:00:00. > :00:09.Hello and welcome to South Today from Oxford. In tonight's programme:
:00:09. > :00:14.A brave solution to a grave problem. Going to extreme lengths to maximise
:00:14. > :00:17.burial space. Ahead of the Tory party conference,
:00:17. > :00:24.the Prime Minister puts his reputation on the line over HS2.
:00:24. > :00:25.And later on: Jujitsu masters from around the globe gather for their
:00:25. > :00:43.world championships. Good evening.
:00:43. > :00:46.The graveyard in Bicester will be full within three years — and after
:00:46. > :00:50.that, grieving relatives will no longer have the option of a burial
:00:50. > :00:53.in their home town. A BBC survey has found nearly half of all graveyards
:00:53. > :00:57.across England will run out of space within the next 20 years. There's
:00:57. > :01:00.growing pressure for older plots to be re—used — and in Oxfordshire
:01:00. > :01:09.they're going to extreme lengths to maximum what little space remains.
:01:09. > :01:14.John Maguire reports. It is calm, quiet, but almost at
:01:14. > :01:18.full capacity here at Bicester's town cemetery. They are rapidly
:01:18. > :01:24.running out of space, which means they are also running out of time.
:01:24. > :01:28.What are your options in this part of the cemetery here? This is the
:01:28. > :01:33.area where we are tight for space now. We have about two years left in
:01:33. > :01:39.this area, and we need to make some radical decisions. Some of the
:01:39. > :01:47.options may be like this bench, this is a memorial bench which has been
:01:47. > :01:50.for some time here. Unfortunately we are going to have to lose some of
:01:50. > :01:56.the benches and other historical features.
:01:56. > :02:01.A BBC survey found 44% of councils have just 20 years left before their
:02:01. > :02:10.cemeteries are full, a quarter of them just ten years. Buying new land
:02:10. > :02:15.is complex and costly. Acquiring it could be a very significant sum, and
:02:15. > :02:21.the last estimate we looked at would cost us well over £1 million.
:02:21. > :02:25.Experts say the issue needs to be tackled at Government level, and
:02:25. > :02:28.reusing burial sites is the best solution.
:02:28. > :02:33.Here is another solution they have adopted here. They have moved the
:02:33. > :02:39.perimeter fence out by a four feet or so, costing tens of thousands of
:02:39. > :02:43.pounds, giving the cemetery an extra 12 months breathing space. So as you
:02:44. > :02:48.can see, this issue is very complex, very expensive, and it is also
:02:48. > :02:52.highly emotive. He's Prime Minister — but he's also
:02:52. > :02:55.a local MP of course, which means David Cameron's acutely aware of the
:02:55. > :02:59.strength of feeling in our region about High Speed Two. He's been
:02:59. > :03:03.speaking to BBC South's Political Editor Peter Henley ahead of the
:03:03. > :03:07.Conservative Party conference. And a short while ago, Peter told me the
:03:07. > :03:14.controversial rail line is one of a number of hot topics on Mr Cameron's
:03:14. > :03:17.mind. At the Labour Party conference Ed
:03:17. > :03:22.Balls suggested that Labour was looking again particularly at the
:03:22. > :03:25.cost of HS2. Then there are other questions from within the
:03:25. > :03:29.Conservative party, opposition not just of the cost but to the possible
:03:29. > :03:33.benefits for the North and for the South from this scheme, and so that
:03:33. > :03:39.is the first question I asked David Cameron.
