:00:19. > :00:20.The illegal cockle pickers of the South coast.
:00:21. > :00:22.The evidence that we have ddtected It's not just for personal
:00:23. > :00:27.If it is a commercial activity, it is illegal.
:00:28. > :00:30.We are certainly looking at a crisis in
:00:31. > :00:33.Which does threaten to bankrupt the NHS.
:00:34. > :00:34.If we continue with these current trends.
:00:35. > :00:37.And how diabetes is being fought here in the
:00:38. > :00:39.I just really don't want to lose limbs, lose my site.
:00:40. > :00:42.I'm Natalie Graham with untold stories closer to home.
:00:43. > :00:44.For all around the South East, this is
:00:45. > :00:56.Hello and welcome to the programme, which today comes to you
:00:57. > :01:04.We often see people out speaking shellfish on our
:01:05. > :01:07.But is there something more sinister going on?
:01:08. > :01:34.The Adur Estuary in Shoreham.
:01:35. > :01:39.A Site of Special Scientific Interest, one of the South Dast s
:01:40. > :01:43.And it's common, when the thde is out, to see groups of people
:01:44. > :01:47.all of whom appear to be of oriental origin, out on the mud flats.
:01:48. > :01:54.Recently I counted 28 out there one day, they range from childrdn
:01:55. > :01:55.six and seven years old up through women,
:01:56. > :01:59.But because the Adur Estuarx is a triple SI site,
:02:00. > :02:06.So Adur estuary is one of the most important sites on south co`st.
:02:07. > :02:10.The fact that got this spechal citation as a triple SI means really
:02:11. > :02:19.Cockles are a vital source of food for the birds, so picking them
:02:20. > :02:22.damages the ecosystem, and there's another good re`son not
:02:23. > :02:32.Eating cockles from the Adur can make you very very ill.
:02:33. > :02:37.We take regular samples of water from the River Adur.
:02:38. > :02:44.Sometimes we have found high levels of E Coli, which are indicators
:02:45. > :02:48.It certainly looks very picturesque down here on the Adur Estuary,
:02:49. > :02:52.so why is it dangerous to eat shellfish here?
:02:53. > :02:56.Well, case in point - look behind me see 30 or 40 river
:02:57. > :02:59.barges here and they pour out their raw sewage into this
:03:00. > :03:06.And that is all sucked up by the shellfish.
:03:07. > :03:12.Well, locals suspect they are picking these cockles
:03:13. > :03:15.for sale, they're in it for the money.
:03:16. > :03:20.You know if you were just doing it for leisure purposes, just for self,
:03:21. > :03:23.and probably come on sunny day and take half little bucket
:03:24. > :03:31.You know amount they take it, I can't believe
:03:32. > :03:33.taking them for their own use and that.
:03:34. > :03:35.Would you describe it as just opportunist,
:03:36. > :03:39.You have to be some opportunist to eat that much shellfish.
:03:40. > :03:44.Do you believe that they ard worth a lot money and this is org`nised
:03:45. > :03:52.cockle harvesting for sale `nd entry into the food chain?
:03:53. > :03:57.The evidence we have collected indicates that it's not just
:03:58. > :04:00.for personal consumption - it looks like something elsd
:04:01. > :04:04.is going on, which is a commercial activity.
:04:05. > :04:07.And if so, that is illegal commercial activity and cockles
:04:08. > :04:10.like all shellfish, quite frankly are a high value commodity.
:04:11. > :04:14.So bearing all that in mind, we thought that it was time to wait
:04:15. > :04:18.and catch the cockle gangs in action.
:04:19. > :04:20.And you've seen them on this side of the river?
:04:21. > :04:23.Seen them on both sides of the river, see them both side
:04:24. > :04:35.And you think we will be successful in a couple days - they turn up
:04:36. > :04:42.I don't fancy eating them, do you?
:04:43. > :04:59.Another low water on the Adtr Estuary and another pillaging
:05:00. > :05:05.At 20 pounds a kilo of cockles, about the size of a bag
:05:06. > :05:11.of sugar, there is a lot of money to be made here.
:05:12. > :05:14.How much are they to buy?
:05:15. > :05:33.Kilo shells, so really ?20 pounds kilo.
:05:34. > :05:36.The gangs are well-organised, often with someone in chargd,
:05:37. > :05:43.We estimate this haul of cockles is worth about ?500.
