:00:10. > :00:15.Welcome to South East Today. I am Rob Smith. I am Polly Evans.
:00:15. > :00:21.Tonight's top stories: They tricked a 91-year-old war veteran into
:00:21. > :00:26.paying out thousands of pounds. A suspended sentence for two Kent
:00:26. > :00:30.conmen. A last chance to save Hastings Pier. The owners are
:00:30. > :00:35.ordered to begin repairs or have it taken out of their hands. Also
:00:35. > :00:39.tonight: The miracle dog. It is the season to eat chips, the
:00:39. > :00:44.businessman giving away free meals to the homeless and lonely on
:00:44. > :00:47.Christmas Day. We will have the story live from Mr Cod. It's the
:00:47. > :00:57.busiest, most stressful shopping day of the year, we follow one man
:00:57. > :01:07.
:01:07. > :01:10.on his dash against the clock. Good evening. Two men have been
:01:10. > :01:13.sentenced for conning a 91-year-old former prisoner of war out of more
:01:13. > :01:18.than �3,000. They tricked John Gale into paying for unnecessary house
:01:18. > :01:20.repairs after cold-calling at his Maidstone home.
:01:20. > :01:23.The judge described their actions as appalling and despicable,
:01:23. > :01:31.ordering them to repay the money, and do 275 hours of unpaid work, as
:01:31. > :01:36.well as a suspended jail sentence. Fiona Irving reports.
:01:36. > :01:41.Conmen who harassed and coerced a vulnerable 91-year-old into
:01:41. > :01:46.spending thousands from repairs that weren't needed. John Bryan and
:01:46. > :01:51.John Hamley persuaded the war veteran that it was essential the
:01:51. > :01:57.work was done. They're robbers, aren't they? They prefer not to be
:01:57. > :01:59.a member of society, a proper member of society. Mr Gale
:01:59. > :02:03.repeatedly told the men he couldn't afford the work to his roof but
:02:03. > :02:07.they kept on piling on the pressure, telling him that if he didn't get
:02:07. > :02:14.it done, his guttering might fall, kill someone and then he would be
:02:14. > :02:19.liable. The two men quoted �2,400 to replace his guttering and PVC.
:02:19. > :02:24.When they came for some money Mr Gale offered them a cheque. They
:02:24. > :02:27.wanted cash. So they drove him to a cashpoint, because it was too icy
:02:27. > :02:32.for the pensioner to get out, he gave them his cash card and pin
:02:33. > :02:38.number. Here on the CCTV pictures you can see John Hanley examining
:02:38. > :02:42.the receipt. When he saw that Mr Gale had �6,000 in his account, his
:02:42. > :02:46.life savings, the quote for the work more than doubled. This is as
:02:46. > :02:51.bad as it gets. This is an elderly man living in his home, he's
:02:51. > :02:54.actually a real character. For these people to target him is truly
:02:54. > :02:59.despicable. I can't believe there are people around who will target a
:02:59. > :03:05.gentleman like this. Most people will be most annoyed and, you know,
:03:05. > :03:13.want to get hold of them, but if you think about it what I went
:03:13. > :03:20.through back in the 40s, I could be eaten up now with resentment and
:03:20. > :03:25.hatred against those people. But hatred only eats one inside, it
:03:25. > :03:29.doesn't do you any good at all. Have you anything to say to Mr
:03:29. > :03:33.Gale? Today the judge called their actions des despicable and
:03:33. > :03:41.appalling. They've been told to pay Mr Gale all the money they they
:03:41. > :03:44.stole from him. The owners of fire-ravaged Hastings
:03:44. > :03:47.Pier have been given a last chance by council bosses to start repair
:03:47. > :03:50.work, or risk it being taken out of their control.
:03:50. > :03:54.The grade II listed structure has stood as a burnt-out eyesore since
:03:54. > :03:59.it was almost destroyed in an arson attack in October 2010. Our
:03:59. > :04:04.reporter Ian Palmer joins us live from the Pier.
