0:00:06 > 0:00:07Imagine this, you're 12 years old, you're
0:00:07 > 0:00:09vulnerable, you're alone and
0:00:09 > 0:00:09you're in hospital.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12You do trust your doctor, but then he injects you
0:00:12 > 0:00:14with a drug and your whole world turns black.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16So, what really happened at Aston Hall Hospital?
0:00:16 > 0:00:20This former patient is returning to the site
0:00:20 > 0:00:25where she believes she was abused.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28He knew, when he drove along these roads, to that place, those
0:00:28 > 0:00:29kids were in there and we were terrified.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31Also tonight, the skin condition which changes lives.
0:00:31 > 0:00:36Losing my blackness was a big deal.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39I love black skin, I love black people and to lose that, that was
0:00:39 > 0:00:45tough.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48And what's happened to all the lorry drier.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50We got a shortage of drier.
0:00:50 > 0:00:52Obviously, we could probably set ten drivers out today,
0:00:52 > 0:00:56nobody wants to come in the industry.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58We're in Darley Abbey in Derbyshire where the stories that
0:00:58 > 0:01:02matter closer to home.
0:01:02 > 0:01:08Welcome to Inside Out for the East Midlands.
0:01:08 > 0:01:10First tonight, over recent months dozens of former patients of Aston
0:01:10 > 0:01:15Hall Hospital in Derbyshire have come forward to say that they were
0:01:15 > 0:01:21experimented on and abused stop police and health are investigating
0:01:21 > 0:01:22those claims.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25Inside out has discovered that a former remand home
0:01:25 > 0:01:28in Derby channelled children to the hospital
0:01:28 > 0:01:32from all over the country.
0:01:32 > 0:01:34Simon Hare has spent the last few months
0:01:34 > 0:01:37filming with the woman who
0:01:37 > 0:01:44has led the fight to find out what really happened at Aston Hall.
0:01:44 > 0:01:54The remains of Aston Hall Hospital near Derby.
0:02:15 > 0:02:25From where she was sent to Aston Hall.
0:02:36 > 0:02:38of Aston Hall Hospital in Derbyshire have come forward to say
0:02:38 > 0:02:41that they were experimented on and abused stop police and health
0:02:41 > 0:02:42are investigating those claims.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45Inside out has discovered that a former remand home in Derby
0:02:45 > 0:02:47channelled children to the hospital from all over the country.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50Simon Hare has spent the last few months filming with the woman
0:02:50 > 0:02:53who has led the fight to find out what really happened at Aston Hall.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56The remains of Aston Hall Hospital near Derby.
0:02:56 > 0:02:58Before it was demolished, it's became a haven for urban explorers.
0:02:58 > 0:03:00Their images would indirectly helped to uncover claims
0:03:00 > 0:03:01of a deep, dark secret.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04We were too much of a headache for social services, to cheeky.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07I know a place where we can get rid of this one.
0:03:07 > 0:03:08The forgotten children.
0:03:08 > 0:03:09They were vulnerable children, subjected to medical
0:03:09 > 0:03:10treatments and abuses.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12Horrific.
0:03:12 > 0:03:13When that flashback happens, for that split second
0:03:13 > 0:03:14that your back there.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17This former patient was admitted to Aston Hall in 1971
0:03:17 > 0:03:18when she was aged just 12.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21When we first filmed with her, she asked us not
0:03:21 > 0:03:22to reveal her identity.
0:03:22 > 0:03:23A nurse opened the door.
0:03:23 > 0:03:24The nurse had keys.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27I thought that was a bit strange, but my nerves were everywhere
0:03:27 > 0:03:29and I'm looking forward to getting into bed and getting
0:03:29 > 0:03:30And that doctor was there.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32He took them and he said, "No tea tonight.
0:03:32 > 0:03:33Treatment."
0:03:33 > 0:03:35That doctor was Kenneth Milner, superintendent
0:03:35 > 0:03:36at Aston Hall for 30 years.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38I was taken into a room.
0:03:38 > 0:03:39There was a mattress on the floor.
0:03:39 > 0:03:40A rubber mattress.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43She told me to lie down on the mattress.
