18/11/2013 Look North (North East and Cumbria)

Hello. Welcome to Look North. In the programme tonight: Calls for a ban

on hands`free phones in cars, after research here suggests they cause

drivers to lose concentration. Multitasking at the wheel and doing

anything that distracts you from the road is potentially fatal.

"Thank you for saving my life." The 13`year`old plucked from a West

Cumbrian harbour is reunited with his rescuer.

The plot of derelict land that could hold the key to thousands of new

jobs. And don't try this at home ` the

stunt bike spectacular coming to Tyneside in the new year, hoping to

win new fans for the sport of motocross.

In sport, the Eagles are flying high as they reach basketball's cup

semifinal again, and is the honeymoon over for Carlisle's new

boss, as the Cumbrians drop yet more points at home?

We know it's against the law and dangerous to drive while holding our

mobile phone, but isn't it OK to drive hands`free? Well, not

according to scientists at Newcastle University. They say their research

shows even using hands`free can seriously reduce our ability to

drive safely. The findings coincide with National Road Safety Week, and

the charity Brake is now calling for a ban on using hands`free phones in

cars. Driving while using a hand`held

mobile phone has been illegal in the UK for a decade now. But it isn't

against the law to drive while talking hands`free. Researchers,

though, have now discovered that using our phones hands`free can

significantly reduce our ability to drive safely. Well, I've come down

to Newcastle University to find out exactly what they've discovered in

the research. They have given me this strap, which is going to go

underneath here and monitor my heart rate and breathing. They have also

given me a set of goggles with two small cameras, and that's going to

monitor my eye movements and see what I am looking at on the road.

Whilst at the wheel, the researchers called me. I answered hand`held and

hands`free. They asked increasingly complex questions, whilst recording

my heart rate, breathing, and driving ability. Overall, their

tests show drivers taking calls on hands`free phones saw their ability

to maintain speed and their steering performance decline 37%. We can see

when people start talking on the phone, they didn't even recognise

the hazard they've been through, and they didn't even stop for a stop

line, and missed a red traffic light. And even on the hands`free,

when they're in a conversation that demands a lot of thinking, they can

be incredibly distracted. We're looking at the point where you start

answering the phone... We're all getting busier and multitasking

more, and mobile phones mean we can be contacted anywhere, at any time.

But beware, say the scientists, as their evidence shows that talking to

someone on the phone hands`free is more dangerous than talking to a

passenger. When you're talking to a passenger, they are context aware.

They know what's happening on the road, and they may be quiet when

they see you doing a difficult manoeuvre or they may change if they

recognise there is danger on the road. When you're talking to someone

remotely at the end of the phone, who doesn't know what the driving

conditions are, they will continue the conversation, and you will try

and maintain it, even though you're getting more dangerous. The research

coincides with the start of National Road Safety Week, and the charity

Brake has now called for the use of hands`free phones to be banned in

cars. Sharon joins me now. Sharon, Brake's

stance is certainly uncompromising ` as far as they're concerned phones

should be banned completely? But not everyone shares that view? Brake say

that the use of mobile phones increases the risk of having

accidents, but there are contradictions. Research in

Australia claims to show that children in cars causing

distractions are twelve times more dangerous than mobile phones. That's

something we put to Brake's representative Rich Andrew. I think

there is an important message, and we do work closely with educators

from nursery schools upwards, to try and get that message out to children

as well as to parents and to drivers, about the importance of

kind of being sensible and knowing your responsibilities of being in a

car, whether as a driver or as a passenger. Brake is using academic

research, as we saw. It wasn't carried out in real driving

situations ` so is it valid? That's right, more people than ever now use

mobile phones, and more and more cars are using hands`free

technology. But there's no evidence of an increase in accidents caused

by phones, that's something else we put to Brake. What the research

shows today, and I think the really important message that has come out

of today is that this simulation and the research that backs it up shows

that conversation can be a huge distraction, especially if it is a

work`related conversation, where you really have to concentrate. It's

certainly a contentious subject, and you can join the debate on the Look

North Facebook page. A West Cumbrian man who saved a

teenager from drowning has told Look North he was just in the right place

at the right time. Ryan Lowery's day out fishing at Maryport harbour

almost ended in tragedy when he slipped and fell from a pier. He was

in the water for almost 20 minutes, before being hauled to safety by

Brian Pattinson. Graham Moss reports.

