:00:00. > :00:00.In the programme tonight: Tougher penalties for drivers
:00:00. > :00:10.But not tough enough for a man who survived a multiple crash that
:00:11. > :00:24.There's strong evidence to suggest the destruction caused by a phone is
:00:25. > :00:27.equal to or more than the impairment caused by alcohol. I see no reason
:00:28. > :00:28.at all whether punishment should not be on as well.
:00:29. > :00:31.Councils struggle to offer all pupils their first choice
:00:32. > :00:33.of secondary school, with rising student numbers
:00:34. > :00:37.The two-day-old babies having innovative hearing tests
:00:38. > :00:56.I am here in Luton town as Oxford take
:00:57. > :01:00.Road safety campaigners in this region have welcomed tougher
:01:01. > :01:07.But say penalties could go even further.
:01:08. > :01:09.This comes despite three of our police forces
:01:10. > :01:15.number of motorists caught with a phone at the wheel.
:01:16. > :01:19.people were pulled over in Cambridgeshire,
:01:20. > :01:29.Campaigners say that's not good enough.
:01:30. > :01:44.nicknamed Smiler, seven-year-old Seth Dixon was a happy boy, he loved
:01:45. > :01:49.singing and dancing and his mum Alice. In December 2014 she asked
:01:50. > :01:54.him to post a letter across the road. He was hit by a car and died
:01:55. > :02:00.two weeks later. There's nothing to compare it to. You just can't
:02:01. > :02:07.believe it's happening. You can't believe... This is real. It's awful.
:02:08. > :02:11.You just want to scoop him up and shake him and say no, come back to
:02:12. > :02:17.life. There must be something you can do. But there isn't. The driver
:02:18. > :02:21.of the car that hit Seth was talking hands-free on her mobile phone.
:02:22. > :02:27.Since then, Alice has campaigned for a total ban on using phones while
:02:28. > :02:31.driving. Today saw the launch of tougher new laws, six points instead
:02:32. > :02:35.of three and a ?200 fine. New drivers caught within two years of
:02:36. > :02:37.passing the test would have their licence revoked but Alice says
:02:38. > :02:45.that's not enough to change attitudes. It's about the message.
:02:46. > :02:50.The message is not, the message most people are taking from this is, if I
:02:51. > :02:54.am distracted and have an accident, I will get fined. A lot of people
:02:55. > :02:59.are saying to me, that means that if I am not a person who gets
:03:00. > :03:05.distracted by making a phone call, I will not have an accident and will
:03:06. > :03:07.not get fined. Adam Pearson from Milton Keynes was seriously injured
:03:08. > :03:13.when a lorry smashed into the back of his stationary car at 50 mph, a
:03:14. > :03:16.mother and three children in another car what all killed .- camera
:03:17. > :03:19.footage showed the lorry driver changing music on his phone for at
:03:20. > :03:25.least eight seconds before the smash. There is very strong evidence
:03:26. > :03:31.to suggest the destruction caused by a phone is at least equal to or more
:03:32. > :03:37.than that the impairment caused by alcohol. I see no reason why the
:03:38. > :03:41.punishment should not be on part as well. This new HTV cabin will give
:03:42. > :03:45.officers a better vantage point in catching offenders at the wheel of
:03:46. > :03:51.larger vehicles. They say mobile phone use is the modern problem
:03:52. > :03:54.facing the law enforcers. Back in the 70s, people were not wearing
:03:55. > :03:57.seat belts, so we made it an sociable for people not to wear
:03:58. > :04:01.them. Then we moved on to drink-driving, now we are in the era
:04:02. > :04:07.of social media and Facebook etc. People are using their mobile phones
:04:08. > :04:12.more. Seth's mum Alice says she will continue her campaign.
:04:13. > :04:17.The Chief Executive of the Road Victims Trust.
