:00:00. > :00:07.That is all from the News At Six, goodbye from me and
:00:08. > :00:10.Welcome to South East Today, I'm Rob Smith.
:00:11. > :00:14.And I'm Bryony MacKenzie. Tonight's top stories: Major rail
:00:15. > :00:22.works planned for the Christmas holidays that could bring misery for
:00:23. > :00:27.travellers. Why do the mac Christmas? That is
:00:28. > :00:30.insane. I would be fed up to work on Christmas Day, that is for sure. Too
:00:31. > :00:33.many patients to cope ` hospital staff fears as the number of people
:00:34. > :00:35.using A soars. We're live at a hospital in Ashford
:00:36. > :00:37.tonight. Also in tonight's programme:
:00:38. > :00:39.Unprecedented problems of drug`taking and bullying at a Kent
:00:40. > :00:42.prison. The ultimate in intimate gifts? The
:00:43. > :00:52.Brighton artists offering to make a picture frame ` with placenta.
:00:53. > :00:55.And sold for ?400,000. Thank you very much indeed.
:00:56. > :01:06.Buy Misty for me ` the Sussex auctioneers that have sold a
:01:07. > :01:08.complete dinosaur. Good evening. Major engineering
:01:09. > :01:11.works will mean massive disruption to train services right through the
:01:12. > :01:17.Christmas period, with the Gatwick Express closing completely. The
:01:18. > :01:21.journey between Brighton and London could take some two and a half hours
:01:22. > :01:24.during the holiday period. Kent commuters are also set to face
:01:25. > :01:27.major disruption with ?19 million upgrade at Gravesend station meaning
:01:28. > :01:30.Southeastern will not run any trains from or through Gravesend between 22
:01:31. > :01:42.December and five January. John Young has this report.
:01:43. > :01:46.Normally it is the weather that causes most of the problems for
:01:47. > :01:50.travellers over Christmas and New Year, but this year we can put the
:01:51. > :01:53.problems in the diary. For some people on Sussex coast this
:01:54. > :01:57.afternoon it came as a bit of a shock to realise that journeys which
:01:58. > :02:03.often take less than an hour could take two and a half hours. That is
:02:04. > :02:07.ridiculous. They say that it is because they have a lot of
:02:08. > :02:15.engineering works and want to do it at one goal. Why do it at
:02:16. > :02:20.Christmas? That is insane. The works include a rebuild that Gatwick
:02:21. > :02:23.station. They have to detect some point, but surely they could be
:02:24. > :02:26.staggered throughout the year rather than at Christmas. Probably not the
:02:27. > :02:33.best time to do it, but if it has to be done it has to be I'm glad I
:02:34. > :02:38.don't use the trademark edge `` trains much, because I would be fed
:02:39. > :02:46.up. The quickest route from Brighton to London will involve a change at
:02:47. > :02:53.Three Bridges. There are alternatives, but they could take
:02:54. > :03:02.even longer. If you're heading from Gatwick to London you will need to
:03:03. > :03:06.board a bus at East Grinstead. They're also have to be temporary
:03:07. > :03:13.bus service between Ed 's fleet and Gravesend. Many people are saying
:03:14. > :03:20.that it is better done at one goal when summoning people are not
:03:21. > :03:25.commuting. The Christmas period is when the big commuter demand traffic
:03:26. > :03:29.is at its lowest. We have a two`day shutdown over the festive holiday so
:03:30. > :03:34.it provides us with a real opportunity during the Christmas
:03:35. > :03:38.week. Southeastern have apologised again for yesterday's mayhem after a
:03:39. > :03:42.fire at London Bridge. Compensation is being offered to anyone delayed
:03:43. > :03:45.by more than half an hour last night. As for Christmas travel, we
:03:46. > :03:49.have then warned. Well, John joins us now from
:03:50. > :03:58.Brighton station. John, what advice are the train companies giving? It
:03:59. > :04:04.is unanimous. Plan ahead, go on national ruling enquiries, check the
:04:05. > :04:09.website. The advice is to look into it in advance. The message from the
:04:10. > :04:20.vance. The message from the I direct director`general of the Rail Livery
:04:21. > :05:19.The Sussex and Surrey NHS Trust saw a 22% increase over the same period.
