:00:00. > 3:59:59connection with a murdering Belfast back in the 1970s. That is all from
:00:00. > :00:15.Hello and welcome to South Today the BBC News At
:00:16. > :00:18.Hello and welcome to South Today from Oxford. In tonight's programme:
:00:19. > :00:21.Modern slavery, a Government minister's in Oxford promising new
:00:22. > :00:23.legislation to protect victims and prosecute the perpetrators. Also,
:00:24. > :00:26.tunnelling under the capital, we look at the impact of Crossrail on
:00:27. > :00:30.rail travellers from the Thames Valley. Early alarms clocks and
:00:31. > :00:34.plenty of dancing. It can only be May morning, we'll have a round`up
:00:35. > :00:37.of today's celebrations. And later on, counting the flowers, how
:00:38. > :00:55.flooding has affected wildlife in Iffley Fields.
:00:56. > :01:05.Good evening. A Home Office minister's been in Oxford today
:01:06. > :01:08.promising tougher action, and longer prison sentences, for those involved
:01:09. > :01:11.in people trafficking and the exploitation of the young and
:01:12. > :01:13.vulnerable. It's an issue which, until recently, probably didn't
:01:14. > :01:17.figure highly in the minds, or plans, of our public bodies or
:01:18. > :01:20.police. But that changed when seven men were jailed last year for the
:01:21. > :01:25.sexual grooming and abuse of young girls in Oxford. This evening, the
:01:26. > :01:28.minister, Karen Bradley, has been telling a conference that new
:01:29. > :01:34.legislation is on the way, with serious consequences for those who
:01:35. > :01:43.are caught. Jeremy Stern reports. Karen Bradley is the Minister for
:01:44. > :01:54.organised slavery and organised crime. I am having a discussion and
:01:55. > :01:59.meeting those agencies involved in helping people who have been
:02:00. > :02:02.trafficked or exploited. I am interested to hear from them where
:02:03. > :02:12.they think there might have been problems. She spoke at Regents Park
:02:13. > :02:16.College where there was an exhibition on historical slavery.
:02:17. > :02:23.These days it is not about men in chains being sold to the highest
:02:24. > :02:28.bidder, it is more likely to happen in secret. Here in Oxford dozens of
:02:29. > :02:34.young girls were exploited by older men, that is a form of modern
:02:35. > :02:42.slavery. Earlier this year this man and his brother were sentenced to a
:02:43. > :02:48.total of 95 years. They are calls for stronger deterrents. You have
:02:49. > :02:53.got to be on your guard that it is happening all the time. I think the
:02:54. > :03:02.government taking it seriously encourages everyone else to take it
:03:03. > :03:11.seriously as well. The modern slavery Bill goes towards Parliament
:03:12. > :03:15.later this year. DNA testing has confirmed that a human bone found in
:03:16. > :03:18.a Cotswold beauty spot IS part of the body of a murdered Swindon
:03:19. > :03:21.woman, whose remains were found nearby in 2011. Wiltshire Police had
:03:22. > :03:24.been conducting a re`investigation of the case of Becky Godden`Edwards
:03:25. > :03:28.when the bone was recovered three weeks ago. The rest of her body was
:03:29. > :03:31.originally located in a shallow grave. Detectives had been led to
:03:32. > :03:34.the scene by Swindon cab driver Christopher Halliwell. He was later
:03:35. > :03:38.jailed for the murder of another local woman, Sian O'Callaghan. An
:03:39. > :03:42.inquest in Oxford has heard how a university student found dead in a
:03:43. > :03:46.tent on Port Meadow took his own life by inhaling a poisonous gas.
:03:47. > :03:51.Andrew Kirkman's body was found by a passer by in early December. The
:03:52. > :03:55.area was initially cordoned off because of concern his death might
:03:56. > :03:58.have been due to a chemical leak. The coroner was told that the
:03:59. > :04:07.Balliol College student had recently been diagnosed with depression.
:04:08. > :04:18.Andrew's parents and college paid tribute to "an amazing young man".
