:00:07. > :00:10.Welcome to South East Today, I'm Natalie Graham. And I'm Rob Smith.
:00:10. > :00:18.Tonight's top stories. We have some of the fattest towns in Europe -
:00:18. > :00:24.and experts are warning the health consequences are dire.
:00:24. > :00:26.I did not want anyone to see me, I had no confidence.
:00:26. > :00:29.Four people are arrested on suspicion of murder, after the
:00:29. > :00:31.deaths of mother and baby in a house fire in Kent. We'll have the
:00:31. > :00:35.latest on the investigation in Chatham.
:00:35. > :00:37.Also in tonight's programme: The pub that could save your life - why
:00:37. > :00:41.one landlord is so concerned about ambulance response times, she's
:00:41. > :00:46.installed a defibrillator. Shocking pink - why Kent cricketers
:00:46. > :00:49.are defying tradition and playing with a different coloured ball.
:00:49. > :00:59.And life after death by Dutch elm disease - the trees that have been
:00:59. > :01:05.
:01:05. > :01:09.turned into art. Good evening. Kent has some of the
:01:09. > :01:12.fattest people in the country, according to new Government figures.
:01:12. > :01:19.Almost one in three adults is now classed as obese in four English
:01:19. > :01:29.council areas. Medway meanwhile, is ranked fourth, with a figure only
:01:29. > :01:29.
:01:29. > :01:32.fractionally lower at 30 %. The national average is 23 %. Doctors
:01:32. > :01:42.say it's placing a growing burden on health services in the county,
:01:42. > :01:42.
:01:42. > :01:47.as Simon Jones reports. The streets are increasingly so
:01:47. > :01:54.criticised. Tanya Mills until recently was in a wheelchair
:01:54. > :02:00.because she had reached 22 stone. did not want anyone to see me. I
:02:00. > :02:08.had no confidence at all. You talk about teenagers and children, you
:02:08. > :02:12.have to try to get them to exercise. Trevor Roberts was 30 stone. He is
:02:13. > :02:17.now down to under 20 after a gastric bypass operation
:02:17. > :02:26.effectively shrinking his stomach. He had had enough of being abused
:02:26. > :02:34.by passers-by. Look at the size of him, what a fat man. It got quite
:02:34. > :02:41.aggressive. It just seems to be that if people are overweight they
:02:41. > :02:47.seem to be a target. Certain people will say eat less and exercise more.
:02:47. > :02:55.It is not as easy as that. figures suggest that in 15 years'
:02:55. > :03:00.time if there are no big changes than 30% of us will be obese. But
:03:00. > :03:05.here in this region the time has already arrived. Experts say that
:03:05. > :03:10.poverty means we do not always choose the healthiest option.
:03:10. > :03:15.are seeing a lot more people who are overweight and a piece. It has
:03:15. > :03:21.doubled in my practice in the last decade and so we have to work much
:03:21. > :03:26.harder to help people there was a - - lose weight. Anyone with a body
:03:26. > :03:32.mass index of more than 30 is considered obese. For the average
:03:32. > :03:38.height British man they would have to wait around 14 stone to have a
:03:38. > :03:42.body mass index of 30. For the average woman, just over 12 stone.
:03:42. > :03:47.Week looked to provide preventative services to try to address that
:03:47. > :03:56.issue before people get to the stage where they get long-term
:03:56. > :04:01.conditions. But it is placing more stress on the health service.
:04:01. > :04:09.Obesity has long been recognised as a serious problem in the United
:04:09. > :04:15.States with up to 50% of the population predicted to be obese
:04:15. > :04:20.shortly. How are they are tackling the issue over their? There are
:04:20. > :04:24.attempting to tackle it through education. For example Michelle
:04:24. > :04:30.Obama grows vegetables in the White House garden to try to encourage
:04:30. > :04:33.young people to eat healthier meals. In Los Angeles there is a law that
:04:33. > :04:41.says that restaurants have to display the number of calories in
:04:41. > :04:47.their dishes. I was quite shocked to see that one salad contained
:04:47. > :04:51.1500 calories. That does make you think. Many people say these
:04:51. > :04:59.measures are just touching the serve -- the surface. That they
:04:59. > :05:06.should be at ban on the appetising of unhealthy foods to children.
