:00:03. > :00:07.Welcome to South East Today, I'm Rob Smith. And I'm Polly Evans.
:00:07. > :00:13.Tonight's top stories: A year after Pfizer's closure
:00:13. > :00:16.announcement, a breakthrough deal which could save hundreds of jobs.
:00:16. > :00:21.Five years' jail for the Sussex legal secretary who went on a
:00:21. > :00:24."frivolous and extravagant" spending spree with clients' money.
:00:24. > :00:27.We're live with the details. Also in tonight's programme:
:00:27. > :00:37.Six months from the Opening Ceremony - anger in the Kent and
:00:37. > :00:40.
:00:40. > :00:45.Surrey villages snubbed by the How Charles Dickens, the Victorian
:00:45. > :00:48.author, made the county of Kent world-famous on the silver screen.
:00:49. > :00:58.And could they be the answer to convincing children to eat their
:00:59. > :01:03.
:01:03. > :01:06.greens? Chocolate-covered brussels Good evening. Workers at the
:01:06. > :01:11.pharmaceutical company Pfizer in Sandwich have been told that a
:01:11. > :01:15.potential buyer has been found for the site. Last February, the drugs
:01:15. > :01:19.giant announced that it would be pulling out of East Kent, with the
:01:19. > :01:21.loss of nearly 2,500 jobs. Now, it has emerged investment firm London
:01:21. > :01:24.and Metropolitan International Developments Limited are in
:01:24. > :01:34.detailed talks with Pfizer, which it hopes could see hundreds of jobs
:01:34. > :01:36.
:01:36. > :01:45.saved. It is almost a year since Pfizer
:01:45. > :01:51.announced it was leaving its site. Today, it seems the site has found
:01:51. > :01:54.a buyer. Deals always need to be finalised, so there is no certainty,
:01:55. > :01:59.but I have met the company and they are very committed. They have
:01:59. > :02:03.already committed money and time over the last nine months to this
:02:03. > :02:10.process. They have got a strong vision for the area, as I think it
:02:10. > :02:16.will be very useful and important. Last February, Pfizer announced it
:02:16. > :02:24.would be pulling out of east Kent. In November, the company said six-
:02:24. > :02:32.under and 50 jobs would be retained. Today, Pfizer is in talks for a
:02:32. > :02:38.buyer. -- 650. That buyer is a consortium. The developer behind
:02:38. > :02:44.project in the UK and Europe, including Bicester Village.
:02:44. > :02:49.Because it is still early days, no one from Pfizer was available to
:02:49. > :02:58.talk. But the company are describing this as a "positive
:02:58. > :03:03.milestone". The possibility of jobs here is very welcome at News.
:03:03. > :03:09.can't say no to extra trade. When the news broke, we were all very
:03:09. > :03:15.worried, but Sandridge has been very good and this last year.
:03:15. > :03:24.seems such a terrible shame to waste all those wonderful buildings,
:03:24. > :03:30.and not being able to work. Business leaders in Thanet are
:03:30. > :03:35.giving the news a cautious welcome. It is in the early stages, and with
:03:35. > :03:39.exercises like this, there are commercial confidences that must be
:03:39. > :03:43.respected. They have to be reported to the city before we find out
:03:43. > :03:48.about them in the public realm, but it is great news, and we are
:03:48. > :03:54.delighted the government is taking this so seriously. Today,
:03:54. > :03:59.celebrations were held to mark Firth sale of Pfizer's Social Club.
:03:59. > :04:03.The new owners say it will become a community sports centre. In three
:04:03. > :04:07.or four months, we should know if the main site up the road will also
:04:07. > :04:10.have a happy ending. Well, our political editor, Louise
:04:10. > :04:17.Stewart, joins me now. Louise, there's been a lot going on behind
:04:17. > :04:21.the scenes to secure a future for the park? Yes, it is almost a year
:04:21. > :04:26.sense a taskforce was set up, led by the leader of Kent County
:04:27. > :04:32.Council, along with the local MPs. That is trying to secure the future
:04:32. > :04:37.of the side. In of August, the site was awarded enterprise zone status.
