06/09/2011 North West Tonight

Good evening. Welcome to North West Tonight.

Our top story: Counting the cost of the rioting as the bill for

policing looks set to hit �10 million.

With forces already facing cuts, there is a call for Government help

to meet the extra costs. Also tonight: Heavy rain causes

flooding in parts of Cumbria and North Lancashire.

Home sweet home as the country's best-known Street moves up the road

to a new location by the Manchester ship canal.

You can arrive in your own yacht. We could do that. Can I ride in

yours? Yes. Join me in Arne side to find out

how Morecambe's footballers get on with the ancient art of flatty-

The final cost of policing the riots in Manchester and Salford

could be as high as �10 million according to the Greater Manchester

Police Authority. The unprecedented events of last month and the damage

the rioters caused will potentially cost the equivalent of 2% of the

overall police budget. The footage of rioters looting stores will

remain in our memory for years to come. Who will foot the bill? What

is the latest on how the courts are dealing with the guilty? Nina

Warhurst has been looking into the figures. Extraordinary scenes,

partly where you were. Remind us of the scale of the disruption?

don't think many of us will forget what we saw that night, not just

here but beyond. That rioting started 155 fires, more than 100

premises were damaged and more than 300 arrests were made. Greater

Manchester Police are only just in a position now to understand the

full-scale of the costs of that damage.

The current known cost is �5 million. They are saying it could

double to �10 million. How are they coming to that figure? It seems

like a lot of money, doesn't it? Perhaps it is not when you consider

that 900 officers were out on duty that night, not just from Greater

Manchester Police, but from ten other forces. There is also the

damage to police equipment, the claims from 20 police officers who

were on duty, the cost of tracking down offenders as well as claims

made under the Riot Act. This dates back to the 1880s. It means when

damage is done during riots, the police can be liable to foot the

bill. We spoke to the Greater Manchester Police Authority. They

said this expense could run-up to �10 million and it couldn't come at

a worst time. It is a big setback. We have made �134 million worth of

cuts, �49 million this year. It is difficult to move from back office

to front office. We have a tight budget. Something like this shows

how fragile budgets can be. These claims can still be made until 20th

September, Debenhams haven't made their claims yet? Let's go back

down to the individuals who were at the root of the problems that day.

You have been at a case of a judo player in front of a judge? That's

right. Today, in court, we saw a 17-year-old who lived in Audenshaw.

He has a 9% attendance record at college and he is a promising judo

players with aspirations of reaching Team GB. That night he was

found with his pockets bulging. He had picked up �50 worth of

jewellery that he found on the floor, he looted a shop for �66

worth of cigarettes. As a result, he was sentenced today to eight

months in a youth offenders institute. The judge said he

understood that he was not part of the group that instigated the riots

and that he had an excellent future ahead of him. He said the public

must be aware that those who choose to take part in rioting, looting

and public disorder must know they will be punished and must know that

punishment will be severe. Heavy overnight rain caused

widespread flooding in Cumbria and North Lancashire today. High winds

brought down cables and trees. One of the worst-hit areas has been

Galgate where a river threatened to overflow into a village.

The River Conder at Galgate near Lancaster. Local families and

businesses were preparing for the worst after two inches fell in nine

hours. It stopped short of flooding the village but there were some

victims. This bungalow's owner was too busy clearing up to talk to us.

A garage was inundated when the Conder broke its banks. We have a

car stuck on the ramp. We had to move all the panels up to higher

ground. We had work booked in for today as well. It is a bit gutting.

You don't think it is going to happen. Then it's - the next minute

it is upon you. On the M6 near Lancaster, two lanes were closed

because of flooding. In Clitheroe, 1,800 electricity customers lost

power. There were severe delays on the

West Coast Main Line after flooding at Garstang. Some smaller stations

were hit. I have come to get on the train. There is a lot of flooding

because of the weather. British Rail are putting on some buses to

Lancaster and then we will see what the situation is and then possibly

a bus to Preston. What can you do if it rains hard? It floods. If a

tree falls down, it happens. Drivers faced difficulties getting

to work. Bolton Road at abbey village. The A6 at Broughton near

Preston just two of dozens that saw their drains overwhelmed.

Forecasters say there is more to come. We are going to use sandbags

or more stone to stop water coming. It's still in the fields next to us.

