:00:00. > :00:00.changes to grading and assessment. That is all from
:00:00. > :00:18.Hello. The bonfire party weekend starts here, but the fire crews are
:00:19. > :00:22.on strike. We speak to both sides in the dispute over pensions. I can
:00:23. > :00:26.understand where they are coming from, but as a fire and rescue
:00:27. > :00:30.service we are having to do the best with what we have as the dispute is
:00:31. > :00:38.between the union and the national government. Anger in Colchester
:00:39. > :00:44.after yet another attempt to restore the town's Jumbo Tower falls foul of
:00:45. > :00:57.the planners. It is the second time it has been refused... When it gets
:00:58. > :01:05.political, I get about set. McCarthy's rain at Ipswich reaches
:01:06. > :01:08.its first anniversary. Strong winds forecast for Saturday
:01:09. > :01:15.night, I will have all of the details later.
:01:16. > :01:20.Good evening. Hundreds of firefighters in Essex,
:01:21. > :01:24.Suffolk and Norfolk are walking out of their fire stations about now in
:01:25. > :01:27.a national dispute over pensions. Fire chiefs across the region insist
:01:28. > :01:32.there will be cover as people prepare to stage bonfire events.
:01:33. > :01:35.Tonight's action is being taken by members of the Fire Brigades Union.
:01:36. > :01:38.It's the second walk`out in six weeks. The timing of the stoppage,
:01:39. > :01:41.between now and eleven o'clock tonight, is being seen as
:01:42. > :01:46.provocative with families across the region starting to celebrate Guy
:01:47. > :01:50.Fawkes. In a moment, we'll be hearing from the FBU. But first
:01:51. > :01:56.this, from our chief reporter Kim Riley.
:01:57. > :02:03.The region's Fire and rescue services say they have contingency
:02:04. > :02:07.plans in place to maintain cover. Not all front line firefighters are
:02:08. > :02:12.members of the FBU and many retain staff. This fire station in Norwich
:02:13. > :02:19.is expected to stay closed all evening. Dan is responsible for
:02:20. > :02:23.public protection. As far as the urban areas are concerned, we have
:02:24. > :02:26.contingency appliances available which will be staffed by people from
:02:27. > :02:31.other stations who are either willing to work or are retain staff
:02:32. > :02:35.who are coming in to do that work. The urban areas will have coverage.
:02:36. > :02:40.Many maintain stations will be open for business as usual. The head of
:02:41. > :02:45.operations is spending this evening coordinating events from the control
:02:46. > :02:48.room. The 909 service is operating normally. I would like to reassure
:02:49. > :02:52.members of the sub public that if they have any problems tonight, they
:02:53. > :03:01.should dial 999 as they normally would. We have over half of the fire
:03:02. > :03:06.engines available than they would normally have anyway and they are
:03:07. > :03:12.quite well spaced across the whole of the county. Reparations are
:03:13. > :03:18.advanced for tonight's fireworks spectacular in Suffolk. A crowd of
:03:19. > :03:25.up to 10,000 are expected. We have fire officers on`site that are
:03:26. > :03:30.marshals, we have a water browser. As you can see, we are in an
:03:31. > :03:36.exclusion zone and everything that is done has been recommended by the
:03:37. > :03:39.fire service. We are happy. During the last four hour strike in
:03:40. > :03:45.September, Essex firefighters walked out alongside hundreds of others. In
:03:46. > :03:48.the event, only a handful of incidents needed dealing with. The
:03:49. > :03:54.long`standing dispute goes on, but the FBU predicting proposed changes
:03:55. > :04:02.will lead to a GATT army of 60`year`old firefighters.
