23/12/2013 Look East - East

Hello and welcome to Look East. In the programme tonight: Trains

cancelled, bridges closed, flood alerts in place and warnings. This

could be the toughest Christmas getaway in years.

21 years after their daughter was murdered. The parents of Johanna

Young appeal for help to catch her killer. There must be somebody

somewhere with some information. Pressure on A We were on the

wards at Peteborough City Hospital on what the experts called "Black

Friday". And a window on another world. The

tiny village, and a giant advent calendar.

Hello, first tonight a warning of travel chaos to come as gale force

winds start to batter the region. The wind has been getting stronger

and the rain has been getting heavier all afternoon. The Dartford

Crossing bridge on the M25 was closed just after 1pm. Lots of

railway services have either been cancelled or changed. And the worst

is still to come with wind speeds likely to peak overnight. The fear

is we could wake up to flooding tomorrow morning. This report is

from Debbie Tubby. These are the last few trains running to schedule

this afternoon. Many services have now been cancelled or altered `

there will also be no trains running tomorrow morning until 10am. Running

at lower speeds is the most sensible thing to do. It's safe as well. It

means we can't run the full timetable so there are alterations

in place this evening. During the storm in October, 200 trees fell on

the region's rail network and many homes were left without electricity.

UK Power Network says it has brought in extra staff to repair any damage

tonight and man its call centre. This afternoon, the QE2 bridge at

Dartford was closed. It will stay that way until 4am tomorrow morning.

Essex Police say the tunnels will remain open. Congestion is expected.

The Highways Agency will make a decision later tonight on whether to

close the Orwell Bridge in Suffolk. WeatherQuest says the strongest

winds will hit between midnight and 2am. Much of central and western

East Anglia will be getting 50 to 60 mile per hour winds. At the coast,

it's about 70 miles per hour for the top winds. Fairly damaging. Drivers

are also being warned to be aware of surface water. Unlike the floods

caused by the tidal surge two weeks ago, the Environment Agency says

this time the concern is the heavy bursts of rain. As that water makes

its way down to the rivers, we need to be vigilant. We will be. We'll

issue the appropriate alerts and warnings. We want to make sure we

get the message out to the general public. At Norwich International,

flights to Manchester have been cancelled and passengers will now be

taken by coach. For the latest on the railways we can go to Kevin

Burch who's at Ipswich Station. How's it looking Kevin? Frustrating.

This has been a lot of anger here. `` There has been. It has been a

horrible night. Not a lot of festive cheer. People wanted to get home but

they haven't been able to do that. One guy said he left London at two

o'clock and he has only just got here. Part of that has just been

because of the broken down train. Major problems in Essex. Many

services are disrupted. Replacement buses in place. It is all expected

to go until nine o'clock this evening. I listened to the news this

morning and I turned it off because I was getting frightened. But it was

all ok. Not too bad. A little wait here and there. No trains till

10am... I can't open up my business. No notice, either. It's not good

enough. The government has to step in and do something about it. It's

no good to the paying customer. Will you travel tomorrow? No. My business

is closed and I can't travel. I've got to give people the day off. On a

busy Christmas travelling day it's going to be very disruptive. You

want it to be running as smooth as possible, and for them to keep

disruptions to a minimum. In my experience, it's all fine. You're

better safe than sorry. There have been some problems early on at the

Orwell Bridge. Egg is now closed to high sided vehicles. `` it is now.

No trains running until ten o'clock tomorrow morning. Elsewhere, here

are some other problems. And you can get more information by

going to BBC News online, where the weather is the lead story on the

home page. Tomorrow morning you can also listen to the Breakfast Shows

on BBC Radio Norfolk, Radio Suffolk or BBC Essex to get the latest on

the disruption where you live. The parents of a 14`year`old from

Norfolk who went missing 21 years ago tonight have made a new appeal

for help in finding her killer. Joanna Young disappeared after

failing to turn up for her morning paper round in the town of Watton.

Her body was discovered three days later in a frozen pond. Johanna

Young opening her Christmas presents in an old family video. But 21 years

ago, her presents remained unopened at the end of her bed. She had gone

into Watton town centre on a cold and foggy night on the 23rd of

December. Then she failed to turn up for her morning paper round. On

Boxing Day, her partially`clothed body was found face down in a frozen

pond. A postmortem showed she'd suffered a fractured skull and died

from drowning. After the shocking discovery, a special service was

held at Wotton St Mary's Church. We pray today for the family of

Johanna. We remember Robert and Carol during this time of grief. We

pray for the police as they seek to find and apprehend the person

responsible. She came into the doorway... She asked if it was all

right if she went out. I said yes. You said don't be late. Then she

went off. Johanna's siblings have given their parents the gift of

grandchildren. But Robert and Carol still mourn the loss of Johanna and

the life she might have lived. 21 years on, they still hope somebody

can give them answers. There must be somebody, somewhere with a little

bit of information that may help the police ` to help find out who did

murder Johanna. Somebody knows something. Somebody knows who did

it. Why can't they tell? It would mean a lot, to have it all sorted.

