20/12/2016 South East Today


20/12/2016

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News at Six. It's goodbye from me. On BBC One we

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Welcome to South East Today, I'm Polly Evans.

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A ?100,000 fine, but no jail for the boss of a stunt show

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We'll be live at court with the details.

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The Kent family who narrowly avoided death

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at the Berlin Christmas market terror attack.

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Things could have been different, and we just thank our lucky stars.

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You just feel so sorry - right on top of Christmas.

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A Sussex family's agony at facing Christmas

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missing after he disappeared in the Alps.

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Found abandoned - the puppies dumped in a Kent field that highlight

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And how a cancer diagnosis led one man to donate

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a lifetime's collection of art to Eastbourne's Towner Gallery.

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His approach to safety was described in court as "lackadaisical",

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but today the boss of a stunt firm has avoided a prison sentence

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after a human cannonball died during a show in Kent.

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Scott May, who runs Stunts UK Ltd, admitted a health and safety breach

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following the death of 24-year-old Matthew Cranch.

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He faced up to two years jail, but received a 12 month community

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order and the company was given a ?100,000 fine.

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A thumbs up before climbing into the canon. But this stunt would cost

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Matthew Cranch his life. In front of hundreds of spectators, he was fired

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into the air. To their horror, the safety net intended to break his

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fall collapsed as he was in midair. He hit the ground, suffering

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catastrophic injuries. A mechanism designed to free the Sandman on the

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net once he had landed safety had not been set properly. Bath Rugby

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stuntman. His parents were in court as the firm he was working for was

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mined. The council which brought the prosecution read a statement on

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their behalf. Today was my sentencing is about bringing justice

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for Matthew. He brought to the world a sense of kindness, gentleness,

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sensitivity, fairness and incredible sense of humour. An unforgettable

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smile and the very best of big hugs. We will always be grateful and

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thankful for his love and the time that we have spent together. The

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loss of our son is a matter we can have an exact or recover from.

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Stunts UK Ltd and its director Scott May admitted failing to ensure the

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safety of workers. I think what we can land on a case like this is that

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the health and safety laws apply not just to companies and individuals

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but also to directors of companies, and if those directors are found to

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have fallen short of the mark, they can expect to be prosecuted as well

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as the company. Anything you would like to say to the family?

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Why did this happen? The judge accepted it was not a deliberate

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health and safety breach, but the risk should have been identified.

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The failure to do so resulted in a man losing his life.

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What did the judge had to say during sentencing? -- have to say. In his

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sentencing he said the punishment he offered was not an attempt to put a

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value on the life of Matthew Cranch. As part of a punishment, Scott May

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will have to do 150 hours of unpaid work. The firm as well as being

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fined ?100,000 will have to pay ?80,000 in costs. But the judge

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accepted this was not a deliberate attempt to breach health and safety

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law by cutting corners to save money, it was a risk that was not

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known about and had it been known about, perhaps the company would

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have done something. But they should have taken measures to identify the

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risk in the first place. This has taken five years to come to court,

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there has been a police investigation, inquest and an

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investigation by Ms didn't cancel and they say they will pursue cases

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like this when lives are lost. -- Maidstone cancel. -- cancel.

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A Kent family have been telling this programme how a spur-of-the-moment

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decision to turn back and look at some decorations

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at the Berlin Christmas market saved their lives.

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Lynn and Barrington Butler, who run a cafe in Tenterden,

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were with their daughter on a short break in the German capital

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when an HGV lorry ploughed into the market

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12 people were left dead and 48 injured.

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Nightmare neighbour Lynn Street. The aftermath of a terrible act were a

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lorry was driven into a Christmas market. Barrington Butler was in the

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area when the terrorist made his deadly move. All the stalls were

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empty, the stallholders were crying. They were on the phone, what's going

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on? Everybody was just crying. We just knew a vehicle had crashed

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into... We were literally... There was a wall of people. Things could

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have been so different. The attack happened in the early hours of

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yesterday evening in the popular market area of West Berlin's main

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shopping street. The truck loaded with steel beams ploughed through

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wooden huts and stands packed with tourists and locals. 12 people were

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killed, 48 others were injured, some critically. Mr bow said he moved

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away quickly, fearing a second terrorist attack. They have packed

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the lorry full of explosive, we thought they were going to kill more

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people when the goggles. I thought straightaway this was a terrorist. I

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just feel so sorry for those people that have been caught up in it. The

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German Chancellor, at the scene of last night's devastation. Angela

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Merkel says she is shocked and saddened by what has happened.

