01/11/2013 East Midlands Today

changes to grading and assessment. That is all from

This is East Midlands Today with Anne Davies and me, Dominic Heale.

Tonight ` the victims of anti`social behaviour who suffer months of

torment. This couple say repeated complaints

to the authorities have not stopped the threats. He stood there, and

said he will kick `` we will keep `` we will kick your head in.

Also tonight, the remains unearthed in a garden. Police say both victims

have been shot. Plus, firefighters from stations

across the East Midlands are walking out on strike. It is an ongoing

dispute with the Government over pensions.

And entering a new dimension, could 3D printing start the next

Industrial Revolution? Welcome to Friday's programme. First

tonight ` the elderly couple who are being terrorised by local thugs.

Shirley and John Harvey say their tormentors are targeting an entire

block of flats at Sutton` in`Ashfield in Nottinghamshire.

Other residents, though, are too frightened to speak out.

The couple, who are in their seventies, are now sleeping in

shifts to protect their home. Today they were visited by their local MP

who's promised to help. Rebecca Sheeran has this report.

John and Shirley Harvey have lived here for 15 years. Now they say they

fear for their lives, and are being threatened by thugs who intimidate

them and vandalise their home. We can't do anything about it. This

intimidation, threats and anti`social behaviour is allowed to

go on to go onto pensioners on a daily basis with nothing done. They

have moaned `` no morals. He stood there and said, we will kick your

heads in. Today they were visited by their

local MP, who is pledging to help. Ashfield district Council has been

dealing with the complaint for over a year. Anti`social behaviour cases

and that complex, getting robust evidence and presenting it in court,

it is going on so long and people just give up and live with the

consequences which is unacceptable. John and Shirley are not alone.

Last year councils across the East Midlands were dealing with over

10,000 noise and anti`social behaviour complaints, many of those

still have not been resolved after six months.

In Derby, it was 10% of cases and in Nottingham 13%. And it can have

serious consequences. Two years ago, one woman took her own life after

years of living next door to problem neighbours. Notts's Police and Crime

Commissioner says there is still a long way to go to reducing

anti`social behaviour. These are important issues to the people who

are affected, and I want the police to give them more priority, and they

are, and the figure, 14% over 12 months is a good step forward. There

is a lot to be done. Shirley and John hope the council will be able

to resolve the problem, and that finally they will be able to live

without fear in the home they love. I've been speaking to a senior

police officer who's an acknowledged expert on tackling anti`social

behaviour. Simon Edens is the Deputy Chief Constable of Leicestershire,

and speaks for the Association of Chief Police Officers. Here's what

he had to say. Anti`social behaviour is a priority

for the police service, because it can cause harm, and we are focused

on reducing and preventing harm, keeping people safe. When the level

is at a particularly high level, what weapons to the police have to

deal with it? We are very clear, the sort of anti`social behaviour that

causes people to shelter in their own homes, and in some cases move

from their own homes is absolutely unacceptable. In many cases it also

involves crime. There is a very wide range of powers we can use to deal

with individuals, to deal with premises, to deal with people

driving in an anti`social manner. We can intervene even before we use

those powers. We also realise that working more closely with partners

is right at the heart of our response to anti`social behaviour.

Joining up the dots, making sure information we hold is not held in

isolation, so that we can see the big picture, and make sure those

cases that require the best and speediest response I getting them.

What is your advice to somebody suffering from real anti`social

behaviour, someone who is trapped in their home, their neighbours are

afraid to speak out? I can offer them the complete reassurance that

we will listen to them, and we will be sensitive to their needs, and if

those needs include their fear that they may be subject to

repercussions, we will deal sensitively and appropriately with

that. We will understand the issues they face. We take the time and

effort to do that, and we will respond appropriately. Not everybody

who picks the phone up will get the same level of response, but we will

tailor that response according to the harm that person faces, so we

can keep that person safe and protect them.

Police investigating the deaths of an elderly couple whose remains were

found in the back garden of a house say they were both shot. Tonight two

people are still being questioned on suspicion of murder.

Detectives are confident the bodies found in Forest Town near Mansfield

are those of William and Patricia Wycherley. It's believed those in

custody are their daughter and her husband. Quentin Rayner reports.

It was at St Pancras Station on Wednesday night that it is

understood 55`year`old Susan Edwards and her husband, 57`year`old

Christopher Edwards, were arrested. They were brought back to Notts for

questioning. Their arrests follow the discovery of human remains in

the back garden of a semidetached house in Forest town last month.

