13/01/2014 Inside Out South

Brain and more rain. How much more can the South take? The perils of

easy money. Why are payday loan `` why are payday loan could seriously

damage your health. And the charity trying to help

horses and donkeys through violent times in Egypt.

First tonight, what a dramatic start to 2014 has been. We have had

torrential rain, gale force winds, and of course, all of this flooding.

It has turned thousands of people's lives in the South upside down, and

left many counting the cost. From Weymouth and Portland, along the

south coast and up to Oxfordshire, the Flood story just kept on

the residents of Purley on Thames are no strangers to seems like this.

Waders and canoes have been essential items, as finally, the

Thames could just not cope. Is that the worst of it there? Across

England, at least 1700 homes and businesses have been flooded,

bringing misery to scores of families. Questions are being asked

over what this means for property values, insurance premiums, and

house`building policy. The government says almost one in six

homes could face scenes like this in the future. For Purley, floods have

become a way of life. Some, like Rory West, are helping stranded

neighbours. This morning, we had to go and buy an inflatable kayak just

to take goods down to the neighbours will get anybody out, or get

anything out we can. At five o'clock this morning, I came out to see what

was going on. I realised the water was an inch away from the door, so

we decided to get out at that point, and we will truly taking the last

few bits out when the water started coming up between the floorboards. I

was coming out at regular intervals through the night, and the road up

there was breached at three o'clock in the morning. Then, I knew we were

going to get flooded quite badly around the back here. So on the

right`hand side, there is a line. That is where it was in 2003. That

is the 2003 tide mark. It is a lots of misery for a lot of

people, but it is just one of those. You've got to do your bit,

and that's it, really. As we all ask, is it ever going to stop?

Weather experts say it is true we are getting more and more of these

big blocks of whether that hang around for a long time. We seem to

be getting more of these extremes because the active seems to sit for

periods of time. `` the pattern. In 2012, at the beginning, we were

looking at drought conditions, so by the end of March, water levels were

exceptionally low, very close to the summer of 1976. And then everything

changed. By April, the heavens opened, and it was called the

wettest trout on record, because things change so quickly. Heavy

rainfall soon took away the drought conditions and brought exceptional

flooding conditions, and 2012 was one of the wettest years we have

seen on record. We seem to be swinging from one extreme to

another, and it is down to these weather patterns that stick for

weeks and sometimes months in patterns of either settled

conditions, bringing drier conditions, or the mobile westerly

winds we have at the moment bringing flooding conditions. So what is Liz

Bentley's best guess on the outlook for the rest of the winter? We are

about halfway through the winter months in the middle of January, and

it has been a mild month so far, and a wet and stormy winter. For me,

looking ahead, I am looking to the top of the atmosphere, the jet

stream, to see what happens in the next couple of weeks. It looks as if

things will settle down a bit once we get to the end of January. Things

start to settle down, and we should see less rainfall. Depending on

where high pressure builds, which it looks like it will, we will either

get a cold spell coming in, if we get Easter leaves like last winter,

or it might just remain mild but dry, so it is really depending on

the high pressure. Dorset was hit hard by the floods.

News teams descended on a mobile home park for the over 50s on the

banks of the river Stour. Residents here had to evacuate their homes

with just a few hours' notice. Some still staying with friends will .

Some were allowed to camp for the last fortnight in a nearby church so

they were close to home. Can I give supplies to someone? It is all we

could think of. We couldn't think of anything to do for you, and you

probably don't want to see any more liquid at all! I thought I would get

you milk. It will take more than tea and biscuits to ease the misery

caused by flooding here. We were woken up Christmas morning by a

knock on the door at about quarter past four in the morning, and that

was it. It was up to the bottom of that step, and we just had to get

out. Sue Holloway and her 80`year`old husband had just ten

minutes to lead before water levels rose and flooded the inside of their

park home. How deep was it in here? It was all up in this draw, and all

opinion. You are kidding. And in that cupboard. All the carpets have

gone. We have taken them out. Everything else is ruined, but we

have left it down. So there is water in there? Yellow matter yes, in

there. All the carpets have gone. We have taken them out. Everything else

is ruined, but we have left it down. So there is water in there? Yellow

matter yes, in there. Only mild stuff will stop the washing machine

is broken. That was filled up with water. And I think people forget it

is not clean water, river water. No, it is dirty, sewage. This is your

home. It must be heartbreaking. It is, really, because we have nowhere

to go now. We are homeless. Across the South, people are asking if it

is right that we are allowed to set up home in areas thrown to flooding.

