29/01/2014 East Midlands Today

independent Scotland. That is all from the News at six,

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

Tonight. A ` the first port of call for the frail and elderly.

Reports that jewellery thieves are decreasing in the Golden Mile. And a

win for Leicester City. Good evening, and welcome to Wednesday's

programme. Further evidence tonight of the huge strain that our

hospitals are under. Latest figures have revealed a big increase in the

number of elderly people being taken to Accident and Emergency

departments by ambulance. All day there's been a war of words between

the politicians about who's to blame for the pressures which now confront

front line NHS staff. Our health correspondent Rob Sissons is at one

of those hospitals now. Rob, what do these new statistics tell us? They

are from the health and social care information Centre, gathered over

three years, and show a massive increase in the number of elderly

people being put through these doors at Nottingham's Queens medical

Centre and other units. Across the East Midlands, in the over 70s it

has gone up over 28%, with over 70s patients going to a nearby

ambulance, and for the over 90s, 56%, nearly 0

ambulance, and for the over 90s, 56%, nearly eight thousand patients

in that category, a lot of them with very complex health needs that need

longer stays in hospital. You are better than when you came in. Water

is 92, a retired miner who suffers chronic breathing problems. It has

been an anxious week for his family. He was rushed to hospital with a bad

chest infection. It is in the buffers, you might say, in a bad

way. I am a better now, but what I have got is bubbly a lasting

problem. At Nottingham's medical centre, the number of patients being

brought in by ambulance aged over 70 has gone up by a third in three

years. The unit was not designed for this number. The head of the

department says more investment in social care is needed. We have less

committee beds available, so we have to did a patient and we think we can

discharge that person, but community bed availability is less than it

needs to be, so we find it harder to discharge that patient and carry on

the care package. In the control room at East Midlands Amazon

service, they handle more calls each year. Many cases involve the frail

and elderly can be time`consuming and complex to sort out. They

require a patience and careful handling by paramedic staff,

sometimes using specialist equipment, which many ambience is

now carry with them. Preventing more elderly people going into accident

and emergency is one of the biggest challenges as an ageing population

is expected to get larger. What, if anything, can be done to stop this

trend of more people going to emergency departments that is what

the politicians have had a lot to say about today. Some blamed GP

contracts, the Conservatives saying it was Labour's fault, and labour

says there should be more investment in social care. Meanwhile posters

like this tell people only to use A when they need to, trying to

ease the pressure which is going up year`on`year.

There appears to be good news for people looking for work in the

construction industry. As many as 10,000 jobs could be created in the

region's building trade over the next five years. Industry experts

say the number of homes being built is on the up, and it will continue

to rise, as Carolyn Moses explains. Building a stronger economy. That is

the hope on the forecast from the construction industry training

board. The work last year was worth around ?7 billion to the East

Midlands economy and the board believes that will grow. It says the

building of private homes will go up by more than 4% a 0

building of private homes will go up by more than 4% a year until 2018,

and public sector I more than 1.5%. We are talking about just under

10,000 jobs, sustainable opportunities over the next four to

five years. That is hugely encouraging. It will offer

opportunities, employment, skills to the local community and the region

as a whole. Plans on paper from developers are now more often

translate into successful schemes. `` are more often being turned into

successful schemes on the ground. The sites we are standing at today

are not short`term projects. They are going onto 2017. This is

sustained employment for the operatives, staff and local people

we engage with. But business leaders say keeping hold of these long`term

projects won't be enough itself. In terms of construction itself, that

is not sustainable. It has to be a much broader 0

is not sustainable. It has to be a much broader based recovery in all

sectors, especially sectors like ourselves, manufacturers and

exporters to generate the wealth that believed to house building.

There are some other notes of caution as well. The Federation of

Master Builders is warning smaller construction companies may have to

increase prices. Staying with the economy, the government's promising

more money to build and improve enterprise zones in Nottingham. The

city's to get up to ?5.5 million. It will be used to redevelop its

current enterprise zone on the Boots site. A new health science centre

there could create 900 jobs. Meanwhile, Nottingham's universities

can apply for a share of 15 million to build a new enterprise zone.

