19/08/2014 South East Today

UKIP leader Nigel Farage apologises in person to

the Thai woman described as a "Ting Ting" by one of his MDPs.

I am confident that 99% of our people are not like that and do not

have those views. Mega, meg` apologies.

A worker suffers a life thrdatening injury after falling from

The South East's commuters tell us what they think

It is outrageous. I grew up in Australia and I can't believe the

amount of money I spent. I `lready feel a little bit ripped off.

Meet the family, a new venture for a photogr`pher

The leader of the UK Independence Party, Nigel Farage, has visited a

Thai woman to personally apologise after she was called a "ting tong"

Tonight, we can exclusively reveal Mr Farage

travelled to the home of Fa and Vincent Munday, in Kent, and told

the couple he was "deeply sorry , saying "I will be taking action .

As we reported this time yesterday, Janice Atkinson was recorded making

the comments after meeting the Mundays at their mobile food

Even though Ms Atkinson apologised herself when we told

her what we'd recorded, the Mundays say she needs to resign

Ellie Price has our exclusive report.

That was good, we have Fa, who is a ting tong from somewhere. J`nice

Atkinson released a statement saying she was sorry for that remark, but

today, the UKIP leader paid the couple a visits to their hole in

Ramsgate. What was said was deeply offensive. Wounding, I am stre, for

both of you, and there's thhng for me, because this is a representative

of hours, but mega, mega apologies. She has not apologised. She was not

apologetic at all when I spoke to her on the telephone. We do not for

one moment think that is a representative of what you think or

what UKIP thinks. As UKIP supporters, they say they h`ve known

Nigel Farage for years. I whll be taking some action. I do not think

he is racist. Maybe the ladx, I am not sure. If she can say it to me

she can say it to another pdrson. When I see him, I believe hhm. I

know it is not his fault. No points to be angry. We are going to have a

tough conversation with her and tell her this behaviour is not acceptable

and must never happen again. But a talking to is not enough, is it If

you look at my history as ldader of UKIP, I have turned people out in

the past, people who have persistently miss behave, I have

gotten rid of them. I do not believe in hanging people for a first

offence. Despite the assurances of an old friend, Vincent Fa s`ys he

wanted to see the MEP out. H do not think there is any doubt th`t she is

a racist. And you think she should resign? My wife was upset and I

think she should resign. Wh`t if she does not? That I will withdraw my

membership from UKIP, I havd made that perfectly clear, and mx wife

will most likely do the samd. We joined UKIP he cause of what they

stand for, we are firm belidvers that they are not a racist party,

and if it proves that the pdople in the operation are racist, I will

withdraw my River ship and rightly so. `` membership. Janice Atkinson

declined to comment today. Well, this is not the first time

Nigel Farage has had to step in after a fellow UKIP politichan has

said something deemed offensive Last year,

Godfrey Bloom resigned following a string of incidents including last

August when he said Britain should While in April this year

William Henwood, an Enfield council candidate, suggested comedi`n

Lenny Henry should leave Brhtain to And yesterday's apology frol

Janice Atkinson over her "thng tong" report is the second time in recent

months she's been at the centre of controversy after being photographed

in May making an obscene gesture to They need to be winning over people

who are predisposed to listdn to their message but are not ydt

members. Frankly, this is the kind of thing that would put thel off.

Well, last week UKIP leader Nigel Farage confirmed he is seekhng

selection as the party's candidate for the seat of South Thanet

Mr Farage has represented South East England in the

If he is to become a Member of Parliament, he'd have to overturn

a Conservative majority of 7,61 to win the South Thanet seat.

The last time UKIP contested the seat, they came fourth,

Well, voters in the South Thanet know their constituency is likely to

be seen as a bellwether at the next general election.

The odd remark like that, it is taken too seriously. Laugh ht off

and get on with life. All of the political correctness, I just hate

it. It is just ignorant. It is sad to hear words like that these days.

And Nigel Farage has come down personally to apologise. Dods that

make a difference? Absolutely not. I have got quite a low opinion of him.

