23/01/2017 South East Today

Welcome to South East Today, I'm Rob Smith.

Guilty of illegally storing waste - the businessman behind a mountain

of mattresses described as a blight on a Kent village.

He died 17 hours after he was declared fit

William Romp's widow demands answers.

Her battle with cancer inspired thousands -

now Charlotte Eades family have discovered dozens

more of her video blogs, never seen before.

She just looked at me and she said, "Does that mean I'll never

get married and never have children?"

72 years after he suffered terrible burns in an RAF crash -

Guinea Pig Club member Sandy Saunders takes

And how it's only costing you a fiver to see a Grammy award

winning bluesman Jon Clearly play a pub gig in Sussex.

A businessman accused of blighting a village with a mountain

of thousands of discarded mattresses has been found guilty of having more

than double the amount of waste he was allowed on the site.

The waste at Lewis Bertram's recycling

was described by villagers as a living hell.

Canterbury Crown heard that the site still hasn't been cleared -

and it may cost up to ?150,000 for the waste to be taken away.

He amassed a mountain of mattresses that blighted a business estate

and will cost more than ?100,000 to clear.

Today, Lewis Bertram was found guilty on three counts at Canterbury

Crown Court of illegally depositing waste and failing to recycle

But there's also been a financial impact for

those who own neighbouring business units.

Well, it was vacant for 18 months so obviously I lost that

rental income for the 18 month period which is part of my

So, yes, it is difficult and, of course, if you are looking

at selling the unit, it diminishes the value

Despite the court action, the two industrial units and yards

rented by Lewis Bertram are still full of waste.

Local businesses say the sheer quantity of mattresses

wasn't only an eyesore but a fire risk.

It used to be a commercial vehicle body building business next

door, so had the building caught alight right at the end, it could

potentially set light to vehicles next door and there may be

caused a fire to spread through into my unit.

The Environment Agency brought this prosecution but with tonnes of waste

on-site, it is unclear who will foot the bill to remove it.

It's clear that the person who needs to clear this

waste is Mr Bertram, he brought them in so he needs

to clear them and that's what we fully expect

But we have heard in court, he says he has got no money.

Again, it's down to Mr Bertram to clear the waste and that's what we

Nearby businesses claim Lewis Bertram has only removed

After he told Canterbury Crown Court that he

earned ?25,000 a year from running Eco-Matters

recycling business, many

fear there will have to be further legal

before the eyesore is finally cleared.

Peter, the mattresses are still there but for how long?

It is unclear how long they will still buy. The rubbish out, despite

the jury seen photographic evidence, Lewis Bertram claimed that he never

stored and processed mattresses outside. You can see them, even

today, after he was found guilty, his barrister told the court that

the site was largely cleared. The judge is launching an investigation

into how many mattresses are here. She will give her sentencing of

Lewis Bertram in February. The Environment Agency is saying that

the maximum sentence of this is five years in prison or an unlimited

fine. The big question tonight is who will pay to remove this? Is Mr

Bertram does not have any money, it could fall upon the Land Rover to

meet because of the clear up. -- land owner.

A grieving widow is demanding answers after her husband died 17

hours after allegedly being discharged from hospital

88 year old William Romp, was taken to his Canterbury home

by ambulance after a doctor deemed him fit for discharge.

His family claim he was in fact so ill he couldn't eat or drink

Within half an hour his daughter dialled 999 and Mr Romp was rushed

back to A at the Kent and Canterbury hospital

on December the 5th, the last time his family

Williams Romp have been in hospital for several weeks with a severe lung

condition and dementia. His wife Brenda Romp was relieved to hear he

was coming home, now apparently feeling better and able to get

around. But when she saw him, she said he should never been at the

start. I want to know why these there is a therapist Tommy he can

walk eight metres when he could not stand. -- told me. Why the doctor

told me he was signed off but enough to come home, he could hardly talk.

He could not breathe. I made him a cup of tea but he could not drink

it. Their daughter phoned the GP then Dell 999 and he was back in

hospital within an hour. It was the last time they saw him alive. The

claim he had not been washed up Rob Lee cared for. I knew he was dying

that night. I could not kiss him goodbye. He's not so bad. I managed

to kiss him on his forehead, that was all. His nails were thick with

dirt. Bill died early the next morning before Brenda and her family

could get to see him. Today the east Kent Hospital trust that we are

unable to comment because the matter is subject to a coroner 's inquiry.

It's funny that they send you home to die because they did not have the

room. It would be some sort of answer. -- if they told you. They

didn't. They just sent him home, just to get rid of him, basically.

