23/01/2017 South East Today

Today's main headlines in the South East: Will normal

service be resumed on Southern tomorrow, with 12 RMT drivers

We'll be live in Brighton with the details.

A Kent businessman is found guilty of illegally storing

And it is another bitterly cold night tonight with warnings out

about dense fog for tomorrow's rush-hour.

Southern commuters are waiting to see if the promised normal

service to the rail timetable will resume tomorrow.

12 train driver members of the RMT union are on strike tomorrow

and the union is asking for the train drivers union Aslef

It comes as a Conservative MP looks to introduce a private members' bill

to Parliament tomorrow aimed at preventing a repeat

Any commuter arriving to board a Southern train tomorrow with a

spring in their step and the promise of a full and normal timetable once

again could be sorely disappointed. RMT union picket lines are not by

any means a thing of the past. 12 drivers in the union will strike

tomorrow, Wednesday and Friday and are asking the main driver's union,

Aslef, to support them. I think every driver, no matter what union

they are in, it is their fundamental right not to be forced to cross a

picket line. This is not a case of which union, but which side. Gods

walked out today over changes to their role in this dispute. One MP

is now trying to change the law to restrict further walk-outs. Nobody

is saying strikes should be banned and I respect the right to strike,

but he needs to be balanced with the but he needs to be balanced with the

right of the public to get to work and home to see their loved ones.

The bill would mean strikes affecting critical national services

such as rail, tubes, buses and the NHS would have to be

and reasonable in the view of a High and reasonable in the view of a High

Court judge. At a basic level of service should be maintained and be

mandatory to attend talks at the conciliation service to resolve the

dispute. It is politically charged. But it will make it more difficult

for unions and workers to take industrial action. The Government

has not said explicitly if he would back any new law, but there was

support them on passengers. Something needs to be done. I

travelled to Tunbridge Wells every day and it's been a nightmare.

Definitely. The strikes are ridiculous at the moment. Southerner

says it expects to run a full service tomorrow and commuters will

perhaps be wise to exercise some caution in their optimism.

Southern had been keen to say they would be able to run

a full service tomorrow, so how disruptive do we think

We are told the main focus tomorrow will be here in Brighton. But it is

hard to know exactly what the impact of that will be as there are only 12

drivers within the RMT union and it all hinges on whether or not the

Aslef drivers cause the picket lines, but they say they weren't,

while their talks are ongoing. As for the bill go before Parliament

tomorrow, it does have the backing of several MPs, but without the

concrete backing of the Government, it is likely to face a real

challenge. Thank you. And you can follow all the travel

news and the impact of strikes from 6am tomorrow on our local live

services.bbc.co.uk/kent or 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 mess created at Lewis Bertram's

recycling business in Smarden, was described by villagers

as a living hell. 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 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 action before the eyesore is

finally cleared. 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 Liam Collins,

Sussex head teacher at Uplands Community College,

has been telling MPs at The Department for Education said

that school funding for 2016-17 will be at its highest

level on record. So this is our other femur,

what do you think this is? Ofsted said this is a good

school with teaching both good and outstanding

but the head teacher here once they face

the I don't think anyone

really understands the 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 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 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 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 Suzanne has three

children at the school. 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 Don't be silly with the sharp bits

and put them in the bin. Huge variations in how much

cash given her people. East Sussex receives half the amount

the City of London does. 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. Simon Jones has been

following the story. Dire warnings from one

headteacher there. What has the Department

for Education had to say? It says funding for schools is at a

record level. Some ?40 billion this financial year. It recognises

however that some schools are facing challenges and they say it is

available to give advice on how to spend money on a cost-effective way.

But the National Audit Office reckons that by 2020 there will be a

?3 billion shortfall in funding. Head teachers say we should see the

education of children not as a cost for the future, be rather an

investment. Labour have joined in, saying it is wrong for headteachers

to choose between laying off staff and investing in new equipment.

Thank you. A man from Deal has appeared

in court today accused of stalking journalist and campaigner Jemima

Khan. 60-year-old Conor Donal O'Mahoney

is believed to have contacted her on social media and sent a taxi

to her home address. He is charged with one

count of stalking, causing serious alarm or distress

to the 42-year-old mother of two, who is also known

as Jemima Goldsmith. Now, let's see what's happening

with the weather for the next few Rachel - the fog is

causing a real problem. Today we had those stubborn mist and

fog patches and in many places, they did not clear. More of the same

tonight. Warnings from the Met office and poor visibility first

thing tomorrow. What is causing that is clearer skies and lighter winds.

This is the weather we have had now for quite a few days. There are

warnings about the risk of high pollution levels tomorrow and we

have concerns. Overnight tonight, temperatures as low as -5 in a rural

spots and about freezing in cities. Bitterly cold tomorrow. Take care if

you're driving in the rush-hour. Visibility is bad first thing. This

high pressure stays with us and by the afternoon, the sunshine may just

about beer. Temperatures for - 5 degrees. Light winds and is by the

brightness, still bitterly cold. Tomorrow night, much of the same.

Clearer skies, lighter winds, mist and fog and temperatures in rural

spots minders or -5 and -2 perhaps in towns and cities. Wednesday,

similar. In the afternoon, temperatures 5-6 . On Thursday, the

winds now coming from the south easterly and

For the weekend we will have dry weather with sunny spells and it

will be a little bit milder. Good evening. We are continuing to

see huge righty in the weather. Getting the detail right is proving

to be a challenge. This was in Pembrokeshire and other parts of the

UK were gloomy throughout the day. The fog is thickening up right now.

Particularly