Detectives began digging up the garden following a tip`off. Two sets

of human remains were discovered in what was described as a grave.

Although formal identification has yet to be confirmed, the police are

confident the bodies are those of an elderly couple, William and Patricia

Wycherley, the former owners of the House. There has been no trace of

them since 1998. Two weeks ago, the police began a double murder

inquiry. We are starting to put together now a clearer picture of

the family tree, and the focus of the investigation is on Mr and Mrs

Wycherley and the goings on at the House back in the 1990s. And the

motive? There is no known motive at this time. Home Office pathologist

has established the couple were both shot. It is understood the police

have until tonight to continue Quetta `` questioning the couple who

are in custody. A teenager who's accused of plotting

a terrorist attack on targets in Loughborough has admitted he pulled

a pistol on a group of strangers. The 17`year`old told the Old Bailey

that "idiots", as he called them, had been mocking him. When he got

his gun out they looked scared. The teenager has admitted possessing

explosives, but denies preparing to use weapons for an act of terrorism.

76 workers at a refrigeration and air conditioning business in

Leicester have formally been made redundant. WR Refrigeration went

into administration last week. Another 70 employees are being kept

on to help wind up the firm. The administrators are hoping the

remaining staff can be transferred to other businesses.

Still to come ` Sara will be here trying to find some positives in the

weekend weather forecast. The coming weekend's weather is

going to be cold and frosty for your bonfire parties.

In the last few minutes firefighters have walked out on strike, leaving

resources severely stretched just as an evening of planned firework and

Diwali celebrations gets under way. Fire chiefs say the action will put

people's safety at risk. And they've suggested that any planned bonfire

events should be postponed. Sarah Teale is live at Nottingham

Road fire station in Derby this evening. Sarah, firefighters there

have just started their walk`out? Yes, scenes here mirroring those

across the East Midlands and indeed the country, and this was the scene

just a few minutes ago when on the dot of 6:30pm firefighters left

their posts and went out on strike. They will be out until 11pm tonight.

This is a second strike by firefighters in their ongoing

dispute with the Government over pensions, and the plans to increase

the age of retirement from 55 to 60. With me now is one of the

firefighters who has gone on strike. Why is it impossible to work until

60? The Government has set a fitness standard we are expected to reach

which is unachievable. The Government have had a report into

the fitness standard, and it has been proven that two thirds of

firefighters over 50 will not be able to reach it. Was it a hard

decision to come out on strike? The hardest decision we could have to

make. We do not want to come out on strike, we have been backed into a

corner by Government. Let us pick to Gary from the Fire Brigades Union.

Picking tonight is quite a cynical move, isn't it? We specifically

chose tonight, and we chose to avoid the first Saturday before bonfire

night and the Saturday after bonfire night and bonfire night itself. It

is hard decision to make. But we do feel we have had to make it. Steve

Lunn is from Leicestershire Fire Service. We asked him, was safety

being compromised tonight? Yes, it will be `` put people's safety at

risk, because I will not be able to manage and deliver resources I would

normally be able to outside a strike. The resources we will have

available will be around about 60% less than normal. However, we will

respond to all emergency incidents, and all calls made to our fire

control which will remain unaffected.

We heard there are people's lives are being put at risk. Do you think

the public support you bearing that in mind? I think we do have the

public support. We are out here at the front of the station, many cars

pass by, you can hear the beeping of the horns and the public definitely

support us in our fight. And do you think strike action is the right way

to achieve what you want? Again, this is on the back of two years of

negotiation with this Government. We have put back `` together a very

fact based on evidence `based report, and the Government refuses

to acknowledge it. This is our only fight, and hopefully they will start

to listen. As you have heard, the Fire Service said only dial nine the

Fire Service said only dial 909 tonight if there is an absolute

emergency. They will respond, but this strike finishes at 11pm. There

is another strike planned for Monday morning rush hour. That is between

6am and 8am. Derby City Council says it wants a

group of derelict warehouses to be redeveloped as soon as possible. It

comes after the discovery of a man's body in a recent fire at a run`down

site in the city. Nearby residents voiced concerns

about homeless people seeking shelter in the disused buildings.

Today the council leader says he hopes that after decades of

dereliction, progress can be made. Simon Ward reports.

