:00:10. > :00:14.In BBC tonight: Hundreds of jobs to go at Thomas Cook as the company
:00:14. > :00:17.announces an annual loss of hundreds of millions of pounds.
:00:18. > :00:21.Welcome to BBC Look East on another day dominated by grim economic
:00:21. > :00:27.figures. Also in the programme: The region's
:00:27. > :00:31.jobless figures jump by 26,000, so why can't this Cabinet making
:00:31. > :00:36.company find new apprentices? Norwich will get an extension to
:00:36. > :00:46.its bypass as the Government stumps up �86 million.
:00:46. > :00:52.
:00:52. > :00:56.And an Alpine adrenalin rush Good evening. First tonight, at
:00:56. > :00:59.Thomas Cook, one of the region's biggest companies, has announced it
:00:59. > :01:03.is to close hundreds of high-street shops as part of a huge shake-up in
:01:03. > :01:08.the way it does business. The company has been in trouble for
:01:08. > :01:13.some time, but today be found out how bad it is. A pre-tax loss of
:01:13. > :01:17.nearly �400 million, compared to a profit of �42 million last year.
:01:17. > :01:21.The good news - the jobs of all 2,000 staff at the company
:01:21. > :01:24.headquarters in Peterborough appear to be saved. The bad news - six
:01:24. > :01:29.shops here in the east are earmarked for closure, and more
:01:29. > :01:33.could follow. This from Richard Bond.
:01:33. > :01:38.It is a time of year when people plan their next holiday, but as far
:01:38. > :01:43.as Britain's biggest sat -- second biggest tour operator is concerned,
:01:43. > :01:46.not enough of them are actually booking. Many families hit by the
:01:46. > :01:51.squeeze in living standards can only dream of sunnier climes, and
:01:51. > :01:58.that has meant a drop in bookings for Thomas Cook. There are a number
:01:58. > :02:01.of shops that are not profitable, so these 200 that we are into
:02:01. > :02:04.consultation with, these are not profitable and if we cannot make
:02:05. > :02:10.them profitable we will have to close them. These are the branches
:02:10. > :02:14.under threat. They trade as Thomas Cook or the Co-op. One of the
:02:14. > :02:17.criticisms of Thomas Cook is that it has spent recent years building
:02:17. > :02:22.up its presence on a high street at a time when holiday booking is
:02:22. > :02:26.going online. I would mainly do it on line, it is the way I do most
:02:26. > :02:34.things now. It seems a bit of a strange thing to go into a shop and
:02:34. > :02:37.buy a holiday. I buy lots of stuff online. I would not feel confident
:02:37. > :02:47.purchasing a holiday online because to which you go to if there was a
:02:47. > :02:49.
:02:49. > :02:53.problem with that? Now, as you walk in the Majorca sun,...
:02:53. > :03:01.To Thomas Cook pioneered a package holiday in the 1950s but times have
:03:01. > :03:04.changed. The business of flying people out to the Mediterranean and
:03:04. > :03:08.putting them up in cheap hotels is no longer where the money is to be
:03:08. > :03:17.made. Frankly, I am delighted to be on a cheap holiday but, like many
:03:17. > :03:24.people, I will probably fix it up myself. They are moving upmarket
:03:24. > :03:31.and saying that they are going to get more exclusive - fewer holidays
:03:31. > :03:35.but hopefully more exclusive. The volcano in Iceland the shut off
:03:35. > :03:38.European airspace last year, and the Arab Spring caused a fall in
:03:38. > :03:43.trouble to the Middle East and North Africa. With major economies
:03:43. > :03:46.of recession, it looks like being another tough year for Thomas Cook.
:03:46. > :03:53.Richard Bond is here now. If we have booked a holiday with them
:03:53. > :03:57.should we be worried? No. All of Thomas Cook's holidays are
:03:57. > :04:07.protected under a licence scheme. They are fine. This company has got
:04:07. > :04:07.
