13/08/2013 South East Today

Welcome to South East Today. Tonight's top stories: the Russian

sailors on and impounded ship not paid for six months are lying on

food parcels. The fashion designer accused of

criticising Folestone on Twitter. Give me a job. The unemployed

university graduate using a London black cab to get work.

The teenage pilot hoping to be the youngest person to fly solo around

the world. Good evening.

Now some breaking news. Quadrille has told the BBC that it's

exploration site in West Sussex is unlikely to become a full production

site in future. The company says the site is ideal for exploration but

believes there will be other sites better suited because of transport

and infrastructure requirements. The company will only say the site is

unlikely to become a production site and is not giving away any

guarantee. It is not ruling out hydraulic fracturing in the future.

We are joined by our business correspondent. What more can you

tell us? The company has told us that the

site is excellent for exploration because it has been previously

drilled. It is right in the centre of their licensed area. What they

are making clear is that if they go ahead with production, and that

decision will not be taken for many years, it is very unlikely that

would happen in this location itself. They say it is likely that

if they moved to production will be other locations which will be better

suited in terms of transport and getting and equipment in to the

site. Also in terms of getting oil out of the site and interview

national network. What have the parish council had to

say this evening? Nothing as such. Quadrille has

informed the council. The timing of all of this looks to be key. This

weekend, it looks like the campaign will be stepped up and there will be

police concerns about direct action. I think the timing of this is

interesting. This message that is going out is likely to be seen as

trying to contain the anger which has been growing on the ground. The

Russian crew of a ship impounded at Shoreham Harbour say they haven't

been paid for six months and are relying on charity food parcels to

survive. The ship has been impounded for

nonpayment of harbour fees. The owners of the ship are based in the

UK. It is not clear what their financial status is. The captain of

the Independent believes he can't afford to leave the vessel or he

will never be paid. The remaining Russian workers have

been stranded since January. The owners failed to pay bills. Some

employees say they are due �18,000. It is difficult for us because we

are in a foreign country. We are not in our own country. Not only from

the, for all crew members because all crew members have families and

children. It is very simple to understand. Most of the crew have

now returned home on unpaid. Those who remain are being looked after by

a charity. If we were to have no money for one month or one week,

life would become very difficult. You still have to pay for bills.

Families back home have no money coming in. It is very difficult.

company has said that salaries are in arrears but they are trying to

resolve the problem. They have said they are not sure if any employees

who have returned home will actually be paid. The director of the company

also runs another group which owns a cement company in Administration.

They are currently applying for staff. Six Mariners have also been

stranded when another bought was impounded in January. We are

awaiting our salary for the last three months. How can we feed our

families? This man says he will remain on board until he and his

crew have been paid. It could be a long wait.

Our reporter joins us now. What is the morale like?

Tensions are running high. You can see the vessel behind me in the same

spot it was six months ago. They have been transporting cement and

stone around many European cities. It is now under maritime arrest. Any

crew members have returned to Russia and Ukraine. The captain is staying

put. He says if he steps foot of the vessel he will lose everything. It

has been a stressful time for him and his crew members. You feel like

they have been treated like slaves. A man accused of murdering a father

of five after a night out told police he was disgusted with what he

did that night, but said he had no idea how serious the incident had

been. 22-year-old Robert Alderman punched Paul Scott after an argument

about a broken car wing mirror. Mr Scott, who had also been drinking,

suffered a broken leg in the incident, and died from a blood clot

four days after the attack in Gillingham in February. Our reporter

has this from Maidstone Crown Court. Paul Scott died four days after he

was attacked in the street. A broken leg he sustained in the assault led

to a fatal blood clot on the long. It happened here shortly after

midnight on the 10th of February. Today, Robert Alderman took to the

witness stand to give his account of what happened. The jury was shown

CCTV footage of the attack. Pictures revealed how Robert Alderman punched

Paul Scott to the ground. The footage was replayed frame by frame

as the defence sought to prove that Robert Alderman did not kick or

stamp on hemp. The Council for the an alternative charge of

manslaughter. The case continues. -- denies.

In a moment: Protests as commuters brace

themselves for further hikes in rail fares.

Fashion designer Karen Millen has been accused of damaging the

reputation of Folkestone after criticising the town on Twitter.

Millen from Wateringbury said she thought the regeneration of

Folkestone was not likely to happen in her lifetime. It prompted a storm

of protest on the social networking site and tonight she has apologised.

Our reporter is in Folkestone. She is insisting she never intended to

upset people? She says this was not an attack on

the town but was simply an observation. She is the latest high

profile figure to tweet and then apologise. Some say she has a point.

The town has not been the same since the ferries moved out of the pot.

Others say there are new businesses and things are on the up.