It is a known problem. I am a local lad. I grew up in Burton. There have

always been floods. What can be done to stop this happening again? This

is of course, a flood plain, and by virtue of the name on the door, this

is a mobile home park. Everybody could be lifted off here. They are

not subject to any planning permission. These homes are

licensed. They are licensed by the local authority. So, should they be

licensed? Whether it is right or wrong, I guess that should be for

future meetings to be held and decided. At one time, 70 families

were trapped in their homes with six feet of sea water around them. In

1979, storms lashed the coast of Dorset and good even worse flooding

them this time. Rita Prescott was living in either doubt the time. ``

Peter Prescott. In the flood of 1979, we lost everything we have. It

was quite horrendous. However horrendous it was, he did not want

to move, but having been flooded once, as you can imagine, insurance

premiums rocketed. The insurance was quite considerable. We paid over

?600 insurance, and we had a ?1000 access on any flood damage, so it

was already prohibitively expensive. But we cannot afford not to be

insured. I said to my wife, we can't not be insured. But while insurance

premiums go up, our property values going down? There are two homes for

sale on the bike at the moment, all offering an affordable way for

anyone over 50 to live in this part of Dorset. But will anyone actually

wants to buy them? Are you seeing more worrying people buying property

near rivers? We have had a number of quite high profile winters and

floods and stuff. Are people more cautious? They take note of the

agencies and advice, and there are more searches to do these days, so,

yes, they are more aware of it. They don't just buy something and say,

this is OK. Look into it, and the 100% sure before you commit

yourself. Ayes what we got here? For sale currently is a two`bedroom,

about eight or nine years old. At the moment we are asking for sale

currently is a two`bedroom, about eight or nine years old. At the

moment we asking ?439,000. That is very realistic in the general market

conditions. `` ?139,000. Do you think what is happening in the last

few weeks will affect it? I think it will in the short term. How much

would it affect the price realistically? If it was

would it affect the price might have to drop 20,000, in the

short term, but if she has to stick out for her prize, we will keep on.

In the spring, it will bounce back. This is cyclical. I'm sure it

happened 1000 years ago, and it will happen in 1000 years time. It will

come and go just as quickly as it came. Peter Prescott has no doubt

there is anywhere else you would rather be living. Hopefully, a few

more years, but we would not live anywhere else. It is our little

kingdom. It is nice. We enjoy it. I would love to hear your thoughts on

how local agencies responded. I'll use salted now? `` all you sorted

now? You need a little bit of cash,

perhaps you are thinking of getting a short`term loan to pay off an

existing loan. Before you do, watch this.

On the high street where shops are shouting, you will find payday

lenders thriving. It is a ?2 billion industry which for some customers

can provide a lifeline, quick cash for people who cannot borrow money

elsewhere. But what happens when borrowers cannot pay the cash back

on time and the amount owed rockets thanks to hefty rates of interest?

The original loan amount, ?155. The current amount you owe, ?672. Wow.

When this coach driver found himself out of work, he borrowed a couple of

hundred pounds. Within months, he owed thousands. I am on my own. I

only have my income. I needed a bit of help. A loan, as bad as it was, I

thought it would be all right. Can you remember taking out your first

one? It was ?100. I had to pay back ?160. But it did not go to plan. You

have to pay more money back than you borrowed. It makes you that much

short of that month. So you have to take it out again. How many loans

did you have paying off other loans paying off other loans? About 13

towards the end. Paul is not the only one to struggle with paying

back loans. With interest rates up to 6000% APR, debt can easily spiral

out of control. On the Isle of Wight, there has been a 100%

increase in the number of cases seen by the Citizens Advice Bureau.

People are not doing it to buy flatscreen TVs, they are trying to

put food on the table and buy their kids new school uniforms and pay

rent. It is desperation. When people come to us, they are in crisis. It

is when the payday loans have stacked up and they have probably

got more than a handful of payday loans. They may owe ?6,000, ?10,000

at an interest rate of 1000%. Where are people going to get to the end

of that? They can't. Desperate measures.

It is horrible. You get another one each month. You have to pay off the

last one and the fees. A few clicks on the Internet and you can get the

money within an hour most of the time. Wow. Your next action, pay

?1117. They want that in full. Immediately. It is so easy for

people to go onto the Internet and they do not feel like they are

borrowing money. The next week, I will have that one. That goes on

from there. Robbing Peter to pay Paul. You will never get to the end.

It seems not all payday loan companies are being entirely fair

when their customers fall behind with payments. One woman's

experience with Toothfairy Finance has left the CAB deeply concerned.

