11/05/2017 East Midlands Today

And now the news for the East Midlands, I'm Dominic Heale.

First tonight, the underground hunt for gas reserves

in the East Midlands took a step forward today as an energy company

announced it was going to begin seismic surveys in our region.

If they prove successful it could lead to fracking,

the use of high pressured liquids to fracture rock to release gas.

James Roberson has been to meet the firm and some of the people

who could be affected by the process.

The former mining village of Edwinstowe in Nottinghamshire.

The area around the village will be surveyed as well as rural areas

to the west round Market Warsop, Shirebrook and Bolsover and then

a whole swathe of countryside as far north as South Yorkshire.

Indeed, today just into South Yorkshire the fracking company

It shows the area and its geology which has already

They will use these machines to send sound waves to map the rocks

underground and if they then suspect oil or gas is present

they will seek planning permission to drill test borings.

But the company says it is simply not known yet if they'll

We hope we will be back fracking but at this point

All we're doing is testing at the moment.

So it's possible you might not do any fracking here at all?

As I say, we are very hopeful of a shale gas

We think it would be a really strong prize for the UK

But here in Edwinstowe concerned residents say if the survey does

eventually lead to fracking they fear contamination

I am concerned because we have the second largest aquifer

in the country below our ground and if they drill through and there

is any sort of a problem and there is a leakage

James, how long will it be before they start surveying

It's going to be June probably before they start the survey so it's

100 while -- a 100 mile square area. They will zigzag their way down so

it will probably be around October before they get to this line. But

this is just a survey. Fracking itself could be years away but if

fracking does come then the company says it could be a big boost to jobs

and income here in this local economy.

The public inquiry into child sex abuse has begun its investigation

Today, local survivors groups joined more than thirty lawyers

Among them was a woman who's told this programme that she reported

abuse in children's homes to people "at the highest levels".

It just continued despite me reporting it.

It went on even after I reported it to the highest level.

Very angry. It's always made me angry.

Drayton Manor theme park, the scene of a fatal

accident on Tuesday, is to remain closed tomorrow

to allow the health and safety executive

11-year-old Evha Jannath from Leicester died after falling

She was on a school trip with the Jameah Girls Academy.

The school reopened today and offered extra support to pupils.

A radical change to the way care is provided to kidney

patients could revolutionise the delivery of dialysis.

It used to take two hours for Carl Bicknelll to get

to and from hospital but now his life saving

treatment is being provided at his local GP's surgery.

It's the first in the East Midlands to offer the service.

Here's our health correspondent Rob Sissons.

The beauty of this surgery is it's just a ten minute try from Carl's

home. He used to have to make a two hour round trip three times a week

for his four-hour dialysis sessions in Loughborough. It's a huge

difference in travel time. Having to go to Loughborough was such a big

inconvenience. Carl is a single parent and his six-year-old daughter

did the honours today opening the new dialysis service. It means she

is seeing more of her dad. When I first met Carl his story was

heart-warming and actually the way we normally deliver dialysis for

patients in hospital didn't fit round his at all. Most patients

still have dialysis hospital. This is Michael. Around 2000 patients in

the East Midlands have dialysis this way. The machine does the work of a

small kidney removing toxins from the blood. In many ways this is part

of a trend. We're seeing things like diabetes clinics will vote into the

community into GP surgeries. So although this is a first in the East

Midlands more may follow suit. I don't think every practice could

offer this but there are plenty of practices which could work on a

larger scale that could offer something along these lines. Carl is

the first patient to use the facility and they reckon up to 20

more people with kidney failure will also use it. The next plan is to get

a dialysis machine fitted at home and that will be even better. Peter

story is from kidney research UK. This must be good news. Yes, we're

really pleased. We think it's great news for kidney patients. We think

it's a great innovative way to move the health service forward. We think

the most important thing about this is that it is starting to provide a

greater element of patient choice and allowing patients to have

dialysis in an environment which suits them. This home from home

concept. Is this all down to improvements in medical technology?

Certainly there is a move towards empowering patients and giving them

greater choice. We have been helping that process by working to provide

tools to help patients make the right choices about what sort of

dialysis who would like and this is an example of great collaboration

between GP surgeries and hospitals and indeed the patient groups. Very

briefly, are there any other innovations in the pipeline? Yes. In

terms of our own work we are looking terms of our own work we are looking

and supporting projects to help patients take more of a role in

their own care by setting up equipment and taking blood pressure.

Thank you very much. One of the proudest

moments of my life. That was the reaction of an old

soldier who was today presented 99-year-old veteran Don Sutton took

part in the liberation of France He already has an impressive

collection of medals Today, 99-your-old Don Sutton

was awarded another. We would not be in this room

if it was not for your He received the highest

distinction France can bestow. In a special ceremony

at Gedling Civic Centre the French consul to the East Midlands

made the presentation. Don, what does this

honour mean to you today? It means that France has appreciated

what we did for them at the time. I was so proud to serve my own

country and help to liberate France. Don, who celebrated his 99th

birthday last Friday, volunteered to enter

the Army in 1937. He served in the North Somerset

Yeomanry and is probably one of the last few who fought

on horseback in World War II. Don fought back tears as speakers

described how he served across Europe and Africa and how

he and his unit were part We would not be here

if it was not for the sacrifice This is a thank you,

it is a thank you and an expression of gratitude from the French people

and all our generations It's been a very emotional

day for you, hasn't it? As a 99-year-old I'm not

a young chicken any more. That's your news, so

it's goodbye from me. But with your weather

now, here's Lucy. Finally some rain in our forecast

which will be welcome news for those gardeners. They'll also some sunny

spells tomorrow but whom it feel to our weather. That is thanks to the

year we're dragging up from the south. That will set in. Tonight, it

will be fairly cloudy. The odd isolated shower but most of us

staying dry. Temperatures falling to an overnight low of 9 degrees.

Tomorrow, a fairly cloudy start. A band of patchy rain moving

northwards. In the afternoon that cloud beginning to break and some

bright intervals and sunny spells but the risk of isolated showers.

Temperatures reaching a maximum of 19 Celsius but feeling humid.

Saturday will be fairly cloudy and a largely dry day. Some bright

intervals here there with temperatures reaching 17 degrees.

But this band of rain will introduce a fresher feel to our weather as we

move into Sunday. I will leave up with the Outlook.

We want to see the economy work for everybody, not

Now the weather. , yes a humid dead. We have had

photographs of the Now, humid air is coming in hyped.

This cloud will be spreading northwards