12/01/2017 South East Today

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

The RMT announce a further strike date - as senior politicians accuse

each other of failing to take charge of the situation on Southern Rail.

We have not heard today one word from the other side of the house of

regret, condemnation... Why can't Southern Rail get round the table

and negotiate this with the unions rather than the government pulling

the strings and heading to court at every opportunity?

Warnings of sleet, snow and black ice this evening,

creating treacherous conditions on the roads and disrupting flights.

we'll be live in Kent and Sussex as the authorities

A winter drought warning - despite today's rain the driest

December on record means water supplies are low.

The painting looted by Nazi's from the home of a Jewish

family in Germany finally to be returned

And how a Brighton man's exotic pet genet took an unexpected trip

across the country after falling asleep in a spare tyre.

The RMT union, which represents guards, has announced

on the Southern Rail network - Monday the 23rd of January.

It comes as the government and the opposition once

again attacked each other for their position

New talks had seemed possible earlier this week,

after the boss of Southern spoke face-to-face with the RMT's

Deputy General Secretary at a BBC South East debate.

But the company claims the union hasn't given it any

And today the political row over the dispute continued,

as Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn used an interview with BBC South East

Today to accuse the government of 'pulling the strings'.

The drivers may be back to work today, but a mix of an overtime ban,

trains in the wrong places after yesterday's action

and a problem with the line means it is still

anything but a smooth ride for passengers.

The chances of this being solved in Westminster are about

In an interview with South East Today Jeremy Corbyn once again

accused the government of pulling Southern Rail's strings.

It is about train safety and I think an awful

lot of passengers would think the same.

Why can't Southern Rail get round the table and negotiate this

with the unions rather than the government

pulling the strings and

heading to court at every opportunity?

In the Commons today in transport questions, this from the

Today we have not heard one word from the other

side of the house of regret, of condemnation, of a call

A strike about who closes the train doors is becoming

When you've got a big public sector union

like the rail unions, which are very political

if you like with Southern Rail, the biggest rail franchise, with the

government behind it, it was bound to be political.

It always has been but now that politicisation is coming to

the surface and we can see actually this is bigger

This is about the future of our railways.

We can go out the back now and cut a deal...

After Monday's BBC debate the RMT and Southern

Those hopes were dashed today with the union announcing not a

This dispute has been to the High Court and been battered around

Parliament and to ACAS, but it's still hard to imagine where the

Later in the programme we will have a full interview with Labour leader,

Jeremy Corbyn. Today's rainfall is starting to turn

to snow across the South East as the Met Office

and the environment agency issued Brighton and Hove council is asking

people not to travel wherever possible because of predicted

treacherous road conditions. Heavy rain is likely expected

to wash away any grit and sand, leaving black ice on

roads and pavements. Some flights at Gatwick Airport have

already been cancelled, and passengers are being advised

to check the status of their flight with their airline

before travelling. We have our reporter Peter

Whittlesea in Ashford in Kent - Piers, we can see it is snowing

heavily there already and the critters are getting ready to go

out. -- gritting is getting ready. Yes, they are getting ready to hit

the road. They go out at half past seven this evening and spreading no

less than 100 tonnes of salt and grit across East Sussex, part of

ongoing efforts to try and keep the Southeast moving.

The first forming the front line in the battle to keep the roads clear.

Snow forecast and temperatures set to drop to as low as -5 it will

cover no fewer than 100 miles of East Sussex roads denied alone. How

confident are you that you can keep all roads open? -- tonight alone. We

will do our best. If mother nature conspires against us with strong

winds we are expecting tonight and significant snowfall we will

prioritise the roads we keep open. Rest assured we are working all

night to make sure the roads are safe. Staff at the HQ have been

monitoring the current state of the roads. They use predictive

technology to work out exactly where and when the gritting team will need

to be dispatched. Road surface to bridge tonight will be somewhere

between -4 and -5, which is a real concern. -- temperatures tonight. 50

rescue crews are on stand-by. We will transport medical staff around

the county, trying to get to vulnerable people which might live

in rural Sussex who cannot get their because of snow and icy conditions.

We will also be on call in case of incidents on the road and maybe

vehicles need to get moved. We want to keep the main roads clear for

emergency vehicles. It is four years since the last major snow hit the

Southeast. It is all treacherous driving conditions and more than 500

schools forced to close. Medway Council has a severe weather

emergency protocol, providing accommodation for rough sleepers

until the severe weather has passed. Gatwick has already cancelled five

flights so far. It has warned we might have further delays and

cancellations. With the first real blast of winter tonight, so the

first major test of the resilience of the roads.

