22/01/2017 South East Today

Families of elderly residents at two Sussex care homes say

they are angry and disgusted after being told they're closing.

These are the second and third homes in St Leonards

that the New Century Care company has shut in less than a year,

blaming the national funding climate.

52 residents will be displaced and there's a fear more

care homes are set to close, unless the government invests

home move in the space of the year. home move in the space of the year.

Last March the same company closed the home she used to live in and her

family is disgusted. 95-year-old Alice has dementia and her daughter

says she will struggle with the change. Chicago anything for

herself, everything has to be done for her, she doesn't

going on. -- she can't do anything going on. -- she can't do anything

for herself. She just needs the comfort of home. The care home say:

Linda used to be a manager with the company and says the minimum wage

pension obligations and pressure from the regulator mean homes can

not afford to run on the fees that local authorities are prepared to

put more money into social care, put more money into social care,

that's the bottom line. I think more and more providers would be looking

at the bottom line and thinking, this is just not sustainable.

Challenged about social care funding, the Prime Minister said she

recognised there are pressures and recognised there are

said more money is being made said more money is being made

available. This is an issue that has been backed by governments for too

long, that's what I have setup work to say we need to find a solution so

of our social care provision. In of our social care provision. In

Saint Leonards, relatives tell me finding new homes is already proving

difficult. It's just a shame because there isn't anywhere in Hastings, a

lot of the homes are for, it could be judgmental to her health and it's

very worrying. The county council said it would explore all potential

alternatives to putting the homes and will be making contact with the

families affected. A man's died after being hit

by a car in Swanley. The 29 year old was walking

on Maidstone Road near the junction with Hockenden Lane just after 10

o'clock last night. He was struck by a

silver Renault Clio. Police are appealing for anyone who

saw what happened to contact them. Police and the coastguard have spent

the afternoon searching for a man who jumped off a motorway bridge

into the River Medway. Emergency services were called to

the M2 near Rochester this morning. A helicopter and divers

were involved in the search and the footpath between junctions

two and three was closed The search has been

called off for the night From our point of view, with

temperatures as they are in the water, we have suddenly hours we

think a body can be retrievable and hopefully can carry out

resuscitation. We had gone beyond that time now, so the colleagues

will not carry on the search. Southern rail has called on the RMT

union to suspend tomorrow's strike The operator says 70

percent of its trains will run on Monday and a full

service will resume on Tuesday. The union - which is striking over

the role of the conductor and who operates the doors -

says Southern needs to "engage" with them

to deal with safety issues. The RSPCA say a dog is "lucky to be

alive" after she was thrown over a six foot fence and abandoned

in sub zero temperatures in Kent. The spaniel, thought

to be about a year old, was discovered on Wednesday

surrounded by frozen faeces in She's now recovering at an RSPCA

centre and animal inspectors are trying to find those responsible

plus a new home for her. Football now and Gillingham have

secured their first point of this year with a thrilling draw

against League One The Blades' Billy Sharp opened

the scoring at Bramall Lane. They were later pegged back

by Josh Wright who scored a quick double for the Gills -

his first goals since October - before Kieron Freeman

smashed home the equaliser. It was a very cold start to the day,

and widespread sharp frost, some of our more rural spots were down as

was a bit of talk around but most of was a bit of talk around but most of

us had blue sky and sunshine. us had blue sky and sunshine.

However, the frog is going to make a comeback overnight. Clear skies,

temperatures could drop as low as -5 again. They will be freezing fog

into tomorrow morning. It up weather warning for this blog, it could be

very dense and widespread, slow to lift and click may leading travel

issues. The frog slowly lifting, there could be frightening into the

afternoon, many of us it could rather grey. Martha ground on

Tuesday money, dry and Chile of freezing fog. Already warnings in

place from the Met office. I will concentrate on the fog as we go

through the night. It will become quite dense late on in the night.

When