12/04/2017 South East Today

Today's main headlines in the South East.

A six billion pounds tunnel will be built east of Gravesend

When the public realise this is going on for

We're live at the Dartford Crossing where traffic has only

recently returned to normal after a day of chaos.

He was responsible for a 40,000-tonne waste mountain in Kent.

After highs of 16 degrees today, it's not going to be as warm sunny

tomorrow. After the biggest

consultation of its kind ever undertaken, its been announced

that the new Lower Thames Crossing to ease the chronic

congestion at Dartford - will be a two-mile long tunnel

to the east of Gravesend. It's a huge and controversial

project, The government

says it will carry 4.5 million heavy goods

vehicles in its first year. However, it's expected to be

10 years before it's completed. Our reporter Peter Whittlesea

is at the Dartford crossing now. Peter, anyone using the crossing

at Dartford today will be well aware It's been total gridlock today.

Journeys that normally takes 15 minutes have taken 2.5 hours.

Everyone knows that this is why the government has announced for the

first time in 26 years a new crossing. The traffic has got to

such an extent that everyone believes they should be new crossing

that people couldn't agree where that crossing should be. Today

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling was late because of the traffic

himself to make the announcement of whether crossing should be. Our

after hour of tailbacks at the crossing on the very afternoon the

Transport Secretary announced the infrastructure project that is

supposed to stop all this. People who live in Dartford know that the

traffic is a pain already. They want a second crossing, downstream can

providers with better alternatives then piling people of this crowded

stretch of motorway. But the chosen route from the M25 across the 813

and under the tends at Tilbury and east of Gravesend has had opposition

labelling it a crazy idea. 6000 million quid building the road that

will take less than 15% of the traffic from here. This is honestly

a scandal. When the public realise this is going on for another 30

years. There was no rejoicing following this service, residents

here say their homes will be blighted and the countryside ruined

by the new crossing. I've been here ten years. They built in the fields

behind me. They're building on flood plains to the river and now they are

going to put another road in. Where has my country gone? Wrong place,

wrong idea. When this tunnel is built, if it is, the problems at

Dartford will still exist. And Marion money says that the home she

has will be blighted by the new crossing. We are grade two listed.

It is going to affect not only me but the whole village which is a

conservation area. The Road haulage industry has backed the results. Not

only will it provide 70% additional capacity on the road network it will

add resilience into the road network providing an alternative route. And

Dartford's MP who claims the town has suffered years of gridlock

believes the new crossing. The town from being a congestion hotspot.

They have no choice, there should be resilience in the system so they

don't all have to funnel into Dartford to get under the Thames.

The government says thousands of jobs will be created, boosting the

local economy and crucially it will also reduce congestion. There are

still quite a few unknowns. Will there be any legal challenges

because the new crossing will go through swathes of green belt and

people claim their homes will be blighted. Will there be any charge

for this crossing, like there is at Dartford? How long will it take to

be built? Some claims that it will be ten years if directly funded by

the government, other claims it could be longer if private investors

are required. Also, people who claim their homes are blighted, will they

get compensation? Today, the Transport Secretary said that those

directly affected by the crossing would appropriately be compensated.

Two men have been convicted of sexual offences

against a boy who was a pupil at Eastbourne College

where they were both teachers nearly 30 years ago.

Andrew Boxer, who was a history teacher, was sentenced to 15 years

in prison and Eastbourne man Graham Jones who was a music teacher

was sentenced to two years' imprisonment for two counts

Both men will be put on the sex offenders' register.

Twenty new free schools have been announced for Kent and Sussex,

four of them in Medway including a primary school for children

The new schools include Stone Lodge Academy in Dartford

and the Flagship School in Hastings which aims to cater for around 50

children between the ages of nine and sixteen

with significant social or communication issues

The Government has pledged to open 500 new free schools by 2020.

Fresh talks are to be held between the RMT and Southern Railway

in a bid to resolve the year-long dispute over staffing

and driver-only operated trains, the unions have said.

31 days of strike action by the RMT over changes

to the role of conductors have already taken place.

Discussions between the parties will resume the week after next.

A man from Kent who was responsible for an illegal waste mountain

that was estimated to total 40,000-tonnes

In a prosecution brought by the Environment Agency,

John Millen from Murston, near Sittingbourne pleaded guilty

to dumping the waste at the Kent site without a permit.

Standing more than ten metres high, this was John Millen's

unauthorised waste storage site near Sittingbourne.

Full of concrete, soil, plastic and metal.

He had failed to respond to warnings and requests to clear it up

Having previously pled guilty to environmental law, he arrived

This is your chance to explain yourself?

He said he would answer my questions after the hearing

but he did not get a chance, the judge jailed him

The Environment Agency says that it sends a clear message.

Waste crime may not be at the forefront of everyone's

minds, but it must be treated appropriately and unfortunately

people decide to increase their profits by not doing that

and then we will investigate and if necessary we will take

This is John Millen's former site today where more than 12,000

By the time the case came to the court today for sentencing,

Mr Millen had managed to clear 70% of the waste on his land

but the Environment Agency says the documentation for the transfer

of the waste is incomplete and they don't know the whereabouts

Ultimately the public faces the bill to deal with Mr Millen's mess.

And the transportation and disposal of the waste, its incineration,

will come at a cost that could run into six figures.

The council owns the land but did not respond

Tomorrow on BBC South East we have an exclusive investigation

which has found young, vulnerable people in Kent and Sussex

are being targeted by online adverts offering free accommodation

I had no idea what I was getting into.

He took me into his living room, got me drinks, and then,

after that, it was straight upstairs and go for it.

You can find out more about this on our breakfast bulletins

and local live pages tomorrow and see the full investigation

That's it from me, the national weather forecast in a moment

but first let's get the picture in the South East with Nina Ridge.

The sunshine took its time today but it eventually broke through lifting

the temperatures. Tomorrow, a little bit more cloud but overall sticking

with the dry cleaning. By the time we get to Friday, we'll see a little

bit more rain around. There will be some clear spells but just like the

last couple of nights it will turn a little bit chilly in the

countryside. We are expecting some earlier sunshine. A little bit hit

and miss through the afternoon. As we found over the last couple of

days, that sunshine really makes a difference to the temperatures.

Brightness might lift them up to 13-14. We will see a weakening

weather front heading south-east wards. Throughout Friday it is

looking very cloudy. Rain will come and go. Nothing significant but on

and off throughout the day. Temperatures 12-13. Things brighten

up for the rest of the Easter weekend.

Brighter on Saturday but cloud again on Sunday. Here is Tomasz.

Good evening. The weather in the run-up to

Christmas... Easter! I got ahead of myself there! It isn't looking

especially great, nor is it looking all that