:04:04. > :04:10.Ian, I understand that the council has tied a repair notice to the
:04:10. > :04:15.struck staour? Yes, it's a short message of intent warning and
:04:15. > :04:19.reminding the owner of its responsibilities. Hastings Pier had
:04:19. > :04:22.an uncertain future of late, but perhaps, just perhaps, a new era in
:04:22. > :04:28.its history is about to begin. Time is running out for the owner
:04:28. > :04:31.of Hastings Pier. This notice means the company responsible for the
:04:31. > :04:35.19th century structure has two months to put forward a plan of
:04:35. > :04:38.renovation. If it doesn't, it will become the property of Hastings
:04:38. > :04:42.Borough Council. They wouldn't have to complete the work in two months,
:04:42. > :04:46.that wouldn't be possible, but I think it's unlikely we will see
:04:46. > :04:49.anything from them any way F they did put in an appearance they would
:04:49. > :04:53.face prosecution for not maintaining a listed building
:04:53. > :04:56.properly, for not carrying out emergency works after the pier, the
:04:56. > :05:00.council would have a lot of money to claim back for the work that we
:05:00. > :05:04.have had to do on it and money we have had to spend. It's unlikely
:05:04. > :05:11.they'll put in any appearance at all. The letter has also been sent
:05:11. > :05:14.to Offices in Panama in south America. How did we get here?
:05:14. > :05:19.Hastings Pier was closed in 2006 due to safety concerns. Four years
:05:19. > :05:25.later, an arson attack saw it all but destroyed by fire.
:05:25. > :05:29.In 2011 a Trust set up to save the pier won a herage lottery grant.
:05:29. > :05:33.Trust members say work to restore the structure is well under way.
:05:33. > :05:37.The Trust, the Trustees and people of Hastings who have supported them
:05:37. > :05:41.over the last several years have had a tremendous Christmas present,
:05:41. > :05:45.because this is really a reward for their determination and courage in
:05:45. > :05:49.making sure something gets done about the pier. So it's the first
:05:49. > :05:54.step, but it's a very important step because this is the step that
:05:54. > :05:58.really starts a process that will inevitably lead to the pier,
:05:58. > :06:02.something being done about the pier. �100,000 of Heritage Lottery
:06:02. > :06:07.Funding has already been spent to ensure the legs are strong enough
:06:07. > :06:16.to keep her upright, but for how long? The clock may be ticking, but
:06:16. > :06:19.it's also ticking for the pier, too. The owners of the pier, council and
:06:19. > :06:22.the heritage -- if it were to come out of the shadow it is would be
:06:22. > :06:24.very expensive indeed, if they don't make any claims then the
:06:25. > :06:29.compulsory purchase order could go through in a couple of months. If
:06:29. > :06:33.they do, the only winners will be the lawyers.
:06:33. > :06:37.Coming up in a moment: A new generation of ancient apples, why
:06:37. > :06:46.they're replanting all 2,200 varieties at the National Fruit
:06:46. > :06:50.Collection in Kent. A greyhound-cross dog, hit by a car
:06:50. > :06:53.after being dumped at the side of the road in Kent is lucky to be
:06:53. > :06:56.alive, says the vet who has taken her in. Amazingly, Evie didn't
:06:56. > :06:59.suffer any broken bones but did sustain serious internal injuries
:06:59. > :07:01.including a collapsed lung. Animal charities are warning that
:07:01. > :07:05.with the tough economic circumstances they are already
:07:05. > :07:11.seeing increasing numbers of animals being abandoned. Alex beard
:07:11. > :07:14.reports. Abandoned at Christmas, three-year-
:07:14. > :07:20.old Evie was rescued from the middle of the road after she was
:07:20. > :07:25.dumped from her owner's car and hit by another. We took an X-ray of her
:07:25. > :07:29.chest and it was her right side had a collapsed lung and on her right
:07:29. > :07:33.side a lot of blood into her chest. The chances of her surviving were
:07:33. > :07:37.pretty slim, to be fair. A member of the public rang the vets after
:07:37. > :07:47.witnessing the sad sequence of events. It was Tuesday lunchtime
:07:47. > :07:51.when it was thought a car pulled into this lay-buy here and dumped
:07:51. > :07:56.EVie out. Evie chased after it and was hit. The extensive medical care
:07:56. > :08:02.required to save Evie cost over �1,000. With no owners to foot the
:08:02. > :08:08.bill, the vets have decided to continue, regardless of the price.
