02/10/2013 Look North (North East and Cumbria)

Welcome to Wednesday's Look North. Tonight: Three people are killed in

an horrific early morning road accident.

A victim of deceit — murdered for attempting to expose the truth about

her killer. The family of a woman killed in her Turkish holiday home

speak out. Born in a cave more than 500 years

ago. But now there's a campaign to bring Mother Shipton out of the

shadows. And let there be light. The Lumiere

festival is back with a promise it'll be bigger and better.

We'll be live with Durham's cricketers as they prepare to

celebrate a remarkable season at their end—of—year bash.

And the chairman's nephew saves the day as Middlesbrough draw again in

front of their lowest league crowd at the Riverside.

First tonight: An horrific car crash in West Cumbria has left three

people dead. It happened on the A596, the main road between Carlisle

and Aspatria, just outside the village of Crosby Villa shortly

before 5:30am today. Two cars collided head on. The victims have

been named as Michael John Harrison, 47 and from Aspatria, 22—year—old

Jamie Lee Edmondson from Maryport and Todd Ridley, 18 and also from

Maryport. All three died at the scene. Alison Freeman reports.

The aftermath of the crash which left all those involved head. ——

dead. The driver and his passenger were heading east. The 47—year—old

man driving the white Rover was heading west. The collision happened

just before 5:30am. Officers arriving at the scene didn't know

what to expect. They came across this tragic scene here. At the

moment, we have family liaison officers working with the families

of the people involved and supporting them and we will continue

to do that in the weeks and months to come. This stretch of the A596

has double white lines which means no overtaking. Officers have to

figure out why one of the cars was on the wrong side. Investigators

have been trying to work out exactly what happened on this road through

the north—western edge of the county. In the meantime, motorists

are being urged to take care. I wouldn't like to speculate as to the

cause but I wouldn't advise everyone to obey traffic signs such as double

white lines. The road reopened at around 12.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission is investigating benefits

provided to Durham's Police and Crime Commissioner, Ron Hogg, during

his final period as a senior officer at Cleveland Police. Allegations

that Mr Hogg knowingly accepted benefits he wasn't entitled to were

referred to the IPCC by Durham's Police and Crime Panel. Mr Hogg

released a statement today saying he would "fully co—operate" with the

IPCC investigation, adding that he was confident they would find he had

acted in good faith throughout. The family of a North Yorkshire

woman shot dead in Turkey have said she was the "victim of deceit" —

murdered for attempting to expose "the truth about her killer". Anne

Bury from Swainby was killed in Dalyan in September. Her son and

mother were also shot in the attack. Ms Bury's gardener is currently

awaiting trial for murder. Her funeral is taking place this

weekend. Joe Inwood reports. Anne Bury was in a Turkish holiday

home when she was killed. Her son was shot in the leg, her mother in

the back. That much is known. Other details are contested and confused,

though. Today, for the first time, her family have told their version

of events. They say there was one gun, one killer and three victims.

The murderer stole into the family villa in the middle of the night

while they slept. Those actions are claimed to be the

responsibility of this man, her former gardener, who is currently

awaiting trial for her murder. His family have previously suggested

that they were in a long—term relationship. However, this has been

claimed to be a deceit. It was exposing this to the police which

cost her her life. Her funeral will take place at Mitchells

Middlesbrough Cathedral. We understand her son is yet to return

home. The family say that it is the mental trauma of that day which will

last and the loss of someone they say was caring, compassionate,

considerate and trusting. A West Cumbrian care home has been

closed down because of staffing problems. 28 residents will have to

be re—homed from the Branthwaite nursing home near Workington.

