:00:00. > :00:00.Campaigners say prices are rising three times faster than wages. That
:00:00. > :00:07.is all from BBC This is East Midlands Today with
:00:08. > :00:09.Geeta Pendse and, me, Dominic Heale. Tonight ` a deadly December for road
:00:10. > :01:04.crashes. Welcome to our first full programme
:01:05. > :01:07.of 2014. First tonight ` the police are
:01:08. > :01:09.warning that some drivers are courting death and injury, after a
:01:10. > :01:16.terrible month on our region's roads. Seventeen people lost their
:01:17. > :01:20.lives in crashes in December. There's no one single cause for the
:01:21. > :01:25.carnage, although two forces have told us they've seen an increase in
:01:26. > :01:25.drinking and driving. Our Social Affairs 0
:01:26. > :01:27.drinking and driving. Our Social Affairs Correspondent, Jeremy Ball,
:01:28. > :01:42.is at Nottingham's roads policing unit tonight. Giddy Jeremy Hunt. ``
:01:43. > :01:46.and evening. Driving's become much safer over the
:01:47. > :01:48.last few years. But here in Nottinghamshire `` it's been a
:01:49. > :01:52.dreadful December. Twleve people lost their lives on the roads. There
:01:53. > :01:54.were another five fatalities in neighbouring Derbyshire and
:01:55. > :01:57.Leicestershire. And the police think most of those crashes were
:01:58. > :02:00.completely avoidable. The mangled wreckage of another
:02:01. > :02:04.crashed car ` every piece of metal, the mark of a human tragedy, someone
:02:05. > :02:07.who has died or been seriously injured, and, sometimes, a driver
:02:08. > :02:10.who is facing jail for a serious traffic offence. We've got a large
:02:11. > :02:13.motorway network going through the county. Chris Brown is in charge of
:02:14. > :02:16.keeping the roads of Leicestershire and Rutland safe. He thinks many
:02:17. > :02:22.people are still taking too many risks. I'd say the majority of
:02:23. > :02:23.accidents are avoidable. If people take responsibility 0
:02:24. > :02:25.accidents are avoidable. If people take responsibility to drive
:02:26. > :02:29.carefully, don't drink and drive ` you can make that choice. Don't
:02:30. > :02:32.speed. Put your seat belt on. Don't answer the phone, or make a phone
:02:33. > :02:35.call while you're driving. Your concentration will drop, and you've
:02:36. > :02:38.got more chance of having an accident. If you take all of that
:02:39. > :02:42.into account, you've got more chance of getting home safely tonight. It's
:02:43. > :02:45.drink` driving that is one of the biggest problems. Every year, there
:02:46. > :02:48.is a Christmas campaign, but many still choose to ignore it.
:02:49. > :02:51.Leicestershire police caught 108 drink drivers last month ` that's up
:02:52. > :02:54.from 95 the year before. Derbyshire's figures haven't been
:02:55. > :02:56.released yet. But the numbers rose in Nottinghamshire, too ` 124
:02:57. > :03:00.drivers failed breath tests last month, compared with 102 in the
:03:01. > :03:03.previous December. Andy Hall is in charge of the Nottinghamshire Police
:03:04. > :03:10.team that is investigating 12 deaths on the road last month. It's a
:03:11. > :03:12.tragedy, and we had elderly people, animals involved. We had weather
:03:13. > :03:16.conditions, speed, and, unfortunately, we still had alcohol
:03:17. > :03:19.as a factor. I don't think we should have any fatalities on the roads. I
:03:20. > :03:22.want to make sure that everybody sees next Christmas. Save your
:03:23. > :03:30.lives. People don't need to die on the roads. The response, here ` a
:03:31. > :03:32.New Year crackdown on careless or dangerous driving. With offices in
:03:33. > :03:36.Nottinghamshire being told to stop anyone seen breaking the rules ` it
:03:37. > :03:41.won't be popular, but it might just save lives.
:03:42. > :03:43.One thing you can be sure they'll be looking out for is drivers using
:03:44. > :03:48.mobile phones. People talking, or texting, rather than focussing on
:03:49. > :03:51.the road. And I was surprised to hear that one of the biggest
:03:52. > :03:53.problems is still people who don't wear seat`belts. In Leicestershire,
:03:54. > :04:05.that resulted in 800 prosecutions last year.
