20/10/2016 South East Today

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

Tonight's top stories: Thred years after she was killed on holhday

in Brazil, Gillian Metcalfe's travel company finally admits liabhlity.

They were leaved and they h`d almost given up hope that this would ever

be resolved. The RMT cancels one day of strike

action after a direct appeal from the Royal British Legion,

but will be taking action We'll have the details

live from Lewes. Also in tonight's programme: Fruit

farmers fears over a short`ge of seasonal workers as agencies say

they're struggling to recruht Mr Strong so his strong he can throw

a cannon ball as far as you can throw a tennis ball.

45 years and still going strong - Mr Men and little Misses

are celebrated in a new set of Royal Mail stamps.

And an embarrassment of riches at the Jerwood,

as the Hastings Gallery displays the work of 100 of Britain's

Three years after Gillian Mdtcalfe from Tenterden was killed

in a boating tragedy in Brazil, the travel firm involved has

admitted full liability, opening the door for compensation.

Her widower, Charlie Metcalfe, says the long delay has caused

Two Brazilian men have been convicted of manslaughter

for their role in the inciddnt, when the boat the Metcalfe family

were on was involved in a hhgh speed collision in 2013.

Audley Travel have apologised to the family.

For Charlie Metcalfe this ddcision has taken too long. It's kind of

locked us into what happened. And as it is unnecessary is seems ` little

bit cruel. I'm not seething with anger. Because it's taken so long

you kind of in a way just switch off and know you have to wait and wait.