They are going out in about 45 minutes. They will do three hours of

touring around the county before they return here to load up and do

it all again. They want to make sure whatever they lay down at seven

o'clock is not just washed away. The temperatures tonight could be as low

as minus five. They are likely to make road conditions tomorrow

treacherous. STUDIO: Thank you, Piers. It is in Ashford.

Preparations are well under way. -- Peter is in Ashford.

The latest in Kent is they are predicting higher snowfall than the

first forecast. Around five centimetres on higher ground. The

spots which could be dangerous, Bluebell Hill, deadening Hill, some

parts of the M2and Atwo. The full network will be out and there are 60

going across Kent, gritting all of the roads tonight and tomorrow

morning, that is a total of 2300 miles of road. In total they will

use 650 tonnes of grit. To have an idea of how much that is, that is

about one tenth of the stockpile here. They cannot start until the

snow has started. It started about 15 minutes ago, so now it really is

operation go. Let's get the roads gritted so they are safe. Thanks,

Peter, in Ashford and Piers in Ringmer. Later Rachel will have a

full weather report. We will also have updates on travel and weather

conditions on local live pages at BBC .co .uk/ Kent and Sussex. That

is from around six o'clock. You can send us your pictures on Twitter,

Facebook or by e-mail at South East Today.

Body worn cameras on lollipop ladies. Efforts to combat dangerous

drivers in Sussex. There's a warning tonight that

despite today's heavy rain, there is a risk to the South East's

water supply because of drought. New figures show it's been

the driest December on record in Kent and the second

driest in Sussex. During December there was only 17mm

of rainfall in Kent. That's compared to the usual

rainfall of just over 73mm And reservoirs are at low levels,

with the one at Bough Beech Our Environment Correspondent

Yvette Austin reports. The exposed beach is a sign

the water level is low, Even with what is forecast it has

been a dry winter so far. It is right for ourselves

and our customers to be aware of it. We have a drought

plan which we refresh every few years and we are looking

at that and seeing how we can Rainfall has been exceptionally low

for the last six months and in Kent just 16% of the long-term

average fell in December. The reservoir is just

over half full at 56%. We have not yet

reached the end of the winter and we would not

expect it to be full. But normally by now the level

would be here, three quarters full. It is reminiscent of the start

of conditions which led to the The dry winter of 2011

followed by another dry winter saw Bewl fall

to just 32% of capacity. Southern Water said it has

prepared for drought even though it will probably take another

dry winter to get to that stage. Meanwhile the current weather

conditions are in stark contrast The current situation is we have got

a tidal surge coming With a high spring tide

it will hit the North Kent coast tomorrow lunchtime

and South Kent tomorrow midnight. Coastal residents are warned to be

on the alert for possible flooding. But inland there

will be little change The rain we get today

will really not impact on that Ground water levels are low,

seasonally low, so we are not expecting any funny issues

as a result of the rain But the more immediate concern

is for snow and ice. GPs have been posted to another

hospital accident and emergency department in Kent to try and cut

down on unnecessary admissions. Nearly a third of people visiting

A in the county have waited for more than four hours to be seen

and treated, according to the latest GPs have been sent

to the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother

Hospital in Margate. The Government has agreed to hold

talks in an effort to resolve a dispute over plans for a giant

lorry park in Kent. Around 3,500 vehicles will be able

to use the site at Stanford West in order to keep traffic flowing

on the M20 and surrounding roads The Transport Minister John Hayes

has agreed to meet the Conservative MP for Folkestone and

Hythe, Damian Collins. A school in West Sussex has taken

the unusual measure of buying a body worn camera for its lollipop lady

because of dangerous driving concerns when children

are trying to cross the road. Harlands Primary School in Haywards

heath is only the second It means a driver going past

the lollipop lady will be recorded Our Education Correspondent

Bryony MacKenzie has more. Look closely. You'll notice

something different about this lollipop lady. She is wearing a

camera recording video and audio. Will it stop what she has to face?

Verbal abuse. Hand gestures are quite common. And rarely, but it

does happen, driving straight through my lollipop. They come into

contact with your car? They just skimmed the side of my code. I have

jumped some time. Dangerous driving outside school gates is not

uncommon. Finding inconsiderate drivers would lead to angry scenes

and Ashford headteacher warned parents dangerous driving could kill

a child on a school run. And cars driving on pavement outside of

Folkestone School. Is the use of cameras over the top? Parents here

did not think so. It happens all the time. People use it as a playground.

