17/03/2014 East Midlands Today

And now the news for the East Midlands, I'm Anne Davies. Barnado's

have been sexually exploited via have been sexually exploited via

social media. They've begun a new campaign which coincides with a

hard`hitting play being performed in schools across Leicestershire. It

shows just how easy it is to become a victim of sexual grooming. In

moment we'll hear from Clive Chambers from Barnado's about the

scale of the problem, but first here's Sarah Teale. Not unless you

want me to tell everyone. Please don't tell my mum and dad. These

schoolchildren are gripped by a powerful drama about a teenage girl

unwittingly sucked into an abusive relationship will stop called

Chelsea's Choice, the gritty play is a campaign to highlight the problem

of sexual exploitation. Their headlines were hit by this after a

gang in Derby were jailed for cruising the streets and preying on

vulnerable girls as young as 12. This play, performed to pupils at

this community college in Leicester, shows that anyone can be

a victim. It's amazing how they get people to do what they want and how

they manipulate them. I've learned all the different types of how

people sexually groomed girls and boys. There's all different kinds of

ways people can get exploited online. Wii I've learned to be safe

on these internet websites. To keep my profile secure. One of the most

interesting things about the players any of the children who watch it can

see how easy it is, it could happen to anyone of them. Could happen to

any body at any time. It is shocking and very moving, the number of

students we do get in many different schools who come up to us and say

that some issue in the play has affected them in some way. Whether

it's the smallest thing, like something online, or something about

sending photos. White mesh The message to all parents and pupils is

to be aware of the dangers. How serious are the consequences of

child abuse on the child? They can be devastating. Without the right

kind of support and help for young people and children, they can have

lifelong psychological consequences. How serious is the impact of social

media? If we think about that in relation to child sexual

exploitation, in 2013 Barnardo's did a snapshot survey of its specialist

child sexual exploitation services. We were working with almost 900

children at that point. Of those, about 40% identified social media as

being one of the factors that they'd encountered in their abuse. That's a

huge number. What are the warning signs in children? How would you

tell that maybe they are suffering? There are three areas that we

suggest that parents and carers are particularly sensitive to. Any real

changes in behaviour, particularly if those changes include children

who are staying out late and would be expected or more seriously going

missing. The second would be children and young people who have

things that they really have no explanation for. That might be cash,

mobile phones, it might be any of a whole range of things. But if they

can't explain how they got it, then we suggest parents should be

sensitive to that. The other things are about having an awareness of

what young people are engaged in online. Being willing to talk to

young people about their online activities. Talk to children and it

you think there's something you should get help. Thank you. Business

leaders say they're determined the East Midlands won't lose out on the

HS2 rail link. A report out today suggests the line between Birmingham

and Crewe could be completed several years before the rest of the route.

The Chamber of Commerce here says it would be unfair for one region to

benefit before another and wants work to start on both ends of the

line simultaneously. A massive fire which destroyed the top floor of a

multistorey car park in Derby means the city's Assembly Rooms will be

shut for at least eight weeks. Now the task of contacting thousands of

people who'd bought tickets for shows which have been cancelled has

begun, as James Roberson reports. From the tower of Derby Cathedral

today, the extent of the damage to the assembly rooms car park is only

too clear. Smoke from the huge fire on Friday night has got into the

assembly rooms themselves, but the damage to the top of the car park is

even more extensive. Pictures taken by the council today show the

charred and buckled roof and the wrecked interior of the park room,

including the point where the fire started. Today, in a temporary

office in the Guildhall across the marketplace from the assembly rooms,

Derby Live staff were beginning the huge task of bringing thousands of

assembly rooms customers to tell them that their shows and events

have been cancelled until mid`May. We've had to reschedule. The

performance on Thursday, it's due to the fire that happened on Friday.

One small piece of good fortune was that Friday night's wind blew smoke

and flames away from nearby businesses in the city centre,

including from Bennetts, right next door. The feeling is the businesses

have opened for business as usual. Saturday was our first day of

trading after the fire, and that was a good day of trading. Yes, there

might be some impact with footfall around the city but we are

optimistic going forward. Assessors have been inside the assembly rooms

and the car park today. The car park will remain closed for the

foreseeable future while its structural integrity is established.

It will take a number of weeks. We know that the road in front will be

closed for the foreseeable future. The assembly rooms will be closed

for eight weeks. Unfortunately, it will take time to do it properly,

but that's what we have to do. That's almost it from us. I will say

goodbye now but I leave you with Kerry and a look at the weather.

Dry and bright weather again today, but some changes on the way. The

first thing you will notice tomorrow is the wind. It will pick up through

the morning and into the afternoon, blowing in quite a few showers as

well. For the time being, we are staying dry for tonight. The cloud

is increasing and the winds. To pick up. The cloud and wind will hold

those temperatures up tonight, so it's particularly cold. Tomorrow, we

will start off dry but we will see the cloud thickening up and we will

see a couple of the showers pushing through. Not many of them for some

of us. Some of us will stay dry and there will even be some brightness

towards the end of the day. Those winds will be quite noticeable,

shaping the edge off the temperatures. The outlook, some

sunshine on Wednesday, looking as though it will turn a bit wet and

windier by Thursday. That is it from us.

going to be Wednesday. Unsettled from there on in. More on that now

with the UK forecast. A frost free night across the whole

of the UK across the whole of the UK. Winds will strengthen tomorrow.

Showers around. They will pep up as we go through the end of the night.

More significantly across parts of Northern Ireland and into western

Scotland. A little bit patchy rain further. Most places staying dry.

Plenty of cloud. Temperatures Tuesday, seven or eight degrees to

start. Fairly cloudy with the main focus of the wet weather across the

north-west. Showers feeding in across parts of Scotland. Could be

on the heavy side with the small chance of the odd rumble of thunder.

Showers across Northern Ireland and into northern England. Further

south, although it is quite overcast, most places should be

dry. Thicker cloud through South Wales and south-west England which

might produce the odd patch of light rain. That will move through

Southern Canty is the rout the day. Behind it, some breaks in