:00:00. > :00:00.Hello and welcome to Inside Out North-West
:00:00. > :00:00.Tonight, we investigate the claims that Manchester city
:00:07. > :00:10.centre is in the grip of a shocking drug epidemic.
:00:11. > :00:12.They're coming from London, they're coming from Birmingham, everywhere.
:00:13. > :00:15.They are coming from all over the show to Manchester
:00:16. > :00:18.because they know it's one of those places that you can get Spice
:00:19. > :00:26.We report on elderly loneliness and reveal how Strictly champion
:00:27. > :00:31.Hopefully, she will enjoy this surprise.
:00:32. > :00:41.And we discover a hidden treasure - a lost canal that passes
:00:42. > :00:46.I think this is one of the most beautiful canals in the country
:00:47. > :01:01.It's been described as a drug epidemic among
:01:02. > :01:07.Addiction to the former legal high Spice is now so widespread that many
:01:08. > :01:09.homeless people are begging in the city centre
:01:10. > :01:16.Jacey Norman has investigated the story behind the recent
:01:17. > :01:22.Disturbing images of homeless people in Manchester apparently under
:01:23. > :01:24.the influence of drugs in a zombie-like state have
:01:25. > :01:32.It s being blamed on the drug known as Spice'.
:01:33. > :01:34.The former legal high is now being made illegally
:01:35. > :01:42.There are claims that Manchester is in the grip of a Spice epidemic,
:01:43. > :01:45.with people travelling from other parts of the UK to
:01:46. > :01:54.If Spice use in Manchester really is becoming an epidemic,
:01:55. > :01:56.what impact is it having on our homeless community
:01:57. > :02:17.and is seizing it from the streets really the answer?
:02:18. > :02:19.The charity Lifeshare has been providing help to young homeless
:02:20. > :02:24.people in Manchester and Salford for 30 years.
:02:25. > :02:27.Support worker Julie Boyle says there has been a dramatic increase
:02:28. > :02:30.in the use of Spice by the clients she sees since the drug
:02:31. > :02:39.How big a problem is Spice amongst the homeless
:02:40. > :02:44.We ve never had so many police cars, ambulances and other services
:02:45. > :02:47.at our office as we have since the ban actually,
:02:48. > :02:55.We ve had clients who have always been very, you know,
:02:56. > :02:57.sociable with other clients, now they kind of sit
:02:58. > :03:01.If we raise a concern, they get quite aggressive towards us.
:03:02. > :03:04.And a lot of them are just turning on each other
:03:05. > :03:08.A lot of them are begging to support their Spice habit
:03:09. > :03:10.because Manchester is kind of the central hub where Spice
:03:11. > :03:14.So people who never thought they would beg, and kind of looked
:03:15. > :03:17.down on people who begged, are now actually begging themselves,
:03:18. > :03:19.who said they would never do that in their lives,
:03:20. > :03:24.When you first smoke it, it kills you off,
:03:25. > :03:28.One former Spice user agreed to talk about his reasons
:03:29. > :03:32.for taking the drug, as long as we didn t identify him.
:03:33. > :03:35.Like, it makes me feel relaxed, calm.
:03:36. > :03:38.You need that kind of calm when you re sleeping on the streets,
:03:39. > :03:42.Because if you didn t have the Spice and you re sleeping homeless, rough,
:03:43. > :03:45.you feel paranoid all the time, you know what I mean?
:03:46. > :03:50.Whereas the Spice takes that feeling away, you re not arsed.
:03:51. > :03:53.When you take it, how long do the effects last for?
:03:54. > :03:59.But when you get addicted to it, it doesn t last long.
:04:00. > :04:02.It s like as soon as you ve had a spliff, you need another one.
:04:03. > :04:04.Or you need a pipe, you need another one,
:04:05. > :04:12.And what kind of effect would you say that it s having
:04:13. > :04:14.on people that are begging on the streets of Manchester,
:04:15. > :04:18.Well, they re starting begging because they smoke Spice.
:04:19. > :04:21.They used to be like normal kids, then they have a hit of that.
:04:22. > :04:23.Probably self-harm, problems at home that they start smoking it,
:04:24. > :04:27.I don t know why, because it s horrible at first.
