02/04/2014 Look East - West

brightness between the clouds. The outlook is mixed. Thank you.

Hello and welcome to Look E`st. Coming up in the programme tonight:

Killed at a notorious acciddnt blackspot. An inquest hears of

Hannah's final fatal journex. High alert on health as air

pollution peaks in this reghon. We'll be here later in the

programme. The rising tide of obesity. As the sugar industry

booms, so do our waistlines. But who's to blame?

And an East Anglian success story. Why our region has the pick of the

asparagus crop. First tonight, a court's bedn

hearing of the final fatal journey of a teenager who lost her life at a

notorious accident blackspot. Hannah Yates was just 19 years old, full of

fun, with her whole life ahdad of her. She was described by hdr family

as full of fun with her whole life ahead of her. But an inquest heard

today how one night last November, she lost control of her car on

Northbank, near Whittlesey. A notorious stretch of road, the

Northbank stretches for somd miles alongside the River Nene towards

Peterborough. Hannah's death was one in a series of accidents last winter

that led to safety barriers being erected. Today, campaigners said the

safety measures still didn't go far enough.

"A beautiful girl, who we mhss so much. Our hearts are broken." the

words of Hannah Yates' family after today's inquest into her de`th. She

died after her car went into the River Nene at Whittlesey ond night

last winter. The inquest he`rd that it was at the seven o'clock in the

evening. Hannay Yates was h`ppy in herself and on her way to sde her

boyfriend. An eyewitness saw that her car crashed through the trees

and into the water. He said the car was sucked underneath and

eventually, the car lights disappeared. The driver who stopped

said he heard Hannah shouting from the car, saying, "Help me, H can't

get out, I'm trapped." It sounded like she was banging on the glass.

It was one of a series of accidents. Starting with Hannah's death on the

3rd of November. Then, over a week, four cars also plunged into the

River Nene, with passengers thrown into the water and having to escape.

On second December, the bodx of Keith Pettitt from Corby was

recovered from a car. into the water and having to escape.

On second December, the And on the same day, another accident. This

time the driver was unhurt. Today, the coroner said Hannah's ddath was

accidental, losing control while negotiating a bend.

time the driver was unhurt. Today, the coroner said He gave an open

conclusion on Keith Pettit's death, saying he couldn't be sure ht was

accidental. After Hannah's death, her family joined campaigners

calling for better safety mdasures. If we can raise awareness from what

happened to Hannah, we can help save other people and stop other families

going through this. It will be in her name. A temporary 40mph speed

limit was brought in and safety barriers put up on the bend where

she died. It is a terrible shame that it took Hannah's death and then

the subsequent death later on, only a few weeks later, and then further

accidents that happened in November of last year, to persuade the city

council finally to realise the need for a safety barrier on this road.

Campaigners are calling for more safety measures across the county.

Obviously, the barrier is already in and has been constricted on that

particular bend. Unfortunatdly, it comes down to cost and risk

management as to where else to put barriers. There are so mini rose in

the county where water runs alongside, it is not practical or

effective to do that. Hannah's family said they were disappointed

the coroner didn't ask for lore safety measures but that thdy have

to accept what has happened and move on with their lives.

In less than 24 hours, a ch`nge in the law could mean online ilages of

child sexual abuse are more difficult to block. The

Cambridgeshire`based charitx the Internet Watch Foundation is

concerned that a vote in thd European Parliament tomorrow will

lead to images remaining on the internet for longer. At the moment,

they're removed within 60 mhnutes of a report being made in the TK.

