:00:00. > :00:09.Hello and welcome to South Today from Oxford. In tonight's programme:
:00:10. > :00:12.Hundreds gather to pay their respects in Oxfordshire as the
:00:13. > :00:25.bodies of five men killed in Afghanistan are brought home.
:00:26. > :00:32.Also tonight: In a jam. The driving instructor caught driving while
:00:33. > :00:35.eating his breakfast. The water has abated, but farmers
:00:36. > :00:42.hit by floods are concerned that government support will also dry up.
:00:43. > :00:46.And later on, from the military to delivering parcels and pizzas. We
:00:47. > :00:55.take a look at the rise of the drone.
:00:56. > :01:04.Good evening. With five billion tonnes of rain
:01:05. > :01:08.falling in the Thames Valley, they were the worst floods on record. Now
:01:09. > :01:11.an Oxfordshire farmer says he is concerned not enough is being done
:01:12. > :01:14.to prevent a repeat of the scenes earlier this year. Tim Hook is
:01:15. > :01:18.worried that the Environment Agency are not clearing the River Thames
:01:19. > :01:21.like they should be, but, as Tom Turrell reports, the Environment
:01:22. > :01:23.Agency says it is doing everything it can.
:01:24. > :01:26.What a difference a few months makes. For around eight weeks at the
:01:27. > :01:29.beginning of this year, these fields on Cote Farm, near Bampton, lay
:01:30. > :01:36.submerged ` killing the crops beneath. The cost to the farmer?
:01:37. > :01:45.Around ?50,000. When the rain came the field flooded and killed half
:01:46. > :01:53.the field. It will not yield as much money for us. This is our last
:01:54. > :01:59.chance to get a crop into the ground and make some money for the year
:02:00. > :02:05.before it is over. These ditches are up to ten feet deep. What should
:02:06. > :02:12.land on the field and ran into the ditches and run downstream into the
:02:13. > :02:15.river. But the farmer says that is not happening. Tim says the Thames
:02:16. > :02:17.is clogged up with silt and vegetation and worries the
:02:18. > :02:24.Environment Agency are still not doing enough to clear the river.
:02:25. > :02:34.Wendy what a level rises it then becomes tidal and the water starts
:02:35. > :02:41.to come back up into the ditches. `` when the. Nonsense, says the
:02:42. > :02:44.Environment Agency. They point to the fact they are spending ?2
:02:45. > :02:47.million this year alone in the Thames Valley doing vital
:02:48. > :02:54.maintenance work like this to keep the rivers flowing. We have had a
:02:55. > :02:59.huge amount of waterfall. There is more what are making its way
:03:00. > :03:03.through. The levels are high but that is not because of low
:03:04. > :03:06.maintenance. We will not know for sure how much has been done until
:03:07. > :03:10.torrential rainfall returns putting our waterways to the test. Until
:03:11. > :03:23.then, though, the anxiety for many farmers is likely to linger. Tom
:03:24. > :03:27.Turrell, BBC South Today. An inquest in Oxford has heard that
:03:28. > :03:30.a man whose body was pulled from the River Thames at Wheatley on
:03:31. > :03:33.Christmas Eve had taken his own life. Michael Griffiths was 31 and
:03:34. > :03:36.from Birmingham. His body was discovered after three weeks of
:03:37. > :03:39.police searches along roadside verges and undergrowth in the area.
:03:40. > :03:42.The alarm was first raised when his car was found locked and abandoned.
:03:43. > :03:45.Councillors who have been considering proposals for a huge
:03:46. > :03:48.community solar farm in West Oxfordshire have tonight turned down
:03:49. > :03:51.the plan. The ?5 million facility would have been among the biggest of
:03:52. > :03:55.its kind in the country and could have generated up to ?100,000 a year
:03:56. > :03:57.for Charlbury, Finstock, and Fawler. The plans were rejected because West
:03:58. > :04:01.Oxfordshire district councillors decided the impact on the landscape
:04:02. > :04:04.would be too great. The group behind the project is now considering an
:04:05. > :04:07.appeal. Next tonight, police say they were
:04:08. > :04:10.astounded to see a driver on Oxford's busy Cowley Road this
:04:11. > :04:14.morning eating a bowl of cereal behind the wheel. What is worse, he
:04:15. > :04:17.was a driving instructor on his way to give a lesson! Our reporter,
:04:18. > :04:22.Sinead Carroll, is here. This is incredible!
