15/08/2014 South East Today

to be lower than average. Make sure you pack your jumpers if you are

going away. Welcome to South East Today,

I'm John Young. Hundreds of tonnes of rubbish is

left at Chatham Docks for more than a year, by the same firm responsible

for this mountain of waste. We're live tonight with

an exclusive investigation. After months of speculation,

UKIP leader Nigel Farage confirms he will stand in South Thandt at

the General Election. I don't think he is going to do any

good, I don't know why he w`nts to stand. We need a judge. I think he

might be the man to do it. Fleeing war in Africa to end up

in a refugee camp in Calais ` Loud and proud ` Canterbury's

Christian rock sensation coles out A sacred site behind your b`ck

garden ` could this be Kent's answer Hundreds of tonnes of waste has been

left abandoned at Chatham Docks BBC South East has learned that

the company Waste4Fuel Ltd had planned to ship the estimatdd 2 500

tonnes of processed rubbish at the dockside to waste`to`energy

incinerator plants in Europd. It's the the same company that, as

we're recently reported, already has a 40`foot mound of waste collected

from across the South East towering over residential homes in

Orpington. But the export

in Chatham hasn't happened, and that waste is now classdd as

unlawful. Our environment correspondent,

Yvette Austin, Awaiting disposal, this hugd heap of

bales piled high is waste, processed for burning to generate energy. But

it has been waiting on the dockside for over a year now and somd of the

white plastic wrapping is splitting, spilling contents onto the ground.

The bales were due to be exported to waste`to`energy plants abro`d, but

so far, Waste4Fuel Ltd, who brought it here, has not moved it. The

Environment Agency says if waste like this is stored in a dockside

for more than three months without a permit, it is illegal and lhke the

rubbish left by the company next people's homes in Orpington, the

bill to dispose of it could end up at the foot of someone elsedoor

Genevieve Foster surveys thd smouldering mind from the b`lcony of

her father's house. She explained to me how her father has been leasing

the land the Waste4Fuel Ltd and may have to face the removal bill,

estimated at more than ?2 mhllion. It could make my father go bankrupt.

We would have nothing. We were told, if you close those

gates, it is your responsibhlity. I said, my father had nothing to do

with that, he has entered into an agredment in

good faith and is lending ott his land, and they have not

policed it. And there is more waste at Chatham

Docks, pile after pile. The bales stacked high and many also split

open. These belong to a different company, Street Fuel Ltd, which also

exports processed wasteful burning. The Environment Agency is

investigating whether the company is also breaching its environmdntal

permit. Complaints have been made by local residents about a boulder of

Wales over the summer and they want action taken to reduce it.

This stockpile is growing. It is a problem.

You can see the rubbish that blows over the place,

we have grass coming out of the bales.

It blows over the environment and attracts flies.

It is a huge problem for residents who live here.

We have not had this experidnce with the previous operator.

At the beginning of the year, we had a massive infestation of flhes.

We got on to the Environment Agency immediately

and we are just saying to them, help us here, as you have bdfore.

Street Fuel Ltd says the buhld`up has been caused by the late

cancellation of a cargo ship you to operating difficulties. The problem

has been compounded by the reduction of a transfer of waste to Etrope by

lorries. The Company also s`ys it is minimising flies and famines and

re`wrapping split bags. It hs not unusual for waste to be sent abroad,

the export of processed rubbish from the UK has risen dramatically in

recent years. In 2011, more than 2500 tonnes were exported. Hn 2 12,

the figure rose to 890,000, and last year, it reached more than 0.5

million. Some in the waste hndustry said the way to help avoid build`ups

of rubbish would be to invest more in incinerator plants here, where

rubbish is burned to generate electricity and heat for local

communities. If it is being sent overseas, we will never havd the

incentive to build UK infrastructure. On the conthnent,

the integrate the plants into the local municipality. The acttally get

the benefits of the energy `nd the heat. That is one reason whx there

is more demand in the winter for is more demand in the winter for

this exported fuel. And it hs no consolation for the likes of

Genevieve Foster and her father whose lives remain blighted by

rubbish. Well, let's cross live to Chatham

and speak to Yvette Austin. What's the next step in this process

of clearing this abandoned waste? Well, Street Fuel insists the

problem is temporary and th`t lorry exports services will be back to

normal by the end of the month. But a replacement ship will be sent in

the first week of next month. In the meantime, residents, the colpany and

other people will concerned `` company concerned will work together

to improve matters. I have spoken to a former Director and current

Director of Waste4Fuel Ltd, both cannot shed any light on wh`t is

going to happen to the abandoned waste at Chatham, silly question

hangs over who will shift it, and when. `` so, a question.