Reliving the events of an afternoon that nearly ended in tragedy.

13`year`old Ryan Lowery was fishing on the North Pier when he slipped

and lost his footing. I tried to grab something, but I kept sliding.

When I got into the water, I had a tiny burst of energy to push myself

to the sea wall and cling onto it. I had told onto a tiny ledge for about

15 minutes until Brian came. Brian Pattinson always carries overall in

his car boot just in case. He was on the opposite side of the harbour

when he heard someone in the water. I ran along with the rope and tied a

knot in it, threw it out over the side, and luckily, Brian was still

conscious and could put it over his head and his arms, and I was able to

pull him back towards the steps, which are I knew with the local

knowledge I had. The police and the close card have praised Brian's

quick thinking. They have said if he had not acted in the way he did,

things could have been very different. It is terrifying. It was

a near death experience. It is horrible. I couldn't stop him from

shaking. That was my worry, that he was shaking badly. But obviously, he

is here today, and thankfully is OK. I would be dead, it's as simple as

that. There is no good way to put it. I was in the right place at the

right time, and I had enough time to get to him. Ryan is recovering well,

and him and his mother cannot thank Brian enough.

A new development in York could create thousands of jobs, according

to the city council. ?10 million is to be spent on what is, at the

moment, derelict land behind York railway station. And even more jobs

are in the offing. 200 fresh posts are being advertised at the new John

Lewis store in the city. Dave Edwards reports.

At Monk's Cross on the outskirts of York, construction is well underway.

In the spring, this building will host one of the biggest names in

British retail ` John Lewis. 100 posts have already been filled, and

200 more were advertised this morning. The interest in the jobs

when we advertised the 100 roles has been fantastic. We had 500 people

from the local area wanting to come and join John Lewis, and we're

really hoping and expecting a similar number of people apply for

the 200 selling and catering roles that we've advertised today.

Meanwhile, over in the centre of York, another major announcement.

This land behind the railway station has been derelict for years. Plans

to develop it and build thousands of homes and offices were put on hold

in 2009 at the height of the recession. But today, the City

Council has announced it's spending ?10 million on a new bridge to allow

access to the site. It says that will kick`start development and help

create thousands of jobs. And those jobs will be much`needed here in

Yorkshire, where last week's official figures showed unemployment

rose by 4000. There are now 248,000 people in the region without a job.

It is hoped today's two announcements will help that figure

start to fall. Police investigating the mysterious

death of a solicitor found stabbed on a footpath can't rule out the

possibility he killed himself. It's more than two months since the body

of 56`year`old Peter Maine was discovered in Durham, but still

there have been no arrests and no weapon has yet been found. Today, a

coroner was told nobody saw the incident take place. Our News

Correspondent, Peter Harris, reports.

Captured on CCTV on a morning run, yet minutes after these pictures

were taken, Peter Maine was dead. Stabbed, we do know, but why and by

whom remains a mystery. And now, say the police, they can't rule out the

possibility he'd inflicted the wounds himself. On the morning of

September the first, the solicitor had been running near Maiden Castle

in Durham. At 8am, he was found on a path and later died We know he was

being investigated over fraud allegations. Durham Police launched

a murder`style inquiry But there the trail appears to run cold. We know

Peter Maine died of stab wounds, but a pathologist's report was

inconclusive as to how exactly those wounds were inflicted. Durham Police

say many witnesses have come forward, though there still may be

some who have not been contacted, and a further difficulty for the

police is that there is no CCTV or witnesses of the moment the wounds

were actually inflicted. And so, since nobody saw it and nobody has

been arrested, the police say they can't rule out the option that Mr

Maine stabbed himself. One further puzzle ` if that theory was true,

then what happened to the implement which killed him? It's never been

found. Today, the police updated the Durham coroner on the investigation

at a pre`inquest review. That was adjourned for further enquiries. All

possibilities in this case are open ` but two months on, the death of a

runner stabbed at a beauty spot remains a mystery.