Executive Care, which runs the home, says it's found it impossible to

find long—term nursing staff needed to deal with patients with

conditions such as dementia. A casualty of recruitment issues in

west Cumbria. The Branthwaite Care Home on the outskirts of Workington

is going to close down because its owners say, finding enough quality,

permanent nurses to work there, is impossible. 28 elderly people will

have to be rehomed as a result. This is not a decision we have taken

lightly. Of paramount importance to us at the residence. We have known

them for years and are very close to them. Things have changed within the

local health economy and a lot of stuff we have recruited have been

offered positions elsewhere. Some within the NHS, which have better

terms and conditions. Executive Care says 70 people will

also lose their jobs at Branthwaite. Appointing enough carers has been

possible, but it's qualified nursing staff who are at a premium in this

somewhat isolated part of the county. Currently the home has five

permanent nurses, helped along by agency staff. But the reality is

they need 13. Staffing issues at the nearby West Cumberland Hospital has

made recruitment tricky. Executive Care is working with the

council to find the people who live and are cared for there new homes.

We can't leave anyone without a home. No one will be homeless. We

have to plan this right and get it right for people.

Care workers will also be helped to find new jobs while the home winds

down. £3.5 million of public money has

been lost after plans for a new iconic bridge across the River Wear

were dropped. The money was spent largely on designing the bridge,

which won't now be built after Sunderland City Council realised the

project couldn't be achieved within budget. It would have been the

tallest bridge in England. The council's now hoping to build a

simpler structure instead, and is in talks with the Government about

funding. Complaints about one of our major

water companies have shot up in the last twelve months. Yorkshire Water

has seen a 26% increase in written complaints about its services

according to the Consumer Council for Water. The company was one of

only three water utilities nationally to see an increase in

complaints. The report found the company received more than 10,500

written complaints in 2012. More than a year and a half after

they were installed, a set of controversial traffic lights in

Morpeth town centre are to be removed. It follows a long campaign

by locals. Last summer, hundreds of people turned out for a protest

march against them and thousands of people signed a petition.

Northumberland County Council says it's responding to concerns by

trialling a mini—roundabout ahead of a long term solution. Traders say

it's had a huge impact on business. We are looking at about 10—15% down

on trade. We are pleased with the decision but think it could have

been done a year ago. We have had public meetings about this and all

the facts were there. They refused to listen to this but great work has

been done by the people of Morpeth. It's now six months since the

government introduced changes to housing benefit — and one Cumbrian

charity says it's creaking at the seams because of the demand for

advice. Staff at Cumbria Law Centre say they've been inundated with

requests for help from social housing tenants affected by the

under occupancy charge. They say the situation will only get worse during

the winter months. Andrew Jameson, his wife and

14—year—old son live in a three—bedroomed house in Carlisle.

Since April, they've had £50 a month less in housing benefit. Previous

six months have been a struggle. My son needs Internet to do his

homework. I struggle to pay for it. It has been suspended at times

because we haven't got the money because we had to pay rent. Yet, it

is hard. All I can see is even harder times. If bills will rocket.

Andrew is one of the almost 5000 claimants in Cumbria who've been

affected by the changes to housing benefit, many of them have come here

to the Cumbria Law Centre for advice. Six months up to this point,

I have seen housing associations, advice agencies, local authority

departments work really hard to stave off the worst effects of rent

arrears. I fear that as temperatures get lower and people's budgets are

stretched, they won't be able to manage.

The Department for Work and Pensions says the changes to housing benefit

were necessary and extra funding will be given to help support the

most vulnerable through the winter and beyond — charities like this one

can say it's hard to tell whether that will be enough.

The train operator east coast has announced an upgrade. It will make

Internet connection is more reliable. It will be rolled out from

early next year. Still to come on Wednesday's Look

North: A light show like no other. The Lumiere Festival heads back to

the North. We'll take a look at some of the treats in store.

And join me for the weather later. She was born in a cave in North

Yorkshire more than 500 years ago and named Ursula Sontheil. But she's

been better known to millions of visitors over the centuries as

Mother Shipton. Her cave and the neighbouring petrifying well on the

banks of the River Nidd in Knaresborough, have been attracting

people since Tudor times. Her prophecies about the end of the

world and great inventions lead to many calling her a witch over the

years, with folklore about her passed down through the ages. And,

after all these years, campaigners in Knaresborough think she now

deserves her own statue in the town centre. Phil Chapman has the story.

