20/04/2017 South Today

In tonight's programme. day and it gets cold next week.

legs have been amputated after a motor racing accident.

A warning to pet owners as several cat deaths

in Portsmouth are being linked to the "UK cat killer".

It's a shame what happened to such a dear

A campaign to bring back oysters to the Solent.

And the TV stars marking a million pound milestone for a new children's

He was tipped as a Formula One star of the future -

but in a split second his life changed forever.

17-year-old Billy Monger from Charlwood in Surrey was racing

in last weekend's British Formula four championships when he crashed

He's since had both his lower legs amputated.

But fans have rallied round, and an online appeal has already

raised more than half a million pounds.

Lewis Coombes is at Thruxton in Hampshire where many

of Billy's fellow racers will compete this weekend.

Sally, Formula four is seen as a low-cost

entrance to car racing - aimed at young drivers

The next step on the road to Formula One.

Today we've seen drivers whip along the straights here at speeds

had learned of the news surrounding their friend

and colleague known as Billy Whizz...

It started as just another race for a young driver with eyes for the

top. It ended in tragedy. This footage from Billy's on-board camera

captures captures the seconds before impact. He was trapped after

colliding with another formula four car. He is the obliteration Jesper

neon the right leg. His left leg is halfway up his five where it has

been removed. Devastating news for us all. The main use to keep a brave

face for Billy. He seems to be doing well, holding up well. Those in

charge in Donington where the incident took place says the

accident will be examined in full. Given a strong racing record, racing

continued at Thruxton, with cars brandishing stickers with his name.

I can remember accident without nature for many, many years. Given

the number of race miles completed, the safest record of any racing

series bar none, I would suggest. News of Billy's accident has echoed

around the world motorsport. An online appeal to raise funds for the

rehabilitation has raised half ?1 million in just 24 hours. With the

likes of Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton pledging support. The few

people you know will light up the room when it comes in, incredibly

likeable guy. About motorsport. Seeing the next generation of kids

come through, looking after kids eight years old in go-karts.

Passionate about what he does he loves the sport. To see it happen to

such a lovely guy, such a heartbreaking thing. At the same

time we can see the incredible support he has got. That is

testament to how well loved for years. Tom Ingram, a close friend of

Billy speaking to me earlier today. The money raised, ?570,000, is going

into a trust fund for Billy and his family. British touring cars will

carry messages of support for him. Clearly a popular man in the world

motorsport. 50 firefighters have been battling

a blaze in the St Denys Fire crews got the call

to Empress Road just before midday. No one was inside the commercial

garage at the time and everyone Fire crews are still on the scene

and the fire is now affecting The Ambulance Service has warned

people nearby to close windows Police in Portsmouth

are investigating the horrific killing of a cat in Southsea over

the Easter weekend. They're linking it with two other

similar attacks on cats in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and with many

more attacks nationally believed Jo Kent is in Southsea tonight -

Jo, what happened? It was outside the shop that Poppy,

a two-year-old cat and much loved Her body left across the road

for passers-by to find. It's just yards from her home

and it is believed that it happened between 10.30 at night and 1.30

in the morning from Easter Sunday Her death is devastating

for her owners but all the more so because of the horrific nature

of how it happened. Such a friendly little thing, I have

a young daughter. We had come down the road, coming down the

cul-de-sac, Poppy would come and meet us. At the moment very

difficult to see it in me can't help but think about it. Last night I

could not leave the baby in the nursery. I felt unsafe. And what

happened. To such a dear, sweet creature. -- and a

Well initially the person who found Poppy's body was told it wasn't

really a police matter but it soon emerged that this may not be

an isolated case and is probably linked to a number of other killings

into which there is already a police investigation.

In the South, Hampshire Police are now linking it to two other cases -

one also in Portsmouth at the start of April and another in Sandown

So what do we know about the 'UK cat killer'?

Killings were first reported in 2015 and were largely happening

Now it's believed there are more than 200 cases.

The deaths are similar - with most of the cats -

There's a reward of ?10,000 being offered for information

The concern is that this individual could move

on from killing and mutilating cats to harming humans.