We all split up from time to time, old week? `` slip up. I do not try

to make racist, sexist, agehst remarks, but it could happen

anytime, I suppose. Well, let's cross live to R`msgate

and speak to our Ellie, this isn't going to help UKIP

in their drive to be taken seriously as a Westminster party,

but they do have significant support We are talking about a partx that's

topped the poll in the recent European elections, having 24 MEPs

elected. Janice Atkins was one of them. The sun shines on UKIP here in

Thanet. It won seven of the eight County Council seat in last

summer's local elections, and that is why Nigel Farage has been

targeting the area as a place he wants to stand in the gener`l

election. He said he was embarrassed by what happened and doubly

embarrassed by what happened here, because it is on his doorstdp. Nigel

Farage and just Atkinson will hope that in and will be brought to this

incident. `` Janet Atkinson. A worker is tonight fighting

for his life after falling The incident happened late

this afternoon and the workdr The Health and Safety Executive has

been informed and investigations are Well, let's cross live to E`stbourne

Pier and speak to Sara Smith. Sara, what's the latest condition

of the man? Nobody is confirming his condition

at the moment, but it is cldarly very serious, which was obvhous from

the scene earlier here this afternoon. There were policd,

paramedics, air and the enthty Coastguard, all underneath the

pier. Eyewitnesses say somebody fell onto the beach and they saw his

colleagues arrive and there was a lot of shouting and that melbers of

the public, perhaps with first aid bill, arrives, and then the police

and paramedics arrived. The police say he was then flown to hospital

and they described his injuries as life`threatening. Thank you very

much indeed. A miracle in the trenches,

the remarkable story of the Sussex soldier saved

from deadly shrapnel by his bible. More commuters than ever

in the South East face paying more than ?5,000

for their annual season ticket. Regulated fares are to rise

by ?3.5%, For the first time, a season ticket

from Folkestone, for exampld, Travellers from Dover Priorx,

who already pay over the ?5,000 And Hastings could see a big jump,

too, with prices rising to lore Let's speak now to our reporter

Jon Hunt, who's live in the City. The First Capital Connect annual

ticket from Brighton to London could cost another ?127 from Janu`ry. I

broke that is up to some of the commuters here just a moment ago,

and of course, they were not happy with it, but they were not too sure

how investment in the railw`y should be funded. It is outrageous. I grew

up in Australia, and I cannot believe the amount of money I spent

travelling. Everything is going up, but I feel a little bit ripped off.

I have been doing this commtte for about ten years and it used to be

rubbish. I think it is reasonable. There should be a state subsidy

Some commuters do not think they have had value for money for their

season tickets this year. That is right. The music using the Hastings

line, for example, had thred lines `` when a line was closed for three

months. I think after last winter, when there wasn't so much dhsruption

and the line up to Charing Cross `` was so much disruption, and they

line up to Charing Cross was closed for so many months, people had to

take the line`up from Ashford, and it was crowded and there were

problems to put up with, and I think there should be a freeze for them.

In fairness, commuters on that line did get some compensation and there

were repaid claims last year. It is the government to decide by how much

rail fares should go up each year, and of course, like last ye`r, the

government could step in at the last moment to cap these fares again

A man has been charged with the murder of

Aidan Brunger, who came from Hempstead, was killed `longside

his friend Neil Dalton a fortnight ago in the city of Kuching.

Today, Zulkipli Abdullah, a 23`year`old fishmonger,

If found guilty, he faces the death penalty.

Four other men who were arrdsted haven't been charged

The singer Cliff Richard has withdrawn from a charity evdnt

A spokesperson said that he didn't want the event to be "overshadowed

Last week the singer's housd was searched by police in relathon to

A homeless man is in serious condition in the hospital after he

was repeatedly stabbed. He had been sleeping on a mattress when he was

attacked. He was found by a member of the public yesterday evening

A baby girl from Gravesend born with her heart "back to front" who has

needed two major operations to keep her alive has finally gone home

Chloe Bennett was first operated on when she was just three hours old.

Chloe's mother is now campahgning to raise awareness

of the condition where the blood vessels are wired incorrectly.

She spoke to our reporter, Simon Jones.

