:00:08. > :00:17.Good evening. Strong winds and heavy rain caused
:00:18. > :00:25.widespread disruption across the South today. Add driver had to be
:00:25. > :00:31.cut from his bus. When my husband came down there were alarms going
:00:31. > :00:38.off and be realised it was the tree at the end of the house.
:00:38. > :00:43.The link distrain - - computers - - commuters feel the impact of the
:00:43. > :00:53.new fares. We hear about one man's struggle
:00:53. > :00:57.
:00:57. > :01:07.with as burgers. Das Asperger's We have a full round of the
:01:07. > :01:12.
:01:12. > :01:15.Strong winds and heavy rain caused widespread disruption across the
:01:15. > :01:19.South today. Roads across the region were closed with trees being
:01:20. > :01:22.blown over. Roads across the region were closed with trees being blown
:01:22. > :01:25.over. Rail travel was delayed with lines blocked and a number of
:01:25. > :01:27.ferries were cancelled due to the strength of the winds. Many
:01:27. > :01:30.buildings suffered structural damage. At one point this afternoon
:01:30. > :01:33.there were still 30,000 properties without power. The strongest
:01:33. > :01:37.recorded gust of wind in the south was 84mph off Portland in Dorset.
:01:37. > :01:40.Gusts of 60mph were also felt inland in places such as Odiham. Up
:01:40. > :01:47.to 15mm of rain fell in just one hour this morning in parts of the
:01:47. > :01:51.South. The storm passed through most of the South by lunchtime, but
:01:51. > :01:54.it left a trail of damage in its wake. A bus driver was seriously
:01:54. > :01:57.injured and had to be cut free from his cab after a tree fell and
:01:57. > :02:07.crushed the vehicle in Witley in Surrey. Two passengers on board
:02:07. > :02:09.
:02:09. > :02:14.escaped unhurt. Ben Moore has our first report from Surrey.
:02:14. > :02:21.In such horrendous whether it is little wonder that this bus did not
:02:21. > :02:25.get through Whitley this morning. The driving wind and rain ripping
:02:25. > :02:31.up a 100 ft tall oak tree at its roots at the exact moment the bus
:02:31. > :02:40.was passing. It is not a good start to somebody's year. Police were
:02:40. > :02:46.called to this location at it 20 6am this morning. Victory has blown
:02:46. > :02:50.over the road and the bus has impacted that tree. The two
:02:50. > :02:54.passengers or on the bus and amazingly they escaped uninjured.
:02:54. > :03:00.Not so the driver. With severe head and chest injuries he was cut from
:03:00. > :03:04.the wreckage and treated by the air ambulance doctor. The damage to the
:03:04. > :03:08.cab of this bus is expensive, but the police and emergency services
:03:09. > :03:13.know if it wasn't for this war breaking to fall of the treat it
:03:13. > :03:23.could have been much worse. Not least for the family who had a rude
:03:23. > :03:26.awakening. We just had a house shake. The family said they soon
:03:26. > :03:32.realise that any damage to the house was insignificant as they
:03:32. > :03:39.tried to help the bus driver. were people outside straight away.
:03:39. > :03:41.Very soon after the house shook we heard the fire brigade.
:03:41. > :03:45.Destabilised the bus driver before the to come away on the air
:03:46. > :03:50.ambulance. Tonight the bus driver is in a stable but critical
:03:50. > :03:55.condition. The bus has now been taken away but investigations are
:03:55. > :03:58.continuing and police are still keen to talk to any witnesses.
:03:58. > :04:00.The whole of the South was affected by the strong winds and rain
:04:00. > :04:03.overnight and this morning. Electricity engineers have been
:04:03. > :04:05.working throughout the day to restore power to thousands of
:04:05. > :04:08.properties after overhead lines were brought down. David Allard has
:04:08. > :04:18.been looking at the damage caused elsewhere around the South and at
:04:18. > :04:18.
:04:18. > :04:23.those who had lucky escapes. Appalling conditions which stopped
:04:23. > :04:27.ferry services, pull one man decided to brave wind speeds of
:04:27. > :04:32.violent storm force 11 taking his been due out in the harbour.