If he was fit to come home, why did he died the next morning? The family

want their questions answered are pursuing a formal complaint. -- and

are pursuing a formal complaint. Sussex headteachers tell MPs budget

pressures will mean cuts in the number of teachers,

no after school clubs and no pastoral support

for struggling students. Hundreds of thousands of Southern

rail passengers are facing yet more disruption tonight,

with RMT union members on strike in the long running row over

the role of conductors. It comes as a Conservative MP

is looking to introduce a private members bill to Parliament tomorrow

aimed at preventing a repeat of this The bill would mean strikes

affecting critical national services such as rail,

tubes, buses and the NHS would have to be "proportionate and reasonable"

in the view of a High Court Judge, and that a basic level of service

should be maintained and it should be mandatory to attend

talks at the conciliation service Our political editor

Helen Catt reports. Strike action which has crippled the

already underperforming Southern network for much of the year has

today reached its 34th day. Too long says one Conservative MP who will

tomorrow start trying to change the law to restrict further walk-outs in

critical services. This would be adjudicated by a High Court judge,

nobody saying a strike should be banned. I respect the right to

strikes. That needs to be balanced with the right of the public to get

to work and to get home to see their loved ones. He has the public

support of 49 of his fellow conservatives. Although crucially,

the Government has not said explicitly it would back new laws.

It is politically charged, there is no doubt about that. It will make it

more difficult for unions and workers to take industrial action

that has bite. Tonight, the RMT said it would be prepared to break any

such new law. It's a human rights. I'm just laws need to be broken. It

would be absolutely impossible to impose the most terrible

exploitation if this was allowed to become law so we have got to oppose

it. -- unjust law. The polling company says 61% of people it

surveyed said train driver should have the same right to strike as

anybody else. In Bexhill, there with some support for judges stepping in.

