:00:00. > :00:11.That is all from BBC News At Six, I will be back with more
:00:12. > :00:17.Hello and welcome to Look East. In the programme tonight: Five wolves
:00:18. > :00:21.escape from Colchester Zoo. Marksmen are called in and three are shot
:00:22. > :00:24.dead. Police launch a criminal
:00:25. > :00:27.investigation into allegations that waiting time figures were fiddled at
:00:28. > :00:36.Colchester Hospital as NHS bosses admit they've got a massive task
:00:37. > :00:40.ahead of them. It can't get much worse but I hope it will get better.
:00:41. > :00:43.One of the biggest hauls of cannabis in Norfolk for years. Seven people
:00:44. > :00:45.are arrested. And as the Christmas shopping
:00:46. > :00:55.countdown begins, three reporters at three very different locations. I'm
:00:56. > :01:01.at Braintree with shoppers looking for a bargain out of town. I'm in
:01:02. > :01:06.Peter Brough, asking if people have started earlier this year. And I'm
:01:07. > :01:17.at an independent book shop in Suffolk where they say they can
:01:18. > :01:19.compete with the big boys online. First tonight, armed police on the
:01:20. > :01:23.streets of Colchester after five wolves escape from the zoo. The
:01:24. > :01:28.animals which escaped are Canadian Timber wolves. Males grow to nearly
:01:29. > :01:33.five feet long and reach around three feet tall. They can weigh more
:01:34. > :01:36.than ten stone and can go several days without food but they're
:01:37. > :01:40.normally timid and attacks on people are extremely rare. The wolves
:01:41. > :01:54.escaped after breaking through a perimeter fence. Kim Riley is at the
:01:55. > :01:58.zoo now. It was at 7:30am that a keeper raised the alarm. He noticed
:01:59. > :02:04.the perimeter fence around the enclosure had been damaged. It's not
:02:05. > :02:12.clear yet how that happened but five of the six Timberwolves had got out.
:02:13. > :02:17.One returned almost immediately. One was doused with an anaesthetic
:02:18. > :02:21.Darton recaptured, but they take 15 minutes to take action and don't
:02:22. > :02:30.always work on stressed animals, so for the other three animals, the
:02:31. > :02:40.options ran out. A police helicopter hovers above as marksmen search
:02:41. > :02:45.fields. It was believed to be sheltering in thick undergrowth. The
:02:46. > :02:51.zoo said these animals are timid and unless cornered, pose no risk to the
:02:52. > :03:01.public. I don't have a problem with the zoo. But they should at least
:03:02. > :03:05.let locals know. In 1986, five Timberwolves escaped from the zoo
:03:06. > :03:10.when heavy rain undermined their fence. But on that occasion, all is
:03:11. > :03:16.fine for safely recaptured. This time, a sad outcome. We had to make
:03:17. > :03:24.the decision that these animals had to be shot on sight. These are wild
:03:25. > :03:29.and dangerous animals. They are in a very unpredictable situation and
:03:30. > :03:34.will pose a risk to the public. We had one more wolf out which we did
:03:35. > :03:42.locate recently. But that also had to be shot. We have had a very
:03:43. > :03:47.difficult day and would appreciate for your consideration. We do not
:03:48. > :04:09.have anything further to add at this time.
:04:10. > :04:14.She was disappointed and thought it was sad that they resorted to
:04:15. > :04:21.shooting the animals. The keepers are devastated tonight. Apologies
:04:22. > :04:23.for the problems with the satellite. The scandal at Colchester Hospital
:04:24. > :04:26.widened into a criminal investigation today. News of formal
:04:27. > :04:29.police proceedings came as NHS England announced more details about
:04:30. > :04:32.its review into allegations that patient files at the hospital were
:04:33. > :04:35.falsified to meet Government targets. Hundreds of people
:04:36. > :04:40.currently being treated for cancer are having their cases examined. The
:04:41. > :04:44.team is then expected to look at cases dating back to 2010. Earlier,
:04:45. > :04:47.I spoke to Andrew Pike, who's in charge of the Incident Management
:04:48. > :04:56.Team. I asked him what would happen to any patients found to have been
:04:57. > :04:59.affected. If we do identify that we need to look at individual notes, we
:05:00. > :05:04.need to deal with individual patients, then those patients and
:05:05. > :05:11.family members will be fully involved in any work. They must be
:05:12. > :05:17.aware that there has been a problem and be involved. Depending on what
:05:18. > :05:20.we do will hinge on what we find. The most important issues that
:05:21. > :05:25.patients know they are being cared for and are receiving the treatment
:05:26. > :05:29.they deserve. If waiting times have been fiddled in the cancer
:05:30. > :05:44.treatment, they could have been fiddled in other departments.
