10/02/2014 South Today

News at Six so it's goodbye from me, and

Hello. I'm Sally Taylor. Welcome to South Today. In tonight's programme:

10,000 sandbags and counting. The military wade in to support those

affected by the flooding. We're just basically taking it as it comes, and

whenever we can get any sandbags, we'll see if we can get any more.

The rising water level is even too much for this business, as it

struggles to cope. The 10% pay rise. We meet some of

the lucky few who are benefitting. And back from injury ` Chemmy proves

she's race`ready at Sochi. I was smiling in that start gate, because

I thought of everything I've been through in the last five months just

to get here, and that hard downhill, it was just awesome.

The political spat over the flood response shows no sign of abating,

and neither does the misery for waterlogged residents. While the

main area of concern is now the Thames Valley, almost every part of

the South has been affected in some way. Today, the Prime Minister was

visiting Portland, which was badly affected in last week's storms. He

saw the repair work being carried out to the sea defences on Chesil

Beach. David Cameron said both practical and financial help was

being given to flood`hit areas. When more pumps were needed, we

provided more pumps. When more money was needed, we provided more money.

When the military was needed, I made sure the military were deployed,

including during Dorset and in the Somerset Levels. We've told local

councils they can spend the money they need to, and we will reimburse

it. That's what we have to keep on doing.

Well, hundreds of personnel from the Army and Navy have been called into

action in Berkshire. They've been filling and delivering thousands of

sandbags. A Highways depot at Chieveley near Newbury has become a

sort of "Sandbag HQ". Ben Moore is there now. It is looking pretty busy

behind you. Absolutely. This is a major response to a major incident.

We have about 200 Navy personnel here. They have been here all

weekend and afternoon into the night. They came from Gosport, the

Navy training units, so they are creating thousands of sandbags for

use all over Berkshire. They are not just being used to defend homes.

Today, on the outskirts of Reading, an electricity substation providing

power to 60,000 homes was inundated with floodwater, as my colleague

reports. The dam built by Army reservists seems to be holding. Two

substations have been burdened by floodwater. The palms are still

working hard. You'll make it has been no threat to customer supplies

over the weekend will stop the sandbagging, and people working with

the Fire Services, have been working well. In the longer term, we will be

carrying out mitigation plans to make the substation even more

secure. This wall has no chance of holding the River Thames back. The

water is bidding through the valley. is difficult to predict what

is happening. The surge was horrific. Sonning Bridge is still

closed. With this road now impassable, drivers cannot get if

you mean bridge either. And in Henley itself, so many roads were

closed traffic ground to a halt this morning. Frustrating for drivers,

residents and businesses. Usually, we have one of these floods of this

size once in every fifty years, and we've had two in two months. It's

devastating for the buildings here, and never seen it so high. There are

now fears water levels here could top 2003 levels, and waterside

residents are making their own sandbags. It is a concern, as over

the next three or four days, it's going to get worse. The situation in

Shiplake is serious too. The drains can't take anymore and the water's

creeping up towards the railway. Unbelievably, these guys have

shifted 300 tonnes of sand this afternoon. They really can't bring

it here quick enough. The Navy here has been deployed to the Environment

Agency. That is who they are working for. The guys we have been talking

to add glad to be able to help defend peoples' homes. It's a good

feeling. Just doing our bit, really. It is a great feeling that we are

helping. Especially when we have only been in the Navy for a few

months. We've done 120 tonnes yesterday, so it's good to feel

useful. Joining me now is Jimmy Jones. You are here from the Navy.

What is actually happening? We have 200 guys up here. We have recently

been joined by another regiment, and we have been filling sandbags will

stop there are continuous trucks coming in. With all the bags ready

to go into the communities. Morale is high here? Definitely. Everyone

is enjoying themselves and realising what they are contributing to the

local agencies, and they really pleased what they can do to help the

local communities. Your sympathy goes out to the families? Of course.

Our thoughts go out to those affected by the floods and the

recent weather. Thank you. One aspect is that these guys can be

deployed anywhere in Berkshire at any moment, but for now, they are at

the start of the Floodline front line of the flood defences. Thank

you very much. Rail services have been severely

affected again after rising ground water levels disrupted services. For

some commuters, replacement bus services have been in operation.

