13/01/2017 South Today - Oxford

Good evening. and on BBC One we now join the BBC's

All non-urgent operations have been cancelled

at the John Radcliffe Hospital today and Monday - due to the pressures

Squatters win a reprieve, which means they have shelter from the

winter weather for another seven days. It means we have more time to

plan stuff, rather than worrying where I will sleep or eat. They know

they have shelter the week, and hopefully longer. And the talented

Mr Webster, a gallery shows off the diversity of his work -- Whistler.

All non-urgent operations have been cancelled

at the John Radcliffe Hospital today and Monday - due to the pressures

In a statement, the hospital trust said everybody

Peter Cooke is live for us tonight outside the JR.

Peter, what more do we know? Hospital trusts in Oxford,

Buckinghamshire and rubbing our monks 25 who said they'd been under

serious pressure -- Reading are monks. They issued a statement. She

said they had taken this decision to help with the flow of patients

through the hospital, Tilse to ensure they can continue to see

patients in the emergency department is in a timely way. She added, all

of those affected have been notified, all urgent emissions and

day cases would still go ahead. Staff at the hospital have been

asking people to consider all options before going to A We've

been speaking to members of the public to see if they have any

sympathy with the situation. There is a disparity between what the

public expect from NHS and what they deliver. I can't fault the staff at

all, they treated me well. Quite a lot of people could either be seen

by doctors or be seen by the pharmacist. The picture here is very

much reflected of course in other parts of the country. More than ten

hospitals in England have had to cancel routine treatments as we've

seen in Oxford. Basically, they are not seeing patients quickly enough.

They've had to bring an extra staff to cope, and given the current

pressures on the NHS in the country, many trusts are warning we are

likely to see further cancellations in the weeks ahead.

A man's been arrested in connection with a rape investigation in Oxford.

Police have today been continuing their searches

of the area surrounding Raleigh Park and woodland close to the A34.

The man has been detained in Eastbourne in Sussex.

Officers are appealing for witnesses to the incident -

adding evidence may have been thrown from a moving car.

A shop keeper near the Cowley road has pleaded guilty to 16

offences relating to selling unsafe legal highs.

Darren Manley admitted selling the products -

including King B and Charlie Sheen - as research chemicals

from his Red Eye store, which has since closed down.

Trading Standards launched an investigation into the substances

and found them to be illegal and dangerous.

Next, inspectors at the troubled Woodhill Prison in Milton Keynes

have raised concerns over staffing levels in a damning new report -

The Care Quality Commission findings - published today -

criticise the level of mental health care.

Today's findings will do little to allay the concerns of embattled

over its safety procedures, Woodhill's high suicide rate has now

The report underlines the prison's ongoing problems with recruitment.

Inspectors found the mental health team was insufficiently staffed,

with just three registered nurses and one lead clinician.

Half the roles within the main healthcare team

The conclusion, there was a potential risk to

There are glimmers of hope in this report.

There are plans, for instance, to open a specialist 12 bed

mental health care unit, and all prisoners

entering Woodhill at the

weekend are assessed for signs of mental illness.

An improvement, inspectors say, on the previous

Improvements that came too late for Kevin Scarlett.

Found hanging in his prison cell in 2013, an

inquest found the 30-year-old, who had a history

of mental illness, was

Nobody actually believes he wanted to kill

It was a cry for help, the prison guards should have found him,

should have treated him medically, and then should have dealt with his

Last year it emerged Woodhill Prison had recorded

the highest suicide rate amongst inmates over the past three years.

The authors of today's report seem to suggest those numbers could drop

The mental health services at the prison are run by Central

and North West London NHS Foundation Trust.

The trust's clinical director of offender care,

Dr Shamir Patel, says the picture is a complicated one.

Death in custody and deaths in prison is a complicated question,

depends on a number of factors. If it was an easy question we'd be able

to solve it quickly, but what we see is an ageing population, an

increasing number of psychoactive substances in our prisons, including

Spice. And also the complex is he of the environment. We must bear in

mind Woodhill is a category a present, therefore the compact

cities of the prison and the environment asked by the unique in

themselves. I think we can do more and if we have more stuff we can do

more interventions. At the moment the staff is to be higher than that

which was identified by the CQC, because we have moved on since other

weeks. It is interesting the report concluded the staff were

compassionate and enthusiastic about their work.

Campaigners squatting in a former car show room in Oxford say they've

claimed a small but important victory for those needing shelter.

They've been at a court hearing in the city today -

where the case to remove them was adjourned.

Protestors say it gives people with nowhere warm to sleep another

Adina Campbell has been following developments.