0:03:43 > 0:03:44I did.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46I didn't argue with these people and they gave me medicine,
0:03:46 > 0:03:48so I wasn't exactly right I don't think.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51I'm sure I heard a trolley move again, getting taken back out
0:03:51 > 0:03:53and then the doctor came in.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55He carried with him cushions and he put them on the floor
0:03:56 > 0:03:56next to the mattress.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59I don't know how long I was knocked out for.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01I don't know how long I was in that cell for.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04She was injected with sodium amytal, a powerful sedative
0:04:04 > 0:04:04on several occasions.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07When I'd come round, the doctor would still be
0:04:07 > 0:04:09there and he'd asked me a really ridiculous question
0:04:09 > 0:04:10like, "How old are you?"
0:04:10 > 0:04:12I learned even though I was under this that
0:04:12 > 0:04:14if I respond, he'll put more.
0:04:14 > 0:04:15It was most terrifying.
0:04:15 > 0:04:16I can't express how bad it was.
0:04:16 > 0:04:18It was really, really, really upsetting.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20More than 20 years later, she had a flashback which led her to believe
0:04:24 > 0:04:32she was sexually abused during her treatment.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35I was driving and we're at the lights and I went to turn left.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39When I suddenly looked and I looked at this building and the worst
0:04:39 > 0:04:42flashback ever because the building had the same brickwork.
0:04:42 > 0:04:47That was when I realise that, yeah, it had been sexual.
0:04:47 > 0:04:48100%, definitely.
0:04:48 > 0:04:49Sexual.
0:04:49 > 0:04:53I knew.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56There was a lot more victims because I wasn't in that place
0:04:56 > 0:05:02on my own and there were also boys on the other wing.
0:05:02 > 0:05:06Two years ago, the Internet brought other claims of abuse to light.
0:05:06 > 0:05:11I went on this site and it was a photographer's site.
0:05:11 > 0:05:13Who took pictures of derelict buildings and then I seen this
0:05:13 > 0:05:21comment left by another person.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23I was a patient there back in the late '60s.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25Three years of abuse and pure hell.
0:05:25 > 0:05:32The comments kept coming.
0:05:32 > 0:05:33Horrendous place.
0:05:33 > 0:05:34Treated like a unity because I had fits.
0:05:34 > 0:05:44When not having treatment we were drugged up so we were like zombies.
0:05:45 > 0:05:50As the campaign to find out what happened to former patients
0:05:50 > 0:05:55grew, Barbara O'Hare decided to step out of the shadows
0:05:55 > 0:05:57and waived her legal right to remain anonymous.
0:05:57 > 0:05:57Today, she's taking us to decide where all happened.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06Today, she's taking us to the site where all happened.
0:06:06 > 0:06:10How many children come along this road and they didn't have any idea
0:06:10 > 0:06:11what they were going into?
0:06:11 > 0:06:12A hellhole.
0:06:12 > 0:06:13So, that's the old hall.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16The's probably the only thing that's left from a new here, isn't it?
0:06:16 > 0:06:18When I was a child here, yes.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20She was there for eight months before her ordeal
0:06:20 > 0:06:21finally came to an end.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24On a rare visit home, Barbara's dad caught her trying
0:06:24 > 0:06:25to electrocuted herself on a fire.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28They told us we're going to get electric shock treatment
0:06:28 > 0:06:29and I was terrified.
0:06:29 > 0:06:31Absolutely petrified.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34So I was that frightened that all I could do
0:06:34 > 0:06:36was prepare myself for it.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39And that's when my dad just said, you're not going back there no more.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42I'll never forget that feeling.
0:06:42 > 0:06:47Barbara's search for information goes on.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50Records tracked down by Inside Out revealed how she came
0:06:50 > 0:06:59to be in Aston Hall.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02She was sent there by the Breadsall Remand Home for girls in Derby.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05It had an arrangement with Coventry City Council which had
0:07:05 > 0:07:06been responsible for Barbara's care.
0:07:06 > 0:07:07Unbelievable.