:05:20. > :05:22.Attendance to Kent's A units has gone up by more than 17%. Our
:05:23. > :05:25.political reporter Ellie Price spent the day at the William Harvey
:05:26. > :05:30.Hospital in Ashford. It is an issue never far from the
:05:31. > :05:36.headlines or indeed the House of Commons. The Health Secretary Jeremy
:05:37. > :05:40.Hunt just a few weeks ago announced ?150 million extra nationally to
:05:41. > :05:43.help hospitals cope. The hospital here trying to be attention to those
:05:44. > :05:49.statistics that you just quoted, but opposition says that not enough is
:05:50. > :05:56.being done and that the reorganisation of the NHS is putting
:05:57. > :05:59.patients lives at risk. Hospitals are getting busier, experts say that
:06:00. > :06:02.that is an accident, but with winter coming to that week an accident, but
:06:03. > :06:09.with winter coming couldn't we to an emergency? A has been a victim of
:06:10. > :06:13.its own success. The targets have led to huge improvements in the
:06:14. > :06:17.quality of service. We are not in crisis, we're getting busier. That
:06:18. > :06:21.is for a multitude of reasons. There is a perception that Haitians cannot
:06:22. > :06:28.see their GPs. The population is getting older `` the patients. The
:06:29. > :06:33.population at the end of the day will always go for the lights on and
:06:34. > :06:38.they are on 24 hours a day, seven days a week. People need more than
:06:39. > :06:41.just the lights to be on. This hospital is finding ways to reduce
:06:42. > :06:48.the burden on the A department. The ambulatory Ward hopes to ease
:06:49. > :06:51.bed blocking. There are certain conditions that can be treated
:06:52. > :06:56.within our environment. They can have their treatment and then go off
:06:57. > :07:01.on that night and hopefully not have to come back again. Patients say
:07:02. > :07:08.that it is a calmer environment as well. If I was an A they probably
:07:09. > :07:14.would be able to do something, but it is the whole atmosphere that
:07:15. > :07:19.makes the difference. Experts say that others have a role to play in
:07:20. > :07:25.cutting patient numbers. A distrusted, people feel safe in A
:07:26. > :07:29.and people have become, check `` have become much more impatient.
:07:30. > :07:34.They want instant answers and solutions. They do not ask people
:07:35. > :07:37.for help. That is why we need to give them information so that they
:07:38. > :07:41.know how to look after themselves. There may be no cure for the
:07:42. > :07:45.ever`increasing demand an agency mac services, but it is hoped that
:07:46. > :07:51.preventing unnecessary admissions and long`term stays could help.
:07:52. > :07:54.Staff shortages is something that is often talked about. Here they have a
:07:55. > :07:58.vacancy for two nurses which they say they are confident they will
:07:59. > :08:01.fill quickly, but it is doctors that they are having slightly more of a
:08:02. > :08:07.problem with. Locum doctors here are very much filling the gap. As winter
:08:08. > :08:12.deepens this is going to be an issue that becomes more and more important
:08:13. > :08:15.and those preventative ways of avoiding patients coming here in the
:08:16. > :08:20.first place is something that I think we will be hearing a lot more
:08:21. > :08:24.about. In a moment: As 12 children's
:08:25. > :08:28.centres are slated to close in Kent to save money, how the council says
:08:29. > :08:33.the most vulnerable will still be protected.
:08:34. > :08:37.A Kent man facing trial in Uganda because he's in a gay relationship
:08:38. > :08:39.has tonight said he fears he will be deported after officials seized his
:08:40. > :08:42.passport and refused a visa extension.
:08:43. > :08:44.Bernard Randall from Faversham has pleaded not guilty
:08:45. > :08:48."trafficking obscene publications" after videos of him in a gay
:08:49. > :09:01.relationship appeared in a newspaper in a Ugandan newspaper.
