25/07/2011 North West Tonight

Good evening. Welcome to North West Tonight, with Gordon Burns and

Ranvir Singh. Our top story: Hearing the case for High Speed

Rail - business leaders tell the Transport Secretary 200mph trains

are a must for the future. But would the �32 billion cost

cutting journey times to London be better spent elsewhere?

Also, one year on, the family of a woman murdered by her ex-boyfriend

while on bail asks what lessons have been learned? I don't think

there's been one single change in the system to stop the same thing

happening again. The parents of children at faith

schools say they face discrimination over plans to scrap

subsidised bus fares. Celebrating a weekend of sporting

success. Mark Cavendish and Amir Khan lead our parade of champions.

5th and the first people who lived at this quiet address in Liverpool

have to put up with a siege and they found a body under one of the

patios. The latest residents tell me they will settle for a quieter

life. Imagine hopping onto a train in

Manchester and arriving in London less than one-and-a-quarter hours

later. It could happen if a proposed high-speed rail link is

eventually built. The Transport Secretary, Philip Hammond, was here

today to meet business leaders who support his plans. But opponents

say it's too costly and won't bring enough benefits to this part of the

country. Our chief reporter, Dave Guest, joins us now from

Manchester's Piccadilly station. Dave. Yes, and each day thousands

of folk set off from here to the capital or arrive here from there.

It's a journey which currently takes a little over two hours if

everything's working to plan. But according to supporters of the

high-speed rail link proposals, that travelling time could be

slashed, bringing huge benefits to the region as a whole.

This could be the shape of things to come in rail travel. High-speed

trains whizzing up and down the country at speeds of more than 200

miles-per-hour. It's a prospect which excites some within the North

West's business community. The rail network between the North West and

London winner who is reaching full capacity and will be out of space

in the next 12 years. It is needed to keep us connected to London,

Birmingham and Scotland. The high- speed link would be built in two

stages. The first joining London to Birmingham. The second connecting

branches to Manchester and Leeds. If we don't start planning now, it

will be too late and Manchester will be left in a European

backwater. Today, the Transport Secretary arrived in Manchester to

sell the concept to business leaders from across the North. It

would cost �32 billion to build. But it's claimed it could generate

far more in benefits. Building the first stage alone would apparently

create 40,000 jobs. But not everyone's convinced of its merits

for this region. Most of the journeys will be to London rather

than the other way around, so this will be a drain on the north-west

and a slight benefit to London. Among travellers on local services,

there's also a feeling that money could be better spent. I think

you'll be fantastic. Sounds good to me. I think the money should be

spent more locally. The Transport Secretary arrive today in

Manchester to sell the concept of business leaders. But unlike the

trains, the process of decision- making is far from high-speed. Even

if the link ultimately gets a green light, it'll be the 2020s before

it's up and running. After his meeting, I spoke to the

Transport Secretary and asked him if the proposed link is really

worth the money. I think two things. But first of all, we cannot afford

not to invest in Britain's future. Too often in the past we have made

the mistake of not investing and cutting capital spending and then

regretting it. We had then seen our competitors benefiting from the

have a structure they have built in the next economic cycle. During

this Parliament, we are also going to be planning and obtaining

planning consent to build this railway. We are not going to be

spending serious money on building it until after 2016. You talk about

the importance of arresting in the country's future and she will know

doubt be aware of the Institute -- the Institute of economic Affairs

saying it is not commercially viable. Yes, it will cost a lot of

money, but it will be spread over 17 years. The amount of money spent

each year on this big, national strategic infrastructure project

will be about the same we spend on the CrossRail project in London

every year at the moment. Before this colossal amount of money, it

is only going to mean the trip from London to Manchester will be 40

minutes less than it already is. Is that worth it? It is not just about

speed. It is about capacity. Anybody rows tried to get on a

service from London to Manchester on a Friday evening will know we

are running out of capacity. -- anybody who tries to get on to a

service. We will be finding there are services throughout the day at

peak times with no capacity at all on them if we don't do anything. Of

what about people's land who will be seeing their land taken by

compulsory purchase order? An awful lot of scare stories are flying

around. Real spending large amounts of money to mitigate the impact on

parts of the country that the line goes through and I am sure that

when it is built and is up and running, many of the people making

so much noise today will turn around and say, this was not quite

as bad as we were told it was going to be. Thank you.

