:00:05. > :00:09.This is East Midlands Today with Dominic Heale and me, Anne Davies.
:00:09. > :00:19.Our top story tonight: Seven days to one of the biggest
:00:19. > :00:19.
:00:19. > :00:23.strikes in decades. Workers from scores of different professions
:00:23. > :00:26.prepare to walk out over planned pension changes.
:00:26. > :00:31.Also, Kate and Gerry McCann accused the press of hampering the search
:00:31. > :00:37.for their daughter. It is important to emphasise we have experienced
:00:37. > :00:43.long-lasting damage as a result of the headlines and media coverage.
:00:43. > :00:49.Past... Behind enemy lines. The soldiers targeting the Taliban's
:00:49. > :00:53.bomb factories. You can hear the bullets come past year, and you can
:00:53. > :00:57.hear the crack in your ear and see the dust on the floor. And you know
:00:57. > :01:07.it was closer. How the royal wedding is helping to
:01:07. > :01:10.
:01:10. > :01:15.save what is left of our lace Good evening. Welcome to
:01:15. > :01:18.Wednesday's programme. With just a week to go before one of the
:01:18. > :01:22.country's biggest public sector strikes, tonight we look at the
:01:22. > :01:24.effect it could have here in the East Midlands.
:01:24. > :01:27.Councils are warning schools are likely to close, disrupting lessons
:01:27. > :01:33.for thousands of children, as the three main teaching unions support
:01:34. > :01:38.the action. It's a national day of action by unions angry at
:01:38. > :01:42.Government plans to change their pensions. Workers from a diverse
:01:42. > :01:44.range of industries and professions are taking part. Senior civil
:01:44. > :01:46.servants are joining probation officers and physiotherapists,
:01:46. > :01:53.builders and railway workers, engineers and scientists in the
:01:53. > :02:00.walk-out. In theory, in seven day's time, there could be almost three
:02:00. > :02:07.million people on strike. Let's find out more from our
:02:07. > :02:11.Political Editor John Hess who's in Westminster.
:02:11. > :02:16.This proposed strike is over big changes to the pensions of many in
:02:16. > :02:19.the public sector. But according to the Prime Minister today, the
:02:19. > :02:21.planned stoppage a week today is "the height of irresponsibility".
:02:21. > :02:24.I'll have political reaction shortly, but first union members in
:02:24. > :02:31.Nottinghamshire have been on the streets of Mansfield to explain the
:02:31. > :02:36.reasons for the strike. Here's Quentin Rayner. Can I talk to you
:02:36. > :02:40.about the campaign? Dressed as greedy bankers, daylight Robbie --
:02:41. > :02:47.daylight robbery was the theme and Mansfield's market place to drum up
:02:47. > :02:51.support for the strike. Have you heard about it? Yes. It is a
:02:51. > :02:56.national day of action. Thank you for your time. Unison is one of 28
:02:56. > :03:00.unions backing the walk out by 3 million public sector workers and
:03:00. > :03:05.they claim that people will have to work longer, receive more for their
:03:05. > :03:10.pensions. In Mansfield, support was solid. These people need to sit and
:03:10. > :03:15.live with that the common man and they will understand on why people
:03:15. > :03:19.are actually standing for what they believe in because they live in a
:03:20. > :03:23.different world to us. government is taking too many
:03:23. > :03:28.liberties on the common people. It is as simple as that. What more can
:03:28. > :03:32.you say on the matter? They are robbing us blind and it is time we
:03:32. > :03:38.made a stand and said enough is enough. People have worked all
:03:38. > :03:41.their lives. And just because they say so, those people in these suits,
:03:41. > :03:47.everything has to change. What about people's lives and children
:03:47. > :03:53.and families? Give them what they want. They deserve it. So they
:03:53. > :04:00.should strike? 100%. Unison says the Pied is bodies and pensions in
:04:00. > :04:05.both private and public sectors. have been out to council buildings
:04:05. > :04:10.and the hospitals. We seem to be getting quite good signs there will
:04:10. > :04:14.be picket lines at those venues. Those are places we don't normally
:04:14. > :04:17.have to get lines. Unison maintains that a concrete offer by the
:04:17. > :04:22.Government could avert the strike. Hundreds of schools will close for
:04:22. > :04:25.the day as classroom staff and head teachers support the stoppage. Some
:04:25. > :04:27.unions staging the first strike in their history. There is always a
:04:27. > :04:33.knock-on for parents. We asked a group collecting their children
:04:33. > :04:38.from a primary school in Leicester for their views.
