27/02/2014 BBC Oxford News

Hello and welcome to South Today from Oxford. In tonight's programme:

An inquest hears about an inmate who was found hanged in his cell. Kevin

Scarlett took his own life at Woodhill Prison in Milton Keynes,

despite being on suicide watch. Also coming up: Could these bats be

facing extinction? Wildlife experts say the UK's rarest mammals could

soon die out if plans for the HS2 railway line go ahead.

Building work for a new development in Swindon has started but

campaigners say the impact of it could lead to chapels like this

collapsing. And later on: Fed up of an

unreliable signal. Vodafone customers living in one part of

Hampshire are demanding more action, after two years of little or no

reception. Good evening. An inquest in Milton

Keynes has been hearing how a prisoner was found hanged in his

cell despite being on suicide watch. 30`year`old Kevin Scarlet, who was

serving a sentence at Woodhill, had a history of self`harm and complex

mental health problems. Jessica Cooper reports. Kevin Scarlet,

described as a challenging inmate with a personality disorder and a

history of self harm. He had spent most of his life in prison. The

inquest was told that Kevin was placed on a scheme to closely assess

at risk prisoners. After attempting suicide, he was moved to a

specialist health unit, but three weeks later after showing signs of

improvement, he was moved back to the main prison because his risk of

suicide was deemed to be low. Kevin was on a basic regime in the prison,

he had no television and would spend hours alone in his cell. Less than a

fortnight after Kevin was moved from the closer monitoring unit, he was

found hanging in his cell. Today his family's legal team questioned why

he was put in a double cell with more literature points. A prison

officer told the hearing no other cells were available. The coroner

told the jury that they must consider whether the prison was

aware of the risk of Kevin taking his own life, and whether adequate

steps were taken. The hearing is due to finish on Monday.

Police have made another arrest in the murder investigation of Connor

Tremble in Oxford. Connor died two days after a stabbing at a flat in

Iffley fields. Two men have already been charged over this case. Police

have today arrested a 21`year`old man from Carterton on suspicion of

conspiracy to murder. There are fears the proposed high

speed rail line HS2 will not only destroy a large swathe of the

countryside, but could also decimate entire species in some areas.

Conservationists want big changes made to the controversial railway

plans. They took their demands to Downing Street today. As Nikki

Mitchell reports, one of the country's rarest mammals. The colony

of endangered bats could be the most significant in England, they are

tiny creatures with a preference for roosting in naturally occurring

holes in ancient trees. Bechstein's bats will not set up home in any

area. They do use these large areas to breed. It will be about 100

metres wide so it will be much more of a barrier. The forest which at

that speed in is over on the other side, then they roost over there.

Today was the last day people could lodge their objections to HS2 on

environmental grounds. The importance of extending the tunnel

is that it will be replacing ancient woodland. Ancient woodland makes up

only 2% of the UK, you cannot make up for that. We propose extending

the tunnel and saving the woodland. The HS2 development will be at least

ten times wider than what is here at the moment. Bats are protected by

law so anything that affects them will be approved by Natural England.

There will also be hedgerows to protect the flight path, and further

up the line they are going to build a physical barrier to stop the bats

from flying into chains. The conservationists say their latest

research suggests some of the proposals from HS2 may do more harm

than good. They want the bridges planned before the construction

begins. A teenager who drove her car into an elderly couple's home in

Bicester has been given nine points on her licence and fined nearly

?450. Cheryl Stokes, who's 19, badly damaged the conservatory on the

house in Chaucer Close after crashing through the garden fence

last August. In court, she admitted careless driving and failing to

stop. Work's started on a new

multi`million pound development in Swindon to turn derelict land into a

multi`million pound cinema and shopping centre. But people living

nearby the Regent Circus project say they're concerned about the impact

of construction. Ena Miller has been to see the work.