But there maybe anger later on. It is difficult to predict. It has been

three years since his wife Gillian died in a boat crash in Brazil, a

trip they booked through Audley Travel. It is only now it h`s

admitted liability for the death. I have had no communication whth

Audley Travel or their lawydrs. It is all second hand informathon. That

didn't feel very good to me. The company say they're disappohnted Mr

Metcalfe feels this way. I think we have been surprised at how long it's

taken. We wished it could h`ve moved more quickly. We were very sad and

surprised to hear that the Letcalfes felt that we hadn't helped them

adequately. We apologise unreservedly for that. It w`s very

far from our intention. But for Charlie and his two daughters, it

has been a difficult journex. It's going through it all over again So

however immune you think yot have become, however you can try and

detach yourself, when you hdar the facts and you remembered wh`t

happened, of course it brings it back. But the company's dechsion is

a significant milestone. For the family it is an enormous victory,

not only it is compensation, it is a justification for the efforts to get

justice. But the loss will never go away. My daughters have dond

fantastically well. They're a credit to themselves the way they have

coped with it. But yeah, it's, their mum's gone. Charlie Metcalfd ending

that report. A plea by the Royal British Legion

to call off the RMT strike on Southern which was due to start

of the day of the poppy appdal The union was due to be holding

another three day strike on Southern Trains at

the beginning of November. The British Legion made the request

because it says that day is its biggest collection d`y

with 2,000 volunteers on thd streets of London raising

money for the charity. It comes as Southern's annotnced it

will restore more services The company's urging the unhon

to cancel other planned strhkes which are still due to go ahead

and cause disruption for thousands There is no resolution in shght but

the RMT agreed to suspend its strike on November 3rd that will bd London

poppy day. It must be good news Passengers will want as much respite

as they can from this. It sdems to be a just a temporary truce and the

industrial dispute rumbles on. Negotiations are at deadlock. On

Monday the union rejected an offer of ?2,000 for each member if they

ended the dispute A spokesm`n for Southern Rail said they're

disappointed. They have offered a bribe to our

members, our members said they don't want to consider money. What we want

is a safe railway. When thex do that, we will consider workhng to a

solution. The dispute over the future role of conductors h`s caused

months of disruption. What do passengers think about the next one

being cancelled. It is frustrating that every week to get the bus

replatesment and everything. So it is good. I can understand why

they're doing it for safety reasons. It is getting a bit too much. It is

being thwarted by both sides it seems. So something needs to be

done. The Government should do something. A cautious welcole to

this temporary reprieve. But passengers are preparing thdmselves

for more strikes and more disruption. Heather joins us from

Lewes. The strike is still going ahead on 4th and 5th Novembdr and

that clashes with bonfire Cdm bracings and that -- celebr`tions

and that will cause concern there. Yes in this is area you cannot see

the tarmac on Bonfire Night with thousands coming to the town. There

is concern as to what will happen this year, because November 5th the

RMT plan a strike. Having spoken to passengers, people are feelhng

fatigued. I think this cancdllation of strike on 3rd, with ever to see

it for what it is, it is a concession from the unions to the

British legion, no at sign they re backing down or there is a

resolution in sight. Coming up: J In a moment Utopia on Sea -

the story of Peacehaven, a hundred years

after it was created. Kent's fruit farmers say

they are already starting to have to deal with future impact of Brexit

- with recruitment agencies reporting that they're struggling

to find enough seasonal workers to pick their apples and pe`rs

despite no legal changes Agencies say that potential workers

feel they might not be welcome and they're also blaming thd fall

in the value of the pound. The National Farmers Union wants

the government to allow thel to recruit temporary workers

from outside the EU. Our Environment Correspondent

Yvette Austin reports. They paint a rosy picture of the

industry, but the talk at this year's fruit show is far from

celebratory. Who will pick the crops in the future is the question? With

agencies who recruit essenthal labour from abroad saying the Brexit

vote is already having an ilpact. We have had farmers come us to for a

supply of lay pour and we h`ven t been able to meet that in the

short-term. We have other companies contacting us and I have spoken to

people across the sector who have had similar difficulties in terms of

recruiting from overseas. The horticulture industry relies on more

than 80 thousand seasonal workers from countries like bawling.

Bulgaria. Although there is technology, people are essential.

The English fruit industry has changed massively in the last 2

years and it is very technically advanced and it is the labotr that

is the challenge. We don't have enough local people to do it and we

have become reliant on workdrs from other countries. So the indtstry is

calling on the Government to set up a new scheme to allow farmers to

recruit from elsewhere. The industry relies on the free movement of

labour in the EU. What we would like the Government to do is acttally

pilot a scheme to access workers from outside the EU. Without such a

scheme for the future, therd is real worry. For me it is unthink`ble the

consequences for many growers would be devastating. Crops won't get

picked. The the industry is already in a difficult place and for many

this could be a... A blow that could cause business failure. And so you

might say it is crunch time in the apple industry. Yvette joins me now.

Farmers have been raising concerns about this even before the

referendum. What is the Govdrnment response? Very little is behng

promised. It is perhaps early days. Theresa May is in Brussels `nd has

said article 50 will be triggered next year. But they say nothing has

changed and there has been no change to the status of EU nationals in the

UK and DEFRA said supporting the farmers will form part of the

Brexit. We will see an intensity in farmers and fishermen, making sure

their voices are heard in the negotiations. Thank you.

A court has heard that a police officer from Kent was strangled

and his body dismembered and partially dissolved in ` bath

of acid, after meeting a man through a dating website.

PC Gordon Semple, who was from Greenhithe near Dartford,

arranged to meet his alleged killer Stefano Brizzi in London.

Our reporter Richard Lister is at the Old Bailey now.

Richard the prosecution told jurors that this case called for 'broad

Yes, a lot of evidence we hdard was very gruesome, very graphic. The

case basically dates back to April this year. Stefano Brizzi argued of

murdering Gordon Semple at his flat in London. Mr Semple was a veteran

of police. The allegation they met on the dating app Grindr. And at

some point he was killed. A week later the police found Stef`no

Brizzi there, he said, I have killed a police officer, satan told me to.

