04/12/2013 South Today

Keep up-to-date online. That's all from

Welcome to the programme. 600 jobs go at Hewlett`Packard. A broken

promise to the homeless. A council reneges on a pledge that no one

would have to sleep rough. The writing is on the wall. A proposed

redevelopment of Wokingham town centre runs into opposition.

He has been framed by himself. The poacher netted by his ill gotten

gains. It is the world's largest

manufacturer of computers. Hewlett`Packard is struggling to

adapt to changes in the market and today we learned that more than 600

jobs at risk at its headquarters. The silicon valley isn't immune to

downsizing. People here have known that job

losses are on the cards because last year the company announced it was

going to cut its global workforce by 8%. Today the union Unite macro port

detail on those figures saying it 1100 jobs are to go. 618 of those

are in Bracknell. The comfy `` the company hasn't confirmed the figures

and they haven't said how many people are in the building behind

me. We spoke to people as they left today. We are making restructuring

that has to happen. I am sure for each individual it would be a big

problem. It will always be unpleasant. The company will get

stronger and will grow after this. The general feeling is we are going

in the right direction but it is hard on some people. Some is

philosophical about the need for change and others didn't want to

share their views. Some told us they hadn't been informed yet. This is

coming at a distressing time with the run`up to Christmas.

Hewlett`Packard says because rotation start of last week and they

told us the proposed UK workforce management plan is part of the

multi`year productivity initiative to address current markets and

business pressures. It is no secret that the company has failed to

compete with rival products. It says it will support its employees

through this period of change. The unions say they will do what they

can to mitigate job losses. What has gone wrong? It is a

question I put to one man. The market has changed a great deal. We

all tend to buy more sport `` smartphones and tablets than PC

laptops. They tried to get into this market. They haven't adapted and it

has found itself locked into this declining PC and laptop market. Have

they been slow to adapt to the changing technology? The tragedy is

there was some insight as far back as 2010. The day said it was going

to be a tablet company but the execution was poor. It spent way too

much money buying another company and took a long time getting its

products into market. By the time they did come the people that want

of them had bought other products and nobody wanted this product. They

have tried to compete on new products but essentially they have

failed. Why have they failed? There hasn't been a clear strategy. They

were going to be a smartphone and tablet company. Then they were going

to be an enterprise company and trying to sell their consumer

business. They got cold feet on that. They have been left where they

are now which is no clear strategy on what they are doing. Today's news

at Hewlett Packard follows some other big job losses such as BAE at

Portsmouth and Polimeri Europa. But some companies are also expanding.

GKN on the Isle of Wight has just won the contract with Boeing to make

parts for its 737 MAX aircraft. It'll manufacture a new winglet

which improves fuel efficiency. It's not known what the jobs impact

will be. Tomorrow's Autumn Statement will see new measures designed to

promote further growth with the Chancellor expected to target some

help towards small businesses. Our business correspondent Alastair Fee

has been to one start up in Reading with a growing number of orders on

its books. This skate park has been a testing ground for one of

Berkshire's newest manufacturers. The boards they are riding are

handmade and selling fast. We need more equipment. Export is a bit

shaky. Everything has gone to China and Bangladesh and we are bringing

back the home`made aspect of stuff. This small start`up has outgrown its

Redding workshop and says the climate is right to expand. It is

going crazy at the moment. The name is getting recognised and people are

asking for them from all over. This is an unlikely place to find

economic recovery but as long as the orders are coming in, this business

is going to roll with it. And we'll have full coverage of and reaction

to the Chancellor's Autumn Statement on tomorrow's South Today.

A man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the frenzied

killing of his flatmate in Bournemouth. The body of 23`year`old

Spanish student Sergio Marquez was found in a flat in July last year.