Residents were relieved when this development started but that turned

to worry when it began to affect this little chapel. Campaigners say

the construction has caused structural damage. The structure has

now got cracks all over it and it needs reinforcing on both sides. It

appears there is a substance problem caused by the site. All of the

houses behind that now are very worried and there are stories of

buildings with cracks elsewhere. Rehoboth Baptist Chapel has been

deemed unsafe and was force to close a month ago. You can see the chapel

stands close to a 20 foot drop created by the construction work but

some of the campaigners say they are happy to have this new development

but they don't want to lose something old that means a lot to

them. Round the corner, some residents and business in Cross

Street say cracks have also appeared on their wall. We have got some

problems in our basement and they should deal with it. When people

start complaining they should show more feelings for people because it

is people's homes and future. In a statement contractors ISG said:

There's hope that old and new can stand side by side. That chapel is

fundamental, it is one of the original buildings round here. It

may only date to 1880 but in Swindon terms that is very old.

Sending clothes and shoes to landfill in Oxfordshire is costing

our local authorities more than half a million pounds a year. It's

claimed more than 8,000 tonnes of unwanted clothes are being dumped

annually. Helen Catt has more. Bags of donated clothes arriving at a

depot in Redding. Each of them contains 150 kilos of textiles.

They'll be shipped abroad and resold to raise money for charity. Any old

bras you have will be sent to West Africa, many clothes go to Japan,

light T`shirts tend to go to Africa so we have a market for everything

you have But not all unwanted clothes end up in a place like this.

In Oxfordshire 8,000 tonnes of textiles a year are sent to

landfill. Chucking clothes away doesn't come for free. If these

items had not been sent to recycling banks, the county council would have

had to have paid to send them to landfill, and that means a lot of

money, about ?660,000 every year. In Oxford today, an event to encourage

us to make do and mend. Councils in the county have also signed up to an

action plan to stop so many clothes being thrown away. We are looking at

the end of life of clothes, so once it has been purchased, worn and no

longer wanted, the local authorities look at how they can give it a

second life. In straitened times, many councils are having to cut

their cloth too. The funding behind events like these is being reduced

although but it's hoped the recycling message will still cut

through. That's all from me for the moment. I will hand

Elizabeth prepares for her seagoing trials.

Still to come in this evening's South Today, we meet the teenager

heading for the far east to compete in the Taekwondo Junior World

Championships. Mourners from Worthing have been

left angry and upset following an announcement that personalised

memorabilia left in the crematorium gardens would be cleared away. The

council has made the decision following a dramatic increase in

tributes left for loved ones. Frankie Peck reports.

Can anybody see this as offensive? Can anybody see any tribute to a

loved one as offensive? I don't think so.

John Gladman had this memorial plaque made by a friend in honour of

his late wife Sheila, who died just ten months ago. Her Ashes are buried

at the Worthing Crematorium, but the council had the plaque removed due

to its policy. When we went up there the following

day, they had already started stripping it out. If I was doing it,

I would be labelled a vandal. All these items are here to be

collected or disposed of. We've got plants, photographs and even a

baseball cap. They've all been removed by the council from the

memorial garden. We've always discouraged people from

putting their own memorabilia around. You can see what a beautiful

place this is. When it has random things turn up, little trinkets, and

things that rattle in the night, and pictures that people have

photocopied, and then the rain will come, it makes the whole place look

untidy. As soon as I found out that they were stored near the bins, I

asked them to be moved, and they are now stored at the other end by the

memorial garden if anyone wants to collect them.

For John, the way people deal with loss is a personal choice, and not

something for the council to decide. Leave us alone. That's all I'm

saying. Not me ` leave us alone. Let us grieve in our own way.

Now, a paper heart has taken the place of John's plaque a secret

tribute to his wife. I've got to have something here. I

have to. They need to sort this out ` now.

That's the demand from Vodafone mobile phone customers living in the

North Hampshire town of Bordon. They claim the phone signal within a

three mile radius of the town has been unreliable for around two

years. However, it's recently got much worse ` with no signal for two

of the last three months. Vodafone has admitted there's a problem but

hasn't been able to say when it'll be fixed. Jo Kent reports.

The Vodafone signal in Bordon is so poor that more than 300 residents

have joined a Facebook group to try to force action.

My boss texts me on a day`to`day basis to ask me to go and care for

someone, and obviously I can't because I don't receive the texts.

My little boy hasn't been very well, and I've got no way of contacting

doctors' surgeries. I've had to go around and knock on neighbours

houses, and say to them, can I use your landline?

