:00:03. > :00:08.Welcome to South East Today, I'm Rob Smith. And I'm Polly Evans.
:00:08. > :00:11.Tonight's top stories. The government backs a new Bexhill -
:00:11. > :00:14.Hastings link road in the Budget, but opponents say it will be
:00:14. > :00:18.environmental disaster. We'll have reaction from our business
:00:18. > :00:21.correspondent in East Sussex and our political editor in Westminster.
:00:21. > :00:24.A warning to teachers to be vigilant after reports a middle-
:00:24. > :00:34.aged man posed as a teenager, to befriend dozens of Kent schoolgirls
:00:34. > :00:35.
:00:35. > :00:38.on line. Also in tonight's programme: The Kent scientists
:00:38. > :00:41.designing new plants to help combat drought in the future.
:00:41. > :00:46.By Royal Appointment - the Sussex glove makers who have been keeping
:00:46. > :00:51.the Queen's hands clean for more than 60 years. It doesn't matter.
:00:51. > :01:01.Of course it matters. Upstairs Downstairs actress Sarah Gordy
:01:01. > :01:05.
:01:05. > :01:08.talks to us about life to front of the lens and growing up in Sussex.
:01:08. > :01:11.Good evening. Controversial plans to create a new bypass through the
:01:11. > :01:13.East Sussex countryside have won government support, after a ten-
:01:13. > :01:16.year fight. As part of today's Budget announcement, the minister
:01:16. > :01:24.said �56 million would be available to build the Hastings to Bexhill
:01:24. > :01:27.link road. Supporters of the scheme say improved transport links are
:01:27. > :01:32.critically important to regenerate one of the most deprived areas of
:01:32. > :01:34.the South East. But opponents say it will be nothing short of an
:01:34. > :01:43.environmental disaster. Our business correspondent Mark Norman
:01:43. > :01:48.reports. To some the fact that a Bexhill to Hastings link road is
:01:48. > :01:57.going ahead means jobs and regeneration, to others it means
:01:57. > :02:01.heartache and disappointment. beautiful. And saw it. The this
:02:01. > :02:08.family had been fighting the road scheme for 20 years and it will now
:02:08. > :02:13.be built within feet of their land. It is a very sad day. This is the
:02:13. > :02:18.third attempts by the council to cut this road here. Unfortunately,
:02:18. > :02:24.they have succeeded. In 1989 proposals for a buyer has were
:02:24. > :02:31.first discussed by the council. -- for a bypass. The government
:02:31. > :02:35.rejected those plans. In 2003 the council was asked to develop new
:02:35. > :02:40.proposals. Those plans were on hold but now residents know that the
:02:40. > :02:45.road will go ahead. Are those who have campaigned against the plans
:02:45. > :02:51.and want to protect his Valley our struggling to understand today's
:02:51. > :02:56.decision. This looks like a risky development. Using public funds to
:02:56. > :03:01.the degree that they are being used for a speculative development, we
:03:01. > :03:05.think is completely wrong. I argue this against the politicians who
:03:05. > :03:11.believe the link road it will regenerate the town, create jobs
:03:11. > :03:16.and build new homes. This is about jobs, businesses and houses. This
:03:16. > :03:22.is a plan which has been analysed and gone through four years and now
:03:22. > :03:27.finally it has the go-ahead and it is good news. Perhaps 1,200 homes
:03:27. > :03:37.and 2000 jobs. It is We've had Premier League football in recent
:03:37. > :03:42.
:03:42. > :03:52.years, Hull's rugby league and ice This family what the council to buy
:03:52. > :03:53.
:03:53. > :03:56.their homes so they can move away. The Department of Transport said
:03:56. > :04:00.there are still some environmental measures to be looked at and they
:04:01. > :04:04.have to find proof that developers want to build these homes and
:04:04. > :04:07.businesses we are hearing about. They will also have to provide a
:04:07. > :04:14.plan to show how local unemployed people will be given appropriate
:04:14. > :04:18.support. I think this is probably going to go ahead because at the
:04:18. > :04:22.heart of this our government plans that large infrastructure projects
:04:22. > :04:25.like this are what will grow the economy in the future.