:04:06. > :04:09.It's the start of a new year and a time when most people try a little
:04:10. > :04:13.bit harder to be a little bit healthier. And doctors in one city
:04:14. > :04:16.are urging older people to do one small thing which could save their
:04:17. > :04:17.lives. Everyone over the age of 60 receives a 0
:04:18. > :04:19.lives. Everyone over the age of 60 receives a home`testing bowel`
:04:20. > :04:23.cancer kit to pick up early stages of the disease. Yet only 51 per cent
:04:24. > :04:27.of people in Nottingham actually return the kit. Sarah Teale has been
:04:28. > :04:33.speaking to one man who knows for a fact that they're a life saver.
:04:34. > :04:39.Mike George is a healthy, happy example of how one simple test can
:04:40. > :04:41.save a life. Just after his 66th birthday, he received a bowel
:04:42. > :04:48.testing screening kit through the post. He's been all clear on
:04:49. > :04:54.previous tests at the age of 62 and 64, but this time, it showed
:04:55. > :04:57.abnormalities. They asked me to attend the City Hospital, and the
:04:58. > :05:05.upshot was, I had a colonoscopy, which showed a polyp which contained
:05:06. > :05:10.malignant cells. A course of radiotherapy followed. Mike then
:05:11. > :05:15.received the good news that the cancer had gone. Just do it. I've
:05:16. > :05:19.got no doubt that if I haven't done it, and if it hadn't been caught
:05:20. > :05:23.early, it may not have saved my life. That's the message Nottingham
:05:24. > :05:27.city doctors are keen to stress. Right now, only 51% of Nottingham's
:05:28. > :05:34.over 60s return these home testing kits ` a figure they want to see
:05:35. > :05:41.increase. Bowel cancer is the UK's second biggest killer, as it claims
:05:42. > :05:46.around 16,000 lives every year. But regular screening has been shown to
:05:47. > :05:50.reduce the death rate by around 15%. That means, if people do use these
:05:51. > :05:56.screening testing kits, more than 2000 lives could be saved every
:05:57. > :05:59.year. This is one example of something that we have in medicine
:06:00. > :06:02.that you can give to individual patients and say, you may have a
:06:03. > :06:06.life`threatening illness. If you do the test, you can do something about
:06:07. > :06:09.it, and you can give yourself extra years, in fact, you could cure
:06:10. > :06:21.yourself of a cancer. How wonderful is that? For people like Mike
:06:22. > :06:25.George, it's pretty wonderful. We may have welcomed in the New Year
:06:26. > :06:34.` but the weather's refusing to turn over a new leaf. Here's Anna with a
:06:35. > :06:39.foretaste of a stormy forecast. There is no change in the weather
:06:40. > :06:42.forecast. A deep area of low pressure is moving in from the
:06:43. > :06:48.Atlantic to give another spell of wet and windy weather. The details
:06:49. > :06:52.later. It must be the start of a New Year
:06:53. > :06:56.because rail fares have risen from today. The good news though is that
:06:57. > :06:59.the average price increase in the East Midlands is less than the
:07:00. > :07:03.national figure. According to rail chiefs, the price hike is the
:07:04. > :07:06.smallest in four years. Nevertheless, campaigners say fares
:07:07. > :07:14.are still rising three times faster than incomes. Quentin Rayner
:07:15. > :07:20.reports. As the New Year rolls in, so does
:07:21. > :07:25.the annual rise in fares. My daughter comes from London often,
:07:26. > :07:31.and pays ?80 each time. The rate of increase has been dramatic. Often,
:07:32. > :07:36.there are not enough seats. How can they not have enough seeds and yet
:07:37. > :07:46.but the prices up? Train tickets are always very expensive, so another
:07:47. > :07:51.price rises not huge. I think the rays is fair, because they need the
:07:52. > :07:57.money to support the service. They are expensive, that's why I don't
:07:58. > :08:01.travel by train any more. Rail fares have risen on average by 2.8%, but
:08:02. > :08:05.the main operators have increased their is by less than the used
:08:06. > :08:12.Midlands. There is will rise by an average of 2.6%, and prices for 17%
:08:13. > :08:17.of journeys will be frozen. East Coast Trains has put up its fares by
:08:18. > :08:22.an average of 1.2%, and 43% of all its fares are frozen for this year.
