05/09/2011 Look East - East

Hello and welcome to a new week on Look East with Susie and me. Coming

up in the next thirty minutes: It's official: Travellers at Dale Farm

have two weeks to quit the site - or face the bailiffs. We knew that

it was going to come to this, that the council is really determined to

do this brittle eviction. -- brutal. Jobs galore in Milton Keynes as

Network Rail makes the town its new home.

The recruitment process has started now. We do not know the exact

numbers now but there will probably be hundreds of new jobs in Milton

Keynes. Dog rescue homes across the region

are full up as the number of unwanted pets soars to a record

high. And Doctor Mary Archer tells me how

she beat cancer thanks to the skill of surgeons. Hello. Travellers at

the Dale Farm camp in Essex were told today the have a maximum of

two weeks before bailiffs are sent in to take possession of the site.

In a letter to people who live on the site, Basildon Council says it

hopes they will leave in an orderly fashion before the clearance

operation begins. And it says alternative accommodation is

available for anybody who wants to move now. Our first report is from

Alex Dunlop. At last, the travellers know when the bailiffs

will move in. Both they and the local council would rather it had

not been leaked to the press first. Shame upon Basildon Council for

leaking yet. There is no easy way to do an eviction but that was

totally morally wrong. The council letter, sent to more than 80

families, advising them that work to clear that illegal site in two

weeks. Electricity will be cut off but what are will not. I have rung

Basildon council less than 48-hours ago and asked about my home was

application form. I was told it had not been looked at yet. Will you

take violent action? No. The families have to leave, they have

to tell us where to go. Two watch towers were built on the

eastern perimeter, perhaps in anticipation of the forthcoming

eviction. More than 50 plots behind them do not have planning

permission. Protesters have become Impromptus sentries for the site.

The council says they have no choice but to send in the bailiffs.

The travellers say, if you provide us with legal pitches, we will move

out tomorrow. We want somewhere to live so, if they could offer us a

different site to go to, we will go peacefully. That has always been

the issue. Travellers here did not expect a fortnight's grace. The

council and courts are adamant - the travellers have broken planning

law, a law that the travellers say is stacked against them. So, with

that eviction deadline looming, just where will the travellers go

to? It's a question that's worrying councils across the region. Here is

our political correspondent, Andrew Sinclair.

Basildon Council says it's already received 56 applications from

people at Dale Farm who want to be rehoused. The council has a

statutory duty to look after the bomb rubble, the old and the very

young, and it's already started booking up local B&Bs and hostels

many other travellers will probably take to the road, but where will

they go? It's thought that this region needs at least 1,300 more

traveller pitches. The problem is that very few are being built. This

is the old East of England regional assembly. These people told local

councils how many pitches they had to build. And they had to build

them, whether they liked it or not. But the new Government scrap the

assembly. It said councils only needed to build more pitches if

they wanted to, and most do not. A recent survey found that more than

half of councils in the east believe that scrapping the regional

targets and has made it harder for them to provide more sites. This

cycle of discrimination against travellers on accommodation issues

will continue unless something changes.

The Government have offered financial incentives to councils

that build more pitches. Even if they take it up, it will not solve

the immediate problem. The eviction at Dale Farm will have implications

across the county. We could see more unauthorised sites appearing

once the eviction takes place. The local government Secretary said

he hoped authorities would build more pitches. He also wants more

travellers to obey the law. It is right and proper, of course, that

we should respect the lifestyle choices of the travelling community,

but that does not, I think, I'd give them a particular right over

other citizens, particularly in the settled community.

The eviction is definitely going ahead. The fall-out could be felt

for some time to come. Let's talk now to Tony Ball, the leader of

Basildon Council. Why this particular day and what will happen

on that day? Will the bulldozers move in on 19th September?

