31/10/2013 Look East - West

the News of the World. That's all from the News at Six.

Hello and welcome to Thursday's Look East. In the programme tonight:

Students' lectures are disrupted as university and college staff walk

out in a row over pay. People are leaving academia and

going into Private distributors they cannot raise their families on this

income. The nightly soup kitchen getting

back on its feet despite a devastating break`in.

Who let the water out? The mystery of the Grand Union Canal saboteur.

And will Rachel's American Smooth be enough to keep her in Strictly?

Good evening. It's been a day of strike action for

universities and colleges across the region. Staff, from cleaners to

tutors, have walked out in a bitter row over pay. It's affected

students' tuition and it's been condemned by the employers. The

three unions involved say it's just the start of a campaign for better

wages. In a few moments, we'll hear from the University and College

Union, but first this report from Mike Cartwright. It is one of the

most famous universities. Here, too, they walked out. From three

different unions, workers who earn their living in higher education.

Professors on the higher pay scale, cleanest `` clean of the lowest

side`by`side today. Three unions say they have thousands of members in

the city. This man is a cleaner in the chemistry lab. Some sad stories

you hear about people when it comes to lighting and heating their

houses, paying mortgages, even going on strike, not getting paid. A lot

of people have to worry about their pay packet the end of the month and

how they will make ends meet. Among them, students supporting the

strike. They have taken a pay cut over the next three years and we

believe that we'll have a negative effect. It is truly important we

have staff who are paid decently. They are being overworked and

underpaid. A 1% pay increase far from high enough. They're in ploy is

say different. We have made it clear that 1% is the maximum of

affordability for institutions that they are to remain sustainable in a

competitive environment. We have the unions will return to the table and

recognise they have got a good offer. Across the region, people

walked out. In Northampton, lecturers said they had no choice

but to strike. We have had a 13 effective pay cut over the last few

years. That means that people are leaving academia and going into

Private industry because they cannot let their families on the income. In

Cambridge, both universities that stays strike caused minimal

destruction but workers laid if there pay does not improve, other

strikes could follow. With me is David Goode, secretary of

the Cambridge branch of the University and College Union. You

represent the teaching staff on strike today. Lecturers are on

salaries of ?33,000 a year upwards. Is it right you should be striking

alongside cleaners who earn considerably less? Absolutely. It is

fair that we have solid ashtray with the lower paid workers on for

ourselves. `` solidarity. We have been consistently underpaid for the

last four years, losing approximately 13%. A lot of people

in the country and all kinds of professions are in a similar boat.

Students we heard from said that lecturers are overworked and

underpaid. Many members of the public feel about you only teach the

few I was a week and you were already well paid. Who is right The

students. They are at the sharp end of what we deliver. They are also

playing tuition fees and many of them could not go to lectures today.

The students passed a motion on Monday night supporting us and one

of the points they trust said it was worth from their point of view the

temporary and short lived destruction not a strike rings in

order to secure a better paid and better motivated staff in the long

term. The government cannot just create money out of nowhere, so if

you and your members will be paid more, where'd you suggest the

government cuts back's the government does not need to cut

back. There is already a surplus in the institution in the UK. The

higher education authority reported a 1.1 billion operating surplus in

higher education. That is not money that needs to be obtained from

cutting from some of. They have the money, they just do not want to give

it to us. Tomorrow, you will be working to rule. What does that

mean? We will be sticking to tasks and duties which are contractual

obligations. We will not be doing things like additional meetings

Thank you for joining us to night. Thieves won't stop us feeding the

homeless. The message from a soup kitchen in Peterborough after

thousands of pounds' worth of their supplies and cookers were stolen.

The charity provides food for around 60 people every night. Louise

Hubball is with the team now. Louise, how are they coping? They

feed around 60 homeless people every night from this unit and what

thieves did is they broke in on Tuesday night and stole two

handbags, managed to get a set of keys and then came back and help

themselves. You can see these shells full of donated food. They were even

from. The thieves struck a number of teams, mainly Tina and corned beef.

`` tuner. This room is where they prepare the food and heat up the

soup. Thieves took three cookers from here which had only been

installed three weeks ago. They got away with goods with a value of

around three thousand pounds. 1 0 volunteers work for this charity

they are absolutely devastated. I am joined by Ian. Tammy what the

reaction of the volunteers has been. Speechless. My own feeling when ..