:04:18. > :04:19.It's a charity based in Bedford which supports victims
:04:20. > :04:23.I asked him how much of a deterrent these new penalties
:04:24. > :04:33.I don't think it will stop people completely. Unfortunately what we
:04:34. > :04:38.have is a culture that people think it is OK to be on the phone while
:04:39. > :04:42.driving. The answer to this ultimately will be a holistic
:04:43. > :04:45.approach, that's around enforcement and education. It's about awareness
:04:46. > :04:49.and culture, people thinking they should not be on their phones when
:04:50. > :04:54.they're doing something as convex as driving and recognising the true
:04:55. > :04:56.danger that the causes. How do you make something like using your phone
:04:57. > :05:03.behind the wheel socially unacceptable? It is socially
:05:04. > :05:08.unacceptable, entirely inappropriate and poor behaviour. I think what
:05:09. > :05:11.happens around education and awareness and enforcement, is that
:05:12. > :05:16.the message does get through. It does not get their overnight, you
:05:17. > :05:18.only have to look at other changes that have occurred around
:05:19. > :05:24.legislation. Think of drink-driving compared with how people view it
:05:25. > :05:26.now. The actual legislation, increased deterrence and penalties,
:05:27. > :05:32.we'll get through to people and hopefully that will start to change
:05:33. > :05:36.people's minds. This is all about catching people using their phones
:05:37. > :05:41.while on the road. How confident are you that the police have enough
:05:42. > :05:45.resources to do so. I do not think the legislation changes all about
:05:46. > :05:48.catching people, the enforcement element is. You would have too asked
:05:49. > :05:52.the police about that. They have lots of priorities, they do a very
:05:53. > :05:58.difficult job and I think they do it well. That's the enforcement part,
:05:59. > :06:01.this is also about education. You work with victims of road traffic
:06:02. > :06:08.accidents, what more would you like to be seen them? The charity I work
:06:09. > :06:11.with, we support people whose lives have been devastated by Rose death.
:06:12. > :06:17.The provision of support of that type of support, emotional and
:06:18. > :06:20.practical via counselling, via help and people being there, that's not
:06:21. > :06:27.available across the UK as a whole. I am to operate in counties where it
:06:28. > :06:31.does operate, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire. We know what we can
:06:32. > :06:33.provide, supported by the police, can make a real difference.
:06:34. > :06:35.It's been a nail-biting day for parents, waiting
:06:36. > :06:40.And many will have been disappointed with rising
:06:41. > :06:44.populations and in places, a shortage of school places.
:06:45. > :06:46.Some councils are struggling to provide every child
:06:47. > :06:52.In Cambridgeshire nearly 93% of pupils received a place
:06:53. > :07:01.But in Milton Keynes that figure drops
:07:02. > :07:06.to just below 85% and in Hertfordshire it's below 79%.
:07:07. > :07:19.If you're a parent of a year six child, the chances are today has
:07:20. > :07:23.been a stressful one. Not least in Hertfordshire. I know I'm not
:07:24. > :07:28.getting my results were another couple of hours, but it is
:07:29. > :07:33.nerve-racking. Worrying time. My daughter who started at secondary
:07:34. > :07:38.school last year when bit of an ordeal, we applied for four schools
:07:39. > :07:43.and we were given an unranked school, which means a school that we
:07:44. > :07:50.hadn't chosen. It was upsetting and daunting. The demand for school
:07:51. > :07:53.places has never been higher. Particularly in Northamptonshire.
:07:54. > :07:57.This is what park free school, it opens in September last year in an
:07:58. > :08:04.attempt to reduce the scramble for places. We've had a huge amount of
:08:05. > :08:07.interest, we are oversubscribed now for year seven next year. Numbers
:08:08. > :08:11.are strong. There is a demand from the people to have a local school
:08:12. > :08:17.that is delivering a high quality education. We will grow year-on-year
:08:18. > :08:19.until we are 1260 in total. Making sure we offer that quality education
:08:20. > :08:24.that young people in this area deserve. As the county council
:08:25. > :08:30.knows, it needs many more schools just like this one. They weren't
:08:31. > :08:35.able to tweak to us today, but in the past they have told us that the
:08:36. > :08:39.County's booming population is creating unprecedented demand for
:08:40. > :08:42.school places. By 2020, Northamptonshire will need an extra
:08:43. > :08:48.25 primary schools and an extra six secondary schools. Such is the
:08:49. > :08:52.pressure to find out if school choices have been successful, the
:08:53. > :08:57.county council's website crash this morning. Thousands of parents logged
:08:58. > :08:58.on. Prompting this apology. We are deeply frustrated
:08:59. > :09:18.but that still leaves Northamptonshire lagging behind.
