03/06/2013 South Today

Hello, I'm Sally Taylor. Welcome to South Today.

In tonight's programme... Facing suspension from his party.

The Portsmouth South MP Mike Hancock denies allegations of improper

conduct. Hundreds of thousands of pounds paid

out in compensation by councils to people who've tripped on broken

pavements. I don't want to go out again, not on those sorts of

pavements. Trafficked and forced into

cut. And 60 years on from the Coronation,

we meet the woman who helped the Queen to the crown. It was magical

to see those flags and bunting going up, and, you know, people really

He's been a prominent figure in local politics for more than 40

years. But this evening, the Portsmouth South MP Mike Hancock is

facing a disciplinary hearing with the Liberal Democrat Leader Nick

Clegg. He's been called in over allegations of inappropriate

behaviour with a woman in his constituency. He denies the claims

and has said he will vigorously contest the civil action taken out

against him. Our Political Editor Peter Henley is in Westminster this

evening. Remind us of the background to this? It was this written last

week that started this action. It alleges, that three years ago, Mike

Bangkok behaved inappropriately. -- Mike Hancock. It is an allegation of

assault, from among the rubble constituent, someone with mental

health problems. He denies all details, but it seems to have been

enough to get the leader of his party, Nick Clegg, to call him in

and invoke disciplinary procedures and an urgent meeting. In light of

their problems, I think the Liberal Democrats felt they had to deal with

this quickly, and that is why we have today's disciplinary hearing.

What could be the result? It could be the Portsmouth South them he will

no longer be -- Portsmouth South MP will no longer be a Liberal

Democrat. The work could we withdrawn. -- the whip. So he could

continue as an independent, and could he consider continuing in the

City Council? The City Council could also have their own enquiry. What is

Mike Hancock saying? He is denying everything, and is also angry about

how to this has been prejudged, in the way someone like Chris Yoon

never was. -- Chris Huhne. Thank you.

Injuries from slips and trips on pavements and roads have been

costing councils in the region hundreds of thousands of pounds a

year in compensation claims. An investigation by BBC South

discovered more than �1 million was paid out for historic claims from

accidents on the public highway in Southampton over the last two years.

Hampshire County Council settled claims worth just under �400,000 for

accidents on public footways. But despite more than 1,500 claims made

across the south in the last two years, fewer than 10% were

successful. The body that represents local authorities says there's a

fear that no-win no-fee lawyers are clogging up the system with spurious

claims. Chris Robinson reports. If you trip on that bit, you can hit

that bar. Back on her feet, 74-year-old Ivy Thurston and her

friend Iris are inspecting the pavements outside their retirement

home in Salisbury. Just weeks ago, the great-grandmother tripped and

fell on a loose paving stone. She smashed her face on the ground. The

dark bruising is still visible. The shock still there. It is the worst I

have ever had. Often, you can clip and steady yourself, but to go down

in a split second, and to hear the crash and bang, failed the face

swell, like someone was blowing it up. Wiltshire Council sent engineers

to carry out repairs afterwards. It's spending over �21 million on

improving its streets and roads this claim. And payouts have ranged from

a couple of hundred pounds to tens of thousands. These include legal

costs and things like loss of earnings. A trip on tree roots on a

pavement in Reading saw one successful claim of �3,820. A fall

in Bognor Regis resulting in a broken arm and shoulder and cuts and

bruises paid out �33,000. And a broken leg due to a pothole in

Southampton saw a payment of figures are historic and don't

reflect the current situation which is much improved. Lisa Lane says she

will not take on a claim if things do not add up. It ended -- I am

irritated hearing people say ambulance chaser, but people can be

affected, and you have to look at the knock-on effect of the injury.

Back in Salisbury, Ivy and her friends have started a campaign

calling for safer streets. She's now put in a claim. But she says she's

speaking out in the hope it will prevent others falling over and

injuring themselves badly. Part of Gatwick Airport was

demolished today. One of the oldest sections of the terminal is being

removed to make way for more modern facilities. It's part of the

airport's long term development. Our Transport Correspondent Paul Clifton

reports from alongside the runway. Knocking down Gatwick's here one,

part of its long-term development plans. It is 50 years old and no

longer meets the standards passengers expect. I have great

pleasure in declaring Gatwick Airport open. This was 1958, the

Queen opening the South terminal. Lest this airport, the control

tower, runway, reception area. it received the Bishop's Lessing,

with pier one opening four years later, the first of its kind in

Britain, then copied by other airports. In its place will come a

new one that can handle more people more quickly. So far, since change

of ownership, we have invested over �900 million in upgrading, and what

is going on behind us is the start of a major project, further

investment. Dave Maurice, the longest serving employee, remembers

when this was brand-new. I joined in June 1960 eight, one of three LH

-ish and is taken on to look after the power supplies. -- one of three

employees taken on. It used to be freezing cold in the winter, a glass

during the summer. As Gatwick's passenger numbers climb from

today's 34 million towards a target of 40 million, the new pier will

open in two years time. A devastating effect on families in

Portsmouth. That was the verdict of campaigners after the council voted

through a controversial plan to cut �1 million from the city's Sure

Start children's centres. All the centres will remain open. But there

will be a reduction in their staff and in the services.

