:00:00. > :00:00.That's it from us. They will be continuing coverage throughout the
:00:00. > :00:09.Disappointment for Labour Party members in Oxford ahead
:00:10. > :00:12.Why the candidate who'll fight to keep Andrew Smith's seat will be
:00:13. > :00:17.Also, a plea to protect badgers by changing planning laws.
:00:18. > :00:21.Claims that animals are dying, as housing developments are built.
:00:22. > :00:24.The fleet of aircraft using new mapping technology to stop
:00:25. > :00:40.The Labour party in Oxford East will not be involved
:00:41. > :00:43.in the selection of the candidate who'll stand in Andrew Smith's place
:00:44. > :00:48.Instead, the person they hope will win the seat will be chosen
:00:49. > :00:52.Mr Smith announced yesterday that he'd be standing down.
:00:53. > :00:53.He's been talking to our political reporter Bethan Philips
:00:54. > :00:59.about his decision, and the candidate selection.
:01:00. > :01:01.He's been a local MP for nearly 30 years.
:01:02. > :01:04.But the Labour candidate vying to replace him
:01:05. > :01:10.Labour's Oxford East candidate will be chosen nationally
:01:11. > :01:13.because of timescale of the snap election.
:01:14. > :01:15.The party's National Executive Committee will sort
:01:16. > :01:17.through applications, interview potential candidates
:01:18. > :01:23.That's clearly caused disappointment in the local party.
:01:24. > :01:30."It's with the greatest regret that Oxford and District Labour Party
:01:31. > :01:32.members will not be able to select a candidate."
:01:33. > :01:37.But they add that it "will not set any precedent for future elections."
:01:38. > :01:40.Andrew Smith gave me his reaction to that today.
:01:41. > :01:44.Yes, it would have been nice if local members could be involved.
:01:45. > :01:48.We have received assurances that in the selection process,
:01:49. > :01:52.very close attention will be towards the calibre and relevant
:01:53. > :01:55.experience to the candidates and close attention will be given
:01:56. > :01:59.to local links and that is very important.
:02:00. > :02:01.Would you be unhappy if someone was parachuted
:02:02. > :02:03.into what is considered a safe Labour seat?
:02:04. > :02:06.I have never considered anything said Seat,
:02:07. > :02:15.They have to show people they are on their side and be
:02:16. > :02:22.I am certain the next Labour candidate is going to do that.
:02:23. > :02:25.So what do people in Andrew Smith's Oxford East constituency think?
:02:26. > :02:28.It is a shame it won't be a local process, but I can see
:02:29. > :02:40.The way the Labour Party is at the moment, I would be a bit
:02:41. > :02:48.It doesn't bother me too much, but I think a local person has more
:02:49. > :02:54.of an interest and someone you can go to.
:02:55. > :02:56.I don't think it will make any difference to how
:02:57. > :03:01.Other parties will now be looking at the Oxford East
:03:02. > :03:05.Candidates will be announced in the coming weeks
:03:06. > :03:10.I hope there will be a bit of time for travel,
:03:11. > :03:13.a bit more time to gardening and I would like a new bike.
:03:14. > :03:17.Andrew Smith talking to Bethan Phillips.
:03:18. > :03:19.A senior prison officer from Woodhill jail in Milton Keynes
:03:20. > :03:26.It follows the death of an inmate who was found hanged
:03:27. > :03:30.55-year-old Joseph Travers will appear at the Old Bailey next month.
:03:31. > :03:32.He's thought to be the first prison officer to be charged
:03:33. > :03:37.with manslaughter after a prisoner death.
:03:38. > :03:40.A gang of seven men has been jailed for blowing up cash machines
:03:41. > :03:43.at banks and supermarkets, including ones in Sonning Common,
:03:44. > :03:49.The gang stole hundreds of thousands of pounds in 13 raids across England
:03:50. > :03:55.The members came mostly from Merseyside, and received
:03:56. > :04:01.sentences ranging from ten years to life imprisonment.
