:00:04. > :00:07.Welcome to South East Today, I'm Rob Smith. And I'm Polly Evans.
:00:07. > :00:11.Tonight's top stories: Record breakers; the South East has the
:00:11. > :00:14.most successful GCSE students in the country.
:00:15. > :00:24.A load of old rubbish or a model for other cities; claims removing
:00:24. > :00:27.bins from Canterbury's streets has made it cleaner.
:00:27. > :00:31.We took the bins away when the riots happened some weeks ago and
:00:31. > :00:34.we were surprised when there were no bins, there was less rubbish.
:00:34. > :00:40.Also in tonight's programme: All at sea - distinguished actor Timothy
:00:40. > :00:43.Spall calls out the lifeboat after getting lost on the River Medway.
:00:43. > :00:50.Hat-trick hero - Chatham's Ashley Jackson leads from the front in
:00:50. > :00:53.England's crushing victory over And how Guy the bandit Thompson
:00:53. > :01:03.will be representing the UK at the world air guitar championships in
:01:03. > :01:10.
:01:10. > :01:14.Good evening. It's been another record breaking year for teenagers
:01:14. > :01:16.who've received their GCSE results across the South East. Students in
:01:16. > :01:21.the region got the highest proportion of top grades compared
:01:21. > :01:26.to any other part of the country. More than 26% of students achieved
:01:26. > :01:31.an A star or A grade - that's up slightly on last year. And nearly
:01:31. > :01:34.three-quarters of this year's entries achieve a C grade or above.
:01:34. > :01:39.Although some schools have achieved worse results than last year, many
:01:39. > :01:44.have improved. Jon Hunt has been to three of them.
:01:44. > :01:48.Record results, many schools improving. We have been to three
:01:48. > :01:54.state schools to find out what they're doing right. The Howard
:01:54. > :01:59.School says it is because pupils are more motivated. Boys, are you
:01:59. > :02:03.ready? I'll take you a dozen at the time! It used to have a bad image
:02:04. > :02:12.but year-on-year results have been improving. This year is no
:02:12. > :02:22.exception. Really impressed with what I have got. Four A*. The three
:02:22. > :02:23.
:02:23. > :02:31.A*, five Bs. I got As in English. I am happy. More than 55% of pupils
:02:31. > :02:36.achieved grades A* to C. This is the all-important measure and good
:02:36. > :02:43.grades are more important than ever. One of the reasons results have
:02:43. > :02:49.improved his students are aware it is a tough world in employment. It
:02:49. > :02:56.is wretched. They are well aware be needed good clutch of GCSEs.
:02:56. > :03:03.cat and effect has been the effects in Tunbridge Wells. Students
:03:03. > :03:09.phoning home. I got a very As, a bee and a C. The school was failing
:03:10. > :03:15.and was made an academy in 2009. Before, a 17% achieved the key
:03:15. > :03:21.grades. Today, it has shot up to 46%. No wonder the principle is
:03:21. > :03:25.smiling. It is a fantastic individual results of our students
:03:25. > :03:31.and the massive progress they have made. They have worked hard and
:03:31. > :03:37.been rewarded. At Patcham High School, they have seen a results
:03:37. > :03:40.leap, too. Pupils have the best results ever up 13 percentage
:03:40. > :03:46.points on the key performance measure because of better
:03:46. > :03:51.collaboration. It is a team effort, staff, students and parents and
:03:51. > :03:55.together it has come together. We are delighted today. It's fantastic
:03:55. > :03:59.for the students. To the students getting results today have the
:03:59. > :04:06.skills to make it in the business world? They are educated but not
:04:06. > :04:12.the skills we require. English language is a bit of a
:04:12. > :04:16.disappointment. The quality of maths. Something good old fashioned
:04:16. > :04:21.at mental arithmetic is not there. A record results but clearly
:04:21. > :04:23.concerns that standards are still not good enough.
