26/03/2012 Look East - East

Snared on powerlines. Left suspended for hours. A remarkable

escape for the passengers of this balloon and the pilot.

Things do go through your mind obviously when you're stuck up

there, what could have happened. But the main thing is that we're

all back down here and we're safe. Hello and welcome to Monday's Look

East. The other stories on tonight's programme:

Lambing live. But a new virus makes it a tough spring for farmers.

No-one wants to see any poorly or sick animals we care for them as

much as we can. Paying tribute to Tony Newton - a

cabinet minister in the last Conservative government. I think he

will be remembered as one of the most decent people in modern

politics. And life as a football manager with

First tonight, the three people left suspended in mid-air after

their hot air balloon became entangled in power lines carrying

more than 100,000 volts. This was the scene near the village

of Bozeat near Wellingborough just after six o'clock last night. The

basket of the balloon hanging 45 feet above the ground. The power

had to be turned off before the rescue could start. One of the

passengers had minor burns, but apart from that nobody was

seriously injured. Our reporter Stuart Ratcliffe is at the scene.

If you look behind me, just 24 hours ago at the ballooned and its

three passengers were suspended from those power lines. Those lines

carry 130,000 volts so it is incredible to think that the pilot

and his two passengers escaped with minor burns and cuts and bruises.

A balloon ride, a perfect end to a spring evening. But as this footage

shows, it ended in a horrific fashion, would be balloon becoming

entangled in the high-voltage lines. After 6pm, emergency services and

the power companies arrived at the scene to find the pilot and two

passengers. We could not go anywhere near the basket until the

power lines had been thirst. As soon as they were first, we could

go up there and affect our rescue. As it worried friends and relatives

looked on, the passengers and the pilot were lowered to safety,

shaken but amazingly, all escaped serious injury. I'm OK. The two

passengers are fine. That is the main thing. The balloon is a mess,

but that is not a problem. We are all down on the ground and fine.

Today, the true horror of what could happen became all too

apparent. We are waiting for two cranes to turn up to remove the

balloon. We plan to lift the bank it -- the basket first and then

lower the balloon. Hopefully that will happen around midday. One of

those businesses affected was this air testing company in Bedford.

knock-on effects for these things are huge. They are rare, but we

have a lot of visitors so a few hundred people have been affected

by the power not been there for a while. Around 10:30am, cranes were

manoeuvred into place to remove the basket and then the big operation

to unlock the balloon. The pilot was also there today to watch. He

told me that it was a flight he will never forget, but despite it

ordeal he has not been put off from taking to the skies again.

I'm joined by David from Northamptonshire Fire and rescue

and he was involved in the operation last night. Tell me what

role he were playing and how difficult an operation it was?

were presented with a very difficult rescue situation. We have

three people in the basket about 15 metres off the ground with a hot

air balloon trying to go around the high-voltage cables. This presented

a number of challengers and risks that had to be overcome, with the

focus on ensuring a safe rescue. was hit this morning and saw the

balloon hanging from the power lines. It is incredible that no one

was seriously injured or killed. Yes, the occupants were very, very

lucky. There were all sorts of potential issues around this kind

of incident, not least the high- voltage cables. Very fortunate.

Northamptonshire is known for its balloon -- balloons with the Berlin

Festival. Have you seen this before? I have not personally

experienced this type of incident, but they have occurred before in

the county. David, thank you very much, and well done on a successful

operation. Because this was such a serious incident, it has had a

happy ending for the pilot and the two passengers, the whole thing is

now being investigated in an official inquiry. We should have

the results in the coming months. Back to you.

It's lambing time across the region, but a new disease means that this

year farmers are keeping a particularly close eye on their

flocks. The Schmalenberg virus is spread by midges and causes birth

defects in calves and lambs. Jozef Hall is on a farm near Peterborough.

This little guy is just over one hour old. He is gorgeous and he

represents a picture-perfect seen. That is one that is replicated

across the best part of the country, because there are over 60,000 sheep

farms, most of them Lamming now. But sadly, 209 of them are affected

with the Schmalenberg virus. As you can see, our region accounts for

more than its fair share. We have got more than a quarter of those

209 affected farms. For the best part of last night and today, I

have been on this farm at to see what it is like from a bomber's

point of view, not only living with Schmalenberg, but also without it.

