02/05/2012 Look East - East

Welcome to BBC Look East. Tonight: An investigation is under way after

a woman with Alzheimer's was left over light on a bus. To be put in

that situation must have been really distressing for a person

with dementia. It would be very distressing for all of us.

flooding evacuees back in their home after two nights in a leisure

centre. I just felt a little neglected that no-one from the

Environment agency was in there, no-one from Social Services was in

there for the old people. falcon chicks hatching 250 ft up on

a cathedral spire. And how they serve -- save water when there is

first hello. First, an investigation into why a woman with

dementia was left overnight on a bus. It seems that nobody noticed

that she did not get off the bus. She was then discovered next

morning at the depot in Luton when it opened for business. The council

this credit as a serious incident and said that one person has been

suspended. Nikki Jenkins is in look and now it -- Luton now.

This is where Luton Borough Council Park a rubbish trucks and have

their recycling. It is where the also park their patient Transport

buses. It is also where the left and 80-year-old lady who was

suffering from dementia. We have spoken to people who work for the

bus service and they say that she was discovered in the morning when

the the driver found her. He almost collapsed in shock when he heard a

small voice coming from the back of the bus. We have spoken to the

Alzheimer's Society and asked what kind of effect that would have.

think for someone who has dementia, who is may be unsure of where they

are and at times of their surroundings, to be in a situation

where they don't know, they're not sure, to be aware that -- away from

where they are comfortable, safe, to be put in that situation must

have been really, really distressing. Have we heard anything

from the council? The council have always said that

they will confirm that someone has been suspended without prejudice

and that it would be inappropriate to comment any further at this

moment. We understand that that is the female driver of the bus

concerned. This raises far more questions than answers. They would

not confirm where this woman had been. We believe that she had been

at a day-care centre and was making the journey three miles across town

to a specialist housing area where she is a resident. Obviously, the

fact that she was not then discovered to be missing is also an

issue of concern. It is Luton Borough Council that provides not

only the bus services but also the care services at the residential

area. They say that they want to provide quality and dignity that --

dignity in every service they provide to dementia services. There

have been cuts to serve Mrs. There was no escort on the service and it

is this end of thing that is leaving patients in danger.

1,500 people who live and billing at were drawn in -- billing Aqua

Dromore had been able to go back home. Some spend two nights

sleeping in a leisure centre. With the possibility of more flooding,

they are prepared to be evacuated again.

Leaving with their plastic bags at of bedding and clothes, or relief

and resentment. Felt a little bit neglected that no-one from the

Environment agency was in there, no-one from Billing Aqua Dromore

was in there, no-one from Social Services was there for the old

people, and they should have been. If what more could they have done?

They could have explained to us and told us earlier on, given us a

chance to pack things. You know, we could have had a suitcase. We

panicked and we rushed off. It was the right thing to do. The

Environment agency called the shots. It is one of those things. Life is

more valuable than property. site at Great Billing covers nearly

240 acres and contains around 1,200 caravans. Today there were fresh

warnings as residents return. The Environment agency say that the

river here is full and that, with more rain possible tonight,

residents had been warned there could be a second evacuation.

will work with the park to make sure that the sirens are our

operational in case people me to leave. We will make sure that any

evacuation will be done as effectively as possible. We're back

to normal pretty much everywhere. Should the contingency change we

are ready. This weekend is May back the holiday. -- Bank Holiday. The

people at the Park hope that it will stay dry.

A former bouncer who is accused of murdering his former partner and

their daughter has been giving evidence to be the first time.

David Oakes denied to shooting Jenna and claimed it will -- denied

shooting Shania and said it was Christine Chambers who pulled the

trigger. David Oakes said he had a volatile

relationship with Christine Chambers. He said he had dropped by

her flat to drop off some DIY tools. Today, David Oakes claimed his

former partner attacked him, first with scissors, then with kitchen

knives. David Oakes told the court he had gone to the bathroom and

that two-year-old Shania had come towards him. He said, all of a

sudden there was a flash and the baby was shot. She was lying in the

hallway. He added that he was not sure whether Christine Chambers had

shot their doctor deliberately or by accident. David Oakes told the

court he was not sure who was shot next. He was due in court the next

day for a custody battle. He told the court that Christine Chambers

was drunk and on drugs. In court, he was accused of lying. Be QC for

the prosecution told 10, it is your account that Christine Chambers ask

for a shotgun. It is a contrived account, it is alive. David Oakes

denies two counts of murder, the case continues.

More than 120 airmen are due to return home to Suffolk in the next

few minutes after six months in Afghanistan. 2 Squadron, based at

RAF Honington, lost a man earlier this year. Our defence reporter is

at RAF Honington now with family and friends of the returning their

men. -- the returning airmen. The families are all lined up,

ready to see the men home. The men it landed at Brize Milton just

after 2pm. They should arrive here just after 7pm. The relatives who

waved them off last October will be here to give them an ecstatic

welcome. This is called a Jekyll. This is what the men used to patrol

in. They have to dominate ground miles from their base. That puts

them in danger of ambush and snipers, as well as improvised

explosive devices. This woman's has been is due back. You must be so

excited? Yes, cannot wait to see him. It has been a long six months.