:04:23. > :04:26.Jon Hunt reporting. We're joined now by Spencer Mehlman, managing
:04:26. > :04:32.director of the website not-going- to-uni, which advises young people
:04:32. > :04:34.on career opportunities. Mr Mehlman, the Federation of Small Businesses
:04:34. > :04:37.aren't impressed with the practical qualities of school leavers,
:04:37. > :04:47.despite record results here in the south east, is that your
:04:47. > :04:52.experience? I think that a good number are ready for work. A lot of
:04:52. > :04:56.young people have not yet picked up employability skills. There is a
:04:56. > :05:03.need for young people to start working at an earlier age part-time
:05:03. > :05:08.work, whether paper rounds, working in a family business and
:05:08. > :05:11.understanding the fundamentals of customer service and business. It's
:05:11. > :05:16.important the education bodies start to in bed employability
:05:16. > :05:19.skills back into the curriculum. It really is missing. Are you seeing
:05:19. > :05:25.an increase in the number of students wanting to come through
:05:25. > :05:31.websites like yours because of fears of tuition fees? We have been
:05:31. > :05:34.inundated. This month we are seeing in excess of 100,000 young people
:05:34. > :05:39.coming through, applying for thousands of different
:05:39. > :05:43.opportunities. If somebody wants to follow a profession and become a
:05:43. > :05:48.lawyer or an accountant, they need A-levels and degrees. No, they
:05:48. > :05:52.don't. It's a misconception. There are very good vocational routes
:05:52. > :05:58.into those tried and tested professions. You can become a
:05:58. > :06:02.solicitor or legal executive through the various programmes or
:06:02. > :06:10.become an accountant through vocational learning. Utilising the
:06:10. > :06:14.trade bodies. This is on our website and I urge young people to
:06:15. > :06:20.have a look. Finally, for some of the people who would not have got
:06:20. > :06:25.great grades, is it all over for them? Absolutely not. Do not panic,
:06:25. > :06:28.have a look, make an informed decision, lots of young people
:06:28. > :06:32.coming out with degrees are struggling to find work. It's
:06:32. > :06:35.important you get a foot in the door and a really positive attitude.
:06:35. > :06:38.Thank you. And you can find out more about how students in the
:06:38. > :06:41.South East have done on our political editor's blog at
:06:41. > :06:45.bbc.co.uk/louisestewart. You can also follow her on Twitter
:06:45. > :06:49.@BBCLouise. They were removed because of fears
:06:49. > :06:52.they'd be set alight and used in the recent riots. Now, Canterbury
:06:52. > :06:56.City Council says its decision to take rubbish bins away from the
:06:56. > :07:01.City Centre has actually led to the streets being cleaner. And they say,
:07:01. > :07:08.in many areas, there is no plan to bring the bins back at all - to the
:07:08. > :07:13.surprise of local traders. Simon Jones reports.
:07:13. > :07:20.The bustling city centre full of shoppers, tourists and Traders. But
:07:20. > :07:27.something is missing. The bins. would be terrible. Absolutely
:07:27. > :07:33.devastating. They should put them back. The need the bins. There's no
:07:33. > :07:39.way to put rubbish. People are more so about -- civilised. People take
:07:39. > :07:44.their rubbish home. To keep it clean, get more bins. It was
:07:44. > :07:50.rioting in London and fears it would spread to Kent that led to
:07:50. > :07:55.the removal of the bins for safety. Canterbury City Council have
:07:55. > :08:00.removed around 50 bins from the city centre. They used to line the
:08:00. > :08:06.High Street. They say it's not just about saving money but it admits it
:08:06. > :08:12.has been surprised by the results. The most important thing is the
:08:12. > :08:17.city stays clean. This experiment shows this is the case. We thought
:08:17. > :08:23.we would keep the bins gone, in some areas we have replaced the
:08:23. > :08:27.bins but in many areas it is Tokely. Our cameras found a bins make some
:08:28. > :08:32.people used the pavement instead. The council insists money saved has
:08:32. > :08:37.been used for more regular cleaning patrols. Campaigners say it is up
:08:37. > :08:40.to everyone to take the issue seriously. It is personal
:08:40. > :08:47.responsibility and businesses responsibility to take action to do
:08:47. > :08:53.the right thing. Put it in a bin or take a 10th. 20 of the 50 bins are
:08:53. > :09:03.in the process of being put back in hot spots. Canterbury believes it
:09:03. > :09:03.
:09:03. > :09:05.is about rethinking what we do with are rubbish.
:09:05. > :09:10.Did he interview a man dressed as a carrot?
