06/03/2017 South East Today

and on BBC One, we now join the BBC's news teams where you are.

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

And I'm Natalie Graham. Tonight's top stories -

The Government blunder which meant pollution levels

at the Dartford Crossing was ignored - because it was classified

We're live at Dartford with the story.

Fresh controversy over the prospective Kent councillors

who sold off charitable donations to raise Labour Party funds.

I asked her what she wanted on that board and the word charity was

clearly absolutely there. A former Sussex soldier is murdered

on his safari estate in Kenya - Controversial plans to build

on Winnie the Pooh's Hundred Acre Wood -

councillors warn they may be forced to accept development

in the Ashdown Forest. And how a Facebook plea led

to a hundred people turning out for the funeral of a veteran soldier

after he died alone It's one of the busiest sections

of road in the country - and air pollution levels

there regularly exceed the safe limit - but until two years ago,

the Dartford Crossing was classified The error means the levels

of pollution there have Crucially, it also means

the results haven't been passed on to the European Union,

which can impose fines when safety The mistake was revealed

exclusively to BBC South East by Dartford Borough Council -

their Head of Transport has described the

revelation as shocking. 50 million journeys are made on this

stretch of road every year, the towns closest, Dartford

to the south and the Thurrock to the north have some

of the highest percentages of deaths due to air pollution

in the south-east. In Dartford the council has recorded

nitrogen dioxide levels above safe limits for years,

and when the town did not appear in the national air quality

plan, they were puzzled. We discovered that the road

was classed as a rural road and therefore the monitoring figures

that they were using for those modelling purposes

were incorrect because the road was incorrectly classified.

It is quite shocking. It has meant that for years national

data on air pollution has not included this incredibly busy

stretch of road. Whoever decided there is no pushing

around here must be, probably doesn't live in Dartford

to be honest. I have two small children

and regularly if you leave your you notice that several

times a day or week there A roads can count as rural if they

are outside urban areas. Jim Sutton lives close

to the crossing and is worried that pollution

exacerbated his late The air pollution did not

help her, she used to say I wish we could move, Jim,

I wish we could move. Scientists from kings college have

carried out their own monitoring. The pollution which the road is

producing everyday with the traffic on it was joined up with pollution

coming over from the continent. The Department for the Environment

said that the Department for Transport made

the classification. The Department for Transport said

it was the Department Either way, it has finally been

reclassified as urban. Well, Sara is on the approach

to the Dartford Crossing now. Sara, this is more than just a mix

up over names isn't it? It is because it means the impact of

this road on those who live either side of it, and there are lots of

them, has never been considered by the government and when levels of

pollution go up above those agreed by the EU, there has been no

penalty. This on the day that the head of the World Health

Organisation described air pollution is one of the most pernicious

threats facing global public health. It is disproportionately affecting

children and every year, it is linked to hundreds of thousands of

deaths of children. And tonight's episode of Inside Out

has the full story of how the road was re-classified -

and the true picture of pollution at There's fresh controversy tonight

over hundreds of pounds of cosmetics that should have gone to needy

people but were instead sold by a Labour party

member in Ramsgate to help fund her County Council

election campaign. BBC South East Today has spoken

to one woman who told us she was led to believe the sale was in aid

of charity - and says she feels "deceived".

The equivalent amount of money raised has now been

given to good causes. Our political editor

Helen Catt reports. This sale of donated

cosmetics in a Ramsgate pub Facebook posts by its organiser

Karen Constantine made clear that the money was destined

for Labour coffers, but now there are claims that customers

of the sale may have thought I asked her what she wanted on that

board and the word charity Natalie Garrett was working

at the pub during the sale. As a former charity

volunteer herself, she said Some of my friends and even some

of my family purchased some of the goody bags and a couple

of items and again, they feel the same, if they'd known

it was for a political party, then it just wouldn't

have been supported. Here we are in the warehouse

and we were fortunate enough The sale has already caused

controversy after it emerged the donations had come

from a charity - Food For All. Today, it is one of the good causes,

one of the good causes that which happens to be

the Labour Party. My name is Jenny and you are looking

at our warehouse and hopefully Jenny has since apologised

for giving the goods. When contacted by us today,

Karen Constantine declined She reiterated that she fully

apologised for not knowing the election funding laws

regarding charities and had taken immediate steps to make sure

that the money raised had gone Labour meanwhile has

repeated its statement that the party has not breached

electoral law and there is no allegation the party

has broken any rules. Natalie says knowing the money

is now with charity is rightful and just but she believes it doesn't

make up for it The people of Eastbourne vote not

to sell parts of the South Downs - so where will the money

come from now? The company behind controversial

plans to build a new theme park says companies will have to sell up if I

cannot agree. London Resort Company Holdings says

it intends to submit a planning application for Paramount Park

later this year. The attraction will be built

on the Swanscombe Peninsula and it is expected to cost around

?3.5 billion to build. It's expected to create around

27,000 jobs in the area. Charlie Rose has been talking

to the new man in charge Disneyland Paris, a huge

entertainment resort the likes of which cannot be found in the UK. But

this man wants to build a grade one destination theme park twice the

size of the Olympic Park with 5000 hotel rooms and a music venue.

