09/01/2014 North West Tonight

George. Thank you. That's all so it's goodbye from me and on BBC One

Good evening. Welcome to North West Tonight, with Roger Johnson and

Annabel Tiffin. Our top story tonight.

Claims of safety short cuts at Alder Hey hospital in Merseyside. A report

calls for urgent action. We're live at the hospital. Also tonight.

Could the Lake District join Liverpool waterfront, The Pyramids

and the Taj Mahal, after it's proposed for World Heritage status?

Thoughtless and insensitive. A Manchester United footballer

apologises after dressing as a suicide bomber for a fancy dress

party. How would he feel if I had a party that glamourised the Munich

air disaster. And there's not much call for

outdoor swimming pools just now, but campaigners are still determined to

save the Grange`over`Sands Lido. Alder Hey Hospital admitted that

urgent action is needed to avoid a serious incident in operating

theatre, it comes after a damning internal review, said that theatre

staff were overworked and taking safety short cuts to speed up

procedures, staff said they felt helpless. Tonight sources at the

hospital admitted staff had been put under undue pressure but patients

had never been harmed. Our reporter is at the hospital for us now. Jane,

this is a world`renowned hospital, but we keep hearing of problems in

the operating theatres, what is going on? We do. Can I just take you

through the time line of the problems they have had, which I

should say as you have, are isolated to the operating theatres here. This

begins back in 2009s when a whistleblower reported about safety

concerns, in the hospital. That was followed up in 2011, by a report

back from the Royal College of Surgeons. It said Alder Hey Hospital

does not supply world class care. Following those concerns raised by

the whistleblower. After that, there was an internal staff review, which

nobody really heard about until 2013, that was when the Information

Commissioner acting upon a freedom Freedom of Information Act request

said they had to publish the damning details of that staff report. That

contained things like staff in theatre fainting because they were

so overworked. That led to, that internal review

led to a report coming out, saying changes that needed to be

implemented, and in December this year, there was a status update, on

that report, given to the board. That report, which we have only now

just seen is pretty damning. Staff really are still not very happy at

all in the operating theatre, not very happy at all. So give us more

details of that report then, if you can. I can, yes. Some of details

contained in the report, which were put on line Friday afternine so we

didn't have up in time, nobody saw it until today and they have not put

anybody up for interview to discuss this, they talk about safety

concerned, leading to short cuts being taken, limited reporting of

those incident, near misses not being flagged up last year they said

no patients had been put in danger. Let us hear from one of the Clinical

Director fors at the time. We have no evidence in there, and I

am not tried to hide, but I don't think that we have seen anything

that said patients have suffered as a result of that, the children that

we treat are the most important thing, I would be concerned if

patients lost confidence in what was happening at Alder Hey Hospital

because of things that were put right.

So if the message is if anybody is coming in with their children

tomorrow, to theatre, it is safe. Staff though, who we haven't spoken

to, have gone in November to the CQC to say they are still not happy and

they want an inspection, we have yet to hear the results of that

inspection but we will keep you updated.

The Lake District is on course for the same global recognition as some

of the world's most iconic sites like the Taj Mahal and the Great

Wall of China. The Government said it was inviting the National Park to

repair a case for the World Heritage badge, but what does that mean? Our

environment correspondent reports from Bowness.

Whatever time of year you visit, the Lake District is nothing short of

breathtaking, from words worth to Beatrix Potter it has inspired

generation, today the Culture Minister described it as one of the

heritage jewel, and deserved to be recognised as a World Heritage Site.

But what does that mean? It is really important, it gives us the

international recognition that we all think we deserve, because of the

cultural heritage, importance of the lake, but also it is a real economic

driver. And this is what it is all about.

Spectacular scenery, it already attracts millions of visitors every

year, but they are mainly from the UK. Gaining World Heritage status

will put the Lake District on the global tourist map. The status is

given to places seen as internationally important, in human

history or culture, the Lake District would join other World

Heritage Sites such as the pyramid, the Taj Mahal, and closer to home,

Liverpool's waterfront, which gained the status in 2004.

