04/04/2014 South Today

A 79`year`old man has been arrested after a woman was found with serious

injuries at a bungalow in West Sussex. Police were called to the

property in Grasmere Avenue in Sompting last night. The woman is

being treated in hospital for her injuries.

The government has confirmed its badger cull won't be extended into

Dorset. The car was introduced in an attempt to reduce TB in cattle.

Volunteers may now be called upon to help vaccinate badgers against the

disease. Pilot culls will continue in Gloucestershire and Somerset.

It's the backbone of any city, town or even village. But the high street

has been suffering over the last few years as the economic downturn took

its toll. Some well established names like Woolworths, Blockbusters

or Past Times went into administration leaving shops vacant.

But now a new study from the City suggest the high street is on the up

again after shops that closed over the past five years have new

tenants. Ben Moore reports. The high street has always relied on

footfall ` precisely why this shoe retailer has chosen the centre of

Reading for its new flagship store. Our local customer is a high street

customer. It's the same kind of customer that goes to John Lewis and

places like that. You get them on the high street not in the centres

for retail parks. Retail parks are for DIY stores ` we are not a DIY

store, we are shoe store. Across the UK, in any given town or

city, on average 14% of shops are vacant. Here in Reading that figure

is a bit lower ` it's 11.24%. But that translates directly to the

economy. The average retail spend in the town annually is ?780 million.

We have a huge number of incoming workers every day, working in the

commercial sector. They add hugely to the daytime economy with their

spending. It's also because Reading has world`class transport links.

Town chiefs are certainly recognising the importance of their

high streets. In Gosport, Tinker Tearooms opened three weeks ago,

using council cash to transform a shop left empty for five years.

We were awarded ?7000 towards the cost of refurbishment, which helped

extremely because this whole place had to be totally put back to a

shell. That helped us with the electrics, the flooring.

A generation ago, the town centre was the only place to buy what you

need it. But just a couple of decades ago, the focus shifted to

out`of`town retail parks and, recently, to online shopping. The

high street had hit a new low. This resurgence has come as a surprise.

We are starting to see some different sorts of businesses taking

off, particularly discount stores, pound shops, which are really in a

strong boom since the recession. The supermarket convenience stores are

also starting to take off. So, for Ecco staff preparations with

a big opening are much more than window dressing ` one of many

companies putting the high street back on the map.

You can see band's report again. Tell us what you think about your

high street on our Facebook page. `` see band's reports.

Let's move on to sports. Something of a special day tomorrow.

I'm doing the comment Terry on the football league. There are so many

different people tomorrow who will be saying, it's good to see you

again. It's not just Harry Redknapp coming back to Bournemouth, although

that the first time he will have done so in a competitive game.

What sort of reaction will he gets from the fans?

He took Bournemouth to uncharted territory during his time. He left

in 1992, with nine years as a manager. He said in his book that it

was happiest time he has had as a manager. Of course, he is a resident

of Dorset so he is very much in tune with the area. We also had big Kevin

Bond factor. He will be next to Harry Redknapp in the QPR dugout.

His dad is also a former cherries manager.

Eddie Howe, for his money, says when you think Bournemouth you think

Harry Redknapp. All sentiment aside, it's a huge

game with a big 3`pointer up for grabs. Even Redknapp's achievements

Harry Redknapp arrived at Bournemouth more than 40 years ago

as a player, but it was as a manager that he made his name.

I have followed the club. I love the club. I've got a lot of time for

Bournemouth Football Club. Eddie has done an amazing job there.

In Eddie Howe, the Cherries have their most successful boss since

Redknapp. Six wins in eight in March means Bournemouth have an outside

shot at the play`offs. We'll see what comes in the coming

games. I don't think there is too much pressure on us and, hopefully,

we can enjoy these games. In the next few years, if they hang

onto Eddie, it's a club that could end up going into the Premier

League. I think they're building a real good infrastructure there. It's

a good football club. Redknapp won't be the only familiar

face tomorrow ` Kevin Bond is QPR's assistant. During his time as

Cherries boss, he employed a young Eddie Howe.

I owe a huge amount to Kevin. He had faith in me when I was coming to the

end of my career, and I was going nowhere. I had no plans set out for

me, and I'm very thankful for Kevin giving me an opportunity. At that

stage, I didn't know that coaching was what I wanted to go into.

Familiar faces but those for 90 minutes tomorrow. QPR are play`off

bound, but the big question is whether Cherries can join them.

In the Premier League, Southampton could have a say in the title race

tomorrow when they face Manchester City in the lunchtime kick off. In

the Championship, Bournemouth's game with QPR is also the featured game

on the Football League show. Reading in sixth are at struggling Charlton,

Brighton go to Barnsley. MK Dons and Swindon both face away games in

League One. Portsmouth have a first home game in Andy Awford's second

spell as caretaker as they host Hartlepool, Oxford entertain

Fleetwood. Full commentary on BBC local radio.

