21/02/2017 South Today - Oxford

In tonight's programme: so it's goodbye from me,

Searching a convicted killer's former home.

Forensics officers spend a second day digging at the house

where Christopher Halliwell used to live in Swindon.

Also, the-self employed midwives told they can't deliver babies

because they don't have suitable insurance.

Join me for high tea at Highclere Castle.

You might know it better as Downton Abbey, where a piece

Police have been searching a former home of convicted murderer

Christopher Haliwell for a second day.

Officers have been digging at the back of two terraced houses

They say they're acting on specific intelligence they've received.

Will Glennon has been there throughout the day.

Police searches have continued on Broad Street throughout the day.

As specialist officers combed garages and gardens,

the sound of concrete drilling echoed down the alley.

Neighbours say they found all the activity quite surreal.

As a community, we feel quite freaked out about

It a bit too close for comfort, isn't it?

Yeah, it is, really, but there's not much we can do

Christopher Halliwell was convicted last September of his second

A taxi driver in Swindon, he killed Sian O'Callaghan in 2011.

But Becky Godden disappeared in 2003 and Halliwell was found

Police have kept the family informed and for Becky's dad John,

I'm really upset, I'm really upset with it all.

I mean, I want Becky to be at peace.

You know what I mean, it all should have been done six years ago.

With eight years separating the two killings, many people believe that

Former Wiltshire police Detective Steve Fulcher was in charge

In September last year, he told the BBC there must be more.

I mean, I spent a lot of time with Christopher Halliwell.

He was contrite, fully contrite, crying on my shoulder when I dealt

with him and there is no question that from all the information that

I gathered when I was running this inquiry in 2011 that he has

Wiltshire police haven't officially linked any

other crimes to Halliwell, but they have appealed to him

There may yet be more victims lying undisturbed and the search

Firefighters have now left the scene of the explosion and fire at a block

They've been gathering evidence and are working with the police

Some residents have been able to return home, but 13 households

are still in alternative accommodation and some will need

The families of two Buckinghamshire men killed in a head-on car crash

in 2014 have listened as a misconduct hearing

took evidence against three Thames Valley police officers.

It's alleged that they failed in their duty to protect the public

after leaving the scene of an earlier road accident

without taking sufficient measures to warn other road users

At the heart of this misconduct hearing is an accident on a rural

stretch of road that cost two men's lives.

It is not possible to say whether that accident would have

been avoided had three Thames Valley police officers acted differently.

The question for the panel and legal experts meeting here in Newbury

Did they fail in their duty to protect members of the public?

It was in March 2014 at five in the morning when PCs David Stamp,

Hugh Flanagan and Caroline Irwin, all on duty at Amersham police

station, were called to attend a road accident on the A413

between Wendover and Great Missenden.

A car had skidded in the road and run into a ditch.

The officers left the scene after 20 minutes but half an hour later,

two more cars collided head-on on the same stretch.

Both drivers, 64-year-old Malcolm Tindall from Tilbury

Both drivers, 64-year-old Malcolm Tindall from Aylesbury

and Carl Bird, who was 29 and from High Wycombe, were killed.

There is disagreement over whether there was ice on the road.

Both men's families were here today for the start of the hearing.

They have each called for an independent investigation

as to why police left the scene of the earlier accident

without taking sufficient measures to warn other drivers

The Independent Police Complaints Commission

This misconduct hearing is expected to last until the end of next week.

Ambitious plans to change health services across Oxfordshire,

Buckinghamshire and West Berkshire have been rejected by Oxfordshire

The local NHS is hoping to save ?480 million and has put

a plan to redesign acute services out to public consultation.

But councillors say there's been too little information.

Sinead Carroll told me what happened at today's council meeting.

Well, today, Geraldine, councillors were talking

about something called Sustainability and

Now, these are things that Clinical Commissioning Groups

across the UK have been drawing up, not just here in our region.

The aim is to improve efficiency and save money.

So the one they were talking about in Oxfordshire today

refers to Oxfordshire, West Berkshire and Buckinghamshire,

where by 2021, there is expected to be a ?480 million funding gap.

Unsurprisingly, it has proved pretty controversial.

You'll probably remember some scenes like these here in Banbury,

where there have been regular protests against possible

downgrading of the Horton Hospital, proposed changes to emergency,

maternity and paediatric services there.

Essentially, today, the Cabinet at the County Council said they just

Some people said it wasn't transparent.

I think the biggest reason is because they have cut

the consultation in two, there is phase one and phase two.

I don't believe, and nor did the rest of the Cabinet,

that you can have two separate consultations because what's decided

So what happens now, where do we go from here?