:04:25. > :04:27.Well, the other big announcement affecting us in today's Budget
:04:27. > :04:30.concerns plans for airport expansion in the South East. Last
:04:30. > :04:33.week, in an exclusive interview on this programme, the Virgin Atlantic
:04:33. > :04:38.boss Richard Branson said he was opposed to the idea of building a
:04:38. > :04:41.huge new airport off the Kent coast. But on Monday, the Prime Minister
:04:41. > :04:44.gave his strongest endorsement yet of project, saying that bold
:04:44. > :04:49.thinking is needed to ensure the UK retains its status as a global
:04:49. > :04:58.aviation hub. Today the Chancellor George Osborne made it clear he
:04:58. > :05:03.shares that view. This country must confront the lack of airport
:05:03. > :05:08.capacity in the South East England. We cannot cut ourselves off from
:05:08. > :05:14.the fastest growing cities in the world. The Transport Secretary will
:05:14. > :05:19.set out government thinking later this summer. Let us go live to
:05:19. > :05:23.Westminster now and our political editor. Is this a sign of
:05:23. > :05:28.government support for the so called Boris Island planned? It is
:05:28. > :05:32.a sign that government realises bold action needs to be taken to
:05:32. > :05:38.address the lack of aviation capacity in the South East and for
:05:38. > :05:43.the whole country. Joining me now to discuss that is the deputy
:05:43. > :05:48.chairman of the Conservative Party and the Transport Minister and the
:05:48. > :05:52.South East champion for labour. The Prime Minister mentioned this on
:05:52. > :05:57.Monday, the Chancellor used the bunch it -- the budget to mention
:05:57. > :06:02.it again. Does this mean there is growing support for a hub airport
:06:02. > :06:08.in the South East? Guineas we accept we have to modernise our
:06:08. > :06:15.infrastructure. There is a start date going on to see how we can use
:06:15. > :06:20.their capacity better. -- there is a study going on. A you did not
:06:20. > :06:25.support this link road initially, why the go-ahead now? It is a
:06:25. > :06:33.difficult decision. There is an environmental press to be paid but
:06:33. > :06:39.there is clearly an economic benefits. -- environmental price.
:06:39. > :06:44.new road costing millions of pounds, Greater internet connectivity for
:06:44. > :06:50.its cities, surely this is a budget for growth? We welcome anything
:06:50. > :06:58.which supports growth. That is why it is off sad that forecasts are
:06:58. > :07:01.down this year. I have to say that when the coalition government Cane
:07:01. > :07:09.End they either appeared on the back burner or stopped a whole
:07:09. > :07:15.number of infrastructure projects. -- came in. I realise this is very
:07:15. > :07:22.important to the South East. Also presses like rail fares are very
:07:22. > :07:29.important to the South East. -- prices. I a lot of criticism
:07:29. > :07:38.nationally they jeered/the top rate of tax. It is a much fairer tax
:07:38. > :07:43.system as a result. -- that you have slashed. It is the biggest
:07:43. > :07:49.increase in personal allowances for 30 years. The rich will pay more,
:07:49. > :07:54.they are losing relief, they will pay more in stamp benefit -- stamp
:07:54. > :07:59.duty and will lose child benefit. The Lib Dems did not get their
:07:59. > :08:05.mansion tax, are you happy with the budget? We have secured our top
:08:05. > :08:11.priority which is to take people at the lower end out of tax altogether.
:08:11. > :08:17.2 million people will not pay tax and they need the most help. The
:08:17. > :08:22.loophole has been shut will mean rich people pay five times more.
:08:22. > :08:27.They also addressed the cliff-edge for child benefit which will help
:08:27. > :08:32.people in the South East? Many of them will still lose their child
:08:32. > :08:37.benefit because if you are on around 50,000 tie-ins with one
:08:37. > :08:43.earner, you will lose some of your child benefit. If you're both
:08:43. > :08:47.earning, you'll keep your benefit. We had seen a huge tax cut to the
:08:47. > :08:52.most wealthy in the country and meanwhile people on benefits and
:08:53. > :08:57.pensioners will be losing out. Thank you very much. You heard it
:08:57. > :09:01.here - an agreement between coalition partners on tax.
