19/03/2014 South East Today

Welcome to South East Today, I'm Rob Labour have dismissed

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

Tonight's top stories. Manston Airport faces closure under plans

that would see the loss of 050 jobs in east Kent. Are we seriously going

to write off the fourth longest runway in the country? We nded that

capacity now. We're live at the airport with the latest. Thd family

of a Kent man demand an apology from police after they found out his body

had been discovered via sochal media. For the whole of the public

to know before we did... I'l absolutely heartbroken. Also in

tonight's programme... Extr` flood defences installed at Dungeness

with flooding concerns sparked by the Fukushima disaster. Prince

Charles and Camilla visit Y`lding and pay an unscheduled visit to

Teapot Island. And the Sevenoaks photographer getting some

extraordinary images with hhs latest contraption ` the Beetlecopter.

Good evening. Manston Airport is facing closure within weeks. The

news emerged today after shocked staff were summoned to a spdcial

meeting and told a 45 day consultation would take place on the

future of the site. The airport s owners, Manston Skyport Limhted who

only took over the troubled operation in October, say that its

long`term financial future hs unviable. Mark Norman is thdre now.

Mark, this hasn't come as a total surprise? I think it was a

surprise, the announcement. We knew the company were considering the

future of Manston. We thought it was a future as an airport. We now know

that may not be the case. Pdrhaps a highlight of the last few ydars at

Manston, the arrival of the first KLM flight holding daily passenger

services to Europe. But it lay not be enough to save the airport. The

new owners here have begun ` 45 day consultation into what they call a

possible orderly closure of the airport. Devastating news, ` real

blow if the closure comes about I think it was one of the biggest

hopes that we had in the arda for jobs, which we desperately need And

operating airport, and expanding airport would have been really good

for the area. The news that it may close is terrible. I believd, have

believed, that Manston has ` future. So my first objective is to

make sure that Manston says open with or without. The problel is

attracting new airlines and the Government's that of support won't

have helped the business case. But some locals may miss Manston if it

closes. We need it. Wide? Bdcause it brings jobs to the town. It's just

depriving this area completdly. The whole of Ramsgate and Margate is

going downhill. Nobody is going anywhere. People are putting money

in and nothing seems to be coming out. But for some industry dxperts

this was always a day that was going to come. I fear there's a cdrtain

inevitability about it. If xou are a small airport on the edge of

south`east England and you have such strong competitors not too far

away, like Gatwick and Stansted I'm afraid the future doesn't look very

optimistic. But for now the future here is the next 45 days, after

which the company will have to decide what's next for Manston. Many

of the stuff I spoke to hear today were quite shocked at the ndws. Some

of them talked about the long history here, both as a comlercial

airport but also an airfield in World War I and World War IH. My

colleague takes a look now `t Manston's troubled past and

potential future. There has been an airport at Manston since 1906. Its

location, near the Kent coast, made it an ideal base for those hnvolved

in the defence of England. For the RAF, it played a key role in World

War II and for the U.S. Air Force it was an air command base in the Cold

War of the 50s. As the need for a military prisons there decrdased,

charter passengers moved in. In 1989, Kent International airport was

born. But even back then an`lysts were sceptical over its futtre. I

think it's a short`term solttion to the problem of finding room for one

or two charter flights. It's quite viable for that, but as a long`term

solution to the problems of airport and airspace capacity in thd

south`east, it's not a goer. A long string of charter operators have

come and gone. The most spectacular collapse being that of EU Jdt, which

meant into administration in 20 5 leaving thousands of passengers

stranded. Then there was flhght B, which ceased operations in 2011 The

question now hangs over KLM's twice`daily flights to Amstdrdam.

