:00:00. > :00:00.firepower in military exercises. That is all from the BBC News
:00:00. > :00:00.firepower in military exercises. Hello and welcome to South Today
:00:00. > :00:14.from Oxford. In tonight's programme: An
:00:15. > :00:17.alternative route for HS2. The high`speed trains would go through a
:00:18. > :00:21.15 mile tunnel rather than running on a line that would cut through the
:00:22. > :00:24.countryside. Also tonight: Their five`year fight to get their son out
:00:25. > :00:27.of jail in the Philippines. Gerald and Mary Taylor have spent
:00:28. > :00:29.?18,000 trying to clear their son Kevin's name.
:00:30. > :00:32.How technology designed Oxford is helping the world's most powerful
:00:33. > :00:38.radio telescope to explore the depths of space And later on: the
:00:39. > :00:41.cargo destined for the Caribbean, why 30 high`performance cars are on
:00:42. > :00:53.their way to Jeremy Clarkson in Barbados.
:00:54. > :00:57.Good evening. An alternative route has been
:00:58. > :01:01.suggested for the controversial High Speed two rail line. It would
:01:02. > :01:03.preserve more of the Chilterns. Councils in Buckinghamshire have
:01:04. > :01:06.unveiled a plan which involves a longer tunnel rather than cutting
:01:07. > :01:11.through the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Our reporter Paul
:01:12. > :01:19.Scoins has spent the day at Westminster and told me more about
:01:20. > :01:23.what's being proposed. The current plans involve a mixture
:01:24. > :01:27.of tunnelling, opening track and is covered railway cuttings. Today's
:01:28. > :01:31.proposals announced at a press conference in Westminster that we
:01:32. > :01:37.see a radical departure. All 50 miles of the track would be
:01:38. > :01:39.tunnelled underground, all of the Chiltern Area of Outstanding Natural
:01:40. > :01:44.Beauty would be tunnelled as well. It would put an additional one point
:01:45. > :01:53.eight ?5 billion on the cost but it would be completed more quickly ``
:01:54. > :01:56.?1.85 billion. There is an alternative route, a far better
:01:57. > :02:03.route, not only in the immediate sense it would then I is
:02:04. > :02:08.disruption, `` it would minimise disruption, but it would have a much
:02:09. > :02:14.reduced whole life cost. How likely is this to happen?
:02:15. > :02:18.MPs debate the next stage on Monday, that is going to grant it planning
:02:19. > :02:25.permission, it is almost guaranteed to go through. What this launched
:02:26. > :02:29.today was time to give those MPs a little something to think about over
:02:30. > :02:32.the summary says, those tunnels will be debated in October when they will
:02:33. > :02:38.have more discussion. One local MP says she wants to stay from the idea
:02:39. > :02:42.of a tunnel in her colleagues minds. I hope they will look at this
:02:43. > :02:49.carefully first if they have two support the HS2 Bill, I hope they
:02:50. > :02:54.will also support a telling option to protect the environment ``
:02:55. > :02:59.tunnelling. I would ask them to look carefully at the project. I still do
:03:00. > :03:04.not think it is the answer. I spoke to the company earlier and
:03:05. > :03:08.they have given consideration to the tunnel but felt the current plans
:03:09. > :03:10.were the best balance between design, cost and environmental
:03:11. > :03:13.impact. More than 50 animals have been
:03:14. > :03:16.seized by the RSPCA in Oxfordshire following a raid by officers at a
:03:17. > :03:21.site previously closed down because of animal cruelty. Police and the
:03:22. > :03:25.RSPCA have searched the former site of Crunchy's, an animal rescue
:03:26. > :03:29.centre in Longworth. It was closed following a previous investigation
:03:30. > :03:33.in 2012. The owner, Angela Russell, was jailed for six months for animal
:03:34. > :03:36.neglect. A woman's been detained in hospital
:03:37. > :03:40.indefinitely after admitting driving onto a level crossing in
:03:41. > :03:45.Oxfordshire. Heather Bister pleaded guilty to endangering safety on the
:03:46. > :03:48.railways without intent. The 43`year`old, from Banbury, was
:03:49. > :03:52.driving a car that was hit by a train at the Sandy Lane crossing in
:03:53. > :03:55.Yarton last November. People working in pubs and clubs are
:03:56. > :04:02.being offered training by Thames Valley Police Police to help spot
:04:03. > :04:06.the signs of child grooming. The new scheme has been set up a year after
:04:07. > :04:10.seven men were jailed for their part in a sexual exploitation ring in
:04:11. > :04:13.Oxford. Many of their victims had been given drink and drugs. The new
:04:14. > :04:16.training will help door staff and barmen look out for young people at
:04:17. > :04:19.risk. A retired couple from Swindon say
:04:20. > :04:23.the fight to free their son from a foreign jail has cost them their all
:04:24. > :04:26.their savings and affected their health. Gerald and Mary Taylor's son
:04:27. > :04:30.Kevin has been in prison in the Philippines for five years, waiting
:04:31. > :04:33.for a trial. They say they've spent ?18,000 fighting his case and trying
:04:34. > :04:38.to prove his innocence. Victoria Cook has been to meet them.