Kerridge is without horses shall go and accidents fill the world with

wall. There are few places more spooky to visit than Mother

Shipton's cave. Campaigners want to bring her out of the shadows. Just

like this other local legend who has had a statue for a few years. He is

getting lonely and I think it would be nice to have Mother Shipton to

keep him company. She was a soothsayer who is said to have

predicted many events, like the great Fire of London and the defeat

of the Spanish Armada. She is said to have started life born in a cave

next to the River Nidd. Thousands still flock to the cave. I had a

phone call from a local entrepreneur who raised money for Blind Jack and

it is a wonderful sculpture. Children can learn about the history

of Knaresborough. He asked me about a statue of Mother Shipton. Until

now, the only statue of Mother Shipton has been this fibreglass one

in the cave. But there are mysterious forces had want to see a

more prominent one in the centre of town. We shook hands and he said, I

believe you are a sculptor interested in doing sculpture of

Mother Shipton. Said absolutely. I'm hoping to make it a real person you

can relate to rather than a witch. Just like Mother Shipton, we can

predict that all being well statue will be unveiled sometime next year.

The Lumiere Festival, which throws artistic lights and images across

historic buildings, is coming back to Durham next month. It's the third

visit to the city for the spectacular light show, which has

been hugely popular. This year, the organisers are promising it'll be

even bigger and better, and they also say the problems with

overcrowding will be a thing of the past. Damian O'Neil reports.

There's nothing quite like it. For four days in November, Durham will

be transformed by art installations which use light as the medium and

historic architecture as the canvas. Lumiere first came to the city in

2009, then again two years later, on each occasion to almost universal

acclaim. Now it's coming back with a new show, but there will be a few

old favourites in the mix. The council have had and the University

have had a collaboration to bring the real Lindisfarne Gospels back so

we brought ours back. Such a spectacular show doesn't come

for free, of course, and, in an age of deep cuts and economic hardship,

it begs the question of whether the expenditure is justified. We saw the

impact of that last time, when 150,000 people came to Durham. We

are talking about November, usually a very quiet period. The economic

impact was estimated at £4 million to the local economy. That far

exceeded the contribution which the council made.

And while no—one has any issues with the art on display, there has been

criticism of the way Lumiere is managed, with reports of

overcrowding and poor access. But we're assured there'll be none of

that this year. We have taken account of local feeling and for the

first time this year our peak hours are going to be entry by ticket only

into the city centre. There was last to see —— there is lots to see

outside but if you want to see the city centre you will have to have a

ticket. Lumiere runs from Novemeber 14th to

the 17th. Tonight is a night of celebration

because this has been the most remarkable year for Durham County

Cricket Club. They won the County Championship a couple of weeks ago

for the third time in six seasons, to the surprise of many pundits

who'd written them off before the season even started. And the man who

skippered them to success is Paul Collingwood, who I'm delighted to

say joins me now. The word remarkable doesn't really seem to

cover it. You had a points deduction, financial problems, how

did you manage to lift the trophy? There were many things against us.

To start the season 2.5 points down was obviously in the negative. We

responded to a lot of adversary this season and the youngsters have

developed and the home—grown talent. To manage to lift the trophy was a

huge achievement. That is why we are here tonight, to celebrate that. We

havent mentioned it yet, but of course in June head coach Geoff Cook

had a serious heart attack — a huge shock to the players. But instead of

letting it get to them, it seemed to galvanise them into action and I

know you've said you won the Championship for Geoff. It was touch

and go for Jeff when he had that heart attack. I know it at the boys

—— it hurt the boys. You're right, it did galvanise the boys. We went

to see him and the signs weren't good but as we went on and went on

the pitch, we put our best performances in and all our coaches

stepped up to stand—in. They did a fantastic job in his absence. So we

have just gone on and tried to put big performances in. It was huge for

Jeff. What about the future? It still is tight and we have had to

lose a few players. Some guys in that dressing room and some

youngsters coming through have been putting in some great performances.