First Great Western cancelled some services from Reading to Paddington.

Many are running at reduced speed or are being diverted onto other lines.

Flooding near Maidenhead caused by rising ground water levels disrupted

services throughout the rush hour. The railway lines that are open have

limited capacity, and that is disrupting some of our customers'

journeys, extending journey times, and limiting the number of trains we

can run. But our focus is really on trying to maintain a train service

and look after our customers, give out as much information as we can.

Ground water flooding and overflowing sewers have forced the

evacuation of 16 homes in Basingstoke. And the town's council

leader has criticised Thames Water for failing to provide tankers to

pump away foul water. Meanwhile in Romsey, the Environment Agency has

been shoring up the banks of one of the town's rivers to try to reduce

the impact of flooding. Steve Humphrey reports.

It's been a horrible few days for many people living here in the

Buckskin area of Basingstoke. Ground water flooding and overflowing

sewers have created lakes of foul`smelling brown liquid. People

have had to be moved from 16 properties. And with sewers out of

action, portable toilets have been provided. A bit of a disaster.

Terrible. Can't believe it. Never seen anything like it. It started

fresh, up from the last 24 hours, it has been sewerage. Not so good.

Basingstoke Council organised the tankers after Thames Water said it

couldn't help. The council leader says that meant there was a delay of

around eight hours in starting the pumping operation. Do you feel a bit

annoyed about that? Hull`mac I would like to have a full understanding

about why they thought they couldn't help. There are people 's homes at

risk. Everybody should muck in and get on with it, not say that we

don't have responsibility. Will you be having words with Thames Water?

Certainly. In response, Thames Water says while

it's responsible for sewers, its remit doesn't extend to ground water

flooding. It says it's under enormous strain ` but has had crews

working around the clock trying to help as many people as possible.

Meanwhile, part of Romsey is still underwater. Ironically, amongst the

businesses badly affected is Romsey World of Water, where many of the 26

staff are having to take holiday while its closed. One giant sturgeon

fish ` which is three feet long ` swam off in the flood water. It is

worrying. The business will remain closed until such time as we can get

customers onto the site. Unless they have a boat, they can't.

Several homeowners are pumping out water and trying to clear up the

mess. We're making progress today. We have a good petrol pump running.

I'm a lot happier now than I was 48 hours ago.

The Environment Agency has been reinforcing the banks of one of the

local rivers, where water has been spilling over.

