16/03/2012 South Today

Hello. Welcome to South Today. In the programme. Shutting up shop.

Hampshire Police halves the number of front desks and says tweet or

Facebook us instead. As an old fashioned police officer myself, I

regret the closure, because it is there as a ser advice. Bad news for

birds. A disastrous nesting season if the drought continues. Ice

breaker to the rescue, HMS Protector saves stranded scientists

in Antarctica and the caught walk is calling. The paralysed model

picked for a high profile fashion campaign. Compielted. I don't feel

like it has ruined my life. In many ways it feels like it has improved

The signs say we are sorry and 17 such messages went up in police

stations across Hampshire today, as the force halved its number of

front desks for good. That brings the total number of closures in the

County to 22. As police forces across the south try to find

millions of pounds of savings, it is a picture which is replicated in

other areas. Surrey is closing 24 police property, end mixture

ofisation, o stations front desks and offices. Thames Valley is

looking at sharing offices and Mabel doubling with with fire

stations. Others are considering closing smaller stations but no

numbers yet. Hampshire Police say without the cuts there would be

fewer officers on the beat. Our Home Affairs correspondent reports.

The door of the police station closed to the public for good. It

is one of 22 front desks being shut across Hampshire. The police

station will still be here, the police officers will be still here,

but people will no longer be able to drop in and see them. Think it

will make a difference. People will get the idea police won't be about.

I think they should stay open. People know where they can go, and

if they, like if they find anything or need help, if it is closed,

people just don't see the police. It has been slowly closing over the

years when I was a kid it was open all the time. I think it's wrong, a

town this size needs one. 16 of the busiest front desks will stay open.

But some people will have to travel further to get to them. Hampshire

Police say just a handful of people ever visit the desks they are

closing. They say most people phone or e-mail and thousands contact

them on Facebook and Twitter. haven't gone, we are still in

communities and neighbourhood, we are improving the service we are

given by other option, telephone, online, and that is because we must

keep our front officers on the street. If we can make savings by

doing the right thing in other areas that makes it easier for us

to keep bobbies on the beat. the Police Federation, which

represents officers, says the closures are the first of more

visible service cuts to come. police station doors are closing,

in the future police stations will be sold off, police officer numbers

are reducing, the service is being damaged by 20% cuts to their budget.

The force agrees, tight budgets mean tough choices and these

closures won't be the only cut back. Well, Alex is with me now. Front

desks are closing but the force has been working on new ways for people

to contact them. Hampshire has been up front about the fact they have

to save month and shutting front desks is tonne way, they have been

proactive. Particularfully the field of social media. Hampshire is

one of the forces that has led the way on this. In fact they have got

round 20,000 people following them, on things like Facebook and Twitter.

They do use it to interact with people. If you think back to major

operations, for example, when Portsmouth played Southampton in

the football last year, the force was tweeting all day to keep people

informed about possible trouble, and if you think about back to the

riot, the police attracted round 10,000 new Twitter followers

because way were tweeting what was going on, advice, updates and that

kind of thing. Are people using Twitter and Facebook for things

they would have gone to police stations for? Absolutely. We had a

look through the pages to find some examples of this. Here is one from

Facebook, someone stole the kids bikes from the garden, if anyone

cease a Ben 10 bike in Somers Town let me know. Another one from

And the police are using these sites to get back in touch with

people and answer queries. It isn't fob for everybody. Some people

won't use these sites so police are stressing the phone is there and

some of the front desks will remain open. But this is a new element of

policing, just worth mentioning in an emergency, always dial 999.

Thank you very much. And for a full list of the stations that remain

open, go to the BBC Hampshire website, the address is on the

screen. Now the funeral of a Bournemouth schoolboy who died

after being hit by a cricket ball took place today. Kyle Rees who was

16 and a student at Portchesterle school was head on the -- hit on

the head. Hundreds of family and friends came to pay their respects

at St Andrew's church in Bournemouth. I think there is so

many people are deeply shocked, and in deep grief, and I have seen this

shock, it is a bit like Princess Diana's event, it was just, people,

their gut reaction there. Southampton pub threatened with

legal action over ition famous name sake could be close to wing its

fight with Hollywood. The Hobbit pub was told it would have to

change its name by the company behind the up coming film of the

same name after being accused of copyright infringement. After a

campaign supported by Sir Ian McKellen, the pub could continue to

use the name for a feel of $100. Thousands of jobs in the solar

panel industry have disappeared, just in the last few months, and

more are under threat. It is because of the Government's

decision to dramatically reduce its green subsidies. That is the

warning from the man behind Freetricity which has seen a big

fall in the take up of solar panels across the region. Boiling water,

soon to be powered by if sun. This is one of the lucky people. Her

roof was big enough to qualify for free solar panels. She gets the

electricity, the company that installs them gets the money from

the Government. I would love to do it payment wise but I can't afford

it. If there was a case no way I would have been considering them.

