:00:00. > 3:59:5920 degrees. We need to keep a close eye on development is over the next
:00:00. > :00:52.couple of days. Good evening.
:00:53. > :00:55.A teacher from Swindon has been warned he's facing jail after he
:00:56. > :00:59.tried to encourage four girls to have sex with him by sending
:01:00. > :01:03.inappropriate messages on Facebook. Alexander Thomas, who's 30, admitted
:01:04. > :01:06.having a picture of one of the girls in her underwear, but had denied
:01:07. > :01:14.inciting the teenagers into sexual activity. Police say he
:01:15. > :01:17.systematically abused his position of trust. Katharine Da Costa reports
:01:18. > :01:21.from Swindon Crown Court. Alexander Thomas, seen here with his father,
:01:22. > :01:25.had a promising career as a PE and business studies teacher at a
:01:26. > :01:28.secondary school in Wiltshire. But the court heard the 30`year`old
:01:29. > :01:37.would use Facebook to target four teenage girls aged 16 and 17. He
:01:38. > :01:41.would gain their trust before encouraging them to send pictures of
:01:42. > :01:45.themselves in their underwear. The prosecution said one of the girls
:01:46. > :01:50.sent him five photographs of herself including one topless image. Two
:01:51. > :01:53.claim they met up with him outside school and that he touched them
:01:54. > :01:59.indecently, charges he always denied. Today, a jury found him
:02:00. > :02:05.guilty on five counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity
:02:06. > :02:09.while in a position of trust. But he was cleared of two counts of sexual
:02:10. > :02:13.activity. He pled guilty to possessing an indecent image of a
:02:14. > :02:16.child earlier in the trial. Outside court, the investigating officer
:02:17. > :02:21.said Thomas abused the position of trust for his own sexual
:02:22. > :02:24.gratification. Thomas targeted his victims and encouraged them to
:02:25. > :02:27.engage in sexual acts after gaining their confidence and trust. He has
:02:28. > :02:30.refused to take any responsibility for his actions and has forced his
:02:31. > :02:34.victims to relive their suffering and give evidence in court. I would
:02:35. > :02:37.urge anyone who has been the victim of any sexual offence to contact
:02:38. > :02:46.Wiltshire Police immediately. We have dedicated officers to help
:02:47. > :02:48.those who have been abused. The judge said these were serious
:02:49. > :02:50.offences and warned Thomas he could face a jail term when he is
:02:51. > :02:59.sentenced next month. Police are continuing their
:03:00. > :03:02.investigations after a woman was knocked down and killed by a fire
:03:03. > :03:06.engine in Oxford.79`year`old Sultana Begum was knocked down on Friday on
:03:07. > :03:09.the Cowley Road. The engine was being driven to an emergency in
:03:10. > :03:13.Blackbird Leys. Today, police have been speaking to potential witnesses
:03:14. > :03:19.as part of their investigation into what happened.
:03:20. > :03:24.Home owners along the proposed HS2 route have been urged to protest to
:03:25. > :03:28.the Government about how it will affect their lives. The HS2 Action
:03:29. > :03:31.Alliance says a quarter of a million households will be affected by the
:03:32. > :03:33.London to Birmingham route. The group is protesting against a
:03:34. > :03:36.parliamentary bill which would authorise construction. The
:03:37. > :03:37.Government says HS2 will bridge the divide between the north and south
:03:38. > :03:49.of the country. New figures show that more than half
:03:50. > :03:52.the homes in Oxford are rented out rather than owned by the people that
:03:53. > :03:55.live in them. The report by the office of national statistics also
:03:56. > :03:59.shows private landlords now own a quarter of homes in the city.
:04:00. > :04:03.Experts say the prospect of owning a home in Oxford is now out of reach
:04:04. > :04:05.for more people than ever. Sinead Carroll is in Oxford tonight.