And all the best of the action is on Monday night in Late Kick Off,

including the former Portsmouth defender who once enforced the

penalty area and now enforces the law as a policeman in Holland.

Non`league Sholing head into the second leg of the FA Vase semi final

with their tie against Eastbourne United level at 2`2. The Boatmen,

who play in the Wessex league, are hoping to emulate fellow Hampshire

side Gosport borough in reaching a Wembley final. BBC Radio Solent has

live commentary of the game. Congratulations to Reading Rockets

tonight. They have retained their national basketball title without

actually playing. The Rockets, who lost at Worthing last Saturday,

secured the title ` their third of the season ` thanks to nearest

rivals Essex having to forfeit their match with Newham, thus ensuring the

Rockets win the league with two matches to spare.

It's Grand National weekend, and the Berkshire trainer Nicky Henderson

will be hoping to end his wait for a winner of the big race at Aintree.

Henderson has four runners in the National which goes off at 4.15pm,

with Long Run, ridden by Sam Whaley`Cohen likely to be his best

contender. The former Gold Cup winner is currently third in the

betting with odds of 12`1. Long Run, we decided at Christmas

that we would take the Grand National route rather than the Gold

Cup route. We had a good practice race at Kelso, he won really nicely.

He schooled very well. We have built special fences for this, so we have

practised at Aintree`type obstacles. He has been very good.

Championship rugby club London Welsh have signed a new three year deal to

ground share at Oxford United's Kassam Stadium. They will not pursue

their interest in a move to Witney in West Oxfordshire. London Welsh

have already secured their place in the end of season play`offs as they

bid to secure a return to the Premiership at the first attempt.

It's quite a sporting weekends. We've got the Brighton Marathon, and

the Grand National. Judging by your weather pictures

today, spring has certainly sprung. You were in a very flowery mood.

Paul captured a swan taking off at this harbour.

What is the weekend weather going to be like?

We are seeing a change of weather type now ` the problems of Saharan

dust and pollution being swept aside as the Atlantic brings to bear. What

will actually be a pretty cloudy story across this weekend, with the

rain more particularly so on Sunday. A dry night tonight but increasing

amounts of low cloud, and hill fog conditions as well. The first of

these fronts through Saturday generally affecting western areas,

so for many of our district some patchy, light rain. There will be a

good deal of cloudy weather. But on Sunday some heavier outbreaks of

rain, and it will be a breezy day. For the rest of this evening, a few

brighter spells have lingered but the cloud cover will steadily

increase as the night wears on. There could be some sea fog just

starting to appear across some of our southern coastal districts ` the

Isle of Wight and towards Sussex. A bit of uncertainty on that. Low

cloud around tomorrow morning, with temperatures having dropped to about

six or seven degrees. Tomorrow will bring an extensively cloudy day. At

low cloud giving hill fog conditions, and occasionally these

patches of light rain feeding through. On the south coast, you

will see some of that, and less so as we move north to the likes of

Oxfordshire. This process continues as we head towards the evening, with

little real change. Temperatures tomorrow should still get up to

about 13 or 14 degrees. As we look through towards the tail end of the

weekend and into next week, Sunday will be the wetter of the two days

of the weekend. Some of that rain quite heavy at times as it moves

eastwards. Quite a windy day as well. We will continue with further

outbreaks of rain and showers to get next week under way on Monday, but

high pressure will start to build as we move through the Tuesday. That

could mean the return of some light frost.

Now, for an update on a story we've been following. He's been missing

for weeks and they thought he was lost forever. A rare carp, that swam

away from an aquatic nursery in Hampshire during the floods has been

found ` nearly eight miles away. He was first spotted on Budds Lane in

Romsey, but then managed to get into the river Test, where he was

eventually picked up all the way down in Totton. Frankie Peck has the

story. Although slightly battered and

bruised, Chad the carp has reunited with his fishy friends. When Romsey

World of Water flooded back in February, a number of fish made

their escape. Chad swam away with Steve! Steve is a sturgeon.

Chad sort of waved goodbye to Steve, and left him in the garage as it

were. Chad carried on swimming. We haven't heard anything from him. He

ended up in someone's garden. We got a phone call to say that they

thought it was Chad because he was a very friendly fish, and he was being

fed his breakfast every morning. Then came another call from Jane,

almost eight miles away from Romsey. Today, along with her husband they

collected their reward of ?2500. We made the phone call before we'd

heard about the reward. When I had a call from Mark to say they had got

Chad back, and it was as a result of our phone call, and that we were

going to get ?2500, I was shaking after I got off the phone. I don't

know what I would be like if I won the lottery!

Chad's adventures did leave their mark.

He has been under medical supervision, and in Chad hospital

for a couple of weeks. He has made a full recovery. He is a happy fish

now. He and Steve swam around for about 30 minutes.

Chad has now gone back to being a big fish in a small pond.

That's all from us. There'll be a news summary at 8pm and we'll be

back with a bulletin at 10.25pm.