:03:39. > :03:43.I think this is really important to an audience in the South East, where
:03:43. > :03:49.people think this is going ahead, how will it help me? Our West Coast
:03:49. > :03:53.mainline is full, we need to build another one. Do we build an old
:03:53. > :03:57.Victorian one or a new high—speed one? It must be right to go high
:03:57. > :04:01.speed. The worry as think people have in other parts of the country
:04:01. > :04:16.is too much of the transport budget going on this scheme. Between 2015
:04:16. > :04:18.and 2020, the next Parliament, as a Government we would spend three
:04:18. > :04:21.times as much on the transport and road schemes as on HS2. That would
:04:21. > :04:24.be an improvement in the South East, as well as going ahead with the
:04:24. > :04:29.first stage of HS2. Labour are still ahead in the polls. Ed Miliband were
:04:29. > :04:34.judged to have made a good speech to conference. UKIP did not go quite so
:04:34. > :04:37.well, but of course in our part of the world Conservatives definitely
:04:37. > :04:43.are worried about that argument over Europe and made —— whether Nigel
:04:43. > :04:48.Farage will gain ground. I asked Mr Cameron about the Nigel Farage
:04:48. > :04:52.effect. We are turning the corner. We have had to take difficult
:04:52. > :04:58.decisions, all those cuts, people have asked us, is it worth it? My
:04:58. > :05:03.message is it is worth it if we can complete the job of delivering
:05:03. > :05:08.recovery for everybody. That the Prime Minister has two not only keep
:05:08. > :05:12.control of his own party, but also keep the coalition together as he
:05:12. > :05:15.goes towards the election. And you can see Peter's full
:05:15. > :05:19.interview with the Prime Minister on this weekend's Sunday Politics, on
:05:19. > :05:22.Sunday morning at 11:00. Police investigating the rape of a
:05:22. > :05:25.15—year—old girl in Carterton have arrested another man. The
:05:25. > :05:29.22—year—old from Witney was detained last night following the assault in
:05:29. > :05:33.Shilton Park in the early hours of Saturday. A man in his forties
:05:33. > :05:37.arrested earlier has now been released without charge. The
:05:37. > :05:40.detective leading the inquiry has moved to reassure the community —
:05:40. > :05:44.and says anyone who's worried should talk with their neighbourhood
:05:44. > :05:48.policing team. How would you feel if your child was
:05:48. > :05:52.sniffed for drugs on their way into school by a police dog? That's what
:05:52. > :05:55.happened to hundreds of teenagers in Swindon earlier. Police say the
:05:55. > :05:58.exercise was a way to improve relations with young people — part
:05:58. > :06:01.of a very public effort to tackle anti—social behaviour. But, as
:06:01. > :06:07.Jeremy Stern reports, some in the town feel it's an issue where the
:06:07. > :06:11.Wiltshire force is falling short. An unusual start to the school day —
:06:11. > :06:15.a sniffer dog met pupils on their way in. It's part of a police drive
:06:15. > :06:25.to stop anti—social behaviour by encouraging officers and young
:06:26. > :06:30.people to get to know each other. They are talking to police officers
:06:30. > :06:35.on the street, the drug dog is quite friendly, it is quite an experience.
:06:35. > :06:38.But the implication is they are carrying drugs. The implication is
:06:38. > :06:40.they know it will not be tolerated and is illegal.
:06:40. > :06:43.No teenagers were caught with drugs at Lydiard Park, but in the nearby
:06:43. > :06:47.Pinehurst estate anti—social behaviour is a big problem. Last
:06:47. > :06:50.night a PCSO was attacked by a dog and a man was arrested after a
:06:50. > :06:56.fight. Residents say they've felt threatened for years.
:06:56. > :07:01.You've got drug dealing going on outside the schools, the teenagers
:07:01. > :07:07.are hanging around on the streets, you cannot let your children out of
:07:07. > :07:12.play. From our perspective, it is not out of control. There are issues
:07:12. > :07:15.like within any neighbourhood we robustly deal with.
:07:15. > :07:19.Officers also visited the orbital centre in Swindon as part of
:07:19. > :07:23.Operation Harness. You might have noticed more police
:07:23. > :07:27.activity this morning in Swindon, that is because there have been a
:07:28. > :07:32.series of drugs raids across Wiltshire. 170 police officers were
:07:32. > :07:39.involved and there have been a number of arrests.
:07:39. > :07:43.The crime rate in Wiltshire is down by 10% this year. Some may not feel
:07:43. > :07:47.secure, but statistically Wiltshire is one of the safest counties in
:07:47. > :07:50.England. There was traffic disruption in
:07:50. > :07:54.Bicester today after fire broke out on one of the area's busiest roads.