:04:32. > :04:36.Rescuers found him on a mud flat suffering from hypothermia.
:04:36. > :04:43.weather conditions were atrocious. Had he not been wearing a
:04:43. > :04:48.lifejacket the outcome could have been very different. In Southampton
:04:48. > :04:52.an early-morning shock for people at a bus stop on the high street.
:04:52. > :05:01.Part of this building collapsed behind them. It is a showroom for a
:05:01. > :05:07.gasworks heating company. parapets came down. You can see the
:05:07. > :05:13.result. It is not too good. If we find anything that we can deal with
:05:13. > :05:19.now, we may keep it cordoned off. The wind is still blowing. It is
:05:19. > :05:24.due to come down this afternoon. More debris came down as fire crews
:05:24. > :05:28.were to make the building safe. It wasn't the only damage caused by
:05:28. > :05:33.the torrential rain and high winds. Council workers were kept busy with
:05:33. > :05:38.repairs after Portsmouth got a battering. This converted chapel in
:05:38. > :05:44.West Sussex was patched up and part of the roof blew off. As the storm
:05:44. > :05:49.latched Dorset and each GP world over, trapping the driver. Across
:05:49. > :05:54.the region are real lines and roads were blocked by fallen trees.
:05:55. > :05:59.Council staff working to clear the hazards. On the A 31 in Dorset a
:05:59. > :06:04.branch of the Land Rover which then collided with another vehicle. One
:06:04. > :06:08.driver was injured. Fortunately, no one was in this car when a tree
:06:08. > :06:13.fell on it. In some places to falling trees brought down
:06:13. > :06:18.electricity cables crossing power cuts to more than 30,000 homes.
:06:18. > :06:25.Engineers are working hard to restore suppliers. We won't be able
:06:25. > :06:32.to a tense. Part of a building has collapsed. The gas work teams have
:06:32. > :06:37.set up a shop. I'm sure it'll cost me a kiss or two to be using this
:06:37. > :06:41.office, it is very helpful but they have allowed us to do that. Their
:06:41. > :06:50.insurance company will not be here until tomorrow, and it is likely to
:06:50. > :06:56.be a very busy week for insurance claims.
:06:56. > :07:01.Many commuters are struggling to get home from London. Sarah Farmer
:07:01. > :07:05.will be here later in the programme with a full weather forecast.
:07:05. > :07:08.For many of you, it was back to work this morning. For thousands of
:07:08. > :07:11.commuters in the South, that meant more expensive rail fares. The cost
:07:11. > :07:15.of tickets increased yesterday by an average of nearly 6%. It is not
:07:15. > :07:17.just rail travel that is on the rise as motoring costs could go up
:07:17. > :07:27.by even more. Our transport correspondent, Paul Clifton,
:07:27. > :07:27.
:07:27. > :07:32.reports. Don at Reading station. For passengers on the most
:07:32. > :07:39.overcrowded commuter route, time to get to grips with the new fares.
:07:39. > :07:43.am not feeling well about this because the prices are very highly.
:07:43. > :07:51.With another rise, it is a rip-off. They are already more expensive
:07:51. > :07:58.than most of Europe. It is not fair. For a season-ticket holder the 6%
:07:58. > :08:03.average rise means finding an extra �215. Financially, it is still with
:08:03. > :08:08.me travelling by train. We will have to cut down on other things.
:08:08. > :08:12.Hopefully not my glass of wine in the evening. This morning a new
:08:12. > :08:16.platform was brought into use, the first tangible benefits other
:08:16. > :08:20.station rebuild that has been under way for a year-and-a-half. The last
:08:20. > :08:24.Government and this Government have followed a policy of trying to move
:08:24. > :08:29.the cost of the railway from the taxpayer to do a fair pair. The
:08:29. > :08:35.fare increase this year reflects that policy of both governments.
:08:35. > :08:38.The big project this holiday was at Cowley Lane West of the station.