:04:06. > :04:16.Sinead, what's the significance of these new figures? It is easy to see
:04:17. > :04:21.why Oxford as a desirable location on a sunny day like today. This is
:04:22. > :04:29.the first time that the number of people has outstripped the number of
:04:30. > :04:33.people that own their own homes. Someone who knows about buying here
:04:34. > :04:45.is Anna. You have nearly exchanged any property in Marston. We offered
:04:46. > :04:52.?60,000 over and over the next week and a half we had five people trying
:04:53. > :04:59.to make it ?100,000 over. To be honest, since then, we have had our
:05:00. > :05:10.fingers crossed. Talk me through the idea. It is when you have had an
:05:11. > :05:14.offer on a property, but the owners are still in their right to sell it
:05:15. > :05:29.to anyone else for another price are not sell it at all. If you are
:05:30. > :05:42.gazumped you can lose out. Yaron estate agent year. Gazumping sounds
:05:43. > :05:48.like a dream. It is reassuring that if you're competing for a property,
:05:49. > :05:53.that it will hold its value when you come to sell it. It is a condition
:05:54. > :05:58.of the market at the moment. We're finding a lot of good property in
:05:59. > :06:02.the city. Were hearing about a lot of people renting. You finding a lot
:06:03. > :06:06.of people coming from rented accommodation? A lot of people are
:06:07. > :06:13.waiting for the right accommodation to come up. Buyers are in cash
:06:14. > :06:19.positions or already have mortgages and are fighting tooth and nail to
:06:20. > :06:24.get the best deals. It is like a scary housing market. Doesn't look
:06:25. > :06:30.like on screen to change any time soon. `` like it is going to
:06:31. > :06:39.change. More adults in Oxfordshire are
:06:40. > :06:42.paying thousands of pounds to have braces fitted on their teeth. This
:06:43. > :06:45.orthodontist's practice in Oxford has seen 15 extra patients enquire
:06:46. > :06:49.about braces each month since the start of 2013. It's thought the
:06:50. > :06:51.increase has been partly down to new technology, like transparent plastic
:06:52. > :06:53.braces. Only limited treatment is available for free on the NHS.
:06:54. > :07:01.Private care can cost up to ?6000. Election candidates have been
:07:02. > :07:03.canvassing in Swindon, knowing Thursday's vote could have
:07:04. > :07:07.significance for the country as a whole. In the past, the results in
:07:08. > :07:09.the town have mirrored those in general elections. Navigate your way
:07:10. > :07:12.around Swindon's notorious Magic Roundabout and it's reckoned the
:07:13. > :07:16.road to Downing Street lies open. For 30 years, whichever party has
:07:17. > :07:19.got MPs elected? here has also got their man as Prime Minister. So
:07:20. > :07:24.these local elections are crucial. Labour turned out in force on one of
:07:25. > :07:27.their target seats. Helping deliver leaflets, parliamentary candidate
:07:28. > :07:33.Amme Snelgrove, who Labour HQ say simply must win next year. `` Anne
:07:34. > :07:37.Snelgrove. It puts pressure on me and Labour Party activists and
:07:38. > :07:44.councillors to make sure we vote on May 22 and on the 7th of May 2015.
:07:45. > :07:46.In the town centre, local Conservatives survey a regeneration
:07:47. > :07:54.project. They believe Swindon's economic recovery has helped them
:07:55. > :07:58.keep control of the council. We have had a majority of just one for the
:07:59. > :08:01.last two years and have survived two by`elections and strong challenges
:08:02. > :08:09.from the Labour party. We will be working hard to keep this council
:08:10. > :08:12.Conservative. In the council chamber, the only other party of
:08:13. > :08:15.four Liberal Democrats. All wonder about the impact of UKIP and the
:08:16. > :08:19.possibility of a hung council. If it is a balanced council, as
:08:20. > :08:22.predictions are, we are the ones who hold control and therefore can bring
:08:23. > :08:29.our policies into play which can hopefully get more people to vote
:08:30. > :08:32.for us in the first place. If we had four, five, six, ten councillors
:08:33. > :08:36.elected, we would have a say in the way in which this council would
:08:37. > :08:44.operate and run. If you have the sway and the power, you can get what
:08:45. > :08:51.people want. Swindon's results will be watched this year and next.
:08:52. > :08:54.And you can find details of all of the candidates standing in
:08:55. > :09:03.Thursday's elections on the BBC website. That's bbc.co.uk.