:05:45. > :05:48.Potentially. I wouldn't like to poor judgement on that issue. It's
:05:49. > :05:54.important we go through all the facts and get ourselves a clear view
:05:55. > :05:56.of what has occurred. The government's review that monitors
:05:57. > :06:01.undertaking and the work the hospital have to put in place would
:06:02. > :06:04.be extensive and any common sense would say once we got to the bottom
:06:05. > :06:10.of the cancer problem, it would be sensible to make sure they have been
:06:11. > :06:14.no problems in other areas of surgery or outpatient waiting times,
:06:15. > :06:22.for example. The fact there is a police officer on this review team
:06:23. > :06:28.underlines how serious this is. You have to view this as a very serious
:06:29. > :06:41.issue. That's why the NHS has put the level of resource into these
:06:42. > :06:45.investigations. The fact the police investigation will hopefully
:06:46. > :06:49.reassure the public that we will always want to operate by high
:06:50. > :06:54.standards and people will be held to account for any misdemeanours should
:06:55. > :06:59.that be the case. Very difficult to reassure patients who are attending
:07:00. > :07:03.the hospital at this stage. We have had fiddling the figures, the
:07:04. > :07:09.hospital is in special measures, there is a culture of bullying. It
:07:10. > :07:15.will not get much worse than this. No, and is probably better this is
:07:16. > :07:18.out in the open. The only way you can manage this situation is to be
:07:19. > :07:22.open with the public. Things have gone wrong and you need to put
:07:23. > :07:27.things right. The NHS has to stand up, apologised to the public for
:07:28. > :07:31.this and do everything it can to put things right. It feels uncomfortable
:07:32. > :07:42.right now but it is ultimately to reassure the public. It can't get
:07:43. > :07:45.worse but I hope it will get better. The owner of a haulage company in
:07:46. > :07:49.Norfolk is claiming the Royal Bank of Scotland has driven him to the
:07:50. > :07:52.point of bankruptcy. The regulators are investigating a claim that RBS
:07:53. > :07:57.forced some small companies into liquidation so that they could seize
:07:58. > :08:07.their assets. He contacted the BBC to say he believes he is one of the
:08:08. > :08:11.victims. Until January, Paul Clark had a business worth millions of
:08:12. > :08:16.pounds, but he is now not allowed to step over this line as he doesn't
:08:17. > :08:25.own any more. The bank has forced his family firm into administration.
:08:26. > :08:32.It's very upsetting. It's caused us a lot of grief. Our business and our
:08:33. > :08:40.lives are totally on hold. We are in limbo. We are just hoping that
:08:41. > :08:47.something comes through. Paul Clark said of his business two decades
:08:48. > :08:52.ago. He had a turnover of ?1.6 million, but after borrowing
:08:53. > :08:56.?130,000 to build a new warehouse, the bank took three quarters of ?1
:08:57. > :09:02.million in costs and charges and has closed down his business. There is a
:09:03. > :09:09.lot of movement in our yard. Staff are 99% happy with their jobs. They
:09:10. > :09:18.are excited on a daily basis. But the day I went in and told them was
:09:19. > :09:23.a hard day. During a visit to the factory, the Business Secretary told
:09:24. > :09:32.look East how on official in his office had put together documents on
:09:33. > :09:35.RBS. This is not happening. If it has been happening, we need to get
:09:36. > :09:40.to the root of who is responsible and make sure that nothing like this
:09:41. > :09:46.happens again. RBS has not commented on specific cases but in a letter to
:09:47. > :09:49.the deputy governor of the Bank of England, the chief executive
:09:50. > :10:00.admitted he had got some angry clients.
:10:01. > :10:12.You can't express the anger. Paul Clark hopes to get his money back as
:10:13. > :10:14.well as his business and life. Police have arrested several people
:10:15. > :10:18.after discovering a cannabis and tobacco factory on a farm in
:10:19. > :10:21.Norfolk. Officers say the farm at Bradenham was hosting one of the
:10:22. > :10:25.biggest illegal operations they've come across in recent years. The
:10:26. > :10:36.goods seized are worth more than ?1 million. Armed officers were called
:10:37. > :10:41.on Sunday night following reports of an injured person. This turned out
:10:42. > :10:48.to be a hoax. Instead, police discovered sheds housing tobacco and
:10:49. > :10:53.cannabis. More than 20 rooms were being used to grow the drug. Norfolk
:10:54. > :10:57.police believe the factory had been operating for some time. It's been
:10:58. > :11:13.here for a significant amount of time. In a separate building, four
:11:14. > :11:18.tonnes of tobacco in 20 kilo sacks were found. Revenue and Customs
:11:19. > :11:24.officers say came from China. The tobacco was dried and processed for
:11:25. > :11:29.the UK counterfeit market. They estimate the lost in taxes is at
:11:30. > :11:32.least ?1 million. Police are still searching the farm and say the
:11:33. > :11:41.isolated location helped keep the factory secret. When you look at the
:11:42. > :11:45.production, it quite sophisticated. Then obviously, they have done a
:11:46. > :11:49.reasonably good job of concealing it, but intelligence has come from
:11:50. > :11:54.the community that has led to us understanding that this is here.
