:00:08. > :00:11.Welcome to South East Today. The top stories: credit crunch
:00:11. > :00:21.Christmas - the families struggling to make ends meet as inflation
:00:21. > :00:21.
:00:21. > :00:25.stays high and wages flatline. My wages are not going up at all.
:00:25. > :00:28.Everything else is. We will be assessing the impact with live
:00:28. > :00:31.reports from Maidstone and Hastings. Stormy weather - a roof is torn
:00:31. > :00:33.from a block of flats in Sussex as gales batter the south-east and
:00:33. > :00:36.there's more to come. Also in the programme: caught on
:00:36. > :00:39.camera - how the latest generation of wireless technology is helping
:00:39. > :00:43.Sussex police reduce violent crime and speed up convictions. Carving
:00:43. > :00:48.out a niche in the art world - how Bedgebury Pinetum is turning fallen
:00:48. > :00:51.trees into sculpture. And, still educating Archie - the
:00:51. > :01:01.famous ventriloquist's dummy makes a comeback in Sussex, with a new
:01:01. > :01:10.
:01:10. > :01:13.Good evening. The latest inflation figures have been published today
:01:13. > :01:18.and they make for grim reading if you wages are stagnant, or if you
:01:18. > :01:20.are relying on your savings to keep afloat in the run-up to Christmas.
:01:20. > :01:24.The consumer price index shows inflation of 4.8 per cent this
:01:24. > :01:26.month. That's slightly less than last month's figure, but across
:01:26. > :01:34.England annual earnings for all employees before tax have increased
:01:34. > :01:38.by just 0.4% year-on-year. In the south-east we are faring slightly
:01:38. > :01:42.better with earnings up by 0.8% on average, but it's a mixed picture.
:01:42. > :01:45.They are actually down in Surrey and East Sussex. Let's cross live
:01:45. > :01:49.now to our business correspondent Mark Norman at the Fremlin Walk
:01:49. > :01:57.Shopping Centre in Maidstone. Retailers need us to spend money in
:01:57. > :02:03.the run-up to Christmas, but money is increasingly tight, isn't it?
:02:03. > :02:08.Absolutely. Look at some of the shops behind me - a sales, I can
:02:08. > :02:11.see 50% signs. Retailers offering huge discounts just two weeks
:02:11. > :02:17.before Christmas. Why? That is because you and I, the consumer,
:02:17. > :02:20.are not spending money. That is due in large part to wait is not
:02:20. > :02:27.keeping up with inflation. Some people's wages have not come up at
:02:27. > :02:29.all for a year. Sarah and her house built --
:02:29. > :02:34.husband a decorating their Christmas tree. Despite holding
:02:34. > :02:40.down two part-time jobs and working overtime when she can, she says
:02:40. > :02:44.this Christmas finances are tight. I am in the second year of a pay
:02:44. > :02:49.freeze, and as the Chancellor announced, it is only going to be
:02:49. > :02:55.1% for the next two years, so made -- my wages are not going up at all.
:02:55. > :02:59.Everything else is. At the moment, I haven't got anything from my
:02:59. > :03:04.husband. Normally we spend and get some new toys for the dogs, but
:03:04. > :03:08.that is on hold. She is not alone. In many areas, women part-time
:03:08. > :03:13.workers have been badly hit. Medway part-time pay for women has gone
:03:13. > :03:18.down by more than 14%, but in Surrey it has only dropped by 0.1%.
:03:18. > :03:22.In Sussex, it is up by more than 4%. The Government's sample rate for
:03:22. > :03:26.these statistics is quite low, but limited pay packets, combined with
:03:26. > :03:29.rising inflation, has created a future problem for the wider
:03:29. > :03:33.economy. Effectively you are going into a vicious circle where
:03:33. > :03:37.consumers don't spend, businesses don't have money, they don't employ
:03:37. > :03:43.people, they don't give good wages, and consumers don't have money to
:03:43. > :03:47.spend and it is very difficult to exit that cycle. Just borrowing is
:03:47. > :03:50.not going to get us out of that. The what can be done to ease the
:03:50. > :03:54.squeeze on our wallets? The Labour Party would cut VAT and petrol
:03:54. > :03:58.prices, while the coalition Government take a different view.