:09:04. > :09:08.A man from Oxfordshire is preparing to row more than 2000 miles across
:09:09. > :09:12.the Pacific Ocean. Darren Taylor, from Charlbury, has left his job as
:09:13. > :09:16.a firefighter to take part in the race which starts in America next
:09:17. > :09:19.month. He'll be rowing as part of a group with three other men, raising
:09:20. > :09:22.money for charity. It's hoped they'll complete the challenge in
:09:23. > :09:25.about 80 days, finishing in Hawaii. Darren had planned to do it with
:09:26. > :09:29.Alex Flynn from Goring but that's now been postponed until next year
:09:30. > :09:32.because of a shortage in funding. It's got that close now where it is
:09:33. > :09:35.just fine`tuning everything. All the exercising and training has been
:09:36. > :09:39.done. There isn't much we're going to do on the way out there apart
:09:40. > :09:42.from getting used to the boat itself and drawing together. More than
:09:43. > :09:51.anything, it's been saying goodbye to friends and family.
:09:52. > :09:55.That's all from me for the moment. I'll have the headlines at 8:00pm
:09:56. > :09:57.and a full bulletin at 10:25pm. Now more of today's stories with Sally
:09:58. > :10:03.Taylor. cars and a lorry has been involved
:10:04. > :10:10.in a collision between junction five and four B. The eastbound motorway
:10:11. > :10:13.has been closed. This Still to come in this evening's South Today.
:10:14. > :10:16.Briony Leyland is live at the world's greatest gardening show.
:10:17. > :10:28.Created in days, this garden looks like it has been here for years. It
:10:29. > :10:31.is all part of the magic of Chelsea. All of that to come.
:10:32. > :10:34.Voters across the South, along with millions of others across Europe, go
:10:35. > :10:37.to the polls on Thursday for elections to the European
:10:38. > :10:40.Parliament. But those aren't the only elections on the day. Council
:10:41. > :10:42.elections are also being held in twenty local authorities across
:10:43. > :10:49.Hampshire, Dorset, Berkshire, West Sussex and Oxfordshire, as well as
:10:50. > :10:52.in Swindon. One of those is Basingstoke, which has already seen
:10:53. > :10:57.more than its share of political hot potatoes this year. So we sent Ben
:10:58. > :11:06.Moore to the town to take the electoral temperature. From
:11:07. > :11:11.widespread flooding to a Cabinet minister resigning over expenses.
:11:12. > :11:15.From a Facebook faux pas to High Court rulings over housing.
:11:16. > :11:19.Basingstoke has seen it all in the last year. Despite the high`profile
:11:20. > :11:26.headlines, do the people know what Thursday will bring? Is it something
:11:27. > :11:32.you consider important? Yes I voted before I came out. Is it something
:11:33. > :11:39.you will voting? I don't know I haven't made my mind up yet. You
:11:40. > :11:47.going to vote? Yes it is very important. I'm undecided no party
:11:48. > :11:51.has overall control here although the Conservatives have the most
:11:52. > :11:56.overall seat with 29. Basingstoke was in the eye of a political storm
:11:57. > :12:00.when the local MP, Maria Miller resigned after an expenses row. Have
:12:01. > :12:08.the Tories overcome a problem like Maria? I think this is rather like
:12:09. > :12:12.the Euro elections, it is in the background. This is not what the
:12:13. > :12:15.elections of about. Look at our track record of improving people 's
:12:16. > :12:20.lives in the borough and we want to continue to do this. The controversy
:12:21. > :12:27.over this is still raw. The High Court said the how `` the council
:12:28. > :12:30.acted unlawfully after it was bought for housing but left off development
:12:31. > :12:36.plans. The judge called the Cabinet incompetent. Others agree. It is
:12:37. > :12:44.almost unforgivable because you have legacies of planning permissions
:12:45. > :12:53.that should never have been allowed. It has shown incompetence. We stand
:12:54. > :12:57.for real involvements with local people actually having a plan for
:12:58. > :13:03.the borough that actually has local influence over it. UKIP say they
:13:04. > :13:11.have something to offer at a local level. The party have suffered from
:13:12. > :13:15.ill advising social media. Matt Ellery said on Facebook that
:13:16. > :13:22.Basingstoke women were ugly and he felt like stabbing someone. This is
:13:23. > :13:27.a young man who posted something we might have said on and off moments
:13:28. > :13:33.when we were younger. We are not supporting and if he wins he will be
:13:34. > :13:39.an independent standing. There were political storms as well. Flooding
:13:40. > :13:44.in Buxton left people being evacuated and left on the streets.
