30/09/2013 South Today

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

programme... Parents' concern at hospital hygiene

standards where their premature baby died — a coroner says a superbug

source is unclear. A father campaigning to make kill

cords on speedboats compulsory after his son died in an accident. No one

wants to see people dying unnecessarily from something that

can be avoided by an action that takes a second.

A rail industry whistle—blower says lives were put at risk in this

tunnel after it partially collapsed. The warship with no name — ready for

a multi—million pound refit and appealing for help with its historic

past. A ship is more about the hardware and the structure, it is

about the crew that make it. It is a lovely to bring the crew to life

with the stories of the people who were on board.

An inquest has heard a premature baby from Wiltshire died after an

outbreak of a superbug at a major hospital in the south. Oliver

Hannon's parents told the coroner they had concerns about hygiene

standards at the neonatal intensive care unit at Southmead Hospital in

Bristol. But the coroner concluded that the source of the superbug was

unclear, despite a full clinical investigation. Scott Ellis was at

today's inquest. Born at 24 weeks, Oliver Hannon was

doing well at Southmead Hospital. Eight days later, he died suddenly

of a bacterial infection. At an inquest today, his parents

questioned whether infection controls had failed them and their

son. You could see some nurses going from one baby to another without

gloves or without washing their hands. It did not seem to be

adequate, the fact that our size parents to watch our hands with hand

gel and they would do this to a baby and then go to another. That is how

you get infections cross between babies. They are in any debate for a

reason. It was explained that Oliver died after getting a tough bacterial

strain found in water and soil. It strikes pose with weakened immune

systems, like premature babies. Some studies suggested a third of

infected nations may die. The inquest heard that in the eight days

that all other was being looked after at the neonatal intensive care

unit, three other babies also contracted the bacteria but theirs

was a different strain, so Oliver could not have caught it by cross

infection. In fact, the hospital's internal investigation found that

hand hygiene amongst nurses was up to standard. The hospital could not

find where the infection came from. The coroner recorded a written

conclusion that Oliver died of pseudomonas, the source of which is

unclear. The hospital now screens for the bug and uses more secure

filtration systems. That is his gift to other people, that they needed to

change something, it was not good enough. The hospital has given its

sincere condolences to his family. The regional manager of a Sussex

care home where 19 people died has denied claims that she pushed all

responsibility for the problems there onto other members of her

team. Sarah O'Mara told an inquest she believed the Orchid View nursing

home in Copthorne failed because of staffing issues, including constant

changes in the manager. Rebecca Williams reports.

Margaret Tucker was one of 19 people who died in unexplained

circumstances at Orchid View care home. It was run by the Southern

Cross and close down in 2011. The area manager denied claims that she

did not make enough visits. The inquest was told that there was

a lack of staff, with two carers sometimes looking after 17

residents. Staff said that they believed, due to financial

constraints, there was a policy of having no agency workers. That was a

claim that Sarah O'Mara denied, despite the fact she boasted on an

online CV that she had maintained zero agency staff across all sites.

The coroner said to Sarah O'Mara that she had not taken

Also giving evidence today was a Boots pharmacist who said she was

physically sick after carrying out checks at Orchid View. She said one

resident had not had medication in four days. The inquest continues.

A former member of the Royal Artillery has been found guilty of

the manslaughter of a fellow soldier in Wiltshire. 21—year—old Steven

Castaglioni from Wales died from a brain haemorrhage, after being

knocked to the ground by his colleague John Gilliver, in June

2009. Winchester Crown court heard how the pair had spent the evening

drinking and were seen arguing in the street in Larkhill. Gilliver

will be sentenced at a later date. Four men have been jailed for their

part in the supply of £80,000 worth of cocaine in Hampshire. The drugs

were imported by a group of Albanians based in London, who sold

it on to a gang in Southampton. They were arrested as part of Operation

Fortress, a wide—ranging and long—term police campaign to stop

drug supply in the city. Hampshire Police arrested the Southampton

dealers last year after a major surveillance operation. Our Home

Affairs Correspondent Alex Forsyth reports.

This is the moment after a significant drug deal. In the bag,

one kilo of cocaine with a wholesale value of £50,000 and a street value

of much more. The drugs were imported in fairly large quantities

by a gang based in London. They would bring them to Southampton and

sell them in quite pure form to dealers operating here. Those

dealers would cut the cocaine with other substances such as caffeine

and then distributed across the South.

This man was the gang leader, who arranged the meetings with the

London dealer and handled the money. This was his right—hand man.