:04:19. > :04:21.HS2 has generated more headlines, and courted more controversy but
:04:22. > :04:23.Crossrail is another massive rail infrastructure project that's
:04:24. > :04:27.already well underway. It's likely to have a far greater impact on the
:04:28. > :04:31.majority of rail commuters from the Thames Valley. Within five years,
:04:32. > :04:34.passengers will be able to board a train at Reading, and travel to the
:04:35. > :04:37.heart of London, without stopping at Paddington OR swapping to the Tube
:04:38. > :04:41.system. Our transport correspondent Paul Clifton's been to see progress
:04:42. > :04:46.on the route beneath the Capital. Going underground. This is where
:04:47. > :04:52.Crossrail services from reading will disappear beneath west London. For a
:04:53. > :04:56.decade it seemed reading people would be denied direct services
:04:57. > :05:03.through this tunnel. Suddenly, last month, there was a change of heart.
:05:04. > :05:08.This is where the trains that come in from Berkshire entered the
:05:09. > :05:17.tunnels. This is the central section of the tunnels that take all the
:05:18. > :05:22.trains into central London. There will be two trains per hour into
:05:23. > :05:28.central London in addition to the other services that already exist.
:05:29. > :05:34.It will also help the increasing flow of people the other way. It
:05:35. > :05:39.means reading can become a destination in its own right. People
:05:40. > :05:45.of reading and Twyford will have more choice. This is where Crossrail
:05:46. > :05:52.trains will whisk people from reading right through to central
:05:53. > :06:02.London and beyond. At Paddington a new Crossrail station is being
:06:03. > :06:13.built. ?15 billion is the largest construction project in Europe. It
:06:14. > :06:19.will take 15 minutes to reach London while the new intercity trains take
:06:20. > :06:26.half that time. It will be a high urban service, no toilets and now
:06:27. > :06:30.catering. But for many comic taking one direct train straight to work
:06:31. > :06:41.right through here will be very popular. Campaigners are trying to
:06:42. > :06:44.stop a badgers' set from being destroyed by a housing development
:06:45. > :06:47.near Oxford. The animals are currently located on land in
:06:48. > :06:51.Kidlington but a local firm wants to build at least one property in the
:06:52. > :06:53.same area. They've applied for a license from Natural England to
:06:54. > :06:57.relocate the animals to an artificial set. We think the badger
:06:58. > :07:03.set has probably been there for over 100 years but there are records
:07:04. > :07:08.going back to at least 30. It is one of the largest sets we have seen in
:07:09. > :07:20.the county and at least nine badgers or probably more. Thousands of
:07:21. > :07:25.people set an early alarm this morning ` or didn't go to bed at all
:07:26. > :07:27.` so they could be part of the traditional May Morning celebrations
:07:28. > :07:31.in Oxford city centre. Magdalen Choristers sang hymns from the top
:07:32. > :07:34.of the college tower at 6am, whilst morris dancers helped to keep the
:07:35. > :07:44.party going throughout the morning. Tom Turrell reports. 6am on May one
:07:45. > :07:51.and on the roof of the Tower the choir saying to people below. As the
:07:52. > :07:58.singing stops and the bells rang out, the party is far from over.
:07:59. > :08:05.After celebrations finish in the Tower revellers head here to join in
:08:06. > :08:11.with the Morris dancers. It is thought around 5000 people turned
:08:12. > :08:18.out with businesses opening early to cope with the extra demand. At half
:08:19. > :08:25.past eight in the morning for most the party is over. Try telling that
:08:26. > :08:31.to these guys. It is all about having fun, meeting people and
:08:32. > :08:36.dancing throughout the day. For the last few years I did not bother with
:08:37. > :08:45.dressing up at this year I thought I would go for it. You did not have to
:08:46. > :08:51.be dressed up to enjoy it but this former England footballer joined in.
:08:52. > :08:59.It is great, traditional and lots of students around. It is a great day.