:04:38. > :04:42.I do agree with what the teachers are doing, definitely. I know it is
:04:42. > :04:47.a really difficult decision for them because it is their pensions.
:04:47. > :04:50.It shouldn't affect the children, though. There should be other
:04:50. > :04:55.measures to accommodate their pay rises, but it shouldn't affect
:04:55. > :04:59.kids' education. Teachers go through the system, go to
:04:59. > :05:04.university, and it is a hard enough job as it is and at the end of I
:05:04. > :05:09.think they do deserve a decent pension. I suppose they have got to
:05:09. > :05:14.do what they have got to do. There have been too many cutbacks, so,
:05:14. > :05:18.yes, not fairness. I will back the teachers. It is important for the
:05:18. > :05:22.teachers to think about their pensions and their future. It is
:05:22. > :05:29.good for them to stand up for their rights. A lot of parents will be
:05:29. > :05:32.put out. A lot. A lot of parents have to work. So, I know that a lot
:05:32. > :05:35.of mums and dads are going to find it difficult but the children are
:05:35. > :05:38.not going to be bothered! So, what's the political reaction
:05:38. > :05:46.here at Westminster? In the Commons, the issue of school closures and
:05:46. > :05:49.child care was put to the Prime Minister by an East Midlands MP.
:05:49. > :05:53.Will the Prime Minister acknowledged that one of the most
:05:54. > :06:01.disruptive impact of next week's strikes will be our mums and dads
:06:01. > :06:05.with children in school? Will my honourable friend join me in
:06:05. > :06:12.encouraging parents to bring children into schools? The strike
:06:12. > :06:17.will be harmful. Nobody wants the strike and it will be harmful to
:06:17. > :06:20.ordinary people that will use public services. At the same time,
:06:20. > :06:24.I think public service workers have a right to voice their opinion and
:06:24. > :06:28.I think strike action isn't necessarily the way to do that.
:06:29. > :06:34.They could be more canny and find a way to persuade the public to lobby
:06:34. > :06:39.the government mac. My mother was the children's nurse for 40 years
:06:39. > :06:43.so I do understand the pressures of a public sector job, so we are
:06:43. > :06:47.still at the negotiating table and working through, and the government
:06:47. > :06:51.might have made some sensible suggestions, and I am worried to
:06:51. > :06:54.the disruption in error wash, and elderly people, its services are
:06:54. > :06:57.not available. The Government says it's offered
:06:57. > :07:00.concessions. The unions say those concessions don't address their
:07:00. > :07:05.concerns on pensions. In this game of political poker, who's going to
:07:05. > :07:09.blink first? Who knows.
:07:09. > :07:12.Coming up later in the programme: Behind enemy lines in Afghanistan.
:07:12. > :07:22.We get a troop's eye-view of the battle from soldiers targeting the
:07:22. > :07:24.
:07:24. > :07:29.12 months after a schoolgirl was attacked in Nottingham, police have
:07:29. > :07:35.renewed their appeal for witnesses. They're asking people to try and
:07:35. > :07:42.remember what they were doing on November 23rd, 2010. Carolyn Moses
:07:42. > :07:50.reports. A year ago today, several things
:07:50. > :07:57.were happening. Catherine Middleton announced her wedding date. Chelsea
:07:57. > :08:02.won a vital Champions League clash. Also, and eight-year-old girl was
:08:02. > :08:07.attacked in Bulwell. One year on, officers hope to jog people's
:08:07. > :08:13.memory by linking it to those events. This is CCTV footage of a
:08:13. > :08:18.man seen at the Aaron -- in the area at the time. At 6:30pm,
:08:18. > :08:22.Tuesday, 23rd November, the girl was led on to rocks street and then
:08:22. > :08:27.Polly Park where she was assaulted, leaving her shocked and badly
:08:27. > :08:32.bruised. But to local people remember? I do. The mums around
:08:32. > :08:38.here have banned the kids from that Park. We just have to keep an eye
:08:38. > :08:42.on them. We have to watch our kids more and they do not come out.