Only got them because they are free. I am tied in 25 years but I doesn't

bother me. But the future isn't looking bright. It was possible to

get 43 pence kilowatt in December I halved down to 21 pence and there

are fears it could drop to 16 pence in July. I am disappointed about it.

We set the company up a year -and- a-half ago and the Government said

they would be putting this tariff in place for four year, it would be

reviewed annually, we were able to plan according to that. But

unfortunately things are different and the Government have made three

changes now, one with only three weeks warning. The Government

continues to change its policy on since di. It has meant that

companies like this can no longer install on smaller properties, in

the north it has meant houses can no longer qualify for free solar

panels. There is a lot of uncertainty in terms of the jobs,

people thinking, will I have a job in three months time? A number of

companies are doing, people like ourselves are looking at

diversifying, looking at other green products. While this woman

stands to benefit, it is is a gloomier prospect for the solar

industry. Thousands of pounds left in a Will to the New Forest Owl

Sanctuary which closed following an undercover operation by the BBC's

Inside Out is to be given to the charity which rehomed the birds.

The sanctuary closed in 2003 and its owner was convicted of five

wildlife offences. But it had been left a share of �65,000 in the will

of 84-year-old Vera Spear. A legal fight broke out as to where it

should go. Today the high court ruled it should be given to the

north Wales bird trust which rehomed many of the birds. Across

the south education chiefs are having to create thousands of new

school places as they try to wrestle with the spike in birth

rate. The squeeze is leading to the loss of some important facilities

for children. Our Dorset political reporter has the details. 60 years

soing a the UK experienced the baby boom. The population jumped by

500,000 and wives and sweater hearts welcomed loves ones home.

Guess, what, it has happened again. A jump in the birth rate pushed the

number of people in the country above 61 million. Now four years on

these children are reaching school age, but where is the extra

capacity? In Winchester parents are angry about temporary classrooms,

and in Brighton a former police station and the am mex stadium

could be used. In bourm there has been a record number of births with

2008 the highest in 30 years. 420 new primary places are needed in

schools that are full to bursting. More parents are unable to get

their child into their first second or third choice school, siblings

are being separated and more modular classrooms, only meant to

be a temporary solution are becoming a permanent fixture. Other

important space is lost, like music rooms and libraries. This year

because we have one spare classroom, we have a library in a proper room.

Because we expect an additional class in September we loo lose that

for a period of four years. Short- term, you know, struggle, or loss

in terms of library space, but long term we will gain that back. It is

something campaigners are unhappy about and say the problem would

have been foreseen. Local authorities, or the majority of

them never seem to plan for this. And the minute the birth rate drop,

they start merging school, closing schools and I think if any

authority puts a school in the position of having to close down,

then they really need to be held to ransom over it. On a recent visit

to the south, Schools Minister Nick Gibbs says money is being made

available to meet the dehand, but as far as Bournemouth goes hemmed

in by protected heathland and the sea, face for new schools is

something the town don't have. You can see more on the Sunday Politics

here on BBC One. The Portsmouth based ice patrol ship HMS Protector

has rescued a team of scientists in danger of being cut off by bad

weather in Antarctica. The ship had to punch through dangerous pack ice

to pick up the team. It is the second drama for the ship since she

began her patrol. Days earlier, her sailors fought a major fire at a

research station in which two people were killed. These

photographs just sent from the ship give a glimpse of the dangerous

pack ice sailors had to breakthrough to rescue scientists

from the remote James Ross island. The Portsmouth based ice breaker

had landed a team of geologists on the island, but with worsening

weather it was decided they should be pulled out. Then prothe ship had

to fight through the ice to reach open water. It is unnerving, as a

naval officer to drive at ice,. This film showing the previous ice

breaker, gives an idea of the kind of conditions faced by HMS

Protector.. The issue we had is that Protector can break ice to a

depth of about a metre. Most ships can only break new ice. If it

becomes gracial ice, you can't break it. The risk of us becoming

trapped was very high. Just days before the drama in the ice,

sailors from the ship had fought a major fire at a Brazilian research

base, in which two people were killed. The ship is now back in the

Falklands prepare fog her next voyage down to the target tick P --

Antarctic. Conservation groups in the south are warning that wildlife

will suffer if the drought continues. The RSPB says 2012 could

be a disastrous nesting season because of the lack of water. We

report from one wetlands site in West Sussex. These wetlands aren't

wet enough. At Pulborough Brooks they are worried about how the

drought will harm the birds that breed here. This is the problem.

