:00:08. > :00:21.Passengers have reacted angrily to today's rail fare rise of over
:00:22. > :00:24.two per cent on average with calls for a fare freeze for Southern
:00:25. > :00:26.commuters who've suffered months of disruption due to strike action.
:00:27. > :00:29.A season ticket from Dover Priory to London will cost around ?100
:00:30. > :00:32.more than last year, passengers from Sevenoaks will pay
:00:33. > :00:33.around ?60 more and Brighton commuters who've faced months
:00:34. > :00:36.of delays and cancellations will see their season tickets rise
:00:37. > :00:40.New year, new rail ticket price rises.
:00:41. > :00:42.The increase comes on the third day of an RMT strike.
:00:43. > :00:45.Travellers in East Grinstead that they are not happy about paying
:00:46. > :00:49.In view, of the problems with Southern rail in
:00:50. > :00:50.the last little while, I'm
:00:51. > :00:54.I think the price of rail fares now is
:00:55. > :00:57.extortionate and I think that it would be a lot easier to tolerate if
:00:58. > :00:59.the trains actually ran consistently on time
:01:00. > :01:04.and from work, and London in the way we should be able to.
:01:05. > :01:08.I think they've got a bit of a nerve putting
:01:09. > :01:15.The annual increase in fares is being introduced because
:01:16. > :01:17.the Government wants passengers to fund a larger
:01:18. > :01:22.I feel acutely sorry for the Southern commuters who have
:01:23. > :01:24.experienced the problems over the past few months,
:01:25. > :01:29.but what we did was say to these people, in recognition
:01:30. > :01:32.of the trouble you been through, we are going to give our regular
:01:33. > :01:34.customers on that route a month's free travel.
:01:35. > :01:36.In addition to the season ticket holders' compensation
:01:37. > :01:38.rebate, Southern says because services have
:01:39. > :01:40.not been good enough, it's also going to freeze its
:01:41. > :01:43.cheapest advanced fare tickets for the ninth year in a row.
:01:44. > :01:45.But the dispute over the role conducters on
:01:46. > :01:48.The ten month strike has caused misery to
:01:49. > :02:01.It's even affecting commuters on the south-eastern line in Kent.
:02:02. > :02:08.There's some trains in particular, like the
:02:09. > :02:10.6:31 from Sevenoaks, which, on a Friday, you cannot get
:02:11. > :02:20.Another strike is due to begin on January the 9th.
:02:21. > :02:23.It may be a new year, but the old problems have
:02:24. > :02:32.Ian, what sort of service can commuters expect when they return
:02:33. > :02:47.hell, John. Hell, I would say. The strike will end at midnight tonight
:02:48. > :02:55.but the union has an overtime ban which means there will be a reduced
:02:56. > :03:01.service from hair. There is no Gatwick Express at all to morrow.
:03:02. > :03:05.More details on the website. -- here. The disruption has been caused
:03:06. > :03:10.by trains being in the wrong place and if you have to travel during
:03:11. > :03:12.peak time, you're being told not to. It'll be very difficult very much
:03:13. > :03:12.indeed. And just a reminder that BBC
:03:13. > :03:15.South East Today is hosting a special Question Time style debate
:03:16. > :03:17.about the ongoing crisis on Southern rail services
:03:18. > :03:19.on Sunday the 8th of January. If you live or work in the south
:03:20. > :03:22.east and want to be in the audience, send an email
:03:23. > :03:24.to bbcraildebate@bbc.co.uk with your details and how
:03:25. > :03:26.you've been affected. Three men and two women arrested
:03:27. > :03:31.on suspicion of murder after a man People living in north Kent
:03:32. > :03:34.and Medway are being warned not to visit accident and emergency
:03:35. > :03:35.departments unless High levels of demand means
:03:36. > :03:39.there are not enough Medway Clinical Commissioning group
:03:40. > :03:41.says they are prioritising people with serious
:03:42. > :03:48.or life-threatening injuries. A Kent commuter has launched
:03:49. > :03:51.a petition calling on the Government to compensate drivers if they get
:03:52. > :03:53.held up at the Dartford Crossing. Anand Surve says congestion
:03:54. > :03:55.there is getting worse. Rush hour at the Dartford
:03:56. > :04:03.crossing and queues, like this one, are a familiar sites
:04:04. > :04:06.to those who use it regularly. People like Annan, who commutes
:04:07. > :04:09.from North Kent to Essex. For him, what's more frustrating
:04:10. > :04:11.than sitting in traffic is the fact he has to
:04:12. > :04:13.pay for the pleasure. A situation he has decided
:04:14. > :04:18.to do something about. The delays are unacceptable
