09/03/2012 East Midlands Today

This is East Midlands Today to do a -- this is East Midlands Today.

A leading surgeon loses patience with hospital chiefs over cancelled

operations. Angus Wallace speaks out over-rate

beds crisis that has affected hundreds of patients.

That seems to be tied in with the closure of 100 beds at the hospital

over the last year. Also, as a haulage firm loses

�18,000 worth of diesel to fuel thieves, will reveal a huge

increase in this type of crime. Plus we are live at the Olympic

pool, where Rebecca Adlington is about to race to try and secured

her Olympic place. And after 82 years behind the wheel,

a plea for patience. Do you get annoyed with any type of

drivers? I do when they come up behind B and

Good evening to you. First, a top orthopaedic consultant is

threatening to stop his routine surgery unless the welfare of

patients waiting for operations is given a higher priority.

Professor Angus Wallace decided to speak out after our programme last

night revealed that in one city alone, hundreds of -- hundreds of

operations have been cancelled this year.

He says that is the tip of the iceberg, and he blames bad

management. Professor Wallace to assess Wayne

Rooney's broken metatarsal and save a woman's life during a flight with

a makeshift operation. Back down to work, and it is problems in

Nottingham's NHS hospitals he is furious about.

It was our coverage last night that prompted him to speak out. He said

the situation is worse than some people imagine, with patients

struggling, and it needs sorting out.

The trust insists there are 338 operations cancelled this year. But

Professor Wallace says 300 have been put off in his own department,

and questions whether the figure is higher. He says too many beds have

been cut, hundreds of patients are suffering, and staff morale is low.

It is a problem with getting medical patients into the hospital

for lack of beds, but that seems to be tied in with the closure of 100

beds at the hospital over the last year.

A viewer's e-mail help to lift the aided on the problems. She should

have had a hip replacement by now, but it has been cancelled twice.

You know it will be done, and they just drop it, and you think no, not

again. Bosses insist the problems are

getting sorted. Because of the high number of

emergency patients, we have had to take the difficult but correct

decision to prioritise the use of our beds and our theatres to meet

the needs of the emergency patients. We always worry about patient

safety, and we try and provide an environment which is as safe as

possible for the patients, regular changes to operating lists, and we

are certainly -- suddenly finding we are not doing the operations we

are supposed to do, there is always a worry, and that has been

happening too much. What is here with us now. There

must be huge pressure on the trust to stop cancelling these

operations? Dairies, but there are so many beds,

and these emergency emissions -- admissions, if they continue their

cancellations might continue. But the trust says it is determined to

sort things out and insists its figures are accurate. They say

patient safety is their number one priority. It is not every day you

have a top surgeon at speaking out, I think that is a real sign of how

fed up people are, and Professor Wallace tells me it is not just in,

then a lot of other consultants who are fed up with this situation bus-

stop. Next tonight, it is believed

organised gangs could be targeting haulage firms in the West Midlands.

-- East Midlands. There has been a massive increase

in the theft of diesel and petrol. One firm had �18,000 but of fuel

stolen. Good evening. This is a busy time

of night for this company, they are in the business of meeting tight

deadlines for their customers. What they do not want is the destruction

and the added cost of protecting themselves from a rising tide of

fuel crime. A family firm trying to cope with

rocketing fuel costs. This is their depot in Derby. The firm is being

hit by Phil Reeves. They strut here, taking away �18,000 worth of diesel.

I was devastated that such effort went into steel what you would

consider a simple commodity. �18,000 worth?

Yes, absolutely. There has been a big increase in

fuel crime in Derbyshire. It is up 78%. With prices rising at the

pumps, it is no wonder that criminals see fuel as a potential

and are on the black market. Every day you go to the petrol

station and it has gone up by a couple of pence.

I normally drive, and I have decided not to have a car because

of the costs. I don't know how they expect us to

carry on working if we cannot get there.

The company's main base is in Barwell in Leicestershire. The

police here told me feel cry has gone up by 25% in the year. -- fuel

crime. The proceeds could be �1,000 for

the amounts of diesel stolen from one vehicle. When multiple numbers

of vehicles are broken into, it can be a large amount of money for the

offenders. I would think there is a good light he had that organised

criminals are involved. -- are likely had.