:03:58. > :04:01.Inflation is falling slightly, but it is too high. Families have got a
:04:01. > :04:05.problem of cost of living. The Government is helping merit can,
:04:05. > :04:09.for example we have stopped the fuel duty increase, we are freezing
:04:09. > :04:12.council tax again from April. For commuters and the south-east we
:04:12. > :04:18.have cut back the increase in rail fares. Whether government can help,
:04:18. > :04:21.it is helping. Inflation figures have fallen slightly, but these are
:04:21. > :04:26.tempered by unemployment statistics and retail sales figures, all of
:04:26. > :04:31.which will offer an indication of how difficult a Christmas this will
:04:31. > :04:35.be for both the businesses and the public.
:04:35. > :04:38.This is part of a bigger problem. If retailers don't do well than the
:04:38. > :04:41.companies is that by then don't do well, which means the whole economy
:04:41. > :04:46.could struggle for many years to come. One bank today predicts that
:04:46. > :04:50.they think the UK economy could go back into recession.
:04:50. > :04:54.So, the cost of living is going up, but how does it compare with the
:04:54. > :04:57.amount of money we are earning here in the South East? Well, annual pay
:04:57. > :05:02.before tax is up by 3.7% year-on- year in Medway, 1.6% in Kent, and
:05:02. > :05:09.1.1% in West Sussex. But, average salaries are down by 0.6 % year-on-
:05:09. > :05:12.year in Surrey, and down 1.3% in East Sussex. The Office of National
:05:12. > :05:17.Statistics says our average earnings across the South East rose
:05:17. > :05:22.by 0.8%. Compare that with the North West where pay was down 0.2%,
:05:22. > :05:32.and London where it was down 0.6%. But in the East of England, it was
:05:32. > :05:34.
:05:34. > :05:38.up by 1.5%. The south-east is important. It is a large, important
:05:38. > :05:41.region. If the south-east is doing badly, there's a good chance the
:05:41. > :05:45.rest of the economy is doing badly. The south-east is doing exactly
:05:45. > :05:48.what the rest of the country is doing - it is struggling. People
:05:48. > :05:51.are getting poorer rather than richer and earnings are not growing
:05:51. > :05:54.as quickly as inflation. A And our take-home pay simply
:05:54. > :05:57.isn't keeping up with the rising prices of essential goods and
:05:57. > :06:00.services. For example, the cost of gas for cooking and heating is up
:06:00. > :06:03.by over 25% year on year. Petrol's gone up by 13%. And, average food
:06:03. > :06:11.prices are up by 4.9%, with biscuits and cakes, for example, up
:06:12. > :06:14.almost 12% year-on-year. Sara Smith joins us live in Hastings.
:06:15. > :06:22.For anyone relying on savings or pensions, the rising cost of living
:06:22. > :06:26.is a real problem, isn't it? Yes, because prices are going up so
:06:26. > :06:29.much faster than in comes. Even people who thought they had planned
:06:29. > :06:33.well for their retirement is struggling because the interest
:06:33. > :06:37.being paid on savings is so low. They can consider dipping into
:06:37. > :06:43.their actual savings pot, but the problem is then the fear of what to
:06:43. > :06:47.do if the money runs out. With a small pension from her 25 years as
:06:47. > :06:52.a school cook supervisor, 83-year- old Barbara has always been able to
:06:52. > :06:57.make ends meet for herself and her dog. But these days, things are
:06:57. > :07:01.getting considerably tougher. She is eating into her modest savings
:07:01. > :07:04.just to pay for her every day expenses. At Christmas large today
:07:04. > :07:08.for the elderly in Hastings, she is not the anyone noticing the
:07:08. > :07:16.difference. You have only got to go to the shop and there is another
:07:16. > :07:22.�10 on your bill for the same items. Apples went up 40p in a week.
:07:22. > :07:25.Everything has gone up. Also at today's lunch is Donald, a former
:07:25. > :07:28.charity finance director who plans carrot -- Catholic for his
:07:29. > :07:34.retirement, but he had not reckoned on economic conditions being quite
:07:34. > :07:38.the stuff. The 2% return on his savings just is not keeping up
:07:38. > :07:42.without -- with outgoings. Inflation is really at the
:07:43. > :07:48.supermarket till. It is about 5%. Simple arithmetic tells you you are
:07:48. > :07:51.going to fall further and further behind. It is a difficult time.