I have some butterflies. Any idea what he has been up to? He does not

talk much about what he does. We tried to keep it away from the

children. Are you looking forward to seeing that the? Yes. I hope you

have a lovely evening with him. This welcome home is tinged with

sadness because one of their number, 21-year-old Ryan Tomlin, was killed

in a gun attack on 13th February. He was described by his commanding

officer as one of the regiment's very best. Let us have a quick chat

with the wing commander. It shows it is still very dangerous out

there. It is a dangerous job but we do it well. It is great to have the

men back. You're role has not changed - you're still very much in

the firing line. Yes. We do our part along with everybody else. We

manage our risks and I am sure that other elements of the deployed

Force manage their risks as well. Another squadron is going out in

the next few weeks. Yes. I was there in 2010, there are other

elements out there in 2010. -- at the moment. We are looking forward

to welcoming them back in the next 20 minutes or so.

Still to come tonight: The calm before another storm - Alex will be

here with details of more rain to come.

And battleground Harlow - the Labour leader pays another visitor

head of the local elections tomorrow. -- visit to a head off.

There has been more criticism of ambulance response times for people

in Suffolk. People have described the service as second rate and said

that most people -- that people were waiting longer than the target

time of eight minutes for emergencies.

The issue of response times is not new. Last year, assurances were

giving debt -- given by the Chief Executive of the East of England

Ambulance Trust that improvements would be made.

We should not have to take greater risks with our help because we live

here. It must not get any worse and it needs to get better. Dan Potter

and Peter Aldous say that a response time of 55% against a

target of 75% is not good enough. Framlingham saw one of the worst

response times. By day, Judy is a finance officer for a school in

Framlingham. But she is always -- also a volunteer first responder.

Our job is to help ambulance crews to take longer to get an emergency.

I know how demoralising it must be for the ambulance crews, who are

out there at all times of day and night and in all weathers,

absolutely doing their best. I do not feel it is therefore that they

cannot make response times. They have a vast area to cover and they

do not have enough vehicles to They say to meet all of their

targets they would need an extra �80 million worth of funding per

year. Two men have been arrested in

connection with the theft of Chinese art from the Fitzwilliam

Museum. The arrests for an appeal on Crimewatch last night. The items

were stolen from at the museum last month.

An armed robber who threatened a bakery worker with a sawn-off

shotgun has been found after going on the run. Michael Roode was

jailed in 2007 after a raid at a bakery in that Long Stratton. He

escaped from prison in Derbyshire, but was found this morning.

Three months ago this week a new operator took over the rail service

in this region. Greater Anglia is now run by the Dutch firm Abellio.

The promised improvements to the service. Even today there have been

delays. We are sorry that the service is

delayed by 15 minutes. As so often, the problem was to do with

signalling, and the impact was felt by passengers. Abellio has run the

franchise for three months now. They have been on time are more in

the morning and on time more in the evening. What difference have you

noticed? I have not noticed a difference. The same delays.

livery. Abellio got off to an unlucky start in the February snow.

unlucky start in the February snow. unlucky start in the February snow.

But punctuality has been steady. had a difficult start in the first

week with all this goal. After that the reliability has been quite good

most of the days. The big issue is that if it goes wrong we struggle

to keep a good service going. Abellio's current franchises on the

for two years. It has always made clear it cannot commit to major

investment in that time. But a 15 year franchise will be awarded in

2014. Whoever wins that will be expected to cough up for new trains

and line speed improvements. At 20-year-old man has been charged

with murder after a stabbing at the home of former world boxing

champion Herbie Hide. Joshua up Burton will appear before

magistrates tomorrow. Ali Carter, the snooker player from

Essex, is still going well in the snooker championships in it

Sheffield. This morning he maintained his two-frame advantage

and now lead by 9-7. It is the first to 13 frames who will

progress to the semi-finals. Just over one month ago a pair of

peregrine falcons laid four eggs in the spire of Norwich Cathedral.

Since then are we have been the following the progress. Today came

the pictures we have been waiting for. The first peregrine cheque to

hatch in Norwich for 200 years. The city of Norwich, home to

150,000 people. Also home to one pair of peregrine falcons. But no

cosy bedroom for these two. Look at where they live. 250 ft up on the

spire of Norwich Cathedral. They are a bird of cliffs, mountain tops,

and wild places. They have adapted to city life. The spire is a cliff.

It is surrounded with pigeon food. They were almost extinct in the

1950s and 1960s. They have come back. They have adapted to city

like. They are doing well. There are such exciting birds to watch.

She is not the only one who is excited. They are amazing. They are

quite fast. This is one of hundreds of visitors who has turned up to

watch the progress. In the past month the pair have laid four eggs.

For weeks the birds have worked around the clock to incubate the

eggs whatever the weather. Today their dedication paid off.

One of the eggs hatched this morning. We are very optimistic for

three or four begs to hatch. These are the first peregrine

falcons to successfully breed been at Norwich and 200 years.