Your heart sinks when you first cheered this. Some people have said,

you must be joking. I was going to say, throughout the day, you have

had a lot of support the generosity of the public in the last 24 was has

been overwhelming. We have been inundated on the telephone with

offers of support, financial, support with cooking, we have one of

which came very early on from the Hindu temple next door. That is so

heartening. Very quickly, just come over here with me. The charity is

not giving up. It will be out on the streets tonight delivering food

A marina on the Grand Union Canal in Bedfordshire has been drained of

water after the gates to a nearby lock were left open. Around 30 boats

at Grove Lock in Leighton Buzzard were grounded in the early hours of

this morning. It's thought it may have been done deliberately. Neil

Bradford reports. What a level that Grove Lock marina are now almost

back to normal. `` water levels In the early hours of this morning

those living here had a rude awakening. Just after 4am, they

found they were sitting at the bottom of the canal. These people

were among those working by emergency services who have been

alerted like a concerned resident. I had to step up from the boat onto

the jetty. There was no water in the canal. It was a good scary at the

time. You are worried about what will happen to your boat, whether it

will get damage. It was Gary. If they go into the jetty and be water

comes back in, we will damage our boats. `` it was scary. We have two

look after a lot of boats to make sure this did not happen. The marina

sits between two blocks only a short distance apart and it appears the

water levels dropped after Gates to one of them were opened in the

night. It is half term and there are many more inexperienced voters on

the canal, but the owners say this is no accident. It is impossible to

navigate the lock with both `` with both kids open and it is the second

time it has happened. It happened on Saturday during the day. I was able

to shut the gates before we got into difficulties. You think it is

someone having a prank? Yes. Whatever the reason, the boat owners

hope whoever is responsible has now had their fun.

Drivers have been faced with a 30`mile diversion and severe delays

for most of the day on two separate sections of the A14 in

Cambridgeshire. A lorry fire in the early hours forced the westbound

carriageway to shut between junctions 20 and 21, where it joins

the A1M at Brampton. And a crash involving a jack`knifed lorry and

several cars during rush hour shut the eastbound side between junctions

32 and 33. One person was treated for neck injuries.

The labour MP for Corby says the town's large Scottish population

should be given a voice in the debate on Scottish Independence

There are more than 7,500 Scottish`born people living in the

Northamptonshire town, enough to sustain their own social club. But

they won't get a vote in the referendum next September on whether

Scotland should remain part of the UK. Sometimes you get the result you

want. But on the future of Scotland's relationship with the UK,

these people living in Corby will have no more influence than they do

one which numbers can up at the bingo. Any of the people who can

sure we either born in Scotland or their parents were. They won't get a

vote in next year 's referendum on Scottish independence. One

conservative borough council `` comes that think they should. They

think they should have a say on Scotland's future. I would like to

think it would stop them from the stink. They are entitled to vote. Do

you identify more as a member of Corby? That's Nutley not. Still

proud of the Heritage? Definitely. `` definitely not. If begins to us,

I will take it. I am not bothered. For someone who was born in

Scotland, would you like to have a say in the referendum? Yes. Scottish

family started coming to Corby in the 1930s with the development of

the iron and steel works. They found jobs and after the factories closed,

the remainder in the town. If they do not live in Scotland and in all,

why would they care if it stays part of the UK? It will be more

complicated to maintain the business links and family connections big ``

because travel will become more difficult. There are genuine

concerns about the relationship between people here and in Scotland

if they go independent. Whether Scotland decides to go it alone or

not, these expats remain proud of their heritage. They may not affect

the numbers called out for yes or no in the referendum, but many still

want their views and voices heard. And you can see Ben's full report on

Sunday Politics East. Etoille and the team will also be looking at the

aftermath of this week's storms and whether plans to increase the size

of the EU will mean an influx of more foreign workers. That's on

Sunday morning from 11:00am. Northampton Saints have submitted

plans for a new ?5.5 million stand at Franklin's Gardens. The new North

Stand would increase capacity by nearly 2,000 to 15,500. The stand

would include a bar, hospitality suites and ten boxes.

after this horrible incident, people have vowed to pulled together. They

will be out again feeding the homeless tonight, and here are some

of the produce they will take with them.

still to come in the programme tonight, we are on the Trail of the

wail of the coast of Norfolk. And Rachel and Pasha hoping to rise to

the occasion in strictly this weekend.

Now to some real small fry. But they will grow to be about this big,

unless, of course, you are an angler, in which case it is probably

out there. They were bred in Nottinghamshire, and today they were

released into the Corby boating lake, where numbers have been

falling. More than 5,000 carp and roach were brought on the 1.5`hour

journey. And it's hoped more people will be encouraged to try fishing.

The end of a long journey, the start of a new life. Transported at a

steady 10 degrees, so their new home is not a shock to the system. The

fish are transported on pure oxygen, so they are quite happy in the

tanks. You got to be really careful when netting them out of the tank.