:04:23. > :04:25.We first heard about this story this morning, when Thames Valley Roads
:04:26. > :04:29.Policing Unit put out a tweet that read: 8AM, Cowley ` We stopped a
:04:30. > :04:36.driver eating bowl of muesli at 30 mph, no hands on wheel, a driving
:04:37. > :04:38.instructor en route to a lesson! What has been the reaction from the
:04:39. > :04:43.police? Police have not been able to talk to
:04:44. > :04:46.us today, or tell us the name of the driving school, but they have
:04:47. > :04:49.confirmed that it was a male driver. He was stopped on the Garsington
:04:50. > :04:52.Road for driving without full control of his vehicle, fined ?100,
:04:53. > :04:58.and given three points on his licence.
:04:59. > :05:01.You could make light of this story, but it could have been a lot more
:05:02. > :05:05.serious couldn't it? Two years ago, a driver hit and
:05:06. > :05:12.killed a cyclist on a country road near Abingdon. It was discovered he
:05:13. > :05:15.had been eating a sandwich moments before the crash. He was sentenced
:05:16. > :05:31.to community service, after admitting a charge of death by
:05:32. > :05:34.careless driving. Hundreds of people have lined the streets to pay their
:05:35. > :05:37.respects, as one of the biggest military repatriations of recent
:05:38. > :05:41.years was held in Oxfordshire. The bodies of five men were flown back
:05:42. > :05:43.to RAF Brize Norton this afternoon. They were killed when their
:05:44. > :05:46.helicopter crash landed in Afghanistan ten days ago. Tonight
:05:47. > :05:49.the men's bodies have been taken to Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital.
:05:50. > :05:53.Our reporter, Stuart Tinworth, was with those who gathered to watch the
:05:54. > :05:59.cortege pass by the war memorial in nearby Carterton, and joins us from
:06:00. > :06:07.there now. A short time ago, this memorial
:06:08. > :06:10.garden fell silent. Thousands of people gathered to pay their
:06:11. > :06:13.respects to the five men who lost their lives in that helicopter crash
:06:14. > :06:16.last month. The families were given time to grieve in private this
:06:17. > :06:20.afternoon, at a specially created facility on the base at RAF Brize
:06:21. > :06:27.Norton, before the cortege made its way to this public space here.
:06:28. > :06:30.Flowers and wreaths laid, the memorial bell ` unveiled almost two
:06:31. > :06:34.years ago ` has been rung, tolling five times for the five men being
:06:35. > :06:37.repatriated today. The five men have been named as Captain Thomas Clarke,
:06:38. > :06:40.Warrant Officer Spencer Faulkner, Corporal James Walters from the Army
:06:41. > :06:42.Air Corps, and RAF Intelligence Officer Flight Lieutenant Rakesh
:06:43. > :06:45.Chauhan ` who were based at RAF Odiham. Also Army Reservist Lance
:06:46. > :06:54.Corporal Oliver Thomas, who was based in London. Many people we have
:06:55. > :07:02.been speaking to were very moved by the occasion. It is only right that
:07:03. > :07:09.you should pay respects. These people have died for us. I say that
:07:10. > :07:12.we should make every effort to do something for them and to show our
:07:13. > :07:17.support to their families. It is poignant to us. My brother is out
:07:18. > :07:22.there at the moment. It is his friends that we're saying goodbye to
:07:23. > :07:28.today. I live locally and I have come out in respect for the people
:07:29. > :07:34.who have fallen here. I have been to most of the repatriations. This one
:07:35. > :07:37.of the largest repatriation ceremonies to be held here in
:07:38. > :07:41.Oxfordshire, isn't it? Well, yes. Certainly since
:07:42. > :07:45.servicemen and women have been brought back here to RAF Brize, and
:07:46. > :07:51.that started again in 2011, this is the second largest repatriation
:07:52. > :07:55.service to take place. The Royal British Legion, of course, have been
:07:56. > :07:57.at the forefront of ensuring that when repatriations moved from Royal
:07:58. > :08:00.Wooton Bassett that families, friends, and mourners would be able
:08:01. > :08:03.to pay their respects in an appropriate way. I am very very
:08:04. > :08:11.pleased that the population does turn out. They support the service
:08:12. > :08:14.anyway, RAF Brize Norton. It gets a tremendous amount of support from
:08:15. > :08:16.the personnel here, because a lot of them are ex`service and there are
:08:17. > :08:30.service men living in the town. The cortege left here and has been
:08:31. > :08:33.taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital, with the postmortems and
:08:34. > :08:42.funerals of these five to follow in the weeks to come.