:08:42. > :08:47.is horrible because my daughter could go and play on there. You
:08:47. > :08:51.don't want your kids in an unsafe environment. Police believe that
:08:51. > :08:56.somebody may have been protecting the attack at the time, but that
:08:56. > :09:01.could now have changed. The key thing that it -- about anything
:09:01. > :09:05.that goes on for more than a year, loyalties may have become different,
:09:05. > :09:08.and it is important that if people are hesitant of coming forward,
:09:08. > :09:13.they should understand that we are positive and we want to find the
:09:13. > :09:17.person responsible because we want closure. Police brought in a
:09:17. > :09:22.professional profiler to build up the picture of a man. They say he
:09:22. > :09:28.is almost certainly local. The girl describes him as white, under 5 ft
:09:29. > :09:34.9 and in his late teens, late -- early 20s. Police say it is vital
:09:34. > :09:37.they catch shrimp before he strikes again. -- they catch him before he
:09:37. > :09:39.strikes again. A police officer from Nottingham
:09:39. > :09:42.has appeared before magistrates charged with rape. 46-year-old
:09:42. > :09:44.Trevor Gray, seen here in the green and black coat and with his face
:09:44. > :09:47.covered, is accused of rape, attempted rape and sexually
:09:47. > :09:49.touching a 43-year-old woman in July. Nottinghamshire Police has
:09:49. > :09:55.suspended the detective sergeant whilst an investigation is carried
:09:55. > :09:58.out. He's due to appear at Derby crown court in December.
:09:58. > :10:01.A man has been arrested in connection with an attack at a
:10:01. > :10:04.Leicester pub which left two men injured. The victims both suffered
:10:04. > :10:08.serious burns at the Rainbow and Dove pub on Charles Street a month
:10:08. > :10:18.ago. One of them, Russell Banks, is still in hospital. A 21-year-old
:10:18. > :10:20.man was arrested in London this morning. This is East Midlands
:10:20. > :10:22.Today. Kate and Gerry McCann have
:10:22. > :10:25.described how lies about Madeleine's disappearance and
:10:25. > :10:27.stories implying that she was dead hampered the search for her. The
:10:27. > :10:31.couple from Rothley in Leicestershire were giving evidence
:10:31. > :10:34.at the Leveson Inquiry, which is looking into press standards. They
:10:34. > :10:44.revealed that they felt violated and at times were hounded by
:10:44. > :10:45.
:10:45. > :10:50.photographers. Helen Astle reports. We were desperately shouting out
:10:50. > :10:54.internally, please stop what you are doing. He was stopping our
:10:54. > :10:57.chances of finding her. Kate and Gerry McCann told of their
:10:57. > :11:00.experiences of the media. At times, the couple felt the press had been
:11:00. > :11:05.helpful, particularly when launching appeals, but there were
:11:05. > :11:09.other times and many headlines which they felt were critical. Kate
:11:09. > :11:13.recalls some of the lurid stories hitting the papers soon after their
:11:13. > :11:17.daughter went missing, most notably that they had been involved in
:11:17. > :11:24.their daughter's disappearance and they had hidden her body in their
:11:25. > :11:29.hire car. A corpse in the car? I don't know how many times I read
:11:29. > :11:34.body fluids in the car, but there were no body fluids. We were being
:11:34. > :11:39.tried by the media. We were unable to defend present -- defend
:11:39. > :11:42.ourselves of a stop Kate discovered that her personal diaries, written
:11:42. > :11:45.weeks after Madeleine's disappearance and while they were
:11:45. > :11:50.still in Portugal, had been published in the News of the World
:11:50. > :11:54.without her consent. I felt totally violated. It was my only way of
:11:54. > :12:01.communicating with Madeleine and, for me, there was no respect shown
:12:01. > :12:04.for me as a grieving mother or as a human being or my daughter. They
:12:04. > :12:09.describe how their children had been are terrified by photographer
:12:09. > :12:14.is. There were several occasions when they would bang on the windows
:12:14. > :12:18.with camera lenses. My children would say they are scared to.