:07:51. > :07:55.Citizens Advice here in Hastings they are seeing more and more older
:07:55. > :07:59.people worried about how they are going to manage. They have made
:07:59. > :08:03.their plans for the future. They thought they were going to be OK.
:08:03. > :08:11.There is some money available, but benefit levels are so low that
:08:11. > :08:15.people can't maintain a good lifestyle. Barbara has already said
:08:15. > :08:19.goodbye to the occasional steak and other treats. The concern now is
:08:19. > :08:23.the squeeze on the things she really relies on for a comfortable
:08:23. > :08:27.retirement. Suddenly, people who thought they were doing OK are now
:08:27. > :08:30.finding life much more difficult. It is one thing not be able to go
:08:30. > :08:34.on holiday as often as you like, but when you have to start worrying
:08:34. > :08:38.about whether you can afford to put the heating on, life becomes much
:08:38. > :08:43.more difficult indeed. We want to know the impact that
:08:43. > :08:47.this has had on your lives. How has your lifestyle been affected by
:08:47. > :08:53.rising prices in the run up to Christmas? Email us at the usual
:08:53. > :08:57.address. In a moment, Royal Marine, teacher,
:08:57. > :09:07.friend - hundreds turn out to pay their respects to the Kent man
:09:07. > :09:08.
:09:08. > :09:12.believed to have been murdered in Gale force winds have caused damage
:09:12. > :09:14.and disruption across the South East. The roof was blown off a
:09:14. > :09:18.block of flats, uprooted trees blocked roads for motorists, and
:09:18. > :09:23.there was localised flooding in Kent and Sussex. Simon Jones is
:09:23. > :09:29.live in Dover. The closure of the port last night caused some real
:09:29. > :09:34.problems for travellers. The port was shut for around five hours,
:09:34. > :09:38.which is a pretty rare event. Today, passengers have been experiencing
:09:38. > :09:47.delays. Dover was the worst hit by the strong winds with some gusts
:09:47. > :09:51.reaching almost 75 mph. Taking a battering - in Bexhill,
:09:52. > :09:56.the wind was so strong it ripped off part of a roof of these flats.
:09:56. > :10:04.It forced residents from their homes. People say it was quite a
:10:04. > :10:08.night. Very, very scared. I need to repair everything. I was quite
:10:08. > :10:17.worried because I could hit noises at the back. My friends got blown
:10:17. > :10:21.down. It is not normal. Gearing up, Mike Collins is camping out by the
:10:21. > :10:27.sea in Folkestone for six months to raise money for charity. Last night
:10:27. > :10:34.he saw much of what he had built up ripped away from all sides. It was
:10:34. > :10:38.a little bit like a lorry hit in your tent every 30 seconds. I was
:10:38. > :10:45.lying on the floor of a four-man tent and the roof was hitting me on
:10:45. > :10:51.the nose. Bit by bit, you just heard each paid and each tent pole
:10:51. > :10:55.snapped, until something went. Trees down, this one near Dover
:10:55. > :11:00.made that road completely are impassable. With it, heavy rain,
:11:00. > :11:05.too, causing flooding. One man in East Grinstead is now counting the
:11:05. > :11:09.cost after his home was hit. children are still at home. They
:11:09. > :11:12.had to miss school, and my day has been turned upside down and I am
:11:12. > :11:18.now gearing up the mess. 50 trees were brought down in Sussex alone.
:11:18. > :11:26.Train journeys were disrupted, too. The warning is that it may not be
:11:26. > :11:29.over yet. Simon, rough as it was last night,
:11:29. > :11:33.it could be just a taster of what is to come later in the week.
:11:33. > :11:36.That's right, all eyes will on Thursday evening into Friday when
:11:36. > :11:40.we expect the next bout of bad weather with more strong winds. The
:11:40. > :11:44.man you saw in my report to is camping out in the elements says he
:11:44. > :11:48.is being told by everyone along the coast that things could be even
:11:48. > :11:51.worse. The messages, prepared to Batten down the hatches.