A day trip to the seaside. But Karen Millen did not seem impressed with

who replied, rating her for her negative comment. She's in the

public eye. What she says reflects on the town. That is what I had an

issue with. Don't judge a place without knowing the facts.

heyday of the bucket and spade holiday is long gone. Some long for

the return of the ferries. Empty shops sit alongside new buildings.

Plans by architect to redevelop the seafront have just been approved.

Many insist that regeneration is happening. New people are coming

here and along with current residents there is an energy.

Festivals are taking place. I happen to agree with her. All my life, the

talks about regenerating Folkestone and it has not happened. I love this

town. Fish and chips down by the seaside! Today, another comment on

think she was surprised at the reaction to her comments. She said

she was simply trying to make the point that regeneration does not

happen overnight. The people of Folkestone have welcomed the apology

and would like to invite her back to the town to show her the real gems

here. A 27-year-old Kent woman has been

charged with grievous bodily harm after allegedly biting off another

woman's nose at a holiday camp. The incident is alleged to have taken

place at Butlins in Bognor Regis on 11 April. Tina Love, of Acacia Road

in Dartford Kent, has been released on bail before appearing at Worthing

Magistrates' Court on 27 August. A family had to be rescued from the

sea off Tankerton yesterday afternoon after their boat capsized.

Susan Scales from Doddington was trapped under the inflatable boat

and was pulled out by her 18-year-old son Liam. The Whitstable

lifeboat arrived on the scene within two minutes and returned the family

to the harbour. South east passenger groups have

reacted with anger at the prospect of another above inflation rail fare

rises. Rail commuters in Kent and Sussex staged protests this morning

as details about the latest round of increases became clear. Today's

inflation figures will mean that season tickets will go up by 4.1% in

January. The TUC says that is a 40% rise since 2008. But the Association

of Train Operating Companies says that only 3p of every pound spent on

train tickets is profit for the train companies.

I would like to see an end to the above inflation figures. The Office

for Budget Responsibility say that could happen from 2015. But we do

need to get the investment in our Railways.

According to the watchdog group Passenger Focus, the increase means

a season ticket from Canterbury to London, currently just over �4,800,

will go above �5,000 come January. Hastings to London is currently just

over �4,300. It will rise to nearly �4,500. And Brighton to London

commuters, who currently pay �3,860, will have to pay �4,000. Let's cross

live to our reporter at Tunbridge Wells railway station. Those figures

assume a rise of 4.1%, but some commuters may actually have to pay

more than that? They could, because train companies

in England have some flexibility over how much they can increase

fears by. They have up to 5% on top of the 4.1%. As long as it averages

out across the country, that is fine. Some people could see and 9%

rise. In 2007 his commute to London from

Rochester cost him �263.50 a month. Two years later that had risen to

almost �300. And this year the same route costs him a further �76. He

says his commute continues to rise but his pay stays the same.

Season-ticket prices are �5,000 now. That will be a huge chunk out of

anyone's salary. Particularly if you are on 15,000 two 20,000. He's not

alone in his concerns. Commuters don't have many options. The service

and the price does not correlate. don't think the service is good

enough for such an increase. Fare rises aren't yet putting people off

as record numbers of passengers are taking the train and that number is

still growing. Commuters may be weary of the annual

rise but the government only wants to pay for 25% of railway running

costs. It currently pays for about 32%, so tickets will keep going up

until they hit that target. The increases will be brought in

from January 2014, meaning that, nationally since 2008, fares have

risen three times faster than average earnings.

Our top story: Fracking company have told us that its exploration site in

West Sussex is likely to become a full production site in future. They

say there are other sites which would be better suited.

Also in tonight's programme: The 19-year-old pilot hoping to be

the youngest person to fly solo around the world makes his one and

only stop at Lydd Airport. Joined me later for the weather

forecast. Kent Police are about to introduce

an approach called predictive policing across the county, a system

which was first implemented by the Los Angeles Police Department when

they faced budget and staffing cuts. Invented by an academic, it works by

analysing data of where and when past crimes have happened. Then a

computer system predicts where officers should patrol at a certain

time on a given day. And it has been credited with reducing property

crimes in one area of LA by 12% in six months. For tonight's special

report, our reporter has been out with the LAPD to see how predictive

policing works. OJ Simpson. The Rodney King riots.