:13:45. > :13:49.Residents have asked many questions that they have not had answer just
:13:50. > :13:52.yet. We need a public enquiry were questions can be put to the counters
:13:53. > :13:57.in charge and they can justify what they did and did not do. As we
:13:58. > :14:03.approach polling day, the focus might be on the Euro election but as
:14:04. > :14:07.Basingstoke shows there can be plenty to grab the attention at a
:14:08. > :14:12.local level. Of course in about a year it is the general election,
:14:13. > :14:17.this is a perfect chance for voters in the South to show all parties who
:14:18. > :14:20.is in control. Well as we've said, European
:14:21. > :14:23.elections are also happening on Thursday where a number of smaller
:14:24. > :14:26.parties are also on the ballot paper. One of those is 'An
:14:27. > :14:30.Independence from Europe' who have a full list of candidates in the South
:14:31. > :14:35.East and South West. They're campaigning to leave the EU
:14:36. > :14:39.altogether. The EU has taken our sovereignty and it reduces us to
:14:40. > :14:42.second class citizens. It's time we got out and took back our
:14:43. > :14:46.independence. There is no doubt that the EU is a black hole that swallows
:14:47. > :14:52.tax payers money. It has failed on everything it has set up to achieve.
:14:53. > :14:54.Instead of creating peace, there is turmoil. Instead of economic growth,
:14:55. > :14:59.there is recession. Instead of democracy, we got bureaucracy. You
:15:00. > :15:03.can find a full list of European candidates on the BBC website. Go to
:15:04. > :15:08.bbc dot co dot uk slash news and then click on the politics section.
:15:09. > :15:11.And you can hear a special Euro election debate at 19.00PM tonight
:15:12. > :15:22.on BBC local radio in the South, hosted by our Political Editor Peter
:15:23. > :15:25.Henley. ?? new line Onto sport and Lewis Coombes is here. In the last
:15:26. > :15:29.couple of hours, Hampshire have announced the signing
:15:30. > :15:39.is it too early to talk about the World Cup? Never too early. Today
:15:40. > :15:50.the England squad went on the plane to Portugal. First cricket news.
:15:51. > :15:53.Hampshire have announced the signing of batsman Owais Shah on a
:15:54. > :15:56.short`term deal.The 35`year`old who's played 94 times for England
:15:57. > :16:00.announced his retirement from first class cricket at the end of last
:16:01. > :16:03.season, but has been brought in to boost the batting ranks with Michael
:16:04. > :16:06.Carberry on international duty and Glenn Maxwell still playing in the
:16:07. > :16:09.Indian Premier League. He'll make his debut against Sussex at Hove on
:16:10. > :16:11.Friday. Meanwhile, on Day Two of their County Championship match
:16:12. > :16:14.against Leicestershire at Grace Road... Hampshire added just eleven
:16:15. > :16:19.runs to their overnight score, all out for 332. Leicestershire 292 for
:16:20. > :16:22.nine in reply. Southampton captain Adam Lallana has reiterated that he
:16:23. > :16:25.won't be distracted by speculation about his future whilst on
:16:26. > :16:28.international duty. Lallana joined up with the rest of the England
:16:29. > :16:31.squad before flying out to Portugal today for the start of world cup
:16:32. > :16:34.preparation. Speculation over Lallana's future and that of
:16:35. > :16:37.team`mate Luke Shaw has been much publicised since the end of the
:16:38. > :16:41.season. But Lallana says he'll be fully focussed on representing his
:16:42. > :16:46.country. It is easy for me to keep focused on the job in hand. It is
:16:47. > :16:51.the World Cup, it is what kids dream of surveyors no chance of my being
:16:52. > :16:53.taken off the ball. AFC Bournemouth defender Steve
:16:54. > :17:05.Purches has announced his retirement after a 14 year playing career. Just
:17:06. > :17:08.one year ago up from primary school finished rank last in the Hampshire
:17:09. > :17:12.schools football cup without winning a single game, but now with the same
:17:13. > :17:15.team, they've not only won a game, they've become county champions and
:17:16. > :17:18.regional champions and this weekend will take part in a National Final!
