14/08/2014 Look North (Yorkshire)

other news on the BBC News Channel, and on our website, but that is all

for now. It is Good evening and welcome

to Thursday's Look North. Tonight, Sir Cliff Richard's alleged

to have sexually assaulted a boy South Yorkshire Police

have searched his home. We're live in Sheffield

and Berkshire with the latest. Also tonight, should more be done to

stop Yorkshire's pubs from being And how the scissor`making craftsmen

of Sheffield have been saved by the cutting`edge technology

of the internet. And there are some very heavy

thunderstorms out there at the moment. I will be back with all the

latest later. First tonight,

South Yorkshire Police have been searching the Berkshire home

of the pop star Sir Cliff Richard. It's

in connection with an allegation of sexual assault involving

a boy who was under 16 at the time. The alleged assault,

which Sir Cliff strongly denies, is said to have taken place

in Sheffield in the 1980s. Our reporter James Vincent is

outside South Yorkshire Police James, what is the latest? It is

important to remember that this investigation is at a very early

stage and nobody has been arrested. The allegation concerns a boy under

the age of 16 and the BBC understands the allegation of sexual

assault involves an event at Bramall Lane, a Billy Graham event. He was a

US preacher and Bramall Lane is the home of Sheffield United football

club. The police here are taking this allegation very seriously and

they say that is why they have taken this action today. They have

released a statement and this is what they told us earlier today.

We can confirm today that South Yorkshire Police have gained

entry into a property in the Sunningdale area of Berkshire.

Officers are currently searching the property.

The search warrant was granted after police received

an allegation of a sexual nature dating back to the 1980s.

The allegation involved a young boy under the age

The owner of the property is not present.

That is all the information we have on the investigation from here in

Sheffield. My colleague is outside Sir Cliff Richard's home in

Berkshire and he has the latest for us. Well, the team of undercover

police officers from South Yorkshire has now left Sir Cliff Richard's

Berkshire home after spending most of the day here searching through

his penthouse property. It was at 9:30am that a short convoy of five

unmarked police cars went through the gates of this heavily secured

and private estate on the edge of London. They have spent the whole

day searching the property and left just about 3:30pm, we believe,

having taken some items. Nobody has been arrested yet. Cliff Richard has

denied this allegation and he says, for many months I have been aware of

allegations made against me which have been circulated online. The

allegations are completely. Up till now, I have chosen not to dignify

those allegations with a response because it would give them more

oxygen. However, the police attended my apartment today without notice

except for to the press, it would appear. I will co`operate fully

should the police wish to speak to me. Beyond stating that the

allegations today. It would not be appropriate to state anything

further... (inaudible) We're not entirely sure what happens

next but we are sure that the work of the police has concluded for

today. Thank you. We do apologise for those

technical difficulties in sound. The pub campaign group Camra is

calling for new laws to protect pubs from being bought up and turned

into shops. It says many suburbs and villages

in Yorkshire are losing a vital The Government says there's

already adequate protection. Cathy Killick's been to Harrogate,

where at least three pubs have already changed and another's

in the pipeline. You can tell just by looking at it

that this Sainsbury's in Harrogate used to be a pub. Just down the

road, there is a similar Morrisons. With five pubs in the North closing

every week, conversions like this are becoming a pretty common

occurrence, and some are now saying that pubs need greater protection

from change of use. Campaign group Camra even wants the law to change

so planning permission is needed for a pub to become anything else. It is

a back road for supermarkets, pawnbrokers, other developers,

really, as they don't require change of use for these facilities and

normally, as you know, pubs are on very large plots so they can get

their hands on them very easily without changing the use and gaining

the permission of the committees interested in these matters. Change

of use would have helped campaigners here. This would have become a co`op

without their input. To lose it would have been a big shock to us

locally. The Government says there is already protection for pubs.