Gaining world he Tang status would be good for business but there are

concerned that it would bring more restrictions. `` heritage We are

hugely restricted for planning in the Lake District, but the Lake

District National Park Authority believes that the world heritage

site will not add to that burred `` burden. We can live with it. The

area has a combination of amazing natural beauty shaped by cultural

man`made features. It inspired the conservation movement and the

National Trust movement. It is that combination, situated on the west of

the country, with amazing light and weather we get, which makes the Lake

District so inspiring, so beautiful, it attracts the 15 million visitors

get. The National Park has to prepare its nomination. UNESCO will

make its decision in four years time.

It is stunning. What might it mean then for the Lakes? Richard

Greenwood is from Cumbria Tourism. Why is this good news? Well, it is

great news, it raises the Lake District's profile on the

international stage. If the nomination is successful, the Lake

District becomes part of an elite club that will be particularly at

racktive to overseas visitor, we know the Chinese, the Russian, look

out for World Heritage Site status when they are choosing holidays and

they are high spenders. We expect to see greater numbers of them coming.

That is a problem because anyone who has been there as many of us have,

know at times it feels very overcrowded. That is a pretty

exceptional situation these days. It is bank holidays which get very

busy, the hotel, and the guest houses have considerable spare

capacity for much of year, of coursing these visitor also tend to

come out of our typical domestic UK seasons. Have you won over the

businesses? They were concerned for a time, there were worries about

extra restrictions for planning, for resident, but are you assured that

won't be the case? Well, we are part of a wide partnership that has been

having discussions about the merits of World Heritage Site status and we

have been convinced, think and we have engaged with the tourism

industry to find out just exactly how they feel about it. They are

confident it will bring benefits that planning restrictions won't

increase, because National Park status brings with it, already just

about the highest level of restriction that with we have in the

UK, we want to work with all our partners in preparing a management

plan which makes the most of the status, and brings some real

economic benefits. We will follow it with great

interest. We are grateful for your time.

A former Mr Side police officer has appeared in court accused of

misconduct in public office in connection with an alleged

confrontation with the footballer Steve Gerrard, Helen Jones was on a

career break but it alleged she claimed to be on duty to obtain CCTV

footage from a shop. He will appear at Preston Crown Court.

The detectives investigating the test of Clancy Durkin have charged

her 19`year`old daughter with murder. The body of the 55`year`old

was discovered at a house on Guildford Road on Tuesday. A

postmortem examination found she died as a result of asphyxiation.

Rebecca Durkin will appear at south Sefton Magistrates' Court tomorrow.

The owners of a travel company at the centre of a crash this which

three people died have been disqualified from running buses and

coaches. David and Tracey Hannell runs me pride travel. One of their

coaches hit a tree on the way back from a music festival, after a

19`year`old tyre blew out. Now a Manchester City `` Manchester

father is being hailed a hero after killing a dog which savaged a

teenage boy and a woman. Neil Twigg and other neighbours tried to fight

off the animal which attacked in Harphurhey yesterday. The police

have revealed the animal bit someone last year, the victim's family say

the pair might have died if Mr Twigg hadn't come to the rescue.

What happened here in Harphurhey yesterday afternoon was a horrifying

attack, but it could have been deadly where it not for the actions

of this man, Neil Twigg. Hearing screaming outside the door he rushed

out to help I seen the young lad getting dragged by the arm,

viciously by the arm. Another couple of people were trying to hit it over

the head with different stuff, but nothing was happening. It wouldn't

let go. A girl tried to get involve. We tried to get it off the young lad

and then it started attacking the girl as well. It was ripping at her

fingers, she was screaming. The animal wouldn't release its grip.