:09:01. > :09:11.If you want to hear more about the If you want to hear more about the
:09:11. > :09:11.
:09:11. > :09:17.impact of the budget - go to our block. Coming up in a moment - it
:09:17. > :09:21.is not a village green at all. Dismay Newhaven as the High Court
:09:21. > :09:24.Dismay Newhaven as the High Court decides against them.
:09:25. > :09:27.Teachers at a Kent school have been warned to be alert to the dangers
:09:28. > :09:32.of internet abuse, after reports that a middle-aged man posed as a
:09:32. > :09:34.teenage girl to befriend dozens of schoolgirls. It is thought that 61
:09:34. > :09:44.pupils at Homewood School in Tenterden became Facebook friends
:09:44. > :09:44.
:09:45. > :09:49.with the bogus teenager, before the faked online profile was deleted.
:09:49. > :09:54.By accepting a friend request from a teenage girl they did not know,
:09:54. > :09:59.pupils at the school may have inadvertently befriended and
:09:59. > :10:03.middle-aged man. Alarm bells started ringing for a one parent
:10:03. > :10:07.when one child shared the conversation she had. Four there is
:10:07. > :10:12.enough concern that it might not be what this person was saying they
:10:12. > :10:19.wear. When she saw the kind of conversation that had been going on
:10:19. > :10:25.with her child, she felt there was more than just friends. Talking to
:10:25. > :10:30.each other on Facebook. The parent contacted the school and the school
:10:30. > :10:35.contacted the police but the profile had been deleted, leaving a
:10:35. > :10:40.trail called. The internet is so anonymous and it is so easy to
:10:40. > :10:47.build a persona on there. Do not trust people because they say who
:10:47. > :10:53.they are. It is thought that over 60 peoples were contacted on
:10:53. > :10:58.Facebook. Parents say they keep a close eye on their children's
:10:58. > :11:04.activity. -- 60 pupils. I am a friend of hers on Facebook and I do
:11:04. > :11:11.go on and have a look at what she is up to. I do go in and ask to see
:11:11. > :11:15.what is going on. Ken to police say the content was not sexual but
:11:15. > :11:21.experts say cases of sexual grooming can start with seemingly
:11:21. > :11:28.harmless conversations. The child- protection agencies say they
:11:28. > :11:34.protected 413 children as a result of their investigations. 513
:11:34. > :11:38.arrests were made and 132 higher risk sex offender networks were
:11:39. > :11:44.disrupted. Teachers have said they have provided all pupils with
:11:44. > :11:46.awareness about the risks of making new friends on line.
:11:46. > :11:49.Four current Brighton and Hove Albion footballers and one former
:11:49. > :11:51.player have been re-bailed over an alleged sexual assault. Anton
:11:52. > :11:54.Rodgers, Lewis Dunk, George Barker and Ben Sampayo answered bail in
:11:54. > :11:57.Sussex this morning, along with Steve Cook, who now plays for
:11:57. > :12:07.Bournemouth. All five were first arrested in January and have been
:12:07. > :12:08.
:12:08. > :12:15.bailed until May. Firefighters are tackling a large fire in scrubland
:12:15. > :12:21.in Hastings is evening. Four fire engines and two off-road vehicles
:12:21. > :12:24.are at the scene, the fire is around two miles long.
:12:24. > :12:29.A man has been airlifted to hospital after falling off the
:12:29. > :12:34.railway line near Brighton station. It is thought he fell from the road
:12:34. > :12:37.above the line. Police officers had spoken to him an hour earlier and
:12:37. > :12:46.the Independent Police Complaints Commission is now investigating the
:12:46. > :12:48.incident. Campaigners fighting to restore
:12:48. > :12:51.public access to any Sussex beach say they are devastated, after
:12:51. > :12:54.losing their legal battle. The West Beach in Newhaven was closed four
:12:54. > :12:58.years ago by a company that runs the town's port. County councillors
:12:58. > :13:01.then gave the beach a village green status to try to ensure it reopened
:13:01. > :13:04.- but that decision has been overturned by a High Court judge.