:09:19. > :09:22.Perhaps this year's School report for the county and several other of
:09:23. > :09:25.our councils could well be improving, but could do better.
:09:26. > :09:28.A team which helps to test the hearing of babies who are just
:09:29. > :09:30.a few hours old has been named as best
:09:31. > :09:33.in the region and second best in the country.
:09:34. > :09:35.Staff at Peterborough City Hospital have made it their mission
:09:36. > :09:46.who want to learn from their success.
:09:47. > :09:58.Little Lottie, just two days old. One of thousands delivered in
:09:59. > :10:04.Peterborough every year. Already she is having a simple, painless test
:10:05. > :10:09.which has become routine. We put a tiny earpiece into her ear, and it
:10:10. > :10:17.makes a clicking, vibrating noise. Down to the middle of the ear. We
:10:18. > :10:22.wait for a response. In years gone by, hearing tests were carried out
:10:23. > :10:25.by health visitors, often months later. Here, they pride themselves
:10:26. > :10:31.on testing most babies before they leave hospital. It's very
:10:32. > :10:36.reassuring. Nice to know everything is good and as it should be.
:10:37. > :10:39.Peterborough City Hospital has been praised for screening more babies
:10:40. > :10:44.than the national average, despite growing pressures on the health
:10:45. > :10:47.service. There is a reason we are doing so well. It is because the
:10:48. > :10:52.team worked so hard to make sure they don't miss any babies. We have
:10:53. > :10:58.some really important fail-safe processes in place. To make sure
:10:59. > :11:02.every baby is offered a screen. One or two babies in every thousand have
:11:03. > :11:07.some kind of hearing loss, and while it might not be a huge figure, it
:11:08. > :11:13.can have a big impact. By diagnosing babies early, it can reduce problems
:11:14. > :11:18.later in life. One-year-old layer has been wearing a hearing aids and
:11:19. > :11:25.she was just two months old. Her mum says being treated early has made a
:11:26. > :11:30.huge difference. When we got the hearing aids, she completely changed
:11:31. > :11:36.in my eyes. Watching TV, listening to sounds, she didn't even sleep for
:11:37. > :11:40.a whole day. She wanted to listen to everybody, to see everybody, hear
:11:41. > :11:50.the sounds of the TV and the dog. Her brother. At such a young age,
:11:51. > :11:54.the children get fitted with hearing aids, there were no life without it.
:11:55. > :12:01.They've always had them. They tend to get used to them a lot quicker.
:12:02. > :12:02.Now hospitals around the country are contacting Peterborough to see how
:12:03. > :12:13.they can help more children. I'll be back with the late
:12:14. > :12:16.bulletin at 1030 this evening. First to Susie for the rest of the
:12:17. > :12:37.programme, plus Julie will be here with a full forecast.
:12:38. > :12:46.These are busy times for the Justice Secretary
:12:47. > :12:52.As the head of the judicial system, she's tackling trouble in prisons,
:12:53. > :12:55.the threat of strikes by staff, and a big new row over
:12:56. > :13:00.She is still trying to mend bridges with judges
:13:01. > :13:02.after being accused of failing to support their independence.
:13:03. > :13:08.Today, she appeared before a House of Lords Committee.
:13:09. > :13:14.Our political correspondent Andrew Sinclair is at Westminster now.