There are various measures in place. It is just a question of local

people being aware of the tools they have to use. And that is the

troubled ` awareness. Many communities do not know how to

protect their pubs until it is too late because it has already been

sold. The message from Cameron is, list your favourite local as a

community asset. That way, consultation will be needed to

change it. The Leeds North West MP Greg

Mulholland is chair of the So does he agree that pub closures

are just a sign that people prefer to buy alcohol from supermarkets

and drink at home? The two major reasons

behind the number of pubs closing, first is the unsustainable business

model of the large pub companies, who have got themselves into billion

pounds of debt, which has led to pub But also the complete lack of

protection for pubs in the planning system, allowing pubs to be turned

into various other things that are clearly different uses without even

the community having a say. And those two things together have

led to many conversions, for example, to supermarkets,

in deals done behind the community's back, and that cannot be

right and could be prevented. But you know fine well politicians

are always telling us we drink too much,

so are we not better off having more Not at all, and actually, to focus

on the problem`drinking, which is clearly what politicians rightly do

focus on, one of the solutions, and this is actually accepted by

ministers, is the social drinking in pubs, where it's controlled,

where there is always a licensee on hand, compared to

the very low`cost selling of alcohol by supermarkets, where of course

there is no supervision at all. So actually the pub is very much

part of a sensible approach to alcohol, which is absolutely what

the Government should be promoting. Have pubs and landlords not got

themselves to blame, though? Because we have seen

in some areas they have had to diversify and some have become post

office branches, for example. So is it about thinking of the

future and perhaps changing the role That's something that of course

applies to rural and village pubs, and that's something that's been

supported by the wonderful But actually, no, the problems

are the ones I've specified. If it wasn't for the business model

of the pub companies, which take far too much of pub profits in the form

of grossly inflated drinks prices and excessive rates, and the lack of

protection in the planning system, we simply wouldn't be seeing the

number of closures, and actually we are seeing many more pubs succeed

when they're being bought and retained as a pub but run by a local

person or a small pub company, such as some of the excellent small

companies in Yorkshire, or some of the wonderful small breweries,

who, I am delighted to say, We'll stop you there

because I know you probably want to Later on Look North, we've been

to see a man about a dog. A North Yorkshire Police dog`handler

gives us some startling tales A father from Leeds whose son took

his own life is calling for greater access to mental health treatments

just a day after burying his child. Adrian Strain's comments also come

in a week when depression has come under intense media scrutiny

following the death of the Hollywood In a minute, we'll be speaking to

Adrian about his son Martin, but first, here's our health

correspondent, Jamie Coulson. Martin was described by friends as a

happy, bright and inventive man who made friends wherever he went. But

behind his smile was also sadness. It was brought on by bouts of

depression. Two weeks ago, Martin took his own life and yesterday at

his funeral, his family chose to highlight the difficulties accessing

mental health care in their eulogy. For cancer, we talk of the need for

early detection, prevention being better than a cure. We boast of our

improving survival rates and look forward to a day when early death

will be avoidable. But for the millions suffering depression, we

wait until they cannot cope, till they stop showing up for work, put

them on tablets and ask them to wait half a year to see a therapist. If

we treated other people with other diseases like this, the country

would be rightly outraged. The latest figures show that 481 people

took their own lives in Yorkshire and Humber in 2012. Of those, there

were almost four times as many suicides in men than women. And

nationally, suicide was the leading cause of death in men aged between

20 and 34, accounting for more than a of all deaths. Those who knew

Martin say he blessed their lives with his gentleness and kindness to

others. He leaves behind a wife and a loving family. Martin's Father

Adrian joins us now. I know this is an extremely difficult time for you

and Joe family. Thank you for coming in so soon after laying Martin to

rest. `` and your family. Tell us a bit about what Martin was like.

Martin was an affable prankster, clever... I was talking to his

colleagues yesterday at the funeral, his work colleagues, and they said

he made them laugh every day. In some ways, that was how he hid in

that persona. He had some of the anguish he was obviously going

through. And that is one of the problems we were hearing. In

Martin's age bracket, 20`34, that is the most likely cause of death,

taking your own life, and maybe some of that is men not talking as much.