They are the iconic images of late -- of LA. When it comes to policing

the streets and stopping every day crying, LAPD is beginning to win the

battle. Officers are using a new system based on an algorithm.

are the hotspots. These are active prediction areas for 12 hours. Then

a new one will appear. It could be in a similar location or a different

one, depending on what is going on with crying patterns. Based on past

trends and current information, it identifies areas there is likely to

be trouble. Within six months of introducing this technique, property

crime fell by 12% compared with the previous year. The numbers are

continuing to improve. The best case scenario is that officers are in the

right place at the right time and they deny the criminal the

opportunity to commit the crime in the first place. One time there was

a gang member of the pit will who saw the police car, they turned

around and went home. That is what we want. It is the equivalent of a

crime-fighting crystal ball. computer has identified this

neighbourhood in Los Angeles. It is one of the areas they think I'm as

more likely to be happening right now. Police have responded by

increasing the number of patrols in the area. This is one of the

hotspots. We want to be very visual. Were not trying to sneak up on

anybody. We want them to know we are here. On this day, the shopping

centre was quiet. But police say that illustrates that the system is

working. Predicting criminal activity does not solve the root

causes of crime, but if it eaters the bad guys and make the community

safer, the police here say they will continue to crunch the numbers.

Has the reaction to the system been generally positive?

It has been extremely positive, largely because it has been

extremely successful. If you look at areas where there has been

predictive policing around greater Los Angeles, the CD crime figures

dropping quite significantly. Officers from Kent who are about to

roll out the system themselves were here in Los Angeles to look at the

various parts of the city and saw how effective the system can be. The

system board very well. And on tomorrow's programme we will

be reporting on how Kent Police is rolling out predictive policing

across the county. An unemployed university graduate

has posted her CV in the back of a black cab in a bid to find work

after being turned down for dozens of jobs. Emma Clifford has been

looking for work in publishing and marketing since graduating from

Canterbury Christ Church University in June. The 21-year-old has now

resorted to taking out an advert in the back of he dad's black cab to

grab the attention of prospective employers.

It is a taxi journey she hopes will open doors for her. This woman has

been searching for a job for three months. So far, no one has hired

her. She decided to market her skills by placing an advert in her

father's black taxi. I saw the blank space and thought I should make the

most of it. You need to use your initiative. Employers look for that.

Her father has been a Taxi Driver for 12 years. With Emma looking for

a job in marketing or publishing, this could be her best chance of

getting in front of a marketing executive. I cover a lot of miles

and meet lots of different people. I thought it was a good idea. Do you

think people in the taxi will be able to help her? There are a lot of

people who have given me good advice and good feedback. I think there

will be some people out there who will help her out very well. There

are currently more than 500,000 unemployed people in London and the

South East. For a new graduate with little experience, it is difficult

job market. I think young people is to be more proactive to get out

there and sell themselves. They are the ones who are likely to gain

employment. I feel frustrated because there is nothing more I can

do. I have gone down every avenue I can think of. I am willing to work

at the very bottom and work my way up and progress. Emma is hoping that

her father's next passenger will be the key to her success.

A teenage Australian pilot who's attempting to break the record as

the youngest person to fly solo around the world landed today at

Lydd Airport on the Romney Marsh. Ryan Campbell, who is 19, set off on

his journey at the end of June and is due to arrive back in Australia

in September. He will spend two nights at Lydd and has asked for

special permission from air traffic control to fly over the white cliffs

of Dover. It was a smooth approach. This is

the only stop on English soil. went over the white cliffs of Dover

and that was awesome. I have seen all the World War II films about

aviation. To fly over that, it was worth the effort. That was very

cool. Ryan started his journey from Sydney on 30 June. From there, he

set off North East across the Pacific, passing through North

America. He then flew north again, along the tip of greenland, Iceland,

finally making his stop at Lydd Airport on day 45 of his trip. His

parents had a sense of pride and a lump in their throat when they came

to meet him. It is very hard to describe. We are very proud of him.

Exceptionally proud. Will you follow him on every leg? Now, this is it.

We will take on his excess baggage. We will see him to France and then

wait for him to come home. We are not doing his washing. He is

well-trained! Ryan is quite a normal teenager who has hit the headlines

in Australia. Now he has the record books firmly in his sights.

As most of you probably know, Polly is off on maternity leave. We are

pleased to let you know that she gave birth to a baby girl on

gave birth to a baby girl on Saturday. Seren Rose weighed eight

pounds, 12 ounces. Both mother and baby are doing well. Seren means

baby are doing well. Seren means star in Welsh.

There was a major shower last night. Thank you for your photographs. This

is an annual event. At this point every year, we passed through the

debris left by, it. -- by a comet. Tonight from midnight, the cloud

cover will melt away. Earlier, we had a fear amount of cloud cover

around. By the afternoon, still some sunny spells. Temperature is quite

cool for the time of year. The westerly breeze is fairly light.

Increasingly misty and foggy. Rather chilly as you start the day. A

fairly settled on Friday. By the afternoon, more cloud cover around.