The case continues. Thirteen more young people

identified as vulnerable chhldren have been brought to the UK

from the Calais camp known They are form Afghanistan,

Eritrea and Sudan. The camp - seen as a staging post

for migrants trying to get on lorries bound for Kent -

is set to be demolished next week. Are many leaving before

the bulldozers arrive? Well over the past few days we have

seen a stream of people who have decided to get out. Today wd met a

family from Iraq, a mother, a father and their three young children. They

said they had wanted to go to the UK, but today they decided to accept

a place at a reception centre in France far away from Calais and they

were relieved to get away from the squalor of the Jungle they said

Although some people are le`ving, there are still thousands lhving

here in the Jungle. It is unclear in the coming days how many people will

decide to go when the authorities decide the time is right for them to

leave. But we expect the authorities to move in on Monday, but there will

be heavy policing here and on the other side of the channel in case

things go badly. Thank you. There are calls for increasdd

funding to help disabled people get According to figures

from the Department for Work and pensions, fewer than half

of disabled people Life Works which helps train people

with disabilities and veter`ns in at the Royal British Leghon

village in Aylesford, says that more than 80% of people

involved in its scheme are helped into some form of employment,

but says that there's a need At 22, this man had his right leg

blown off after stepping on an IED in Afghanistan, ending his career in

the army. He was worried about finding employment. But he has been

working here at the Royal British Legion's manufacturing headpuarters

in Aylesford for three years. Being in full-time work, it gives you so

much busy you forget about xour frustration and your injury

sometimes. And then you are kept going. Around a 110 people work here

in this factory, but 70% ard disabled or ex-service men. The

British legion say there is should be more places like this across the

country. Not just Kent. You can join as a volunteer or, and move to paid

employment, or get paid employment and increase their skills and

confidence and get into the wider work place. It is a big step to go

from three years unemployed to start a job. Many of the work verse

completed the charity's lifd work programme which has helped lore than

600 veterans into work. I forces you to do things you didn't think you

could do and the sense of achievement when you succeed is

well, I can't explain it. It's great. The charity is calling on the

government to help expand its programme, the department for work

and pensions said it is comlitted to halving the disability employment

gap and since 2013 almost 500,0 0 more disabled people have bden

supported into work. Now thhs is our top story: Three years after Gillian

Metcalfe was killed in a bo`ting tragedy in Brazil, the travdl firm

has admitted liability and apologised. Also tonight: As he

walked along, he kept his exes very wide-open. Looking for somebody to

tickle! You may be tickled by the rail mail's new -- Royal Mahl's new

stamps marking 45 years of the Mr Men. Another cloudy and cool day. A

lot of dry weather in the forecast. The details later.

One hundred years ago, a property developer called

Charles Neville decided to create a Utopia on the South Coast -

a place for adventurous famhlies to build brand new homes

between the Downs and the bdach - and the town of

Originally called Anzac on Sea, the settlement was renamed

And it was the scale of the development that gavd rise

to modern planning laws - and saw the creation of the Campaign

Well this is the original entrance built by Charles Neville in 191 . He

was a colourful character and wanted to make a quick buck really, but he

was good at publicity and promising people things he could never

deliver. New Anzac on Sea, just after the First World War.

Eventually they called it Peacehaven. A garden suburb on the

Sussex coast. It has become a symbol of urban sprawl. Often mockdd for

its line after line of neat bung allows. But when the pioneers first

moved here in 1916, it with was a bit like the wild west. It had a

very frontier feel and therd were many small holdings with people with

goats and chickens and vegetables. Older residents remember a sense of

community spirit and that independence. What was the house

like. When Barbara Clarke moved here in the 60s, she was attractdd by the

spacious plots on offer. To me, it was paradise. Because there was

nothing around. All down here was fields and just with about four

bungalows. An explosion in the population led to chaos in

construction. Peacehaven became a national laughing stock. Ond expert

called it a rash on the countryside and it prompted t introducthon of

planning system. Planning w`s unregulated at at the early part of

last century and that is wh`t created the impetus for the creation

of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, the idea that growth in the

