:00:04. > :00:07.Welcome to South East Today, I'm Rob Smith.
:00:07. > :00:09.And I'm Pollly Evans. Tonight's top stories.
:00:09. > :00:18.Thamesteel in Sheerness goes into administration threatening 400 jobs
:00:18. > :00:24.in the town. Unions call it devastating. To be told at a
:00:24. > :00:27.moment's notice you're not getting paid his extremely upsetting.
:00:27. > :00:30.live at the plant in North Kent with the latest.
:00:30. > :00:33.A tax on foreign lorry drivers arriving at Dover, but critics warn
:00:33. > :00:35.the Government's plans could force up prices for the consumer.
:00:35. > :00:38.Also in tonight's programme. Horse rescue charities say more animals
:00:38. > :00:47.than ever before are being abandoned as people struggle to
:00:47. > :00:51.cope with the expense. We are a bit disgruntled because we think people
:00:51. > :00:56.are jumping the gun too quickly. Let's get rid of this well, let's
:00:56. > :00:58.get rid of that one. The south east soldiers serving in
:00:58. > :01:02.Afghanistan - we have a report from Lashkar Gah.
:01:02. > :01:12.And too cute for its own good - the Sussex charity battling to save the
:01:12. > :01:13.
:01:13. > :01:16.slow loris from extinction in the Good evening. A steel-making plant
:01:16. > :01:19.which employs 400 workers in one of the most deprived parts of Kent,
:01:19. > :01:23.has gone into administration. Thamesteel is based in Sheerness,
:01:23. > :01:26.on the Isle of Sheppey, and is a significant employer in the area.
:01:26. > :01:29.The MP for the area, Gordon Henderson, has called the shock
:01:29. > :01:32.announcement an "employment disaster" for Sheppey. It comes on
:01:32. > :01:37.the day that steel maker Tata announced 110 jobs would go at its
:01:37. > :01:44.plant in Corby. In a moment we'll speak to our Political Editor, but
:01:44. > :01:52.first Fiona Irving is outside the Steel Plant now. Fiona - this is an
:01:52. > :01:56.awful blow for the town? Yes, it is, there has been a
:01:56. > :02:02.reaction of shock and anger at how it has been handled. People have
:02:02. > :02:05.been turning up for their shift at 6pm and were turned away, really.
:02:05. > :02:10.The news has called a devastating blow to the airy and to the
:02:10. > :02:15.industry. They employ 400 people and it is one of the largest
:02:15. > :02:19.employers in Sheerness. Sheerness is a deprived area with many of
:02:19. > :02:23.their children in poverty. Workers were told the news today, and many
:02:23. > :02:29.of them were not surprised. Some people have not even been paid yet
:02:29. > :02:32.this month. You can imagine the anger that was felt. People have
:02:32. > :02:37.mortgages, they have got their bills to pay, putting food on the
:02:37. > :02:45.table, and to be told at a moment's notice you're not getting paid is
:02:45. > :02:50.extremely upsetting. There is still hope that an investor may be found.
:02:50. > :02:54.There is a meeting tomorrow at 11am where workers will find out more.
:02:54. > :02:58.This has been a troubled plant in the past and it has bounced back,
:02:58. > :03:01.but this news on the day it was announced that the economy has
:03:01. > :03:06.contracted in the last quarter is a bitter blow.
:03:06. > :03:10.We can cross to our political editor in Westminster and this is
:03:10. > :03:14.particularly bad timing? It is never good timing when a
:03:14. > :03:18.company like this announces it is gone into administration with a
:03:18. > :03:22.threat to so many jobs in a deprived part of Kent. It comes on
:03:22. > :03:26.the day that the latest figures show the economy shrank more than
:03:26. > :03:30.expected in the last quarter and that points to the fact that we
:03:30. > :03:35.could be heading back into another recession, not good news for the
:03:36. > :03:38.economy. I spoke to the local MP who described it as an employment
:03:38. > :03:42.disaster for the airy and he is heading straight to the Isle of
:03:43. > :03:46.Sheppey to meet people and is hoping for an urgent meeting with
:03:46. > :03:50.the urgent business secretary Vince Cable.