:04:02. > :04:03.More badgers are being killed on the roads, and conservationists
:04:04. > :04:06.in Oxfordshire say the building of new housing developments
:04:07. > :04:11.They're urging planners and builders to do more to protect the animals,
:04:12. > :04:19.Badgers have lived in this woodland in South Oxford
:04:20. > :04:22.for at least a century but parts of the countryside here,
:04:23. > :04:27.and elsewhere in Oxfordshire, have been lost to new buildings.
:04:28. > :04:30.Their habitat is being taken for development.
:04:31. > :04:36.They are not being able to reach their foraging areas
:04:37. > :04:38.because there are not enough wildlife corridors
:04:39. > :04:45.We are seeing more of them being forced onto the roads and killed.
:04:46. > :04:47.While badgers are a protected species, there are no accurate
:04:48. > :04:51.figures to say for sure whether numbers of badgers
:04:52. > :05:00.However given the evidence at Cumnor Hill in the Vale
:05:01. > :05:03.there seems no doubt that badger setts are often destroyed
:05:04. > :05:08.as development creeps in on their territory.
:05:09. > :05:10.Oxfordshire Badger Group is also concerned about the impact
:05:11. > :05:15.of hundreds of new homes at Barton Park.
:05:16. > :05:20.But the City Council says artificial setts have been built for badgers.
:05:21. > :05:24.As any kind of biodiversity, the council takes it very seriously
:05:25. > :05:29.and we are committed to protecting them, as well as other wildlife.
:05:30. > :05:34.When a development comes into the Council for proposal,
:05:35. > :05:38.we will consider it and only permit it if we are satisfied
:05:39. > :05:43.there will be no impact on badges and other kinds of wildlife.
:05:44. > :05:47.There are national laws for protecting the countryside
:05:48. > :05:51.but some authorities go further than others.
:05:52. > :05:54.In Milton Keynes, a charity called the Parks Trust has been set up
:05:55. > :05:59.There is wildlife corridors that have been put together
:06:00. > :06:02.in Milton Keynes lakes, ponds and natural habitats.
:06:03. > :06:05.We have seen a successful development, plus protection
:06:06. > :06:08.of the environment working hand-in-hand as a new
:06:09. > :06:13.There are some good examples in Milton Keynes that might work
:06:14. > :06:18.The number of people living in Oxfordshire is expected
:06:19. > :06:23.to increase by more than a quarter in the next 15 years.
:06:24. > :06:28.The challenge is to build them homes without destroying the wildlife.
:06:29. > :06:35.Would you let a homeless person sleep in your spare room?
:06:36. > :06:38.That's what a group supporting rough sleepers in Oxford is asking.
:06:39. > :06:40.Members of the Iffley Open House project have squatted
:06:41. > :06:43.a number of empty buildings, drawing attention to the large
:06:44. > :06:46.numbers of homeless people in the city.
:06:47. > :06:48.Several of them have jobs and are looking
:06:49. > :06:52.Julius has recently started working in a pub
:06:53. > :06:59.If you are going to manage to get a job while you are on the streets,
:07:00. > :07:02.it's going to be really hard for you to move on from that.
:07:03. > :07:05.Because you just need a space where you can get back after work,
:07:06. > :07:08.have a shower and get some food, get dressed and the next
:07:09. > :07:14.One of the UK's biggest energy companies says it's
:07:15. > :07:17.using new technology to improve electricity networks for homes
:07:18. > :07:23.The multi-million pound investment means a special fleet of aircraft
:07:24. > :07:26.is now being deployed to scan the networks and keep
:07:27. > :07:36.Could this be the future of mapping our electricity networks?
:07:37. > :07:39.This aerial scanning system is being used by Scottish
:07:40. > :07:43.and Southern Electricity networks, surveying our power lines,
:07:44. > :07:46.checking for trees and other vegetation, which may
:07:47. > :07:52.lead to blockages and electricity cuts.
