:00:00. > :00:00.Welcome to South Today. in charge of its own laws
:00:00. > :00:00.In tonight's programme: Frustration with flowers.
:00:07. > :00:08.A peaceful protest from Southern rail passengers but there's
:00:09. > :00:22.a glimmer of hope as driver strikes are suspended.
:00:23. > :00:29.They are sick by having constant delays to the network and want the
:00:30. > :00:32.resolution as soon as possible. They thought they were in it to win
:00:33. > :00:35.it but now there's a question mark over the future funding of this
:00:36. > :00:38.charity which helps children The European owl that's
:00:39. > :00:42.flown into the unknown And chilly encounters
:00:43. > :00:46.for the ice maidens. The female soldiers
:00:47. > :00:48.in training for a record trek I just want to see what I am capable
:00:49. > :01:11.of what I can cannot do. Next week's strikes by drivers
:01:12. > :01:14.on Southern tail have been suspended with union leaders and the company
:01:15. > :01:16.agreeing to new talks tomorrow. The unexpected development
:01:17. > :01:18.came as some passengers started their own protest
:01:19. > :01:20.at the poor service they have The man from Worthing who came up
:01:21. > :01:28.with the idea says it's about giving commuters a voice although one
:01:29. > :01:30.passenger has found his own way getting compensation
:01:31. > :01:33.for his travel disruption. First, let's join Anjana Gadgil
:01:34. > :01:37.live at London Victoria. This offer of talks
:01:38. > :01:51.came out of the blue? Yes, it did. Drivers were set to
:01:52. > :01:57.walk out on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. That is not happening that
:01:58. > :02:02.there is still a strike on Monday by RMT members. As luck suspend the
:02:03. > :02:09.strikes today if Southern agreed to fresh talks with the TUC. Southern
:02:10. > :02:13.accepted. This long-running dispute is over the introduction of driver
:02:14. > :02:19.only operated trains were a second member of staff is not a conductor.
:02:20. > :02:27.Subs says that is safe the unions claim it is unsafe. There had been
:02:28. > :02:31.previous talks at ACAS but the impasse remains. Passengers hope
:02:32. > :02:34.these new mediators can make up ground although after the nine
:02:35. > :02:39.months they have enjoyed, no one is holding their breath. It has been
:02:40. > :02:46.going on for such a long time. Cannot quite see a solution. At the
:02:47. > :02:51.end of the day, they have got to think of the passengers who are
:02:52. > :02:54.using every day. It is our livelihood and taking time out of
:02:55. > :03:02.our day. It is making life pretty awful. The railways do not want to
:03:03. > :03:07.go this is a scheme which is driver only. The government want to do this
:03:08. > :03:12.and are pushing Southern to do it. This could go on for another six or
:03:13. > :03:19.eight months. What is this about commuters saying it with Flowers?
:03:20. > :03:22.This is day one of a three-day passenger protest where people are
:03:23. > :03:26.laying flowers to mourn the loss of a decent railway service. The
:03:27. > :03:33.organiser is a man from Worthing who commute to London. I think it has
:03:34. > :03:37.been quite successful. There are another two days left. People are
:03:38. > :03:42.laying flowers are notes to the powers that be so people can express
:03:43. > :03:47.their anger at the situation. What a passengers really trying to say the
:03:48. > :03:53.Southern rail? They are sick to the back teeth of the situation. They
:03:54. > :03:59.are sick of constant delays on the network and they want a resolution
:04:00. > :04:04.as soon as possible. This is a peaceful protest but some passengers
:04:05. > :04:09.are angry and today we heard that a railway driver at Bognor Regis was
:04:10. > :04:13.verbally abused by someone who entered his cab. Aslef called it a
:04:14. > :04:18.serious breach of safety. Passengers have also pointed out that
:04:19. > :04:23.overcrowded platforms and trains are unsafe, and that is one of the many
:04:24. > :04:28.reasons why they are desperate for this dispute and disruption to end.
:04:29. > :04:31.A common complaint is the difficulty in getting compensation
:04:32. > :04:34.One commuter, know only as Sean from Hassocks,
:04:35. > :04:36.managed to get almost ?2,500 back on his annual Southern
:04:37. > :04:40.He'd paid for it by credit card and got American Express to refund
:04:41. > :04:43.half of his season ticket after he proved half of his journeys
:04:44. > :04:52.That's because the law says credit card companies are liable
:04:53. > :04:54.when goods or services are not delivered as promised.