:04:03. > :04:05.It is a Friday night, it is the start of the bonfire weekend, you
:04:06. > :04:11.couldn't have chosen a busy time, if that's not irresponsible? In many
:04:12. > :04:19.ways, we did not choose the time. The fire minister and employers fail
:04:20. > :04:22.to reach an agreement. We were forced to come back to strike action
:04:23. > :04:26.and we deliberately selected the Friday night and Monday morning to
:04:27. > :04:32.avoid what our research shows to be the vast majority of events
:04:33. > :04:36.being... If you are concerned to avoid the offence, when as do it a
:04:37. > :04:41.couple of days ago. There is no good time for a strike. There is not a
:04:42. > :04:47.good time for doing it, we have avoided the main events that our
:04:48. > :04:52.research shows. We would urge people to take more care. What happens if
:04:53. > :04:55.there is a major incident? If that happens, we have reached an
:04:56. > :05:04.agreement that if there is a terrorist event or... We will recall
:05:05. > :05:08.our members. But the ordinary things would be left to the contingency
:05:09. > :05:15.cover. Do still think you have the public 's support? We have some
:05:16. > :05:19.tremendous support. The governments don't grasp it, but most people
:05:20. > :05:22.understand that they don't want 58 and 59`year`old firefighters trying
:05:23. > :05:28.to do the very physically demanding job we do. Everyone knows it is a
:05:29. > :05:34.nonsense and their own evidence shows that nine out of ten of us
:05:35. > :05:38.went reach pension age if it stays at 60, we will be sacked as we
:05:39. > :05:42.wouldn't be able to maintain our fitness and we want to get a
:05:43. > :05:47.pension. He got a guarantee not to be sacked, would that solve it? We
:05:48. > :05:51.would like that. But we want is to... Firefighters already pay more
:05:52. > :05:54.than double what every other pension scheme member in a private sector
:05:55. > :06:01.and public sector play. They asking us to pay more. Not yet ``
:06:02. > :06:05.generously looked after. The government says you have a great
:06:06. > :06:12.deal. Yeah MAC the Government says that, but not everything they say is
:06:13. > :06:15.true. We have written to the minister asking him to come back to
:06:16. > :06:21.the table. Nobody, least of all firefighters, we know what it is to
:06:22. > :06:26.be on strike and we don't want it and to continue. Thank you very
:06:27. > :06:32.much. One of the best`known landmarks in
:06:33. > :06:35.Essex has been plunged into... The Jumbo Tower has stood in the centre
:06:36. > :06:38.of Colchester for more than a hundred years. Developers want to
:06:39. > :06:43.adapt it for apartments and a restaurant.
:06:44. > :06:47.It has dominated Colchester's skyline for over a century, but the
:06:48. > :06:52.debate about what has to do with it has been rumbling on. Its owner
:06:53. > :06:56.wants to transform it into a restaurant and apartments. Plans
:06:57. > :06:59.that are seen as controversial. 1000 years ago, the Romans built
:07:00. > :07:07.something on there. The Victorians, bless them, they built that. I'm
:07:08. > :07:15.just trying to preserve something that was built in the 1800 's. They
:07:16. > :07:19.knew, I have done my best. It is the largest Victorian water tower and
:07:20. > :07:26.was decommissioned back in the 1980s. Let's go inside. This is the
:07:27. > :07:31.entrance to where it is. We will have lifts to take us up, but today
:07:32. > :07:39.we will have to climb 132 feet. Leon.
:07:40. > :07:45.`` lead on. We are just approaching the service area. It was here that
:07:46. > :07:49.the water pressure was controlled. Under new plans, a restaurant. After
:07:50. > :07:54.another climb, it is into the main structure. We are nearly at the
:07:55. > :07:59.top. This area used to be the water tank and it is to hold up to 230,000
:08:00. > :08:06.gallons of water. The views stretch for miles, as does Jumbo's presence.
:08:07. > :08:10.The council says that the plans would harm the architectural
:08:11. > :08:14.integrity. We do have some responsibility, but our funding is
:08:15. > :08:19.being cut, as most councils are, and we don't have the resort is to buy
:08:20. > :08:24.it back. I cannot imagine who wouldn't want to go up in then have
:08:25. > :08:39.a meal. I will be one of the first people there. Naked something nice.
:08:40. > :08:45.It has `` any change for Jumbo remains uncertain.
:08:46. > :08:49.We should just say well done to our colleagues at BBC Radio Suffolk. The
:08:50. > :08:52.station's coverage of this year's Benjamin Britten centenary has won
:08:53. > :08:55.them a gold award. It was at the Gillard Awards which recognises the
:08:56. > :08:58.best in BBC local radio. The Britten centenary culminated in a live
:08:59. > :09:08.performance of his opera Peter Grimes on the beach at Aldeburgh.
:09:09. > :09:11.Earlier this week we reported on a new work programme in Ipswich aimed
:09:12. > :09:14.at cutting the number of young people who haven't got a job.