Mitchell Collins was the driver. Last year, Hampshire Police started

a campaign targeting dealers was not the force was tipped off about this

gang by Metropolitan Police, who said a dealer was making regular

trips to Southampton. I identifying his carnival plates, they led him to

Southampton and the local dealers. Drugs have aim massive impact on our

community in South and in. With these people locked up, we will

hopefully make a positive impact for everyone on the streets roundabout.

The judge said, while only one kilo of cocaine was found, he was sure

that the gang was involved in a significant supply.

Three months after a pesticide wiped out insect life on part of the River

Kennet, the Environment Agency is trying to assess the full extent of

the damage. By using electrical currents, fisheries officers have

been stunning and catching fish along the affected stretch of the

river, either side of the Berkshire and Wiltshire border. They can then

assess the health of the fish by comparing their findings to previous

surveys. This incident killed millions,

literally millions of aquatic insects, between Hungerford and

Marlborough and what we're doing today is looking at what the impact

on the wider ecology is. What condition of the fish in? Are they

losing weight or are they managing to find a living in these

conditions, when there is the food about.

Opposition councillors in Portsmouth have called for a report into the

conduct of councillor Mike Hancock, who is accused of sexual assault, to

be referred to the Crown Prosecution Service. Labour and Conservative

members have written to the council's Chief Executive saying the

report contains significant new evidence. Rob Powell reports.

Mike Hancock was initially arrested on suspicion of indecent assault in

2010 but was never charged. Now opposition councillors have called

for the CPS to look again at the case following an independent report

by the barrister Nigel Pascoe. The Crown Prosecution Service decided

not to pursuing a criminal case because of insufficient evidence.

What Nigel Pascoe has unearthed during his investigation may well

beat the Crown Prosecution Service to a different conclusion, so it is

only right that the council refer it so it can be considered. The report

concluded that Councillor Hancock, who is also the MP for Portsmouth

South, had failed to observe the council's code of conduct. Speaking

to BBC South last night Mr Hancock said this latest move was an attempt

by the Tories and Labour to score political points. And that the CPS

saw a full report from the police three years ago and decided to take

no further action. Mr Hancock has always denied the assault claims,

and says he will vigorously defend any allegations in court. Still to

come, Tom Hepworth is at the Speedway showdown. It is a chance to

ride for glory. Who will be victorious? Will it be the Pirates

or it will it be the Robins? A Dorset man whose son was killed in

a speed boat accident is calling for the kill cord safety device to be

made compulsory. Tristan Johnson was killed by a runaway speed boat at

the Southampton Boat Show thirteen years ago. Now his father, Heddon —

who's spoken to our Inside Out programme — wants kill cords, which

cut the power to a boat's engine if the driver falls overboard, to be

required by law. Sam Smith reports. May this year. A tragedy on the

Camel Estuary. The Milligan family were run over by their own speedboat

as it raged out of control. Nick Milligan and his daughter Emily died

from their injuries. Exactly what happened that day is under

investigation but what is known that nobody on the boat at the time of

the accident was wearing one of these, eight kill cord. This is

wrapped around the skipper 's body. If they go overboard, it gets yanked

and cut the engine. Heddon Johnson's son was killed, and nobody

was whirring a kill cord. I just noticed you coming in now and you

won't attached to your kill cord. Is that something you do often? I must

admit, I tend to do it when I leave the history, when I'm doing for five

miles an hour. Heddon fears more lives will be lost unless the law is

changed to make it compulsory. Education has failed. Now is the

time for the law to back—up the wearing of kill cords. And back to

the neutral position. Excellent. Boating's governing body, the RYA,

is firmly opposed to kill cords being made compulsory, even though

its own courses save they must be worn at all times. There is a danger

that an incident like Padstow or else were creating —— creates a knee

jerk response. If people do it right, most of those instances would

not occur. Heddon started an online petition and is getting close to the

number of signatures needed for a debate in the Houses of Parliament.