:09:10. > :09:13.He did! In a moment: Could a farmer have come up with a novel use for
:09:13. > :09:23.the Kent plums left to rot because the supermarkets aren't buying
:09:23. > :09:28.
:09:28. > :09:31.He was filming for his latest BBC series but the actor Timothy Spall
:09:31. > :09:40.found himself all at sea off the Kent coast and had to be rescued by
:09:40. > :09:47.lifeboat. The start of a 1980s CD series was near Coimbra when he and
:09:47. > :09:52.his crew realised they were lost. Our reporter is in Sheerness. Where
:09:52. > :09:58.were they trying to go? Chatham a marina is where they were
:09:58. > :10:01.aiming to go but Timothy Spall and his crew were trying to get a
:10:01. > :10:08.Chatton arena when at 9:30pm last night they ran off course. They
:10:08. > :10:13.were bought the Princess material - - Matilda. They were filming the
:10:13. > :10:20.final episode of a sailing programme. They were trying to get
:10:20. > :10:25.to the Chatton Marina, found themselves disorientated the and
:10:25. > :10:29.the lifeboat macro had to escort them back. You had a training
:10:29. > :10:35.session last night and you overheard him talking to the
:10:35. > :10:38.coastguard. We was finishing a poor training and we heard him on
:10:38. > :10:44.Channel 16 calling up the coast guard to say he was confused in the
:10:44. > :10:50.Medway. He did not know where he was. So what did you do? The pager
:10:50. > :10:55.went off and we went off to escort him to Queen Rye Harbour. I gather
:10:55. > :11:02.it's not the first time he has been caught out. Is it particularly
:11:02. > :11:10.difficult to navigate? There are lots of mud flats in a tricky areas
:11:10. > :11:16.around the creeks. As well as that, the advice is to look for a green
:11:16. > :11:22.light which is difficult amongst houses and the Isle of Sheppey can
:11:22. > :11:26.be tricky. He taught himself to navigate, was he prepared?
:11:26. > :11:30.probably could have done with a bit more practice in night navigation
:11:30. > :11:35.because navigating in the day you can see the land around due. At
:11:35. > :11:43.night it is just the lights. Wind to realise it was Timothy Spall?
:11:43. > :11:46.When I boarded the boat. It was the Brummie accent! We tried to chat to
:11:46. > :11:51.Tim and his team but the last few days have been trying and he is
:11:52. > :12:01.shattered. This evening he and his team are still at Chatham Marina
:12:02. > :12:02.
:12:02. > :12:10.and Tech 3 they can get going again. A man who said he had memory loss
:12:10. > :12:13.has been identified. He is 59 years old and from Derbyshire but the
:12:13. > :12:16.police say he can't be named for welfare reasons. His wife and
:12:16. > :12:19.stepchildren have confirmed who he is and he's still being treated in
:12:19. > :12:22.a Margate hospital. Kent Police are looking to talk to
:12:22. > :12:25.anyone who spoke to a 32-year-old woman in the days before her murder.
:12:25. > :12:27.Jenny Banner from Chatham was found strangled at her home last Friday.
:12:28. > :12:30.43-year-old Marcus Coates, also from the town, has been charged
:12:30. > :12:33.with her murder. The Cross-Channel ferry operator SeaFrance is running
:12:33. > :12:35.16 extra crossings over the bank holiday weekend to meet extra
:12:35. > :12:37.demand after Eurotunnel announced it faced strike disruption.
:12:37. > :12:39.Yesterday the company announced it's facing the threat of
:12:40. > :12:47.'indefinite' strike action from French workers demanding an 8 per
:12:47. > :12:52.cent pay rise. The go-ahead had finally been given
:12:52. > :12:54.for a London Eye style Ferris wheel on Brighton seafront. Permission
:12:54. > :13:00.has been given to developers Paramount Attractions to build on
:13:00. > :13:10.part of the pavement on Madeira Drive opposite the Sea Life Centre.
:13:10. > :13:10.
:13:10. > :13:13.The company behind the Brighton O A man left with long-term health
:13:14. > :13:17.problems after contracting salmonella while on holiday, is
:13:17. > :13:21.fighting for compensation in court. Stewart Green from Dartford
:13:21. > :13:25.couldn't work for a month after catching the potentially fatal
:13:25. > :13:30.bacteria while in the Dominican Republic. He says Moss after
:13:30. > :13:34.contracting the disease, he is still suffering. -- months.