:17:19. > :17:21.Earlier today I went to meet the team. They are the schoolchildren
:17:22. > :17:25.with the bounce back ability. Without a win last time round, the
:17:26. > :17:27.roll call of 2014 now can't stop winning. Alistair, midfield. Sienna,
:17:28. > :17:31.defender. Melick, Midfield. Thomas, defence. Paul, forward. Tom,
:17:32. > :17:36.midfielder. Thomas, defender. Oliver, defender. George,
:17:37. > :17:39.goalkeeper. Upham primary school booked their place in the national
:17:40. > :17:42.finals with a dramatic last`minute goal in the regionals. Teachers have
:17:43. > :17:47.dubbed them, the team that never give up. They have been training a
:17:48. > :17:51.lot, every break time, lunchtime and every opportunity they get to play
:17:52. > :17:54.football, they are playing football. What is lovely are the younger
:17:55. > :17:59.children have been inspired by it. They have been joining in and
:18:00. > :18:03.helping them to practice as well. Aged between nine and 11, they play
:18:04. > :18:09.seven aside on smaller pitches with smaller goals. The dreams of winning
:18:10. > :18:12.however, they are still as big. I like the buzz of excitement you get
:18:13. > :18:17.before and after the matches even if you lose. Upham will now travel to
:18:18. > :18:20.Aston Villa's training ground to compete against seven other schools
:18:21. > :18:32.from across the country and they are hoping the winning run continues.
:18:33. > :18:37.Good luck to everyone there. They have a great team and all of the
:18:38. > :18:41.parents are going up on a coach. A real Phoenix from the flames story.
:18:42. > :18:44.Good luck for the weekend. The world's greatest flower show got
:18:45. > :18:46.underway today at Chelsea and the weather has certainly matched the
:18:47. > :18:49.occasion. The South's horticulturists generally take
:18:50. > :18:57.centre stage at the Show, and this year is no exception. Briony Leyland
:18:58. > :19:00.has spent the day there and has been meeting some of the home`grown
:19:01. > :19:07.talent at the show and joins us live now. This is one of the high`profile
:19:08. > :19:13.show gardens here at Chelsea. It is called no man's land, inspired by
:19:14. > :19:18.the landscape of France and how it was damaged in the First World War.
:19:19. > :19:23.It draws parallels to the human experiences of some. It is a
:19:24. > :19:35.thought`provoking design that is a popular theme at this year 's
:19:36. > :19:39.Chelsea. Music macro. A new part bringing the history to life in
:19:40. > :19:44.Chelsea. Michael Turner created his warhorse from stainless steel. His
:19:45. > :19:49.local nursery worked with him to tell a wartime story through
:19:50. > :19:53.planting. The horses coming through the trenches, he has been at war
:19:54. > :19:58.coming from the dark side with moody colours and plans and taking him
:19:59. > :20:04.through to the light and heading back to his home farm, hence the
:20:05. > :20:12.nice flowers on the other side. This is a first for me. A fish out of
:20:13. > :20:21.water. It is very exciting to see the sort of people of all walks of
:20:22. > :20:25.life being able to see my horse. After a bitter and drawn`out winter
:20:26. > :20:30.last year, this year has been milder and kinder to South 's growers. It
:20:31. > :20:38.has been called the great Springer show. Last year was a nightmare. The
:20:39. > :20:43.weather was dull and cold. This year it has been easier and we have not
:20:44. > :20:50.had to move plans in and force them on, they have come unnaturally which
:20:51. > :20:56.makes our life much easier. Chelsea always holds surprises exhibiting a
:20:57. > :21:02.compost heap may seem like a risk, but a lot of thought has gone into
:21:03. > :21:09.this. It shows how paper is made and how paper cuts `` Cubs can be
:21:10. > :21:16.compost it into cups. I cannot begin to tell you, I have worked every
:21:17. > :21:25.single day on this garden for the past eight months, just nonstop. It
:21:26. > :21:30.has turned out well. Not a leaf must be out of place at Chelsea.