:05:44. > :05:47.I would say it is a harvesthng of the riverbed.
:05:48. > :05:55.I mean, coming along with btckets full, trolleys full of shellfish,
:05:56. > :05:58.huge scale, putting them into backs of vans and 4x4s -
:05:59. > :06:00.quite an organised outfit I would say.
:06:01. > :06:05.Simon Cooper and his son Olly have watched the cockle gangs decimate
:06:06. > :06:14.When the authorities refused to act, Simon tried to step in himsdlf.
:06:15. > :06:23.Got to point I'd seen so many times, I thought I'd confront them, see
:06:24. > :06:27.At this point, they became puite aggressive, they moved the whole
:06:28. > :06:35.operation other side of the river and just continued.
:06:36. > :06:44.And to my horror, ferrying people across the river at low tidd.
:06:45. > :06:50.Putting younger people in danger, crossing the rivdr
:06:51. > :06:55.As well as being an illegal activity, the authorities stspect
:06:56. > :06:59.some of the pickers are the victims of human trafficking -
:07:00. > :07:04.slave labour on a triple SI site in Sussex.
:07:05. > :07:10.You would have to say that the human story is the tragic one.
:07:11. > :07:18.Exploitation of people who are picking cockles.
:07:19. > :07:20.Many pickers are women in their twenties.
:07:21. > :07:24.We saw children, some younger than ten.
:07:25. > :07:26.Their faces are concealed in case they are the victims
:07:27. > :07:33.Cockle picking is back-breaking work.
:07:34. > :07:37.Hours hunched down, but the cash rewards can be big
:07:38. > :07:40.At ?20 a kilo, there is big money to be made, but where
:07:41. > :08:03.Well, we don't know a great deal of where it's going.
:08:04. > :08:05.Well, a vast amount of them come from the London area,
:08:06. > :08:08.so God knows what they're doing with them in London.
:08:09. > :08:11.Lots of shellfood stalls in London - maybe that's where they end up.
:08:12. > :08:13.Oh, you come down from London.
:08:14. > :08:24.Then this cockle-picking duo attracted our attention
:08:25. > :08:27.because they came with their own shopping trolleys.
:08:28. > :08:46.Finally, just before the tide came in, a third.
:08:47. > :08:53.But following them, well, that was to prove rather trhcky
:08:54. > :09:18.We got another clue when we spotted this on their windscreen.
:09:19. > :09:21.A London parking permit to a tower block in Deptford,
:09:22. > :09:26.home to one of the capital's largest fish markets.
:09:27. > :09:32.Well, this is the car we followed from Shoreham full of cocklds.
:09:33. > :09:35.And the parking permit has taken us here to aptly-named Mermaid Tower
:09:36. > :09:43.Now, we have to try and find out where the cockles are being sold.
:09:44. > :09:45.Deptford Market in Lewisham - a must for anyone after
:09:46. > :09:51.There's something for everyone here...
:09:52. > :09:59.Fresh cockles stacked in a supermarket just
:10:00. > :10:03.from where our cockle car was parked.
:10:04. > :10:09.Not a trace of where they come from, unlike the mussels being
:10:10. > :10:15.If you want to be sure that you re buying cockles that are safd to eat,
:10:16. > :10:21.And when I leave the shop, who do I bump into a couple
:10:22. > :10:26.The man who drove the cockld car from Shoreham.
:10:27. > :10:35.Us will try as hard as we can to resolve it
:10:36. > :10:43.And it's also clear the polhceare interested in this as well.
:10:44. > :10:47.The Adur Estuary is a tripld SI site.
:10:48. > :10:49.Shellfish should not be taken from here.
:10:50. > :10:51.It's illegal, and yet this small army of pickers from London
:10:52. > :10:53.help themselves to this Sussex nature reserve,
:10:54. > :11:00.Could all these really be for personal consumption?
:11:01. > :11:03.Or are there shady money men behind this whole operation,
:11:04. > :11:24.feeding London's appetite for Shoreham cockles?
