:00:11. > :00:16.Welcome to South East Today. Tonight's top stories: the MoD
:00:16. > :00:24.investigate reports that a Kent- based soldier cut the fingers off
:00:24. > :00:28.of Taliban soldiers on the battlefield.
:00:28. > :00:31.A man is hospitalised after lightning strikes his Sussex home.
:00:31. > :00:40.Also in tonight's programme: The �6 million donation from a
:00:40. > :00:43.widow. All hail the Seagulls, all hail the
:00:43. > :00:53.Stadium! Brighton roll up their sleeves for a first match thriller.
:00:53. > :01:05.
:01:05. > :01:08.And the models Victorian architects Good evening. The Ministry of
:01:08. > :01:12.Defence is investigating claims a Kent based soldier kept severed
:01:12. > :01:14.fingers from dead Taliban fighters as souvenirs.
:01:14. > :01:17.It's understood the allegations were made against a soldier from
:01:17. > :01:22.The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, which is based at Howe
:01:22. > :01:28.Barracks in Canterbury. We've been looking into the case.
:01:28. > :01:37.It is a very serious allegation according to the MoD. One of its
:01:37. > :01:41.shell -- soldiers allegedly sliced off fingers of dead Taliban
:01:41. > :01:51.fighters as a souvenir. Military experts say they are shocked to
:01:51. > :01:53.
:01:53. > :01:57.hear such claims. In a rural community, in a filing order, you
:01:57. > :02:03.treat animals, women and dead with the same respect that you would
:02:03. > :02:07.expect yourself. It is just not done. The tour of duty in
:02:07. > :02:15.Afghanistan ended in May. The battalion's role was to train the
:02:15. > :02:20.Afghan army as well as take on the at -- Taliban directly.
:02:20. > :02:25.As well as Afghanistan, a recent tours of duty have included Kosovo
:02:25. > :02:31.and Bosnia. The MoD says that in each case the soldiers have
:02:31. > :02:35.conducted themselves with tenacity, courage and humour. It is not the
:02:35. > :02:40.first claim of wrongdoing by soldiers. US military guards
:02:40. > :02:44.photographed the abuse of suspected Iraqi insurgents in a prison.
:02:44. > :02:51.Experts say if the latest allegations are proved to be
:02:51. > :02:57.trolled -- true the role of stress will have to be looked at. Drama
:02:57. > :03:03.can change people's perception -- trauma can change the perception of
:03:03. > :03:13.people and things that may not occur to everybody... What we might
:03:13. > :03:16.
:03:16. > :03:19.consider. Can sometimes not appear the same way on the battlefield.
:03:19. > :03:27.investigation is ongoing and the MoD did not say if the soldier had
:03:28. > :03:30.been suspended. A man from Sussex says he is lucky
:03:31. > :03:33.to be alive after he received a huge electric shock from a
:03:33. > :03:36.lightning strike while standing in his own kitchen.The freak accident
:03:36. > :03:40.happened just before 1:00pm this morning, when the man's house in
:03:40. > :03:46.Battle was struck during a storm. From the outside there is nothing
:03:46. > :03:53.but a plastic sheet as evidence of last night's dramatic events. Able
:03:53. > :03:58.a lightning blew away parts of the roof, leaving the main part of this
:03:58. > :04:03.family home exposed to the elements. -- a bolt of lightning. I was just
:04:03. > :04:11.coming to shut the door when there was an enormous bang, a blue flash
:04:11. > :04:14.went down my arm and all of the lights went out. The clap of
:04:14. > :04:19.thunder that accompany the lightning strike that did all of
:04:19. > :04:23.the damage was so loud that fire crews heard it before they were
:04:23. > :04:29.called. Firefighters used a thermal imaging camera to make sure there
:04:29. > :04:39.were no hidden hot spots of fire in the roof. This family were lucky.