:04:07. > :04:13.into cashflow problems, though. It is a huge company with annual sales
:04:13. > :04:18.of nearly �10 billion. It has got new bank funding now, it is cutting
:04:18. > :04:22.its costs, selling some assets to reduce its debts. It should be
:04:22. > :04:27.doing better. Six shops, we think, going in this
:04:27. > :04:33.region. Is it going to disappear from the High Street altogether?
:04:33. > :04:36.it is pruning the high street, not abandoning it. Most Thomas Cook
:04:36. > :04:41.Holidays are still booked in branches. Yes, they need to
:04:41. > :04:44.increase their presence on the Web, but I think that, in the future,
:04:44. > :04:48.travel shops are going to be like bank branches - fewer of them. But
:04:48. > :04:51.they will still feature on a high street.
:04:51. > :04:57.Figures released today show that unemployment in the East has gone
:04:57. > :05:03.up. Between August and October, the number of people looking for work
:05:03. > :05:06.rose to 218,000, an increase of 26,000, 7.2% of the workforce is
:05:06. > :05:10.now unemployed. And with so many young people looking for work in
:05:10. > :05:15.the region, you might think that firms offering apprenticeships
:05:15. > :05:21.would be inundated, but it has not proved that simple for one company
:05:21. > :05:25.near Thetford. Here is our chief reporter.
:05:25. > :05:30.This company of cabinet-makers is a 35-year-old business with a
:05:30. > :05:36.�500,000 a year turnover. It uses exotic woods to produce its
:05:36. > :05:39.products. Now the boss is looking for an apprentice or two. This 21-
:05:39. > :05:44.year-old from Lithuania joined five years ago. I think the hardest
:05:44. > :05:50.thing was my language. I have gone through that barrier now, so it has
:05:50. > :05:54.gone really well. This man, his father came to the UK
:05:54. > :05:59.as a Ukrainian refugee after the Second World War, joined as a 16-
:05:59. > :06:04.year-old. I am quite proud of what I can do and what I have done. I
:06:04. > :06:11.shall carry on doing it. Get out there and give it a go. You have to
:06:11. > :06:15.get hands-on, you have got to get dirty. Don't be afraid of a bit of
:06:15. > :06:19.muck and hard work. It will eventually pay off. Cabinet making
:06:19. > :06:22.is a very, very rewarding skill. We would like to take apprentices on
:06:23. > :06:26.from Thetford and the surrounding area. The last individual who came
:06:26. > :06:32.to us simply could not cope with coming to work in the morning. If
:06:32. > :06:37.you asked my colleagues, you would say that they would prefer to sit
:06:37. > :06:42.in front of computer screens and not do a hard day's work.
:06:42. > :06:45.Why does no-one wants to be an apprentice cabinet-maker? I know
:06:45. > :06:50.those kegs of 16 to 18 on the estates, and I can see that they
:06:50. > :06:55.are eager to work, but it is low paid. They are interested in easy
:06:55. > :06:59.money, quick money. They know that they can get benefits and live on
:06:59. > :07:05.them. There is no reason to work for the same money if you can just
:07:05. > :07:09.sit at home and get the benefits. Then, on his way from the Jobcentre,
:07:09. > :07:12.along came 18-year-old Ben. He has just completed a Prince's Trust
:07:12. > :07:17.course and, wait for, likes nothing better than doing a bit of
:07:17. > :07:22.carpentry. I would definitely do it. You would like to apply? Yes, I
:07:22. > :07:25.would. Will he really apply? Could he get the job? We will keep you
:07:25. > :07:29.posted. We would like to know how the
:07:29. > :07:33.economic situation is affecting you this Christmas. Are you cutting
:07:33. > :07:36.back? We would like to hear from you. You can call us, send an e-
:07:36. > :07:40.mail or visit our Facebook page. We will tell some of your stories
:07:40. > :07:43.later in the week. The police and fire service are
:07:43. > :07:49.investigating a number of huge straw fires in the Fens, including
:07:49. > :07:57.one of several thousand tons. The fires are all near the A142 between
:07:57. > :08:00.Ely and chatterers and are being treated as suspicious. Our reporter