A man's been given a five`year prison sentence at Newcastle Crown

Court today, following a fatal collision in Prudhoe, in

Northumberland, last July. David Robinson ` who's 26 and lives in

Woodhead Road in the town ` pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous

driving, failing to stop and report an accident and two other driving

offences. His victim ` 65`year`old Kathleen Heslop ` was crossing a

road and was hit by Robinson's car. She died at the scene.

Refurbishment work on the Tyne pedestrian and cyclist tunnels was

halted temporarily today, after a fire broke out at nearby C Marine

Services in Wallsend. Workers were cleared from the area, after the

flames took hold in a small factory unit an acetylene cylinder exploded.

There were fears other substances on the site could explode.

One of Carlisle's main tourist attractions will lose ?250,000 in

city council funding from 2015. Despite this, the Tullie House

Museum and Art Gallery has drawn up a ?16 million redevelopment plan.

It's hoped Lottery funding will cover some of the cost.

A seafaring charity has said the crew of a ship detained on Tyneside

for health and safety reasons could still be here over Christmas. The

Mission to Seafarers in South Shields is visiting the 16`strong

crew of the bulk carrier Donald Duckling. They were so poorly fed on

the ship's voyage from Las Palmas to Tyneside, they were forced to fish

from the vessel, and cook on fires set on deck. Our business

correspondent Ian Reeve reports. The ship that could be with us for

some time yet. Taiwanese`owned Donald Duckling, detained on the

Tyne last week. It'll be here until its owner puts right many safety

issues. Its Filipino and Romanian crew are at least getting some

comforts. We've given them free phone cards, so that they can make

contact at home. And obviously, they've used the internet, so they

can get... All of them are wanting to find out what's happening back

home, and a lot of them haven't been able to get in touch with their

families. This is the gallery itself, the burner. Deep fat

fryers... It's thought the ship may even be here until Christmas. We can

offer them the use of the galley, because obviously, they want to cook

their food their way, and they tend to like spicy food. Not like our

traditional Christmas dinners. So, yes, they'll have the use of this,

and this place is their home. Well, the ship is currently docked at

Whitehead Point on the north bank of the River, but it could be moved

offshore while its problems are rectified. But there is a risk in

that, in that it could merely sail away. But while she's still here,

Mission to Seafarers, such as Geoff and Richard, are able to visit the

crew. As soon as you got up the gangway, you could see the rust and

scale all over. It hadn't been maintained at all. Not for years, I

don't think. The crew, they looked all right. They looked quite happy.

The Filipinos are very happy race, anyway. Quite resilient. Quite,

erm... Boisterous, in a way. And they may need that resilience. At

least one Filipino crew member knows that back home, many miles from

North Shields, members of his family are still missing in the aftermath

of the typhoon that has so devastated his homeland.

Police are becoming increasingly concerned for a man who's been

missing from his home in County Durham for a week. Peter Jackson `

who's 38, and from Weybourne Lea in Seaham ` hasn't been seen since

leaving for work last Monday morning. Officers say it's out of

character. They're urging people to contact them if they see him.

850 jobs have been safeguarded at the Pirelli tyre plant in Carlisle,

after plans to extend it were backed by councillors. The company plans to

invest ?2 million in the plant. An extension will house new machinery,

giving the firm the capacity to produce more

environmentally`sustainable tyres. Lumiere ` the spectacular raft of

lighting installations and projections which have been

illuminating Durham's buildings and streets ` is over. At least, for

another couple of years. Last night saw the end of the four`day

festival, which again proved hugely popular and attracted big crowds.

Organisers say around 175,000 people turned up and Durham Police say

crowd control was much better than last time.

Coming up next in tonight's Look North` a sneak preview of a truly

spectacular show coming to the region early next year.

And give yourselves a slap on the back. Our region helps Children In

Need to a record`breaking total. And after a mild weekend, things turned

colder. Join me later for the details.

