News, sport, weather and travel updates for the South East of England
Yasmine Djadoudi
BBC Live reporter
An Australian teenager who went missing in Sussex over the weekend has been found.
Jaya Barker, 15, came to Eastbourne to visit family.
Police said she was found safe and well in Hellingly on Tuesday evening.
Bob Dale
BBC Live reporter
A burglar walked into the bedroom of a sleeping child during a break-in in Greenhithe.
The girl woke up and screamed, making the robber run out of the house in Marston Court.
The child's father found the front door open and several items missing, including house and car keys.
A 20-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the incident, around 06:15 GMT on 2 January.
#FAPeoplesCup
Ahead of this year's FA People's Cup, we set England Women's football stars Nikita Parris and Karen Carney the challenge to see who's got the best five-a-side skills and celebrations.
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FA People's Cup 2018: Nikita Parris & Karen Carney take on our five-a-side skills challenge
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Bob Dale
BBC Live reporter
Chatham and Aylesford MP Tracey Crouch has been made minister for loneliness.
The new role of Civil Society Minister is part of a cross-government strategy on the problem, being announced today by the Prime Minister.
Image source, UK ParliamentTracey Crouch MP
Quote MessageI am sure that with the support of volunteers, campaigners, businesses and my fellow MPs from all sides of the House, we can make significant progress in defeating loneliness. It's about keeping communities connected and making sure that we tackle isolation which affects lots of different people in communities, lots of different age groups."
Tracey Crouch MP, (Con) Civil Society Minister
The move's been welcomed by the husband of murdered MP Jo Cox.
Brendan Cox tweeted his congratulations to Tracey Crouch, saying his wife would have been "over the moon".
Image source, PAJo Cox's husband Brendan says she would be pleased at the appointment
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Quote MessageFor far too many people, loneliness is the sad reality of modern life. Jo Cox recognised the scale of loneliness across the country and dedicated herself to doing all she could to help those affected."
Theresa May MP, Prime Minister
Yasmine Djadoudi
BBC Live reporter
The family of a Kent teenager who faces having his arm amputated after his operation was cancelled, are desperately trying to raise £45,000 to pay for it.
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The airport's owners say they could lower the motorway into a tunnel with the runway over the top.
Read MoreKent announce Sam Billings as their new club captain for all formats of the game, replacing Sam Northeast.
Read MoreBob Dale
BBC Live reporter
Police are linking the thefts of eight bikes from three railway stations in Surrey in the last three months.
They were taken from Woking, Brookwood and West Byfleet, between 12 September and 4 December last year.
CCTV images have been issued of two men officers believe could help with the investigation.
Image source, British Transport Police
Image source, British Transport PoliceElderly care could continue at a closed care home in Maidstone after a buyer has been found for the property.
Kent County Council is due to vote on whether to sell the Dorothy Lucy Care Home in Northumberland Road to a care home provider.
The home, built in 1985, was one of four closed by the authority last year in a cost-cutting measure – 223 jobs were affected.
Despite more than 50 people protesting outside county hall in the rain against the closure, KCC councillors voted to shut the centre last March.
Graham Gibbens, the KCC cabinet member for social care, said that the building was “no longer fit for purpose” and it needed to be adapted to meet modern-day standards, such as en-suite bedrooms.
The 1.6 acre site includes 28 purpose-built bedrooms and provided a range of respite and day care services until last April.
Following an informal tender process, the council has narrowed down the top six bidders to one preferred developer that plans to build a new care home on the site.
A spokesman from Sibley Pares Estate Agents in Maidstone said: "The sale is currently on going so I cannot disclose exact details but I can say the guide price for the property was £1.4m with the final offer close to £2m.
"I can also confirm that there are plans to keep this as a care home."
The council declined to comment ahead of the vote.
Hamish Mureddu-Reid
BBC News Online, South East
Southern Water has been given permission to take water from the River Medway to help refill Bewl Water near Lamberhurst, which was less than half full at the beginning of the year.
Julie Foley, Environment Agency Area Director, said: "Although it has been wet over the past few weeks, overall this winter across South East England there has been lower than average amounts of rain.
