:00:05. > :00:11.Welcome to South East Today, I'm Rob Smith. And I'm Natalie Graham.
:00:11. > :00:13.Tonight's top stories: The authorities in Calais are criticised
:00:14. > :00:17.for not doing more to help the Syrians seeking asylum in this
:00:17. > :00:22.country. We're live in France with the latest.
:00:22. > :00:25.The plans for a heritage theme park in Margate — but there are fears
:00:26. > :00:33.about how much it could cost the taxpayer.
:00:33. > :00:37.We are confident it will pay for itself. We have done the sums and we
:00:37. > :00:39.have got really good people in place.
:00:39. > :00:42.Also in tonight's programme: The threat of professional wild mushroom
:00:43. > :00:46.pickers to our forest eco systems. We take a close up view of the
:00:46. > :00:56.repainting of the Beachy Head lighthouse.
:00:56. > :00:58.Hello, and welcome to jazz club. Great. Really great. And we chat to
:00:58. > :01:14.John Thomson, who's Good evening. The French are under
:01:14. > :01:17.pressure tonight to provide shelter for Syrian would—be asylum seekers
:01:17. > :01:22.who say they would get better treatment in England. A group of
:01:22. > :01:26.about 50 Syrians demonstrating in Calais believe they have the right
:01:26. > :01:29.to claim asylum in England. The United Nations says France is
:01:29. > :01:31.obliged to house the men, but is failing to accommodate them. Peter
:01:31. > :01:41.obliged to house the men, but is Whittlesea reports from Calais.
:01:41. > :01:45.This scrap of land in Calais is home to around 50 Syrians. According to
:01:45. > :01:53.the UN, only eight have claimed asylum in France. The rest are not
:01:53. > :01:57.entitled to any state aid. This man believes refugees have better
:01:57. > :02:03.prospects in Britain. I have to find some way to get there. But you will
:02:03. > :02:11.be deported, because you have come through France, a safe country? Yes,
:02:11. > :02:17.but I don't think they will say anything. Every Syrian I spoke to
:02:17. > :02:22.believes if they do not claim asylum in any other European country,
:02:22. > :02:28.Britain will accept them. But refugees must claim asylum in the
:02:28. > :02:34.first safe country. In the past we were a safe touch —— soft touch. Now
:02:34. > :02:38.we have got a stronger system. We have toughened up. We needed to make
:02:38. > :02:44.sure that people from overseas understand Britain is no longer a
:02:44. > :02:50.soft touch. In France, a single man would add —— receive accommodation
:02:50. > :03:07.and £65 a week. In the UK, accommodation and £36 per week.
:03:07. > :03:13.But the charity workers in France say there is a big difference
:03:13. > :03:17.between theory and practice. The procedure is faster in England and
:03:17. > :03:21.people get accommodation from the beginning. They don't stay in the
:03:21. > :03:25.streets for weeks and months. It is a bit different. The British
:03:25. > :03:32.government is abiding by the law and the French government isn't? Yes.
:03:32. > :03:39.There are mixed feelings over whether Syrian asylum seekers should
:03:39. > :03:44.be allowed into Britain. Why can't lay claim asylum in France,
:03:44. > :03:49.especially the Syrians, who have links with France? If they don't
:03:50. > :03:55.like how they are treated, anybody should have the choice. The
:03:55. > :04:01.infrastructure in this country is straining under the leash and we
:04:01. > :04:04.cannot afford any more subscribers. The vast majority of Syrian families
:04:04. > :04:12.with young children have now been found accommodation. But the single
:04:12. > :04:19.men are still sleeping wrath. Peter is in Calais. —— still sleeping
:04:19. > :04:26.wrath. In theory they would be better off claiming asylum in France
:04:26. > :04:27.than the UK? That is right. Mathematically you get more money in
:04:28. > :04:33.France and the UK. But the pressure for housing here in Calais is so
:04:33. > :04:37.huge that only the most vulnerable will be given accommodation. If you
:04:37. > :04:43.are a single male, you are unlikely to be given accommodation and you
:04:43. > :04:46.will live on the street. The UN says that is because so many people flock
:04:46. > :04:50.to Calais, the authorities cannot cope. Because there is the option of
:04:50. > :04:52.living on the streets are getting accommodation in Britain, for a
:04:52. > :04:55.certain number of asylum seekers, Britain remains an attractive
:04:56. > :05:00.option. A heritage park will be built in
:05:00. > :05:03.Margate on the site of the old Dreamland attraction, and the
:05:03. > :05:05.council claim it will bring thousands of tourists into the town.
