06/02/2014 BBC Channel Islands News

Peter, thank you. That's all from the BBC News at Six,

Peter, thank you. Hello, good evening, welcome to the

BBC in the Channel Islands, our top stories.

A costly clean up, storm`lashed sea walls, properties and even Castle

Cornet need work, but the budget's already spent. The budget for those

sea walls and coastal defences will be gone, without question. But that

is not the end of the world, you know. The team here prepare for yet

more bad weather over the course of the next few days and I will be

asking the minister responsible if they were well prepared and how much

the clean`up will cost. And caught on camera, twitchers

rejoice as a rare bird returns to Jersey's coast, 100 years since it

was last seen there in the wild We're getting reports this evening

of flooding in parts of Guernsey. Police say they've been dealing with

up to 60 flooded roads, and they've run out of road closed signs and

sandbags. Excessive rainfall is also causing problems in parts of

Alderney. Meanwhile, strong winds have hampered clear up operations

across the Channel Islands, as teams try to repair the damage to sea

walls, slipways and roads. Guernsey's Environment Department

has revealed it's already almost completely spent its budget for

maintaining the island's coastal defences. Meanwhile, in Jersey the

cost of repairs runs into the hundreds of thousands of pounds

More on that in a moment, but first Mike Wilkins has been to see the

damage in Guernsey. A lower tide but one that's still

wreaking havoc. Today, this part of Guernsey's east coast was given very

little time to recover as the waves smashed in once again. Behind me,

the colourful breakwater has been damaged. Huge rocks dislodged, and

it is still early to say how much it is going to cost repair. But this is

absolutely crucial to the protection of Singh Peter Fulton. Across the

island, teams have been working against the elements to repair the

damage. We can't do that when the tide is coming over so we have tried

to clear as much as we can. Some places, we have had to leave because

it is dangerous to get to them. As we start just the second month of

the year, the Environment Department's maintenance budget has

almost been spent already. The budget for the sea walls and coastal

defences will be gone, without question. But that is not the end of

the world. Repairing all this will cost a lot of money and the

Environment Department is going to have to find more and re`prioritise

its plans to ensure the island remains protected from future

storms. As the unlikely begins to happen at

Castle Cornet, some reassuring news for insurance customers. Some

companies say the storm damage won't have a huge effect on premiums. The

number of claims we have had is far more biased to Guernsey than Jersey,

and, specifically, localised to a smaller area. I do not see that

first storm and the floods that have occurred will have a huge effect on

premiums. For people that have been affected by storm damage, the advice

is to speak to your insurance company as soon as possible. BBC

Radio Guernsey is broadcasting a special programme this evening

bringing you all the latest as emergency services deal with the

flooding. There are problems with the FM service but you can listen

online. Well, in Jersey, the States have

issued a warning for flooding in low lying areas of the island for

tonight and early morning. Meanwhile, the cost of repairing the

island's sea defences is estimated to be at least ?200,000. Work has

started on repairing the slipway at St Aubin. It partly collapsed after

the days of storms. La Grande Maison slipway near St Catherine's lifeboat

station has also been damaged. Well, with more weather warnings on

the way, our reporter Edward Sault has been to Jersey's Transport and

Technical Services depot in La Collette to speak to Minister Kevin

Lewis. You join me at a wet and blustery

transport and technical services depot in St Helier. This is where

the road sweepers for the island are kept that up operated by this

company and you can see for yourself. Here are two that have

been heavily involved in the clear up this week as a result of these

storms we have been experiencing. They are undergoing for more of a ``

their undergoing a clear up before they go out on the roads. How bad

has the weather been in your experience this week compared to

other years? I have never known it this bad. It has been storm of the

century, as far as I'm concerned. How much will the clean`up cost We

are looking upwards of ?200,000 But there is probably more to come. We

have a red warning tonight, so we are anticipating roof tiles to come

flying down, trees, a few of them will come down. We advise anyone if

they have anything in their garden that can blow around, please secure

it in your garden. This weather is quite unprecedented, more as

expected, what problems do you envisage? We have several teams on

stand`by, the Fire crews on stand`by, the sweepers, but a lot of

it has to be done by hand because the seaweed is far too heavy. So the

clear up teams are on stand`by. So, you are prepared? Yes. Thank you.