:07:54. > :07:57.The blaze started when equipment at a nearby telephone exchange caught
:07:57. > :07:59.light. But it was quickly brought under control, and no—one was hurt
:07:59. > :08:02.in the incident. An inquiry into a controversial
:08:02. > :08:06.decision to approve the building of student flats on land adjoining a
:08:06. > :08:08.renowned beauty spot in Oxford will report back by Christmas. But the
:08:08. > :08:11.independent review of the development alongside Port Meadow
:08:11. > :08:14.won't be able to reverse the original approval, and also won't
:08:14. > :08:17.apportion blame either. Instead its aim is to improve the planning
:08:17. > :08:21.process for the future. They've been an occasional sight in
:08:21. > :08:24.our skies for the past decade — but it's in their service overseas where
:08:24. > :08:27.the RAF's fleet of Merlin helicopters have been clocking—up
:08:27. > :08:30.the air miles. Today, a special celebration's been held at RAF
:08:30. > :08:32.Benson in Oxfordshire, marking ten years of the aircraft's service in
:08:32. > :08:44.some pretty challenging locations. Victoria Cook was there.
:08:44. > :08:48.It has spent the last decade in conflict zones like Bosnia and
:08:48. > :08:54.Afghanistan. Its job, to move troops, suppliers, even civilians.
:08:54. > :08:58.Now their service to the RAF is complete. The Merlin is finished
:08:58. > :09:03.their last missions in May, and know they are all back in the UK.
:09:03. > :09:07.In a few months time, all of the helicopters will be transferred to
:09:07. > :09:12.the —— Royal Navy. At RAF Benson it was not just the
:09:12. > :09:20.Merlin getting a send off. One of the longest serving pilots flew his
:09:20. > :09:25.last flight after 34 years. A moment to reflect on some poignant
:09:25. > :09:30.memories. One of the saddest things I ever did was take some Afghan
:09:30. > :09:33.children who had been injured by explosive devices, who had then been
:09:33. > :09:37.treated in British hospitals, and they were being taken back to their
:09:38. > :09:41.village with their parents or relatives and some of the village
:09:41. > :09:45.elders, and they were also great for this is what the British forces were
:09:45. > :09:58.doing for them. Now the helicopters are being
:09:58. > :10:01.prepared for their move to the Royal Navy where they will replace the
:10:01. > :10:03.retiring Sea Kings. While air force crews are also training their
:10:03. > :10:05.colleagues in how to operate the Merlin. In the meantime, the RAF are
:10:05. > :10:12.receiving new helicopters. The Puma helicopters are beginning to be
:10:12. > :10:18.delivered right now. During its time if Afghanistan, the Merlin moved
:10:18. > :10:21.nearly 8,000 tonnes of kit and 130,000 personnel. As yet, no one
:10:21. > :10:25.knows where they will be deployed next.
:10:25. > :10:28.It's still a stunning building — but the chapel at Ripon College in
:10:28. > :10:30.Cuddesdon missed out on top prize at the country's most prestigious
:10:30. > :10:34.architecture awards ceremony last night. The Bishop Edward King Chapel
:10:34. > :10:38.was described as an "uplifting, spiritual space". It was among six
:10:39. > :10:42.finalists chosen for the Royal Institute of British Architects'
:10:42. > :10:45.Stirling Prize. In the end, that went to a medieval manor in
:10:45. > :10:49.Warwickshire which had been given a make over.
:10:49. > :10:53.Sport is coming up in a few minutes of course — with Tom tonight — and
:10:53. > :10:56.while he's looking ahead to this weekend, there's a chance for you to
:10:56. > :10:59.think back and celebrate some of the sporting success stories from
:10:59. > :11:02.Oxfordshire over the past year. That's because nominations are open
:11:02. > :11:05.for this year's local Sports Awards. Categories include Club of the Year
:11:05. > :11:09.and Unsung Hero. You can find out more — and cast
:11:09. > :11:11.YOUR vote — by logging onto the Oxfordshire Sports Partnership
:11:11. > :11:15.website. That's all from me for the moment.
:11:15. > :11:18.I'll have the headlines at 8:00 and a full bulletin at 10:25. Now more
:11:18. > :11:33.of today's stories with Sally Taylor.