:03:50. > :03:53.Adri will be speaking to the local MP Gordon Henderson at 10:25pm
:03:53. > :03:56.tonight. There's a warning tonight that
:03:56. > :03:59.government plans to charge foreign lorry drivers arriving in Dover to
:03:59. > :04:03.use Kent's roads could force prices up in our shops. Hauliers from
:04:03. > :04:07.abroad are set to pay �10 a day per lorry. Ministers believe this will
:04:07. > :04:15.make British firms more competitive. But as Simon Jones now reports,
:04:15. > :04:20.retail experts fear the cost could be passed onto the consumers.
:04:20. > :04:23.The freedom of the road looks set to end for foreign lorry drivers
:04:23. > :04:33.such as these German hauliers taking a break at the Ashford
:04:33. > :04:34.
:04:35. > :04:38.trucks stop. I have to pay. It is OK for me. British lorry drivers
:04:38. > :04:42.are used to paying to use roads abroad and they say that the
:04:42. > :04:47.proposals today will make things fairer. It is a good idea, to be
:04:47. > :04:52.perfectly honest. Richard had been done years ago. It is only right
:04:52. > :04:56.that they use the words -- the roads as much as we are. Some
:04:56. > :05:01.people say that foreign companies if they have to pay more to use our
:05:01. > :05:05.roads, then prices in the shops will go up. By itself, it is not
:05:05. > :05:11.particularly large, but when you add a great these things and do
:05:11. > :05:16.they did in the context of inflation and income is squeezed,
:05:16. > :05:22.it is another niggling cost that consumers have to bear. At this
:05:22. > :05:28.hole using Dover, there are questions as to how it will work? -
:05:28. > :05:35.- at these hauliers in Dover. have been proposals that were
:05:35. > :05:40.abandoned, the last situation we found ourselves in was abandoned
:05:40. > :05:46.because of the costs. Trucks from abroad make 1.5 million trips to
:05:46. > :05:51.the UK each year and the Government says charging them will raise �25
:05:51. > :06:01.million a year, but it will cost �5 million to administer. A be want to
:06:01. > :06:05.level the playing field. There are calls for the money raised in Kent
:06:05. > :06:11.to be spent in Kent. We would pay for some of the damage caused by
:06:11. > :06:14.these foreign trucks and who have also use this for Operation Stack.
:06:14. > :06:17.The Government says the Revenue will go to the Treasury.
:06:17. > :06:22.Simon Jones reporting - he joins us now from Dover. Simon, how exactly
:06:22. > :06:26.would the system work? The idea is that the foreign lorry drivers
:06:26. > :06:31.would pay in advance through the engine and when they are on a ferry
:06:31. > :06:35.to Dover are or are arriving at the port before they get on the road.
:06:35. > :06:40.There will be a national database to check that people had paid. If
:06:40. > :06:44.they do not, the idea is that could be a �1,000 fine. The idea is that
:06:44. > :06:47.like many speeding drivers from abroad, they head back across the
:06:47. > :06:53.Channel without paying the fine, and this is too costly to pursue
:06:53. > :06:57.them. British drivers are also going to have to pay this �10 feet
:06:57. > :06:59.every day under European law, because it would be unfair to
:06:59. > :07:04.exempt them from that, but the Government is making it clear they
:07:04. > :07:09.will get the money back by a reduction in road tax. Thank you.
