01/04/2017 South Today

Good evening. late news at 10:15pm.

Dozens of protestors have demonstrated against oil exploration

They're concerned a new drilling operation could lead

The company carrying out the work near Billingshurst,

says it has numerous environmental safeguards in place,

and if oil is discovered, it would reduce the demand for imports.

Calling for a halt - residents and campaigners

about a new drilling operation on nearby farmland.

They are concerned about lorry traffic, potential pollution risks

and they are worried it could be turned into a fracking operation.

They are also concerned it could lead to widespread

This is an exploratory well and if it is seen as viable

to exploit more on a larger scale, then this will just be one of many.

So it is what follows that is so important.

If it does turn out to be economically worthwhile,

we could see a large number of wells throughout Sussex.

I have heard figures of up to four per square mile.

A large amount of industrial activity in what is

The operation does have planning permission for conventional drilling

and flow testing but many residents say there is confusion locally.

We really feel as locals we have been kept totally in the dark.

I went to the local pub the other day, nobody in the pub

Everybody I have spoken to locally doesn't know anything is going on.

So we have been really kept in the dark as locals and so now

it is about raising local awareness, having our questions answered

The company, UK Oil And Gas, says all it has done so far

Seven days' notice will be given before exploratory drilling starts

and it will last no more than one month.

It adds there are numerous environmental safeguards.

It is one of the most regulated industries in the UK and,

if successful, could help reduce the amount of oil

A British backpacker has been seriously injured after falling

Daniel Clarke from Aldershot was found lying next

Thai police say he was treated in intensive care

Daniel posted a selfie on social media last week of him leaning

Police are offering a reward after three cash machines

A gang used gas canisters and escaped with a substantial

amount of money in the raid on the post office in Shoreham.

Other post office cash machines were targeted

Crimestoppers is offering twenty five thousand pounds for information

A new ?23 million leisure centre has opened in Fleet.

Olympic gold medallists Rebecca Adlington and Alex Danson

joined other officials showing off their sports.

The centre has three swimming pools, a gym, four exercise studios

Football and in the Premier League Southampton are hosting Bournemouth

in the south coast derby at St Mary's this evening.

Claude Puell and Eddie Howe's teams were separated by goal difference

In the championship, Brighton remain a point behind

with seven games to go after beating lowly Blackburn 1-0 at the AMEX,

Glenn Murray with his 19th league goal of the season.

Reading in fifth are currently playing Leeds in fourth.

In league one, a glimmer of hope for Swindon.

A Nicky Ajose goal nine minutes from time earned them a win

Gary Roberts and Kal Naismith consolidated Portsmouth's claim

to a promotion spot scoring in each half as Pompey

Large crowds watched Selsey's lifeboat launch for the last time

from the town's slipway - that's been used for 57 years.

The Tyne class is being replaced by a new Shannon class

boat, that will be kept in a newly built station.

Until she arrives, Voluntary Worker will be moored at sea.

We've had sunshine and showers around for today.

For tomorrow, we lose the showers and keep the sunshine.

So we should find those showers dying out through the course of this

evening, turning dry, light winds for tonight.

A little bit of mist and fog, perhaps, forming and turning

quite chilly, actually, as we head into tomorrow morning.

So a chillyish start to Sunday but it should be

Lots of sunshine around, you might see a very isolated shower

but in general a dry picture. Just a bit of fair-weather cloud.

The area itself is a bit cool but nice in the sunshine.

A little bit of rain on Monday night and Tuesday but otherwise fine

And that's the latest, thank you for being here. We're back another

bulletin tomorrow at 6:40pm. Have a good evening, bye-bye for now.

Good evening. It is the 1st of April today and appropriately enough, we

had a day of sunny spells and showers. We saw some rainbows, this

lovely double rainbow captured by one of -- one of our Weather

Watchers in Leicestershire. Some showers still dotted around but the

trend is they will become fewer and further between