29/03/2012 Look North (North East and Cumbria)

Hello and welcome to Thursday's Look North. In the headlines

tonight: Another jobs blow for the North

East. 350 jobs at risk as a Durham food factory faces closure.

Meanwhile, production ends at the Alcan smelter in Northumberland.

515 workers will lose their jobs. Fuelling the panic. Mixed messages

from the government drive motorists to the pumps.

What's in a name? This mother is battling to have the dead father's

name on her baby's birth certificate. All he ever wanted was

to be a dad. Not having that is denying his existence.

And, where eagles dare. The magnificent Sea Eagle could be

reintroduced to Lake District skies. In sport - scientists will measure

the passion of Falcons fans tomorrow night, but can the players

pull off a vital win on the rugby pitch?

And sizzling in the spring sunshine - but will Yorkshire's cricketers

be shivering when the new season Another week, another factory

closure. Today it was 350 workers at a food processing plant in

Durham who received the shock news that their factory is earmarked for

closure. Kerry Foods processes sliced meat at the site in Durham

City. The company has started a 90- day consultation with staff but has

made it clear that closure and transfer of the work to other Kerry

sites is the likely outcome. Our Political Editor, Richard Moss, is

at the site now. Bleak and unexpected news. They

were called in today's thinking it was some redundancies to be told of

the whole factory was likely to close. This was the reaction from

the trade unions. There are mothers, fathers and children in their all

working on the same site. You can imagine the impact on them. This is

the third largest private sector employer in the area. How big a

blow is it? It is a huge blow to the area. My primary concern is for

the workers. It is a really distressing time for them and their

families and it will be difficult for them to get alternative

employment in this situation of economic downturn. What

realistically can be done? I am going to going and talk to the

union, the workers and the management next week and took to

the local JobCentre to see if it is possible to get some support in

place for the workers. It is much more difficult in the absence of a

development agency to see what can be done in a situation like this.

It is bad news for the workforce and here at Kerry Foods. We have

had good job news with the jobs at Nissan and the reopening of the

steelworks. But it does look like more and more of those new

employers will have to soak up more of the old ones.

And hundreds of job losses in Northumberland became a reality

today. Forty years of aluminium production came to an end when the

Alcan smelter at Lynemouth in Northumberland was shut down. The

owners, Rio Tinto, took the decision after failing to find a

buyer for the plant. 515 jobs will go, with most workers leaving by

the end of May. A further 111 jobs will be saved if the power station

is sold. The company blames new green taxes that would cost the

plant �100 million a year by 2015. Yesterday, we saw the generous

Alcan employees donate their �30,000 social fund to three local

charities. But today those workers have to look ahead to a future

after Alcan. This afternoon they switched off

the smelter. The most important building now is this humble cabin -

it's the careers centre. Hazel has worked for Alcan for 13 years. Now

she plans to set up a cake business instead. I thought about going back

on the job market but it is so flat at the moment. I thought I would

take the opportunity to try and set up my own business. What have I got

to lose? And for Peter Davidson, redundancy means he hopes his

passion will make him a living as well. I have always loved art and

been inspired by it. It is an iconic day. It is a death knell for

the area really. This is one of the last trains that came in last week

bringing in deliveries and then it is the switching off of the Sonata

itself out. By May, around 300 of the workers will be gone with the

rest leaving after that. We need to complete the decommissioning

process. We need it at a standard that will attract investment.

No strike has yet been called by tanker drivers and we'll get a

week's warning if there is one, but motorists have been rushing to

petrol stations in our region to fill up. However, while many of the

supermarket service stations have seen long queues, smaller garages

have reported no problems. Sharon Barbour reports.

Driven by fears of a fuel shortage, they drove here to stock-up. But,

for some, it was too late. We have run out of diesel I am afraid.

Worrying, particularly when I need a car for work. Very frustrated.

did not know there was anything wrong until I came for fuel. I have

tried to other petrol stations and they will fall as well. Do you

think this is all a necessary? not sure. I hope they can get new

suppliers. And as it ran out of petrol, this garage in North

Shields was forced to close. But there is no queue at this small a

garage. This afternoon new fuel supplies were arriving in the North

East and efforts to try and avert any strike action were being

stepped up with talks planned for next week. If a strike does go

ahead, they'll have to give seven days notice so it's looking

increasingly unlikely any strike would take place over the Easter

weekend. He was an undercover detective

accused of being the "eyes and ears" of a gang of drug dealers.