In the meantime Poppy's owners are urging other owners

A 68-year-old man is still being questioned on suspicion

of arson following a fire at a stately home in Dorset.

The blaze at Parnham House near Beaminster broke out on Saturday

Police say the man arrested is from the local area.

Teachers, support staff and parents have revealed the impact of cuts

More than fifty schools in the county are planning to reduce

staffing in the next academic year, as they struggle to

Almost half of those responding to a survey by Unison had been

affected by restructuring in their schools,

with most of them saying it had lowered morale,

increased stress and damaged educational outcomes.

James Ingham has been looking at the findings.

Because of the way funding is allocated, schools in West Sussex

receive two hundred pounds less per pupil than the average school.

That will change under plans to even out discrepancies,

but they'll still be worse off than most.

As a result, 53 schools out of around 330 are considering staff

This is about there being simply not enough money to educate children in

the ways they need to be educated. Making sure there are not support

staff to support children in classrooms, particularly vulnerable

children who may have difficulties or behavioural issues. That affects

all children in schools. Unison's survey in West Sussex

schools, shows staff morale has been hit and workload and stress

levels have increased. But it's the impact

on children that's most stark. Around half said pupils

attainment had got worse, and more said special educational

needs provision had suffered. One teaching assistant has told us

how worried for pupils she is, but she's also fearful

about her future prospects, The children in my school will not

have access to somebody they can talk to. They will continue to be

abused. They will continue to cause disruption in the class. They will

continue to stop other children having a right to their education.

So every single child will be affected, because these children do

not have somebody to turn to. Don't have someone who can spend time

listening to them. Parents are also noticing

the impact of cuts. Sarah Maynard has children

at primary and secondary Her son's primary is losing seven

teaching assistants. They generally enrich our children's

daily life at school, and they will be gone. That is damaging for the

school, obviously. That will have an impact on other members of staff

with workflow. More significantly, it is damaging to our children's

education. The government says school funding

is at record levels, but it's also told us that it

recognises schools are facing cost pressures -

and they'll be offered support to help them use their

funding cost effectively. West Sussex County Council also

acknowledges the pressure many are under, telling us that it

will offer support and help during what it describes

as "this difficult time". An adoption charity from Reading has

created a short film to help a five Robert is one of two thousand

children nationally who are seen as "hard to place" which means

they either have special needs That's because most couples

prefer to adopt babies. The charity Parents And Children

Together - or PACT - hopes the video will highlight

the issue. Sadly he has had to break those

attachments because having to move on.

The south could lose two of its Marks Spencer stores

as the retail giant seeks to adapt to changing shopping patterns.

This store at Wokingham in Berkshire and another

at Portsmouth are part of plans to close six stores in England.

A number of new food stores are scheduled to open over the next

six months and the company's Chief Executive says

workers will be redeployed to nearby M outlets.

Aldershot MP Sir Gerald Howarth has confirmed that he will not be

The Conservative MP and former Defence Minister has

represented the constituency for the past 20 years.

Later in the programme Alexis is looking ahead

Lovely spring sunshine this weekend. All eyes looking forward to next

week in the Arctic air. It was meant to offer

a new style of rail tickets But a government-led smart card

scheme to replace paper tickets has run millions of pounds over budget

and failed to deliver - Our transport correspondent

Paul Clifton has more. The idea was to help passengers move

to smart cards, including flexible season tickets for people who

commute part time. It has not gone well. The original cast was put at

?45 million. The final bill was 54 million. Plus a further 66 million

to make London ticket machines read mainline smart cards. The business

case relied on 95% of season-ticket holders switching. So far 8% have

done so. The government has failed on the 2015 manifesto commitment.

Failed on bringing a promised back in 2015 to bring flexible ticketing.

At the same time they wasted is an astonishing amount of tax payers

money on a smart and flexible ticketing scheme which has delivered

almost nothing for passengers. 11 train operators were to offer smart

cards. Only five do so. Only one offers a flexible part-time option.

