:00:00. > :00:00.Prisoners won't return to Bedford prison
:00:00. > :00:08.until more staff are recruited - that's the assurance given
:00:09. > :00:12.The villagers raising money for their shop keeper,
:00:13. > :00:17.attacked by an armed robber who stole his takings.
:00:18. > :00:26.And how thieves are targeting butchers in the run to Christmas.
:00:27. > :00:38.Prison wings closed after a riot at Bedford prison won't re-open
:00:39. > :00:41.That's according to the local MP who visited the prison today.
:00:42. > :00:44.Richard Fuller says he was reassured that prisoners won't be moved back
:00:45. > :00:50.Our Home Affairs correspondent Sally Chidzoy reports.
:00:51. > :00:52.The riot at Bedford jail last month will
:00:53. > :00:54.go down as a key date in the crisis afflicting jails
:00:55. > :00:58.Hundreds of inmates took control of two wings and used
:00:59. > :01:00.mobile phones to send images of their rampage
:01:01. > :01:02.Privately, many governors and prison officers have
:01:03. > :01:07.said that incident finally made the governments
:01:08. > :01:09.sit up and listen, as they'd been warning
:01:10. > :01:11.that staffing levels were so low, prisoners
:01:12. > :01:16.There are now 200 fewer prisoners at Bedford.
:01:17. > :01:18.They were shipped out after the troubles.
:01:19. > :01:22.Today, MP Richard Fuller met the governor and the head of the
:01:23. > :01:23.national offender management service.
:01:24. > :01:26.The focus was on safety of prisoners and officers.
:01:27. > :01:42.I don't think it is the plan to return prisoners in the short-term.
:01:43. > :01:44.Remember, part of the issue here is
:01:45. > :01:46.the stress that prison officers are
:01:47. > :01:55.under because there are not sufficient people in prison officer
:01:56. > :01:57.officer roles looking after the number of prisoners.
:01:58. > :02:00.to bring prisoners back until the issue
:02:01. > :02:05.The prison is trying to attract more staff but many officers are leaving
:02:06. > :02:06.because of the unsafe working conditions.
:02:07. > :02:08.Bedford jail is being designated a so-called red site,
:02:09. > :02:11.that means more pay and perks can be offered to drive recruitment.
:02:12. > :02:15.new staff and officers on new terms and conditions
:02:16. > :02:18.It is only temporary but it could help bring
:02:19. > :02:23.new staff and prisoners on a par with Woodhill
:02:24. > :02:27.offering increased pay for a long period, which has dragged staff away
:02:28. > :02:39.The local MP said he plans to closely monitor prison movement
:02:40. > :02:42.This will involve regular meetings with the governor.
:02:43. > :02:44.The Government is keeping the door open to prisoners returning
:02:45. > :02:46.to Bedford but said the damaged wings
:02:47. > :02:48.will not open any time soon unless there is
:02:49. > :02:56.Today, prison officers rejected the governing's latest pay
:02:57. > :02:58.and pension package which would have enabled them
:02:59. > :03:05.It means there could be prospect of future
:03:06. > :03:08.We have already had a degree of action by prison officers.
:03:09. > :03:10.It's not just about pay, it's about safety.
:03:11. > :03:13.Here, number of prison officers are haemorrhaging out of the jail
:03:14. > :03:22.because they are worried about their own safety.
:03:23. > :03:26.They are going elsewhere are quitting the service altogether.
:03:27. > :03:28.It means more are leaving them being recruited
:03:29. > :03:29.by the Government, it is a
:03:30. > :03:32.problem for the Government who have not got it right yet.
:03:33. > :03:34.The leader of Cambridgeshire County Council, Conservative Steve Count
:03:35. > :03:37.is the latest to step forward as a candidate to be the county's
:03:38. > :03:40.He joins Heidi Allen, the South Cambridgeshire MP,
:03:41. > :03:42.and James Palmer, the leader of East Cambridgeshire
:03:43. > :03:47.Labour today short listed its contenders.
:03:48. > :03:50.Fiona Onasanya, a Cambridgeshire County Councillor, and Kevin Price
:03:51. > :03:54.Earlier Steve Count told me why he was standing.
:03:55. > :03:57.The reason I want to stand is because I believe I have the right
:03:58. > :03:59.skill set do a good job of being mayor.
:04:00. > :04:01.I've been driving this for three years, I've chaired
:04:02. > :04:05.boards and I now chair the shadow authority and I will be the chairman
:04:06. > :04:08.I looked at the skill set needed to make this
:04:09. > :04:10.the right thing and I believe I hold those.
:04:11. > :04:12.But as a mayor, what would actually do?
:04:13. > :04:19.I'd be involved in the decision-making and the
:04:20. > :04:21.decision-making in this involves and touches
:04:22. > :04:24.We will have ?170 million to spend on affordable
:04:25. > :04:32.We would be looking at the money invested in a
:04:33. > :04:34.housing, delivering the right places.
:04:35. > :04:37.We have ?600 million to deliver infrastructure with the need to
:04:38. > :04:40.prioritise and with the right projects off as quickly as possible.
:04:41. > :04:43.I have been heavily involved with governments iun this
:04:44. > :04:54.Part of this is liaising with governments
:04:55. > :04:57.and actually asking for more expansion on the panel is we need
:04:58. > :05:00.and then something I want to move forward with.
:05:01. > :05:04.Is this a good use of taxpayer money?
