Ocean Sound This Week No.52: Programme 52 of a weekly news and sports review

Title

Ocean Sound This Week No.52: Programme 52 of a weekly news and sports review

Transmission details

18 Oct 1987 at 19:00

Description

OCEAN SOUND THIS WEEK NO. 52 Programme 52 of a weekly news and sports review called Ocean Sound This Week, broadcast by independent radio station Ocean Sound on 18 October 1987. Presented by MATT HOPPER. TRACK 1- The big news story is the great storm which swept across Southern England on the night of 16 October 1987, with winds up 108 mph, leaving a trail of destruction. Ocean Sound’s studio was virtually the only link in the morning with the outside world. Hampshire Police spokesman, DAVID HANNA, sums up scale of the damage with trees and telephone wires down everywhere. At Barton-on-Sea a block of flats is badly damaged whilst at Waterlooville damage to 2 houses necessitates evacuation of the immediately surrounding area. Shanklin Pier, Isle of Wight, partially collapses into the sea. All roads to Seaview, Isle of Wight are blocked. Advice is do not travel unless absolutely necessary and avoid making too many 999 calls. However, Ocean Sound’s newsroom is receiving reports of damage by the minute. CHRIS CARNEGY says that no services in the area are being run by British Rail and there are not many buses on the road. JOHN BROCKEN, a senior coastguard official at Lee-on-Solent, describes how the coaster Union Mars took a heavy wave off St Catherine’s Point, Isle of Wight, which disabled her but eventually the captain managed to get his ship away further seawards and avoid the worst danger. JEAN PAUL HANSFORD, at Portswood Police Operational HQ reports that they were very busy there with innumerable trees down and many roads blocked. JIM HICKS and ALEX DYKE at Gosport report much the same situation. Over at the Southampton Weather Centre, DAVE HOLS says that it has been a very busy night and explains that cause of the freak winds is an area of intense low pressure. Winds will gradually moderate but can be expected to blow quite strongly for the next hour or two during the morning. TRACK 2- Culture Club sing Do you really want to hurt Me?. MAURICE NICHOLLS of Southern Electricity Board’s Solent Area, describes progress being made with power restoration following storm. All main grid lines are now working but there are still some 1,500 fault locations to be investigated. About 6,000 re-connections have so far been achieved and on the day of the interview it is hoped to re-connect a further 6,000/7,000. Staff are working round the clock despite extra numbers having been brought in from the South Western Area. There are still a lot of trailing wires and public is warned not to touch them. Caterer, PHIL RILES, describes her journey to HMS Mercury near West Meon. She was on her way to do a catering job when road was blocked at Catisfield, but, with great determination, she eventually reached her destination, only to find the whole establishment in total darkness! Bruce Hornsby sings The way it is. TRACK 3- Review of the week’s news and sport. News - ALISON HOLT reporting. Further reports on great storm in which winds reached hurricane speeds of 110 mph in places. A man is killed by falling tree at Nursted near Petersfield. 280 yards of Shanklin Pier, Isle of Wight are swept into the sea. Coaster Union Mars flounders for several hours off Ventnor, Isle of Wight. ERNIE SHAW, Test District Commercial Manager of Southern Electricity Board says that damage is worse than could ever be imagined. Staff are working round the clock to restore power but 60,000 homes are still without electricity. Isle of Wight MP, BARRY FIELD, says that the Island should be regarded as a disaster area because so many farmers have lost their entire crop. More than a dozen people are evacuated from Mill Road, Waterlooville where the roofs of 2 houses are completely blown off. ANGELA WALES, living opposite the damaged houses, says she can hardly believe it! A caravan park owner in West Sussex says that his site has suffered about one million pounds worth of damage. Wittering resident, JEAN HAMBLETON, says: Area has been blown apart!. Mother of Isle of Wight prisoner, VINCENT HICKEY, serving a life sentence for the murder of newspaper boy CARL BRIDGEWATER, says that she is thrilled that because of new evidence her son’s case is to be heard by a Court of Appeal. Havant health chiefs fail to find cause of salmonella outbreak at a Hayling holiday camp. [See Band 3, 13 September 1987.] They say that they can’t guarantee that it won’t happen again. Sport - CHRIS SCUDDER reporting. A quiet week for Pompey football team but IAN BARNES, who joined club for a record fee from Leeds during the summer, is all set to move on. It is alleged that Chairman, JOHN DEACON, is behind the move and manager, ALAN BALL, is said to be unhappy about the affair. It is a happy day for former Pompey player, NEIL WEBB, who played his first full game for England in the European Championship qualifying round at Wembley, trouncing Turkey 8-0. WEBB is quick to praise Brian Clough, his Notts Forest boss. Other results - Saints draw with Reading 1-1 and beat Watford 1-0 giving them their first home win of the season. TRACK 4- MARK FLANAGAN interviews MIKE CHENEY, Southampton University’s Director of Public Affairs, regarding the celebration of the University’s 125th birthday. Not strictly true because, as CHENEY explains, it all started when Lord Palmerston, with great ceremony, officially opened the Hartley Institute, built with a bequest from a certain HENRY ROBINSON HARTLEY, son of a wine merchant who seems to have been rather a odd character. He spent most of his life abroad and had little connection with Southampton. The institute was rather like a polytechnic and eventually became a college of London University until 1952 when Southampton was granted University status. At that time there were about 600 students. Now there are over 6,000. ADAM HARDING reports on meeting of West Sussex County Councillors to discuss Nirex’s plans for the West Sussex coast as a possible dumping ground for radio-active waste. Nirex’s PETER CURD says the area is merely one of the places under consideration and that it’s not as simple as pinpointing suitable rocks. After an absence of 10 years from the charts the Bee Gees are this week’s Network No 1 with You Win again. [Box 9]

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Duration

00:46:30

Notes

NB new intro to programme. Track 2- Music at approx 0-4 mins; 9-14 mins. Track 4- Music at approx 7-11 mins.

Misc. notes

Gauge:-1/8 inch tape

Production company

Ocean Sound

Extent

1 tape

Credits

Presenter

Matt Hopper

Reporter

Jim Hicks; Jean Paul Hansford; Chris Carnegy; Adam Harding; Mark Flanagan; David Hanna; Chris Scudder; Alex Dyke; Slison Holt

Interviewees

Barry Field; John Brocken; Dave Hols; Maurice Nicholls; Phil Riles; Ernie Shaw; Angela Wales; Jean Hambleton; Vincent Hickey; Mike Cheney; Peter Curd