Southern, Gatwick Express and South West Trains have done smart cards

there own way. The back-office functions that make them work do not

rely on the government system. This month the Department for Transport

has ended the south-east flexible ticket programme, saying the private

sector should lead the way. The bottom line is that train companies

and the government have not come together with a common standard

across the network. They have fallen a decade behind the bus industry,

where smart cards are standard. Three years ago the London

Underground moved on to contactless bank cards, a runaway success. Yet

millions of two metres, four years to come, will use paper tickets.

Something the Victorians who built this railway would still recognise.

Drivers faced long delays on the Adrian Surrey tunnel. Bail out back

north bound for a time. Nobody was hurt, structural engineers have been

checking the tunnel today. The Solent was once the biggest

oyster fishery in Europe. 450 boats caught 15 million oysters

a year in the 1970s. But overfishing killed the industry

and the last fishery shut in 2013. Now an attempt is under way to bring

sustainable oyster fishing back. Hundreds of baby oysters

are being put into the water Here's our business

correspondent Alastair Fee. These oysters carry the hopes

of environmentalists, On a pontoon at the Hamble -

volunteers were today weighing, measuring and then carefully

returning them to the sea. Most of them will be prisoners the

idea is silent. Through overfishing and disease, predation, the native

oyster almost died out in the 2013, the fisheries closed because of his

stock The broadcaster Ben Fogle -

a former Portsmouth student and keen conservationist was among

those helping out. We hope these oysters will change

the whole dynamic of the silent. Improving the water quality,

bringing back bringing injection into the economy, tourism. The cost

of a dozen succulent oysters is a relatively common problem for the

gourmet. Intensive fishing of oysters began

in the 19th century. At it's peak the industry

kept 700 men at sea. But the native Oyster population has

halved in the last 25 years. This year one million oysters

will be re-introduced to the Solent. Every month at six locations

they will be studied It knew that these ponds in mean on

the monitor them easily. Assuming these young molluscs

are back in abundance.The ambition is to have a sustainable fishery

back in business in ten years. A big milestone's been reached

in the campaign to create a new children's emergency

department in Southampton. A million pounds has

now been raised. The appeal has been helped

by a charity set up by the actors The couple became involved

after the care received by their baby daughter Ella-Jayne,

who sadly died at just eight months Fresh from our screens

in ITV's Broadchurch, actor Sarah Parish enjoys plenty

of work and a high profile - but it's this role which is closest

to her heart, as a charity It was the tragic loss

of their baby daughter Ella-Jayne which has closely linked the couple

to Southampton General. Sarah and James see

a new hospital as her legacy. They're at the forefront of a push

to build a brand new emergency department in southampton,

just for children. When your Child is in an accident

you want them to get the best care this trauma centre will give them

back. Specialist x-ray rooms, 11 observation areas. Anything a child

needs when they are critically ill, this place will have. Giving them

the best chance of survival. Today was about celebrating

the money already raised - which takes the total

to one million pounds. We provide a major trauma so if

dealing with seriously injured children from the Channel Islands

was an environment where the people can work

effectively for them. At the moment the building

is an empty shell and there's a lot of hard work ahead There's

still one and a half million pounds The search is on four major donors,

businesses or individuals prepared to donate hundreds of thousands of

pounds for none naming rights, a plaque above the door. Still ?1.5

million to raise in just over one year. Going from strength to

strength. Onto sport, and Michael Eisner,

the man who wants to buy Portsmouth Football Club,

is to come to the city to make a personal pitch to shareholders

before they vote on his offer The former Disney Chief

Executive and his family will talk to members

of the Pompey Supporters Trust at the city's Guildhall

on Thursday May the fourth. Voting packs will be sent out

to shareholders next Monday. The ballot will close

on May the 19th. Meanwhile, after clinching promotion

to the Premier League on Monday, Brighton Hove Albion

are being honoured with a civic Tens of thousands of fans who're

probably only just recovering from Monday's celebrations,

will be able to cheer their heroes again on Sunday May the 14th

as they parade along the seafront The exact route and timings

for the bus tour are A win for the Albion tomorrow night

against Norwich would see them Thousands of runners

are preparing for the 2017 For Chris Arthey from Godalming,

Sunday will be the fifth But it will be the first time he's

run it since being involved I lost my spleen, broken ribs,

punctured lung, bad concussion. We both had broken arms and hands.