:13:34. > :13:38.Two years ago, Stewart Green want to the Dominican Republic. It
:13:38. > :13:41.turned to disaster when he contracted salmonella. While
:13:41. > :13:47.vacation memories may have disappeared, the symptoms have not.
:13:47. > :13:52.He still suffers from diarrhoea and vomiting. Around someone's house,
:13:52. > :13:55.you know you are going to make a smell, it is a worrying thing.
:13:55. > :13:59.Green's lawyers have no doubts about their clients' claims that a
:13:59. > :14:04.hygiene in the resort was inadequate. The food was
:14:04. > :14:10.undercooked, there was flies in the food, there was a lot of problems
:14:10. > :14:15.with the hotel. But the tour operator First Choice said nine out
:14:15. > :14:25.of ten customers are happy with the hotel. In a state bent, it said,
:14:25. > :14:28.
:14:29. > :14:33.first choice closely audits all the Within two weeks, he lost nearly
:14:33. > :14:38.two and a half stone, and if that was any of the children, it could
:14:38. > :14:41.be devastating and a different story. In the meantime Mr Green and
:14:41. > :14:47.his solicitor waiting for a response to the latter they have
:14:47. > :14:51.sent to first choice. It is coming up to 6:45pm.
:14:51. > :14:54.Tonight's top story - GCSE students in the South East have got a
:14:54. > :14:58.highest proportion of top grades compared to any other part of the
:14:58. > :15:03.country. Even at its schools failing in the recent past, results
:15:04. > :15:06.have been strong. Also tonight, taking an axe to the
:15:06. > :15:11.competition, the Brighton man hoping to become the champion of
:15:11. > :15:17.the world at air guitar. We have heavy and persistent
:15:17. > :15:21.guerrilla -- rain, will its tidy up for Festival Friday? Join me later
:15:22. > :15:31.to find out. If you have a story to tell us, you
:15:32. > :15:42.
:15:42. > :15:45.You may remember that yesterday we told you about the Kent plum
:15:45. > :15:51.farmers who say they are facing ruin because they cannot sell their
:15:51. > :15:54.produce, all of their produce, to that supermarkets. Tons of good
:15:54. > :16:01.food could be left to rot. After seeing our story, another Kent
:16:01. > :16:09.farmer may have a solution. A deal that could secure the future
:16:09. > :16:13.of his business. That is criminal, isn't it?
:16:13. > :16:20.After seeing our coverage yesterday, another farmer has stepped in
:16:20. > :16:24.offering to buy tons of plums that would otherwise be left to rot.
:16:24. > :16:29.It is good news not only for this year, but for next year, because
:16:29. > :16:32.now we have areas we can sell our plums, so it will pay for the cost
:16:32. > :16:36.of the picking and maybe a little bit more, instead of putting them
:16:36. > :16:40.on the dump. But what does another farmer want
:16:40. > :16:47.with tons of ripening fruit? I saw the news yesterday, the problem
:16:47. > :16:52.with plums, and consequently we currently import plum puree for
:16:52. > :16:56.mixed fruit jam that we manufacture. Ten miles up the road, Bill has
:16:56. > :17:01.just opened the country's first a septic processing plant where they
:17:02. > :17:07.make purees with a long shelf life without any preservatives. Will
:17:07. > :17:14.these plums pass the grade? taste of this, it is absolutely
:17:14. > :17:18.excellent. It is a fresh, unique, kind of plum taste. It is far
:17:18. > :17:22.superior to what we are buying from the Continent, and we are happy to
:17:22. > :17:26.take it on. Now the plums have passed the test,
:17:26. > :17:32.they will be next in line for this. They will be cut and turned to a
:17:32. > :17:37.pulp, then the process can begin. The puree is rapidly heated to
:17:37. > :17:42.around 95 degrees which kills off any mould spores and bacteria. It
:17:42. > :17:46.is then called before being packed into sterile bags. It could then
:17:46. > :17:53.last for up to a year. Sometimes it is just misshapen fruit which does
:17:53. > :17:56.not make it to the shop. For farmers struggling to make a living
:17:56. > :18:06.through supermarkets alone, this could provide a much-needed
:18:06. > :18:12.