Following last week's decision, we made it clear that we would inform

the traveller's very shortly of the date of the commencement of the

operation and that we would give him as much time as we possibly

could. That is what we have done. What will happen on that day? Will

the bulldozers move in on that day? We are clear about this. The

council will act in a safe and secure manner. The bailiffs will

walk into the site, they will knock on doors, ask if they are ready to

leave and if they want assistance. It will not be a question of

bulldozers and knocking down structures. That is not what we're

going to be doing. We will be saved and responsible. The travellers are

still defiant about their fact that they will -- that they are not

going to move. How hopeful argue that they will go of their own

accord? I very much hope that the travellers will talk to the council

and other service providers so that they can move away peacefully and

take the offers of suitable accommodation that we have given.

They say that you are not offering appropriate accommodation, which

would beat travellers'' pitches. It is becoming harder and harder to

find those. You say it is not racial discrimination but, in a way,

it is discrimination against travellers. I reject that

completely. Basildon has 113 authorised travel our pitches. It

is the largest provider of authorised sites in the county and

one of the largest in the country. There is a long tradition of living

side-by-side with gypsies and travellers in the community.

there are not any other sites at the moment for these travellers to

go to. We have no suitable land available within Basildon. We have

contacted all other local authorities up and down the country.

There are some site sand plots that are available and we have made the

trouble of Representatives aware of that. Thank you very much.

In other news today, Network Rail went to Milton Keynes to find

hundreds of extra staff. It's moving its national headquarters to

the town, and by next summer 3,000 people will work there. This site

was once the symbol of sporting success, but the diggers came under

hockey stadium went. Next year, for 3,000 Network Rail staff, this will

be their base. This has been a really fast moving project. One

year ago this building did not even exist. In nine months' time, this

will be the National Centre for Network Rail. With that move comes

hundreds and hundreds of jobs for people in and around Milton Keynes.

A huge swathe of personnel from York and Manchester will relocate

here. Not everyone will come and those gaps need to be plucked. The

company opened up its local recruitment drive today. We chose

the area because it has a real history in engineering. Weir and

engineering Company at heart. We are looking for people with that

background. We are looking for people from disciplines such as

finance and human resources. recruitment process has just

started now. We're very excited about that. We do not know what the

numbers are, it depends on who will be moving from other parts of the

Milton Keynes has a history of attracting big names and big

businesses. With the job market so tough, this is a welcome addition

to the new city's landscape. Later in Look East: A message of

hope for people with cancer. Lady Archer tells me about the surgeons

at Addenbrooke's Hospital who saved her life.

We have an inspiring story from Suffolk about the Dragon's Den.

All the details of the weather A transport union says more than 20

real the ticket offices in the East could be closed to save money. It

claims there is a hit list drawn up by officials. Let's get the details

now from Kevin Burch in Ipswich. The union says there are 675

stations across the country where ticket offices will close, to be

replaced by machines. 1,000 jobs will be lost in total. It says the

details are tucked away in a report that is hundreds of pages long. The

union believes that, in Norfolk, First Capital Connect stations

would lose their booking offices, as with Thetford. Essex would lose

the most. On the West Anglia line from Cambridge to London, it is

easier to list at the offices which What has been the reaction to the

union claims? The Government will probably

respond tum -- sometime next month. An operating company said that,

while they liked it up to passengers, they have had to save

money to keep prices low. Sales via the Internet have trebled. The

bigger worry is that, if you take away the staff, you leave the

passengers more vulnerable. A man from South Africa who's been

working in the Sizewell B power station is in a critical condition

after he was attacked in Ipswich. The 22-year-old was stabbed in the

stomach as he was walking back to a guesthouse. He was one of hundreds

of workers drafted in to help refuel the power station. A man was

remanded in custody today, accused of attacking him.

A pilot killed in a crash which closed one of the region's main

roads at the weekend has been named as Clive Greenaway. His plane hit a

power line as it came down in Cambridgeshire. They A1 was shut

for 24 hours because the damaged cable was in danger of falling onto

the road. Mr Greenaway came from Stratford-upon-Avon.