-- a farmer's point of view. 2 am on the farm and it is time to

check on the Lambs. By 4:00am, it is the same again. The lambing

season is tough but it is rewarding. However with Schmalenberg nearby, a

sense of fear threatens this magical time of year.

A what stage the realise they are OK? If they are performed, he would

be able to tell straight away when you put your hands on them.

Sometimes you get the odd lamb that is not right in the head and a bit

dopey. A bit of love and attention and it will come around. Robert has

had a busy night. At 2:30am, 300 ewes started lambing. All of the 12

lambs are so far healthy. A healthy lamb will fetch around

�90 in the market, but Schmalenberg is more than just a financial

worries. I was brought up with sheep. I think it is quite

distressing when you see things like this happening. To me, farming

is about this, having livestock on the farm. I care about them as much

as someone would care about their children, I suppose. No one wants

to see any poorly all sick animals, we care for them as much as we can

and give them the best life possible. It is a cruel disease and

and and visible one until birth, but by then it is too late. It

leaves farmers with little choice than to concentrate on the healthy

ones. Just going around the field to look for sheep that are Lamming

all have around. Bombs were that Schmalenberg say that that is their

biggest concern, but the season is notoriously long and with so little

known about Schmalenberg, no one is home dry yet. -- farms with

Schmalenberg. This far know what it is in the

area. DEFRA have confirmed today that there are between 10 and 20

more farms every week been diagnosed with cases of

Schmalenberg. You may remember about one month ago, we spoke to a

suffer,. He was hit terribly hard as he lost 75 sheep. I spoke to him

yesterday to see how he was getting on. He said that we need to keep it

in perspective. I could lose up to 50 lambs in one bit of bad weather,

though -- so although Schmalenberg is bad, it could have been worse.

Later in the programme: we look back on a great weekend for Sport

Relief. And an interview with Paul Sturrock

about how to be a football manager Five months after the eviction of

travellers living on illegal pitches at Dale Farm in Essex,

there appears to be stalemate again. Some travellers living in caravans

on the road next to the site have been issued with notices to leave

by the council. But they say they are not going anywhere. Richard

Daniel reports. The violent Dale Farm addiction

cost over �7 million. But five months on, travellers forced to

from the Eagle site are parked illegally on the access road close

by. Basildon council has given and 21 days to leave. This woman's

caravan is one of 20 served notices. She says she is going nowhere.

have nowhere to go so we will have to fight this as well. It is just a

long playing record. It will be exactly the same thing over again.

We will not move because we have nowhere to move. The council has

also issued notices to every single plot on the legal site, 34 in total.

It warns that any with more than two caravans are breaking the law.

Travellers from outside the area had apparently mute been since the

addiction. They have never been other strangers, everyone has

belonged to this farm. In the real- world, we would have somewhere to

live. The council is wondering whether to embark upon another

costly addiction. The original plan was to return man to green belt

status, but five months on, it is anything but. It leaves many

wondering what has been achieved here.

A man's denied raping a teenager in Essex 14 years ago. John Molt,

who's 34, is accused of attacking the girl near a wood in Harlow in

1997. Today, at Chelmsford Crown Court, he pleaded not guilty. He

was remanded in custody to await a trial in June.

The athlete Sally Gunnell helped launch Easyjet's first flight from

Southend Airport today. The airline is planning 70 departures a week

from the terminal, carrying around a million passengers a year.

Easyjet also said its losses this year are likely to be lower than

forecast. The former cabinet minister Tony

Newton has died at the age of 74. He was the Conservative MP for

Braintree for 23 years. He lost his parliamentary seat in 1997, but

remained active in public life until just before his death. Our

political correspondent Andrew Sinclair reports.

He had not been well for a while, but Tony Newton refused to stop.

is neither bright, fair and or just... Slightly out of breath and

aided by the occasional puff of oxygen, he spoke out against parts

of the welfare bill. It was one of the few times he voted against the

government. The importance of this scheme, which times -- which ties

in with many of my own concerns... Under Margaret Thatcher, he was

health minister, a trade and industry minister does, a show

short security minister. John Major made him leader of the Commons. He

was popular with leaders and opponents. He was the more

acceptable face of the Thatcher government. Tony Newton was a

decent man. He was utterly genuine in his dealings with you. He was

interested in what you have to say. He had a good sense of humour,

engaged with you directly, you didn't feel that there was any site

to Tony. What you saw was what you got. He became MP for Braintree in

1974. After losing his seat, he still took a great interest in

local issues, sitting on the board of local health trusts and becoming

involved with the hospice movement. This afternoon, his death was

announced in the House of Lords, a life dominated by public service

right until the end. Essex police have apologised after

an officer posted comments on Facebook apparently mocking

Falklands War veteran Simon Weston. Mr Weston, who suffered 46% burns

in 1982, said the remarks were in "poor judgement and poor taste".

