:00:00. > :00:07.changes to grading and assessment. That is all from
:00:08. > :00:15.Tonight, live pictures as the region's Fire crews had just walked
:00:16. > :00:22.out on strike. They will not return until 11pm. There are warnings to
:00:23. > :00:31.hope `` postpone private fireworks parties. Hello and welcome to Look
:00:32. > :00:33.East. In the programme tonight. . Burgled while she visited her
:00:34. > :00:35.terminally ill husband, a grandmother begs for family
:00:36. > :00:39.heirlooms to be returned. Back at the canoeing course where he
:00:40. > :00:44.won gold, Etienne Stott looks back ` and forward.
:00:45. > :00:50.And strong winds forecast for Saturday night. All the details
:00:51. > :00:55.later. Good evening. It's one of their
:00:56. > :00:58.busiest nights of the year. But right now fire`fighters across the
:00:59. > :01:02.region are beginning a 4.5 hour strike. They're urging the public to
:01:03. > :01:07.postpone bonfire celebrations until tomorrow. Here's what they're
:01:08. > :01:10.striking over ` at the moment, fire`fighters retire at 55, but the
:01:11. > :01:15.government wants to raise that to 60. Union members say it's a
:01:16. > :01:22.physical job and forcing older fire`fighters to stay on the front
:01:23. > :01:25.line is "unrealistic and dangerous". Ben Bland is at the station in
:01:26. > :01:34.Cambridge where the picket line is about to form.
:01:35. > :01:38.As you can see behind me, these firefighters have now come out on
:01:39. > :01:45.strike along with hundreds of others right across our region. The strike
:01:46. > :01:49.that happened back in September was at a very quiet time of the day It
:01:50. > :01:56.was in the middle of the afternoon. Tonight, it is happily much busier
:01:57. > :02:02.time. It is a evening, and bonfire night, people may be going to events
:02:03. > :02:07.or planning their own things in the garden at home. It is also the last
:02:08. > :02:15.Friday of half term. The rows will be even busier than normal. The fire
:02:16. > :02:18.service often attends and held out a road accidents. The timing of the
:02:19. > :02:22.strike could really put pressure on the fire service across the region
:02:23. > :02:30.this evening. They are urging people to take extra care. Strike almost
:02:31. > :02:35.right, the show will go on. Bedford Rugby club is getting ready to host
:02:36. > :02:39.its fireworks display tonight. It has been five months in the planning
:02:40. > :02:43.and they are determined not to disappoint the 4000 people they are
:02:44. > :02:47.expecting. They are used to crowd here because of rugby matches. We
:02:48. > :02:54.have precautions in place and they will answer my 99 map `` my 99
:02:55. > :03:03.calls. They are happy that we go`ahead with this. Our chief safety
:03:04. > :03:10.officer is a fireman. Across the region, contingency plans are in
:03:11. > :03:15.effect. My 99 calls will be answered. Some Fire services will be
:03:16. > :03:21.using part`time workers or senior offices. We have contingency cover
:03:22. > :03:25.for the whole county but it will be based on availability. We are urging
:03:26. > :03:32.people to be very careful considering our close we are to
:03:33. > :03:36.bonfire night. To attend where possible organised events. For
:03:37. > :03:41.people coming back on the roads for half term, to be particularly
:03:42. > :03:49.careful. The rows between the Fire Brigade union and the government.
:03:50. > :03:55.The plans are to raise the retirement age to 16. There's also a
:03:56. > :04:01.plan to introduce a fitness test which the union believes that for
:04:02. > :04:11.some people to retire early. We have put together one of the best hackers
:04:12. > :04:14.years in the public sector. It is rightly generous because
:04:15. > :04:20.firefighters perform a vital service. It will `` they will be
:04:21. > :04:25.based on their capability. This is the second strike in six weeks and
:04:26. > :04:30.even `` the side cannot reach agreement, there is another plan for
:04:31. > :04:35.next week. It is a particularly cold night here but the firefighters will
:04:36. > :04:43.be on the picket line for the next four hours until the strike finishes
:04:44. > :04:47.at 11pm. Cars going past have been sounding their walls and support,
:04:48. > :04:50.some of them. Firefighters in Northamptonshire and Bedfordshire
:04:51. > :04:56.will also be taking part in the strike. Neither side is backing down
:04:57. > :05:00.this evening. That further strike I mentioned is due to happen between
:05:01. > :05:06.6pm and 8pm on Monday morning unless they can strike a deal in the
:05:07. > :05:10.meantime. Keith Handscomb is from the Fire
:05:11. > :05:14.Brigades' Union in this region. I asked him whether members could
:05:15. > :05:18.expect the public's the board when they chose to strike on bonfire
:05:19. > :05:23.night weekend. We were actually hoping not to go on strike at all.