At first it was thought this was just a fire in a long disused

building. But would firefighters managed to search inside the old

warehouse, they found a body. Later he was identified as a man

originally from Poland. Today it is obvious people are coming here, with

rubbish and drinks cans strewn around. The company that owns this

building `` these buildings did not want to make a comment, but soon

after the fire people living around here told us they have been worried

for years these buildings have been left derelict.

They said it was common knowledge people have been sleeping rough

here. They could have prevented all this. I have seen it boarded up and

people reopening the door again and making access so they can get back

inside again. So how does the City Council leader respond to the

concerns of the local community? I did not know that people were rough

sleeping in the buildings. What we want to do is talk with developers

to enable them to bring that site forward. It has been like that for

probably the best part of 30 years. We want to enable them to bring that

warehouse back into use. Bring the site back into use and redevelop it

for the benefit of people in Derby. The old magistrate's building is to

be redeveloped into an office `` library and offices. But it seems to

be a difficult task for councils to get buildings into use. Two men were

arrested in connection with the body found in the old warehouse. One is

on police bail, the other released. There have been no charges, and

detectives continue to investigate what happened.

Serious concerns have been raised about standards at another care home

near Nottingham. The health watchdog ` the Care Quality Commission `

inspected Bramwell Care Home in Bramcote in August. ?NEWLINE It's

one of several that were sold off by the County Council last year.

Angelina Socci reports. It is not the first time this care

home has been criticised. Last year, not long after Nottinghamshire

County Council sold it off, inspectors said it had failed to

meet a number of essential standards. 18 months on, and an

inspection has again found failings. This man's mother`in`law spent four

years of her life at Bramwell Care Home. The objects to the decision to

sell it off. They gave guarantees that the

private sector were better at administering care, and they did it

on a lower budget. This was the guarantee given by adult social

services and the councillors. Nottinghamshire County Council has

fun stop placing residents in this care home. Is one `` one of more

than a dozen homes in the country to have recently had its contract

suspended. We have to be assured that the contract we have with homes

for the residents we placed the are consistently higher, so although we

have not got the authority as the Care Quality Commission has two

close the home, we do work with them closely. The owners say they have

put in place management support to maintain standards. It also says

that it has meant `` made substantial investment in staff

training and will continue to monitor all areas of the service.

We can look ahead no to a busy weekend in sport.

Coming up, two big names in football management, Steve McClaren and Harry

Redknapp. But news first from Nottingham Forest. The Reds are

stepping up their search for a new striker, and have welcomed a new

addition from the Premier League in the middle of the park. Natalie

Jackson reports. Ahead of tomorrow's game, Nottingham

Forest have confirmed they are looking to bring in a striker on

loan. They have widened the search into Europe, and they do have a

target in the Premier league. According to the manager, it is a

search which is ongoing. The chairman put up some very good money

for good strikers, but unfortunately deals did not happen. We will not

bring in players that we feel are not better than the ones we have got

or equal to the ones we have got. We want to bring in the right type. One

who is the right type is midfielder David Vaughan. He signed a deal from

Sunderland yesterday. Forest fans will remember him for being part of

the Blackpool team which got promoted at Forest's expense four

years ago. David Vaughan was very influential. He is a wonderful

player, excellent appetite for the game. I am delighted he is now part

of this competing midfield. You obviously know how to get promoted

from this decision `` division. What is the key? I think it is just

having the confidence to go out and play under the pressure. Hopefully I

can bring that to the table. And the new midfielder is in the squad for

the game against Blackpool tomorrow. And you can hear an extended

interview with the Nottingham Forest Manager Billy Davies on the BBC

Sport website. On to Leicester City, who will be

looking to lay last season's demons to rest when they head to Watford

tomorrow. The last time the Foxes played there was the play`off

semifinal that ended in such a cruel and dramatic defeat. But the Foxes

go there second in the Championship and are only looking forward.

The players who played in that game put it behind them, and we have got

to do that. It will be a tough game, they are a good side, we have

worked very hard so far this season, but it is about going into the next

game and doing the same again. Next, a former England boss and a

man who has often been tipped for the role. Tomorrow Steve McClaren's

Derby go head to head with Harry Redknapp's Queens Park Rangers. Now,

QPR are a team McClaren knows all about. Just five weeks ago before

joining Derby, Steve was a coach there under Harry. So what do they

really think of each other? We have been rivals throughout the

years, so I think it was a little difficult at first coming together,

but as time went on we developed a good relationship. Another expert on

red wine, I have worked with some characters who know their red wine

and I know he is going through the country publicising his book, and I

have heard all the stories before anyway. He talks about Bobby Moore

and that team, and he comes through and he is still involved in football

in this era, the modern era. To adapt is very, very difficult to do.