The UKIP leader Nigel Faragd has for the first time confirmed he

does want to stand in Thanet South in next year's General Election

After months of speculation, Mr Farage said that he had put

himself forward for selection in hustings that will take place

A local party member revealdd that Mr Farage was on the shortlhst

of candidates last week, but he only confirmed it himself today

Our political reporter Ellid Price is in Thanet for us now.

Ellie, you've been speaking to Mr Farage?

Yes, he told me he was planning to throw his hat into the ring to be

selected as a candidate. He said he would need the local party here to

pick him out of eight candidates, but he must have a hope of winning

that selection process. You do not have to be in rocket sciencd to work

out that in constituencies like Thanet, Folkestone, Portsmotth,

Plymouth, we do like to be beside the seaside. There are reasons other

than the seaside why the UKHP leader would want to stand in Thandt South.

The party got the most votes here at the local `` local elections and Mr

Farage had already said he wanted to stand in his home county. Today the

local party wasted no time campaigning in the constitudncy We

are very democratic in the party. We have this antarctic selection

system, and because of wherd we are, we have over 24 UKIP MEPs. We have

people from other parties as well that have never stood beford here.

Nigel Farage as her party of practice when it comes to standing

in general elections. In 2001, he stood in Excel. 2005 was thd first

time he tried for the Thanet South seat. In the last election, he ran a

high profile and non`successful campaign against John Bercow. Polls

have been conducted in Thandt that recently suggested they are if

anything marginally ahead. Whatever to combat that it is pretty much a

fight between the three main parties, so he clearly has ` chance.

We will have to see what happens. It is a good idea. In terms of his

support in this town. I think they are all liars. I do not think he

will do any good. I don't know why he wants to stand here, he should go

to a big city. I think it would be a good thing. We need a changd,

definitely. Nigel Farage saxs he has a good chance of winning thd

candidacy, but insists with UKIP members, nothing is ever for

certain. To burrow his own analogy, hf he

doesn't get selected, it cotld cause a political earthquake. The Labour

Party said it does not distract them from their message to voters and the

Conservative candidate said he was as surprised by the decision that he

was surprised and said it could herald eight months of friendly

fire. The three least trusted rail

services in the country, according to a survey `

and they're all in the South East. An unprecedented number of women

and children are now fleeing East Africa in the hope of smuggling

themselves illegally into Dover The single women's shelter hn Calais

is now completely full, meaning many are now living rough, in thd area

known as the migrant 'jungld'. In an exclusive report, our home

affairs reporter, Rebecca Whlliams, spoke to several women who told her

that they're willing to risk their lives for the freedom

the UK offers. For women like Mahler, the journey

from Eritrea to Calais is long and dangerous. `` Marlette. She deems of

a better life in England and insists that hundreds of women like her are

risking their lives to achidve it. If you don't have a boyfriend or

husband, they will reap you. They rape a lot of women, and thdy are

beating us, with the childrdn. We have a lot of problems. Who is

they? The illegal ones that bring us here. Would`be migrants pay

traffickers around ?2000 to make the journey from Eritrea to Cal`is. En

route, they pass through thd volatile landscape of Sudan, then on

to Libya and Italy. But thehr sights are set on Dover, because England,

they say, is unlike other countries, a place of relighous

freedom with a good education system. They claim many fridnds and

family have already settled here. There are a lot of people who go to

London, so they are telling us it is a free country, so, we need to go

there. This is the only shelter for female migrants, and I have been

granted exclusive access to film inside. 50 women live here, some

have children, some are pregnant. There are so many women but not

enough room for them in the single shelter provided. So, many `re now

sleeping rough, alongside the men in what is known as the jungle. This is

bad, but not as bad as what they have left behind in their own

country. Some probably might have gone through a bit of prosthtution

to pay for the trip. There `re an increasing number of teenagdrs Hill

`` here, like Helena, who s`ys she fled Eritrea because of its ongoing

conflict. There is a lot of war in our country. These pictures show the

desperate attempts migrants go to to make it to the UK. A BBC

investigation revealed many hide on the axles of lorries crossing the

border. Competition is fierce and the women in Calais told me they

wait or might this is their opportunity. But the Home Office

insists it is tackling illegal immigration. It is important that

Italy, Greece and Spain provide asylum to cases of this sort. If

they don't, France should grant asylum. What made women in Calais

say many of the fans have already reached Dover illegally, hidden in

cars, lorries and boats. But they insist it is worse `` worth the risk

if he eventually make it to the UK. And Rebecca Williams joins ts

from Westminster. What's the Government said

about what seems to be Well, they say that sharing

intelligence with other countries to crackdown on illegal emigration and

they say if people are seekhng asylum they should do so in the

first country they get to. The women I spoke to said they have no

interest in other countries, they want to come to the UK becatse they

believe it is a country of freedom with a good education systel. That

shelter I featured in my report that is funded by the French

Government in Calais, but the funding is due to run out in

October, so charities say they have concerns because they have seen an

increase of women and children coming into the area.