:13:04. > :13:10.John Young reports. It is just a small stretch of sand but today
:13:10. > :13:14.people seemed angrier than ever that it is out of their reach. When
:13:14. > :13:23.this woman stop our camera, she shouted across to us, did we know
:13:23. > :13:29.the result of the court case? lost. That is absolutely dreadful.
:13:29. > :13:33.I think it is very sad, it is another space in a community where
:13:33. > :13:39.people can meet. Why have people not be able to meet here in the
:13:39. > :13:43.last four years? The owners said the wall was dangerous and so they
:13:43. > :13:48.closed it. They said they intended to develop the port around the
:13:48. > :13:55.corner but after a long campaign the town council won the right to
:13:55. > :14:02.open after declaring it a village again. The owners appealed and
:14:02. > :14:08.today the council lost. Campaigners had a very strong case a High Court
:14:08. > :14:13.judge said but its heritage was trumped as a place of fun. People
:14:13. > :14:19.are hoping this is one final piece of good news that Newhaven can get
:14:19. > :14:25.but it has not gone at our way. Some people say it is it because it
:14:25. > :14:31.allows the developers to develop the region. They can do that anyway.
:14:31. > :14:33.They have fantastic plans for the other side of the river.
:14:33. > :14:41.developers said they welcomed is it -- the decision and looked forward
:14:41. > :14:49.to working with the council to bring jobs to the time. But options
:14:49. > :14:53.do the council now have? -- what options. One option is to give up
:14:53. > :15:00.but they do not want to do that. They have a bigger Facebook
:15:01. > :15:06.campaign going up. There is also further legal action and appealed
:15:06. > :15:11.but that has financial consequences. The council would not tell me how
:15:11. > :15:16.much money this has so far cost taxpayers. If they are further
:15:16. > :15:23.appeals there will be cost and they will be funded by the taxpayer.
:15:24. > :15:28.Thank you very much. The top story - the government has pledged �56
:15:28. > :15:31.million for a new Bexhill to Hastings link road. Ministers say
:15:32. > :15:40.it will facilitate economic regeneration in a deprived area of
:15:40. > :15:44.the South East. Opponents say it will spell environmental disaster.
:15:44. > :15:48.Sussex Upstairs downstairs actress Sarah Gordy tells us about her
:15:48. > :15:52.career and her movie role in New York.
:15:52. > :15:57.A another warm spring day today and temperatures should be higher
:15:57. > :16:00.tomorrow. Join me later in the programme for the details.
:16:00. > :16:10.A hosepipe ban is just days away, consequence of the drought
:16:10. > :16:11.
:16:11. > :16:13.conditions her suffering at the moment. -- we are. But it is hoped
:16:13. > :16:16.that research by scientists at East Malling Research, near Maidstone,
:16:16. > :16:19.could soon help our farmers to produce fruit and vegetables using
:16:19. > :16:21.a third less water than before. New irrigation techniques are currently
:16:21. > :16:29.on trial across the south-east, as our environment correspondent
:16:29. > :16:36.reports for the latest in our Food Chain seriess. Jane Simpson manages
:16:36. > :16:41.a number of farms in Kent. Most of his apples and pears rely on water
:16:41. > :16:48.from reservoirs only two-thirds full. He is looking to science for
:16:48. > :16:53.help. In this orchard we monitor this soil moisture deficit, how
:16:53. > :16:58.much soil bash where water is in the soil so we can plan irrigation.
:16:58. > :17:04.Knowing what that she requires, we do not know exactly so the research
:17:04. > :17:14.will be very valuable to as. -- that the treaty requires. We could
:17:14. > :17:15.
