14/05/2014 Look North (East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire)

The Great Grimsby Labour MP Austin Mitchell has refused to apologise

following a tweet in which he likened an American drugs

Conservative Mps have called for him to be suspended,

but Mr Mitchell says they're trying to distract from the controversial

This is the tweet that caused the row.

The language used in the complaint about the takeover of AstraZeneca

has angered his political opponents. This is an offensive tweet.

The bid is a serious issue but to use the word rapist is

completely unacceptable. Ed Milliband has to take control

and make Austin Mitchell apologise. One of the definitions of rape in

the Oxford dictionary is to plunder. I think that will

happen to AstraZeneca. People talk about the rape

of the countryside and the rape of the rainforest

but it doesn't attack this term of abuse that's landed on my head.

The Labour Party tried to defuse the row saying:

This evening the 79`year`old made it clear he was

standing by his comments. I don't apologise now.

I do apologise for inconveniencing Ed Milliband

and our Chief Whip because of the reaction it has caused but what

I said was essentially the truth. Some Conservative MPs want

Ed Milliband to suspend the backbencher who will stand

down at the next election. Austin Mitchell has refused to

apologise for his comments. Is he likely to face

any further action? It would appear unlikely that

the Labour Party will take this any further.

Austin Mitchell is of the belief that the criticism has

come from political opponents looking to make capital ahead

of next week's European and Council elections and wanting to distract

from the row over the takeover of Astra Zeneca by Fizer.

Downing Street has described the comments as just wrong,

but the Great Grimsby MP retires in just over 12 months time so it's

difficult to see what pressure could be brought to bear on him if he's

determined to stand by his comments. There's been a fall in the number of

people out of work in our region. Unemployment in Yorkshire

and the Humber is at 230,000, that's down by 8,000 compared to

the previous quarter. In the East Midlands, which covers

Lincolnshire, the jobless total is A man who deliberately drove

a horse and trap into the sea at Bridlington, causing the horse to

drown, has been jailed for 16 weeks. The incident happened in front

of holidaymakers last July. In addition to being jailed, David

Sean Clancy from Bradford, was The RSPCA has welcomed the prison

sentence saying Mr. Clancy subjected Campaigners say speed limits

for lorries need to be increased on a major route through Lincolnshire

to improve road safety. They want lorries

on the A15 to drive at 50 miles a hour rather than 40, claiming it

will stop reckless overtaking. But some have argued that the change

would make the roads more dangerous. Slow lorries causing long

tailbacks on rural roads. It is a daily frustration on the A15

in Lincolnshire for car and lorry drivers.

There is a car now overtaking on a blind corner.

Richard says if lorries were allowed to go faster on some stretches,

it would stop dangerous overtaking by impatient motorists.

On the long straights where visibility is low, they put it up to

50, the cars behind are not frustrated and everything will move.

The speed limit for heavy goods vehicles over 7.5 tonne of single

carriageways is 40 miles an hour. The government is carrying out

a consultation on raising it to 45 or 50 miles an hour.

The change would affect 280,000 vehicles.

Overtaking me and lorries and they do it on bends.

Lorries are lorries. They can only go certain speeds.

Lorry drivers using A9 in Scotland will soon be able to travel at 50

as part of a trial, something Alan wants to be tested only A15 after he

was caught speeding in his lorry. I have measured on the stretch

which is 20 miles on the A15, you will get 12 overtakes

in that time from cars, one of which will be over double white lines.

It is very dangerous. I thought I would test out how long

it takes to get from Lincoln along A15 to Scunthorpe

and how much of that journey is spent stuck behind a lorry.

It wasn't long before I

More than 100 personnel from RAF Coningsby have been deployed to

help patrol the skies above the Baltic States.

It may well be that there is an month and will spend 16 weeks

It may well be that there is an aircraft in distress or an air craft

that hasn't followed the air plan or military aircraft that needs to be

identified. Are you pleased to be here? We have been made to feel very

welcome in Lithuania. Now for a look at the weather.

It has been a glorious day today. We have some cloud filtering down from

the North West. The lowest temperatures down to five Celsius.

Tomorrow, generally a dry day with variable amounts of cloud but there

will be some decent sunny spells coming through, particularly in the

afternoon. A small chance of getting a light shower. Top temperature 18

Celsius. Friday and Saturday is fine and warm. That is all from us for

now. Good night. see 21 or so. We keep that going

right until the weekend. Here's the outlook. Good evening. Mother nature

was kind to us today, sunny skies, the birds and bees were out but not

everywhere because one or two places where a little on the cloudy side.

For example, here on a satellite picture, Northern Ireland and

Scotland, increasing cloud. To the south, you can see the vast majority

of the country, Wales and England, scattered cloud, so lots of find

weather. We will turn the heat up in the next few days but in terms of

the sunshine tomorrow, you might be surprised that it's more cloudy

compared to what we had today. Let's look at the details. Tonight, from

Wales, the Midlands, and Lincolnshire, they will get quite

chilly tonight, maybe three degrees in the countryside. In the city

centre is it always a bit warmer. In Scotland, it will stay fairly damp

tonight with mist and murky weather. Misty in one or two other places but

starting sunny in the south and then, through the morning and

afternoon, it