:00:00. > :00:11.Welcome to South Today from Oxford. Tonight ` the impact of the
:00:12. > :00:13.teachers' strike. Hundreds of union members march through Oxford as
:00:14. > :00:18.thousands of pupils stay home because their schools were closed.
:00:19. > :00:22.Also tonight: the toddler born with a rare bone condition ` how surgeons
:00:23. > :00:27.changed Ethan's life by rebuilding his skull.
:00:28. > :00:31.And later on ` taking the rough with the smooth. Alexis drives the course
:00:32. > :00:42.with one of the favourites in the British Rally Championships.
:00:43. > :00:48.Good evening. More than 300 schools in our region have been affected by
:00:49. > :00:52.today's strike by teachers. They were either closed or only partially
:00:53. > :00:56.open. Members of the National Union of Teachers and the NASUWT took part
:00:57. > :01:00.in the action in a row over pay, pensions and working conditions.
:01:01. > :01:14.Jessica Cooper's been following the story ` what's been the impact of
:01:15. > :01:17.the walk`out? It's been a day of disruption for
:01:18. > :01:20.teachers, students and parents. There were at least 156 schools in
:01:21. > :01:22.Oxfordshire closed or partially open.
:01:23. > :01:25.Another 122 in Buckinghamshire. In Wiltshire, 101 schools were
:01:26. > :01:28.affected by the strike. Around 300 union members gathered at
:01:29. > :01:31.rally in Oxford concerned about changes to pay, pensions and
:01:32. > :01:35.workloads. Some were keen to stress they were not walking out over
:01:36. > :01:55.money. They are worried about the effect the changes will have on
:01:56. > :02:00.children's education. Six hours a fortnight and he would like to cut
:02:01. > :02:06.that. I want to make sure that the students have the energy that is
:02:07. > :02:08.required to get the best out of the education. Aylesbury High School was
:02:09. > :02:12.significantly affected, more than 700 of its older students were asked
:02:13. > :02:16.to study at home. Some lessons did go ahead but with 20 fewer teachers,
:02:17. > :02:20.some pupils were grouped together so that fewer staff were needed to
:02:21. > :02:29.supervise. The head teacher says it was worth staying open. It was
:02:30. > :02:33.really that we need to have as much education going on as we can. If
:02:34. > :02:37.it's possible to have some lessons taking place, then they should. It
:02:38. > :02:42.would have been easier to close the school, but because some years will
:02:43. > :02:47.get benefit out of it, it was best to get them in. It feels really
:02:48. > :02:52.weird because normally you see all the people running around, people in
:02:53. > :02:56.the canteen, all laughing about. But now we are here there was nobody
:02:57. > :03:05.there and there's not much fun school. What is the government
:03:06. > :03:10.saying? The Department for Education said that it is disappointing that
:03:11. > :03:15.the Nu T Andy NASUWT are striking over the government 's measures to
:03:16. > :03:20.allow heads to play good teachers more. All strikes do is disrupt
:03:21. > :03:26.parents lives, hold back children 's education and damaged the pep `` the
:03:27. > :03:29.reputation of the profession. Teachers said they wanted to hold
:03:30. > :03:32.talks with the government and if not, there are likely to be more
:03:33. > :03:35.strikes on the way. There's been major disruption on the
:03:36. > :03:38.M4 and A34 after two separate accidents involving car
:03:39. > :03:41.transporters. Three people were seriously injured on the M4 between
:03:42. > :03:45.Swindon and Hungerford in the early hours of the morning. Two of them
:03:46. > :03:48.were drivers who were standing on the carriageway after the initial
:03:49. > :03:53.crash. A man has been arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving.