30`year`old Karl Addo admitted manslaughter due to diminished

responsibility. The judge directed that he be detained at Broadmoor

hospital where he must serve a minimum of six and half years but

will only ever be released if authorities believe it is safe to do

so. A 28`year`old man has appeared in

court after a Reading police officer was knocked down and critically

injured. PC Gareth Browning suffered serious head injuries after being

hit by a car he was trying to stop on Saturday evening. Luke Hayward

from Whitley has been charged with stealing a car, dangerous driving

and causing grievous bodily harm. West Berkshire council says it's had

to reversed a pledge to offer more help to the homeless this winter

because it was being abused by people from outside the area. The

authority had made a public commitment that no`one needed to

sleep rough from November to the end of January. Campaigners say that

those in need are being turned away even though there are empty hostel

beds. David Allard reports. As night falls in Newbury, so do the

spirits of those who don't have a warm bed to sleep in. People like

Sonia who has lived on the streets here for several months. It is

depressing and it is freezing. It drags you down. I have got a chest

infection through it and I am not good at all at the moment. Like

other local authorities, West Berkshire has a Severe Weather

Emergency Protocol, SWEP. That means if there are three consecutive

nights of freezing temperatures, people sleeping rough can get a bed.

This winter, the council said it would extend that policy. For three

months from the start of November to the end of January, it said anyone

who found themselves homeless in West Berkshire would get a place at

a hostel like this one regardless of the temperature. That was good news

for a woman we're calling Annabel. In November she spent several nights

at Two Saints hostel. But at the weekend, things changed. There was a

meeting set up to discuss the situation individually. I did that

and they went through and decided I wasn't in need and that I could sort

it out myself. It is like moving the goalposts. What has happened is

people have come from all over, as far away as Birmingham, Bracknell

and Basingstoke. The main `` the available amount of resources has

crowded out rough sleepers in Berkshire. One former resident at

Two Saints agrees the system was being abused ` but says local people

shouldn't be penalised. When people like ourselves really need those

beds, now it has gone back to zero or below. Ian Howgate works for a

Christian charity in Newbury that tries to help homeless people find a

bed when they've been turned away. The number of people that go out

onto the street then end up with pneumonia and end up in a hospital.

A five`week stay in hospital trying to cure their pneumonia costs more

than it would to accommodate them in the first place. As another night

beckons for the homeless of Newbury there's one crumb of comfort. The

council now says it's looking to bring back the policy of a bed for

everyone but only if they can prove a connection to West Berkshire.

Bosses at Gatwick say that new digital passport readers will help

cut down delays at the airport. The Immigration Minster officially

opened the new generation of e`passport readers which have been

in use for the past few weeks. The gates use facial recognition

software to compare the passengers face with the digital image stored

on a UK or European passport. Still to come in this evening's South

Today, Alexis will have the weather and Pompey will be hoping that there

isn't more of this tonight for their restaged match against Wycombe.

A Dorset man's been convicted of poaching after a video showing him

illegally catching fish was posted on the internet. It's the first time

in the UK that the Environment Agency has used evidence from social

media to secure a conviction. The video showing Benjamin Cook poaching

on a river near Poole was spotted by a sea fisheries officer. Steve

Humphrey reports. It is a video that has landed Benjamin Cook in deep

water. He can be heard talking about is poaching skills. He said,

"basically boys, this is how you poach salmon. " . He was reeled in

at the video was spotted on Youtube. Surprised that anyone can phone the

whole event and put it on the Internet for all to see. These

videos are regularly posted on the Internet from motorists and

joyriders. People forget how far it reaches out. In that mode meant of

impulse, showing off, they don't think. In this case it leads to

serious consequences. Benjamin Cook was fined ?175 with ?300 costs after

he pleaded guilty to using an unlicensed net to catch sea trout

and salmon. He wasn't `` we were not able to contact him today but in

court the poacher said he didn't care about being seen in a video on

the Internet. It's a ?95m vision to revive

Wokingham town centre with new homes, a supermarket and a hotel.

But some residents view it more as a nightmare that will rob them of

nearly half their open park space. Enough people have signed a petition

against the Elms Field plans to trigger a special council debate

which gets underway in less than an hour. Let's cross to Joe Campbell

who's there. This is Wokingham. All the councils will be here in one

hours time. There has been so much passion about the scheme which the

council says is vital if working isn't going to die as a shopping

centre. The Christmas lights are on but Wokingham has lost much of its

sparkle for shoppers according to the council. They claim it has

failed to move with the times. Not that people feel short`changed by

what was on offer this evening. I do all my shopping here. It is good to

have everything a few minutes away. We haven't got big department stores

or anything now. You don't need that very often. We do a lot of our

shopping in Wokingham. It is not what it was five or ten years ago

but it is still a good enough town and you can get whatever you want

here. The council says too much local income is being spent in

neighbouring towns. It's as is larger shops, a hotel and

supermarkets, much of it built on Elm Fields Park. Not everyone shares

the dream. All of this will go. That is the height of the hotel. It is

huge. There is a ground swell of opinion that says they don't want

it. Both sides they are thinking of future generations with their plans

for the park. What they say the town needs remains radically different.

