to house his. Intent, we have taken more of the shopping

approach to this and have targeted all crime and anti-social behaviour.

In a pilot scheme, street violence was down by 6% and overall crime was

down by 4%. The system costs �100,000 a year to run. We have

fewer officers on the ground. With further cuts coming along, you have

to look at more innovative ways of doing things. The police are

predicting this initiative will work.

Our reporter joins us live from Chatham, where several areas have

been targeted. How successful has it been?

Well, there have been more than 100 officers involved in this day of

action. Two people have been arrested on suspicion of drugs

offences. The police are keen to point out the whole idea of

predictive policing is you stop crimes being committed in the first

place. That is difficult to measure. In the coming months, they will look

at the data to see whether crime has fallen in the areas they have

targeted. If it has, expect to see this type of policing rolled out

across the country. Our top story: Up to 1,000 more

anti-fracking protesters are expected to gather in West Sussex

this weekend, despite the oil company Cuadrilla announcing it is

unlikely to move to full scale production at its exploratory

drilling site there. 14 protesters appeared in court

today, including the daughter of the singer with the pretenders, Chrissie

Hind. Coming up: before the camera phone.

Remembering how a Kent company helped millions take their holiday

memories home. And I will have the weather

forecast. UK haulage companies say they're

angry that a new tax introduced by the French government charges lorry

drivers using the country's roads. The ecotax will charge lorry drivers

per kilometre, on top of any toll charges on French motorways and has

led to protests over rising costs. After we broke the story yesterday,

for tonight's special report, our business correspondent travelled to

Calais to speak to a Kent firm facing huge increases.

This haulage company is based near Canterbury. They have a French depot

in Cali. They are angry because from October they will have to start

paying a French government ecotax to use all the major routes in France.

That is on top of the tolls they already pay. We are not happy about

this because it will cost us 10% more for our turnover. Lorries will

be fitted with an electronic box which will use GPS. Lorry companies

will be charged by kilometre. The money raised will be split between

central government and local authorities in France. But

organisations representing hauliers in France and the UK are unhappy.

This is an additional burden which some hauliers might not be able to

claim back from their customers. It just drives down there revenue,

their profit and the viability of the international road transport

sector. The system has been designed purely to collect money. Around 1

billion euros. Drivers in France are so angry that they recently cut down

one of the gantries. In a statement, the French Embassy

in London told us that the ecotax is simple, fair and efficient and will

encourage carriers to opt for more sustainable methods of transport

whenever possible. A campaign has been launched to

ensure a 92-year-old Korean War veteran from Sussex receives a medal

in recognition of his bravery. Billy Orr fought for the United Nations in

the conflict in the 1950s. He now lives in a home run by the Blind

Veterans UK charity in Ovingdean near Brighton. Many of his fellow

veterans have returned to Korea to receive peace medals, but Mr Orr,

who was a prisoner of war there, has never been back.

His eyesight might have failed him, but Billy Orr's memories of being

held as a prisoner of war are in full focus. I was in a camp and to

pass the time we planned and escape. We had to be very careful to get the

guard to realise that we were all right. Once we got him trained, we

made a bid for the escape. Which we did. But we were recaptured. During

the three-year long war, an explosion damaged his eyes.

Subsequent poor diet in captivity led to him going blind. Now 92 years

of age, he says he has no regrets and is humbled by the campaign to

award him the Korean peace medal. would mean an awful lot to me. The

president thanked me for my sacrifice. He loved the life. He was

proud of becoming a Sergeant. Here's an unusual man, lovely man. It has

been a real privileged to know him. Billy Orr says he bears no grudge

against those he was fighting. people of North Korea are very nice.

I get emotional. People were telling us that we were not the enemy.

and his Gloucester comrades are an inspiration to all.

Taking a holiday snap on your phone or digital camera is something we

all take for granted these days. But it is not that long ago that if you

wanted a photo to remember your summer break you had to rely on a

professional. And one of the largest photographic companies in the

country was based in Margate. And on a busy day Sunbeam's snappers could

take as many as 35,000 pictures, across the country. Now Christ

Church University in Canterbury is putting together an archive which

really does capture a snapshot of the heyday of the British bucket and

MUSIC if you remember the sweltering summers of the 1970s in Thanet, you

probably paused for a holiday snap taken by this man.

In 1939, they took 35,001 day. They were queued up for 200 yards --

35,000, in that one day. The photo factory captured the highlights of

family holidays through the decades. It was like a box camera.

It was their job to take as many photographs as they could during the

day. And sell as many as they could later on. They were not expensive.

You would get four photographs for ten shillings. Researchers now want

your sunbeam photographs. I think they are invaluable. An exquisite

record of The Lives Of Others along the seaside. -- the lives of ours.

It is amazing how many places are still so recognisable. Let's not

forget the photographs from the 1960s when all the big bands were in

Thanet. What you need is really good

What you need is really good sunshine for a picture of the beach.

Not much in the way of clear blue skies, but today was not too bad.

Over the next few days, things turn humid and monkey. We have some heavy

rain on the way for Friday morning. Earlier today, we had some clear

blue skies. By the afternoon, we had some more cloud cover. We mostly

stayed dry. Some light showers were around. Temperature is not bad for

the time of year. We saw 22 degrees. There was a not much above ten mph.

This evening, cloud cover will increase from the West. Look at the

temperatures. Very muggy and close. Tonight, temperatures will not drop

much below 16 or 17 degrees. Fairly uncomfortable for sleeping. Tomorrow

will start with a warm front. By the afternoon, we start to see breaks in

the cloud cover. Still the outside chance you could see some sharp

shoulders. For the most part, we should stay dry. Temperatures up on

today. It will feel warm in the sunshine. Tomorrow night will be

initially dry. Another band of rain will then head of way. Friday will

start wet. This band of rain slowly tracks its way eastwards. An

unsettled picture should brighten up behind it. Mostly drive for