:03:54. > :03:57.The accident on the A34 happened at around 8am at East Ilsley. No`one
:03:58. > :04:00.was injured but the northbound carriageway was closed for most of
:04:01. > :04:04.the day so the central reservation could be repaired. One lane is still
:04:05. > :04:07.shut. A man's being questioned on
:04:08. > :04:10.suspicion of attempted murder after a woman was found with serious head
:04:11. > :04:15.injuries at her home in Bletchley. The 29`year`old was found at a house
:04:16. > :04:18.in Stoke Road yesterday. She's in a serious condition in Milton Keynes
:04:19. > :04:26.Hospital. A 28`year`old man who was arrested is thought to be known to
:04:27. > :04:30.the victim. A mother whose son had to undergo a
:04:31. > :04:33.five`hour operation to treat a rare bone condition is urging other
:04:34. > :04:35.parents to be aware of the symptoms. Two`year`old Ethan Mair was
:04:36. > :04:39.diagnosed with craniosynostosis ` a condition that causes the skull to
:04:40. > :04:42.fuse and which could have left him with learning difficulties and sight
:04:43. > :04:50.problems. He was treated at a specialist unit at the John
:04:51. > :04:55.Radcliffe hospital in Oxford. A happy, healthy toddler unaware of
:04:56. > :05:00.the enormity of the operation he underwent a year ago. When Ethan was
:05:01. > :05:05.born, his skull was already fused together. This meant his brain could
:05:06. > :05:09.not expand and grow properly. The tell`tale signs of wear the shape of
:05:10. > :05:15.even 's head from when he was about four weeks old. It was my daughter
:05:16. > :05:19.that picked it up. As he got older, we did seem to notice that his
:05:20. > :05:25.forehead was very protruding. He had a very long, thin, narrow head. It
:05:26. > :05:30.looks massive. We were lucky that we got it picked up. I would have
:05:31. > :05:34.noticed when he was older. But it wasn't until he was three or four
:05:35. > :05:41.`month`old that you could really see it. So many people go under those.
:05:42. > :05:45.Even underwent major surgery to break and rebuild his skull.
:05:46. > :05:51.Surgeons cut a big zigzag right across his head to make room for his
:05:52. > :05:56.head to grow normally. He had 69 stitches. Now the only signs are a
:05:57. > :06:00.neat scar hidden under his care. If nothing is done about this, this
:06:01. > :06:03.goal will continue to deform and there will be a risk of pressure
:06:04. > :06:07.developing inside the head which could squash the brain and slow
:06:08. > :06:15.development down and put a child at risk of having fits and seizures and
:06:16. > :06:22.developmental delay. Cranial signs to is a very rare condition. It
:06:23. > :06:28.affects one in 200,000 children. Most of them are boys. The operation
:06:29. > :06:33.was five hours long and he lost all of his blood. They had to break his
:06:34. > :06:37.skull and put it together again to make it normal. The good news is
:06:38. > :06:42.that he will not need another operation like that again. It is
:06:43. > :06:46.unbelievable. I can't believe what he has gone through. He is a lovely
:06:47. > :06:58.little boy and you wouldn't know to look at him. The former
:06:59. > :07:03.Gloucestershire coroner has pleaded guilty to charges of fraud and the
:07:04. > :07:11.theft of ?2 million. Senior at a previous hearing, he stole money
:07:12. > :07:13.from previous families. He will be sentenced next month.
:07:14. > :07:16.Levels of reported crime in the region have fallen, but the number
:07:17. > :07:20.of sexual offences has gone up. Figures released by the Office for
:07:21. > :07:23.National Statistics show that in the Thames Valley, crime dropped by 6%
:07:24. > :07:32.in the 12 months leading up to June. But the number of recorded sexual
:07:33. > :07:36.offences increased by 14%. The company which runs the Cotswold
:07:37. > :07:38.Country Park and Beach in Shorncote is being prosecuted for alleged
:07:39. > :07:43.health and safety breaches. It follows the drowning of teenager
:07:44. > :07:45.Kajil Devi in July 2010. The 15`year`old, who couldn't swim, had
:07:46. > :07:49.hired an inflatable boat with relatives when the accident
:07:50. > :07:52.happened. Cotswold District Council says it has sufficient evidence to
:07:53. > :07:57.prosecute WM Active Ltd for noncompliance.
:07:58. > :08:01.Clear up after your dog ` or you WILL be prosecuted. That's the
:08:02. > :08:05.message to pet owners in Banbury. The Town Council says dog fouling
:08:06. > :08:08.has become a serious problem. It says the mess on one sports field
:08:09. > :08:12.alone has led to football matches being cancelled.