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Theresa May paid tribute to the people affected by the events in

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Berlin. We have seen very timid images in our newspapers and

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television. -- vivid. I wanted to expect express our condolences of

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all of us, for those who have been affected, and we hold them in our

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thoughts today. The incident in Berlin is the latest in a series of

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terrorist attacks in cities across Europe. The threat level in Britain

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remain severe, which means an attack is highly likely. Mr Butler was in

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Germany for rest and relaxation following heart surgery. He returns

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to Kent tomorrow with his wife, daughter and her partner.

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Patients face having vital surgery cancelled

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The Southern Rail strikes have cost the UK economy

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according to a study published today.

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The walk-outs, over changes to the role

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The current strike by members of the RMT union ends at midnight.

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Since the industrial action started, it's cost ?300 million,

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And there are more strikes to come - RMT conductors will walk out

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for another three days, starting on New Year's Eve.

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Our political editor Helen Catt reports.

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CHANTING: Southern Fail! Southern Fail!

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We're trying to do the same amount of volume of work with less people.

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Quite honestly, it's not a joke any more, it isn't a joke.

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..Has been cancelled, due to a temporary

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This West Sussex toolmaker says it is losing hours of working time

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every week because of the train strikes making it much harder

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Well, when we've got limited staff here, obviously that

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productivity is reduced, so we're trying to do

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the same amount of volume of work with less people,

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In a region where the economy relies on commuting into London,

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Gatwick and along the coast, a new study suggests

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At the highest level, the total impact per strike day

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is probably 9.5 million, at a conservative level.

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Those trying to fill job vacancies say they have never seen it so bad.

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We're not saying come here, let's come down

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Because we are having trouble doing business.

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We are having trouble getting around.

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We are having trouble just getting to and from work.

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This Sussex taxi firm, for example, says it has seen a boost

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Ladies and gentlemen, we do apologise

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That is due to too many people being on this train.

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And while the strikes are stopping some acts from getting to this

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comedy club in Brighton to perform, they are at least providing plenty

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Comedically, it is a gift, it is a gift, but quite honestly,

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it's not a joke any more, it isn't a joke.

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We can laugh so much, but when it comes to affecting people's lives,

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people's livelihoods, then no, that's not a joke.

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The study didn't look at lost sales or the impact

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With those added in, the costs could well be much higher

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Well, Helen joins from East Grinstead train station.

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Helen, problems on Southern have been brought up

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It seems that the issues on these wheels are making a regular

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appearance in Parliament. It is not all about industrial action.

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Sutherland were suffering from poor performance before any of that

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started so today, the East Worthing and Shoreham MP Tim wrote and

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presented a bill calling for a new real ombudsman. He also wants to hit

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train companies in the pocket when things go wrong. He wants them to

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have to automatically pay into a pot when trains are late and make it

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easier for passengers to claim that because he says claiming rates for

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compensation are pretty low. His bill was accepted so it will be

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debated in Parliament next March. It already has the support of at least

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eight other South East MPs. And you can follow strike updates

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on our dedicated Local Live pages - or get in touch with us

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via Twitter, Facebook, or e-mail to

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[email protected]. A Kent-based company which kept

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a group of Lithuanian men as modern slaves will pay out around

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?1 million in compensation. The Maidstone chicken

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catching company, DJ Houghton Catching Services,

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was found to have withheld wages and kept workers

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in inadequate conditions. It's the first High Court claim

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against a British company A further 22 Syrian refugess will be

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resettled in East Sussex in January, following 22 that have already been

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welcomed to the county Eastbourne, Lewes, Wealden

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and Rother councils have each agreed Whilst Hastings Borough Council has

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pledged to house 100 people Nearly ?700,000 worth

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of cocaine has been seized by Border Force officers

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at the port of Dover, 17 kilos of the drug were seized

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when officers searched a Bulgarian freight lorry

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that had arrived on a ferry The driver of the lorry,

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a 40-year-old man with dual Macedonian/Bulgarian nationality,

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was arrested and released on bail. The wife of a man who went missing

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four months ago in the Alps says her family is in "absolute

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agony" as they prepare to spend their first Christmas

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in Brighton without him. 61-year-old David Wood went

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for a walk in the mountains while on holiday in August

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and disappeared. Extensive searches and

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investigations by both British and French police have found no clue

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as to what happened to him. It is the not knowing which is the

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worst part, says Valerie Armstrong. Her husband of 33 years went on a

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walk from their holiday home in France and simply disappeared.