:08:00. > :08:05.is at Witcham Toll now. His big stack of straw has been
:08:05. > :08:10.burning for about 20 hours now. It could burn for several days yet,
:08:10. > :08:14.but what you cannot see is that, behind this massive stack, there is
:08:14. > :08:18.another big stack of straw. That is not on fire but the fire crews are
:08:18. > :08:22.having to keep a close eye on that and they are hoping that the wind
:08:22. > :08:26.does not suddenly changed direction. We have had conflicting information
:08:26. > :08:31.today as to the exact amount of straw that has caught fire. I am
:08:31. > :08:34.told that this is about 50,000 tonnes. They reckon there is about
:08:34. > :08:40.another 15,000 tonnes a couple of miles down the road in that
:08:40. > :08:45.direction. The orders of the local straw burning power station say it
:08:45. > :08:49.is nowhere near that much. They say they have only lost about 14,000
:08:49. > :08:52.tonnes of straw in this instance. Either way, it is going to be
:08:52. > :08:56.burning for some time to come. These fires have been burning all
:08:56. > :09:02.day. It was around Llodra 30 pm yesterday when the fire service
:09:02. > :09:07.were first called. Thousands of tons of straw on fire. One large
:09:08. > :09:11.stack at Witcham Toll and several others in the area. The police and
:09:11. > :09:14.fire service are now investigating possible awesome. We know that,
:09:15. > :09:20.when the first crews arrived, there was once that that was on fire. At
:09:20. > :09:25.this point Mackin time, we are just moving in with the crime action
:09:25. > :09:31.team to see if we can see any evidence around that stack.
:09:31. > :09:35.stacks were destined for a nearby power station. In the short-term,
:09:35. > :09:38.we will be able to manage. We have other straw elsewhere. We will
:09:38. > :09:44.bring it in from longer distances. It will give us some logistical
:09:44. > :09:46.issues over Christmas and New Year but nothing we can't handle.
:09:46. > :09:51.Residents and nearby businesses were told to keep their windows and
:09:51. > :09:56.doors closed. The sky was lit up with orange flames about 100 feet
:09:57. > :10:01.high in the air. I thought it could only be the straw stack. So it
:10:01. > :10:05.appeared that that was what was, indeed, on fire.
:10:05. > :10:09.The stack is expected to burn for several days. The fire crews can
:10:09. > :10:14.only try to prevent it from spreading further while the
:10:14. > :10:18.investigate how want why these fires started. -- while they
:10:18. > :10:20.investigate. These fires are being treated as a
:10:20. > :10:24.suspected arson and the police are now appealing for anyone who saw
:10:24. > :10:28.anything slightly suspicious last night or anyone who has any
:10:28. > :10:32.information to get in touch to try to help them with their inquiries.
:10:32. > :10:35.They also say that they are going to put on extra patrols here to try
:10:35. > :10:39.and ensure that this does not happen again. Back to you.
:10:39. > :10:42.Thank you. Later in the programme: The roller-
:10:42. > :10:46.coaster ride that has become an internet sensation.
:10:46. > :10:49.And, is it going to snow? With some severe weather
:10:49. > :10:59.approaching from the Atlantic overnight tomorrow, there will be
:10:59. > :11:03.
:11:03. > :11:06.snow for some of us. Join me later BBC Look East has been told that a
:11:06. > :11:11.man from Clacton who died from stab wounds was about to become a father.
:11:11. > :11:18.Liam Mearns was found in the street last night and died soon after. A
:11:18. > :11:22.murder investigation is under way. Flowers for their friend Liam
:11:22. > :11:28.Mearns who died here last night. They described the 21-year-old as a
:11:28. > :11:32.legend and a beautiful person. Now attend stands at the place where he
:11:32. > :11:36.was found bleeding to death from stab wounds. Residents had been
:11:36. > :11:42.left shocked. I was coming back with my friends and I sold loads of
:11:42. > :11:44.police everywhere. There was a body just lying there and all the police
:11:44. > :11:47.were around. Everything was shut off.