:07:09. > :07:17.Coming up: The warning about sung cancer from a couple that for both
:07:17. > :07:19.battling the disease. -- son can The Thanet Windfarm has been forced
:07:19. > :07:22.to operate at a reduced output, after a potentially catastrophic
:07:22. > :07:25.fault was discovered on one of the two cables used to export
:07:25. > :07:31.electricity back to the national grid, which could have led to a
:07:31. > :07:33.meltdown and explosions. That fault, at what is the worlds biggest
:07:33. > :07:37.offshore windfarm, has now been repaired - but ongoing problems
:07:37. > :07:47.mean output has had to be capped. Our environment correspondent
:07:47. > :07:51.Yvette Austin reports. Officially opened to a fanfare of
:07:51. > :07:58.publicity in 2010, the energy secretary was the guest of honour.
:07:58. > :08:02.18 months later, the vessels are back at the wind farm to deal with
:08:02. > :08:07.serious underwater cable problems, firstly in one, he pupils found
:08:07. > :08:12.with the potential to cause a catastrophic failure. They are
:08:12. > :08:17.trying to find another fault on the same line. When it is Khan, the
:08:17. > :08:21.wind farms don't generate much electricity, but on a windy day,
:08:21. > :08:26.they can be very productive. At the moment, this wind farm, even when
:08:26. > :08:31.it is windy, and it can generate a maximum had put, only half of the
:08:31. > :08:37.electricity can be harnessed. Those concerned over the level of support
:08:37. > :08:41.for wind farms are not surprised that falls are occurring.
:08:41. > :08:46.problem is the scale and the pace of the plans and we need time to
:08:46. > :08:51.learn. The Government is forcing the industry to do things ahead of
:08:51. > :08:55.the learning curve which is not very sensible. It is not known
:08:55. > :09:00.exactly how much electricity has been wasted, but the fault will
:09:00. > :09:04.have cost the company dearly in subsidies, payments for the power
:09:04. > :09:08.and repairs. The wind farm is more than seven miles out at sea with
:09:08. > :09:13.two main cables bringing electricity ashore. When the fault
:09:13. > :09:18.was discovered on the sudden cable, it had to be shut down, so
:09:18. > :09:24.production at the wind farm had to be capped at 150 megawatts which is
:09:24. > :09:31.half power. The company is not overly concerned. It has generally
:09:31. > :09:36.been operating well, I'll be it with the limitations of the faults
:09:36. > :09:44.on the export cable. You need to but this into the context of the
:09:44. > :09:48.fact that the wind farm will operate for the next 25 years.
:09:48. > :09:51.is, the repairs will be made by the end of February.
:09:51. > :09:54.About 50 people have held a protest outside Hailsham Police station
:09:54. > :09:57.today after a 25-year-old man was stabbed to death following a fight
:09:57. > :10:02.on Sunday. The demonstration comes after an 18-year-old man arrested
:10:02. > :10:06.on suspicion of murdering Darren Croxton was released on bail. Two
:10:06. > :10:09.teenagers and a 20-year-old man remain in custody.
:10:09. > :10:14.More than 1,000 nurses and health professionals in Sussex face a pay
:10:14. > :10:17.cut as NHS bosses try to cut spending. Brighton and Sussex
:10:17. > :10:24.Hospitals Trust plans to scrap a �480 annual recruitment and
:10:24. > :10:27.retention premium paid to a fifth of its staff. It says it's part of
:10:27. > :10:31.a strategy to minimise job cuts but the GMB union says it's a "shoddy
:10:31. > :10:35.way" to treat staff. An independent report into allowing
:10:35. > :10:40.night flights at Manston airport in Kent has found it would have a
:10:40. > :10:42.worse noise impact on residents than estimated. The study -
:10:42. > :10:47.commissioned by Thanet District Council - also says it wouldn't
:10:47. > :10:52.create the number of jobs forecast. It comes after the news that main
:10:52. > :10:55.airline operator FlyBe is stopping its operations from March. It means
:10:55. > :10:59.there will now be just one regular passenger flight a week operating
:10:59. > :11:03.from the airport. Horse rescue charities across the
:11:03. > :11:07.South East say they have never been so busy, as more and more animals
:11:07. > :11:12.are handed into their care. There are currently about one million
:11:12. > :11:16.horses in the UK. But because there are so many, horses have changed
:11:16. > :11:19.hands in some cases for as little as �2.50. But keeping a horse
:11:19. > :11:28.properly is expensive - in the region of �3,000 a year. Peter
:11:28. > :11:32.Whittlesea reports. This animal sanctuary was given
:11:32. > :11:36.charitable status last year because it proved to the charity's
:11:36. > :11:41.commission that it was providing a service that was urgently needed by
:11:41. > :11:47.re-homing horses that otherwise would have been destroyed. In 12
:11:47. > :11:51.months, the number we home to has gone up by 50 %. People leave them
:11:51. > :11:56.in the field, the abandon them which makes it worse because there
:11:56. > :12:04.medical problems they deal with, starvation. Last year, we saw the
:12:04. > :12:10.worst cruelty ABA. -- ever. One of the horses was left in the field
:12:10. > :12:14.weighing 200 kilos. She was only two years old. Previous people had
:12:14. > :12:17.abandoned her and she spent four months recovering in the clinic.