Obviously, we don't want to damage them. It has taken 18 months to get

to this point, so the last few minutes are important. Here is where

they are from. And Environment Agency farm in Nottinghamshire,

where they are counted out electronically after being reared in

greenhouses in the vital first few months. Della macro we feed them on

the little tiny shrimp we have, and then we stuck them into ponds. From

there on, we are trying to rear these fish in as natural a way as

possible. A big difference for our faces, we are trying to produce fish

that are fit for purpose and can cope with life in the wild, and that

is not easy. Among the fish being released today is the 10 million

fish that has been bred to restock the nation's lakes and rivers. It

could be to replace those lost by pollution, but today, they are being

released to encourage more people to take up wishing. `` fishing. The

people they really want to take up fishing is the next generation,

hoping to attract young anglers this afternoon. I am teaching my son the

basics of fishing, and how to go about it, what baits to use, how to

put it, what hope to use. The basics of fishing, really. It keeps them

off the streets, keeps them out of Misti, and it is learning them

something. I think it is good, because you get to see the fish when

you catch them, and I find this fascinating. Just catching them, and

how you put them back in, and how they flap about. While today they

are stuffing of the fish, others are stealing them. That has become a big

problem throughout the country. We do have a lot of illegal fishermen

come down here at night will stop and think once we have gone off

site, that we don't return, but we do. We sneaked back in the dark and

we. It is part of a nationwide restocking programme. The future's

bright for the fish here, even if their new home looks murky.

The tens of millions of people who watch Strictly Come Dancing will

know that Rachel Riley from Essex is struggling to please the judges. Of

course, she's a presenter on the programme Countdown, and has been

told she needs to fight to stay on the show.

You can't fault the effort. The couple are training 30 hours a week,

and on Saturday they'll be hoping to impress with an American Smooth. In

a moment we'll hear from her mum, but first Gareth George has been to

meet Rachel and Pasha in training. At a secret location in London,

Rachel Riley and her partner Pasha rehearse for this Saturday's live

show. How nerve racking is it when you go out on that live show? I

would be thinking, I going to get my steps? It is pretty terrifying. I

can keep myself calm until the music Homs on, and then it is just, where

are my? You have got so much adrenaline. Even more nerve wracking

when you activate the judges. They were not too kind about Rachel's

modern take on a glass of Dublin. You have come out with a lot of

aggression and a lot of clean lines and clean for work, and it just did

not quite work. That is a great pity. You must have a thick`skinned,

have a new, because some of the judges... Do you think they have

been a bit rude? The judges, I mean you have to be critiqued, obviously,

but the person I want to do well for is Pasha, because he sees me in

training, he sees where I have started, where I am at the start of

the week, how much effort I put in and how much improvement I hopefully

make. Is she a natural density macro Rachel... Sorry, Rachel. Oh, she not

here. Rachel is not a natural dancer, so you see on Saturday

night, it is actually... It requires hours and hours of hard work for

her. But they are still rooting for that her old school, and across the

rest of Essex. I am getting things through my letterbox, my old school

are supporting me, there posters up in the Indian takeaway and

everywhere around! It is really sweet, and having all the support is

like having a talking animal. His staunchest supporter is her mum. She

is put posters up. She is doing all sorts. It is brilliant. It is her

favourite programme. She wants a dance with Pasha, that is a request

! Late this afternoon, we spoke to

Rachel's mother Celia, and started by asking is she was confident for

the weekend. I am 75% confidence. I think she has

had a good week of practice, she is really looking forward to it, and

she is absolutely loving the dance. And do you love watching here when

you see her do that live, or have you got your head in your hands? No,

I haven't got my head in my hands, but my heart starts thumping, and

When She Was Mine a dance off, I was grabbing hold of the seat in front

of me for dear life. And when the judges say unkind things about it,

what is your reaction? Well, as a mother, I am obviously feeling for

Rachel. The slug in salt was not too kind, but I'm very proud of the way

she keeps a smile on their face and she takes it. I don't think I could

take the criticism that well. And does she take it OK, order she

phoned you up and come and see you afterwards, upset by it all? No, she

doesn't mention it at all. She just carries on. It makes it more

determined and come back the next week and rectify anything they have

mentioned that needs rectifying. It just makes you stronger. Tell me a

little bit about how hard she is working at this. She is dancing all

the hours she can. She thinks she is wasting time I actually being asleep

or eating, and she has lost a lot of weight. And she has got blisters all

over her feet, and I Inc you know that she has got a back problem, so

she is in pain, but she is going to dance through that pain, and she is

very determined to do her very best. And she has an incredible amount of

local support. Out important is that? Extremely important. I have

been canvassing all my friends and acquaintances. She has her own fan

club, Pasha has his own fan club, I have been going round the town with

posters. I give a lot of talks to groups. I have asked them to vote

for Rachel. Some lovely comments online. She has had lovely Twitter

comments from people like Liz Hurley and Sarah Milligan and other sorts

of people. Everybody says it is one of the best things they do in their

life will stop at leaving it has changed a? Well, for one, she

absolutely loves dancing now. She has never dance in her life will

stop I only saw the dance at their wedding, and that was the first time

I have seen it on the dance floor. I think she wants to carry on dancing.