:04:39. > :04:46.Lightning streak can cause lots of things to happen. This family was
:04:46. > :04:51.lucky to come out of line at -- are live with just a shock. There are
:04:51. > :04:58.16 million lightning storms around the world every year. A bolt of
:04:59. > :05:08.lightning can travel at 1036000 miles per hour. They have no
:05:09. > :05:10.
:05:10. > :05:14.electricity or gas, but this all in their stride. -- 136,000. We are
:05:14. > :05:19.still here and that is the most important thing. He should never
:05:19. > :05:25.happen again in theory. As everyone keeps saying that lightning never
:05:25. > :05:33.strikes twice so we should be safe now. The house is insured so now
:05:33. > :05:38.the family are dealing with the rest of the damage.
:05:38. > :05:46.Our reporter is live in Hastings. The noise was so loud that it will
:05:46. > :05:51.the neighbours up. When a lady told me that a bomb had Graf off. Being
:05:51. > :05:54.struck by lightning can be serious. There is nothing you can do to
:05:54. > :06:04.prevent it but the fire services there are precautions you can take
:06:04. > :06:08.such as having an accept plan and a smoke alarm.
:06:08. > :06:15.In a moment: The polar bear attack in the Arctic.
:06:15. > :06:20.One of the team leaders is due back tonight.
:06:20. > :06:23.Two men have drowned in a lake in Kent. The men were believed to be
:06:23. > :06:26.swimming at the lake in Chipstead near Sevenoaks on Friday night when
:06:27. > :06:34.they got into difficulties. Our reporter is at the lake for us now.
:06:34. > :06:39.What more do we know about this incident? The police have confirmed
:06:39. > :06:43.that the men drown around 7pm on Friday. They say they are not
:06:43. > :06:49.treating this as suspicious and that the two men came from Lewisham
:06:49. > :06:52.in South London. Their next of kin had been informed but the names
:06:52. > :06:58.have not been released because the bodies have yet to be formally
:06:58. > :07:04.identified. This lake is a popular beauty spot and is used by
:07:04. > :07:10.canoeists and sailors. Before people jump in they have to make
:07:10. > :07:13.sure her they can get back out again. Whether we do that through
:07:13. > :07:18.signage or educational things come I think we need to make sure we do
:07:18. > :07:23.that before we start fencing off lakes and littering the countryside
:07:23. > :07:28.with science. It is about sub -- stopping and thinking before you
:07:28. > :07:33.jump in. And this incident coincided with one of the hottest
:07:33. > :07:40.days of the year. When the temperatures are high, water looks
:07:40. > :07:45.particularly enticing. People could be tempted to jump in and called an.
:07:45. > :07:50.The water temperatures could still be very cool. Under the surface
:07:50. > :07:53.there could be hidden dangers and very deep water.
:07:53. > :07:56.The jury in the trial of a woman accused of murdering her two young
:07:56. > :07:59.children has retired to consider its verdict. The bodies of three
:07:59. > :08:08.year-old Harry and Elise, who was two, were discovered in the boot of
:08:08. > :08:11.their mother's car in Heathfield, East Sussex, in January last year.
:08:11. > :08:14.A man from East Sussex, and a man from Surrey, have been arrested
:08:14. > :08:17.after climbing Blackpool Tower to protest against the extraction of
:08:17. > :08:20.shale gas on the Fylde coast. They climbed 500 feet up to unfurl
:08:20. > :08:22.banners highlighting what they say are the dangers of the so-called
:08:22. > :08:25."fracking" process taking place a few miles away. Cuadrilla Resources
:08:25. > :08:28.suspended tests in May after two earth tremors nearby. Cuadrilla
:08:28. > :08:37.says a report on any link between extraction and the tremors should
:08:37. > :08:39.be completed by next month. A decision on whether to allow a
:08:39. > :08:42.Kent airport to extend its operating hours during the London
:08:42. > :08:45.Olympics is about to be announced. The operators of Biggin Hill have
:08:45. > :08:48.submitted plans to Bromley Council to extend the times aircraft can
:08:48. > :08:58.fly in and out of the airport during the Olympic Games next year.