:04:28. > :04:30.But when they do start smoking it, that s why they start
:04:31. > :04:33.begging because they need the money and it s...
:04:34. > :04:38.If you don t, if you go an hour without smoking a spliff,
:04:39. > :04:42.You start sweating, being sick, physically sick
:04:43. > :04:46.And you just can t care about nothing, you just want...
:04:47. > :04:52.You can t walk the streets without seeing a Spice-head,
:04:53. > :04:57.In ten minutes if we was to walk through town, we d see over
:04:58. > :05:02.It s noticeable to everyone in Manchester at the moment is that
:05:03. > :05:07.Would you say that that s got worse because of Spice?
:05:08. > :05:10.They re coming from London, they re coming from Birmingham, everywhere.
:05:11. > :05:13.They were coming from all over the show to Manchester
:05:14. > :05:16.because they know it s one of the places that you can get
:05:17. > :05:20.And it s just ruining lives really, you know what I mean?
:05:21. > :05:25.So what is Greater Manchester Police doing about the problem?
:05:26. > :05:27.We're dealing with Spice every day, coming across people who have
:05:28. > :05:34.We're dealing with people who are behaving in really strange
:05:35. > :05:36.ways and we re dealing with people causing crime and
:05:37. > :05:42.anti-social behaviour because of their addiction.
:05:43. > :05:45.Is the problem worse now it s illegal?
:05:46. > :05:52.Before we saw dealing from head shops and small shops.
:05:53. > :05:55.All that dealing has been displaced onto the street now.
:05:56. > :06:02.We re using a lot of the tactics we used to unpick cannabis dealing
:06:03. > :06:05.in Piccadilly Gardens to now tackle Spice dealing.
:06:06. > :06:11.Last week, we arrested a 37-year-old in the Piccadilly Gardens area
:06:12. > :06:16.with ?400 in cash and 278 wraps of Spice.
:06:17. > :06:18.We ve had two convictions in the last fortnight.
:06:19. > :06:20.Depressingly, one of those is a 16-year-old.
:06:21. > :06:28.It s claimed that as many as 95% of the city s rough sleeper
:06:29. > :06:31.population are now taking Spice and that this is one of the main
:06:32. > :06:36.reasons why Manchester has seen an increase in begging.
:06:37. > :06:38.I don t think money should be given to beggars anyway.
:06:39. > :06:43.By stopping giving people money, it will stop people getting Spice
:06:44. > :06:45.because they re going to have to go through the rattle.
:06:46. > :06:47.I think that if you re going to give someone
:06:48. > :06:53.Go up to them, approach them and ask them if they re hungry,
:06:54. > :06:56.or are they cold, then get them something warm or get them some
:06:57. > :07:00.food, but make sure they re hungry at the time because a lot of people
:07:01. > :07:02.who are getting given food, they re just throwing it away.
:07:03. > :07:05.And a lot of people who are getting clothes, they don t want it,
:07:06. > :07:10.Last year, the City Council, in partnership with homeless
:07:11. > :07:11.charities in Manchester, launched a campaign called
:07:12. > :07:14.Big Change to encourage members of the public not to give
:07:15. > :07:21.There is certainly a connection between begging with drugs.
:07:22. > :07:27.There s a connection with alcohol as well.
:07:28. > :07:29.We know from research in the North-East there s
:07:30. > :07:33.a likely to be a connection to organised crime.
:07:34. > :07:37.People are organised to come to the city centre and beg in order
:07:38. > :07:43.Do you think that if we don't give money to people who are begging
:07:44. > :07:45.the back might actually lead them into crime?
:07:46. > :07:47.Well, giving money to beggars keeps them in crime.
:07:48. > :07:50.Which is why we set up the Big Change campaign that
:07:51. > :07:57.The money goes to really legitimate charities,
:07:58. > :07:59.voluntary sector organisations with a good track record of working
:08:00. > :08:06.If people donate - and it doesn t have to be
:08:07. > :08:08.money, it can be goods - to those charitable organisations
:08:09. > :08:12.then they will know they re really helping homeless people.
:08:13. > :08:17.If they give on the streets the odds are they are not.
:08:18. > :08:20.Back at Lifeshare, the charity is providing help to young homeless
:08:21. > :08:31.That has got everything in it, if you want to keep that one.