I think that if anything is what I have learned over the last few

weeks. I mean, first of all, I would want to stress that as a family, we

have had phenomenally positive service from the NHS and I don't

want to link his death to any direct failing in the NHS at all. But it is

quite clear to me that if when he went off sick in April and the

earliest date he could access professional therapy was the 4th of

October, that that is unsatisfactory, and I think there

are some simple possibly low`cost measures that we could take to

improve that. We will talk about those in a second. Let's be clear

for people watching. There was not an appointment in October? If access

were improved to psychiatric help. And that is no use to him because he

has taken his own life and that is tragic, isn't it? It is tragic, and

I am keen to stress that he could have had an appointment tomorrow and

still taken this course of action. We will never know in Martin's

individual case what caused him to take his own life. What I am eager

to stress is the message behind the statistics that your package just

covered, and that is that in that age bracket, 20`34, there will be a

number of men whose lives might be saved and might be made easier if

they had faster access to some form of therapy. Simply, I would like to

see that if a young man in that age bracket reports through the Doctor

sick with stress or depression, after four weeks, they should

immediately trigger a psychiatric assessment. Because we know there

will be people watching tonight to know someone in that state and

perhaps there is someone watching who feels depressed as well, and

they need help as well. I am stunned and shocked by the numbers of people

who approach me yesterday, young men, who said, thank goodness

Caroline raised this in the eulogy, because I have been suffering like

this and I can't talk to my mum and dad. And it is Willie great that you

should raise it. `` really great. And since yesterday, I have been

receiving emails and tweets from organisations around the country

with a similar message. I don't think necessarily it is terribly

complicated. We screen it young women, thankfully, for cervical

cancer. I was approached because of my age and weight for my blood

pressure. So we are good at taking proactive measures... But maybe we

need to do the same with mental health? Exactly. Thank you so much

for coming in and sharing your story, and we hope something

positive comes out of Martin's death.

The brother of the last remaining undiscovered moors murder victim has

renewed his plea for help in finding the 12`year`old's body.

Alan Bennett wants police to provide him with all the files

on the investigation into his brother Keith's death to allow

him to continue looking for his remains, which are believed to be

Keith was one of five child victims of Ian Brady and his partner

His mother died in 2012 without being able to fulfil her last wish

The Sheffield half`marathon will receive a charity donation

from one of its suppliers after the event was cancelled due to

Thousands of runners were disappointed

when the race was abandoned just before it began in April.

Many decided to run the route anyway.

Today, Stourbridge Water Direct Limited agreed to make

a payment to the marathon organisers which will be given to charities.

The amount of the donation has not be made public.

Students across Yorkshire have been receiving

Nearly 75% got grade C or above, a slight drop from last year.

But the proportion getting the top mark was up slightly, to 7.2%.

For some, the results mark the end of

education, but for others, they're a springboard to the next step.

