18/03/2014 East Midlands Today

worth up to ?2000. That is all

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

Our top story tonight: one man's lucky escape from an explosion at a

block of flats. Chris Smith was just seconds away

from the blast which destroyed an entire building.

If this were to happen again... How doctors saved a man whose heart

stopped six times. I couldn't have got better treatment if I went

private. Absolutely fantastic. Plus why these taxi drivers are

angry on being tested on a local knowledge.

And popcorn and a pint. How a Nottinghamshire pub is trying to

find new ways of attracting customers.

Good evening, welcome to the programme. First tonight, the

extraordinary escape of one man who was just seconds from being blown up

in an explosion. Chris Smith was heading from his

flat in Derby to collect his washing from the laundry room. Incredibly he

went back to listen to a song on the radio. And that decision saved his

life. The explosion happened about 10.30am

at the junction of Agard Street and Bridge Street in the centre of

Derby. Jo Healey is at the scene for us tonight. Jo, this sounds

remarkable. Exactly what happened? Yes, hello. It is remarkable. There

was a huge explosion, right here, behind this fully occupied block of

flats this morning. Let me show you what was the laundry room. This is

all that is left. And Chris Smith was just seconds away from coming in

to collect his washing. So you were about to go in there. I

was about six foot from being killed. I know, yeah. He was saved

because he nipped back to his room to listen to a song that he liked on

the radio. That is when the building exploded. I look back out and I

could see the smoke everywhere, things falling down from the sky. I

went over and all I could hear was hissing. It had still not had me. It

was sinking in. And still shaken. As with many of his neighbours,

evacuated from their flats and brought here by Derby City

Council's emergency planning team. I heard a really loud bang and at

first I thought... They were vehicles everywhere. Then somebody

said a washer has exploded. I knocked on a few doors to get a few

people out, see if there was anybody under the rubble. They were

shouting, is there anyone under the rubble? They cordoned off the area

around this street. Gas and electricity workers shot off

supplies to homes and businesses nearby, in case sparks ignited any

gas. Experts say the blast probably was a gas explosion. But another

concern, was anyone trapped? This is where the building collapsed. It is

all a mountain of rubble. They've checked CCTV to see if it was likely

anyone was underneath. These dogs are trained to go in and climb all

over that rubble to see if they can detect signs of life. The urban

search and rescue team came up from Leicester to do those checks. No one

was found. Then, six hours later, people were finally allowed back

into their homes. How do you feel? Thank God. Thank God every day. I've

got someone looking out for me because I shouldn't be here now. As

you can see, the road is now open and the cord and has been removed

but it is incredible that no one was hurt in this explosion, happening as

it did between these flats and a busy medical centre. There is an

investigation going on. It's between the police and Derbyshire Fire and

Rescue Service, to find out the cause.

What an incredible tale. Still to come: the US Ambassador in

Leicester. Matthew Barzun wanted a view of

British life outside central London. Today, a taste of history in

Leicester cathedral. A real interest in English history back in America.

With the visitor centre, interest will only increase.

Next tonight, the grandfather whose heart had to be restarted six times.

John Litchfield's battle to survive features in a new BBC documentary

series, Keeping Britain Safe 24/7. John, who is 73, was brought back to

life thanks to his quick thinking wife, a rapid response from the

Ambulance Service and expert care at Nottingham's Queen's Medical Centre.

Four times, Johns heart stopped beating before his that she got to

hospital. John's heart is not pumping blood around his body.

Paramedics have had too shocking to keep him alive. He had a couple of

fainting episodes and his wife was concerned. Hello. He began with a

cardiac arrest at home. John had been drinking coffee, then suddenly

felt unwell. I had went back, the coffee went all over, all of this

wall and everywhere and I was just groaning. Soon after, John has

another cardiac arrest. We are trying to stabilise the heart. We

haven't got a primary cause for Wyatt has happened. He is not in the

clear, any means. Then, his heart stopped beating again.

You are in the right place. We'll get there. We'll get there. I had

faith he wouldn't die. They brought him around. A defibrillator has now

been fitted in his chest at Nottingham City Hospital. It will

really shocked John if he has another cardiac arrest. We've

implanted in a defibrillator has now been fitted in his chest at

Nottingham City Hospital. It will really shocked John if he has

another cardiac arrest. We've implanted this small device that

sits underneath his collarbone. This is the battery that provides the

energy to deliver an internal shark. Now, we are actively looking

for patients like him, at a higher risk, to implant more of these

devices. Locally, we were at the lower end of the incantation rates

but we are catching up quickly. We are appointing extra staff to

identify these patients and put these devices. It was all in a days

work for the medical team. It was a day John's family will never forget.