:13:15. > :13:24.Because of those problems in our prisons, Liz -- Elizabeth Truss
:13:25. > :13:28.doesn't have much of the chance to talk about her other role as Lord
:13:29. > :13:31.Chancellor. Perhaps in an attempt to mend bridges, she said one of her
:13:32. > :13:33.main priorities is to improve morale among judges and make them feel
:13:34. > :13:36.valued. The office of Lord
:13:37. > :13:37.high Chancellor... She is the country's first
:13:38. > :13:39.woman Lord Chancellor. Her job, to defend the rule of law,
:13:40. > :13:42.the independence of the courts and to bang the drum
:13:43. > :13:44.for our judiciary. Our judiciary are independent,
:13:45. > :13:48.incorruptible and world-renowned. Liz Truss was being questioned
:13:49. > :13:50.about her job by members She spoke about the challenge
:13:51. > :13:53.of Brexit, a proposed bill of rights, and reforms to legal aid,
:13:54. > :13:56.but one of her main concerns was about staff
:13:57. > :13:58.morale and the difficulty I have to say, speaking
:13:59. > :14:11.to individual judges, that isn't necessarily reflected
:14:12. > :14:16.in the views of the judiciary themselves, so I think
:14:17. > :14:19.there is a question about how It is a real concern
:14:20. > :14:25.within the profession. According to a recent survey,
:14:26. > :14:30.just 27% of judges feel valued Only 2% feel valued
:14:31. > :14:36.by the government. They regard themselves as not
:14:37. > :14:40.sufficiently respected by the government, perhaps even
:14:41. > :14:43.by the public, and certainly And after a while, they just think,
:14:44. > :14:49."I don't need this, I don't want to do this job," and it is much
:14:50. > :14:52.more difficult to recruit people for this vitally
:14:53. > :14:57.important public service. When judges were criticised over
:14:58. > :15:03.Brexit, Liz Truss stayed silent, Can we look forward to you and your
:15:04. > :15:08.ministry robustly defending judges against that kind
:15:09. > :15:21.of abuse in future? She said she did support
:15:22. > :15:23.the independence of the judiciary but she also supported the freedom
:15:24. > :15:25.of the press. I think it is dangerous
:15:26. > :15:28.for a government minister to say this is an acceptable headline
:15:29. > :15:30.and this isn't an She said she will look again
:15:31. > :15:33.at the pay of judges, ?180,000 a year, and at working
:15:34. > :15:36.conditions inside courts, but Liz Truss warned
:15:37. > :15:38.it is going to take time Andrew, the Ukip MP for Clacton,
:15:39. > :15:46.Douglas Carswell, insisted today that he's still committed
:15:47. > :15:49.to the party, despite another row with Nigel Farage and calls
:15:50. > :15:59.for him to be expelled. It concerns a revelation that
:16:00. > :16:04.Douglas Carswell refused to lobby ministers to get a knighthood to
:16:05. > :16:08.Nigel Farage, not surprising when you consider they don't get on very
:16:09. > :16:12.well. This outraged Nigel Farage who called this week for Douglas
:16:13. > :16:16.Carswell to be thrown out of the party. A night of third supporter
:16:17. > :16:24.said he would stand against him in an election and Douglas Carswell was
:16:25. > :16:28.summoned to the party. Douglas Carswell is telling people this
:16:29. > :16:36.evening that he has not come to be thrown out and he still supports
:16:37. > :16:41.Ukip, and that there would not be a by-election because he would just
:16:42. > :16:44.sit as an independent. It is a battle in Ukip about the future
:16:45. > :16:50.direction of the party. People like Douglas Carswell won't the party to
:16:51. > :16:54.be more inclusive, less harsh in his words, and other members want to
:16:55. > :16:55.have harsher policies. Expect him to be in trouble again soon at some
:16:56. > :16:57.stage! In football, Luton Town are just one
:16:58. > :17:00.game away from a Wembley final. Tonight they host Oxford United
:17:01. > :17:02.in the semifinals of Ironically, the Hatters were fined
:17:03. > :17:06.for fielding under-strength sides in the earlier stages
:17:07. > :17:08.of the competition. James Burridge has just sent this
:17:09. > :17:22.from Kenilworth Road. Kenilworth Road, full of
:17:23. > :17:27.expectation. Conditions are damp. There is a huge irony about the