:11:25. > :11:34.Facing up to the realities of diabetes in the South East. I'm not
:11:35. > :11:42.having anything cut off this week. Diabetes comes in many forms,
:11:43. > :11:45.but they one they call type two is usually linked to lifestyle
:11:46. > :11:47.and is largely preventable. 10% of the NHS budget is spdnt
:11:48. > :11:50.treating that But those costs are
:11:51. > :11:54.likely to spiral if Here's Dominic Hughes,
:11:55. > :12:02.and you may find some of the pictures
:12:03. > :12:08.in his report disturbing. Today, I'd like to invite
:12:09. > :12:11.you to a shoe shop with a And they represent 140
:12:12. > :12:24.amputations that take place in England every week due
:12:25. > :12:26.to complications associated with We set up this shoe shop
:12:27. > :12:49.to show just how serious Where you come from and your family
:12:50. > :13:12.history can increase But doctors say most
:13:13. > :13:15.of it is down to obesity. Now, new data given exclusively
:13:16. > :13:22.to the BBC by Public Health England estim`tes
:13:23. > :13:30.there be an extra 250,000 Diabetics are at risk of kidney
:13:31. > :13:38.failure, blindness, even prdmature The NHS is spending ?10 billion
:13:39. > :13:43.a year on diabetic care. That's nearly 10%
:13:44. > :13:46.of its entire budget. As things stand, we are certainly
:13:47. > :13:49.looking at a crisis in diabetes that threatens to bankrupt
:13:50. > :13:52.the NHS if we continue with these One of our shoes belongs
:13:53. > :14:00.to Stephen Woodman. We caught up with him as he arrived
:14:01. > :14:02.at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospit`l
:14:03. > :14:04.for an appointment Like 90% of diabetics,
:14:05. > :14:16.Stephen has the type II version which is linked to lifestyld,
:14:17. > :14:18.so largely But diagnosed as a young man,
:14:19. > :14:21.he ignored his GP's I carried on leading
:14:22. > :14:34.the lifestyle that I was. I was younger, this was over
:14:35. > :14:40.25 years ago. I was out at the pub and dohng
:14:41. > :14:44.all the Like many diabetics,
:14:45. > :14:55.Stephen developed an ulcer on his The ulcer wouldn't heal,
:14:56. > :15:06.and in the end had to have his toe My surgeon did say to me,
:15:07. > :15:12.when he was taking my third toe off, it is only a matter of time
:15:13. > :15:15.before you lose that one. He says it is inevitable
:15:16. > :15:18.that will go the same Patients with Type 2 diabetds aren't
:15:19. > :15:21.just losing their toes, somd have had to had a foot amputated,
:15:22. > :15:24.or even a lower leg. It's life changing
:15:25. > :15:26.and very expensive. For the first six months
:15:27. > :15:29.following the patients And even a basic prosthesis
:15:30. > :15:35.costs thousands of All of those aspects mean
:15:36. > :15:41.that it is a very expensive process Nick is the health
:15:42. > :15:56.economist who worked at the Most of that is spent
:15:57. > :16:02.on competitions. FOot ulcers and amputations
:16:03. > :16:04.cast nearly ?1 billion Then there is sight
:16:05. > :16:12.loss, nerve damage. But the biggest cost
:16:13. > :16:14.of all is for heart attacks and With both obesity and Type 2
:16:15. > :16:19.diabetes affecting more and more of us, costs for diabetic c`re are
:16:20. > :16:24.expected to increase to ?17 billion There is a fixed amount
:16:25. > :16:33.of money for the NHS. Clearly if one disease area
:16:34. > :16:35.like diabetes is taking up a more considerable
:16:36. > :16:37.amount of that cost, there is less to spend
:16:38. > :16:38.on It is important
:16:39. > :16:45.that the policymakers and local commissioners of care
:16:46. > :16:48.think about the way in which those costs can be mitigated
:16:49. > :16:51.over the next few years. Clearly there isn't going to be
:16:52. > :16:57.enough to go around. I'm just taking
:16:58. > :16:59.a measurement to make up thd Back at the Royal Shrewsburx
:17:00. > :17:07.Hospital, Stephen is getting Losing three toes means she has
:17:08. > :17:11.to have specially made Out of interest, how
:17:12. > :17:15.much is a pair of Because the boots will be ctstom
:17:16. > :17:19.made to fit your feet, they will We really need to try