Denise's lead was lost straightaway. While fulfilling a lifetime ambition

to ride a motorbike across America, in 2008, they were hit by a drunk

driver, veering into their lane at 80 miles an hour. Crisp' left leg

was very badly damaged. They put me in a medically induced coma, tried

to save the leg, but after ten days that did not work out. They took my

leg. Chris had always competed in enduring sports. Denise made this

promise to is surging. He will run another marathon. That is his drive,

he is a runner. That does not change, losing your leg does not

change EU are. I knew he would do it again. This leg I am wearing is a

walking leg. The breakthrough came from Chris when he found the right

prostatic to compete with. For running a use this one, same socket,

but it has no need. It has this blade, which you can bounce on. With

a sole unit fitted. Before the accident Chris had completed five of

the world marathon majors, Boston, Berlin, Chicago, New York and

London. His personal best time was just under three hours. He is

setting himself a tough target for this Sunday as well. The training

has gone fairly well. Four and a half hours plus a bit, I would be

very happy. It has been a long road to recovery, the only thing that

should hold Chris' progress on Sunday is the finish line. Good luck

to Chris and already taking part in the London marathon this weekend.

The world's strongest man was in Southampton today

Zydrunas Savickas was flipping tyres with Aaron Page from Southampton.

It'll be one of the most difficult disciplines in the Ultimate

Strongman World Series UK qualifier being held at St Mary's in June.

When I was 13 years old I came to strongman competition. For me,

something amazing. I decided I wanted to be strong. It is good to

compete. Nice when people enjoy it. He is handy if you break down! I

would have in my car. Carrying tyres. Change my diet.

Onto the weather. What we talking about, Arctic chills. We have some

really cold air coming in next week. A chance we could have wintry

showers, bitterly cold. Gardeners, beware.

Steve Regan photographed the sunset at Man O'War beach in Dorset.

Jacqueline Rackham's dog Louis enjoyed running

And Ryan Curtis took this picture of Christchurch Harbour from the air.

Lovely sunny spells today, a fair amount of cloud as well. This

evening we are seeing the sunshine, cloud returning overnight. One macro

clear spells. We could see some mist and fog patches. Where the cloud is

thickest, the odd spot of drizzle. Temperature is not as cold as last

night. Dipping to around five Celsius. Fairly cloudy start of the

day. But. But the degree of Doctor bridges reaching 14- get border

tomorrow. A good deal of cloud tomorrow. The odd spot of drizzle.

One or two macro clear spells allowing mist of folk to form.

Foremost we're looking at lows of 9-10dC. Quite a cloudy start to the

weekend. We will see the cloud gradually thin and break thanks to

this cold front moving southwards. The odd spot of rain for eastern

parts of Bucks. Otherwise dry, more in the way of sunshine for the

afternoon and evening. Through the course of Saturday, high pressure

building behind me. That will settle things down. Overnight Saturday cold

air is settling in. Next week old is still in from the Arctic. Some

wintry showers through the course of Monday. In fact more so on Tuesday

evening and overnight into Wednesday. One or two macro showers

possible through the course of the weekend. Staying mainly dry. A good

deal of cloud tomorrow, and also the start of the" right running up in

the afternoon. Lovely spells of sunshine on Sunday. Monday the odd

spot of rain, thunder storms possible on Tuesday.

Two Maronite we will take a look around a 15 foot model of

Winchester, finding out why this action may labour of love for the

person who made it. Thanks for watching.

NEWSREADER: 'The UK has voted to leave the European Union

'Ukip leader Nigel Farage celebrated the result,

'declaring that dawn was breaking on an independent nation.'

'Prime Minister David Cameron is expected to resign

'The pound fell sharply as the referendum result became apparent,

'and traders are bracing themselves for panic when the markets open.'