Summary

  • News, sport, weather and travel updates from the South East of England

  1. Goodbye from BBC South East Livepublished at 20:57 British Summer Time 21 September 2018

    Thank you for joining us this week for all your breaking news, travel and weather.

    We will be back on Monday morning.

    But in the meantime, if there's a story you think we should know about, you can contact us via email, Twitter and Facebook.

  2. Pensioner left 'helpless' by broken liftpublished at 20:39 British Summer Time 21 September 2018

    Stuart Maisner
    BBC Live reporter

    An elderly woman who lives in a block of flats in Bexhill says she's been left "totally helpless", after being told she'll have to wait until after Christmas for a broken lift to be repaired.

  3. Watch out for the strong windspublished at 20:39 British Summer Time 21 September 2018

    Nina Ridge
    BBC Weather

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  4. Hove rape suspect sought by policepublished at 20:04 British Summer Time 21 September 2018

    CCTV image of suspectImage source, Sussex Police

    A man's being sought by police following the rape of a woman in Hove.

    The attack happened in the early hours of Thursday 20 September.

    A man put his arm around the waist of a 25-year-old woman as she walked in Waterloo Street.

    He offered money in exchange for sexual favours, and when she refused police say he raped her.

    Detective Sergeant Paul Hitchcock, from Sussex Police, said: "If you were in the Waterloo Street area early on Thursday morning and saw what happened, or if you think you recognise this man, please get in touch with us right away."

  5. Champions League match schedule & BBC coveragepublished at 18:26 British Summer Time 21 September 2018

    The schedule for this weekend's Champions League of Darts plus details of BBC Sport's live coverage.

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  6. Terror suspect boys further detainedpublished at 18:21 British Summer Time 21 September 2018

    The two 15-year-olds are being held in custody on suspicion of far-right terrorism offences.

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  7. New arrest over Rochester Bridge deathpublished at 18:08 British Summer Time 21 September 2018

    Bob Dale
    BBC Live reporter

    A fourth person has been arrested over the death of a man in Rochester.

    Peter Beale, 39, and from Sittingbourne, was found dead on the Rochester side of the High Street bridge on 18 September.

    A woman in her 50s from Norfolk was detained in Rochester yesterday evening.

    Two men were arrested in Chattenden on Wednesday, a man in his 40s from Chattenden, and a man in his 20s from Belvedere.

    They have been released pending further inquiries.

    A man in his 30s from Rainham was arrested on the night Mr Beale's body was found, but has since been released without charge.

    Police are still trying to establish how Mr Beale died.

  8. Sensors set up for wintry weatherpublished at 17:37 British Summer Time 21 September 2018

    Caitlin Webb
    Local Democracy Reporter

    Kent County Council plans to set up 120 road weather sensors to improve the reaction to storms following Beast from the East.

    These devices will measure the temperature of road surfaces to ensure gritters are sent to the right places and enough salt is provided.

    The county council and the contractor Amey will be trialling these observational sensors on the highways network.

    At the environment and transport cabinet committee meeting on 20 September, highways manager at KCC Carol Valentine explained the plans.

    She said: "The Smart Winter project is using some additional sensors on the network. "That will just give us additional visibility of the road surface temperature and help us with our decision making to optimise our primary routes in the future."

  9. Sports coach sex attacker jailed againpublished at 17:32 British Summer Time 21 September 2018

    Michael Green systematically abused boys he met through coaching a variety of sports.

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  10. Council spends £40m on light bulb changing projectpublished at 17:32 British Summer Time 21 September 2018

    Caitlin Webb
    Local Democracy Reporter

    Kent County Council has spent £40m completing the UK's biggest light bulb changing project.

    The conversion of around 125,000 street lights and 25,500 lit signs and bollards to LED is set to save the council £5.5m every year on energy and maintenance.

    These greener bulbs will also reduce the carbon emissions by more than 16,000 tonnes with a predicted energy reduction of 30,349,072 kWh.

    Cabinet member for highways councillor Mike Whiting said: "This has been an astonishingly successful project, in my view.

    "It is one of the top five in the world and the largest ever in the UK delivered on time, on budget and I would like to give thanks to the management of the staff.

    "The way they have approached this is so professional in view of complaints from members of the public.

    "This has been a huge undertaking that has a massive amount of ongoing benefit to the people of Kent."

    Councillor Ian Chittenden (Lib Dem) asked the cabinet member to fix lampposts as the one outside Kent History and Library Centre in Maidstone "has become a public art installation".

  11. Three in hospital after car crash and firepublished at 17:17 British Summer Time 21 September 2018

    Bob Dale
    BBC Live reporter

    Three people have been injured after a car hit metal railings and caught fire.

    It happened in New Road, Sheerness, just before midnight last night, and involved a Vauxhall Zafira.

    New Road, SheernessImage source, Google
    Image caption,

    The car crashed in New Road, Sheerness

    A girl is in hospital in London, with injuries which are described as not life threatening.