:18:12. > :18:15.De after nine months out of action Chatham's Ashley Jackson marked his
:18:15. > :18:20.return to the England hockey team with a hat-trick as the side
:18:20. > :18:26.crushed France 8 - 1 in the European Championships.
:18:26. > :18:29.It was a bus for Jackson, who was sidelined through injury. He is
:18:29. > :18:34.surprisingly critical about his own performance.
:18:34. > :18:39.It was to be the start of a great day for an England side defending
:18:39. > :18:45.their Ural hockey Nations title in the quarter-finals. To say they had
:18:45. > :18:50.the French on the back foot turned out to be an understatement.
:18:50. > :18:54.And prominent in the scoring spree was Chatham's Ashley Jackson, he is
:18:54. > :19:00.still nursing his way back to full form after months on the bench
:19:00. > :19:09.through injury. His blazing hat trick was reasons to celebrate, you
:19:09. > :19:14.might think. Today are thought my performance
:19:14. > :19:21.was way down, so it depends on how you look at it. There were a number
:19:21. > :19:24.of chances we had, but the team is winning, and we are building every
:19:24. > :19:27.stage we are going through. Hopefully we can take it up to the
:19:27. > :19:31.next step for Germany and the semi- finals.
:19:31. > :19:35.It is the sort of scorecard he will remember on his way back to form.
:19:35. > :19:43.The team's bid to retain their title in the tournament played in
:19:43. > :19:47.Germany looks on course. The first corner that went in in the first 20
:19:47. > :19:52.minutes meant that we were in the right frame of mind. It was always
:19:52. > :19:57.going to be comfortable from them. His home club, East Grinstead, will
:19:57. > :20:00.be avidly looking out for the young staff. Especially when he says that
:20:01. > :20:05.three sq -- three goals in a quarter-final just is not good
:20:05. > :20:11.enough. Cricket - Sussex have lost to India
:20:11. > :20:15.by six wickets at a halt today. Sussex bowled out for 236, and
:20:15. > :20:23.India then reached the target with a loss of just four wickets. Virat
:20:23. > :20:28.Kohli was the top scorer. This is the more that we have all
:20:28. > :20:33.been waiting for. Depending on your view, it is either a highly skilled
:20:33. > :20:35.use copper formers or something kids grow out of. A musician from
:20:35. > :20:39.Brighton forever takes it very seriously.
:20:39. > :20:44.His name is Guy "The Bandit" Thompson, and he has been crowned
:20:44. > :20:50.air guitar champion of the UK at the weekend. Now, he is going to be
:20:50. > :21:00.going to the international finals in Finland tomorrow.
:21:00. > :21:03.
:21:03. > :21:08.Take it away, Guy. AIR GUITAR GUITAR -- plays.
:21:08. > :21:12.If you are into a air guitar, you will be admiring the power chords,
:21:12. > :21:17.but if like me you are wondering, where is the guitar, there is not
:21:17. > :21:25.one. Air guitar is all about pretending you have a guitar, and
:21:25. > :21:31.it is not easy. The high notes you move into your body, the loan notes
:21:31. > :21:37.you are down. It is no good to do just this, it looks like you do not
:21:37. > :21:40.have a guitar. You may have missed it, but the air guitar
:21:40. > :21:44.championships have been around since the late 90s. The
:21:44. > :21:49.international final in Finland will include competitors from at least
:21:49. > :21:54.20 countries - a bit like your revision, for hard people. Moving
:21:54. > :22:01.your arms about, and looking like you have a bendy guitar, or not
:22:01. > :22:08.just hitting the notes but having your hands in the same position.
:22:08. > :22:18.Not convinced? Neither was this Radio 1 disc jockey, track down by
:22:18. > :22:23.an air guitar expert. I just shout at the TV. Each to their own!
:22:23. > :22:28.is not going to hold are marked down -- back, but there is one
:22:28. > :22:33.obstacle. I pulled a muscle in my back, but I'm sure I get out there
:22:33. > :22:40.and it will be different. We will all be cheering you on. The prize
:22:40. > :22:47.for the winner - a real guitar, but I am not sure guide needs it.