:08:13. > :08:15.They say a dog is man's best friend, but that old adage is being put to
:08:16. > :08:18.the test in Banbury. Steven walks his terrier on Horton View playing
:08:19. > :08:22.fields throughout the year and always clears up any dog mess left
:08:23. > :08:30.behind, but he can't understand why others don't do the same. I think
:08:31. > :08:36.it's disgusting. There is no need for it. What do bags cost? Nothing.
:08:37. > :08:39.There is no need for it. The signs are clear enough, but a local
:08:40. > :08:46.football coach says they're being ignored. We have encountered,
:08:47. > :08:48.especially since the start of the football season, quite a large
:08:49. > :08:55.amount of dog mess on football pitches. It is an unpleasant task to
:08:56. > :08:58.remove as a volunteer parent, coaching a football team, I have to
:08:59. > :09:02.turn up earlier than I used to have to do. It is very hard to clear
:09:03. > :09:05.them. And it's not just unpleasant. If children come into contact with
:09:06. > :09:09.it it can cause nausea, dizziness and even fits. The Town Council says
:09:10. > :09:18.its reached crisis point and they're going to start prosecuting. We could
:09:19. > :09:23.issue on the spot fines. If people challenge it, we will take them to
:09:24. > :09:27.County Court. We've arrived sports facilities and we want people to use
:09:28. > :09:31.them. We want people to be responsible. If they are not
:09:32. > :09:33.responsible, they will have to pay the consequences it through the
:09:34. > :09:37.pocket. The message couldn't be clearer. The only question now is
:09:38. > :09:42.whether the dog walkers in Banbury will clean up their act.
:09:43. > :09:50.It wasn't too long ago that Red Bull were just making up the numbers in
:09:51. > :09:53.Formula One. Now they are the sport's dominant force, closing in
:09:54. > :09:58.on their fourth consecutive drivers and constructors titles.
:09:59. > :10:04.Another team `` another victory for the team know one in Formula one can
:10:05. > :10:07.catch, let alone pass. This number one and number two in Japan leaves
:10:08. > :10:18.red Bull on the verge of another double. Some say there dominance of
:10:19. > :10:21.eternal. It is not our responsibility to make it
:10:22. > :10:26.interesting for other teams. It happens in every sport. Sometimes,
:10:27. > :10:34.some teams end up having a run of success and thankfully, that has
:10:35. > :10:38.been in Formula one. Over the years, Formula one has seen teams
:10:39. > :10:55.dominate the chequered flag. Red Bull has one formula delete macro
:10:56. > :11:00.has one macro 67 races. The second half of the season has been
:11:01. > :11:04.dominated by red Bull. But it is still enjoyable to watch a great
:11:05. > :11:09.team going about its task in such a brilliant manner. It is something we
:11:10. > :11:14.can be proud of in Britain. But yes, I agree, it would be nice to see a
:11:15. > :11:18.few different winners. So what hope for red Bull 's rivals? Not much
:11:19. > :11:23.hope because this team have been able to divert key resources into
:11:24. > :11:27.next year 's events because of their dominance next year. So the winner
:11:28. > :11:33.next year is likely to be red Bull again. It is a big challenge. We are
:11:34. > :11:38.spending a lot of money because of the massive change going into next
:11:39. > :11:44.year. It is back in the UK, focusing on the development of our next car,
:11:45. > :11:50.the RB ten. Hopefully, the solutions we come up with to those regulations
:11:51. > :11:54.will stand us in good stead. Red Bull can't go on winning for ever,
:11:55. > :12:01.but they will give it a try. That's it. More at 10:25pm. Now,
:12:02. > :12:02.here's Sally Taylor with the rest of South Today.
:12:03. > :12:04.the island. She set up the Wight Squirrel project to keep a record of
:12:05. > :12:07.population numbers ` which have recently been in decline.
:12:08. > :12:14.Still to come in this evening's South Today ` Alexis Green tests her
:12:15. > :12:24.skills in a rally car. Join me later in the programme. I am
:12:25. > :12:27.off to the test area. Dorset Police has become the latest
:12:28. > :12:30.force in the South to start recruiting new officers. A
:12:31. > :12:34.recruitment drive's due to begin soon to take up to 16 new recruits
:12:35. > :12:39.by 2015 at a starting salary of ?19,000. But as forces still face
:12:40. > :12:43.significant financial pressures, questions are being asked about how
:12:44. > :12:53.they can afford it. Here's Simon Clemison.
