04/01/2017 South East Today

Today's main headlines in the south-east:

After serious injuries in a balcony collapse in Sussex, warnings tonight

Millions are needed to tackle illegal immigration says a Kent MP,

calling for an EU visitor tax to pay for it.

And after a crisp winter afternoon we have a hard frost due tonight.

The boom in private holiday lets has led to a warning tonight that

a relaxing getaway can turn into a disaster - if proper safety

It comes after four people suffered serious injuries when a balcony

collapsed at an Airbnb flat in Brighton last year.

East Sussex Fire and Rescue is urging anyone involved

in short-term lets to make sure that safety measures are taken

Our Special Correspondent Colin Campbell reports.

Four people hospitalised, left seriously injured, one impaled on

It was the collapse of the balcony at this flat last

summer that has prompted East Sussex Fire And Rescue to issue

People that use these premises, they're typically not familiar with

They might be down just for a weekend break, with

people they might not know that well, they might turn up at the

They're invariably having a good time and the last thing

So the people that own these properties

and rent them out need to be aware of the responsibilities and make

sure the properties are safe, and the first

thing they need to do is

The flat where Jessica and her friends sustained their injuries

I've got fractures in my pelvis and my back.

I think everyone was worried that my back was more seriously broken.

While Holiday rental agencies have been around for

a while it's the growth of online platforms

like Airbnb that has fuelled a

huge growth in people letting out their rooms for first time.

Airbnb was founded in San Francisco in 2008.

It is a website which allows independent hosts to offer

There are more than 2 million listings online

currently around the world, and

more than 60 million people have used it to

More than 300 of those properties are in Brighton.

The Fire Service's safety message is aimed at all who rent out holiday

and party accommodation in Brighton, but some traditional letting agents

believe it has developed into an uneven playing field.

We are losing business because these other

platforms don't insist on the safety checks that we insist on.

Brighton's short-term holiday letting market is booming.

East Sussex Fire And Rescue hope their

intervention will prevent further serious injury or tragedy.

Our reporter Jon Hunt has also been following this

story and is in Brighton, where the balcony collapse happened.

Jon, do people really consider safety when they

I've been talking to quite a few people tonight who use these

services regularly, both for work services regularly, both for work

if safety is their top priority. if safety is their top priority.

make bookings and on the whole they make bookings and on the whole they

have had good experiences. and on the whole they have

had good experiences. Compared to hotels, it

just gives you more... I don't know, you feel more

part of the city cos Everything they advertised

on the website was Jon, what is the Fire Service doing

to help ensure party They've been warning landlords that

in some cases these decorative balconies do pose a hazard, not

strong enough to carry people. They have also been inspecting some of

these party homes in East Sussex and they say in a number of cases in the

last few months they have found some to be so dangerous they have had to

shut them down straightaway. The Government must increase

the budget for the UK Border Force by ?250 million to crack down

on illegal immigration. That's the view of Dover and Deal

MP Charlie Elphicke, who says the money's needed

to tackle people smuggling. His report cites BBC South East's

exclusive investigation revealing how illegal migrants are offered

Channel crossings in the back of Lidl supermarket lorries

for thousands of pounds. Our Political Editor

Helen Catt reports. Caught on camera - an agent

for a gang of people smugglers offers to hide our undercover

researcher on a lorry This BBC South East Today

investigation showed people smuggling across

the Channel is still a There's a lot of money there,

an enormous amount. And if you've got the right

people, the amount of money available, you can get

anyone into the UK by sea. And the Government's adviser

on terrorism law has now warned that remote beaches could even be used

by returning fighters from Syria It's really important

we make sure that we secure the English Channel,

so that people can't just turn up on beaches like this, here,

that we make sure we have action to stop people smuggling

into Britain in lorries, and also to investigate intelligence

so we can go after people traffickers and end their evil trade

and modern slavery. And he thinks Brexit

could be an opportunity to Under a visa waiver scheme

he wants to introduce, EU visitors would have to pay ?10

and fill in a form to visit the UK. Charlie Elphicke estimates

that could raise ?250 million, which could

partly be used on enforcement. I mean, if we can't help

out our own people... I've lived in America

for a while as either People can enter the UK legally

with a visa and then Again, that's a very different

policing operation to what's being But, certainly, the large

proportion of people who are illegally resident in the UK have

come into the UK perfectly legally. Responding to the report,

the Home Office told us it is committed to ensuring

Border Force has the necessary resources to keep the UK

safe from a range of threats. Our reporter Piers Hopkirk has also

been following the story. And depends what sort of deal the UK

is able to secure post Brexit. If that means an end to freedom of

movement, this might be something the Government considers,

effectively taxing EU visitors to the UK and using the money to

bolster border security. The question is what difference would it

make, what impact will it have? It was interesting listening to the

professor in the report. He said the bulk of illegal immigrants are

people who have come here legally. Thank you.

A mother who died at Tunbridge Wells hospital,

lost more than four pints of blood, an inquest has heard.

Today a doctor told how she tried to combat "alarming" levels

of acid and carbon dioxide in Frances Cappuccini's blood

At the coroner's court for the inquest into

Frances Cappuccini's death, the family were here for a second

Mrs Cappuccini died after an emergency Caesarean section.

Today, the inquest heard how she lost 2.3 litres of blood.

Doctor Gabriela Gray, a registrar obstetrician involved in

her emergency care, says she managed to finally stop the bleeding once

a piece of placenta left behind in the patient's

Frances Cappuccini died in 2012, and in April 2015 two doctors

The following year, a doctor and hospital trust were

cleared of manslaughter following the collapse

Soon after, charges against another doctor were dropped.

Today, details emerged of the time leading up to

The court heard how problems developed with

Doctor Gabriela Gray said the high levels of Mrs Cappuccini's blood

acid and carbon dioxide were alarming.

Later, she was asked by the family's legal

counsel what she found alarming about it.

She replied, "The severity - I had never seen a patient with such

Frances Cappuccini went on to have a cardiac arrest.

A six-day strike by drivers on Southern Rail next week has

been cut to three days, but three new strike days have been

Members of Aslef were due to walk out on Monday -

they'll now strike from Tuesday to Thursday.

And a reminder that we're hosting a special debate about the ongoing

crisis on Southern Rail services, this Sunday the 8th of January.

If you want to be in the audience, email [email protected]

with your details and how you've been affected.

The programme airs on Monday the 9th of January, at 7.30pm, on BBC One.

Gillingham Football Club have appointed Adrian Pennock as head

coach, a day after sacking former manager Justin Edinburgh.

Pennock, a former defender at the club, will be assisted

by coaches Steve Lovell and Jamie Day.

The three have been appointed with immediate effect

That's it from me, we'll have the national weather

in a moment, first here's the forecast for the

We had a cloudy damp start of the day but by the afternoon once again

lots of sunshine. Those clearer skies also mean a chilly picture as

we go into tonight. Once again temperatures will be plummeting.

Lows of -2 or minus three degrees. A frosty start tomorrow. The highs

tomorrow struggling to get much about four or 5 degrees. Tomorrow

clear skies and perhaps the odd scattered shower. A really chilly

picture as we start tomorrow. First thing to Thursday, lots of is -- by

the afternoon those temperatures will struggle. We have highs of

around three or 4 degrees and gentle breezes. He was a closer look at the

rain by Friday afternoon. Temperatures creeping up a notch or

two and turning milder into the weekend.

A guarantee on your journey to work tomorrow, if you are nipping out to

the shop for a paper, somebody will talk about how cold it