:04:55. > :04:56.So could other passengers do the same?
:04:57. > :04:58.It's a question we put to Martin Lewis from
:04:59. > :05:15.This is by no means yet a fate Comp Lea. But Southern rail passengers
:05:16. > :05:19.concede the start, the germ of a process. What is crucial here is
:05:20. > :05:25.that credit card companies, if you disagree with them you can go to the
:05:26. > :05:29.ombudsman. Eight ombudsman looks at standard industry practice so if a
:05:30. > :05:33.few companies are starting to pay out credit card holders, then it
:05:34. > :05:38.becomes standard industry practice and even if you credit card company
:05:39. > :05:42.were jocks you, you can go to the ombudsman at may well say others
:05:43. > :05:48.have done it because of Southern rail's dire service. You will be
:05:49. > :05:49.paid out. Then the floodgates would open.
:05:50. > :05:51.Let's bring in our transport correspondent, Paul Clifton.
:05:52. > :05:56.Should commuters be pinning their hopes on these talks?
:05:57. > :06:03.We have been here before many times. All previous talks failed. Last
:06:04. > :06:10.week, the head of the drivers union said the two sides were not on
:06:11. > :06:14.different planets but separate universes. Aslef, the company, the
:06:15. > :06:20.government or making encouraging noises. Maybe this is the time it
:06:21. > :06:25.could work? A dispute about the safety merits of some specific
:06:26. > :06:29.aspects of driver only operation on Southern is being masked by the
:06:30. > :06:34.wider political dispute. The government and the union have each
:06:35. > :06:39.invested too much political capital to back down. Neither can afford to
:06:40. > :06:43.be seen as the loser. But next week's strikes are suspended, the
:06:44. > :06:51.overtime ban which has forced the cancellation of one in four trains
:06:52. > :06:54.every day is also lifted. The RMT want to join in, it is not yet. For
:06:55. > :06:56.passengers, it is encouraging, but we have been here before.
:06:57. > :06:58."You placed your own wishes ahead of the lives of others."
:06:59. > :07:01.The words of a judge as he told a Hampshire van driver
:07:02. > :07:04.that his prison sentence for killing a cyclist while texting on his
:07:05. > :07:07.Christopher Gard had been jailed for nine years
:07:08. > :07:09.for the death of 48-year-old Lee Martin from Basingstoke.
:07:10. > :07:12.He already had multiple convictions for using his phone at the wheel.
:07:13. > :07:17.Here's our home affairs correspondent, Emma Vardy.
:07:18. > :07:20.Lee Martin was taking part in a cycling event near Bentley
:07:21. > :07:26.in Hampshire when he was hit by a Ford Transit van.
:07:27. > :07:28.In court today, Christopher Gard was described as having
:07:29. > :07:33.had an extraordinary criminal driving record.
:07:34. > :07:35.Just six weeks before killing Lee Martin, he had persuaded
:07:36. > :07:37.magistrates to let him keep his licence despite having
:07:38. > :07:39.already been convicted of using his mobile phone
:07:40. > :07:47.He had been on two courses to reform his behaviour,
:07:48. > :07:52.which the court heard he had simply ignored.
:07:53. > :07:54.Today, Lee Martin's family were in court as Christopher Gard's
:07:55. > :08:03.appeal to have his sentence reduced was refused.
:08:04. > :08:11.I am glad the judges upheld the original sentence. It sends out a
:08:12. > :08:17.signal that using a phone while driving is a serious offence. We
:08:18. > :08:21.cannot say please because there is nothing pleasing about this.