If we get more tonight, that's it. It will be more on floor.

Dianne is here. Are we in for more of this? We are in for a night of

heavy showers. Yes, it continues to come as we go through the night,

which is not good news for those rivers and for the people who live

alongside them. We have one flood warning in place and ten

floodwatches. The showers will continue through the night and

tomorrow afternoon we have a longer spell of rain. The wet weather will

keep on coming. A full forecast at the end of the programme.

Rebecca Leighton, the nurse freed last week after she was accused of

causing the deaths of patients at Stepping Hill Hospital, has signed

up with the publicist Max Clifford. Mr Clifford said she was anxious to

tell her side of the story and was currently considering offers from

the media. She was arrested after saline drips

were tampered with. Three patients died. She was released on Friday

when the Crown Prosecution Service said there was not enough evidence

to secure a conviction. A three month consultation period

is beginning on plans to cut an extra 160 jobs at Stockport Council.

An online petition calling for the release of Cabinet papers relating

to the Hillsborough disaster won't be debated before the party

conferences later this month. Even though it's secured the 100,000

signatures necessary. The backbench Business Committee says it would

only be given a timeslot if it was requested by MPs at their weekly

meeting this afternoon. But none did.

The head of Darwen Vale High School where teachers went on strike this

year has quit her job. Hilary Topey was suspended from her job while

the council carried out an investigation. She has told the

authority she won't be returning. The teachers walked out in April

claiming they weren't being supported in dealing with the

misbehaviour of some pupils. Campaigners fighting plans to

privatise two hospitals on Merseyside have handed in a

petition to Downing Street. More than 33,000 people have signed the

petition, protesting about the idea of a private company taking over

Whiston and St Helens Hospitals. They have obviously been very real

worries that people have had about the prospect of privatisation, that

is a very real fear that people have and it is absolutely essential

that the Government understand that the people of the North West want a

National Health Service free at the point of delivery and do not want a

privatised Health Service. Next, Manchester City say they are

investigating claims that their Chief Executive Garry Cook sent an

offensive e-mail to the mother of defender Nedum Onuoha. Dr Antonia

Onuoha, who is suffering from cancer, says the e-mail mocked her

illness. Mr Cook has denied the claims, but it has led to media

speculation over his position at the world's richest club.

Garry Cook has had negative headlines before, this time if you

believe the back pages, the future of his job is under scrutiny. It

centres around an e-mail which this woman says she received from Cooks

account. She is Dr Antonia Onuoha, the mother of City defender Nedum

Onuoha and who negotiates with the club over his contract. She was

filmed at the North West Sports Awards six years ago when her son

got the accolade for Best Newcomer. She now has cancer and she says the

e-mail she received was supposed to have been sent to Brian M a, rwood.

It is understood Cook denied sending the e-mail and thinks his

account was hacked -- Brian Marwood. Nobody from City was prepared to

comment. The club have issued a statement. It reads, "Follows

allegations made by Dr Antonia Onuoha, subsequently reported in

today's media, the club can confirm a board level review has been

launched into the matter. It is also believed Dr Antonia Onuoha has

written to both the FA and the Premier League asking them to

investigate." Garry Cook has been an important figure at City since

he joined the club three years ago and played a key role in bringing

in Roberto Mancini as manager. has been a great success. He's

enabled Manchester City to join the top table of European football. Had

a cracking season at the end of last season and this season they

have kicked on. Now, they have started work on a

new residential development right beside the Manchester ship canal.

The houses, a pub and corner shop will be brand-new. Yet, they will

look very familiar. That gives it away. It's the new set of one of

our oldest and favourite TV series, Coronation Street. This morning two

of the Street's best-known residents were there to break the

ground at their future home. It's a mistake.

They have fought in it, loved in it, they've been born and died in it.

They even had a train land on it! There is only one star, the Street.

The Street is on the move. But not for the first time. The initial set

was a flat put in the studio and then they built one that was a

front and in 1982 the current one was built when the Queen and Prince

Philip walked down on the first day that we used it. The new one will

be next to the Imperial War Museum North on the Manchester ship canal.

The man who created the soap saw the plans for the first time today.

