08/02/2012 South East Today

Welcome to South East Today. I'm Rob Smith.

And I'm Polly Evans. Tonight's top stories.

NHS pay-beds double in seven years in Kent and Sussex - some experts

run of one out of control compensation culture.

Police raids on Ken scrapyards as the force targets metal theft.

Seven people are rested. Also tonight, the new scheme to

help families get back to work - we hear the real-life experience of

all we did Kent father. I do not get time to look out there, there

are not many jobs you can get for 15 hours.

How Charles Dickens' -- Howard Charles Dickens's wishes for a

quiet funeral were overruled for a grandiose ceremony at Poets' Corner.

Under sportswomen looking to prove that England's cricketers can still

Good evening. There has been a huge increase in compensation payouts

following medical negligence claims in Kent and Sussex. Our NHS Trusts

paid out more than 38 Myrddin pounds during the last financial

year. That is double the amount they were

paying her seven years ago, needing experts to concern -- to express

concern about no-win-no-fee lawyers are creating a compensation culture

that is spinning out of control. Selina from Ashford in happier

times. She threw herself off a motorway bridge days after being

released from a psychiatric unit. The NHS Kent and Medway social care

partnership admitted an opportunity to prevent her death was missed.

Her family received �150,000 for the financial slots they suffered.

In it was not a decision I took lightly, it was one of the most

complicated decisions I have ever made. I feel there was a catalogue

of errors, and that is the main reason I took legal action. And to

be able to get the answers that I needed.

Been 2003, 2004 there were 187 claims made hospital trusts in Kent

and Sussex, with more than �15.8 million paid out. In the last

financial year it paid totalled 368, with the amount paid up -- with the

amount paid more than doubling. Claims against hospitals handled by

then there. But not no-win-no-fee solicitors are hitting patient care,

as payments of at a come from NHS budgets. The if you have a finite

much amount of money, what comes out in compensation has to come

from somewhere else, and we would much rather see that money being

diverted into high quality care. The is Canterbury solicitors says

no-win-no-fee cases have opened up justice particularly for parents.

If such you chief sums are pay it out, why is there not joined-up

thinking whereby if that amount was for frontline services, and you had

more consultant obstetrician is available to deal with difficulties

in childbirth, everybody would be happier including the taxpayer,

because are you can well imagine my clients would rather have a healthy

baby. Unlike the case of Brit Monday's

Brize, the Department of Health points out the majority of patients

receive save health care. Simon joins us from Maidstone

Hospital. The whole process of medical negligence cases could now

face a shake-up. Seven years ago this trust paid out �1 million in

compensation cases. Last year that figure had risen to over �8 million.

The trust says that is bound to courts imposing higher settlements,

and also the increase in no-win-no- fee solicitors. But that could be

the way forward because the Government wants to act -- axe

legal aid completely for cases like this, so they would have to have

been taken on by these no-win-no- fee solicitors. The fear is that

they would only want to take cases they are sure they would win,

leaving the most vulnerable people who need money and compensation

missing out on justice. Seven people have been arrested in

a series of Kent Police raids aimed at cracking down on metal theft.

They targeted scrapyards across the county, and say they are aiming to

disrupt criminal gangs with links to the supply of illegal drugs.

Ministers have announced legislation which could see scrap-

metal dealers script of their licences if they handle stolen

goods. -- stripped of their licences.

Thousands of pounds worth of copper and lead, Kent Police say the raids

are intended to disrupt the illegal trade. This is an organised

criminal groups are making a lot of money and giving a lot of people

Missouri. Looking at what I can see, you can see the process from start

to finish. Goods coming in, being stripped and then making money.

industrial units were targeted, seven men arrested in the Thanet

and Herne Bay area. Over the last year to �0.7 million worth of metal

is estimated to have been stolen. 3,200 offences of theft were

reported, 1,200 of those relate to the theft of electrical cabling.

Today's operation was witnessed by this MP. The Government says they

are going to scrap cash deals from metal traders, but talking to the

officers today who have been on this operation is is important that

some other things are done. Barring scrap-metal dealers from the

industry who are caught red-handed is a new measure announced today.