:05:06. > :05:09.But as the High Court today ruled that the council's plans could go
:05:09. > :05:11.ahead, the site's former owners warned that it will needlessly cost
:05:12. > :05:15.the local taxpayers a fortune. Dreamland's closure was announced in
:05:15. > :05:17.2003 and the land was sold for housing and development. But in
:05:18. > :05:21.2011, the council issued a compulsory purchase order to take
:05:21. > :05:25.over the site, as no work had begun. The owners objected, but in May this
:05:25. > :05:28.year the High Court ruled that the compulsory purchase order should
:05:28. > :05:31.stand. The owners then went to appeal, and today that appeal has
:05:31. > :05:34.been lost. Sara Smith is in Margate now. Sara, good news for the
:05:34. > :05:38.council? Yes, a relief for the Council, especially because the
:05:38. > :05:43.company that did on this land has said it will not take legal action
:05:43. > :05:47.any further. In a rather furious statement, they said there was no
:05:47. > :05:53.evidence that Thanet Council or the trust that will run the park have
:05:53. > :05:58.got any experience of setting up a successful amusement arcade. They
:05:58. > :06:01.have ended up going on hand for money from the taxpayers and the
:06:02. > :06:08.council. They said they did not even have the money to buy the land now
:06:08. > :06:11.that they have won permission. The council says the funding is in
:06:12. > :06:16.place. And they say they will make a success of it. In the good old
:06:16. > :06:20.days, it attracted visitors from far and wide.
:06:20. > :06:24.Are the good days coming back? The council has £10 million in
:06:25. > :06:31.government and lottery grants to get Dreamland open. After that, it needs
:06:31. > :06:33.to pay for itself. We are confident it will pay for itself. We have done
:06:34. > :06:40.the sums and we have got good people in place. Wayne Hemingway is doing
:06:40. > :06:46.the design. There will be a lot of publicity. It is something that will
:06:46. > :06:51.snowball once it opens. Wayne Hemingway agrees, convinced his
:06:51. > :06:55.vision will bring in the crowds. We need to attract people from all
:06:55. > :07:00.around the UK to think about Margate and Dreamland as a destination. It
:07:00. > :07:04.is hard work. We are going into this believing we can succeed. Choking
:07:04. > :07:10.the private company of the site does mean the council and local people
:07:10. > :07:14.carry all the risk. —— throwing the private company. If it goes wrong,
:07:14. > :07:19.there is a risk to the taxpayer in Margate. Take the bet, make it
:07:19. > :07:26.work, but chase the council to make sure it is a first—rate development.
:07:26. > :07:28.The council plan for heritage rides and a festival space, needs to be
:07:28. > :07:34.attractive enough to pull in the punters.
:07:34. > :07:40.That is all right for locals. Otherwise people will go for modern
:07:40. > :07:43.theme parks. I used to go there all the time with my mates. It is better
:07:43. > :07:50.than Thorpe Park. It has been there forever. I have only seen on the
:07:50. > :07:58.telly her dilapidated it looks. I don't think it will affect me. Phase
:07:58. > :08:06.one should open in 18 months. Then Thanet Council's plans will face the
:08:06. > :08:11.fiercest of all judges, the public. The council is convinced it does
:08:11. > :08:17.have a winner here. They are expecting even more visitors than
:08:17. > :08:23.they had originally planned for. Coming up in a moment, Norman Baker
:08:23. > :08:28.and a conspiracy of spies. Why the Liberal Democrat MP has moved ——
:08:28. > :08:29.Liberal Democrat MP's move to the Home Office has ruffled some
:08:29. > :08:32.feathers. Kent's Police and Crime Commissioner
:08:32. > :08:35.says she wants a "street savvy" Youth Commissioner and will have the
:08:35. > :08:40.right person in position by Christmas. This morning, Ann Barnes
:08:40. > :08:46.was scrutinised over the selection of Paris Brown, who quit after
:08:46. > :08:47.inappropriate comments on Twitter. The commissioner accepts
:08:48. > :08:50.responsibility for failing to get social networking vetting checks
:08:50. > :08:59.done on the teenager, but says lessons have been learned. Colin
:08:59. > :09:08.Campbell was at the meeting and has this report.