There is a huge potential and a huge knock`on effect. Subsidiary

businesses will support these, the local economy gains from it. There

is a snowball effect. A small amount of money, huge private sector

investment, 900 jobs on`site. I think as we have seen right across

the enterprise zones, there is huge potential there for the wider

community. In other news, an inquest has heard

that a father found dead near his daughter's body had said they

wouldn't be able to cope without his partner, who'd drowned a few days

earlier. Pauline Barker was being treated for depression. In April

2012 her body was found near Colwick, together with a note. 11

days later, the bodies of Archie McKelvie and Corrin Barker were

discovered in a house in West Bridgford. They'd both died from

gunshot wounds. The inquest continues.

You are watching East Midlands Today. Business owners in Leicester

say there's been a huge fall in the number of raids on jewellery shops.

In previous years, the Golden Mile was a real target for thieves who

stole tens of thousands of pounds of jewellery. Now shopkeepers are

claiming that they've pushed the criminals out. Chromatic CCTV

footage shows Raiders smashing their way into cabinet to steal gold

jewellery. Two years ago seems like this were far too common on

Leicester's Golden Mile, but now things are different. The police and

juniors meet every six weeks to talk through concerns. It has been

difficult. We have been scared to be trading in this line of jewellery.

At its peak there was a raid here every seven weeks. Now with the

police and the police and juniors working together, there hasn't been

a raid for the last 18 months. They have introduced interlocking doors,

so you have to get in and be locked before you can go to the next door.

They have a smoke device where they feel that there was someone in the

strop they don't want they can press a button and it releases harmless

smoke, and through these radios jewellers can talk between

themselves and also to us. So while rates have gone down in Leicester,

police in Nottingham are concerned that homes have been targeted for

gold. While away on holiday, this man's home was broken into. They

took all the jewellery, my wife's, my sisters, and most importantly my

mum's jewellery. Back in Leicester, the extra security in the shop and

these patrols have paid off. A lot of jewellers around the UK are

looking at what Leicester has done to replicate what we have done here.

So the seeds have been pushed out and sparkle is now back on Leicester

's Golden Mile. Next, we can reveal that there's

been a large drop in the number of cannabis farms discovered across the

East Midlands. Figures we've obtained under the Freedom of

Information Act show that so`called commercial grows have fallen sharply

in each of our main police force areas. Our social affairs

correspondent, Jeremy Ball, can tell us more.

A farm in an attic in a suburban home, which is producing illegal

drugs. Police discovered this crop in a house on the outskirts of

Nottingham. Criminal gangs grow cannabis because it is a way to get

rich quick. They are often only discovered because electrics catch

fire bust up rooms are killed out with intricate lighting and watering

systems and are often hidden. Police have seen an increase in calamus

farms. The figure peak in 2011 when they found 372 cannabis grows,

roughly one everyday. Now that figure is falling with only 246

cannabis farms found by the three forces last year. Each force has

seen a similar downward trend. People convicted can face up to 14

years in prison but the potential profits means many growers are still

prepared to take that risk. Jeremy has joined us in the studio.