Transport operations have are having to invest so much time in

securing the product so it does not get stolen.

The firm is stepping up security to keep its sights and vehicles safe.

As well as the huge concrete slabs usual protecting the gates at the

perimeter or, the company is also looking at increased CCTV and also

at numberplate recognition technology in Barwell. The company

would also like a break from the Chancellor in the Budget, saying

they do not want any more fuel tax increases for the time being.

You are watching East Midlands Today. A group of residents who are

taking their local council to a High Court are doing so because of

changes to a road junction. The road in question has been the

scene of numerous accidents in recent years, but residents say

changes were not make it safer, and they were not properly consulted.

Manor Road on Derby's outer ring road. This junction is currently

being changed to try and make it safer. We have previously feature

and how Susie Perry has photographed dozens of accidents

outside her home, near to the junction that is being altered. But

she believes the changes were not make the boat safer, and says the

views of residents have been ignored. So she has started High

Court action against Derby City Council.

Even though we have tried in many different ways to make our views

known, it seems as if there is an attitude of we know best.

The legal costs have so far been covered up with support from other

residents. There has been the equivalent of a

whip round, and the fees so far have been covered. Just by letting

people know what is happening. The changes will involve it being

closed to traffic travelling east bound towards Burton Road. It

leaves some local residents with a much longer round trip.

We would like them to listen to what we have to say and to consider

the alternatives, rather than inconveniencing 2200 families.

The city council converted has received notice of the legal

challenge, but declined to comment further.

Still to come, we are on standby at the Olympic pool for Rebecca

Adlington's 800 metre qualifier, and it is about to start in five

minutes. And why I think Shirebrook is

blooming marvellous and not be The family of Fiona Pilkington, who

killed herself and her severely disabled daughter after years of

harassment, has settled their legal action against Leicestershire

Police. An inquest in 2007 heard that Fiona at her daughter had been

kept virtual prisoners in their own home in Barwell. They had

complained to the police 33 times are bad use throwing objects and

shouting abuse, but nothing had been done. Leicestershire Police

admitted failings but not liability for the deaths.

A Nottingham woman has been sentenced to life imprisonment

after being found guilty of the murder of the 25-year-old man. Luke

Moran was discovered with stab injuries on the Hartness Road in

Clifton last August. He died at the Queen's Medical Centre. Kerry

Holden, from Clifton, has been told she will serve a minimum of 18

years in jail. New figures have revealed the

extent of youth unemployment in the heart of the former coalfield

Community. In Ashfield, the number of jobseekers under 24 is now 37%.

That is a quarter higher than the national average.

Today, an MP organised a jobs there to give school leavers a glimpse of

how they can break into the creative industries.

Pupils from schools in Ashfield gathered for up a lesson in the

creative industries, offering the advice, experts in their own field,

including Charlotte Hill, a Nottingham fashion designer. But

have only laying out clothes was as easy as that first career break.

Once you get your foot in the door, and you what could and you're

ambitious, you will succeed. These youngsters want to get into

the media. I would like to be a fashion editor.

I would like to do some acting Staff and stuff like that.

Music or fashion journalism, because it intrigues me.

One celebrated writer offered this advice.

Every television programme who I that I liked, I found out who

produced it and write them a letter. One of the region's growth

industries is designing for computer games.

This is an industry of enthusiasts, and that is the most important

thing at the start. There are a lot of artistic and academic

opportunities in games, and we are trying to tell them about some of

that spectrum. One-third of people are now were --

out of work across the country. Here it is even higher than that.

With traditional industries long gone, could be creative industries

pluck that jobs gap? They are a great British success

stories, these jobs are growing in number, and I want people in

Ashfield to feel they are just as able to do these jobs as anyone

anywhere else in Britain. If the advice rubs off, or watch

these faces closely. They could be the future of our creative

industries. Let her know that to the Olympic

born in London, where Mansfield's double Olympic champion is about to

swim the 800 metre qualifier. Our sports editor Mark Shardlow is

poolside for us. How was Rebecca Adlington looking?

