Summary

  • Our live coverage has ended

  • Updates Thursday 22 June 2017

  1. That's it from uspublished at 22:03 British Summer Time 22 June 2017

    Bob Dale
    BBC Live reporter

    Thanks for joining us - we'll be back at 06:00 BST tomorrow with all your latest news, sport, travel and weather.

    Is there anything you'd like to tell us about?

    You can get in touch on Twitter, external, on Facebook, external or by sending us an email.

  2. 'It goes like an oven'published at 21:46 British Summer Time 22 June 2017

    Bob Dale
    BBC Live reporter

    In high temperatures it only takes minutes for a car to become a death trap for your dog.

  3. Look who's coming to Sussexpublished at 20:49 British Summer Time 22 June 2017

    Bob Dale
    BBC Live reporter

    The three-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic will be competing at the Aegon International in Eastbourne.

    The former World Number One has accepted a wildcard for the tournament, which starts at Devonshire Park tomorrow.

    Novak DjokovicImage source, Getty Images

    It's the Serbian's first time playing at the event, and sees him start as the top seed in the men's draw.

  4. What's in the Gibb report? Analysis from our political reporterpublished at 20:12 British Summer Time 22 June 2017

    Ben Weisz
    Political reporter, BBC Sussex

    Chris Gibb may begin his long-awaited report by saying he doesn't want to "dwell" on what went wrong on the Southern Network, so as to focus on how to fix it. But the parties involved will seize on what he has to say here.

    While he refuses to blame any one party for the overall chaos, Chris Gibb is clear he feels the industrial action from Aslef and the RMT was the immediate cause of the system failure in 2016.

    If the strikes hadn't happened, Gibb says the service would have been delivered in an "acceptable" manner. What's more, he takes Southern's side in the dispute over Driver-Only Operation (DOO). As you can imagine, the RMT strongly disputes this.

    Southern train

    So how does Chris Gibb propose fixing matters?

    Some of his recommendations have already been carried out - remember, the Government has had a copy of this since late 2016. So, it chose to spend £300m on Thameslink upgrades before 2018 to avoid scrapping the programme. It chose to reduce overnight services on the Brighton Mainline to make room for engineering work.

    But other recommendations remain, to name a few: Phasing out older trains, spinning off parts of the network to TfL, fewer trains through underused stations like Newhaven Harbour. and selling Gatwick Airport railway station to the airport operator, GAL.

    But what about stripping Govia Thameslink of the franchise? Gibb says this may be counterproductive and would probably lead to work on the Thameslink programme pausing.

    Yet Gibb does acknowledge that Chris Grayling has been shaping the industrial dispute from behind the scenes - and suggests the unions will need to be negotiated with on DOO to stop the dispute spreading nationwide, as the technology is issued elsewhere.

  5. A cooler and fresher forecastpublished at 19:40 British Summer Time 22 June 2017

    Nina Ridge
    BBC Weather

    It's going to be considerably less hot and be prepared for some rain.

  6. Have you got raspberry ripple flavour?published at 18:56 British Summer Time 22 June 2017

    Bob Dale
    BBC Live reporter

    As the South East continues to swelter, staff at one of the South East's most popular wildlife parks are helping their animals keep cool.

  7. Winners chosen for architecture awardspublished at 18:02 British Summer Time 22 June 2017

    Kathryn Langley
    BBC Live reporter

    Two landmarks in Sussex have been selected as among the UK's best new buildings.

    Brighton i360Image source, Getty Images

    The British Airways i360 on Brighton seafront and Hastings Pier are among 49 regional winners selected to go through to the national final of the 2017 Royal Institute of British Architects awards.

    Hastings Pier, which opened last year, has been praised for it's transformation into a "vibrant public space".

    Hastings Pier
  8. Second search after further cliff fallpublished at 18:00 British Summer Time 22 June 2017

    Coastguards find "nothing untoward" following a second cliff fall at Seaford.

    Read More
  9. Report finds senior church figures colluded with ex-bishop over abusepublished at 17:36 British Summer Time 22 June 2017

    Stuart Maisner
    BBC Live reporter

    Senior figures in the Church of England "colluded" with the disgraced former Bishop of Lewes, Peter Ball, who abused young men - an independent review has found.

  10. Church 'colluded' with sex abuse bishoppublished at 17:17 British Summer Time 22 June 2017

    Former bishop Peter Ball was jailed for sex offences against 18 teenagers and young men.

    Read More
  11. Appeal over 'woman in pink top' following cliff fallpublished at 16:19 British Summer Time 22 June 2017

    The coastguard is trying to trace a "woman in a pink top" who was last seen near to a cliff fall at Seaford.

    A spokeman said: "We've received conflicting reports from our 999 callers and we need to establish that everybody is safe and accounted for and that no one is missing in this recent fall.

    "UK Coastguard have launched another search and rescue operation at Seaford after receiving reports of a second cliff fall in the area."

  12. Southern rail report 'attack on staff'published at 15:46 British Summer Time 22 June 2017

    The government said it would not publish the Southern rail report before the election

    Read More
  13. New RMT strike date on Southern railpublished at 15:18 British Summer Time 22 June 2017
    Breaking

    Stuart Maisner
    BBC Live reporter

    The RMT union has just announced that guards and drivers on Southern rail will strike again for 24 hours in the on-going disputes over Driver Only Operation and the removal of guards from services.