:08:23. > :08:28.What about season tickets, the price of which are set by the government,
:08:29. > :08:34.and have gone up by 3.1%? Last year, an annual ticket would have
:08:35. > :08:39.cost around ?3800. This year, it rises to just over ?7,000. Meeting
:08:40. > :08:44.annually from Grantham to London last year, and the East Coast
:08:45. > :08:49.Mainline, cost around ?7,800. Now, it's over ?8,000. East Midlands
:08:50. > :08:58.Trains says fares are being invested by passengers with a refurbished
:08:59. > :09:01.fleets and Wi`Fi at 29 stations. Police are investigating a suspected
:09:02. > :09:04.arson attack in the early hours of yesterday morning in Leicestershire.
:09:05. > :09:07.A mother and her five children managed to escape, unhurt, from
:09:08. > :09:10.their home on Robin Crescent in Melton Mowbray. A 32`year`old woman
:09:11. > :09:17.and a 36`year`old man were arrested and have been released on bail
:09:18. > :09:20.pending further enquiries. Plans to allow open cast mining at a
:09:21. > :09:24.farm in Nottinghamshire have been put on hold by the Government. The
:09:25. > :09:28.County Council had approved proposals to allow UK Coal to
:09:29. > :09:33.extract more than a million tons of coal from short wood Farm between
:09:34. > :09:36.Cossall and Trowell. Broxtowe MP Anna Soubry said she was delighted
:09:37. > :09:41.that Communities and Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles,
:09:42. > :09:45.had called in the decision. A business owner says he's had to
:09:46. > :09:49.reduce his staffs' working hours due to a major road closure. Work to
:09:50. > :09:52.repair the A6 at Kegworth in Leicestershire is still going on
:09:53. > :09:57.after a burst water main on Boxing Day. The road, near its junction
:09:58. > :10:02.with the M1, won't re`open until Monday. This combined butchers and
:10:03. > :10:07.bakery in the village says it's seen a large drop in trade. We've laid
:10:08. > :10:11.staff off, cut down their hours on shorter time, because we are not as
:10:12. > :10:14.busy as we have been. We've also had customers ringing up who have
:10:15. > :10:19.approached the place, they can't get in, and say, we can't get in so we
:10:20. > :10:23.will have to cancel the order. I suppose, in some ways, we were
:10:24. > :10:27.fortunate, because if we had to have a burst in the A6, that it did occur
:10:28. > :10:38.at this time, when traffic is lower than normal. But we'll still want to
:10:39. > :10:41.get open as soon as we can. The East Midlands needs to have sharper
:10:42. > :10:43.elbows if it's not to lose out in the competition for government
:10:44. > :10:45.funding. That's the warning tonight from one
:10:46. > :10:48.of our leading politicians. Councillor Jon Collins is chairman
:10:49. > :10:51.of East Midlands Councils, the cross` party group that lobbies
:10:52. > :10:56.ministers at Westminster. Here's our Political Editor John Hess.
:10:57. > :10:59.A photocall in Downing Street with council leaders from the North and
:11:00. > :11:02.Midlands in support of high speed rail. Tucked behind the Prime
:11:03. > :11:05.Minister, the Labour leader from Nottingham, determined the East
:11:06. > :11:11.Midlands doesn't lose out in the regional power play for funding.
:11:12. > :11:15.Back in Nottingham, Jon Collins visits a food bank in St Anne's `
:11:16. > :11:19.the City Council ward he has represented for twenty`six years. In
:11:20. > :11:23.his new role as leader of East Midlands councils, his challenge is
:11:24. > :11:28.to speak up for a region with a population of 4.5 million ` and
:11:29. > :11:32.that's not easy. Because it's quite a diverse region, and there are a
:11:33. > :11:37.range of priorities, I think what has tended to happen is each part of
:11:38. > :11:40.the region has argued its own case. But when leaders of other big
:11:41. > :11:43.cities, like Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham, knock on the doors
:11:44. > :11:47.of government ministers for special help ` have you got thesharp elbows
:11:48. > :11:51.to get them out of the way? I think that's what we need to develop.