It is going to be wonderful. It is still exactly the same Street that

Dennis Parkin designed. ceremonial ground-breaking before

work starts. There is a man over there looking very bored waiting to

get started. We have done the first holes. He will probably fill that

in! You can arrive in your own yacht? We could do that. Can I ride

in yours? Yes. Thanks. Of course you can. Across the water from the

yacht and the set, a complex described by some architects last

week as a blot on the horizon. Building design magazine has named

it carbuncle of the year 2011. It is the BBC's new home in the north.

Like it or not, programmes are already being made here. 900 BBC

staff who used to work in Manchester or London have moved in.

Many more including some very familiar faces are on the way. What

do you think of it? It works for us. You get different views. The staff

who are here are really excited. We have got lots of visitors. Do they?

Do ordinary members of the public? Lots of people walk through the

site because Coronation Street are coming as well. Remember what a

calling card the Street is. We are expecting it to be good neighbours

to us. The neighbours at Coronation Street move in in two years' time.

I don't love you. Love never crossed my mind.

Ooh! I love it. It is so good even now!

Nice big picture of you over there. It is the only time I have ever

been tall! Still to come: A class of their own - why the parents of

these autistic children believe they need their own school.

Bulldozers move in to create a bright new future for Bernhard

Langer. -- for Lancashire County Cricket

Club. As the first of those stories -

parents of autistic children are trying to set up their own special

school. They say the council isn't providing for their educational

needs. They say their children who have difficulty communicating

either have to travel or struggle in mainstream school. For the

second of our reports, this from Kate Simms.

Who is it? A few precious moments with their son, but for most of the

time this is as close as Hilary and Alan get to Edward. A six-hour

journey. The Hodgsons live in Macclesfield. Their son spends most

of his time 250 miles away at a residential school in Dorset.

very hard indeed. We never imagined that we would not have our children

living with us. To have to make that decision at 11 was terrible.

The worst decision we have had to make. That decision came because

Edward's severe autism meant he couldn't cope with school routine.

He needed a 365-day routine but the Hodgsons say there was no such

facility near them. Cheshire East are providing for Edward in that

they are paying for him to be at school in Dorset. But what we need

is local provision. The Hodgsons' case is extreme but it is not

isolated. The organisers of this group say the lack of education

provision is the biggest problem for parents of autistic children,

so much so they are trying to open their own autism-specific free

school. We have no provision of a high school for a child with autism

within East Cheshire. These children have got to travel for an

hour-and-a-half to get to a school, or they go into mainstream which

for some of them mainstream is not the right environment. He has

started out in the reception year, at a point where he was expected to

achieve a high level. That level of attainment has slipped. Concerns

are not just confined to East Cheshire. Nationally, 30% of

parents of autistic children feel their child's educational placement

is not adequate. A quarter of autistic children aren't happy at

school. East kerb Cheshire Council says it is -- east Cheshire Council

says it is listening to parents. have always acknowledged we haven't

got enough special school provision in Cheshire East. Within that

context, we recognise there is increased demand and need around

autism in particular. We are building up the business case to

bring forward proposals to our elected members in the next couple

of months seeking permission from them to develop a special school

specifically around autism. parents here say they will continue

to try and open their own school however until they see more

concrete plans in place. Bye-bye.

Back in Dorset, saying goodbye is difficult but they know he is in

the right place. For the first time he's properly accessing education

because he is in the right environment for him.

Tomorrow, Kate will be looking at the issue of employment for adults

with autism. We should say thanks to everybody who has e-mailed in

with thundershower comments on the issue of autism. It has touched a

nerve. Have you ever heard of the age-old

tradition of flatty-treading? Well, the footballers at Morecambe FC had

We can probably bet they are not going to forget it! It involves a

dip in the chilly waters off Arnside. Finding flat fish with

your bare feet - yes. They may be nicknamed the Shrimps

but they looked out of place in the estuary. The idea was a post-

training team bonding session, flatty-treading, where you feel for

flat fish with your bare feet and then grab them - simple! Have any

of these footballers got a future as a flatty treader? A couple of

them have. They are screaming like girls! The bravest of the brave can

do it straightaway. But conditions for flatty-treading were tough. The

estuary was full of floodwater. No catch, no dinner. A few of the lads

are not getting out till they have caught one. We are going back to

the pub over the road. Do you think you will catch anything? I hope so.

I want chippy! Or Nandos! They gave it 110% and eventually it paid off.