Something definitely needs to be done. I travelled to Tunbridge Wells

nearly every day at the moment and it has been a nightmare these last

couple of months. Definitely, the strikes are ridiculous. It is

causing stress to businesses. It would be a good idea because of what

is going on. Does the judge use the trains? He is properly driven

around, he doesn't know what chains. Southern expects to run a full

service to my belief that I'm in a month. Its leaders continue talks

with the company. They talk with the RMT drivers will go ahead and the

units are pleasing Greene appealing to other members not to cross the

pickets. And Helen Catt joins

us in the studio. So, Helen, a number of RMT drivers

are due to go out on strike. As clever as the Nugent is not

making any official statement at the moment. Those talks are still

happening. -- Aslef. It is slightly complicated for them. It is not a

union on strike. While the dispute are about the safety of trains and

driver only operated doors, they are legally separate dispute so it does

make it more complicated as a choice for Aslef members. Southern say the

RMT strikes will not affect it introducing that full service. As

the bill that is going for parliament, it will be put together

tomorrow, but to Parliament, just the first stage, he is not expecting

any opposition at that point. It is a private members Bill, difficult to

get through. If you can not so good Government backing for it, he may

face a challenge. Thank you. -- if you cannot get Government backing

for it. The Home Office have stepped up

border checks following claims a loophole allows passengers

to travel to Britain on the Eurostar A newspaper investigation reported

that journalists were able to travel between Brussels and London

without being checked. The Home Office said

it is the responsibility of Eurostar to ensure that all UK bound

passengers are presented to UK authorities for

examination at the border. A man has appealed in court for the

Limerick accused of stalking a journalist. These beliefs are

conducted her on social media is an centre taxi to her home address. He

has been bailed until next month. The leader of Kent County Council

is calling on the government to cut the foreign aid budget in order

to spend more on the Paul Carter says that adult social

care is near to crisis point and that it will need central

government to fund it properly if local authorities and the NHS

are going to be able to cope Charlotte Eades made a huge impact

during her all too short life - the Sussex teen choosing

to document her brave battle with brain cancer with an online

video blog that she kept going right Now her family have discovered

dozens of previously unseen videos Charlotte made,

as she sought to open up conversation around cancer,

her treatment, and its side effects. Our health correspondent Mark

Norman, who has been to Brighton to meet them for tonight's special

report. So I had just finished my exams

and then I was planning It was actually on the day

of prom I was diagnosed, Obviously that was all taken

away from me after being After she passed away,

Charlotte's videos were nominated for a prestigious online to award

and then, remarkably, her family found dozens of unedited,

unseen video files on her camera. The camera which was very

special to her, obviously, And I thought there was nothing else

on it, I went through the stuff. I've had this memory card for months

and I found a new folder Were you shocked, were

you surprised, were you upset? The most poignant thing is just how

frank they were and how honest. When it came to wearing them this

one was definitely more comfortable. Hey, guys, so I wanted

to make a video today... But with the type of tumour

Charlotte had her condition Nothing is really

working or happening. Charlotte's videos became more

reflective, sometimes difficult to watch, and bringing back

difficult memories for her family. We went to see our consultant

afterwards and he more or less had his head in his hands and said,

it's very, very, very bad news. And she just looked at me

and she said, does that mean I'll never get married

and never have children? This is where Charlotte

was diagnosed with a particularly aggressive brain tumour,

where she spent hours being treated and where, a year on,

doctors still remember her. In children's terms the number

of tumours like Charlotte that That does not mean it is any less

important and so I would say we need to promote awareness of this tumour

and we need to get more people giving money and donating money

to research into glioblastoma, so we can continue to

improve the survival. The need to raise money for research

into this type of tumour is why Charlotte's family have started

a charity in her name. And I promised her

I'll make it work. So obviously, hopefully,

she is proud of just looking after us and the charity and it

will take off, hopefully. Charlotte died a year ago

and her local hospital in Brighton. The family believe her legacy will

live on both through the charity If anything else exciting happens

I will grab the camera again. And you can watch Mark's full report

about Charlotte and her legacy on tonight's episode of Inside Out

at 7.30 here on BBC One. A businessman

accused of blighting a Kent village with a mountain

of discarded mattresses has been Lewis Bertram, who ran recycling

firm Eco-Matters in Smarden, had denied the charge

at Canterbury Crown Court. Join me to meet Jon Clearly, a

Grammy winner, he has played with many of the greats. He is back in

England, in Hastings. Warnings out by the Met office by freezing fog

and mist tonight. I will have the details for you in the forecast

later in the programme. Nearly 72 years ago,

Sandy Saunders suffered terrible burns while training as a pilot,

when his Tiger Moth He not only survived

but went on to become a GP, inspired by the surgeon

who treated him in East Grinstead, His patients received pioneering

treatments such as skin grafts Together, they became known

as the Guinea Pig Club, as many of the operations had never

been tried before altogether he Today, Sandy Saunders,

who is now 94, took to the skies one last

time in a Tiger Moth, The 27th of September, 1945

was a very important day in my life. I hit the ground rather

violently and Sandy Saunders was just 22

when his Tiger Moth stalled and crashed in a training

exercise in 1945. I was covered with aviation

fuel and I was on fire. I got horrible burns

over my entire legs His one piece of good

fortune, to be sent to the Queen Victoria Hospital

in East Grinstead to be treated His magic hands have given new limbs

and new faces to burned Last November, Sandy opened

a permanent exhibition of McIndoe's work at

East Grinstead Museum. Lieutenant Saunders

was one of 649 airmen to be treated in McIndoe's

operating theatre. Instead of feeling ashamed

about their disfigurements, they were proud members

of the Guinea Pig Club. One of its last surviving members,

at 94, Sandy Saunders has returned to the skies

again in a Tiger Moth. The GP for four decades,

inspired into medicine by the treatment he received,

Sandy has tracked the Himalayas, sailed the Atlantic and skied

into his 80s, exactly the full and active life

McIndoe dreamed Sara Smith, BBC South East

Today, East Grinstead. An extraordinary man.

Great pictures. Budget pressures on schools

will mean fewer after school clubs, and no pastoral support

and counselling for students struggling

with mental health issues. That's what a Sussex head

teacher has been telling MPs at a Westminster

meeting this evening. Liam Collins, head of Uplands

Community College in Wadhurst, said budget pressures amounted

to "a cut of ten teachers, no IT However, the Department

for Education said that school funding "will be over ?40 billion

in 2016-17 - its highest So this is our other theme, what do

you think this is? Year 12 biology class in what has. Ofsted said this

is a good school with teaching both good and outstanding but the head

teacher here once they face the prospect of cuts. I don't think

anyone really understands the pressure that we are under. Today he

told the influential Public Accounts Committee that with current funding

levels, his goal will be underfunded to the tune of ?350,000 within three

years. The equivalent of losing no fewer than ten teachers. As a

parent, I think we should be very worried. My son is going into year

seven next year and I am really worried by him in terms of what kind

of school he is going to be going into. The funding concerns have been

raising an annual survey of more than 1000 schools by National

Association of head teachers. What is particularly worrying about the

findings are passed survey is how the situation has got worse since

last year. We carried out the survey 12 months ago and what we are

seeing, for example, is the number of schools that are finding

themselves in deficit has gone up from eight to 18%. And a number of

schools are preparing to make significant cuts or having to dip

into reserves has gone up by 7% as well to 71%. Suzanne has three

children at the school. I am quite worried. I think other parents are

worried as well. I think the quality of education might go down, the

quality of teaching, budgets are being cut. Teachers are getting paid

less, some teachers may not be replaced. Don't be silly with the

sharp bits and put them in the bin. Huge variations in how much cash

given her people. Recent figures show the City of London gets more

than 8500 people compare to East Sussex who receives nearly half that

amount. Kent comes out worse, receiving just over ?4000 per pupil.