Ben Bland is in our newsrool and has more on this. This is causing a real

worry for the Internet Watch Foundation, mainly because they are

not exactly sure about the hmpact this change the law could h`ve on

them and the work they do. Their fear is that it could slow down

ability to block access to child pornography images. We are talking

about thousands of web pages. Last year alone, they received rdports of

more than 13,000 websites that were hosting images of children being

sexually abused. At the momdnt, if somebody reports website hosting

images of child sex abuse, the web address can be blocked almost

immediately. They added to ` list that is shared with all of the

internet service providers, who provide internet connection to

people's homes, and they voluntarily block that address. It seems as

though the new law, the one that is being proposed, would make ht

illegal for internet providdrs to do that in future. Instead, thdy might

have to go and get a court order first before blocking the shte, and

that would mean people being able to access those illegal images for

longer in the meantime. One of the Eastern region's members of ``

member of the European Parlhament raised that today. This is

irresponsible and dangerous and that amendment must not be allowdd to go

through. And the reason that this matters is because actually removing

and deleting the images can take anything from an hour to a couple of

weeks, so this ability to block the address, block access to those

images in the meantime, is one of the key weapons in the fight against

sexual abuse of children online So why are they doing this? It is all

part of a bigger attempt to change European law, to make it easier for

legitimate businesses to do trade across the whole of Europe, making

it easier for businesses to access customers reliably, even if they are

in another European country, without any worry of their websites being

blocked or slowed down. Frol the customer point of view, makhng it

easier for people to buy online It should be just as easy for le in

Cambridge to buy from a bushness that is in Belgium as it should be

to buy from a firm operating online that is based in Bedfordshire. And

they say that a more unified approach, more joined up system

would help businesses boost their profits and create jobs and giving

businesses that confidence would help them in that aim. So that is

why this whole law is being proposed, but some of our MVPs,

Conservative and Labour, want an assurance that there will still be

the ability to block access to illegal content if needed. Thanks

very much. A jury has been hearing frol the

first witness in the trial of five men accused of sexually abusing

vulnerable young girls in Peterborough. Giving evidence via

videolink, the woman, who w`s 1 at the time, told Cambridge Crown Court

she was raped by 28`year`old Yasir Ali. Under cross`examination, she

said didn't tell anyone. Shd felt scared. The five men deny all the

charges. The police have named the woman who

died at Charles would detention centre. Claims that she was denied

medical assistance going to be investigated. An inquest her death

will open. The Police and Crime Commissioner

for Bedfordshire has been interviewed under caution bx the

Independent Police Complaints Commission. Earlier this ye`r, Olly

Martins admitted giving awax confidential information about the

death in custody of Leon Brhggs Mr Briggs, who was from Luton, died in

November after he was detained by Bedfordshire Police.

Next tonight, more on that dust cloud that's blown in from the

Sahara. Pollution levels here in the east have hit the highest point on

the scale. Health experts h`ve advised the elderly and those with

heart and lung conditions to avoid outdoor exercise. The air is

expected to clear in the next 2 hours.

This was Luton this morning. Like much of the region, the fog remained

throughout the day. The sun was doing its best to burn throtgh but

it was a gloomy journey to work the many. Dust from the Sahara which has

blown north across Europe, combined with air pollution from exh`ust

fumes on both sides of the Channel and a light wind,

fumes on both sides of the Channel and a light have raised air

pollution levels. This map shows the worst affected areas in the east,

highlighted in purple. In Mhlton Keynes, Christine Peel names the

conditions for causing her sore throat and leaving her breathless.

It is a tightness in the chdst and you can hear that when I am

breathing, it is wheezy. So it is not... I can't actually get my

breath through properly. Thdn I have a sore throat. Then sometimds, the

eyes start itching. People with respiratory problems are most likely

to be affected by the higher pollution levels. The Sahar`n sand

is only likely to be an annoyance to drivers. Weather forecasters say

conditions are not helping. Now the turn southeasterly, we have brought

in pollution from the continent and that is coupled with our own

pollution in East has caused the problems with air conditiondrs. The

perfect storm? In a sense, with the wind so light, nothing is there to

disperse it and it will be down to the wind picks up all week hntroduce

fresh air from the Atlantic. Air quality monitoring stations like

this provide real`time data about air pollutant levels. In Milton

Keynes, they are higher than usual but the experts say they ard still

within safe limits and therd is no real cause for concern. Chrhstine

Peel says she won't be taking any chances. She plans to stay hndoors

until the dust has cleared `nd the air`pollution drops.

This afternoon, I spoke to Dr Kate King, of Public Health Engl`nd, and

asked her how concerned shotld we be?

I think we have to recognisd that air quality can be an important

factor in various people's health, particularly if they have already

got lung problems or heart problems, and knowing that over the l`st

couple of days and into the next few days, air quality pollution levels

will be very high, I think that s important, that people know and plan

for. What are the possible risks, then? The risks are mainly for

people who have already got lung problems, breathing difficulties,

such as asthma or chronic obstructive airways disease, or for

people who have got heart dhsease or for older people, whose lung

function has fallen away with age. They might well find that the air

pollution affects their bre`thing and their ability to undert`ke

exercise. So what's your advice to those people, then, who are

particularly vulnerable? Those people that have asthma shotld be

using their preventive inhalers properly and using their trdatment

inhalers as they need them. People who know they might be runnhng into

problems should limit how strenuously they exercise ott of

doors whilst the air polluthon levels are high. And if thex are

finding themselves affected, either in their breathing or their eyes, or

a sore throat, anyone should go in doors and just limit their time

spent in this air while it hs of such poor quality.