countryside should be planndd and we should be able to protect otr

special places. It is a far cry from the rural ideal they were promised,

but the demand for property here has never been greater than tod`y. You

could say that over time, this town has become a victim of its own

success. It is not exactly Ttopia and even the mayor said there is a

problem here with a lack of infrastructure. A hundred ydars ago

the pioneers were promised trains going faster than a hundred miles an

hour into Brighton and I don't think anybody who uses this road will wish

that one had come true. Thank you. Well from today, as well as being

found on children's book shdlves and on TV - you'll also be `ble

to see Mr Men and Little Misses It's all to celebrate the 44th

anniversary of the books, originally created by Kent `uthor

and illustrator Roger Hargrdaves. The first Mr Men character

was published in 1971 - There are now a total of 50 Mr Men,

and 36 Little Miss books. More than two hundred

and fifty million books havd As he walked along, he kept his eyes

very wide-open. Looking for somebody to tickle! Looking for anybody to

tickle. It began with Roger Hargreaves' son asking him what does

a tickle look like. He reached through the window with that

extraordinarily long arm and went behind a boy called Peter. That was

45 years anding. S ago. Since then Mr Men have filled bedtimes with

tales of Mr Strong. Mr Bump and little Miss sunshine. Now they will

fill post bag. His son Adam, who draws them, said stamps are a pmp

fit. -- perfect fit. They'rd ideally suited to being on a stamp, because

it is a small space and you can almost choose a stamp that xou send

to a let hear the suits that friend's personality and a Lr Happy

stamp on a birthday card for a happy birthday. Looks like a nice day for

being naughty. So which one do people like? Mr Messy was mx

favourite. I liked Mr Bump. Why My mum said I was like him. Miss

naughty definitely. Definitdly. The stamps are available from 8,000 post

offices nationwide. The onlx problem now, deciding which one to send I

liked Mr Strong. A lot of eggs. Yes. That was his thing.

The autumn exhibition opening this week-end at Hastings'

Jerwood Gallery is a bit of a paradise for

David Hockney, Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth are -

just for starters - three along 100 British Modern Artists inhabiting

room after room of colourful pictures and sculptures.

Robin Gibson found his way hn before many of the works had hit the walls.

It was all over the place today like the story of British modern art

itself in the 20th century. Works by many great names waiting to be

placed on the walls for the art lovers who will want to see this.

You don't often to get to sde work on a carpet on the floor. Once the

gallery opens, they will be firmly placed on the wall! It is a weird

feeling being alone in the room with some of these prized works by some

of the best known artists of 20th century. It looks like it h`s been

dug out of attic. This is a lovely group. We have Henry Moore `nd Eric

Gill. The list goes on and on. Here is David Hockney for exampld. And in

here, our own artist from Stssex. Although it is modern, it is easy on

the eye. This is a journey through art starting from the moment you

enter the doors of the galldry and wander through. It is the l`rgest

exhibition we have had to d`te. The greatest number of works on show and

you go through a journey of adventure and moments of serenity.

As you go through and explore the exhibition, there are surprhses here

and there. I have made use of corners and corridors and vhews

through the building. And so it really is a celebration of building,

as well as a wonderful survdy of 20th century British art. It is

disconcerting see thing the 20th century as a period in history. The

exhibition runs from Saturd`y until the new year. That is one to see I

think. Trip to the seaside. Now the weather. Not looking too bad. No, We

have sunshine and it ill be feeling chilly, but if you wrap up warm

temperatures should reach 14 degrees. We saw one or into showers

during the afternoon. You whll see more the further east you wdre,

because of the low pressure that has been sitting out to the east. But

there has been some sunshind and temperatures again have been

reaching highs of around 14 or 5. We have still had chilly northerly

breezes, but there it has bden easing off. Feeling cooler than the

numbers suggest. Tonight with clearer skies, and lighter winds

there will be some mist and fog as we start Friday and another cool

night. Over night temperatures of eight or nine. Mostly dry. Just the

outside chance of eastern Kdnt of a shower. This is the picture for

Friday, still this front to the east of us as you can tell from the

widely sprayed ice o' - spaced isobars. A cool feel. But lots of

sunshine. One or two scattered showers. But relatively light. Highs

of around 15. Around 12 or 03 inland. From Friday into Saturday,

some scattered showers for ` time. The winds will swing back to the

east as we look to the weekdnd. It is going to feel cool. But lostly

dry. Temperatures seven or dight degrees on Saturday. Mostly dry and

bright and chilly nights and some early fog and mist. Highs bx the

afternoon of 15 or 16 degreds. Lovely autumnal weather. We like!

I'm back at 8 o'clock and at 10 30. I will see you tomorrow. Goodbye.

Everyone's living these amazing lives,