    A second girl and a woman were treated at a local hospital.

    A 27-year-old man from the Isle of Sheppey is in custody after being arrested on suspicion of drink driving.

  12. Migrant smuggling plot gang jailedpublished at 17:16 British Summer Time 21 September 2018

    One boat with 20 people onboard had to be rescued after almost sinking off the Kent coast.

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  13. Two arrested over Hailsham hit-and-runpublished at 17:12 British Summer Time 21 September 2018

    A 73-year-old man's critically ill after a hit-and-run in Hailsham.

    He was found seriously hurt on the northbound side of the A22 just after 04:30 BST today, and taken to hospital by air ambulance.

    A 28-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman from Hellingly have been arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and failing to stop after a road collision.

    Police say a white car is being examined by forensics teams.

    The road reopened just before 15:00 BST.

  14. Warwickshire draw to secure promotionpublished at 16:52 British Summer Time 21 September 2018

    Warwickshire bat out the day to draw against Sussex at Hove to secure promotion back to Division One.

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  15. Children mark International Day of Peacepublished at 16:33 British Summer Time 21 September 2018

    Bob Dale
    BBC Live reporter

    Children from three Kent schools are combining in an event to promote world peace.

    Pupils from Tonbridge Grammar School, external, Hilden Grange, external in Tonbridge and Lady Boswell's Primary, external in Sevenoaks are working with the Tonbridge-based organisation Empathy Action, external, to mark the UN's International Day of Peace, external.

    Sandy Glanfield of Empathy ActionImage source, Empathy Action
    Image caption,

    Sandy Glanfield of Empathy Action with one of the peace doves

    Six hundred and fifty peace dove toys have been made, using offcuts from blankets and tarpaulins manufactured for refugees in war zones.

    They were made in Pakistan by the specialist company NRS International, external.

    Peace doves being manufactured by NRSImage source, Empathy Action

    You can hear more from the local schools involved on BBC Radio Kent from 17:45 BST and then on iplayer.

  16. Labour Party conferencepublished at 16:31 British Summer Time 21 September 2018

    The leader of the Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn said he fully supports the MP Rosie Duffield following a rift in the Canterbury branch of the party.

    It follows a failed attempt by a small number of party members to censure her over her support for demonstrations against anti Semitism, an issue which has split the party.

    He spoke to BBC South East's Political Editor, Helen Catt ahead his party's conference

    Media caption,

    The Labour Party leader says he fully supports the MP for Canterbury, Rosie Duffield.

  17. 'Pornography' beer mats handed to fresherspublished at 16:29 British Summer Time 21 September 2018

    The beer mats referred to whether people "spit or swallow" and showed a sexualised woman's mouth.

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  18. People smuggling gang jailedpublished at 15:56 British Summer Time 21 September 2018

    Bob Dale
    BBC Live reporter

    A people smuggling gang involved in a plot to smuggle Albanians across the English Channel have been jailed at the Old Bailey for between six to nine years each.

  19. Croydon cat killer search 'to continue'published at 13:51 British Summer Time 21 September 2018

    A rescue centre that worked with the Met Police says it has the expertise to continue investigations alone.

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  20. Call for details after seven deaths at single propertypublished at 13:42 British Summer Time 21 September 2018

    Sarah Booker-Lewis
    Local Democracy Reporter

    The deaths of seven people in a single property in two years have prompted an urgent call for more information.

    Five of the seven deaths have happened in the past few months, according to a cross-party motion passed by members of Brighton and Hove City Council.

    A report to the next meeting of the council's Housing and New Homes Committee will provide more information about the reasons for the deaths at Kendal Lodge in Newhaven.

    The number of deaths prompted councillors to say: "While it is recognised that people living in temporary accommodation can be vulnerable and are going through a difficult time, this has to be a concern."

    Cuts to services and social isolation were raised as reasons why more people may have died in temporary housing.

    Green councillor David Gibson proposed the motion and said: "It appears people are more likely to die at Kendal Lodge than sleeping rough on the streets.

    "We do not want to jump to conclusions but make sure there is a thorough and careful investigation."

    The motion asked for information about all deaths in the council's temporary and emergency accommodation in the past two years.

    Councillors also asked for more information about support services available in Newhaven, compared with the support on offer in Brighton and Hove.

    The committee was told that East Sussex County Council had - from last month - cut all its services to the legal minimum. It does provide core services for adults with "critical and substantial" need.

    Councillor Gibson said: "We need full information about support services in Newhaven, to establish whether people are isolated out of the city."

    Officials have been asked to commission an independent survey of people staying at Kendal Lodge to identify their issues and concerns.

    Labour councillor Clare Moonan said: "Any death in the city - or outside - of someone under our care is something we take very seriously."

    She said that a great deal of work was taking place to safeguard rough sleepers and people in temporary accommodation.

    Councillor Moonan said: "I hope it offers some reassurance to the people placed in emergency accommodation.

    "I would not want people to think people in temporary accommodation are scared."