:12:18. > :12:24.important to emphasise that we have experienced long-lasting damage as
:12:24. > :12:28.a result of the headlines and media coverage, including recent trips to
:12:28. > :12:32.Holland and Spain where a taxi driver said, oh, you are the
:12:32. > :12:36.parents are accused of killing your own daughter, what happens?
:12:36. > :12:40.Throughout giving evidence, the couple said that legal action was
:12:40. > :12:46.always a last resort, and the more important battle was binding
:12:46. > :12:50.Madeleine. Four years on, the hunt continues.
:12:50. > :12:54.Next, a soldier's eye-view of the heat of battle in Afghanistan. It's
:12:54. > :12:57.from an elite unit of troops who were dropped behind enemy lines.
:12:57. > :12:59.The Brigade Reconnaissance Force came under heavy gunfire as it
:12:59. > :13:09.targeted Taliban bomb factories. Our Social Affairs Correspondent,
:13:09. > :13:12.
:13:12. > :13:16.Jeremy Ball, reports. Flying into enemy territory and
:13:16. > :13:23.ready for battle. All and a day's work for the Brigade Reconnaissance
:13:23. > :13:27.Force. -- all in a day's work. These two guys spent the summer
:13:27. > :13:32.going on missions like this one several times a week. You know they
:13:32. > :13:36.are close when you can hear the crack. Getting shot at, farm at the
:13:36. > :13:41.start, but when it keeps happening, it is like, you wonder when your
:13:41. > :13:46.luck is going to run out. These helicopter assaults I used to reach
:13:46. > :13:51.targets surrounded by improvised bombs. Sometimes, the enemy opened
:13:51. > :13:55.fire before they touch down. There was times when we did get shot at
:13:55. > :14:01.coming off the helicopter. Sometimes we would land on the
:14:01. > :14:11.floor and wouldn't have contact all day. You could be stuck for an hour
:14:11. > :14:12.
:14:12. > :14:18.All these pictures were filmed by All these pictures were filmed by
:14:18. > :14:25.the Brigade Reconnaissance Force. The soldier had a camera on his
:14:25. > :14:35.helmet. This is you, isn't it? is me. You have to make sure you
:14:35. > :14:35.
:14:35. > :14:40.hit them! This is how they destroyed an enemy weapons factory.
:14:40. > :14:50.We got a lot of weapons off the ground. A lot of drugs off the
:14:50. > :14:51.
:14:51. > :14:56.ground. We found an explosive. That was blown up where it was found.
:14:56. > :14:59.Tomorrow, they will be heading into much more hostile Territt -- much
:14:59. > :15:05.less hostile territory as they marched through the streets of
:15:05. > :15:09.Leicester to get a former -- a formal welcome home.
:15:09. > :15:15.Police are investigating reports of gunshot in Nottingham. Officers
:15:15. > :15:19.were called to Old Basford last night. They have search the area
:15:19. > :15:24.and have not been able to confirm if shots were fired. They're going
:15:24. > :15:27.to check images from year by security cameras.
:15:27. > :15:33.Police in Leicester are marking copper gas pipes with SmartWater.
:15:33. > :15:39.It comes after theft in the city. More than 20 houses in the Hinckley
:15:39. > :15:45.area had live gas pipes and ripped out. Officers say that the thefts
:15:45. > :15:50.are potentially life-threatening. Now then - remember the dress? No
:15:50. > :15:53.one could forget that, the wedding of the year. Adorning that wedding
:15:53. > :15:59.gown was lace made right here in the Midlands.
:15:59. > :16:03.Apparently, she had requested English lace. She would not have
:16:03. > :16:11.been spoiled for choice, as the once-proud lace-making industry has
:16:11. > :16:14.dwindled to one factory. As part of our series on heritage,
:16:14. > :16:20.we asked if there are still a market for the least that was once
:16:20. > :16:24.famous around the world. This is the machine that Kate's
:16:24. > :16:30.lace was made on and this was the man that made his - except he
:16:30. > :16:37.didn't know it! I did not know until the following week and I
:16:37. > :16:44.found out and it was great! That was put on the bride's train.