:08:43. > :08:45.Sixty years ago today, something extraordinary took place at Oxford's
:08:46. > :08:48.Iffley Road running track. In front of a cheering crowd, a university
:08:49. > :08:52.student became the first man in history to run a mile in under four
:08:53. > :08:55.minutes. Roger Bannister went on to become a highly respected doctor and
:08:56. > :08:59.was later knighted by the Queen. But it is his achievement as an athlete
:09:00. > :09:01.on that spring day that lives on as one of the greatest ever sporting
:09:02. > :09:04.moments. A race against the clock. A
:09:05. > :09:07.legendary sports story that itself stands the test of time. Going
:09:08. > :09:10.sub`four minutes would be superhuman, unachievable according
:09:11. > :09:13.to some. Those who were at Iffley Road in Oxford sixty years ago
:09:14. > :09:17.tonight will tell you that was wrong. The crowd was quite a small
:09:18. > :09:20.one because I had not wanted to advertise the fact that I was
:09:21. > :09:25.attempting it, because if the weather had not been good I would
:09:26. > :09:31.not have attempted it. Barbara was 14 at the time and she was taken to
:09:32. > :09:35.Iffley Road by her father. We were standing on the grassy bank just
:09:36. > :09:44.before the last bend and we cheered him on each time he came around.
:09:45. > :09:51.Then in the final lap, he looked so exhausted and frail. I can remember
:09:52. > :09:56.my legs shaking as though I was trying to run it for him. It wasn't
:09:57. > :10:04.really until the last lap that it became painful and difficult. The
:10:05. > :10:10.tape is broken and so is the record. The announcement went like this:
:10:11. > :10:14.Three. Nothing else was heard because the crowd were absolutely
:10:15. > :10:18.delighted. No one heard the 59.4 seconds because they realised he had
:10:19. > :10:28.done it. It was total joy and excitement all around. 60 years ago
:10:29. > :10:32.tonight Ted East was the lone policeman patrolling Iffley Road. I
:10:33. > :10:39.heard this loud cheer and people were shouting. I thought, this is
:10:40. > :10:43.unusual it is not a football match! But until people started to drift
:10:44. > :10:47.out I was completely unaware that the four`minute mile had been
:10:48. > :10:50.broken. Now, Sir Roger is fighting Parkinson's disease and it didn't
:10:51. > :10:53.always sit easily with them that his breakthrough came in athletics and
:10:54. > :10:57.not in his chosen career of medicine. But now it does seem that
:10:58. > :11:01.he has come to terms with the fact that he is one of Britain's few
:11:02. > :11:07.sporting immortals because of what he achieved on this track 60 years
:11:08. > :11:10.ago. So that is how Roger Bannister, a 25`year`old medical student,
:11:11. > :11:19.became the first man in the world to run a mile in under four minutes.
:11:20. > :11:24.That is all from me for the moment. I will have the headlines at 8PM and
:11:25. > :11:25.a full bulletin at 10.25PM. Now more of today's stories with Sally
:11:26. > :11:26.Taylor. too many relatives are suffering in
:11:27. > :11:29.silence. The city is estimated to have more than 1,200 opiate and
:11:30. > :11:32.crack cocaine users, the fifth highest in the south east. The
:11:33. > :11:35.Rebound Carers Group says shame stops many families getting help and
:11:36. > :11:39.advice. Together with the police and council it's helped bring to the
:11:40. > :11:42.city a play telling the true story of the devastating effects drugs had
:11:43. > :11:49.on a family from Berkshire. Sean Killick reports.