Back home, the scars they only visible sign of what baby Chloe has

been through in her short lhfe. Two operations with she needed simply to

allow her to breathe. The w`rning of her surgery, absolutely petrified, I

could not stop worrying. `` the morning. It is almost like xour

heart is breaking. You just want them to be well. She is pretty

amazing. She is so strong and tough. This is what a normal heart looks

like. And Chloe, the vessel shown in Chloe is plugged in the wrong way,

meaning that lead that does not have oxygen in it gets pumped around the

body instead of blood which does. She was quite a small birth weight

and she had a few other complications before surgerx. She

was left `` less than three kilograms and she had some other

problems before we could undertake the surgery, so we had to w`it until

she was 16, 17 years old. Chloe s progress was charted in a book by

nurses. Chloe's family want people to know there is help out there The

surgeons were brilliant. Thd nurses, magic. It has all come

together and we have got a beautiful granddaughter. Today, happy, very

happy, and so is lowly! `` Chloe! She is such a good baby. Shd is

happy, Ishii and sleeps, shd is gaining weight, she is doing all of

the things that she shed. She was tiny when she came home. Shd is ?17

today, so she is definitely catching `` she waves 17 pounds todax, so she

is definitely catching up. Ht is coming up to a quarter to sdven

Tonight's top story: Nigel Farage has apologised to a woman who was

called a ting tong by eight UKIP MEP. She was recorded making the

comments after meeting the constituent on Monday in rals gate.

Also tonight: After snapping the stars one by one over the ydars a

photographer turns his lens on the family. And temperatures it should

just be turning 20 degrees tomorrow, but will it be warming up for the

rest of the week? Find out later. And if you have a story you think we

should be covering, you can contact us. Send an e`mail to us and we are

also on Facebook or Twitter. In this centenary year,

the First World War story of a soldier from Eastbourne has come to

light because of the remark`ble tale 25`year`old George Vinall dhved

to avoid a shell burst whilst When he later looked through

the coat hanging where he'd been sitting,

he found a shrapnel bore embedded He was so convinced that God had

saved him, he went on to tr`nslate From the brutality suffered by

millions in the First World War one man's story. There is a shovel, but

something else in the kitbag. Soldiers were issued with Bhbles

through the war, and it was a standard bit of your kit. You got

your uniform, your gun and xour Bible. And this one it tells its own

story, shrapnel area inside the mobile longing to George Vinall as

I heard from his grandson. When the first shells came in, he and a

friend of his decided to take cover in a trench, so they actually ran

out of the building they were in and found a trench. I visited this

reconstruction which belongs to a South East to date viewer, trenches

even like this can still chhll the blood. George wrote in a letter that

he felt that a miracle had been performed. When he opened it, it

opened on a verse, and he s`ys, my eyes fell immediately on thhs verse,

which said, I will preserve the He sent the Bible with the verse to the

trenches and went on to become increasingly religious. The history

of the trenches seems to be the history of hell itself, yet some men

did find God there. Others, superstition. Whether it was wearing

your helmet at a lucky angld or doing something like catching bits

of board three times before you went out of the door, everybody was doing

it because it was a talisman against fate. Now the story has been

included in a new story `` book about the Bible. It gives you a

connection to some of the elotions and thoughts that these people were

going through. After the war, George translated Bibles throughout the

war, perhaps to put this behind him. `` the world.

He's photographed some of the biggest names of the Brit Pop

era, from David Bowie to Sudde, The Verve to Morrissey, thex've all

But now the photographer from Tunbridge Wells has decided to turn

his attention to something rather different, family portraits, but

Moody and melancholy. This hs a take on the family portrait that is

something of a darker and more Gothic affair. It is a mask when

people are smiling and being forced. This is delving into the sotl. Pat

says his photos might be stxlised, but they are more realistic. They

love it, especially teenagers who do not want to smile or be happy and

cheerful. Of course, I do not insist that people are miserable! But I

prefer that kind of non`expression kind of the year. He spent luch of

his career photographing pop stars, and the highlight came when he

photographed his idol, David Bowie. It looked fantastic and he hs really

charming, very lovely guy, which is right `` quite rare. Meeting him in

1997, that was it, I could have retired, basically. Attitudd came

easier in those days, but even now, his a slightly twisted take on what

he describes as a documentary portrait still appeals. I h`ve

hundreds of paragraphs of mx children laughing and relaxdd, out

in the on holiday, and I like the idea that Pat with taking

photographs in a different way. I like the way he liked it, I think it

is very artistic. It is contrast. In an age of a fake smiles, thdse new

photos might fool you into thinking you have stepped back in tile.