:08:22. > :08:23.Chritopher Gard was told there were serious aggravating factors -
:08:24. > :08:26.in his case, that he had lied to the police and tried to delete
:08:27. > :08:30.texts messages from his mobile phone and that he had had his vulnerable
:08:31. > :08:39.His 14-year driving ban was also upheld and he was told the public
:08:40. > :08:41.would need protection from his conduct for a long
:08:42. > :08:54.Officers from Thames Valley Police who dealt with the aftermath
:08:55. > :08:56.of a fatal crash on the A34 have been given commendations
:08:57. > :08:59.The awards from the force's Chief Constable recognise
:09:00. > :09:03.Four people died in the crash near East Ilsley
:09:04. > :09:07.It was caused by a lorry driver who was using his mobile
:09:08. > :09:21.Strolling through his music playlist which seconds later would cost four
:09:22. > :09:30.people their lives. This was the moment Thomas Croker caused a
:09:31. > :09:37.multicar pile-up on the 834 near Newbury in August 20 16. Tracy died
:09:38. > :09:45.instantly along with sons. Her partner's daughter was also killed.
:09:46. > :09:49.The family were integral to the video because we could not have made
:09:50. > :09:52.it without them but also they were integral to the fact it was made in
:09:53. > :09:57.the first place. It was the idea, they wanted to make a positive
:09:58. > :10:01.change. Something horrific had happened and they saw it as an
:10:02. > :10:08.opportunity to make a change and said more people's lives. A police
:10:09. > :10:10.Sergeant, Detective Sergeant, three police officers and two
:10:11. > :10:17.communication officers have been commended for their work to the
:10:18. > :10:22.crash. This afternoon's ceremony was led by the Chief Constable of Thames
:10:23. > :10:27.Valley Police. He honoured some members of the team for what he
:10:28. > :10:32.called outstanding work, bravery and dedication. The fact that three
:10:33. > :10:37.children were involved in this crash makes it stand up for the wrong
:10:38. > :10:41.reasons. The officers involved are very proud to be recognised but
:10:42. > :10:47.ultimately none of them wanted to be there. Thomas Croker is now serving
:10:48. > :10:51.a 10-year jail sentence for causing death by dangerous driving. Police
:10:52. > :10:55.hope this footage will continue be a warning, exposing the consequences
:10:56. > :10:59.of using a mobile phone behind the wheel.
:11:00. > :11:02.The father of an autistic teenager says his son's school threatened
:11:03. > :11:05.to dump the boy on the family doorstep after staff there decided
:11:06. > :11:11.Hampshire Social Services had been given six weeks to find
:11:12. > :11:14.an alternative place for him and only came up with somewhere
:11:15. > :11:17.Well, our reporter, Joe Campbell, has been talking
:11:18. > :11:24.Tom - not his real name - is 13 but he's already
:11:25. > :11:30.His dad says he's severly autistic and, in his words,
:11:31. > :11:32.his behaviour can go from zero to 1,000 in a few
:11:33. > :11:38.He'd been boarding at his school for about 18 months with fees
:11:39. > :11:40.running into hundreds of thousands of pounds being paid
:11:41. > :11:45.The school had said there was a place for him going forward
:11:46. > :11:48.but then Tom's parents were called in to be told there'd been
:11:49. > :11:50.26 violent incidents involving their son in just 30 days
:11:51. > :11:55.Tom's dad's words are spoken by an actor.
:11:56. > :12:00.The school could have communicated with us better. They could have
:12:01. > :12:18.prewar and social services. Now, Tom is what's knows
:12:19. > :12:20.as a looked-after child. His behaviour means he can't live
:12:21. > :12:23.with his father and siblings and the onus was on social services
:12:24. > :12:26.to find him somewhere new. They did but just hours before
:12:27. > :12:29.the deadline and then in a respite centre which he says was totally
:12:30. > :12:32.unprepared and had to turn away other families whose children had
:12:33. > :12:35.been due to spend the weekend Tom's dad has been helping
:12:36. > :12:57.at the respite home and they also had to call in staff on days
:12:58. > :12:59.off to cope. Now the Priory Group,
:13:00. > :13:02.who run Tom's now former school, say where they can't accommodate
:13:03. > :13:04.pupils they work closely with social Hampshire County Council says
:13:05. > :13:12.it was not their decision to move Tom and the notice given
:13:13. > :13:14.by the school was inadequate. In the meantime, his family
:13:15. > :13:16.are looking as far afield as Derbyshire for somewhere that has
:13:17. > :13:26.space for him long-term. A lorry driver has appeared in court
:13:27. > :13:29.charged over another fatal crash. Thomas Hunter from Mansfield
:13:30. > :13:31.was charged after the crash Three-year-old Isla Wiggins died
:13:32. > :13:35.and her unborn brother was also lost Today, Hunter appeared
:13:36. > :13:55.before Oxford Magistrates. A special forecast from Alexis. I
:13:56. > :14:03.will have the were rest of the week's weather and what conditions
:14:04. > :14:10.to expect sailing in the Western France over the next 24 hours.