Cuddle time to Lewis and his dog. For the next seven days at least,

he'll be able to stay on living here in this former car dealership in

Oxford. This is your room. You've made it into your own. Big up I have

it's an upgrade. How long were you in the tent? Four nights. It felt

like an office in the first night, so I did something to make at my

own. Campaigners say they were relieved after a judge at the County

Court in Oxford adjourned the hearing which could have seen the 16

homeless people living in this building addicted. They decided to

move in on New Year's Eve after finding the property and occupied

and open. Since then, thousands of people have signed a petition to

keep them here, and donations have been flooding in. Lots of warm

clothes, we've got bedding, beds, someone donated and there are today.

A couple of sofas, we've got Hobbs, fridges, cooking equipment. Pretty

much everything you need. The building is owned by the college, is

says it is profoundly sympathetic to the plight of homeless people but

plans to use the site for student accommodation. The college, however,

that is to mid County cooperative, who've told us in a statement they

requested and a German today to give the homeless time to time to

continue to work towards a collaborative outcome. With

temperatures set to drop to -3 overnight, this is welcome news for

the people who been using this building to keep warm. But this may

not be a permanent decision, and even though they will be able to

stay here for the next few days, that could change of course

depending on the outcome of next week's hearing. Police say eight car

has done 131 mph on the macro goal M4. It was spotted this morning in

freezing conditions, a 31-year-old man is due to appear in court -- M4.

Two years on from a fire that completely destroyed

South Oxfordshire District Council's offices near Wallingford,

residents say they're frustrated the site remains derelict.

The building was one of the targets in a series of arson

Critics have dubbed the burnt out remains an eyesore.

SODC says it's investigating a number of options

for the future of the site - but must consider value for money.

People with impaired sight are now be able to enjoy

A guided walking group's been launched by the charity BucksVision.