CHEERING How difficult was it? is hard finding them. You know when

you have stood on them. I ain't picking it up! Did you get a prize

for the first one? You get to eat first! That is about it. We have

another one. If I can keep on it. Yes! You got something to eat now?

Yeah. After much floundering about, they netted a couple and it was

over the road to the local pub to enjoy the fruits of their labours.

CHEERING Do you think two was enough for an

entire team? Catching fish like that is SOLE

destroying! Oh dear.

Right, demolition work started at Lancashire's cricket ground today.

It is something that fans were looking forward to. It is hoped

redevelopment will mean the return of Test Cricket to the region.

Out with the old, in with the new. It is hoped the facilities that

will start taking shape here will be a fitting venue for England Test

Matches. Our goal has always been the Ashes Test match in 2013. We

were disappointed to lose that in 2009. We have got to wait until the

ECB board meeting on 22nd September. The redevelopment of the ground is

partly funded by a new Tesco superstore being built there. That

plan hung in the balance when challenged by the billionaire

Albert Gubay. At the moment, they are starting construction work for

the new media centre. We start refurbishment work on the Pavilion.

New stands down either side. It will be a different ground. It is

hoped the new ground will be ready for the start of the 2013 season.

Preparations are taking place on the Isle of Man for the

Commonwealth youth games. The event is being hosted by the island for

the first time. 60 athletes from Canada landed yesterday. It is so

beautiful. It is like an island in the middle of the Irish Sea. It is

really nice. It is a new experience for all of us.

Shall we go back to Dianne and get the full weather forecast? It

wasn't looking great. Doesn't look wasn't looking great. Doesn't look

any better now. Good evening. We started this week by saying it

would feel like autumn. Today felt like November! It was such an

unsettled day. As the showers kept on coming through the morning, it's

added to the problems. We have one flood warning in place with rivers

in Cumbria and Lancashire. The Environment Agency number is 0845

988 1188. Once we got past lunch time, many places saw these showers

dying away. Over the last couple of hours, one or two more have started

to appear here and there. If we pick up with what we have got over

the next couple of hours, it is not looking good. Our skyline is

looking so grey. The camera is wobbling as well which lets you

know the wind will continue to be strong through this evening.

It will be most active in parts of Cumbria and parts of Lancashire.

Parts of Merseyside may miss the worst of it. Cheshire is probably

the best place to be. Wherever you are, the picture will start to look

better. Look what happens as we head towards the early hours of the

morning - the next line of showers will start to work its way in.

Temperatures up in double figures. You will get up first thing and

that line of showers will be around. Once again, they will be heaviest

in the northern parts. Once again, Merseyside might miss them. If you

watch the timeline, we have another line of rain starting to work its

of us. Some of the showers will be fairly heavy. It is a wet spell

through tomorrow afternoon. Hardly anything in the way of brightness.

Temperature also be 14 at best. Thank you very much. Now, picture

the scene - a pleasant day out, a relaxing male or a drink by the sea

at Peel. But the seagulls have other ideas. They have been dive-

bombing holiday-makers in a wave of gull aggression. Some cafe owners

gull aggression. Some cafe owners are calling for a drastic solution.

Something is keeping people away from the beach. Seagulls have

become a huge nuisance here with many people being attacked and now

they want rid of them. They take strawberry scones off the tables.

It is a nuisance. I have had my lunch - I get ten minutes and a

seagull comes down. It is scary. Joanne owns a tearoom in the heart

of the town and because of problems she's had, she's been granted a

licence to cull. They are not feared or nothing. The brolly

doesn't deter them. Flags and stuff don't deter them. As soon as you

put food on the table, they come from out of nowhere - gone! The

food has gone. They are a nightmare. They are frightening. It is not

nice. More often than not, in this town, there are more seagulls than

people on the beach. I'm sat here with gorgeous views, a cuppa - it

should be relaxing. These seagulls don't make it easy. I have had

people complaining that when ever anybody goes down the street, past

a particular nest, they get attacked. You get elderly people

getting flocked flat on their face. It is a real issue. Well over 100

people have already complained to Peel Town Commissioners who tonight

will be discussing if a gull cull is the solution.

It is very odd that. They are not trustworthy.

All birds have to do that! Not on your head!

I don't suppose they aimed it, did they?