:09:15. > :09:17.Tonight, another scheme which uses volunteer work to help people climb
:09:18. > :09:24.onto that crucial first rung of the jobs ladder. This is Jimmy's farm,
:09:25. > :09:29.created by the TV presenter Jimmy Doherty. It plays host to thousands
:09:30. > :09:32.of visitors every year, but today is the setting for a new idea, set up
:09:33. > :09:40.in a partnership between the farm and the social enterprise group
:09:41. > :09:45.called So Active. . The aim is to get students and young adults
:09:46. > :09:52.lending a hand to develop new skills. Confidence is important. We
:09:53. > :09:55.don't know `` mind what they know or don't know, but as long as they're
:09:56. > :10:00.polite and respectful, whether it is outdoors here or whether it is in an
:10:01. > :10:05.office, it is different. It is just developing those skills. People say
:10:06. > :10:12.it is easy to get a job. James braid is here and could not be happier.
:10:13. > :10:16.After leaving school, this is ideal as he is desperate for a career in
:10:17. > :10:20.farming. When I was younger, I thought it would be easier, but it
:10:21. > :10:27.is hard. I have applied for three jobs and got turned down. I got AIDS
:10:28. > :10:36.in most of my GCSEs. It is about experience. `` as. Young people have
:10:37. > :10:43.to realise that when you talk to somebody for the first time, they
:10:44. > :10:51.may have a blank face. That opens the way for a conversation. You need
:10:52. > :10:56.to work as a team. You can tell some... To all just fall apart. Also
:10:57. > :10:59.on the farm were people from a host of local organisations. The hope is
:11:00. > :11:04.that more than 100 youngsters a year will be involved in the scheme. The
:11:05. > :11:17.goal is simple, inspire and energise them to do more.
:11:18. > :11:21.Still to come, the experts give their verdict on this week's big
:11:22. > :11:29.storm. Plus remember our Olympic games
:11:30. > :11:32.venue, it gets ready for a weekend of white water action.
:11:33. > :11:35.Next tonight, the small European state of Macedonia. It's a
:11:36. > :11:38.land`locked country of two million people and it's where Mother Teresa
:11:39. > :11:41.was born. John Toshack used to manage the country's football team
:11:42. > :11:47.and it's one of the latest countries to apply to join the European Union.
:11:48. > :11:50.That application has sparked a wider debate about the future direction of
:11:51. > :11:54.the European Union. Does that matter to us here in the East of England?
:11:55. > :11:57.Well yes, according to one of our leading Euro MPs. Tonight's special
:11:58. > :12:04.report is from our political correspondent Andrew Sinclair.
:12:05. > :12:11.This is Macedonia. It is part of the former Yugoslavia. The capital is
:12:12. > :12:17.and the main industries here are food and chemical production. It has
:12:18. > :12:22.32% unemployment and a third of people live below the poverty line.
:12:23. > :12:29.In a few years time, Macedonia could be part of the EU. As Europe has
:12:30. > :12:35.grown, trade has grown and we are all more prosperous. Every family in
:12:36. > :12:40.the east of England is more wealthy because of us trading in Europe. He
:12:41. > :12:45.has been chosen by the European powers to oversee Macedonia's
:12:46. > :12:52.application. He points out that Johnson already has a production
:12:53. > :12:57.plant in the country. He is sure that more firms will benefit.