:05:06. > :05:08.Well we want to know what you think. What should be done to tackle
:05:08. > :05:10.growing levels of obesity in the South East? Send your emails to
:05:10. > :05:18.southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk, or join the debate on our Facebook site -
:05:18. > :05:22.and we'll hear your views later in the programme.
:05:22. > :05:30.One man says we should ban computers for all young people to
:05:30. > :05:34.encourage them to go out to play. Another says you should ban by one
:05:34. > :05:37.get one free offers on unhealthy junk foods.
:05:37. > :05:39.Four people have been arrested on suspicion of murder, following the
:05:39. > :05:42.deaths of a 20-year-old mother and her 15-month-old son in a house
:05:42. > :05:45.fire in Chatham. Melissa Crook and her son Noah died in the fire in
:05:45. > :05:53.Chatham Saturday. Her father and brother remain in hospital with
:05:53. > :05:58.serious injuries. Jon Hunt has more. Friends have been paying their
:05:58. > :06:03.respects to a mother and toddler killed in a fierce fire. Police
:06:03. > :06:10.suspect it was started deliberately. An investigation into food did this
:06:10. > :06:15.and why is at full speed. I cannot comprehend who would do this. I
:06:15. > :06:22.cannot understand. A close friend told me that Melissa had much to
:06:22. > :06:28.look for four stop she was so young. She had come down here for a better
:06:28. > :06:34.start. She was supposed to have a job interview today. I just cannot
:06:34. > :06:39.believe it. I have come to put some flowers down and pay my respects.
:06:39. > :06:43.Such a lovely girl. Firefighters were called to the terraced house
:06:43. > :06:48.in the early hours of Saturday morning. They said they had to
:06:48. > :06:57.fight their way in through an extreme blaze. Detectives were keen
:06:57. > :07:02.on the case have ruled out links to a spate of arson attacks locally.
:07:02. > :07:05.Foreign investigation is in full swing. -- if they're up
:07:05. > :07:12.investigation. Our Hearts go out to the family and friends of those
:07:12. > :07:20.involved. Police made their first arrests on Saturday afternoon. Two
:07:20. > :07:25.men arrested in Coventry. None is believed to be the husband of Mr
:07:25. > :07:32.Crooks. Another man was then arrested in Maidstone and today a
:07:32. > :07:35.woman was arrested in the Coventry area. Mr Crook had only just
:07:35. > :07:43.returned to Chatham to start a new life but she and her young son are
:07:43. > :07:45.now dead. Her father and brother still seriously ill in hospital.
:07:45. > :07:48.Jon Hunt reporting, and he joins us live from Chatham. Melissa Crook's
:07:48. > :07:54.parents and brother were injured in the fire - what's the latest on
:07:54. > :08:03.their condition tonight? Wellman has a's father was most seriously
:08:03. > :08:08.injured. His condition is still said to be life-threatening. His
:08:08. > :08:13.wife Amanda we understand has now been discharged from hospital. But
:08:13. > :08:18.Melissa's brother who broke his legs trying to escape from the
:08:18. > :08:23.flames, we understand he's still in hospital and his condition is still
:08:23. > :08:33.described as serious. In a moment: Why a row about land
:08:33. > :08:33.
:08:33. > :08:36.ownership is costing Hastings taxpayers �20,000 a month.
:08:36. > :08:38.The landlords of a Kent village pub are so concerned at the slow
:08:38. > :08:43.response time from ambulances, that they have decided to install a
:08:44. > :08:46.life-saving defibrillator. The South East Coast Ambulance
:08:46. > :08:48.Service has promised to improve its performance in rural areas, after a
:08:48. > :08:54.BBC Freedom of Information request revealed that crews are failing to
:08:55. > :09:03.meet emergency response targets in many parts of Kent and Sussex.