That the point people began shouting that somebody would have to kill the

dog. Neil went back in to these house and came back with a carving

knife. I got free and grabbed the girl again, so I stabbed it once

under the rib cage. The boy was 14. He suffered serious injuries to his

arm. The woman Zoe Rutledge has had emergency plastic surgery on her

hand I would like to thank my neighbours for helping out what they

did my sister, the person who owns the dog, something should be done.

Neighbours claim the dog was previously aggressivement People was

frightened of walking past, especially taking dogs out. Even was

scared of it. You couldn't come out, if you seen the dog you had to run.

Tougher punishments for owners of dangerous dogs have been passed by

Parliament since the death of Jade Anderson. She was mauled to death by

a pack of dogs at her fleedgesd. Her family are calling for dog control

notice, forcing owners to control their pets. Police say they are

investigating what happened here and will be talking to the dog's owner.

Neil says he doesn't see himself as a hero but his neighbours beg to

differ. Brave man.

A 17`year`old boy has been stabbed in what is believed to have been a

disagreement between school`children in Rochdale. Officers found the boy

with a stab wound at Further Pitts yesterday afternoon, a 16`year`old

boy suffered facial injury, five people have been arrested.

5,000 hope homes could be built in Preston in the next 20 year, a draft

plan includes new school, a health centre and walking and cycling

routes in the north`west area of the city.

The Isle of Man steam maquette company says its vessel has been

damaged in stormy weather. The Ben`My`Chree will be taken out of

action to allow it to be repaired. Lancashire's Police Commissioner

Clive Grunshaw will not be prosecuted over expenses. The Crown

Prosecution Service has decided that there is not enough evidence of

deliberate dishonesty. Our political editor has been following the story.

So is this the end of the matter? Yes, he will want to move on after

this, which has hung over him for 13 months. It has taken a huge amount

of time for this inquiry to conclude. Almost from the moment he

started as Police Commissioner, the allegations were that he fiddled his

travel expenses, and his food expenses. In terms of travel, on

nine occasions his expenses suggested he was travel big car in

two directions at the same time. So there was wrong there but the

question was was it deliberate or not. The Independent Police

Complaints Commission investigated, they said there was enough evidence

to refer to the Crown Prosecution Service. Today the CPS has come back

and said there is not enough evidence to suggest he made these

mistakes deliberately. Not enough evidence to suggest there was fraud.

He has put out this statement this afternoon, in which he says "I am

delighted with this outcome, the Ed supported my version of events,

which is that I never deliberately submitted any claims which I knew to

be untrue." So he isn't going to be prosecuted but he has he been

damaged by this? I think he has, he will argue that he has gone through

this process, and ultimately there wasn't enough evidence to take him

to court, never mind to find him guilty of anything. So he will now

move on, but certainly some senior politician, including Labour

privately believe he should have resigned over this earlier, and that

a man who is responsible for overseeing Lancashire constabulary's

budget should have been better at dealing with his own accounts.

Now shocked and outrage. That is the reaction of an Oldham father chose

son was killed in the July 7th bombings when he saw Chris Smalling

dressed as a suicide bomber. The footballer has apologised for

wearing the costume. Grabg Foulkes says Smalling was glamorising

terrorism. A mock circuit board round his waist

and bottles of alcohol strapped to his shoulder, this is Chris

Smalling's attempt as at a joke, a pun on the Jagerbomb drink. Graham

Foulkes doesn't see the funny side, his son David was killed by a

suicide bomber in London on July 7th 2005. It is hard to describe how

shocked I was, really, because he was dressed exactly the same as

Sadiq Khan, the leader of the bombing in London. In which my son

was killed. What possessed him to think that was a good idea at

Christmas, when he was having his family round, when I can't have my

family round, to have a good Christmas, and neither can 51 other

families. The Manchester United's management company have issued a

statement for an ill thought out costume. Is it any defence he wasn't

expecting this to be public knowledge? No, I don't think there

is any defence it was in the privacy of his own home. One of his friend

must have been just as shock to put that in the public domain. I would

ask him how would he feel if I had a party that glamourised the Munich

air disaster. I think they would be outraged and

that is how I am. Manchester United told us they didn't want to comment

on this story. Maybe now Chris Smalling will think twice before

holding his next party. He has apologised. We would be

interested to hear what you think. Was it glamorising terrorism or

should he have been able to the what he liked in the privacy of his own

home? You can post a message on our Twitter and Facebook pages or send

out an e`mail. They might make interesting reading.