:08:38. > :08:43.The Old Bridge came down a Christmas. Within a week and you
:08:43. > :08:49.one was wheeled into place. A huge task with the road beneath it not
:08:49. > :08:55.due to reopen until later this month. The cost of motoring has
:08:55. > :09:00.risen faster than the cost of travelling by train. Today the
:09:00. > :09:04.Automobile Association warned that costs will continue to rise. Fuel
:09:04. > :09:10.prices may be slightly better news, but other costs will increase,
:09:11. > :09:20.particularly parking. To be so to gest that 40 % of people making a
:09:21. > :09:21.
:09:21. > :09:25.new resolution have said they will not try to drive as much. The cost
:09:25. > :09:30.of travelling is rising higher than inflation, and much faster than
:09:30. > :09:32.their income of most people. For many it will mean a year of tough
:09:33. > :09:36.choices. Police trying to establish the
:09:36. > :09:39.identity of a man's body washed up on Hayling Island on New Year's Day
:09:39. > :09:42.say he had several distinctive tattoos. The man is described as
:09:42. > :09:45.white and aged between 50 and 60. Among the tattoos were a skull and
:09:46. > :09:51.crossbones on his upper right arm and one of a Welsh Feather saying
:09:51. > :09:53.Forever Wales. Still to come in this evening's
:09:53. > :10:02.South Today: The best of yesterday's football league action
:10:02. > :10:08.as the Championship leaders are You may remember last October we
:10:08. > :10:11.told you about the sorry saga of the Davies family in Dorset. They
:10:11. > :10:14.have been waiting for a year to get their boiler replaced. They had
:10:14. > :10:17.been let down several times by the Government's Warm Front scheme,
:10:17. > :10:21.which provides heating systems for vulnerable people. You may also
:10:21. > :10:25.remember that Warm Front told us the problem would be sorted out in
:10:25. > :10:34.a few weeks. Well, guess what? The Davies family still doesn't have
:10:34. > :10:38.central heating. Roger Finn reports. The Davies family boiler blew up
:10:38. > :10:43.over a year ago. The family care for her disabled son and that make
:10:43. > :10:47.them eligible for a grant which tubs of insulation and heating for
:10:47. > :10:52.vulnerable people. Over the last year, to a permits to replace the
:10:52. > :10:58.border fell three and hours on the phone proved fruitless. The family
:10:58. > :11:02.have paid a fortune on a electric and paraffin. We are just wondering
:11:02. > :11:06.now how we're going to pay our electricity bills in the future.
:11:06. > :11:13.When we told their story last October, warm front said they hoped
:11:13. > :11:19.to increase - - complete with their work in a few weeks. There is still
:11:19. > :11:23.no border. Within days of were broadcast warm front had given them
:11:23. > :11:28.three quotes from installation companies. The family chose one and
:11:28. > :11:31.it were told it would be completed within 28 days. The problem is that
:11:31. > :11:35.according to do installation company they knew nothing about
:11:35. > :11:40.this 20 a day guarantee and couldn't hope to meet it. He if we
:11:40. > :11:45.knew we were going to be subjected to all this stress, trauma, empty
:11:45. > :11:49.promises, yet another winter with no heating, we would never have
:11:49. > :11:59.contacted warm front in the first place. In a statement warm front
:11:59. > :12:14.
:12:14. > :12:18.The spokesman also told me that the work will be done by the end of
:12:18. > :12:21.this month. An ancient yew tree has amazed
:12:21. > :12:23.experts at Wakehurst Place in Sussex. Up to now, no-one had paid
:12:23. > :12:26.very much attention to the unimposing tree, but experts have
:12:26. > :12:36.found it dates back to 1391 and the discovery has re-written the
:12:36. > :12:41.
:12:41. > :12:46.garden's history. Yvette Austin has more. Wakehurst Place is renowned
:12:46. > :12:51.for this collection of trees. Some are extremely old. 18 months ago
:12:51. > :13:00.this tree was cleared of its covering of holly and dated from
:13:00. > :13:07.1620. Just one of a number of yew trees in the grounds. Then there
:13:07. > :13:14.was a new discovery. A landscape architect working with us notice
:13:14. > :13:18.that all the trees were in a straight line. There is a technique
:13:18. > :13:23.which will giddy the age of trees. But is looking at each of the
:13:23. > :13:29.annual rings and how far apart they are. This one goes all the way back
:13:29. > :13:38.to 1391. The discovery of such an old tree has affected the re
:13:38. > :13:44.written the history of this place. Victory behind this is 1391. I
:13:44. > :13:49.found another tree that would have been in line here in Auld archives.