It may look like a familiar scene... But it is an experience that is

actually changed. Most of the students had a ready found out if

they have the grades they needed online. But it is not just how

results are delivered which has changed. There are more options for

students than ever. For Tom, the traditional route of an English

degree. I'm exhilarated! It's a red tie when I left loss for words but

I'm speechless. It has made it all worthwhile coming in. Extra every ``

every extra moment I spent, putting the effort in, spending the extra

hours are rising. It has made it all worthwhile to have this moment. But

this is Charlie who is part of a growing trend. He wants an

apprenticeship. You are still in education so you can take advantage

of that while you can and you are still being paid. There are usually

places in companies once you have finished apprenticeships or job

opportunities which serve them. And that is maybe while the number doing

apprenticeships in our region has nearly trebled in a decade. And in

Rotherham's advanced manufacturing and research centre, they have one

of the top centres in the UK. So as well as learning practical

manufacturing, these guys are getting business skills and the

theory behind how these machines work. Apprenticeships, they say, are

changing. Gone are the days when somebody would say, I did Woody

badly so I will go and be an apprentice. That is not the case any

more. `` really badly. We are looking at high calibre individuals

we can take through that professional journey to make into

top engineers. Hello, you are through to the University of

Sheffield... But despite that, University is still people's most

first choice. `` most people's first choice. Candidates have the power to

move up through the system and into universities where there are extra

places being made available by the Government. So it is the

candidates' market. And for Yorkshire students, it is a market

they are ready to take on. Congratulations to everybody who got

their results today. North Yorkshire Police's

longest`serving dog`handler, PC Vince Gillon,

is retiring after thirty years. PC Gillon says

his most vivid memory is the day he took part in the dramatic

man`hunt for two IRA members who were involved in the murder of

a special constable near Tadcaster. Our crime correspondent, John Cundy,

reports. Vince Gillon is saying goodbye

to his beloved police dog Buck. His successor, PC Martin Gales,

puts his dog through his paces. Some specialise in drug detection,

others in sniffing out explosives, a highly trained and vital part

of policing. For Vince, there are many memories

of his 30 years on the force. But one day he describes

as the darkest. Special Constable Glenn Goodman shot

dead by an IRA gunmen and a colleague wounded

as they made what they thought was Vince and his dog joined the huge

police manhunt for the two fugitives across the North Yorkshire

countryside in the ensuing days. It was just the rural searches

that we were involved in. In buildings and woodland

and things like that. We don't expect that sort

of thing in North Yorkshire. And, yeah, it was a huge shock to

find out the IRA had been The retiring officer and his

successor are at one when they talk The job that a police dog can do in

ten minutes could take six police I enjoy being a police officer

but combining that with my love The prime of their working life is

at the age of four or five, when they really do start to earn

their bread and butter. For Vince, it has been a career of

searches, missing people, drugs and criminals which have brought him two

bravery awards as North Yorkshire's Football now, and Sheffield United

won their Capital One Cup The Blades beat Mansfield 2`1

at Bramall Lane. Andy Butler got the first, a

scruffy affair following a corner. Mansfield got one back but

Marc McNulty won the tie largely by virtue of keeping a cool head

in the penalty area. United's reward is a trip to Premier

League West Ham in the next round. And here is the rest of the second

round draw. Now, take a look at these. They may

look like an ordinary pair of scissors but in fact they have been

made by one of the only traditional scissors manufacturers in the UK,

and two months ago, the company was close to being cut off for good!

Look at mine! Mine are very fancy! Ernest Wright and Sons in Sheffield

was on the verge of closure after 112 years in business due to a lack

of orders. But that changed when a videomaker created a film of what

they do and posted it online. What on earth are you doing?!

What woman can do without her scissors? These are scissors being

forged. And here, they are being polished. They have been making

scissors in Sheffield for more than 100 years. But this craftsmanship

was on the verge of dying out. They were struggling here so much that in

June, two workers were made redundant and they even went down to

a two`day week. I was doing my homework and thinking about

receivers and what have you because it was getting close to the wire. We

wiz knew there were customers out there that did appreciate and like a

good pair of scissors or shears, but we just couldn't seem to reach them.

But the machines have been fired up once more because demand has gone up

dramatically. A years worth of orders in the space of a month! Film

was made by a Sheffield photographer which showcases the skills needed to

make a pair of scissors here. `` a film. This has gone viral and

travelled around the world. More than half a million people have seen

it, and, no surprise, they have had orders from Canada, Australia and

the United States. It is the power of the Internet.

This was something we had effectively volunteered to do for

posterity, just to capture it on film in case we disappeared. And

that was looking pretty likely, let's face it! And he put it up for

us to watch and someone else saw it, then someone else, and then, wow!

And it has just gone mad! It has projected it into another level.

People are fascinated how we make them and how we have been making

them. And the age group that is making them. It is fantastic! This

is a story of where traditional skills meet modern technology and a

Sheffield company is saved. And I can say they are very good

scissors as well! I finished! Here's what I made earlier! And a little

slow flick! `` Snowflake. It is getting colder next week but

not that cold! Let's get on with the weather forecast and the pictures.

Look at these ladies. Aren't they nice! Ladies?! I think they are.

There are no horns so I am presuming they are ladies! You can just about

make out the sunshine and showers in this picture. And have we had some

showers today! Some very heavy ones, and we do have a warning this

evening as some showers could bring torrential downpours. They have been

a few reports of thunder and lightning as well. Tomorrow, some

showers through the afternoon. Saturday, a brief respite, and then

Sunday, the showers return along with the windy conditions. Fairly

disappointing for the second half of August. This is the radar picture of

the showers which have already fallen, and, as I said, quite a few

have produced hail, thunder and lightning strikes. Those will tend

to lose their intensity and although the odd one could continue

overnight, many places becoming dry. Temperatures will fall back to 12 or

13. That is 54 Fahrenheit. Sunrise is at 5:44am. These are the high

water times. We start tomorrow with the odd shower but the first half of

the day will be the better half, the drier and brighter half, with sunny

spells. The increased risk of showers as we had to the afternoon

and some of these pushing in from the West could be heavy and

thundery. Not quite as intense as this evening but still the odd sharp

one about. Temperatures lifting to 18 or 19 with a breeze. Next week

will feel Willie Quai chilly compared to that, with 16 or 17. ``

will feel really chilly. Now, it is traditional at the end of

the news for presenters to shuffle scripts and talk but we have made a

mess of them! See you later.