:11:52. > :11:55.We've got a very good case, we just need to make sure we are good at
:11:56. > :11:58.articulating it, and we're good at getting it across to ministers. Away
:11:59. > :12:01.from politics, his big passion is cycling. And its transport,
:12:02. > :12:04.including the building of the Nottingham tram, that's dominated
:12:05. > :12:08.his ten years as City Council leader, and will shape his thinking
:12:09. > :12:11.in his new regional role. We've still got to make sure that the
:12:12. > :12:16.promised electrification of the Midland mainline goes through. But,
:12:17. > :12:19.I think, actually, more than that, across the region, there are some
:12:20. > :12:23.very significant strategic sites that we want to get back into use.
:12:24. > :12:30.Largely for manufacturing and industry. In 2014, Jon Collins will
:12:31. > :12:33.be the local politician, increasingly, in the spotlight.
:12:34. > :12:41.Speaking for his city, and, now, for the region.
:12:42. > :12:50.Well, John's here to look into his political crystal ball for 2014.
:12:51. > :12:53.What else is coming up? Read things to watch out for. The
:12:54. > :13:00.continuing squeeze on local government budgets, the pressure on
:13:01. > :13:04.our hospital A units, and whether academies and free schools can
:13:05. > :13:08.deliver the improvements in education standards, especially in a
:13:09. > :13:13.city like Nottingham, where we see so many of the secondary schools put
:13:14. > :13:25.into special measures. There are important elections looming too? One
:13:26. > :13:30.important date is Thursday, May 22. UKIP already has two MEPs from this
:13:31. > :13:34.region ` will it increase its representation? It's also the same
:13:35. > :13:38.day as the local election. And then there's the Scottish referendum, on
:13:39. > :13:44.September 18. You may ask what that has to do with us. The outcome of
:13:45. > :13:49.that could have a huge impact south of the border, especially the
:13:50. > :13:53.regions like the East Midlands, it is in Scotland vote yes to
:13:54. > :13:55.independence, it will have a big effect on the political balance in
:13:56. > :14:01.England. There will be no Scottish MPs any more, good labour ever win a
:14:02. > :14:06.general election? And the English regions expect greater devolution,
:14:07. > :14:09.and for some of that funding for Scotland to come into the East
:14:10. > :14:18.Midlands. The like John Collins will be pressing their case. Thank you. A
:14:19. > :14:21.Lincolnshire care home has been fined a hundred ?140,000 and ordered
:14:22. > :14:24.to pay ?65,000 in costs after an elderly resident spent a night
:14:25. > :14:27.locked out in the freezing cold. Staff hadn't realised 84`year`old
:14:28. > :14:30.Dorothy Spicer was missing from the Whitefriars Care Home in Stamford.
:14:31. > :14:40.She died six weeks later. Vicky Johnson has this report.
:14:41. > :14:45.Dorothy Spicer had been lively, loving and much loved that according
:14:46. > :14:49.to her family. But Alzheimer's men she needed round`the`clock care.
:14:50. > :14:55.Despite this, she had been able to walk out of this care home in
:14:56. > :14:58.November 2009, without anyone realising. She was found the
:14:59. > :15:05.following morning line freezing outside. Today, her family get their
:15:06. > :15:08.reaction. We found it concerning, that they had gone to such lengths
:15:09. > :15:13.to prove that they were innocents. We feel that it has been a total
:15:14. > :15:18.waste of time and money. We have injuries for years of heartache and
:15:19. > :15:23.emotional torment, whilst we listened to their futile excuses to
:15:24. > :15:27.avoid admitting the truth. Lincoln Crown Court has heard how the had
:15:28. > :15:30.been a catalogue of failures run for a hangovers to inadequate checks of
:15:31. > :15:38.residence, and problems with door alarms. The judge said there had
:15:39. > :15:42.been corporate, systemic and procedural failings, and added that
:15:43. > :15:46.the value of the fine imposed was in no way calculated to reflect the
:15:47. > :15:51.value of Mrs Spicer's life will stop the chief executive of the trust
:15:52. > :15:54.which runs this care home and others across the country, has insisted
:15:55. > :16:00.that improvements have already been made. We've built more checks, more
:16:01. > :16:07.balances, more management into the system. This happens been an
:16:08. > :16:11.isolated incident, the court was told. Management had failed to heed
:16:12. > :16:15.warnings from its own staff just a month before. The home has recently
:16:16. > :16:24.been inspected by the health watchdog, the QC, and is now meeting
:16:25. > :16:28.all required standards. Still to come ` number crunching
:16:29. > :16:31.down at the Zoo. It's the annual stock take at Twycross. But will the
:16:32. > :16:38.animals stand still long enough to be counted?