:13:49. > :13:54.That tree would have been just about here. We have now got four
:13:54. > :13:58.trees in line. We thought that this garden should be celebrated for its
:13:58. > :14:02.great plant collectors in the 19th and 20th century. We are now
:14:02. > :14:12.thinking about this as a rare example of 600 years earlier than
:14:12. > :14:15.that. More history is to come. Martin Hedley from Dorset is a
:14:15. > :14:20.gifted musician and a charity worker, but he has been unemployed
:14:20. > :14:23.for 10 years. He has Asperger's - a type of autism. 85% per cent of
:14:23. > :14:26.people with Asperger's are out of work, one of the highest rates of
:14:26. > :14:28.any disability. In the first of three special reports our health
:14:28. > :14:38.correspondent, David Fenton, looks at how the condition affects those
:14:38. > :14:40.
:14:40. > :14:49.living with it. At the old town hall in Weymouth
:14:49. > :14:54.Maarten Headley and his daughter get to work. He is turning to his
:14:54. > :14:58.400-year-old building into an art centre. I could not see that they
:14:58. > :15:05.could be employed, but I can provide my own employment. That is
:15:05. > :15:09.how this project started. He has Asperger's syndrome. I liked doing
:15:09. > :15:17.small detail things for quite a long time. It is almost like you
:15:17. > :15:23.get in as and when you tune out. My brain never, ever stops analysing
:15:23. > :15:30.things over and over again. In that sense it is like a curse because it
:15:30. > :15:35.never stops. Living with that has not been easy, for Martin or his
:15:35. > :15:41.daughter. It is very stressful. You have always got to be completely
:15:41. > :15:50.honest and open. Being my age, I don't want to have to tell him
:15:50. > :15:57.everything. To show what Asperger's syndrome is really like, he has
:15:57. > :16:07.kept a video diary. You are trying really hard to conform, to be part
:16:07. > :16:07.
:16:07. > :16:13.of society. To be useful. We're off to Glastonbury tomorrow. Very
:16:13. > :16:20.excited by that. Roll on and I are going to pitch the tent. It is a
:16:20. > :16:30.lovely sense of camaraderie. But a mix-up over where to meet Roland
:16:30. > :16:39.
:16:39. > :16:49.Kohl's marked in a major breakdown. I feel so bad. I panic. I start
:16:49. > :16:59.
:16:59. > :17:03.swearing and things. One thing that he has but a lot of
:17:03. > :17:09.people don't is that he is incredibly honest. That seems to be
:17:09. > :17:14.something about Asperger's syndrome, they are 10 to be very honest.
:17:14. > :17:23.has many talents, which society does not seem to want. I did a
:17:23. > :17:33.degree. I went on to do a masters. I succeeded, but I have got a debt
:17:33. > :17:33.
:17:33. > :17:39.of 14 Grant and I am on benefits. That is completely mental. I am
:17:39. > :17:43.quite surprised that your have stayed fishing. Obviously people
:17:43. > :17:52.assumed that it is something of that there would do with the sun.
:17:52. > :18:01.But I haven't got a son. He is mad and brilliant and clever and
:18:01. > :18:11.childlike and intense. We have flown aeroplanes. Climbed up trees.
:18:11. > :18:17.
:18:17. > :18:20.He is everything. But the key is a Tomorrow, David meets a young woman
:18:20. > :18:23.whose life has been dramatically affected by her autism. Alex Jordan
:18:23. > :18:26.is 28 and works with computers. But she is not allowed to leave her
:18:26. > :18:30.house alone because she can't cross the road. The traffic confuses her
:18:30. > :18:40.so much she has been hit by cars seven times. Join us to find out
:18:40. > :18:46.
:18:46. > :18:53.how she copes in tomorrow night's South Today.