This sounds like good news. But do we know why these figures are going

down? It does look as though criminals are being deterred from

setting up commercial cannabis farms. That might be down to stiffer

sentences. It might be also down to policing, with 0

sentences. It might be also down to policing, with a new specialist team

in Nottinghamshire. But experts tell me there might also be a very

different explanation ` that criminal gangs are getting smarter,

to avoid being caught. What kind of smart? Derbyshire Police say they're

seeing cannabis grows being split between several different

properties. For example, they'll spread 100 cannabis plants between

ten different houses. That makes them harder to find. But crucially,

if the growers get caught, they can avoid a long sentence by claiming

it's for personal use. They get a much lighter prison sentence for

that. So the upshot of that, fewer cannabis farms, but not necessarily

less cannabis. A housing association has apologised

to a pensioner from Derbyshire who has been living with a flooded

kitchen for a fortnight. 67`year`old John Fowkes from Ripley has been

forced to cook on his lounge floor and empty buckets of water every two

hours. Today, 15 days after Metropolitan Housing were initially

called, work to mend the leak finally got under way. John Fowkes's

kitchen is out of action. A leak above has meant water pouring into

his flat. The 67`year`old cannot cope. `` cannot cook. His only

option is take`aways and ready meals prepared next door on the lounge

floor. It is a swimming pool. A ceiling came down. Completely

flooded. It is difficult to cope with. This is John's kitchen and the

water is still falling through now. John's friend showed me the extent

of the damage. He says that despite repeatedly alerting the housing

association responsible for the flat, it has taken them until today

to fix the upstairs leak. John is a vulnerable adult and the last thing

he needs is this level of anxiety. This is supposed to be a safe

environment for him. He has been left in this state for 15 days. For

the last fortnight, these buckets have needed emptying every two

hours, which has meant busy days and sleepless nights. In a statement,

metropolitan housing apologised. They say...

It's expected that all repairs will be completed in the next week, and

the kitchen will be usable again. For John, that cannot come soon

enough. It's more than halfway down the road

to being completed. But doubts have been raised as to whether it's

actually big enough. We are talking about Derby's new velodrome, which

has already become a familiar landmark in the city. But now a

cross`party panel of councillors has questioned whether it's going to be

able to seat enough people when it also hosts live music and comedy

events. Derby's new velodrome and multisports Irena continues to take

shape at a cost of ?28 million. As well as cycling and other sports, it

will be able to host concerts, but now a cross`party committee of city

councillors has questioned whether it's 5000 seat capacity is enough. I

would like to see it capable of handling 2500 to really make an

impact in the East Midlands, and that was the making. I am amazed

because the people who raised this, the Conservative leader and deputy

leader, agreed the capacity at 5000. They have said nothing about this

until the thing is almost dealt, and now they are suggesting we demolish

it and make it bigger. It is nonsense. Derby's existing assembly

rooms, here hosting civic degree ceremonies this month, can only fit

around 1500 people. We have been crying out for a decent sized

concert venue for many years. What I think everybody would want in the

future is the ability for us to compete with the East Midlands, and

even 0 compete with the East Midlands, and

even in the UK. We are talking to a promoter about the sort of acts we

will get. We are confident we will fill that stage with acts of a wide

variety. The velodrome should be finished later this year, and it

stores are due to open this time next year. `` its jaws. `` its jaws.

It looks amazing, doesn't it? Still to come, easterly winds and an ice

warning. You'd almost think it was winter. A brief change is on the

way. You can expect to feel chilly tomorrow that link and you'll miss

it as a next spell of wet and windy weather arrives on Friday. More

details later. It must have been chilly at the football last night.

However, Leicester were turning the heat up. Very good!

Too hot to handle, Leicester on. Their promotion train rumbles on.

Nigel Pearson's team are history`makers after that win at

Birmingham last night. They've won eight in a row for the first time,

and the bookies have made them odds`on favourites to go up as

champions. Leicester look and feel unbeatable at the moment. The

chances keep coming and so do the wins. The scoring opened for city,

helping the team to a history making eight wins in a row. Never before

have Leicester 18 on the bones. They have 0

have Leicester 18 on the bones. They have taken 24 point out of 24. Many

layers have stood out during this incredible run, but the striker has

really caught the eye. This is his 10th of the season. Birmingham got a

goal back but it was Leicester's night, and with an 8`point gap at

the top and an 11 point cushion to Burnley in third, city have put

themselves in a fantastic position with 18 games to go. So Leicester

are record`breakers, Derby truly are the comeback kings. 2`0 down at

half`time against Yeovil last night and they were beginning to think it

wasn't their night. But a dramatic victory was sealed with seconds to

go. Kirsty Edwards was there to see the story unfold. Eight cold, rainy

night, but there is no dampening the spirit of Derby fans at the moment.