:16:39. > :16:41.He's braved injury, and appalling weather, but this week Brendon Birch
:16:42. > :16:48.from Nottingham could finally celebrate completing a year long
:16:49. > :16:51.running challenge. Every day for the past twelve months, Brendon's run at
:16:52. > :16:56.least five kilometres and raised thousands of pounds for charity in
:16:57. > :16:59.the process. Angelina Socci went to meet him.
:17:00. > :17:03.It was a New Year's resolution with a difference. This time last year,
:17:04. > :17:07.Brendan Birch from Basford, decided to set himself a big challenge, and
:17:08. > :17:12.run a total of 3000 kilometres in 365 days. A year on, he has raised
:17:13. > :17:19.more than ?3.5,000 for a charity which helps people with leukaemia
:17:20. > :17:23.and blood cancer. My grandmother had leukaemia towards the end of her
:17:24. > :17:27.life, so it's something that is personal to me. I felt it was a good
:17:28. > :17:30.opportunity, this year, to not only raise the profile of the foundation,
:17:31. > :17:34.but, also, hopefully, raise some money ` which we have done, and it's
:17:35. > :17:37.gone really well. Mick Green set up the charity two years ago, following
:17:38. > :17:43.his wife's death, and says Brendan's support has been overwhelming.
:17:44. > :17:46.Nothing short of phenomenal. He started his plight with this a year
:17:47. > :18:03.ago, and he's just finished ` absolutely amazing. But he hasn't
:18:04. > :18:07.done it alone. I had shin splints after about three weeks into the
:18:08. > :18:11.run. There is a section of park near here which is a one kilometre loop.
:18:12. > :18:15.I'd do one kilometre and have to stop. I used to stop at this bench
:18:16. > :18:18.and cry, stretch my legs out, and do another kilometre. I basically had
:18:19. > :18:22.to do five of those. The running shoes are now being swapped for a
:18:23. > :18:36.bike, as Brendan plans to cycle from Land's End to John O'Groats this
:18:37. > :18:40.summer. We'll start with football and
:18:41. > :18:44.Leicester City ` who begin 2014 four points clear at the top of the
:18:45. > :18:47.Championship. They picked up another win at Millwall yesterday to make it
:18:48. > :18:51.four from four over the Christmas period. Tom Brown reports now on
:18:52. > :18:54.what could be a big year for the Foxes.
:18:55. > :18:56.If the festive fixtures were a test of Leicestershire's promotion
:18:57. > :19:00.credentials, then they passed with flying colours. Impressive wins
:19:01. > :19:06.against their promotion rivals proved they do have a good team. But
:19:07. > :19:09.yesterday's win over Millwall showed that they have the squad for
:19:10. > :19:13.promotion, too. Manager Nigel Pearson made five changes to the
:19:14. > :19:19.side that put five past Bolton on Sunday. But it was a familiar name
:19:20. > :19:22.who gave Leicester the lead after just six minutes ` Anthony Kanaka
:19:23. > :19:28.firing in his second in as many games. Summer sign`in Gary Fletcher
:19:29. > :19:32.has waited patiently for his league start, and he was determined to make
:19:33. > :19:38.an impression as he teamed up with David Nugent to make it 2`0 just
:19:39. > :19:41.after the break. Here's something you don't see every game ` a
:19:42. > :19:48.substitution for the linesman's flag, apparently ripped up by angry
:19:49. > :19:52.Millwall supporter. The home fans were soon cheering, though, when
:19:53. > :19:55.Richard Chaplow pulled one back. But in injury time, another man on the
:19:56. > :20:02.outskirts of the first team, Geoffrey raced clear to slot home
:20:03. > :20:04.Leicester's third. It meant city finished the festive period with
:20:05. > :20:12.maximum points from their four games. Fans are dreaming of a big
:20:13. > :20:17.2014. We want automatic promotion. That's what we want. A great start
:20:18. > :20:21.to the New Year. It couldn't be better. I'm confident this year.
