25/11/2013 North West Tonight

Good evening. Welcome to North West Tonight with Annabel Tiffin and

Roger Johnson. Our top story: A milestone for

Merseyside. The one millionth Jaguar Land Rover

rolls off the production line at Halewood.

Join this little fella and me as we celebrate the anniversary of the

first seaplane. Tributes to a Manchester United

legend. Busby Babe Bill Foulkes has died at the age of 81.

And the Formby red squirrels showing resistance to a deadly disease that

nearly wiped them out. Colin Whalley died in hospital. By

mistake he'd been given a 24 hour course of drugs in just 20 minutes.

His wife was there when it happened. His death was shocking enough, the

wait for an apology almost unbearable. Two years on, Whiston

Hospital has finally said sorry His family say they're appalled it's

taken so long. Our Chief Reporter, Dave Guest, has the story.

Colin Whalley was 68 when he went into Whiston Hospital with breathing

problems. He never came out again. He died after staff gave him a fatal

overdose of the drug aminophylline. A dose which was supposed by be

administered over a 24 hour period was pumped into his body in just 20

minutes. I was speaking to Colin and all of a

sudden he started to sweat and he was shaking and he asked if I had

any wipes. By this time, 20 minutes had passed and the machine started

flashing again and I said, she has overdosed on.

So the family knew there'd been a terrible mistake. They say the

hospital knew there'd been a terrible mistake. But it's taken two

years for Whiston to say sorry officially. This letter arrived

almost exactly two years to the day that Colin was admitted to Whiston.

In it the Chief Executive conveys her sincere and unreserved

apologies. And she acknowledges that the error in administration of the

drug played a significant part in Colin's death.

They don't realise what they put me through. Even the grandchildren

What happened keeps flooding back and I cannot forget it.

Tomorrow a coroner will set a date for an inquest.

The family will get to hear all the evidence of what happened minute by

minute and what led to her husband's debt.

The trust said due to a lengthy legal process it was only now that

they were able to apologise. They said lessons had been learned.

A scheme to protect potential victims of domestic abuse has been

rolled out nationally. Clare's Law is named after Clare Wood from

Salford, who was murdered by her ex`partner. Today her father said he

hoped it will save others. Here s Annabel with more.

Christmas can see tensions run high and domestic violence breaks out

more at this time of year than at any other. Over Christmas week last

year, there were 1526 reports of domestic violence in Greater

Manchester alone. That is an increase in incidents of 27% on an

average week. Over the same period in Merseyside there were 847

reported incidents, up by more than a third. And in Cheshire, where

there were fewer reported incidents than in other parts of the region,

the number went up by 54% in Christmas week. Well, this morning,

Greater Manchester Police launched a major campaign to raise awareness

and cut domestic violence incidents ahead of the festive period. Nina

Warhurst spent the day with them. 7am and hundreds of officers across

Greater Manchester are preparing for Don arrests as part of operation

Shepherd. They have already made attempts to arrest everybody on the

list but as we arrive at each address, there are no guarantees the

alleged perpetrators will actually be there. Domestic violence cases

are often sensitive. Here the abuser is in but so are to sleeping

children. Police say that domestic abuse is happening all around us but

is often covered up. You can come from a block of flats

like these or a five bedroom mansion. It doesn't matter, it is

the same crime and the same issues. Today may be remembered as a turning

point for victims. Clare's Law is being rolled out nationally. Named

after Clare Wood who was strangled to death by her ex`partner not

knowing that he had attacked people in the past.

There is no reason that these people should have anonymity when they

could move on to other partners Police are preparing themselves for

the annual spike over Christmas and the hope is that Clare's Law will

empower more victims to ask the right questions and get the

protection they need. A special assembly has taken place at a school

in Cumbria to remember a 15`year`old boy who died after being shot.

Edward Gabbert was with two other men on farmland in the Ulpha area

when he was injured. He died later in hospital. A man, arrested on

suspicion of manslaughter, has been bailed. The head teachers of Millom

School said Edward was, "a popular student, a true individual and lover

of the great outdoors." Fulwood Academy in Preston, which

opened four years ago, has been heavily criticised by the schools

inspector Ofsted. It's described the quality of teaching and achievement

of pupils as "inadequate" and has called for the academy to be placed

in special measures. A Lancashire firefighter, who

arranged for his car to be set alight while colleagues responded to

a hoax call, has been jailed for five years. The court heard Anthony

Murray wanted to claim the insurance money on his BMW which was parked

outside Skelmersdale station. The Chief Executive of a Wirral

hospital today denied that patients' care or safety was being put at risk

by its financial problems. The NHS watchdog Monitor has launched an

inquiry into the Arrowe Park Hospital's finances, concerned about

its deficit and its rising costs. Monitor said that lessons learned

after the Mid Staffs scandal meant that hospital finances were now

being closely examined. I asked the hospital's Chief Executive David

Allison how concerned he was about the inspection.