The difficulty for all the peripheral airport around London is

you have Heathrow, Gatwick `nd Stansted becoming the major

airports. I think they will continue to be sucked into those airports. So

what now for the 700 acre shte? There are big regeneration plans

nearby involving 800 homes, a school and community facilities. A

massively exciting side, a very large site that is exceedingly well

connected by road and will be to a great extent better connectdd by

rail, with high speed one trains, coming into a new station at Manston

Parkway very close by. So M`nston's future as an airport now appears

grounded, and it's destined to draw `` on the list of sites in Thanet

earmarked for redevelopment. Let's go back to Mark Norman in M`nston

now. The leader of Kent County Council there seems to be admitting

that the future for Manston may lie elsewhere? Yes, it's interesting how

the mood has changed. We he`rd from Roger Gell, saying it should remain

a runway. But gradually tod`y, people have begun to talk about

houses, factories, regeneration sites. Today in the budget we heard

George Osborne talking about help for house`builders. In parthcular

here in the south`east, talking about a new garden city at

Ebbsfleet. And Paul Carter hmplying that the enterprise zone at the old

visor site at Sandwich could be part built in with this site as part of

the regeneration of East Kent. But let's not take it away, this is a

blow. If this site were to close, politicians would really have to

think about how they would progress and regenerate what is a 700 acre

site. In a moment, the demolition men make progress on a perilously

perched cottage at Birling Gap. Welcome to South East Today, I'm Rob

Smith. The family of a Kent man whose body was found in the river

Medway are demanding an apology from police after they discovered the

news via Facebook and local news websites. Donna Burchell, whose son

Keiron Knowlden went missing on the 1st of March, says Kent Polhce

should have informed her imlediately that a body had been found

yesterday. Kent Police say the news was leaked without their knowledge

from the scene. Piers Hopkirk has our exclusive report. Piers joins us

from the place Keiron was found Piers, what happens now? For Keiron

Knowlden's family, it was the news they'd been dreading. But their

grief is edged with anger. Just the fact of never seeing him ag`in is

hard. But for the whole of the public to know before we did... I'm

absolutely heartbroken. As they waited for news on Keiron's

disappearance, they learned of the discovery of a body, not from the

police but friends who'd re`d it in the media. Let down, betraydd. At

the end of the day, it was bad enough having my worst fear

confirmed. Obviously, we nedded him to be found... But we had pdople

messaging us and ringing us before we were even told. Keiron wdnt

missing in the early hours of the 1st of March after a night out in

Tonbridge. His body was recovered from the River Medway their early

yesterday morning. The family say they only heard from the police some

hours later. Non`bus should have found out through the media like

that, they shouldn't have posted it online. My friends were alw`ys be

saying, I'm sorry for your loss before I'd even found out. @s the

family prepare for Keiron's funeral, they say they will be making a

formal complaint. Today, Kent Police say they were saddened that the

family heard the news group media websites, adding that members of the

press had been asked to del`y publication until relatives had been

notified. It's obviously a terribly traumatic

time for the family, what h`ppens now? The family tell me thex want to

know the exact circumstances surrounding Keiron's death. I

understand the result of a postmortem should be known by the

end of this week. Speaking to Keiron's brother, CCTV foot`ge of

his brother walking rather unsteadily along this footp`th here

on the night in question, hd says that wasn't the brother he

recognised, and he retains the belief that his brother's drink may

have been spiked. There will almost certainly be an inquest following

this death. The family say they want questions like that answered there.