Businesses in the area fears it means they will be forced off their

land. How much will you offer them to make

way for your attraction? We are in talks and we

meet regularly, and we will be offering them

obviously the market related price It will not be the case they will be

forced off their land? In terms of that, there is a process

with any planning application where either beforehand,

before the application is submitted, people can enter into an agreement

and in some cases there will be a time where we will purchase

their land after the planning And he says that if an agreement

is not reached that could mean land having to be bought via a compulsory

purchase order, but in return there will be

a world-class resort and jobs. There has been a tremendous positive

response locally, for reasons which I think are self-evident.

We are going to provide jobs, 27,000 jobs and of course

many of those jobs will be local. So we think we will be bringing

income and also employment into the area. It will bring a lot of jobs to

the area. How traffic on the roads will cope is another thing. I'm

quite excited about it to be honest. I am a bit worried about the

build-up but I understand it is in about four or five years so

hopefully with the roads and railways, it should be all right by

then. The planning application will be submitted by the end of the year

under the outcome of that goes the developers' way, Paramount Park

could be opening its doors five years from now.

A former British Army officer from Sussex has

been shot dead in Kenya. Tristan Voorspuy was killed

on Sunday while inspecting a lodge on the ranch he owned.

Kenya recently declared a state of national disaster in the area

The Foreign Office is warning there has been an increase in armed

raids by cattle herders in recent months.

Mr Voorspuy grew up in East Sussex and was a pupil

at Eastbourne College. He moved to the area of Laikipia

in Kenya in the 1980s to set up a luxury safari business.

Friends have described him as a true officer and a gentleman. Tristan

Voorspuy was shot dead yesterday as he went to check a burned-out lodge.

He and his wife years had run a luxury safari company in the

northern region of Laikipia, one of the most important conservation

areas in Kenya. He was very interested in the affairs of the

conservation and how they can connect with the local communities

and at times like this when they were in drought, especially, how

they could connect to the communities that would need grazing

land. It came as a shock that he was killed. He was a former pupil at

Eastbourne college, from 1968 to 73. The college told us their thoughts

are with his family at this sad time. Tributes have been paid to him

across social media. It's thought at least a dozen people

have been killed in clashes in Kenya and some officials blamed the land

invasions of a severe drought that has made heard is desperate. But it

is also alleged this movement of cattle is being encouraged by some

politicians to secure votes in the run-up to the election in August.

Today, the government said it is doing all it can to protect

landowners. Laikipia, I say to you, the police have already arrested...

The Foreign Office is offering support to the family of a British

national killed in Kenya. One it seems he will be sorely missed.

Police are still trying to find the mother of a new-born baby girl

who was found dead in Sheerness on the Isle of Sheppey

at the weekend. The identity of the child isn't

yet known, and neither is the cause of her death.

Remnants of a small fire were found at the scene.

Officers say they're concerned about the well-being

of the child's mother, and are appealing for

It's been announced that a controversial scheme to sell off

part of the South Downs will not go ahead after residents

overwhelmingly voted against it. Eastbourne Borough Council wanted

to put 3,000 acres up for sale to cope with budget cuts.

75% of those polled said they would rather see cuts

Our reporter Leanne Rinne has been following the story

and joins us now - Leanne, campaigners are delighted

but the council says it has to go back to the drawing board.

The Council always made it clear that if they couldn't make the funds

from sales of this land, cuts could follow because of a significant

reduction from central government which the Council says is crippling

them and many local authorities across the south east. They say they

need to cut around ?1 million worth, of savings, some of the suggestions

put forward is halving the community Grants programme for example or

reducing street cleaning services. The Council say they are open to

suggestions of different options but say ultimately, the time the budget

is made next year, some tough decisions will have been made.

The piece of the Ashdown Forest, the home of the much loved Winnie the

Pooh, may be at threat from building of thousands of new homes. The

Council was told it must build at least 3000 new homes in the next 15

years. The planning expect it says the local population is growing and

need somewhere to live so the Council must increase its building

plans from 800 new homes a year, to more than a thousand.