:04:37. > :04:43.What that means is that businesses get better tax breaks, faster
:04:43. > :04:48.broadband, easier planning rules if you like. This is not a done deal
:04:48. > :04:54.yet. This is a very positive step forward, but the company say the
:04:54. > :05:00.fact that this site has enterprise zone status, it is it very positive
:05:00. > :05:03.way to market it. A Sussex legal secretary - who
:05:03. > :05:05.stole nearly half a million pounds from clients to fund a "frivolous
:05:05. > :05:08.and extravagant spending spree" - has been jailed for nearly five
:05:08. > :05:10.years. Arscotts Solicitors in Hove went bust after 25-year-old Leanne
:05:10. > :05:14.Harris made a string of transactions between clients'
:05:14. > :05:18.accounts in an attempt to cover up what she was doing. Our reporter,
:05:18. > :05:25.Steve Gaisford, was at court for sentencing. He joins us from there
:05:25. > :05:31.now. Steve, what was her motivation? Shortly before
:05:31. > :05:37.sentencing, her defence lawyer spoke of her husband's psychotic
:05:37. > :05:41.personality that led to her feeling the need to placate and please them.
:05:41. > :05:47.She did so through extravagant spending. Although not responsible
:05:47. > :05:52.for the law firm's demise, the judge said "you have done huge
:05:52. > :06:00.damage to those who trusted to". This was the response on behalf of
:06:01. > :06:10.the firm and families she stole from. The fact she has contributed
:06:11. > :06:11.
:06:11. > :06:15.to was a lot of 30 jobs. She caused great upset to the families, and
:06:15. > :06:20.deprived a 19-year-old lady of all her life savings. Despite Lehane
:06:20. > :06:24.Harris being ashamed of what she did, she started custodial sentence,
:06:24. > :06:28.and will no doubt have time to think about the lives she has
:06:28. > :06:32.affected because of her financial greed.
:06:32. > :06:41.In a moment: Taking on the elements - a new exhibition of Turner's work
:06:41. > :06:44.in his hometown of Margate. It's exactly six months to go until
:06:45. > :06:47.the opening ceremony of the olympic Games in london - but while many
:06:48. > :06:53.places are gearing up to welcome the Torch relay, five villages in
:06:53. > :06:56.Kent and Surrey say they have been snubbed. The route takes the torch
:06:57. > :07:06.along the M25 for a short stretch - and the villages alongside say they
:07:06. > :07:11.are missing out on a once-in-a- lifetime opportunity as a result.
:07:11. > :07:18.Michael is definitely on the ball when it comes to the Paralympic
:07:18. > :07:25.sport. So he was disappointed when he heard the relay has snubbed one
:07:25. > :07:32.of the most historic court regions in Kent. I think it would have lots
:07:32. > :07:39.of inspiration. A similar sentiment shared at the neighbouring schools.
:07:39. > :07:43.When you have got these historic villages and towns, to show care to
:07:43. > :07:49.the rest of the world, they have missed it. The torch will make its
:07:49. > :07:56.way through the South East. However, when it leaves Sevenoaks, it will
:07:56. > :08:06.head along the M25 missing out all these villages. I think it is a bit
:08:06. > :08:06.
:08:06. > :08:14.sad, that this place will be missed out and it will go down the
:08:14. > :08:24.motorway. I hope that people will be able to take part in the
:08:24. > :08:28.
:08:28. > :08:35.Some of whom were lucky enough to see the flame carried through the
:08:35. > :08:42.town it was this man. This is the athlete that was chosen to run up
:08:42. > :08:47.with the flame. In actual fact, I saw the torch in a matter of
:08:47. > :08:52.seconds. Villagers say they will celebrate the torch relay, even if
:08:52. > :08:56.they must travel further. The administrators of Thamesteel in
:08:56. > :08:59.Sheerness - which has just made 350 workers redundant - are to take out
:08:59. > :09:05.an advert in a national newspaper to try and find a buyer for the
:09:05. > :09:15.factory. The local MP says he hasn't given up hope that the steel
:09:15. > :09:15.
:09:16. > :09:19.manufacturing plant can be saved, but he is planning for the worst.