Everybody seems to get the bug from dance thing. I have always had the

bug. I used to dance very many years ago. Rachel is now loving it, and

she wants to continue. Give her our best wishes. But look at the

weekend, and thank you for being with us. Thank you very much indeed.

Keep voting ! A humpback whale has been sighted

you entered one of these competitions once. Second, not

first. You are going to get yourself into trouble ! We are going to talk

about Wales now. A humpback whale has been sighted of

the Norfolk coast in recent days. It was first spotted at Hemsby early on

Tuesday morning, and since then, hundreds of people have flocked to

the coast to try to catch a glimpse. It's the first time a humpback whale

has been spotted in the waters off Norfolk. Mike Liggins was up bright

and early this morning, to see what he could see. Sadly things didn't go

exactly to plan. Hemsby, just north of great

Yarmouth. This is where Ryan Irvin and his girlfriend Tabatha spotted

the humpback whale early on Tuesday morning. They were the first to see

it. I just looked out the patio doors, and there was a big blow, and

I shouted to Tabatha, Wale ! She came running through, and we get the

telescope out, and managed to see it surfacing. We were pretty certain it

was a humpback whale. Both Ryan and Tabatha are marine scientists, so

could they help this fine the way? Apparently, we had to look for

gannets. Bewail associates with a group of gannets. They follow the

Wale, looking for an easy lunch. North of the air is Winston, whether

Wale was spotted on Tuesday and Wednesday. You could see a long way

out, but no Wale insight. So, here's one we made earlier. The humpback

whale, to 19 metres long, and 36 tonnes. It is a big Wale, but it is

an even bigger C. We have not spotted it yet. Just one or two very

curious seals. I've got it. I have filmed it. Andy Lawson filmed it.

Here's an action replay. This is what we wanted, but the humpback

didn't seem to be around. I now, we had been joined by this man, who

came from Nottingham to see the whale. He sensed my frustration. You

need to have patience and optimism, but also, you shouldn't forget about

where you are and seeing what is around you. Good advice !

There was a rumour the Wale had been spotted further north. We're now

going to sea. Why has the humpback been a? Experts say, why not? A ban

on commercial whaling means that numbers are growing, and it was

probably only a matter of time. Sadly, we never did see the whale,

but he is out there somewhere, and who knows. One day, he may even let

us film him. Patients and optimism. Kind of sums

up Mike, doesn't it? Well, he is optimistic, anyhow. The weather now.

Good evening. We will see some rain in the next few days, and strong

winds. At the moment, quite calm, although you may catch a shower. We

have had lots of cloud around today, and it was they cloudy through this

evening. This rant gets time to clear first thing, but if you are

unlucky, you might catch a shower. For most people heading out for

Halloween, it should just about stay dry. A good deal of cloud will mean

a mild night. Just the chance of a shower in the first out of the

night, and later, perhaps the use what's of light rain or drizzle, but

mostly by the end of the night, a dry end. Temperatures for most of us

are hanging around ten or 11 degrees, but we might find one or

two spots dropped to eight or nine Celsius. Into tomorrow, this is our

pressure pattern. An area of low pressure moves in from the

south`west. There is a little bit of uncertainty as to how far north it

will go, and that will determine how much rain we get, so for many of us,

it will be a cloudy start, and gradually, we will see some rain

developing into the afternoon. We could see quite a lot of dry weather

in the morning. Temperatures around 12 Celsius, perhaps up to 13 in one

or two spots, and the wind generally is light and south to

south`westerly. Into the afternoon and evening, this is where it could

get interesting, because the rain could really turn quite heavy if the

low`pressure gas fire, that the moment, it looks like the heaviest

rain will affect parts of Essex and Hertfordshire, and that could

produce some heavy bursts of rain, some problems or a shower, no doubt.

Looking ahead, the next low`pressure system is moving in on Saturday. The

significance of this will be the strength of wind, particularly for

the evening and overnight, with gusts possible between 40 and 50

mph. That could be a problem if you are heading out on Saturday night,

the day itself does knowledge bad. It should stay mostly dry, sunny

spells in the morning, increasing cloud, and then the wind speed

rationing into the evening and overnight. Some rain on that front,

some perhaps a bit more persistent into the overnight period. Gradually

clearing away, but still windy for Sunday. There is just about a chance

of a shower for Sunday, but some sunny spells as well. It looks like

a settled darter next week, cooler by day, and overnight, a quick

barometer check, 1014 millibars, 29 inches will stop thank you. Not

great for fireworks. We will see you tomorrow. Goodbye.

Planet Earth - it's unique. It has life.

To understand why, we're going to build a planet...up there.

These were the objects that were making the Earth.

We're now weightless. That's how our planet started.

Your arms are a little bit long Is that as small as they go?