:16:44. > :16:53.he did not know what was going to be used? Eyes sort of guest. -- I
:16:53. > :16:58.guessed. It has been made like this for over a hundred years. But lace
:16:58. > :17:02.has gone out of fashion and there is an uncertain future. That was
:17:02. > :17:08.until the royal wedding. We had more business in the UK than we had
:17:08. > :17:11.ever had before. Not a lot, but it was growing. It is late for the
:17:11. > :17:15.bridal train for this year but we're expecting it to be busier
:17:15. > :17:20.next year and the bridal market. One wedding dress designer is
:17:20. > :17:24.getting ahead of the game. She's making gowns using original
:17:24. > :17:31.Nottingham lace which was left over when one of the nearby factories
:17:31. > :17:38.closed. So these would have been for ladies to put round the collar?
:17:38. > :17:47.That's right, yes. We use it to create a living affect. -- a
:17:47. > :17:53.layering effect. They are made with love, almost. Most places now
:17:53. > :17:57.created outside Great Britain but the Nottingham legacy remains.
:17:57. > :18:02.There will be, in parts of the world, Nottingham lace making
:18:02. > :18:09.machines. Nottingham will still be on it could because it is pressed
:18:09. > :18:17.into the metal. It has had a huge influence on the global industry.
:18:17. > :18:27.Some designers choose to go back to where it originated. The recently
:18:27. > :18:29.
:18:29. > :18:33.made lace for Ralph Lauren. How beautiful!
:18:33. > :18:37.You might have had to dig out your eyes scrapers this morning to clean
:18:37. > :18:42.your car windows. A but what about tomorrow, I hear
:18:42. > :18:52.you say? And why this theatre has turned
:18:52. > :18:57.
:18:57. > :19:07.I said at least wasn't, at the forefront of fashion, Natalie
:19:07. > :19:11.
:19:11. > :19:16.The start with Derby County. They are said to sign Tamas Priskin on
:19:16. > :19:21.loan from Ipswich. He has scored 32 goals in 163 games since coming to
:19:22. > :19:25.England five years ago. Staying with that ball, and heartbreak for
:19:25. > :19:29.Hinckley United as they crashed out of the FA Cup last night at
:19:29. > :19:36.Tamworth. A stoppage time goal clinched the win for the Conference
:19:36. > :19:43.Premier side and Hinckley are out and Tamworth into the second round.
:19:43. > :19:46.Hard luck there. Boxing world champion Carl Froch
:19:46. > :19:50.says he is in the best possible shape as he prepares for the
:19:50. > :19:59.biggest fight of his career. The Nottingham boxer leaves for the
:19:59. > :20:05.United States this week. For months, Carl Froch has been a
:20:05. > :20:13.British boxer based in Sheffield, preparing. Now he is heading to the
:20:13. > :20:19.States. A lion in great shape. I am physically and mentally prepared to
:20:19. > :20:23.my optimum capabilities. I feel sharp and strong. I cannot see
:20:23. > :20:29.anyone in the world living with me. I'm too big and strong for 12 stone.
:20:29. > :20:37.I am a freak of nature. If not a freak, his walk-out have people-
:20:37. > :20:42.watching in admiration. -- is working out sessions. We are going
:20:42. > :20:50.at it for 12 rounds. May the best man win but I will do the business
:20:50. > :21:00.on 17th December in freezing cold Atlantic City. For cities last time
:21:00. > :21:03.
:21:03. > :21:09.in the UK before crossing. -- the He is the favourite going into the
:21:09. > :21:13.fight. I am used to that anyway. has waited two-and-a-half years to
:21:13. > :21:19.get his chance and it is not one he will give up easily.
:21:19. > :21:23.Cycling now, and the lovely Lucy Garner from Leicestershire has been
:21:23. > :21:31.shortlisted for the BBC Young Sports personality of the year. She
:21:31. > :21:36.has already won the East Midlands award.
:21:36. > :21:41.It has been a remarkable year for Lucy Garner. She has battled to a
:21:41. > :21:45.superb gold at the cycling world championships in Copenhagen just
:21:45. > :21:55.days after turning 17. She won the junior road race title with a
:21:55. > :21:56.