:04:39. > :04:40.For five years Gerald and Mary Taylor from Swindon have been
:04:41. > :04:49.battling to free their 48`year`old son Kevin from prison in the
:04:50. > :04:52.Philippines. He's accused of being involved in illegal immigration and
:04:53. > :04:56.cheating Filipinos who paid him to help them fill out forms and apply
:04:57. > :05:06.for visas. Gerald and Mary insist he and his partner are innocent. They
:05:07. > :05:11.just want him to have a fair trial. If he has done what they say he did,
:05:12. > :05:16.they have got to put him on trial, and he has got to take his chances
:05:17. > :05:20.on whatever sentence he gets. But don't do it this way, this is not
:05:21. > :05:24.right. They say the case, which has still
:05:25. > :05:27.not come to trial, has cost them their savings, nearly ?20,000, and
:05:28. > :05:30.damaged their health. They say it's driven them, and their son, to
:05:31. > :05:38.nervous breakdown. I do get depressed. Just sat here
:05:39. > :05:41.with my hands tied. We feel sometimes we are in prison because
:05:42. > :05:47.we cannot go anywhere, we cannot do anything, as such. Like retired
:05:48. > :05:50.people are supposed to be. The retired couple say they've
:05:51. > :05:53.received no help from official sources, the only help they've had
:05:54. > :06:01.has been from a charity, Prisoners Abroad. The conditions are extremely
:06:02. > :06:07.harsh. There is a great deal of overcrowding. Between 30 and 60
:06:08. > :06:11.people in a cell. There is very little food and water provided.
:06:12. > :06:14.The Foreign and Commonwealth Office says it's aware of Kevin's arrest
:06:15. > :06:21.and continue to provide consular assistance. As yet there is no date
:06:22. > :06:24.set for his trial. New pictures have been released of
:06:25. > :06:32.the ?400 million redevelopment of the Westgate shopping centre in
:06:33. > :06:37.Oxford. The change has been talked about for 25 years. People are now
:06:38. > :06:40.being asked for their views on the plans for the new centre. Five firms
:06:41. > :06:43.of architects are working together on the designs which will be
:06:44. > :06:46.submitted for planning permission later this year. The consultation
:06:47. > :06:48.runs until next Wednesday and is being held inside the existing
:06:49. > :06:53.shopping centre. The Earl and Countess of Wessex have
:06:54. > :06:56.been visiting Oxfordshire today. After visiting Dorchester they met
:06:57. > :06:59.military reserve forces and Cadets at a lunch at the Edward Brooks
:07:00. > :07:02.barracks in Abingdon. The Earl handed out an award to Oxfordshire
:07:03. > :07:05.County Council recognising its commitment to employing and
:07:06. > :07:15.supporting staff that serve within Britain's Reserve Armed Forces. The
:07:16. > :07:21.reserves are a part of the whole integrated force. 32,000 will be
:07:22. > :07:25.reservists. They have played an essential part of the whole force,
:07:26. > :07:29.ready to deploy whenever required. A team of scientists in Oxford have
:07:30. > :07:32.produced a new piece of technology which is going to help operate the
:07:33. > :07:35.largest and most sensitive radio telescope on earth. It's based in
:07:36. > :07:38.South Africa and will collect signals from the depths of the
:07:39. > :07:43.universe, possibly from the first stars and galaxies formed after the
:07:44. > :07:50.Big Bang. Jessica Cooper reports. To see the furthest galaxies you
:07:51. > :07:55.need telescopes like this. In the centre a crucial piece of kit. It
:07:56. > :07:58.doesn't look complicated but the cooling technology in here is about
:07:59. > :08:02.to help scientists see further into space than ever before. The dishes
:08:03. > :08:12.sit, in soaring temperatures, in the middle of the South African desert.