The family of a British backpacker missing in the Far East for ten

years have been told that htman remains found in Cambodia are not

his. Eddie Gibson, from Hovd, disappeared in October 2004 and

Sussex police have been helping with the investigation. Now the family

have been left in limbo as to what happened to their son. The son of

the murdered pensioner Harjht Chaggar broke down in court today as

he described the moment he realised his mother was missing. Kuldish

Chaggar said he tried telephoning his mother twice on the day she

disappeared. The 69`year`old had been missing for 12 days last

September before her body w`s discovered in the basement of a Food

Store in Chatham. Three men deny murder charges and preventing the

unlawful burial along with `nother man. Kent police have been fined

?100,000 after highly sensitive information including interview

tapes with informants and vhctims were abandoned at a former police

station. An inquiry by the information commissioner's office,

which fined the force, found there was no guidance or procedurds in

place to make sure personal information was securely reloved

from the former premises. Pdople living near Dungeness say they've

been left were route after finding out both reactors were shut down

over safety concerns over flooding. A review following the Japanese

Fukushima disaster led to both reactors at Dungeness being closed

for two months while extra sea defences were installed. Defending

Dungeness, a new wall to kedp water out costing ?2.5 million, along with

beach defences. This is Dungeness post Fukushima. A review th`t

prompted a two`month shutdown last summer. But antinuclear campaigner

Barry Barkley, who is on thd Dungeness stakeholder group, say

they've been left in the dark. They've betrayed us all and I think

it's disgusting. They are stpposed to be very open nowadays and they

are not. The Fukushima disaster whether plant was hit by an

earthquake and tsunami leadhng to meltdown, led to some searching

questions here. The review concluded there was a theoretical but

nevertheless plausible scen`rio in an extremely rare case wherd water

could have got onto the sitd, potentially up to waist height. That

prompted the decision to shtt while extra measures were put in, like

this wall here. EDF did isste a statement last May saying unit 1

was off`line for planned reviewing, unit 22 for improvements to flood

defences for extreme events. Both units were expected to be rdturned

to service that month. But lany feel that didn't make clear that both

reactors were completely out of action. Didn't hear anything, just a

little bit worrying when yot hear things like that. We heard ht was

shut down for a while, simply because we got family who work

there. People are confused because they weren't aware of it. EDF have

to reflect on that. The language we've used as language we'vd used

for 30 years. If there's more than interest from the public, wd see

that as a positive, then we'll need to review the language we use. We

are always welcome to feedb`ck from the public. If people don't and

stand the message, please ldt us know when we will change

accordingly. EDF stretches the site was never unsafe and is now

protected against extreme, dxpected to happen only once in 10,000 years.

Flood defences, enterprise zones, and a housing shortage in the south

east were among the key are`s targeted for Government help in the

chancellor's budget today. George Osborne said there would be an extra

?140 million to repair flood defence work, although little of th`t may be

earmarked for the south east. He also said he would extend bx three

years the business rate discount for enterprise zones, such as S`ndwich.

But arguably the most significant measure for the south east was the

confirmation that the Government would build 15,000 new homes at

Ebbsfleet. At this something he says the last government failed to do.

The opposition have said th`t they already announced the homes in

Ebbsfleet a decade ago. And they did make the announcement. Did xou know

how many homes have been buhlt since then? Less than 300. Instead, we are

going to build 15,000 homes there, put in the infrastructure, set up

the developer and Corporation and make it happen. Elsewhere, the

Chancellor announced it plans to raise extra revenue from high street

fixed betting machines, which are a big problem in the Medway towns by

raising duty to 25%. While bingo duty will be halved to 10%, a move

that's been welcomed by Southeast MPs who campaigned for a reduction.

There's good news for the south`east's air ambulance. George

Osborne will waive VAT on their fuel. Michael Fallon says hd

believes it is a good budget for the south`east. He had to stick to the

plan of getting the deficit down, it is coming down, but there's a lot

this for the south`east. We get new house`building at Ebbsfleet, that's

good news for first`time buxers This is good for business all`round

because there's more investlent relief for any small business that

wants to buy new equipment or plant. And it's good for savers, too.

Sabres, who had a hard time with low rates, they are getting an dxtra

incentive to save. Louise Stuart has been following the day's evdnts and

dislike in Westminster. Michael Fallon would say this is a good

budget for the south`east, but will people feel better off? That's

right, he would say that. I think people will feel a benefit hf George

Osborne does deliver on his promise to build more homes in Ebbsfleet.

But when you look at the other measures, the measures to hdlp

savers and pensioners, I thhnk George Osborne had a real exe for

those traditional conservathve voters are happy living in the

south`east, who felt that in recent years they've been left behhnd

because their pensions and savings had been eaten away at by the low

interest rates. I think it `lso had half an eye on the threat from UKIP.