:08:32. > :08:34.Julie Boyle is in no doubt that the long-term solution
:08:35. > :08:38.to the problem is to get people off the streets.
:08:39. > :08:42.We do find some people in accommodation are still taking
:08:43. > :08:44.Spice, but we also find that when they get
:08:45. > :08:49.So that criminality element of it will stop, as well.
:08:50. > :08:51.So I think again, trying to, you know, specialise maybe
:08:52. > :08:54.for people with those habits, as is done for alcohol
:08:55. > :08:56.and other drug issues, if they were included,
:08:57. > :08:58.as in it was allowed in supported accommodation,
:08:59. > :09:05.It wouldn t resolve it, but it would help.
:09:06. > :09:08.But until such help arrives, does she ever think she s fighting
:09:09. > :09:14.a losing battle trying to help those still on the streets?
:09:15. > :09:17.There s never nothing that we can do.
:09:18. > :09:19.There s always some way around things or some way
:09:20. > :09:34.There s always something that can be done.
:09:35. > :09:38.Research shows that social isolation doesn't only cause loneliness,
:09:39. > :09:42.Lancashire has been labelled a loneliness hotspot,
:09:43. > :09:47.but there is one woman from Lytham St Annes who is hoping
:09:48. > :09:51.to combat the problem of elderly loneliness by making dreams come
:09:52. > :10:00.Bev Sykes knows what it is like to suffer from loneliness.
:10:01. > :10:02.She experienced it herself after the death of her
:10:03. > :10:07.It is why she set up the companionship group
:10:08. > :10:14.I get so much pleasure out of seeing other people enjoying
:10:15. > :10:21.It genuinely warms my heart because I have experienced
:10:22. > :10:24.loneliness and I know what it's like and it's a horrible,
:10:25. > :10:33.As well as panting and keep-fit classes, the group enjoy day trips
:10:34. > :10:38.and other social events but, above all, they have fun.
:10:39. > :10:41.Can you imagine what it must be like when people are sitting
:10:42. > :10:46.in on their own and nobody phones, nobody rings, nobody calls.
:10:47. > :10:51.Well, my wife passed away getting on for three years ago now.
:10:52. > :10:53.Alan Lee joined Just Good Friends after experiencing terrible
:10:54. > :10:57.loneliness following the death of his wife, Pat.
:10:58. > :11:00.When you lose some after so long, 40 years, God, you're
:11:01. > :11:08.You are probably only half the person you used to be.
:11:09. > :11:17.But to get out and make that effort and meet other people,
:11:18. > :11:23.it gives you confidence in yourself that, of course, you've lost.
:11:24. > :11:27.When I went to Just Good Friends, it did turn my life around.
:11:28. > :11:32.You never forget, but this is what Pat would really want me to do.
:11:33. > :11:34.And it sounds like there is a lovely network of people
:11:35. > :11:36.at Just Good Friends that help with that?
:11:37. > :11:39.They do, and they help each other, as well.
:11:40. > :11:47.And social isolation doesn't only cause loneliness.
:11:48. > :11:50.Research shows it is also bad for your help.
:11:51. > :11:53.It's believed that being socially isolated can be as bad as smoking
:11:54. > :11:55.ten to 15 cigarettes a day, with a higher likelihood
:11:56. > :12:01.of long-term conditions such as diabetes and strokes.
:12:02. > :12:03.At his surgery in St Annes, Dr Russell Thorpe sees a lot
:12:04. > :12:07.of patients who are experiencing loneliness.
:12:08. > :12:13.It addresses both physical and mental activity and it also
:12:14. > :12:16.enriches people's lives and they can often give to the group as much
:12:17. > :12:30.It's been an amazing facility that Mrs Sykes has set up.
:12:31. > :12:32.Another way the group spreads happiness is by
:12:33. > :12:37.Two ladies wanted to fly in a hot-air balloon.
:12:38. > :12:39.Another member of the group, in her 80s, wanted to ride
:12:40. > :12:42.on the back of a motorbike with Carl Fogarty, and Bev
:12:43. > :12:49.But Bev is facing her biggest challenge, making one special
:12:50. > :12:55.Christine does an awful lot on the committee.