She will be coming out in about 10 seconds time, and you will hear

that she is on her way. Next, coming up for the final of the 800

metres, is our double gold medal in -- gold medal winner, Rebecca

Adlington. Just listen to the noise when she comes out now!

In 147 days, on a Friday night here in this very poor, Rebecca

Adlington will be hoping to win an Olympic gold medal. But before then,

she has got a qualified by winning this race tonight. So far this week,

despite admitting to being scared, she is looking in great form. I

will be getting a former Olympic medal winner to give me the low-

Rebecca Adlington had no one to push her. The rest of the girls

will be looking at Ham and going, she is in good form. If she does a

good time in the freestyle, they will be running scared. So the race

is about to start. She is in lane four, the race will take place in

eight minutes time. Rebecca Adlington looking to seal her

second Olympic place. Come back later.

Looks so exciting! Through which you turn to if you wanted to revive

the fortunes of a former mining town? The council perhaps? An MP, a

PR agency? Or how about a 14-year- old boy? Daniel Warriner is so fed

up of Shirebrook's image he has It is hard to sell Shirebrook. Even

to those who call it home. I have lived here all my life, I am 52

years old, it is rubbish. We have nothing. Just finished. Enter a

young man on a mission. I am fed up calling Shobrooke a hell-hole. I

want to get it on the map. That is what he has done. We want to

educate people of the history of Shirebrook. With funding, Daniel

Warriner has set up a Web site promoting the town and will make a

professional film in May. I invited Daniel to show me the sites people

should be shouting about. This is the market. One of our busiest

places and we have it for days a week. It is full of independent

traders which gives you a personal experience. This is what has

replaced the side of the old colliery. Even my Academy is

getting a new building next April and that is wonderful. Shobrooke is

surrounded by these beautiful Derbyshire accounted -- countryside.

So board has already started to come in. I just want to say well

done with your project. I wish it all the success in the world. It is

a wonderful thing. Thank you. Wonderful. You saw him here first.

Question is will the sun shine insurer broke and on the rest of us

this weekend? That is the big question. Chasing

the cloud breaks is what you will do over the weekend. There should

be some sunshine and it will be Now to a story that concerns cows

and cowslips and many other species of wild flower. The Nottinghamshire

Wildlife Trust is buying a herd of cattle to try to reverse a serious

decline in the number of wild flowers. But how can great

lumbering beasts of the field help restore the Ecology in English

meadows? Ambrose has been breeding Lincoln

Red cattle for the last 22 years. He had now has 45 but four of them

have been selected for a special mission. Turning fields like this

into meadows like these. The council spent the next few weeks

here before being sent to the first field selected by the Trust. In

three or four years the way that the cattle graze there will

encourage more wild flowers to grow and attract more wildlife back to

Nottinghamshire's meadows. Their grazing behaviour and their weight

means they can break up the ground and the break-up the vegetation

that is there, which allows wild flowers to grow through. It is

hoped these four will not be the only cameras on the move. The

appeal aims to buy it more than 11 in total, they have raised more

than half of the target and it is not hard to see why this campaign

has captured the public's imagination. They are very

attractive as a breed. The big brown eyes and long eyelashes are

something to do with it but a lot of people can remember wild flower

meadows and have seen the reduction of them across the countryside, and

they would like to see a return to that. It full-cost a lot of money

and take several years, but Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust says

for scenes like these it will be worth it.

Beautiful. You would think anyone about to celebrate their 100th

birthday would be more than happy to put their feet up and take

things easy. Not so, Susie Dixon. She has been driving for 82 years

and has no intention of putting on the brakes for parking up for good.

100 years ago when Susie Dixon was born, cars were quite new-fangled.

So much so, Suzie went to school on a horse and trap but now she would

not be without help run around, 82 years after first learning to drive.

Have things changed since then? my goodness. It certainly is

different. How often do you get out and about? About two or three times

a week, just locally. Susie has seen the advent of motorways, ring

roads and road rage. People are so impatient nowadays. Susie from

Barrow on Trent has never had to passed the test and learnt to drive

in her father's car. What about money wise? Was it cheaper back

then? Much cheaper. The price of a car, when my father bought the

first new car, it was about �180 which was quite a lot of money in

those days. It is remarkable at her age that she is able to do what she

does do. She is out and about most days, she still swims. She is

incredible. A lifelong Rams fan, she will be guest of honour at

Derby County tomorrow and she will be breaking open the champagne at a

birthday party next weekend. But that night she will not be driving.