:07:53. > :07:54.Obviously, trees are continuously growing and we have to manage them
:07:55. > :07:57.on an ongoing basis and the biggest issue is trees falling
:07:58. > :08:03.What we're able to do with this, once all the data has been gathered,
:08:04. > :08:06.we can put it into our computer systems, we will be able to see
:08:07. > :08:09.which trees will be a threat to the lines and which trees aren't
:08:10. > :08:12.That lets us target the tree cutting.
:08:13. > :08:14.This innovative mapping system is a big investment
:08:15. > :08:18.But it wouldn't be possible without the team of engineers
:08:19. > :08:24.With the equipment we have on board, it sends out hundreds of thousands
:08:25. > :08:28.of flashes of light every second as we fly over the power lines
:08:29. > :08:31.and we get a really, really accurate, 3-D record
:08:32. > :08:36.of the line and the position of the trees.
:08:37. > :08:38.So when we come back we can process that data,
:08:39. > :08:42.serve it up on a 3-D platform so the guys back in the office
:08:43. > :08:45.can see exactly where they've got problems.
:08:46. > :08:47.Some network operators believe the technology could lead
:08:48. > :08:51.to better maintenance work, resulting in more
:08:52. > :09:01.The weather forecast is next, Alexis will have the details
:09:02. > :09:04.for this part of the world before the national outlook.
:09:05. > :09:06.The next bulletin from South Today will be during BBC Breakfast.
:09:07. > :09:17.After a few sunny spells today, we have a lot
:09:18. > :09:21.But there will be a few clear spells as well
:09:22. > :09:24.and where we have the clearing skies, there is the chance of some
:09:25. > :09:26.mist and fog patches developing during the early hours
:09:27. > :09:30.Temperatures in the countryside will drop away to around five Celsius.
:09:31. > :09:32.These are temperatures in towns and cities,
:09:33. > :09:36.So, quite a cloudy date in general tomorrow.
:09:37. > :09:39.With the cloud cover, it will stay fairly mild.
:09:40. > :09:41.Temperatures not too higher than today but we may
:09:42. > :09:46.There will be some sunny spells through the course of the afternoon
:09:47. > :09:49.and temperatures will reach high of 14-15, a degree or two
:09:50. > :09:55.Through the course of tomorrow night and into Saturday,
:09:56. > :09:58.a cold front moves southwards, so Saturday starts on a fairly
:09:59. > :10:03.Through the course of the day, we will see the odd shower
:10:04. > :10:05.but generally it should be dry and sunny spells will start
:10:06. > :10:08.to develop during Saturday evening with high-pressure not far away.
:10:09. > :10:11.We will see a very cheap night Saturday night
:10:12. > :10:15.with a potential a frost first thing on Sunday morning.
:10:16. > :10:18.Now, looking ahead to next week, we can expect the air
:10:19. > :10:30.To move its way southwards, spilling across the whole country
:10:31. > :10:33.and with it we may have some wintry showers.
:10:34. > :10:35.A mixture of sleet, even the odd snow shower perhaps Tuesday night
:10:36. > :10:39.But, generally, it should stay mainly dry because we are protected
:10:40. > :10:42.down in the south from the north of the country but we still
:10:43. > :10:45.will have that bitterly cold northerly wind to start next week.
:10:46. > :10:48.So, a mild day tomorrow, highest of 15, and on Saturday
:10:49. > :10:51.there will be a good deal of cloud, especially during the morning,
:10:52. > :10:56.brightening up for some sunny spells through the afternoon,
:10:57. > :10:58.mainly dry with sunny spells on Sunday.
:10:59. > :11:06.week for much of the UK and for more about that and the UK outlook, Helen
:11:07. > :11:14.Willetts. The sunshine make such a difference
:11:15. > :11:19.this time of year, only 12 or so degrees under the cloud today but 19
:11:20. > :11:23.in eastern Scotland not far away from St Andrews. Also in north-east
:11:24. > :11:24.England, where we had the majority of the decent