12/08/2013 Look East - West

the man standing trial for a second time, accused of murdering a

teenager from Milton Keynes. Rachel Manning disappeared 13 years ago.

The discovery of her body at Woburn Golf Course began a pursuit of

justice that has already lasted more than a decade and seen an innocent

man jailed. 41-year-old Shahidul Ahmed now stands charged with her

death. Who Today he was back in court to face a retrial. Killed

Rachel Manning Tesco under fire. Claims that local workers in Harlow

have lost their jobs and been replaced by cheaper, migrant labour.

Tesco need to stop being a company is the man who killed Rachel that

night and they say there is new scientific evidence to prove it.

matched DNA on the car steering lock, alleged to have been used to

smack Rachel in the face. The prosecution allege that a hair found

on her clothing also belongs to the defendant. Mr Ahmed denies murder

but the case is expected to go on for six weeks. Joe Black was in

court today. She joins us now. What more can you

tell us? This was an horrific case with a 13

year history. This will now be the fourth trial that Rachel Manning 's

family have had to sit through. As you heard in my report, her

boyfriend at the time, Barry White, was convicted of her murder. That

took place in 2002. Then, that was overturned at the court of appeal.

At a retrial, he was acquitted. Earlier on this year, the man who

stands in the dock today faced a trial. The jury was unable to reach

a verdict. The prosecution continues tomorrow. Mr Ahmed denies murder.

Bedfordshire police have charged a man in connection with the death of

a grandfather after a fight over a disabled parking space. 65-year-old

Alan Watts is accused of killing Brian Holmes, during the row in the

car park at Asda in Biggleswade ten days ago. Mr Holmes died from a head

injury, just days after he had been given the all clear from cancer.

Workers in Harlow may have lost their jobs, only to be replaced by

cheaper migrant labour. The claim from Labour's Shadow Immigration

minister today. It follows the closure of the Tesco distribution

depot in the town which employed 800 people. The workers were offered

jobs at a new centre in Dagenham. But on lower wages and most refused

the offer. In a moment we'll hear from the Harlow MP Robert Halfon.

First this report from Deborah McGurran.

The row over the closure of Tesco's distribution plant in Harlow

reignited by Labour 's shadow immigration minister. Today, he

claimed Tesco may have hired staff who have come from Eastern Europe,

rather than using British workers. When a distribution centre was moved

to a new location, existing staff said they would have lost out by

transferring and the result was a higher proportion of staff at the

new site from other countries taking the jobs. Two weeks ago, the

distribution centre in Harlow finally closed with the loss of

hundreds of jobs. Tesco says it needed to close the depot as part of

a restructuring plan. Of the 800 people who worked here, 500 were

from Harlow. Only around 100 have taken a job at the new distribution

centre in Dagenham, on lower pay. should tackle the problem of

corporate juggernauts. He is calling for Tesco to reveal how many of the

Dagenham workers have been hired from agencies.