:11:51. > :11:54.The ferry operator DFDS has dropped plans to launch a takeover bid for
:11:54. > :11:58.its rival, SeaFrance. SeaFrance sailings stopped last month when
:11:58. > :12:02.the company was declared bankrupt. It could cease trading at the end
:12:02. > :12:05.of January if a buy-out offer isn't accepted.
:12:05. > :12:09.A permanent memorial is being created to honour a Sussex solider
:12:09. > :12:12.killed in Afghanistan. 27-year-old Daniel Prior, who'd just become a
:12:12. > :12:16.father, died in March after he was injured in an explosion while on
:12:16. > :12:25.patrol. This afternoon his family have planted a tree and unveiled a
:12:25. > :12:28.plaque in Peacehaven. Brighton and Hove has been named as
:12:28. > :12:30.country that are likely to launch a new local TV service. The Culture
:12:30. > :12:32.Secretary Jeremy Hunt has confirmed the city's on a shortlist of
:12:32. > :12:40."pioneer areas", with Maidstone earmarked for a future round of
:12:40. > :12:44.licensing. It is a unitary authority. It is
:12:44. > :12:49.going to be an excellent way to hold local politicians to account.
:12:49. > :12:53.Also, there are tremendous sporting and cultural traditions that we
:12:53. > :12:58.have in Brighton, and all of that will be able to be featured
:12:58. > :12:59.prominently on a Brighton and Hove first local TV station.
:12:59. > :13:03.Hundreds of mourners have paid their last respects to a former
:13:03. > :13:05.Kent teacher and Royal Marine who's believed to have been murdered on
:13:06. > :13:08.an island in the Indian Ocean. Carl Davies worked at the Isle of
:13:08. > :13:11.Sheppey Academy until August, before taking a job as a security
:13:11. > :13:13.contractor on the island of Reunion. His funeral took place this
:13:13. > :13:20.afternoon in Bobbing, near Sittingbourne, as Lynda Hardy
:13:20. > :13:25.reports. A solemn salute for a comrade, a
:13:25. > :13:30.friend. Fellow Marines paid their tributes today, alongside hundreds
:13:30. > :13:34.and hundreds of others. Just to have known him and spent so much
:13:34. > :13:41.time with him is a great honour. He will be missed by a hell of a lot
:13:41. > :13:45.of people. Carl Davis left Kent to fly 6,000 miles to the Indian Ocean
:13:45. > :13:51.island of Reunion, arriving on 7th November. Two days later, he was
:13:51. > :13:56.found dead. He had been stabbed and beaten. A murder investigation was
:13:56. > :14:01.launched on 17th November. Tributes left outside the Chapel this
:14:01. > :14:09.afternoon sums up a much laughter man. One in a million, you will
:14:09. > :14:12.always be remembered, and simply a hero. Nothing other than the best.
:14:12. > :14:19.It shows today that there were a lot of people who cared for him and
:14:19. > :14:29.loved him. He was our teacher, but we came to see him more as a mate,
:14:29. > :14:31.
:14:31. > :14:41.So many mourners came. They spilled out of the chapel. A testament to
:14:41. > :14:42.an extremely popular and now It is 6:40pm. Our top story
:14:43. > :14:46.tonight: Families across the south-east say
:14:46. > :14:49.they're struggling to cope with the rising cost of living. The latest
:14:49. > :14:51.figures show inflation has fallen to 4.8% - but average annual
:14:51. > :14:55.earnings here have risen by just 0.8%.
:14:55. > :15:05.Also in tonight's programme: Cutting-edge sculpture - how an
:15:05. > :15:08.artist is transforming fallen trees in Kent with a chainsaw.
:15:08. > :15:18.And bringing back Archie Andrews - the famous ventriloquist's dummy is
:15:18. > :15:20.