It is not fair on children. They should be seriously punished. I

think it will make things much safer because at the moment people are

just driving out of control. It would record footage of drivers and

is wiped clean every morning. There is no database of footage. Only

incidents which are recorded and -- only incidents are recorded and kept

and then handed to Sussex Police. I wholeheartedly believe it will make

a difference to the whole community. Two incidents per week will being

reported to Sussex Police. It is hoped it will persuade drivers to

think again. -- were being reported. The RMT union which represents train

guards has announced another 24-hour strike on the Southern Rail network

on Monday the 23rd of January. It comes as the government and the

opposition have again attacked each other for their position on the

industrial action. Also tonight, he apparently travelled across the

country in a spare tyre. The exotic pet genet reunited with his owner in

Sussex. After the heavy rain today we are seeing this snow. We are

expecting to get between four and five centimetres, with warnings

about ice for tomorrow. I will have the details of the forecast later in

the programme. As passengers put up with another

day of industrial action on Southern Rail the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn

is again defended the action being taken by the unions. -- has again.

Jeremy Corbyn is now two years into his leadership and with only one

Labour MP in the south-east many commentators believe his party is

facing an uphill struggle in gaining any more. Helen Katt met him at his

office in Westminster had started by asking him what Jeremy Corbyn

regards as the biggest issues affecting the south-east.

A transport system giving hope and opportunity

I'm glad you said improving transport, because the biggest issue

dominating our news agenda at the moment are the problems

Earlier this week you said you would join a Southern Rail picket line.

Do you have any actual plans to go and do that during the strikes?

What I want to do is make sure we get a good rail service.

I think the people that travel in from

Brighton and other places into London have been very short-changed

and got a very bad deal, very overcrowded trains, frequent

cancellations, short trains and there is a safety issue.

Surely it's time for the government to step

in and work with the Mayor of London and possibly TFL taking over an

extension of services outside London.

But above all the situation cannot go on.

The union isn't going to make any money out of it, the members

aren't going to make any money out of it,

I think an awful lot of passengers would think the same.

So why can't Southern Rail get round the table

and negotiate this with the unions rather than the government pulling

the strings and heading off to court at every opportunity?

Do you worry that you stacking up on one side and

Theresa May very much supporting the other side actually

The Labour MP for Hove said maybe a more evenhanded

An evenhanded approach would be a good thing

and that would come from

running a proper service, recognising the legitimate safety

Regardless of who they back in this, commuters

Let me give you a quote from Richard who

got in touch with us and he felt your decision to say

that you would back the unions in quite this way

showed that you really don't care about the disruption to the lives of

What would you say to someone like him?

I do care about the disruption because we all suffer

People have difficulty getting to work, school, college,

family relations and anything as a result of it.

The most valuable asset any company has is its staff and

I would say to Southern Rail, talk to your staff,

get round the table, because the issue of

The union is representing its members in doing

Nobody wants cancellations of trains.

It's time to get around the table and

Can you help get them around the table?

The unions trust you, that is a bonus.

Our Shadow Transport Spokesman is in touch

with all sides on this and is

trying to make sure that negotiations are resumed but I think

the government also has a role in this because it

the background Chris Grayling is pulling the strings all the time.

Helen is here now. Are we likely to see Jeremy Corbyn standing on the

picket line any time soon? He did seem to rather sidestep that

question so I would not put money on it but that is not in any way to

doubt house and silly he is backing the union case. I think that came

across clearly. -- how sincerely. It would be very strong and does risk

alienating some passengers and potentially could cause problems for

the Labour MPs with constituencies on the network who have had a more

cautious line. He heavily criticised Southern Rail and Chris Grayling,

Secretary of State for Transport. It appears the politics has hardened.

The Conservatives are calling for anti-strike laws and Jeremy Corbyn

pegging the party to the union case. The risk is as just might feel the

political focus is moving away from solving the immediate problem. -- is

people just might feel. A Sussex man says he's over the moon

that he will be reunited with a painting that was looted

by the Nazis from his Now 81, Vernon Reynold's grandfather

was a businessman whose passion To escape persecution

for being Jewish, Vernon came to England with his mother

on the Kindertransport Both his grandfather and grandmother

died in a concentration camp. Chrissie Reidy reports

on how his rightful heritage is now This watercolour was painted by an

artist in 1922. It used to hang on the walls in Vernon's wall until it

was looted by the Nazis. You cannot forgive it so easily with something

that happens in war, anything that happens in war but the stealing

property from even the belligerent, not even the people who were

fighting, just ordinary innocent citizens because they were Jewish.

In a mountain cave near the garden, the secret treasure trove was

located by American soldiers. Like many Jewish families in World War II

the Nazis abraded campus houses and commerce credit card. This footage

shows American soldiers discovering Hermann Goring's Sigrid collection.