What should be a torrent is barely a trickle. The water channels that

feed into the wetlands aren't flowing as they should. Birds that

breed on wet meadows must find their own food from hatching.

Invert brats get hard to find and the young are unable to fly to

other sources of food, until they fledge. The chicks need about six

weeks to two months of damp soil conditions to feed well, and to

turn into fully flying birds. It is the damp ground that is insect rich

that is the key F the ground isn't damp the birds can't access the

insects. And if the dry weather persist, swallows and house martins

which use mud to form their nests will struggle to find building

material, reducing the nesting success. Conservation groups say

this drought, and the effect it will have on the environment should

make households reconsider the amount of water they use. We get a

tonne of water every week and it costs about a pound. Now, it is

fashionable to cit sies the water companies but they are doing well.

We need to reveal it is a environmental limit. Here at

Pulborough Brooks they have taken measures to try to hang on the all

the water they can. But if there isn't heavy rain soon, spring

conditions for breeding waders will be poor. And still to come, we

catch up with Tim Dellor, ahead of his final Olympic event for Sport

Relief. A disabled model from Hove has been chosen as one of the faces

of a campaign for the fashion designer Stella McCartney. Nine

years ago Sophie foren -- more fan was paralysed of she has built a

successful modelling career. -- Morgan. Sophie Morgan is a

successful model business own irand artist. Nine years ago a car

accident changed her life dramatically. I just collected my

A-level results and was driving recklessly and lost control of the

car and we flipped, and landed in a field next to the road. Then the

car was landed on the side of the driver's side so I was crushed.

was left paralysed from the waist down. But this hasn't held her back.

My life is fantastic at the moment. I am very fulfilled, and yeah,

excited, soy don't feel like it has ruined my life. In many ways it

does feel like it has improved my life. This summer she will present

a BBC Three documentary focusing on road traffic accidents. No stranger

to television she treked through the Nicaraguan jungle, and finished

runner-up in Britain's Missing Top Model. A show that caught the eye

of Stella McCartney. Who picked Sophie to become the face of her

Olympic campaign for Adidas. It is as much about the impact she has on

non-disabled people who start to recognise that just because you are

disabled doesn't mean you can't have a successful career, you can't

be beautiful, you can't be inspiring. Sophie campaigns for

disabled people to be better represented in the fashion industry.

She designed this, the world's first wheelchair to be used in shop

windows. It is a wheelchair for a mannequin. The idea being to

improve how disabled people are represented in the high street.

she plans to continue to spread that message this summer. And in --

an Iran spiring story. Tony, a week at Cheltenham. I had the winner.

Great week for Nicky Henderson, he became the most successful trainer

in the history of the festival. us look at the big race. Tony

mechanic Croy rode Synchronised to victory in the Challenge Cup,

-- McCoy. Well done AP McCoy. Football and the promotion race in

the Championship has seen Reading force their way into conten

shurpbgs Southampton have been up there all along. Tay are still top

heading into their game at Millwall. Lee le is set to miss out. Billy

Sharp is likely to partner Ricky Lambert up front. A few people

doubted me, I can do it in the Championship, so to prove them

people wrong, is very good, and obviously, I have been able to

prove the people wrong next season if we get the chance of the Premier

League as well. So, what about the royal, Reading, they have charge

through the field. Can they maintain their momentum or will

they run out of steam? Tomorrow, they play Barnsley, and now the

side know if result goes in their favour they could be top tomorrow.

Let us hear from their newest signing Hayden Mullins. Try and

back them up and if needed, you know, if I need to help I L but I

know the run at the club have been on, everyone knows that in the

division, they are the team to stop. I am glad to be here. Some changes

behind the scenes at Brighton and Hove Albion. The manager Managing

Director is leaving the club. Martin Perry will retire in 2014.

On the field they face a big test at Blackpool tomorrow, Albion

continue to defend their unbeaten league run since the start of the

year. They beat Portsmouth last year and Gus Poyet is hoping to

learnson lessons from their previous meeting. At that time they

were not too bad, now they are at the top, so we learn it, they need

to win as well, which is going to be a very nice thing to watch.

Portsmouth may part company with more players before next week's

loan deadline. Ipswich Town confirm they have ap approached with a list

of available players, that is on top of the departure of Mullins and

Henderson, Portsmouth have retained George Thorn on a month's loan. It

is almost a win or bust game tomorrow against Bristol City.