:04:19. > :04:19.and getting worse. Therefore I have launched
:04:20. > :04:21.this petition calling Annan's petition is calling
:04:22. > :04:34.on Highways England to compensate drivers who get stuck in traffic
:04:35. > :04:37.and if he manages to get 100,000 signatures, then the idea will be
:04:38. > :04:40.debated in Parliament. One motoring organisation has
:04:41. > :04:46.concerns about the proposal. You can never really be
:04:47. > :04:49.completely sure who is to It could be on a Highways England
:04:50. > :04:57.managed stretch of road or it could be
:04:58. > :04:59.on the crossing itself, or it could just be
:05:00. > :05:01.that So it's very difficult to be
:05:02. > :05:05.able to pin the blame. In practice, it might be a little
:05:06. > :05:09.bit more difficult to operate. It shouldn't take me
:05:10. > :05:11.more than 30 minutes, but I've spent three or three
:05:12. > :05:14.and a half hours doing the I'm meant to pick up my daughter
:05:15. > :05:19.and if I'm stuck in traffic, there's no way I can
:05:20. > :05:21.communicate with the daycare that I don't know what I'm
:05:22. > :05:23.picking her up. If not, at least 50%
:05:24. > :05:28.of the money should be refunded. In a statement,
:05:29. > :05:39.HighwaysEngland says the charge The charge is successfully
:05:40. > :05:47.speeding up journeys at the last crossing
:05:48. > :05:49.after being introduced to relieve severe
:05:50. > :05:51.congestion and is a medium-term Meanwhile, they are continuing
:05:52. > :05:54.to work with partners to tackle congestion,
:05:55. > :05:55.especially on the approaches For now, Annan's commute continues
:05:56. > :06:00.and whether it changes in the future, well, that, he hopes,
:06:01. > :06:02.will depend on the success of And our correspondent Mark Norman
:06:03. > :06:06.is live now at the crossing. Mark, is this petition likely
:06:07. > :06:16.to make any difference? I think it's going to struggle,
:06:17. > :06:21.John. There is an average closure here once every 15 days and with one
:06:22. > :06:26.million people using it every year, when it goes wrong, it goes horribly
:06:27. > :06:29.wrong. They will need 100,000 signatures and then they have to
:06:30. > :06:32.argue about who is the blame and who should pay. It sound like a great
:06:33. > :06:33.idea but it will struggle. Thank you.
:06:34. > :06:35.Onto football, and good results for some of our league sides.
:06:36. > :06:38.In the Championship, Brighton top the table after a 2-1
:06:39. > :06:41.They're now two points clear of previous leaders Newcastle.
:06:42. > :06:44.In League One, a good start to the new year for Charlton
:06:45. > :06:46.with a 4-1 victory at home to Bristol Rovers but defeat
:06:47. > :06:48.for Gillingham as they hosted Oxford who won 1-0.
:06:49. > :06:51.In League Two, a home win for Crawley with a 2-0
:06:52. > :07:09.Thank you. It's been a beautiful winter 's day and the rest of the
:07:10. > :07:13.league is looking mainly drive. Bright spell around. Jimmy by day
:07:14. > :07:16.and by night. We were sent this picture by one of our weather
:07:17. > :07:20.watchers in Margate, picking up on that sunshine. With the clear skies,
:07:21. > :07:29.cabbages falling away pretty sharply tonight. A widespread fraud and some
:07:30. > :07:33.missed the returns. And is the return to work tomorrow. Minus two
:07:34. > :07:36.Celsius. All start to the day. Miss and fog clearing quite quickly. Some
:07:37. > :07:41.rights built around but it will be quite cloudy throughout the
:07:42. > :07:46.afternoon. Ambridge is recovering to roundabout 4-5 C. Diageo dry weather
:07:47. > :07:49.throughout the week but it will be pretty chilly as you go through the
:07:50. > :07:56.day and then again by night. Thank you. Holidays either. Really back at
:07:57. > :07:57.10:15pm with an update. From the anti-rest of the Demon, good
:07:58. > :08:12.evening. Good evening. It has been turning
:08:13. > :08:16.colder and clearer and our weather watchers have been capturing the
:08:17. > :08:20.sunshine. Here is the scene in Derbyshire and where we have had the
:08:21. > :08:24.clear skies by day, we are in for a cold night tonight. Temperatures
:08:25. > :08:29.already plummeting, particularly towards the south with some icy
:08:30. > :08:33.stretches across parts of central and southern England, and into
:08:34. > :08:38.Wales. For the north-west, not as cold, as we have the cloud building.
:08:39. > :08:42.But to the south we could see temperatures down to minus four or
:08:43. > :08:43.five first thing Tuesday morning. If you have