:00:00. > :00:18.missing. That's all from the BBC News at Six - so it's goodbye from
:00:19. > :00:23.doors for the last time. Once you have worked here, you do
:00:24. > :00:28.not want to work anywhere else. It has been a dramatic day, with an
:00:29. > :00:43.emergency landing, and of bid and many people hoping that somehow it
:00:44. > :00:48.can be saved. Also, the biopic of Turner, set in
:00:49. > :00:52.Margate, filmed in Chatham, making waves in France, we speak to the
:00:53. > :00:58.star. If you are the only person that ever
:00:59. > :00:59.unstuck the dishwasher... Having a moan in Tunbridge Wells,
:01:00. > :01:19.the grumpy old women are on tour. Good evening, it is now shot, at
:01:20. > :01:24.5pm, these doors opened for the last time to allow staff to come out, to
:01:25. > :01:29.an extraordinary greeting among 150 people, who came to this airport on
:01:30. > :01:35.the east coast of Kent to say goodbye to a place that has had a
:01:36. > :01:42.strong impact on the area for the last century. Purchased by Ann Gloag
:01:43. > :01:47.last year for ?1, it has struggled to make ends meet. It was announced
:01:48. > :01:51.a few weeks ago that a consultation into the closure had been started,
:01:52. > :01:57.today that process came to a close, as people were asked to clear their
:01:58. > :02:00.desks and leave. It has been an extraordinary situation, there are
:02:01. > :02:03.rumours flying around as to what is going on. What cannot be denied, the
:02:04. > :02:18.airport is shot. Dash`mac closed. The end of the airport was a hugely
:02:19. > :02:26.emotional moment, the staff left the terminal building, together for the
:02:27. > :02:34.last time. It is really emotional, the support is incredible. You do
:02:35. > :02:40.not want to work anywhere else. Once you have worked here, you do not
:02:41. > :02:45.want to work anywhere else. It is so sad, it does not need to happen.
:02:46. > :02:51.They go on about airport expansion, you have got a perfectly good
:02:52. > :02:55.airfield, it is crazy. There had been time for one last emergency
:02:56. > :02:58.landing. This pilot had to divert here with engine trouble, the
:02:59. > :03:04.passenger a former Easterners actor. We have just had an emergency
:03:05. > :03:10.landing, I do not know where we are. Where are we? Apparently, it is
:03:11. > :03:18.closing. We would have ended up in the drink. Thank you for being
:03:19. > :03:22.open. For those who do not know, the Civil Aviation Authority licence was
:03:23. > :03:28.handed back today. Munster will not be able to handle emergency landings
:03:29. > :03:34.animal. Until the last minute, the unions had wanted that licence
:03:35. > :03:37.extended. We believe that there are firm bidders in the wings. One
:03:38. > :03:43.company has but two in, there is another potential bidder there, but
:03:44. > :03:45.they do not want to do anything if they believe the licence will be
:03:46. > :03:53.switched off and there will be no further work here. It does not
:03:54. > :03:55.closing their operation, if the closing their operation, if the
:03:56. > :04:01.airfield is licensed for operation, the gauche nations continue for
:04:02. > :04:04.bidders. As staff face an uncertain future, many are angry at the way
:04:05. > :04:10.that they have another job. Less that they have another job. Less
:04:11. > :04:15.than 15% of staff have got a job to go to. Only 3% would not want to
:04:16. > :04:21.come back if they had the chance. The only commercial planes left
:04:22. > :04:23.flying here are ones at 30,000 feet. Its future as a commercial airport
:04:24. > :04:38.apparently over. Everybody else has already
:04:39. > :04:44.disappeared off, because it has been such an emotional day. Absolutely.
:04:45. > :04:48.We have got a family of staff that have lost their jobs, some of them
:04:49. > :04:54.might be saying goodbye to each other for the foreseeable future.
:04:55. > :04:58.Highly emotional. What happens now with the airport? It is shot, you
:04:59. > :05:05.are campaigning to keep it open, but the door is not open. We are going
:05:06. > :05:08.to keep on fighting, as long as we think there is a chance to get it
:05:09. > :05:16.back open. The Americans have put another bid in, we need to find out
:05:17. > :05:22.why Ann Gloag has rejected it. Why is she rejecting it? What is her
:05:23. > :05:32.motive? Can Munster make a profit? Absolutely. I would bet my mortgage
:05:33. > :05:36.on it, 100%. I can prove it. As he was saying, this has been a day of
:05:37. > :05:39.high emotion, but a lot of people who have been associated with the
:05:40. > :05:46.airport for decades have had an emotional impact.