:15:20. > :15:23.Sussex Police say new technology that's enabled them to attach
:15:23. > :15:28.wireless video cameras to their officers' uniform is helping to
:15:28. > :15:31.reduce violent crime and speed up convictions. Our Home Affairs
:15:31. > :15:34.Correspondent Colin Campbell spent a night out on the beat in Newhaven
:15:34. > :15:42.and Seaford with officers equipped with the cameras and sent back
:15:42. > :15:46.tonight's Special Report. You are under arrest for the
:15:47. > :15:51.attempted theft of a motor vehicle. This man is being arrested on
:15:51. > :15:55.suspicion of trying to steal a car. The vehicle, which was left ablaze,
:15:55. > :16:05.is destroyed and an associate found hiding in a bush is also being
:16:05. > :16:07.
:16:07. > :16:11.questioned. The whole incident is It is just one example of how video
:16:11. > :16:21.technology is helping police gather evidence that could be used to help
:16:21. > :16:22.
:16:22. > :16:26.Also caught on camera, abusive drunks in Seaford. Police believe
:16:26. > :16:30.the equipment helps protect them from attack but also provides the
:16:30. > :16:34.public with reassurance. The cameras are also less likely to be
:16:34. > :16:40.interfered with. I am more confident that I am not as likely
:16:40. > :16:44.to be assaulted when turning up at an incident that is involving a
:16:44. > :16:50.fight or public order offences. That is because the presence of a
:16:50. > :16:57.camera deters people. Sussex Police has 94 body cameras. They cost �500
:16:57. > :17:02.each. 16 out of the UK's 43 forces by using the technology. The
:17:02. > :17:07.lightweight devices are warned overtly and are clearly visible.
:17:07. > :17:12.They do not record continuously but I used by the police to document
:17:12. > :17:19.incidents they attend or to record anything an officer sees, hears or
:17:19. > :17:23.says. Sometimes it is complex cases that are captured on camera. This
:17:23. > :17:30.footage shows officers searching for a 13-year-old who has just
:17:30. > :17:37.escaped after being returned home by police. It is 1255 am, I'm going
:17:37. > :17:42.to vesture on suspicion of theft... He was found hiding in bushes
:17:42. > :17:45.moments earlier, a discarded bag of LED found nearby. We have had
:17:45. > :17:48.successful cases where they have seen the images and they have had
:17:48. > :17:52.to admit to being guilty of the crime, so doesn't have to go
:17:53. > :17:57.through a lengthy trial. footage is also proving useful in
:17:57. > :18:01.cases of domestic violence when victims are too afraid to make a
:18:01. > :18:11.formal complaint. Speeding up and securing convictions, it seems
:18:11. > :18:15.
:18:15. > :18:21.there is a new meaning to the A renowned artist has been hard at
:18:21. > :18:23.work deep in a forest in the Kent countryside this afternoon. But if
:18:23. > :18:28.you're thinking of peaceful watercolours in the Garden of
:18:28. > :18:30.England, you're off the mark. Andy O'Neill doesn't work with
:18:30. > :18:35.easels and paint brushes, but a chainsaw, creating sculptures out
:18:35. > :18:40.of huge blocks of wood. Jane Witherspoon's been to see him in
:18:40. > :18:45.action at Bedgebury Pinetum, near Cranbrook.
:18:45. > :18:50.Chopping up the formal OCA is no easy task for this former tree
:18:50. > :19:00.surgeon -- former oak tree. There is a lot of heavy work in lifting
:19:00. > :19:09.
:19:09. > :19:13.MUSIC. But he is not just cutting wood, he
:19:14. > :19:17.is sculpting. Andy O'Neill is an artist. He has been chosen by the
:19:17. > :19:23.Forestry Commission to deliver a series of work that will be
:19:23. > :19:28.installed across the High Weald. Each will estimate -- I would
:19:28. > :19:32.estimate at taking today's age. I will draw a basic idea on, use the
:19:32. > :19:37.chainsaw and then sanded and wheel it. I don't choose chisels are
:19:37. > :19:44.anything, it is all done with pencils. Be unconventional style is
:19:44. > :19:48.a hit with the staff where he is working. He is not a typical artist,
:19:48. > :19:52.he is wielding a chainsaw. It is pretty heavy duty stuff. We are
:19:52. > :19:56.fortunate to have all of this timber in the woodland here and we
:19:56. > :20:01.thought what better way to utilise it than to get him here and make
:20:01. > :20:04.something really fantastic out of it. How important is it for you to
:20:04. > :20:09.make your pieces within the environment where the materials
:20:09. > :20:12.have come from? Very important. It is not always feasible, because
:20:12. > :20:17.some people don't have the timber and it is really nice to make
:20:17. > :20:21.something pleasing that people can come and see and sort of and hands
:20:21. > :20:26.the visitor experience. A&E is hoping to finish the project by
:20:26. > :20:32.Christmas -- Andy. With the remaining work expected to take
:20:32. > :20:34.around nine days, he has got his work cut out.