:12:54. > :12:56.In 2009 Dorset froze and so did police recruitment. The force is
:12:57. > :13:03.still facing harsh economic conditions that after four years
:13:04. > :13:08.there is some following up plans been announced to take on some new
:13:09. > :13:12.constables. This far wanted to join the police
:13:13. > :13:24.one year ago but could not. But he is worried about changing rates of
:13:25. > :13:29.pay. You do not know if it would go down or up. The partial melting of
:13:30. > :13:31.the recruitment freeze is significant because Dorset still has
:13:32. > :13:40.to make it early and pounds of cuts to its budget. It is all ready shed
:13:41. > :13:45.?14 million which has led to the loss of 500 jobs. It is good to
:13:46. > :13:49.bring fresh people in and give people opportunity to join the
:13:50. > :13:52.police. But we need to recognise this is a relatively small
:13:53. > :14:00.recruitment against a substantial reduction in the number of officers.
:14:01. > :14:04.The argue with those the workforce simply ages. A lot of people are
:14:05. > :14:08.leaving the service at the moment. They have to start looking at
:14:09. > :14:14.bringing new blood in some time. Now is as good a time as any. There are
:14:15. > :14:20.still budget reductions to come. The least forces do not know their
:14:21. > :14:27.funding beyond 2016 so this could be seen as a risk.
:14:28. > :14:30.New transatlantic routes from Gatwick Airport are being launched
:14:31. > :14:35.with a price tag of less than ?150 each way. Norwegian will fly to New
:14:36. > :14:38.York, Los Angeles and Florida using a brand new Boeing 787 Dreamliner
:14:39. > :14:41.aircraft, recalling the style of low budget pioneer Sir Freddie Laker,
:14:42. > :14:47.who launched his sky train from Gatwick in the 1970s. Norwegian will
:14:48. > :14:51.also start five new European services.
:14:52. > :14:55.Plans for a multi`million pound bridge across the river Thames in
:14:56. > :14:59.Reading, have been given the green light. The crossing for cyclists and
:15:00. > :15:03.pedestrians, will link Christchurch Meadows with the redeveloped railway
:15:04. > :15:06.station. Today councillors approved the project ` although it has
:15:07. > :15:14.attracted criticism from cycling campaigners who don't think the
:15:15. > :15:16.bridge will cope with demand. Five years after she sailed away
:15:17. > :15:23.from Southampton, the first images have emerged of what a refurbished
:15:24. > :15:26.QE2 will look like. On Tuesday we reported that a contract had been
:15:27. > :15:31.signed with a shipyard in China to convert the former liner into a five
:15:32. > :15:43.star hotel. Our Transport Correspondent Paul Clifton reports.
:15:44. > :15:50.On her maiden voyage in May 1969 the QE2 was the pride of British
:15:51. > :15:57.shipbuilding. All the bidders are keen to hold
:15:58. > :16:04.onto their heritage. They will be reliving the heyday.
:16:05. > :16:11.This bed is from British based designers. `` bid we want to
:16:12. > :16:22.maintain the overall interior architecture. But fans of the QE2
:16:23. > :16:31.may not like this idea. Visitors can ride an elevator to the top of the
:16:32. > :16:38.final. Here are some of the other ideas for Bishop. The owners of the
:16:39. > :16:44.ship hoped the work will be competed at the Chinese shipyard. Asked macro
:16:45. > :16:48.ideas for the vessel. Paul, we've been here before. Half a
:16:49. > :16:51.dozen plans for QE2 have been announced. None of them have
:16:52. > :16:57.actually happened. These plans seem much more advanced. But the liner
:16:58. > :17:02.was due to leave Dubai tomorrow, and that is definitely not happening.