Despite the weather - Angela Walker joined

There is quite an interesting story about this, it is a site of a civil

War battle. A quick briefing from members of BucksVision's newly

formed walking group, a little snow and ice was not enough to stop these

visually impaired and blind people from taking part. If you are a cane

user, it is difficult to walk at speed. Because of the hazards and

everything around. To be able to walk with a partner and to be guided

and to know you can trust our partner and then you can walk at

speed and enjoy it, enjoy the countryside, enjoyed the birds. As

well as being a chance to socialise, these guided walks aimed to help

people with sight problems become more confident. Too often or not we

are so involved with everyday life we never go outside, and when you've

got a visually impaired person, that's magnified even more. So just

to get outside and have a bit of pressure is just wonderful for their

body, spirit and mind. A lot of those are isolated at home, no one

to talk to, nothing to do. And when events like this happen, it gets us

talking. I love it, because you're getting help, I used to be very

frightened to go out by myself. The charity BucksVision start of the

walks to meet demand. We had quite a few of our members who were

interacting with a local walks put on by the council. But obviously

because there's not always a possibility of getting the right

guide, sometimes they can't go on those forks, so that when we

thought, why don't we set up our own walking group? BucksVision is

looking for more visually impaired people to take part and is also

appealing for more people to become walking guides, special training be

provided. Finally - have a look

at this snowy scene. We may have missed the brunt

of the winter weather, but this aerial shot

across Stokenchurch and the Chilterns shows a fair

spread of the white stuff. The shot was captured

by the police helicopter. We'll have a full weather update

later in the programme. The forecast for the weekend

is coming up in a few Now more of today's

stories with Sally Taylor. We are expecting some flood alerts,

and we have some flood alert in place already across West Sussex

and Hampshire tonight. And we do have one flood

warning in place at Bosham. Anjana Gadgil meets a hunter that

scares the pidgeons. Willow flies outside

the hospital three times a day She's really become

a local celebrity. Environmental concerns have been

raised over plans to build new homes on and around a lake near Theale

in West Berkshire. It's not the first time the site has

been targeted and developers says they'll provide much needed housing

while also taking measure Opponents think it could put

the area at greater risk. It may look a little barren

and grey in the rain, but this lake formed

from an old gravel gravel pit This is a very important site

for wildlife, primarily for the birds that breed here,

but we're also concerned While the Wildlife Trust understands

the need for housing in this area, we think that developers should look

elsewhere, and there are spaces in Berkshire that we think are more

appropriate for this They fear house-building will harm

and land protected nightingales. It's one of the most important sites

not only in the county, The damage that it would do,

it's just unacceptable. More than 200 houses

could be built here, including 24 floating homes

on the water. But this part of West Berkshire

is prone to flooding, and the Environment Agency has

concerns about the plans, as do The developers say their proposals

go far beyond the new homes They say they're investing

substantially in local infrastructure, and designing

a flood alleviation scheme which will bring

relief to nearby homes. The developer will provide

it with new facilities There's a lot for planners

to consider, but the demand The Thames Valley as a region

is growing very quickly. There's industry is coming in, a lot

of businesses want to be based here, and so that is attracting a lot

of new families. You've got to couple that

with the existing population who want to have homes

for their children and grandchildren Where to put those houses

is a very emotive subject, and this is one of the sites

that is up for discussion The council is due to make a

decision about the plans next month. A drive to save money could see bin

collections in Basingstoke reduced The proposal comes as Hampshire

County Council is cutting opening Basingstoke and Deane Council's due

to discuss the idea next week. It says fortnightly collections

are now common elsewhere. Pigeons nesting at Southampton

General Hospital created four So to deal with it they employed

a full-time Falconer. And each day Andy Crowle goes

to work, he's reminded of his late wife because Sue was treated

for cancer in Southampton. Before she died, she encouraged

Andy to pursue his dream That's her rousing and getting her

feathers in place for flying. High-level operations

above Southampton General Hospital. Willow the Harris hawk casts

an eye on the ground. The aim is that they see

a predator on site, and it deters them from nesting,

and so in that way we Once pigeons have bred here,

it's their home, and they're almost Willow and Rogue are well rewarded,

and they're well-suited to the job. They're very easy to train,

they're very easy to get to do And they're almost like

the Labrador of the bird world. They will follow you

around wherever go. So, Willow flies outside

the hospital three times a day She's really become

a local celebrity. Andy started working

with birds in March, He was encouraged

by his late wife, Sue. Two years ago, my wife bought me

a falconry experience day. And it really sort of unlocked the,

unlocked the lid of that Sue came to Southampton

for her treatment, giving Andy's She would probably be furious

that I dug up the garden But actually, it was Sue

that started it all. You know, she enabled

me to do this, so... I feel that she's had

a hand in it, really. As well as caring for the birds,

Andy's own brood has grown. The day I met him, he became

a grandfather for the second time. We are going to talk about football,

we're going to talk a little bit about what's going to be happening

off the pitch in the new future with Reading. I feel like we have kind of

been here before. Because we have. This has been ongoing for several

years now. Now, that brought some stability, but they want to move on

themselves. Now the question is, is the latest planned takeover going to

happen? Reading were beaten by QPR

at the Madejski stadium on a night where the ongoing impasse over

the protracted takeover of the club by a Chinese brother and sister

pairing was brought to the fore A frustrating night for Reading,

only their second home league defeat of the season. Nevertheless, Jaap

Stam's engineered a fine campaign on the pitch, with the club pushing for

promotion. It has come against a backdrop of more confusion over the

ownership of America. The Royals are currently controlled by a consortium

from Thailand. They're keen to sell. -- the ownership of Reading.

Potential buyers are brother and sister from China. One is a property

developer. They tried and failed with others to buy Hull city last

year. Senior figures at the stadium see the Chinese offer is the dream

ticket, but the Premier League, who still have a say in takeovers of

clubs who could compete in their early, are thought to be cautious.

Last night, Jaap Stam's frustrations over the takeover were made public.

It annoys me that there's nothing told yet. Basically, that they want

to sell the club. I don't know if we can still build the team for next

season or the season after, but we can achieve, you know? There needs

to be structure within the club, the owners and the team need to have a

certain vision within what they want to achieve. I don't know if it's

there at the moment, to be fair. So, well, we need to wait and see what's

going to happen. Former Royal Jamie got this goal just before the

half-hour. This was the closest equalising, just off the bar. Matt

is becoming off the pitch serious, too. -- matters becoming. Fans and

staff are pressing for answers. Indeed.

Here's a look at the top of the championship,

Reading stay third but could be down to fifth by the end of this

Chris Hughton's men have gone 18 league games without defeat,

a run which stretches back to September.

It's seen them overtake big spending Newcastle at the summit,

tomorrow the Albion travel to Preston, managed

Of course, our games against them in recent seasons,

We certainly know what to expect, and the manager has done very,

very well in the time that he's been there, since they were promoted.

In the Premier League, any hopes Bournemouth had of signing

John Terry appear over after his manager ruled out

the prospect of the defender leaving Stamford Bridge this month.

The Cherries are at Hull tomorrow Southampton

are on the road as well, they're at Burnley.

In league one, Swindon are at Bolton, Oxford

In league two, Portsmouth host struggling Leyton Orient,

Pompey have lost just once in the league since November.

BBC Local radio has full commentary of all the games.

One other line of football news tonight.

Basingstoke Town have announced plans to go

The southern league premier division club held a special meeting this

week to plot the way forward after owner and chairman Rafi Razzak

announced he was to step down at the end of the season.

Town now want to launch a drive to gain support from the Basingstoke

community to take the club into their hands.