:09:00. > :09:10.In the past people jumped from model and bridge but this year in the name
:09:11. > :09:14.of safety it has not happened. The atmosphere is still there and it is
:09:15. > :09:22.really beautiful once that Quire starts singing. While warding off
:09:23. > :09:42.evil spirits what the priority for some, others will be only concerned
:09:43. > :09:44.with warding off a hangover. A new initiative has been encouraging
:09:45. > :09:50.children to get involved with fishing. More than 50 school pupils
:09:51. > :09:53.have been trying their hand at Farmoor reservoir. They've also been
:09:54. > :09:57.learning about the eco`system, and even been cooking some of their
:09:58. > :10:00.catch. The day was organised by the charitable wing of the Countryside
:10:01. > :10:02.Alliance That's all from me for the moment. Now lets get more stories
:10:03. > :10:14.from our region with Sally Taylor. this evening's South Today... Roger
:10:15. > :10:19.Finn is once again, out and about. Join me in this meadow near Oxford
:10:20. > :10:27.to hear the story of these little fellas and why some volunteers are
:10:28. > :10:29.trying to count them all. It's the Government's attempt to turn the
:10:30. > :10:32.lives of so`called 'troubled' families around ` those with a
:10:33. > :10:35.history of crime, substance abuse and long`term unemployment. But,
:10:36. > :10:38.just under two thirds of the way through the 'Troubled Families
:10:39. > :10:40.Programme', BBC South can reveal that councils in our region are
:10:41. > :10:43.struggling to meet government targets. So far, Hampshire has
:10:44. > :10:48.successfully helped just a quarter of the number of families they are
:10:49. > :10:56.expected to. Dorset has managed a third. On the Isle of Wight just one
:10:57. > :10:59.in ten families identified has been helped. And in Bournemouth, only
:11:00. > :11:03.eight per cent. MPs have already admitted that the scheme is unlikely
:11:04. > :11:06.to hit its targets. In a special report, Lewis Coombes met one family
:11:07. > :11:13.going through that programme to see how they've fared. Some of the
:11:14. > :11:16.scenes you are about to see, you might find upsetting. We have
:11:17. > :11:21.protected the identity of the family, who have been portrayed by
:11:22. > :11:27.actors. What have you been doing with the children again? ! It is
:11:28. > :11:35.your responsibility. I was in a bad relationship and I broke up. Caught
:11:36. > :11:37.up in a cycle of despair. I was suffering from depression and I
:11:38. > :11:46.needed drugs first being, before anything else. Everything at home
:11:47. > :11:53.got into a mess. Not paying bills, my son was not going to school. A
:11:54. > :11:56.local mother who found herself trapped by depression, drugs and
:11:57. > :12:01.deprivation. It proved very difficult to find a family willing
:12:02. > :12:05.to be interviewed. The message that came back was, I do not want to be
:12:06. > :12:10.labelled as troubled. An insight into the challenge faced by the
:12:11. > :12:14.scheme perhaps. I was going downhill and did not want to be here any
:12:15. > :12:19.more. I did not want to do that because I had a son. The government
:12:20. > :12:23.identified a son. The government identified who had a similar story,
:12:24. > :12:29.each with their own problems, and each estimated to cost taxpayers
:12:30. > :12:35.money. For local authorities, there is a financial reward on offer.
:12:36. > :12:39.Every family said to have been turned around, they are paid up to
:12:40. > :12:43.?4000. Do you know where your children were this morning? A key
:12:44. > :12:50.worker is parachuted in to coordinate help. The impact of
:12:51. > :12:56.having someone worked closely with the families, the way we do, has a
:12:57. > :13:00.long`term impact on behaviour. As I say, it comes from the family and
:13:01. > :13:04.not from people telling them what they need to do. It comes from the
:13:05. > :13:10.family, recognising what they need to change. The objectives are clear.