:12:17. > :12:22.This is not an unusual story and many charities are struggling to
:12:22. > :12:28.meet the additional costs of extra animals combined with that and
:12:28. > :12:32.rebels. One centre in Sussex says it is inundated with courses that
:12:32. > :12:37.owners no longer want but they will not pay to have them destroyed. --
:12:37. > :12:43.with horses. When I say, do you not think it would be better to put
:12:43. > :12:48.them down, their answer any duty is, you're a rescue centre, how do you
:12:48. > :12:55.say that to me?! Do we know how much it will cost them to put down
:12:55. > :12:59.a horse? We know all of that! they have no destruction policy but
:12:59. > :13:06.they feared that cruelty will increase and so they stop treating
:13:06. > :13:13.them like sports equipment that can be disregarded.
:13:13. > :13:16.A married couple... Cases of skin cancer are on the
:13:16. > :13:19.rise, but in an unusual case, a couple from West Sussex have both
:13:19. > :13:22.contracted the disease. Karen and Steve Porch attended the McIndoe
:13:22. > :13:24.Hospital today in East Grinstead to have their lesions removed. Alex
:13:24. > :13:27.Beard went along to meet them. Karen is a self-confessed sun
:13:27. > :13:32.worshipper but her husband is not, yet both of them are having
:13:32. > :13:37.cancerous lumps removed to date. Every time the sun was out, I would
:13:37. > :13:41.be in the back garden, and then have when I was working, I would
:13:41. > :13:49.hit the sun bed after words. husband doesn't go out on the Sun,
:13:49. > :13:53.but when his wife spotted a lump on his neck, he had it checked. I was
:13:53. > :13:59.amazed. But I stay away from the Sun, so I was astonished to find
:13:59. > :14:03.that I had cancer. Specialists say it is about staying safe in the sun,
:14:03. > :14:09.avoiding sunburn and using sunscreen, even here in the UK, as
:14:09. > :14:13.skin cancer is on the rise. It is important that we are aware of what
:14:13. > :14:17.to look out for, this couple are unusual in that they are young.
:14:17. > :14:22.They are presenting at the same time, with simultaneously having
:14:22. > :14:26.skin cancers. Karen knows that her obsession with a tan is the reason
:14:26. > :14:32.why she has had a number of lesions removed in the last few years. She
:14:32. > :14:37.worries there will be moored in the future. I am 39, I do not know what
:14:37. > :14:43.will happen, I could be worse down the road, were they have to build
:14:43. > :14:52.another part of me somewhere? Expat if I had known now I would not have
:14:52. > :14:59.been so stupid. Be warned that striving for the best Tanner can
:14:59. > :15:03.come at the serious cost. The top story tonight, a steel
:15:04. > :15:07.plant in Sheerness has gone into administration threatening 400 jobs.
:15:07. > :15:12.Thamesteel is one of the main employers in the airy and the union
:15:12. > :15:14.has described the news is devastating.