:17:03. > :17:06.The bid to berth the QE2 opposite the O2 Arena in London has fallen
:17:07. > :17:10.silent. The current plan is to take the refurbished ship on a three
:17:11. > :17:16.month tour of Far Eastern ports. But there are still many unanswered
:17:17. > :17:19.questions: We don't know where Southampton's best known ship will
:17:20. > :17:26.end up, we don't know who will operate it, or when, or who is
:17:27. > :17:28.actually going to pay for it. But today we do know more than we did
:17:29. > :17:40.before. All this week we've been looking at
:17:41. > :17:43.China and what effect its growing economy is having here in the South.
:17:44. > :17:46.In the Thames Valley contracts are being signed and businesses are
:17:47. > :17:49.moving in. Berkshire's Silicon Valley is slowly becoming recognised
:17:50. > :18:00.in China as a place to do business as our Business Correspondent,
:18:01. > :18:10.Alastair Fee, discovered. The swapping of business cards
:18:11. > :18:21.happens the world over. The Thames Valley area is becoming allocation
:18:22. > :18:34.for Chinese business. I believe there is a lot more can be done.
:18:35. > :18:44.Bracknell is actively wooing the Chinese. One year on and these talks
:18:45. > :18:51.are continuing. We are close to Heathrow. We have some of the best
:18:52. > :18:53.road links in the country. When you are talking about inward investment
:18:54. > :18:58.it is not just about as this premises, but where are the
:18:59. > :19:05.workforce going to live, where are the executive is going to live? It
:19:06. > :19:11.has been a good year for the Thames Valley. A Chinese telecoms giants
:19:12. > :19:18.moved its headquarters to Reading. They have pledged to invest millions
:19:19. > :19:23.and create hundreds of jobs. This is no difference to doing business with
:19:24. > :19:34.France and Germany. We will take awhile to to know each other well.
:19:35. > :19:38.When you do trust is built. But unless we get permission from the
:19:39. > :19:45.business we cannot say who is doing what. High`tech business is a Thames
:19:46. > :19:51.Valley speciality. Bracknell is ahead of the game and in time these
:19:52. > :19:54.meetings could be worth a lot of money.
:19:55. > :19:57.Tomorrow on South Today Alastair will be visiting the Poole based
:19:58. > :20:00.luxury yacht builder sun`seeker who have recently completed a deal to
:20:01. > :20:04.sell a stake of its business to a Chinese property group. And you can
:20:05. > :20:17.see all of our reports looking at China's links with the South on our
:20:18. > :20:33.Facebook page. Here is the sport. This is from
:20:34. > :20:36.Southhampton NBM Viewdata. `` in Bermuda.
:20:37. > :20:39.Justin Rose was beaten into second place at the PGA Grand Slam of Golf
:20:40. > :20:43.event in Bermuda. Rose qualified thanks to winning this year's US
:20:44. > :20:46.Open and competed against the two other major winners. The third, Phil
:20:47. > :20:48.Mickelson, didn't compete and his place was taken by Padraig
:20:49. > :20:52.Harrington. The former Hampshire based player led by two going into
:20:53. > :20:57.the final round but was beaten by Adam Scott who shot a 64 to clinch
:20:58. > :21:01.the title in Southampton. A soldier from Hampshire who lost
:21:02. > :21:04.his legs on duty in Afghanistan is hoping to go to the Paralympic
:21:05. > :21:07.Winter Games in Russia next year in the sport of sledge hockey. The
:21:08. > :21:11.team, funded entirely by sponsors, are heading to Turin this weekend to
:21:12. > :21:15.take part in a six nation event which acts as a final qualifier for
:21:16. > :21:24.a place at the Games in Sochi. Andover's Tyler Christopher says
:21:25. > :21:36.hopes are high for the GB team. Everyone else is at a certain
:21:37. > :21:44.level. I enjoy it because it is fast and furious. It is a team game. I
:21:45. > :21:47.enjoy playing team games. This weekend, for the first time
:21:48. > :21:50.ever, the annual Rallye sun`seeker doubles up as the final stage of the
:21:51. > :21:53.British Rally Championships. The event starts tomorrow in Poole and
:21:54. > :22:00.finishes at Somerley House near Ringwood. Winners will be crowned on
:22:01. > :22:04.Poole Quay on Saturday afternoon. Alexis had a taste of the action and
:22:05. > :22:14.took a ride round the circuit with one of the favourites.