Rail passengers could have died after a Victorian railway tunnel in

West Sussex partially collapsed — according to a whistle—blower who

has spoken to the BBC's Inside Out programme. In 2011, three steel

girders came loose in the Balcombe tunnel on the main London to

Brighton line. A recent report highlighted failures by Network Rail

that meant large steel girders were left hanging just inches above busy

commuter trains. Mark Norman reports. When part of the Balcombe

tunnel collapsed two years ago, engineers shut it down. They

discovered huge steel girders, hanging just inches above passing

trains. The Network Rail engineer who wants to remain anonymous has

told us that if just one girder had hit a train, passengers could have

died. You are looking at a fatality. That steel bar would have been

spinning round. It would have gone through Windows, God forbid. It

would have ripped the train, I whole carriage was up there would have

been fatalities. These pictures taken by the safety engineers of the

girders and the loose bolts. Worryingly, the report tells us that

as far back as 2008, engineers were telling the company that things were

going wrong. For three years, what is described as inadequate reporting

meant that the problems were not fixed and the bolts were not

replaced. The company acknowledged that things were not working

properly at the time and that their staff were not being given the right

support. Communication was not appropriate. Al processes were not

in place in a manner that allowed our staff to report failures of that

nature in the right place at the right time to make sure they are

repaired quickly. The country will be closely monitored to ensure they

are delivering a safe and efficient rail way.

And you can see more on both of those stories on Inside Out South on

BBC One at 7:30pm this evening. It's been announced that the

The energy company, Cuadrilla, has been granted a permit to continue

managing waste that may arise from drilling at the controversial site

in Balcombe. Cuadrilla has finished its test drills in the West Sussex

village — but if it wants to return, it needs this permit from the

Environment Agency. It allows the company to manage any naturally

occurring radioactive substances arising from the borehole tests for

gas or oil reserves. A Hampshire businesswoman caught up

in a planning row saw her company base shut down by the council today,

despite it trading for 11 years. Little Bramshot Farm near Fleet has

been used to store caravans for years. Despite two appeals from

owner Linda Timms, Hart District Council said the site must close as

it's on protected green belt land and said the owner had not applied

for the correct planning permission. It's a crunch night in Dorset, as

Poole Pirates host the Swindon Robins in the second leg of the

Elite League play off semi final. It's a repeat of last year's grand

final. And it's Swindon who have the upper hand, bringing a ten—point

lead from last week's first leg. Tom Hepworth is at Wimborne Road in

Poole tonight, with that and the rest of the sport. Tom.

Indeed. Excitement is building here at Wimborne Road. The crowds have

started to come in. The gates had to be opened early. You can see some

last—minute checks being made to some of the bikes here. Let us not

forget that the Swindon Robins go into this Elite League by semifinal

second leg with a ten point advantage from the second leg. This

time last year, they won here in the pool pirate's backyard. A lucky

track for youth, this. You have to treat them with a lot of respect.

They have some quality riders and obviously we are in a position we

are in because of where will we were this year. You have been above the

Pirates for much of the season. Yes. But that counts for nothing. We know

the system and it has worked for me in some years and worked against

the. You have to take it and we're happy. We have made the top four, we

have come second. This is a winner takes all encountered the night. Let

us talk to the pace back row Pirate —— the Poole Pirate's manager. We

might be right back in it but we need to hit the ground running.

Looking ahead, the television deal ends at the end of this season. If

you don't win here, is there a risk that this may be the last time you

see all of these riders here at Wimborne Road? There will be a big

shake—up if that is the case will stop they risk a lot of money into

that and if that goes, it will be hard to make ends meet. We hope that

you do continue to make ends meet. I you confident? Never confident

against Swindon but my boys are confident and we have had a good

chat. If they cannot do it night, that is it. Thank you. We shall let

you go back. The tape is up at 7:30pm denied. —— tonight.

Football — and Southampton are up to fifth in the premier league after

they beat Crystal Palace 2—0 at St Marys. It was Saints' first home win

of the season. Record signing Dani Osvaldo scored his first goal for

Southampton just after half time. Two minutes later the £16 million

signing from Roma earned Southampton a free kick. Rickie Lambert stepped

up and scored his 200th career league goal. We understand it is a

good start. The lads are buzzing. Obviously, it is the old cliche that

it is early doors. We have to take it into the rescue of the league ——

into the rest of the league and stay on top of it.

The rest of our sides were in action in the Football League. But what did

we learn this weekend? Reading faced a Birmingham side who

defeated Premier League Swansea in the week but he would not have

bought it. This free kick eluded their defence even he looked

surprised. Reading had plenty of chances to increase their lead. He

did just that from just another free kick. They are building a head of

steam in the jab each of despite growing injuries. One player has

been bowled out for six months. We have to deal with injuries but we

have a squad of players who want to be part of what we are doing. Team

spirit is magnificent at this moment in time and it is a magnet is a

three point. Blackburn with three will happen —— a 3—0 up before

half—time. The cherry stud in. The cherries travelled for Leeds

tomorrow. Guy Whittingham slammed his side's result against York. This

effort made it 1—1. Their opponents scored three in five minutes.