And we'd like to know what you think. Should the Government be

spending �32 billion cutting journey times to London? Or would

that money be better spent elsewhere. Get in touch via email,

Twitter or Facebook. A year ago, the lives of John and

Penny Clough changed forever when they received the worst news a

parent could have - that their daughter had been murdered. Nurse

Jane Clough was stabbed to death by her former partner Jonathan Vass

outside Blackpool's Victoria Hospital. At the time he was on

bail, accused of raping Jane. Since their daughter's death, John and

Penny have been campaigning to improve victims' rights and change

the bail laws. Here they tell us what the past 12 months have been

like. Just a normal day... And suddenly a

knock on the door before you go to bed. It turned our lives around.

The police officer came... Saying that he thought... Our daughter had

been murdered. I think the impact on us has been very tough. We used

to be a very fun-loving couple and now we don't really have fun.

is my games room. We've not used it... I can't remember the last

time we use it. There never seems to be an appropriate time for a

celebration. We think about it every day. You drive to work, you

drive past the cemetery. You drive past her house. You cannot go past

the part without thinking where she is now. We spend more or less every

evening thinking about what we want to do for the next stage. I have

written to David Cameron, the Prime Minister, on at least three

occasions. We have yet to have a response from him. We have had

three replies from Mrs Adams, who I believe is a fictitious person.

latest thing we're doing at the moment is designing a petition so

we can get signatures from people out there to support the bail

Amendment Bill proposal. I think we're doing this because it is our

way of dealing with the murder of Jane. We are a year on now. And I

don't think there's been a single change in the system that would

prevent the same thing from happening again. We have just got

to carry on fighting. I hope people will understand why we feel we have

to do this. It is our way of coping. I think we would feel worse if we

didn't. We thank them for being so brave. Just heartbreaking.

A man's been remanded in custody charged with the murder of a woman

in St Helens at the weekend. Heather Dyer was 22. She died from

stab wounds after an incident on Chapel Street on Saturday. Paul

Lyon, who's 44, is also accused of attempting to murder a 25-year-old

man. He'll appear at Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday.

A doctor who failed to identify breast cancer in 61 women in

Lancashire has quit his job. Dr Glenn Anthony Kelly, a consultant

radiologist at Accrington Victoria Hospital, was suspended on full pay

for two years ago. He's still facing disciplinary action.

Another satellite centre run by the famous Christie Hospital opened

today in Salford. It's a radiotherapy unit for treating

cancer patients based at Salford Royal Infirmary. It cost �18

million. Doctors say it can accommodate patients with a range

of cancers, including those affecting the brain. It is a 20

minute session as an out-patient and it is painless. Incredible,

cutting-edge treatment and they can have that from today in Salford

rather than having to go much further afield as they previously

had to, to Sheffield and London and perhaps further.

A Georgian manor house in Lancashire is to be restored with

�2.5 million of lottery money. Lytham Hall has fallen into

disrepair. The money will be used to help refurbish the Grade I

listed building and replace its heating and electrical systems.

Two companies are facing big fines following an explosion and chemical

fire which sent aerosols rocketing into the air above Crewe. The case

involves Greenway Environmental Limited, which is based in the town,

and Pakawaste Limited, which operates from Preston. Both

companies admit breaking health and safety laws. Our reporter Andy Gill

has been at Chester Crown Court for the hearing.

It happened after an explosion in a machine which shreds aerosols full

of flammable liquid. It took place at the gateway industrial estate in

Crewe. Hundreds of cans were sent shooting into the air, landing on

the roofs of nearby buildings. The fire destroyed more than 20

vehicles and cover an area of 20,000 square metres. 100

firefighters were needed to tackle it and some of the blasts were so

powerful that they were knocked off their feet. Fay Greenway

Environmental Limited has admitted to breaking safety laws and

Pakawaste Limited has also admitted to breaking safety laws in relation

to members of the public. The shredder was designed in a way that

allowed flammable vapours to build up. Greenway knew about the

ventilation problem but did not take the risks seriously enough and

carried on using the machine. The prosecution says it was only good

fortune nobody was killed or injured. The two companies are

facing hefty fines in the hefty cost of six figures. This could

jeopardise their futures and they will be sentenced later.

Still to come in North West Tonight:

We're at the cycling club that spawned a Tour de France champion,

as fellow riders pay tribute to Mark Cavendish. The UK needs to

start understanding that we have one of the greatest amongst us.