:15:14. > :15:18.Also tonight's, the farmer celebrating their victory in the
:15:18. > :15:23.battle to keep the historic market in Hailsham.
:15:23. > :15:27.And the weirdest primate in the world with two tongs and poise and
:15:27. > :15:35.teeth and the Sussex charity trying to save the slow loris from
:15:35. > :15:39.The war in Afghanistan has now been going on for a decade - and almost
:15:39. > :15:41.400 British soldiers have lost their lives. The coalition
:15:41. > :15:47.government has said they want to secure Afghanistan to the point
:15:47. > :15:49.where troops can come home by the end of 2014. The 1st Battalion The
:15:50. > :15:52.Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment recruit almost exclusively from the
:15:52. > :15:55.south east of England, and they're currently in Lashkar Gah in Helmand
:15:55. > :15:59.Province helping to create that security. Our Correspondent Mark
:15:59. > :16:09.Norman is with soldiers from PWRR, as they are known, and has sent
:16:09. > :16:15.
:16:15. > :16:25.We had a period of three weeks with heavy fighting. It is a battle for
:16:25. > :16:37.
:16:37. > :16:40.a hearts and minds of these people. The company of the Royal Regiment
:16:40. > :16:47.are right to end-October. It was tough a from the start and within
:16:47. > :16:52.days they were fighting and surgeons and infantry soldiers
:16:52. > :16:57.patrolling the area was a part of their strategy. We had just secured
:16:57. > :16:59.the population and displace the insurgents, so when we push out the
:17:00. > :17:04.insurgents and hold them at arm's length as did the fighting away
:17:04. > :17:09.from the people, that improves their security, so we can get on
:17:09. > :17:13.with the job at hand which is to offer them something better.
:17:13. > :17:17.Patrolling in that way has been quite successful. They opened a
:17:17. > :17:21.local school next to the base and they sat at the beginnings of a
:17:21. > :17:28.local police force. But everyone is aware that a major incident could
:17:28. > :17:33.happen at any time. One did back in November. This is the memorial to
:17:33. > :17:37.Private Thomas laker was killed on one of the patrols. He was in the
:17:37. > :17:41.company, a colleague and a friend. We heard the explosion from here
:17:41. > :17:46.and your heart sank because immediately you knew it was too
:17:46. > :17:55.close for comfort. I was in the Welfare tent and they briefed us
:17:55. > :18:03.all and told us what had happened. You're just in a stunned silence.
:18:03. > :18:07.It is the loss of a friend, just like normal life, he had just got
:18:07. > :18:12.to get on with stuff. That is what you would want us to do as well. He
:18:12. > :18:15.did not want us moping around, he would want us to do what we came
:18:16. > :18:21.out here to do. When you hear there is a man down, you're just waiting
:18:21. > :18:26.to find out who it is and what the score is? At the OK? What you get
:18:26. > :18:30.here is not a sense of grief, but a genuine sense of tried to make a
:18:30. > :18:34.difference. They have to open a local school, start a local police
:18:34. > :18:38.force and bring together local leaders and government officials.
:18:38. > :18:42.We had hard times and I am sure there will be tough times in the
:18:42. > :18:46.years to come, but we have success and the boys have something they
:18:46. > :18:50.can hang their hat on, they have created something year. It is
:18:50. > :18:56.reciprocal, the Good Will we have got from delivering tangible
:18:56. > :19:01.services and benefits which the insurgents never offered, we have
:19:01. > :19:05.got a reciprocal good will that we are feeding from. The word here is
:19:05. > :19:12.far from over and a finish patrolling twice a day what ever
:19:12. > :19:18.the weather and whatever the risk. Market is in Afghanistan now and
:19:18. > :19:22.joins us on an internet connection. As we heard, apart from frontline
:19:22. > :19:27.duties, they have a major role in entering the local police force?
