21/04/2014 South East Today

about 7.20? Good afternoon. The family `nd

friends of an 85`year`old grandfather knocked down in a hit

and run incident in Kent sax the driver is "cowardly." Tom D`vis was

hit by a car as he crossed the A2 in Rainham after a cycling club dinner

last Friday. The grandfather is still in intensive care in hospital

in London. Sara Smith reports. For Nicole and Danielle Sawhney, it s

hard to believe that their `ctive and independent grandfathers, still

a keen cyclist at 85, is now in intensive care. What's even harder

to imagine is how anyone cotld have left him terribly injured in the

road. They just left him. They just drove off and left him therd. It's

terrible. Such an awful thing to do, especially to an older person. They

didn't know that anybody was going to find him. He could have died on

the road. It was the middle of the night, so another car could have

come along and hit him becatse, because no one would have sden

there's somebody in the middle of the road. So we are really tpset

someone would do that to hil. Tom Davis was crossing the road to his

hotel after a cycle club dinner when he was hit. He suffered a hdad

injury, nine broken ribs, and bruised lungs. Now his cycld club

colleagues have joined the `ppeal to find the driver. I just think it's

the most cowardly thing that you could possibly do. And I hope they

can live with their conscience. And I also hope that the police are

lucky enough to find whoever it was and put them through due process.

Because it's going to be a terrible loss to his family, otherwise. He's

never going to be the same granddad again. We just hope that thdy feel

guilty or somebody saw something. More of the car than what wd've

found so far. And will just go to the police, come forward, and say,

it was me, I did it. And just take responsibility for their actions.

For his granddaughters, the priority now is that their grandfathdr

recovers. Although it's still unclear how much damage will be

permanent. We've been with him every day, sat with him for hours. I'm not

sure he even knows we're thdre but we are with him. So I just hope he

senses that and knows we want him to get better. It's thought thd car

which hit Mr Davis may have been a silver Peugeot. But police say they

still need more information from anyone who was there.

Budget cuts and high rates of staff sickness are delaying inquests into

suicides at Elmley prison on the Isle of Sheppey, according to a new

report. Two inmates took thdir lives at the jail earlier this ye`r. The

Independent Monitoring Board says prisoners are being kept locked in

cells for longer periods because of a lack of staff, but the prhson has

maintained a "safe and secure environment."

New figures suggest that sotth east has seen a sharp increase in the

number of people diagnosed with the most serious form of skin c`ncer.

The charity Cancer Research UK says over the last 20 years the rates of

people diagnosed with malignant melanoma have doubled in thd region.

Mark Sanders has met one skhn cancer survivor from West Sussex, who's

warning others to be careful about how much time they spend in the sun.

The mole on her cheek a sign her health was at risk. Lottie Jackson

was just in her 20s. I first got told I had skin cancer seven days

before Christmas of 2012. And nothing can prepare you for those

words. A faint scar is the only evidence of her successful surgery

to remove the cancerous mold. Lottie is one of a number of growing people

in the South East diagnosed with malignant melanoma. I'm livhng proof

that it was caught early. I've now been clear for over a year. I will

continue to be monitored. Btt, yeah, the earlier detection, the better.

Cancer Research UK says over the last 20 years, the rates of people

diagnosed with the most serhous form of skin cancer have doubled in the

South East. Around 2,000 people develop malignant melanoma hn the

region every year. In early 199 s, 750 people were diagnosed annually.

One of the main reasons is the increase and affordability of

holidays to hot climates. More people are going overseas, spending

two weeks in the sun, and, unfortunately, getting sunbtrnt The

other increase has been the availability of sunbeds. Chhldren

now are even using them. And people are exposing themselves too much UV.

Lottie has been given the all clear from her cancer. And she urges

anyone who is concerned abott a mole to get it checked out. Nobody is

saying don't go out in the sun, stay out of it completely. But know

yourself and know your body. Be vigilant if you think you'vd got

anything that's changing. The good news is that more than eight in ten

people will now survive the disease. Football now, and in this

afternoon's league fixtures, Brighton remain in the final

Championship play`off place despite drawing 1`1 with Blackpool. But

Charlton came from behind to win 3`2 at Sheffield Wednesday, to boost

their bid to avoid relegation. In League One, Crawley lost 1`0 at

Notts County. And Gillinghal drew 1`1 against Walsall.

Meanwhile, there's been a great start for the three`time Brhtish

Superbikes champion Shane Shakey Byrne as he aims to become the first

man to win the title four thmes The 37`year`old, who's from

Sittingbourne, won the first race of the season this afternoon on the

shorter Indy circuit at Brands Hatch.

Sunshine for him, and for us? We have had some stunning stnshine

today, temperatures reaching 19 and 20. On the flip side, on thd east

coast, quite cool, struggling to get into the mid`teens. Very different

across the two counties tod`y. Tonight, fairly cloudy

across`the`board, and we will have some outbreaks of rain. We've

already had some heavy showdrs over the last couple of hours. Some

thunder as well. That rain will be heavy, too, and will be persistent,

staying with us until the e`rly hours of the morning. Temperatures

down to nine or ten, and very similar with the nights ahe`d. So,

tomorrow, some of that rain still around, but breaking up. But then we

have much cloudier day tomorrow We should still have some sunnx spells,

leaving us some brightness, but not as sunny as it has been tod`y. And

temperatures are reflecting that. Highs of 14 or 15. Quite a bit

cooler on the south coast. So, very different there. For the rest of the

week, fairly unsettled weather with rain on Wednesday, showery on

Thursday, but temperatures sticking in the mid`teens. But is it from

us. We will be back at 1015 PM `` 10:15pm. We hope you can john us

then.