:00:07. > :00:09.Hello, I'm Allen Sinclair, with the news from South Today.
:00:10. > :00:11.And there's a warning to those enjoying the countryside this
:00:12. > :00:17.weekend that huge areas are at risk from heathland and grass fires.
:00:18. > :00:20.Hampshire firefighters have dealt with more than 50 incidents over
:00:21. > :00:23.the past three days, among them a blaze on Yateley Common
:00:24. > :00:25.which damaged woodland, threatened nearby properties
:00:26. > :00:33.The ground still smouldering in parts of the six hectares
:00:34. > :00:40.The recent warm weather has created a perfect storm.
:00:41. > :00:43.Vegetation is dry, and people are around.
:00:44. > :00:48.Bottles, broken glass on the ground there,
:00:49. > :00:50.another example whereby the sun can react to it like
:00:51. > :00:53.Another potential cause for the start of the fire.
:00:54. > :01:00.I'm not saying that this was the one on this occasion,
:01:01. > :01:03.but take your rubbish with you, take glass home,
:01:04. > :01:07.This was the Yateley fire at its height,
:01:08. > :01:09.one of 52 Hampshire Fire Rescue dealt
:01:10. > :01:11.with within the week, and the number is growing.
:01:12. > :01:13.The devastation caused by this fire is all too evident.
:01:14. > :01:16.Wildlife animals will have perished in this fire, but thankfully,
:01:17. > :01:19.no people were injured, although it came close to houses
:01:20. > :01:25.It can't be ruled out that this fire was started deliberately.
:01:26. > :01:28.It's the loss of the land, it's the damage the environment.
:01:29. > :01:31.It will take years to recover from this.
:01:32. > :01:34.Let alone, further still, the risk to the public,
:01:35. > :01:39.These fires can take flight very, very rapidly,
:01:40. > :01:42.hence, we quite often term them as a wildfire.
:01:43. > :01:47.Whilst the preservation of these vulnerable open spaces is key,
:01:48. > :01:51.the message is if you do encounter a fire, report it and don't try
:01:52. > :01:58.The south's poultry farmers are allowing
:01:59. > :02:01.their birds outdoors again, after restrictions to prevent
:02:02. > :02:03.the spread of bird-flu from wildfowl were lifted.
:02:04. > :02:06.In recent months, normally free-range hens have
:02:07. > :02:12.That's meant that, since February, boxes of free-range eggs
:02:13. > :02:14.have had to carry a label, pointing out that
:02:15. > :02:17.the birds have actually been kept inside for their welfare.
:02:18. > :02:23.When these hens were first shut inside the barn,
:02:24. > :02:26.dozens died of suffocation as they crushed up inside against
:02:27. > :02:32.They did get used to it, but now the restrictions have eased,
:02:33. > :02:40.and the chickens are too, as you can see.
:02:41. > :02:48.Production, I think, probably was affected a little bit.
:02:49. > :02:51.They certainly ate more food, because obviously when
:02:52. > :02:56.they're outside, they're grazing, weeds, grass, slugs,
:02:57. > :03:05.They were marked as barn eggs rather than free range.
:03:06. > :03:10.As from yesterday, they are now free range again, which is great.
:03:11. > :03:14.This easing of restrictions by Defra comes with a warning attached.
:03:15. > :03:18.All keepers must still comply with strict bio-security measures,
:03:19. > :03:21.because the risk of a flock like like this one contracting bird
:03:22. > :03:27.And the worry here on New Farm is the hens may have
:03:28. > :03:36.to spend every winter inside until a vaccine is developed.
:03:37. > :03:40.It's Good Friday of course, and worshippers at Christ Church
:03:41. > :03:42.Cathedral in Oxford have been re-enacting the Easter story.
:03:43. > :03:44.They held a procession around the cathedral,
:03:45. > :03:47.stopping at various points to perform scenes for the public.
:03:48. > :03:50.The aim of the event was to help children to better understand
:03:51. > :03:55.the events leading up to the crucifixion.
:03:56. > :03:57.Onto football, and Brighton are still on course
:03:58. > :04:00.for the Premier League and remain top of the table,
:04:01. > :04:04.Results elsewhere mean automatic promotion isn't yet guaranteed -
:04:05. > :04:08.but they need just four points from the next four games.
:04:09. > :04:11.There were three games in league one.
:04:12. > :04:14.Oxford United lost by a goal to nil away at Bradford.
:04:15. > :04:22.They played host to Scunthorpe, and also lost by one nil.
:04:23. > :04:24.Swindon managed to salvage a point at least -
:04:25. > :04:26.after a goalless draw at home against AFC Wimbledon -
:04:27. > :04:28.but the Robins remain in the relegation zone.
:04:29. > :04:31.In League two, an important draw for Portsmouth,
:04:32. > :04:35.They went a goal down early in the first half at Fratton Park.
:04:36. > :04:37.Their opponents, Plymouth, are currently second in the table,
:04:38. > :04:43.and had hoped a win would secure their move up to League One.
:04:44. > :04:46.But Pompey are hot on their heels in third, and Gary Roberts'
:04:47. > :04:49.equaliser, plus results elsewhere, now guarantees Portsmouth
:04:50. > :04:56.That's all from the South Today news team this evening.
:04:57. > :04:59.We're back tomorrow at 6.20am, hope you can join us then -
:05:00. > :05:01.meanwhile Sarah Farmer's here with the Easter
:05:02. > :05:13.Thanks very much. We have considerably cooler weekend to look
:05:14. > :05:17.forward to this time. A week ago, through the evening the cloud
:05:18. > :05:20.thickens and outbreaks of rain are generally light and patchy in nature
:05:21. > :05:24.venture into the early hours. venture into the early hours.
:05:25. > :05:30.Temperature wise to look at Lowe 's demise of eight or 9 degrees. A
:05:31. > :05:33.cloudy start to Saturday, and any remnants of that will ease across
:05:34. > :05:39.the south coast drying out into the afternoon we will see good bright
:05:40. > :05:44.and sunny intervals. Feeling pleasant in the sunshine with 13
:05:45. > :05:49.degrees, but Keane north-westerly print three mega breeze remains to
:05:50. > :05:54.content with. For Easter Sunday looks like we'll start with cloudy
:05:55. > :05:57.conditions with rain working in from the north. Monday to see brightness
:05:58. > :06:12.with the outside chance of a shower. Good evening. I don't think
:06:13. > :06:16.everybody was a happy bunny today with the weather. We had some rain.
:06:17. > :06:20.Some of it was on the heavy side, particularly across northern parts
:06:21. > :06:24.of Wales. All these things are true for the next few days. Even into
:06:25. > :06:27.next week. We are going to stay with this chilly air coming in from the
:06:28. > :06:35.North. Vermijl they're never quite us. -- is a mild air never quite
:06:36. > :06:39.reaches us. It's a case of cool winds coming in from the North.
:06:40. > :06:43.Here's the extensive cloud cover we had today. There was some sunshine
:06:44. > :06:46.but a weather front was across the country and gave a fair bit of heavy
:06:47. > :06:51.rain across some parts of Wales. The weather front is across the South.
:06:52. > :06:55.There is two of them. This is a distinct feature, spots of rain on
:06:56. > :07:01.and off through this evening and overnight. Then it's out of the way.
:07:02. > :07:03.It should dry out. There will be showers across Scotland but plenty
:07:04. > :07:09.of clear spells. It is chilly air. Three degrees around 5am in
:07:10. > :07:11.Aberdeen. To the south, around eight or so.