:20:34. > :20:37.In his day, Archie Andrews was a massive star, regularly getting
:20:37. > :20:41.audiences of 15 million and attracting the biggest names in
:20:41. > :20:47.comedy and entertainment to his show. Which was remarkable when you
:20:47. > :20:50.consider that he was a ventriloquist's dummy, on the radio.
:20:50. > :20:54.Now the act's being revived, and taken back out on the road by a
:20:54. > :20:58.chap from Sussex. And to make sure there are no hitches, he's also
:20:58. > :21:01.creating an understudy, a perfect replica - even down to a new set of
:21:01. > :21:05.porcelain teeth. Ian Palmer has more.
:21:05. > :21:11.Archie Andrews is worried. Maybe it's because he's about to see the
:21:11. > :21:14.dentist. Archie Andrews, would you like to come through? The 70-year-
:21:14. > :21:20.old dummy needs an identical twin. His owner is going to extraordinary
:21:20. > :21:23.lengths to make one. Including buying a replica of Archie's teeth.
:21:23. > :21:28.Archie is such a significant character, anything we do with him
:21:28. > :21:33.has to be just right and with the stand-in, it has to be spot-on.
:21:33. > :21:36.Have you had your breakfast? I had eight sausages and three eggs.
:21:36. > :21:39.ate all of that? Created in the 1940s, Archie worked with all the
:21:39. > :21:46.music hall greats - Tony Hancock, Julie Andrews, as well as Max
:21:46. > :21:49.Bygraves, Hattie Jaques and Eric Sykes. Archie says he's very
:21:49. > :21:58.excited about going back on the road, but isn't so keen about his
:21:58. > :22:03.understudy. He is doing this just to get me back in the suitcase. How
:22:03. > :22:08.very day you, Colin. That is not very nice. I need to speak to my
:22:08. > :22:12.agent. It is nookie Bear. Staff at the dental practice have never
:22:12. > :22:16.received such a bizarre request. didn't really believe it to start
:22:16. > :22:21.with and then I thought of Colin, and I thought, yes that is him to a
:22:21. > :22:26.tee. We could hear this conversation going on and what
:22:26. > :22:30.struck us as to be very funny was when Chris said, don't just bring
:22:30. > :22:33.the head, bring the body as well. We were gone. With the gnashers
:22:33. > :22:38.complete, all that's needed is a wig and a Saville Row suit and
:22:38. > :22:48.Archie Mark Two will be complete. However, the heart of the nation
:22:48. > :22:50.
:22:50. > :22:53.will always belong to the original Archie Number One. He is still a
:22:53. > :22:58.bit scary, though. It just a little bed. She is no
:22:58. > :23:01.dummy, she is here with the weather. I thought you were going to say I
:23:01. > :23:06.was scary as well. The weather certainly his and the way things
:23:06. > :23:10.are going with all of these storms, if we carry on like this we could
:23:10. > :23:15.end up with the stormiest December for over 80 years, so some really
:23:15. > :23:18.stormy conditions to come. We have another two to come that the next
:23:18. > :23:23.48 hours and a list of weather worries over the next few days.
:23:23. > :23:26.Some really heavy showers, had been winter, some of them will have
:23:26. > :23:31.winter, some of them will have hailed extend them but also
:23:31. > :23:35.starting to get a little concerned that some will start to turn wintry.
:23:35. > :23:44.Sleet for the moment but I will be looking out for anything a little
:23:44. > :23:48.bit more snow E. Also very strong winds, last night got up to 74 mph.