:08:58. > :09:02.Some local residents fear the measure could become permanent.
:09:02. > :09:04.A man from Sussex who was seriously injured in the polar bear attack in
:09:04. > :09:07.Norway that left one schoolboy dead will return home tonight.
:09:07. > :09:10.Andy Ruck was one of the expedition group leaders. He suffered serious
:09:10. > :09:13.head injuries, and his condition is being described as severe but
:09:13. > :09:22.stable. He will be brought home on a special medical repatriation
:09:22. > :09:29.flight. And the ruck is expected to touch
:09:29. > :09:33.down in the UK any moment now. He suffered injuries when a polar bear
:09:33. > :09:39.attack a group of explorers. The bear was eventually shot dead. One
:09:39. > :09:44.expert said that attacks like these are very rare. Since 1995 there had
:09:44. > :09:47.been two fatalities. On average, three bears are killed a year as an
:09:47. > :09:57.act of self-defence, people protecting themselves against a
:09:57. > :10:07.
:10:07. > :10:14.bare. A statement by the company One survivor is from Jersey and he
:10:14. > :10:22.is one of two people who shared a tent with an injured party member.
:10:22. > :10:30.He tried to punch the bear on the nose. I hit it on the nose. I do
:10:30. > :10:38.not know why. People love their attacked him with his right Paul --
:10:38. > :10:48.the Polar Bear attacked him and then the leader came along each
:10:48. > :10:50.
:10:50. > :10:54.trying to get the polar bear away. Explorers in this part of no way
:10:54. > :11:00.usually set off rockets or players if approached by an animal. It
:11:00. > :11:08.appears that the players did not go off when the bears got inside the
:11:08. > :11:10.camp. Our top story tonight:
:11:10. > :11:15.The Ministry of Defence is investigating claims that a soldier
:11:15. > :11:17.cut fingers off dead Taliban fighters to keep as souvenirs. It
:11:17. > :11:19.is understood the allegations relate to a soldier from the
:11:19. > :11:24.Canterbury based Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, who was
:11:24. > :11:26.serving in Afghanistan. Male model in a mould:
:11:26. > :11:29.The statues of our sporting stars underway for 2012.
:11:29. > :11:34.And the spire beneath the dome. The model cathedrals that helped
:11:34. > :11:37.Victorian architects learn their trade, on display in Margate.
:11:37. > :11:41.If you have a story you think we should be covering on South East
:11:41. > :11:44.Today, we'd like to hear from you. You can call, send us an email, or
:11:44. > :11:54.text us on 8133, making sure your text message starts with the
:11:54. > :12:01.
:12:01. > :12:04.letters SE. Dungeness is to become the first
:12:04. > :12:08.place in the South East to get the RNLI's new class of lifeboat after
:12:09. > :12:12.a Kent woman left �6 million to the lifeboat station in her will.
:12:12. > :12:22.Barbara Morrell died aged 95. She had no children and no living
:12:22. > :12:23.
:12:23. > :12:26.relatives. Vital life saving equipment, the Shannon class
:12:26. > :12:34.lifeboat, a new launch and recovery equipment worth �850,000 will be
:12:34. > :12:39.given to Dungeness. Rescuing people at sea around the
:12:39. > :12:45.clock, whenever the weather. Barbara had such a respect for the
:12:45. > :12:49.work of the RL NI that she left all of her family's money to the
:12:49. > :12:54.charity that she supported all of her life. And 95, she had I'll love
:12:54. > :13:03.her husband and all of his siblings. -- Al laved. They never had
:13:03. > :13:11.children because her husband suffered from severe by bds. --
:13:11. > :13:17.diabetes. It was fantastic. We could not believe it. She valued
:13:17. > :13:23.that the people they're go about their time very freely to save
:13:23. > :13:28.other people's lives. The boat is a state of the art it has not been
:13:28. > :13:37.built yet, but with a tricky launched down the sea, the
:13:37. > :13:42.Dungeness crew had chosen equipment that will help them reach people
:13:42. > :13:51.faster. I think the best way we can thank her is that when the boat is
:13:51. > :14:01.on station we continued to save the lives at sea. The lifeboat will
:14:01. > :14:06.