:09:19. > :09:22.The administrators were only appointed yesterday, but they have
:09:22. > :09:31.been in touch with people who have expressed an interest with
:09:32. > :09:34.purchasing the side. A new �420 million redevelopment of
:09:34. > :09:40.the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton has been unanimously
:09:40. > :09:44.approved by Brighton and Hove Council. The Trust wants to replace
:09:44. > :09:47.some of the old buildings with a new 12-storey block. It also wants
:09:47. > :09:50.to create a Major Trauma Centre for Sussex.
:09:50. > :09:53.A 67-year-old woman has been charged in connection with the Gary
:09:54. > :09:58.Hampson murder investigation. Gary Hampson was reported missing in
:09:58. > :10:01.January last year. His blood was found at the garage he managed in
:10:01. > :10:05.Little Western Street, Brighton. Linda Rosenberg has been charged
:10:05. > :10:08.with acts intending to pervert the course of justice.
:10:08. > :10:13.For the last decade, the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment has been
:10:14. > :10:16.fighting almost continuously on the front line in Afghanistan. Mainly
:10:16. > :10:20.recruiting across the South East, they are currently on tour in
:10:20. > :10:23.Helmand Province, on what's probably their last tour. In a
:10:23. > :10:28.moment, we will be talking live to our correspondent, Mark Norman, who
:10:28. > :10:38.is in Lashkar Gah. But first, he has sent us this report about their
:10:38. > :10:45.
:10:45. > :10:54.work with local Afghan police. This is how most of us arrived, the
:10:55. > :10:59.helicopter. But when the 1st Battalion arrived, they had a job
:10:59. > :11:06.to do - to mental local police forces, so that eventually, they
:11:06. > :11:14.would become responsible for security when we go home. Two
:11:14. > :11:19.Afghan police officers are getting a lesson in how to deal with
:11:19. > :11:27.casualties. What happening is it that they are conducting a basic
:11:27. > :11:32.first aid training. They also go out to a lot of post explosions etc
:11:32. > :11:37.and have to do with casualties, because the are the first
:11:37. > :11:47.respondents to this scene. Because we have the capability in our
:11:47. > :11:47.
:11:47. > :11:52.forces, we are given good guys these lessons. The battalion are
:11:52. > :11:56.putting a huge effort into getting the local police into shape. The
:11:56. > :12:06.local headquarters are outside the British base. For security reasons,
:12:06. > :12:13.
:12:13. > :12:18.an officer took my camera. Control of the area it was handed over to
:12:18. > :12:24.the Afghans in July. This is their control room. There is a success,
:12:25. > :12:31.but also challenges. One of the greatest challenges is that the
:12:31. > :12:38.literacy rates are low. We are seeing progress, in their ability
:12:38. > :12:45.to operate as police rather than just soldiers. Also, their ability
:12:45. > :12:49.to plan operations. But progress will have to be fast, because they
:12:49. > :12:54.will be leaving. International forces are scheduled to leave
:12:54. > :12:59.Afghanistan at the end up 2014. Soldiers are playing their part,
:12:59. > :13:02.and after that date, Afghanistan's security will be in the hands of
:13:02. > :13:05.the Afghan people. That report by Mark Norman. Well,
:13:05. > :13:08.he joins us live now from LashKar Gah. Mark, the training has been a
:13:08. > :13:18.long process. How optimistic are they that the Afghan police will be
:13:18. > :13:23.ready to take over when the British eventually leave? People here are
:13:23. > :13:28.optimistic but there are challenges. The army working with Afghan police
:13:28. > :13:32.to try and get that sorted. The politicians have to create
:13:32. > :13:36.institutions, and then there is the question of that deadline,
:13:37. > :13:42.impacting on those other two challenges. The regiment of feel
:13:42. > :13:52.they have dumped some very good work, so yes, optimistic, but they
:13:52. > :13:52.
:13:52. > :13:55.The pharmaceutical giant Pfizer is in detailed talks with a potential
:13:55. > :13:58.buyer for its operation in east Kent. The company announced nearly
:13:58. > :14:05.a year ago it would be closing its operation in Sandwich, which
:14:05. > :14:11.employed 2,400 people. A deal could save hundreds of jobs.