:17:15. > :17:20.save water. There growing crops on at least 50 % less water. The East
:17:20. > :17:29.sensors measure how much water you have in the soil. You bury these in
:17:29. > :17:35.the soil. They measure the way that plant perceives the water. Inside
:17:35. > :17:40.work continues on strawberries. of our scientific trials are
:17:40. > :17:44.conducted under these conditions. We can show we can reduce the
:17:44. > :17:53.amount of water applied by up to 80 % and still maintain yields and
:17:53. > :17:59.quality. A you are trying them out in the fields now? Yes, we used a
:17:59. > :18:04.similar approach in different regions and saved up to 40 %. We
:18:04. > :18:14.increased yields and improved quality. This drought year will be
:18:14. > :18:15.
:18:15. > :18:18.an important one for the scientists, putting their ideas to the test.
:18:18. > :18:21.The Queen is the most travelled monarch in history, having visited
:18:21. > :18:27.more than 300 countries in her lifetime, and met more than four
:18:27. > :18:32.million people apparently. When you shake that many hands, you need a
:18:32. > :18:35.really decent pair of gloves. Ever since her wedding to Prince Philip
:18:35. > :18:40.in 1947, those gloves have been supplied by Cordelia James Ltd and
:18:40. > :18:50.made in the workshop in East Sussex. Sara Smith has been to meet the
:18:50. > :18:53.
:18:53. > :18:59.Royal glove makers. 1947 and all eyes are on Princess Elizabeth as
:18:59. > :19:05.she sets off on her honeymoon. On her hands, a pair of camellia James
:19:05. > :19:09.gloves. Eight years previously Cordelia had fled Vienna and the
:19:09. > :19:14.Nazis. She would build a company which became a favourite with the
:19:14. > :19:20.royals, eventually earning the Royal warrant. Today her daughter
:19:20. > :19:28.has taken over the reins. This is very pretty which my mother
:19:28. > :19:34.designed. It is vintage. Madonna like these. The tradition of
:19:34. > :19:43.wearing gloves and his country has faded so while they hand make
:19:43. > :19:46.gloves, 90 % of those go overseas. The Americans love the Royal Family,
:19:46. > :19:53.the Japanese are nuts about the royal family and the love
:19:53. > :19:59.accessories so we do very well as outside Britain. I am sorry to say.
:19:59. > :20:02.Royal family members have worn a selection of gloves from Sussex.
:20:02. > :20:06.The most high-profile outing - the Queen to the wedding of her
:20:06. > :20:13.grandson last year. It is their patronage which insures the Royal
:20:13. > :20:16.warrant remains. It is almost the best brand you can have in the
:20:16. > :20:22.world. It is internationally recognised as a mark of excellence.
:20:22. > :20:27.No matter how much money you spend, you cannot get it with money.
:20:27. > :20:33.aim for this company now is to get British women who are not in the
:20:33. > :20:36.Royal Family, back into gloves. In the run-up to Diamond Jubilee
:20:36. > :20:40.celebrations in June, we are running a special series of My
:20:40. > :20:43.Photo. Have you got a photograph or a video of the moment you met the
:20:43. > :20:53.Queen? We would love to hear from you. Contact us - and your story
:20:53. > :20:54.
:20:54. > :20:57.could feature on the programme. Onto football, and Brighton and
:20:57. > :21:02.Hove Albion and Charlton Athletic both had good wins last night to
:21:02. > :21:04.boost their promotion prospects. It was Crawley who came out top at
:21:04. > :21:12.Gillingham in the South East's League Two showdown. But as Neil
:21:12. > :21:17.Bell reports, it did not produce the fireworks some had predicted.
:21:17. > :21:22.The teams last met on Boxing Day when seasonal goods will was
:21:22. > :21:27.conspicuous by its absence. It was Crawley who settled first last
:21:27. > :21:31.night and deserved to go-ahead early in the second half.