The client had a debt of ?300 and she could not paid within the

specified two`week time frame. They added interest on the loan which

meant she could not afford the new increased loan amount which

unfortunately was passed on to election agencies, three different

agency at the same time. The debt is now over ?3000. Despite agreeing

with the collection agency and new payment plan, the woman who wants to

remain anonymous received ever`increasing demands for money.

She has been having text messages throughout the day and evening,

weekend, bang, days. She nights so it is quite disruptive and very

stressful. `` anchor holidays. Government guidelines say borrowers

should not be put under undue pressure and that charges are

supposed to be proportionate to the main debt. We wanted to ask

Toothfairy Finance first simple sums, how and why had heard that

multiplied by ten times the original amount? Welcome to Toothfairy

Finance. You are important to us. Please hold whilst we connect you to

an operator of who will be more than happy to discuss your options. But

we had to wait on our hands. `` a wait. Well, that is 20 minutes on

hold. They promise we will talk to an operator. We will keep waiting.

Cut off! Hello? It is cut off. After an hour and a half on hold, the

phone has just cut off. Could you imagine if you were paying for that

on a mobile phone? How frustrating! Toothfairy Finance appear to have

lost their sparkle in the customer services department. It is no wonder

we could not get through as Web Loans Processing who traded as

Toothfairy Finance was in the process of going into

administration. We have discovered the company had been under

investigation by the Office of Fair Trading. The government department

was unhappy with some of its working practices and proposing to remove

its credit licence. That is its ability to lend money. During our

investigation, we found other borrowers also upset with Toothfairy

Finance and the campaign group Toothfairy.con says it has received

hundreds of complaints. These are just some of them. Now that the

company Toothfairy Finance is out of business, the big question is, will

be borrowers have to pay back the money and more importantly, the

interest? Quite possibly, yes. Toothfairy Finance's books have been

sold to a company called, would you believe, Loads Of Dosh Ltd. They

have subsequently changed their name to DHR Capital. We want to ask that

very question to them, but as yet, no response. You know where we are.

The Consumer Finance Association which represents many of these sorts

of lenders says that payday loan is designed to be a short`term option

only and should never be used to try and fix larger long`term debt

problems. They state taking out one loan to pay off another is not

advisable and that they are working on a solution to let lenders see

when borrowers have other payday loans outstanding. The Financial

Conduct Authority is due to introduce new regulations for the

payday loan companies in April and the government too wants to put a

cap on the cost of payday loans. Campaigners say this is too little,

too late. There is a way somebody that exploits people's desperation.

These are the ones who have stepped in here. I think it is time for us

as a community and the society to stand up against and say, this is

not all right. We are due a change. However, the people who run the

payday loan companies are clever businesspeople. I am quite sure they

will find a way around it. Paul continued to see his step rise

because he could not afford to pay back his loans `` his debt rise. How

bad did it get? I was depressed. All of them wanted money on my back. The

letters coming through the door, the phone lines on the landline and the

mobile. I could not do my job. Did you get the knock on the door as

well from collectors? Yes. At the door, on the phone and through the

post. He sought help at the Citizens Advice Bureau but he was so much in

debt that the only thing he could do was declare himself bankrupt. It has

put a mark on my future. I cannot buy a house that at least six to ten

years time. I am screwed, basically. Do you regret taking out the first

loan? I do. I regret that first one when I click the button. I regret

that decision. That is half the reason that led me to the

bankruptcy. That one took of the mouse? That one click of the mouse.

You can find us on Twitter, don't forget. Finally tonight, the Sussex

woman who gave up everything to help animals abroad. When Kim Taylor set

up a sanctuary in Egypt, she had no idea of the turmoil the country was

about to descend into. Sally Taylor's report contains some

distressing scenes. Seven years ago, Inside Out made a

film about a West Sussex woman who ran a charity looking after horses

and donkeys in Egypt. Going really fast and he is still being beaten.

Kim Taylor gave up life in Boxgrove to move to Luxor, opening her

charity ACE, Animal Care in Egypt, in 2000. She wanted to teach people

how to look after working animals that often suffered appalling

neglect. Among the horrifying incidents we filmed was a horse

which had treated at the Centre for leg injury being put straight back

to work with devastating consequences. We have been able to

redraft its leg and it is now able to stand and eat and drink. Track

road we dress its leg. Around the corner was the Egyptian revolution.