:11:47. > :11:52.Police have spent the day conducting fingertip searches of
:11:52. > :11:56.this feria as part of their murder investigation. They have discovered
:11:56. > :12:01.a number of weapons, including a knife. Police are keen to reassure
:12:01. > :12:07.the public that this was not a random attack but that everyone
:12:07. > :12:10.involved knew each other beforehand and were from this area. Now people
:12:10. > :12:14.here are being asked to report anything they find which may be
:12:14. > :12:20.relevant. They are asked not to touch it but to call the police
:12:20. > :12:24.immediately. This evening, ten people remain in custody, men and
:12:24. > :12:29.women, both teenagers and adults. The investigation now continues
:12:29. > :12:39.into how this father of two was murdered. Tributes to him are
:12:39. > :12:41.
:12:41. > :12:46.A foster from Clacton killed his former partner just one day after
:12:46. > :12:53.being released from prison. A jury took two hours to find Lee Thompson
:12:53. > :12:57.guilty of murder. Adjudged at Chelmsford Crown Court jailed him
:12:57. > :13:00.for a minimum of 15 years. Lord Hanningfield will be banned
:13:00. > :13:04.from returning to the House of Lords until he has paid back
:13:04. > :13:07.expenses he wrongly claimed. There were fears that the former leader
:13:07. > :13:10.of Essex County Council would go back to the House of Lords and uses
:13:11. > :13:15.daily allowance to pay off the debt. Lord Hanningfield was jailed
:13:16. > :13:18.earlier this year for claiming expenses he was not entitled to.
:13:18. > :13:24.I knew northern relief road for Norwich is going ahead after the
:13:24. > :13:29.Government promised �86 million from a fund set off -- from a fund
:13:29. > :13:35.set up to kick-start infrastructure problems. There will be nine miles
:13:35. > :13:40.of dual carriageway. Norwich has had a southern bypass
:13:40. > :13:46.for almost 20 years. The traffic moves freely. But if you want to
:13:46. > :13:51.travel in and around the north of the city then it is less efficient.
:13:51. > :13:58.Today the Government said it would provide �86.5 million towards a
:13:58. > :14:02.more than distributor road which will cost in total �111 million.
:14:02. > :14:08.Absolutely ecstatic. We have been waiting so long for it. The
:14:08. > :14:13.government is going to give us this full might of money. We are saying
:14:13. > :14:17.the money is there. We think it can make a positive difference, but it
:14:18. > :14:20.must come alongside a proposal from Norfolk County Council to ensure
:14:20. > :14:26.there is sustainable Transport alongside it. We think that can
:14:26. > :14:32.happen. Work has already started on those sustainable schemes. This is
:14:32. > :14:36.part of a new bus development. Groups which have campaigned
:14:36. > :14:41.against their distributor road say the announcement is a victory of
:14:41. > :14:48.sorts, but they say the new road is still an necessary. We want to see
:14:49. > :14:56.a sustainable transport strategy for Norwich based on public
:14:56. > :15:02.transport and walking and a local raid -- and the local rail. There
:15:02. > :15:07.are still hurdles for a Norfolk council to Clear, but it is hoped
:15:07. > :15:11.that new jobs and new homes will be created.
:15:11. > :15:19.If all goes according to plan at the new distributor road will be
:15:19. > :15:23.completed by 2017. Crimestoppers has offered a reward
:15:23. > :15:27.for information that helps find the killer of a woman who died almost
:15:27. > :15:32.20 years ago. Natalie Pearman was working as a prostitute when she
:15:32. > :15:35.went missing in 1982. Her body was found five miles away from Norwich.
:15:35. > :15:38.Crimestoppers say they would like to hear from a caller who told
:15:38. > :15:43.police that they have seen her getting into a car in King Street.
:15:43. > :15:46.A post-mortem found that she had been suffocated.