Well, Hilary Hibbert-Biles, who you just heard from there,

says the CCG don't have to actually listen to anything the Cabinet

or indeed the full council say, but that they would be advised to.

The Government says that cuts have to be made and so far,

no other proposals are on the table, so there's an ongoing consultation

at the moment and that's about acute services.

In May, they'll be a separate consultation that will open

and they are about options to change emergency care, Children's Services

The sale of land for a new secondary school in Oxford has been approved.

The site of Meadowbrook College will be sold by the county

council to the Department for Education for ?1.

It will enable a new secondary school to be built on the site -

with the existing college rehoused elsewhere.

If it goes ahead, the Swan School will open in 2019.

Independent midwives in Oxfordshire are claiming new rules that stop

them practising are unfair and are removing

The Nursing and Midwifery council has ruled that self-employed

midwives don't have sufficient insurance cover, and therefore

Katharine Da Costa has been to meet some of those affected.

After a traumatic birth with her first child,

Camila Preece from Crowmarsh Gifford employed Liz,

an independent midwife, to support her throughout

her pregnancy and home birth with daughter Kitty.

When I was having my son, I actually went through three different shifts

of midwives through labour. When I had the independent midwives, they

were with me throughout labour, came to the hospital when I had to

transfer and it is that level of care that the NHS isn't able to

provide and that makes all the difference.

Since 2014, all health professionals must have indemnity insurance

in case of compensation claims if something goes wrong.

In January, the Nursing and Midwifery Council ruled that

around 80 independent midwives like Liz didn't have

sufficient levels of cover and would no longer be able

Liz says it's destroyed her career and has de-registered

as a midwife so she can continue to support her remaining

For me, my moral wish to continue to attend my clients' berths trump

staying on the register. Campaigners plan to fight

the ruling and say women's rights

are being ignored. In a statement, the NMC said it

"absolutely supports a woman's right Gemma Kingsbury from Oxford's

preparing for a home birth She'd employed Liz to care

for her but is now planning For me, the risks of being forced to

go into hospital and being in the hospital setting, with the lights

and different people and having medicalised practices imposed on me

is more of a risk than staying at home without anyone.

Like many women, Gemma feels there's too much red tape around what should

The NMC says its priority is the safety of women

Residents in Oxford are asking the city council not to allow

Network Rail to back out of a promise to install

noise muffling devices on the new line to Bicester.

The last section of track on the line to London Marylebone

opened in December and permission was granted on condition noise

Now Network Rail is asking for that condition to be dropped.

Jeremy Thorowgood says he's always been proud of the picturesque

golf course at the back of his Oxford home.

A place of peace, relaxation and harmony.

That was until the new rail line opened from Oxford to London.

It sounds like, at its worst, a lorry driving straight

There are already these sound barriers to limit noise.

But another requirement to install special dampers to make the track

quieter has so far not been adhered to.

I think it will cause a lot of distress and mental

health problems, frankly, because if people can't sleep

at night, if they can't enjoy their gardens in the summer,

More than 600 people have signed a petition urging

Oxford City Council to make sure Network Rail installs the dampers.

If it doesn't happen, residents fear the problem will get

Passenger trains have never been the major issue,

Those trains are going to be running overnight, so we are very worried

that they are going to be keeping us up.

One o'clock in the morning, you really don't want

Network Rail promised to look into whether Silent Track would be

worth the significant cost to install.

But the way Jeremy sees it, and hears it, is that something else

needs to be done. I'll have the headlines at 8pm

and a full bulletin at 10:30pm. Now more of today's

stories with Sally Taylor. Probably the saddest thing

was leaving him at hospital, knowing that we had to come home,

and it did feel that we were leaving For more information on Charlene's

fundraising campaign, visit the Go Fund Me website

and search for Beau's Stay with us for a

message from a champ! I will be telling you how I came

back from injury to win the amateur heavyweight boxing title.

The search is underway to find the 3,500 workers who'll be needed

Much of the town centre has been flattened to make way for new shops,

bars and restaurants as part of the scheme, which

Supporters say they're not the kind of jobs the new town was established

to create but they're vital to Bracknell's future prosperity.

A woman from West Sussex who's had breast implants removed

following health concerns is urging women to think twice before

Annette Stevens from Bognor Regis spent more than ?5,000 on a breast

enlargement in 2003 but spent ?6,000 having the implants removed last

year because she believed they were poisoning her.

Annette Stevens with the implants which were inside her

They were not bigger. They were full.

Annette told me her implants had leaked.