:11:55. > :11:57.Seven people are in custody, three of them foreign nationals, but there
:11:58. > :12:02.is no indication that any have been trafficked to work here.
:12:03. > :12:07.The superbug MRSA has been found in chickens and turkeys for the first
:12:08. > :12:11.time on a farm in Suffolk. The farm has not been named by the Department
:12:12. > :12:15.of Health but meat from hundreds of the birds has already been sold to
:12:16. > :12:16.the public. Experts say the health risk is very low because it's a
:12:17. > :12:37.non`human strain of the bug. There are now 29 shopping days till
:12:38. > :12:42.Christmas and already the battle on the High Street ` and on your laptop
:12:43. > :12:45.` is starting to hot up. So tonight, we're taking a look at three very
:12:46. > :12:49.different shopping venues to try to work out what the trends might be in
:12:50. > :12:52.this region. In a moment, an out`of`town shopping village in
:12:53. > :12:55.Essex, an independent book shop in Suffolk and a city centre mall in
:12:56. > :12:57.Peterborough. But first, how much are we spending this year? Here's
:12:58. > :13:00.Jenny Kirk. It's a month until Christmas and
:13:01. > :13:03.market analysts have started predicting what kind of a season
:13:04. > :13:07.it'll be for retailers. This year, for the first time, 20% of goods are
:13:08. > :13:11.expected to be bought online. That's a market worth around ?15 billion.
:13:12. > :13:13.But while the economy is improving, we're still being cautious with our
:13:14. > :13:19.money, only expecting to spend around ?30 more on food, travel and
:13:20. > :13:22.gifts than last year. But things are looking up. It's expected to be the
:13:23. > :13:26.strongest growth since 2007 and retail researchers are anticipating
:13:27. > :13:32.?2`3 billion more will be spent in Britain this December compared to
:13:33. > :13:36.last. The big change this year is in how we shop. We're not just online,
:13:37. > :13:40.we're on the move. There's expected to be a 337% increase in the number
:13:41. > :13:44.of people using their tablets and mobiles to buy gifts and we're not
:13:45. > :13:56.just using them ` we're buying them for presents. Sales are set to
:13:57. > :14:00.increase by 538% this Christmas. But what about the impact on the High
:14:01. > :14:03.Street? Well, while it can offer Christmas lights and Santa's grottos
:14:04. > :14:07.to tempt people in, and shoppers can touch the items and talk to an
:14:08. > :14:11.assistant about them, it is at the mercy of the weather, and it seems
:14:12. > :14:15.that comfort of buying and ease of delivery is appealing to many of us.
:14:16. > :14:20.34% of shoppers say they will buy most of their presents online this
:14:21. > :14:24.year. Some councils are trying to buck the trend. This morning, free
:14:25. > :14:27.parking was announced for Great Yarmouth on Sundays, and in Bedford,
:14:28. > :14:29.it's now free on Saturdays. Regionally, the CBI business
:14:30. > :14:32.lobbying organisation in Newmarket reports consumer confidence and
:14:33. > :14:35.spending is growing, and a sign that consumers are feeling more confident
:14:36. > :14:40.is the change in shops expecting a profitable Christmas. Last year, the
:14:41. > :14:45.budget ones did particularly well, like QD stores, Argos and Primark.
:14:46. > :14:49.This year, online retailers, like Amazon and the department stores,
:14:50. > :14:54.are expecting to see a 16% rise in sales, and the children's sector is
:14:55. > :15:02.also expecting to do well. There's been a baby boom during the
:15:03. > :15:05.recession as fewer of us go out. So, for our first report tonight,
:15:06. > :15:09.we're off to Freeport in Braintree. It's an out`of`town shopping centre
:15:10. > :15:18.with a difference. The details from Richard Daniel.