I couldn't have had better treatment if I gone private. They have all

been absolutely fantastic. We are awash with incredible stories

tonight. Six times, his heart stopped.

It is amazing but all down to his wife thinking fast, to dial 999.

Every minute of delay after a cardiac arrest, your survival

chances go down by 10%. We have to report and who do report

when things go badly wrong. It's nice to put the other side. This is

an amazing team. You saw it there. He cannot say

thanks enough to the people he cannot say thanks enough to

literally saved his life. There are 2 million people in Britain who have

an irregular heart rhythm which is the heart condition that John has.

About 20% will go on to have a cardiac arrest and die from it every

year. So you can see this is a big killer and an area the NHS needs to

improve on. A date for your diary: That programme that John is in. It's

next Tuesday, the 25th of March. Taxi drivers are protesting about

the introduction of a knowledge test, which a Nottinghamshire

council says should help stop licence applications coming in from

as far away as Portsmouth. The council in Gedling says its been

regarded as a soft touch because its own regulations haven't been as

tough as elsewhere. But experienced cabbies are saying they shouldn't

have to pay to take the test. Cabbies protesting at the borough

council 's headquarters. They say they shouldn't have too paid ?35 to

take the new test being introduced in May. The council's `` the council

licenses taxi drivers far and wide. Why would I want to sit in knowledge

test and I don't need to? For new drivers, let them do the test. As

drivers have been doing the road is long enough. We are not troubling

anybody. The council says the knowledge test. The authority from

being what is seen as a soft touch when it comes to taxi licensing. It

has had hundreds of applications from around the country, including

some from nearly 200 miles away on the south coast. Gedling has granted

licences to 294 drivers from Derbyshire, 85 from Sheffield, 70

from Birmingham and it has even had applications from Luton and

Portsmouth. We recognise this was the issue for us. We had to look at

why people thought they could operate in places as far afield as

Portsmouth but be licensed by Gedling. When we cannot enforce our

standards in those places. The council is now considering a clear

that only new drivers should pay up. Former Nottingham Forest player,

Marlon King, has today changed his plea and admitted dangerous driving

after a three`car`crash last year. The 33`year old arrived in court and

pleaded guilty just before his trial was due to start. The crash happened

on his birthday last April on the A46 near Newark. One of the other

drivers was airlifted to hospital. King faces up to two years in jail.

Today he was granted bail and will be sentenced in May.

?100,000 is being spent on improving Leicester's memorials to mark the

centenary of the start of World War One. The Cenotaph in Victoria Park

is among the monuments to be repaired. Its roof will be mended,

the railings will be done up and the gilded lettering on plaques will be

refreshed. The City Council has also been awarded cash from the Heritage

Lottery Fund to improve the park's main gates.

After the wettest winter on record, Severn Trent is now urging customers

to consider how they can save water. The company says although reservoirs

are full at the moment, a hot summer could affect water levels. They're

asking households to look at ways to limit their water usage or become

more efficient, such as collecting rain in a water butt.

An imam from Leicester has received the OBE for his work with British

Forces in Afghanistan. Asim Hafiz was the army's first

Muslim chaplain. His medal was presented by Prince William at

Buckingham Palace this morning. He's been honoured for building bridges

with local people in Helmand Province.

Well, shortly after the presentation I spoke to the imam from our London

studio. I asked him how significant he thought the award was. For me

personally, it is handling and I'm grateful to the people who have

recognised the work that I have been doing. Credit also goes to the team

and the commanders that saw the work as valuable. The work is very

significant because it is about trying to bring communities together

and is about creating dialogue between communities, to prevent

conflict and deliver stability. Yes, I think we describe dual role as

building bridges. Is that a fair description? I definitely think

that's fair because half of the world's problems, or, can I say,

half of the way we can solve issues, is by better understanding. Better

understanding of culture, faith, hopefully allows us to seek peace, a

piece that is sustainable. Your role could be seen as controversial,

couldn't it? There are many Muslims who believe British troops should

not be fighting in Muslim countries. The key thing is, from my

experience, the armed forces are in Afghanistan to try and help

Afghanistan become stable and successful. It's about giving

Afghans an opportunity to build a better and brighter future for

themselves. What the British armed forces are trying to do in

Afghanistan is supporting Muslims and not necessarily putting them at

a disadvantage. The US Ambassador to the UK says he

hopes more American tourists will visit our region as a result of the

discovery of the remains of King Richard III.