It is looking good for you, too. Football now, and Middlesbrough's

winless home run stretched to nearly six months after yet another draw at

the Riverside last night. A late goal from the chairman's nephew

saved the day though against Huddersfield.

Managers often say start to judge a team after ten games. If that's

true, then sadly Middlesbrough are facing another season treading water

in the championship — reflected perhaps by the lowest league crowd

at the Riverside last night. Fewer than 13,000 watched as Boro

dominated possession but couldn't make it count, former Boro loanee

Adam Hammill almost putting Huddersfield ahead. When Town

eventually broke the deadlock in the second half, it was against the run

of play and involved an element of luck as Oscar Gobern's shot was

deflected in by James Vaughan, the Championship's joint top—scorer.

Chairman Steve Gibson saved the club from extinction in 1986 and it was

another Gibson — his nephew Ben — who saved the game for Boro with a

tremendous header to fulfil a boyhood dream of scoring for his

home town club on his first start at the Riverside. A bright moment in

another disappointing draw that sees Middlesbrough drop to 19th just four

points above the bottom three. There were boos at the final whistle —

manager Tony Mowbray now under even more pressure to get a victory over

Yeovil at the Riverside on Saturday. After years of bad news, things are

finally looking up for Darlington. The reformed club is going well on

the pitch and now Quakers hope to play home games back in the town

next year. Peter Harris reports. It was a new club with a fresh start

but since reforming as Darlington 1883, home has been 15 miles away

here at Bishop Auckland. The next step in the recovery is taking

shape, with plans to move here, back in Darlington and sharing with the

rugby club. We hope to attract more fans back to the football. Fans will

spend money in Darlington, rather than Bishop Auckland. They left to

their ground in 2003, moved to Darlington Arena, became deeper in

debt and left. A lot of the groundwork has been sorted out in

relation to the car parking and access. We have had plans drawn up

for additional stands and seating. We can start putting the final

touches to satisfying the requirements of the FA to bring

Darlington football club back into town. The next step is to get

planning permission to upgrade of the site. But there is the dream

that one day this place could see Darlington return to the football

league. It is a great atmosphere, as you can

probably tell, so I will join them for a handy. —— shandy.

We have a picture from the Cumbrian Fells. Tonight and tomorrow though

weather fronts will bring in some heavy rain before things improve

again over the weekend. The weather fronts are moving from west to East

gradually and will bring some rain over the next 24 hours before things

pick up for the weekend. We have a Met Office warning to be aware for

the rest of heavy rain and localised flooding through tonight and

tomorrow. You can see the rain from the first of those weather fronts

today, bringing a wet spell. Some thunder and lightning over the Irish

Sea as well. Through the evening, most places will see more rain. It

will get more prolonged during the night and maybe the odd rumble of

thunder as well. A southeasterly breeze and temperatures will stay in

double figures. Tomorrow morning, the rain will start to clear away

and we shall get some dry weather coming through from the south. Maybe

even some brighter intervals before the next band of rain comes in at

the end of the day. Some real downpours amongst it as well. So, a

risk of localised flooding, especially in western parts of

Cumbria. Temperatures are quite mild tomorrow. But the combination of the

wind and rain will make it feel much cooler. Once this area of rain

leads, we have high—pressure and a marked improvement for Saturday and

Sunday, with some sunny spells in eastern areas. The rain will turn

more showery on Friday and things will look up for the weekend.

Before we go, a look at tonight's main headlines.

David Cameron has brought the Conservative Party conference to a

close saying he wants Britain to be "a land of opportunity for all".

And three people have been killed in a head—on collision between two cars

in Cumbria. The tragedy happened in the early hours of this morning on

the A596 near Aspatria. We will be back later.