27/06/2011 Look East - East

The latest problem on the railways - power lines which droop in the

heat. Commuters give their verdict. We do not cope with any weather

here? Hello and welcome to Look East.

Also tonight: The seeds at the centre of another European E-coli

row. The company insists it will be cleared.

Preventative breast surgery - we catch up with one patient three

months on. And Elton John hits them for six

First tonight, another day of problems for commuters as Network

Rail admits it power lines can't cope with the hot weather.

There were delays and cancellations across Essex from my day, as train

slowed down to deal with sagging overhead lines. A normal service

was meant to resume at 5pm, but tonight there are still problems.

Gareth George is at Colchester now. It seems to be getting worse. Pity

the poor commuter this evening. The latest figure is that there may be

up to 60 cancellations. Norwich to London, delays, Southend to London,

delays. Part of the problem is the heat. It was in the 80s in

Colchester here earlier today, too hot for the power cables. It was

not just the commuters who were wilting in the heat, the power

cables where, too. -- the power cable were, too. The older ones

stretch and saga. That meant delays. Does it surprise you that they

struggle with hot weather? No, when they struggle with leaves, snow and

the vandals. We cannot keep -- cope with the weather here - rain, wind,

snow. It is something they should allow for when the design things

like that. This is just a normal summer's day. I do find it

surprising and disappointing. The power cable should be tight,

but in hot weather the metal expands. If they sag, high-speed

trains can pull them down. Work to upgrade the cables between

Chelmsford and Southend and London is Network Rail's biggest project

in the UK. These problems may add to commuters' frustrations. Network

Rail is using -- spending �200 million replacing the cables.

Commuter groups say that they are getting frustrated waiting for the

cables to be sorted out. As ever, If you have been affected

by any other stories on tonight's programme, do get in touch.

A seed company caught up in the latest E-coli scare says it is

convinced that tests will clear it of any blame. A French government

minister says that two people who contracted the disease in Bordeaux

had eaten seeds from Thompson and Morgan in Ipswich. The crucial test

results are not expected to Thursday.

It now numbers its worldwide customers in millions, but it all

began more than 150 years ago when an Ipswich back garden when William

Thompson, a baker's son and passionate botanist, got together

with businessman John Morgan. The rest was history. There is a vast

catalogue of seeds dating back to 1877. The latest catalogue was sent

out to thousands of customers in the UK alone. This is the warehouse.

The French market is second only to the UK. Products for France stretch

as far as the iCAN see down there. Environmental health officials from

Babergh Council have taken for testing these three sprouting seed

varieties implicated by the French. Stephanie Schuller is a lecturer in

infection and immunity at the University of East Anglia.

We are keen to help with his investigation and we look forward

to it reaching a satisfactory conclusion. She suspects the E-coli

contamination doesn't rest with the seed manufacturer. I think that's

been spreads could have been infected by water during irrigation.

In the village of Bramford, near Thompson and Morgan's headquarters,

some suspected the French were barking up the wrong tree. I think

that is wishful thinking. I think they are trying to push it on to

someone else. We will take our chances. You could contract at

disease at any restaurant. company has sold 100,000 packets of

sprouting seeds in France with no reported incidents.

Test results expected on Thursday at the earliest will prove whether

the ban on three varieties imposed by the French was overly hasty.

Vicky Ford is a Euro MP. I ask her about the potential impact. What we

learned from the Germans pinning the blame on the Spanish cucumber

incorrectly was quite how much damage that can do to a company, to

a business, by getting it wrong. I am concerned. This is a global

company based in our region with over 150 years of selling seeds

very happily to over 150 countries. The company says that the E. Coli

could have come from the way that the beansprouts were handled.

Absolutely. They sell thousands of packets of seeds. For this one case

to spring up where others have not seen as very bizarre. In my view,

the company has acted responsibly. They keep aside some of the seeds

from each batch. Let us all take care but letters hopefully give his

company some time. If they have been falsely accused then they

should get compensated. Is there something that the European

Parliament can do to stop this blame game that goes on between

different countries? I think it is part of a much bigger issue in

agriculture, where we constantly see bits of EU register -- EU

legislation put on our producers and then not implemented. I think

that is part of a much bigger issue about making agreements and people

sticking to them. Later in the programme Alex will

tell us how long this hot weather is likely to last. And Elton John

on tour at a cricket ground. A 19-year-old from Essex who is

accused of computer hacking has been released from custody on

conditional bail. Ryan Cleary will have to observe an overnight curfew

at the family home in Wickford, wear an electronic tag, and have no

access to the internet. He is accused of hacking into websites

including the Serious Organised Crime Agency.

New rules which mean that festival organisers have to pay at least

part of the cost of policing the event are starting to taken across

the region. Aldeburgh Carnival in Suffolk will be charged �5,000 for

the first time this year. And it also affected any event this

weekend at Caistor in Norfolk. Kevin Burch reports.

There has been a festival in Caistor for almost 40 years,

traditionally with a procession through the village. But not this

year. Instead, it was confined to the playing field. The police have

always been superb. They used to close the roads, advise on parking.