So, they are prepared. Jersey got another red issued warning from the

Met Office. This clear up will continue for the next few days.

The head of Jersey's Fishermen's Association says this winter's been

one of the worst for local fishermen in 35 years. Don Thompson says boats

have rarely left the harbour for six weeks due to the rough seas and

storms. As well as leaving fishermen hundreds of thousands of pounds out

of pocket, it's starting to have an effect on local fish supplies as Jen

Smith found out. Get them while you can. Vicky

Border's been selling fish in Jersey at this family business for more

than 15 years. She says she still has plenty to fill the shelves now

but, by the weekend, shellfish will be gone. Crab and lobster are the

main problem. When that is gone it's gone. There's nothing we can

do. We've got to hope there is light at the end of the tunnel not too far

away and that fishermen can go back out because these are the guys I

feel sorry for. Vicky's shop relies on the catch local fishermen bring

in. But the boats have been stuck in the harbour since December, so

there's little to go around. We re running into the six`week since we

have had any income at all. We can suffer a couple of weeks, but this

is really... This is creating real difficulty particular for the young

fisherman, to have no income at all. The slump in local fish is having a

knock`on effect. From fishermen s pockets to restaurant plates.

Lobster, crab, it is all imported at the moment. Scholar 's. And a lot of

the fish, the wet fish. A bit of it comes from the mainland anyway so we

are managing, in that respect, but local has been pretty bad for local

fish. Vicky's optimistic there'll be a break in the weather soon, so

Jersey's fishermen can get back to sea. But with more bad weather on

the way for the weekend, these nets may be ashore for a while to come.

The trial of the man accused of killing Guernsey woman Sarah Groves

has been postponed again today. The 24`year`old was found dead on a

houseboat she was sharing with a local family in Kashmir last year.

Dutch national 43`year`old Richard De Wit denies her murder. A

neighbour of the houseboat was due to appear this morning but didn t

turn up to the hearing. The trial is scheduled to resume on 17th

February. 250 passengers in France bound for

the Channel Islands were turned away this morning due to a strike by 20

Condor Ferries crew members. The company says it was given no notice

of the 24`hour strike by French port workers, as part of against

austerity measures. Tomorrow's service between the islands and St

Malo has also been cancelled. Sport. And in tennis, singles wins

for Guernsey's Heather Watson and Jo Konta helped Great Britain to a 2`1

win over Latvia in their opening Fed Cup group match in Budapest. Judy

Murray's team next face Hungary on Friday afternoon. Only two of the 17

teams in action will have a chance of qualifying for the World Group II

play`offs. Good to have you with us. Later on in Spotlight, a town

mourns its historic rock tower, condemned after the storms.

This was a sight not seen in the Channel Islands for over a century,

but now these red billed choughs are once again being seen and heard

along Jersey's north coast. A project to re`introduce these rare

birds into the wild by Durrell wildlife trust is well on its way.

And, for the first time, it's been captured on camera. Emma Chambers

reports. A rare moment captured on camera. A

chough flying in Jersey's open air, over 100 years after they were last

spotted in the wild. Durrell has been re`introducing the birds back

to the islands north coast. A project that's not only taken a lot

of time and effort but has also been filmed. A first for the Channel

Islands. One of our supporters recommended to us before we even got

the first birds that we should arrange to have a film made from day

one. And to cover all of those minor jobs that have to be done. It was a

brilliant idea. Rather than make a film at the end and then have no

background stuff to show what we did at the start of the project, we get

it first. The footage shows every aspect of the re`introduction

programme. From attaching radio transmitters, to the first moment

the choughs were released. It's documenting because it is such an

important project but also for research projects, like the ones in

Hawaii, they will benefit from this, sharing information. But also

keeping the public up`to`date with what is going on. It's great to be

able to show them what is involved in this. It's not just a case of

throwing them out and hoping for the best! The eight choughs at Sorel

Point are currently being kept inside the aviary due to the

weather, but there are more filming opportunities in store for this

year. We have to release is planned this year. With the birds that are

already there and any birds we can breed this season, so that would be

in the late summer. And with the breeding itself, we are doing some

hand rearing and incubation and filming that. This footage will be

used at Durrell's training academy but is also available on the

projects website. `` on the project's website.