:09:03. > :09:08.Ian Palmer has more. This box can save lives. It is here
:09:08. > :09:14.because the family that run the pub asked for it to be put there.
:09:14. > :09:22.Because of where we are located we can be quite cut-off especially in
:09:22. > :09:26.the winter. We can become quite isolated as a community. It became
:09:26. > :09:32.apparent that should we needed to call an ambulance and it was bad
:09:32. > :09:40.weather, could they get to ask him time? Paramedics always find it
:09:40. > :09:42.more difficult to reach rural and remote areas. Ambulances should
:09:42. > :09:45.respond within eight minutes. In Kent, that target was missed in
:09:45. > :09:52.just over half the districts. In Sussex, targets were missed in
:09:53. > :09:57.exactly half the districts. Last week this piece of equipment was
:09:57. > :10:04.used for the first time. Sadly, it was too late for that particular
:10:04. > :10:12.person, but people did know exactly where to find it. We can achieve
:10:12. > :10:16.reaching the most critical patience within eight minutes but actually
:10:16. > :10:24.to have a good outcome for a patient you need access to this
:10:24. > :10:28.within a couple of minutes. Paramedics here have taken more
:10:28. > :10:33.than half an hour to respond. Villagers say that knowing the
:10:33. > :10:39.machine is there is reassuring. Do you know where it is? I know
:10:39. > :10:43.exactly where it is. A basic piece of equipment like this and basic
:10:43. > :10:47.first aid knowledge means that people are reassured that they can
:10:48. > :10:52.make a difference. The south-east coast Ambulance Service says the
:10:52. > :10:56.average response time across the region is eight minutes and 39
:10:56. > :11:01.seconds. But here they know an emergency needs a quicker reaction
:11:01. > :11:03.time. Motorists are being warned to avoid
:11:03. > :11:07.the M23 motorway in Sussex following a serious collision this
:11:08. > :11:10.afternoon. The road has been closed in both directions between
:11:10. > :11:15.junctions 9 and 10, near Gatwick Airport, after a crash between two
:11:15. > :11:17.vehicles. One person has been seriously injured.
:11:17. > :11:21.More than 100,000 extra passengers travelled through Gatwick last
:11:21. > :11:24.month, compared with the previous year. Around a half a million
:11:25. > :11:27.people used the airport over the August bank holiday weekend alone.
:11:27. > :11:31.Short haul flights to countries like Spain and Italy saw the
:11:31. > :11:33.biggest increases. Investors who ploughed tens of
:11:33. > :11:35.millions of pounds into the Dockside shopping centre in Chatham
:11:35. > :11:41.have won an �18 million pound payout from the company that
:11:41. > :11:43.advised them on the deal. A High Court judge has ruled that
:11:43. > :11:53.surveyors Drivers Jonas' valuation of the site was negligent - and led
:11:53. > :11:55.
:11:55. > :12:01.investors to pay over �60 million for it, when it was worth far less.
:12:01. > :12:05.Hastings Borough Council has been forced to spend �20,000 a month on
:12:05. > :12:11.electricity generators to power its seafront buildings in a row over
:12:11. > :12:15.who owns the land. The UK power network has apparently refused to
:12:15. > :12:23.install equipment to power the buildings. Let's cross live to
:12:23. > :12:27.Peter Whittlesea in Hastings. land was given to Hastings Borough
:12:27. > :12:31.Council in 1893 by the Crown. But when they were given the land they
:12:31. > :12:35.were given that in a charitable Trust which was not allowed to
:12:35. > :12:41.develop the land, so they leased it to a third party so the land could
:12:41. > :12:46.then be developed. This is what sparked the ownership row. This
:12:46. > :12:51.evening I asked how many -- how much money the borough council had
:12:51. > :12:56.therefore spent on generators. the reverse of the company were
:12:56. > :13:01.brought to the table and instructed by their clients to get a move on,
:13:01. > :13:06.then we will see a speedy resolution to the matter. He never
:13:06. > :13:11.exactly said how much they had paid to the electricity company. The
:13:11. > :13:15.private company said they shared Hastings Borough Council's urgency
:13:15. > :13:20.that getting the matter resolved and said they believe the rest --
:13:20. > :13:24.the restrictions had been lifted and electricity equipment would be
:13:24. > :13:27.installed as quickly as possible. This is our top story tonight: Kent
:13:27. > :13:31.has some of the fattest people in the country, according to new
:13:31. > :13:40.Government figures. Over 30 per cent of adults are now classed as
:13:40. > :13:46.obese in four English council areas, including Medway and Swale.