A venue more used to holding concerts will be turned into an

indoor motor racing track next year. Tonnes of earth will be used to

create a dirt bike course when the Arenacross tour comes to the

MetroRadio Arena in Newcastle in February. It's hoped the excitement

of races and daredevil motorbike stunts will encourage families to

become fans of the sports, as Alison Freeman reports.

Terrifying to watch, but throwing yourself in the air on a few hundred

pounds of speeding metal, isn't apparently as mad as it looks. I

like to think I'm pretty calculated. I hate roller coasters is, Juno.

Everything we do is very well rehearsed. We are able to do things

because we repeat. Dan is one of a number of freestyle

motocross riders who'll be entertaining crowds at the O2 Arena

in Newcastle in February. `` MetroRadio Arena. It's part of the

Arenacross tour, which will also feature indoor dirt bike racing `

some competitors are as young as seven. Among them will be Wallsend

brothers 10`year`old Buster and Joel, who's 15. Both have been

riding since they were toddlers. When you are on the track, what are

you thinking about? It's a frightening? You want to think hard,

because I always think I have to think one step ahead. You have to

think about the cones and think about the next jumps. That's what I

do. It makes me a better writer. `` better rider. And transforming the

shiny floors of the arena is surprisingly quick. Over a 24`hour

period, 560 trucks will carry in 6000 tonnes of dirt to turn the

arena into a race track And then there's the 18`ton truck on which

they're going to land these heart`stopping jumps. The tour is

taking in seven venues, but a win home win for local competitors is a

priority. It's really important for my friends and family to come to

this one, because I am local. I want them to get the hang me and I will

put on a good show and come out with a win. It's hoped the tour will

attract new fans to motocross. And if these gravity`defying stunts are

anything to go by, it should keep the audience on the edge of their

seats. That was amazing! Now, Dawn's here, and she'll have

the sports news in a moment. First though, we have to say a big thank

you to everybody who took part in this year's BBC Children In Need

appeal. Yes, a very big thank you, because yet again, the national

appeal has set a new record. And of the ?31 million pledged on the

night, almost ?1.4 million came from the North East and Cumbria. The Look

North team were out and about in Hexham on Friday night, and more

than ?16,000 came from donations at the Outside Broadcast alone. Here's

a reminder of the sort of things people got up to.

Attention! # I could lift you up. # I could

show you what you want to see and take you where you want to

# Even if the sky is falling down I know that we'll be safe and sound.

# You know my river won't evaporate, this world will still appreciate.

# Even in a hurricane I know that we'll be safe and sound.

Yes, that was me claiming! I quite enjoyed it when I got to the top. As

long as you don't look down! No Premier league or Championship

action over the weekend, of course, because of the internationals, but

there was plenty of action further down the leagues. Gateshead with

probably the result of the weekend, but we start our round`up in League

one and a draw for Carlisle United. Young on`loan Man Utd keeper Ben

Amos made his debut for the Blues in a much`changed starting line`up at

Brunton Park. The game didn't spark into life until the second half `

Prince Buaben forcing a save from Phil Jones before Max Ehmer was

brought down by Joe Walsh to force a penalty. Liam Noble, back from

suspension, thumped the ball in from the spot to give Carlisle the lead.