I work for the emergency services, and I'm supposed to be contactable

at all times. They can't contact me. We've had no apologies, just told to

be patient. It will be back on. Bear with us.

The lack of signal is also impacting on businesses, like this freight and

storage firm. We are supposed to operate 24 hours

a day, and we use our mobiles to do that. If we are not in the office,

people can't get hold of us. Historically, we've been with

Vodafone for 11 years. We just renewed a few months ago. At the

time of renewal, the signal was good. We were assured all problems

were fixed. Clearly, they're not. Customer Dave Bird takes us to the

mast which is believed to be at the root of the problem.

You might get a couple of bars, but it's only ghosting. You can't do

anything with it. Vodafone would not be interviewed,

but has confirmed that there was a fault in December, and another at

the end of January which is ongoing, and affecting an area within a one

mile radius of the town. It says bad weather hampered attempts to

investigate the problem, but it's believed that trees are blocking the

signal. It's now exploring a number of options, including trimming their

trees, or putting up a temporary mast. The company wouldn't say how

many customers are affected. Those we spoke to want action, and

quickly, or the freedom to switch to a new provider providing a more

reliable service. I'm sure the reception on Luke

Shaw's phone was at school when Roy Hodgson called in today. I think we

expected short dash he has done so well this season. This is another in

the production line for SAP Hampton. Only this week, they had another

players scored his debut for the England under 17 squad. Luke Shaw,

he was named in the England squad today, joins Adam Lallana, Jay

Rodriguez and Rickie Lambert for the game against Denmark next week.

Shaw was receiving congratulations from staff including manager Maurico

Pochetinno at the club's training ground this afternoon. At 18, he's

the youngest Southampton player to be called up for England. He

received the news at home in a call from Roy Hodgson. Here's his

reaction before the England boss. I got a phone call from the essay,

and I spoke to Roy myself. He said that I have been called on to the

senior team on merit, and just to keep doing what I'm doing. I was

shocked, and didn't know what to say. I still can't believe it has

happened, I'm just so excited and can't wait to get going.

I think everyone who has watched him play recently will not deny that he

deserves a place. He has played extremely well. We think he's a very

exciting talents. I haven't worked with him, he wasn't in the U21

squad. But I have seen him. I think it was the right moment to invite

him along with us. He's a player who obviously wants to compete with the

other two for a place on the plane to Brazil. I thought this was the

right time to bring him in and given the chance to judge show what can

do. Hampshire cyclist Dani King has

dropped to reserve for the women's team pursuit at the World

Championships in Columbia. The Hamble rider finished eighth in the

scratch race overnight in Cali. She has been a regular in the four

member pursuit team but Scottish rider Kate Archibold has been

selected in her place. The women's team are hot favourites to win the

title. There's live coverage on the BBC red button from 11.20PM tonight.

A teenager from Southampton is set to take on his biggest challenge yet

when he competes at the Junior World Championships in the sport of

taekwondo. Archie Waldock has come through the ranks at the BTS club in

Southampton, home to some of the best young taekwondo fighters in the

country. Archie may only be 15, but his

achievements in tae kwon do is already lengthy. I started when I

was 11. I really enjoyed it, but didn't win

much. Last season, I won gold in the Spanish open, and silver in the

Austrian open. This season, so far, I've got gold at nationals, gold at

the Serbian open, gold at the Croatian open. So far, it's been

pretty good. Archie is the latest rising star to

come through this club in Southampton. Next, he's training for

the Junior championships in China. I'm really looking forward to it!

What's the secret to this talents? I put it down to his dedication to

the sport. He's got a passion for it, and just loves doing it.

He's on autopilot. He gets up, stretches in the morning, come,

deeds, and goes to training. Archie admits he couldn't do it

without family support. I can't drive, I can't pay. I can do

anything about my mum! `` I couldn't do anything without my

mum. This week on South Today, we've been

remembering the sacrifice of the millions of people who fought in

World War One. But not everyone wanted to fight.

16,000 conscientious objectors refused to bear arms. Some ended up

volunteering as ambulance drivers or stretcher bearers on the front line.

But others refused to do any war work and were sent to jail.