:11:33. > :11:36.the South. The numbers have increased since 2009, following a
:11:36. > :11:41.shake—up of the system which had been criticised for being slow.
:11:41. > :11:44.Still to come in this evening's South Today: We're at the World
:11:44. > :11:50.Jujitsu Championship which is being held in Andover.
:11:50. > :11:58.It is the art of self defence and it doesn't matter how big or small you
:11:58. > :12:01.are. Join me later in the programme. It's been confirmed today that 115
:12:01. > :12:05.agency workers at the BAE shipyard in Portsmouth have been laid off.
:12:05. > :12:12.Many were employed through the Fareham—based Matchtech employment
:12:12. > :12:16.company. There has been uncertainty at the future of shipbuilding in the
:12:16. > :12:19.city since last year when BAE began a review of its warship business
:12:20. > :12:28.across the UK. Steve Humphrey is with me now. Steve, why are these
:12:29. > :12:33.jobs going now? This is all to do with the lack of
:12:33. > :12:36.orders for new warships — both export orders and UK MoD orders. The
:12:36. > :12:48.agency staff had been involved in building three corvettes for Royal
:12:48. > :12:52.Oman Navy. It was a quite a decent—sized export contract but the
:12:52. > :12:55.work is coming to an end. 115 agency workers have been told they are no
:12:55. > :12:58.longer required. BAE says the contract workers were from a variety
:12:58. > :13:00.of trades including mechanical fitters, painters and joiners.
:13:00. > :13:03.And there has already been a question mark hanging over the long
:13:03. > :13:05.term future of shipbuilding in Portsmouth.
:13:05. > :13:09.Yes, last year BAE announced a review of its three warship building
:13:09. > :13:12.bases — the one in Portsmouth and two on the Clyde in Scotland. The
:13:12. > :13:15.review was launched because of the downturn in warship orders. The
:13:15. > :13:18.yard's biggest contract at the moment is for sections of the Navy's
:13:18. > :13:22.second aircraft carrier, HMS Prince of Wales. That work in Portsmouth
:13:22. > :13:25.will begin to wind down in 2015. BAE currently employs 3,200 of its own
:13:25. > :13:28.staff at the naval base in Portsmouth of which 1,300 are
:13:28. > :13:31.involved in shipbuilding. Today, unions repeated their calls for a
:13:31. > :13:40.decision to be made about the future of the UK's warship building
:13:40. > :13:44.industry. There does need to be a decision
:13:44. > :13:48.about how shipbuilding is going to be configured in this country going
:13:48. > :13:55.forward. Government clearly need to be part of making that decision but
:13:55. > :13:57.we recognise there is a question over Scottish independence which may
:13:58. > :14:03.be inhabiting that. But the longer it goes on, the more likely we are
:14:03. > :14:07.to see people losing their jobs. So, Steve, what is BAE saying today?
:14:07. > :14:09.Well, today, BAE issued a statement about the decision to lay off the
:14:09. > :14:25.115 agency workers. It says: Meanwhile, the employment company
:14:25. > :14:42.Matchtech has said it will be working with the people involved to
:14:42. > :14:45.try to identify new opportunities. Cycling campaigners say a new bridge
:14:45. > :14:48.across the River Thames in Berkshire, designed especially for
:14:48. > :14:51.those walking or cycling, will be hopelessly inadequate to cope with
:14:51. > :14:54.demand. Reading Borough Council has robustly defended the crossing which
:14:54. > :14:57.will link Caversham and Reading. Nikki Mitchell reports.
:14:57. > :15:07.It seems few cyclists are willing to risk cycling on the roads in this
:15:07. > :15:16.area. The Newbridge will connect with the main roads by Reading
:15:16. > :15:27.station. People can't walk. It's a good idea. It would be much easier.
:15:27. > :15:38.It will be built at a cost of £21 million.