Few parts of the South East have escaped the fees. A year ago two

men were jailed after targeting sub-stations in Medway and north

Kent. Two tons of Lent -- lead was ripped from the roof of a funeral

parlour. Go and a plaque from of war memorial near Dover was had to

be replaced. This operation is the result of a

six-month investigation. Kent Police said their action against

the thieves will continue. Colin Campbell joins us now from

Tunbridge Wells. Scrap-metal dealers across the

county been visited today. Officers carried and searches at seven

dealers across the county, including premises in Ramsgate,

Tenterden, Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells. No stolen metal was

discovered, nothing to suggest these dealers were doing wrong. The

police accept there are dealers across the county acting within the

legal framework. With regard to today's operation, seven arrests -

five men have been arrested for the handling of stolen goods, two men

arrested for suspicion of supplying a controlled drug.

Coming up, a council tax freeze in Medway is on the cards, but will

that mean cuts to services? Seven sheep have been killed and 37

more injured in an attack by dogs running loose on a Sussex farm.

Farmer Tim Jury made the discovery earlier today on his land at Pett.

Police have identified the dogs responsible. You may find some of

the road -- the images in this report upsetting.

They have mostly been attacked a round the head area... A gruesome

discovery was made at first light. I am devastated. These poor animals,

it is just, words cannot describe it. This is the worst incident I

have ever come across in my experience of 30 years of sheep

farming. Police have confirmed the two

alsatians were from a nearby farm. Of the Sunday five sheep, to have

been killed and a dozen injured. There were around 38 yearling lambs,

five have been killed and around 25 injured. Many of those may have to

be put down. The stress of being worried by dogs

causes them to be -- causes them to abort. It is heartbreaking. To

think of what they have gone through last night, and then we

will not have anything to show for it when they land.

It is not just the upset, foot but the financial implications. He will

suffer significant losses. The estimates are that livestock

worrying cost the industry more than �2 million a year. Many

incidents go unrecorded and many losses are uninsured.

The is evening, the dog's' owners have admitted liability.

The Manhal Alnasser -- the Independent Police Complaints

Commission is investigating the death of the 33-year-old man at

Gatwick Airport railway station. Officers were responded to reports

a man was harming himself with a broken bottle, and they used a

Taser gun to try and restrain him but he died from a neck injury.

An unemployed man from Chatham has been banned from going to any

football match for the next three years. 35-year-old Gary Rimmer was

convicted of assaulting two stewards at Priestfield Stadium. He

is the first person in Kent to receive a Football Banning Order

since the unit was set up in the county to tackle football-related

crime for. Council tax in the Medway Towns is

likely to be frozen for the second year running. The recommendation

has been made in budget proposals that ball broke before the council

next week. The financially prudent thing to do would be to increase

council tax beyond the 2.5% the Government have given us. In a time

of austerity, we do not think the people of Medway would understand.

Ian Palmer joins us now live from Chatham. The council has said there

has been a significant cut in Government funding, but how are

they going to balance the books? spreading the pain as widely as

possible - certainly car-parking charges or to increase by ten pence.

That will not be welcomed by hard- pressed retailers, headline figures

in terms of the supporting people budget has been cut by �2 million.

That is a fund that goes towards homeless people. Services are being

revealed -- reviewed - the special needs transport bill has been

looked at, that takes children to school every morning, and of course

the staff at Medway Council have not had a pay increase for the past

three years. So Medway Council has balanced the books, but it has only

done that by taking a one of parachute payment from the

Government. That will not be there next year, so the idea of a council

tax freeze in 2013, 2014, looks fanciful at the moment. The Kent

Police authority have announced plans for multi-million pound

savings also. Yes, this is the way we pay for our policing in Kent, a

budget of 200 Centre �4 million has been said, �20 million less than

last year, and this has only been achieved because of savings, so

effectively it is a freeze, but it has only been able to do that with

this parachute payment. It looks like the on the break costs can go

in the future is up. This is tonight's top stories.

Hospital Trust in Kent and Sussex have paid that more than �38

million for medical negligence claims in the last financial year.

It is double the amount seven years ago.

Also tonight, writes Charles Dickens's wishes for a quiet

funeral were overruled for a grandiose burial at Poets' Corner.