:14:06. > :14:09.launch in Dungeness and 2013. -- in With London 2012 less than a year
:14:09. > :14:12.away you'd expect the athletes to be gearing themselves up, but a
:14:12. > :14:14.sculptor from Sussex is now pretty busy as well. Louise Giblin is
:14:14. > :14:23.planning to create statues of five British Olympians including the
:14:23. > :14:25.runner, Dame Kelly Holmes, and the hurdler Sally Gunnell. Today,
:14:25. > :14:28.though, was the turn of swimmer Darren Leach, a Paralympian
:14:28. > :14:35.quadruple medallist from Tonbridge in Kent. We watched the process
:14:35. > :14:42.begin. This is the way Daren Leach began
:14:42. > :14:45.his most mornings. Six days a week he swims up to 200 lengths. He won
:14:45. > :14:51.two silver and bronze medals at the Sydney Olympics but now he is
:14:51. > :14:56.bidding for a gold Olympic medal. have got world gold and European
:14:57. > :15:04.gold but I want an Olympic gold. is one of five Olympians who agreed
:15:04. > :15:14.to be turned into a work of art. am not sure I can put this on my
:15:14. > :15:29.
:15:29. > :15:33.Strange. I feel like it is slipping. We need to put this down the side
:15:33. > :15:43.so you can breathe. Dame Kelly Holmes is up next. Later in the
:15:43. > :15:48.
:15:48. > :15:52.year it will be -- the Turn of a hurdler. So far this is the largest
:15:53. > :15:58.piece that I have produced by this method. The casts are happy to wear,
:15:58. > :16:02.which was not a problem for Bath Tweddell. She works out and a
:16:02. > :16:07.jacket wearing -- weighing 24 kilograms. I have selected people
:16:07. > :16:10.because they have been achieving very highly in their particular
:16:10. > :16:17.field and I am interested in knowing what they think is their
:16:17. > :16:22.greatest achievement. For daring Leach, it was winning a silver in
:16:22. > :16:26.Sydney. There will be a design to represent the city where each
:16:26. > :16:36.athlete won their mettle. The exhibition will open in London next
:16:36. > :16:36.
:16:36. > :16:39.May to coincide with the lighting of the Olympic torch.
:16:39. > :16:42.The new Football League season could hardly have got off to a
:16:42. > :16:44.better start for the South East's top clubs with three wins and an
:16:44. > :16:47.honourable draw. And Brighton's victory in their
:16:47. > :16:51.opening league game at their new home, the Amex Community stadium,
:16:51. > :16:53.could hardly have been more dramatic. Neil Bell joins us from
:16:53. > :16:57.Brighton. The game didn't disappoint!
:16:57. > :17:00.It was never going to be a dull, goalless draw. The backstory to the
:17:00. > :17:03.game is now the stuff of footballing legend. The friendly
:17:03. > :17:06.against Spurs eight days ago was dramatic enough but Saturday's
:17:06. > :17:08.first ever league game at their new home will be remembered by Brighton
:17:08. > :17:11.fans forever So success for Brighton with the
:17:11. > :17:14.goals coming from a summer signing and by neat coincidence all three
:17:14. > :17:17.of our other teams got off the mark with goals from new players for
:17:17. > :17:27.what was almost a perfect start to the new season
:17:27. > :17:36.
:17:36. > :17:46.It was a great weekend for the After years a waiting, the people
:17:46. > :17:49.