:15:19. > :15:25.Freeport Braintree, they call it a designer Village. What it means is
:15:26. > :15:34.national chains sending end of line products. This is M, but not as
:15:35. > :15:39.you might know it. It's MNS outlet. No familiar signs but plenty of
:15:40. > :15:43.shoppers on the hunt for a bargain. I have seen a couple of bits over
:15:44. > :15:57.there I like, tops and things like that. Definitely up for a bargain.
:15:58. > :16:03.My wife likes MNS. So are things finally looking up? Here, shops
:16:04. > :16:09.won't tell us precise figures. But having asked around, it seems that
:16:10. > :16:15.sales are up by 10% on the same week last year. A step away, Molton
:16:16. > :16:26.Brown. Plenty of seasonal smelly is for the stocking. People are in the
:16:27. > :16:30.spirit. People want to buy. But this is not a spending boom. The number
:16:31. > :16:37.of people shopping here may be up by 5%, but with household budgets
:16:38. > :16:44.shrinking, people are very cautious about what they buy. We see an
:16:45. > :16:48.uplift of 4`5%. People will come to the centre once or twice a year but
:16:49. > :16:53.come to the centre once or twice a year but comeback at Christmas. The
:16:54. > :16:57.Christmas rush still lies ahead. They are not talking record sales
:16:58. > :17:00.here but things are finally on the up it seems.
:17:01. > :17:04.OK, something very different now ` an independent book shop. For the
:17:05. > :17:08.last few years, life for them has been pretty tough. Many have already
:17:09. > :17:16.gone. From Suffolk, this report from Kevin Burch.
:17:17. > :17:26.The high Street, most of the shops here are independent. The book shop
:17:27. > :17:30.has been in business since 1949 and been voted independent book shop of
:17:31. > :17:39.the year. Its present owners are John and Mary Janes. We bought the
:17:40. > :17:44.shopping 2000 and a lot of people said, you are very unwise. Everyone
:17:45. > :17:52.will buy everything on the Internet. But we did by the book shop and we
:17:53. > :17:58.have had 13.5 very happy years. They stock 12,000 titles. They can't
:17:59. > :18:03.compete on price with the Giants but can offer a wide range and advice.
:18:04. > :18:07.As for digital reading, they say there's nothing like getting your
:18:08. > :18:12.hands on the real thing. You can see where you are in a book and can see
:18:13. > :18:18.how far where you have got. If you are using an electronic device, you
:18:19. > :18:25.have no idea where you are! It's a beautiful thing, on the whole, and a
:18:26. > :18:35.very well evolved object. In small towns, book shops definitely have a
:18:36. > :18:39.place. You feel as if you are part of the whole creation of the book
:18:40. > :18:50.and you can just enjoy feeling the book and looking at it, and without
:18:51. > :18:57.book, it becomes impersonal. East Anglia might be a place where book
:18:58. > :19:01.shops will remain. It is a part of England were maybe people value the
:19:02. > :19:13.independent sector. The reality, though, is that other book shops in
:19:14. > :19:16.the area have already shot. Finally, the Queensgate Centre in
:19:17. > :19:20.the centre of Peterborough. The message here ` Christmas shopping is
:19:21. > :19:29.happening earlier every year. Louise Hubball spent the morning there.
:19:30. > :19:36.As the Christmas rush gets underway, look around here. Here is something
:19:37. > :19:42.new. There is not a vacant store inside. What we have seen this year
:19:43. > :19:48.is great retailer demand. We fully let for the first time in a few
:19:49. > :19:53.years. That is transpiring in improving foot fall and sales for
:19:54. > :19:57.retailers. It feels busy here and people are buying. The centre says
:19:58. > :20:02.they have had an extra 250,000 shoppers compare to this time last
:20:03. > :20:07.year, so it seems the race has started earlier to grab that perfect
:20:08. > :20:11.gift. Last November, the big news here was the launch of prime arc.
:20:12. > :20:21.Now that manage `` now that magic seems to have rubbed off on other
:20:22. > :20:30.retailers. Have you started early? I certainly have. I started in
:20:31. > :20:36.January! Hit the sales. Are you feeling more confident this year?
:20:37. > :20:47.Yes, because now I am working, so it's easier for me. I see
:20:48. > :20:57.advertising and early decorations. For me, some clothes. I've got five
:20:58. > :21:07.grandchildren and two great`grandchildren. Mad! This has a
:21:08. > :21:10.potential catchment area of 1 million visitors. People are
:21:11. > :21:14.shopping for bargains but they are buying and seem to be doing it
:21:15. > :21:20.earlier. James Brown is an accountant from
:21:21. > :21:26.Grant Thornton based in Suffolk. From your point of view, what are
:21:27. > :21:30.you hearing about how well businesses are doing this year?