We are a little frustrated that Monitor have taken this approach

before giving us the opportunity to explain the actions we have taken

for the future. We believe we have made major strides forward in

patient care in the last few months but we are not immune to the

financial challenges facing the NHS as a whole. We have to work really

hard to deliver financial balance. The government says health care and

the NHS will be immune to its austerity cuts but we keep their

hospitals saying that they are having to make savings. How is that?

Our income is being reduced for the same level of activity so we have to

to be making savings. But we are also seeing increasing costs, such

as insurance. We have to be much more radical in our approach as to

how we address those challenges moving forward.

In the mid`Staffs scandal one of the early problems was financial

mismanagement. Can you guarantee that will not happen here?

I can provide absolute assurance that we will not compromise the

level of care. What we're trying to do is make sure that we, along with

our health care partners, are looking at different ways of saving

money that in no way compromises the quality of the service that we give

to the public. "All Pain, No Gain" ` that's what

campaigners said today as the government published its plans for

High Speed Rail. It's the longest bill ever introduced to the Commons

and confirms the route in great detail.

Well, let's speak now to our political editor Arif Ansari who

joins us from Westminster. This is 50,000 pages long. I take it you

have read it all? Not quite but I am working my way

through it. This is for the stage between London and Birmingham but

people want to cut it off before it even begins. Campaigners here at

Westminster were pushing the message that this is bad for the environment

and not good value for money and will not boost the economy and the

way that the government believes. We spoke to one campaigner who was

angry with one particular MP from their own county. The great ticket

collector himself. George Osborne is central to our

area and we have to take account that he is a government minister but

he is no longer holding surgeries while we understand the Prime

Minister does. Well High Speed two get built then?

I think they will have to read a hundred pages every day and then a

special committee of MPs will go through the Bill in wine detail ``

fine detail. The government are really pushing for this to go ahead

but it will call through the House of Commons as quickly as an express

train struggling with leaves on the line.

Some good business news now and the one millionth Jaguar Land Rover car

rolled off the production line at the Halewood car plant on Merseyside

today. That's the total of cars made since

2001 when they stopped making Fords there, much of the success down to

overseas sales of the Range Rover Evoque model. Our Merseyside

Reporter, Andy Gill, is at Halewood now.

As you can see, the Range Rover Evoque behind me is on the rocks.

The workforce has tripled in the past three years. Some wondered if

it was clever to have a factory which only runs sports utility

vehicles but today they have been celebrating.

A bit of razzmatazz for Halewood's car number one million. A Range

Rover Evoque in white and red. They've made nearly a quarter of a

million of these in just two years. And reached the million mark ahead

of schedule. We are running the plant lots more

efficiently than we did a few years ago. We are now running the plant

around clock to meet demand. The workers enjoyed the moment too.

It is very good news and everyone's spirits are really high because that

is a big number and it is a high`end product.

When you look around the UK it is amazing that we have sold so many

cars in the last years. The one million figures includes all

Jaguar X types, Freelanders and Evoques built here since 2001.

They're giving this one to a cancer charity to auction next year. The

money will be spent on research in Liverpool or Manchester.

What they are all interested in is that they have a big workforce here

with big networks and the big families and it's important we spend

that money and have an impact locally.

Foreign markets are vital to Halewood's success. Overall global

Land Rover sales were nearly 35 000 vehicles in September. Sales in

China were up 30%. In the Asia Pacific region, up by nearly as

much. And they rose 12% in the UK. They're not saying when they'll

reach number two million. To keep those overseas and domestic

sales up, car companies have two produce new models. They will get

those here but nobody will tell us about them, at least not yet. I m

sure you will find out when they do. Beatrix Potter hated it, said it was

noisy and campaigned against it for years. Winston Churchill ignored her

pleas and let its flight go ahead. What are we talking about? The

Waterbird. It was one of the first seaplanes

and more than a century ago it successfully flew over Windermere.

Enthusiasts have been building a replica to recreate that special

moment. But now they need more funding. Nazia Mogra has been to

find out more. This is Waterbird, the brainchild of

Edward Wakefield. He owned much of Windermere's shoreline and in the

early days of aviation set about developing a plane that could land

on water. The first test flight was on this very date more than 100

years ago. We will be using aluminium and

modern Teflon and stuff. This man whose great great uncle

designed the plane has been involved in an exhibition.

I would like to think he would be thrilled that people shared his

passion. I would have been terrified looking

at how flimsy it was but he was a bit of an adventure seeker. This one

is just a small model, just a fraction of this size.