Last month, a new national funding formula within us to address the

disparities that that will not kick in until 2018. The NAHT says the

Government needs to provide more cash still all its pupils who will

pay the price. Some dark one is from the

headteacher that. Whatever the Department for Education had to say?

It says school funding is at record levels, ?40 billion for the year

2016 to 2070. A spokesperson told this, we recognise that schools are

facing cost pressures, we will continue to provide advice on

support them to use their funding and cost-effective ways. That said,

the National office believe there will be a shortfall in the education

budget of some ?3 billion in 2020. It looks like it will be a tough few

years to come for schools and for the people who run them.

Thank you. Eastbourne's Johanna Konta

has powered her way through to the Australian Open

quarterfinal - where she'll meet The World Number nine beat

Ekaterina Makarova 6-1 6-4, which means she's

reached the last eight Gillingham manager Andy Pennock's

secured his first point Billy Sharp opened the scoring

for Sheffield United but the Gills' Josh Wright scored a quick double

to change the game before Kieron He grew up in Kent but these days

Grammy award winning pianist and musician Jon Cleary lives

in his adopted city of New Orleans. The Grammy's are the US

music industry's Oscars and his latest recording,

Go Go Juice, was voted regional He's in residence with his band

at Ronnie Scott's Club in London this week but tonight he's on home

turf playing solo at Robin, it's a bit of a coup

for the pub, isn't it? It has to be. They have got the

current 2016 Grammy award-winning playing here. As you say, he won

that for the regional roots album of the year. The regional roots, they

were talking about, was New Orleans. We of course knew that he grew up in

Kent so he is one of ours. That is a good reason for coming back here, he

is playing for the first time on home soil for years so that people

here can come and see him for ?5 in the pub, if there was a ticket

available. It's the sound and soul

of New Orleans running from his heart right

down to his fingertips. In a way, it's no

surprise Jon Clearly has lived there longer

than anywhere else, meeting and working

with the likes of His place in the musical

hierarchy was marked last year with a Grammy but awards

don't mean much to him. The kind of music I play

has always been off everybody's radar,

you don't expect to do this stuff and get rich

get famous or whatever, it's not the reason you do it.

So that was never my motivation, really, and so stuff like that

A bit strange, it doesn't really quite fit into

down there on the banks of the Mississippi River

On Saturday, he was playing in Dublin

and he has six performances in four days with his band,

the Absolute Monster Gentlemen, at Ronnie Scott's this week.

Tonight though, it's Hastings and a homecoming of a sort.

Used to do lots of gigs here in Hastings.

A lot of the gigs I was doing, a lot of the pubs I was

playing in, I wasn't actually old enough to be in.

I was about 14 when I started playing, doing gigs

He was still a teenager when he took a plane

to New Orleans and his destiny as a musician.

It's like breathing, it's a bodily function,

Music, when you're not, if you're a musician,

you've been a musician for a long time, the music just keeps

The only time anybody else can hear what's going

on in my head is if I'm actively sitting next to a musical

instrument, everybody else can hear it as well.

If you walk away from the instrument, the music doesn't

It's when you sit down, then it all comes out

and everybody else can hear it aswell.

It's roots music, tonight performed where the piano man's roots begin.

A homecoming in Hastings. I can guarantee, as they used to say in

old New Orleans, Hill had to jump in.

Thank you. I checked on the weather now. A foggy day today. More fog on

the way. Lots of you are bleeding the photographs. -- uploading.

Cold in the day. Once again, warnings out about this freezing

fog. Very poor visibility on the roads best thing for tomorrow

morning. Clear skies, temperatures plummeting in the rural spots.

Dropping as low as -4 or minus five Celsius. Dropping below freezing in

towns and cities. The fog is the main story for tomorrow morning.

Still an area of high pressure. While that eventually close, if it

does, we will start to see lots of sunshine again. Bitterly cold

throughout the day. By the afternoon, temperatures doing well

if they reach highs around or five Celsius. A crisp day, still lots of

mist McCann fog as we had through tomorrow morning. Temperatures

rolling away, loads of -4 minus five Celsius in more rural starts.

Wednesday, much more of the same, Thursday, bitterly cold from the

continent. Temperatures not getting above freezing. The main story do

tonight, lots of fog again. Thank you Rachel. I will be back at

eight o'clock and 10:25pm. I will see you tomorrow evening. Goodbye.

Hello and welcome to The One Show with Matt Baker...

And we're starting the show in the spirit of the new US

administration's approach to press conferences.

Our guest tonight is so popular that we can say,

without doubt, the audience is the largest we've ever had.