:17:28. > :17:36.semifinal. Because of the finds the club received earlier in the season,
:17:37. > :17:38.5000 actually paid for by the fans. Let's look at the action from the
:17:39. > :17:39.football. Peterborough manager Grant McCann
:17:40. > :17:42.says his side were undone by a lack of concentration as they lost 1-0
:17:43. > :17:45.at Millwall in League 1. The key moment came when Lee Gregory
:17:46. > :17:48.burst into the box but was tugged back by Posh midfielder Anthony
:17:49. > :17:50.Grant. Gregory picked himself up and scored
:17:51. > :17:53.the spot kick to leave Posh now five MK Dons are steadily improving
:17:54. > :17:56.under Robbie Neilson. They made the running
:17:57. > :17:58.at Valley Parade, twice On loan Stuart O'Keefe put the Dons
:17:59. > :18:03.ahead early on thanks City hit back before
:18:04. > :18:07.Dons regained the lead. George Williams with the cross that
:18:08. > :18:09.somehow found the net. Bantams striker Charlie Wyke denied
:18:10. > :18:12.Dons all three points, though. Nielson happy enough with a draw
:18:13. > :18:16.against a promotion-chasing side. Northampton Town are now looking
:18:17. > :18:17.over their shoulder, The Latics went in front and led
:18:18. > :18:24.for the majority of the match before John-Joe O'Toole brought Sixfields
:18:25. > :18:27.to life late on. Cobblers should have held
:18:28. > :18:30.an but Lee Erwin won it for Oldham. Northampton just four points
:18:31. > :18:35.above the drop zone. In Two, Stevenage were the big
:18:36. > :18:38.winners and into the play-offs on thanks to a 4-1 win over
:18:39. > :18:40.struggling Leyton Orient. Ben Kennedy gave Borough the lead,
:18:41. > :18:43.followed by a second from the penalty spot,
:18:44. > :18:45.Matt Godden with goal Orient then hit back before two more
:18:46. > :18:49.goals lifted Darren Sarll's side into the top seven at the expense
:18:50. > :18:52.of Colchester, who dropped to ninth The Ewes' highlight, Vose smashing
:18:53. > :18:57.a long-range against the post. The Mariners won it though,
:18:58. > :18:59.through Sam Jones, to lead Finally, Cambridge could have
:19:00. > :19:05.shocked leaders Doncaster but Luke Berry blazed
:19:06. > :19:07.his penalty over. Donny then raced into a three-goal
:19:08. > :19:10.lead before George Maris let fly late on with a contender for goal
:19:11. > :19:12.of the season. Berry then made it 3-2
:19:13. > :19:27.but the Ewes drop to 12th. The difference tonight is that a
:19:28. > :19:33.Wembley final is at stake and Luton Town bring back crowds when Wembley
:19:34. > :19:38.is calling. There was a huge irony about the fact that you were fined
:19:39. > :19:45.for this competition. You must be having that last laugh. We would if
:19:46. > :19:48.we got the prize money! We are grateful to the supporters,
:19:49. > :19:51.particularly the supporters club who covered a lot of the finds.
:19:52. > :19:59.Supporters feel quite strongly that the competition was a -- set up to
:20:00. > :20:04.promote young talent and we have a great academy here and young players
:20:05. > :20:08.who need gametime so we decided to play them even though we knew it
:20:09. > :20:15.would attract a fine and they have done great. For you to be mixing it
:20:16. > :20:20.and beating teams has done a lot for Luton Town. It is sometimes like men
:20:21. > :20:26.and boys but our young lads like men as well. We have to give them credit
:20:27. > :20:31.for putting us in the position we are now, just touching Wembley, and
:20:32. > :20:36.they will still be in that process. We will get a crowd of approaching
:20:37. > :20:45.8000 or so, still some tickets available. There is the plug! What
:20:46. > :20:54.about the manager Nathan Jones? How far off are you getting lit and back
:20:55. > :21:02.were -- Luton Town backer they belong? He is keen on making
:21:03. > :21:06.something happen tonight. Nathan is a special coach as well. A real
:21:07. > :21:10.technical coach, and also someone who has a great deal of passion and
:21:11. > :21:14.desire to win the game and it makes him one of us a little bit. We have
:21:15. > :21:20.great ambitions at the football club and Nathan is very much part of