"We have decided to grant this temporary change to the existing licence, helping the company to refill the reservoir at a time of year when there will be less impact on the environment."
Bewl Water is the largest reservoir in the South East of England, holding 31,000 million litres of water.
Southern Water, which serves 2.5 million people, already takes water from the River Medway - the change to the permit will allow it to take additional amounts until the end of March.
Image source, PABob Dale
BBC Live reporter
Police using a helicopter and dog teams foiled an attempt to steal a van and a digger in Surrey.
Two men wearing balaclavas were seen driving the Ford Transit, which was towing the digger, from an address in Boundstone Road, Farnham, about 14:00 GMT on 15 January.
When police arrived, the men abandoned the van and escaped in a BMW being driven by a third person.
Officers then spotted three people in balaclavas driving a Suzuki Vitara in Oxendon Road, Tongham, and followed it to Seale, where the occupants got out of the car and fled on foot.
Two men, both aged 26, and a 17-year-old boy, have been arrested on suspicion of vehicle theft and traffic offences.
Yasmine Djadoudi
BBC Live reporter
Police are searching for a 16-year-old girl reported missing from Chatham.
Georgie Cottrell was last seen in the Pheasant Road area on Sunday evening.
Kent Police officers say she has links to Brighton and Southwark in London.
The force has asked anyone who sees Georgie to contact them.
Image source, Kent Police
Image source, Getty ImagesThe Argus, external: Coroner criticises Eastbourne District General Hospital over patient sent home too early who died
Kent Online, external: Homeowners in Kent suffering extra housing charges
Surrey Mirror, external: Aussie flu outbreak: 'Influenza-like illness' rises as map still shows 'red zones' in Surrey
Hastings Observer, external: Rail firm to provide better user support
Mid Sussex Times, external: Solar farm work safe after Carillion collapse
Worthing Herald, external: Boy overcomes prejudice to donate mohawk to child cancer patients
Chichester Observer, external: Snow and ice warning extended to cover all of Sussex
Kent Live, external: The A21 pothole near Tonbridge is back as a shocking first picture emerges
Brighton and Hove News, external: Southern given lowest ever rating as passenger survey ranks it worst train company for three years running
Eastbourne Herald, external: Police hunt for missing pensioner
West Sussex County Times, external: Hoodie in town centre bag snatch
Brighton and Hove Independent, external: Report highlights needs of city’s migrant communities
Bob Dale
BBC Live reporter
A woman hit by a car in Shepperton has died.
It happened at 16:25 GMT on 11 January, in Charlton Road, opposite Manor Farm.
Image source, GoogleThe woman was hit by a car on this stretch of road
The woman was a pedestrian, and the incident involved a grey Citroen Xsara Picasso and a second car, which was parked.
One arrest has been made in connection with the accident.
Yasmine Djadoudi
BBC Live reporter
Image source, Sussex PoliceAn Australian teenager who came to Eastbourne to visit family has gone missing.
Jaya Barker, 15, was last seen on Sunday afternoon.
She was wearing a black coat with a hood, black leggings and carrying a black shoulder bag with a gold trim.
Sussex Police say they are concerned about her because she 'may not know the area that well'.
Officers have asked anyone with any information concerning Jaya's whereabouts to contact them.
A buy-to-let tycoon who tried to ban "coloured people" from his properties is suing a vlogger.
Read MoreThe 21-year-old homeless man from Romania died from blunt force trauma to the head and body.
Read MoreA man has been charged over an explosion at New Ferry, Wirral, which seriously injured two people and hurt 31 others on 25 March last year.
Pascal Blasio, 56, of Gillingham, Kent, has been charged with causing an explosion likely to endanger life. He has been released on bail and is due to appear at Wirral Magistrates' Court on 4 April.
Contract Natural Gas Limited, an independent gas supplier to business customers, has also been charged with an offence under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
The company is accused of failing to ensure a redundant live gas service was disconnected between 22 August 2012 and 25 March of last year after a meter was removed.
France's president vows to prevent another camp as hundreds of migrants continue to gather in Calais.
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