:09:02. > :09:04.Claudia Sermbezis has more. After Bernard Randall reported a
:09:05. > :09:08.burglary at the house he was staying with in Uganda, he found himself the
:09:09. > :09:11.one in the dock accused of so`called gay crimes. He knew his Visa was
:09:12. > :09:22.coming to an end. He sought to renew it with a letter from police, but
:09:23. > :09:27.his application was refused. Senior people want me out here. This is a
:09:28. > :09:35.way of getting out of the country without it being seen as an
:09:36. > :09:40.anti`home a sexual thing. , sexual and `` homosexual acts are illegal
:09:41. > :09:52.in Uganda. I have, it is to tell you that what you are indulging in is
:09:53. > :09:58.hurting their lives. They are not morally bad in the rise, I am as a
:09:59. > :10:02.homosexual. It is just part of his campaign against homosexuals. He
:10:03. > :10:07.wanted to get me deported, that is what he has been working on. There
:10:08. > :10:14.has been a shift in Uganda in the past five years in which attitudes
:10:15. > :10:18.in the public and attitudes towards homosexuality have now been
:10:19. > :10:25.transformed to the extent that there is now a virulent hatred of people
:10:26. > :10:30.who are gay. Bernard Randall had expected to face several years more
:10:31. > :10:38.in Uganda. Now he fears he could be deported at any time. Lead put me in
:10:39. > :10:42.the cell until the first available freight out of the country. Whatever
:10:43. > :10:48.I happened to be wearing, that was all I had. He had hoped to build a
:10:49. > :10:54.new life for himself after his partner's death. Now he fears that
:10:55. > :10:57.his future is uncertain. Students are occupying a building at
:10:58. > :11:01.the University of Sussex for the second time in a year.
:11:02. > :11:03.They say the action is against working conditions for staff at
:11:04. > :11:06.universities across the country. Last April a seven`week occupation
:11:07. > :11:09.of a university building led to clashes between students, police and
:11:10. > :11:13.bailiffs. An inquest into the death of a 53`year`old man who was knocked
:11:14. > :11:16.down and killed on the M25 has recorded a verdict that he died as a
:11:17. > :11:20.result of a road`traffic accident. Nahinmu Nicholas from Dartford died
:11:21. > :11:24.after having a row with his wife, who was driving the car in the early
:11:25. > :11:28.hours of April 10th. Mr Nicholas got out of the car on the hard shoulder
:11:29. > :11:34.not realising that it was being used as a live lane due to roadworks.
:11:35. > :11:37.A Kent prison is facing "unprecedented" problems with drugs,
:11:38. > :11:39.bullying and violence ` with high numbers of male prisoners at
:11:40. > :11:45.Blantyre House in Cranbrook with nothing to do but "mill about the
:11:46. > :11:48.house or sleep the day away." The highly critical report by the
:11:49. > :11:51.Independent Monitoring Board comes just weeks after Maidstone Prison
:11:52. > :12:02.was put under lockdown as riot police were called in to quell a
:12:03. > :12:06.disturbance. Lucinda Adam reports. Until recently Blantyre House was
:12:07. > :12:09.praised for it to excess rehabilitating prisoners nearing the
:12:10. > :12:13.end of their sentence and preparing them for public life. No wonder
:12:14. > :12:19.measure to take on more difficult prisoners, it is a different story.
:12:20. > :12:22.The report says that the prisoners being degraded by those who are
:12:23. > :12:26.unsuited to the regime. There have been unprecedented problems with
:12:27. > :12:28.drugs, bullying and violence. There are high numbers of men who have
:12:29. > :12:33.nothing to do, who know about the house or have nothing to do and
:12:34. > :12:46.sleep the day away. There have been two nonfatal stabbings, a sex
:12:47. > :12:51.assault. This man spent two years at Blantyre House at the end of a life
:12:52. > :12:54.sentence in 2010. If I was in prison now and around those kind of people,
:12:55. > :12:59.I would not want to be in prison. I would want to be in the closed
:13:00. > :13:03.prison where it is safer. You have less chance of losing your parole.
:13:04. > :13:07.This prison is supposed to prepare offenders for release by getting
:13:08. > :13:13.them back into employment, but last summer only 36 of the 122 inmates
:13:14. > :13:20.here were working and buy this year that had fallen to just 18. The
:13:21. > :13:24.devil makes work for idle hands, as they say, and people will get into
:13:25. > :13:35.trouble. This comes in the same month as riot police tackled a major
:13:36. > :13:47.riot at Maidstone Prison. In a statement, the Ministry of Justice
:13:48. > :13:50.said that assault and abscond levels that Blantyre House are amongst the
:13:51. > :13:52.lowest in the country. They will take action against anyone who
:13:53. > :14:06.threatens the safety and security of the prison.