It's been a loud and passionate campaign. Since February, parents

have been protesting against plans to slash the budget for Portsmouth's

16 Sure Start centres. The centres run groups for the parents of

children under five. They offer help with post-natal depression and

breast feeding amongst other support. But the council says

government cuts have forced it to save �1 million on the service.

Today the Cabinet agreed a plan that will leave all the centres open and

free. But it will see opening hours reduced and staff axed. There will

be 21 fewer, but there will be 30 extra health visitors in the city,

more people working in nurseries, free nursery provision for an extra

900 families in the city, the most vulnerable, so more money spent on

providing facilities for families in early years with their children.

Campaigners worry the cuts will now put a huge pressure on the staff

that remain. And that reduced opening hours will have a dramatic

effect. You cannot wake up knowing what day you are going to have when

you have postnatal depression, and that is what the centres are open

for, so you can drop them when ever you want. They will not be able to

have that at Portsmouth, it will be drastically affected. One councillor

said this was the toughest decision it had to make in 40 years of public

service, nearly everyone speaking of the vital work of Sure Start

centres. But they also spoke of the hard reality of having to cut your

cloth when there isn't any money. Hampshire Police are investigating

an alleged assault after two men broke into a house in Southampton. A

man in his twenties told police that two men, armed with a knife, had

forced their way into his house yesterday evening. The man managed

to escape from the house on Harborough Road and sustained minor

injuries. Police are appealing for witnesses.

Still to come in this evening's South Today... As records tumble at

the Round the Island Race, Alexis Green joins the crew of one of the

fastest yachts on the Solent. The body of a woman has been found

in a field in Berkshire. It was discovered in Arborfield, off Robin

Hood Copse, where police were searching for a missing woman. The

body hasn't been formally identified. But the family of the

missing woman are being kept fully updated. A cordon has been put in

place. Forensic officers are at the scene.

A technique which uses electricity to stimulate the limbs of stroke

victims is being trialled at the University of Southampton. Patients

involved in the study are practicing everyday tasks which often have to

be relearned in the aftermath of a stroke. There are just over a

million survivors in the UK and more than half have been left with

disabilities that affect their daily life. Briony Leyland reports.

Four years ago, Catriona Burt's life changed overnight. At 42, she was a

schoolteacher with a passion for sport. But a stroke left her

severely disabled. Technically, they call it left-sided weakness, but it

is more than weakness. When in hospital, I was completely

paralysed, with no movement in my arm or left leg. Now Catriona is

taking part in a research study which aims to retrain her left arm

to be active once more. Can it reach? Usually our brains send

signals to our muscles to move through our spinal cord. But after a

stroke, those signals get interrupted. Electrical stimulation

bypasses that pathway directly affecting Catriona's muscles and

making them move. Good. It does not hurt. It feels... The closest thing

is it feels more like pins and needles. The idea is to help

Catriona to conquer everyday tasks. First she tries without any

stimulation. No.The team gradually introduce electricity. Catriona

still needs to work hard. But with the right level of stimulation, she

is able to complete the task. we go. Once she has been successful,

the level is reduced, encouraging her to perform the movement by

herself. The signals that come down from the person's brain, as they are

trying to move, combine with the signals going back up from the

electrodes, changes the threshold at which a movement can be triggered,

so that, after a period of time, the brain will be able to send signals

once again to the arm muscles. Catriona and her loved ones are

already noticing the difference. partner, he is also a stroke

survivor, and has had the clinic as well. And the biggest upshot for us

is, now, when we give each other a hug, we can use old four arms,

instead of just two of them. camera and sensors used are adapted

from gaming technology and are relatively cheap. The hope is to

develop a scaled down version. Stroke survivors like Catriona can

use them at home as they continue on A woman who was trafficked to

Southampton from Latvia and sold into prostitution has inspired a

charity cycle ride across Europe. Zoe was tricked by a friend into

coming to the UK. But when she arrived was violently assaulted and

abused. She was rescued by the charity Hope for Justice, who work

in communities to uncover the victims of human trafficking.