:22:15. > :22:22.Hands up who is a back`seat driver? Today I am a passenger with a driver
:22:23. > :22:28.reading class five of the Rally Championships. He is from Finland
:22:29. > :22:40.and he is not scared of a bit of speed. Rallying is a sport where
:22:41. > :22:48.every split second counts. Learning how to do this takes years. You need
:22:49. > :22:57.to concentrate many days before a rally. You need to keep your head
:22:58. > :23:06.cooled down. Today we are on a test area. On Saturday it is the final
:23:07. > :23:12.showdown. Ten stages across the Dorset and Hampshire border. It is
:23:13. > :23:18.always difficult to concentrate on the right things. Each stage
:23:19. > :23:25.Bailey's induration. The shortest is two and a half minutes, the longest
:23:26. > :23:33.active ten minutes. It is going to be a big battle. As for the car,
:23:34. > :23:40.?110,000 by you are high spec and an engine that produces 210 horsepower.
:23:41. > :23:46.Around these forest tracks the car 's average speed is 60 mph. This is
:23:47. > :23:52.their final round of this year 's British championship.
:23:53. > :23:58.He hopes to be crowned British champion on Saturday evening. I have
:23:59. > :24:10.been reading for months in the series. We need to be on the podium
:24:11. > :24:24.when the rally ends. We need to fork is to win that rally. `` focus to
:24:25. > :24:31.win that rally. We have had a good relationship with
:24:32. > :24:37.that over the years. We had the two Rogers.
:24:38. > :24:45.It kick`started the season in February. But this year it is the
:24:46. > :24:51.final round. There are a couple of places going at the world Rally
:24:52. > :24:59.championship. Big incentive this weekend.
:25:00. > :25:06.Did you have breakfast before you went?
:25:07. > :25:11.Yes, but I did regret it. Moving on to the weather.
:25:12. > :25:14.. Raymond Slack took this photo of pigeons chilling out on the banks of
:25:15. > :25:18.the river Wey in Guildford. Pete Collins took this photo of a Red
:25:19. > :25:24.Kite under blue skies in Reading. And reflections in rock pools on
:25:25. > :25:29.Littlehampton Beach by Roger Kirk. One or two showers today. The main
:25:30. > :25:33.thing tonight is missed and fog patches could be dense and
:25:34. > :25:46.widespread in a few places. One or two showers. Temperatures tonight
:25:47. > :25:53.will be down to 14 Celsius. The mist and fog may cause travel disruption
:25:54. > :25:56.tomorrow morning. Stay tuned to your local BBC radio station for the
:25:57. > :26:02.latest on the travel situation. Tomorrow morning the mist and fog
:26:03. > :26:06.will lift into low cloud. There will be one or two showers. There will be
:26:07. > :26:12.longer periods of light to moderate rain. During the afternoon there
:26:13. > :26:18.will be some bright spells. Highs of 16 Celsius. A brisk South easterly
:26:19. > :26:22.wind. Tomorrow evening the rain makes a return. It will be heavy in
:26:23. > :26:30.a few places drifting up from the South. Very mild temperatures
:26:31. > :26:37.tomorrow night. I'll start to the weekend. That sets the theme for the
:26:38. > :26:44.weekend. But was the miles. Low pressure in charge of our weather.
:26:45. > :26:50.Showers to follow in amongst some bright spells on Saturday. More
:26:51. > :26:55.sunshine on Sunday. There will be some rain about tomorrow. A dry
:26:56. > :26:59.period during late afternoon. The rain makes a return tomorrow
:27:00. > :27:09.evening. Saturday, sunny spells, the odd shower. More sunshine on Sunday.
:27:10. > :27:13.Showers will be on the heavy side. They will be blasted a showers with
:27:14. > :27:19.the south`westerly wind. Next week we hold onto the and settled
:27:20. > :27:27.conditions. `` and settled conditions.
:27:28. > :27:36.That is all for now. Tomorrow night we will look ahead to
:27:37. > :27:39.a big Premier League games. Be with us tomorrow if you can.
:27:40. > :27:46.Goodbye.