16/02/2017 South East Today

In tonight's South East Today: We'll have more reaction from passengers

here to the news that the Southern rail strike just became

We'll report live from Crowborough Station tonight.

The mother killed by cervical cancer, the age for a test is over

25, she wasn't offered one because she was 24.

After a full day started was a bright afternoon, the fog is back

tomorrow. It's been a day of high drama

and bitter disappointment for rail passengers,

as it became clear that the Southern Rail dispute appears

further than ever tonight Just before half past one this

afternoon, it was announced that members of the drivers union,

Aslef, had astonished their leadership by rejecting a deal

that many thought would bring It means that strikes by the RMT

union, which have been going on since last April,

are now likely to continue. Aslef, the second union involved,

joined the industrial action in December, bringing many services

to a standstill altogether. Two weeks ago, many passengers hoped

Aslef would bow out, after their leadership

announced their deal, but today, their membership

narrowly rejected that deal. Nafisa Sayani has been

following today's developments. After ten months of dispute, 28 days

of strikes, 13 days of talks and 14 days of hope that it might be near

an end tonight the deadlock is more stark than ever. The reaction from

commuters in Brighton. It has been like this for almost one year,

really bad strikes in industrial action and it is unbelievable how

there is still in dispute and no resolution. And disappointed because

I pay a lot of money to travel to brighten every day and I think the

service yet it is ridiculous I have to say. I think it is, what is the

point of going on strike unless you hold out for a what your true

beliefs are and principles? The result was a stunning blow for the

leaders of Aslef, whose members nearly always accept the

recommendations. But this time although it was close. Version 4.1

membership -- 54.1% of the membership through the deal out.

Just over 700 members voted, nearly three quarters of the membership. It

was a vote of loyalty, for the drivers union to the conductor 's

union. Aslef the train drivers obviously share the concerns of our

members, the deal on offer did not guarantee a second safety critical

person or every trading and it was not acceptable. Neither Southern nor

Aslef's leaders were getting interviews, local MPs wear. Unions

must understand the full impact they are having on the people they serve,

the people I represent. Industrial action is not the way to settle the

point at issue. What is at stake is passenger safety and I am persuaded

that when you have long 12 carriage trains and have them increasingly

going through stations that are not staffed though if there is a

accident god forbid that having a second safety critical person on the

train helps save lives and that is the bottom line. In a statement

Southern Rail said they were hugely disappointed by the news. Conductors

have been given hearts, passengers remain caught in the middle.

Well this is shaping up to be one of the most damaging industrial

It's been estimated that existing problems with Southern Rail,

along with the industrial action, has cost the UK economy.

That amounts to ?11 million per day of strike action.

With estimates that more than three hundred thousand South East

commuters have been affected by the on going problems.

This was the reaction of one group today that represents passengers.

Passengers have the with terrible performance, inconvenience to their

lives for months. This look like a resolution had been found buried now

look local a quote the year so it is extremely important that all parties

get back on the table and ensure that a quick resolution is found.

Let's go to Crowborough now for some final thoughts on this

from the railway station there, Brihony, angry passengers,

angry drivers and conductors, where do we go from here?

All interested parties have been issuing statements and once you

start reading them you realise that they don't add very much at all,

southern see the watch to meet Aslef at get back around the table and

agree a way forward and also that they want to understand the issues

that led to the outcome. The RMT said that it wants to get back

around the table but it's strike is still going ahead next Wednesday.

The government which usually stays quite quiet during this ongoing

debate says it wants the unions to work with the members an idyllic and

back. It seems to be the same phrases and arguments and

incomprehension from both sides, and the passengers at the station and

many more that have affected it is the same sense of despair.

Well you've been reacting to this story on email

Alan has been in touch and said the commuters especially in the region

should sue the unions to cover the losses, job losses and the damaged

home life. Brian says I support the drivers, it

does not matter what the second person is called the cutting staff

overtime. And the final from France's says how

can Chris Grayling the Secretary of State for Transport remain in post

when he does nothing. There will be more reaction on BBC

Sussex and Surrey radio. A lorry driver has admitted causing

the death of a pensioner Barbara Phipps, who was

seventy-three, died after being knocked off her bicycle

on the A2 London Road William Magee, who's

from Chelmsford, has pleaded guilty to causing death

by careless driving. He's due to be

sentenced next month. This programme has learned that

a board level meeting was held two weeks ago

at the South East Coast Ambulance Service,

at which an action plan to tackle harassment and bullying

at the troubled Ambulance The revelation comes

after allegations were made of bullying against call centre

staff at the South East Coast Ambulance Trust's centre

in Coxheath, near Maidstone. The family of a kayaker found dead

after going missing at sea say they will be "forever

grateful" to the people Dominic Jackson, who

grew up in Uckfield, disappeared two weeks ago off

the Scottish coast. His family have set up a charity

in his name to promote sea safety. They're raising awareness

about Personal Locator Beacons, which they believe could have saved

Dominic's life. The family of a young mother of four

from Gravesend who died of cervical cancer -

is calling for the screening Sadie Blackston, who was from

Gravesend, had been to her GP several times complaining of pain

and bleeding, but her family says she was never offered a smear test,

because they are only routinely offered after the age of 25,

and she was twenty four. She was only diagnosed

after she collapsed. Her family spoke to our

reporter, Simon Jones. Just a year after being diagnosed

with cancer, Sadie Blackston It has really heartbroken me,

I was there for it all I can't even tell you the pain,

every day I wake up through the days and when I go to sleep,

just, she has taken a massive Currently, women aged

between 25 and 64 are offered regular cervical screening,

the cancer affects more than 3000 women per year,

among them 65 people under 25. Sadie's family believed that had

she been offered the test at a younger age the cancer

could have been prevented. I think it should be offered,

because of the age she was at, it is not just her losing her life

it is also her four children because they have no mum now

So the age should be lowered from 25 But the UK national screening

committee has concluded testing under the age of 25 can do more harm

than good, it can cause too many false positive results leading

to unnecessary treatment. As a charity we are guided by Best

practice, we are guided by research and evidence as the current evidence

shows that in countries where screening is offered

at younger ages there is not much difference in terms of outcomes

of patients saw in the UK we are guided by the evidence

and the evidence says that screening But Sadie's family say that

in her memory the fight goes on. That's it from your news team here.

We had the national weather forecast in the moment but he lives Rachel.

It is a mistake for the start of the day and by the afternoon almost

clear blue skies. Overnight tonight we have a weakening weather front so

it would be wall-to-wall rain but certainly patchy drizzle around for

a time. Where we see clear skies with lighter winds there will be

some mist and fog, again very mild. Look at the overnight temperatures

of seven or 8 degrees. Normally we expect these kind of packages during

the afternoon, very mild nurseries that the day tomorrow and a

nationally -- initially it will be down. The high pressure will build

and be dry with probably a bit more cloud cover around and we had today.

By the afternoon temperatures Whiteley will be in double figures,

reaching heights of around 11 or 12 degrees, again with light south

westerly breezes. Friday entered Saturday stays dry and again very

mild, overnight temperatures of five or 6 degrees. Use

forthcoming weekend. Here is Nick Miller with a resume of the National

weather picture. Hello, rain for some of us today

although it won't make much of a dent in the dry winter so far across

much of the