High winds over the weekend continued

the water level has gradually gone down, but now everybody here is

looking anxiously at the sky and wondering what in packs the heavy

rain forecast for the next couple of days is going to have on the floods

here. High winds over the weekend

continued to cause damage. The roof was ripped from this block of flats

in Southampton and landed on cars below. Residents were evacuated. We

will have the details of the yellow and amber warnings for this week,

and BBC local radio is the best place to have all the travel

information and covering of the floods in your area. Stay with this,

because still to come: A long way from home ` crabs from the Caribbean

wash up on the Dorset coast as the storms impact on wildlife. When did

you last get a decent pay rise? Probably not for a few years. Well,

there's finally good news ` for some. Here in the South, a handful

of companies say, following months of steady growth, they're now able

to pay above inflation wage rises. While some say this is evidence that

the economic recovery is taking hold, for most, the squeeze on

household finances is far from over. Here's our business correspondent,

Alastair Fee. In the race against the cost of living, these are among

the first workers who are winning. All 100 employers at this technology

firm as seeing their wages rise. On average as much as 10%. From the

last few years, we're being more careful with personal money. Now I

feel like we're getting able to relax and getting back to life we

had, say, three years ago. This phone is doubling fast. It has

invested around ?20 million during the economic downturn. Your lack we

speak a lot of businesses, and they say things are picking up. That

helps feed the growth in our business. It is also indicative of a

wider upturn in the economy, particularly in this region. We will

like to think that although we are in the minority now, we are

representative of the wider direction of travel. HMOs to the

west, and does it feels like a world away. No one I spoke to had a

positive to tell. Local chef David is 33 and a single parent. It is the

economic climate. No one can afford it. Businesses are crippled and no

one has the money to spend. It has a knock`on effect. Has it impacted on

new? It is a struggle. This is a sales assistant. They say you have

to budget and save where possible, and I can be hard when prices are so

hard high. This is a local builder. There is a lot of work about, but

wages are not increasing. It is basic living. Fume here will notice

the picture emerging. Legal firm employs 150 people. It is among

those willing to pay more to attain key staff. The Thames Valley is a

strong economy in its own right. It has been privileged in a recession

to retain the level of work that it has. Now we are seeing something

that is leading the way for the country. I think it is sustainable,

and I think you will see this trickle around the rest of the

country. If you look hard enough, there is finally good news for

some, but they are in the minority. Others in the sector say they are

still months away from following suit. For those in the public

sector, the tough times are far from over.

Good news for some, but RB bees cos representative the wider area? The

Office of National Statistics say that real wages have been falling

for the last four years. No wonder economy is saying these wage rises

we are seeing in Berkshire arm rest. Average earnings of falling in real

terms, the rate of investment in new capacity and new skills is still too

low. We need to make sure the recovery is sustainable in the long

term. What other politicians making of this cost of living crisis? They

want to see a rising the minimum wage the coalition says these

examples are further evidence that the economic recovery is taking

hold. Companies can give these pay rises because their order books are

increasing. I want to see is individuals getting a fair wage for

a hard daypos`macro work. We want to see that across`the`board for

everyone. Everyone would like a significant pay rise, but who is

likely to get one? Businesses have hinted in a year from now they will

be able to pay more. However, the retail and public sector areas. . A

university lecture charged with murdering a man said she was not

aware of any drug dealing. This university lecturer specialises in

chronology. During research for a Ph.D. , she spent time with inmates

at a young offenders institution. During this time, she met the

defendant, a 17 year role prisoner. When he was released, she agreed

with a charity to become his mental. However, their relationship

developed into a romantic one. They spent a lot of time together and

spoke on the phone. Mr Lewis and two other men began dealing drugs in

Southampton and it is alleged that lost yet they murdered a man in

Saint Mary 's. He was shot in the head. All three men deny the matter.

The woman is on trial with the three men, accused of assisting them.

Today she said that despite making multiple trips to Southampton with

bits to Lewis, she saw no evidence of any drug dealing. She said she

only came suspicious shortly before her arrest in Rachel last year.

Dash`macro Mr Lewis. She said she felt sad for him. During questioning

from her defence barrister she repeatedly denied being involved in

any conspiracy to supply drugs. Tomorrow, questioning will turn to

the day of the killing itself and her alleged role. She will also face

cross`examination from the prosecution. Half of all people who

reside in care homes have their residency paid for by the local

government. This care home is struggling financially and is under

fire from the Care Quality Commission. We can only do so much.

People are expecting a Rolls`Royce service, but we only have push`bike

money. Bobby Alan says he is paid by the council, Barts the money is less

than the fees charged to private companies. Dash`macro private

patients. So why is Southampton City Council such a low payer compared

with other local authorities? That is a question we wanted to ask

them, but they declined our offer of an interview. Instead they said the

needs of each individual client determined the rate paid and only

published rates should be seen in that light. New weekly base rates

for care homes will soon be published. Local authorities need to

understand this is a partnership with providers and in order to get

the best possible deal, only to come to the table and have a real honest

discussion about the true cost of care. Meanwhile this care home

continues its fight for survival. There will be more on that story

tonight on inside out. Sport now. I spent the weekend watching the

Winter Olympics. The coverage is fantastic.

The Sussex skier Chemmy Alcott says she feels race`ready after coming

16th in the downhill stage of the Super Combined event at the winter

Olympics in Sochi this morning. However the 31`year`old pulled out

of the slalom stage of the event, saying she now wanted to concentrate

on her other two events. It was an impressive run. Chemmy

Alcott has fought back from injury to be at these games, qualifying a

triumph in itself. Despite coming 16th, Chemmy has pulled out of the

second slalom stage of the event, saying she wants to give it all to

her two remaining events ` the Women's downhill and the Giant

Slalom or Super G which are on Wednesday and Saturday mornings

respectively. #colouryellow having done that, I know I am race ready

and I am excited. It was awesome. Also friends and family of the

Morgan watched him compete. A high score saw him fly through to the

final, but risking it all to impress on his second run, he could not land

he's last run. I didn't realise how big I had got on that triple. I am

happy to be here though. Berkshire figure skater Penny Coomes

was on the ice with partner Nick Buckland on Saturday. Their

breathtaking routine appeared faultless but they were marked down

on the technical side, with the result that Team GB didn't progress

in the Team event. Our technical school was low. This is not our

individual event and we do have a few more days. We did skate well and

we performed well. We just have to hit those technical elements.