:15:47. > :15:54.In football Southend are out of the FA Cup. They lost their second
:15:54. > :15:59.round replay 1-0 against Bolton. Tonight if gels furred can beat
:15:59. > :16:04.Macclesfield they will be at home to Bolton from the Premier League.
:16:04. > :16:10.-- if Chelmsford. A private company from Sweden has
:16:10. > :16:13.been appointed to run a free school in Suffolk. The Breckland Free
:16:13. > :16:19.School Trust considered with the three birds before making their
:16:19. > :16:23.decision. The contractors were �21 million over the next 10 years.
:16:23. > :16:28.The Prime Minister visiting their Norwich free school earlier this
:16:28. > :16:36.year. Three schools are one of the Conservatives' favourite ideas.
:16:36. > :16:40.They cannot be run for profit. More are in the pipeline. Britland
:16:40. > :16:50.middle school is due to be closed next year by the county council.
:16:50. > :16:55.
:16:55. > :16:58.Parent and teacher -- parent and teachers formed a trust.
:16:58. > :17:08.It is not possible to say how much profit the company is going to be
:17:08. > :17:09.
:17:09. > :17:14.able to make. It is less than 10 %. The company currently runs 18 free
:17:14. > :17:24.schools and Sweden. Critics say the decision to award it the contract
:17:24. > :17:38.
:17:38. > :17:42.is a further blow -- is a further Coming up - this be the way to get
:17:42. > :17:49.down a mountain. -- their frightening way to get down a
:17:49. > :17:53.mountain. I would like to try that!
:17:53. > :17:58.A homelessness charity says it has seen the number of people looking
:17:58. > :18:03.for help rise by one third in one year. The warning from the Umbrella
:18:03. > :18:10.Trust in Ipswich comes as churches get together to set up winter night
:18:10. > :18:15.shelters. They will be open for two months.
:18:15. > :18:18.Tonight final preparations are under way and the launch of the
:18:18. > :18:22.winter shelter is unprecedented. Seven churches are involved. It
:18:22. > :18:28.means there will be a night shelter open in the town every night from
:18:28. > :18:35.now until mid-February. Is there a need? Earlier today I visited a
:18:35. > :18:40.charity that provides support during the day to the homeless.
:18:40. > :18:45.The Umbrella Trust is a place where people are not judged but helped.
:18:45. > :18:50.A square meal. Access to medical services. Support and advice. When
:18:50. > :19:00.you get to rock-bottom that helps. It is amazing what people will do
:19:00. > :19:02.
:19:02. > :19:12.for you. We are homeless. Drink keeps you warm. At this time of
:19:12. > :19:17.year we get really busy. Everyone just Johnson. -- everyone just
:19:17. > :19:21.jumps in. In the past year the number of homeless people they have
:19:21. > :19:26.helped has risen by eight one-third. It is continuing to rise. This man
:19:26. > :19:34.lost his job, his home, and ended up living in a tent. When you get
:19:34. > :19:41.back down to the bottom, you try to get back up, but you keep on
:19:41. > :19:47.slipping down. All of a sudden you have somebody who is going to help
:19:47. > :19:52.you. For many people here turning their lives around is a matter of
:19:52. > :19:59.life or death. Someone was found unconscious a few weeks ago and
:19:59. > :20:04.they died a few days later. She was in her early 30s. In the new year
:20:04. > :20:10.this man stars we have. He hopes it is the beginning of a new life. --
:20:11. > :20:16.he starts rehab. Let us have a word with one of the
:20:16. > :20:21.organisers. How many people are you expecting? We are expecting eight
:20:21. > :20:25.people tonight. The what services will you provide? We will provide a
:20:25. > :20:30.warm bed and a warm meal and breakfast in the morning. You have
:20:30. > :20:34.had a huge response. A lot of volunteers are helping. We have had
:20:34. > :20:43.over 300 volunteers which has been fantastic. Thank you.
:20:43. > :20:53.Let us go back into the area where the bedroom is and have a word with
:20:53. > :20:59.