In recent years, she's suffered hair loss, depression,

insomnia, memory loss and other health problems.

Last October, Annette spent ?6,000 on an operation in Holland

She said she felt relieved and has since noticed health improvements.

I don't feel so cold any more, I've got a little bit more

I feel like my body's thanking me for listening to all of the symptoms

that I had that I thought I was just getting old.

Annette's implants were manufactured by a company called Silimed.

In 2015, their distribution was suspended while the EU

Last October, a report by the Dutch public health organisation RIVM

indicated the risk to patients was low and the government is now

The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory

I don't know why I felt the need to have implants but,

if you look at the day and age we're in and how we're bombarded with

these pictures of being perfect, you know, boobs aren't everything.

Nobody's perfect and it's about loving the skin you're in,

loving who you are as a person, and it's taken me quite a long

Annette originally chose implants to help her confidence but now says

removing them has boosted it even more.

A former Royal Marine from Tidworth in Wiltshire who's recovering

from post-traumatic stress disorder is now trying for a world record.

Louis Nethercott will try to crawl, swim and trek his way

across the world's five largest islands unaided.

He's already completed the first stage - the jungles of Borneo.

Next, he'll head to Papua New Guinea then to Madagascar and Greenland

before finishing at Baffin Island in Canada.

I found it very hard to relax and chill out.

I was always expecting something to happen.

Louis was medically discharged from the Marines a few months ago

after returning home from the front line in Afghanistan.

He wants to raise awareness about the impact

My section lost two guys and a few others were injured

Something happens when you are on active service and,

when you come back, things have changed.

I felt like I was sort of in a different world.

It took just 40 days for former Marines Louis Nethercott

and Anthony Lambert to get across Borneo - the first

of the world's five biggest islands they're determined to conquer.

For Louis, the challenge has become a way of coping

We were just completely on our own in the jungle

there with nobody to be seen for miles.

It was an incredible experience but it was also incredibly tough,

Loads of people go the Poles nowadays, up Everest.

We wanted to come up with one that was a bit unique.

By taking on this expedition, he wants to raise funds

for the forces' charities that are helping him and hundreds

To think we've got another four ahead of us, I think we just have

to look at one at a time and, once that's done, move

If I just think of all four in my head, it becomes

The pair will set off for Papa New Guinea

They hope to finish all five islands at some point next year -

an endurance test that will push them almost to the limit.

Got some horse racing news for you, which is disappointing.

Dorset-trained racehorse Thistlecrack has been ruled out

Colin Tizzard's horse was the favourite for jump racing's

blue riband event but has suffered a tendon injury that will keep him

Tizzard still has leading fancies Cue Card and Native

Brighton are back down to second in the Championship

after Newcastle's win over Aston Villa last night.

Tonight, the teams in third and fourth clash in another huge

game for the promotion chasers Jaap Stam's Reading

It's live on BBC Radio Berkshire tonight.

Tim Dellor will be commentating as the Royals aim to go seven unbeaten.

Anybody who has been following these royals know it is the Terriers and

cookies have been biting at their heels. Last season these two sides

met on four occasions. Earlier this season, Reading beat Huddersfield at

the Madejski Stadium. Whichever team wins the night, will finish third in

the Champion ship. We kick off here at 7:45pm.

Aldershot Town have revealed they've rejected an approach

for their management team led by Gary Waddock.

In a statement, the national league side say an unnamed League 1 club

masked to speak to Waddock and assistant James Rowe.

Both men have informed the club they're not interested in pursuing

Now to the story of the boxer who recovered from a freak injury

to fight his way back to the summit of the amateur game.

Greg Bridet saw his Olympic dreams shattered by a series of setbacks

but the Heart of Portsmouth boxer who trains at Southampton solent

university was back in the ring for a big win this past weekend.

Greg Bridet was back in the gym today and he is back on the boxing

scene in the big way. This weekend the former heavyweight champion won

the English title, quite a comeback for a fighter of Olympic dreams were

dashed by a freak injury two years ago. Having lunch, he got pain in

his chest. I went to A, collapsed, and are not a few hours I could have

died, my heart had no more room for better go and the chest cavity. I

had titanium staples. Big obstacle to overcome but it was good, I am

featured Greg in 2013. He was featured Greg in 2013. He was

targeting the Olympics in Rio. He was an emotional moment when he beat

Mason Holmes this weekend. Relief, the weight of the world lifted from

my shoulders. The implication almost, getting back bad fortune I

had had. The 27-year-old is now planning his next move and has also

sparred with Chris Eubank junior. Massive learning experience. A

little pointers here and there, he only improved by placing superior

opponents. I would also rather be a good amateur rather than a bad pro.