:14:11. > :14:17.A British soldier killed in a friendly fire shooting was not
:14:18. > :14:24.unlawfully killed. He died when another soldier fired in the wrong
:14:25. > :14:31.direction, hitting him in the face and neck. The inquest heard Kelly
:14:32. > :14:34.was in disorientating when he fired. Outside court, his family said they
:14:35. > :14:40.were disappointed that no charges were brought or blame acknowledged.
:14:41. > :14:47.It has was been our opinion that Kenny knew what he had done. Rather
:14:48. > :14:52.than acknowledging he did wrong, he instead chose to step back. His
:14:53. > :14:56.errors led directly to our son's death.
:14:57. > :14:59.A Dorset charity which provides support for very young children
:15:00. > :15:01.with special needs is facing closure after 25 years.
:15:02. > :15:04.The Dorchester Opportunity Group helps 11 two to four-year-olds
:15:05. > :15:10.grant is coming to an end professionals but a vital Lottery
:15:11. > :15:22.Edward Sault has spent the day talking to parents and staff.
:15:23. > :15:32.We have to go to a mainstream preschool. Sunny loves coming here
:15:33. > :15:37.and playing with his friends. Doctors think he has autism but
:15:38. > :15:44.because of his age cannot be sure. He has also been diagnosed with
:15:45. > :15:47.communication problems. He gets speech and language therapy here, he
:15:48. > :15:53.gets monitored every week, we can work with him and make sure he
:15:54. > :15:58.progresses in the right way. But the future of the group is in question
:15:59. > :16:05.after a national lottery grant came to an end. The group here has got
:16:06. > :16:10.over ?280,000 from the National Lottery's big lottery fund but the
:16:11. > :16:14.national lottery say it is high and those crimes cannot be relied on as
:16:15. > :16:19.a continuous source of income for any organisation or charity. The
:16:20. > :16:24.group is not solely dependent on its lottery grant. It also receives
:16:25. > :16:31.?70,000 which comes from the county council under charity donations.
:16:32. > :16:37.Losing ?40,000 a year that could be catastrophic. The worst cases we
:16:38. > :16:44.will close because it is hard to find ?40,000 from small charitable
:16:45. > :16:49.fetes, car-boot sales. That does not generate enough to bridge that gap.
:16:50. > :16:56.The group here has been rated as outstanding by Ofsted and if many of
:16:57. > :16:58.the children referred to by the NHS, the charity applied to the health
:16:59. > :17:06.service for extra funding but money is tight. It is difficult for them.
:17:07. > :17:09.Everyone has financial constraints. It is tough on them as well and we
:17:10. > :17:13.understand that but we do not want to stop what we're doing. If the
:17:14. > :17:18.charity does not get the funds it needs, it could close within the
:17:19. > :17:26.year, meaning this would be the last singsong for these children.
:17:27. > :17:29.A search is continuing in West Sussex for a European eagle
:17:30. > :17:31.owl who escaped from her aviary last Friday.
:17:32. > :17:34.Luna is part of a group of birds based at the Aldingbourne Country
:17:35. > :17:38.But the birds haven't been allowed out, for about a month,
:17:39. > :17:39.because of the current bird flu restrictions.
:17:40. > :17:45.Let's join Sean Killick who's at the aviary.
:17:46. > :17:53.Sad times here. Luna is one of the stars of the show here and she is
:17:54. > :18:00.gone missing. She looks very similar to Nova here. How did this happen?
:18:01. > :18:07.Due to the bird flu outbreaks, we have been advised to keep our birds
:18:08. > :18:15.in close quarters. That means we did not fly the birds. The birds are a
:18:16. > :18:22.top weight. She decided to fly off and come back. How will she be
:18:23. > :18:33.coping out there in the wild? She has been handwritten. She escaped
:18:34. > :18:37.after 20 minutes. I am hoping she has caught a rabbit but she will be
:18:38. > :18:43.feeding herself and will not be hungry enough to come back to us.