:08:13. > :08:17.It cools the very heart of the radio telescope. The receiver. The
:08:18. > :08:19.receiver is the bit that receives all the information, the radio
:08:20. > :08:22.waves, from the depths of space. Once the telescopes are up and
:08:23. > :08:26.running they'll scan space for sound waves collecting vast amounts of
:08:27. > :08:35.data. For the 30`year`old Oxford business behind the unit, it's an
:08:36. > :08:45.exciting time. To be able to supply systems for a project like this, it
:08:46. > :08:49.is the next big hadron Collider, we are proud to be part of it.
:08:50. > :08:52.Everything we make here we sourced locally. We have it manufactured
:08:53. > :08:54.locally. It is a great thing for the community.
:08:55. > :08:57.This project has been funded by governments across the world. And
:08:58. > :09:01.it's hoped it'll expand. Eventually over the next 15 years there could
:09:02. > :09:10.be more than 3,000 dishes gathering information to tell us more about
:09:11. > :09:14.what's out there. With speeds of up to 90 miles an
:09:15. > :09:16.hour and crashes a necessary requirement, stock car racing
:09:17. > :09:21.wouldn't be many parents first choice hobby for their children. But
:09:22. > :09:24.for the Harris family, who live near Banbury, stock car racing is in the
:09:25. > :09:29.blood. Sinead Carroll went to meet them.
:09:30. > :09:35.The countryside hasn't been quite as peaceful since the Harris family
:09:36. > :09:42.moved in. Eat, sleep, live, breathe, everything stock car racing. It
:09:43. > :09:46.dominates family life. It all started with dad, Mike, a former
:09:47. > :09:51.racer, wife Sharon has one, `` charity competitions and elder son
:09:52. > :09:56.Tom is a world champion and Catherine has taken up the sport.
:09:57. > :10:01.Even the Jamie US terrible but it is an avid supporter. For Tom, stockcar
:10:02. > :10:04.racing isn't just a hobby, making and fixing these guys is his
:10:05. > :10:09.full`time job. He got to love the full`time job. He got to love the
:10:10. > :10:16.adrenaline, when you're in the cars, the people are surround you,
:10:17. > :10:22.get the family closer together. Catherine started on bikes, now she
:10:23. > :10:27.races in the manys. I am not a girly girl, I don't like girly stuff.
:10:28. > :10:32.Quite a few girls do it and I wanted to as well. When they are not
:10:33. > :10:38.raising the family farming at home near Banbury. A lot of people caught
:10:39. > :10:43.stockcar structures, but far from it, they are a purpose`built racing
:10:44. > :10:47.car. But you will find there are a lot of farmers involved in stockcar
:10:48. > :10:52.racing. This weekend is another race for Tom and Catherine. There will be
:10:53. > :10:57.plenty of family support. That is all for the moment, I will
:10:58. > :11:07.have a headless just before eight o'clock. `` ever headlines.
:11:08. > :11:08.May. Still to come: Why the banana docks
:11:09. > :11:19.in Portsmouth are preparing a little treat for Clarkson in Barbados.