:11:50. > :11:52.You have pushed me to the edge, I am finished with you, completely
:11:53. > :11:55.finished. It's one of the forgotten side`effects of drugs, the damage to
:11:56. > :11:58.the addict's family. But it's been highlighted in this play, "Mum, Can
:11:59. > :12:02.You Lend Me Twenty Quid?", by a woman from Twyford whose son killed
:12:03. > :12:05.himself ten year ago in despair at his heroin addiction. Another
:12:06. > :12:08.mother, whose son has repeatedly been imprisoned due to his drug
:12:09. > :13:00.addiction, explained to South Today the strain on her family.
:13:01. > :13:03.list of priorities in my life. It's only now since I'm in recovery that
:13:04. > :13:06.I've seen other families that are still suffering with their children
:13:07. > :14:40.that I realised kind of what I put my
:14:41. > :14:45.1966. Soon, it fell into disrepair. Almost 70 years ago, but Moody
:14:46. > :14:53.worked at the station. When I started working, we had four horse
:14:54. > :14:57.drawn vehicles. Even in 1946. Here's the station can be today. Eight
:14:58. > :15:03.former southwestern Hotel stood at the end of the platforms. For 30
:15:04. > :15:10.years, it was the home of BBC South. Until then, good night. Our first
:15:11. > :15:13.programmes were broadcast from here. Just one track remains, heading
:15:14. > :15:17.through lock gates. Originally, this is where the passengers would have
:15:18. > :15:22.arrived and disembarked in order to join one of the transatlantic
:15:23. > :15:28.liners, including the Titanic. Southampton docks once had ten
:15:29. > :15:32.railway stations. The flying boat had their own platforms. Today, they
:15:33. > :15:34.have all gone. But there is now a reminder of the way things used to
:15:35. > :15:51.be. We are going to swiftly move on to
:15:52. > :15:54.the sport. They missed out on the play`offs, Reading. There will be a
:15:55. > :16:06.lot of changes before they kick off again in August. Four players have
:16:07. > :16:16.been released. That includes Jobi McAnuff.
:16:17. > :16:25.All of the players contracts have been expired and will not be
:16:26. > :16:28.renewed. Former Southampton and England defender Wayne Bridge has
:16:29. > :16:30.announced his retirement. Bridge starred for Southampton in their
:16:31. > :16:34.successful era under Glenn Hoddle and Gordon Strachan and was part of
:16:35. > :16:38.the England world cup squad which went to Japan and South Korea in
:16:39. > :16:41.2002. He later moved to chelsea and towards the end of his career he's
:16:42. > :16:44.featured for Brighton and this season, Reading. Now a persistent
:16:45. > :16:58.knee injury means he's hanging up his boots.
:16:59. > :17:01.Southampton will resume talks with boss Mauricio Pochettino after this
:17:02. > :17:04.weekend's final league game against Manchester United as they seek to
:17:05. > :17:06.secure their manager's long term future. Pochettino has steered
:17:07. > :17:09.Saints to their highest ever Premier League points total, but his success
:17:10. > :17:12.has brought inevitable attention from other clubs. The club's
:17:13. > :17:15.executive Director Les Reed told last night's Late Kick Off that
:17:16. > :17:19.after the United game, talks would be a priority. As soon as that game
:17:20. > :17:22.is out of the way on Sunday, we will sit down and continue our
:17:23. > :17:26.discussions that we have been having all stop it is not like we have been
:17:27. > :17:31.doing anything about it, but we respected the fact that he wanted to
:17:32. > :17:39.focus. He wanted to achieve these record points, and focus on the
:17:40. > :17:44.games are nothing else. Sussex and Lancashire are involved in a low
:17:45. > :17:51.scoring game at Old Trafford. Sorry are struggling against Kent, with
:17:52. > :18:00.second innings wickets running out, Kent will only have a small target.