:21:31. > :21:40.Things are on the up. All evidence points to that. We recently ran our
:21:41. > :21:44.annual report and growth in Suffolk alone was up 6%. It's more about
:21:45. > :21:49.what profit people are making on the back of that growth but confidence
:21:50. > :21:53.is returning. We hear a lot in the news about government figures being
:21:54. > :21:57.more positive and the economy being on the up, but what it boils down to
:21:58. > :22:04.for retail is how much people feel they have in their pockets. You have
:22:05. > :22:09.got to competing forces: Good news about the economy, people are buoyed
:22:10. > :22:13.about house prices going up, people are hearing good things about
:22:14. > :22:21.employment, therefore thinking, shall we make that purchase? But the
:22:22. > :22:26.end of the day, inflation is still rising quicker than earnings growth
:22:27. > :22:32.and therefore, in real terms, you are probably a little worse off. You
:22:33. > :22:34.put that together with the high`profile energy price
:22:35. > :22:48.increases, and psychologically, that's not good place the consumer
:22:49. > :22:51.to be. Makes them feel insecure. As far as the online versus high
:22:52. > :23:00.Street, we've heard how online sales are going up year`on`year. How bad
:23:01. > :23:06.is that getting for the high street? Online retail is 20% of the market
:23:07. > :23:13.and it's growing. The high street is actually been pretty good. Over the
:23:14. > :23:19.last few years, they have had to fight. It has been innovative and ``
:23:20. > :23:24.in its offering and pricing. It has tried to make the shopping
:23:25. > :23:31.experience more entertaining. Local authorities are trying to help by
:23:32. > :23:34.making sure that roadworks were closed before the onset of the
:23:35. > :23:38.Christmas shopping season because you don't want people waking up on a
:23:39. > :23:44.Saturday, thinking, I don't want to go into town because I can't face
:23:45. > :23:49.the traffic. And so, that's all good stuff. The big test will be the
:23:50. > :23:53.weather. We heard in one of those reports that may be in this region
:23:54. > :24:01.we value the independent sector more, but how does this region
:24:02. > :24:05.compared to other regions? I'm a big advocate of East Anglia, but there
:24:06. > :24:12.is evidence to show we're doing all right. Last week, the British retail
:24:13. > :24:20.Consortium released figures saying that in October, footfall fell
:24:21. > :24:22.year`on`year by 3%. In East Anglia, it was the only region which went
:24:23. > :24:47.up. Let's start with a beautiful sunset.
:24:48. > :24:51.We have been in a fairly static weather pattern for the last few
:24:52. > :24:56.days. There are subtle changes underway, and already, we have got
:24:57. > :25:00.this warm front heading southwards. It doesn't mean it will turn warm
:25:01. > :25:06.but there will be milder air behind it. Having said that, we have had a
:25:07. > :25:13.lot of cloud around tonight. There are gaps in the cloud, allowing
:25:14. > :25:18.temperatures to drop. Certainly possible we may get a touch of
:25:19. > :25:24.ground frost. The general trend will be for increasing amounts of cloud
:25:25. > :25:34.to move in. Also, patchy, light rain expected. Quite damp conditions.
:25:35. > :25:38.This will take its time to clear, but across the northern half, it
:25:39. > :25:45.will clear away, leaving cloud. The northern half may be seeing
:25:46. > :25:51.something brighter into the afternoon, but across the south
:25:52. > :25:56.eastern half, a lot of cloud. The numbers tomorrow will be slightly
:25:57. > :26:00.higher: Eight or nine Celsius, that if you are stuck in the cloud, it
:26:01. > :26:08.will not necessarily make it feel warmer. The winds will be light, and
:26:09. > :26:12.as you see that brightness starting to break through. Then we are into
:26:13. > :26:17.one next change in pressure pattern because the high pressure that has
:26:18. > :26:21.stood firm is showing signs of moving. It's moving westwards and
:26:22. > :26:27.you can see this area of low pressure. That will move southwards
:26:28. > :26:33.and push this cold front down. It will introduce cooler air but the
:26:34. > :26:36.sauce is mid`Atlantic air so it is not particularly cold. What will
:26:37. > :26:42.make it feel cold is the strength of the wind. Certainly, by the end of
:26:43. > :26:48.the week, it will feel colder. Thursday brings us a fairly cloudy
:26:49. > :26:52.day. There will be some breaks appearing. Temperatures still
:26:53. > :26:57.holding up to eight degrees, and then we start afresh and wind. Maybe
:26:58. > :27:05.a few spots of rain, but not particularly active. A little cooler
:27:06. > :27:08.for Saturday. Still quite windy and we see the return of cold nights
:27:09. > :27:13.Friday and Saturday night.