:11:20. > :11:23.It was the first new fire station to be built in Berkshire in 20 years.
:11:24. > :11:25.But the BBC has discovered the new ?1.5 million building in Wokingham
:11:26. > :11:31.has serious structural problems which could be hugely expensive to
:11:32. > :11:40.put right. It's not the only capital project presenting challenges for
:11:41. > :11:44.the Fire Service. Following the excitement of its
:11:45. > :11:47.grand opening in 2011, cracks have appeared on the concrete floor,
:11:48. > :11:54.there are problems with the roof and the main doors to not work properly.
:11:55. > :11:56.It has not been built well enough, there are serious structural
:11:57. > :12:00.problems which will need to be corrected. Not the kind of
:12:01. > :12:04.structural problems which are putting people in imminent danger.
:12:05. > :12:08.The fire station is being used safely, so we do not have an
:12:09. > :12:14.immediate problem but the building has have worked on to make sure it
:12:15. > :12:18.is able to service the needs of our firefighters and the communities
:12:19. > :12:23.they look after in the long`term. A full investigation is underway. This
:12:24. > :12:31.station cost ?1.5 million to build and is going to cost a lot to put it
:12:32. > :12:35.right. It is crucial that it is established who is responsible and
:12:36. > :12:42.taxpayers will not want to pay for taxpayers will not want to pay for
:12:43. > :12:46.it. 15 miles away, Berkshire's brand`new Fire Service HQ should be
:12:47. > :12:52.open by now. It will host the first joint control room, but there have
:12:53. > :12:57.been delays. This new build follows the abandonment of nine new control
:12:58. > :13:03.centres across the UK at a cost of ?0.5 billion. The problem was the
:13:04. > :13:07.technology was never got right. That was an important lesson which we
:13:08. > :13:12.have done well to learn in the way we have handled this project, so the
:13:13. > :13:17.delay is unfortunate but I think justifiable on the basis of how
:13:18. > :13:25.important that technology is. It's the HQ is late than problematic ``
:13:26. > :13:28.better. A teacher who showed pupils how to
:13:29. > :13:32.cut themselves with craft knives so they could paint in their own blood
:13:33. > :13:34.has been allowed to carry on teaching. Sandra Kennedy had
:13:35. > :13:38.admitted matters got out of hand during the lesson at the Ringwood
:13:39. > :13:41.Waldorf School in March last year, when 13 pupils cut themselves. She
:13:42. > :13:43.was suspended and later resigned. The National College of Teaching and
:13:44. > :13:46.Leadership found Sandra Kennedy guilty of unacceptable professional
:13:47. > :13:51.conduct, but said it was an "isolated mistake".
:13:52. > :13:54.There are many who think the decision should have been taken
:13:55. > :13:59.years ago but permission has now been granted to demolish the former
:14:00. > :14:02.3M building in Bracknell. Over the decades, it had deteriorated from
:14:03. > :14:13.icon to eyesore and its removal will be an important step in the
:14:14. > :14:18.regeneration of the town centre. It is pretty much the one thing
:14:19. > :14:28.Bracknell is known for these days. The 3M building. The town's most
:14:29. > :14:34.iconic building, Winchester house, is on borrowed time. The council has
:14:35. > :14:38.said it can be demolished. It is the building you see in town every day,
:14:39. > :14:44.you see at four miles. Do you like it? No. I think they have left it
:14:45. > :14:50.too late for Bracknell. They should too late for Bracknell. They should
:14:51. > :14:58.have done it years ago. It will be very modern. That could go either
:14:59. > :15:02.way. More than 300 new flats will be built on the site. It will set above
:15:03. > :15:07.retail block with a new underpass running through the middle. Is this
:15:08. > :15:11.a departure from Bracknell as a centre of industry? We have always
:15:12. > :15:17.said the town centre would be the heart of our economy. It is not just
:15:18. > :15:24.about shopping. It is about eating, people coming to visit. We have
:15:25. > :15:28.large companies and we want them to come and use this as... . The 3M
:15:29. > :15:40.building featured heavily when we asked users to suggest the most
:15:41. > :15:44.loved and hated building. Some inspire and some do not, but by far
:15:45. > :15:49.and away the most heated seems to be the Castlemilk halls of residence in
:15:50. > :15:54.Oxford. We will be looking at these in the coming months. Keep your
:15:55. > :16:02.suggestions coming. For the moment, watch this space.