:05:24. > :05:27.But we chose the Friday night and the Sunday, or Monday morning,
:05:28. > :05:32.because by our research, the vast number of public events will be
:05:33. > :05:35.happening on Saturday and on November the 5th itself. So we
:05:36. > :05:41.carefully selected the Friday and Sunday to avoid that. You say try to
:05:42. > :05:45.not affect the bonfire weekend, but people are travelling back from half
:05:46. > :05:49.term, it is also Halloween. There will be plenty of people out there.
:05:50. > :05:54.Members say it is dangerous to work on the front line until 60, but
:05:55. > :06:00.surely striking today is also dangerous. There is no good time for
:06:01. > :06:04.an emergency front line service to go on strike. Some provisions are in
:06:05. > :06:10.place, busy they will not be as good as the professional immediate
:06:11. > :06:15.response is that you get from the professionals. But we also agree
:06:16. > :06:23.that if there is a major incident, a terrorism incident, we will cause ``
:06:24. > :06:27.call our members back. Let's talk about one of those grievances, the
:06:28. > :06:31.retirement age. The armed forces have also had their pensions
:06:32. > :06:37.changed, they will work till 60 why can't you? You don't see many
:06:38. > :06:42.60`year`old soldiers operating on the front line in war zones. But
:06:43. > :06:47.firefighters work on the operational side all the way through their
:06:48. > :06:51.career. At the age of 60, even the government's evidence shows, that
:06:52. > :06:55.the vast majority of firefighters face the problem of being sacked
:06:56. > :06:59.before the age of 16 and they get their pension because of the high
:07:00. > :07:05.level of fitness that needs to be maintained. Keith Handscomb, this is
:07:06. > :07:09.the second time in six weeks that members have walked out, how long
:07:10. > :07:14.are you prepared to fight for? We hope to have talks soon, we have
:07:15. > :07:17.written to the Minister. It seems to us that the government had no
:07:18. > :07:23.intention of changing their plans despite the public seeming to
:07:24. > :07:27.understand that it is not reasonable or professional to have 60`year`old
:07:28. > :07:30.firefighters. I hope they come to the table. If they do game, it could
:07:31. > :07:34.be a long dispute. Next tonight the sheer human cost of
:07:35. > :07:37.burglary. A pensioner from Cambridgeshire was targeted as she
:07:38. > :07:39.was out visiting her terminally ill husband. Ann Ward's bungalow in
:07:40. > :07:43.Impington was ransacked. The thieves got away with thousands of pounds
:07:44. > :07:51.worth of jewellery much of it with great sentimental value. Mike
:07:52. > :07:57.Cartwright went to meet Mrs Ward. I walked into the kitchen and
:07:58. > :08:03.straightaway, stood on broken glass. I turned and put the light on and
:08:04. > :08:09.obviously saw the window had been smashed in. Ann Ward had just got
:08:10. > :08:15.home after visiting her husband Frank who is terminally ill with
:08:16. > :08:22.cancer. A son, Darren, is disable and need constant care. And not to
:08:23. > :08:29.deal with. And now this. Devastated, really. I don't need all this with
:08:30. > :08:34.everything else I have got going on. She rushed to her bedroom. The room
:08:35. > :08:39.had been ransacked. Boxes of jewellery emptied. It was all tipped
:08:40. > :08:47.on the bed and on the floor. My jewellery was gone. A lifetime of
:08:48. > :08:51.jewellery. That my husband had bought me over the years and that I
:08:52. > :09:03.had bought myself and also presents from people. Precious belongings
:09:04. > :09:09.stolen a recent spate of burglaries. A Breitling watch was stolen, a
:09:10. > :09:19.1950s antique. Also a gold ghillie chain, and antique. Very own usual.