:05:47. > :05:52.It is the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. I cannot believe
:05:53. > :05:57.somebody would be so heartless as to close us down. Those words sum up
:05:58. > :06:04.the feelings of everyone who lost their job today. Her husband set up
:06:05. > :06:15.the flying club for nothing. It is devastating. I cannot describe how I
:06:16. > :06:20.feel. I cannot eat or sleep. Without a licensed runway, the company had
:06:21. > :06:26.to move their planes before 5pm today. We have got 50 years left on
:06:27. > :06:33.our lease, but we cannot use the runway. It is over. Also over for
:06:34. > :06:39.the staff at the airport, some had spent their whole careers here. I am
:06:40. > :06:43.going through chemotherapy, I am not going to get another job at the
:06:44. > :06:51.moment. That gets me through it, going to work. I do not know. It is
:06:52. > :06:57.watering hole of Battle of Britain watering hole of Battle of Britain
:06:58. > :07:01.pilots, staff will come here to mark the end of an historic link with
:07:02. > :07:06.aviation. It has hit home, the jobs are going to be lost, the people we
:07:07. > :07:14.have had in today, lots of people from the airport having food, it is
:07:15. > :07:18.devastating for the area. Today, people tried to put on a brave
:07:19. > :07:25.face, but the tears told the real story.
:07:26. > :07:32.We have repeatedly asked if we could speak to Ann Gloag, the owner, or to
:07:33. > :07:35.representatives of the airport. They have consistently said they would
:07:36. > :07:41.not make any comment on this issue. If you would look at more reaction
:07:42. > :07:50.and analysis, you can go to the website. There will be more reaction
:07:51. > :07:55.on BBC Radio Kent tomorrow morning. I will be back later in the
:07:56. > :07:58.programme to take more of a look at the history of what this place
:07:59. > :08:04.means. A teenage robber who viciously
:08:05. > :08:07.attacked pensioners in their own homes in a string of attacks across
:08:08. > :08:11.Kent has been jailed for ten and a half years. The attacked three
:08:12. > :08:15.elderly victims, including an 89`year`old. She has been speaking
:08:16. > :08:19.to our reporter, you may find some to our reporter, you may find some
:08:20. > :08:23.of the images in the report disturbing.
:08:24. > :08:33.All I remember is lying on my back, unconscious, and my neighbour tells
:08:34. > :08:37.me I was without teeth and glasses, there was blood coming from
:08:38. > :08:40.everywhere. She was left with a fractured nose and eye socket and
:08:41. > :08:45.injuries consistent with being repeatedly kicked after the violent
:08:46. > :08:51.beating on her and her husband in their own home. The 18`year`old who
:08:52. > :08:56.attacked him, taking ?60, as well as assaulting another pensioner, is now
:08:57. > :09:01.facing over ten years behind bars. He has gone into these addresses, he
:09:02. > :09:04.has finally attacked all three victims, they have all had
:09:05. > :09:09.life`threatening injuries, and he has left them for dead. I am
:09:10. > :09:13.frightened to open the front door. She says the attack has worsened her
:09:14. > :09:21.husband's failing health map and affected her deeply.
:09:22. > :09:24.Two men from Kent have pleaded guilty to stealing hundreds of
:09:25. > :09:31.thousands of pounds worth of rare artefacts from wrecks of the Dover
:09:32. > :09:34.illegally kept bronze cannons from illegally kept bronze cannons from
:09:35. > :09:38.the wreck of a 19th`century British the wreck of a 19th`century British
:09:39. > :09:40.merchant ship. It is the first time the Maritime Coastguard Agency has
:09:41. > :09:47.brought a positive vision like this.
:09:48. > :09:52.Raiders of the lost wrecks, the men pleaded guilty to 19 offences of
:09:53. > :09:59.taking historic artefacts from sunken ships. This was one man
:10:00. > :10:04.posing with one of his trophies, a 200`year`old can and he found off
:10:05. > :10:08.Dover. In all, six cannons were taken from a ship heading to India
:10:09. > :10:15.in 1809. The pair also bought up crockery, dozens of pristine bottles
:10:16. > :10:19.more than a quarter of ?1 million. more than a quarter of ?1 million.
:10:20. > :10:24.This is above and beyond your average diver, this is a Coast of
:10:25. > :10:29.systematic and long`term recovery of large scale material, using
:10:30. > :10:34.underwater cutting equipment and explosives. The men left court
:10:35. > :10:42.claiming the law will smack smack the law was unclear. Should have
:10:43. > :10:45.been done two years ago? The waters off the coast are littered with
:10:46. > :10:49.wrecks, but anything taken must be declared to the authorities within
:10:50. > :10:55.28 days, something the men in this case failed to do. They will be
:10:56. > :11:04.sentenced in July. This case a warning to any diver that Britain's
:11:05. > :11:09.laws extend to the sea floor. It is exactly a week until polls
:11:10. > :11:15.open for the European elections, across the Southeast political
:11:16. > :11:17.Today, we hear from the Independence Today, we hear from the Independence
:11:18. > :11:22.from Europe party about why they think they deserve your support.