:21:31. > :21:38.Attention to detail has made the team behind this garden look like it
:21:39. > :21:42.has been here three years. Alison Hamilton has been scouring the
:21:43. > :21:46.county for vintage props. We have paid so much money for these that
:21:47. > :21:53.people walking by and saying why is she doing that? It is called the
:21:54. > :21:57.Chelsea flower show, it is the details like that which make it
:21:58. > :22:01.convincing. I show to entertain, stimulate and amaze. Every year
:22:02. > :22:08.Chelsea finds new ways to turn heads. We brought you to a little
:22:09. > :22:13.piece of the Isle of Wight at Chelsea. This is Alan tip marches
:22:14. > :22:19.garden partly inspired by his home on the Isle of Wight. The judges
:22:20. > :22:22.have made their inspections and the Queen has visited. The public will
:22:23. > :22:25.be pouring in over the next few days, now it is time for the
:22:26. > :22:32.exhibitors from the South who have been preparing for months to sit
:22:33. > :22:40.back a little and show off. It looks divine briny. Everything looks nice
:22:41. > :22:47.in the sun. We have had plenty of it this weekend. There is sunshine to
:22:48. > :22:49.come but there's a B to the change. More unsettled weather to come but
:22:50. > :22:54.let's enjoy the sunshine we had today. Now take a look at this. Part
:22:55. > :22:57.of a Bournemouth shopping centre had to be cordoned
:22:58. > :23:02.hank you to Martin Perry for that shot. Adrian Turner counted seven
:23:03. > :23:06.cygnets in this swan's nest at Goring`on`Thames And I think I'd
:23:07. > :23:09.give way to the oncoming traffic on the Swing Bridge at Freeman's Marsh
:23:10. > :23:14.in Hungerford. Ken Rayner sent that one in. For many this evening is a
:23:15. > :23:19.fine and pleasant end to the day. One or two of us may have boundary
:23:20. > :23:24.downpours particularly Western Dorset where we will see lightning.
:23:25. > :23:29.It looks as though we will stick with thundery downpours through the
:23:30. > :23:34.night. The showers, that rainy area working in from the South West
:23:35. > :23:37.bringing downpours through the course of the night. Not all of us
:23:38. > :23:41.seeing them that there will be torrential rain in parts.
:23:42. > :23:47.Overnight, temperatures mild with lows of 13`14 degrees. We start
:23:48. > :23:53.tomorrow with wet weather which is being driven with low pressure. It
:23:54. > :23:58.does is offer a time but we will see more showers cropping up through the
:23:59. > :24:01.day. A grey and damp start for many. A bit of a breather with bright
:24:02. > :24:06.intervals and some showers in the mix in the afternoon. Temperatures
:24:07. > :24:11.through the day up to around 18`19 degrees. If you see a good chunk is
:24:12. > :24:16.an shine you might see those temperatures nudging up a little.
:24:17. > :24:21.Not doing too badly, you can dodge the showers that if you see the rain
:24:22. > :24:26.there will be downpours to come. Tomorrow evening, potentially quite
:24:27. > :24:30.nice. Maybe some dry spells to end the day. Tomorrow night, largely dry
:24:31. > :24:35.and a bit of well weather to look out for in the eastern parts. In the
:24:36. > :24:41.West murky conditions. Overnight lows down to 9`10 degrees. In the
:24:42. > :24:48.middle of the week, we have unsettled conditions to come. There
:24:49. > :24:52.will be heavy, thundery downpours that there are bright intervals to
:24:53. > :24:56.be had. We are not ruling out the chance of sunshine. It will be
:24:57. > :25:01.slightly warmer than average for this time of year. We will not see
:25:02. > :25:08.the blue skies we will over the weekend. The summary, cloudy for the
:25:09. > :25:13.next few days with some heavy downpours and some sunshine to. You
:25:14. > :25:18.give with one hand and take with the other. We have had a good time over
:25:19. > :25:21.the last two days and can't complain.
:25:22. > :25:24.A mixed bag ahead. We will be back tomorrow. Join us again have a
:25:25. > :25:27.lovely evening.