:08:09. > :08:13.Tragic really that people feel so desperate that they can't see
:08:13. > :08:16.another way of dealing with this situation where if people have a
:08:16. > :08:23.pet that they can't cope with with any more, there are things they can
:08:23. > :08:28.do. Go to a rescue centre. Contact an animal charity. Evie will spend
:08:28. > :08:36.Christmas with the vets who rescued her but in the new year she will be
:08:36. > :08:39.looking for new owners who want a new dog.
:08:39. > :08:42.A 24-year-old man has been arrested, after 15 sheep were found dead and
:08:42. > :08:46.injured in a field in Kent earlier this week. The animals were
:08:46. > :08:49.discovered in a field off the A20 London Road at Wrotham. The man,
:08:49. > :08:54.who is from the St Pauls Cray in south-east London, is being held in
:08:54. > :08:57.police custody on suspicion of criminal damage.
:08:57. > :09:00.A baby boy who was admitted to hospital after being injured in
:09:00. > :09:02.Gravesend is recovering and making good progress according to Kent
:09:02. > :09:08.Police. A 35-year-old man and a 33- year-old woman arrested on
:09:08. > :09:11.suspicion of assault are on bail. New figures reveal council housing
:09:11. > :09:14.waiting lists in Kent have increased by nearly 60% over the
:09:14. > :09:17.past ten years. Research by BBC Radio Kent shows there were more
:09:17. > :09:22.than 45,000 people on waiting lists across the county, compared to
:09:22. > :09:32.under 29,000 in 2001. Only Ashford and Sevenoaks have seen a reduction
:09:32. > :09:33.
:09:33. > :09:35.in the number of people waiting for social housing over the past decade.
:09:35. > :09:38.It's been described as best resourced college in the country,
:09:38. > :09:41.but today it's emerged the principal of Sussex Coast College
:09:41. > :09:47.in Hastings has stepped down ahead of an Ofsted report that is
:09:48. > :09:51.expected to rate it as inadequate. Janak Patel has left after just a
:09:51. > :09:54.year in charge. In September, he welcomed new students telling them
:09:54. > :09:58.we will provide you with excellent skills and education. Our news
:09:58. > :10:05.correspondent Mark Norman reports. Welcome, I believe, in fact, I know,
:10:05. > :10:10.this is probably the best resourced college in the country. This was
:10:10. > :10:14.Janak, Patel welcoming new students in September. But being the best
:10:14. > :10:19.resourced college wasn't enough. Nor was the �120 million invested
:10:19. > :10:22.in the college. The Ofsted report, due to be published next month, is
:10:22. > :10:25.expected to rate the college as inadequate. When the governors of
:10:25. > :10:28.the college had the initial findings of the Ofsted report they
:10:28. > :10:31.held a meeting at which it was decided that Mr Patel would leave
:10:31. > :10:35.with immediate effect for personal reasons. But education was supposed
:10:35. > :10:39.to be at the forefront of this town's plans for regeneration, and
:10:39. > :10:45.this will be a significant blow to those plans. I am not that
:10:45. > :10:49.surprised. I had heard that the Ofsted report was disappointing. I
:10:49. > :10:53.think the college is an incredibly important part of Hastings. It is
:10:53. > :10:57.also a symbol of the social mobility that we hope to achieve in
:10:57. > :11:03.the town. Something these students at the college were hoping to take
:11:03. > :11:09.advantage of. Are you disappointed he is gone? Yeah, I feel little bit
:11:09. > :11:12.worried about it. It was better than the woman before. But to be
:11:12. > :11:16.honest I don't really know. didn't even know who it was, there
:11:16. > :11:20.was no connection really between it, so that might have been why.