The real one is six times the size of this one.

We need to raise ?160,000 to complete building the replica.

It's hoped by next year the replica will be complete and the seaplane

ready to fly over Windermere again. If it finally happens, I can go away

and die in peace. It certainly would be a great achievement.

Let's move on to sport now and the sad news that one of Manchester

United's all`time greats has passed away.

Yes, Bill Foulkes, who survived the Munich air crash in 1958, has died

at the age of 81. Only Sir Bobby Charlton, Ryan Giggs and Paul

Scholes have played more times for United than the Busby Babe. Sir

Bobby described him today as a "marvellous man" . Here's Yunas

Mulla to look at the life of one of United's true legends.

Bill fog 's began work as a coal miner before being spotted by

Manchester United `` Bill Foulkes. He went on to play 688 times for the

club. On the 6th of February 19 8 he was on the plane carrying the Busby

Babes back from Belgrade which crashed in a blizzard after

refuelling at the Munich airport. I saw the tail end of the plane

stuck in a field and people still lying in their seats.

He took over captaincy of the club and led the team to FA Cup success.

He became a pillar of one of the club's most successful teams. He was

a hard man. It was great to play behind him

It's a great loss. He was the first name on the team

sheet. He was the foundation stone. The goal he scored against Madrid

secured United's place an the European cup final that they would

win in 1968. Bill Foulkes is survived by his wife

to raise and three children. `` to Everton and Liverpool played at 3`3

cracker. For Manchester City, sex is

definitely the number `` six. The biggest thing for me was that

two of their best players weren t playing. If this sort their away

form out, they will take some beating.

It was a case of six divided by two in one of the great Merseyside

derbies. Great atmosphere at Goodison Park.

One of the strengths of Liverpool is that they keep going. But Everton

showed plenty of character coming back. You were always on the edge of

your seat and didn't know which were was going to go. In the end,

possibly the result was fair. I say that through clenched teeth.

The game wasn't without controversy, including this

challenge which was lucky not to result in a red card.

Any other day I think he would get a red card.

Comparable to when Rene's yellow card. I thought that was a red.

Rooney went on to score United's opener.

Tranmere and Fleetwood provided the weekend's stand`out results in the

Football League, both scoring five on their way to winning all three

points. Ryan Lowe was Rovers' hero with a classy hat`trick as they won

impressively 5`1 at previously in`form Coventry in League One. And

in a roller`coaster game better suited to the nearby Pleasure Beach,

Fleetwood converted an injury time penalty to win 5`4 against Mansfield

and keep pace with the League Two leaders. Great results for those

two, but what about the heartbreak that was England's Rugby League

World Cup defeat to New Zealand at Wembley? The fact that the semifinal

was a classic and the Kiwis scored the decisive try with just seconds

left on the clock was little consolation for England, who were

cruelly denied a place in Saturday's Old Trafford final. I still struggle

to watch that, what an ending, what a game. They were so close. And it

would have been great to have them in the final.

Red squirrels in a National Trust reserve in Merseyside are showing

the first signs of resistance to the grey squirrel pox. Scientists from

the University of Liverpool, who've been studying the animals at the

site in Formby, found that some of them had been exposed to the virus

and recovered. Squirrelpox, which is carried by the

greys, has been blamed for the deaths of vast numbers of red

squirrels throughout the UK. Victoria Gill went out with the

researchers to find out more. It's an idyllic autumn scene but the

sight of the red squirrel has become a rare treat and much of Britain.

Just five years ago, the red squirrel population at this National

Trust reserve in Formby was decimated by an outbreak of the

infamous squirrelpox. The red squirrel population has started to

recover and for the past four years researchers from the University of

Liverpool have been studying the animals up close. So close that they

have to catch them in traps like this one.

Once they catch a squirrel, the team examines it as swiftly as possible,

taking the all`important blood samples.

Before this study it was quite debatable whether any red squirrels

survived the virus at all but the work we have carried out show that

the very small percentage do have antibodies to the virus and are

still running about helping. Times is still do not understand how

do the disease is transmitted. `` scientists do not understand. They

are working out how to reverse a century of decline.

Shall we have a look at the weather? It is looking very quiet. There

isn't much rain in this forecast. There will be sunshine but a cold

week. We saw six or seven Celsius today but we had some sunshine. We

will see temperatures in double figures for the time and rain may

arrive on Friday with cold air. We are going to see the frost crossing

over and temperatures will dip just below freezing tonight. Some cloud

and frost to start off with and some lingering fog for the morning

commute. There might be the occasional spot of rain but it won't

amount to much. The warm air begins to flow when on Wednesday and

Thursday so we might see temperatures just about in double

figures. A very quick congratulations to Jane

for winning Best On`screen Talent. Good night.