:12:58. > :13:02.Neighbouring countries of Montenegro, Serbia, Iceland are all
:13:03. > :13:06.applying for EU membership. At the European Parliament, not everyone is
:13:07. > :13:12.happy. Some feel Europe is getting too big. We welcome the principle of
:13:13. > :13:18.enlargement, but before we get onto enlarging it any longer, we need to
:13:19. > :13:21.sort it out. We need a fundamental reshaping and bring about great
:13:22. > :13:26.change in the EU. These are poor countries, there are 100 million
:13:27. > :13:30.population in those countries who would be entitled to come to the
:13:31. > :13:34.rest of Europe, including the UK. Also, the idea that you can make
:13:35. > :13:39.poor countries rich and make us richer by trading with them is a
:13:40. > :13:44.circular argument. Why does all this matter? With European elections
:13:45. > :13:47.approaching, there is a big debate about what the EU is ready for and
:13:48. > :13:51.what it should look like in the future. Should it continue to expand
:13:52. > :13:58.and provide more opportunities, particularly for business and
:13:59. > :14:02.travel? Macedonia's application is bog down in a row with Greece. It'll
:14:03. > :14:07.still be some time before it joins the EU. In fact, depending on our
:14:08. > :14:12.referendum, they could be joining just as Britain is leading. ``
:14:13. > :14:15.believing. And you can see a round`up of the
:14:16. > :14:18.week's political news from the region on this weekend's edition of
:14:19. > :14:20.Sunday Politics. It's at eleven o'clock this Sunday, here on BBC
:14:21. > :14:24.One. This time last year, Ipswich Town
:14:25. > :14:27.were in the doldrums and there was unrest on the stands. But then,
:14:28. > :14:30.exactly a year ago today, the club appointed Mick McCarthy as its new
:14:31. > :14:34.manager. Since then, Town's fortunes have been on the up. And for the
:14:35. > :14:37.first time in years they can start to dream about promotion to the
:14:38. > :14:40.Premier League. Tonight, Ipswich take on Barnsley at Portman Road.
:14:41. > :14:49.Let's go there now and join our sports reporter James Burridge.
:14:50. > :14:53.That old sporting cliche, what a difference a year makes. It could
:14:54. > :15:01.not be more true here. Look at a few facts. One year ago, they were seven
:15:02. > :15:04.points clear of safety at the bottom of the Championship, now they are
:15:05. > :15:12.seven points from the play`offs. Can fans start to dream?
:15:13. > :15:16.Unorthodox entrance, but after 12 months, Mick McCarthy has Ipswich
:15:17. > :15:30.heading the right way. I could not resist it. After a rocky few years.
:15:31. > :15:35.Welcome to Portman Road. A year to the day since replacing Paul, with
:15:36. > :15:44.Ipswich in real trouble. it is a great time at. Are you proud of what
:15:45. > :15:48.you have achieved? I guess so. I think at the end of last season,
:15:49. > :15:53.there was a sense of achievement. Last year has been good. It has been
:15:54. > :15:59.very exciting. Frustrating, annoying, sometimes. It was a
:16:00. > :16:06.success considering where we were last year. This year, we're doing
:16:07. > :16:11.OK. Should be doing better. He boasts an impressive record since
:16:12. > :16:16.taking charge, 46 games, 19 wins, 12 draws, 69 points in all. It carried
:16:17. > :16:21.that would have earned them a place in the top six last season. 13 games
:16:22. > :16:26.into the new campaign, whilst not in promotion form, they are comfortably
:16:27. > :16:32.mid`table. Much better than expected. He has come and the main
:16:33. > :16:38.thing is he has put a smile on the face of the players and the
:16:39. > :16:44.supporters. The results have been mixed, but they are an improvement
:16:45. > :16:50.on a year ago. Is their pressure on him to deliver promotion sooner
:16:51. > :16:56.rather than later? The fans are the biggest pressure gauge for us. Yes,
:16:57. > :16:59.there is pressure to achieve. But there is an understanding that what
:17:00. > :17:04.he has done with the team, we have the right team and there are always
:17:05. > :17:07.improvements we can make. We have the right team and that has been
:17:08. > :17:13.proved in the results and why should we not go up at the end of the
:17:14. > :17:20.season? Having inherited an ageing squad, it has been a period of
:17:21. > :17:28.transition. 20 of the club's 28 professionals are under 25. It is a
:17:29. > :17:35.healthier, happier place to be. Let's speak to a legend and get his
:17:36. > :17:40.insights. Mick Mills joins us. Mick, the past 12 months, how would you
:17:41. > :17:45.describe them? They have been superb. I think he was the right
:17:46. > :17:50.choice at the time. He has done what everyone expected him to do. Do fans
:17:51. > :17:55.have to be realists? Is the Premier League a dream too far? To be this
:17:56. > :18:00.year. One step at a time. What he has done in one year is tremendous.
:18:01. > :18:05.He has organised the defence, first of all, he has a solid unit, players
:18:06. > :18:11.are happy playing under him and the results are steady. Whether he can
:18:12. > :18:17.push this team into the play`offs, I am unsure. He may not be getting the
:18:18. > :18:22.Republic of Ireland job, so that some consistency. I hope not, from
:18:23. > :18:26.Mick's personal point of view, it may have been nice to be asked, a
:18:27. > :18:31.couple of weeks ago, it was serious stuff, now I think he will stay.