I used to think that the UK was a place where it could start a new

life. I used to think. Earlier, I was joined by the chief

executive of the charity Ben Cooley. He finished the 1700 mile cycle ride

from Latvia to Southampton over the weekend. I started by asking him

just how many people are trafficked into the UK. There are thousands of

victims of human trafficking in the UK, one of the Home Office reports

saying that, at any one point of time, there are 4000 victims of sex

trafficking in the country. That does not include forced labour or

child exploitation. There are literally thousands. How does the

charity Hope for Justice help them? We have set up a mechanism, so that

we can identify victims of human trafficking and, in the last two

years, we have identified 142 victims, the youngest being three

months old, the oldest being 59. We work with them to get their freedom

back. How do they find themselves in this situation, then, in this

country? A lot of people come from poor backgrounds, they are told of a

better life here in the UK. We know of families who have come over with

their children, the cause they wanted a better life for their

children. The UK is a great place to live. Unfortunately, when they

arrive, it is not how they have been told, and they have been sold into

exploitation, some sexual, some forced labour. Is it mainly women,

if individuals, and vulnerable young woman? Yes, but a mixture of both,

vulnerable young women sold into drug situation, -- sold into

prostitution, and young men sold into forced labour. We deal with

victims we in, week out, and this is not going away. I suppose the

question is, how many of the perpetrators of this, or the gangs,

are discovered and prosecuted? It is ridiculously low. What we need to do

is work together with the police, the CPS, so that everyone knows how

to identify victims of human trafficking. Then how do we increase

prostitution rates to send a clear message to traffickers that this

will not be tolerated. And I suppose it is awareness for people coming to

this country, because if you are vulnerable, you could go with

anybody to anywhere. Yes, awareness is key, both for the people in

eastern Europe. The girl called Zoe that we rescued a few years ago, she

was told of a good job. If only someone had told about the issue of

human trafficking, maybe this could have been prevented. How is Zoe? Is

she safe now? She is, doing well, through the after-care process,

still with challenges, but doing well. Ben Cooley, thank you very

much. Thank you. Hope for Justice, helping people who are victims of

human trafficking. Events have been taking place across

the region to mark the 60th anniversary of the Queen's

Coronation. Yesterday, Reading was the scene for a special procession

which made its way from the town's civic centre to Reading Minster for

a service of thanksgiving. Then in Winchester, around 1,000 specially

invited guests said prayers at a service held at the city's

cathedral. Tomorrow, 2,000 guests will join the Queen at Westminster

Abbey for a special service. Amongst those attending will be Lady

Rosemary Muir from Binfield in Berkshire. She was one of the

Queen's six maids of honour in 1953. She's been talking to Steve

Humphrey. The eyes of the world for London

when the Coronation took place in June 1953. All the way from the

palace down to Westminster Abbey was just rowers from the crowd, the huge

crowd. Lady Rosemary Muir was amongst those with an important role

during the service at Westminster Abbey, one of six maids of honour,

who, amongst other duties, had to take charge of the long and very

heavy train at the back of the Queen's Park dress. She said

something like, are you ready, girls? You know. We said, yes, and

off we went. The Queen assisted by her six maids of honour. She was

incredibly calm, did not seem to have a worry at all. Lady Rosemary

has an impressive scrapbook of cuttings, photographs and

correspondence from the Coronation. At the time, she was 23, before her

marriage, she was Lady Rosemary Spencer Churchill. She was brought

up near Oxford. Sir Winston Churchill was her uncle. Sadly, the

dress she wore for the service has gone missing.

Do you think it would still fit? definitely not. The waste was about

24 inches. No way. No way! Tomorrow, she will be at Westminster Abbey for

especial service to remember the Coronation. Except for the Queen and

Prince Philip, and as, there is going to be nobody there who was at

the Coronation. -- and us. 60 years on, she still has clear memories of

Coronation day. It was, she says, an event that help -- helped lift the

mood of the nation after the Second World War and the austerity that

followed. Live coverage tomorrow, that is the

Coronation 60th anniversary. On to sport, and parents do not want to

miss a moment when their children do something to be proud of. Poor old

march in Berlin, father of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain -- poor old mark

chervil and, other of what -- the father Alex Oxley Chamberlin.

Chamberlain equalised for England in the Maracana, before Wayne Rooney

went on to give England a short lived lead. It was the latest

landmark moment for Chamberlain, who came through the ranks at

Southampton before being sold for 12 million last summer to Arsenal. Dad

gave the BBC this reaction. He is a coach at Portsmouth. I have had

loads of texts, saying it was a fantastic goal. I fell asleep after

dropping someone off at the airport. You fell asleep? Yes. You missed it,

because you fell asleep. I have recorded it and will watch it later.