What are you looking for? I'm wondering if you had such a thing as

a balloon about you? It's known the world over as the home of literary

character Winnie the Pooh. But now, campaigners fear Ashdown Forest

could be threatened by a need for more homes for other Sussex

residents. It is very important to people and it will affect the way

the future of Mid Sussex and all of us who live here for generations to

come. It's a battle that has to be fought and has to be won. We have to

protect the integrity of Mid Sussex. The District Council has been told

by government appointed inspectors that it needs to build 3000 more

homes in the next 15 years, than its current target. I think the planning

inspector will have to review this number. It is far too high.

Everybody accepts the need for more housing but we don't have the

infrastructure or the countryside to sustain the level of housing which

he is now demanding, it is simply not deliverable. With a growing

population and are unmet housing needs sighted in places such as

Brighton and Crawley, there are worries not even protected areas

will be left untouched. We definitely need more housing. I live

not far from here and I can see there are spaces where you could

well put extra houses. But to be building it in an area of

outstanding natural beauty like this, I think it's absolutely

criminal. The housing requirement has not yet been finalised and

campaigners will be hoping the decision will be reconsidered,

leaving the area a source of inspiration for many years to come.

We have a growing population in this area and the planning Inspectorate

is recognising that somehow, more housing must be provided? Yes, the

housing charity Shelter says England is suffering from huge housing

shortage and it desperately needs both national and local governments

to prioritise building new homes. It also says that low rates of

house-building over several decades have not kept up with increasing

demands. Today, the District Council told us the level of new housing

that has been suggested by inspectors for this area, has never

been delivered by developers in the entire history of Mid Sussex.

It's 14 minutes to seven, this is our top story tonight -

BBC South East has learned that the Dartford Crossing has been

mistakenly classified as a rural road by the Government.

It means pollution levels there have been ignored and not passed

onto the European Union, which monitors air quality.

Dartford Borough Council has described the

How a hundred strangers turned out for the funeral of a Sussex war

veteran who died alone. And after some decent spousal sunshine today,

another fine and dry and mild day tomorrow. The details in the

forecast a little later in the programme.

If you have a story you think we should be covering

on South East Today, we'd like to hear from you.

You can call us on 0345 300 37 47, or send us an e-mail

We are also on Facebook or you can tweet us - @bbc south east.

30 years ago today saw the worst maritime disaster in British waters

since the Second World War - the capsize and sinking

of the Herald of Free Enterprise - a passenger ferry that had just left

the port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, bound for Dover.

The vessel was about 40% full, and most of its passengers

But in an act of what the official inquiry described as

staggering complacency - the bow doors hadn't been shut -

water rushed in - and it took just 90 seconds for the ship to capsize.

For tonight's special report, we've spoken to three people

The British ferry disaster off Belgium and hope is fading. I

remember seeing newsflash sitting in my front room, hearing something had

happened in Belgium and my mum coming into the room and turning up

the volume and the blood draining from her face, saying, I think Billy

and Mary were on that ship. There were a lot of images from the

helicopter of people being winched out and people shivering in

blankets. People arriving at the hospitals and we were scouring the

images, desperate to see them in the background or on the TV and that was

our only information we were getting at that point. They were one of the

last couple of people to be recovered from the ship. Below,

there was chaos, people clawing and fighting their way out. It was toxic

in the cabin. I found a door and it was agreed between the three of us

that we opened the door, because we didn't know whether there was water

the other side all hopefully fresh air. Luckily it was fresh air and

after about seven hours, we could hear somebody getting close to us

and we started shouting. Belgian divers came to us and rescued us.

They hacked and smashed the strong glass. A priest I know married a

couple and the man worked on The Herald of Free Enterprise. His wife

was pregnant. He died and the body was brought back to the hospital at

Dover where it was put in a temporary morgue and upstairs, the

wife was having her baby. The priest at first, didn't like to tell the

woman having the baby that her husband's body was downstairs.

Our reporter Peter Whittlesea is in Dover now - Peter -

30 years on, the passage of time, hasn't diminished

It was a very emotional service. The time of the disaster, everyone in

Dover either new affecting all a survivor of when The Herald capsized

in just 90 seconds off the Belgian coast. Today, for the first time, to

mark the 30th anniversary, the ship's bell was brought into the

church, carried in by Brian gibbons, the last man to be airlifted off,

and that became a focus for the families who had lost loved ones

that night. The most poignant moment in the act of remembrance is when

the 193 names of those who lost their lives are read out one by one.

