25/03/2017 Look East

Ukip councillors in Clacton have told Look East they're pleased

Douglas Carswell has resigned from their party.

Mr Carswell, who is the town's MP, announced this morning he's leaving

He says a by-election isn't needed because he's not

Our political correspondent, Andrew Sinclair, has been

Clacton once against finds itself back in the political spotlight, for

the second time in two-and-a-half years, the town's MP is leaving the

party he was elected to represent. I think he has probably thought about

this carefully, but what he has done is thought about it from his own

the party down? I think so. If that the party down? I think so. If that

passion and your drive isn't there any more for your party, then, I

think he has made the right decision to step away. It is down to him. If

he wants to do that, we can't do a lot about it. Douglas Carswell was

mobbed when he returned here after announcing his defection to Ukip but

since then he has had a fractious relationship with the party. This

a great sense of cleansing. We have a great sense of cleansing. We have

had a deep and gapeling wound, ever since really, Douglas joined the

party. I think we felt shall we say debatch -- detached from our MP. We

don't seem to be getting the support we once got, and that has been

ongoing for some time. So, we are not shocked. But at higher levels

today, shock. Personally I am devastated. I ran Douglas's campaign

when he first came across and was elected as our first Ukip MP, so I

am personally very very disappointed, very upset by it.

Douglas Carswell has always said if he was thrown out of Ukip he would

be happy to sit as an independent. He told me he was happy in Ukip the

other week an thought the new leadership was doing the right

thing. This resignation has come as a complete surprise. Many will say

that Douglas Carswell is an independently minded MP. Now the

people of Clacton will have an independent MP.

Network Rail wants to close 24 level crossings across Suffolk.

It says it would help improve rail safety.

Crossings that could go include this one near Capel St Mary.

Network Rail has asked the Secretary of State for Transport

for permission to go ahead with the closures.

Rugby, and heartbreak for Northampton who lost a dramatic

Both sides scored three tries a piece, the last one coming

from Tigers' Lachlan McCaffrey, which put them in front

In a barnstrming finish to the match, Saints then responded

But Leicester had too much in the end, with two

more late penalties, to win 36-31 at Franklins Gardens.

Saints Jim Mallinder unhappy, his teams play-off hopes now

They are seventh, six points behind Leicester,

In the Championship, Bedford secured an excellent victory

in the capital, beating London Scottish 41-22.

In football, the focus was on the lower leagues due

Southend maintain their position in the League One play-offs,

Peterborough beat Gillingham 1-0, thanks to a late goal.

Northampton's and MK Dons matches ended 0-0.

In League Two, a big result for Colchester, who beat Luton 2-0

The Us now just a point off the top seven.

Isaac Vassell with a late consolation.

The Hatters are now without a win in five games.

Elsewhere, Cambridge and Stevenage played out a goalless draw

Hello, hope you managed to make something of

It's been very lovely, except a bit cool out

towards the North East, with a nagging wind.

Another cool start, perhaps not as cold as today,

and then dry and sunny for your Mothering Sunday.

You can see that north-easterly wind persisting through

Actually, it might mean we don't see too much in the way of frost.

This morning we were at minus two, we're a little bit milder

through the night, but I think there'll still be some pockets

But lots of sunshine for the get-go for Mothering Sunday.

I think in the afternoon, maybe just a little bit more

in the way of high cloud coming in from the North Sea.

Shouldn't affect things, though, for you.

Inland, it's highs of 13 or 14 degrees, cooler to the coast.

Still settled on Monday, a little more unsettled

Don't forget the clocks go forward by an hour tonight,

and British Summer Time starts tomorrow.

We'll be back with our next bulletin at ten to seven tomorrow evening.

Good evening. What a belter of a day it has been. If you missed out on

the sunshine, don't worry, we will get more tomorrow. The one

exception, the Shetland Islands, shrouded in cloud. Elsewhere it has

been a stunner. The highest temperature of the year so far, 19

degrees. A beautiful shot here by one of our weather watchers. It is

already cooling down and will turn quite chilly this evening through

those clear skies. Dry nationwide and in the early morning the clocks

go forward and British summertime begins, which means an hour less

obsolete, unfortunately. We'll be dried chilli through the early

hours. As