:14:07. > :14:09.Our top story: Major engineering works will mean massive disruption
:14:10. > :14:11.to train services right through the Christmas period.
:14:12. > :14:14.The Gatwick Express will temporarily shut down and the journey between
:14:15. > :14:25.Brighton and London could take some two and a half hours.
:14:26. > :14:29.And the dinosaur that has been sold for ?400,000 in Suffolk.
:14:30. > :14:39.What is the rest of the week looking like? Join me for the forecast. If
:14:40. > :14:43.you have a story you think we should be covering on South East Today,
:14:44. > :14:48.we'd like to hear from you. You can call us on 0845 300 37 47,
:14:49. > :14:51.or send us an e`mail. We are also on Facebook and Twitter.If you have a
:14:52. > :14:55.story you think we should be covering on South East Today, we'd
:14:56. > :14:59.like to hear from you. You can call us on 0845 300 37 47, or send us an
:15:00. > :15:01.e`mail. We are also on Facebook and Twitter.
:15:02. > :15:04.It's been confirmed that 12 children's centres are to close in
:15:05. > :15:06.Kent as part of a cost`cutting drive.
:15:07. > :15:09.Eleven others, which were originally earmarked for closure, will now be
:15:10. > :15:12.spared. The new proposals will cost an extra ?500,000 over two years,
:15:13. > :15:15.but council bosses claim they've listened to ensure the most
:15:16. > :15:18.vulnerable don't lose out. Peter Whittlesea reports.
:15:19. > :15:23.Initial plans to close children's centres in Kent have been scaled
:15:24. > :15:27.back, is it a sign of compassion or a U`turn from local politicians
:15:28. > :15:35.following mounting opposition from parents against the proposal to
:15:36. > :15:40.close the centres. We have had a rethink. There were clearly a number
:15:41. > :15:44.of centres that were a vital part of the local communities. I have
:15:45. > :15:48.pledged today that when we do close the 12 centres that we will operate
:15:49. > :15:51.services either within the same buildings over a shorter period or
:15:52. > :15:55.we will look for alternative community venues nearby. But the
:15:56. > :16:00.Unite union which represents staff working at the centres said in a
:16:01. > :16:11.statement that they would urge the council to rethink its proposal. And
:16:12. > :16:16.mothers who use the centres say that they will continue to fight to save
:16:17. > :16:22.services. It is a step in the right direction. We do welcome the centres
:16:23. > :16:25.that will remain open. We are concerned about the 12 that will
:16:26. > :16:31.close, leaving these children with possibly a worse start in life. That
:16:32. > :16:34.is why we have called for a demonstration outside Maidstone
:16:35. > :16:39.County Hall. The county council claims that no one will lose out
:16:40. > :16:42.because the same services are available at different centres. Some
:16:43. > :16:53.families will have to travel if their nearest centre is earmarked
:16:54. > :16:56.for closure. Buyers from across the world have
:16:57. > :16:59.descended on the small West Sussex village of Billingshurst to bid for
:17:00. > :17:05.a very rare, near`complete dinosaur skeleton. Meet Misty, 17 metres long
:17:06. > :17:19.and around 150 million years old. An almost complete diplodocus fossil.
:17:20. > :17:25.It was found in a quarry in Wyoming in America and was up for auction
:17:26. > :17:27.here in the South East. It went for a price tag of ?400,000. Our
:17:28. > :17:36.reporter Jane Witherspoon spent the day with the movers and shakers of
:17:37. > :17:44.the palaeontology world. At ?400,000, I am selling. At
:17:45. > :17:49.?400,000, and sold, for ?400,000. Not bad for a set of bones.
:17:50. > :17:53.That is how much this fossilised dinosaur sold foreign Sussex today.
