:00:00. > :00:00.Welcome to South East Today, I'm Rob the BBC News at Six, so it's
:00:00. > :00:09.Welcome to South East Today, I'm Rob Smith. And I'm Polly Evans.
:00:10. > :00:12.Tonight's top stories. The Afghan migrant rescued from the channel on
:00:13. > :00:23.a makeshift raft vows he'll try to make it to Kent again. I until I am
:00:24. > :00:28.at my destination, I would do it again. You would not want to go much
:00:29. > :00:31.further than going across the village pond. 22 arrests during
:00:32. > :00:36.raids in Kent as police investigate alleged child sexual exploitation.
:00:37. > :00:43.Also in tonight's programme: five years after the E. Coli outbreak
:00:44. > :00:48.that affected schools of children, families feel they could be a repeat
:00:49. > :00:55.outbreak. Hastings faces out huge concentration to businesses that
:00:56. > :01:05.lost out when the peer had to be shut for safety reasons. Astrology
:01:06. > :01:06.come I am a Pisces. He has escaped from the monkey cage. Robin Ince
:01:07. > :01:18.comes to Canterbury. Good evening. An Afghan migrant
:01:19. > :01:23.rescued trying to cross the channel on a home made raft says he will try
:01:24. > :01:25.to make it to the UK again. Asif Hussainkhil spent three weeks
:01:26. > :01:30.building the vessel behind sand dunes in Calais, he made a mast from
:01:31. > :01:33.crutches and used a bed sheet for a sail. He had no rudder, compass or
:01:34. > :01:36.food and had started to develop hypothermia when he was saved two
:01:37. > :01:45.nautical miles off the coast of France. Jon Hunt has our report.
:01:46. > :01:51.This is the moment Asif Hussainkhil was rescued two nautical miles of
:01:52. > :01:59.the French coast. He later told reporters that he was not frightened
:02:00. > :02:03.of drama. `` drowning. I was unhappy they call me. I was thinking about
:02:04. > :02:08.going to my destination point in England. Until I am there and at my
:02:09. > :02:11.destination, I would do it again and again. There is no other way to get
:02:12. > :02:14.into England. His makeshift boat was built of six planks of wood, three
:02:15. > :02:25.buoys strapped underneath for flotation. The bed sheet as the
:02:26. > :02:30.sail. He had no rudder, compass or food when he was rescued. He was
:02:31. > :02:34.dressed only in a thin windcheater. I cannot get the village pond on
:02:35. > :02:38.this, but he would not would get much further. It gets choppy and
:02:39. > :02:41.choppier. He was close to the coast. But he was going nowhere. It was
:02:42. > :02:46.luck that he was spotted sooner rather than later. It was a crew
:02:47. > :02:56.member looking out from eight Bury who spotted him as he was kneeling
:02:57. > :02:59.near the busy shipping lanes. `` from a ferry. A 23`year`old Afghan
:03:00. > :03:04.migrant travelled through several countries to reach Calais. Last
:03:05. > :03:06.month, our cameras filmed migrants risking their lives riding on axles
:03:07. > :03:30.of vehicles. Five man died in February. It shows
:03:31. > :03:34.how well British border controls are working, but what we really need to
:03:35. > :03:39.see is to get France to clear the camps and repatriate people back to
:03:40. > :03:43.their home countries. It is hard to see why a man from Afghanistan
:03:44. > :03:51.should need a asylum claim given that we have liberated that country.
:03:52. > :03:55.His previous attempts to go across as being followed. He said he will
:03:56. > :04:04.try again to get England in the coming weeks. Our reporter is now
:04:05. > :04:10.live in the Port of Dover. By all accounts, he is remarkably lucky to
:04:11. > :04:14.be picked up when he was. He is fortunate. Just looking at the
:04:15. > :04:22.pictures of that contraction, but I am surprised that it would last only
:04:23. > :04:26.time in my bath tub. He was lucky that the conditions were good.
:04:27. > :04:32.Further out, it could have been a different picture. There was a sharp
:04:33. > :04:37.eyed crew member, for that very, who radioed the Coast Guard, and he even
:04:38. > :04:44.positioned the ship to provide breakwater. As a spokesman said, an
:04:45. > :04:57.attempt to cross the channel could have ended in disaster. Police in
:04:58. > :05:00.Kent have arrested 22 people during a series of early morning raids in
:05:01. > :05:03.one of the biggest operations of its kind into allegations of child
:05:04. > :05:05.sexual exploitation. Detectives targeted an organised criminal
:05:06. > :05:07.network accused of exploiting girls from the Slovakian Roma community.