For her to get the justice she deserves. I urge people to come

forward, to bring those people to justice. Also to provide the family

with answers about what happened to their 14`year`old daughter. She was

a vibrant, young, carefree teenager, full of life and energy. They miss

her deeply. On Christmas Day, Robert will go to St Mary's Churchyard

where Johanna is buried. He'll talk to her as he does on every Christmas

and birthday. He and Carol dream of getting an answer to the question of

who killed his daughter. Colchester Zoo has told the BBC it

stands by its decision not to tell visitors about the escape of some of

its wolves last month. Five timber wolves broke free from their

enclosure at the end of November. Three of them were shot dead.

Visitors inside the zoo were told it was a medical emergency. The police

were told about the escape at 8am but the zoo stayed open until 3pm

that afternoon. A couple from Norfolk who lost

everything when their home was destroyed in the tidal surge say

they are amazed by the kindness of other people. Wesley Woods and Helen

Robinson, who live in Walcott, now have a new home filled with

furniture which has been donated. Walcott, on the north Norfolk coast,

was badly hit by the storm surge. Look East filmed a couple whose

caravan was destroyed. But they were already amazed by the kindness of

strangers. We've been given clothes... Coats... One guy we

didn't even know walked up and gave us the contents of his wallet. That

was just the start. Kindness has put clothes on my family's back and

filled this new home with furniture. It's restored my faith in human

nature. We've had a dining table. Presents. The kindness people have

been showing... Amazing. We've had the arms of the community wrapped

around us and we feel nice and warm. Fridge freezer from a lady who

helped us on the first night when we had nowhere to stay. People turning

up with cups and mugs. Dishes as well. Pots and pans. All of these

things. Everything you can see. I've got so much. Amazing kindness. It'll

be a much better Christmas than you envisaged a few weeks ago? So much

better. I feel on top of the world. At a local pub, musical firefighters

raised money for a flood fund which has already reached six figures. The

fear here, though, is that it won't be long before the community is

tested again. Still to come on the programme

tonight: Chris Bell will be here with the latest on those storms.

And in football, another manager bites the dust. Aidy Boothroyd pays

the price after a torrid season at Northampton Town.

Hospital managers have been warning for months about the building

pressure in our Accident and Emergency departments this winter.

And we were warned that last weekend would be particularly bad ` so much

so that they were predicting last Friday would be 'Black Friday'. But

what was the reality for the NHS? Well, we were on the wards at

Peterborough City Hospital. Jo Taylor has this report. It's only

8pm and the place is full. This woman is having breathing

difficulties. She has a history of health problems. In the next

cubicle, a man has been brought in uncoscious. He's been in a road

accident and is being taken for a scan to assess how badly injured he

is. The Emergency Department has seen more than a 50% rise in the

number of people turning up over the Christmas fortnight over the last

five years. When I first started we had a minor injury unit and another

area... It was rare to use it, never mind fill. This is three times the

size and full. This man is worried about redness following a hernia

operation. He called the non`emergency 111 number and told

not to come here. They said a GP would ring us in six hours. We

didn't want to wait. We were a bit concerned. So we came down here and

hopefully we will be seen soon. One in ten who turn up do not need to.

The problem is that doctors deal with are getting more serious. We

have got a wide range of patients. Patients with cases revolving around

XS alcohol and many other things. `` excess alcohol. Dominic was a week

after row. He is being transferred to Addenbrooke's Hospital. That is

life. But they are not able to save everybody. There are two deaths this

evening. It was quite moving for us. The patient had died but they were

still very grateful. That is touching. If we don't feel like that

then we shouldn't be nurses. By midnight, another 40 patients have

come through the door. It is a typical Friday night for staff as

they head towards Christmas. Dr Dan Poulter is a Health Minister. He's

also the MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich. Late this afternoon,

I asked what we could do about so many people going to A when they

don't need to. It's absolutely right that if someone is unwell they

should be seen quickly. That's what A is for. But the challenge is to

help people understand that it's not in their interests ` or the

interests of other, sick patients ` to put extra pressure on A for

routine complaints like a sore throat. The appropriate thing to do

is go to see their GP the next morning. Part of that is about

doctors in A pointing it out to people. Next time they might want to

see their GP rather than come to A when it's a relatively minor

complaint. One of the big problems is that it's not always easy to see

your own GP. Do we have enough? Do we pay them enough? The average GP

is paid around ?105,000 a year which is a good salary by anybody's

standards. Most of them won't be doing evenings or weekends. Some

will, of course. The challenge is to increase the number of GPs. If we

want to move to a position where we have more working over evenings and

weekends then it's not just about getting the current GPs to work

later... It's about making sure we have enough bodies on the ground to

provide the service. Is one of the problems that people move around so

much in the country, and Europe as a whole, that they don't bother

signing up with a GP? There is a challenge relating to high

population. It happens in inner`city areas as well as some rural ones. As

much as a third of the GP register can change on a yearly basis. `` an

annual basis. Younger people are particularly bad at signing up. It

tends to be them who turn up at A for more trivial complaints. When

they do turn up with a minor complaint, the A department should

link them to a GP so that in the future that person won't be putting

extra pressure on. Thank you. And the BBC is keeping a close eye on

how our Accident and Emergency departments cope this winter. You

can actually see how your local hospital is getting on by going to

the BBC website online and searching for 'NHS Winter' You can put a post

code in ` the studio here is NR2 1BH ` and we get the Norfolk and Norwich

University Hospital. You can see how many patients are

being seen within four hours in A And if you scroll down you can also

compare how your hospital is doing compared to the England average.