The Fire Brigades Union says it s "campaigning for justice"

for two firefighters who didd in an explosion

at a fireworks factory in East Sussex.

Brian Wembridge and Geoff Whcker were killed in 2006

East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service were ordered to pay compens`tion to

their families after a court ruled that their de`ths

The Fire Service says the matter is in the hands

The family of the Kent student murdered

in Borneo earlier this month have been paying tribute to him.

22`year`old Aidan Brunger from Hempstead and his friend

Neil Dalton were killed after a row in a bar on Augtst .

Following the opening of an inquest earlier, Aidan's family described

him as a funny, kind`hearted, considerate and wonderful young man.

A drug dealer has been has been given a life sentence after

Jake Austin was found guiltx of murdering John O'Donohue

His victim had tried to use paper to pay for drugs.

In revenge, Austin chased hhm in his car and mowed him down.

He's been told he's to servd a minimum of 18 years in prhson

These men have just left a botched drug deal. The dealer they tried to

steal from gets in his car `nd attempts to run them down. @ jump

free, but he heads for them again and off camera this time, John

O'Donohue is caught. He is dragged through a fence and suffers fatal

head injuries. The card used was abandoned at the scene. The driver

first denied being behind the wheel, then said it was an accident. But

today, Jake Austin was given a life sentence for murder. John O'Donohue

and his friend had set out to deceive Austin that night, turning

up to the deal with paper wddged between real banknotes, to lake it

look as though they had the money to buy crack and heroin. When @ustin

realised he was being duped, he lost his temper. From the world he lived

and worked in, being a drug dealer, a lot of it is about reputation it

is a business, it is his livelihood. For him to be ripped off, in his

words, was the trigger for him to act in that way. Sentencing Austin,

the judge said... Austin had used his car as `

weapon. He was, said the judge, a very dangerous man. Today, he starts

a prison sentence which will last for a minimum of 18 years.

Passengers have ranked the three main train companhes

in Kent and Sussex as the least trusted in the country,

A survey commissioned by Passenger Focus suggests

First Capital Connect, Southern and Southeastern Trains

all perform badly when passdngers are asked

whether they trust them to run a reliable service

Jon Hunt has been looking at the figures.

At seven X station, there w`s not complete distrust of the tr`in

operating companies, but thdy were not exactly glowing with condiments.

I don't think they provide ` service that is required. We can cope with a

bit of rain sometimes, and sometimes the train is already late. They try

and do their best, it is not easy. Some days are better than others.

Overall, the survey suggests that the least trusted train company in

the country is First Capital Connect, but second from bottom is

Persie smack. `` Southeastern. Passengers were asked whethdr they

trusted the train company to deliver a reliable service that givds them

value for money and whether they could trust the relationship with

the company. In both categories Southern Trains right at thd

bottom. When asked whether passengers trusted their tr`in

companies' judgement, it was Southeastern Trains who camd at

worst. It is a lot to do with what communities are paying and getting

for a service. There are problems on the network at the moment.

Passengers recognise that. Hs a sector, we compare pretty wdll with

supermarkets and airlines. But it does remind us that we can whiz be

better and you can never colmunicate well enough to people. Passdngers

may not trust the train Company is very much, but the service `djusts

the Trust bags and the energy suppliers even West `` they trust

bags and energy suppliers even less. Hundreds of tonnes of waste has been

left abandoned at Chatham Docks BBC South East has learned

Waste4Fuel Ltd, which also has a 40`foot motntain of

waste in Orpington that towdrs over residential homes, hasn't shipped

the processed rubbish to incinerator plants in Europe as planned, and the

waste is now classed as unl`wful. The 6000`year`old secret

of Sittingbourne, on a building site behind

a back garden. After an afternoon of sunshhne and

heavy showers, will it be staying dry for the weekend?

One of the biggest Christian rock stars in the world has annotnced

she is gay and says she belheves God still loves her.

Vicky Beeching is one of the biggest names in

The singer comes from Canterbury, and today said,

"I feel certain God loves md just the way I am."

Her announcement has attracted huge interest

Piers Hopkirk has tonight's special report.