:18:32. > :18:38.Thank goodness for that. Coverage with Mick and the Suffolk team on
:18:39. > :18:42.BBC Radio Suffolk at 7:45pm. We remember the gold medal in the
:18:43. > :18:46.canoeist `` canoeing. I have been back with him where he won that
:18:47. > :18:49.amazing gold medal with his partner, Tim Bailey. You will find some of
:18:50. > :19:02.the world's best canoeists, . It is the hardest course of the
:19:03. > :19:09.world. Any one section would probably be the hardest in any other
:19:10. > :19:15.course. This is continuous, intense. You have to be positive and clear
:19:16. > :19:21.minded. If you start to timidly, it'll be a mistake. He starts to
:19:22. > :19:25.aggressively that can be a mistake. Just over 100 of the world's best
:19:26. > :19:30.canoeists will be here at the weekend, some starting for the first
:19:31. > :19:34.time, some champions. With the world Championships coming up, this is
:19:35. > :19:42.vital practice time. It is a good course. I won the last Olympic games
:19:43. > :19:56.here. For me, it is the best course in the world. It is a difficult
:19:57. > :20:00.course, but... A little bit further on, you can see the big drop behind
:20:01. > :20:04.me, that is probably the most significant test on the course. You
:20:05. > :20:13.are always trying to get the precision, a small difference can be
:20:14. > :20:18.a big difference after the drop. Two years ago, 16`year`old George
:20:19. > :20:23.Cooper was just passing by a canoe club. My dad asked me if I wanted to
:20:24. > :20:29.have a go. I spoke to one of the people, through on St Kitts and had
:20:30. > :20:38.a go. When was that? About two years ago. It is incredible that I am now
:20:39. > :20:42.competing. It is one of the steepest and shortest courses in the world.
:20:43. > :20:47.The rough and tumble of these waters will soon sort out the old hands
:20:48. > :20:52.from the young pretenders. The skill is to anticipate and take account of
:20:53. > :20:57.the water and harness the water. It is about gaining the power, so much
:20:58. > :21:04.energy in this water, if you can tap into that, you will zip along. Good
:21:05. > :21:09.luck to all those competing. If you want to go, it is free to watch.
:21:10. > :21:14.Good luck to Northampton Saints' five players who will be taking on
:21:15. > :21:19.Australia tomorrow. You can catch up on BBC Three if you cannot watch it
:21:20. > :21:24.live. We have an update on our top story.
:21:25. > :21:29.Fire crews in the London area are being recalled to work in response
:21:30. > :21:30.to a major fire in Dagenham in Essex.
:21:31. > :21:33.Weather experts and the power companies said today they were
:21:34. > :21:36.pleased with the way they anticipated and then dealt with the
:21:37. > :21:39.storm which hit our region on Monday. Engineers have spent the day
:21:40. > :21:43.continuing to re`connect homes. Tonight, just a handful are believed
:21:44. > :21:46.to be still without power. The storm was called St Jude, after the patron
:21:47. > :21:48.saint of lost causes. In this report from Mike Liggins we ask, just how
:21:49. > :22:07.severe was the storm? And how effective was the operation? Suffolk
:22:08. > :22:12.counts the cost of the heavy winds. Monday the 28th of October, a date
:22:13. > :22:18.likely to live long in the memory for many. The M11, blocked by an
:22:19. > :22:25.overturned lorry, a terrified driver described what happened The wind was
:22:26. > :22:33.pulling me all over the place. I felt the wind got underneath the
:22:34. > :22:37.lorry and it took off. It was an exceptional storm. The interesting
:22:38. > :22:44.thing about this one is that it was very well forecast. I was told how
:22:45. > :22:49.forecasters get its spent on `` spot on and how a stinging jet, comes
:22:50. > :22:56.behind the lower area of low pressure, does the damage. it comes
:22:57. > :23:02.from high up in the ad for cashback atmosphere, it produces really
:23:03. > :23:05.strong gusts. You get a `` and area that started west of London and then
:23:06. > :23:11.tracks north eastwards into Essex and Suffolk. There was an intense,
:23:12. > :23:16.but very brief period of strong gusts. That is what caused most of
:23:17. > :23:26.the damage. The high winds caused chaos. It was a miserable start for
:23:27. > :23:31.those using the East Coast mainline. They said there was nothing until
:23:32. > :23:39.9am. Do you wish you had run trains earlier? No, I think... Some of you
:23:40. > :23:47.thought that question was unfair. Ruth said...