:14:11. > :14:17.Also tonight, how Britain's greatest novelist inspired
:14:17. > :14:26.Britain's greatest film-maker. Brussels sprouts - just gift-wrap
:14:27. > :14:29.them and cover them in chocolate. His connection to Margate is such
:14:30. > :14:32.that the town's new gallery is named after him. Well, tomorrow a
:14:33. > :14:35.major exhibition of the work of JMW Turner opens at the Turner
:14:35. > :14:39.Contemporary. It brings together more than 80 pieces of his work,
:14:39. > :14:41.including those inspired by that very stretch of Kentish coast. Sara
:14:41. > :14:45.Smith is live at the Turner Contemporary for tonight's special
:14:45. > :14:54.report. Sara, this is a big moment for the Turner Contemporary, isn't
:14:54. > :14:59.it? It certainly is. They have always had at least one Turner
:14:59. > :15:03.painting since the gallery opened nine months ago. Now they have 88.
:15:03. > :15:10.Tonight is the launch party but we got to have our look around earlier
:15:10. > :15:17.today before anyone arrived. From the eye of the storm to the
:15:17. > :15:22.calm of the seashore. Fiery sunsets to domineering mountains. Even
:15:22. > :15:26.where the subject appears man made, it is nature which provides the
:15:26. > :15:32.drama. All the time Turner is developing his work, breaking the
:15:32. > :15:38.artistic principles of his day. This is quite a different look at
:15:38. > :15:44.her -- at things and how he developed his way to paint. How he
:15:44. > :15:48.developed a parting from watercolour technique his flowing
:15:48. > :15:52.style that was so much criticised during his lifetime. In the centre
:15:52. > :15:56.of this exhibition, these pieces are grouped to give some impression
:15:56. > :16:00.of the impact this town had on the artist. Living here as a boy and
:16:00. > :16:05.again as a young man, his fascination with the sea and sky
:16:05. > :16:12.was said to have sprung from the hours he spent absorbing this
:16:12. > :16:16.landscape with this particular north coast like. This room
:16:16. > :16:20.demonstrates his fascination with the elements and retells the story
:16:20. > :16:26.of how the natural world had come to dominate his work. From the
:16:26. > :16:34.power of the sea to the destructive force of fire. He himself witnessed
:16:34. > :16:38.the Houses of Parliament ablaze in 1834. After the gallery, where the
:16:38. > :16:42.visitors have exceeded all expectations, this exhibition is
:16:42. > :16:49.another cause for celebration. is the moment we have been waiting
:16:49. > :16:54.for for 10 years. An exhibition Democrat -- dedicated to JMW Turner
:16:55. > :16:57.in Margate. It is a special moment for all this. The exhibition
:16:57. > :17:03.includes experimental works by Turner which have never been seen
:17:03. > :17:12.before but which helped him to create his style. It culminates in
:17:12. > :17:22.a room our future oils which brings together everything he had learnt.
:17:22. > :17:24.
:17:24. > :17:29.-- book massive oils. I doubt this will be anything but a massively
:17:29. > :17:33.popular exhibition. They have not struggled bringing the people in
:17:33. > :17:43.since they opened nine months ago. It opens to the public tomorrow, it
:17:43. > :17:46.is free to get into and it runs until May.
:17:46. > :17:48.Next month marks the bicentenary of the birth of Charles Dickens, one
:17:48. > :17:52.of the greatest authors this country has produced. The writer,
:17:52. > :17:55.who spent his childhood in Kent and returned to the county to live,
:17:55. > :17:57.often used it as a vivid backdrop to his tales.
:17:57. > :18:00.Tales which, because of his brilliant powers of description and
:18:00. > :18:04.the continuing relevance of his themes, have been adapted for stage
:18:04. > :18:07.and screen over and over again. For the first in our series of special
:18:07. > :18:17.features marking the bicentenary, I've been finding out more about
:18:17. > :18:26.
:18:26. > :18:31.why film-makers keep returning to Of my father's family name be
:18:31. > :18:41.Philip and my Christian name Philip, my infant at tongue could make of
:18:41. > :18:43.