So what does the MP Robert Halfon mean when he says the government

needs to tackle corporate juggernauts? I asked him late this

afternoon. I think that Tesco have behaved ruthlessly in Harlow. They

closed a productive distribution centre. They damaged our community,

they damaged the lives of hundreds of Harlow workers. What I am saying

to the government is that we should ensure that these kind of companies

who behave in this way should get no grants from the centre at all in

terms of subsidies, help with relocation. The government should

also look at rules regarding agency workers and ensure that agency

workers are not employed on lower wages because it is the -- unfair on

local people. The criticism seems to be that these workers have lost out

to migrant workers. Do you feel that is the case? I don't know of that

for sure but what I do know is that Harlow Tesco workers were told that

they would get jobs in the Dagenham plant but with significantly reduced

pay. This was an affordable to those individuals who have families to

feed and mortgages to pay. What is wrong is companies like Tesco are

using agency workers, who are often doing the same work but for cheaper

money, and that is what the government needs to look at. That is

what I am urging today. Tesco need to stop being a company that is just

about piling the money high and selling the work is cheap. What

Tesco is doing in cutting costs isn't illegal. Is it time that the

government pushed for a living wage, rather than a element wage? --

minimum wage. I believe in a living wage but there are arguments about

the best way to achieve that. One of the best ways is to cut taxes for

low earners. I am glad the government have done that. They've

raised the tax threshold. I would like to go further and introduce a

10p income tax rate. Keeping in close contact with a lot of the

workers. Do you know how many of them have found jobs elsewhere? I

think it is very hard. I've met a few who have found jobs but many

hundreds have had to take redundancy and it is very difficult for them,

especially in the current climate. It is going to take them some time

to get back on their feet. I know local councillors are doing all they

can and other agencies. It will take a long time to heal our community.

Millions of pounds of Government money is coming to Cambridge to

boost cycling in the city. Cambridge will get �4.1 million with another

�4 million coming from local funding. 40,000 people already cycle

in the city, which means about 22% of journeys are made by bike. It's

hoped however this will increase to 40% in the next ten years.

It is a city planning on going Dutch. Special cycle lanes, away

from the cars and pedestrians. Safer, quicker. For Zoe Chambers, it

is a far cry from Cambridge. That is the UK's cycling capital. She cycles

six miles every day. It is busy. It's an incredibly busy city.

have to be vigilant and try and be safe, be alert all the time as a

road user if you are a cyclist. There are plans for separate

cycleways on three major routes. Better bike connections to the

research parks. Around 5000 bikes cross this bridge every day. It's

one of the busiest stretches for cyclists in the country, say

campaigners, but in a city with so many bikes, is �4.1 million going to

be enough? When you look at how much it is going to cause to upgrade a

local road for instance, it wouldn't get you much of road, but it's a

start. It might get matched by Cambridge county council. They have

been spending millions over the years. Congestion, the downside of

Cambridge expansion. One solution, more cycleways, they say. I think it

is rightly put that investment into Cambridge. We went to see more

people cycling because it is it -- it is good for them, it's a healthy

way of getting around and doesn't cause pollution. It also makes life

easier for those who use their cars, if fewer people are on the

roads in cars. That means those that do need to use them can get around

more easily as well. In less than a year, the biggest bike race in the

world is coming to the county. Tour de France will be another boost

for spiking here. Facilities are getting better but there are still

some way to go to catch our European neighbours.

A ground-breaking new treatment for skin cancer is going to be available

across the country, following medical trials here in the East. The

drug is taken as a daily pill and was developed and tested at

Addenbrooke's Hospital. It means mean patients can avoid surgery

which could have scarred them for life.

Ian has had carcinoma since the 70s. Before, he had radiotherapy and

had left his skin damaged. He has been taking a daily pill which has

made the tumours disappear. Even though it had side-effects for him

joining the trial wasn't difficult. The options I had were too

horrendous to anticipate. There were possibly going to be operate on my

nose but it would have meant just about removing the whole of it and

reconstructing it. The option to go on the trial was a far better option

than that. During the trial, his skin cancer started to shrink and

tests showed more than half of those using the drug noticed a difference.

It is described as a landmark treatment. Its gene therapy,

targeting molecules inside cells. Thousands of hours are spent

researching drugs at Addenbrooke's but not many treatments make the

grade. At the cancer centre alone, 160 open studies are taking place

for which 3000 patients have signed up for. It's not all about testing

new drugs that of those that are tested, only a handful will come to

market. There are lots of hurdles before you can bring a drug to a

patient. They include having a really well-designed clinical trial

programme. Then it has to get approved by the European medicines

authority. It has to be approved within the country. Then it has to

be approved for funding and then it has to be approved for use within a

hospital. There are lots of hurdles and it takes a long time. Those

taking part in trials had more treatments will come online. Many in

my family have died through cancer of various thoughts -- sorts.

law research they can do and the more drugs they can bring onto the

market, the better for everybody. For now, she continues to take the

drug but hopefully he will be lucky enough to be cleared of cancer.

The Accident and Emergency department at the general hospital

in Northampton has had it's busiest month ever. It dealt with nearly

10,000 people during July. That's one person every five minutes and