Quite the talking white! `` points! Football now and all four

of our teams are in action tonight. In the Championship, Charlton

Athletic face Derby County `t home while Brighton and Hove Albhon

travel to take on Leeds United. Meanwhile, in League One,

Crawley Town will play Bradford at home, while Gillingham t`ke

on Swindon Town at Priestfidld. We have three specific targdt every

year. We seem to have layers dropping like flies at the loment

with injuries, but it is nice that we have a strong squad and players

that can come into those positions. It's an elegant sport that requires

skill and accuracy as well `s both A daunting prospect, then, to pursue

archery as a competitive sport. But a teenager

from Sussex isn't phased. Bryony Pitman has travelled

the world taking aim, and this week she's set her sights on a gold medal

at the Youth Olympic games hn China. Young athletes from 204 Nathons

watch the spectacle of the third youth Olympics this weekend. Among

them was 18`year`old archer, Bryony, from Brighton. Archery is a

surprisingly popular sport. Millions on TV watch the competition at

Lords. But this week, Bryonx takes on the world's best Junior `rchers.

It is just like the Senior Olympics but smaller. We have a Vill`ge, a

stadium, we are part of different programmes while we are out there as

well, so we will be watching different sports and doing some team

bonding stuff to get to know the other athletes. Her progress has

been rapid thanks to countldss hours of practice and the guidancd of her

stepfather, who was also in international archer. Technhque and

the physical side of things, she does strength training, but Mays ``

mainly, it is technique and good coaching. Whilst the games hn China

are important, Bryony is looking for a place in the games in Rio. I will

try my hardest to get there, but there are some very good seniors at

the moment that I would havd to beat to get there. It requires skill

focus and a steady nerve, btt there are few things more satisfyhng in

sport than hitting a bull's`eye That is an impressive amount of

bull's`eye is there, Bryony The block. `` good luck. Feeling really

rather cool, I am afraid, over the next couple of days. Temper`tures

will lift a little bit tomorrow but it will still feel cooler than we

would like it to be this tile of year. There is a risk of showers,

and for Wednesday and Thursday we should be saying `` seeing ht get

drier, but it will be feeling really cool and there will be some

outbreaks of rain. Dry Saturday rain as they go into Sunday. This

northwesterly breeze is going to be with us for the next couple of days.

We did see some sunshine earlier. One or two showers around, not

particularly heavy, but it has been eight cool and breezy day, with

North easterly breezes around `` winds around. 15`16? was yotr hide.

As you see, clear skies, and that is going to be staying with us as we go

through the night. One or two showers, but that will be using We

will see temperatures dropphng to single figures tonight. Eight or 9

degrees in towns and cities. Quite a cool but relatively bright spot to

the day tomorrow. We are gohng to see decent spells of sunshine around

but mostly we should be staxing dry. For the most part, we are going to

be dry and bright, with temperatures creeping up a little bit on the

day's values. You can still see the northwesterly breezes are going

nowhere, I am afraid. Tomorrow night, clearer skies, and it is

going to be quite a chilly night. Temperatures will be in single

figures in towns and cities. Starting on Thursday, it will be

chilly and bright. The winds are going to be easing off just a little

bit. The chance you could c`tch just the odd isolated shower. Highs of

17, 18 degrees. Look at this as they go into Friday. We are going to be

seeing some heavy rain for ` time and then we have this littld bridge

a pressure that will be building, meaning that on Saturday, wd will

see some decent spells of stnshine, but it will not last. The whnd will

be swinging back and the south`westerly direction.

Temperatures will were covered again. Hearing that phrase, it is

not going to last, we do not want to hear that!

Let's recap tonight's top national and local news stories

Rail passengers in England `re again to face an above inflation hncrease

That's despite figures out today showing that the rate of inflation

UKIP leader Nigel Farage has visited a Thai constituent to apologise

after one of the party's MEPs described her as a

The South East MEP Janice Atkinson was recorded commenting abott Fa

And investigations are conthnuing tonight after a worker fell

He's been flown to hospital with life threatening injurhes.

I will have the latest on that at eight o'clock and at 10:30 p.m. But

you can join me then. Have ` good evening. `` hope you can john me

then. Have