:13:11. > :13:14.Reduce crime, get people back into work and back to school, and we will
:13:15. > :13:19.reward you. Will that work in the long term? Whenever local
:13:20. > :13:24.authorities have been asked to identify troubled families, they
:13:25. > :13:29.have been asked to use measures including unemployment, drugs and
:13:30. > :13:36.not attending school and anti`social behaviour. Not the criteria we have
:13:37. > :13:41.used. Success will be judged on whether targets have been met, but
:13:42. > :13:45.ultimately, targets do not matter to the families whose lives are
:13:46. > :13:49.improved. It is good to have a second chance and to get out of the
:13:50. > :13:54.situation I was in, and to get better and have a better life. A
:13:55. > :13:57.little earlier, I spoke to Louise Casey, who runs the Troubled
:13:58. > :14:00.Families scheme. I began by asking her if labelling them as troubled
:14:01. > :14:06.families was in itself causing a problem in reaching their targets.
:14:07. > :14:10.No, I do not think it is and this is where we have to be straightforward.
:14:11. > :14:14.These families do not get their children to school, they are caught
:14:15. > :14:20.up in crime, and are causing crime in the community. They are out of
:14:21. > :14:26.work and many people would say that using the word troubled about them
:14:27. > :14:30.is a gentle expression. We need is to be honest and that is the most
:14:31. > :14:36.important thing. Why do the local authorities have low targets that
:14:37. > :14:41.were set? Bournemouth only has 8%. Some regions are struggling but the
:14:42. > :14:45.key thing is that this is a difficult thing to get them to do.
:14:46. > :14:49.Changing families is hard but you have to change the system. Some of
:14:50. > :14:53.the areas in your region were slow to get going whereas other areas
:14:54. > :14:57.were running family intervention projects and all they had to do was
:14:58. > :15:02.get bigger. To be honest, places like Hampshire, Portsmouth and
:15:03. > :15:08.others are motoring and we have seen a big increase in the last six
:15:09. > :15:12.months, even in areas such as Portsmouth and Hampshire. I do have
:15:13. > :15:19.some worries about Bournemouth and the Isle of Wight but we are feeling
:15:20. > :15:24.optimistic. You can applaud the initiative but on the basis of this,
:15:25. > :15:30.would you change anything with the targets if the scheme is to
:15:31. > :15:35.continue? I do not think I word. Out of 125,002 we targeted help, we
:15:36. > :15:39.already have the names and addresses of hundred and addresses of 111,000
:15:40. > :15:43.families. Nobody thought this was possible in the beginning and here
:15:44. > :15:53.we are today to say that we have turned around 45,000 families. We
:15:54. > :15:58.have identified a. I feel confident. These families cost a lot of money
:15:59. > :16:02.and cause problems. Very briefly, it is challenging to get the families
:16:03. > :16:07.on board because not everybody wants to participate in that scheme. That
:16:08. > :16:13.is right and that is where a tough level approach is needed. People are
:16:14. > :16:17.forced to take help. We do not give up, we keep going round until they
:16:18. > :16:24.open the front door. We threaten them with eviction and criminal
:16:25. > :16:28.prosecutions. People wake up at that moment and take help. In sport, Andy
:16:29. > :16:31.Awford was confirmed as Portsmouth football club's permanent manager
:16:32. > :16:35.today. The 41`year`old has signed a one year rolling contract. As our
:16:36. > :16:38.sports editor Tony Husband reports, he was the stand out choice to
:16:39. > :16:41.replace Richie Barker after an impressive spell as caretaker, in
:16:42. > :16:48.which he's steered Pompey to football league safety. Andy Awford
:16:49. > :16:53.was smiling from day one in the Portsmouth job. He asked his players
:16:54. > :16:55.to do the same and has turned Pompey's fortunes around in
:16:56. > :17:01.remarkable fashion. It is no surprise that he was named permanent