    The strike will take place on Monday 10 July 2017.

    Southern trainImage source, Getty Images
  14. Reports of a second cliff fall at Seafordpublished at 14:35 British Summer Time 22 June 2017
    Breaking

    Stuart Maisner
    BBC Live reporter

    UK Coastguard have launched a search and rescue operation at Seaford after receiving reports of a second cliff fall in the area in two days.

    Newhaven and Birling Gap Coastguard Rescue Teams are currently on scene investigating.

    Seaford
    Image caption,

    A search-and-rescue helicopter helped search for casualties in yesterday's cliff fall

    Quote Message

    We are warning beach goers to keep away from the Seaford cliffs area so the emergency services can carry out their work. Last night’s fall was several thousand tonnes and we are unsure at the current time of the exact scale of the one today.'

    Mark Rodway, Maritime & Coastguard Agency

  15. Stranded 'Moby Dig' to be rescuedpublished at 14:19 British Summer Time 22 June 2017

    Kathryn Langley
    BBC Live reporter

    'Moby Dig' has become a familiar sight off the coast of Sussex.

    Excavator stranded in the seaImage source, Eddie Mitchell

    The 80-tonne excavator used in the construction of an offshore wind farm has been stranded in the sea at Lancing since 4 April.

    Energy company E.On says this giant floating crane will be used to recover the digger over the next week.

    Floating craneImage source, E.On

    The rescue operation is expected to take two days.

  16. Cooler after the stormpublished at 13:45 British Summer Time 22 June 2017

    Elizabeth Rizzini
    BBC weather presenter

    Did you get a thunderstorm this morning?

    The temperatures are down now a good few degrees from yesterday.

  17. Report finds Church of England colluded with ex-bishop over abusepublished at 12:44 British Summer Time 22 June 2017

    Stuart Maisner
    BBC Live reporter

    Senior figures in the Church of England "colluded" with disgraced former bishop, Peter Ball, who abused young men - an independent review has found.

  18. Bishop of Gloucester 'shocked and distressed' by Peter Ball reportpublished at 11:57 British Summer Time 22 June 2017

    The current Bishop of Gloucester has said there are "no excuses for what took place", as a report is released into how the disgraced former bishop of Lewes and Gloucester "colluded" with senior figures in the Church of England.

    Peter Ball, 85, was jailed for 32 months in October 2015 after admitting sex offences against 18 teenagers and young men.

    Quote Message

    I have read Dame Moira’s report and am greatly shocked and distressed by its content. The report presents a devastating account of Peter Ball’s abuse and it is a matter of deep shame and regret that a Bishop in the Church of England committed such horrendous crimes and that as a Church we repeatedly failed to act and protect those who came forward for help. There are no excuses for what took place. The Church commissioned this review so we could learn from our failings. I, alongside my staff team, remain committed to striving for the highest level of safeguarding in the Diocese of Gloucester and making our churches the safest places they can possibly be.

    Right Reverend Rachel Treweek, Bishop of Gloucester

    She added: "We will continue to work with the National Safeguarding Team and act upon the recommendations made in the report.

    "Any survivors or those with information about church-related abuse must know that they will be listened to in confidence, with genuine openness and empathy."

  19. Church of England colluded with ex-bishop over abuse, report findspublished at 11:30 British Summer Time 22 June 2017

    Senior figures in the Church of England "colluded" with a disgraced former bishop, Peter Ball, who abused young men - an independent review has found.

    Peter BallImage source, PA

    Ball, who is now 85, was jailed in 2015 for historical sex offences against 18 teenagers and young men.

    The former bishop of Lewes and Gloucester was released from jail in February after serving 16 months.

    Dame Moira Gibb, a senior former social worker, who conducted a review of the case, said there was a failure of the church to respond appropriately to misconduct over a period of many years.

    More to follow on this story as we get it.

  20. Southern report a 'fit up' RMT sayspublished at 11:29 British Summer Time 22 June 2017
    Breaking

    In response to the findings of a Government report, which says the main source of disruption on the Southern network was union action and high levels of sick leave, the RMT union's General Secretary, Mick Cash, has issued the following statement:

    No wonder the Government have sat on the Gibb report for seven months. It's taken them that long to slice and fillet it into a document that they can spin up as an attack on the unions and the staff. Nobody who uses Southern Rail day in and day out will be fooled by this fit up by Chris Grayling and the minority Tory Government.

    This is a classic case of who pays the piper calls the tune. ‎It's a shame Mr Gibb never bothered to talk to the unions and the staff and has allowed himself to be used by the Government as a human shield over the Southern Rail fiasco.

    What the Government don't want the public to know is that, despite their spin, Gibb also says;

    * That despite ministers saying the dispute is a matter for GTR Gibb says Chris Grayling has been determining the “strategic direction of the dispute”

    * That Gibb considered nationalisation but said this should be ruled out as it could effect the roll out of driver only trains and increase the power of the unions

    *That some routes should be transferred to TFL.

    Let me make this clear. Th‎e fight for safety and access to services on Southern Rail goes on. Chris Grayling can cut and paste Gibb however he likes to try and prop up the basket-case GTR operation but the passengers forking out thousands of pounds a year for Britain's worst rail service won't buy it. GTR should be stripped of the franchise with the whole lot taken into public ownership.