Susie Dixon, a new rock! Let's go back to Rebecca Adlington because

that race must be nearly done. It is not too far away. Rebecca

Adlington has led from start to finesse. She has about two minutes

left of the race but she is in a commanding position and well on her

way of securing her Olympic place. Some Faulkbourne years, Nottingham

Forest have said that several parties are interested in buying

the club. This afternoon the estate of Nigel Doughty, the former owner,

said they will find Forest enter the start of next season and if new

buyers are not found -- found, they will hold further talks.

Leicester City may be seven points off the play-offs are but they have

to Reading tomorrow with the manager still hopeful. There are a

number of clubs above us who have different runs and we have to make

sure that we get our own act together in terms of putting a run

together. Nottingham Forest are at home to Millwall having only one

four League games all season. Is the pressure from fans getting two

players? Something you have to deal with. If you do not expect that,

you have to leave and play with someone with less expectation.

Tomorrow the in form Rams are at home to Watford. A big local Derby

game as well. It will be a change because usually it is asked going

into it at the bottom of the league and we could be saved by that point.

Notts County are in fine from but today they -- tomorrow they are at

Charlton. Leicester Tigers have an LB Cup semi-final in Bath 1

Nottingham rugby have their first play-off match tomorrow.

Here comes Rebecca Adlington. You can see she has about 50 metres

left. She is winning this race by a country mile. Rebecca Adlington

with the crowd rising all around me. Touches the podium. With a time of

eight minutes 18. She is well ahead of the second place and that really

is a message going out to the rest of the world that Becky Adlington

is at the top of her game and is still on course to retain two gold

medals right here in this simple in the summer. It has been a

marvellous week for East Midlands some as. 10 have qualified

including Lizzie Simmonds in the backstroke, rust Davenport has made

it to the relay team and smoked -- soapy Smith and Molly when shall

make the team. Tonight has all been about Rebecca Adlington. Wonderful!

Well done. Her family must be thrilled. How do you follow that?

Give us good weather! There is not a great deal of rain around

although we could do with it but it looks like being mainly dry across

the weekend. Mild and hopefully with sunny spells. Sadly no

sightings of the northern lights last night but plenty of photos of

the four men. Mark cent this one in. the four men. Mark cent this one in.

It was over Bingham last night. High pressure dominating things

over the weekend and keeping us mainly settled and mainly dry.

Taking a look at things for now, one or two clear spells around. The

cloud will continue to increase through much of the evening,

particularly over parts of Derbyshire and the Peak District

where you could see some skits and spots where the cloud thickens.

Temperatures still on the mild side, dipping down to it Celsius.

Tomorrow start on a fairly cloud denote but certainly the signs are

good to cease breaks in those cloud in the afternoon. Where the sun

comes out, temperatures around 15 Celsius. Three Saturday evening,

looks like things stay mild with clear skies and Sunday, after a

misty start, you will see that cloud breaking up with the hope are

plenty of sunshine to be had. Temperatures around the mid- teens

on Sunday. High pressure still dominates, still sitting right over

the UK into the start of next week and signs suggest eye pressure will

keep a hold of things until at least the middle of the week.

Keeping things drive and feeling mild for the time of year.

Promising for the weekend. Let's go back to London and to our sports

editor, Mark Shardlow. Rebecca it is just talking to the

press. Let's have a quick word with her. Even though I am going in fast

this, it does not matter what idea on paper, it matters what you do in

the swimming pool. Amazing! I am so tired. I don't know who to go to! I

am so pleased with that swim. It was very difficult. I found it

really hard. The second 400, I struggle and I struggle mentally to

break through that pain barrier. It break through that pain barrier. It

is not a nice feeling, so I just tried to give it my best and

improve on my time. You don't even look tired, a new owner this event.

I am absolutely dead! I just wanted to put a good time in. Ainu fairly

would put in a good fight but it is so hard in the second 400 when you