:15:38. > :15:47.They believed the design is hopelessly inadequate. If you're
:15:47. > :15:50.going to get hundreds of cyclists and pedestrians using the bread at
:15:51. > :15:55.the same time then it is really important that the cyclists have
:15:55. > :16:06.their own space and pedestrians have their own space. But the council
:16:06. > :16:14.says that if cyclists know they are sharing the bread with people on
:16:14. > :16:19.foot, they will slow down. There are 50 similar bridges that
:16:19. > :16:30.have been built in the last ten years around England and none have a
:16:30. > :16:35.sacred segregated facility. It will work extremely well and proved to be
:16:35. > :16:40.very popular. The plans for this iconic structure and the sensitivity
:16:40. > :16:46.of its location will be reviewed in detail later this year.
:16:46. > :16:48.Andover is playing host to around 100 of the globe's top jujitsu
:16:48. > :16:51.competitors as the World Championships take place. The
:16:51. > :16:57.martial art involves opponents grappling, throwing and striking
:16:57. > :17:05.each other. Alexis Green has been watching them in action and is live
:17:05. > :17:10.at the event. Jujitsu is all about self defence
:17:10. > :17:17.and it doesn't matter how big or how small you are, it's great for all
:17:17. > :17:20.ages. The World Championships are taking place and today we learned
:17:20. > :17:28.all about the technique of grappling.
:17:28. > :17:35.Jujitsu was originally used by the Samurai soldiers in Japan, fighting
:17:35. > :17:40.each other on horseback with swords. Once they lost their weapon, they
:17:40. > :17:45.had to adapt, which is what today's sport is all about. The word jujitsu
:17:45. > :17:53.can be translated to mean gentle art. There are rules, even so
:17:53. > :18:03.competitors can kick or even choke each other. You are fighting for
:18:03. > :18:11.points so you need control when you're doing standing up the rose.
:18:11. > :18:22.But you're not too draw blood because we are not at war with
:18:22. > :18:29.anybody. England are favourites to win but
:18:29. > :18:38.not if the Canadians can help it. Our intention is to leave with the
:18:38. > :18:43.gold. For me it is interesting to practice in an international
:18:43. > :18:47.competition so I hope it will help me win.
:18:47. > :18:57.Five countries, one gold medal. The grapple for gold is on.
:18:57. > :19:01.That was about grappling but to tell us all about the other techniques is
:19:01. > :19:17.the director of the sport in England. You are six levels higher
:19:17. > :19:27.than a black belt, that's amazing. They are showing kicks and punches.
:19:27. > :19:37.Carla and Neal, I mean Chris, are doing some throws. It is the place
:19:37. > :19:43.to be. Can people come and watch? Yes, it is £10 for the day and
:19:43. > :19:55.tomorrow is the big team event. England can win! Are you ready? How
:19:55. > :20:04.was that? Very impressive. Tom this year with
:20:04. > :20:10.the sport. Do you fancy a go at that?
:20:10. > :20:16.I'm not sure. I think I heard the crunch of bones when he went down!
:20:16. > :20:19.A crowd of more than 6000 saw England's women thrash Turkey 8—0 in
:20:19. > :20:23.their World Cup qualifier at Fratton Park. Toni Duggan opened the scoring
:20:23. > :20:26.in the first minute and went on to score a first—half hat—trick. It
:20:26. > :20:27.follows England's 6—0 win against Belarus at Bournemouth. Let's have a
:20:27. > :21:03.look at the goals. That's a tour of Bengal and England
:21:03. > :21:09.have six. She scores and England have eight
:21:09. > :21:14.goals. You have to go back to 2007 since we
:21:14. > :21:18.saw more than eight goals in a game at Fratton Park, when Pompey beat
:21:18. > :21:21.Reading 7—4 in the Premier League. Now, Southampton will look to build
:21:21. > :21:25.on their victory at Liverpool last week. Saints host Crystal Palace at
:21:25. > :21:29.St Mary's and will be hoping for their first Premier League win at
:21:29. > :21:32.home since the end of March. Rickie Lambert scored twice the last time
:21:32. > :21:36.the clubs met. And one Saints legend is tipping him to be on the plane to
:21:36. > :21:44.Brazil should England qualify for the 2014 World Cup.
:21:44. > :21:48.What he has done has been phenomenal. There's not too many
:21:48. > :21:57.players who made their England debut after the age of 30, especially
:21:57. > :22:02.taking that career path. He has a hero in Southampton and rightly so.