:17:49. > :17:53.of Brighton Asim -- a SIM victory would be theirs. There was a blind
:17:53. > :17:59.discussion with the referee but his decision to bring on a second half
:17:59. > :18:03.sub turn the game. The equaliser was a stunning low shot. The winner
:18:03. > :18:09.shared vision and now has a steel and was greeted with delirious
:18:09. > :18:15.delight. Who is the Albion's new hero? The midfielder joined earlier
:18:15. > :18:20.in the season from Watford for a record fee of �1 million. It is
:18:20. > :18:25.brilliant. The fans were just outstanding today. Really loud and
:18:26. > :18:30.relieve local. The fact they stay with us and just gave us confidence
:18:30. > :18:39.to keep going. It the reaction on the final whistle from the crowd
:18:39. > :18:48.was one of relief and sheer joy. new place, bigger stadium, everyone
:18:48. > :18:52.is expecting you to win. Sometimes that goes against you. A new era
:18:52. > :19:02.began in fine style with drummer, controversy and, ultimately, a
:19:02. > :19:06.memorable win. Brighton off to a bank with two goals are. It was
:19:06. > :19:10.almost a perfect start to the season.
:19:10. > :19:16.In League One in has been a summer of radical change at the Valley,
:19:16. > :19:21.and no one was quite sure how the new side but fair. But one still
:19:21. > :19:27.Stevens put them ahead it was plain sailing. Scott West had a dramatic
:19:27. > :19:35.if volley and is a contender for goal of the season. Skipper Johnny
:19:35. > :19:40.Jackson's penalty made it a great start. After all of the hard work
:19:40. > :19:45.it is all about all this 6th and the numbers. Every team in the land
:19:45. > :19:51.once a good start. We are no different. We have got a very good
:19:51. > :19:56.start. The first ever game in the Football League but this new player
:19:56. > :20:06.could not have gone better. When you sign a completed a new slick
:20:06. > :20:09.
:20:09. > :20:17.move but Port Vale soon Lovell laid out thanks to this free-kick. An
:20:17. > :20:21.equaliser was scored deep into stoppage time. We may not win it
:20:21. > :20:26.and we may not make the play-offs but we will try to get it in and
:20:26. > :20:36.Passat. After a slow start last season, Gillingham began break on
:20:36. > :20:40.
:20:40. > :20:49.Saturday. -- began in a great way The League Cup action will be
:20:49. > :20:53.tomorrow. It was a spectacular week for a bike fans. Shane been
:20:53. > :21:01.completed his domination of the Superbike championships and Tommy
:21:01. > :21:06.hellcat the pressure on the victory -- victory... In a few minutes'
:21:06. > :21:12.time, Sussex will take on Lancashire in the quarter-finals at
:21:12. > :21:18.the County Ground. The Sharks will be hoping to make it through for
:21:18. > :21:24.the second time in three years. One Sussex side is are already in the
:21:24. > :21:34.final. They are through for the National Village Cup final next
:21:34. > :21:35.
:21:35. > :21:39.month. A collection celebrating some of
:21:39. > :21:43.the most awe-inspiring buildings of the world. An exhibition that has
:21:43. > :21:48.opened in Margate gives us all the chance to inspect can a great
:21:48. > :21:53.cathedral, York Minster and the beer cellar in Rome all in one roof.
:21:53. > :22:00.We are taking a look at the models that are used by the artist to
:22:00. > :22:10.learn their craft. At a scale of 60 ft to one inch, Aly Aly crafted,
:22:10. > :22:16.
:22:16. > :22:24.the 28 cathedrals sunny -- they were bequeathed to the cathedral.
:22:24. > :22:30.One was found in the architect's department. They found there were
:22:30. > :22:39.28 of them. Who made them all? were made by a model-maker from
:22:39. > :22:44.Oxford and they were commissioned by an assisted of Queen Victoria.
:22:44. > :22:48.They are so fragile and they were very dirty and covered in dust.