Back to the weather now, and the story is changing to one of strong

winds rather than high tides, isn't it? We've even had a warning from

Jersey's Construction Council to secure any loose building materials,

is it going to be that bad? The wind direction overnight

tonight, we have had the coast, the south coast and the east coast of

the islands being battered by the really big waves and the strength of

the wind, we've had the heavy rain today and overnight we have a change

in the with direction `` in the wind direction. It is the north`west

facing coast that will get a hammering. As you mentioned, there

is a warning. We could have gusts of wind as it is getting like tomorrow

morning of between 60 and 70 miles an hour. The wind direction is

completed different to what we have seen, it is from the North for

Northwest, backing Westerly tomorrow. Tomorrow is not a bad day.

It's going to start pretty windy, but the winds drop, and there should

be some sunshine to enjoy which will hopefully cheer us up. There is more

wet weather coming in overnight and it becomes very windy again as we

move into the early hours of Saturday morning. Why is it so

unsettled? Why are we seeing this strength of wind? Notice that on

this side of the low pressure, there is a squeeze in the ice bars, that

is the strength of wind that drifts across us. And yet, out here in the

Atlantic, there is another sizeable area of low pressure. This is the

next storm because we could have gusts of wind to storm force. It is

racing across the Atlantic and it will arrive across most of this

corner of Europe by the time we get to the middle of the day on

Saturday. The showers overnight tonight are still quite lively and

there are some that could give an intense downpour of rain. The main

theme is the strength of the winds and overnight temperatures down to

around seven. Those winds quickly eased tomorrow is by the time we get

into the afternoon, there might be some showers, but there will be

sunshine. Later in the day, figure cloud from the south`west,

high`level cloud. Most of the day is dry. Generally lighter winds as

well. The winds start of upper gale force but soon backing

south`westerly force five, then south`westerly six. Fair then rain

later. Times of high water. These are important.

And very messy surf conditions. That is because of the wind direction

change. Very windy on Saturday, less windy on Sunday, but still plenty of

showers dotted around. Take care. Thank you, you take care, too. That

is it from us here. BBC Radio Guernsey will keep you updated

throughout the evening, and here in Jersey, police have set up a special

flooding helpline. next 48 hours will be crucial

because the people may have lost the clocktower and the community centre.

Well, our Political Editor Martyn Oates is with us to talk about the

many political developments today. The Local Government Secretary

pledged another ?30 million for flood relief on top of the extra

?100 million which the Prime Minister and as yesterday. But that

is across the country and it is not clear whether it will be spent. But

we do know more about the government's plans for Dawlish? The

Transport Secretary is committing the government to a report that

looks at a long`term solution including alternative routes. A lot

of MPs are saying that they want the track commended as soon as possible

but it is not sustainable on that seafront so some people may ask for

that to be relocated. The local MP, however, says that is very expensive

and the government needs to look at committing 300 million to 400 marine

pounds to providing a good railway line from for the area. We must keep

this line up and running and it is much more affordable to do that now

rather than a new railway which would be ten or 20 years. In

neighbouring MPs says we should keep the line and repaired it and also

get an alternative route. And some MPs are angry that the Government is

spending so much money on rail improvements elsewhere? They say are

railway links Apple at the best of times `` are poor at the best of

times. They will say that if the government does not work to improve

the situation at Dawlish they will withdraw their support for other

railway plans. The driver of a van that crashed 20 feet off a bridge

and plunged into the flood swollen River Tamar says he needed to

survive for the sake of his two children. Dan Behennah managed to

escape by clambering onto the van's roof and grabbing overhead branches

to haul himself out of the fast`flowing water. John Henderson

reports. A big bridge and the great escape.