0:07:07 > 0:07:12The files show many other local authorities across the country also
0:07:12 > 0:07:14sent girls to be home in Derby, specifically to get girls
0:07:14 > 0:07:16treated by Doctor Milner.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20And all in spite of concerns raised earlier by the remand home's
0:07:20 > 0:07:22management committee that a children's psychologist instead
0:07:22 > 0:07:28of Doctor Milner and Aston Hall would be more appropriate.
0:07:28 > 0:07:29Simon, I am shocked.
0:07:29 > 0:07:33I'm disgusted.
0:07:33 > 0:07:35To the pits of my stomach and I am shocked.
0:07:35 > 0:07:37Everything has come together like a jigsaw.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40Everything that I've been trying to prove and save four years is now.
0:07:40 > 0:07:47This proves a lot of people's stories.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50Derbyshire police have spoken to more than 100 alleged victims
0:07:50 > 0:07:57of Doctor Milner who died in 1975.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01Detectives are still reviewing hospital records and say they'll be
0:08:01 > 0:08:06seeking expert evidence on the treatment given.
0:08:06 > 0:08:10A BBC Radio 4 documentary discovered that the drug used at Aston Hall,
0:08:10 > 0:08:20sodium amytal, wasn't considered suitable for children even
0:08:20 > 0:08:21in the 1960s and '70s.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24But in some cases, it has also been found to cause false memories.
0:08:24 > 0:08:25We talk about false memory syndrome.
0:08:25 > 0:08:26OK.
0:08:26 > 0:08:27Maybe it exists.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29But surely to God, all of these people can't
0:08:29 > 0:08:38have the same false memory.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40Back in Barbara's home city in Liverpool, her solicitors
0:08:40 > 0:08:42are pursuing a claim for compensation on behalf
0:08:42 > 0:08:46of her and 29 others.
0:08:46 > 0:08:55We have presented claims to the Secretary of State for Health.
0:08:57 > 0:08:59They have appointed their own solicitors
0:08:59 > 0:09:00to respond to those claims.
0:09:00 > 0:09:02They are currently investigating the allegations.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04Maybe we can save just one child.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07If today I can save just one child, believe me, everything I've been
0:09:07 > 0:09:08through will be worth it.
0:09:08 > 0:09:12That's all I've got to say.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15Barbara's campaign has seen her meet survivors of sex abuse.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17And she says she's been helped herself by writing a book
0:09:17 > 0:09:20about her experiences.
0:09:20 > 0:09:24When I came out of Aston Hall, I came out with a great big balloon
0:09:24 > 0:09:25of lead inside my chest.
0:09:25 > 0:09:26Fear.
0:09:26 > 0:09:27It never, ever left.
0:09:27 > 0:09:31You know something?
0:09:31 > 0:09:34Since I've written the book, it's not a lump of lead any more,
0:09:34 > 0:09:37it's just a black shadow.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41For Barbara, there is one last demon to confront.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44The remand home in Breadsall at the edge of Derby.
0:09:44 > 0:09:46From where she was sent to Aston Hall.
0:09:46 > 0:09:46I can't.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48It is now a private home.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51Simon, just walk with me a little bit down, will you?
0:09:51 > 0:09:52OK, yeah.
0:09:52 > 0:09:56It's all right.
0:09:56 > 0:10:02Oh, my God.
0:10:02 > 0:10:03Is it coming back?
0:10:03 > 0:10:04I actually feel physically sick.
0:10:04 > 0:10:05Honestly.
0:10:05 > 0:10:06I really feel ill.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09I don't think I can handle it because you see that window there?
0:10:09 > 0:10:11That's where I was made to wait.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13I was only a kid.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16And that's when he came in and held my hand
0:10:16 > 0:10:24and started stroking my hand.
0:10:24 > 0:10:31"You poor child."
0:10:31 > 0:10:32Oh, "You poor child, you poor child."
0:10:32 > 0:10:33It was weird.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40And then he said to me, "Would you like to come to hospital?"
0:10:40 > 0:10:42How could so many young girls be shipped from that place
0:10:42 > 0:10:45to a mental institution?
0:10:45 > 0:10:48I swear down dead, I'm going to make sure this never happens again.
0:10:48 > 0:10:49Never.