-- breed in at Norwich in 200 years. Still to come - and no rain in

Spain, and what they do their when there is a drought.

Labour leader Ed Miliband has been campaigning in the region today

with the local elections tomorrow. The party is hoping for some big

gains at the expense of the Conservatives and Liberal Democrat.

Not everywhere has elections Not everywhere has elections

tomorrow. There is floating in 19 councils across the East. --

councils across the East. -- floating. One council more than any

other has been a battleground. It is Hamel in Essex. That is where

the Labour leader went today. Our reporter was there.

Ed Miliband has a spring in his step at the moment. His party is 10

points ahead in the opinion polls. He is hoping to make big gains in

tomorrow's elections. What are you doing here? The are visiting Harlow

because there is an election tomorrow.

This afternoon he visited the local supermarket. Labour want tomorrow's

elections to be a referendum on the government. Ed Miliband believes

things are going his way. David Cameron promised change, but things

have not changed for the better, they have changed for the worse.

Tomorrow is an opportunity. We will try and bigger difference in tough

times. Harlow has been the main battleground in these elections.

The Conservatives have a majority of just one on the local council.

That is why Labour has been sending in the big guns. They are doing the

job. So too have the Tories. The Home Secretary was here yesterday.

She sold how vandalism was being tackled. The people at Harlow needs

to look at the value the local council has given them. In tough

times, freezing council tax over the years can really help people.

The concern that has run most of the region's councils and there are

braced for losses tomorrow. So too are the love a Democrat. There are

campaigning to keep control of Cambridge. Last year they lost one-

third of their seats in the region. They're hoping voters will

concentrate on the local picture. hope we will not be punished

because of what is happening at national level. We need to make

sure that whoever is elected a people who are intelligent and you

can get on and do the job. In some places there have been a few local

issues playing on the doorsteps but on the whole, as usual, these local

elections have been dominated by national issues. The Budget, the

economy, Rupert Murdoch. In 2008 the Labour did badly. Ed

Miliband hopes it will be different this time round.

I am sure all you know that despite all the heavy rain in April most of

us are still in drought and most of us have a hosepipe ban.

That is nothing compared to Spain, which has been suffering its worst

drought for 70 years. David Whiteley has travelled to Barcelona

to see what they have had to do to cut down on water use.

This church has stood here in this valley in northern Spain for more

than 500 years. But I should not even be able to be here because

this is the bottom of a reservoir. That spire is usually submerged

under thousands of tons of water. The reason it is so dry is Spain is

going through its worst drought for 70 years. Can Spain give us a

glimpse into an uncomfortable future?

Four years ago the situation got so bad that the taps in Barcelona

almost run dry. The City was forced to ship in the supplies from France.

We became conscious of how precious water was when we had that drought.

Their children taught about it at school. At first they adapted more

easily. They were the water police. Through a determined campaign to

save water at home and used to recycled water around the city,

Barcelona is well on his way to becoming a world leader in

conserving water. People here use 107 litres per day, compared to 150

in the UK. To solve the crisis they had to

think big. This place was answer. They built

this massive desalination plant. It is the largest in Europe.

By taking sea water from the Mediterranean, the plant can

produce 180 million litres of drinking water per day.

It is used as a stop-gap when the reservoirs are low.

What is our big idea if we have another unprecedented dry winter?

Difficult to say, that too would be in a very bad place. We have never

worked out the consequences of three dry winters in a row. We have

never had three dry winters in a row. You would be expecting

measures that were quite dramatic. There would be standpipes in the

streets. People would have to take buckets and containers down to the

standpipes. We don't know how many people could be involved but it

could be tens of thousands easily. Top of standpipes may sound

extraordinary, but as they have discovered here in Spain, the world

is changing. Climate change and an expanding population means demand

for water is set to increase. Even if the rains to come this winter,

pretty soon we will all have to start thinking of drinking water as

the precious and scarce natural resource it really is.

There is more on that story in Inside Out tonight at 7:30pm.

Today we saw some blue skies. Here Today we saw some blue skies. Here

is the weather: Low-pressure is driving our weather. It is drawing

up unstable air from across the Continent. Heavy thundery rain is

approaching. It is heading across the North Sea. That is already

affecting parts of Essex and Suffolk. The met Office have issued

a yellow warning for heavy rain. We could get torrential downpours.

There may be up to one inch in places. It looks as though it will

cross the region through much of tonight. Most places should get a

good covering of rain. Central parts of the region it may get most

rain. Winds generally light to moderate.

Tomorrow, how quickly the reigning clears, depends on the front. --

how quickly the rain clears. It will gradually become drier later.

The most intense rain will be in central and northern parts of the

region tomorrow. That rain will become patchy during the day. It

will feel quite cold. Winds will be north-easterly once more. Light to

moderate in strength. The rain it will gradually clear a way that it

will leave behind a lot of cloud. And settled spell continues. Friday

will have up light rain or drizzle. On Saturday it will be colder by

day and by night. We will see the return of frost. Unsettled weather