And don't look under the patio. The real-life newcomers to a close with

a few skeletons in the closet, or Councillors in West Cheshire will

tonight vote on whether to end transport subsidies for faith

schools, a move which would double the amount hundreds of families

have to pay in bus fares. Cheshire West and Chester Council says

abolishing the subsidy would save �1 million. That is out of a needed

saving of �25 million. But opponents say it's unfair

discrimination. Kate Simms reports. Like most families, mornings in the

Bytheway-Jackson family are finely tuned to run as smoothly as

possible. But that routine may be about to become unstuck, because

getting Ella to her faith school in Chester could be getting expensive.

My cost for getting her to school is going to rise from �300 to about

�800, which is nearly a 200% increase, which, quite honestly, I

haven't got the ability to fund. the moment, the council contributes

to school travel if you live three or more miles away from your school.

For state schools that transport is free. For faith schools, it's

subsidised. But from September 2012, the council wants to remove that

subsidy for faith schools. It also wants to end subsidised transport

for the over 16s. We believe that targeting families who use this

transport is discrimination. On top of this, targeting young people in

post 16 education a top of them losing their Education Maintenance

Allowance is a double whammy. Cheshire and Chester Council is not

the only council considering this. Cumbria is considering a similar

move, and in Lancashire the cost of travel to faith schools has already

been increased. It, says the council leader here, is only fair.

Any person who chooses their local school, they get that free of

charge as a statutory right. This is not discriminatory, it is very

clear. The decision will be baited here in Chester this evening. --

will be debated. It can either recommend a review or scrap the

decision. If the decision is taken, it will be a cost too hide for

Vegard Groslie-Wennesland and her family. It is an education I have

worked really hard for and it will be messed up.

It's time for the sport now, and, Tony, those people who think all

the excitement disappears with the football season have had plenty to

think about over the past 48 hours. What a weekend in cycling and

boxing! Where do I start? No less than three of our boxers all won

crucial fights on Saturday night, and then yesterday the Isle of

Man's Mark Cavendish won the final stage of the Tour De France to

claim the green jersey and the 20th stage win of his career. Cavendish

is already being described as the greatest sprinter in cycling

history. He's become the first Briton to win that green jersey and

is being tipped to beat Eddy Merckx's 34 career stage wins, but

more of him in a moment. Let's start tonight with a ringside seat

for a fight-night the North West will never forget.

We called it Saturday showdown and it ended in celebration on Sunday.

A triple whammy for Amir Khan, Tyson fury and Scott Quigg. Look at

that position! Amir Khan is now the undisputed welterweight champion

after his victory in Vegas. I took the shot and it was a very hard

shot. We were working on that all the way through. It just naturally

happened when he went down. I just shot that uppercut to the body.

Manchester's ties and fury now has his undisputed title as British and

Commonwealth heavyweight champ. Next up for him could be the

Wladimir Klitschko, but he says he can't wait while he chases the

Irish and European titles. Scott Quigg now has 22 wins of. The 22-

year-old from Bury Town has gone into the super-bantamweight belt.

He was managed perfectly, the guy who went through before. Now with

the backing, he knows how it was done and it worked. And they're

doing a good job with me bringing me on, nice and steady. So, three

titles, three champions, three cheers. A knockout weekend.

If you think all that was hard work, spare a thought for Mark Cavendish.

After three gruelling weeks in the saddle, the Manx cyclist made

history with a champagne performance on the Champs Elysees.

As we've been saying, he finished the Tour De France for the first

time as the top sprinter. Stuart Pollitt reports.

The country's best sportsman? the green jersey is going to Great

Britain. From the hills of the Isle of Man to first man across the line

on the Champs Elysees, and a first green jersey. I have been trying

the last few years. Finally it has worked out. It has not been easy.

At the moment, I think he is the UK's greatest athlete. Probably the

greatest ever sprinter in cycling, said to be called in any sport "the

greatest"... But, yes, we have amongst us the greatest of all time.

We must understand that. Here, at least, he's as big as Beckham. The

cycling club where he started. came along at the age of about nine

and he was just like all the other children, but they are not

obviously as good. His talent shone out. He was very special. That

potential's been translated into a place among cycling's greats. At 26,

Cavendish already has 20 stage wins on the Tour de France. That's 6th

on the all-time list, just two behind American Lance Armstrong and

14 short of the record held by the legendary Eddy Merckx. The

Manxman's next move could be to join the British Team Sky. As for

what he can achieve, the sky's the limit.

There we are. Another legend for us to celebrate.