Onto rugby and Jonathan Joseph returned to haunt his old club as

London Irish lost to Bath in the Aviva Premiership. Bath raced into a

33—point lead without reply but Irish rallied after the break with

Shane Geraghty scoring two tries, a conversion and two penalties for the

Exiles. They weren't able to force a losing bonus point. Director of

rugby Brian Smith confessed the first 20 minutes of the game was a

bit of a nightmare. Now, just a reminder we're still

after your nominations for the BBC South Sports Unsung Hero — someone

or a pair who've made a difference to sport in your community. For more

details, go online, where you can download a nomination form. If you

don't have internet access, there is a phone number you can ring to have

one posted. Calls cost 5p per minute from a landline, but mobiles could

cost considerably more. That is how things are looking at Wimborne Road.

The crowd, as you may be able to see, is gradually swelling or what

will be a crunch speedway fixture. Both teams are in a winner takes all

encounter. The, Terry is on your local radio station —— the

commentary. We will have the results in our late news.

One of just three surviving Royal Navy warships that served in the

First World War is going to be restored — at a cost of over £2

million. Compared with some of the other ships in Portsmouth's historic

dockyard, HMS M33 is pretty small. But she had an eventful career and

was even shelled by the Bolsheviks in the aftermath of the Russian

revolution. Steve Humphrey has been to take a look.

Billed as a rushed job back in 1915, HMS M33 is a warship was that she

was involved at Gallipoli and the Russian Civil War in 1919. This

historic ship will be restored at a cost of around £2 million. She is in

quite good condition but is at the point where she will start going

downhill rapidly, so we need to intervene to stop any further

deterioration. Most of the machinery and internal fittings have been

stripped out over the years. After Gallipoli and the Russian

Revolution, she was used as a ship in the 1950s and then used as

offices here. She has also been used as a floating bar, dishing out

reference to sailors and port workers. The Naval Museum has

received 4.5 million. The Mary Rose has received 35mm. The age is

victory has received £55 million. HMS M33 has received money from the

national lottery and other sources. They would have been a Crewe of

about 70 on board. That is a lot of people packed into this small ship

and a ship is more than just about the hardware, it is about the

stories. We want those to bring the ship to lie. It is hoped that the

restoration will be complete for the birthday in 2015. It is always the

stories about the people that bring things alive, so hopefully there

will be able to get a lot of those. Let us move on to the weather. Brace

yourself for midweek. That is right, a lot of rain on the way. But we do

have some weather pictures for you. Anni Stevens captured the sun rising

through the trees at Arundel Castle this morning.

Martin Aldridge took this photo of fungi on a tree on the Riverside

Walk in Horsham. Tonight, the light and patchy rain will continue as it

did today, mainly for southwestern areas. A lot of cloud overnight.

Clear skies more likely the further north and east you are. Temperatures

will fall away to low double figures, ten or 11 Celsius. There is

a contrast in temperatures. When we have the cloud, particularly on the

Isle of Wight, a low of just 16 Celsius. 11—16 Celsius the cabbage

arranged tonight. The best of any brightness again northern and

eastern areas tomorrow. AQ showers, mostly likely for areas west of the

Isle of Wight. The cloud is quite thick and there will be right spells

elsewhere but highs of 16—18 Celsius. A breezy day but not as

windy as it will turn as we head towards the middle part of the week.

Tomorrow night, some rain will push up from the south. It could be quite

heavy through the early hours of Wednesday morning. Maybe an inch of

rain fall through the course of Wednesday night. Wednesday morning

could be a tricky drive to work, with temperatures tomorrow night

falling to around 13—14 Celsius. A damp start to Wednesday. That rain

will gradually ease as we had through the day. It is this weather

front moving its way north and east woods. Behind it, the area of low

pressure, a battle between the low and high over Scandinavia and this

week the glow is going to win because it will push other fronts in

from the Atlantic. It will become quite breezy. More so in front of

that weather front, tracking through Wednesday night and Tuesday night

into Wednesday morning. Thursday another wet day. Torrential

downpours in some areas. To the course of Thursday, we will keep a

close eye on the situation. Things may change but we are looking likely

that obese heavy rainfall, maybe up to 1.5 inches —2 inches in a short

period of time. 30 degrees in France and sunshine

seems so long ago. That's it from us. There'll be a

news summary at 8pm and we'll be back with a bulletin at 10:25pm.

Good night.