:16:03. > :16:04.We are trying to find out what are the most popular and heated
:16:05. > :16:28.buildings in the south. the most popular and heated
:16:29. > :16:37.Are they selling, Saints? Now done deals. They have come out
:16:38. > :16:46.and said, you might have been doing the papers about multi`million pound
:16:47. > :16:48.deals, that is not the case. Insisting there is no deal in place
:16:49. > :19:00.to sell any players back injury.
:19:01. > :19:03.Saints face Everton in tomorrow's early kick off at St Mary's. In
:19:04. > :19:07.League One, Swindon hope to keep their play`off hopes alive with a
:19:08. > :19:09.win at Notts County, MK Dons go to Rotherham. In League Two,
:19:10. > :19:14.Portsmouth's manager`in`waiting Andy Awford goes for a sixth win out of
:19:15. > :19:18.six on the road at Bury for resurgent Pompey. Oxford have to win
:19:19. > :19:21.against Accrington and hope York lose if their play`off chances are
:19:22. > :19:27.to stay alive. There's full commentary of all the games on BBC
:19:28. > :19:31.local radio. We'll break down what it all means going into the final
:19:32. > :19:37.week of the season on Late Kick Off which is back on Monday night. We'll
:19:38. > :19:39.also talk Saints and the World Cup with former Southampton midfielder
:19:40. > :19:44.Matthew Oakley who is among our special guests.
:19:45. > :19:47.Sholing Football Club will play at Wembley in the biggest match in
:19:48. > :19:49.their history in a fortnight's time. Today some of staff at the club had
:19:50. > :19:56.a look around and got their hands on a look around and got their hands on
:19:57. > :20:01.the trophy. They lame`duck against their opponents at the National
:20:02. > :20:07.Stadium, calling on football fans to get behind them. Tickets cost just
:20:08. > :20:11.?15 for adults. Surrey Storm hope to complete a
:20:12. > :20:13.season at the top of British netball this weekend. They take on
:20:14. > :20:16.Manchester Thunder in the grand final of the Super League in
:20:17. > :20:19.Worcester tomorrow night. The Storm went unbeaten in the regular season
:20:20. > :20:22.before winning their play`off semi final. It's a repeat of the 2012
:20:23. > :20:26.final, which Manchester won. It's a big weekend of play`off
:20:27. > :20:29.matches for some of the south's rugby union sides. And one of the
:20:30. > :20:32.teams looking to create a piece of history is Chichester. They're
:20:33. > :20:36.looking to reach the National League for the first time in their 130`year
:20:37. > :20:42.existence. The West Sussex club have a home promotion play`off tomorrow
:20:43. > :20:46.against Eton Manor. Spectacular, expensive and very,
:20:47. > :20:49.very fast. That was the unusual cargo being prepared for a banana
:20:50. > :20:53.boat at Portsmouth docks this morning. 30 high performance cars
:20:54. > :20:57.were loaded into containers for the voyage to Barbados. They're going to
:20:58. > :21:04.be taking part in a special festival organised by the team behind Top
:21:05. > :21:07.Gear. Welcome to the glamorous world of
:21:08. > :21:17.high performance motoring on a rain swept banana boat dock in Portsmouth
:21:18. > :21:21.harbour. The cars are going to the Caribbean for a Top Gear Festival
:21:22. > :21:25.next month. The live festivals are a commercial spin off from the TV
:21:26. > :21:28.programme and have already been held in Australia, South Africa and
:21:29. > :21:32.Poland. Now the Barbados Tourist Board have signed up in a three`year
:21:33. > :21:35.deal. Interestingly, Jeremy Clarkson once visited the island to see
:21:36. > :21:44.whether he'd rather spend his money running a BMW for a year, or taking
:21:45. > :21:51.a Caribbean holiday. No, this is definitely better, definitely. So,
:21:52. > :21:56.Top Gear Festival, Barbados, it is our first time in Barbados. It is a
:21:57. > :22:00.live celebration of everything about motoring. It is all in the spirit of
:22:01. > :22:04.Top Gear. We have Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond of
:22:05. > :22:09.course. We have the Stig, Lewis Hamilton, all sorts going on. For
:22:10. > :22:12.the dockyard workers, this has been a real treat. Getting to grips with
:22:13. > :22:17.some of the world's finest supercars. This is an Enzo Ferrari.