:22:48. > :22:53.Pieces of the detail were broken off and they were using some of the
:22:53. > :23:00.original blues to restore them. the class Dems are part of the Dome
:23:00. > :23:05.itself? Yes, they are historical as the models themselves. Some of them
:23:05. > :23:13.were quite badly damaged and had to be restored. They are part of the
:23:13. > :23:23.model. Over 100 years of experience would a company water the cathedral
:23:23. > :23:33.has now formed part of the exhibition. How else could you get
:23:33. > :23:43.
:23:43. > :23:48.around 28 cathedrals from UK and Let's get a look at the weather. We
:23:48. > :23:53.saw some dramatic weather yesterday but this week is unsettled but
:23:53. > :24:01.nothing too dramatic going on. The next 24 hours bringing as a small
:24:01. > :24:06.taste of sunshine. After that, a bit of a cloud cover. A fair bit of
:24:06. > :24:12.cloud will blow in and it will feel quite cool. Today, there has been a
:24:12. > :24:16.fair bit of cloud creeping into coastal parts, and some of us have
:24:16. > :24:22.seen the odd shower. If he did not then you might have but today was
:24:22. > :24:27.quite pleasant. Compared to later in the week it has been. Some
:24:27. > :24:33.showers to get through this night - - this evening. They will be
:24:33. > :24:39.creeping away and overnight there will be a bit of cloud cover around.
:24:39. > :24:44.Tempters will get down to about 10 or 11 degrees. -- temperatures. A
:24:44. > :24:48.bit of a north-westerly wind will bring a cooler kick to those
:24:48. > :24:56.temperatures. Tomorrow will bring us the best of the weather.
:24:56. > :25:00.Throughout the morning, a little bit of sunshine, but it is not out
:25:00. > :25:07.of the question there could be some cloud cover. Temperatures are below
:25:07. > :25:12.the 19 or 20. Not fantastic but not terrible. Tomorrow night will be a
:25:12. > :25:17.repeat performance of tonight. Temperatures will be down to 10 or
:25:17. > :25:21.11 and -- degrees again. Not much cloud around and on Thursday
:25:21. > :25:26.morning you will see a sunnier start to the day. As you can see
:25:26. > :25:30.here, there is a lot of wet weather above the UK, but there is not a
:25:30. > :25:35.great deal heading towards us. The far southeast could stay dry but
:25:35. > :25:38.for parts of the north of Kent there will be a bit of wet weather
:25:38. > :25:44.are creeping in by the middle of the day and continuing to route the
:25:44. > :25:52.day. As the head to the end of the week we will see quite a few more
:25:52. > :25:56.showers. The general picture is, there is a lot of cloud out their.
:25:56. > :26:00.Friday will bring a mixture of showers but plenty of cloudy spells
:26:01. > :26:05.every the next few days. Temperatures on the up to about 18
:26:05. > :26:09.or 19 degrees but by the end of the week it could feel a little bit
:26:09. > :26:12.warmer and possibly more humid as well. The next 24 hours will bring
:26:12. > :26:17.us the best of this week's weather before it turns unsettled some make
:26:17. > :26:23.the most of it. We are keeping our fingers crossed
:26:23. > :26:29.for a Friday. We had amazing weather last week and this Friday
:26:29. > :26:35.we are going out on the road for the second Of Our Special Reports.
:26:35. > :26:38.When the sun is shining and son is in full swing -- summer is in full
:26:38. > :26:44.swing there is nothing better than getting away to the seaside and
:26:44. > :26:48.that is what we have got planned for every day in August. We are
:26:48. > :26:53.taking our programme out on the road to see some of the biggest
:26:53. > :27:01.summer celebrations. We will be live each Friday and we would love
:27:01. > :27:06.as many a view to come a long and join in the fun. Come on! We will
:27:06. > :27:15.be joining the roof party at the Pavilion End excel on on his 19th
:27:15. > :27:20.and we will finish up at the Herne Bay Festival on others to basics. -
:27:20. > :27:30.- on 26th August. You can see some behind-the-scenes pictures on our
:27:30. > :27:31.
:27:31. > :27:35.Facebook site. We had a fantastic time last week. We will also have a