:13:46. > :13:52.Let's stay with this story for a moment. Fitness instructor
:13:52. > :13:55.Catherine is with us now. You have an interesting take on this because
:13:55. > :14:05.you're our yourself clinically obese yet you are a fitness
:14:05. > :14:08.
:14:08. > :14:13.instructor. As far as I'm concerned there is not a problem. I think
:14:13. > :14:18.this is a story that keeps getting passed around. I think people can
:14:18. > :14:23.be fit and healthy whatever size they are. But the Department of
:14:23. > :14:28.Health says there is a risk of type 2 diabetes, heart and liver disease.
:14:28. > :14:33.There are problems involved with being seriously overweight.
:14:33. > :14:38.these are not diseases that are exclusive to being large. I would
:14:38. > :14:47.dispute those diggers quite heavily. I think the research is extremely
:14:47. > :14:52.flawed. But having said that we do need to address the issue of health.
:14:52. > :14:58.What would you say is the way forward? I think to make exercise
:14:58. > :15:04.more accessible. Not to forward the red herring of focusing on obesity.
:15:04. > :15:13.I think it is about being fit at the signs that you are. Health
:15:13. > :15:19.clubs and fitness centres are not fat friendly.
:15:19. > :15:25.Coming up: Revived as a work of art - how trees killed by Dutch elm
:15:25. > :15:30.disease are being given a new lease of life.
:15:30. > :15:35.It is the wind going to be staying blustery into tonight? Joined me
:15:35. > :15:37.later to find out. Kent's cricketers are making
:15:37. > :15:44.history this evening, by playing a County Championship match under
:15:44. > :15:49.floodlights with a pink ball. The first recorded county cricket
:15:49. > :15:52.match took place in 1709 - and of course the ball was red.
:15:52. > :15:55.In 2003 they introduced the white ball for Twenty20 matches. And
:15:55. > :15:59.today, Kent are taking on Glamorgan with a ball that they hope will
:15:59. > :16:04.show up better under lights. Neil Bell joins us live from the St
:16:04. > :16:12.Lawrence Ground in Canterbury. A pink ball, Neil! How are the
:16:12. > :16:18.traditionalists taking it? No-one has actually fainted. This is what
:16:18. > :16:24.the fuss has been all about. The brand new pink ball. Not just a
:16:24. > :16:28.fashion statement, it should be easier to seek under lights. That
:16:28. > :16:35.means raw evening cricket, attracting bigger crowds and that
:16:35. > :16:39.could be a boost for at cash strapped sport. County Championship
:16:39. > :16:43.cricket has barely changed in the last couple of centuries. There is
:16:43. > :16:50.now more or polyester around but other than that the game has been
:16:50. > :16:53.frozen in time. Until today. The umpire appeared with a pink ball
:16:53. > :16:58.for the first time ever in this country. So cricket history has
:16:58. > :17:03.been made in Canterbury, one of the most traditional cricket venues in
:17:03. > :17:09.the world. It goes to show that the club is innovative and forward-
:17:09. > :17:18.thinking. If at the end it has not worked I am not sure that we have
:17:18. > :17:24.lost a lot. I think people will not stop watching. It is not just the
:17:24. > :17:30.colour of the ball that has changed. Play will now continue until 9
:17:30. > :17:40.o'clock in the evening thanks to the new flashlights -- floodlights.
:17:40. > :17:40.