Today, former Northumbria Police Detective Sergeant Paul Thompson

was found not guilty. He and his wife Susan from Dipton in County

Durham were also cleared of supplying cocaine to their friends.

But he was found guilty of possessing the drug. Keith Akehurst

reports. Detective Sgt Paul Thompson had

been an undercover officer with Northumbria Police Drugs Squad. His

wife, Susan, a high-flying housing executive based in Middlebrough,

earned �6,000 a month. After a trial lasting six weeks at

Newcastle Crown Court they were found not guilty of conspiring to

supply cocaine. He, too, was cleared, with three other men, of

conspiring to commit misconduct in a public office - in effect

searching the police computer for information to help a drugs cartel.

He also faced charges of possessing cocaine and illegally using the

police computer for what the judge called "non-sinister" reasons. When

the verdicts were given, Susan Thompson cried in the dock. She was

allowed to leave and as she did so, she kissed her husband. He was

found guilty of the for lesser charges and fined a total of �1,000.

They came down the steps soon after hand in hand, allowed to walk free.

Text messages on Susan Thompson's mobile phone referred to "placing

orders" and "party bags", which prosecutors alleged were references

to cocaine. But the jury accepted these were about the viagra

substitute Kamagra, alcohol or other items. Paul Thompson had been

under surveillance for weeks after fellow detectives became suspicious.

The public have an expectation that our police officers have a very

high standards. That did concern us. We did have intelligence to suggest

he was involved in the use of cocaine and reinvestigated it.

Certainly, the decision of the jury today has confirmed that. Three men

who admitted conspiracy to supplying cocaine will be sentenced

tomorrow. An elderly man has died after being

hit by a bus this morning in Gateshead. It happened just off the

High Street in Wrekenton. The pedestrian was in his seventies. No

bus passengers were hurt but the A Scarborough woman whose fiance

daughter's birth certificate. Tammy Scott and Peter Wilson had been

together for three and half years and were engaged to be married. But

last year, when Tammy was two months pregnant, Peter died

suddenly. Carla Fowler reports. The baby is just two years old but

tragically she will never meet her farmer -- father. He died suddenly

last year within weeks of a finding out he was to be a dad. When Tammy

Scott was told she would not be able to name him on the birth

certificate, she was devastated. She is never going to see her dad.

He is never going to see her smile, he is never going to see her get

married, he is never going to see her friends. It is wrong. All he

ever wanted was to be a dad. Not having his name on it is denying

his existence. The 1953 per it's and Deaths Registration Act states

that if married... In tragic cases of a father's death during

pregnancy, it is a bureaucratic blow to an already grief-stricken

woman. Her solicitors presented her case to the Home Office but were

told her only option was to go to court a. She has now applied for

legal aid. The government has no right to dictate who can be put on

the birth certificate when it comes down to something like this. I

intend to fight all the way. I will stick up for anybody who feels the

same. I will do whatever I can to help. At a time when she should be

enjoying the first months of motherhood, Tammy Scott faces an

agonising wait to find out if she can take her fight to court before

she can even hope of having Peter officially named as the father.

Around one in three crimes committed in North Yorkshire is

carried out by someone from outside the area. It's such a problem that

for the next three months, the county's police force is putting

extra effort into patrolling its borders. One of the criminal

gateways is where North Yorkshire meets Teesside. Richard Thomas

joined Operation Vanguard on the A19.

Patrolling their borders. Today, North Yorkshire Police put on a

visible show of force to show travelling criminals the county is

not an easy target. Officers say 30% of people arrested in North

Yorkshire enter the patch from a neighbouring force area. Some

criminal groups will see the scale of a North Yorkshire and feel North

Yorkshire police will struggle to cover the whole of the county all

the time. This next three months is about as proving that is not the

case. We have got significant resources. Metal theft and burglary

are big problems for the force at the moment, with criminals from

Cleveland and South and West Yorkshire seeing the rural county

as rich pickings. So, today, using number plate recognition, any

suspicious vehicles entering North Yorkshire were stopped and checked.