Our nightly update, because it is getting to the wire.

Gosport sailor Alex Thomson is clawing back the deficit to

There's likely to be just six more days of racing before the boats

arrive in the French port of Les Sables D'Ollonne.

But the leader Armel le Cleach has hit an area of lights wind.

He was moving at a speed of just one knot, while Thomson is moving along

further south in the atlantic at ten knots.

He's bidding to become the first Briton ever to win the single handed

It's a massive weekend, I think in that race now. He needs to narrow

that gap in the next couple of days. I think it's exciting, given that

they've gone right round the world and it's coming down to last few

days. Amazing, isn't it? By Monday night, we'll know just how close

it's going to be. In the 1930s he was one of Britain's

most prolific artists. Rex Whistler produced

everything from romantic portraits to theatrical sets,

book covers to giant murals. He also spent eight months creating

a stunning drawing room So it's appropriate that Mottisfont

is now hosting a major David Allard has been

finding out more. He grew beautifully, just with a

pencil. He was like Spencer. A great, great draughtsman. He was

very humorous. He got on well with people. Portraits, particularly. He

seemed to did get into the heart of people. The sugary seemed to get.

You can't pigeonhole Rex Whistler - as the volunteer guides

at Mottisfont have discovered. From high society portraits

to a soldier's despair, Rex Whistler's life is reflected

He's doing advertisements, commercial work, murals, constantly

coming up with ideas and jotting down and making beautiful pictures.

Interesting, complex person who was working hard. Quite an ordinary

actually. -- an ordinary background. Mottisfont is already home

to Whistler's last great work - In 1939 he designed,

remodelled and painted this drawing The curtains are real, the permits

an optical illusion. It's just a great example of painting that is

designed to trick the eye. He painted the smoke billowing out, and

it's just the most wonderful effect. A new exhibition draws together all

aspects of ten mayor's work, from his juvenile sketches to his final

pieces, documenting his time with the Welsh Guards. In this room, we

have one of my absolute favourite pieces in the whole exhibition. It

is this one, which is Sergeant Isaacs, the regimental clock. It is

fantastic, as an example of somebody who is planted here, this is the

backbone of the British Army. I just think he has such presence. Rex

Whistler died in action in Normandy in 1944. He was just 39. Some feel

his was a talent cut short. This exhibition helps us we discover a

singular artist. -- rediscover. An exhibition where synchronising your

agree. Onto the weather, it's going to be called this weekend.

We have had a few showers today, and still lying snow in a few places, so

the risk of ice in many locations. Lewis Horsley photographed the snow

and sunrise near Basingstoke. Jill Grimwood took this picture

of the snow falling first thing this And Robin Boultwood photographed

the sunshine and highland Many of us saw the sunny spells,

little more cloud in part of Oxfordshire, and a few showers

drifted through Oxfordshire down towards Berkshire and Hampshire.

Showers mainly falling as rain, and overnight we could see the odd

wintry showers the risk of ice. There is a Met Office ice warning in

force through parts of oxygen. We'll see more cloud spill in from the

north-west, but generally we are looking at clear skies, and

temperatures will fall away in the countryside 2-4 C. These are

temperatures in our towns and cities. Met ice warning -- minus

four Celsius. Ultima, ice during the morning. The could be wintry in

higher part of Oxfordshire, showers. Temperatures ranging between four

and seven Celsius, but a key north-westerly wind. Not as strong

as today. It will take the edge of two bridges. A lot of sunshine

tomorrow, the possibility of some patchy rain at times. Where we have

clear skies towards the east, temperatures will fall away to

around two or three Celsius. Showers in some places in Oxfordshire could

be wintry at times, but mainly rain showers during the early hours of

Sunday morning. Things are starting to turn a bit milder. More so as we

head into Sunday, because we are expecting that milder air to move in

from the Atlantic from the west, and with it some outbreaks of mainly

light and patchy rain. Sunday will be a complete contrast from

tomorrow. Tomorrow is the better day of the weekend. Sunday will see our

breaks of rain at times, it will be quite grey and murky particularly

over Hilltop errors. No pressure well in charge of our weather.

Similar on Monday as well. Tomorrow a lovely sunny day, more cloud

filling in through parts of oxygen, Buckinghamshire during the

afternoon. And the chance of a wintry showers. Rain at times on

Sunday, a lot of cloud on Monday and the first part of Tuesday. Late on

Tuesday, it becomes brighter and colder. A cold weekend, at least the

start of it. That is it from us this morning. We have more for you in

bullet in the APM and temperature again. We are back on Monday at

6:30am. Enjoy your weekend. Goodbye. Parents are facing an explosion in

the number of children saying