Despite the harsh conditions, one group at Winchester Prison produced

a secret newspaper ` called the Winchester Whisperer. As Steve

Humphrey has been discovering, a rare surviving copy provides a

unique insight into the motives of the men who didn't go to war.

Winchester's Victorian prison has housed a wide range of criminals

over the decades, and these two murderers. `` from these two

murderers. It is most unusual group of prisoners arrived during the war

` conscientious objectors. Conditions were very bad for people

who were held by the army, and by many people, to be coward is. People

who were trying to get out of their responsibilities. `` held to be

Coward 's. Thousands of men volunteered to be in the Army.

Pacifists got very little sympathy. This film shows what happens when a

crowd surrounded pacifists meeting in London. After conscription was

introduced, hundreds of men who refused to fight were thrown into

jail. Some were even sentenced to death.

Some 35 of them were sent to France to the front line. If they disobeyed

orders, they were sentenced to death. Some of the conscientious

objectors held in Winchester is started their own secret newspaper.

It was called Winchester Whisperer Sentence Mac. During An Interview In

The 1960s, He Remembered How The Prison Authorities Unwittingly

Provided The Main Raw Material. I had a small pencil in which I

wrote out the material. Then I handed it to somebody who bounded.

It was circulated by hand. One copy survives in a public

archive. It's here as the headquarters of the Quakers in

central London. Today, they've agreed to show it to us.

It is so delicate that it's brought out very rarely. It was written on

toilet paper. What strikes me is that there is a lot of humour there.

A lot of thought about the basic nature of people, and how people are

good. The secret newspaper included essays, poems, cartoons and

sketches. Even chess puzzles. There was only

ever one copy of each edition, and it was secretly passed around from

hand to hand. On several occasions, the people producing the newspaper

or almost discovered by prison staff.

The chaplain who came around one evening, he came around, and I had

the whole issue hung up on my cell door. I had hung it on a line to

drive. He opens the door and came in, and asked, are you all right?

What are you reading? He banged the door and went out. Some of the

conscientious objectors weren't released from prison until the early

1920s. There are still those that feel that

the conscientious objectors were lucky to get away with it.

Some still feel passionately that they were pioneers in getting human

rights recognised by government. This copy gives a fascinating

insight into the minds of the men who refused to fight in World War I.

Men who, despite everything the 30s did, ducked by their principles.

It's such an extraordinary story that we thought you might like to

see some pages. . If you go to our Facebook page ` the address is there

on the screen ` you can have a closer look at some of the things

written in the secret newspaper from a century ago.

There are hundreds of stories in the World War One At Home series being

broadcast on BBC local radio over the coming months. If you want to

see more, go to bbc.co.uk/ww1 and follow the links. And our series

continues tomorrow. . Find out how those crucial maps were made, and

the danger that those map`makers worked under.

Onto the weather. Is there a snow coming our way?

More sleet, actually. We are expecting snow over high areas. Oday

tomorrow as well. Alan Howes took this photo of the

hail that fell in West Wittering today.

The showers will fade away around eight or nine tonight. Dry

initially, which will allow temperatures to fall rapidly. This

is the warning area from The Met office for the snow. Potentially,

over the Salisbury plain and the Cotswolds. Not amounting to two

much, but it's more likely over Hilltop areas. For other areas,

following as rain. A little respite for some, while temperatures fall to

three or four. The weather warning is still in force for the rush`hour

drive to work tomorrow, and up until 3pm. It will fall as rain as

temperatures start to rise to around six or seven. Where we have the

wintry showers and rainfall, temperatures will be suppressed. A

cold field to think about northerly wind. Tomorrow is pretty miserable

for much of the day. There will be little respite from that rain.

Finally, it disappears tomorrow night and we see the skies clear.

Frost is on the cards, with temperatures falling to `1. A risk

of ice where we've had showers or read is any standing water from the

floods. Temperatures falling rapidly under those clear skies, so that

maybe some mist and fog patches. Saturday, and East ` West divide. We

see the cloud increase with a band of rain working its way in. That

will stay with us through the first part of Sunday. Tomorrow, we will

have some rain at times. It may turn to snow over Hilltop areas. Saturday

starts off pretty chilly but sunny. That's it from us. More at 8pm. Join

us tomorrow.