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Absolute agony for us. You know, not to have any idea what has happened

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to Dave, you know, we love him so much and we miss him so much, and we

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don't know what has happened, we don't know if he has suffered, we do

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not know anything. It is heartbreaking. David Wood, a

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mathematician, was fit and strong, a rock climber in his younger days. He

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had taken to mobile phones, walking sticks and was wearing this orange

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cap as he set off from the village of Marie to the neighbouring one of

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Clans in the French Alps in August. The six kilometre walk was one he

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knew well but no sign has been seen of him since. Mountain rescue teams

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and French police have searched and searched, as have Valerie and their

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two sons, using social media to raise awareness. It is a sad story

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but every year we hear stories of people who have gone off, walking on

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their own in some remote parts of the world. It might start off they

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go off early in the morning and the weather is nice, but in mountainous

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areas the weather can be changeable so we often hear cases of people who

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have been seriously injured or in many cases even worse. We are just

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hurting big time. The thought of Christmas without David is going to

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be such a big, empty hole. I have no interest in it, you know. I have

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sort of half-heartedly put up a Christmas tree, and I just... It is

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just too painful. It is the worst time of the year. Now David's family

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is desperate for news, any news, come the New Year.

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Vital surgery may have to be cancelled for some patients in Kent

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as part of cost-cutting measures being discussed

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The Clinical Commissioning Group, which organises all health care

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in West Kent, says it needs to save an extra ?4 million.

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This could mean courses of IVF, hip operations and cataract surgery

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have to be suspended, with patients having to wait

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We only get so much money and if we spend more than that, we have to

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make deeper cuts further. At the moment, we are having

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difficulty living within that money, which is why we've got to put

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this plan in place. But it is the least

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worst thing to do. is at the Tunbridge Wells

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Hospital in Pembury. This really is about balancing the

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books, before the end of the financial year. A key decision that

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came from the meeting this afternoon in terms of non-urgent procedures

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like some of the ones you mentioned, so if you have an operation and you

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have a date for an operation in the next six weeks, will happen, but you

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-- if you are on a waiting list, it is not going to take place anywhere

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before the beginning of April 2017. The trust say this is as a result of

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huge demand in other areas, mental health, acute services and

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post-operative care. It is really about slowing the money down as they

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head towards the end of the financial year. The patients

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Association are criticising it, saying they are failing to keep up

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with the demands of society. Tonight there will be people thinking they

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had the operation coming up and now they have no idea when it will

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happen. The boss of a stunt show whose

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"lackadaisical" approach to safety led to the death of a performer

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in Kent has been fined ?100,000, Scott May admitted a health

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and safety breach following the death of Matthew Cranch

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in a human cannonball act 30 years of collecting art,

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and now he's given it all away. How a Sussex man's cancer diagnosis

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prompted an act of charity. And December are so far has been

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relatively settled, but that is all set to change in the run-up to

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Christmas. I will have the details in the forecast later in the

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programme. If you have a story you think

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we should be covering on South East Today,

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we'd like to hear from you. or send us an e-mail to

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[email protected]. We are also on Facebook,

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or you can tweet us - @bbcsoutheast. Growing numbers of pets

:17:37.:17:47.

are being abandoned in the South East over Christmas,

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with the RSPCA saying the situation has become dramatically

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worse in recent years. It's estimated that four pets

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are dumped every hour, according to figures released

:17:58.:18:01.

by the RSPCA. Last year the charity took

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788 calls on Christmas Day, and they say they've receIved

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72 complaints of abandoned animals in the South East

:18:09.:18:12.

since the beginning of December. The new figures come as six

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Staffordshire bull terrier puppies were found dumped inside a sealed

:18:16.:18:19.

plastic container in Kent. Charlie Rose has more

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for tonight's special report. these puppies are just

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a few weeks old and should Instead, they were found abandoned

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and in need of urgent care. We got a call on Saturday morning

:18:32.:18:40.

to say that somebody had When we went to the house, they told

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us that they were all in one tiny tub that had been sealed

:18:44.:18:48.

with the lid and everything, and when we got there,

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they were in Some of them could hardly move,

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very lethargic, they had scars They needed injections

:18:54.:19:00.

and treatment for parasites. This one, called Ice,

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still has the scars. Ice was one of the worst

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ones, she was literally The vets literally were quite

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worried, they took away It comes as animal charity the RSPCA

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launches its latest appeal. # If you put your heart

:19:15.:19:26.

in my hands...# It says it has received scores

:19:27.:19:32.

of complaints of abandoned pets in the South East

:19:33.:19:35.

since the beginning of December. In the 14 years that

:19:36.:19:39.