:05:08. > :05:11.In a coordinated investigation arrests were made in other parts of
:05:12. > :05:13.the country including Leeds and Birmingham and also here in
:05:14. > :05:17.Gravesend, Folkestone and Dover from where our Special Correspondent
:05:18. > :05:24.Colin Campbell reports. The simultaneous raids began at 7am. 30
:05:25. > :05:34.is dresses were targeted. The men arrested were all of Slovakian Roma
:05:35. > :05:41.origin. These are final ball young girls `` vulnerable who have been
:05:42. > :05:46.drugged. The impact is indescribable. It is a case that
:05:47. > :05:57.seems to have similarities to the child sex pool `` sexual
:05:58. > :06:03.exploitation in Rochdale. This has been a challenging investigation
:06:04. > :06:08.involving multiple victims. It is claimed that the girls were sold at
:06:09. > :06:13.takeaway records `` restaurants. They were abused at Private
:06:14. > :06:17.addresses. The grooming and abuse of children, whether it be by
:06:18. > :06:23.individuals or gangs of people, is sadly very widespread. It isn't by
:06:24. > :06:28.any means confined to one particular community or one particular social
:06:29. > :06:33.grouping. Police say they have identified 14 victims. They are aged
:06:34. > :06:38.between 12 and 16. Seven of them remain in the care of social
:06:39. > :06:43.services. Others may be victims of the worst may not be. We will work
:06:44. > :06:47.hard to get the whole story is from the children, but it is not that
:06:48. > :06:53.easy, and we had to take it carefully. Making arrests in Dover,
:06:54. > :06:56.Folkestone and Gravesend, more than 300 police officers were involved in
:06:57. > :07:01.the operation, supported by the National crime agency. Kent Police
:07:02. > :07:08.say they acted as soon as they could.
:07:09. > :07:22.Coming up, plans to cut more than 50 jobs at Brighton's city College.
:07:23. > :07:30.The families of children who contracted E. Coli who contracted
:07:31. > :07:34.the disease at petting farm say that not enough is being done to prevent
:07:35. > :07:43.it happening again. 76 children fell ill after visiting Godstone farm,
:07:44. > :07:51.and they have won pay`outs totalling ?10 million. A new code of practice
:07:52. > :07:56.has been established. Struck down with E. Coli, Claudia was so ill
:07:57. > :08:04.that she was kept on dialysis for three weeks. We sat in shifts while
:08:05. > :08:10.the other one slept. It was terrifying as a parent. All of
:08:11. > :08:16.Lucy's children were taken ill with E. Coli after a day out Godstone
:08:17. > :08:20.farm five years ago. Only now both had they won compensation for what
:08:21. > :08:25.they went through. Ordered damages in the world do not make up for what
:08:26. > :08:28.Claudio and all of the other children went through at that time.
:08:29. > :08:37.But it is good to be able to draw a line and move on. Having to go to
:08:38. > :08:47.hospital again made me realise how series my case was, and how it
:08:48. > :08:54.affected my life. Godstone farm shut for weeks after the first case of E.