But with just two minutes of normal time left, Billy Clarke broke down

the win to fire in the equalizer from 25 yards. Carlisle now six

games without a win. We've been a bit of a sticky patch at the moment

and the pressure was starting to build. You could sense a little bit

of tension around the ground, and when you get one goal up, you think

you're going to get the three points. It didn't happen today, and

one mistake has cost us. York City will play Crawley in the second

round of the FA Cup if they beat Bristol Rovers tomorrow night. On

Saturday, though, they had to settle for a draw. Ryan Bowman headed in

this cross from Luke O'Neill to put them ahead, the first goal Plymouth

have conceded in almost 500 minutes. But substitute Tope Obadeyi levelled

the score to make sure the League two strugglers shared the points. It

was a disapopinting Friday night for Hartlepool United, who played their

third game in six days. A goal in each half secured all three points

for Newport County, who move into the League two playoff zone. Former

Carlisle keeper Lenny Pidgeley had a great game. The only time he was

beaten was by Andy Monkhouse, whose shot hit the post. Gateshead

stretched their unbeaten run in the Conference to five matches against

Salisbury on Saturday. Josh Walker put them ahead after less than a

minute, with a close`range strike. Then, a minute into the second half,

James Curtis floated the ball into the path of James Marwood to extend

the lead. It looked like it was game over when Walker headed in his

second goal and Gateshead's third, and although there was a slightly

nervy end to the game when Salisbury came back with two late goals, the

result puts Gary Mills side just two points off the playoff places.

On to basketball, and a weekend when Glasgow Rocks were reduced to rubble

by both our top`flight teams. Durham Wildcats beat them by 85 points to

72 in the League on Saturday, before losing to Cheshire Phoenix last

night. And after thumping Manchester Giants at Sports Central on Friday,

Newcastle Eagles knocked the Scots out of the BBL Cup 48 hours later.

The Eagles won their quarterfinal tie 81 points to 69 ` Malik Cooke

top`scoring with 27. And there could be a North East derby in the

semifinal, with Newcastle up against the winners of next weekend's

showdown between the Wildcats and Sheffield Sharks.

And in rugby union, Newcastle Falcons' hopes of making it beyond

the group stage of the Anglo`Welsh Cup suffered a setback, with a heavy

defeat at Gloucester. They went down by 20`3, with the Falcons' only

score coming from a Rory Clegg penalty. It's Northampton who now

look to qualify for the semi`finals. Thanks, Dawn, Now, just before the

weather, congratulations to Teesside actor Mark Benton, who survived the

dreaded dance`off for a second week running, to remain in this year's

Strictly Come Dancing competition. He was in the bottom two with former

Bond girl Fiona Fullerton, but he and partner Iveta Lukosuite received

three votes to one to stay in the competition. Mark told Look North he

never dreamed he'd make it this far and said he was absolutely amazed by

the support he's received from the public. Well done, Mark! What a

fabulous outfit, nothing compared to this man!

I had to cover up, because people were having to adjust the contrast,

because my legs were having to adjust the contrast,

because were quite! The weather has been nice and mild recently, but

it's all change, as we head through the coming week. Things will be

noticeably colder. Don't believe everything you believe in the

papers, I don't think it will be completely snowy, but it will be

noticeably colder. This weather front will bring in cold air, and

introduce a fresher sense for it this evening. Overnight it will

mostly be dry, then maybe the odd shower on the coasts, but most

places will be dry with long clear spells and a bit of shelter.

Temperatures easily sub zero, down to about minus two Celsius. There

will be ice patches to watch out for to enter tomorrow morning, so frosty

start for most of us, but again, most places will stay dry and fame,

with the odd wintry shower. Most places will have blue skies, and it

will never feel warm, because the sun is weak, but we will have by the

end of the day, some cloud in the north`west, and some rain and sleet

and snow in Scotland. That heads are we tomorrow night and into

Wednesday. It comes from this weather system from the North, and

brings out mixture of snow `` a mixture of snow and sleet. It will

quite indent by Friday when the high`pressure tries to build, so if

you are writing about the next few days, Cumbria will see the rain

clear on Wednesday, and it will stay mostly died on Wednesday and

Thursday, but temperatures will only recover a little bit. The north`east

again will see more showers on Thursday, with the north`easterly

wind coming in, cold north`easterly wind making it colder than number

suggest. `` than the numbers suggest.

Now for a look at tonight's headlines. Two leading internet

companies are to crack down on the practice of searching online for

images of child six abuse. Google and Microsoft will automatically

block 100,000 search terms. And scientists at Newcastle

University say using hands`free mobile phones while driving can

seriously reduce our ability to drive safely.

practice of searching online for images of child That's it first just

now. Carol is back tomorrow morning for breakfast. Goodbye.

'We wanna do a science fiction series.'

CS Lewis meets HG Wells meets Father Christmas, that's the Doctor.

Can't we have Doctor Who without Doctor Who?