0:10:49 > 0:10:49Next tonight, half of us will suffer a form of skin complaint that
0:10:54 > 0:10:55at some point in our life.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57But with people living with vitiligo, that's those
0:10:57 > 0:10:59distinctive white patches on the skin, they can become
0:10:59 > 0:11:01so self-conscious they find it difficult to face
0:11:01 > 0:11:03the world each day.
0:11:03 > 0:11:05Now the largest ever trials on the condition are taking place
0:11:05 > 0:11:15right here in the East Midlands.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19I want to know what it is like to live with vitiligo
0:11:19 > 0:11:20and whether there's enough help.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23Facing a TV camera can make most people a bit nervous,
0:11:23 > 0:11:26but for Anika Vassell, inviting us into her home
0:11:26 > 0:11:27is an even bigger step.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31Hi.
0:11:31 > 0:11:32Hi, how are you?
0:11:32 > 0:11:33Really well.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35Anika has Vitiligo.
0:11:35 > 0:11:43A condition she shares with a supermodel.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45Come on through.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48We're just on the laptop looking at images of Winnie Harlow.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50Winnie is a supermodel with vitiligo.
0:11:50 > 0:11:54She's presenting a fantastic and positive image for people,
0:11:54 > 0:11:57the fact that she's, platform as a supermodel
0:11:57 > 0:11:58and being celebrated.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01She's beautiful.
0:12:01 > 0:12:06She's gorgeous.
0:12:06 > 0:12:15When Anika was 29, soon after giving birth to her first daughter Nairobi,
0:12:15 > 0:12:16white patches slowly spread from her fingertips.
0:12:16 > 0:12:23Losing my blackness was a big deal.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26That was a big deal and I love black skin, I love black people.
0:12:26 > 0:12:33To lose that, that was tough.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36After a GP referral, she's been told she'll have to wait
0:12:36 > 0:12:38months to be shown how to use special make up available
0:12:38 > 0:12:39on prescription.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42In the meantime, she makes do with her own.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45When it did start to develop on my face, that was a bigger issue
0:12:45 > 0:12:46than I actually realised for myself.
0:12:46 > 0:12:56If I didn't have make-up on, I just wouldn't answer the door.
0:12:56 > 0:13:02And Anika is not alone.
0:13:02 > 0:13:04Maxine Whitten is a former university librarian
0:13:04 > 0:13:05from one state in London.
0:13:05 > 0:13:07She was about 12 when her vitiligo first appeared.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10She's received an MBE after many years of helping to increase
0:13:10 > 0:13:11understanding of the condition.
0:13:11 > 0:13:15It wasn't that long ago that at least one dictionary had
0:13:15 > 0:13:22a definition of vitiligo as a form of leprosy.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25There were parts in the world where it was considered a form of leprosy
0:13:25 > 0:13:29and people were ostracised.
0:13:29 > 0:13:34It has nothing to do with leprosy, of course.
0:13:34 > 0:13:35But that sort of thing sticks.
0:13:35 > 0:13:44There was a stigma.
0:13:44 > 0:13:46For years, patients had to accept that nothing much
0:13:46 > 0:13:47could be done to help.
0:13:47 > 0:13:48But that could change.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51I've come to Derby where Doctor Jonathan bachelor runs one
0:13:51 > 0:13:51of his dermatology clinics.
0:13:51 > 0:13:56He's hoping to make a breakthrough to help people with vitiligo.
0:13:56 > 0:14:00We think that it is to do with the immune system being too
0:14:00 > 0:14:04active and destroying the pigment cells in the skin.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07We don't really know what triggers off the process,
0:14:07 > 0:14:09but we know there are some things that can make vitiligo worse,
0:14:09 > 0:14:13particularly if people are unwell or if they are under a lot
0:14:13 > 0:14:19of stress, that can make the vitiligo worse.
0:14:19 > 0:14:21Jonathan and his team are running arguably the world's largest
0:14:21 > 0:14:26clinical trials for the condition.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29It involves more than 400 people using an ointment and a type
0:14:29 > 0:14:39of ultraviolet lamp.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47It is much less damaging than a sunlamp, but you
0:14:47 > 0:14:48to have to be careful.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50Maxine is part of the trials.