:18:53. > :18:58.Now, the Sports! I really busy festive period. I saw Brighton
:18:58. > :19:01.again Southampton yesterday. What a fantastic match.
:19:01. > :19:04.After a dream start to the season, Southampton are still at the top of
:19:04. > :19:12.the Championship, but only just. Here is how it stands at the start
:19:12. > :19:15.Saints are still ahead of West Ham, but only by goal difference.
:19:16. > :19:18.Reading's good run at the end of the year sees them lying fifth,
:19:18. > :19:22.despite a loss to third-placed Cardiff over the weekend. So, it
:19:22. > :19:25.may have been a less than perfect start to the New Year for Saints as
:19:25. > :19:28.they suffered back-to-back defeats for the first time in losing 3-0 to
:19:28. > :19:38.Brighton. But for one young player from Brighton, things couldn't have
:19:38. > :19:44.
:19:44. > :19:53.It was a dream debut for this young man. Man of the match, to boot!
:19:53. > :19:58.Hopefully I have restored the fear that my manager. There was a red
:19:58. > :20:01.card, a decision which could have cost the Saints at the game.
:20:01. > :20:06.four to lead the sending off of Ricky Lambert changed the
:20:06. > :20:14.complexion of the game. Brighton scored three times in 15 minutes to
:20:14. > :20:21.seal the win. There is no better way to start a new year. Alwyn,
:20:21. > :20:25.three points, beating the leaders. Two second-half goals gave
:20:25. > :20:31.Portsmouth their first win in four games. Their victory against
:20:31. > :20:38.Watford puts them at the 17th. Reading stay fit despite conceding
:20:38. > :20:43.three first-half goals in a 3 - - 1 defeat to Cardiff. In League One,
:20:43. > :20:48.Bournemouth are up to 10th after beating Wycombe for two goals to
:20:48. > :20:54.nil. We played some really good football today. The fans come out
:20:54. > :21:03.in their thousands today. A great crowd. Indeed to Oxford looks set
:21:04. > :21:10.for victory when the goalkeeper made a mistake. They managed to
:21:10. > :21:16.salvage a draw. Aldershot Town failed to capitalise on a depleted
:21:16. > :21:25.Gillingham side. Gillingham held on to the victory by one called to
:21:25. > :21:28.zero. - - one goal to zero.
:21:28. > :21:31.Detailed plans for a new state of the art training ground and a
:21:31. > :21:33.further 8,000 seats at Brighton's Amex Stadium were unveiled in
:21:33. > :21:35.yesterday's match day programme. The planned training facility,
:21:35. > :21:38.close to Shoreham Airport, will include five pitches while the
:21:38. > :21:41.stadium will get a new hospitality area, as well as extra seating.
:21:41. > :21:44.Meanwhile, Portsmouth are close to finding a buyer to secure their
:21:44. > :21:46.long term future. BBC Radio Solent will have an interview with the
:21:46. > :21:50.administrator of their parent company on tomorrow morning's
:21:50. > :21:53.Breakfast show from 6.30am. In Rugby, French side Toulon are
:21:53. > :21:55.denying that they have signed London Irish duo Nick Kennedy and
:21:55. > :21:58.Delon Armitage. Reports in the French media this morning said the
:21:58. > :22:01.two England internationals were set to join Delon's younger brother,
:22:01. > :22:04.Steffon, on the Mediterranean coast. Toulon say this is not the case and
:22:04. > :22:07.London Irish say they will not comment on speculation.
:22:07. > :22:11.In Ice Hockey, the Bracknell Bees narrowly lost out 3-2 in overtime
:22:11. > :22:15.to take a point against the Manchester Phoenix. The home side
:22:15. > :22:18.bombarded the Bracknell goal. Karl Ambler, who made 50 saves in total,
:22:18. > :22:20.got man of the match. Elsewhere, the Guildford Flames still top the
:22:21. > :22:28.table despite losing two consecutive games over the weekend,
:22:28. > :22:30.5-2 to the Basingstoke Bison and 6- 2 to Milton Keynes Lightening.