This van crashed off the bridge and plummeted 20 feet into the fast

flowing river Tamer `` River Tamar. Someone must have been looking down

on me. I have a guardian angel and that is one of my lives gone. On

Saturday, something went wrong. I slept and hit the corner of the wall

and I was thinking that I was going through and there was nothing I

could do to stop it. I just remember holding on to the steering wheel in

the water coming up. I hit the water and of nose of the van came up and

all the water was coming in the van so I thought I needed to get out and

open the door and squeeze through and got onto the roof. You see that

on programmes. As soon as the water goes past the door, especially with

electric windows, you know. His only injuries are a broken

collarbone and some cuts. What was going through your mind? This is the

end. I had thoughts of the boys. That kept me strong, I suppose. It

made me fight and I thought that they needed me around. Dan is sorry

for the inconvenience he has caused but he is glad to be alive.

We have heard some extraordinary stories in the last few days. In

other news, a man has been charged in connection with the murder of

David Alderson whose body was found in old mine works in Cornwall. The

72`year`old from Falmouth was discovered at Wheal Maid last month.

33`year`old Kevin Cooper from Carharrack near Redruth appeared

before Truro magistrates this morning. He's been remanded in

custody. And in sport, Exeter Chiefs wing

Jack Nowell has kept his place in the England team for the Six Nations

game against Scotland this weekend. The 20`year`old from Newlyn made his

first senior international debut last Saturday. He played 66 minutes

in the narrow defeat in France. The region is still coming to terms with

the storms earlier this week but it seems we have more on the way.

We have to make the most of any brief windows of opportunity as far

as the weather is concerned about their are some days that are better

than others. Tomorrow may be better than some. There will be lighter

when is but sadly there is more wind and rain turning up overnight and

into the weekend and lasting right through the weekend. The strength of

wind is a worry as we move into the weekend as well as further outbreaks

of rain. At the moment, we have an area of low pressure and as it moves

away from us tonight, the isobars squeeze up and we could have gusts

of wind from a different direction. The wind is from the North West

overnight and it could be around 50 mph. There will be big waves on the

north coast of the South West will get shelter because of the wind

direction. This is the new area of low pressure racing across the

Atlantic and will be over the United Kingdom for much of the weekend.

Most of the winds through the weekend will be from the south`west

of the West. That may give some shelter to those badly affected. We

could have gusts of wind on Saturday between 60 mph and 70 mph. The wind

strength and direction will change as we move through the weekend. For

a short while tomorrow evening, they will be from the south and

south`east but by the middle of Saturday, they will be mostly west

of south`westerly. That is not a too bad direction from some of us. There

are severe warnings on the Somerset Levels. You can go to the

Environment Agency website which will give you more detailed

information on the three`day flood risk. The rain that we have seen

today will go away tonight but some sharp brain will return on gusts of

wind. `` sharp rain. There may even be some sunshine. Overnight ten

badgers will be five degrees are six degrees. It will be a dry morning

and a few showers will turn up during the middle of the day and

then the cat cloud will arrive in the late afternoon and evening but

overall the highest temperature will be nine degrees or 10 degrees. Here

are the times of high water. `` overnight temperatures. This is the

coastal waters forecast. It will increase to deal for sake or be a

force nine overnight. Some of the showers may be wintry. `` gale force

eight or nine. Well, as the bad weather continues, there's more

coverage of what's happening near you tonight in our late news ` and

on your BBC local radio station, including special programmes tonight

and tomorrow night on BBC Radio Devon with Vic Morgan and BBC Radio

Cornwall with Martin Bailie ` that's from 7pm till 10pm. Our other

stations across the region will also have coverage, as well as updates as

they happen online. We'll leave you tonight with a look at how the South

West is dealing with the effects of the storms. Goodbye. This is about

the future of the Southwest as a whole. This joins London to the

south`west. I have seen it bad but not this bad. The power of the ways

that we witnessed were phenomenal. Some large pieces of masonry were

being hurled through the air. Some were up to a tonne in weight. I have

never seen anything as bad as that and I saw the storm in 1989. It was

nowhere near as bad as that.