:08:55. > :09:01.Coli was reported, reopening three months later. 76 children became
:09:02. > :09:06.ill. The most serious ten cases have been awarded millions of pounds in
:09:07. > :09:12.compensation. Today, concern that more needs to be done to stop it
:09:13. > :09:15.happening again. Farms, and the open farming industry, could put
:09:16. > :09:21.something together so that parents can assess the risk, and informed
:09:22. > :09:35.risk, and decide whether or not to take the children to that van `` to
:09:36. > :09:44.that farm. With the threat of future kidney problems having `` hanging
:09:45. > :09:53.over them, Claudia will be living in the shadow of E. Coli for the rest
:09:54. > :09:57.of her life. Hastings Borough Council is facing a bill of hundreds
:09:58. > :10:01.of thousands of pounds after it lost a High Court appeal over the closure
:10:02. > :10:04.of Hastings Pier. The court upheld a ruling that it must pay compensation
:10:05. > :10:09.to businesses that missed out on trade after a large part of the pier
:10:10. > :10:17.was shut in 2006. Our reporter is in Hastings now. What is the background
:10:18. > :10:23.this case? Hastings Council took the decision to close the pier back in
:10:24. > :10:29.2006 on safety grounds. After commissioning a survey that found
:10:30. > :10:34.that there were serious defects to the iconic structure. As a result,
:10:35. > :10:40.businesses say that they were left out of pocket. Among them, stylus
:10:41. > :10:46.sports, who had to let go 40 people. They went into liquidation as a
:10:47. > :10:52.result in 2012. They are now seeking in excess of ?2 billion of
:10:53. > :11:06.compensation plus costs. `` ?2 million. What are the council
:11:07. > :11:13.saying? Hastings Council say that they are disappointed. The money
:11:14. > :11:21.will have to come out of the general part of Hastings Council. But the
:11:22. > :11:23.true culprit of this are the owners, who disappeared and left the
:11:24. > :11:36.council holding the bill. There are fears today for students
:11:37. > :11:40.at one of Sussex's largest colleges. Brighton's City College needs to cut
:11:41. > :11:42.nearly fifty staff ` unions say that'll mean some courses are
:11:43. > :11:45.scrapped, along with support for pupils who pupils who need extra
:11:46. > :11:49.help because of learning difficulties. The college has been
:11:50. > :11:52.told it's got to find one and a half million pounds worth of savings `
:11:53. > :11:55.and as John Young reports, it appears that some practical courses
:11:56. > :11:58.are already running out of basic equipment. It is a city centre
:11:59. > :12:00.college, not a university. A place for people who want to crack on with
:12:01. > :12:04.a hands`on career. Targeting students who may not have been
:12:05. > :12:08.high`flyers at school. But that means that the extra learning
:12:09. > :12:14.support on offer is often important. That is why unions are worried this
:12:15. > :12:21.will go. It is not just this soft `` this college that is suffering. But
:12:22. > :12:27.it is made much worse by this idea that you can cut the resources and
:12:28. > :12:31.the teaching and the help that is going to the most needy students.
:12:32. > :12:38.That is unacceptable today, tomorrow and for ever. It is vocational
:12:39. > :12:42.courses which are the mainstay, but to pupils say they have run out off
:12:43. > :12:50.the wallpaper and brushes for the causes that some of them are paying
:12:51. > :12:59.for. Two women on different courses told their stories. Rebecca has
:13:00. > :13:05.cancer. I have very low self`confidence. They do not
:13:06. > :13:11.understand how much the help means to me. It helps with everything. If
:13:12. > :13:21.I'm not there, they write my notes I can catch up. This woman has had a
:13:22. > :13:26.liver transplant. It is so important that people with disabilities are
:13:27. > :13:34.supported to stay in education, so that they can have social mobility.
:13:35. > :13:40.So people can achieve. This college is not the only one facing problems.
:13:41. > :13:45.This college in Hastings was suffering before but it is now rated
:13:46. > :13:51.highly. This evening, the college said that it was consulting on its
:13:52. > :13:54.financial difficulties, but stressed that its commitment to those with
:13:55. > :14:02.learning difficulties was as strong as ever. It has just gone 6:40pm. An
:14:03. > :14:08.Afghan migrant has been rescued trying to cross the Channel on a
:14:09. > :14:11.raft built of wood and bed sheets. He found `` he spent three weeks
:14:12. > :14:28.building the vessel. Also in tonight's programme. Robin
:14:29. > :14:34.Ince has escaped from radio to talk psychology in Canterbury. Sunshine
:14:35. > :14:46.and showers and more persistent rain tomorrow.
:14:47. > :14:51.It's just over two weeks to go until the polls open for this year's
:14:52. > :14:54.European and council elections. Today it was the Green Party
:14:55. > :14:57.launching their campaign for votes in the South East. They chose
:14:58. > :15:01.Brighton, a city where the party runs the council and has an MP. Our
:15:02. > :15:04.Political Reporter Ellie Price went along. What is big and red and green
:15:05. > :15:11.all over? A battle bus that runs on reclaimed chip fat. The Green party
:15:12. > :15:18.run `` won a European Parliament seat for the south`east. This time
:15:19. > :15:24.round, they want to seats. Green party is standing up for more jobs
:15:25. > :15:29.across the EU, social justice, challenging monetisation. But the EU
:15:30. > :15:39.needs to be far more accountable. That is but long been a policy of
:15:40. > :15:49.ours. But here, the Green party are established. Caroline Lucas won her
:15:50. > :15:55.seat in 2010. They also control the city council. But that has not been
:15:56. > :16:00.without controversy. But has the experience of power helped or
:16:01. > :16:06.hindered the party? Do think they have done a good job? I think people
:16:07. > :16:10.have to get used to it, because it is a different approach. I live in
:16:11. > :16:18.the city centre, and I am very happy with it. I have always voted for
:16:19. > :16:24.another party, but Caroline Lucas is good. I am very impressed with her.