:21:31. > :21:38.Gillingham did manage to end the game with a flourish, forcing a
:21:38. > :21:45.series of corners and coming close to scoring an equaliser. After the
:21:45. > :21:50.final whistle, both managers were keen to play down acrimony. I shook
:21:50. > :21:55.his hand the night before and after the game. We lost the game and
:21:55. > :22:01.tickets on the chin. They were the better team, that his life and
:22:01. > :22:05.football. A good day for us, a good three points. We will not get
:22:05. > :22:10.carried a get -- away and were trained again tomorrow to get ready
:22:11. > :22:17.for Saturday. Brighter now to to the play-off points. This corner
:22:17. > :22:23.was converted to give them an early lead. This link-up play after the
:22:23. > :22:32.interval set-up the 13th goal of the season to complete a
:22:32. > :22:38.comfortable victory. Charlton's recently it appears to be over. Top
:22:38. > :22:44.scorer Bradly Wright Phillips made it two-nil early in the second half
:22:45. > :22:54.with his 20 goal of the season. In a final minutes, Darel Russell made
:22:55. > :22:57.
:22:57. > :23:02.it three-L. -- 3-nil. She is living proof that people
:23:02. > :23:09.with Down's syndrome can lead a rewarding life. The Sussex actress
:23:09. > :23:16.Sarah Gordy stars in the costume drama Upstairs Downstairs. Roz
:23:16. > :23:21.Upton went to meet her at home in Lewes.
:23:21. > :23:27.Her 1930s character in the revival Upstairs downstairs suffers from
:23:27. > :23:35.Down's syndrome. So someone telephoned the station, saying
:23:35. > :23:42.there had been a murder. It was me! Lady Pamela was locked away in
:23:42. > :23:46.asylum and only brought back to her family later. A I did some research
:23:46. > :23:56.about how they treated people with disabilities in an appalling way in
:23:56. > :23:57.
:23:57. > :24:04.the 1930s. You do not see it now. The executive producer of the
:24:04. > :24:09.series is full of admiration for her range and ability. She is a
:24:09. > :24:18.fantastic role model, she is so professional. She always has her
:24:18. > :24:24.lines immaculately learned. She is wonderful on set. She is great.
:24:24. > :24:28.has appeared in adverts, on stage and in many TV programmes. Her
:24:28. > :24:33.passion for drama was sown at school. Her coat and supportive
:24:33. > :24:39.mother says she was born to act. When she is in character, she is
:24:39. > :24:44.truly happy. She just lives this other character. She told me being
:24:44. > :24:49.an actress was great because she could live more than one life.
:24:49. > :24:54.she come across any prejudice in her career? She has never been
:24:54. > :25:01.bullied by some of her friends have. You are an individual, whoever you
:25:01. > :25:11.are. Sarah is in her early 30s but his into play at 15 year-olds in a
:25:11. > :25:13.
:25:13. > :25:19.comedy. It is being filmed by Tom - - by an award-winning director.
:25:19. > :25:27.We're going to set it in New York and China. The final episode of
:25:27. > :25:32.Upstairs downstairs is on Sunday. It is practically somewhere out
:25:32. > :25:36.there today. What does the weather have in store?
:25:36. > :25:44.Tomorrow will be a shade warmer than today with plenty its hazy
:25:44. > :25:49.than today with plenty its hazy sunshine. It is certainly a settled
:25:49. > :25:54.picture. This high pressure is dominating - heading eastwards
:25:54. > :26:00.today, bringing gentle winds. Plenty of sunshine on offer for
:26:00. > :26:05.most of us. Temperatures up to 15 degrees. Several degrees above
:26:05. > :26:15.average for this time of year. We will hold on to the clear skies
:26:15. > :26:19.tonight, but it remains mild. It will be a bright and mild start.
:26:19. > :26:27.Into the afternoon, nothing changes with plenty of sunshine around. The
:26:27. > :26:32.rain looks like petering out before it reaches us. Not much rain for a
:26:32. > :26:40.Friday. Tomorrow will be a bright story from the word go. Those
:26:40. > :26:47.easterly winds pick up a little. Those temperatures will be in the
:26:47. > :26:55.mid- to high teens for most of us. Average for the time of year is 10
:26:55. > :27:05.degrees. The mild is March the a record was in 1968. Tomorrow will
:27:05. > :27:11.feel much like summer. This band of rain will move northwards tomorrow.
:27:11. > :27:19.Rain for the rest of the UK but not for us. Staying dry on Friday and
:27:19. > :27:25.brighten up in the afternoon. Tours the weekend - high pressure once