:11:20. > :11:24.college told us Mr Patel had made a valuable contribution, and shown
:11:24. > :11:27.great passion and ambition for the college. They say a new principal
:11:27. > :11:36.will be appointed next year. The Ofsted report is expected to be
:11:36. > :11:40.published in January. Our top story: Two men have been
:11:40. > :11:45.given a suspended jail sentence for conning a 91-year-old former
:11:45. > :11:49.prisoner of war out of more than �3,000. John Brian and John Hanley
:11:49. > :11:54.tricked John Gale into paying for unnecessary house repairs. They
:11:54. > :11:58.even offered to go to the cashpoint for him and doubled their bill when
:11:58. > :12:02.they saw his full bank account. Also tonight: Never mind the Turkey,
:12:02. > :12:06.the businessman giving away fish and chips to the homeless and the
:12:06. > :12:10.lonely on Christmas Day. After a wet and windy afternoon I
:12:10. > :12:13.will have all of the details on the Christmas weekend weather.
:12:13. > :12:23.If you have a story you think we should be covering we would love to
:12:23. > :12:34.
:12:34. > :12:38.Experts at the National Fruit Collection near Faversham are
:12:38. > :12:41.embarking on a task that hasn't happened for more than 30 years.
:12:41. > :12:43.They're replanting all 2,200 varieties of apple to ensure the
:12:43. > :12:49.continuing health of the largest living apple tree collection in the
:12:49. > :12:59.world. Each variety is planted twice. Our environment
:12:59. > :13:04.
:13:04. > :13:08.correspondent Yvette Austin has the Each variety going into these. For
:13:08. > :13:11.some chained it is their only chance of survival. The current
:13:11. > :13:15.collection is nearing the end of its life. This is the old
:13:15. > :13:19.collection, nearly 36 years old. We are replacing it because some of
:13:20. > :13:25.the trees have got quite weak and they have a disease in the trunk.
:13:25. > :13:32.This tree will just go backwards now and eventually died. You are
:13:32. > :13:39.replanting the whole orchard? in two stages. We are planting in
:13:39. > :13:43.this orchard, around 1,500 trees. The colony cooking apples will be
:13:44. > :13:49.planted in another stage. This will be in about two years' time.
:13:49. > :13:55.there in order to this? Yes. We have planted them in the order of
:13:55. > :14:02.flowering. We had two varieties of age. You can see here what you have
:14:02. > :14:09.the label, and these two batteries are of this variety and the next
:14:09. > :14:14.two are of another variety. We need to be in case one dies. It is down
:14:14. > :14:20.to the manager to be in charge of the planting. It is all done by
:14:20. > :14:26.hand in true traditional style. firm that and if there is a debt,
:14:26. > :14:30.you level it out. Otherwise it will fill up with water. The collection
:14:30. > :14:34.was brought together in the 1950s. Some of the apple varieties date
:14:34. > :14:40.back hundreds of years, many are not useful now, but are being kept
:14:40. > :14:46.alive because one day they may be. We need to preserve them it to
:14:46. > :14:49.maintain the Jeanette -- genetic diversity of apples. If new
:14:50. > :14:54.varieties are needed to combat the effects of climate change. This
:14:54. > :14:57.stage of plan team will finish in January. It will help to preserve
:14:57. > :15:07.the light of their collection for at least another quarter of the
:15:07. > :15:11.
:15:11. > :15:15.century. The festive spirit is alive and
:15:15. > :15:19.well in the Faversham this year as a fish and chip shop in the town
:15:19. > :15:25.will be opening its doors on Christmas Day to get out free food
:15:25. > :15:29.to those in need. Budget B will welcome homeless people, the
:15:29. > :15:33.elderly and the lonely and our reporter Peter Whittall c is there
:15:33. > :15:40.now and Peter, the owner had had the idea after years of inviting an
:15:40. > :15:44.elderly neighbour to Christmas dinner? That is right. When you run
:15:44. > :15:49.the local chippie the 10 to know which pensioners by a third on
:15:49. > :15:53.their own and tend to be lonely. He also runs the local newsagents and
:15:53. > :15:57.he chats to people and they tell him how lonely they feel. For that
:15:57. > :16:04.reason, he has decided to open on Christmas and give a free food to
:16:04. > :16:07.those who need it. Every day he works more than 12 hours in his
:16:07. > :16:12.newsagents and chippy. You could imagine he cannot wait to Christmas
:16:12. > :16:17.Day to put his feet up. Not at all. Instead of taking a day of he is
:16:17. > :16:23.opening at lunchtime on Christmas Day to give free food to the needy.