:18:01. > :18:05.When the Wright Brothers invented the aeroplane in 1903, most people
:18:06. > :18:08.had no idea just how much it would change our world. Now aviation is
:18:09. > :18:12.changing, with the removal of the pilot. Drones have already changed
:18:13. > :18:16.the face of war. Now they're getting smaller and cheaper, and we could
:18:17. > :18:19.see a lot more of them in our skies. Tom Hepworth has the first of a
:18:20. > :18:33.series of special reports, taking a closer look at drones and what they
:18:34. > :18:38.might mean for us here in the south. This is Tiranis. The most advanced
:18:39. > :18:42.combat aircraft ever built by a British engineer. But look closely,
:18:43. > :18:45.and you will not see a fighter pilot. It could eventually become
:18:46. > :18:48.the known. It was developed here in Farnborough with software that would
:18:49. > :18:52.allow you to choose targets and defend itself against enemy
:18:53. > :18:55.aircraft. A plane invisible to radar that can act autonomously. The army
:18:56. > :18:59.has been flying armed drones in Afghanistan since 2008. The MoD will
:19:00. > :19:02.not reveal how many people they have killed, but over 50,000 hours, they
:19:03. > :19:11.have released 450,000 laser`guided bombs. `` 450. That has saved
:19:12. > :19:18.British lives. Opponents say joined by conflicts more likely. It is too
:19:19. > :19:21.easy to use them, and they could reduce the threshold of going to
:19:22. > :19:25.war. If you do not have any body bags going home, and as I said, no
:19:26. > :19:30.one wants to see our young people being killed in warfare, but if we
:19:31. > :19:36.do not have the threat of body bags, it is all too easy to get into
:19:37. > :19:42.conflicts. Right now, the Army are testing watchkeeper drones over
:19:43. > :19:45.Salisbury Plains. The MOD bought 54. It has cost the taxpayer ?850
:19:46. > :19:49.million. The army said that it has no plans to arm them. They can carry
:19:50. > :19:57.weapons. The government has ordered 1000 new lightweight missiles that
:19:58. > :20:00.can be fired from drones. While the big money goes on research, the
:20:01. > :20:04.technology and know`how eventually filters out to civilian use. You can
:20:05. > :20:07.pick one up for as little as ?50 from one supermarket. More
:20:08. > :20:10.sophisticated drones like this one are already widely used in film and
:20:11. > :20:14.photography, capturing shots of this winter's flooding that would not
:20:15. > :20:20.have been able to get a few years ago. It is early days, but drones
:20:21. > :20:24.are now being used commercially. Amazon said it would like to use
:20:25. > :20:33.drones to deliver parcels. But can we expect the pizza delivery man to
:20:34. > :20:38.be put out of a job by drones? At the moment, it is a publicity stunt.
:20:39. > :20:42.The big thing is about where is the risk? He had keep it in your visual
:20:43. > :20:45.line of sight at all times. If you're doing aerial work, and flying
:20:46. > :20:48.close to people, or vessels of properties, you need permission. Two
:20:49. > :20:49.months ago, we saw the first prosecutor for flying drones
:20:50. > :20:58.illegally in the UK. `` posture Police themselves are starting to
:20:59. > :21:02.use them. This is being trialled by Sussex police at Gatwick airport. It
:21:03. > :21:06.is giving an overview of training exercises, and it controls feels
:21:07. > :21:13.close to the runway. `` it controls fields. If drones are used more
:21:14. > :21:15.widely, it could do more. Where traffic accidents, flood and
:21:16. > :21:19.emergency divorces, something like that. They will give a view from the
:21:20. > :21:23.air that I was on the ground can't do. Could it follow cars or track
:21:24. > :21:28.criminals escaping? Yes, it could be done more efficiently and
:21:29. > :21:32.effectively with a system like this. In the US, they have been armed with
:21:33. > :21:38.tasers. Would you look at that? My goodness, that might be too far.
:21:39. > :21:41.Let's see how this goes. There are grave concerns about publicity.
:21:42. > :21:49.Where do you draw the line between gathering evidence and spying on
:21:50. > :21:54.people? There is no plan for us to be using this for any kind of covert
:21:55. > :21:57.activity. We are seeing the operators driving in a big marked
:21:58. > :22:04.vehicle. There will only be a maximum of 500 metres away.
:22:05. > :22:07.Hampshire is one of only two fire and rescue services in the UK using
:22:08. > :22:12.drones. It helps firefighters target hotspots in places like this one in
:22:13. > :22:16.Basingstoke. And from the drone that shoots pictures to one that is being
:22:17. > :22:27.shot at. This company takes its drones around the world for target
:22:28. > :22:29.practice. Extraordinary. Drones have certainly divided opinion, and
:22:30. > :22:33.tomorrow we'll hear more of the arguments for and against their use.