:09:08. > :09:13.I don't want people judging me based on a few stupid things which I wrote
:09:13. > :09:16.and didn't mean. Paris Brown sensationally quit as Youth
:09:16. > :09:27.Commissioner after she had made a series of offensive comments. It is
:09:27. > :09:31.an appropriate system to use. Today Kent Police and Crime Commissioner
:09:31. > :09:37.Ann Barnes was questioned over how the teenager was treated. Ann Barnes
:09:37. > :09:45.accepts responsibility for not requesting social media checks. She
:09:45. > :09:51.fell at the last fence because the social networking vetting was not
:09:51. > :09:55.done. The rest was fine. This is the same system used to recruit police
:09:55. > :09:58.officers. You are dealing with a young person and the process of
:09:58. > :10:05.interviewing that young person was too sophisticated. They missed
:10:05. > :10:11.social media. Ann Barnes says she will have a new Youth Commissioner
:10:11. > :10:17.in post by Christmas. She was the person to beat street savvy. The
:10:17. > :10:21.Police and Crime Commissioners says social media will be scrutinised.
:10:21. > :10:26.There is still support for a Youth Commissioner. Somebody who is not
:10:26. > :10:32.silly and is responsible for what they say. It is a good idea because
:10:32. > :10:36.you get a young person's perspective. There are concerns the
:10:36. > :10:43.candidate could become the focus of intense media —— media scrutiny. It
:10:43. > :10:53.will always be difficult for anybody who takes on this role. They will be
:10:53. > :10:58.seen through the fiasco. For obvious reasons, I don't want this to
:10:58. > :11:03.impinge on his or her work. Ann Barnes says lessons have been
:11:03. > :11:06.learned. She is not looking for an angel, just a single voice to
:11:06. > :11:10.represent the voice of young people. We'd like to know what you think —
:11:10. > :11:14.does Kent need a Youth Commissioner? Or should the force spend £15,000 on
:11:14. > :11:21.something else? You can email us or join the debate on Facebook.
:11:21. > :11:24.something else? You can email us or A man who punched and kicked his
:11:24. > :11:29.pregnant girlfriend in the stomach has been jailed for 11 years by Hove
:11:29. > :11:32.Crown court. 33—year—old Devon Newell from Peckham in London
:11:32. > :11:35.attacked the 20—year old at her home in Eastbourne in October, whilst she
:11:35. > :11:39.was in the bath. He tried to strangle her and held her under
:11:39. > :11:43.water. She was partly blinded in one eye but the baby was unharmed.
:11:43. > :11:46.A Sussex MP has called for an emergency Commons debate after he
:11:46. > :11:50.was issued a harassment warning notice by police. Tim Loughton was
:11:50. > :11:54.issued the notice after he referred to a constituent as "unkempt". The
:11:54. > :12:00.issue will be debated in the Commons tomorrow after any urgent questions
:12:00. > :12:03.or statements. The Liberal Democrats have been
:12:03. > :12:06.defending the decision to appoint the Lewes MP Norman Baker to a
:12:06. > :12:09.ministerial role at the Home Office in yesterday's reshuffle. Critics
:12:09. > :12:12.have questioned the appointment of Mr Baker, who wrote a book claiming
:12:12. > :12:15.that the security services were involved in a cover—up over the
:12:15. > :12:18.death of government scientist Dr David Kelly. But the Chief Secretary
:12:18. > :12:22.to the Treasury, Danny Alexander, says Mr Baker will be an excellent
:12:22. > :12:31.Home Office minister. Louise Stewart is at Westminster. Louise, his
:12:31. > :12:36.appointment appears to have caused a bit of a row — why do you think it's
:12:36. > :12:42.been so controversial? Has it come as a surprise? His appointment came
:12:42. > :12:45.as a big surprise. He had been at the Department of Transport for
:12:45. > :12:51.three years. He was a great advocate of cycling and railways. This move
:12:51. > :12:55.came out of the blue. It has caused controversy. As a backbench MP he
:12:55. > :13:01.took a year off to write a book about the death of Doctor David
:13:01. > :13:04.Kelly. He suggested that he had not committed suicide but that it was a
:13:04. > :13:14.case of murder perhaps covered up by security services for political
:13:14. > :13:17.expediency. He will also try to inject some liberalism into the Home
:13:17. > :13:24.Office. Norman Baker said he had already spoken to Theresa May and
:13:24. > :13:26.said they will work well together. It is a calculated attempt to make
:13:26. > :13:36.sure that a liberal voices heard in a constructive, collegiate way, with
:13:36. > :13:40.my Conservative colleagues. It is an attempt to work together in a
:13:40. > :13:46.mature, constructive way. He is looking forward to working with
:13:46. > :13:54.Theresa May. He actually seemed quite happy at transport. Why was he
:13:54. > :13:58.moved? The premise to's spokesman would not comment on the appointment
:13:58. > :14:03.today other than to say it was down to the party leaders. This was Nick
:14:03. > :14:06.Clegg's idea to inject a liberal into the Home Office to take the
:14:06. > :14:10.fight to Theresa May over immigration, the scrapping of the
:14:10. > :14:15.human rights act and also tackling crime.