:22:47. > :22:53.Extraordinary. John is in Brighton now. There is some rivalry in the
:22:53. > :22:58.titles. Yes, there is quite an air guitar underworld here. There is an
:22:58. > :23:02.event coming up in two weeks' time here at Brighton which calls itself
:23:02. > :23:09.the national final of the UK air guitar championships. Hang on,
:23:09. > :23:13.isn't that what guy has just one? I got him on the phone, and asked him
:23:14. > :23:19.if there had been a mix up. He said, no, there are various events like
:23:19. > :23:23.this, but he is the real thing - the air guitar UK champion. That is
:23:23. > :23:28.what he will be taking part in, flying the flag for the UK,
:23:28. > :23:38.tomorrow. We are all very proud! I hope he
:23:38. > :23:43.does not try to fly in an imaginary This morning we had a great start
:23:43. > :23:48.to the day - rain particularly in the West. It dried up into the
:23:48. > :23:52.afternoon, and it stays dry tonight, but we will see heavy and
:23:52. > :23:58.persistent rain pushing up from the south, or wait and unsettled end to
:23:58. > :24:03.the night. It should surely -- slowly clear by the afternoon.
:24:03. > :24:10.Earlier today we had a weather front spreading eastwards. Some
:24:10. > :24:15.lively downpours during rush hour, and then it cleared up. It was
:24:15. > :24:20.still an unsettled day for many. Top temperatures getting up to
:24:20. > :24:24.highs of 19 degrees, fairly disappointing for August. As we
:24:24. > :24:29.move through this evening, it was be staying dry macro for a while.
:24:29. > :24:35.But we have got a Met Office weather warning, but we could see
:24:35. > :24:41.up to 15 mm of rain. Some flash flooding likely. We're seeing this
:24:41. > :24:47.rain pushing up from the south, so all white and unsettled end tonight.
:24:47. > :24:53.25-35 mm of rain, and possibly up to 50 mm. Temperatures not dropping
:24:53. > :24:58.much below 13 of 14 degrees. Fairly tricky rush hour tomorrow morning,
:24:58. > :25:04.but that rain will slowly pull away, and it will be increasingly dry.
:25:04. > :25:10.Fingers crossed for Festival Friday. Still plenty of cloud, temperatures
:25:10. > :25:15.fairly depressed. Top temperatures of 20 degrees, that is 68 in
:25:15. > :25:20.Fahrenheit with moderate south- westerly breeze is. It stays mostly
:25:20. > :25:24.dry as we move overnight, eventually those showers will clear,
:25:25. > :25:30.more in the way of clearer skies. Temperatures a little bit cooler
:25:30. > :25:34.than recently - knows there of around 11 degrees. Towards the
:25:34. > :25:43.weekend some showers around for Saturday, Clearing as we move into
:25:43. > :25:47.Sunday. Improving as well by Monday, even some sunshine!
:25:47. > :25:52.Not too bad for Festival Friday, because we have been enjoying the
:25:52. > :25:57.fun in Broadstairs, Eastbourne and Bexhill. Tomorrow, we will be at
:25:57. > :26:00.Herne Bay. When the sun shining and summer is
:26:00. > :26:03.in full swing, there is nothing better than getting out of the
:26:04. > :26:08.office for a trip to the seaside, and that is what we have got
:26:08. > :26:12.planned every Friday in August. We are entering the first force
:26:12. > :26:15.buried by taking South East Today on the road to join you at some of
:26:15. > :26:19.the biggest summer celebrations across Kent and Sussex.
:26:19. > :26:24.We will be on location each Festival Friday, and would love as
:26:24. > :26:29.many of you as possible to come along and join in the fund.
:26:29. > :26:34.Do join us tomorrow at lunchtime and at 6:30pm for that Herne Bay
:26:34. > :26:38.Festival. Let us run through the headlines -
:26:38. > :26:42.Libya's colonel Gaddafi is on the run, but has issued another call to
:26:42. > :26:46.arms. He has told supporters to resist what he called the enemy
:26:46. > :26:51.rats in the capital Tripoli. Medical staff are working at full
:26:51. > :26:55.stretch to deal with the casualties. It has been another record-breaking
:26:55. > :26:58.year for GCSE results across the South East - students in the region