He knows that in places likd Kent and Sussex, that's a real threat to

him. He is saying to those voters, come back to the Conservatives, we

will look after you. The re`l test will be if, in 14 months tile at the

general election, people re`lly do feel better. Nick Clegg said he was

pleased with the budget. But Labour leader Ed Miliband said that working

people were worse off under the Tories. You can find out more about

the Budget announcements by logging onto our website. Manston Ahrport is

facing closure within weeks. The news emerged today after shocked

staff were told of 45 day consultation would take place on the

future of the site. Also, gdtting a bug's Is view from the air. Amazing

pictures using a Beetlecam. As we end the week it's turning wdt and

cold. Work has started in earnest on one

of the coastguard cottages tnder threat of falling into the sea at

Birling Gap. The house, one of a row of five, is perched perilously on

the cliff edge. And after the storms and rain of the winter, which saw a

number of dramatic cliff falls along the coast, it has been deemdd to be

unsafe. Mark Sanders went to see the demolition begin. They are bringing

down the house. Work to demolish the end coastguard cottage started in

earnest this morning. This clifftop home has lost its unequal struggle

with the elements, and the cottage is being taken down before ht

crashes down. I think it's very sad. I've been coming down to Birling Gap

for the last six years. I think it's a shame. I'm sure it will bd that

long before the next one has to come down. If we have any more whnters

like we've had this year. The end cottage is in effect being cut in

two. Then work will be carrhed out to secure the building next to it.

Once that's done, the remains of the end cottage will be taken down. The

first coastguard cottages wdre built here in Birling Gap in 1817 and

rebuilt in the 1870s further from the cliff edge. But time has caught

up with them. The end cottage is having to go because the clhff is

dangerously unstable. There have been significant collapses here at

Birling Gap after the winter storms. Jeff and and Nash live near the

coastguard cottages. It is sad, guess, because gradually thdy will

all go. In years to come Birling Gap will be here any more. What with

Scotland going independent `nd England getting smaller, thdre won't

be much of England left in ` while! The first day of demolition is over

the painful process resumes in the morning.

After a winter of disruption and worry with flooding and reldntless

rain, people living in Yaldhng had something more cheerful to get them

out onto the streets today. A royal visit from Vince Charles and the

Duchess of Cornwall. They mdt many of those who were worst affdcted by

the floods, and then they took a trip to the unique tourist

attraction of teapot Island. Three months ago, the Prince and the

Duchess would have needed wdllies to visit this part of Yalding.

Christmas was cancelled for many of these families, but today they had

something to celebrate. At the height of the floods, water ran into

homes and businesses. The vhllage church was set up as a relidf

centre. Today the Church was where the royal couple came to offer their

support to those who'd been flooded. It's a big encouragement for the

whole village. It's a sign for everybody, get up, deal with it

leave it all behind, be poshtive. Today was also a chance to say thank

you to both the emergency sdrvices and volunteers, such as the Wilson

and juice and families, who got out in their canoes to rescue them a

dash make theirs. Joseph Wilson his reward is a selfie with the Prince

of Wales. He was in very good spirits about it. I took a photo and

he chuckled. He obviously found it quite funny that I'd just asked him

for a selfie. This family rtn Teapot island, and the Prince and Duchess

was so intrigued they deciddd on an impromptu detour to see it for

themselves. Look at these ones! Home to more than 7000 teapots, lany were

coded in mud when the waters rose. But the repairs are well under way.

The Duchess even decided to buy one, but why a camel? I like that one. We

couldn't wish for anything better. It gives us the opportunity to get

back to how we were. After Teapot Island, the royal couple crossed

into east Sussex, to the retreat would yacht Kipling chose for his

family at the height of his fame. Sitting at the desk of the lan who

was the writing royalties of his day. That had everything!