And you realise that four and five members of the same family perished

that night. James Knowles was a war veteran

who lived to the age of 91, but when he died in Eastbourne last

year he had no immediate family A hospital chaplain was so upset,

he put out an appeal on social media and as a result,

100 mourners turned up But it turned out he'd left behind

a considerable estate and with no obvious benefactors a team

of inheritance hunters set to work Now 50 people are receiving a sum

of money they didn't realise they were entitled to.

John Young takes up the story. James Knowles never married

and had no children, so when he passed away aged 91

at the Eastbourne District General Hospital,

the chaplain faced a problem. Who would come to the funeral

it was his duty to arrange? So he shared his problem on Facebook

and eight weeks later it was standing room only

at the family chapel I was really surprised the way

the whole thing mushroomed. Over 2,000 people shared it

on their Facebook sites. And we started getting calls

from here, there and everywhere and people from different military

units offering to come and put in a guard of honour,

that sort of thing. People to bring flags,

somebody to play the Last Post. But the funeral is

only half the story. Those guests were

well-wishers, not relatives. The next challenge was to find

whether the older child in this photo was Mr Knowles' elder brother

and if so, he would be entitled to an inheritance of over three

quarters of a million pounds. A company that investigates

inheritances in return for a portion of the money got involved.

It was all televised. They established that there had been

an elder brother but he had Other relatives were tracked down,

including a woman from Herne Bay who's father was a cousin,

who had family photos of her own. I discovered I was an heir

by finding out from my sister. She telephoned me and said,

I've heard from a firm of heir hunters and I was quite shocked

because I didn't realise there was anybody in the family

that we could inherit from any more. It's not necessarily their fault

that they didn't know the deceased or never knew the deceased.

Families fall out, they drift apart. But it is nice to be part

of the reunification process not just with the money but often

we find that people are then getting in touch with each other,

going to visit each other and getting to know each

other and reconnecting. Re-connections and new discoveries,

thanks to the power of internet research and the determination

of an Eastbourne vicar not to let Now, shall we take a look at the

weather? It's been quite nice today, it's been springlike day we say?

There will be some rain around by Wednesday but today has been pretty

decent and we initially expected some rain but it stayed to the

south. There were a couple of scattered showers and some decent

spousal sunshine. It felt quite nice. Top temperatures, eight or 9

degrees. We lose the sunshine on... Generally, the trend this week will

be increasingly mild. Rain at times particularly on Wednesday but not

very heavy. Tomorrow is looking lovely. As we go through tonight, we

still have some clearer skies said temperatures fall away and overnight

low temperatures two or three degrees in towns and cities. A

couple of scattered showers throughout the night but for many of

us, a dry night as we start the day tomorrow. We see those scattered

showers, easing their weight eastwards. We have a ridge of high

pressure so it is a lovely feeling day tomorrow. A bit more sunshine

probably in the morning and to the west, eventually, we see some rain

tomorrow. It stays dry during the day. Lots of sunshine in the morning

and in the afternoon, pretty hazy and temperatures creeping up to

eight or nine. Some places will see ten or 11 that see the best of the

brightness. From Tuesday, into Wednesday, that cloud cover

continues to thicken and will eventually we will see some

outbreaks of rain. The wind is picking up and a mild night as a

result. Five or 6 degrees overnight. It stays settled as we had through

Wednesday and very mild by Wednesday. Temperatures reaching 12

or even 14 degrees. There will be some wind and rain, not feeling very

pleasant but it stays mild as we go through the day for Thursday and

Friday. Quite a lot of cloud around and some rain at times. Friday will

be the brighter of the two. The weekend, further outbreaks of

rainfall Saturday, increasingly breezy with the more brightness

around for Sunday. For tomorrow, it is lovely, finally feeling like

spring, it will be wet at times, especially on and Thursday and

Friday, highs of 14. Concerns for the future of thousands

of jobs at Vauxhall's UK plant after the company was sold to a French car

maker. We have learned the Dartford Crossing has been mistakenly

classified as a rural road by the government. It means pollution

levels were ignored and air quality reports not passed on to the EU. We

will have more on that story and plenty more besides at 10:25pm. And

I will be back with inside out at 7:30pm. Dubai.

as we served life sentences in solitary confinement.

It took us once to get through the novel Anna Karenina.

It was used to help my friend with depression,

and finishing as we went to sleep at night.

tapping each letter through the wall that divided our cells

as we served life sentences in solitary confinement.