08/03/2014 South East Today

Good afternoon. The coastgu`rd and on BBC One, time for the news

Good afternoon. The coastgu`rd and the local council are warning

visitors to stay away from the cliff edge at Birling gap, after ` series

of falls in the cliff face over the last week. On Tuesday, the

especially high tide caused a severe fall in the chalk cliffs after a 30

foot crack appeared. A high number of tourists are predicted to visit

the area this weekend because of the warm weather. Mark Sanders reports.

Some people are prepared to risk it all to get close to the edgd and

another person went beyond the safety tape just to take a picture.

All this near the spot wherd a massive section of cliff gave way a

few days ago. There's still some people who are perilously ndar and I

would plead with them, please keep back from the edge, because it is

not just themselves that thdy're putting at risk. The Nation`l Trust

has put out a warning to kedp people away from the edge, because many

more visitors are expected to come to Birling gap during the good

weather to see how the coast is being reshaped. We have comd down to

see all the erosion. We havd heard about it. People said it was very

dramatic. As much has come down in about six weeks as generallx takes

seven years, so the difference is quite stunning. But there's nothing

we can do, it's nature and that s the way it's going to be. The RNLI

is also urging anyone venturing out to any beach next to cliffs to be

cautious. If they're down on the beach and there is a rockfall, look

out, they're going to be in serious trouble. And that doesn't jtst

happen on the Birling gap or the Beachy Head area. That can happen

anywhere along the coast. As we know, along the years there have

been lots of rockfalls and sadly life has been lost. At Birlhng gap

the advice from National Trtst is for people to stay at least five

metres away from the cliff ddge Police are continuing their search

for a missing Tonbridge man, whose family fear is dead. Kent Police are

using radar equipment on thd River Medway after divers failed to find

anything yesterday. 25`year`old Kieron Knowlden hasn't been seen

since he left a bar after a night out with family and friends a week

ago. Police and fire crews have been investigating a chemical sphll on

Dover's seafront. A lorry w`s involved in a crash with a car just

before 1 o'clock this lunchtime and the blue substance was leakdd.

Firefighters used breathing apparatus to clear it up. They say

there's no danger to the public The winter storms that hit the country

caused the greatest loss of trees in a generation in some areas `ccording

to the National Trust, with two sites in the South East badly

affected. Specimen trees were damaged or blown over at both

Scotney Castle in Kent and Nymans in Sussex. Woodlands, parks and gardens

cared for by the trust have seen the worst damage in two decades. The

Kent skiing guide Charlotte Evans has helped partially`sighted

paralympian Kelly Gallagher to sixth place at her first event at the

Winter Olympics. The pair mhssed out on a medal place in the womdn's

downhill for visually`impaired athletes earlier today. But

Britain's Jade Etherington `nd her guide Caroline Powell took the

silver. Two south east rugbx players have been named in England's side to

play Wales tomorrow. Joe Mahler who started his career at Haywards

Heath, and Dylan Hartley, who went to school in Crowborough and played

for the town's rugby club, will both start in the penultimate Six Nations

match. Confidence is high in the group and whoever we play, whoever

comes off the bench, we've tsually got a good pack out on the field. As

ever, evolving from the Irish game, we need to look to gain domhnance.

Our scrum creaked a bit and I struggled with the hook of the ball,

so there is still things to work on and improve. Football and Brighton

got off to a good start agahnst Reading. After that the vishtors

managed to equalise. Gillingham and Crawley are level at 0`0. It has

been a glorious afternoon. Here is the weather with Elizabeth. We have

seen plenty of sunshine tod`y and tomorrow too there will be `nother

glorious spring day for most of us. Tonight it will be clear and dry and

that breeze will continue. So it will keep any frost at bay.

Temperatures down to five Cdlsius inland. So plenty of sunshine

tomorrow. Wall to wall sunshine in many case. We have got that

southerly breeze, so coastal areas will stay cool. Temperatures up to

16 degrees. Maybe even highdr than that. So feeling very warm hn the

sunshine. The sunshine will continue into next week. But there whll be

variable amounts of cloud and it will feel cooler.

match. -- they are very dusty. Some patchy drizzle to the west of Wales.

For the rest of England and Wales, mainly clear skies, but a patchy fog

towards the south-west later overnight. Temperatures hold up

above frost level in the breeze but it will still feel fairly chilly.

Tomorrow, the cloud stays with us in