He has done that very successfully. I really enjoyed having him around,

he was great, and I think it was good for him as well. He got himself

back into coaching, back on the training ground. Steve's took over a

good squad, and I am sure they will be there at the end of the year.

Derby's a good club, a fantastic set up, the stadium, the crowds. It's a

Premier league club, really. It is a good opportunity for him.

The players are very strong, perfect for the Championship and perfect for

them to bounce back. I have moved on, and I love working here. I

thought I lived a very good bunch of players at QPR, but their attitudes

here are exactly the same. Will you be sharing a glass of red wine with

Harry after the game? No doubt, with a smile on my face, I hope.

No new manager at Notts County yet, so Steve Hodge will be in caretaker

charge again this weekend. Hodge led them to victory in Tuesday's game

against Oldham. Tomorrow they have a tough trip to Coventry as they look

to pull further away from the bottom of League One. Former Sheffield

United Manager Danny Wilson remains the bookies' favourite for the

vacant job at Meadow Lane. Mansfield Town play tonight and

travel to Southend in search of a first win since September.

In rugby, the Leicester Tigers meet Harlequins tomorrow at Welford Road

looking for a win to keep in touch at the top of the Premiership table.

And in ice hockey, the Nottingham Panthers could hand debuts to new

signings Joe Jensen and Nick Conway in tonight's game against Dundee at

the National Ice Centre. Hope you enjoy your sport this

weekend. Scientists from Nottingham say

advances in 3D printing could be one of the most significant developments

in British manufacturing. The University of Nottingham, which

boasts one of the world's leading 3D research groups, says the technology

is far from being a gimmick. In fact, it could be of particular

benefit to small and medium`sized businesses right here in the East

Midlands. Tom Brown reports. It is printing in a whole new

dimension. This is a 3D printer, following a computer designed to

build an object layer by layer. Often, with intricate detail.

Additive manufacturing has been around for years, but here at the

University of Nottingham, this team hopes the research will help the

technology make a real impression. This is a super exciting area, and

watching the processes work is almost like watching magic work. As

a research group what we are plight `` trying to do is add more sides to

the area. The technology already allows you to

put out something like this out of plastic or something like this made

of metal, but what the team here are researching is combining multiple

materials so that eventually you could have something like this

prosthetic arm at the click of a button. The research is not yet a

reality, but this idea of printing and entire product in one go and in

one place could open a world of opportunity for our smaller

manufacturing firms. If you are making small volumes of

things, the conventional way is expensive, so using this approach to

break a product will enable companies to get a product to market

easier and manufacture them locally as well. From this 3D printer done

to these 3D printed people, the technology is already starting to

excite and amaze. It is said it could spark the next industrial

revolution, and this laboratory is ready to lead the way.

Could you put your own table? Scary stuff? `` print your own

table. This coming weekend, if you are

hosting a bonfire party, is going to be quite wet and windy at times. Low

pressure is controlling the weather today, that is soon replaced by this

next area of low pressure coming in for the weekend. A band of rain is

sitting over the East Midlands, that has been with us for the majority of

the day, producing some heavy bursts of raid as we head into the early

hours. A little bit more showery over Leicestershire and Rutland, but

across Derbyshire it will increase and it will be around tomorrow

morning. The temperatures falling no lower than eight or nine Celsius

overnight in rural areas, and a damp start initially first thing. But

rain quite patchy, but then a few lively showers coming in as well. It

will still remain quite wet, the best of any brightness I think

across the eastern side, before we see further outbreaks of showery

rain in the afternoon. But it is the strength of the wind on Saturday

afternoon and through the evening to. The wind starting to gust, we

could see gusts of around 40 or 50 mph. So very difficult conditions

for fireworks. Sunday will start off a bit better, but it will still be

blustery. Through the daytime we should be merely dry, but this band

of rain will push up from the south. It depends how far north that comes

in. It could still work its way in earlier on in the evening and get us

our wet night. `` give us a wet night. Wet and windy weather returns

on Tuesday. Keep on smiling!

Have a good weekend anyway. Goodbye.