This is one of the intercept cars. The police dogs section, the armed

response unit and a financial investigator or are also patrolling

across the county. On this occasion, PC Chris Doyle gives the driver and

vehicle a clean bill of health. But others were not so lucky and

several vehicles were taken off the road. We have had a couple of a

vehicles seized already. Operation Vanguard is continuing for three

months with checkpoints being set up across North Yorkshire's borders,

preventing travelling criminals Up still to come, an Olympic horse

bolts - Mycock all tells her story. Can the magnificent sea eagle make

a return? But his cricketing weather, are the

Sunshine's days numbered? Four months to Gaughan to London

2012 under her Olympic Waples are entering the final straight. One

has had to take a part-time job to fund her training. Alyson Dixon is

one of seven British women aiming for a place in 18 GB. She has been

training in Kenya. This is a woman whose feet have

taken her to the international stage, Alyson Dixon is copping to

call some -- further as a marathon runner. Just to think of standing

on the start-line. It would be amazing. It all hinges on the

London Marathon with only one spot left. She needs to run it in at

least two Tower is 27 minutes and 30 seconds. There are seven goals

chasing the same spot. My best time is two hours 34. I can do better

than that. Hopefully, with another stint at altitude, I can knock 90

seconds off that. To maximise her chances, Alison has spent a month

in Kenya. Your body must work harder to key to the piste that far

above sea level. The first few days, your lungs burn. You must keep an

eye on your heart rate. Why are resting heart rate was more than

double. Unlike many other athletes, she is completely self funded. She

has had to take a part-time job at the MetroCentre. I will have a look

at how you fit his landing. The camp I have been on cost 1,500

pounds for the month. When you have not got up regular income, it is

only a couple of hours a week. won the Brighton marathon and

qualified for championships last year. I have had good experiences

and bad experiences. My last marathon was pretty bad. I had two

broken bones in my suit. That was a disappointment. I don't want

another repeat performance. Another hurdle, her next Stent in Kenya

will be funded. Her commitment is firmly set. Getty's something I

have dreamed about since I was little. The Olympics is the

pinnacle of sport. Every athlete dreams of that. With only a few

weeks left, her Olympic dream is getting closer.

The best of luck. Middlebrook -- Middlesbrough's bed

to reach the play-offs. While Middlesbrough captain Matthew Bates

play again this season after suffering another knee injury?

has had a scan. He is getting an assessment today. It is wise we

don't say anything about it. Let's hope there is a positive outlook.

It is a pity the amazing spring weather is due to us -- cool down

by the weekend. The revamped management team including Jason

Gillespie, that Tikes are the favourites. It is about looking for

it. The players has been preparing very well. We have worked very hard

on our skills. The guys have got a lot of big time in the middle.

Cumbrian is now in charge of the England team and till after the

2015 World Cup. Stuart Lancaster from Penrice guided them at end

that six nations. The Newcastle Falcons have only got

four games left. Pensions will be running high a.

Passion has never been in short supply but time is running out. It

we have four games to go off. cannot hide from it. We are still

confident. As long as we have the belief in the squad, we can do it.

Dean Richards will take over next season. I think the appointment has

been on the cards for a long time. Isn't -- it is not an issue. Their

only concern is avoiding relegation. It is about keeping the Premiership

alive and well in the North East. I believe it can change the belief

systems for the rest of their lives. It has become that important.

the battle it out, there will be no shortage of passion and the stands.

We will be taking saliva tests, checking her heart rates. We will

go through and see how excited we do get. Newcastle fans are known

for the noise they can create. Falcons two eagles. Hundreds of

years at all, the where a common sight. Persecution lent to the

demise of the majestic sea eagle. Plans are afoot to bring this bird

of prey to its stronghold. Will we prove that popular?

Admirers describe them as bar and orders. The birds have become a

tourist draw in the Western Isles. I saw one here and I never looked

at the same battles water again. -- et al. The problem of Canada geese

and plans of a cull have been declared. Putting something in an

ecosystem means that it can take out another animal. Students from

the University of Cumbria are drawing up the first stages of

consultation. If economics stack up, there are likely to be concerns

about the impact of the reintroduction on life stocks. Alan

Dickinson thinks it will not be welcomed. They will be a threat.

Maybe the where here. The systems of farming have changed. The

problems would be vast. Advocates of this -- the Eagles, return will

And you can see them or alive. You will see that all sorts of people

have been enjoying the sunshine. It was a fantastic day appear.

Tomorrow, it marks the last of the summer sunshine. We will see the

weather break down. Why? We have had a high pressure system all week.

By Saturday, the cold front will come in. Things do rally on Sunday.

There is no return to the real summer highs of this week. Tonight,

we expect a bit more cloud. In the North East, the skies will state

clear. Some grass frost. Even Cumbria will brighten up nicely.

Temperatures will pick up nicely. A north-westerly wind on the coast.