:11:23. > :11:28.Instead of creating peace, there is turmoil, we have recession, and
:11:29. > :11:32.bureaucracy. The EU imposes rules and regulations on the British
:11:33. > :11:39.people that compromise 28 nations, so it is clear, one size fits none.
:11:40. > :11:44.But for us, we are at the top of your ballot paper.
:11:45. > :11:46.There is in`depth coverage of the European elections and information
:11:47. > :11:53.about the other parties on the website.
:11:54. > :11:58.The health watchdog nice has called for an end to the postcode lottery
:11:59. > :12:02.of fertility treatment. It follows the case of a woman who was refused
:12:03. > :12:05.funding for her eggs to be frozen before she undergoes chemotherapy
:12:06. > :12:09.that could leave her infertile. NHS bosses refused to pay, even though
:12:10. > :12:14.people in other parts of the country get funding. She says she now hopes
:12:15. > :12:19.that others will not be put through the same ordeal that she has faced.
:12:20. > :12:23.Suffering from the bowel condition Crohn's disease come next week
:12:24. > :12:26.Lizzie will become one of the first in the country to be treated for it
:12:27. > :12:30.with a bone marrow transplant and chemotherapy. Health bosses in
:12:31. > :12:35.Thanet refused the ?4000 to freeze Thanet refused the ?4000 to freeze
:12:36. > :12:41.her eggs. Now, the health watchdog says the postcode lottery must end.
:12:42. > :12:46.I am pleased they have issued this statement saying that people should
:12:47. > :12:50.be offered this treatment. It is really stressful to take the NHS to
:12:51. > :12:56.court, it is the last thing you want to do when you are sick. I hope that
:12:57. > :13:01.women will not have to go through this. She did this month get her
:13:02. > :13:05.eggs frozen, but only after a private clinic did it for free. We
:13:06. > :13:11.are lagging behind the rest of Europe in what is funded by
:13:12. > :13:15.government, it has been a long time coming, and I hope this is the final
:13:16. > :13:20.step towards getting it implemented. Thanet commissioning group's new
:13:21. > :13:25.policy of continuing to refuse funding was declared unlawful by the
:13:26. > :13:32.High Court last month. It is still considering the implications. NICE
:13:33. > :13:38.is determined that the treatment is available for those who need it.
:13:39. > :13:41.One of our most high`profile landowners is calling on the
:13:42. > :13:48.government to do more to help manage the spread of the disease dashed my
:13:49. > :13:53.back. He says must `` more money must be put into replanting existing
:13:54. > :13:59.woodlands. The disease first emerged in 2012, research found that Kent if
:14:00. > :14:03.the worst hit county in the UK, with East Sussex second. The latest
:14:04. > :14:07.statistics revealed three quarters of all ashtrays in the south`east
:14:08. > :14:11.could be affected in the next four years. The forestry commission has
:14:12. > :14:18.issued guidance on how to deal with the problem.
:14:19. > :14:24.Managing our woodland in the wake of ash dieback, the disease has arrived
:14:25. > :14:27.this year here, and a new approach must be taken to preserve the other
:14:28. > :14:33.tree species and what lies beneath them. We are on a side that was
:14:34. > :14:39.coppice to 15 months ago, a mixed plantation, and we can see the
:14:40. > :14:46.effects of the disease on this stock. The machine is removing not
:14:47. > :14:50.the diseased trees, they will remain for monitoring purposes, but
:14:51. > :14:56.Sycamore, an invasive species are not originally from Britain. It
:14:57. > :15:02.casts a dense shade, it is a heavily seeding species, so what we are
:15:03. > :15:06.worried about is it is shading out ancient woodland flora. The advice
:15:07. > :15:11.is to replant areas with native species, but estate owner says
:15:12. > :15:21.government funding to do this has been cut. Without that, we are going
:15:22. > :15:27.to see perhaps in ten years the woodland will virtually be devoid of
:15:28. > :15:32.light, and without light, there is no biodiversity. The government says
:15:33. > :15:37.it is working to protect our woodlands, it is funding trials to
:15:38. > :15:42.test for disease resistance. These trees were planted just over a year
:15:43. > :15:47.ago, very lush, the infection is half a mile to our left, it is a
:15:48. > :15:52.matter of time before the spores get blown here. Ultimately, the aim is
:15:53. > :16:01.to find a tree that can survive the disease.