:21:21. > :21:22.that. We will have the result on the West version of the programme
:21:23. > :21:24.tonight. Coffee sales overtook tea back
:21:25. > :21:28.in 1998, but the English Today, one of the region's stately
:21:29. > :21:32.homes put on a tea tasting session The man hosting the event
:21:33. > :22:08.was an official tea master. facade of Audley end. Today Audley
:22:09. > :22:14.End held a celebration of the humble cuppa. The waiter leaves or smells
:22:15. > :22:20.and examined to see if the colour is right and then tasting begins. A
:22:21. > :22:31.nice, ladylike job. This is a key test at work in the 1950s. Today
:22:32. > :22:39.there was a tasting as well. Overseen by a true tea master. Let's
:22:40. > :22:49.go back five founders and -- 5000 years to China when they discovered
:22:50. > :22:53.tea. Stephen Twining represents the tenth generation of the Twining
:22:54. > :23:02.expertise. I asked him about my favourite brew. Are you familiar
:23:03. > :23:14.with the concept of Elder 's -- builders tea? Very strong. I want
:23:15. > :23:19.everyone to have a great cup of tea so if it hasn't been made properly
:23:20. > :23:30.then that is not good. But elders tea -- builders tea will have some
:23:31. > :23:33.big bold elements. And chamomile tempted the fans away from English
:23:34. > :23:43.breakfast. Any that you particularly like? No. I liked the minty on.
:23:44. > :23:51.Chamomile was very delicate and I found the perfume incredible. The
:23:52. > :23:59.range of tea will all be sold in Audley End's Cafe. Mr Twining's
:24:00. > :24:03.advice is switched their cattle off just before it boils.
:24:04. > :24:20.I am with him on builders tea. What about you?
:24:21. > :24:26.No thank you. I could do with a car -- cup of tea right now.
:24:27. > :24:34.Today to start the day in Stowmarket, blue skies and sunshine.
:24:35. > :24:40.Temperatures were generally over 2 degrees above the average. The next
:24:41. > :24:45.photograph is from Essex when there was a bit more cloud but dry skies.
:24:46. > :24:50.Essex in February was the driest county in the country, only 28.2
:24:51. > :24:55.millimetres of rain on average, just over an inch for the entire month.
:24:56. > :25:00.Today, as this weather front moved towards us, it was one of the few
:25:01. > :25:04.places that saw some rain. Last night I was saying we are uncertain
:25:05. > :25:11.how far north of the rain would spread. For the north of the region
:25:12. > :25:15.it has been tried but I think that will change overnight, most of us
:25:16. > :25:20.will see some rain, some heavy, but it will eventually be confined to
:25:21. > :25:24.more northern parts. We expect the winds to pick up. Even at this
:25:25. > :25:30.point, uncertainty as to when they will be strongest. We expect at the
:25:31. > :25:39.end of the night a fresh to strong west to south-westerly 40-50 mph.
:25:40. > :25:50.Windy Tousart but this should ease away -- to start. The further north
:25:51. > :25:53.you are, wet as well. But it should become dry with some long sunny
:25:54. > :26:04.spells. By the afternoon, the wind should ease down. We finished the
:26:05. > :26:11.day on a drying out with a lot of clear sky and hopefully those winds
:26:12. > :26:17.continuing to ease. On Friday another bit of rain from the South,
:26:18. > :26:25.I think we will have cloud through the day, which could have some rain
:26:26. > :26:29.on the heavy side. The wind will be fresh and blustery on Friday.
:26:30. > :26:33.Saturday, perhaps some early rain which should give way to heavy
:26:34. > :26:34.showers but not for everybody, and showers and longer spells of rain on
:26:35. > :26:35.Sunday. I heard of the programme team cheer
:26:36. > :27:04.when you said Spring! Goodbye. I think my political beliefs are
:27:05. > :27:08.really quite straightforward. I believe that our country needs to
:27:09. > :27:11.work for everyone. Not just for the rich,
:27:12. > :27:13.not just for the privileged, not just for those who know
:27:14. > :27:16.the right people or who've got the loudest voices, but a country
:27:17. > :27:19.that really works for everyone, has the opportunity to be
:27:20. > :27:24.who they want to be. In order to make sure that the
:27:25. > :27:28.country works for everyone,