:14:15. > :14:18.Our top story tonight: The French are under pressure tonight to
:14:18. > :14:21.provide shelter for Syrian would—be asylum seekers gathering in Calais
:14:21. > :14:25.who say they want to move to England. The United Nations says
:14:25. > :14:39.France is obliged to house the men — but is failing to accommodate them.
:14:39. > :14:45.Also on the programme: on the show today, Jackson... We will be
:14:45. > :14:50.chatting to John Thompson about his latest incarnation as a Yorkshire
:14:50. > :14:54.man on holiday in Blackpool. Today was another good day. Significantly
:14:54. > :15:02.colder for the next few days. Join me later.
:15:02. > :15:08.It is predicted to be a bumper year for wild mushrooms following a warm
:15:08. > :15:12.September — but there are fears that gangs could strip the local area of
:15:12. > :15:17.all Fungi, to then sell the crop on for profit. It is not illegal to
:15:17. > :15:20.forage for mushrooms, but according to the Wild Mushroom Pickers' Code
:15:20. > :15:24.of Conduct, pickers should always seek the landowner's or site
:15:24. > :15:28.manager's permission. Do not collect species you don't intend to eat. And
:15:28. > :15:32.you should only pick enough for personal consumption — or not more
:15:32. > :15:39.than 1.5kg per visit. Alex Beard has tonight's special report.
:15:39. > :15:44.If you know what you are looking for, the forest floor can provide a
:15:44. > :15:58.free dinner. The main one is that everybody is after... Here we have a
:15:58. > :16:03.perfect example. In this country they are known as a penny bond. This
:16:03. > :16:08.is what everybody is after. A kilo of these would probably go for
:16:08. > :16:19.anything between 25p to £40. Nik Weston runs foraging classes. He has
:16:19. > :16:24.seen signs of illegal foraging. A large group of people have come in,
:16:24. > :16:34.they have swept a large area of the forest, been told to pick
:16:34. > :16:39.everything. Then they just go and dump the ones they cannot sell.
:16:39. > :16:42.Picking things from the wild is not illegal, as long as you are doing it
:16:42. > :16:48.for your own personal use. It becomes theft when you are nicking a
:16:48. > :16:52.profit. Something like this is very desirable because in large
:16:52. > :17:00.quantities it is worth a lot of money. Foraged food continues to
:17:00. > :17:12.feature on many top menu. —— many top menus. But signs of mass picking
:17:12. > :17:16.is concerning to experts. They provide the seed sauce for the next
:17:16. > :17:20.generation. If they are all picked, there is not going to be any
:17:20. > :17:25.generations in the future. It could be disastrous. This is not foraging,
:17:25. > :17:30.it is pillaging. There are calls for more governments to stop organised
:17:30. > :17:43.groups from curing the harvest. —— clearing.
:17:43. > :17:49.You may remember him best as Pete in cold feed. You remember —— you may
:17:49. > :17:55.remember his characters from the fast show. Nice. In just a moment,
:17:55. > :18:00.we would be chatting live with John Thompson from Brighton, where he is
:18:00. > :18:04.going to be on stage tonight, playing a Yorkshire man on holiday.