:16:02. > :16:05.This is the top story. A last`ditch offer to buy Manston
:16:06. > :16:09.Airport has been rejected as the airport closed its doors for good
:16:10. > :16:15.this evening. There were tears as workers expressed their dismay. 144
:16:16. > :16:22.staff finished for the last time today.
:16:23. > :16:26.Also, Mr Turner, the biopic of the painter who loved Kent, debuts, we
:16:27. > :16:30.will stick to the director and the star.
:16:31. > :16:40.After another sunny day, will it stay this way for the weekend?
:16:41. > :16:49.The closure of Manston Airport marks the end of almost a century of
:16:50. > :16:53.aviation there. In 1916, it opened as a Royal Navy station, with early
:16:54. > :16:58.by planes flying from the airstrip. During World War II, played a key
:16:59. > :17:03.role in the defence of Britain, with Spitfires and Hurricanes based
:17:04. > :17:09.there. It closed as an RAF base and opened as a civil aviation airport.
:17:10. > :17:16.We can go back, this really is the end of an era? It would appear to be
:17:17. > :17:21.so. When you joined me earlier, I was outside the terminal building,
:17:22. > :17:26.which was opened 20 years ago, behind us here, part of the
:17:27. > :17:32.airfield's history, they got from the Second World War. How
:17:33. > :17:38.significant in British aviation history is this place? You have got
:17:39. > :17:45.100 years of aviation history swept away. It was a Royal Navy will air
:17:46. > :17:51.Station in the great War, and when the Royal flying Corps and the Royal
:17:52. > :17:56.Navy joined together, and became an RAF base. Between the wars, it was
:17:57. > :18:01.expanded, and it played a great part during the Battle of Britain, as did
:18:02. > :18:09.the other Kent airport. And in the Cold War, as well close to the
:18:10. > :18:17.potential theatre? Yes, that was during the jet even, but its main
:18:18. > :18:25.purpose was to defend England. It is a sad day for you. Absolutely. Our
:18:26. > :18:28.business correspondent, you have been following this all the way
:18:29. > :18:34.through, all of the twists and turns, can we say why this deal
:18:35. > :18:40.cannot go through, why Ann Gloag will not accept a bid? I have heard
:18:41. > :18:44.this question so often, it is annoying and frustrating for the
:18:45. > :18:48.protesters, they wanted to put Ann Gloag and Riveroak in a room. If
:18:49. > :18:53.they could have done that, they might have got a deal. She was not
:18:54. > :19:00.willing to negotiate, so we do not have a deal. It is fair to say that
:19:01. > :19:04.this is not the end of the story, although today the airport has
:19:05. > :19:09.closed, I have a feeling we will be back for more.
:19:10. > :19:14.As the artist who described Thanet is having the loveliest skies in all
:19:15. > :19:18.of Europe, the coastline inspired many of Turner's works and cemented
:19:19. > :19:24.him as one of our greatest artists. A new film about him is premiering
:19:25. > :19:31.in France this evening, and we have the report.
:19:32. > :19:41.Sir John Sergeant! Turner! It is Mike Leigh's most expensive and
:19:42. > :19:48.visually stunning film to date, we would expect no less for this, the
:19:49. > :19:51.bio pic of Turner. It focuses on the last 25 years of his life, his time
:19:52. > :20:00.in Margate and the relationship with his landlady. He is obviously a
:20:01. > :20:05.great artist, you can research for a million years, but it does not make
:20:06. > :20:11.him happen in front of the camera, you still have to create a
:20:12. > :20:15.characterisation. You have to breathe flesh and blood into web.
:20:16. > :20:19.More than 100 of his works were inspired by the East Kent coast. His
:20:20. > :20:30.legacy lives on at the gallery in Margate. He said, the light above
:20:31. > :20:35.Barnett, where market is, is amongst the most beautiful in Europe. He had
:20:36. > :20:41.never been to the rest of the world, so he meant the world. There is
:20:42. > :20:45.quite a buzz about the film here, it is the fifth time in competition for
:20:46. > :20:51.Mike Leigh, he previously won in 1996. A win for Turner would be
:20:52. > :20:57.another reason to celebrate Margate, and one of its cultural great. With
:20:58. > :21:03.Mr Turner, Mike Leigh has every chance of repeating the success he
:21:04. > :21:10.had with `` in 1996. People came here for the painters, for the
:21:11. > :21:16.light, they put the festival here for that, and Margate is as ready
:21:17. > :21:26.and in its light is here, so it is not that far. Good morning. Good
:21:27. > :21:30.morning. We placed it in the anteroom. The film has been
:21:31. > :21:35.described as a passion project for Mike Leigh, it seems appropriate
:21:36. > :21:38.that our most submitted artist should be brought to life by one of
:21:39. > :21:43.the greatest storytellers of our generation.