:17:20. > :17:33.and find ways of preventing those patients from
:17:34. > :17:34.reaching surgeons. The cost to the patient
:17:35. > :17:41.and to the NHS is skyrockethng. A new problem is expected to put
:17:42. > :17:43.even 16-year-old Aisha is one of a small
:17:44. > :17:56.but growing number of children with I developed Type 2
:17:57. > :18:01.diabetes by having a sweet I used to drink quite
:18:02. > :18:17.a lot of sugary drink. When I was taken to the hospital,
:18:18. > :18:20.the doctor told me I was diagnosed with Type two diabetes,
:18:21. > :18:23.it hit me then, because I started Aisha now has to rely
:18:24. > :18:27.on medicine to control But she has managed
:18:28. > :18:31.to lose a stone in weight. Those fizzy drinks are a thhng
:18:32. > :18:33.of thepast. You have to keep
:18:34. > :18:41.changing your diet plan New research shows the numbdr
:18:42. > :18:53.of children like Aisha with type 2 diabetes has ne`rly
:18:54. > :19:02.doubled in the last ten years. They are likely to
:19:03. > :19:03.develop complications People who are getting Type 2
:19:04. > :19:10.diabetes when they are 15 They are going to have signhficant
:19:11. > :19:13.problems, likely to have That is much younger
:19:14. > :19:18.than you would expect. These are things like renal failure,
:19:19. > :19:20.heart attacks, They are going to have
:19:21. > :19:29.a huge impact for them. Ultimately, tackling the rise
:19:30. > :19:30.in Type 2 diabetes would depend
:19:31. > :19:32.on reducing our waistlines. We really needs concerted
:19:33. > :19:36.action right across For us to fund more research
:19:37. > :19:39.to provide the best And crucially to
:19:40. > :19:46.prevent so many cases Unsteady on his feet
:19:47. > :19:59.after losing his toes, he was told by his employer
:20:00. > :20:02.that he is not fit for work. Given everything you have bden
:20:03. > :20:03.through, Steve, what would your advice be
:20:04. > :20:08.to other people who are being It is the biggest regret I have
:20:09. > :20:19.ever made in my entire Of course, it is important
:20:20. > :20:35.to follow Steve's advice What action is being taken
:20:36. > :20:42.here in the South East Many ordinary families
:20:43. > :20:48.across the South East are Janet and her husband
:20:49. > :20:57.Chris are among them. Today, they are learning to use
:20:58. > :21:00.the blood sugar level test which she was given
:21:01. > :21:07.by a diabetes clinic. She has already suffered ond heart
:21:08. > :21:10.attack - if she doesn't get her diabetes under
:21:11. > :21:16.control, she could be just. She said it shouldn't go
:21:17. > :21:21.any higher than 8.5. Francis is another newly
:21:22. > :21:24.diagnosed diabetes She is determined to tackle
:21:25. > :21:29.the disease because she is terrified of what will
:21:30. > :21:39.happen if she does not. I really don't want to lose limbs,
:21:40. > :21:41.lose my sight. Type two 2 diabetes starts
:21:42. > :21:47.when the body no longer reacts Interfering with the body's
:21:48. > :21:49.ability to convert That leads to high sugar levels
:21:50. > :21:52.in the blood, which can Nearly 100,000 people have been
:21:53. > :21:55.diagnosed with diabetes in the It is a potentially
:21:56. > :22:02.life-threatening illness. We will be looking at the special
:22:03. > :22:05.effort being made to stop it In Medway, almost
:22:06. > :22:11.one in 14 people has Patients are referred to spdcialist
:22:12. > :22:20.clinics and classes for the newly Provided by Medway
:22:21. > :22:29.Community Healthcare. These are overseen
:22:30. > :22:31.by Ann, who has been a Much earlier, and pick
:22:32. > :22:39.it up much earlier. A lot of people now
:22:40. > :22:42.who are diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes don't
:22:43. > :22:45.have any symptoms of diabetds This is one of the
:22:46. > :22:48.classes for people who have been recently
:22:49. > :23:00.diagnosed with diabetes. Your body will kick in the symptoms
:23:01. > :23:03.dart Francis and Janet had been referred here to learn how to
:23:04. > :23:07.control their disease as well as find out about the drugs thdy might
:23:08. > :23:15.take, losing weight is one of the things they are being advisdd to do.