0:14:50 > 0:14:51She uses the lamp every other day.
0:14:51 > 0:14:52For nine months.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55In our study, in our trial, we are looking at medical treatments
0:14:55 > 0:14:58to try and bring back the pigment into the areas of vitiligo.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01We are expecting the results to be available in about 2019,
0:15:01 > 0:15:04but it is essential to consider the whole person and the impact
0:15:04 > 0:15:07the condition has on them.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09During my menopause when the vitiligo was
0:15:09 > 0:15:11at its worst, I was distraught.
0:15:11 > 0:15:12I didn't know what to do.
0:15:12 > 0:15:14I didn't know where to turn.
0:15:14 > 0:15:20It felt like my life was falling apart.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23I had to pay, but I found a local psychologist who lived close
0:15:23 > 0:15:26by and I had nine months of cognitive behavioural therapy
0:15:26 > 0:15:31which changed my life.
0:15:31 > 0:15:35What's that made me do is realise that I had value.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38I put my make up on to go up the street.
0:15:38 > 0:15:40I don't use it in the house.
0:15:40 > 0:15:42There is no cure for this disease at the moment.
0:15:42 > 0:15:49You have to learn to live with it.
0:15:49 > 0:15:54Maxine is proof that psychological support does work.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57As a parliamentary report points out, there is a lack of dedicated
0:15:57 > 0:16:01psychological services for skin conditions.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03Andrew Thompson is psychologist who helps people who are anxious
0:16:03 > 0:16:04about their appearance.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06This situation is pretty dire in terms of access
0:16:06 > 0:16:08to psychological support.
0:16:08 > 0:16:09He worked with Doctor Batchelor to provide guidelines
0:16:09 > 0:16:13for health professionals.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16I certainly had people tell me that it has affected
0:16:16 > 0:16:19employment prospects, they have had bullying
0:16:19 > 0:16:24or intrusive reactions.
0:16:24 > 0:16:28People taking second takes and staring and so on.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30Very few dermatology services have a dedicated access
0:16:30 > 0:16:32to psychological support whether it be a clinical psychologist
0:16:32 > 0:16:41or a counsellor or some other form of psychological practitioner.
0:16:41 > 0:16:42It is just not there.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44There are about three centres in the UK.
0:16:44 > 0:16:49NHS England have told is that to improve the integration
0:16:49 > 0:16:53of physical and mental health, more than ?70 million
0:16:53 > 0:16:58is being invested over two years right across the country.
0:16:58 > 0:17:03In the East Midlands, only west Nottingham will receive
0:17:03 > 0:17:08the extra mental health support for long-term physical conditions.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12Hi, I just wanted to share with you, some of my Facebook friends
0:17:12 > 0:17:15and people that I have known for years, who haven't seen me
0:17:15 > 0:17:20in a while, my changing face.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23Meanwhile, Anika has found her own way forward.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26After years of keeping her condition a secret, she's decided
0:17:26 > 0:17:30to come out on Facebook.
0:17:30 > 0:17:32I have got vitiligo...
0:17:32 > 0:17:42I put a little video out there and I got some
0:17:45 > 0:17:46fantastic response from that.
0:17:46 > 0:17:48I work with young people who have anxiety disorders
0:17:48 > 0:17:51and all kinds of things, so I was able to work
0:17:51 > 0:17:52myself through it.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55However, I did go through a period of darkness where it was tough.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58Even though I'm more confident with it, because it was my changing
0:17:58 > 0:18:01all the time and because it comes and it is out of the blue,
0:18:01 > 0:18:04I have to take time to get to know it and be comfortable
0:18:04 > 0:18:10with actually it spreading.
0:18:10 > 0:18:11Anika's appointment for a make-up camouflage consultation
0:18:12 > 0:18:13finally comes through.
0:18:13 > 0:18:19She decides it's still worth doing.
0:18:19 > 0:18:21It's provided by a charity called Changing Faces.
0:18:21 > 0:18:23Sandra Burge is a full and make up demonstrator
0:18:23 > 0:18:26and provides her services for free.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29This is the colour that I think is good.