They were great and very helpful. But not any more. The organisers

say they found out, in their words, at the 11th hour during talks with

the county council, that the police would no longer be on hand to help

control traffic. They weren't sure they could do it themselves safely,

and to use a private firm would have cost hundreds. Norfolk Police

told us that they had warned 12 months ago that they could not

provide road closures. They denied their approach had anything to do

with cost cutting. In fact, the Association of Chief Police

officers has given forces nationwide fresh guidance on how to

handle such events. It also tells them how to work out charges based

on size, the charitable nature and the resources needed. In Aldeburgh

it means they are being charged for the first time for their annual

carnival this August. The cost of staging this year's event has

already risen by �14,000. Officers cannot be in two places at once. We

have to make a judgment about whether or not we can bear that

redeployment of officers and whether it is substantial enough

and the event is such that we do need to make some sign -- some sort

of charge. We have to find a way to cover these rising costs or we give

up. And we do not want to do that. The bill for policing alone will be

�5,000. They are trying to find fresh financial backing, but say

they will be forced to pass some of the cost on by raising admission

prices for cars at the carnival. Kevin Burch, BBC Look East in

Aldeburgh. A coroner has recorded a verdict of

suicide on Mark Ostler, who killed himself after shooting and wounding

a former girlfriend. It happened last year at Feltwell in Norfolk.

Mr Ostler's ex-wife told the inquest in King's Lynn that she had

warned the police that he had a gun two days before the shooting. The

police say they could not identify the officer she spoke to.

The owner of a bar in Haverhill has started to fingerprint its

customers to help it comply with under-age drinking laws. Bar Vu

says the new technology is also keeping drinkers safer. Come Friday

night, this place will be heaving, the best part of 250 people

enjoying the end of another week. First of all, they have to get in.

If your name is not on this list you are not coming in. We asked for

a driving licence or passport, place it in the scanner and then

link the information to their finger. The place that on the

fingerprint scanner and we do not ever have to ask for identification

again. If you're too young or you are a known troublemaker, do not

bother. It would not stop me. 58 and I come here all the time. I

do not like going out in town because the security is a lot

better here. I like the scanner, I think it is a very good idea.

firstly to completely nullified under 18 drinking. It is not

possible for an under 18 to come in and drink in our bar.

This is going to run some people up the wrong way, isn't it? I thought

Sol, but the under-25s want to be involved in it, too.

The figures seem to back it up. Only one person refused to use it

in the first month. The collapse of one of the region's

to his bodies will leave a big hole A shipping line has stepped in with

funding to save a rescue service in suffered from closure. The

Felixstowe Volunteer coast patrol lost its major sponsor, but says

this year it has already helped save the lives of five people. The

shipping company, Safmarine, will pay to keep the service going. The

former Norwich City footballer Darren Eadie is launching a new

website which will auction personal belongings from celebrities in aid

of charity. The likes of Orlando Bloom, Sir

Bruce Forsyth and Sharon Osbourne have already donated items. Darren

Eadie was a fans' favourite, a talented winger whose career was

cut short by injury at the age of 28. His new venture in retirement

is an auction website called Sellebrity. People will be able to

bid for a variety of items including Joan Armatrading's guitar,

Orlando Bloom's sword, Sharon Osbourne's handbag, Mark Webber's

helmet. Is there some Darren Eadie stuff on there? Yes, I was told to

put some up there. I put myself as Darren Eadie, celebrity founder.

Darren will take a commission to do the work, but charities will

benefit, the Prince's Trust initially, then others. Football

pundit and friend Robbie Savage has donated a Dolce and Gabbana jacket.

I think he'll only wore it wants. He keeps telling me he played

�3,500 for it. What else would he do with it? It would be stuck in

the wardrobe at home. TV presenters Simon Thomas and Gabby Logan are

two other celebrities to be involved. The auction starts on the

More people in this region are choosing to have surgery to remove

healthy parts of their bodies to prevent cancer. Three months ago,

we filmed Linda Speller having a second mastectomy and breast

reconstruction after she was told there was an 80% chance of her

cancer returning. Her operation was not a total success, but she says

she has no regrets. Tonight's special report is from Debbie Tubby.

Linda Speller is still recovering from her mastectomy and breast

reconstruction. There have been complications. She's had an

infection, four more operations, and lost two stone. The

reconstruction has failed. She knew the risks of the operation but the

risk of getting cancer was higher. Be hard -- it is very hard not

being the woman that you were. It is very hard having to face my

husband with the way I look. That is just life and we get on with it.

I am here to tell the tale. I do not like it and they know why do

not like it. That is why they said they would do everything they can

to make it right. I just want to get on with life a bit at the

minute and not go back in hospital and have to go through all that

again. In March we filmed Linda's 10-hour mastectomy operation.

Richard Heywood and two other surgeons working at the same time,

reconstructing her breast from her buttock. Her first mastectomy

removed cancer, this one is to prevent it coming back. Because of

her family history and genetics she had an 80% chance of it recurring.

That was a no-brainer. What do you do when you have a chance like

that? You have to have the operation done to reduce the risk.