This is depicted the struggle of a woman to be wrote reunited with some

of the paintings by Gustav Klimt. Hitler would have first choice,

Hermann Goring, the senior leaders would have a chance to acquire and

take them. Some were sold on the art market. It did in fact room in the

Nazi occupation of Europe because there were hundreds of works of art

flooding the market. The Nazis continue their obligation -- --

occupation and Vernon came to England on the Kindertransport. His

father and grandparents were sent to a concentration camp. The painting

ended up in the hands of some art dealers before it was finally

purchased by a museum in Hanover. Were it hangs today. After five

years of wrangling the museum has agreed to give back the watercolour.

We would like a more positive effort from German museums and art

galleries and say that really we should try and find the family to

give this back to because it was obtained wrongly. While the family's

efforts have paid off it is a bitter sweet victory, he says.

A man from Brighton is celebrating the safe return of their beloved

exotic pet, a genet, after it went missing

and turned up in Bedforshire - after apparently falling asleep

Genets are originally from Africa and although they look like a cat,

they're actually belong to a different species.

They are solitary animals in the wild, although they are very

friendly if they're socialised as a kitten, but once they've

bonded with a family, they don't cope well with change

Which is why Kyle Watson is so delighted to be

Sometimes he will rub his face up against you. Like a cat. Glad to

have him back after 18 days away from home. The genet went missing

just before Christmas. It was a one-week period, then a week and a

half and by this point we had had minus weather out there. It was so

cold. He is from Africa. I was thinking, he's gone. Four days he

went looking for his four-legged friend in the early hours hoping to

find him. He was eventually found in Milton Keynes, 150 miles away, where

he was taken to a veterinary surgery. I have never seen anything

like this in my professional life. I have been a vet 20 years. We have

not had any locally. It was a bit of a learning experience. The family

had to look after the genet from three days old, meaning feeding

every two house for six months. Two years later the bond between man and

beast is strong. I got upset and tearful and emotional more on the

way home when I was on my own with him. Because out there it was

overwhelming. I did not believe... Is this a dream? I have got him

back. You missed him, why is that? Because he is such a character

around the house. The family is taking steps to make sure that he

never gets lost again. It is going to be called in the

snow. Rachel is herewith the forecast. The snow we have talked

about has eventually arrived. Expect to see between four and five

centimetres falling widely, maybe more over higher ground. Earlier it

was falling as rain. It has been turning into sleet and snow. The

reason for that is these bitterly cold wind is coming in from the

north-west. Going through tonight that is mostly falling as snow. It

is going to be very unsettled in the first part of the evening and then

clearing. The wind is really picking up with that system as well. Gusting

40 to 50 mph on the south coast. Bitterly cold temperatures. Anything

falling on the ground will freeze. Minus two or three degrees is

possible in rural areas and widely dropping below freezing in towns and

cities. First thing tomorrow morning, problems with ice. Met

office warnings as we go through the day and on Friday temperatures stay

at freezing on the ground and we expect more outbreaks of rain, sleet

and snow in the morning. Frosty, I see. Take care if you're out and

about on the road first thing. This is the weather front we will see in

the morning. Tightly spaced isobars and the direction of the winds,

coming from the north-west, indicating blustery and bitterly

cold. First thing, some brightness and some cloud. Unsettled for a

time. That clears and again really blustery, temperatures by the

afternoon reaching highs may be of four degrees but with the wind chill

feeling like subzero. As we finish on Friday, mostly dry with clearing

skies and as a result these temperatures are really plummeting.

Overnight lows from Friday, going into Saturday, -3, maybe minus four

degrees. Another very hard frost as we start on Saturday. And we stayed

bitterly cold as well. Heading through the day the chance of a

winter flurry. For the most part we stay dry. Temperatures at five or 6

degrees. With the wind, feeling cooler. In the South east corner

over into Sunday we will see some rain, mostly falling as rain, but a

very grey, cold and not pleasant day. Into the new week for Monday

and Tuesday and a risk of unsettled weather, staying bitterly cold. In

the next 24 hours, do take care with potential problems for black eyes

tomorrow morning. That is not looking good at all, Rachel. Thank

you very much for that. Sara Smith is in Crowborough. Warnings for

travellers to night, Sarah? -- tonight # it only started snowing

about one hour ago. -- tonight? People are being warned not to go

out at all that they can help it because black ice on the road. At

Gatwick Airport six flights have already been cancelled so far. They

say people need to check before travel. There is gritting on the

roads but people are saying there are are already treacherous

conditions and people are struggling. For the trains, no

updates yet apart from check before you travel. If you are a Southern

Rail customer, from midnight they will not be any trains because of

the strike action. OK, thank you. That is about it for now. We will

have more about the situation with the weather at eight o'clock and

half past ten. And I will be back tomorrow. Keep in touch on local

radio and online as well. Goodbye. Bring on the boys.

Potential is massive with you. The stage is yours. When you're born

to perform, Let it Shine...