:16:25. > :16:30.I think there are very pro`cyclist, and very anti`car. My business is
:16:31. > :16:38.with the cart. So you will not vote for them? With the bin strike, I
:16:39. > :16:43.will not buy them. I think there have been a lot of good
:16:44. > :16:49.achievements, the way the council have changed the seven dials area.
:16:50. > :16:55.These are popular policies. When it comes to the European elections,
:16:56. > :16:59.what people are voting on our the bigger picture issues. There will be
:17:00. > :17:07.taking that message across the south`east and the run`up to the
:17:08. > :17:13.22nd. Brighton and Hove an obvious place to launch the campaign? It is
:17:14. > :17:21.the party's spiritual homeland. They have an MP and a council seat. ``
:17:22. > :17:29.they run the council. Caroline Lucas's message was that they offer
:17:30. > :17:36.the only viable alternative to the established parties. She said that
:17:37. > :17:41.the UK Independence party had a high threat to the Conservatives, and any
:17:42. > :17:47.potential Green voters would not be tempted by that party anyway. UK
:17:48. > :17:50.Independence party are holding a special conference. You remember
:17:51. > :17:56.that a council candidate was accused of racism following message is that
:17:57. > :18:00.he made online. Today, we are told that Nigel Karadzic is launching a
:18:01. > :18:23.comeback. And in the run up to the Local and
:18:24. > :18:26.European elections, which take place on the 22nd of May, we'll be
:18:27. > :18:30.bringing you more details of the main parties in the south east and
:18:31. > :18:32.their campaigns, plus giving you information about all the other
:18:33. > :18:34.political parties asking for your vote. And there's in`depth coverage
:18:35. > :18:35.on our website, bbc.co.uk/news. And in the run up to the Local and
:18:36. > :18:37.European elections, which You can also question the candidates on BBC
:18:38. > :19:04.radio. Competing at the highest level
:19:05. > :19:07.requires talent, hard work and good health but Tonbridge bobsleigh
:19:08. > :19:10.athlete Dave Coleman is determined to continue his career despite being
:19:11. > :19:12.diagnosed with colitis. The illness attacks the digestive system and its
:19:13. > :19:15.symptoms include diarrhoea, tiredness and loss of weight. But
:19:16. > :19:19.the 27`year`old still managed to make it to the Winter Olympics
:19:20. > :19:22.earlier this year and has already set his sights on competing again in
:19:23. > :19:31.four years' time, as Neil Bell reports. For over a decade, Dave
:19:32. > :19:37.Coleman has dedicated his life to sport. A nationally ranked discus
:19:38. > :19:43.thrower, it was conversion to the Bobsleigh that earned him success.