:18:43. > :18:52.both names nothing longer than Pip, so I called myself A pit. -- called
:18:52. > :18:58.myself A pit. This is David Lean's adaptation of Great Expectations
:18:58. > :19:05.and it is hard to think of anything that better captures the cinematic
:19:05. > :19:15.quality of Dickens' scene-setting and his mastery of suspense. The
:19:15. > :19:15.
:19:15. > :19:23.film captured the imagination of a post-war audience, with Pip's story
:19:23. > :19:27.capturing the desire for better times. Fast forward to 2010 and
:19:27. > :19:32.again the north Kent marshes are recreated in all of their bleakness
:19:32. > :19:39.for BBC adaptation. The themes of greed and ruin and above all hope
:19:39. > :19:44.for the future once again seemed so pertinent. Dickens' scene-setting
:19:44. > :19:51.is undeniably vivid but it is also a incredibly well developed
:19:51. > :19:54.characters that keep audiences gripped. It is such a roller-
:19:54. > :20:00.coaster ride, and that is what drew me to the character, the
:20:00. > :20:06.relationships he has with so many characters. It is rare to have
:20:06. > :20:16.relationships with so many which characters. Do you not think as I
:20:16. > :20:28.
:20:28. > :20:33.Yes. From the start, Dickens' work was illustrated and adapted for the
:20:33. > :20:39.stage and, although he died two decades before the advent of cinema,
:20:39. > :20:44.in the silent film era no less than 100 movies were based on his work.
:20:44. > :20:48.He is the only writer of the 19th century that thought cinematically
:20:48. > :20:52.before movies existed. The descriptions he wrote are
:20:52. > :20:57.incredibly visual. He thought visually, he thought theatrically,
:20:57. > :21:01.which was why he was so popular for theatre adaptation in the 19th
:21:01. > :21:06.century. And he is not afraid to leave characters behind and then
:21:06. > :21:12.pick them up later on in his work. You see that a lot in cinema, don't
:21:12. > :21:18.you? To way in which restructures his story and creates his
:21:18. > :21:24.characters was very complicated for the time in which she wrote. -- the
:21:24. > :21:29.way. It was a way which was a gift to cinema. Cinema can cut between
:21:29. > :21:36.time and place, between all kinds of places and countries and
:21:36. > :21:40.different time periods and Dickens did that in his fiction first.
:21:40. > :21:47.Moving back and forth from violent glimpses of the criminal underworld
:21:47. > :21:51.like this in David Lean's other masterpiece, Oliver Twist, to be
:21:51. > :21:56.sentimental heroes struggling for the better life, the author lit --
:21:56. > :22:03.always leaves his public wanted me -- wanting more. Please, sir, I
:22:03. > :22:06.want some more. Now, you have the chance to join us,
:22:06. > :22:09.as well as stars of stage and screen, for a special screening of
:22:09. > :22:12.David Lean's 1946 classic Great Expectations in the nave of
:22:12. > :22:16.Rochester Cathedral on 10th February.
:22:16. > :22:20.There are a limited number of pairs of tickets on offer. You need to be
:22:20. > :22:22.over the age of 14 and be able to get to the screening by 6:45 on the
:22:22. > :22:26.evening. Go to our website bbc.co.uk/kent and look for the
:22:26. > :22:30.Dickens link on the TV and radio page. Fill out the application and
:22:30. > :22:32.if you are successful we will be in touch.
:22:32. > :22:35.Brighton take on Premiership Newcastle in football's oldest
:22:36. > :22:39.competition, the FA Cup, at the Amex on Saturday. But the manager,
:22:39. > :22:42.Gus Poyet, isn't taking anything for granted.
:22:42. > :22:45.The omens are good because the Seagulls have yet to lose this year
:22:45. > :22:55.and the visitors have conceded seven goals in their last two away
:22:55. > :22:56.
:22:56. > :22:59.Neil Bell has more. And Crawley Town have signed 20-
:22:59. > :23:02.year-old striker Sanchez Watt on loan from Arsenal in time for their
:23:02. > :23:05.tough FA Cup tie at Hull City tomorrow. Last season the Reds
:23:05. > :23:07.famously took on Manchester United in the competition. Around 1200
:23:08. > :23:10.Crawley fans are heading to Hull, but manager Steve Evans admits,
:23:10. > :23:13.despite performances in the Cup this season, his side go into the
:23:13. > :23:16.tie as underdogs. Meanwhile, in League One, leaders
:23:16. > :23:18.Charlton travel to Exeter having extended the deal of leading scorer
:23:18. > :23:20.Bradley Wright-Phillips until the summer of 2013. The 26-year-old
:23:20. > :23:22.made his 25th League appearance of the season last weekend,
:23:22. > :23:25.automatically triggering the extension.