:12:56. > :13:02.She does a lot of welfare, she saw raffles.
:13:03. > :13:04.She does a lot of welfare, she sorts out raffles.
:13:05. > :13:08.And her wish is to dance with somebody from Strictly.
:13:09. > :13:14.So, while Bev set about making it happen, I popped round to see
:13:15. > :13:17.Christine for a cup of tea and to find out more
:13:18. > :13:22.Why did you get involved in Just Good Friends?
:13:23. > :13:24.What was the main reason for you going there?
:13:25. > :13:31.Even though I've got four sons and four grandsons,
:13:32. > :13:36.three of them are scattered down south and it's not easy to get
:13:37. > :13:39.to them and they can't be here all the while.
:13:40. > :13:42.What is it about dancing that you love so much?
:13:43. > :13:44.I don't know, it's just a nice feeling to be
:13:45. > :14:02.I like Anton Du Beke because he's polite and treats you as a lady.
:14:03. > :14:09.You don't want to be looking down like that when you're
:14:10. > :14:15.No, I want to be able to look in their eyes.
:14:16. > :14:18.And where better to make Christine's Strictly dream come true
:14:19. > :14:24.The group had come for afternoon tea and a dance, but what Christine
:14:25. > :14:27.doesn't know is that a very special guest is about to give her
:14:28. > :14:39.When Ore Oduba was last in Blackpool, he stunned
:14:40. > :14:44.the Strictly judges before going on to win the competition.
:14:45. > :14:54.Today, he's back to cause another big surprise.
:14:55. > :14:57.It was such a special weekend for me and for everybody on the show,
:14:58. > :15:00.but I really feel like this is going to be such
:15:01. > :15:20.She is a massive Strictly fan and, hopefully,
:15:21. > :15:34.So, Bev, I don't know about you, but I'm really excited about this.
:15:35. > :15:38.Does Christine have any idea what's going to happen?
:15:39. > :15:41.Absolutely no idea at all and I'm so excited for her.
:15:42. > :15:48.What do you think she is going to do when she sees Ore?
:15:49. > :15:50.Because she was saying before that the person she really wants
:15:51. > :15:55.What is she going to do when Ore turns up?
:15:56. > :16:07.All right, let's go and surprise Christine.
:16:08. > :16:09.It's the moment of truth, and Christine still
:16:10. > :16:39.We just are going to start really slow because I've
:16:40. > :17:29.It brings so many wonderful memories back.
:17:30. > :17:47.Did you have any idea at all this was going to happen?
:17:48. > :17:53.A complete surprise and I'm really, really pleased.
:17:54. > :17:55.Bev and I were watching from the sidelines in tears.
:17:56. > :18:02.She is better than me, that's for sure.
:18:03. > :18:08.She was very quick to tell me, "You need to learn a bit more".
:18:09. > :18:10.It's been a while, it's been a while, but I hope
:18:11. > :18:18.I know I've got lots more to learn, but it's been a real, real pleasure.
:18:19. > :18:24.This was your dream wasn't it, your wish?
:18:25. > :18:27.And thanks to Bev as well because you've been
:18:28. > :18:38.She is ace, she does so much in Just Good Friends
:18:39. > :18:40.and Just Good Friends is where the magic happens
:18:41. > :18:46.And do you know what, I don't think she's ever going to let go!
:18:47. > :18:48.I think you'll be here for the night.
:18:49. > :18:54.When you find a good partner, you never let go,
:18:55. > :18:58.This is a new thing, Strictly Come Dancing 2017,
:18:59. > :19:28.It is one of the Northwest's hidden treasures, a lost canal that passes
:19:29. > :19:32.through some of the region's was beautiful countryside. The Northern
:19:33. > :19:36.reaches of the Lancaster Canal has been off-limits to Boots for
:19:37. > :19:40.decades. Peter Marshall takes a rare trip along these waters and meets
:19:41. > :19:50.the people determined to reopen them for the boating world.