The officer has not been named. The opening stage of the Tour of

Britain 2012 will see cyclists from around the world race from Ipswich

to the outskirts of Norwich. The stage, known as the Grand Depart,

will set off from the Ipswich Waterfront, Suffolk, on September

the 9th. Riders will travel through Woodbridge, Aldeburgh, Leiston and

Lowestoft before crossing the Norfolk boundary and finishing at

the Norfolk Showground. It will be the third consecutive year the tour

has visited the two counties. Football now, and Norwich's win in

Premier League at the weekend means they're all but guaranteed another

season in the top flight. Here's Phil.

Yes, most fans probably felt their Premier League status was pretty

secure before Saturday, but this is the moment any fears were put to

bed: Grant Holt's penalty secured bed: Grant Holt's penalty secured

their 2-1 win against Wolves. It's taken Norwich to 39 points for the

season. 40 points is historically the safety mark but the likelihood

is they're safe. The Canaries are 11th. They now have a 14-point

cushion over the drop zone with eight games to play.

The Norwich manager said reaching 39 points after Saturday's result

was an incredible statistic, but it was not easy getting there. The

Premier League's bottom side walls went ahead early on, celebrations

were short lived thanks to Grant Holt who drew Norwich level just 84

seconds after they fell behind. The turning point came just before the

break. Was that a handball? Surely it was a handball! Yes, it was.

Norwich have been derailed a penalty. But they called hat trick

was not meant to be. This goal resulted in a second yellow.

With the penalty stealing the points for Norwich City, the the

Canaries on and 19 points better off than they were last time they

were in the top flight, but are they guaranteed safety? It is not

guaranteed until the end of the season, but I think we are almost

there. Well and truly secure. are wonderful and I have never had

any doubts that Norwich would not stay up. It is great to get the

three points today. I don't know. I'm not so sure, it was it first

time for everyone in this position. The lads have been absolutely

brilliant. As for safety, Grant Holt's goals have once again proved

him valuable. His firepower perhaps boosted by his newly awardee place

in the Norwich City Hall of fame. In the Championship, Ipswich looked

like their good form would continue when Jay Emmanuel Thomas put them

in front at Watford. But two second-half goals for the hosts,

put an end to Town's five-game unbeaten run. The 2-1 defeat leaves

them 15th in the table. They obviously quite direct and we could

not do it. The pressure they put us under, they did not even create the

goals. In League One, Colchester United

remain six points off the play-offs after their 1-1 draw with Carlisle.

Martin Rowlands got the U's in front after a nice 1-2 with Steven

Gillespie. But the visitors found an equaliser midway through the

second half to share the points. Good football from us. You have to

be patient to open it up, but 15 minutes after that belonged to

Carlisle and they found an equaliser so that was disappointing.

Now just over a month ago, Southend looked nailed on for promotion, top

of League Two after 31 games. Fast forward five weeks, and viewing

isn't so good: now down to 5th, winning just two of their last

eight games. On Saturday, things got worse. Bristol Rovers scored

from the spot four minutes from time to win the game 1-0. The club

have confirmed Mark Phillips is fine. He was taken to hospital

There are match reports and more reaction to all those games on the

BBC Sport website: Research into autism funded by a

businessman from Benfleet in Essex could lead to a much simpler way of

diagnosing the condition. The work carried out in Sweden has found

that people with autism have a fragment of protein in the blood

called a peptide. It means one day a simple blood test could be

Just to make sure it was not stuck or anything. Nine-year-old Jamie

Davies is thought to have Asperger's syndrome, but despite

tests and he has never been diagnosed. It has been a long

struggle to get diagnosis. If there was a diagnosis, we might get more

help to help him at home. parents wish there was a simple

test, but now research in Sweden, funded by this Essex businessman,

has found what is known as a marker in the blood, a small piece of

protein called a peptide that is prominent in autistic children.