A bit of rain would hold me back, especially the way we are doing now.

Since Steve came down from Ipswich, it has been phenomenal. Over 23,000

turned out, amongst them one of Derby's most famous bands, one

direction start now hiring, hoping to be cheered up after a knee

operation. `` Nile Horan. Derby were dominating possession and creating

some good chances. But as they pushed forward, they became

vulnerable at the back. It is a chance for John Lundstram, and that

is disappointing. He has to stay on his feet, tried a shot and scores.

To nail down at half time, the manager was left scratching his

head. I thought they were playing well and cruising chances. We needed

to show character and fight and dig deep, and that is what we did. It

has been scored by Patrick Bamford. And with three and a half minutes to

go, Derby have an equaliser. It goes, and Chris Martin has scored.

We had 46 shots and I thought, if we had drawn that game or lost it, I

would still have said we performed well, we created chances, scored 36

shots. You've got to win a football match doing that. Thank you and good

night. It is Derby three, you will too. `` Yeovil two. Commentary there

from BBC Radio Derby's Ed Dawes. At Nottingham Forest within the past

half an hour, the club have confirmed the signing of Algerian

striker Rafik Djebbour. The 29`year`old, who has been on loan at

a Turkish side from Greek Champions Olympiacos, has signed a

two`and`a`half`year deal at The City Ground. In rugby, Leicester Tigers

scrum`half Ben Youngs has been left out of England's opening Six Nations

match in France. Staying in Leicester, and the Queen's Baton

Relay is to visit the City on its way to Glasgow for the Commonwealth

Games. More details on that in our late news. Finally from me, cricket,

and England have retained the Women's Ashes after beating

Australia by nine wickets in Hobart. They now hold an unassailable 10`4

lead in the series. England retained the women's Ashes, following a nine

wicket victory over Australia in the first 2020 Clash of the series, with

captain Charlotte Edwards hitting the winning runs. Nottinghamshire

ace Jenny Gunn has played a big part and the English squad includes

Loughborough students, including Amy Jones and Lauren Winfield. Look how

lovely it look there. Nice to see a positive result in the Ashes for

once. I was talking about the weather. Talking of which, it looked

grim out there at the moment. weather. Talking of which, it looked

grim Little blue sky in my forecast at the moment. Staying and settled,

but tomorrow will feel colder than we were used to. There will be a

lots of cloud around and showers through the day. Low pressure is

with us at the moment sitting across the southern half of the UK,

allowing the weather to move in from France, but there is a change on the

way on Friday as weather moves in from the Atlantic. Tonight, we have

this rain moving into the day. Icy is still with us for the next hour

or so before the rain starts to ease, and a lot of cloud remains

with us through the night, allowing temperatures to stay just above

freezing for most of us. The exception is the north`western

corner, so north`western Nottinghamshire, here skies may be

clearer allowing temperatures to fog below freezing. This brings the risk

of ice and you may also get a little frost, but for the rest of us a

frost free night. Still quite cold tomorrow and icy will feel quite

chilly. The next area of rain pushes in from the south. Icy is light and

patching through the day, maybe a little wintry across Derbyshire and

North Nottinghamshire, but 0 little wintry across Derbyshire and

North Nottinghamshire, but for the rest icy is falling as rain, peeling

chilly in that wind. On Friday, this low pressure will push its way in,

giving us a spell of very wet and windy weather. The start Friday

promising. Icy is set to arrive in the afternoon and icy is with us

well into Saturday, so quite unsettled as we head into the

weekend. Sunday is looking like a better day, but before that wet

conditions to come. I vote we all go to Hobart and celebrate the winning

of the arches either ladies team. So long. Buy. `` the winning of the

Ashes by the ladies team.