27/03/2014 South East Today

Good evening. over on the BBC News

Good evening. The former Bishop of Lewes, Peter

Ball, has become the most sdnior figure in the Church of England to

be charged with historic sex abuse. The 82`year`old has also bedn

charged with misconduct in public office. Peter Ball has been charged

after an 18`month investigation into sex abuse at the Diocese of

Chichester in the 1970s and 80s Our Home Affairs reporter Rebecca

Williams has more. A former Bishop of Lewis and also Gloucester, Peter

Ball who is now in his 80s has been charged with indecent assault and

misconduct in public office. It follows the lengthy investigation by

Sussex Police into sex abusd in the Diocese of Chichester. This is the

first bishop to be charged hn this son `` country with offences such as

these will stop in other cotntries we have seen bishops prosectted but

in England within the Catholic Church and the Anglican Church it is

the first time that a bishop has been charged now with these offences

a number of years after thex took place. He is charged with mhsconduct

in public office between 1977 and 1992. As well as indecent assault on

a young boy in the 1970s and on a man in the 1980s. 30 years `go he

was working here in the Diocese of Chichester. Today the Church's

National safeguarding committee has confirmed he will be prosectted

They say they'd take any allegation of sexual abuse seriously and aim to

make the church safe place for all. The Right Reverend Peter Ball has an

identical twin brother and was appointed the Bishop of Lewds in

1977. He went on to become the Bishop of Gloucester, enthroned at a

ceremony with Prince Charles and he continued to work in churchds in

Somerset until 2010. It is believed this is the first time a chtrch of

England bishop has been charged with child sex offences. He will appear

at Brighton Magistrates' Cotrt on April the 10th. Some breaking news

now. Hundreds of Eurostar p`ssengers are tonight unable to return to the

UK due to an lightning strike at Ashford. The train is due b`ck

tonight from the continent `re being diverted. Passengers will bd

provided with accommodation in Belgium.

Plans to open a grammar school annexe in Sevenoaks have suffered

another setback today. After holding a public consultation, The Weald of

Kent Grammar in Tonbridge h`s decided not to become

co`educational. It was one of two schools told by Education Sdcretary

Michael Gove that they couldn't extend into Sevenoaks as thdy were

single sex and the proposed annexe was mixed.

Police in Kent have launched an investigation after a death threat

was sent to an MP on the social media site Twitter. Tracey Crouch,

who represents Chatham and Aylesford, received the message

yesterday but says she has no idea why it was sent. Online safdty

campaigners say there needs to be tougher laws to protect victims of

online abuse. The MP for North Thanet, Sir Roger

Gale, says a letter offering to buy Manston Airport in Kent has today

been sent to the current owners In July last year the airport tnveiled

its 40`year vision, to incltde handling 16 million passengdrs a

year. But in October Stagecoach co`founder Ann Gloag bought the

financially`troubled airport and its debt for ?1. And last week ` 45`day

consultation was launched into its possible closure. Well, Sar` Smith

joins us live from Manston now. Sara, has there been any re`ction to

the offer from the airport's owner yet?

No, nothing directly so far. It is not even clear they have sedn the

offer. Staff have been told by the Chief Executive that any offer will

be considered closely and rdsponded to and that it would need to be

sufficiently funded to ensure the ongoing costs of operating the

airport would be met. From plans for expansion to a consultation to

close, all within less than a year. Last week staff have said Ashraf had

said they were hoping to he`r about an agreement with Ryanair btt were

instead told their jobs werd on the line. Today a new deal is on the way

to the owner of the airport which means their futures could bd

shaved. I would not begin to say this is a done deal but I hope that

the odour will respond positively to the offer that has been madd. Bigger

say should have to take place and it will remain to be seen if the offer

is accepted or turned down. The MP says he is not privy to any of the

details but is working to bring the two sides together. The important

thing is to keep the airport open and flying. A petition to s`ve it

has gained more than 12,000 signatures and rather than close it

supporters say it has great potential to exploit. There is room

for 100 times more planes hdre than there is at the moment. It hs very

close to the edge of land and you go straight out over the sea and it has

some of the best weather in the country. It is quite breezy and

there is far less fog than tends to afflict places like Gatwick and

Heathrow. Some experts did not hear the news that Manston might close as

a surprise. If you are a sm`ll airport on the edge of south`east

England and you have such strong competitors not far away like

Gatwick and Stansted, I am `fraid the future does not look very

optimistic. Today hopes havd been raised that that is not the case

after all. Now all eyes are on the owner of the airport, does she want

to sell? If she does is the offer is good enough? The MP says he wants

the notice of redundancy to be immediately withdrawn just to give

space so that proper negoti`tions can now take place.

That's it from me, we'll have the national weather forecast in a

moment. But first let's get the picture in the South East whth

Rachel Mackley. Rachel. picture in the

Good evening. A few showers around as we went through today but they

will ease tonight. There ard potentially a few tomorrow but we

should stay dry foremost. Still the chilly breeze but as we get to the

weekend it will feel much w`rmer. Tonight increasingly dry with

clearer skies around. There is potentially mist and fog. It is

quite a chilly night. Tomorrow there will be some rain around but mostly

it will be to the west of us and maybe we should stay dry with just

the risk of the odd shower `nd more shall shine by the afternoon. ``

more sunshine by the afternoon. Figures should be `` temper`tures

should be in double figures tomorrow. It will become milder A

mild start on Saturday and temperatures by the afternoon could

reach as high as 17 or 18 ddgrees. There will be a gentle southeasterly

breeze. Sunday will have much more of the sign with `` much more of the

same. weather. Now the national forecast

with Nick Miller. Hello, as winter becomes spring the

atmosphere contains more energy The shower clouds grow taller. If

conditions are right, you get thunder storms. There have been some

today. Bob took this picture near London this afternoon. The spring

flowers will appreciate the re turn return of warmth. Until then big

showers to come, pushing in across south-west England - some hail and

thunder. Sleet and snow on to the top of the moors.

From Norfolk to coastal England into Northern Ireland. Elsewhere, one or

two showers around. Where you are clear for a time, you will see a

touch of frost here and there. Patchy mist and fog all in the mix