:18:04. > :18:13.Here is a quick reminder of him in action. An actor and comedian, John
:18:13. > :18:21.Thomson is best known for Cold Feet. I see they have managed to get that
:18:21. > :18:25.beach —— get that whale love the beach in Cornwall. I don't know why
:18:25. > :18:32.I said that! Since then he has had us in stitches on sketch shows.
:18:32. > :18:43.Hello and welcome to jazz club. Great. Really great. Not to mention
:18:43. > :18:49.joining the cast of Waterloo Road. I've never seen you in a suit
:18:49. > :18:59.before. He has even impressed judges on Masterchef. What is that you have
:18:59. > :19:05.done? I have rolled it in the egg, put it in a bit of flour and deep
:19:05. > :19:09.fried it. It tastes really nice. Like calamari. Now he is about to
:19:09. > :19:18.dazzle audiences in Brighton as he takes to the stage at the Theatre
:19:18. > :19:21.Royal. John Thomson joins us now. We have just seen some of the stuff you
:19:21. > :19:25.have done over the years. You are a Mancunian playing a Yorkshire man.
:19:25. > :19:32.Is that the toughest role of your career? Well, some of the vowel
:19:32. > :19:36.sounds are different. I have had to work the accents to get it
:19:36. > :19:41.authentic. It is still a learning curve. That has been the only
:19:41. > :19:48.problem. I have got a good year for accidents. I don't think it is going
:19:48. > :19:54.to rekindle the War of the Roses, to be honest. We have just seen your
:19:54. > :19:57.incredible career. You have barely left our screens over the last
:19:57. > :20:03.couple of decades. What do people remember you for most? Cold Feet and
:20:03. > :20:06.the fast show seem to be the strongest things in my career. I
:20:06. > :20:15.still get people coming up to me on the street saying, nice. Which I
:20:15. > :20:19.responded to with, great. Cold Feet was ground—breaking in its time and
:20:19. > :20:24.people still ask if it is coming back. I cannot really answer that.
:20:24. > :20:31.Yes, those are two things I am very proud of. You are on a tour at the
:20:31. > :20:38.moment. Is that quite tough for you being away from the family? It is,
:20:38. > :20:42.yes. A lot of the tour dates are a southern —based. If you live in
:20:42. > :20:47.London, it is immutable. After Aylesbury I get to go to Derby. Most
:20:47. > :20:54.nights I will come home after Derby. And Chesterfield, too. Yes,
:20:54. > :20:59.this three—week run has been Richmond, Brighton, Aylesbury. I
:20:59. > :21:04.only have had half a day with them. I am relying on Skype to speak to
:21:04. > :21:09.the kids. That is one of the toughest parts of touring. But I do
:21:09. > :21:15.love the fact that you get to see different places all the time and
:21:15. > :21:21.explore the town you're staying in. You are in a good place to enjoy the
:21:21. > :21:25.night. Yes, the audience were cracking last night. The reviews
:21:26. > :21:34.have been brilliant. Tonight I'm really looking forward to the show.
:21:34. > :21:39.Enjoy it. Thank you Brett much. Thank you so much. Cheers.
:21:40. > :21:44.Kent police Commissioner Ann Barnes once a street savvy Youth
:21:44. > :21:48.Commissioner and she says she will have the right person in position by
:21:48. > :21:54.Christmas. We asked you what you think. Does Kent need a Youth
:21:54. > :22:00.Commissioner? We have had lots of comments. Tony cannot see the point
:22:00. > :22:04.of a Youth Commissioner after the Police and Crime Commissioner made
:22:04. > :22:09.such a mess of the first one. Chris says, come on, let's support this.
:22:09. > :22:13.It is a chance for an educated and intelligent youngster to do a
:22:14. > :22:19.worthwhile job. Ralph says, bring back Paris Brown. Politicians often
:22:19. > :22:25.make inappropriate comments and get away with it. But Michael King says,
:22:25. > :22:31.it is yet another total waste of public money. Rodney Hughes believes
:22:31. > :22:36.that as well. Of course we do not need another Youth Commissioner.
:22:36. > :22:40.There is too much emphasis on youth. And Lucy referred to the story we
:22:40. > :22:47.digested a involving Kent police. She says, let's spend this £15,000
:22:47. > :22:50.on staff and police officers in overtime to man the remembrance
:22:50. > :22:55.parade in Chatham. It is good to see the police listening to the youth of
:22:55. > :22:57.our country but the press should not try to attack the person who steps
:22:57. > :23:04.into this role as happened last time. Thank you for your comments.