Still to come on North West Tonight. The joy of six. Manchester City all

be Bobbing hair place in the League Cup Final by hammering West Ham.

`` booking their place. Rolling back the years, new hope for a forgot

landmark in Cumbria. You might remember before Christmas

we told you that the Liverpool Daily Post newspaper was close, 158 year,

modern times had caught one the grand old lady of print. Now the

Post's sister paper, the Liverpool echo looks like it is bucking the

trend. It is launching a Sunday edition but will it succeed in our

Merseyside reporter has been investigating.

They are hard at work prepare fog fog new new Sunday Echo, the editor

says they have been thinking about a seven day paper as long as the 20

years he has been there, but he says the growing demand for news,

especially football news in Liverpool means the time is right

for but now Heinz don't take the beans off the shelf on a Sunday, you

don't go to Dublin and say can I have a pint of Guinness and the bar

men says it is Sunday, have a Carlsberg. It is mad we don't have

one. They are not saying how many copies they expect to sell. You will

have to shop for it, it won't be delivered. The Echo sells about

80,000 papers a day, a declining number but it has 80,000 daily

desktop,users and 75,000 mobile user, the last figures are going up.

The new Sunday paper will launch a month after the weekly Daily Post

closed. Despite the closure of the Post,

despite more of us getting news on this kind of thing, The Echo say

they have done their homework, they are convinced there are enough

people out there who enjoy the feel of paper, to make a Sunday edition

worthwhile. Tonight, we carried out our own

unscientific survey. It is better there is still a local paper,

expand, so I may support it. I don't buy it during the week, so I

wouldn't buy it on the weekend. One experts says it could be strong

enough to make it week It has a news room, it has a history, it has the

staff, the journalists, so there is no reason reason why it can't come

out quickly on a Sunday. The Sunday Echo launches on January 19th.

It is interesting, will it succeed? If you think Liverpool as a city,

with so much football heritage and support, it could do well. It is a

brave move. Wish them well. Carrying on with football. Tranmere Rovers

midfielder has been talking about his battle of cancer. The

24`year`old was diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma earlier this

season, he says he is conscious about the effect that it has been

having on his family. My missus has had to be strong, because it is

hard, and obviously, I know for a fact, if she could take it away from

me she would, and she would have it herself, you know what I mean? So it

is one of them, but then you think on the flip side you have to stay

African National Congress for he you know what I mean? And even though

sometimes you are struggling you don't want to show you are

struggling. Good luck to Joe. Last night I rather foolishly predicted

that Manchester City might struggle to score with my namesake playing

for West Ham. Just as well they didn't listen. Shows how much I

know. Manuel Pellegrini has described his team's performance

last night as brilliant. City hammered West Ham 6`0. The first leg

of course of their Capital One Cup semifinal. Alvaro Negredo came in

for special praise after scoring a hat`trick. This was nothing short of

a mauling. With the man they call the beast, unleashed on a timid West

Ham defence. Alvaro Negredo started as he meant to go on, scoring a

volley to open the scoring. The visitors were chasing shadows

and were soon chasing a two goal deficit, Alvaro Negredo again with a

clinical finish and the goals kept on come, Yaya Toure got in on the

act. Before the Spanish striker at the heart of everything grabbed his

hat`trick to make it 4`0. There was still time for two more goals to

dispel any thoughts of a West Ham come back, Dzeko scored them both.