:17:40. > :17:45.I saw it earlier and I find it difficult to pick up. I think to
:17:45. > :17:49.expect people to sit out in September at 8 and 9 o'clock is
:17:49. > :17:56.expecting a bit too much. I do not think there will be many in the
:17:56. > :18:04.crowd at that time tonight. I have my doubts. Most of us members are
:18:04. > :18:08.pretty ancient and don't like to stay up too late! The introduction
:18:08. > :18:13.of 2020 cricket a few years ago has put a whole new at the audience.
:18:13. > :18:19.Some believe that the changes may have a similar impact on county
:18:19. > :18:25.cricket. Well we have seen a batsman wearing a helmet, we have
:18:26. > :18:31.seen floodlights, there are a lot of firsts. And it would be nice to
:18:31. > :18:35.think that if this does have a future, it all started in Kent.
:18:35. > :18:40.brace you were old or a bizarre experiment soon to be forgotten?
:18:40. > :18:47.Time will tell but even cricket has to change sometimes. I would love
:18:47. > :18:52.to say that Kent were in the pink today but they have struggled.
:18:52. > :18:57.There's still a pretty good crowd here and the club are offering free
:18:57. > :18:59.admission for the final session of this game. And there's ball-by-ball
:18:59. > :19:09.commentary of all four days of Kent's match on our website:
:19:09. > :19:12.
:19:12. > :19:14.bbc.co.uk/kent. It's wiped out around thirty
:19:15. > :19:17.million trees in the UK since it arrived almost a hundred years ago,
:19:17. > :19:27.but now an artist from East Sussex has made sure that something good
:19:27. > :19:33.has come from Dutch elm disease. You have to visit at tea room in
:19:33. > :19:39.Wilmington near Eastbourne to appreciate just what the artist has
:19:39. > :19:42.done. A sign of hope amidst the destruction. Eight trees in this
:19:42. > :19:50.garden have succumbed to Dutch elm disease this year but instead of
:19:50. > :19:56.chopping them down sculptor Christine was asked to create
:19:56. > :20:02.something from them. inspiration actually came from
:20:02. > :20:07.Dutch alarm disease itself because it is such a devastating disease. I
:20:07. > :20:16.wanted to make a piece that brought something positive out of something
:20:16. > :20:21.negative. A kind of transformation if you like. Millions of trees were
:20:21. > :20:26.felled and burnt in the 1970s, two thirds of their population in the
:20:26. > :20:32.UK succumbing to disease. And it has never gone away. Teresa and
:20:32. > :20:36.Barry Taylor have only been able to wait and watch as one by one the
:20:36. > :20:43.elm trees in their garden have been destroyed. Over the years we have
:20:43. > :20:50.been here we have just watched the trees dying and it is just such a
:20:50. > :20:57.shame. In one day they have just gone. Which is where Christine came
:20:57. > :21:03.in. Normally she sculpts cut pieces of wood. Here she had to build
:21:03. > :21:09.scaffolds around the trunks so that she could work. The trees are no
:21:09. > :21:19.longer infectious with the Bach removed. The onus of this garden
:21:19. > :21:19.
:21:19. > :21:23.now have works of art instead of their stumps. -- the owners. It is
:21:23. > :21:27.reclaiming it as something with a more positive light rather than
:21:28. > :21:33.just fell them and take them a wave. For two months Christine has
:21:33. > :21:40.chiselled away in his garden, as symbolic fight back against a so
:21:40. > :21:42.far unstoppable disease. Now it was a good weekend for
:21:42. > :21:46.Charlton and Brighton fans, as both clubs continued their bright start
:21:46. > :21:48.to the football season. But Gillingham dropped points at home
:21:48. > :21:56.for the second match running and Crawley suffered something of a
:21:56. > :22:00.thrashing at Morecambe. John Young has our round-up of the action.
:22:00. > :22:06.They may have been flying high at the top the table when they arrived
:22:06. > :22:12.but Crawley were about to crash to earth. Too many goals to choose
:22:12. > :22:22.from for this news report, all in the wrong net. This penalty towards
:22:22. > :22:23.