:19:51. > :20:01.This is a journey few get the chance to enjoy. The winding rural waters
:20:02. > :20:10.of the Lancaster Canal's northern reaches. For decades, this 40 mile
:20:11. > :20:15.stretch as been off-limits to all but a select few, unable to be
:20:16. > :20:20.navigated, crisscrossed and blocked by concrete reminders of a more
:20:21. > :20:26.modern age. Overgrown in some areas, filled in and long forgotten in
:20:27. > :20:32.others. That can time be turned back? A determined group of
:20:33. > :20:40.volunteers and enthusiasts are not prepared to let this canal be lost
:20:41. > :20:43.forever. I think this is one of the most beautiful canals in the country
:20:44. > :20:51.and I've cruised almost all of them. You just glide along and look at the
:20:52. > :20:57.countryside. Do you think you will ever see a day when Boots will come
:20:58. > :21:05.along here again? Will I see it? Is that a reference to my age?! In its
:21:06. > :21:10.heyday, the called that the black-and-white canal. Blackford to
:21:11. > :21:16.the caller carried north to Kendall, white for the limestone is brought
:21:17. > :21:21.south from Cumbrian quality -- from Cumbrian quarries. The navigable
:21:22. > :21:24.section of the Lancaster Canal from Preston to Khan ripped tracks canal
:21:25. > :21:29.boats from all over the country. But once these boats reached just north
:21:30. > :21:43.of Carnforth, they can go no further. So, with just arrived in
:21:44. > :21:48.Tewitfield, and unfortunately this is as far as you can go in the boat.
:21:49. > :21:52.There has been an embankment built up here to enable the brood over the
:21:53. > :21:59.motorway and that's causing a big blockage. And a road blockages
:22:00. > :22:06.aren't the biggest problem. Well, this is it, the shape of motoring to
:22:07. > :22:10.come... Wendy M6 arrived in the 60s, despite protest, Ed intersected the
:22:11. > :22:16.Northern reaches of the canal in three places, effectively closing
:22:17. > :22:21.it. Are these obstacles insurmountable? Absolutely not. They
:22:22. > :22:25.are significant challenges that our engineers have been working on
:22:26. > :22:28.solutions over the past number of years and we believe we have
:22:29. > :22:33.solutions to each of the blockages we encounter. Hand on heart, do you
:22:34. > :22:37.think this lost canal will have a future? We know it matters to people
:22:38. > :22:50.so this canal has a great future ahead. Just beyond the first
:22:51. > :22:56.blockage are Tewitfield Locks. Undue since 1942, they were once a gateway
:22:57. > :23:02.to an industrial highway. The canal carries its final commercial traffic
:23:03. > :23:12.70 years ago. From here it's on to rural Cumbria and some of the
:23:13. > :23:20.Welcome aboard. At Crooklands, I Welcome aboard. At Crooklands, I
:23:21. > :23:24.mean top of the crew of the only boat that still gets the chance
:23:25. > :23:29.regular deep to seal the northern beaches. The 28th temp one is
:23:30. > :23:33.operated by the Lancaster Canal trust to promote its long campaign
:23:34. > :23:39.to reopen the northern beaches. What would it mean to you to be able to
:23:40. > :23:45.ride a canal boat again the stretch on a regular basis? It would mean so
:23:46. > :23:50.much. I might be 100 by then, but it would mean so much just to be able
:23:51. > :23:59.to do it. It is pleasant coming along here. But if you got the nice
:24:00. > :24:06.flat stretch up here, in the quiet countryside, listening to the sheep
:24:07. > :24:14.and the birds, then that's perfect. What is so special about this place?
:24:15. > :24:19.Where do you start? You leave Preston and you come north and
:24:20. > :24:25.adjust their daily gets better. You just can't beat it. The wildlife
:24:26. > :24:31.here, as you saw on the way up, the Swans. We had a little flotilla in
:24:32. > :24:38.front of us. There's always something to see, something
:24:39. > :24:45.different. When we are not stirring up the silk you can actually watch
:24:46. > :24:49.the fish, the water is so clear. The Waterwitch seals three of the nine
:24:50. > :24:53.miles of the Northern beaches that are still water. The final five
:24:54. > :24:57.miles into Kendall are totally overgrown or completely fill them.
:24:58. > :25:01.Ancient canal bridges now spanning fields rather than throwing water.
:25:02. > :25:10.But the Canal trust teams are on training -- changing that. Today
:25:11. > :25:17.they are clearing up one of the Canal's most impressive structures,
:25:18. > :25:26.the 378 yard long Hincaster Tunnel. You are very passionate about this?