Ambassador Matthew Barzun has been in Leicester today to find out more

about the area. He has a keen interest in history and has even

told us he plans to tell the president about his visit.

He is an ally of the resident. He is also an ambassador who likes to get

out of London. In Leicester, he `` he told the current exhibition and

find out about the discovery of the King's remains. He also saw

Leicester Cathedral, where the bones could be reinterred, depending on

the final decision. The ambassador feels the history here would be a

big attraction for American tourists. I would hope so. I was

learning. Part of this cathedral has a great connection to America and

there is a real interest in English history back in America. I certainly

hope the visitor centre will mean it will increase. He also looked at the

graveside where his bones were found. People involved in the

project gave him an update. The enclosure for the graveside of King

Richard is well advanced, as you can see. As far as I know, they are on

target for July, for the opening. We will be able to see the graveside

and enjoy the interpretation of Richard's life and death. It's a

good opportunity to talk with the ambassador about Leicester's 2000

years of history but also talk about modern Leicester and the diversity

of the communities which make it such an exciting place to live

today. So, as someone close to Barack Obama, would he tell the

president about his experience? Absolutely. He and so many people

back in Washington and in America are interested in the UK. There are

lots of events going on around the world where US and UK work to

shoulder. With that seal of approval for Leicester, the ambassador's team

swept off to see more of the city. Free porridge was handed out to

schoolchildren at Leicester Market this morning, as part of a week of

activities promoting good nutrition. The event's been organised by

Leicester City Council, as part of its Smart Start healthy eating

campaign. Ladling out the porridge. TV chef

Rachael Green in Leicester this morning, to promote the importance

of eating well at breakfast. It's very important for all of us to have

breakfast, particularly children. Breakfast helps hydrate the body and

brain. It also gives energy. Something like porridge slow

releases energy through the morning. It helps concentration levels and

helps children learn. It is healthy to eat healthy stuff in the morning.

It gives you energy to the day. The event is part of a week`long pilot

project which is run by the City Council to encourage healthy eating.

We see it as a long`term problem which needs a coordinated,

sustained, collaborative policy, which doesn't change every time we

change a government but is over 25 years. That is why, across the

city, these nine and ten`year`olds are taught how to cook. They learn

the basics of healthy cooking, as part of the curriculum. I have

learned how to chop food and how to make different things. Cooking is

very important for every child to learn because it is a life skill.

They can take it with them as they grow older. With many of today's

youngsters facing obesity related problems, it's hoped these classes

and this week's activities will help create a generation of young cooks

and healthy eaters. Brilliant. It's all right for them,

they've had their tea. We are starving.

Still to come: tomorrow's weather and like that porridge. It's a good

start to the day. Tomorrow, some warm and hearty

sunshine on the way but make the most of that because it is turning

gloomy and cold again for the end of the week. All the details, coming up

later. Coming up, the East Midlands School

supplying the Olympic hockey stars of the future but a quick round up

of the sports news first. Starting with Derby County who have announced

season ticket sales for next season are over a fifth higher than at this

time last year. The Rams have already sold 16,300 seats. In

Cricket, Nottinghamshire's England T20 Captain Stuart Broad insists he

will be fit for the final World Cup warm`up match against India

tomorrow. Broad sat out today's defeat to the West Indies. There's

another player missing from the Leicester Tigers squad as they

prepare to face Exeter. Centre Dan Bowden is recovering at home in New

Zealand after having his appendix out.

And Donington Park racing circuit is heading for it's busiest racing

season since competition returned four years ago. Today the track,

fully recovered after the ill`fated attempt to bring Formula One to the

East Midlands `` hosted the media launch of the British Touring Car

Season. Touring Cars is just one of a series of top level events at

Donington this year. Last September, on a nice, sunny Sunday, we had our

biggest ever cried force `` British superbikes and we intend to build on

that, into this year, with British touring cars and so on. Very

important that people know we are open for business and we are excited

about all the developments and what we have been doing to improve the

experience for the visitor. Next to the school that's ripping up

the hockey record books when it comes to winning titles and

producing the next generation of Olympians. Stung by claims by a

rival school, Repton invited me down to see the talent and hard work that

keeps bringing in National titles and recognition.