:23:25. > :23:27.And in League Two Gillingham boss Andy Hessenthaler says his team
:23:27. > :23:31.need to "get back on track very quickly" after two successive
:23:31. > :23:34.defeats. New signing Gavin Tomlin - who scored twice in last Saturday's
:23:34. > :23:38.home defeat - hopes to be fit to face Accrington Stanley despite
:23:39. > :23:42.picking up a calf strain. What is it with Brussels sprouts?
:23:42. > :23:46.They are healthy and nutritious and packed with vitamin A and C and
:23:46. > :23:50.folic acid and dietary fibre. And yet for some reason getting kids to
:23:50. > :23:53.eat them is often a challenge. In a bid to convert the unwilling,
:23:53. > :23:57.a farmer near Gravesend is trying to rehabilitate the little
:23:57. > :24:07.brassicas, by selling them gift- wrapped and covered in chocolate.
:24:07. > :24:11.
:24:11. > :24:13.Yes. Lynda Hardy reports. The Brussels sprout. That famous
:24:13. > :24:17.festive Lovett or hated vegetables. You would think it would be really
:24:17. > :24:22.rather redundant now the festive season is a distant memory. Not so
:24:22. > :24:28.in this part of Kent, where they have thought up an unusual way of
:24:29. > :24:33.Remarketing be more commonly seen at Christmas vegetable. We got the
:24:33. > :24:38.idea at Christmas dinner. My son Charlie does not like Brussels
:24:38. > :24:43.sprouts and he pushed them off the plate. It came up as a joke about,
:24:43. > :24:49.I bet he would if they were covered in chocolate. Who better to test
:24:49. > :24:57.the and then some unsuspecting children in Tunbridge Wells? --
:24:58. > :25:07.test them. The outside is really nice. I'm not sure about the inside,
:25:08. > :25:08.
:25:08. > :25:18.though. What do you think? Nice. What do you think is inside it?
:25:18. > :25:18.
:25:18. > :25:27.Brussels sprouts. His last -- is that what it is? Cool! Do you like
:25:27. > :25:31.Brussels sprouts? Created by a couple who run the
:25:31. > :25:35.local granary bakery, the sprouts are simply washed with their top
:25:35. > :25:40.layer taken off before being coated in chocolate just in time for
:25:40. > :25:50.Valentine's Day. So it would seem that a Brussels sprout is not just
:25:50. > :25:50.
:25:50. > :25:56.for Christmas. There is your Valentine's Day
:25:56. > :25:59.present for the missus. And congratulations to Neil Bell.
:25:59. > :26:09.He's just been awarded Sports Journalist of the Year at today's
:26:09. > :26:12.
:26:12. > :26:19.For the first time this winter we are looking to the east our weather.
:26:19. > :26:24.In the next few days it will get very gradually colder day-by-day. A
:26:24. > :26:28.fair number of showers are round at the moment but that will slip away.
:26:28. > :26:34.A weather front desperately trying to move in from the west will grind
:26:34. > :26:40.to a halt because high pressure is increasing to the east of us. Cold
:26:40. > :26:44.winds mackerel slowly setting. Today we started off gloriously
:26:44. > :26:49.sunny. Showers will be making their way south across the course of the
:26:49. > :26:53.day. We have had a fair number of showers today. Even some rumbles of
:26:53. > :26:57.thunder along the south Sussex coast. We will keep these showers
:26:57. > :27:05.for a few hours, spreading eastwards and that gradually
:27:05. > :27:10.spreading away. A touch of frost in some spots as temperatures dip down
:27:10. > :27:16.to freezing or just above. A grey start tomorrow but it should be
:27:16. > :27:20.largely dry. The cloud breaking, sunny intervals developing, but it
:27:20. > :27:24.will be a cold day, colder than today, best temperatures five or