:22:23. > :22:28.the end sealed things off. It was much more balanced until Accrington
:22:28. > :22:35.Stanley produced this goal six minutes from time. The jewels only
:22:35. > :22:42.saved by this foul. A lucky escape perhaps. And an apology of sought
:22:42. > :22:50.for the fans. We did not impress the crowd. We understand that. By
:22:50. > :22:54.impressing the crowd, that would be winning the game. At the Valley and
:22:54. > :23:03.Exeter there was sent off for protesting too much that his shot
:23:03. > :23:10.had crossed the line. The sending- off changed the game. I do not
:23:10. > :23:15.really know what happened. It is a case of job done, three points and
:23:15. > :23:19.a clean sheet. Brighton and Hove Albion have plenty of chances at
:23:19. > :23:26.Bristol but they only needed this want to retain their record
:23:26. > :23:29.unbeaten at home. Three out of three victories away.
:23:29. > :23:34.Now, it has been quite breezy Now, it has been quite breezy
:23:34. > :23:39.today! It has been a very blustery day and
:23:39. > :23:48.quite a wet start. Tomorrow sees the return of those blustery
:23:48. > :23:54.showers. Earlier we had this deep area of low pressure moving in from
:23:54. > :24:04.the West. Rain through the morning. Increasingly Jo Whiley in the
:24:04. > :24:08.
:24:09. > :24:14.But temperatures not too bad, temperatures of around 20 degrees.
:24:14. > :24:21.As we move through the first part of tonight, at still seeing a
:24:21. > :24:24.strong wind. Easing off as we move through the night. And quite a mild
:24:24. > :24:30.night for what it is worth. Tomorrow initially has a dry start
:24:30. > :24:40.but once again we have these does she showers moving from the West.
:24:40. > :24:42.
:24:42. > :24:47.By lunchtime again these showers will be prevalent. Top temperatures
:24:47. > :24:52.at a high of around 19 degrees. The showers clearing pretty quickly as
:24:52. > :24:59.we move through the first part of the evening. Also becoming
:24:59. > :25:05.increasingly saddled. -- settled. And as we move into Wednesday, it
:25:05. > :25:12.looks like the most settled day of the week. Top temperatures again at
:25:12. > :25:20.of around 20 degrees. And the reason for that - this area of low
:25:20. > :25:28.pressure up which will be building from the south-west. By the time we
:25:28. > :25:34.get to Friday however once again those showers will be with us.
:25:34. > :25:39.Tomorrow sees the return of the showers. Top temperatures around 19
:25:39. > :25:45.degrees. Wednesday is the date to be out and about with plenty of
:25:45. > :25:48.sunshine. A bright picture for Thursday. But the showers back
:25:48. > :25:53.Thursday. But the showers back again for Friday.
:25:53. > :25:55.Let's recap tonight's top stories. Britain's banks are to be ordered
:25:55. > :26:01.to separate their retail operations from their much riskier investment
:26:01. > :26:03.divisions to try to prevent a repeat of the 2008 banking crisis.
:26:03. > :26:09.The Kenyan army has joined the search for a British woman who's
:26:09. > :26:11.been kidnapped, after her husband was shot dead at a luxury resort.
:26:11. > :26:17.And new Government figures show that Kent has some of the fattest
:26:17. > :26:25.people in the country. Over 30 % of adults in Medway and Swale are
:26:25. > :26:28.classed as obese. We asked for your views on what
:26:28. > :26:35.should be done to tackle growing levels of obesity in the South East.
:26:36. > :26:40.Here are some of your comments. Part of the problem is caused by
:26:40. > :26:46.the spiralling cost of food. People go for the unhealthy options
:26:46. > :26:53.because it is what they can afford. And many people suggesting that we
:26:53. > :26:58.raise the price of unhealthy foods. Another one says the move that
:26:58. > :27:08.television from the lounge. Increased the price on foods known
:27:08. > :27:10.
:27:10. > :27:19.to be high in saturated fats and sugar. And get some more exercise
:27:19. > :27:24.machines. Stop selling off school playing fields. People should send
:27:24. > :27:31.their children to a local school and make them walk. And stop every
:27:31. > :27:36.vacant shop from becoming a take away. As a 14 year-old I do not