:23:48. > :23:53.50-60 per the next few days, but that could change, and being
:23:53. > :23:58.December, we are on the lookout for ice. Any of that water are the
:23:58. > :24:03.ground looking at turning into lies with temperatures close to freezing,
:24:03. > :24:07.which is looking likely tonight -- ice. The sea temperatures are
:24:07. > :24:11.relatively warm for this time of year, so lots of showers are being
:24:11. > :24:15.generated by those warm, moist conditions over the sea and are
:24:16. > :24:19.blowing inland. Someone to reach the North of Kent but many will and
:24:19. > :24:25.particularly around the south coast, where the majority of these heavy
:24:25. > :24:28.showers will be, possibly thundery and with some hail. Where we have
:24:28. > :24:32.the skies with fewer showers, temperatures could get close to
:24:32. > :24:37.freezing to get some ice or some frost. Celibate the mixture, still
:24:37. > :24:41.some of those showers along the south coast tomorrow -- so a bit of
:24:41. > :24:46.a mixture. Daylight hours, many others will have a dry day but it
:24:46. > :24:49.won't feel warm, six or seven degrees and still very breezy. The
:24:49. > :24:53.next storm tracks in through tomorrow night when we could see
:24:53. > :24:57.gusts of 50 mph, with heavy rain pushing into, but we are fairly
:24:57. > :25:02.lucky that most of the wet weather moves out of the way for daylight
:25:02. > :25:05.hours on Thursday, giving us some sunshine, but again, round the
:25:05. > :25:10.south coast, a lot of those showers generated by the sea temperatures
:25:10. > :25:13.and hitting the south coast. The next storm after that is for
:25:13. > :25:20.Thursday night into Friday, which the Met Office are concerned about,
:25:20. > :25:23.when we could get the gusts going back up to 60-70 mph, so it is
:25:23. > :25:27.certainly very unsettled over the next few days but many others will
:25:27. > :25:29.at least see some sunshine had to dry weather for daylight hours on
:25:29. > :25:32.dry weather for daylight hours on Wednesday and Thursday.
:25:32. > :25:35.Now let's recap tonight's top story:
:25:35. > :25:38.The latest inflation figures show a slight drop to 4.8% - but that's
:25:38. > :25:43.still way ahead of the average increase in earnings in the south-
:25:43. > :25:47.east, which is just 0.8%. Our Business Correspondent Mark
:25:47. > :25:54.Norman is live at the Fremlin Walk shopping centre in Maidstone. Mark,
:25:54. > :25:59.many people are really feeling the squeeze as the cost of living rises.
:26:00. > :26:03.Indeed, there was a survey out this morning that said one out of three
:26:03. > :26:06.others will go into debt to pay for Christmas and another survey of
:26:06. > :26:10.that business confidence, where four out of five bosses said they
:26:10. > :26:15.had no plans to take on any more I'm pleased. Undead imply that
:26:15. > :26:18.figures are due out tomorrow, the retail figures on Thursday --
:26:18. > :26:22.unemployment figures are due out tomorrow. None of it looking very
:26:22. > :26:25.good, not painting a good picture of the UK economy.
:26:25. > :26:31.Earlier we asked how your lifestyle was being affected by the rising
:26:31. > :26:34.cost of living. Thanks for all your replies.
:26:34. > :26:39.Stephanie says we can only afford to get our children are few things
:26:39. > :26:43.as my husband is the added weight than a. We are expecting our second
:26:43. > :26:48.son at the end of January so things are extra tight -- my husband is
:26:48. > :26:52.the only way each added. We are dreading next year and I doubt
:26:52. > :26:56.there how this government is going to help us, with petrol and food
:26:56. > :26:59.prices going up all the time. Nathan says it is a real struggle
:26:59. > :27:03.with bills, food and clothes and he has struggled before but not this
:27:03. > :27:08.bad. He was made unemployed and is looking for work every day which is
:27:08. > :27:13.depressing. We have a bleak future and he is NE25.
:27:13. > :27:17.This one says, I will be buying just a few gift vouchers, the cost
:27:17. > :27:21.of fuel is crippling me and I living of rural community and
:27:21. > :27:26.public transport is costly and buses are few and far between. High
:27:26. > :27:30.fuel prices are pushing me towards personal bankruptcy which may be
:27:30. > :27:32.inevitable. Jane from Crawley says it is hard
:27:32. > :27:36.watching grown-up children struggling with the bills but at