They'll be analysing what happened as they prepare for their main ice

dance event on Sunday. Football, and Southampton just

couldn't finish off Stoke at St Mary's. Things started well, Rickie

Lambert's top quality free kick putting Saints ahead just six

minutes in. After Stoke found an equaliser, they managed to put

themselves ahead again ` this time through Steven Davis. But

Southampton couldn't hang onto the lead with Peter Crouch scoring

against his old club to once again level for Stoke just before the

break. The second half saw missed chances ` Saints remain ninth. In

the overall analysis of the full 90 minutes, we were in the lead.

However, the final result was disappointing.

Here's a round`up of the rest of the league action.

Reading's clash with Sheffield Wednesday started with the home side

in control. Until only nine minutes in, this happened. Reading are

appealing the sending off of Alex Pearce. Down to ten the Royals went

one down when Wednesday netted the penalty. Their misery compounded in

the second half when the visitors doubled their score. But the result

didn't send them down the table ` the Royals holding on sixth place.

The sending`off has changed the complexion of the game.

Bournemouth saw Bolton get the better of them as they went two

down. But the Cherries pulled fighting spirit out of their kit

bag. Lewis Grabban, who they will be pleased to have held on to,

heralding the comeback with a long range strike. Simon Francis levelled

after the break. A late chance for Yann Kermogant was denied ` the

Cherries unlucky not to win. We showed great character in coming

back. I am disappointed though. Jake Jervis made it three goals in

four games for Portsmouth when he scored in the opening minutes

against Exeter. Portsmouth needed points to distance themselves from

the relegation zone, but Exeter broke hearts with a stoppage time

equaliser. I should mention what has been called the best win of the

season for London Irish against Saracens. It was a great game.

We've heard how the stormy weather has been disrupting lives ` well

it's not just humans. Have a look at this ` it's a

Columbus crab which normally lives in the Sargasso Sea off Bermuda,

where it clings to floating seaweed. Five of them were found washed up on

Chesil Beach this week, another had turned up at Kimmeridge Bay last

month. It's extremely rare for this tropical species to find its way to

our shores. They will have hitched a ride on flotsam blown across the

Atlantic. Clinging to it, I would think, for their lives. It must have

been a shop for them. In terms of the weather, we have had five months

of rainfall in December and January. John Goater took this photo in

Winchester. That's one way to get to school or work in the floods.

Christopher Nash captured a Canada Goose on a usually very busy

riverside route in Henley`on`Thames. And Diana Lewis took this photo of

the flooding in Reading. We do have a yellow weather warning for rain

tonight and through the early hours of tomorrow morning. We will have

clear skies initially before the rain arrives. Temperatures will

initially be quite low, giving the risk of ice on untreated surfaces.

Those temperatures will start to rise during the second part of the

night with the arrival of rain and further cloud. Expect lows of two or

three Celsius. A wet rush`hour drive to work. There will be cost of wind

up to 60 miles an hour. A few showers will also follow, but there

will be some sunshine. The winds stay pretty is strong tomorrow

night. We are expecting a number of showers that could turn wintry.

There could be one or two centimetres of snow over the

Chilterns and the Cotswolds. We are keeping an eye on the very strong

winds on Wednesday. A deep area of low pressure coming in from the

Atlantic. There is a Met Office amber weather warning for Dorset. We

could see winds gusting up to 70 mph with torrential rain. Not looking

very pretty, unfortunately. There is a lot of rainfall in the forecast

over the next week. Between today and Friday we could see up to 2.5

inches of rain. That is more likely for areas like Fulcher, Hampshire

and Dorset. A lot of weather warnings in force. There are also

severe flood warnings in force. Do stay tuned to the forecast over the

next few days. Tomorrow we will turn dash`macro we will meet children who

are using a minibus as a kitchen. That's it for now.