has cost me over �200,000 a year. I hope to God that this is what

everyone is looking for. I hope that this is a stepping-stone in

finding the cure for autism. found a specific marker that is

highly enriched in patients with autism. They all turned out to come

from the same protein, a protein called complement c three. In the

long run, I think we could come up with a diagnostic test that could

be used for screening in children with new a psychotic --

neuropsychological disorders. man has Asperger's syndrome and was

only diagnosed at 28 after paying to see a clinical psychologist.

there was a blood test, it would be very clear cut. It affects a lot of

people and our statistics would be more accurate. At the moment, the

diagnosis of porters and is purely behavioural be defined and that

cannot be applied until children of three or four years old. Are we

know that the earlier behavioural therapy commences, be more

effective it is forced up having access to that therapy at a younger

age would help children like Jamie. Now the goal is to develop a simple

blood test that would be available in hospitals. Scientists are

optimistic they may have discovered an easier way to diagnose autism.

And if you want more information on that research, you can go to

www.autismbiodiagnostic.com. That will keep you all the information

that you need. The manager of Southend United has

spoken out about his battle with Parkinson's Disease. Paul Sturrock

told our sister programme Late Kick Off that while he was diagnosed 12

years ago, he kept it quiet for eight years.

One thing is clear: it hasn't stopped him doing his job with a

great deal of success. He's been in charge at four different clubs

which have won promotion, and number five with Southend is firmly

in his sights. He has been the boss of for two

seasons. He is -- he still has a spring in his step. Quick to crack

a joke, share a smile, but this jovial exterior masks a steely

determination to succeed. When I got here, heads were low at the

time. There were nine players at the first training session. It was

a challenge. It is not the only challenge he has based. I thought

it was an appropriate time to disclose the disability thing that

I have Parkinson's disease. He had kept it quiet for a number of years.

Only the club doctors knew, and my coaching staff of his three. Family

and a few friends as well. You ask yourselves -- yourself if it

affects you getting a job, it probably has in the past, but it

has never affected me that much. Did his illness deter you from

appointing him at all? It was a consideration. We did a lot of

investigation before we interviewed him. We were satisfied that his

illness had been stable for a number of years. People look at

Muhammad Ali and that is severe Parkinson's, but I'm OK so I feel

confident I can do the job. Paul at last to manage football clubs, the

task of building teams to win promotion drives him on. Who knows

how far he will take Southend? You can see that report in full in

Late Kick Off a bit later tonight Let's get the weather forecast now

forced up if you like sunshine, I know people are desperate for rain,

but take a look at these pictures. It was unbroken sunshine across

most of the region today for most of the day. It is hard to believe

that we are actually only at the end of March. It looks like these

are the pictures I should be showing you in June or July. A word

of warning, the sun is strong so there is a medium risk of sunburn

so were slapping on a bit of sun cream if you were heading for the

ice-cream. And what temperatures did we reach? The highest

temperature recorded today was a 19 degrees. I know Barcelona and

Tenerife are slightly out of our region, but it is interesting that

some parts of our area where warmer than bits of Spain and the Canary

Islands. It is more of the same tomorrow. Tonight, largely clear

skies, some patchy mist and cello fog developing, but nothing

widespread. Under clear skies, very light winds, we are looking at

temperatures inland as low as freezing. Last night at the end of

the night, it fell as low as-two so a chilly night after a warm day for

most people. Very light winds. Tomorrow, high pressure over the

top of us again so it is a repeat performance. Any mist and fog will

quickly -- quickly fear and we are looking at a lot of sunshine.

Temperatures again inland will respond to that sunshine and are

said to reach about 18 or 19 degrees. It will take us into the

mid- 60s Fahrenheit. Like today, temperatures on the coast will not

be as high, but when you consider that the average is around 10

degrees, we are not doing badly. The wind will be light and variable.

Plenty more unbroken sunshine during tomorrow afternoon. Those

sunny skies not as continuing tomorrow afternoon, but into

Wednesday as well. In the best of the sunshine, we could reach 21,

which is 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Thursday and Friday are looking

cloudy as there is a weak front pushing through. The temperatures

will come down, and then Saturday could shock the system after the

one temperatures: Much more clowned around. -- cloud around. At a bit

of drizzle as well. These are the Just a quick word to say well done

to everybody who helped raise so much money for Sport Relief.