0:18:29 > 0:18:33It has been a big deal for Anika allow us to film the consultation.
0:18:33 > 0:18:35She is still not comfortable in front of the camera
0:18:35 > 0:18:44without hiding the new patches around her face.
0:18:44 > 0:18:46Those are new parts around my mouth that have just developed.
0:18:46 > 0:18:47Yes.
0:18:47 > 0:18:49I've got to come to terms with those ones.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52I'm not ready to reveal all to the world just yet.
0:18:52 > 0:18:56You've already done one step to come to terms with it by being in film.
0:18:56 > 0:18:57That is great.
0:18:57 > 0:19:03It can only get better.
0:19:03 > 0:19:04Yeah.
0:19:04 > 0:19:05That's amazing.
0:19:05 > 0:19:06Yeah, that's really good.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09Really good.
0:19:09 > 0:19:11Yeah.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13If you need this kind of camouflage make up,
0:19:13 > 0:19:15then absolutely go for it.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18For me personally, I won't be using it on a regular basis,
0:19:18 > 0:19:20but it is fantastic to have the option.
0:19:21 > 0:19:22It hasn't been easy.
0:19:22 > 0:19:23It is good now.
0:19:23 > 0:19:30I am fine now, but there have been some low points.
0:19:30 > 0:19:34They don't know if it is going to continue and I'm going to turn
0:19:34 > 0:19:36fully or I'm going to lose all my melanin or whether
0:19:36 > 0:19:42it is going to stop.
0:19:42 > 0:19:46There is no answers out there.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49And as Jonathan Batchelor was saying there, the results of those clinical
0:19:49 > 0:19:53trials will be published in one year's time.
0:19:53 > 0:19:55Finally tonight, just about everything you eat,
0:19:55 > 0:19:58drink or use will have spent some time on a lorry.
0:19:58 > 0:20:02In fact, the multi-billion pound road haulage industry is keeping
0:20:02 > 0:20:07the East Midlands economy ticking along quite nicely.
0:20:07 > 0:20:11But did you know that there is a serious shortage of drivers?
0:20:11 > 0:20:12Where have they all gone?
0:20:12 > 0:20:14And what is being done to plug the gap?
0:20:14 > 0:20:22Sarah Sturdy has been finding out.
0:20:22 > 0:20:29Food, drink, doors, bricks and barrels.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31They're all in a day's work for the Tailors.
0:20:31 > 0:20:33How many have you got there then?
0:20:33 > 0:20:3487 out there.
0:20:34 > 0:20:35What have you got?
0:20:35 > 0:20:36How many storage?
0:20:36 > 0:20:37Three?
0:20:37 > 0:20:38Three stored.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42One broke down.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44They're based next to junction 28 on the M1.
0:20:44 > 0:20:45Thanks a lot, Richard.
0:20:45 > 0:20:46Thank you.
0:20:46 > 0:20:47Cheers.
0:20:47 > 0:20:48Has this tyre been sorted out?
0:20:48 > 0:20:50I've just sorted it, Alan.
0:20:50 > 0:20:51They are on their way to it now.
0:20:51 > 0:20:57They should be there in about 15 minutes.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59Alan Taylor's dad started the business in the mid-'70s
0:20:59 > 0:21:00with just one van.
0:21:00 > 0:21:06Allen now employs 280 drivers, but he needs more.
0:21:06 > 0:21:13Up onto the A128.
0:21:13 > 0:21:15It has been broken down for just about 20 minutes.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17Is it going to make load late?
0:21:17 > 0:21:18Does the customer know?
0:21:18 > 0:21:21We've informed the customer and everyone's aware of it.
0:21:21 > 0:21:25We're constantly, daily short of drivers.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27Obviously I could probably send ten drivers out today,
0:21:27 > 0:21:29but nobody wants to come into the industry.
0:21:29 > 0:21:30Particularly the younger driver.
0:21:30 > 0:21:31Long hours, early starts.
0:21:31 > 0:21:40They don't want to do it.
0:21:40 > 0:21:44One of Alan's problems is that so many of his drivers are retiring.