The current generation of hockey players at the school play with the

enthusiasm of youth but also with pressure. The young women from here

have Olympic pedigree. We've been lucky. You have someone playing in

the last Olympics who won a bronze medal. Before that, we had a pupil

who played in the Beijing Olympics. That has inspired some of our

younger pupils to go on and try and match their achievements. It is

pretty hard to argue with success. For the girls, eight national titles

out of the last ten. For the school overall, 20 national titles. And

that will be why they've got eight boys and girls with England

development squads right now. Great facilities obviously play a part

that there is also an ethos might stand to bringing in serious sports

science `based training. How hard does he work you? Very hard. It's

great and we started doing that because it has improved all of our

general fitness, which is a good thing more than anything. It helps

us with hockey. He has been quite useful. It is not a lucky thing. You

have to develop your kids. That is the exciting part about this. We are

starting very young. But you do have to translate that onto the field of

play for some of these girls, those fields can be international ones,

even perhaps the hockey stadiums of Rio. I would love to them to

represent my country at senior level but it's a huge challenge. I don't

know, it's so far away it's hard to think about. Eight players in

international youth sides is a good start and history says there is

nothing standing in their way. Now if you're off to your local pub

you'd expect to be able to order a pint, maybe some food, and possibly

a game of darts. But the owners of one Nottinghamshire pub are offering

their customers the Hollywood treatment.

They've converted an outhouse into a cinema, and as Geeta Pendse has been

finding out they're amongst a number of pubs looking for new ways of

attracting business. A busy lunchtime at the reindeer

pub. Steve and partner Jim had been running the pub since November but

as well as pulling pints, they also offer another service. Once you, one

for you. The couple have converted a former skittle alley into a small

cinema, complete with 1930s seating from an old theatre in Doncaster. We

had always said that the pub was a bit like our playground. This was

just an extension of it. When you sit down and ask what your ideal

night I could be, it's either the cinema and go for a pint or go to

the theatre and have a pint. They have a collection of 3000 DVDs and

are constantly taking requests from customers. Some are from our

collection and it is ever building. People are coming in and suggesting

more. We are going out and sourcing more. In a recent report by the

campaign for real ale, they found that around 28 pubs are closing

every week across the country so in order to survive, many pubs are

diversifying, offering services like local parcel collections, selling

local produce and even offering haircuts. I think this is fantastic.

I can have a beer and the kids can be happy watching the film. If the

grown`ups are talking, you can just pop in here and have some fun. There

is no charge for tickets but any donations go to the Nottinghamshire

Hospice. What would you like to drink? Steve and German hope the

cinema will help ensure their survival.

Films with drinks in that title... Cocktail, the cider house rules,

Films with drinks in that title... From beer to eternity. How about the

classic, Stout of Africa. It has been a come`down for us

today. We've seen the first ring for well over a week. The high pressure

has been shoved to the south, allowing these weather fronts to

sneak in via the back door. Some lively showers this afternoon but it

is not over just yet. Our high pressure will start to sneak in and

fight the battle against. Tomorrow, we've got some warm sunshine on the

way once again. You will have two shelter from the wind to really

appreciate that warmth. Temperatures will be up into the mid teens. You

can see from the radar picture, some quite lively showers this afternoon.

They are starting to lose a bit of juice now. They are fading away. We

are in for another dry night. The clouds will come and go at first but

they will melt away as we head towards the Iliad hours. Winds will

only slowly ease later on. Little bit too little, too late. Another

mild night with those of 67 Celsius. Tomorrow, a beautiful start. Lots of

sunshine through the morning. The sunshine could turn a little bit

hazy later on in the day. A decent afternoon. Lots of sunshine. The

wind will still be on a breezy side. Temperatures up to 1516 degrees.

That will feel quite pleasant. It will be a one`hit wonder. Our higher

pressure is pushed to the east this time, allowing this weather front of

pushing on Thursday. It will take a while to get to us on Thursday so

bright and dry weather in the morning. Eventually, wet and windy

weather coming in towards the end of the day. This weather front is the

dividing line between the warm and cold air. It will be colder towards

the end of the week.