:16:23. > :16:32.On Christmas Day, the food will often be chicken, spicy beans,
:16:32. > :16:41.sausages Jepps, tandoori chicken, if and fish. Why are you doing
:16:41. > :16:44.this? To give something back to the community. Five years ago, he
:16:44. > :16:48.invited an elderly pensioner to spend Christmas with him and his
:16:48. > :16:51.family. Since then, he has got there must be others in the same
:16:51. > :16:56.situation. He cannot invite every pensioner in the area to dinner,
:16:56. > :17:06.but he can feed them from his takeaway. Customers say this act of
:17:06. > :17:13.kindness is typical of him. It is brilliant for the community. He is
:17:13. > :17:20.a very generous bloke. Here has always up for a laugh. You always
:17:20. > :17:25.get a bit of banter in here. does he make the effort? I feel
:17:25. > :17:30.good inside. Instead of just sitting around and opening presents.
:17:30. > :17:36.He says that two hours he is open on Christmas it are personally
:17:36. > :17:43.rewarding, living proof that giving is what Christmas is all about. He
:17:43. > :17:47.says at Christmas there is a great atmosphere here. It is a family
:17:47. > :17:52.affair, the owner's wife, brother and other family members will be
:17:52. > :17:59.helping out. After they close, they will sit down to their own family
:17:59. > :18:06.meal. I am tempted to say look behind you
:18:06. > :18:11.there! There is a busy programme of fixtures over the festive period
:18:11. > :18:15.for our football teams, 11 matches will be played over a days. After
:18:15. > :18:22.both were sent off last weekend, bright and's Romain Vincelot and
:18:22. > :18:26.Ashley Barnes will miss the Boxing Day trip to Reading. Bus Gus Poyet
:18:26. > :18:36.it is boosted by the return of defender Marcos Painter. After two
:18:36. > :18:39.
:18:39. > :18:42.draws in a row, Charlton will be keen to return to winning ways at
:18:42. > :18:47.at Yeovil Town on Monday. The Addicks have not lost since the
:18:47. > :18:50.middle of October and will hope to end 2011 at the top of the table.
:18:50. > :18:55.Meanwhile, there is the South East derby in League Two as Gillingham
:18:55. > :18:59.travel to Crawley Town on Boxing Day. Crawley are on a 14 match
:18:59. > :19:05.unbeaten run in the league, while Gillingham have not lost in the
:19:06. > :19:10.last three away games. We have got Crawley on Boxing Day away. It is a
:19:10. > :19:16.good time to play football. Everyone is on their holidays and
:19:16. > :19:21.certainly, financially, it helps. It is a routine for us as managers
:19:21. > :19:25.and players. Now, today was predicted to be one
:19:25. > :19:31.of the bigger shopping days of the holiday season with people, should
:19:31. > :19:34.I say men, is that sex is? Putting a shopping of just before Christmas.
:19:34. > :19:39.Us blokes are usually painted as being a last minute shoppers and
:19:39. > :19:43.some people have been calling the last few days before Christmas at
:19:43. > :19:49.the Manor -. Katherine Downes has spent much of the day shopping with
:19:49. > :19:53.the last minute man dasher. How was it? I have been living at my own
:19:53. > :19:57.personal Christmas nightmare today. Last minute shopping in the winds
:19:57. > :20:05.and rain. You can see some of the last minute shoppers dashing
:20:05. > :20:09.between shops. I have spent the day with a man on a race against time.
:20:09. > :20:14.Could cress serve Christmas? This man is a disorganised Christmas
:20:14. > :20:17.shopper. Or a very time efficient one depending on what we look at it.
:20:18. > :20:26.I have to get a present for my daughter and something for my mum
:20:26. > :20:35.and dad and sister, her kids and my best friend and his mum. Chris like
:20:35. > :20:45.an estimated 80% of men has just hours to do his Christmas shopping.
:20:45. > :20:49.
:20:49. > :20:53.One down, 112 to go. Am 45 minutes in, two down. Shopkeepers say the
:20:53. > :20:56.majority of customers in these last few days before Christmas are men
:20:56. > :21:03.and that certainly appears to be true in Brighton. Why have you left
:21:03. > :21:10.it to the last minute? I have ended up buying myself some shoes.