:23:48. > :23:54.The train problems went on into Tuesday and by Wednesday people in
:23:55. > :24:01.the elite of Rockwell were still without power. I was here in 1987.
:24:02. > :24:14.That report commented Nicky Cook e`mail...
:24:15. > :24:23.The last time we had a big storm was 2007 and we had about 450,000 of
:24:24. > :24:29.supply. This time, we have 700,000 of supply and they were back. That
:24:30. > :24:34.shows how quickly we have improved. Monday's storm was not as severe as
:24:35. > :24:40.the storm of 1987. The period of strong winds in that... It lasted
:24:41. > :24:45.quite a lot longer. In this particular storm, on Monday, the
:24:46. > :24:51.Saint Jude's storm produced a period of maybe less than an hour when the
:24:52. > :24:55.winds were most damaging. For many, the storm brought delay,
:24:56. > :25:00.inconvenience, even temporary hardship. Thanks to the efforts of
:25:01. > :25:01.forecasters, engineers, and call centre workers, it could have been
:25:02. > :25:06.much worse. Thank goodness it wasn't. Let's have
:25:07. > :25:19.a look at the weather. It won't be as windy as Monday. A
:25:20. > :25:27.series of low pressure areas that will bring us rain and strong winds.
:25:28. > :25:32.Not heavy rain this evening, instead we will have a lot of cloud, maybe
:25:33. > :25:36.some bits of patchy rain and some persistent rain after midnight. It
:25:37. > :25:39.will stay mild with lows of nine Celsius. The wind also between
:25:40. > :25:45.north`westerly direction by the end of the night. We start tomorrow with
:25:46. > :25:50.this pressure system heading in our direction. We get rid of that low,
:25:51. > :25:54.this is the next one. The rain on this low is not the real concern.
:25:55. > :26:00.The strength of wind is. As it pulls away, the winds will strengthen.
:26:01. > :26:03.Looking in detail at the day, it looks as though it is a mostly dry
:26:04. > :26:08.start, there is a lot of cloud around first thing and then we will
:26:09. > :26:12.see the sunshine. Those winds. To strengthen into the afternoon,
:26:13. > :26:16.coming on a south`westerly wind and they could blow in some heavy
:26:17. > :26:19.showers for the afternoon. Temperatures climbing to 14
:26:20. > :26:23.Celsius. Into the afternoon and evening, that is where they are
:26:24. > :26:30.likely to be less longest. There could be heavy. The winds may gusts.
:26:31. > :26:33.We could get up to 40 mph and they will continue to be strong
:26:34. > :26:38.overnight. Bonfire night celebrations, not the best night for
:26:39. > :26:42.the strength of the wind. As the low spins away, that is when the winds
:26:43. > :26:47.will be strong. For your bonfire night on Saturday, expect some
:26:48. > :26:53.strong winds, it will feel quite cool and it will certainly have a
:26:54. > :26:57.chance of showers. Then we get to Sunday. It will still be quite windy
:26:58. > :27:02.for Sunday. There will be some sunny spells, just the chance of a shower,
:27:03. > :27:06.but most showers for Monday would be quite isolated. Certainly feeling
:27:07. > :27:10.chilly in the brisk wind. Then we have another low pressure system
:27:11. > :27:13.arriving on Sunday night. That will bring some overnight rain.
:27:14. > :27:19.Particularly across the southern and eastern half of the region. Some
:27:20. > :27:23.rain to clear the first thing on Monday, still quite a cool, chilly
:27:24. > :27:27.day with highs of nine Celsius, but some sunny spells developing with
:27:28. > :27:31.winds coming from a northerly direction, feeling cool. The next
:27:32. > :27:35.low`pressure arrives on Tuesday, that will mean rain, milder
:27:36. > :27:43.temperatures, but not before we have some very cold nights. That is all
:27:44. > :27:45.from us, have a grey weekend. Goodbye. `` did begin.