:23:04. > :23:10.Time for the weather. Incredibly warm today for October. I know.
:23:10. > :23:14.Today, another day when you could have been out and about in T—shirts.
:23:14. > :23:16.In the next couple of days, a big drop in those temperatures. It is
:23:16. > :23:27.good to be very windy. Gale force winds. Not so today. Plenty of
:23:27. > :23:35.sunshine, particularly in the morning. Decent temperatures for the
:23:35. > :23:40.time of the year. 19 to 20 degrees. A very pleasant day indeed. Through
:23:40. > :23:44.tonight we have got a cold front. Some more cloud cover. We could see
:23:44. > :23:49.some light patchy rain and drizzle. The wind is picking up a little bit.
:23:49. > :23:57.Temperatures again very mild for the time of the year. Dropping to 12 or
:23:57. > :24:03.13 degrees. As we start the day tomorrow, it will be overcast,
:24:03. > :24:07.particularly in the morning. The winds are going to start picking up
:24:07. > :24:10.and they will be swinging in a north—westerly direction.
:24:10. > :24:17.Temperatures dropping several degrees on today's values. Highs of
:24:17. > :24:21.around 15 or 16 degrees. The chance of a scattered light shower. Through
:24:21. > :24:27.tomorrow evening, we see that cloud eventually lifting. Clearer skies.
:24:27. > :24:34.Temperatures dropping widely for all of us to single figures. Overnight
:24:34. > :24:40.lows of five or six degrees. A cold start on Thursday. But quite bright.
:24:40. > :24:46.The winds on Thursday gusting to 50 mph on the coast. Inland, still
:24:46. > :24:52.quite breezy. The chance of outbreaks of rain. It stays cool as
:24:52. > :24:59.we move into Friday. The wind staying strong as well. Temperatures
:24:59. > :25:04.at 13 or 14 degrees. Hefty rain. As we head into the weekend, unsettled
:25:04. > :25:07.and cool. It has been lovely in the last few days, but quite a shift for
:25:07. > :25:17.the rest of the week. Thank you very much. Former Brighton manager Gus
:25:17. > :25:20.Poyet has been named as head coach of Premiership side Sunderland.
:25:20. > :25:21.Poyet — who was sacked by the Seagulls in June —
:25:21. > :25:39.A French company is going to be in Kent are trying to produce
:25:39. > :25:52.cross—channel business opportunities in the next couple of days.
:25:52. > :26:00.With its own cocoa bean plantations in South America, more than 20 shops
:26:00. > :26:06.and a busy factory near Calais, this chocolate manufacturer has set its
:26:06. > :26:11.sights on the UK market. I think if you want to make yourself known in a
:26:11. > :26:18.country, you go there and say hello to anybody you can meet. I think
:26:18. > :26:26.word—of—mouth spreads. They are one of dozens of firms trying to forge
:26:26. > :26:30.business links with companies here. Kent people are close by. They
:26:30. > :26:38.probably do not realise the potential that exists an hour and a
:26:38. > :26:44.half on —— from where they live. We understand each other better. We can
:26:44. > :26:48.become an entry. We can be even more competitive. The event in Tunbridge
:26:48. > :26:55.Wells is open to anybody interested in trade with northern France. And
:26:55. > :27:02.the share in a £150 billion market between the two countries. We are
:27:02. > :27:06.sorry we could not bring you the report about the painting of the
:27:06. > :27:10.Beachy Head lighthouse. We do hope to have it for you tomorrow. Indeed
:27:10. > :27:16.we do. I will be back at eight o'clock and the main News at
:27:17. > :27:22.10:25pm. Before we go, let's look at the national and local top stories.
:27:22. > :27:25.16 to 24—year—olds in England and Northern Ireland lag far behind
:27:25. > :27:28.young people in other industrialised countries when it comes to literacy
:27:28. > :27:33.and numerous Eid tests, according to a report. The French authorities are
:27:33. > :27:39.under pressure tonight to provide shelter and care to Syrian asylum
:27:39. > :27:42.seekers in Calais. The UN says France is obliged to has the men.
:27:42. > :27:46.That is it. Goodbye.