:17:54. > :17:59.It is the first time that a large dinosaur has been offered for sale
:18:00. > :18:02.in Britain. The 150 million `year`old skeleton was part of a lot
:18:03. > :18:08.created by a Tunbridge Wells resident. Why would anyone want
:18:09. > :18:14.this? One, it is intrinsically interesting, too it is spectacular,
:18:15. > :18:20.three, it will impress your friends. It heals from the Jurassic period.
:18:21. > :18:24.They were docile creatures that grazed on plans. This specimen was
:18:25. > :18:30.unearthed in America on private land, which meant that its export to
:18:31. > :18:34.the UK was allowed. It has been a time`consuming process. It takes
:18:35. > :18:42.days to take it apart and put it together again, prepare all of the
:18:43. > :18:48.bones, etc. It was a long job. It is a female diplodocus and they have
:18:49. > :18:58.nicknamed her Misty. She has twice the length of a double`decker bus.
:18:59. > :19:02.There are only a handful of these fossils around the world. Even the
:19:03. > :19:15.one at the National history Museum is a replica. We have so much more
:19:16. > :19:22.to learn about diplodocus. Misty's buyers have been asked to `` have
:19:23. > :19:40.asked to remain anonymous for the time being. She will eventually go
:19:41. > :19:44.on display for all to see. A Brighton University graduate has
:19:45. > :19:47.come up with a novel way for parents to treasure pictures of their
:19:48. > :19:50.newborn babies by making photo frames using the mother's placenta.
:19:51. > :19:53.Parents have found uses for the organ before, such as eating it for
:19:54. > :19:56.health reasons, but Amanda Cotton has found a more "artistic" use for
:19:57. > :20:09.this part of pregnancy. Mark Sanders has more.
:20:10. > :20:15.Every picture tells a story but in this case it is the frame, it is
:20:16. > :20:21.made from placenta. In other countries they see it as the twin or
:20:22. > :20:28.the friend of the baby. In the UK we dismiss it. I wanted it to leak
:20:29. > :20:31.pleasing to the eye. When you see it you perhaps don't expect it to be
:20:32. > :20:34.the placenta. I did not want to shock people when they found out,
:20:35. > :20:39.but just addressed their preconceptions. Amanda found a way
:20:40. > :20:45.of adding dried and cut pieces of placenta to malt to create frames.
:20:46. > :20:53.This is a prototype made from an animal's but one mother has already
:20:54. > :20:58.got one on order. I can understand that people think it is a bit
:20:59. > :21:03.disgusting, but it is going to be a really interesting thing to have and
:21:04. > :21:10.once the child grows up to kind of explains what the will process is.
:21:11. > :21:15.But will other mothers in Brighton put parts of our placenta on
:21:16. > :21:19.display? Personally I think the idea of consuming it would have more
:21:20. > :21:32.interesting results. Have you done that? And how would you feel? 15
:21:33. > :21:42.months on, I feel quite knackered. Perhaps burying it or something, but
:21:43. > :21:50.I am not sure about a photo frame. Knitted booties or a Teddy it is
:21:51. > :21:58.not, but it places the placenta centrestage.
:21:59. > :22:02.It is a creative idea. On to football now and it was a busy
:22:03. > :22:04.night for our sides. The Gills were involved in a
:22:05. > :22:07.five`goal thriller, Charlton recorded a much`needed victory and
:22:08. > :22:10.Crawley couldn't find the back of the net, resulting in their manager
:22:11. > :22:18.Richie Barker parting ways with the club. Charlie Rose has more.
:22:19. > :22:21.Charlton took full advantage of their second chance against
:22:22. > :22:26.Doncaster at the Valley. The original game in August was
:22:27. > :22:31.abandoned at half`time because of heavy rain, with the Yorkshire side
:22:32. > :22:39.leading 3`1. The scoring was opened in style, then in the 16th minute
:22:40. > :22:44.Simon Church sealed the win. A welcome boost for Charlton. In
:22:45. > :22:52.League one, Gillian beat Stevenage 3`2.
:22:53. > :22:59.`` Gillingham. How about this from a man making his debut. Daniels
:23:00. > :23:11.delighted the home crowd to make it 2`0. Three points were secured for
:23:12. > :23:21.gelling. They were traffic. A great set piece and a great header. The
:23:22. > :23:26.Reds recent record in League one has not been outstanding.