:17:02. > :17:07.manager today. The spirits needed lifting and reigniting which we
:17:08. > :17:12.managed to do. I think the city is smiling again and long may it
:17:13. > :17:16.continue. Since he came in, he has lifted everybody. The training has
:17:17. > :17:19.been more intense, as you can see in the victories we have and the
:17:20. > :17:24.performances we have made. Everybody is just happy to stop it is a shame
:17:25. > :17:28.we could not do that earlier in the season. How things have changed in
:17:29. > :17:42.Fratton Park. Five winds and a draw from his six games in charge. ``
:17:43. > :17:48.five winds. I was confident we would stay up but the standard there lads
:17:49. > :17:55.have met has been terrific and I cannot thank them enough. What is
:17:56. > :17:58.the long`term challenge? There is no reason why this club cannot go for
:17:59. > :18:02.the championship soon. That is a realistic target. Let's just make
:18:03. > :18:08.sure we have a football club first! That's not forget how close we were
:18:09. > :18:13.to their not being one. Andy Awford has ensured he got the job on his
:18:14. > :18:19.own terms. The reconstruction of Portsmouth Football Club feels
:18:20. > :18:24.underway. More sport from Tony tomorrow. Remember the winter? That
:18:25. > :18:27.wild, wet winter? One of the worries at the time was about long term
:18:28. > :18:30.damage to the countryside from the storms and the flooding. For this
:18:31. > :18:33.week's Finn's Country, Roger Finn has been to a protected flower
:18:34. > :18:37.meadow near Oxford. For much of the winter it was underwater ` and there
:18:38. > :18:50.were fears that some rare and precious flower bulbs may simply
:18:51. > :18:54.have rotted away. As the Thames flows out of Oxford, not too far
:18:55. > :19:00.from the hustle and bustle, suddenly all is green and tranquil. And this
:19:01. > :19:11.is where you'll find Iffley Meadows ` home to the county flower of
:19:12. > :19:19.Oxfordshire. This is the jewel that makes these meadows so special. It
:19:20. > :19:25.is the snakes head fritillary. It is also known as the lepers L. The task
:19:26. > :19:28.today is to count them all. I've joined a group of volunteers with
:19:29. > :19:32.the Berks, Bucks and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust which has been
:19:33. > :19:36.managing e meadows since 1983. `` the meadows. Every year in the
:19:37. > :19:42.Spring, there's a careful survey to see just how many fritillaries have
:19:43. > :19:51.bloomed. We want to know how big an impact the winter had. Quite a few
:19:52. > :19:57.in the middle there. This is an old`fashioned flood plain meadow
:19:58. > :20:01.with low management work needed. When we took over the site, the
:20:02. > :20:07.number of fritillaries were very low. The first count was 500 and the
:20:08. > :20:14.numbers rose to a peak in 2011 of 76,000. An incredible number. The
:20:15. > :20:18.count is going up within that general trend although there are
:20:19. > :20:23.blips due to the weather. Yes, the weather. We had some real weather
:20:24. > :20:31.this winter and this place must have suffered. What were the worries? I
:20:32. > :20:36.live a couple of minutes away and I came down here a lot. This meadow
:20:37. > :20:41.was a lake. The seven weeks of flooding was too much but before we
:20:42. > :20:44.finished the count, we have no idea. So every flower head must be
:20:45. > :20:47.counted. A rare double headed white ` a good sign. After each
:20:48. > :20:51.painstaking sweep, everyone's total is recorded. The final sum will be
:20:52. > :20:53.done later. Fritillaries have disappeared as meadows have
:20:54. > :21:04.disappeared. They only thrive here thanks to careful management. Cattle
:21:05. > :21:08.graze here from July through to September and that is just to nibble
:21:09. > :21:15.away at anything else that has grown. If you do not cut the site or
:21:16. > :21:21.graze it, it would get dominated by the grasses and rushes which would
:21:22. > :21:25.impede all the flowers. People are so passionate about wildlife still.