:19:27. > :19:31.Yes, it is a huge part of their role in Afghanistan and there is
:19:31. > :19:35.one word you hear a lot of, transition, transitions from
:19:35. > :19:40.international forces to the Afghan police and the army being
:19:40. > :19:45.responsible for security. They are paying a huge part in this because
:19:45. > :19:51.if British forces are to return home in 2014, 2015, then the Afghan
:19:51. > :19:58.people need to be able to trust their own police and army and the
:19:58. > :20:06.company are committed to making that happen. Thank you.
:20:06. > :20:09.There has been a Market in Hailsham since the year 1252. But despite
:20:09. > :20:12.having 760 years of history on their side, the market very nearly
:20:12. > :20:15.closed down recently, with redevelopment to make way for
:20:15. > :20:18.supermarkets a very real possibility.
:20:18. > :20:21.But after a series of legal battles, a buyout by a local farmers co-
:20:21. > :20:24.operative has secured its future. And today they've been celebrating
:20:24. > :20:32.their victory with the first livestock market of the year. Ian
:20:32. > :20:40.Palmer was there. Here's to the future! Thank you.
:20:40. > :20:45.There has been a marketeers is that her theme century. -- there has
:20:45. > :20:50.been a market here since the 13th century. This is key to the
:20:50. > :20:57.employment. Yes, you learn all the different prices, the size of the
:20:57. > :21:03.animals, all of the different breeds. It is a good place to come.
:21:03. > :21:07.The supermarket chain already bought the site in 2004. It sort
:21:07. > :21:13.planning permission to build a store in 2007 and 2009 and both
:21:13. > :21:18.requests were refused. In 2011, they Hailsham Market bought the
:21:18. > :21:24.site into control. How has a market has been under threat since 1996
:21:24. > :21:29.and is situated in the heart of the town. Why have campaign has been so
:21:29. > :21:34.successful in their fight? company gave up because they were
:21:34. > :21:38.planning an appeal and the reason it has turned down was the
:21:38. > :21:44.importance of the market to the rural economy. He would not allow
:21:44. > :21:50.them to develop the site without providing a new market. Why is this
:21:50. > :21:52.market so important? The nearest place to buy and sell livestock is
:21:52. > :22:01.is in at Ashford in Kent Torrance Salisbury in Wiltshire more than 60
:22:01. > :22:07.miles away. If you go to another market to have less buyers and the
:22:07. > :22:11.prices driven down. The farmers here are delighted by the victory.
:22:11. > :22:16.It makes my business safe, I would be honest with you, the last five
:22:16. > :22:19.years, certainly, I have been looking at options and if this
:22:19. > :22:27.market closed I would have to stop farming where I was. I would have
:22:27. > :22:30.to move. The plan is to develop the site and turn it into something
:22:30. > :22:36.that will attract buyers from outside traditional rural
:22:36. > :22:39.communities, but there is no rush. Ownership has been secured.
:22:39. > :22:46.Two south east table tennis players have been selected for this year's
:22:46. > :22:50.Paralympic Games. Will Bayley who recently became world number one in
:22:50. > :22:53.his class, said he was delighted to be taking part in the games only 40
:22:53. > :22:57.minutes from home. He will be joined by Kent teenager, Ross
:22:57. > :22:59.Wilsonat this summer's games. A team of conservationists based in
:22:59. > :23:05.Uckfield will feature on a BBC Wildlife documentary tonight as
:23:05. > :23:10.they try and save the endangered Slow Loris in Indonesia. Slow
:23:10. > :23:12.lorises are very unusual primates - found in South and South East Asia.
:23:13. > :23:16.But they're on the verge of extinction in the wild, partly
:23:16. > :23:19.because of their popularity as pets. According to ancient folklore, they
:23:19. > :23:22.have the power to ward off evil spirits, perhaps because of the
:23:22. > :23:27.fact that they have two tongues and are the world's only venomous
:23:27. > :23:31.mammal. Katherine Downes has been finding out more.