:21:10. > :21:17.haven't even started? No. Yeah it is Christmas Eve the eve, but it is
:21:17. > :21:25.a tradition. You have done on until today? Correct. One have you left
:21:25. > :21:30.it so late? I am just not prepared to. There are always some who
:21:30. > :21:36.disprove that may up and female stereotypes. All done last week. I
:21:36. > :21:40.had a list and everything. You have let the side down? Every year I
:21:40. > :21:50.leave it to the last minute. Today is my last chance to get it all
:21:50. > :22:00.done. Two in one shop. Chris is on a roller. It is all going
:22:00. > :22:02.
:22:02. > :22:09.wonderfully well. I am feeling much more relieved. Then finally. Yes! I
:22:09. > :22:13.am finished. With a festive feeling of achievement it is of to the pub.
:22:13. > :22:21.He if he thought today was busy in Brighton, to borrow his suppose to
:22:21. > :22:24.be even worse, particularly between it midday and 4pm. Among them, will
:22:24. > :22:30.be cameraman then who has done none of his shopping. You will be doing
:22:30. > :22:40.it all tomorrow on your lunch break 1QQ macro I advise you to stay away
:22:40. > :22:43.
:22:43. > :22:46.if you are saying. I am exhausted watching that. Now, we have Peter
:22:46. > :22:56.Andre and then and eyes and now it is an Widdecombe to wish us merry
:22:56. > :23:01.Christmas. Hallow iron and panto at Dartford and I wish you and very
:23:01. > :23:06.merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year. I cannot tell
:23:06. > :23:11.you how much pleasure it gives me to wish all viewers in the South
:23:11. > :23:17.East and very happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year. Merry
:23:17. > :23:23.Christmas to everyone in the South East. South East Today. BBC South
:23:23. > :23:30.East Today. If you're watching that have a good Christmas. Eight A if
:23:30. > :23:39.you're watching another channel, I hope you have a rotten Christmas.
:23:39. > :23:49.By Phil Festen now. There was no over there now, but no real snow
:23:49. > :23:53.
:23:53. > :23:57.Christmas Day itself will see a good deal of cloud cover around,
:23:57. > :24:01.but it will stay dry and mild. Plenty of sunshine and dry weather
:24:02. > :24:05.initially. This cold front it has been spreading eastwards and there
:24:05. > :24:10.has been persistent rain and some blustery south-westerly winds. They
:24:10. > :24:16.have been picking up to 25-30 mph. Temperatures quite mild for the
:24:16. > :24:20.time of the year, but with the winds and rain it will feel cooler.
:24:20. > :24:22.That rain will eventually clear and will leave behind quite a different
:24:22. > :24:28.picture, clear skies with temperatures dropping to freezing
:24:28. > :24:32.for many of us. They will drop to two or three at least. We start
:24:32. > :24:37.Christmas Eve with the widespread frost and it will stay settle, a
:24:37. > :24:42.good amount of sunshine. Those winds will ease of a touch, still
:24:42. > :24:47.from a westerly direction, but we intend to 50 mph. For Christmas Eve,
:24:47. > :24:51.it will feel a bit cooler. Temperatures will range between six
:24:51. > :24:55.and nine degrees. A crisp December day and as we move through to
:24:55. > :25:00.tomorrow night, very little changes in terms of temperatures, still
:25:00. > :25:07.ranging between six and nine degrees. Cloud cover will thicken.
:25:07. > :25:12.For Christmas Day, it will stay dry, a good -- a good deal of cloud
:25:12. > :25:18.cover around. Temperatures around 10 or 11 degrees. Compared to last
:25:18. > :25:23.year, it there is a good 10 degree difference. Of course, there was no
:25:23. > :25:27.last year as well. Boxing Day, could cloud cover around and mostly
:25:27. > :25:34.dry, highs of around 12 or 13 degrees. It will stay settled for
:25:34. > :25:37.the rest of the week as well. That very nearly is all we have time for.
:25:37. > :25:42.We will leave you with the sound of the Life Gospel Choir from the