:21:44. > :21:52.Those tough critics giving it the thumbs up. Yes, they are difficult
:21:53. > :21:58.critics. You look at the opening film, Grace of Monaco, it was panned
:21:59. > :22:03.by the critics, but this one has got the thumbs up. We could not be more
:22:04. > :22:08.proud. If Turner was here today, this view is not quite Margate, but
:22:09. > :22:12.it might inspire one of his paintings.
:22:13. > :22:22.They have been moaning for nearly ten years, now the EU are back on a
:22:23. > :22:28.new tour. Jenny eclair is back in the line`up, she will talk about
:22:29. > :22:34.greying hair and sagging rias. They are on tonight in Tunbridge Wells.
:22:35. > :22:41.What can we expect from the show? It is all about the unspoken joy of big
:22:42. > :22:44.pants and things like that, a lack of good manners, and Olympic
:22:45. > :22:49.masterclass in whingeing about the set of the world, and it began ten
:22:50. > :22:52.years ago, it started off as a Christmas TV special, but it was so
:22:53. > :23:00.popular, they turned it into a series, then it became a live show.
:23:01. > :23:06.If you are the only person in your house that ever on stacks the
:23:07. > :23:16.dishwasher... You are a grumpy old woman! The Perrier award winner,
:23:17. > :23:24.jenny eclair! I feel like the first blonde in space! You may also like
:23:25. > :23:31.to know that Patricia Mills is a hopeless alcoholic with a string of
:23:32. > :23:40.Ripley relationships. How do you clean dead flies off your flapper?
:23:41. > :23:50.What? I would try bleach, I would debate in bleach. I must the off!
:23:51. > :23:56.You are one of the writers of the show, what makes you a grumpy old
:23:57. > :24:01.woman? I was quite young, it started ten years ago, I got asked to do the
:24:02. > :24:05.TV version, and I thought, how grumpy and my? This is a natural fit
:24:06. > :24:10.would have gone live and global, and would have gone live and global, and
:24:11. > :24:15.tonight in Tunbridge Wells, so that his exciting, and we are on our
:24:16. > :24:22.third tour. Susie is a veteran, I have done all of the tours. Ahmed
:24:23. > :24:27.Wellcome? Very welcome, we love men in the audience. They start off with
:24:28. > :24:34.their arms folded and they end up rocking in the aisles. What is the
:24:35. > :24:38.joy of great big pants? You have to come and see the show, because they
:24:39. > :24:44.are demonstrated, and all three of us can fit into them, and we still
:24:45. > :24:48.look sexy, so that is a triumph. We have to be careful about what we say
:24:49. > :24:58.on live TV, because people are eating their tea. There is a reason
:24:59. > :25:02.why big pants can save your life. Putting the picture of what we say
:25:03. > :25:08.to people's minds is not what they want to hear! The show starts at
:25:09. > :25:10.8pm. Allegedly, we are heading for a
:25:11. > :25:18.heatwave! We have some fair weather cloud
:25:19. > :25:24.earlier, but it has been staying dry, and bright. For tomorrow, the
:25:25. > :25:28.temperatures will be climbing. Earlier, some fair weather cloud,
:25:29. > :25:36.but for the most part, it was dry and bright. A fairly light breeze,
:25:37. > :25:42.so it felt quite warm for the time of year. Tonight, any cloud will be
:25:43. > :25:50.melting away but stopped with clearer skies and lighter winds, we
:25:51. > :25:54.will see some mist and fog forming. A call start, and any mist and fog
:25:55. > :26:01.will burn back quickly. For tomorrow, more of the same, clear
:26:02. > :26:05.blue skies, and by the afternoon, the temperatures might tip over into
:26:06. > :26:10.20 or 21. As we head towards the weekend, it will stay settled.
:26:11. > :26:16.Through tomorrow night, more of the same. For Saturday and Sunday,
:26:17. > :26:20.temperatures of 20 or 21, lots of sunshine.
:26:21. > :26:24.That is it, we are back at 8pm and 10:25pm. Enjoy the sunny evening,
:26:25. > :26:54.goodbye. at the European elections
:26:55. > :27:02.on May the 22nd. even though that would wreck
:27:03. > :27:10.the recovery and destroy jobs. The Conservatives
:27:11. > :27:14.are now openly flirting with exit.