Wigan Athletic are on the verge of losing Charles N'Zogbia after they

agreed a �9.5 million fee with Aston Villa. The French

international winger, who has just a year left on his Wigan deal, is

expected to discuss personal terms and undergo a medical within the

next 24 hours. Manchester City manager Roberto

Mancini says he hopes striker Mario Balotelli will learn from being

substituted for showboating during last night's friendly in Los

Angeles. Balotelli attempted an elaborate turn and back heel when

one-on-one with the LA Galaxy keeper. He was hauled straight off

by his manager, despite having scored City's goal in the 1-1 draw

just minutes earlier. What on earth was he playing at?

Finally, the details for the Wigan- St Helens Challenge Cup semi-final

have been confirmed by the Rugby Football League. The great rivals

will meet on Saturday 6th August at The Halliwell Jones Stadium in

Warrington. Kick-off will be 4.30pm and the game will be live on the

BBC. Wigan booked their place, winning 44-24 win at Warrington,

while Saints beat Hull KR 54-6 yesterday. That will be some game.

But that was some back heal, wasn't it? On the commentary, the American

commentator says, are you kidding? And the crowd started booing.

Let's take a look at the weather. We had a glorious weekend so let's

Shock, horror, the kids are off school and we have good weather! We

have had this little weather front trying to ruin things. It has been

trying to edge its way in from the West and it has formed a bit of

cloud and a few splashes of rain across the Isle of Man. But it will

fizzle out as we go through tomorrow. A lot of dry weather

coming tomorrow. Dry for the next couple of days, but with

temperatures, we are very dependent on whether we get the sunshine or

the cloud. Quite a lot of cloud around at times. Temperatures

happily creeping up into the 20s, but when the cloud comes along, the

best we can hope for is 17, 18 degrees. So I would not describe it

as a scorcher. We have had an East- West Split today, so that has

bought some cloud and some showers over the Isle of Man. We will see

this weather front trying to creep in from the West. So some splashes

of rain across the Western post for tonight. Some temperatures could

fall down to single figures later. Tomorrow morning, the rain will be

moving away quickly. So, dry with decent spells of sunshine, and the

cloud will increase as we go through the afternoon. It will

start to swing around to the north- easterly direction. The Isle of Man

has a beautiful afternoon, but elsewhere, a bit more in the way of

cloud with highs of 20 to 21 degrees. This weather front could

bring patchy outbreaks of rain on Thursday, but later on this week,

If you found out that the neighbourhood you were planning to

move into had, let's say, a colourful past, what would you do?

In this case, we're talking murder, an armed siege and a firebomb

attack. And that's just for starters. The neighbourhood is in

Liverpool, and Stuart Flinders is there for us now. You had better be

careful! It is clearly not very safe. What she didn't even mention,

the body under the patio! That house there. -- what you didn't

even mention. Some terrible things have happened here... In Brookside

Close. The characters of the TV soap are long gone, but now real

people have started moving in. Brookside Close has never been so

quiet. For more than 20 years, there was drug addiction, domestic

abuse, petrol bombs and an armed siege. TV's Brookside ended in 2003.

But Brookside Close really does exist, in the Croxteth area of

Liverpool. And over the past few months, the houses have been

renovated and real families have moved in. This is where Bobby and

Sheila Grant lived. She seems nice enough. She's OK. It's not her

fault she's married to an idiot. And the bungalow was over there. Oh,

that. The family kill the ex- husband, I believe, and buried him

under the patio. But it is not the patio? No, because people took the

patio stones away as a souvenir. You didn't find anything underneath

The Close has become a tourist attraction. Harry Cross' old

bunglaow is now home to Carole. Brookside's fictional folk lumbered

from one catastrophe to another. The real-life residents are hoping

for a quieter time of it. Now we'll end with some of your

comments on the value of a high- speed rail link to London, which

was our top story. Susie says: "It is completely un-

needed. What a monumental waste of money".

David Lawson says: "Why does Manchester always get the big

public investment? Surely it would make sense to extend the line to

Preston to benefit the whole Lancashire area?"

Loads of reaction on Twitter, too. Someone calling themselves

VampireLover says: "Worth every penny as the rewards to local

economies will be substantial". But SpiderFlat says: "Money should

be spent on high-speed broadband for all the North West, to enable

people to work from home". Milton Grimshaw, apparently seeing

the upside, says: "Anything which allows you to leave the South East

fast is worth the money!" another says, the money could be spent on