And this puts women from Kent and Sussex looking to restore some

pride in the England cricket team. -- the sportswomen.

A single father from Folkestone who struggled to get off benefits after

the death of his partner is hoping that a new pilot scheme designed to

help the unemployed return to work will give him the support he needs.

James Henry is receiving one to one mentoring as part of the Family

Champions project. It was lodged by David Cameron in 2010, and it is

designed to help 120,000 a troubled families, who cost the UK more than

James was left widowed by the death of his partner and for the last few

years has been unable to work for bossy cares for his daughter.

not get time to go out and look. 15 hours, there are not alone - Muckle

lot of jobs around for 15 hours. Helping him to deal with that

dilemma is his family, -- his family champion, who it -- whose

job it is to prepare for James with a life away from benefits. He has

really engaged with the family championed project. From the outset,

he wanted to establish his own landscape garden business and that

was the focus of our work together. What works is focused, personalise

support. Some on the family trusts coming into their home and helping

them improve their lives. The Prime Minister's vision is to

transform the lives of the country's most troubled families.

All the James's situation is different, you can benefit from the

scheme. -- also. He is different as he already has schools. He is not

sure how to go about setting up his own business. -- calls. His family

champion is working with him to get some experience and engage with

Enterprise clubs -- clubs. He is looking at opportunities. Although

largely supported, there are those who question the work of councils

like Shepway District. It is a drop in the ocean in the context of the

massive levels of unemployment we have. People are finding it

impossible to get into work. There are 2058 people in Folkestone &

Hythe alone unemployed. For James, it offers the chance to get his

life back on track. I am out there. I am trying to get my driving

licence tautened. Then roads lead, will be up and running with my own

business. Maybe they can help other people on the way. James's

unfortunate situation was once a barrier to employment -- to

employment, but now he is opening It is the 200th anniversary of the

birth of Charles Dickens and we have been celebrating. Today, a

blue plaque has been unveiled by his great great grandson to

acknowledge the of the's link with Sussex. He was a regular visitor to

the former Bedford Hotel in Brighton.

There are references to the city in several of his works, including

Bleak House and Nicholas Nickleby. Dickens connections with Kent are

better known, and if he had got his way he would have been buried at

Rochester Cathedral. Instead, he was honoured with a grave at Poets'

Corner in Westminster Abbey. Dickens was no stranger to death,

or whether it was in his own life or in his writing. Lord, the

merciful. His own end came at the height of his fame. He had been

writing a mystery and his last words included a description of

Rochester Cathedral. The cold stone tombs of centuries ago were warm

with flecks of darkness darting to the stern marble corners of the

building. He was very young. He was only 58 when he died. But yes, he

had made a little bit of a mess of his family and his private life. He

had a mistress and was separated from his life. But he had his

children around him. He suffered a stroke in June 1870. He had left in

Strachan -- instructions about the aftermath of his death.

emphatically director that I be buried in an inexpensive,

unostentatious and strictly private manner. No public announcement.

Haiti it publicity. He could not stand the idea -- he hated

publicity. He could not stand the vast Victorian monuments in

cathedrals. He hated that sort of thing. After he died, the family

thought that this churchyard here would be a fitting last resting

place. But from there, things escalated. The idea grew that he

should be buried in Rochester Cathedral, something he had talked

about. His wish was to have been buried in the cathedral cemetery,

outside in the moat. What people do not know is that the cemetery was

closed because it was full and they were looking for another cemetery.

The dean had already dug a grave for him inside the cathedral.

this could have been his grave in the cathedral. We know that agrees

was Chuck -- dug in the chapel. We know that they got quite a way with

it before dickens was taken to Westminster Abbey. So why was he

buried here? It is a case of opportunist lobbying by the Dean at

the Abbey. I think he wanted a spectacular new burial for Poets'

Corner. There had not been a literary celebrity buried in

Westminster Abbey since Dr Johnson at the end of the 18th century.

Dickens was the most famous man of his times. He created a new

tradition of Poets' Corner. In line with his wishes, the laying to rest

was in secret, attended by only a handful of family and friends. But

then the grave was left open and thousands filed past to pay their

respects. The open grave in Rochester had to be closed and, not

surprisingly, cathedral officials felt a sense of loss. They believed,

as they still believe, that no more fitting and Honourable spot could

be found than and it's the scenes to which she was on the attached,

and amongst those to whom he was personally known as an neighbour

and held in such honour. His body may lie elsewhere, but for many who

come here, the spirit of Charles Dickens is never far away.