I am glad I have had it done. It reduces my risk of cancer. I do not

want to sit around as if I am waiting for it to come back. I know

I have done everything in my power to stop it coming back. Linda

Speller is now considering whether to have further surgery. Despite

what she has been through, Linda Speller has no regrets. Mr Hayward

has assured me that he will do everything he can to make me feel a

woman again. She hopes her decision will mean she will live to see her

family grow up. Well, earlier today I spoke to

Richard Heywood, the consultant plastic surgeon who operated on

when the speller at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital. I

started by asking him just why Linda's procedure had not worked.

The procedure depends upon the blood supply. Moving the block of

tissue requires microsurgery where the vessels you are joining

together are half a millimetre in diameter. You are using needles

which are smaller than your eyelashes and threats that are

thinner than your hair. You have to get blood flowing into the block of

tissue and blood flowing out. In Linda's case, the blood flow coming

out of the block of tissue was not satisfactory, so it has created a

block of tissue that is not as healthy as it would be normally.

How successful has this procedure normally? My failure rate is 1.2%.

It is a bit higher nationally. There is a broad range of

microsurgery is. The failure rate We do a lot of research into the

genetics that predispose people to cancer. Patients discuss more

family issues. It is far more common that if a patient has had a

cancer in the family that they will know about it. Linda and others

like to say it is difficult to make the decision to remove healthy body

parts to prevent cancer. Why is that? If they are presented with a

cancer, the decision is harder. do you get young people interested

in science at school? It has been a question asked ever since Robert

Bunsen invented the Bunsen burner back in 1885. The latest device is

called Lab 13. It is where pupils as young as nine run their own lab,

developing experiments for themselves. There are only six in

the country, and the first in our region has just opened in

Northamptonshire. For years, science has appeared

dull and boring. Programmes like Bank Goes The Theory, try to do

something about it. This project aims to make science more fun.

you know what you're going to use? Jennifer is the scientist in

residence here. She oversees the work that the children do, but that

is it, because, ultimately, they are in control. The learning is

based on their curiosities about the world. They help run a budget

and even interviewed Jenifer for her job. They asked the harder

questions. One of them was, how do I think I am better than other

people attending interviews? They tend to ask those kind of blunt

questions. Today's lesson is about how to make a volcano from

household products. It is exploding! Where will the

experiments take the next? To build a rocket car. I have seen them on

TV and they look quite hard to build and I want to give it a go.

See how plants grow feeding a massive instead of water. I would

love to breed chickens but I am not sure we would be allowed. What

experiment would you most like to do? Blow up a teacher! Well, let us

hope that not all the ideas get off the drawing board!

He is the star behind songs like Candle in the Wind and Rocket Man,

and all in all he has sold more than 250 million records. At the

moment, Elton John is on tour. This Saturday it was Northampton, where

he was performing for the first time in more than a decade. Our

entertainments reporter, Dawn Gerber, was there.

The rain held off and the fans poured in. The star attraction -

Elton John. This will be my 14th time. I am looking forward to

because my dad is a big fan. He is looking forward to his first big

concert. We have known football clubs to host concerts, but now it

is the turn of cricket clubs. And over 14,000 fans have packed into

this Northampton ground. This is what they have come for - the new

It has been 11 years since Elton John last came to the town, and the

club are thrilled he chose to perform here. It is usually

important to us. It is important to us to show that we can stage major

concert events, attract major artists. The economic benefits are

huge as well. Tomorrow Elton heads to Sussex for his last tour date

and then he is off to Europe. But, for fans, this may not be the last

star performer they see. The club is now hoping to host more concerts

It looks like he enjoyed being there. He was not the only

superstar performing in the region this weekend, Susie was performing,

too. What I think he means is that we

were asked to provide aback inquire for Russell Watson. Just before we

went on stage, Russell told us why he always liked to use choirs from

the region he is performing in. am a bigger advocate of using local

choirs. I think having a local choir brings that sense of being

here and being proud of the local musicians.

I must also say that our colleague, Louise, is also in the choir.

Many locations hit 30 Celsius and above. These pictures show people

in Cambridge enjoying the weather, lazing around by the river. Many

locations got a 32 Celsius. That is 90 degrees Fahrenheit. It will get

quite a bit cooler but more normal temperatures for this time of year,

but not before some thunderstorms. It will turn increasingly cloudy

through this evening, and we do have a chance of thunderstorms. In

the second half of the night, the showers could merge together to

provide a longer spell of rain. The lowest overnight temperature will

be 14 Celsius. Tomorrow will feel cool. There will be showers in

Norfolk and Suffolk, especially along the east coast. 22 Celsius

will feel a bit different from today. There is still a risk of

heavy showers in the afternoon., for the rest of the week, we have

fine, settled weather to look forward to. Not as hot as it has

been. Some showers will linger around Norfolk and Suffolk

particularly tomorrow. Wednesday looks fine and dry. There is the

chance of an isolated shower. Temperatures will be back nearer to

normal for this time of year. The winds will be reasonably light for