:21:56. > :21:59.sprint finish after a crash earlier on. She was named on a shortlist of
:22:00. > :22:04.10 for the BBC Young Sports personality of the year. It is
:22:04. > :22:10.amazing, really, and it makes me feel really proud to be going up
:22:10. > :22:14.against some of the top-class athletes in the country. Last week,
:22:14. > :22:21.she won the BBC East Midlands Junior Sports personality of the
:22:21. > :22:27.year and Loughborough. A I am very pleased for her, because she has
:22:27. > :22:36.looked to work very hard. That is paying off. She is famous for her
:22:36. > :22:43.nails, but it is not just those that sparkle. Everyone loves them.
:22:43. > :22:48.It was the whole race itself, crashing in thinking that that was
:22:48. > :22:51.it. Going for the Sprint and newly crashing again. When I crossed the
:22:51. > :22:57.line, all the emotions came out and I could not believe that I had
:22:57. > :23:05.actually done it. The 2012 Olympics are going to come too soon for Lucy,
:23:05. > :23:10.but she is a great prospect for Rio de Janeiro and 2016.
:23:10. > :23:20.Sparkly nails and a sparkly personality. All the chaps in their
:23:20. > :23:21.
:23:21. > :23:24.studio were cooing over them, when Marks and now the tale of a top
:23:24. > :23:34.show biz star who has arrived in Nottingham. She is the star of
:23:34. > :23:35.
:23:35. > :23:45.legally blonde. And we've been to meet him - I mean,
:23:45. > :23:57.
:23:57. > :24:04.Males, dog? He is one of the stars of legally blonde. The West End hit
:24:04. > :24:07.musical has opened in Nottingham this week. It tells the story of a
:24:07. > :24:13.homecoming queen who follows her ex-boyfriend to law school but this
:24:13. > :24:23.means putting down the credit cards. Arguably the stars of the show at
:24:23. > :24:28.the dogs. She plays a male character in the show! She kind of
:24:28. > :24:33.get away with it. We are very acquainted now after spending a few
:24:33. > :24:38.good months together. Has anything gone wrong? The opening night in
:24:38. > :24:45.Liverpool, we had an incident with the job -- with the dog, let us
:24:45. > :24:52.say! But they are trained very well. It is the job of Cindy to teach
:24:52. > :24:56.that dogs their tricks. In the opening number, she has to run on
:24:57. > :25:06.to Sophie, who plays Margot, and stop right in front of her and back
:25:07. > :25:07.
:25:07. > :25:11.at her twice. They have to do a call-and-response routine and then
:25:11. > :25:19.she jumped into her arms. Whoever said they should not work with
:25:19. > :25:26.children and animals did not meet this dog!
:25:26. > :25:33.She has been converted to dogs, I think! For the eagle-eyed among
:25:33. > :25:37.stew, he is actually a chihuahua crossed with a terrier.
:25:37. > :25:47.I had to send the wife out to scrape the eyes of our car this
:25:47. > :25:49.
:25:49. > :25:55.We're starting to see Olla Christmas lights been turned on
:25:55. > :26:00.across the region. -- all of our Christmas light been turned on.
:26:00. > :26:09.There was a good turnout in Nottingham this evening. The light
:26:09. > :26:19.looked quite spectacular to. -- quite spectacular, too. The weather
:26:19. > :26:22.
:26:23. > :26:31.has been fluctuating with the We have the cloud starting to come
:26:31. > :26:36.down again from the north overnight. It will thicken up at times. It
:26:36. > :26:41.will produce a small amount of rain over the Peak District.
:26:41. > :26:48.Temperatures not quite as low as last night, a minimum of seven
:26:48. > :26:55.degrees Celsius tonight. A bit of a cloudy start first thing tomorrow
:26:55. > :27:03.morning. It will become quite breezy as well tomorrow. Some
:27:03. > :27:09.sunshine will continue into the afternoon. There will be a brisk,
:27:09. > :27:15.south-westerly wind. A cold front will be working its way towards the
:27:15. > :27:19.south-east. There is a very nasty area of low pressure affecting
:27:19. > :27:28.parts of Scotland and the north of the country. But ourselves though,