I am sure he has watched it by now. Live coverage in the YB40 continues

tonight. Almost 12,000 cricket fans saw one of the great one day innings

at Hampshire's Ageas Bowl yesterday. Martin Guptil hit 189 not out for

the Kiwis, who beat England by 86 runs to win the series. Guptil's

innings included 19 fours and two sixes. Including that one there.

England were all out for 273 in their run chase. International

cricket returns to the venue in West End in August, when Australia play a

T20 international. It took Sir Ben Ainslie just under

three hours to complete the Round the Island Race. That is a new

record for the event on Saturday. Ainslie and his team raced round the

Isle of Wight on their 45 foot America's Cup multi-hulled

catamaran. They dedicated the victory to Andrew Simpson, the

Olympic sailor who died during America's Cup practice in San

Francisco last month. The conditions were perfect. The boat stood up to

the test. You know, considering the size of some of the multihull two

that have done this, it was impressive that could take the

record. And going back to San Francisco, with the challenge of the

America's Cup, and it first took place here on the Isle of Wight.

have never really won it back for Britain. We have a proud maritime

heritage. The America's Cup is the one blot, if there was one, on the

copybook, so we need to put that straight. We have a British team, we

are looking to build that up through the America's Cup coming in

September, then after that, a fully fledged team to hopefully bring the

America's Cup back to bid it should be. He is already working on that,

flying straight back to San Francisco.

Well, it wasn't just Ben Ainslie and his crew breaking records out on the

water. The sailing conditions for the entire fleet of 1500 boats were

fantastic. And this woman was on board ICAP Leopard. I was with the

crew of professional sailors as skipper Mike Slade aimed to beat his

own monohull record. Check this out. The sun wasn't even

up, but the sellers were, preparing for their 50 mile race around the

island. A quick bite to eat and cup of tea before things started at five

o'clock in the morning. We were off, soon other boats. On the

horizon as the sun rose. Not long before Sir Ben Ainslie flew past us.

Once round the needle, the spinnaker was up catching that bitterly cold

wind from the north, propelling us to the halfway point. Alexis, 35

minutes plus six, half way. Despite the early start, the crew were on

top form, and by now, it looked like we could break the record set by

make Slade on Leopard in 2008. -- said by Mike Slade. It is going

good. Really good. But very cold. was plain to see how fast we were

going. I got flying past the family day out. We smoke them, said one

member of the crew. Love the Leopard. Three hours, 43 minutes and

50 seconds after starting, ICAP Leopard and its crew had broke the

record. We've got the record? Yeah. Back on dry land, the celebrations

continued. We managed to beat our own accord six years ago by nine and

three quarters minutes, and it was touch and go when we came around the

eastern side of the island where we would make it. Fingers crossed and,

yes, we made it. Highly here raising was that?

was, just under 26 mph was the top speed. Very good indeed. Fast lady.

Always wins. Gorgeous weather. Absolutely gorgeous today and over

the weekend. The good news is it is staying like that, at least for the

the sunshine at Creech Hill, Dorset, captured by Kim Head. New ears of

wheat at East Wittering captured by Heather Brooks.

Love the conditions and more tomorrow, but maybe some mist and

fog patches overnight, particularly in the usual prone sports. Clear

skies for most, so temperatures sliding to single figures, so rather

chilly start to tomorrow, ruling out the chance of frost. Wall-to-wall

sunshine first thing some high cloud for south-eastern areas in the

afternoon, but otherwise decent and temperatures higher and climbing

through the week, 21 or possibly 22 Celsius. The sea breeze keeping

temperatures along the coast cooler, so the top temperatures more likely

inland. Lovely sunny conditions through tomorrow night, perhaps more

cloud from the Wiest -- from the East. Some clear spells, the chance

of some mist and fog patches, lows of eight or nine Celsius. Another

sunny day on Wednesday, the cloud thinning and breaking for eastern

areas to life sunshine and high of 19, 20 or even 21 Celsius. Warmer

conditions still on Thursday and Friday, high pressure building

farther from the Atlantic, so staying dry and settled, and the

chance of some showers on Friday, but most places staying dry. The

high-pressure keeping things settled and sunny. Lovely sunny conditions

tomorrow, also the rest of the week. Enjoy the sunshine. Until the

weekend, the high-pressure stays in charge. The seabreeze taking

temperatures down slightly tomorrow. Really like wind, the seabreeze

affecting things along the south coast and the Isle of Wight. 20 or

21 Celsius possible. Warmer still by Friday, and a ten day forecast

available on our website. Thank you very much. Tomorrow night,