:21:26. > :21:33.It lives on because many people are so young. You have to concentrate,
:21:34. > :21:37.don't you? Yes, you do, or you can forget how many you have counted! We
:21:38. > :21:40.had to wait a few days to hear the result but it was surprisingly good
:21:41. > :21:43.news. Despite the flood, 86,000 snake's head fritillaries were
:21:44. > :21:51.counted at Iffley. And that's the highest total ever. And there's
:21:52. > :21:54.more. At the Rural Life Centre near Farnham, Roger found some of the
:21:55. > :21:58.strange tools used in the past and he's been challenging us to guess
:21:59. > :22:01.what they are. Last week's item looked a lot like a carpenter's
:22:02. > :22:12.rasp...but it wasn't. Here's Roger to reveal the answer. Hearings last
:22:13. > :22:18.week's object. A wooden handle and a metal plate. It was used by bakers
:22:19. > :22:26.for scraping of burnt bits of bread. Here is this week's object. An odd
:22:27. > :22:31.looking bottle with a couple of holes in it. It is probably not what
:22:32. > :22:35.you think it is. Have a guess on our Facebook page and we will tell you
:22:36. > :22:41.the answer next week. I was thinking of something else. A bank holiday
:22:42. > :22:50.looming, what is the weather? Today, we have had some hefty showers and a
:22:51. > :22:53.lot of rain around. A beautiful picture of a swan guarding the nest
:22:54. > :22:56.at Mill Stream in Christchurch. Paul even captured the raindrops falling
:22:57. > :22:59.in that shot. More raindrops hanging from these blubells in Abingdon.
:23:00. > :23:06.Thanks to Becca Collacott for that one. Some hefty showers to be had in
:23:07. > :23:09.the next hour or so and we have a yellow weather warning in place,
:23:10. > :23:16.valid in 8pm. We will see those showers gradually fading, so by 9pm,
:23:17. > :23:21.much of the region will become dry with a couple of spots of rain here
:23:22. > :23:25.and there. On the radar, you can see the heavy bursts earlier today. Here
:23:26. > :23:30.is the pocket where we have one or two heavy downpours to be had. They
:23:31. > :23:33.are easing away through the evening and it will become drier. A cloudy
:23:34. > :23:38.night with hill fog and temperatures falling to seven or eight degrees. A
:23:39. > :23:44.mild night with a few spots of rain. A murky start as we go into Friday.
:23:45. > :23:47.Yes, a gloomy one first thing and we could still see a little bit of web
:23:48. > :23:55.weather, so perhaps some wet weather appearing for eastern parts. `` wet
:23:56. > :24:00.weather. Elsewhere, a dry picture. Temperatures of 13 or 14 degrees.
:24:01. > :24:05.Gradually, into the evening, the cloud will thin and break, and
:24:06. > :24:08.eventually clear away. Staying dry through tomorrow night but with
:24:09. > :24:12.clear skies we are expecting widespread frost. Temperatures of
:24:13. > :24:19.three or four in the towns and cities, and cooler in rural spots,
:24:20. > :24:25.at `1 or `2. A chilly start to the bank holiday weekend but we have
:24:26. > :24:27.high pressure in charge. Some good dry sunny conditions to come through
:24:28. > :24:38.Saturday and indeed, through much of the weekend which Saturday, a decent
:24:39. > :24:44.day with some lovely sunny skies. Warming up as well. Hazy sunshine
:24:45. > :24:48.with highs of 13 or 14 degrees. Temperatures gradually inching up
:24:49. > :24:51.with a bank holiday weekend. Sunday looks to be another dry day
:24:52. > :24:57.predominantly with some sunny spells on offer. Temperatures are running
:24:58. > :25:06.once more on Monday and some warm, sunny spells as well. `` rising once
:25:07. > :25:16.more. He was a taster of Monday's show. Join me as I revisit brief
:25:17. > :25:23.Encounter, 70 years on. A tremendous film and we will enjoy seeing that
:25:24. > :25:52.tomorrow. Thank you for watching this evening. Bye`bye. Goodbye.
:25:53. > :25:55.'The last two generations have been robbed of an opportunity
:25:56. > :26:00.'And yet it has greater impact on our everyday lives than anything
:26:01. > :26:03.'We need to put this issue to bed now,
:26:04. > :26:05.'and not leave it for another generation.'
:26:06. > :26:23.I want a Britain that is free to control its own destiny.
:26:24. > :26:27.'another three million people in Britain by 2020.
:26:28. > :26:31.'Our public services are already stretched.