:23:27. > :23:42.Late this afternoon news that manager Richie Barker has been
:23:43. > :23:45.sacked after 15 months in the job. Spare a thought for Gillingham club
:23:46. > :23:49.captain Adam Barratt, who managed to miss an open goal from one yard out.
:23:50. > :23:53.You can see the ball hooked back across, in comes Barratt, and over
:23:54. > :23:57.the bar. Good job the Gills won the game. I'm sure he's had to put up
:23:58. > :24:04.with a fair bit of banter in the dressing room. To be fair, he's a
:24:05. > :24:15.defender, and clearing the ball off the line is what they are trained to
:24:16. > :24:22.do. Let us take a look at the weather.
:24:23. > :24:33.Today, Misty and murky, a lot of cloud around. Over the next couple
:24:34. > :24:36.of days a bit of a shift. Highs of around 10 degrees. As we go into
:24:37. > :24:44.Friday we have got a shift. It will be much cooler, that westerly breeze
:24:45. > :24:51.will pick up and almost gale force well and `` as well. It has stayed
:24:52. > :24:54.dull throughout the day, there has been mist and Mark, particularly in
:24:55. > :25:00.the morning. Temperatures creeping up. They did hit about ten on the
:25:01. > :25:08.south coast. The winds are always very light, and relatively mild day.
:25:09. > :25:12.Tonight we will stay frost free. A lot of cloud around. Really quite a
:25:13. > :25:18.damp picture. Just look at these temperatures. Only dropping several
:25:19. > :25:26.degrees from the daytime values. As we have seen at the beginning of the
:25:27. > :25:30.week, overnight lows. Six or seven Celsius. Very mild as we start the
:25:31. > :25:34.day on Thursday. We still have this area of high pressure, that will be
:25:35. > :25:40.pushing its way westwards. The kid just be a little bit of patchy rain
:25:41. > :25:44.and drizzle, particularly as we go through the afternoon. A very grey
:25:45. > :25:46.start to the day and it stays in that vein as we head into the
:25:47. > :25:50.afternoon. Temperatures little milder than they were at the
:25:51. > :25:56.beginning of the week. Heading temperatures of around eight or nine
:25:57. > :26:01.degrees. Very light winds, still from a northerly direction it will
:26:02. > :26:03.be feeling very cold. Again as we go through tomorrow night, relatively
:26:04. > :26:07.mild. Temperatures will mean dropping to around five or six
:26:08. > :26:13.degrees. Mist and fog patches forming. When the cloud gets
:26:14. > :26:18.particularly thick we might see some light patches of rain and drizzle.
:26:19. > :26:21.Mostly dry as we start the day on Friday. The winds now from a
:26:22. > :26:30.north`westerly direction are really going to be sickening. ``
:26:31. > :26:37.quickening. Picking up 20`25 miles. We have some rain, then behind at a
:26:38. > :26:40.showery picture. Temperatures around 10 degrees. It will be feeling
:26:41. > :26:46.cooler than the temperatures suggest. On Saturday we will be
:26:47. > :26:51.seeing more brightness, particularly in the morning, temperatures are
:26:52. > :26:58.around 9`10 Celsius. Lots of cloud around, mostly dry. It stays that
:26:59. > :27:07.way is going to the week as well. Letters recap tonight's top national
:27:08. > :27:10.and local stories. David Cameron has defended his plans to curb the right
:27:11. > :27:14.of EU migrants to receive benefits as soon as they arrive in Britain.
:27:15. > :27:17.Travellers trying to use some of the South East's biggest travel hubs
:27:18. > :27:19.over Christmas and New Year face major disruption.
:27:20. > :27:23.The Gatwick Express will be closed with all express services set to be
:27:24. > :27:25.cancelled. And a 55`foot specimen of the long`necked diplodocus went
:27:26. > :27:27.under the hammer at Summers Place Auctions in West Sussex.
:27:28. > :27:36.The female 19`feet`tall skeleton nicknamed Misty fetched a cool
:27:37. > :27:41.?400,000. That's it from us. I will be back at
:27:42. > :27:47.10:25pm. Goodbye.