:18:44. > :18:50.She looks very similar to Nova here. If they see her, what should they
:18:51. > :18:59.do. You can call them by name, she might reply, she knows Luna is the
:19:00. > :19:05.name. Give us a call. Try not to feed her because her diet is all raw
:19:06. > :19:15.meat. They are hopeful of getting Luna back very soon because the new
:19:16. > :19:28.display season starts in March. Sorry about the break-up there.
:19:29. > :19:37.I am even more excited to my! More and more people are getting up every
:19:38. > :19:44.morning and asked straight onto the website. How much is Alex Thomson
:19:45. > :19:52.close the gap? 66 miles in layman's terms. He is continuing to close the
:19:53. > :19:58.gap on the leader in the single handed nonstop round the world
:19:59. > :20:03.challenge. Nevertheless, another Briton's sailing greats believes it
:20:04. > :20:07.is not over yet. The 73rd day of racing and that Alex Thomson, it
:20:08. > :20:12.could be barely two more to go. The pair are heading for the finish line
:20:13. > :20:17.on the French coast. Thompson is currently moving more quickly at 15
:20:18. > :20:22.knots. He is gaining on the prerace favourite with every update. The
:20:23. > :20:27.lead now, 57 nautical miles. A week ago, it was more than 200. It has
:20:28. > :20:34.been predicted finish will be very close. A view shared by the man the
:20:35. > :20:37.first to sail around the globe nonstop single-handed. His
:20:38. > :20:42.performance so far has been incredible. The speeds he has been
:20:43. > :20:49.achieving has been phenomenal. He is going five-time faster than I did 48
:20:50. > :20:53.years ago. It is just remarkable, the way he is kept up pressure.
:20:54. > :20:58.Taking the right course, judging weather patterns, this race for the
:20:59. > :21:05.line could still be at the mercy of mother nature. The two leaders will
:21:06. > :21:08.have a say in weather conditions. 10-15 knots and the south-east and
:21:09. > :21:14.with this area of high pressure, the wins will become light. The winds
:21:15. > :21:18.will switch direction to the north westerly airflow, dragging in
:21:19. > :21:24.bitterly cold air, and the air will become very unstable. Irregular wind
:21:25. > :21:30.directions and speeds. If he hangs on like this, a good chance that he
:21:31. > :21:35.can pull it off, which would be phenomenal. Organisers now believe
:21:36. > :21:39.the first boat will arrive on Thursday morning. If previous
:21:40. > :21:41.finishes to be repeated, the scenes could be special, but will it be the
:21:42. > :21:45.British flag flying high in France? Reading's accounts showed
:21:46. > :21:47.they lost 15 million pounds in the year 2015-16,
:21:48. > :21:49.mainly due to reduced premier league parachute payments,
:21:50. > :21:51.but that hasn't stopped them keeping their squad strong
:21:52. > :21:54.for a promotion push. They're agreed a new contract
:21:55. > :21:56.with Gareth McLeary. He's signed a three and half year
:21:57. > :21:59.deal through to 2020. The 29 year old has been one
:22:00. > :22:03.of the most consistent players this season under Jaap Stam and has had
:22:04. > :22:06.a fine spell at the club including scoring in the FA cup semi final
:22:07. > :22:10.at Wembley two years ago. Hampshire batsman Michael Carberry
:22:11. > :22:12.has trained with his team-mates for the first time since having
:22:13. > :22:17.surgery on a cancerous tumour. The 36-year-old was
:22:18. > :22:19.diagnosed last July. He's now targeting
:22:20. > :22:20.a return to the sport He was able to join
:22:21. > :22:38.in a session in the indoor nets On this day back in 1912, Captain
:22:39. > :22:43.Scott reached the South Pole only to discover a Norwegian had beaten him
:22:44. > :22:47.to it. A group of elite soldiers is hoping to be the first all-female
:22:48. > :22:51.team to cross of the South Pole later this year. They will be
:22:52. > :22:56.undergoing psychological and physical tests.
:22:57. > :22:58.These are the ice maidens, testing themselves against
:22:59. > :23:05.Pulling heavy loads, jumping into ice holes,
:23:06. > :23:08.digging out and sleeping in the snow.
:23:09. > :23:25.All preparation for a 1,100 mile expedition across the South Pole.