0:21:44 > 0:21:46After 40 years behind the wheel, Paul Redmond will soon be
0:21:46 > 0:21:49parking his truck for the last time.
0:21:49 > 0:21:53The standards of the vehicle and the drivers compartment inside,
0:21:53 > 0:21:58a massive change on that side.
0:21:58 > 0:22:04And the outside of it, I think it's gone backwards, to be honest.
0:22:04 > 0:22:11I don't see why anybody would want to come into this industry any more.
0:22:11 > 0:22:15There are still some new recruits to buck the trend.
0:22:15 > 0:22:21Jamie Cooper is the third generation of his family to drive a lorry.
0:22:21 > 0:22:23He treats Alan's truck as if it's his own.
0:22:23 > 0:22:24This is my truck.
0:22:24 > 0:22:30I live in this all week, so I treat it like it's my second home.
0:22:30 > 0:22:31There are lorry drivers and trackers.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38For truckers, it is their life.
0:22:38 > 0:22:44They come on the Saturday just to clean the truck sort of thing.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47Then you have got your lorry drivers who come just to get paid
0:22:47 > 0:22:49and go home sort of thing.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52I would love to do the heavy haulage with the big
0:22:52 > 0:22:56excavators, stuff like that.
0:22:56 > 0:23:05The big mega trucks.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08Where will the next generation of drivers like Jamie come from?
0:23:08 > 0:23:09Take a seat.
0:23:09 > 0:23:10We have invited west Notts College students
0:23:10 > 0:23:13and Central College Nottingham to see if they can be
0:23:13 > 0:23:15persuaded the life of a lorry driver is for them.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18Let us have a look at the vehicles then.
0:23:18 > 0:23:20Never thought about lorry drivers, at all.
0:23:20 > 0:23:24My family is in the haulage business and it is a good industry to be in.
0:23:24 > 0:23:26There is plenty of work as it is constantly needed.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28I think it is a very important job.
0:23:28 > 0:23:30Not one that I personally would do.
0:23:30 > 0:23:31My name is Colin Snape.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34I started in the industry as a lorry driver.
0:23:34 > 0:23:36The Road Haulage Association estimates there are 600,000 HGV
0:23:36 > 0:23:39drivers in the UK at the moment and that is 45,000
0:23:39 > 0:23:44of what is required.
0:23:44 > 0:23:46It is a real issue.
0:23:46 > 0:23:48We have seen small operators having to park their vehicles up
0:23:48 > 0:23:51because they haven't got drivers.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54They can only cope with that for a short period of time.
0:23:54 > 0:23:58We are concerned that we have members who are going to go out
0:23:58 > 0:24:01of business because they haven't got people to drive their trucks.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04The average actual pay for an HGV driver is ?550 a week, which equates
0:24:04 > 0:24:09to about ?27,000 a year.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11The Government says it has invested ?17 million in training
0:24:11 > 0:24:17and improved apprenticeships.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19A Parliamentary transport report says there are too few
0:24:19 > 0:24:21overnight truck services and many need improving.
0:24:21 > 0:24:30This one is a good one.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33Most aren't like The Stockyard next to the M18 near Rotherham.
0:24:33 > 0:24:38Rated as gold standard by drivers.
0:24:38 > 0:24:43You find a lot of services, they're not maintained well at all.
0:24:43 > 0:24:47The showers aren't cleaned out.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49There are some where the showers are Portakabins.
0:24:49 > 0:24:53They are just dark and dingy.
0:24:53 > 0:24:57There are some showers where you have seen excrement
0:24:57 > 0:24:58in the shower bay itself.
0:24:58 > 0:25:04If anything, it is putting a bad name against lorry drivers.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07There is no security on the job at all.
0:25:07 > 0:25:11When you are out on the road, there was somebody who just finished
0:25:11 > 0:25:13cutting the trailer as I got up.
0:25:13 > 0:25:18You don't know whether to confront them, whether they have got a knife.
0:25:18 > 0:25:24Virtually every trailer we've got has got a cut in it.