I've been doing this, it's only the second time that we've

:19:40.:19:41.

had a number of pups like this. So, it is quite a rare

:19:42.:19:45.

occurrence, thankfully, And this time, Christmas,

:19:46.:19:47.

when everyone is getting together with their families and everything

:19:48.:19:51.

else, and obviously, these have been pushed out

:19:52.:19:54.

in the cold, literally. Staff here do not know

:19:55.:19:58.

where the mother of these Staffordshire bull terrier

:19:59.:20:01.

crossbreeds is, But the future for her puppies

:20:02.:20:04.

looks a lot brighter now. Soon they will be off to rescue

:20:05.:20:10.

centres and if their appetites are anything to go by,

:20:11.:20:12.

they will give anyone a lot of fun. Charlie Rose, BBC South East Today,

:20:13.:20:19.

in the Medway Towns. When Sussex artist and art

:20:20.:20:27.

collector Patrick Goff was diagnosed with cancer,

:20:28.:20:30.

it left him contemplating what he should do with

:20:31.:20:32.

his extensive array of artwork Well, he has followed a noble

:20:33.:20:36.

tradition of art benefactors and decided to hand it over

:20:37.:20:41.

lock, stock and barrel to the Towner Art Gallery

:20:42.:20:43.

in Eastbourne. Piers Hopkirk has been to meet him

:20:44.:20:46.

and to see his bequest Hidden from the view,

:20:47.:20:49.

this storage room is the part of the Towner Gallery few will ever

:20:50.:20:58.

set eyes on. Mounted on these movable

:20:59.:21:03.

rails, the artwork that comprises the gallery's

:21:04.:21:05.

4500 picture collection. It was a backstage tour

:21:06.:21:12.

here which inspired artist, designer and collector Patrick Goff

:21:13.:21:15.

to bequeath his own collection. So, how hard a decision

:21:16.:21:20.

was it to let it go? I came in this morning and looked

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at them and nearly cried. But I was diagnosed with cancer

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and I was very conscious that whilst I hope I've got another 20 years,

:21:31.:21:36.

I might only have another 20 minutes, so I had to do

:21:37.:21:38.

something. Patrick's prints were accumulated

:21:39.:21:44.

over 30 years - a collector with an eye

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for a bargain. This, by artist

:21:48.:21:50.

Gerald Spencer Pryse. This is Belgian troops

:21:51.:21:53.

at the side of the road. It's an original

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Boots frame from 1920. And you found this

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at a blacksmith's? At the back of a blacksmith's

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shop, covered in cobwebs It just shouted out

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that it was worth having, Patrick is loath to put

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a value to his collection. His reward, though,

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like all benefactors, knowing it will continue to be

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enjoyed for years to come. These are the original paintings

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left by Alderman Towner to Eastbourne, for the creation

:22:29.:22:32.

of an art gallery for the people. 22 in all, bequeathed

:22:33.:22:36.

nearly a century ago. So, Patrick Goff's gift

:22:37.:22:40.

follows in a long line We don't have an acquisition budget,

:22:41.:22:43.

it is tiny, it is less than ?5,000. So, we rely on the generosity

:22:44.:22:51.

of collectors, of philanthropists, It was burning in

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a skip at the back... So, Patrick Goff's collection

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will live on here, a lasting legacy

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for future generations. Piers Hopkirk,

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BBC South East Today, Eastbourne. I don't know if you have noticed,

:23:08.:23:21.

but it is nearly Christmas! Over the last year, we've caught up

:23:22.:23:24.

with celebrities from this neck of the woods and those

:23:25.:23:26.

visiting the South East. As we approach Christmas,

:23:27.:23:29.

here are some festive messages for you, starting with some

:23:30.:23:31.

of the South East's To all the viewers of

:23:32.:23:33.

BBC South East Today, we would like to wish you

:23:34.:23:36.

a very Merry Christmas. Hi, I'm Lesley Joseph

:23:37.:23:40.

and I want to wish everybody a really wonderfully

:23:41.:23:43.

happy Christmas. some people say the future

:23:44.:23:46.

of British comedy. I would just like to wish

:23:47.:23:52.

all the viewers of BBC South East

:23:53.:23:55.

a very Merry Christmas. I like him!

:23:56.:24:08.

So sincere. The weather is on the turn, but not for a white

:24:09.:24:10.

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

:24:11.:26:59.

German police are warning that whoever was responsible

:27:00.:27:01.

for yesterday's carnage at a Berlin Christmas market

:27:02.:27:03.

The director of a stunt firm has been given a 12-month community

:27:04.:27:09.

order for health and safety breaches following the death of a Kent man

:27:10.:27:12.

who'd been fired from a cannon into the air.

:27:13.:27:19.

And six puppies who were left to die after being sealed in a plastic

:27:20.:27:22.

container and then dumped in a field have been rescued and re-homed

:27:23.:27:26.

That it from us by now. I will be back at it a clock and at 10:20

:27:27.:27:43.

five. Have a lovely evening. -- at eight o'clock.

:27:44.:27:45.

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