I'm not ruling anything out at the moment. Greg Bridet will compete the

Championships next month, further evidence his back punching his

weight. Amazing as treadmills can do weight. Amazing as treadmills can do

as well. The build-up continues

to Southampton's first appearance in a major Wembley Cup final for 38

years and the man who was in charge that day and on their famous FA cup

visit in 1976 says the magic of winning a cup can outweigh

league achievements. Lawrie McMenemy masterminded

the win over Sunday's opponents Manchester United

in the spring of 76. Three years on, Saints lost

the League Cup final, but the memories span

generations for fans. It was such magic. This is a man

that manage the cup winning team, it all children who were asking for

autographs. Second in the league and all that, Wembley sticks and

people's minds. Oh, my word! We could be seeing scenes like that

again soon. An album of photographs revealing

the real Downton Abbey It shows life at Highclere Castle in

Berkshire more than 120 years ago - around the time the ITV drama that's

filmed there was first set. The album contains 44 photographs

of the 80-bedroom house, staff and grounds, providing

a fascinating glimpse into the lives of the fifth Earl of Carnarvon,

who was best known for helping to discover the Egyptian tomb

of Tutankhamen in 1922. A special delivery is one of the

UK's most recognisable house is. Thank you. An album that provides a

window into the real-life Downton Abbey is returning home after more

than a century. It is like a jigsaw puzzle and you were trying to piece

things back together again, figure out who was here, the names and if

you were not quite sure of something, the piano, I have put in

the drawing-room. The 1895 album the 44 photographs was found in a normal

house clearance in Dorset. The reason why was there is yet known. I

am not sure whether that was Streatfeild, the butler. It was set

to go under the hammer with a ?500 price tag but despite huge interest

from around the world it has been sold privately to the Highclere

estate. Everybody has been delighted with the outcome, it has come back.

But it could have gone to an American bidder. It may well have

done but sometimes what is so nice is it is not all about money. As the

ITV series follows the Earl of Grantham and his family, this album

features a snapshot of the life that the fifth Earl, George Herbert and

his wife. The famously bankrolled Howard Carter's discovery of the

tomb of Tutankhamun in the 1920s. It also marks a visitor Prince Edwards.

But it is not just the aristocracy featured here. In 1895, Highclere

would have been working house and would have been 60 members of staff

here and interestingly this album also shows what life would have been

60 members of staff here and interestingly this album also shows

what life would be like backstairs. I know my place! I think that is

what makes these house is live. Louis and Georgian everybody... That

is how it works. The photos could be on display when the house opens its

doors in the summer, far from a work of fiction, this piece of history is

now back where it belongs. Highclere Castle!

Lewis Brooks captured Calshot from the air today.

Lynn Stevens took this picture of a carpet of crocuses in Shiplake.

And Dulcie Levett photographed the brighter spells

Doris is on her way. Through the course of the night, we are

expecting a fair amount of cloud and patchy rain in places, drizzly

conditions, but drier periods as well and mild temperatures. Winds

will increase in strength during the course of the night. That will keep

the mist and fog at the in most places with temperatures falling to

9-11 C. A dam start the day 9-11 C. A dam start the day

tomorrow, outbreaks of rain, one or two brighter spells, cloudy tomorrow

and mild as well, temperatures reaching a high of 11-12 C. The

breeze will be strong in particular. The rain will continue to strengthen

through the early hours of Thursday morning and by Thursday morning we

are expecting the next weather system which is part of storm Doris

and the area of pressure moving in from the Atlantic. Storm Doris is

expecting to affect areas in Midlands but for us in the south,

Oxfordshire has a Met Office wind warning. The rain will be very heavy

for the rush-hour dry to work. Most of the rain clears at lunchtime.

That is when the winds will try them and that is when we expect the

strongest of the winds. Wind gusts in Oxfordshire 60 mph, elsewhere,

50-55 mph. The low pressure pulls away into the North Sea and through

the course of Thursday afternoon in the evening, that is when the winds

will ease. There is that Met Office wind warning to Oxfordshire on

Thursday through the afternoon in particular. Friday, a lot of cloud.

It will break to allow the sunny spells and the odd isolated shower

that we expect rain at times do the course of Saturday with showers on

Sunday. Fairly cloudy of the next few days, limited brightness, and

Doris arrives on Thursday. We have been waiting for that.

Nawal El Saadawi, the world-renowned Egyptian author

A fearless feminist facing a world in turmoil.