25/06/2014 South East Today

Good evening. Hillsborough Castle.

It's been confirmed that Eastbourne Hospital's maternity

It follows eight years of campaigning to try to kedp

a full range of consultant`led services there.

Instead, there will be just one specialist unit in Hastings,

with midwife`led units in E`stbourne and Crowborough.

It's part of a wider progralme of changes to hospital servhces in

In 2013, the county's speci`list stroke services were centralised

at Eastbourne District General, but all orthopaedic surgery was

moved to the Conquest Hospital in Hastings along with all

Campaigners claim NHS managdrs are deliberately trying to downgrade

Kirsty Peyton`Lander gave bhrth in a car.

She was travelling from Eastbourne to Hastings

because she needed the expertise of a consultant during labotr.

Now health bosses have agredd the temporary switch of consult`nt`led

maternity services from Eastbourne to Hastings will be permanent.

They are putting people's lhves at risk, of course they are.

It looks like they do not understand that.

I think they would say they are acting in the public interest.

They will say that it does not come down to money.

This ultimately is what this story is about, how best to ensure

His mother says because of complications during her labour

in Eastbourne, with no constltant, she was transferred to Brighton

She is adamant Eastbourne ndeds a consultant`led maternity service.

We are the fastest`growing town in the county and there are

Schools are growing and it hs crazy to take away the place wherd they

NHS bosses claim the changes make mums and babies safer.

They say under the old systdm with consultants shared across E`stbourne

and Hastings, there were 17 serious untow`rd

Since they switched last ye`r to consultants in Hastings and

a midwife`only unit in Eastbourne, that figure has come down to five

Campaigners in Eastbourne h`ve been fighting for years to stop

the town's maternity servicds being downgraded but today they lost.

This is the best decision wd could have come up with tod`y.

One woman was in tears, who gave birth in a car.

We have to look at these circumstances and

understand why they have happened and learn from those experidnces

These are the minority, the absolute minority.

A tiny, tiny percentage of people give birth outside a hospit`l.

Incredibly disappointed with the decision,

People who do not live in our area may not be award

of the quite deplorable network between the Eastbourne DGH

Even with a blue light, it can take on average 40`45 minutds.

By public transport, it can take up to two hours.

Health officials did agree to keep open a birthing centre

in Crowborough but campaigndrs in Eastbourne have failed to get

A man's been seriously injured after an incident outside a pub

Officers were called just after seven o clock to

The injured man was taken to hospital

and investigations are conthnuing into exactly what happened.

The Supreme Court has ruled against the widow of a formdr Kent

rugby player who had locked`in syndrome has failed in their fight

to obtain the legal right to die. Judges rejected the arguments of

Mrs Nicklinson, whose husband Tony used to play rugby for Cranbrook,

says she's disappointed but vowed to fight on and continue

Thanet District Council is taking legal action against the developers

of a derelict site on Ramsg`te seafront for breach of contract

In February, the council ended an agreement with SFP Ventures UK to

The company was given plannhng permission in 2004 to build a hotel,

luxury apartments and shops, but ten years on, the site remains derelict.

A man's been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter, following the death

of a teenager in an explosion at a gas cylinder company in M`rgate.

18`year`old Jarrad Swan died yesterday

Friends have paid tribute to "a lovely lad" and say everxone who

Popular and known for his cheeky smile,

Jarrad Swan had been working since he left school just two years ago.

Friends left flowers and cards to remember

the 18`year`old outside the Margate business where he died yestdrday.

He was funny, cheeky, an amazing little lad.

He has grown up to be an amazing boy.

His former school also paid a glowing tribute.

He was well liked by all and our thoughts and prayers go out to

Fire crews desperately tried to save the teenagerafter he was rescued

Fire crews desperately tried to save the teenager after he was rdscued

from a container on the gas plant where the explosion took pl`ce.

Neighbours reported hearing loud bangs

There must have been at least three bangs.

There was quite a lot of smoke and it really smelled as well.

Detectives say they are tre`ting the fire yesterday afternoon

at this bottled gas business as suspicious at this stage.

A joint investigation has bden launched by Kent Police and the

Fire Service to uncover the cause of this blaze and what led to

Meanwhile, a 42`year`old local man been arrested on suspicion

of manslaughter and bailed while further enquiries continue.

That's it from me. In a momdnt, the national weather forecast,

but first, let's get the picture in the South East with Rachel Lackley.

Plenty of sunshine around, laking it a little bit fresher. It will stay

trying to tonight. Clear skhes and with lighter winds, a bit of mist

and fog. For the most part ht will be settled and temperatures will be

fresher than recently. Laws all around 10`11 Celsius. For Thursday,

quite settled. `` lows of around. It will be generally a fine dax.

Temperatures quite similar to today. We will see some more cloud cover.

That is ahead of rain will see from Thursday to Friday. Temperatures

tomorrow night cropping to `round 13`14. Here is the outlook for us in

the South East. With a look at afternoon. It does turn more

unsettled and there would be heavy and thundery downpours around. Good

evening. A little bit later than usual. The weather over the next

couple of days will change. Let me show you the satellite picture. You

can see the cloud streaming across the Atlantic. This weather front

Weller upset the weather across -- will upset the weather in the

south-west. As far as tonight is concerned, cool, even Chile by

Thursday morning. There is some rain around across the north-west of the

country. In the south-west, that is what is heading into the direction

of Cornwall. In the east, temperatures could