I enjoyed by a counsellor here responsible for the regeneration

plans. You are saying this is vital to the survival of the town.

Absolutely, it is. If we don't do it, the Tamil Thai. 64% of the

population don't shop in the area. We want to provide leisure

facilities that we think they need. Given the fact that when you stood

for election the regeneration was part of the manifesto, what do you

say to those who say they will not get a fair hearing? Everyone will

get a fair hearing. We are listening every step of the way. We have had

64 consultations so far and every single one of them has led to some

form of change to the plans that we have stop all the way through we are

doing that. Right now we're doing the same thing. We are asking people

for their views and continue to do so until this done. People fearing

that this green space will be gone forever. It will be gone forever but

we believe the area we are building on is not well used. What we are

doing is creating a town park which is the right thing for the middle of

Wokingham. We will have 50% more event space, 30% more children's

play area and more trees than we already have. They will go away from

the meeting and hear what the people have to say.

Hampshire Police have been inspecting scrap metal dealers to

check they're sticking to new laws designed to stop metal theft. The

legislation, which requires businesses to keep records about the

sale of scrap, was introduced in October but has only been enforced

since Sunday. In their first operation police checked sites in

Romsey, Yateley and Portsmouth. Our Home Affairs Correspondent Alex

Forsyth was with them. Police enforcing new powers designed

to stop metal thefts. This morning they were checking those in the

trade are complying with new lawns `` laws which mean new dealers must

keep records of where scrap comes from. Paul has run this yard for

three years. One of those inspected today. He says he is happy to comply

with the regulations in the hope it will keep crooks out of his

legitimate trade. It is a good thing because we can wheedle out all the

crime. You don't know who you are dealing with so you try and buy

stuff and hopefully you are not going to buy stolen stuff. Now it

has changed over and it will keep things above board. Changes mean all

dealers have to register. Sellers have to produce ID and it is illegal

to buy or sell scrap metal for cash so there is a record of all sales.

The price of scrap metal has risen over the past few years and it is

easy to trade in it and be quite invisible because it is not

identifiable. If you take lead that has been stolen of rich earth ``

church roof, once it has sold, it is not identifiable. We have to trace

who has stolen it and that is by good record`keeping. Stolen scrap

metal is big business. There were 61,000 offences in the 12 months to

March. This was down a lot of it to infrastructure. There were 5000

metal thefts in the South can stop in Portsmouth this morning, not all

dealers welcomed the new regulations. John says they are a

burden on legitimate businesses like his. It is not doing us any good

because we have two have identity proof. It is not just one piece of

IDE, you need three. Every five minutes we are getting pulled over

from the police and we are just trying to earn some money. It is

getting harder. Please say metal theft can affect anything from big

companies to local communities so these checks will continue. A woman

from West Sussex says Government agreement to change rules on use of

agricultural pesticides is a victory for her 12 year campaign. Georgina

Downs, who lives near Chichester, fought in the courts to argue for a

review of crop spraying policies. Now the Government has accepted

recommendations about risk assessments, to give greater

protection to people who live near farmers fields. Sean Killick

reports. For 12 years, Georgina has been campaigning for tighter rules

on crops braying their homes, schools and buildings. She argued

through the courts. `` crop spraying. She took these images at

the end of her garden. For many years, she has suffered from

conditions ranging from rashes to osteoporosis and problems with their

eyes. She argued rules about risk assessments haven't offered enough

protection to residents who face greater risk. You have long`term

exposure, particles in the air, vapour coming and that has never

been accounted for. The fact that now the recommendations say there

should be to clear risk assessments and that residents should have

various different factors of exposure incorporated in, is a

significant victory. Pharmacy rules are stringent but they welcome the

change. Peculiarly human health is high priority and this report covers

sprayer operators and farm workers as well as residents. As regards

human health, yes, we of course welcome it. Georgina says the rules

do not go far enough and her campaign which has attracted

thousands of supporters will continue until there is a complete

ban on spring for a substantial distance around schools and homes.