:25:27. > :25:35.Yes, that wouldn't be far from the fruit. A canal not? I would accept
:25:36. > :25:40.that. What drives that passion? Industrial archaeology and the feat
:25:41. > :25:44.of engineering. As a civil engineer myself I have tremendous regard for
:25:45. > :25:49.what they achieved 200 years ago with hands, barrows and spades.
:25:50. > :25:56.Their passion is achieving results. A short walk from Hincaster Tunnel
:25:57. > :25:59.is what is called the first furlong. Before they started working,
:26:00. > :26:06.district was totally overgrown, neither is water again. As this home
:26:07. > :26:13.movies from the 1940s shoes, people have always been drawn to canals.
:26:14. > :26:19.Here it is a motor barge trip along the canal to Hest Bank. Today they
:26:20. > :26:22.continue to boost tourism and local economies and many believe Cumbria's
:26:23. > :26:28.forgotten northern beaches will do the same. So, no sign of that night,
:26:29. > :26:34.but in its heyday this would've been a busy canal. This was the motorway
:26:35. > :26:39.of its time. Hard to believe we are walking were once many boats sealed.
:26:40. > :26:44.The Lancaster Canal regeneration partnership has just secured
:26:45. > :26:50.?184,000 to reinstate the towpath along this field in section from
:26:51. > :26:56.Campbell to Natland, one small step on the way to full restoration. You
:26:57. > :27:03.don't have to do it all at once. There are lots of other canals were
:27:04. > :27:07.a bit by bit blockages are being moved and the navigable length gets
:27:08. > :27:14.longer. Today's restoration estimate is around ?100 million. Enthusiasts
:27:15. > :27:19.say it is a price worth paying. When people arrive at a terminus by boat
:27:20. > :27:26.they need to go out to be entertained, they need to stock up,
:27:27. > :27:32.they will spend money in the community -- in the community, they
:27:33. > :27:38.will sightsee. Yes, it will benefit. I might be looking at my 90s,
:27:39. > :27:43.possibly even 101, but I would love to see it open. I really want to see
:27:44. > :27:51.it open and if I'm carried into here in my bath chair I will be at the
:27:52. > :27:55.opening ceremony if I'm here! It is beautiful now when it's not a canal.
:27:56. > :28:00.It would be so much more beautiful when it was. It has the capacity to
:28:01. > :28:09.bring so many added benefits to small communities. There is an
:28:10. > :28:12.advert, I saw it years ago and it is so true, just add water. And it does
:28:13. > :28:25.make such a difference. What an incredible hidden treasure.
:28:26. > :28:36.That result from us for this week but Inside Out is back next Monday
:28:37. > :28:40.at 7:30pm. Until then, goodbye. Thomas Simon O'Brien belts between
:28:41. > :28:46.the streets of Liverpool to explore the mystery of the Williamson
:28:47. > :28:52.tunnels. This is extraordinary. It is impressive, isn't it? Yes, it
:28:53. > :28:53.really is. It is lovely workmanship that is totally unnecessary, it
:28:54. > :29:08.doesn't serve any purpose. Hello, I'm Riz Lateef
:29:09. > :29:10.with your 90-second update. Did some of President Trump's
:29:11. > :29:12.team collude with Russia The head of the FBI says
:29:13. > :29:16.they are investigating the claims, but says there's no evidence
:29:17. > :29:19.President Obama bugged Trump Tower. The Prime Minister will give
:29:20. > :29:22.the formal go-ahead for Brexit Theresa May will trigger what's
:29:23. > :29:25.known as Article 50, kicking off two years
:29:26. > :29:28.of divorce negotiations with Google has apologised
:29:29. > :29:32.for letting adverts appear next A number of big British companies
:29:33. > :29:37.like Marks and Spencer She was known as "The Forces
:29:38. > :29:43.Sweetheart" in World War Two. So where better to project a huge
:29:44. > :29:46.image of Dame Vera Lynn to celebrate The White Cliffs
:29:47. > :29:51.of Dover, of course. And the world's biggest flawless
:29:52. > :29:53.pink diamond has gone on display in London,
:29:54. > :29:56.before it's sold in