Dr Kate King talking to me darlier. And if you've got a story about the

dust cloud, or any pictures, we d love to hear from you. You can

email, phone or there's Twitter and Facebook too. And Alex will be here

later in the programme with a a war memorial in the centrd of

Huntington has been awarded grade two listed status. Designed by

Kathleen Scott, the wife of polar explorer Captain Scott, it hs one of

500 being given the protectdd status by English Heritage this ye`r.

Those are your top stories tonight. Now it's over to Stewart and Susie

for the Lots more to come tonight, hncluding

the latest advice on sugar hn our diet will stop plus, as the

asparagus harvest gets underway expert tips on how to make the best

of them. The second broadcast duel bdtween

the Deputy Prime Minister Nhck Clegg and the UKIP leader Nigel F`rage is

due to take place on BBC Two in about 15 minutes. The pair `re

debating whether the UK shotld be in or out of Europe. This region does

more trade with Europe than anywhere else, and yet, if the polls are to

be believed, we are more Eurosceptic than anywhere else the country. Our

political correspondent Andrew Sinclair is in Brussels now. So

Andrew, why are we so Eurosceptic? Well, tonight's debate will be

widely watched over here. I know at least three debate parties taking

place. The pub across the road has built up a big screen for the night.

You built up a big screen for the night.

It are built up a big screen for the night.

It really matters to people in Brussels whether we in

It really matters to people in Brussels whether we stay thd

It really matters to people in Brussels whether we stay or go, and

even though these forthcoming European elections aren't c`re

even though these forthcoming European elections aren't about

whether we stay or go that that is down to Westminster and a possible

and are down to Westminster and a possible

referendum you down to Westminster and a possible

referendum `` they are focusing attention on what exactly wd in the

East get for our membership in Europe.

This is the Titchwell Naturd Reserve in north Norfolk. They recently

spent ?1.2 million here on ` new hide and are

spent ?1.2 million here on ` new hide and raising a

spent ?1.2 million here on ` new hide and raising the wall to protect

the high hide and raising the wall to protect

the freshwater hide and raising the wall to protect

the high is hide and raising the wall to protect

the freshwater marshes hide and raising the wall to protect

the freshwater here hide and raising the wall to protect

the freshwater marshes from the sea. Two thirds of the money camd from

Europe. that the Two thirds of the money camd from

Europe. For the RSPB, being part of the EU is very useful. Therd are two

main benefits for the organhsation. Clearly, one is funding we get from

Europe, but also working with our European partners on conservation,

and wildlife protection, both in the UK gene

and wildlife protection, both in the UK and throughout Europe. The new

Ipswich freight line which opened is Ipswich freight line which opened

this week was part funded bx the EU. In the last seven years, more than

in you In the last seven years, more than

?600 million has been given to need ?600 million has been given to

universities and companies hn the region for research and devdlopment.

Subsidies to farmers, improvements to Southwold harbour, just ` handful

of things funded by Europe. to to Southwold harbour, just ` handful

of things funded by Europe. Business point out that 55% of our trade is

with the EU. To most people here at the European Parliament, it makes

you the European Parliament, it makes

complete and the European Parliament, it makes

complete sense for us to be part of Europe. It benefits each falily in

the East of England by ?3,000 a year. That is the value of the extra

trade that we bring. you year. That is the value of the extra

trade that we bring. Not Labour saying that, not even a polhtician

saying that. That's what Brhtish business, the CBI says. But critics

point out we pay far more to hear in tax and

point out we pay far more to hear in tax than we ever get back. The

they believe the European Commission and other institutions like the

Court of Human Rights have too much you

Court of Human Rights have too much of a say in our lives. The political

commentator Simon Heffer, hd lives in Essex, says it has all gone too

far. I drive around bits of Britain and see signs up saying "pahd for by

the European Community". Well, we could have paid for it oursdlves.

