28/09/2014 South East Today

There were angry scenes from Conservative supporters

in Kent today, as the former Tory MP for Rochester

and Strood made his first ptblic appearance since leaving thd party.

Mark Reckless announced yesterday that he was defecting to UKHP.

He toured Rochester today, walking side`by`side with

Ian Palmer joins us now from Rochester.

They gave him a very mixed reaction this afternoon. Mark Reckless is a

good friend of the former Conservative defected to UKHP last

week. Two weeks ago, Mark Rdckless told the committee that he would not

be defecting to Mark Reckless. Today he met constituents for the first

time. They have not been together long but they are already c`using a

stir. I think you have let down the country and you have let down the

country and your constituents. Last week, is this man was handing out

leaflets on the half of Mark Reckless. Today, he is says `` he

says he's feeling betrayed. I am very disappointed. But we whll fight

the by`election. It was one of the best kept secrets. Mark Reckless

dropped a political bombshell on the party that he used to represent in

Parliament. I want to keep ly promise to my constituents. I do not

feel I can do that as a conservative. In Rochester, Nigel

Farage proudly displayed his newest recruit. What Mark Reckless has done

is brought some honesty back into British politics. For every activist

that is upset, there are melbers of the public who are thinking this is

great. Mark Reckless says that he wants to represent the area as the

UKIP MP. The constituents whll decide his fate at the by`election.

Mark Reckless was elected to the seat in 2010 with a majoritx of

under 10,000. Before then it was held by a Labour MP. Could the wind

of change blow through Rochdster again?

An investigation has begun hnto a collision involving the Kent police

The crash happened last week in Dartford.

It is understood the collishon involved another vehicle and media

reports suggest that Mrs Barnes may have been driving without insurance.

In a statement, the commisshoner's office said they are aware

One of the most prominent fhgures in the Catholic Church

in the south`east today apologised to congregations as they gathered

The bishop of Arundel and Brighton, the Rt Reverend Kieran Conrx,

announced he was stepping down yesterday ` saying he had been

"unfaithful" to his promises as a Catholic priest, but said hd had not

As they gathered for Sunday services, churchgoers in Sussex

and Surrey today heard his statement apologising

for the "shame" he had brought on the diocese and the Church.

Football now, and a weekend of action saw Brighton

re`writing the top of the t`ble and Charlton ruing a missed opportunity

Elsewhere, victory for Crawley but defeat for Gillingham.

When you are playing the Championship leaders

on their home turf, defence needs to be watertight.

Brighton had their chances too, almost forcing Forest to score

It was a game of several near`misses, but no goals.

At the Valley, Middlesbrough had the goalpost to

The visitors had their chances too, but as the game wore

on tensions bubbled over and this tackle earned Middlesbrough's Albert

What followed was an Addick's attack but,remarkably,

Down in Sussex, it was satisfaction for Crawley with Marvin Ellhot

on his home debut scoring two goals in quick succession.

A bitter pill to swallow for Yeovil, who gave Elliot a trial

Gillingham went ahead against a dominant Sheffield United,

but an equaliser and this dramatic late winner left the visitors facing

Now, it is time for the weather with Georgina Btrnett.

Good evening. It will be quhte foggy tonight. It may cause trouble for

both road and a travel. Tomorrow will be another cloudy day. There

will also be some showers ptshing northwards. It will be like that

until late in the afternoon. Temperatures of 18 Celsius. On

Tuesday, there will still bd some rain in the morning. It will be a

cloudy day on Wednesday, but things will come down towards the week

On Monday on BBC South East Today, we will bring you a special

investigation into the illicit puppy trade through our ports.

Travelling restrictions for pets were relaxed two ydars ago

and there are now fears that designer breeds imported from Europe

are not properly vaccinated and could spread dangerous dise`ses

Good evening. For many, September 2014 will probably hold fond

memories. A warm and dry month. Today we had a high of 25 Celsius,

77 Fahrenheit in Kew Gardens to the west of London, way above the

average for this time of year. Through the night tonight relatively

quiet conditions, with clearer skies in the south. I want to draw your

attention to these showers in