Plenty of opportunity on the site to share your own NHS experiences too.

In football, Northampton Town go into Christmas and the New Year

battling for survival in the Football League and trying to find a

new manager. Aidy Boothroyd was sacked at the weekend following a

heavy defeat. Back in May they were at Wembley in the League Two

play`off final. But they've only won four games this season and the

manager paid the price. Saturday. Wycombe Wanderers at Sixfields. Aidy

Boothroyd needed a win but he didn't get it. The Cobblers lost 4`1 ` and

at 5:39pm, less than an hour after the final whistle ` Boothroyd was

sacked. We lost the manager at the weekend. He was a friend,

particularly to me. The players got on with him well. But they reacted.

We had a little talk and I thought they trained very well. Aidy

Boothroyd joined Northampton Town just over two years ago. He'd

already taken Watford into the Premier League, followed by spells

at Colchester United and Coventry. In May, the Cobblers made it to the

League Two play`offs and the Wembley final... But they lost. And this

season has been a disaster. This is what Boothroyd told Look East just a

few weeks ago. You know you're going to have highs and lows. There are

more lows than highs. Fortunately, I'm getting the opportunity to

change it and turn it around. A lot of guys in this day would have been

chopped by now. `` in this day and age. Whether he realised or not, the

board was losing patience. The Cobblers are bottom of League Two

with just four wins. I know there was gloom after the decision. I just

feel we have to have a lift. We can't have a negative opinion. I

think the club are taking a gamble by replacing him at this stage. He

knows the players. He's been backed financially. He looked to be getting

more in January as well. After Saturday's final whistle, maybe

Boothroyd did know what was coming. Instead of thanking the players on

the pitch, he looked on then turned and walked straight down the tunnel.

Within minutes he'd be sacked. Another manager looking for another

job. A former sports editor here at BBC

Look East has died at the age of 82. John Myatt presented sports

bulletins during the 1970s and 1980s. He was also a reporter and

presenter on the radio programme Roundabout East Anglia. He died at

Southwold Hospital yesterday. There was a time when you knew what

to expect with an advent calendar. Mary and Joseph round the crib,

perhaps a few shepherds in a field or some wise men on camels. These

days it's anything from a Christmas tree to pop groups like One

Direction. And behind every door, anything from chocolate to whiskey.

But in the village of Abington Pigot in Cambridgeshire they've gone one

better. The whole village has, in effect, become an advent calendar.

Every night throughout December, people have gathered at a house and

opened another window. Alex Dolan explains. It is the eve of Christmas

Eve. For a small Cambridge village the countdown has been extra

special. People usually open and Advent calendar but here in Abington

Pigotts they have taken the idea even farther. They have transformed

the house is in two Advent calendar windows. `` their houses. `` into

Advent calendar windows. I tried to gauge interest and I had a great

response. We have got lots of things here. Beyers, rabbits... `` Bears.

What has it been like seeing all these windows? Everybody has had a

different slant. It has been great to get together with people even

just for 15 or 20 minutes. It has been lovely. It has been amazing. We

are new to the village of this is our first experience. 24 minced

pies. 24 glasses of wine. Lots of friendly people.

The villagers have really got into the spirit of things. With just two

windows left to open, they are likely that next year will be even

better. `` they are all agreed that next year will be even better. That

music will be in my head all night! Now for the weather. I am going to

show you some graphics. Here are some very cold air over my homeland

of North America. `` Here is some. There is a real contrast in

temperature. It has allowed these big areas of low pressure to

develop. You can see at streaming over. `` it. Some of these winds

have been very fast. When you get strong winds like this, over the top

of low pressure, it becomes quite fierce. Fort and eight, across our

region, there will be gale force winds and some strong gusts. `` For

tonight. The Met office has a wind their brain will be with us right

throughout the night. `` the rain. 60 to 70 mph is for the winds. These

will come at around midnight. There could be some damage done. At the

end of the night it will be confined to eastern areas. It will start to

ease down eventually. The rainbow sweep away to the east leaving us

with a much nicer day. `` the rain will. High temperatures of 78

Celsius. `` seven to eight Celsius. For Christmas Day it looks like a

mild day. That is how things will go into Boxing Day. We will see the

wind is picking up again. That could potentially cause some strong winds.

See you tomorrow.