I'd rather have that money spent here, and I'd rather the people I

elect to govern me decided how to spend it. And even here in Brussels,

there are people who agree with him. I think we could do a lot bdtter

outside the EU with a suitable trade agreement. But wouldn't we lose out?

No, I don't think we would. We would have full access to the EU single

market. Remember, we import far more cars or wine or goods from the EU

than we actually export to ht. What we have here is another example

of the EU trying to find a role Yesterday, another conservative was

questioning why the EU was helping to tackle piracy. There is `nother

view that Europe would be mtch better for us evicted few things and

spent less money. Not surprhsingly, most people here want us to stay in

Europe. But opponents believe the argument is going their way.

You know, there are dozens of facts and figures traded in this debate.

Most of them are actually true. It is true that we pay around ?50

million a day to Europe. It is true, depending on how you count back 50%

of our rules and laws have some brothels involvement. It is harder

to decide how many jobs are involved. The bottom line is, there

is no killer fact. It is all down to what you believe people havd to be

swayed by arguments, not st`tistics. Thank you very much.

A reminder you can see that debate between Nigel Farage and Nick Clegg

after Look East on BBC Two. It's called The European Union: Hn or

Out? It's chaired by David Dimbleby. Last night we reported how hmportant

sugar production is to the region's economy. British Sugar is planning

to invest ?300 million pounds in its East Anglian operations to boost

production. And that's desphte the growing health concerns abott sugar

in our diet. In her second report, Jo Taylor examines the problems

which can arise when consumdrs can't control a sweet tooth.

This is my son's treat bag. In the evenings, I will get packagd and

come in and have a rummage `round, and see what he has got, and see

what I fancy. Lisa has a problem ` sugar. It is a constant battle to

resist it. This is hard for me to resist, this bag. Surely thd

solution is not to have it? I know, but how can I deprive myself of

having a treat in his back lunch? Every other child at school has

won. She must lose weight for her health, but it is hard when

temptation is right under hdr nose. The waffle for Harry for brdakfast,

how much sugar is in those? I would not normally look, now you have told

me to look. There is 6.5 gr`ms per waffle. But it is hard. It would not

occur to me at all when I al doing my shopping to pick something up and

look how much sugar is in it. I don't have time. The averagd Briton

needs 140 teaspoons of sugar per week. Alexander the great m`te sugar

popular in the Mediterranean after discovering it in them the lead

India. Brown sugar has more calories because it contains more water. Many

processed foods have hidden sugar, even if they are not sweet. Also

does contain four calories per gram. When you compare that with fat, at

nine calories per gram, it hs less than half. It is that balance of

calories in and out that is important in our diets, not just

demonising one ingredient or even added sugars. British Sugar, based

in our region, is investing ?50 million this year alone to hncrease

production. ?300 million will be spent over the next decade. Experts

say it will lead to a 20% rdduction in the price of sugar, fuelling the

obesity epidemic. That prob`bly won't mean that consumers whll buy

more in the form of a bag, but it probably means they will sell more

to producers, who will prob`bly put more as an ingredient, not only as a

sweetener, but into a wide range of foods. So if more sugar means

cheaper sugar, tempting manufacturers to put extra hn

products, it will be harder for us to control how much of it wd eat.

It's been confirmed today that players from Norwich City Football

Club are to reimburse their fans who travelled to Swansea for last

Saturday's league game. The Canaries lost the match 3`0 in a performance

condemned as dismal by thosd who witnessed it. 900 away supporters

made the 12`hour round trip from Norfolk. Adult tickets were ?20

Michael Bailey, who covers sport for the Eastern Daily Press and Mustard

TV, was at the game. So, whether players forced hnto

this, or did they volunteer to part with their money? I am sure it is a

bit of both. You have to trdat what they said after the game genuinely.

I think they were disappointed at how they performed, and that those

away fans travelled the length and breadth of the country to sde them,

and it is kind of a good news story. It is a good gesture. You c`n't be

too cynical or critical abott it. It is good at them to do. How luch does

it actually work out per pl`yer I think it must be approaching ?1 00

per player, and obviously they receive a lot of money for what they

do, and some may argue they didn't do a lot on Saturday. It is good at

them to do it, I think. Chrhs Hughton didn't look happy dhd he? I

think it was predictable. I don t think was a standout terrible way

showing. They have been pretty rotten all season on the ro`d,

losing 7`0 at Manchester City. It was not a standout, but one among a

number of bad away performances Does this set a precedent? Will they

have to do this again when they have a bad away game? The fans whll hope

not, because they will be hoping they start winning! It is a pretty

unique gesture. I can't remdmber it happening before. Thank goodness

they do not do it for every home game! Thank you for coming hn.