:23:26. > :23:28.There's that almost sadistic side of me that just wants to see
:23:29. > :23:32.what I'm capable of and what I can do, and equally, what I can't do.
:23:33. > :23:33.The journey is expected to take three months.
:23:34. > :23:35.With just two refuelling points along the way,
:23:36. > :23:38.they will have to drag food and supplies as they ski
:23:39. > :23:45.cross-country through hazardous conditions.
:23:46. > :23:52.I would be silly if I said I was not scared of gaps in the glazier. They
:23:53. > :23:58.can be a metre long, ten metres long, a mile long. 250 soldiers
:23:59. > :24:02.applied to become ice maidens after facing a series of challenges, the
:24:03. > :24:05.team is now down to just seven members. They have already shown
:24:06. > :24:10.what they have got what it takes physically in Norway. They are
:24:11. > :24:16.finding the best ways to work together. Overseen by psychologists,
:24:17. > :24:20.they have been telling each other a few home truths. The idea, by
:24:21. > :24:24.identifying the strengths and weaknesses, they face fewer
:24:25. > :24:30.surprises in an extreme environment. You need to be more open. As a team,
:24:31. > :24:33.we need to work on our conflict resolution.
:24:34. > :24:36.We are all quite conflict averse and we all like to get on with each
:24:37. > :24:41.other, so we need to make sure we've got a plan in place for when it does
:24:42. > :24:44.go wrong and we do end up having a bit of a clash.
:24:45. > :24:48.After all these physical and psychological tests have ended, five
:24:49. > :24:52.of the remaining seven ice maidens will be selected. They will set off
:24:53. > :25:00.in October to conquer the South Pole.
:25:01. > :25:09.Stefan Olech photographed the very still conditions during the early
:25:10. > :25:11.hours of the morning at Southampton Docks.
:25:12. > :25:13.Roy Venkatesh took this picture of Old Man's Beard
:25:14. > :25:22.This picture was sent in by Gill Richards.
:25:23. > :25:28.Will cloud for western parts. Sunshine for the East earlier on
:25:29. > :25:32.today. That sets the theme for the next few days. A lot of cloud for
:25:33. > :25:37.northern and western areas overnight tonight. The southern and eastern
:25:38. > :25:42.areas, a chance of frost first thing tomorrow morning. Frost for some
:25:43. > :25:49.cloudy for others. Clear skies, temperatures down to minus one
:25:50. > :25:53.Celsius. With all the cloud cover, slightly milder conditions. A chilly
:25:54. > :25:58.start the day tomorrow. When we do have clear spells, the chance of a
:25:59. > :26:02.frost. Frosty conditions, mist and fog patches first thing tomorrow
:26:03. > :26:06.morning. The booklet and we hold on to the cloud for northern and
:26:07. > :26:09.western areas. The best of the sunshine down towards the
:26:10. > :26:15.south-east. Temperatures tomorrow will struggle in some areas, up to
:26:16. > :26:20.2-6 C. A cold feeling day and the winds feeling light. Through the
:26:21. > :26:26.course of tomorrow night, the cloud will sink further southwards. Mist
:26:27. > :26:30.and fog patches which could become widespread impresses. Mainly dry
:26:31. > :26:35.night with lows of one or two Celsius. The chance of a frost first
:26:36. > :26:40.thing on Thursday morning. Thursday, high pressure will stay with us. But
:26:41. > :26:44.despite that, a good deal of cloud. Mist and fog to start Thursday
:26:45. > :26:50.morning. That will clear. We will see some bright spells. We will draw
:26:51. > :26:54.in that clearer air from the net continent. Through Thursday
:26:55. > :26:58.afternoon into Friday, the risk of a frost overnight into Friday morning.
:26:59. > :27:04.Let's take a look at the outlook because tomorrow, we will have an
:27:05. > :27:08.east-west split. The further south and east, the chillier the
:27:09. > :27:16.temperatures and the Sunni dispels. Fairly light winds. Some brightness
:27:17. > :27:28.will be seen and on Friday, we are expecting the chance of light and
:27:29. > :27:51.patchy rain. More at 10:30pm. We will be back tomorrow at 6:30pm.
:27:52. > :27:55.That I will faithfully execute the Office...
:27:56. > :27:59.And will to the best of my ability...
:28:00. > :28:03.The Constitution of the United States...