The first to complete an excellent team move. The second, a thunderous

finish to put the seal on a score line that makes the second leg in

London a formality. It was a brilliant performance, not

only because we score six goals but the way the team played. Because of

the way City are playing, some Blues fans are talking about the

possibility of winning all four trophies.

West Ham looked rubbish, if we could do that in the final and the rest of

the season, who knows, we might get the four. I don't think so, but live

in hope. I think three out of four would be nice. Do you think that is

realistic? Probably. Their record has made the bookies as well as the

opposition wary. Some are quoting odds as low as 100`1 for a Cityclean

sweep. Great night for them. The New Year

is promising new hope for one of the region's forgotten landmark,

councillors are working on a funding plan to save and restore the lido

open air swimming pool in grange oversands. It has been empty for

year, local people have said that they want it to be reborn.

In its heyday the grange lido was the place to be seen. Bob is 94 and

can remember the day it opened in 1933. The day after all the public

were allowed in, and of course, I couldn't swim then, of course, just

splashing about, I could dive but I couldn't swim! Today the lido is a

shadow of its former self. It has been abandoned and derelict for more

than 20 years. It seemed as though the demolition ball might be beckons

but now there are new plans. Towards the enof last year the council

consulted with locals and asked what they would like to see happen to

this place. 91% said they wanted to see the building said and restored.

73% said they would like to see people swimming here again.

Now the council is trying to find way of carrying out their wishes.

The council plans to bid for heritage hotly money, but first, it

has to prepare a watertight case. We need to have a look on what we can

do round the pool, and we will support the running of the pool.

Because obviously, rebuilding it, refurbishing it is one thing and

making people come is another thing. In a way getting the funding to

renovate it is probably the easiest bit. Part of the vision we have for

the lido is to see swimming in the summer w the temperature of the

water just lifted, not exactly heated but lifted up through the use

of renewable energies, maybe solar panels or a base source heat pump

and in the winter to have it as a performance seven use, as you can

see it is a very large venue. The council aims to submit the bid later

in the year. Bit too cold for a swim at the

moment of course! How is it looking? Perfect for star`gazing. Star`gazing

is perfect conditions tonight. BBC Two later on at 8.00, where ever you

are in the north`west there will be plenty of clear skies so you should

be able to see the stars readily. The clouds are starting to melt

away, lots of clear skies in the south. Lots of clear skies in the

north. Occasional showers, just floating round overnight. Maybe some

frost patches, maybe some fog patches, but clear by dawn and

temperatures, as you can see, very close to freezing in towns and

cities, tomorrow morning from midnight, we have the yellow weather

warning for ice, we have a lot of moisture on the ground at the

moment. Because of the clear skies and the cold temperatures overnight,

that is likely to freeze over at time, so tomorrow morning then, a

cold start, some clear skies, but look at this, the clouds beginning

to build. The frontal system moves from west to east, dragging light

patchy rain, we will see the winds picking up in places, so a breezy

afternoon, a damp afternoon, it won't be particularly warm either,

highs of six or seven Celsius, the good news is as when he had into the

weekend, high pressure begins to build. It is first time we have seen

it for a long time. So Saturday is not looking too bad. Sunday starts

off on a accident note but we coiled see `` decent note but we could see

heavy rain on Sunday into Monday. Thank you. Lot s of you getting in

touch about the Chris Smalling story we brought you earlier. About him

dressing up as a suicide bomber. Many comment, Jackie on Twitter,

tasteless and tactless, should have known better. "He can do what he

wishes in his own home." And Antony tweeted he should be able to do what

he wants in his own home. That is probably just swimming the e`mails

and Tweets the broad consensus. You read that one out, who cares says

Noddy, he wasn't intending on upsetting peep. What he does in his

own home is up to him. Other people say it was disrespectful, "It shows

such a lack of common decency." "Could he not have privacy in his

own home? " Thank you for your comments. That is it from us. I will

be back later.