:22:34. > :22:36.But in the meantime we'd like to know what you think. Is this an
:22:37. > :22:40.exciting development or are you worried about them? Go to our
:22:41. > :22:43.Facebook page and tell us. In fact we're we're talking about drones all
:22:44. > :22:46.this week and on Friday we're hoping to do something rather special with
:22:47. > :22:53.a live drone flight across the Solent.
:22:54. > :23:01.Weather permitting, of course! Your eyes lit up! Pizza delivery by
:23:02. > :23:09.drone! Number 36, coming please! It is going to be mixed all week. Let's
:23:10. > :23:13.look at your pictures. Sue Knight captured the sun rising in Beaulieu
:23:14. > :23:17.this morning. Ian Smith took this great action shot of a blue tit in
:23:18. > :23:20.Blandford Forum. And Martin Curtis captured his dogs in amongst the
:23:21. > :23:24.buttercups in Mayfield Park in Southampton.
:23:25. > :23:30.And check this out, the Earl of Wessex having a go at the weather
:23:31. > :23:39.during a visit to Reading University today. He is as good as his brother!
:23:40. > :23:49.Rain showers at times. There could be some sunshine as well. Windy at
:23:50. > :23:54.times, they could be on the heavy side, the showers. The breeze will
:23:55. > :24:00.increase. The showers will rattle their way in from the West. If you
:24:01. > :24:05.clear spells to be had. Some dry periods as well. A mild ten to 11
:24:06. > :24:14.Celsius. Remaining in double digits across the region. A breezy day
:24:15. > :24:19.today. 30 to 40 mph. There will be some sunshine in between the
:24:20. > :24:24.showers. Temperatures will reach a high of 15 Celsius. A blustery day.
:24:25. > :24:29.Those showers will gradually ease tomorrow night, but for a band of
:24:30. > :24:37.rain, it will come in from the West. You can see it behind me. A dry end
:24:38. > :24:43.to the night. The rain will arrive first thing on Thursday morning. Low
:24:44. > :24:48.temperatures of ten or 11 Celsius. We have various weather fronts
:24:49. > :24:56.crossing from West to East. A lot of rain at times, and quite a grey,
:24:57. > :25:00.damp day. Through the rest of the week, it will stay fairly unsettled.
:25:01. > :25:06.We are looking at a few showers tomorrow in amongst some sunny
:25:07. > :25:12.spells. Gusts of 30 to 40 miles an hour. On Thursday there will be some
:25:13. > :25:25.rains `` rain about. On Friday, the winds back pick`up. Some showers and
:25:26. > :25:33.a blustery day. The weekend does not start off very well. The best day
:25:34. > :25:43.will be Sunday. May be the Earl of Wessex could step in for you!
:25:44. > :25:45.Talking of apprenticeships...! This month, the BBC is offering
:25:46. > :25:48.apprenticeships in its local radio stations and applications are now
:25:49. > :25:51.being taken until May 12th. Successful candidates will start
:25:52. > :25:53.their 15 month apprenticeships in September and after training they'll
:25:54. > :25:56.work as Apprentice Broadcast Assistants in English local radio
:25:57. > :26:00.stations. If you're over 18 this September, a non graduate ` and you
:26:01. > :26:04.want to find out more ` or you know someone who might be interested in a
:26:05. > :26:07.BBC apprenticeship, visit the BBC website at bbc.co.uk/las for more
:26:08. > :26:10.details. Who knows, you might be joining our colleagues in BBC local
:26:11. > :26:20.radio later this year ` so good luck!
:26:21. > :26:24.You might get your own show. Within 12 months, you never know! We have
:26:25. > :26:26.all been there! It is a good place to start. That is it from us. We
:26:27. > :26:56.will be back tomorrow. Goodbye. at the European elections
:26:57. > :27:05.on May the 22nd. even though that would wreck
:27:06. > :27:12.the recovery and destroy jobs. The Conservatives
:27:13. > :27:17.are now openly flirting with exit. they just don't have the courage
:27:18. > :27:21.of their convictions on this.