Of course, on Friday we have a special programme live from

Rochester Cathedral for a showing of David Lean's classic film Great

Expectations. England's Mill cricketers may have

suffered a humiliating whitewash at the hands of Pakistan, but their

female counterparts -- counter pack its want to cement their position

as the world's best team. They have just arrived in New

Zealand and are looking to build momentum as they defend their World

Cup title. England women's cricket has been on

a high ever since they emulated the meant by beating Australia seven

years ago. That success was followed by numerous one-day

trophies. They have transformed themselves into the world's best

team. Despite some changes, half the squad to take on New Zealand --

to take on the New Zealand team come from that south-west. We hope

to be unbeaten as a team. Every game it is alive over the next 18

months because we have big tournaments ahead. There is a lot

to play for. There are lots of opportunities. It is exciting.

Despite their success, many of the England team have to juggle their

sport with a full-time job. This sometimes means weeks away from

school for this teacher. Tours seem to be falling less and less in

holiday time and more in term time. The children enjoy it watching it

on television. Competition for places in the team has never been

greater they are host of younger players keen to take their chance.

I want to try and establish my place in the team. It would be

really good to get a permanent place and work my way at the order.

While the men's results may have dipped in recent weeks, the women

remain hungry for success. It will be a big surprise if more trophies

do not come their way. Good luck.

On to football and Crawley Town overcame at the weather and the

opposition last night to get to the top of League Two.

Supporters had to help clear tons of snow in order to allow the game

to go ahead. They were rewarded with a 4-2 victory.

Many of the fans who braved the elements last night had already put

in several hours' work to get the game on. They left the pitch in

almost perfect condition. Cheltenham struck first thanks to

this accurate low shot. Crawley were soon on level terms, when the

best player on loan from Arsenal equalised. The Reds were then put

ahead. They were cheered on by a big crowd. Sanchez then made it 4-1

with his second goal of the game. Despite the freezing temperatures,

things were hotting up and both managers received their marching

orders from the referee. It proved to be an excellent evening for it -

- for the team and its loyal supporters.

Thank you very much. Much appreciated. It is thanks to the

fans who clear to the pitch. We also thank the groundsman who has

been outstanding. It may have been bitterly cold, but there was plenty

to smile about as they moved back to the top of the table.

They did well to get the game on at all, because it was bitterly cold.

I have named a new type of shower. The Paris Hilton shower. Showers of

sparks in Crystal's! They are sparkling and we will be seeing

more in the next 24 hours. It is because cloud is thick enough to

give these little ice crystals but not big enough to give us snow. It

could give a little dusting in places, but not much more. The main

difference with tonight's weather is that with the north easterly

flow, a lot of moisture has been brought in from the North Sea. That

has increased the temperature which means there is more moisture in the

air. Temperatures will not be as low but we might have a return to

scraping ice of the windscreen tomorrow morning. You might have a

bit of ice scraping tomorrow morning, other than that, the day

will be dull and very cloudy. Still just the odd little flutter of a

flake or two. Temperatures not much above freezing at the very best.

Winds will be picking up. -- will not be picking up. Tomorrow evening,

this is when it next it's interesting. Just like Saturday, we

have another warm front coming towards us. It turns to snow but it

just nudges into us and then retreats back westwards. It is

close but not likely to give us much more than a centimetre of snow.

For now, a cloudy day into tomorrow evening. A small risk of snow

falling particularly in parts of West Sussex are Surrey, but other

than that we could escape with no snow. After that, the sunshine

returns across the weekend, but it is going to be staying very cold.

If you think you have been seeing a lot more sheep in the fields, IQ

might as well check they are sheep because some children have been

making its no sheep. It is lovely! I am so glad that the Paris held a

shower was just sparkling! That Tottenham Hotspur manager

Harry Redknapp has said his nightmare is over after being

cleared for tax evasion. He is being tipped as the next England

manager. There has been a huge increase in

compensation payouts following claims end Sussex.