:23:16. > :23:21.Kate is a diabetes educator. A lot of the time, people want to know
:23:22. > :23:24.what they can eat. Food portions, I bring them into show them what a
:23:25. > :23:30.portion looks like. That is shocking to many people. And the
:23:31. > :23:38.carbohydrates have an effect on blood sugar levels, not just sugar.
:23:39. > :23:51.Portions at Newtown are my problem, I am trying to cut back. I have lost
:23:52. > :24:03.about ?9 and will try to lose more. What is the link between obdsity and
:24:04. > :24:07.type two diabetes? The link between obesity and diabetes relates to the
:24:08. > :24:12.accumulation of facts. We c`ll it a visceral fat. That means around the
:24:13. > :24:20.organs. It has the ability to produce certain harmful substances
:24:21. > :24:26.that unfortunately results hn an increase in insulin resistance. Once
:24:27. > :24:37.you have diabetes, can you get rid of it by losing weight? I al yet to
:24:38. > :24:39.see anyone remitting their diabetes. The one that sticks in my mhnd
:24:40. > :24:44.the divorced lady who met a the divorced lady who met a
:24:45. > :24:50.long-distance runner. She started going out on a bike with hil. She
:24:51. > :24:58.ended up taking part in a m`rathon. But the majority of patients will
:24:59. > :25:03.need lifelong treatment to `void competitions like heart att`cks and
:25:04. > :25:08.gangrene. I have gone back to visit France's and her husband to see how
:25:09. > :25:14.she is getting on. She showdd us fairly graphic pictures of people
:25:15. > :25:20.that she has known that havd had happy days and is. Then I w`tched
:25:21. > :25:26.Panorama. I don't want to go down that road. They both found the
:25:27. > :25:41.programme shocking. Look at all the toes. It is like you are gohng to
:25:42. > :25:46.make a shared. It is horrible. - makeover ten Lee.
:25:47. > :25:55.Did you find it scary? Yes. And after make me think, oh, my God I
:25:56. > :26:04.didn't realise this could h`ppen to you. The Government is so worried
:26:05. > :26:10.about the ?10 billion a year treatment costs, it has lost the Lee
:26:11. > :26:18.launched the prevention schdme in Medway, one of the first ardas to
:26:19. > :26:25.launch the... The website h`s lifestyle advice for those
:26:26. > :26:28.identified as being in risk. The prevention programme will elphasise
:26:29. > :26:34.exercise for everyone and hdlp people sign up to sporting
:26:35. > :26:41.activities. A new spot on offer for people with diabetes is walking
:26:42. > :26:46.football. -- a new sports. Ht is a new, more sedate version of
:26:47. > :26:53.football. It is not as frenzied as five a side. It is done at ` walking
:26:54. > :26:57.pace. I noticed a little bit of jogging here and there. Walking is
:26:58. > :27:03.defined as having one vote on the ground at all times, and yot can do
:27:04. > :27:11.that quickly. After I retirdd, I decided I needed to lose wehght How
:27:12. > :27:17.stone when I retired. It is too late stone when I retired. It is too late
:27:18. > :27:21.for Janet is to prevent her diabetes, but she is learning to
:27:22. > :27:32.control it with the help of the classes. I would never have guessed
:27:33. > :27:41.that a crumpets is equivalent to 1.5 slices of bread. The whole thing has
:27:42. > :27:47.made me think. Janet and Fr`nce s course has one a national award
:27:48. > :27:55.Anyone can give information to people. But they are the onds who
:27:56. > :28:00.are motivated so I am proud of them. It is difficult to avoid thd impact
:28:01. > :28:03.of diabetes once you have it. That said, many diabetics are le`rning to
:28:04. > :28:05.help themselves to control the disease. And leading full and active
:28:06. > :28:17.lives. Excellent! If you would like to know more about
:28:18. > :28:26.the programme, you can visit our life pages... You can also watch the
:28:27. > :28:34.show again online. Coming up next week... The trade in fake train
:28:35. > :28:40.tickets. The quality of the counterfeit is the highest goatee I
:28:41. > :28:46.have seen for a long time. ,- the highest quality. The latest from the
:28:47. > :28:54.Calais Jungle camp. And football for over 50 women. Not all women want to
:28:55. > :28:58.go to classes, I just love playing football. That is all for Rochester.
:28:59. > :29:03.Thank you for watching.