:22:18. > :22:26.It's worth somewhere around ?1.5 million and fitting it into a
:22:27. > :22:30.container takes nerves of steel. I have recently lost a little bit of
:22:31. > :22:34.weight. I think if I was a stone or two heavier I would be borderline
:22:35. > :22:38.getting out of the window. It is very tight. What is it like to
:22:39. > :22:42.drive? Very noisy. Not so much fun on a day like today but hopefully in
:22:43. > :22:45.Barbados it will be a little bit nicer. Ships like this bring over 30
:22:46. > :22:49.million bananas at a time to Portsmouth. But this particular
:22:50. > :22:57.return load is going to be worth a lot more. It is quite high. A banana
:22:58. > :23:01.cargo could be ?3 or ?4 million. The collective value of the 30 odd
:23:02. > :23:06.vehicles we are shipping out for Top Gear is somewhere north of ?10 or
:23:07. > :23:10.?12 million. It is quite a substantial value but we do carry a
:23:11. > :23:14.lot of other valuable cargo from time to time as well. It's not all
:23:15. > :23:25.glamour. A flotilla of Reliant Robins are going for the car
:23:26. > :23:29.football event. I like the fact they have some of
:23:30. > :23:44.the yellow cards next to the red cards. `` cars.
:23:45. > :23:50.It is fairly unsettled for the weekend, a lot of rain on the cards,
:23:51. > :24:09.but there will be some warm sunshine at times.
:24:10. > :24:14.Further rain on the cards for the first part of the night and through
:24:15. > :24:21.the early hours of the morning the rain will gradually led not `` edge
:24:22. > :24:26.northwards. There could be funded the rain with the rain band moving
:24:27. > :24:31.northwards. The next band of rain starts to arrive by dawn tomorrow,
:24:32. > :24:36.fairly heavy rain. In the last 24 hours in parts of Hampshire we have
:24:37. > :24:42.seen just over an in shop rainfall. This could cause localised flooding,
:24:43. > :24:48.so stay tuned to your local radio station. Temperatures in towns and
:24:49. > :24:54.cities down to eight or nine Celsius. There could be a lot of
:24:55. > :24:56.surface water on the roads. There will be a brief dryer interlude
:24:57. > :25:01.where we will see some sunshine before the next batch of showers
:25:02. > :25:10.starts coming in from the west later. And late afternoon we will
:25:11. > :25:20.start to see some sunshine. Winds are pretty blustery. Under these
:25:21. > :25:30.showers and a possibility with temperatures falling to 7`9dC.
:25:31. > :25:37.Sunday there is low pressure along the south coast and it is moving but
:25:38. > :25:41.we will still see some showers, some sunshine to be had but it will start
:25:42. > :25:50.to feel a bit better towards the afternoon on Friday, sorry Sunday.
:25:51. > :25:54.Heavy showers, the old rumble of thunder, but there will be some
:25:55. > :25:58.sunny spells and it will feel pleasantly warm in the sunshine with
:25:59. > :26:03.temperatures reaching 15 or 16 Celsius. And unsettled weekend.
:26:04. > :26:12.Showers through the weekend, Monday they risk of showers, unsettled into
:26:13. > :26:21.Wednesday. We were spoiled the other week with
:26:22. > :26:30.the lovely weather. We have more at 8pm and 10:25pm.