We will see if we can convince the owner to let her out to grass for a

while. The struggle for democracy led to violent protest after 30

years of oppression. The first elected president Mohamed Morsi now

faces charges himself. The constitutional referendum is under

way and mid continuing violence and tourists are steering clear. Over

the last few years, Egypt has changed. Luxor has certainly

changed. At one time, there was boats going up and down the River

Nile, tourists everywhere. You had to queue to get into the temples and

tombs. Now it is deserted. Mostly because the Home Office have said it

is one of those places you should not go to. Therefore, people cannot

get insurance. No one is coming. It is really sad. Until 2010, we used

to receive 14 million clients every year. People were happy with this.

Now we are running between 3% and 4%. Most of the hotels are empty. We

have 286 boats. Many are now for sale. The government has to think

quick link what we will do. We have boats, horse carriages, buses,

everything has stopped. Life has stopped. It is nice of you all to

come today. There are hardly any tourists. With only a handful of

people now holidaying in Egypt, ACE has lost important funding from

international visitors. we were so impressed by the work that goes on,

it is so reassuring to know there is somewhere for the animals to come,

if they get hurt, which they often do. Kim says that one of the effects

of the revolution has been to bring up more animals on the streets,

which together with increasing poverty, this has meant a rising

workload the ACE. The working animals, they are bringing goods to

and from building sites. It is basically one vehicle, one animal on

the streets. There are so many animals working on the streets in

Luxor. It is quite a shock when you first go there. You think you will

see the donkey but there are so many, thousands of horses and

donkeys working on the streets, but especially donkeys. Since the

beginning of the Egyptian revolution, the Arab Spring we have

had no fuel. We have had shortages of petrol and diesel. People have

been going back to animals they do not use any more, they are getting

them out. At least then they have some form of transport. There has

not been any petrol or diesel. The people just generally use animals in

a way that is like a tool. When it is broken, they will try to find

another tool. Some people are learning that if they take care of

their animals they will last longer and work better. That is something

we have been trying to instil in people from the beginning. This is

your business, your taxi. If you take care of it, it will last a long

time. Then it will work for you longer and work harder. But you have

got to put the effort and money in and food into the animal to get the

best out of it. We see lots of very bad traffic accidents. You do not

see that he is so much because people do actually go around horses

slowly. Whereas in Luxor, the traffic is moving very fast and

people do not really seem to care very much. We often have carriage

horses that have a foal tied beside the mother and the traffic will come

around and not see the baby and smack into it. Often horses get

loose and crash into each other. We see some really major traffic

accident wounds which are very bloody and graphic and horrible. At

the moment, people are also downgrading the food they give their

animals because they have not got the money to spend so they are

trying to cut down. They are feeding them something which will keep them

alive, but actually, they are not putting on weight. If they are

working, they are losing weight. That is horrible. We are trying to

feed as many animals as we can not coming to us just to try and keep

them alive, really, keep them balanced. As the constitutional

referendum gets under way, Kim is hopeful things will begin to settle

and the tourists will return. In the meantime, she is determined to carry

on running the centre than no salary with the help of a sympathetic

ex`husband, her family and well`wishers. The local people said,

you should be helping children. If you are coming here as a foreigner,

you should help the children or the poor people. I think everybody finds

their niche in life and it was something that I saw that people

were not maintaining their animals and the poorest of people are trying

to get the best from their animals and there was nobody there to help

them to do that. That is what we wanted to do, help those people to

get the best from their animals, look after the animals as we go

along the way and educate children along the way as well so that the

future will be better. I think you can think, yes, there are so many

problems on the planet. I see so many things and it brings me to

tears all of the time. But I have to blinker myself because it is

bettered to try and do one thing well done to do so many things and

then you just get lost. To be able to help the local poor people is to

help their animals. You could not go there and give poor people money. It

would not work. It is a way of helping poor people, the poorest

people. And the people accept me as the Mount Englishwoman that wants to

do something positive and not something destructive `` the mad

Englishwoman. Kim Taylor there, no relation to

Sally. That is it for this week. Don't forget my e`mail. I will see

you next time. Next week, how to heat your home for ?3 a month. I

think people are learning that you have got to keep yourself warm. You

cannot expect the house to do it all the time. And after the lights went

out at Christmas, who is to blame and could it happen again?

Hello, I'm Ellie Crisell with your 90-second update.

The PM has backed fracking. He's promised councils incentives if they

let companies drill for shale gas. Critics have called the offer a

bribe, but the Government claims the process will give us cheaper energy.

More at 10pm. The biggest public inquiry into

child abuse in the UK has begun in Northern Ireland. It's looking at

care in church and state-run homes over 70 years. More than 400 people

have asked to give evidence. Mark Bridger was convicted of

murdering April