0:25:24 > 0:25:31The stockyard has overnight security, but the Government
0:25:31 > 0:25:33is working with motorway services and truck-stop operators
0:25:33 > 0:25:34to improve facilities.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37In the meantime, drivers are not a happy bunch.
0:25:37 > 0:25:42There is not a lot of respect for truckers any more.
0:25:42 > 0:25:44The way we are treated, even though we are the main
0:25:44 > 0:25:45vein of the country.
0:25:45 > 0:25:46There you go.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49Thank you.
0:25:49 > 0:25:51Because drivers are making ?8, ?9 an hour, it is not enough.
0:25:51 > 0:26:01There is so much training that has to be done and licenses.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06I've got two sons I wouldn't want to come into this business.
0:26:06 > 0:26:08Got that way, that should take you straight over.
0:26:08 > 0:26:12To plug the gap, we have currently taken on some 25 foreign drivers.
0:26:12 > 0:26:13They are from all over Europe.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15As far away as Portugal, Spain, Belgium, Poland,
0:26:15 > 0:26:21Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23I have been for three years here.
0:26:23 > 0:26:24I like my job.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28I am here because it is a better life for me.
0:26:28 > 0:26:33I know that England needs drivers like me.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36I don't know a company that isn't having to use European drivers
0:26:36 > 0:26:37or international drivers.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40Brexit is a big issue.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43We must have free flow to the port and it is imperative
0:26:43 > 0:26:50that we are able to recruit from European driver markets.
0:26:50 > 0:26:52Back in the classroom, what do our students think
0:26:52 > 0:26:56of Colin's career pitch?
0:26:56 > 0:26:58I am looking at lorry driving, yeah.
0:26:58 > 0:27:03To be fair.
0:27:03 > 0:27:07I did find the ?3,000 that you need to get the biggest licence
0:27:07 > 0:27:09for the biggest trucks a bit steep.
0:27:09 > 0:27:10It doesn't really appeal to me.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13It makes me want to train as a driver first and then
0:27:13 > 0:27:15work my way up into the business.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17Colin has found a potential recruit.
0:27:17 > 0:27:21Finding more women drivers may be part of the solution.
0:27:21 > 0:27:25Right now, just 8% of the workforce are female.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27Cathy Whitehead is one of the few.
0:27:27 > 0:27:31I've always liked lorries.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34Always, if you gave me a choice of a Ferrari and a lorry,
0:27:34 > 0:27:37I'd have picked a lorry any day.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40When I first came here, I was petrified.
0:27:40 > 0:27:44You pass your test and you think that is it.
0:27:44 > 0:27:45Oh, wow, I have passed my test.
0:27:45 > 0:27:49There is a lot more to come, there is a lot more to learn.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52Nine years down the line, I am still learning.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55To keep the show on the road, the industry needs to find more
0:27:55 > 0:27:57drivers like Cathy and Jamie.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00This is the best part of the night for me getting parked up,
0:28:00 > 0:28:03getting relaxed with my telly out, to be honest.
0:28:03 > 0:28:05If you get the bug, it is definitely a bug,
0:28:05 > 0:28:07once you get the feel for it.
0:28:07 > 0:28:11If it is in your blood, I don't think you can get away from it.
0:28:11 > 0:28:12I think you just love it.
0:28:12 > 0:28:16You either love it or you hate it.
0:28:16 > 0:28:18In today's climate, I know that the bigger
0:28:19 > 0:28:19companies are the survivors.
0:28:19 > 0:28:29Where the future lies, I'm quite sure myself.
0:28:29 > 0:28:30--Not quite sure.
0:28:30 > 0:28:31That was Sarah sturdy reporting there.
0:28:31 > 0:28:33That is it for us here at Darley Abbey.
0:28:33 > 0:28:35Here is what is coming up next Monday.
0:28:35 > 0:28:40Investigating the supermarket deals which aren't quite what they seem.
0:28:40 > 0:28:46That is something that Tesco's head office needs to think about.
0:29:01 > 0:29:04Hello, I'm Riz Lateef with your 90-second update.
0:29:04 > 0:29:07Overcrowded - the number of patients on wards in England have been
0:29:07 > 0:29:10at unsafe levels in nine out of ten hospitals this winter.