The renewed search for a teenager from Suffolk who has been missing

for five years has thrown up no new leads. Yesterday teams were out

near Foxhall Stadium in Ipswich following up a tip-off that Luke

Durbin was seen there the day after he disappeared. But police say

nothing significant was found. A record 277 stray and abandoned

dogs in this region have been put down over the last 12 months

because nobody could be found to give them a home. It's an increase

of 37% on last year. The figures were compiled by the Dog's Trust

from local authority dog wardens. They are healthy and happy but need

a permanent home. These are the lucky ones, taking in by their Dogs

Trust. Once man's best friend, they are now being abandoned. Attitudes

are changing towards dog ownership. We are seeing a lot of people, due

to the economic climate, who cannot afford the vet's bills and the

feeding bills. Astray that this warden rescued

last year works alongside him. The policy here is to reunite or two

re-home. Putting dogs down is a last resort. If the dog has a

serious underlying medical problem and it is in its best interests, we

will consider euthanasia. This dog was given a microchipped

when it arrived at the home. If the dog has a microchipped we can scan

ate and it is that easy. We can get it back to its own are within an

hour. Even orders of microchipped dogs

are turning their backs. There is a waiting list here of all owners

wanting to give up their pets. -- of owners.

There was no Premier League or Championship football this weekend

due to the international break. Colchester and Southend did play.

Both drew. Tom's here with the details.

He's scored his first League goal of the season, now Stephen

Gillespie is hoping it will lead to a place in Colchester's starting

eleven. Here's the pick of the weekend action. Watch out for some

sensational goals at Southend. John Ward admitted his team were

not at their best, so a point at off the post. The home side went in

front fortuitously. The clearance went straight to Bobby Grant, who

knew little about it as it crossed the line. Five minutes after

scoring, Grant was dismissed for getting involved in a fight just

before half-time. Stephen Gillespie, on for the final half an hour,

bravely put it home. Again of quite We would do so look -- bitterly

disappointed when the first goal went in. It was a healthy

In cycling, Mark Cavendish has confirmed he will race in the Tour

of Britain. Stage 7 comes to our region in two weeks' time, starting

in Bury St Edmunds, winding up at Sandringham. Cavendish, who's won

20 stages of the Tour de France, last rode in the race four years

ago. A tense finish at Woburn, but Thai golfer Boonchu Ruangit held

his nerve to claim the European Senior Masters. This, the 55-year-

old's final pot on his way to a closing 71 to eventually win by

four, as his challengers fell away. Ruangit also won the near 50,000

first prize. That's it. Plenty more sport to tempt you with on the

website, where there are extended highlights and reaction from all

the weekend's football. And, just to announce the region's weekly

football programme, Late Kick Off will return to your screens in the

new year. More details to come. Don't forget, for coverage of your

team, tune into your local BBC radio station.

You're watching Look East from the BBC. Coming up: It's into the

Dragons' Den for an inventor from Suffolk.

Lady Archer, the wife of the novelist and Tory peer, Jeffrey

Archer, has been telling Look East about the cancer treatment which

saved her life. She was diagnosed with bladder cancer in November

last year and was treated by surgeons at Addenbrooke's Hospital

in Cambridge, where she is chairman of the Trust. She is full of praise

for the doctors and nurses who looked after her so well. I went to

see her this morning at her home in Cambridgeshire and started by

asking about the moment she was told she had cancer.

It's not the best moment of your life, but I knew, by the time I was

told, that was what it was likely to be. Again, perhaps because I had

been around at Addenbrooke's Hospital quite a bit, actually, I

wasn't that frightened of cancer. Cancer is many diseases of many

parts of the body. And many of them can be cured or contained now.

Are you one of those people who says, this is a challenge, I am

going to get through, or are you somebody who lies awake at night

worrying? I guess you do a bit of both. I am a coper. I like

challenges. I have a habit of looking forward and not looking

back. I didn't spend too long lying awake at night, thinking, why me?