SINGING She is a singing star in Amdrica's

Bible Belt, so Vicky Beeching's admission she is gay was ond that

had `` took no shortage of courage. Some Christians have taken offence

and have been quite aggresshve in terms of what they think thd Bible

says, saying I am siding with the devil. But for the most part, it has

been an amazing outpouring of support. Her songs are staples in

charges around the world, btt tolerance is not always in

abundance. I am very sorry to hear she has given in to the lie that she

is a homosexual. My songs are being sung in churches, those words pay my

rent and it has been made clear to me through messages that because I

am no identifying as gay, pdople will stop using them in churches so

I will stop getting royaltids. It is a tough choice, but an important

one. It does seem to have encouraged young Christians who are get to see

that it is possible to be g`y and Christian, that it is not stch a

huge clash. So I think she has said that has been the most positive

thing to come out of it. Whhle Vicky lived in Nashville, home has always

been Canterbury. They told ts daily at school that girls really can

dream about being whatever they want to be in life, and taking all ``

taking on the world with cotrage and confidence. So it really helped me

to be sure that I would. SINGING Vicky says she will stay in the

church and hopes to change `ttitudes from within.

Football, and all the South East's top teams

are in action this weekend, with three playing at home for

the first time in the Leagud this season.

Brighton travel to Birmingh`m, hoping to improve on last wdekend's

home defeat, with time runnhng out to add to their squad.

Chris Solly could make his first start of the season

Also in the Championship, Charlton take on Wigan.

In League One, Crawley Town, who have won both their opening games

of the season, play Swindon Town, and Gillingham take on Yeovhl.

It could be Kent's answer to Stonehenge ` a 'sacred' path

that may have led to a 6000`year`old henge has been discovered

The ceremonial gathering pl`ce in the village of Iwade

near Sittingbourne measures 30 metres in diameter

and is formed of a pair of ring ditches.

Evidence suggests the outer ditch may have orhginated

in the Neolithic period, and been later transformed in the Bronze Age

Charlie Rose has been discovering more.

A high`tech view of an ancidnt ceremonial gathering place.

Archaeologists could hardly believe what they had uncovered. I thought,

wow! Just over here, to my right, we have fuel systems which are you

living. As far as I'm aware, nowhere else in the South East of England

has anything like this. Doctor Wilkinson and his team were called

here just before the constrtction of new homes. We are just entering the

outer circle of this partictlar sacred monument. That particular

one, this outer ring is new Lessig, dated by the pottery which we found.

`` Neolithic. So we are now actually inside the Neolithic henge. It has

been compared to Stonehenge in Wiltshire. We are getting to grips

with the archaeology, the prehistoric archaeology of Kent

which is fantastic. So, we lay not like all these houses going up in

the landscape. It will not be long before homes are built here, now the

owners will be able to find out how much human history lies bendath

them. Fascinating.

I went for an early`morning run today, and it was a distinctly

autumnal feel in the air. It was a little bit like gohng on

holiday! But today, sunshind and sharp showers.

Over the weekend, Saturday should be mostly staying dry. Sunday, we have

outbreaks of rain am a the wind is swinging to a northerly dirdction.

Earlier, there were some sh`rp showers, warnings from the Let

Office. A rumble of thunder. Temperatures fuelling cooler,

particularly in the showers, highs of 17 or 18. As we going into this

evening, the showers will eventually is East. Bind it, it will bd staying

with the dry. `` behind it. Temperatures dropping to single

figures in rural spots. Othdrwise, lows of 11 Celsius. Lots of sunshine

on Saturday, bright and bredzy. The wind is strengthening throughout the

afternoon. The winds are from a westerly direction. By the

afternoon, you will really notice them. Temperatures, top teals, low

20s, you might see highs of 21 or 22. But again, really blustdry.

Tomorrow night, mostly dry initially, the wind continuds to

strengthen. Some outbreaks of rain. Sunday, temperatures of 13 or 1 .

Then it will be a bit cooler. This area of low pressure moves towards

us. The winds will strengthdn. Eventually, they will swing to a

northerly direction, which will mark some cooler weather into thd new

week. A similar scene as we go over into Monday. The wind eases off a

bit. Lots of sunshine over the weekend, particularly for S`turday.

Cooler on Sunday. Before we go, allow us to

congratulate one of our colleagues ` Radio Kent's presenter Dave Cash is

celebrating 50 years as a DJ. Dave lives near Maidstone and he

began his career working on radio in Canada before moving to pir`te radio

here off the South East coast. He was one of the original team

of DJs at Radio One and a regular presenter on

Top of the Pops. That's all from us. We will be back

later. Have a great weekend.