:22:30. > :22:35.It has been confirmed that the Hampshire-born former Olympic
:22:35. > :22:38.fencer Bob Anderson died on New Year's Day. He was 89. He staged
:22:38. > :22:41.fights in the Star Wars films and From Russia With Love and actually
:22:41. > :22:46.fought the iconic light sabre battles as Darth Vader in The
:22:46. > :22:49.Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.
:22:49. > :22:52.Finally, 2012 marks the year that athletes across the world have been
:22:52. > :22:55.waiting for. The countdown to the London Olympics is well and truly
:22:55. > :22:59.on its way. Here in the South a number of athletes are hoping to
:22:59. > :23:02.make it on to Team GB. Tomorrow, we will hear from England hockey
:23:02. > :23:04.captain Kate Walsh who, despite leading the team for the last eight
:23:04. > :23:14.years, is taking nothing for granted in trying to secure her
:23:14. > :23:21.
:23:21. > :23:27.place in the Olympic squad. 2012 has finally arrived. We have
:23:27. > :23:34.the ceiling at Weymouth. I am really looking forward to it. There
:23:34. > :23:38.will be so many people with golden hopes, Ben Ainslie for example. It
:23:38. > :23:47.is a big year. There is a special anniversary this year and we would
:23:47. > :23:53.like your help to mark it. On 10th April 1912 the world's most
:23:53. > :24:00.famous ship left Southampton on a maiden voyage she never completed.
:24:00. > :24:06.Titanic. In April this year South Today will mark the centenary of
:24:06. > :24:10.the disaster. Do you have a connection to Titanic? Did a
:24:10. > :24:20.relative seal on the ship? We did like to hear from you. Please e-
:24:20. > :24:26.
:24:26. > :24:33.Very much looking forward to hearing any stories you might have.
:24:33. > :24:42.Sarah Farmer is here. What a start to the year with the weather!
:24:42. > :24:48.really blowing a gale. The rain and wind so strong today. This tree
:24:48. > :24:51.fell down during the early hours in Thanks to Joanna Bailey for that
:24:51. > :24:59.photo. The strong winds took down a wall at Badger Farm in Winchester
:24:59. > :25:09.today. Greg Wood sent in that picture. Mike Blake captured
:25:09. > :25:19.
:25:19. > :25:23.So, a very windy day indeed. This low across Scotland prop that front
:25:23. > :25:33.right across a region bringing their heavy rainfall. You can see
:25:33. > :25:34.
:25:34. > :25:39.were the heaviest rainfall was. It has just about cure - - clear dig
:25:39. > :25:46.through the day. 84 miles an hour was the strongest we saw today on
:25:46. > :25:51.the Isle of Portland. Even in land use of gusts of around 60 miles per
:25:51. > :25:56.hour. We have not seen the last of those winds, but I think we have
:25:56. > :26:00.seen the last of the really strong gusts. It will start to see clear
:26:00. > :26:10.spells developing. There are one or two showers to be had, but for most
:26:10. > :26:17.it will be a dry and clear night. Overnight temperatures will dip
:26:17. > :26:22.down to four or five degrees. Into tomorrow morning, a bright start
:26:22. > :26:26.for most of us but breezy again. The cloud will gradually thicken
:26:26. > :26:30.from the West bringing with it some patchy outbreaks of rain and
:26:30. > :26:35.drizzle. It will stay pretty wet and breezy through the overnight
:26:35. > :26:39.periods. We will see some more prolonged periods of rain at times.
:26:39. > :26:44.Temperature Wise, probably not dropping too far away from a day
:26:44. > :26:48.like fat used, really. So, taking a look ahead to their estate, we can
:26:48. > :26:53.just about see those isobars beginning to open up a touch,
:26:53. > :26:58.meaning the winds will drop away as little. In fact, thirsty itself is
:26:58. > :27:04.looking like being a bright day. The winds will ease down as you
:27:04. > :27:08.going to the afternoon. Into Friday, we are set to see some cold
:27:08. > :27:13.conditions, perhaps even a touch of frost. Friday during the day
:27:13. > :27:18.clouding over what that was later, and a similar picture on Saturday,
:27:18. > :27:26.as well. We were telling you earlier on