Did you do some of that, though? did a bit of that. I am still a

little puzzled as to why me. I do not have the obvious risk factors -

I am not Mail, I have never smoked. My father was a heavy smoker so why

did a bit of passive smoking. And I do not drink a lot of bulk of all.

The only thing I can think that might have contributed was that I

was a professional chemist and I handled a lot of chemicals. I do

not want to necessarily blame that, these things just happen. What did

they do exactly? They did a very clever operation to replace my

bladder. They took it out. I have a handsome scar down the middle of my

tummy. They took out the diseased bladder and the made me a nice new

one, which they plumbed in exactly the same place. Be made it out of

about half a metre of my small intestine. Looking for word --

forward, do you expect to have a normal life with no more

complications? Yes, I do expect that. From the pathology, the

inspection of all the tissues they took out, they take out not just

the bladder but also the month Lord -- the lymph nodes, and they were

all negative, all clear. There was no sign of any cancer anywhere.

your family were very supportive? Yes, very supportive. I think they

were probably a lot more worried than I was, as one would possibly

expect. My has been cancelled or writing trip, which, as you can

imagine, is a unique event! Has all of this changed your perspective on

your life and how you live and what you hope to get from it? Yes. There

is a lot that is positive that comes out of experiences like this.

It is true what cancer survivors say - you value each day when you

feel fit and well more than you did before. And you feel, as it were,

grateful for that. In my case, I took my previous good health for

granted. And now you don't? I can rely on it. I know I had been very

fortunate. Thank you. Thank you, Stuart.

And, just to say, Lady Archer is taking part in the Chariots of Fire

charity run in Cambridge on 18th September. And if you want to find

out more about bladder cancer, you can go to the NHS website at

www.nhs.uk/conditions. Now, if you run a business you'll

know that finding money to help expand can be very tricky. One way

of doing it is to try your luck on Dragons' Den. Many of the hopefuls

get eaten alive by the Dragons, but on the show last night a

businessman from Suffolk managed to persuade Peter Jones to part with

�50,000. My name is Andy Bates. I am here to

ask you for �50,000 for 10% of the equity in my company.

This is the worldwide headquarters of AAB Performance Ltd. This

morning there was a touch of stardust about the pace. -- about

the place. Andy was a firefighter who raced in his spare time until

the side Kharin which he was a passenger crashed at 160 mph.

remember being in the year, looking at the bike, thinking, this is bad.

I also realised the bike was going backwards at the same speed I was

going forward. That is pretty much all I remember. Andy went on to set

up his own business and last night he was in the Dragon's Den looking

for �50,000. I'm out. I'm out. I want to make you an offer.

It was not plain sailing but Andy accepted an offer from Peter Jones

for all the money in return for 35% of his business.

I sound like a dragon now but where do you see yourself in 12 months'

time? The bottom line is - build on what we've got, move the car to the

next level and try to expand in the marketplace.

Last night's episode was filmed in May. Andy has been sorting out the

paperwork since then. One of his suppliers baked in a celebration

takeover might with a dragon and a stack of money. -- baked him as

celebration cake overnight. It is the end of harvest here in

the east. I have some photographs The weather is taking on something

of an autumnal flavour. It is really going to be quite a

changeable few days. We have very strong winds today's with gusts of

35 mph and some places. -- in some places. Today we mainly had

scattered showers. There may be some more later on tonight. There

will be some evening sunshine. There will be light and patchy rain

arriving in the early R's of the morning. -- the early hours. It

will be breezy overnight. There will be strong winds tomorrow. The

rain will gradually clear tomorrow. It will start to clear by lunchtime.

Temperatures will be around 18 Celsius. The winds will be near

gale-force around the Norfolk and Suffolk coastline. It stays mostly

dry through the afternoon. A fair bit of cloud but one or two

brighter spells. For the next five days, it stays windy and unsettled.