:20:22. > :20:24.It's the first time in five or six years where I thought we could
:20:25. > :20:28.actually do it. Could 2014 be Leicester's year? After this
:20:29. > :20:31.weekend's FA Cup ties, the fixture computers have been thrown up a
:20:32. > :20:34.treat. Derby County are the next visitors here, playing not only for
:20:35. > :20:41.local bragging rights but crucial points in the push for promotion.
:20:42. > :20:44.That's the table`toppers. But we actually start this year in the
:20:45. > :20:50.fantastic position of having all three Championship teams in the top
:20:51. > :20:54.five. Both Forest and Derby could actually be better off after not
:20:55. > :20:55.making the most of their chances yesterday.
:20:56. > :20:58.Derby had been on an extraordinary roll ` nine games unbeaten.
:20:59. > :21:02.Yesterday's defeat at home to Wigan a frustrating reminder that all good
:21:03. > :21:06.things come to an end. Frustrating was the word ` Wigan stifled Derby,
:21:07. > :21:10.and had much the better of the first half. They had some luck, as well `
:21:11. > :21:13.somehow Perch escaped a red card for this shocker, and then, in the
:21:14. > :21:19.second half, produced the winner ` beautifully taken by Beausejour.
:21:20. > :21:24.Other days, we have won games, and ground out results, and played great
:21:25. > :21:28.football. We knew it would come to an end. We didn't want it in the
:21:29. > :21:32.fashion that we did ` we wanted to play football, but I think that's as
:21:33. > :21:36.much as Wigan's game plan, as to our failure to play enough. He is,
:21:37. > :21:39.perhaps, a little harsh on his team, who fought hard to try and get
:21:40. > :21:43.something out of the game, but just weren't able to. In the end, seven
:21:44. > :21:48.points out of twleve available over the holidays ` it's far from the end
:21:49. > :21:50.of the world. Derby are New Year contenders. Forest will still count
:21:51. > :21:54.themselves in the contenders bracket, too. Greg Holford's goal,
:21:55. > :21:57.away at Reading, a great New Year start. But, after that, their
:21:58. > :22:01.current inability to finish with clear`cut chances reared its ugly
:22:02. > :22:05.head. And, deep, deep, into injury time ` the Reds were made to pay for
:22:06. > :22:09.it. It left Forest unbeaten over the Christmas and New Year fixtures,
:22:10. > :22:12.but, knowing it could have been even better than it was. They are fifth,
:22:13. > :22:17.with manager Billy Davies already hunting the January market for that
:22:18. > :22:20.elusive goal scorer. Three quick bits of news to mention
:22:21. > :22:24.` Derby will keep Leicester defender Zak Whitbread at the iPro on loan
:22:25. > :22:34.till the end of the season. Nottingham Forest face competition
:22:35. > :22:37.to keep Hull's Jack Hobbs. He was expected to sign permanently at the
:22:38. > :22:42.City Ground, but Hull manager Steve Bruce says there have been enquiries
:22:43. > :22:45.from other clubs. And QPR Manager Harry Redknapp has claimed Leicester
:22:46. > :22:49.are chasing veteran striker Kevin Philips ` who's a free agent. Truth
:22:50. > :22:53.or mischief? We shall see. In League One, Notts County are off the bottom
:22:54. > :22:56.of the table thanks to a much`needed win at home to Bradford. They scored
:22:57. > :23:00.three goals without reply but this was by far the pick of the bunch. A
:23:01. > :23:03.brilliant solo effort from Jamal Campbell`Ryce ` who ran half the the
:23:04. > :23:07.length of the pitch before putting the Magpies one nil up. That's how
:23:08. > :23:11.it stayed until the 88th minute when Callum McGregor coolly slotted the
:23:12. > :23:14.ball home to make it two. Then a neat turn from Enoch Showumni set up
:23:15. > :23:17.Jack Grealish for number three. Relief for manager Shaun Derry.