:22:02. > :22:04.He has enough quality to make a difference at international level.
:22:04. > :22:07.In the Championship, on—loan Saints striker Billy Sharp goes straight
:22:07. > :22:10.into the Reading squad for their game against Birmingham. Bournemouth
:22:10. > :22:15.host Blackburn and Brighton travel to Ipswich.
:22:15. > :22:20.MK Dons host Stevenage and Swindon travel to Preston in League One. In
:22:20. > :22:28.League Two, Portsmouth travel to York and Oxford head north as well
:22:28. > :22:31.to Hartlepool. Commentary, as you'd expect, on your BBC Local radio
:22:31. > :22:36.station and we'll have highlights here on Monday.
:22:36. > :22:39.The basketball season gets underway this weekend in the BBL and Surrey
:22:39. > :22:44.United begin this season's campaign under new ownership. Earlier this
:22:44. > :22:48.month, the Surrey Sports Park and London United took over the
:22:49. > :22:53.franchise based in Guildford. It's meant a third name change in as many
:22:53. > :23:04.years but also access to a supply of talented young players.
:23:04. > :23:12.Alan Hansen once said that she cannot win anything with kids.
:23:12. > :23:20.Manchester United proved him wrong and Surrey United wants to do the
:23:20. > :23:35.same. They have their pick of local young players. We want to get
:23:35. > :23:41.players on scholarships. That should eradicate the issue of salaries. I
:23:41. > :23:46.wouldn't say we will go for cheap players, we will go for young up and
:23:46. > :23:51.coming players. We can act this 19—year—old hopes exposure in the
:23:51. > :23:55.top flight will boost his international career and knows what
:23:55. > :24:03.the motivation playing at this level can be for youngsters.
:24:03. > :24:15.Everybody is hungry. They all wanted. 12 of the students
:24:15. > :24:24.live together into student houses in Whickham. The manager is just hoping
:24:24. > :24:29.they do not come down with the flu. They are considering entering a side
:24:29. > :24:37.in one of the French regional leagues. But can they improve on
:24:37. > :24:43.last year's fourth—place? You can win things with young players. Alan
:24:43. > :24:50.Hansen was wrong. We can win with the kids. They start at home
:24:50. > :24:53.tomorrow. Couple more brief lines for you:
:24:53. > :24:56.Hampshire Cricket have signed all—rounder Matt Coles on a
:24:56. > :24:59.permanent deal from Kent and Portsmouth boxer Ebonie Jones lost
:24:59. > :25:02.her semi final on a split decision in the Women's Junior World Amateur
:25:02. > :25:04.Boxing Championships in Bulgaria. The 15—year—old has claimed the
:25:04. > :25:21.bronze medal though. Such a beautiful start to
:25:21. > :25:30.from one contact sports to another because Alexis is at the world
:25:30. > :25:44.jujitsu Championships. I want to see how you're getting on.
:25:44. > :25:53.I just bet that one move because my back is hurting a little!
:25:53. > :26:03.Let us look at the satellite picture from early on. The clouds broke up
:26:03. > :26:09.nicely to give highs of 19 Celsius. Tonight, the cloud will gather in
:26:09. > :26:22.places and there may be some showers. It will be cooler in the
:26:22. > :26:26.north of the region. There is still the chance of a shower tomorrow but
:26:26. > :26:33.most places will be dry during the morning. That risk of showers
:26:33. > :26:39.increases in the afternoon. They could be heavy in places, maybe even
:26:39. > :26:55.thundery, but there will be sunshine. Through the course of
:26:55. > :27:03.tomorrow night, patchy cloud once again. The majority of places
:27:03. > :27:08.staying dry. For the next few days, it is looking pretty good for most
:27:08. > :27:17.areas but if you are unlucky to catch a shower, they could be on the
:27:17. > :27:29.heavy side possibly with even some thunder. There are as lots of
:27:29. > :27:40.uncertainty about these showers so stay chained to the forecast. ——
:27:40. > :27:44.there is lots of uncertainty. That's it from us. Goodbye.