:23:31. > :23:35.This is the slow loris. Undeniably cute, but their cuteness - and
:23:35. > :23:43.viral videos like this one on the internet - mean they're one of the
:23:43. > :23:49.most endangered animals in the world. In the last 20 years, there
:23:49. > :23:53.has been a huge number taken for pets. I can take you to a market in
:23:53. > :23:56.Jakarta and show you 30 slow Lawrences for sale. From their
:23:56. > :23:59.offices in Uckfield, International Animal Rescue are doing their best
:23:59. > :24:02.to conserve the species. In Java, in Indonesia, they run a sanctuary
:24:02. > :24:04.for slow lorises, where they're working with expert Anna Nekaris to
:24:04. > :24:12.find out more about these mysterious animals - like, why
:24:12. > :24:16.they're they worlds only venomous mammal? It could be because they
:24:16. > :24:20.are taking out prayed. It could be because they are protecting
:24:20. > :24:24.themselves from predators or it could be because they're killing
:24:24. > :24:27.rivals and possibly a combination of all of these things. Cuteness
:24:27. > :24:33.means people want them as pets - but no-one wants to cuddle a
:24:33. > :24:39.venomous loris. The pull-out the teeth with pliers and nail clippers
:24:39. > :24:42.in order to avoid being bitten by them, so the animals, when they are
:24:42. > :24:45.in the trade, they cannot be reintroduced to the wild because
:24:45. > :24:48.they have no teeth. One solution International Animal Rescue is
:24:48. > :24:53.exploring - is the possibility of fitting slow lorises with false
:24:53. > :24:57.teeth - groundbreaking animal dentistry. It is ground-breaking,
:24:57. > :25:01.but funnily enough, I was on a train discussing with a colleague
:25:01. > :25:06.about doing root canal treatment on players and they got some very
:25:06. > :25:11.strange looks. We did over 60 Reid cannot Freeman sun bears now, so
:25:11. > :25:14.anything is possible these days. The slow loris - and the work being
:25:14. > :25:24.done to save it - is the subject of Natural World, at 8:00 tonight on
:25:24. > :25:25.
:25:25. > :25:35.That was one of the more surreal stories we have had for a while!
:25:35. > :25:36.
:25:36. > :25:41.A great picture to say, it has been mild and cloudy and will stay like
:25:42. > :25:47.that into tonight. A band of rain spreading his. A wet start for
:25:47. > :25:54.tomorrow. A fresh south-westerly wind. Today, temperatures above
:25:54. > :25:57.average. In the next few days, it will cool down. Plenty of cloud
:25:57. > :26:01.around today and that has been thickening ahead of the rain that
:26:01. > :26:08.was spreading eastwards. Temperatures today in double
:26:08. > :26:12.figures. Ten degrees. A light south-westerly breeze of 10 mph.
:26:12. > :26:16.Initially, cloudy and trying to tonight. Outbreaks of rain. Into
:26:16. > :26:25.tomorrow morning, this rain will spread to the east with heavy
:26:25. > :26:31.pulses. Ferry might for this time of the year. Above average. -- very
:26:31. > :26:37.mild for this time. A wet start for tomorrow. The brain appear to the
:26:37. > :26:43.east and behind it, cooler picture. A wet start and into the afternoon,
:26:43. > :26:52.increasingly bright with winter sunshine about. 10 to 15 mph, the
:26:52. > :26:57.wind. Kira skies into tomorrow night with scattered showers.
:26:57. > :27:04.Temperatures dropping to a 3 degrees. A touch of ground frost on
:27:04. > :27:10.Friday. A similar picture for the weekend. Plenty of sunshine, but
:27:10. > :27:14.fiver six degrees. Thank you.
:27:14. > :27:22.The top stories, the renewed fears that Britain could slip into
:27:22. > :27:27.recession. The economy shrank by 0.2 % in the last few months of
:27:27. > :27:32.2011. In Kent, a steel plant that employs