Last year we ate ?28 million worth of asparagus in this countrx, more

than ever before. But still not as much as the Germans, apparently who

love it even more than we do. Farmers across the region h`ve just

started picking the crop. Btt how do you cook it? Mike Liggins joined the

harvest to get some tips. This is St John's Farm at

Beachamwell, not far from Swaffham. Joao and Mario, both from Portugal,

are busy picking the first `sparagus of the season. In a tent in the

corner of the field, chef Alan from the local pub is busy preparing the

asparagus. Breaking off the top of the spear, ready for two minutes in

boiling water. What you want to try to do is keep it as fresh as

possible. There's no point hn growing such a perfect prodtct and

then really, really boiling it. You want to keep it al dente, so to

speak. St John's supply wholesalers across the south`east of England. A

van goes every night from Norfolk to Covent Garden in London, and on to

some of the country's top restaurants. People want solething

that is seasonal and fresh, and asparagus ticks all those boxes It

is a sign of spring. Here wd are, lovely spring day, and we'vd got

asparagus. And it's the first green veg of the year. You can do pretty

much anything with asparagus, but Alan is planning to serve it today

with locally`produced ham and a poached egg. While in the fheld

Joao and Mario can pick for up to eight hours a day. Like I s`id, it's

not difficult to do that. It's not hard work, and if people want to do

that, they can do it. It's dasy Only, it isn't easy, of course.

Getting a bit behind alreadx. You have to be quick, and you h`ve to be

fit. Look at him, he's about 100 He s

laughing, look! He doesn't care He's done it before, though.

And domestically, is it easx to grow? Yeah, it's very easy to grow.

Take a couple of years to gdt it right. In other words, don't, as

soon as you see a spear, cut it Let it grow out for a couple of years,

cut it very lightly, and after two to three years, you'll have

asparagus beds that will last you for ten, 15 years. Asparagus is an

East Anglian success story. We're eating more and more of it, and at

places like St John's, they're happy to produce more. If you want to try

it, don't delay. The season is short, and ends on June 21.

So, one of them thinks it is easy to do all day, one of them get out of

breath doing a couple of yards! That is why he had to run when they were

just sauntering. But good of him to have a go. Let's get the we`ther.

have a go. Let's get Good evening. There will be a real

improvement in air quality by the end of the week. Let's look at where

we are now. Across the region currently for most of us, pollution

levels are low, but there are a couple of areas in Essex whdre they

are higher. Level seven acts and in Southend`on`Sea, that is level five.

Increasing amounts of cloud this evening, and some of you max be

experiencing some trouble. `` drizzle. A band of rain will

continue to make progress northwards through this evening, but whll not

bring very much rain, perhaps a few spots of light rain or drizzle

through this evening. For the second part of the night, it is looking

dry, and there will be clear spells. Temperature is not really gdtting

very low, we are looking at about seven or eight degrees. As we starts

tomorrow, we will start to see some slight changes on the way, `nd this

will improve our air qualitx for Friday. This is an area of low

pressure coming in. Later tomorrow, a cold front, so behind it, a

cleaner, fresh air mass. Not a lot of rain by the time it gets to us,

so a few spots later on. Certainly looks like a warm day, but the

sunshine will be quite hazy, and it will turn increasingly cloudy later,

with just the chance of one to spots of rain. But we should see some

sunshine through the morning. But it will be quite hazy, as I sax, with

high`level cloud around. And temperatures varied across the

region. On the coast, with the southeasterly breeze, a little

cooler. Further west, 19 or even 20 degrees possible. We get more cloud

increasing through the afternoon, and this may just produce a few

spots of light rain or drizzle. Perhaps it will come in the form of

an eye dilated shower across western counties. For Friday, it is looking

like a dry and bright start, but more cloud later may producd a few

spots of rain, and once we got that cold front through, much cldarer

feels to things, but also a bit cooler for Friday. On Saturday, we

started dry and bright, but increasing cloud could prodtce a few

spots of rain. It looks likd an unsettled end the weekend.

Thank you very much. That is it From all of us, thank you for your

company, and see you tomorrow night. Goodbye.