Time for the sport now. Redding and Reading are back up to

fourth in the Championship after their second consecutive victory.

Bournemouth were in action last night. Billy Sharp struck a 13th

minute goal to give the Royals all three points against Charlton. Nigel

Adkin's side are now four games unbeaten as they prepare to face

Bournemouth at the Mad Stad on Saturday. The Cherries slide down

the Championship table continued as they lost 3`0 at QPR, Former poole

Town striker Charlie Austin put Harry redknapp's men in front before

the break. Junior Hoilett made it two after Bournemouth failed to

clear this cross, seven defenders and the goalkeeper in the box for

Bournemouth there. Matt Phillips beat Lee Camp at the near post to

make it three, Eddie Howe described it as a harsh scoreline, Bournemouth

are 19th. In the Premier League Southampton

will look to beat Aston Villa tonight after losing their last two

games against Arsenal and Chelsea. Villa are 11th and can be dangerous

on the break, Saints of course still enjoying a fine season, they're

seventh. Kris Temple is at St Mary's for us tonight. This is unfamiliar

territory for Southampton. It is the first time this season that they

have lost back`to`back matches. They are back on home soil for two big

games coming up over the next few days. Manchester City are here on

Saturday. It is Aston Villa first. Saints haven't had much luck. The

goalkeeper will be out first six weeks with a broken hand sustained

in a freak incident on Sunday afternoon. The absence opens the

door for this player. He came in on Sunday and conceded a third of those

Chelsea goals. A big test for him this evening. He has full confidence

in the young Argentine. Some of the big new signings haven't exactly

fired yet. Things haven't gone his way so far since rejoining. Be home

record is very good. Aston Villa's away record is also very good. A

break `` a big crowd is sure to turn up.

Meanwhile Portsmouth have continued to interview candidates for their

manager's job today, among them Steve Claridge. On the field Pompey

and Wycombe will try again tonight in league two after their first

match was abandoned in October. You may remember the terrible storm

which battered the south coast that night, waterlogging the pitch and

leading to the abandonment of the game..

Four soldiers have set off on a cross Atlantic rowing challenge to

raise money for injured troops. The team are among 16 teams who started

the Atlantic challenge and they are aiming to grow 3000 miles from the

Canary Islands to the Caribbean. The race was due to start on Monday but

was delayed because of bad weather. It is good to see them off and away

tonight. Better weather there than anywhere

else. Looking at the National forecast and it looks particularly

bad up north at the moment. They are looking at gale force wind

gusts of up to 90 mph. With that... We are just out of the warning zone.

That doesn't mean we will have some `` we will not have some gale force

winds in our region. We do have some pictures for you. Dan Smith captured

Shetland Ponies in the New Forest sharing the same patch of grass.

Amelia Coffen took this festive photo of a robin in Knowle near

Wareham. And Sue Pratt captured the sun setting over Oliver's Battery in

Winchester. We were inundated with sunsets. They

are on our website. Through the course of tonight, we will have

clear skies courtesy of the sun going down. The chance of a frost

under the clear skies with temperatures falling away towards

freezing. The winds will start to increase during the second part of

the night and we will see some clouds Berlin from the West. Judges

down to freezing in the countryside. `` cloud spell in. It may be a

frosty start for some in the morning. There is increasing wind

and you're having some squally conditions and gale force gusts are

a possibility. The bulk of the day should stay dry tomorrow. We hold on

to the mild conditions before the weather front which is edging its

way into the northern part of the region. It will move southwards

after dark. It will rattle through bringing with it a brisk wind. The

skies were clear and temperatures will fall away once again. It should

stay dry to start the day on Friday morning. This is the Arctic air we

are experiencing. Very short Arctic air coming our way. The

high`pressure pushes the weather out towards the North continent. The

isobars were wind in and it is a mainly dry on Friday until the

evening time when we could have the odd shower. There will be some

sunshine for Friday with increasing cloud later on in the day. Here is

your outlook for the rest of the week. Cloud around tomorrow and some

rain first thing. A bright start the day for most of us and we can expect

further rain towards the evening time and after dark. With it,

squally winds. Perhaps gale force gusts at around 50 mph. Lots of

sunshine and feeling called on Friday. More cloud for the weekend.

Tomorrow we will have reaction to the Chancellor's Autumn Statement

and some karate for you. Not connected! Good night.