:23:18. > :23:20.Mansfield Town struggled at home to Burton Albion but came away with a
:23:21. > :23:24.creditable point after a nil`nil draw. One of our teams is in action
:23:25. > :23:27.tonight. Nottingham Panthers are at league leaders Belfast hoping to
:23:28. > :23:30.build on their comprehensive New Years Eve victory over Coventry.
:23:31. > :23:33.Panthers ` the reigning Champions ` are fourteen points behind Belfast
:23:34. > :23:48.and badly need more goals like these to start closing the gap.
:23:49. > :23:51.The new year is often a time when we take stock of our lives. Today,
:23:52. > :23:54.Twycross Zoo in Leicestershire has been doing just that.Keepers have
:23:55. > :23:58.been busy counting every single animal ` from elephants to ants `
:23:59. > :24:03.for the zoo's annual census. It's a huge task ` and trickier for some
:24:04. > :24:09.keepers than others. Amy Harris reports.
:24:10. > :24:15.It is home to hundreds of creatures great and small. Today's staff,
:24:16. > :24:18.here, at Twycross Zoo, dug out their calculators and clipboards to count
:24:19. > :24:25.out exactly how many in the annual stock take. One of the key roles of
:24:26. > :24:29.a stock take is so that we can be completely accurate about the number
:24:30. > :24:32.of animals we've got. It's really important so that we can feed that
:24:33. > :24:35.information back to breeding programme coordinators, so they know
:24:36. > :24:44.how well their breeding programmes are doing, how effective they are,
:24:45. > :24:47.and they can plan for the next year. As you'd expect, the count is more
:24:48. > :24:51.challenging for some zookeepers than others. These stick insects are
:24:52. > :24:58.camouflaged, making it easy for them to hide, and tricky to count them
:24:59. > :25:02.up. It's really difficult for species like stick insects. We will
:25:03. > :25:07.have a few people come and count them on several occasions. Then,
:25:08. > :25:12.we'll take an average. So, we'll be making a very good estimate of how
:25:13. > :25:18.many we've got. Luckily, the ants count as one colony. But every other
:25:19. > :25:22.animal in the zoo has been individually counted. How many of
:25:23. > :25:29.these do you think you've got? We've got eight. And you know that for a
:25:30. > :25:46.fact? Yes. It's been a mammoth task, but it's now over for another year `
:25:47. > :25:53.much to the relief of some. And now for the weather.
:25:54. > :26:00.It's looking really quite unsettled for the next few days. Keeping with
:26:01. > :26:05.its theme at the moment. It's down to a number of low pressures pushing
:26:06. > :26:09.their way in quickly. Strong winds tonight, gale force tomorrow.
:26:10. > :26:14.Another spell of wet and windy weather on Sunday. This is the
:26:15. > :26:18.current area of low pressure moving in. The isobars were squeezed
:26:19. > :26:21.together to give us strong winds tonight. They are expected to
:26:22. > :26:26.strengthen further as we go into Friday lunchtime stop that's when we
:26:27. > :26:36.are expecting to peak at between 45 and 55 mph. This area of rain is
:26:37. > :26:40.heading our way. Generally dry at the moment, but the rain should
:26:41. > :26:43.pushing the next hour. It should start to clear during the early
:26:44. > :26:49.hours of Friday morning. Strong winds throughout the night, two
:26:50. > :26:54.nights. Low temperatures of six or seven degrees. A dry start, but
:26:55. > :26:59.blustery showers throughout Friday. Dry spells in between, and those
:27:00. > :27:05.winds are strengthening my gusting at about 45 mph. They'll force for a
:27:06. > :27:11.time. Temperature struggling tomorrow, feeling cold at about
:27:12. > :27:15.seven degrees. More unsettled weather at the weekend. Saturday
:27:16. > :27:19.looks dry, but quickly we will start to see the next area of low pressure
:27:20. > :27:26.pushing in or Sunday. More wet and windy weather then. This is a Sun
:27:27. > :27:31.dog, which happens when sunlight passes through ice crystals.