:19:44. > :19:48.His preparations were disturbed by colitis, but with his team`mates
:19:49. > :19:52.encouragement, he made it to the Olympics. It is ported to understand
:19:53. > :19:58.that if you have to go, you have to go. It is huge benefit, because the
:19:59. > :20:01.stress factor, the embarrassment, it starts to flare up again. In the
:20:02. > :20:15.years pass, if you are a top sportsmen, you need
:20:16. > :20:19.to know that your body is not going to let you down. Your bowel is not
:20:20. > :20:23.going to let you down, and you're not going to be worried about where
:20:24. > :20:27.the next toilet is. It is also the aspects of being tired. Its actual
:20:28. > :20:36.energy. Imagine if you are trying to be the rest `` best sportsmen,
:20:37. > :20:42.their carbon losses bought, and he believes it is still possible to
:20:43. > :20:51.achieve your dreams. Young it is about raising awareness, but you
:20:52. > :20:56.should not be stopped from doing things. I always wanted to go to an
:20:57. > :21:05.Olympic Games and represent my country. Hurling down a mountain
:21:06. > :21:07.requires courage, and so does living with the aid disease. He loves a
:21:08. > :21:20.challenge. You may have heard Robin in sneezing
:21:21. > :21:23.about science. He has been on Radio 4 with Brian Cox, or alongside Ricky
:21:24. > :21:38.duvets. This is the planet Earth. I have
:21:39. > :21:43.always wanted to go to Mars eczema why are we not on Mars? For a
:21:44. > :21:50.thousand years, and it could be 1 million miles, we are not going to
:21:51. > :22:00.go that science is finished. Robin Ince promises that his life show
:22:01. > :22:06.will blow your mind. I have a very one`sided conversation. Sometimes
:22:07. > :22:11.the only conversation I have is with a wall of people standing opposite
:22:12. > :22:26.me, and then I get back into my site `` Silent world. Robin started
:22:27. > :22:36.on... Money doesn't make my blog go round. Is that a philosopher? I
:22:37. > :22:41.actually first met Ricky in 1993. He was the edits officer of the student
:22:42. > :22:46.union. We got on because we pondered on what is the best structure of a
:22:47. > :22:54.game of celebrity squares. Who would be in the top left? In the middle,
:22:55. > :22:59.it is all always Willie Rushton. His pairing up with Brian Cox on Radio 4
:23:00. > :23:11.is the pattern if `` perfect partnership. The monkey cage ID is
:23:12. > :23:16.ridiculous. I have to point at some stores again! I am pretending I am
:23:17. > :23:22.interested! He really does want to express those ideas. Those are the
:23:23. > :23:27.people who have inspired me. As I rest my brain, he has a bit of
:23:28. > :23:30.advice for our viewers. The most important thing is do not be scared
:23:31. > :23:35.of asking questions. Don't be happy with your ignorance. Always be
:23:36. > :23:43.fighting against it. For some of us, it is a constant daily battle.
:23:44. > :23:50.Lovely skies over Canterbury! We have a question for Rachel. What is
:23:51. > :23:55.the weather like? I would like to say clear blue skies, but it is wet!
:23:56. > :24:00.I am afraid for tomorrow, the winds are going to be picking up and it is
:24:01. > :24:03.going to be dark. Heavy rain from around seven or eight in the
:24:04. > :24:08.morning. It stays that way through the afternoon. Earlier, of course,
:24:09. > :24:12.we did see some showers around, but there was some brightness. Tebbutt
:24:13. > :24:18.is a bit fresher because there were some strong south`westerly winds.
:24:19. > :24:29.Balls 14 or 15, feeling cooler. `` temperatures. The winds are going to
:24:30. > :24:34.be strengthening. Tebbutt is staying pretty mild, mostly staying in
:24:35. > :24:39.double figures. If you are up early, initially, it should be overcast.
:24:40. > :24:44.From around eight in the morning, lots of blue on the map. The rain
:24:45. > :24:50.heavy at times. It is going to be slowly clearing its way towards the
:24:51. > :24:57.East, but it is a wet, greasy pig to. Much stronger than 20 mph. It is
:24:58. > :25:06.going to be a blustery and fresh feeling day. Temperatures of 12 or
:25:07. > :25:12.13 Celsius. You may... Solly the rain should be clearing, but still
:25:13. > :25:15.the chance of an isolated shower. Still it's going to be a breezy
:25:16. > :25:20.picture. With lots of cloud cover, it is going to be a mild night.
:25:21. > :25:23.Temperatures of seven `` 10 degrees. You may see a bit of
:25:24. > :25:30.sunshine. Temperatures rising a little bit. I attempted of 17 or 18
:25:31. > :25:38.degrees. As we head towards the weekend, it is going to be cooler.
:25:39. > :25:43.Balls of 12 13. The winds stay with us. These are the pressure charts.
:25:44. > :25:54.Tightly spaced isobars. It is going to be blustery. We have some showers
:25:55. > :25:56.and Suncorp winds around. I will be back at eight o'clock. I will see
:25:57. > :26:21.tomorrow. Goodbye. 'This is the story of Nick Clegg -
:26:22. > :26:26.a man entrusted by a nation 'to act upon the policies
:26:27. > :26:29.he proposed. 'But he soon became
:26:30. > :26:37.The Un-Credible Shrinking Man.' So, first on the agenda,
:26:38. > :26:41.tuition fees. that my manifesto says
:26:42. > :26:46.that we would scrap them. We shall abolish the ?3,000
:26:47. > :26:55.tuition fees and make them ?9,000. I-I'm just worried about
:26:56. > :26:58.the figures, sir.