Elsewhere this weekend, Bournemouth are at home in League One hoping to

run a run of five defeats. Crawley have won one game in 11. They are

up against Port Vale. Aldershot host Bradford. Ben Ainslie is to

face no more action after his behaviour at the world sailing

championships ch he involved in a furious altercation with a press

bolt in December. It led to him swimming across to remonstrate with

the occupants and the sailing federation disqualified him from

the event. They said the penalties imposed were sufficient though.

That news coming in in the last half hour or so. All this week we

have been following BBC Berkshire's Tim Dellor who has been attempting

to do 29 Olympic event, all in aid of Sport Relief. He has had to go

at everything, from shooting to synchronised swimming, all in a bid

to demonstrate the grass roots sports activity is happening on our

doorstep. We will see him in action performing his last challenge, he

is in the ring for boxing, let us look at what he has achieved during

the week. So seven o'clock on Monday morning, I have to start

with trampolining. Keep your legs together. It is tiring. Above the

target. Don't take too long. Five? I'm impressed really impressed.

Yeah. Try and get the string to touch your face as well. A sport

which looks so simple yet is so The longest two minutes of my life.

I am a novice when I want comes to sitting on this bike. Lower

yourself into it. Are you all right in there Tim. It is very unstable.

22 sports down. 23 is causing me a In at the deep end. Not enough for

him he has one last challenge. He is at Reading Amateur Boxing Club

tonight. Have you had a good week. You look exhausted already mate.

Tony, I have done 28 of my 29 sports for this Sport Relief

Olympic challenge, and here is a sport I have never done before.

Boxing. I'm not well suited o to it. I am going to struggle. Who do I

fight? That is big question, bring on Mick gooding, I have had many a

disagreement with him in the commentary box. We have finished

round one. I think I am up on points. We will see at the end.

done boxing before? No. You a bit older. I think have two rounds left

in me. You think you have two rounds. I don't think have. What is

the art to being a great boxer. Ask these chaps down here. I have never

done it before. You have to be brave. We have a crowd. Barnsley

against Reading. They had a good result at Doncaster, they need to

keep that unbeaten run. Hopefully surge into the automatic promotion

sports. Less talking, more abshurpbgs that the bell. We will

be under way with round two. Here we go. -- less talking more action.

That is the bell. Jabbing away. Excellent. To think those two will

be commentating tomorrow. If they are in one piece. Are they still

going to be friends at the end of that? If you have been inspired by

Tim's efforts you can donate money by logging on to Sport Relief .com.

That has been our entertainment for the night. I think there is a

height disadvantage. I am glad they height disadvantage. I am glad they

had the guards on. Now the weather. Are we going to get what we were

hoping for for mother's day. We might see some sunshine but there

will be a lot of rain. We do have a weather picture for you Hilary

captured the flowers in Bournemouth gardens to brighten up a grey day.

So it was very grey indeed. One or two bright spells today. Taking a

look at the weekend, there will be that much-needed rain. Some

brightness on offer, more so on Sunday, a cooler feel to things,

particularly later on on Sunday with a northerly wind. Tonight the

cloud stays with us. And it will arrive during the second half of

the night. So a lot of cloud initially. You can see the weather

front slipping, prach -- patchy in nature, and temperatures staying

mild under the cloud and in the rain. So we start the day tomorrow

on a damp and soggy note. The band of patchy rain merges into a longer

spell of rain. Sort of round late afternoon, that south-east corner

could stay wet for much of the day. Elsewhere one or two showers.

Blustery conditions with the showers and a high of ten or 11.

The winds coming in from the south- west. Tomorrow night, the showers

will tend to fade away, the skies will clear which means temperatures

take a plunge to freeing, a low of four or five, the risk of a touch

of frost in the countryside, with temperatures hovering round the

freezing mark under the clearing skies, so a chilly start to the day

on Sunday but high pressure builds in, that means the conditions

brightens up. Late evening sunshine but we will see showers, hit-and-

miss some areas could stay dry and one or two bright and sunny spells.

Monday, a bit of cloud to start the day. One or two bright spells and

through the afternoon and a similar condition on Tuesday, with high

pressure pushing in, but you can see the winds are coming in from

the west, it won't be a cool day, it won't be that, the winds won't

be that light in fact, if I can can get my words out. High pressure

remains in charge. Conditions start to improve into next week.

Temperatures start to rise, the winds will stay brisk but we get

that much-needed rainfall over the weekend. In time for Monday. If you

don't like the rain, think of the birds we reported on earlier, they