:09:20. > :09:31.`` a gold did the chain. If you have seen it, get in touch with us. Had
:09:32. > :09:46.he. `. `` had you feel about these people? As a Christian, I'm trying
:09:47. > :09:51.not to feel bitter and horrible And have a ` Ann Ward used to feel quite
:09:52. > :09:56.safe in this house. No longer. I left all the lights on in this
:09:57. > :09:59.house. But I have to stay here. I will not let them get the better of
:10:00. > :10:05.me. She is determined to get over this, otherwise, she says, the
:10:06. > :10:07.burglars have one. `` the burglars have won.
:10:08. > :10:11.The bomb disposal squad was called to Kettering this morning after the
:10:12. > :10:14.discovery of several World War II devices. Northamptonshire Police say
:10:15. > :10:17.they carried out a warrant at a house in Highfield Road where they
:10:18. > :10:20.found the devices. A section of the road was cordoned off and two houses
:10:21. > :10:25.evacuated. The devices were examined and found to be no threat ` no
:10:26. > :10:29.controlled explosion was needed Ram raiders have got away with a
:10:30. > :10:32.cash machine from a post office and convenience store in Bedfordshire.
:10:33. > :10:37.They smashed through the wall of the shop in Clifton using a stolen JCB.
:10:38. > :10:40.Two cars were also damaged. It's thought three people made their
:10:41. > :10:46.escape in a stolen white pick`up truck. Police are examining CCTV and
:10:47. > :10:49.asking witnesses to come forward. A word of congratulation to our
:10:50. > :10:54.colleague Jonathan Vernon`Smith at BBC Three Counties Radio. He has won
:10:55. > :10:57.a gold and silver Gillard award That's the competition which
:10:58. > :11:05.recognises the best in BBC local radio.
:11:06. > :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. > :12:12.This is Macedonia. It is part of the former Yugoslavia. The capital is
:12:13. > :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. > :12:30.In a few years time, Macedonia could be part of the EU. As Europe has
:12:31. > :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. > :12:46.has been chosen by the European powers to oversee Macedonia's
:12:47. > :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. > :13:22.sort it out. We need a fundamental reshaping and bring about great
:13:23. > :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. > :16:33.mid`table. Much better than expected. He has come and the main
:16:34. > :16:39.thing is he has put a smile on the face of the players and the
:16:40. > :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. > :16:57.rather than later? The fans are the biggest pressure gauge for us. Yes,
:16:58. > :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. > :17:56.have to be realists? Is the Premier League a dream too far? To be this
:17:57. > :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. > :18:27.Mick's personal point of view, it may have been nice to be asked, a
:18:28. > :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. > :18:43.BBC Radio Suffolk at 7:45pm. We remember the gold medal in the
:18:44. > :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. > :19:10.world. Any one section would probably be the hardest in any other
:19:11. > :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. > :19:35.time, some champions. With the world Championships coming up, this is
:19:36. > :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. > :20:01.course, but... A little bit further on, you can see the big drop behind
:20:02. > :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. > :20:39.a go. When was that? About two years ago. It is incredible that I am now
:20:40. > :20:42.competing. It is one of the steepest and shortest courses in the world.
:20:43. > :20:48.The rough and tumble of these waters will soon sort out the old hands
:20:49. > :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. > :21:47.to be still without power. The storm was called St Jude, after the patron
:21:48. > :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. > :22:26.overturned lorry, a terrified driver described what happened The wind was
:22:27. > :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. > :23:27.the damage. The high winds caused chaos. It was a miserable start for
:23:28. > :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. > :24:02.the elite of Rockwell were still without power. I was here in 1987.
:24:03. > :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. > :24:35.shows how quickly we have improved. Monday's storm was not as severe as
:24:36. > :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. > :25:02.forecasters, engineers, and call centre workers, it could have been
:25:03. > :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. > :26:34.We could get up to 40 mph and they will continue to be strong
:26:35. > :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. > :27:07.but most showers for Monday would be quite isolated. Certainly feeling
:27:08. > :27:10.chilly in the brisk wind. Then we have another low pressure system
:27:11. > :27:14.arriving on Sunday night. That will bring some overnight rain.
:27:15. > :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.