:20:59. > :21:04.acquired your man. This is an interdenominational initiative.
:21:04. > :21:09.This always comes to the forefront at Christmas, and it is an issue
:21:09. > :21:13.that is forgotten across the year. We must not forget this once we get
:21:14. > :21:20.beyond Christmas. People who were homeless have been out there for
:21:20. > :21:25.some time. If we do not get them into accommodation before then they
:21:25. > :21:30.will be back out on the streets. This is also an opportunity to
:21:30. > :21:36.provide help and support, not just a bed for the night. That is right.
:21:36. > :21:40.The contact lot of different agencies who can help them.
:21:40. > :21:48.demand is definitely there. They are expecting those beds to be full
:21:48. > :21:53.tonight. A film shot by a man sitting on
:21:53. > :21:57.what amounts to be a tin tray speeding down the side of a
:21:57. > :22:01.mountain has become a sensation on the YouTube.
:22:01. > :22:06.Repeated on the BBC website at lunchtime and it became one of the
:22:07. > :22:15.most watched videos on our website also. But it comes from an unlikely
:22:15. > :22:25.source. Before the mayor of Cambridge
:22:25. > :22:30.issued her rebuke -- when the mayor of Cambridge issued her rebuke it
:22:30. > :22:38.was a big hit on YouTube. Or we ahead of that is somebody
:22:38. > :22:42.going down a mountainside with no brakes. What kind of crazy Eddie it
:22:42. > :22:51.would do this? The chief accountant of a local authority in Suffolk?
:22:51. > :22:55.Surely not. But when that this man comes home from work at the local
:22:55. > :23:05.council you are most likely to find them applauding his latest exploits
:23:05. > :23:08.
:23:08. > :23:17.as a thrill rider. This is called an Alpine coaster. I thought I
:23:17. > :23:23.would go for it without any breaks. This is one of my scariest
:23:23. > :23:33.experiences ever. A lot of people who have ridden roller-coaster as
:23:33. > :23:34.
:23:34. > :23:41.has said the same thing. The say this is something special. Even his
:23:41. > :23:48.friends are surprised at how his film has taken off. An internet
:23:48. > :23:54.site in the United States published it. Then other people watched it.
:23:54. > :23:58.David is not a new two World achievement. He helped to set the
:23:58. > :24:08.world and naked roller coasting record last year. He has a
:24:08. > :24:16.certificate to prove it. You would like to have a go at
:24:16. > :24:21.that! I love roller-coaster, but that! I love roller-coaster, but
:24:21. > :24:31.not naked! Here is the weather: We have got a
:24:31. > :24:31.
:24:31. > :24:41.storm approaching. It is heading our way. It is going to bring
:24:41. > :24:45.
:24:45. > :24:52.Severe weather. Tonight it will be mainly showers. Clearing skies and
:24:52. > :25:02.light a wind means it will get cold. Temperatures will dip down to
:25:02. > :25:04.
:25:04. > :25:13.freezing. Of widespread frost expected. Wintry showers could make
:25:13. > :25:23.conditions on the roads AC. Tomorrow will be mainly dry with
:25:23. > :25:28.
:25:28. > :25:38.sunny spells. Into the afternoon it stays mainly dry. In the evening
:25:38. > :25:41.
:25:41. > :25:44.things shift. You can see the area of low pressure. It will bring rain
:25:44. > :25:53.with that and some of that will turn it to sleet and snow overnight
:25:53. > :26:02.on Thursday. Tightly-packed isobars beneath it means that wind speeds
:26:02. > :26:12.will pick up. It could mean strong wins for us. There will be plenty
:26:12. > :26:23.
:26:23. > :26:29.of rain. They will be some sleet and snow. -- there will be. Friday
:26:30. > :26:38.itself looks cloudy with further outbreaks of sleet and snow. The
:26:38. > :26:48.weekend will be mainly dry but very cold. There may be isolated wintry
:26:48. > :26:57.