Charlton Athletic are out of the Championship relegation zond after

beating Bournemouth at The Valley last night. A late header from

Dorian Derveet gave Jose Riga his first win as boss and securdd only

the second victory of the ydar for the Addicks. Since taking over from

Chris Powell, Riga has led Charlton to two draws and a win. While in

League One, Crawley came from behind to hand leaders Wolves their first

defeat in 11 matches. James Henry's 25`yard strike gave Wolves the lead.

But, within eight minutes, ht was 2`1. Billy Clarke levelled things up

before Matt Tubbs chipped the ball over the advancing Wolves kdeper for

his seventh goal in eight g`mes A wildlife photographer from Sevenoaks

has invented a new version of his remote control camera buggy. Will

Burrard`Luca's original Beetlecam caused a sensation when it captured

spectacular, natural photos of animals in the wild. He called his

latest camera at the Beetlecopter. It has let him get pictures of big

game on the Serengeti that have never been seen before.

A hyena drugs are dead buff`lo over lunch in the Serengeti. Darhng

photographer? Actually, he's standing over half a mile away using

a remote control copter. Thhs curious cup comes up close to a

Beetlecam, a camera on a sm`ll buggy. They are both developed by

Will Burrard`Luca, from Sevdnoaks, and his latest invention is a

hybrid. I've combined the technology. This is a stabilised

camera gimbal, which keeps the camera, weekly level, even over

uneven terrain. We first filmed him two years ago in the early stages of

his Beetlecam project. An inquisitive lioness had mauled his

prototype, so he'd created ` protective shell from glass

reinforced plastic. Now he's selling his device is the world over to

wildlife photographers wanthng to emulate his photographs. His remote

control copter is give the stunning perspective on migrating anhmals.

The main drawback is the nohse levels. We'll is developing a new,

improved, quieter version which he hopes he'll be able to fly luch

closer to the wildlife he's filming. He will be trialling it in @frica

this summer, along with his new Beetlecam. As a child, Will lived in

Kent and Tanzania. His passhon for wildlife has always been thd driving

force behind his inventions. We've got Hale Pace like that by

the weekend. `` hail and thhngs like that. It was a fine, dry and settle

day`to`day. It was also quite breezy as well. The south`westerly winds

were picking up to around 20 mph. As we go into tonight, we will still

hold onto the winds. It's going to be staying relatively mild. Mostly

staying dry and a bit more cloud cover around. Certainly frost free

as we start the day tomorrow. For Thursday, a real shift in the

weather. More cloud cover, the winds strengthening and eventuallx it will

be turning rather wet. You can tell from the tightening isobars it's

going to be a blustery picttre. Probably the best of the sunshine by

the morning. By the first p`rt of the evening we will all be seeing

this heavy rain. But first thing it will be a mild and relatively bright

start to the day. A couple of showers around through the day. The

temperatures are certainly cooler than today. The south`westerly winds

still picking up to 20 mph. Gusts stronger along the south co`st. All

of us will see the rain for a time tomorrow night. It will movd through

pretty quickly because of the strength of the winds. Behind it

it's going to be significantly cooler. Temperatures dropping to

around three or four degrees. Where we see the clear skies behind the

rain. As we start Friday, the only rain around is going to be clearing

and behind it is going to bd fielding calls as well. You can tell

from the isobars it will be staying pretty breezy. The chance of some

hefty showers and the odd rtmble of thunder. Potentially a bit of a

wintry mix in the showers as well. It's going to be feeling cool.

Friday into Saturday, all of us will be seeing some rain for a thme.

Really chilly, frosty nights, someone to be showers around and

even temperatures during thd day aren't going to be feeling

particularly pleasant. But the really heavy showers, potentially

some hail mixed in and the odd rumble of thunder. We've had our

summer and it's back to winter! A quick look at the top stories The

chancellor, George Osborne, has said there is faster than expectdd growth

this year and the next, in his Budget speech. Here in the

south`east, Manston Airport in Kent could close. 150 staff have been

told their jobs in the balance, as the owners begin a 45 day

consultation on what they'vd described as an orderly closure

More on that story in our l`te bulletin at 10:25pm. We will see

tomorrow.