17/02/2017 South East Today

A former worker at South East Coast Ambulance Service has told

this programme she was so badly bullied there for two years,

it made her ill, and she had to leave the job she loved.

Ambulance technician Jane Thomas says the bullying was widespread

The trust has been under intense pressure this week after a leaked

report revealed historic allegations of "horrific, cowardly

and devastating" acts of bullying against staff at their call

The trust has told us that they are working hard

Jane Thomas was a technician with the SECAMB for 14 years.

She left two years ago after suffering what she describes

as repeated bullying from a colleague.

I was expecting a baby in September, I miscarried in Christmas Day.

And he made a comment about my weight in the duty room

in front of several other colleagues when I was passing through.

Jane Thomas joined what was Kent ambulance in the year 2000.

Based in Thanet, that changed in 2012, when she questioned

When you haven't got the support, who do you turn to?

You have your line manager, that you think, you hope,

you can trust and they perhaps don't want to know so you go

the next stage further and they are not interested.

Revelations about bullying at SECAMB have centred around historical

allegations at the emergency call centre at Coxheath.

A confidential report was leaked this week,

describing a culture of favouritism and nepotism with staff receiving

abusive and anonymous phone calls and female staff

I am very angry, if these allegations do come through then

In July 2014, I said to myself I have got to go.

And I had to give up a job that I loved doing very much.

And it still affects me, to this day.

A dispute over a one pound parking ticket led to a 14-month battle

with East Sussex County Council that saw bailiffs attempt

Charity volunteer Paula Woolvens bought a ticket to park

in Seaford in 2015 but the wind blew it

After months of dispute, an independent parking tribunal has

The council says it's seeking clarification

Our news correspondent Yvette Austin reports.

A ?1 for two hours ticket which led to a legal battle. She regularly

pays and displays in this car park but the problems began on a windy

winters day in 2015. And I was helping with

the school pantomime. It was windy, December 2015,

very cold, the children had arrived early with their teachers

and I was rushing to get I bought a ticket as I always do,

put it in my car, and the wind must have flipped it over

as I closed the door. And the ?50 penalty

charge was issued. She told East Sussex County

Council what had happened It has photo evidence

that the ticket had flipped over More appeals and the County

Court hearing followed. And then bailiffs

to take away her car. A tow truck and a bailiff turned up

with a lady threatening to drag away my ?11,000 car for a ?1 parking

ticket that I had bought. It got beyond ridiculous,

six appeals, bailiffs, and all for a ?1 ticket that

I had bought. Eventually a government independent

tribunal sided with and the ?400 that she had to pay the bailiffs has

now been refunded. The fact that then pursued it

relentlessly, it seems me that someone has really had quite

a vicious streak in them and instead of exercising their discretion that

common sense would suggest, has pursued this relentlessly

and at the expense of taxpayers. East Sussex County Council says it

issued a penalty charge notice because it had happened to Paula

before, back in March 2015, The matter is now closed for Paula

but the council is seeking clarification from the tribunal

over its decision. A lorry driver accused of bringing

down a bridge on the M20 in Kent by driving dangerously has

appeared in court. Alan Austen from Darlington is also

charged with criminal damage. The lorry hit the footbridge

crossing over the motorway last August, bringing it down

onto another HGV - and narrowly New problems have emerged

with the systems that compensate passengers for delays on Southern

Rail. The company told people affected

by the chaos of months of industrial action

that they would be in touch in the New Year but thousands

haven't heard a word, and today the Southern admitted

technical problems mean the scheme Let's get the picture in

the south-east with Rachel Mackley. Good evening. A gorgeous bright

afternoon, temperatures were reaching highs of 13 degrees. Mild

over the weekend as well, mostly dry, potentially some light rain

first thing. Overnight tonight, dry and mild, mist and fog first thing

for Saturday, an area of high pressure once again brightening up

by the end of the afternoon. A gentle south-westerly and

temperatures comfortably in double figures and highs of ten or 11. From

Saturday to Sunday, a weakening weather front, more cloud and

potentially drizzle first thing. Mostly dry during the day on Sunday

and highs of 12 or 13 part of next week, we could see 16

Celsius in a few spots. Here is knit with the National output.