:05:05. > :05:14.We have spoken the Government we want streamlined
:05:15. > :05:17.With the mayor in place and the combined authority, we
:05:18. > :05:20.will be able to make decisions much quicker than we ever have
:05:21. > :05:24.That's one of the hold-ups with why we are getting on with
:05:25. > :05:28.A shop keeper from Cambridgeshire has been describing how
:05:29. > :05:32.he was attacked by an armed robber - who hit him in the face before
:05:33. > :05:36.Now people in the village of Elm have come forward to try and raise
:05:37. > :05:41.money so Kuldip Sekhon is not left out of pocket.
:05:42. > :05:44.Less than 24 hours on and back where he was left fearing
:05:45. > :05:48.After a robber burst in wearing a Halloween mask, demanding cash.
:05:49. > :05:51.He said to me, empty your register, and then he cocked the
:05:52. > :06:02.Then he smashed the barrel into my face.
:06:03. > :06:05.I then fell to the floor and I realised it was a robbery.
:06:06. > :06:08.Then I did what he told me to and gave him what I had.
:06:09. > :06:10.Kuldip had been a shopkeeper in Birmingham
:06:11. > :06:14.He hoped coming to Elm, he had a similarly quiet life.
:06:15. > :06:26.The man who robbed his shop is described as being:
:06:27. > :06:29.Since the attack, villagers who raise money with their Christmas
:06:30. > :06:32.lights have launched an appeal to help him.
:06:33. > :06:35.It has probably saddened the Christmas spirit so close to
:06:36. > :06:37.Christmas that such a brutal attack has been taken on a nice gentleman.
:06:38. > :06:41.I'm sure the community will help me to show him how much we appreciate
:06:42. > :06:47.what he does for us in our community.
:06:48. > :06:48.The support I've had has been overwhelming.
:06:49. > :06:50.I'm absolutely overwhelmed by the amount of people
:06:51. > :06:53.who have come in to express their shock and horror.
:06:54. > :06:55.Also, their good wishes and people have been bringing
:06:56. > :07:04.The people here are absolutely amazing.
:07:05. > :07:10.Villagers hope soon to raise the money lost in the robbery
:07:11. > :07:12.and hope police will track down whoever carried out the
:07:13. > :07:22.Police are warning business owners who sell meat and poultry
:07:23. > :07:24.that they may be vulnerable to theft.
:07:25. > :07:26.This comes after over thirty thousand pounds worth was stolen
:07:27. > :07:38.Much of the haul was Christmas orders.
:07:39. > :07:41.Staff in this Fulbourn had been working round the clock to prep
:07:42. > :07:44.On Tuesday night, ?15,000 worth of that meat was stolen.
:07:45. > :07:47.My first thought was actually, have one of the guys been
:07:48. > :07:50.Because the lock sticks and we've had 20 minutes
:07:51. > :08:02.And so, it was like, no, no, none of us have done this.
:08:03. > :08:04.So, I thought, oh, I better check the fridge.
:08:05. > :08:06.I opened the fridge and the contents were
:08:07. > :08:10.Security is now being tightened up and every effort is being made
:08:11. > :08:13.to ensure people's orders are met, if a little later than planned.
:08:14. > :08:17.A nice big rib of beef I was going to serve on Christmas Eve,
:08:18. > :08:22.I trust that they will get some more in but, yeah,
:08:23. > :08:25.it means added shopping at this time of year, which is not good, really.
:08:26. > :08:28.When I came in this morning to pick up a whole gammon for Christmas,
:08:29. > :08:31.because we are going to family and I was bring it with me
:08:32. > :08:36.I was just very sad and sorry for them to discover they had been
:08:37. > :08:46.It is the third meat theft in South Cambridgeshire this month.
:08:47. > :08:54.The following week, ?12,000 of meat, including turkey, was taken
:08:55. > :09:00.Rogue traders tend to approach people in pub and supermarket car
:09:01. > :09:07.But Trading Standards is warning people not to be tempted
:09:08. > :09:09.by offers of cheap meat, which won't have been
:09:10. > :09:12.The risks are really high for contamination with pathogens
:09:13. > :09:16.Some of those microorganisms can't be killed by cooking.
:09:17. > :09:18.If you don't cook things sufficiently, you end up with some
:09:19. > :09:26.For the very old and very young, they can be fatal.
:09:27. > :09:28.For anyone in between, it would ruin Christmas and it's
:09:29. > :09:37.Police are urging butchers and farm shops to be vigilant,
:09:38. > :09:43.and customers may have to be patient.
:09:44. > :09:46.Small business owners in the region have welcomed the Government's
:09:47. > :09:48.announcement that more money will be spent on faster broadband
:09:49. > :09:51.The Federation of Small Businesses in Cambridgeshire,
:09:52. > :09:53.Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire says poor internet connection is one
:09:54. > :09:55.of the biggest barriers to commercial growth.
:09:56. > :10:03.It claims nearly half a million small businesses in the UK can't
:10:04. > :10:19.A windy forecast expected for the Christmas weekend but, the
:10:20. > :10:22.moment, calm conditions and cold conditions across much of the region
:10:23. > :10:27.Some mist and fog patches but it is possible that
:10:28. > :10:30.there could be a widespread fraud across many parts of the region as
:10:31. > :10:34.Now, tomorrow's weather is going to be shaped by Storm Barbara,
:10:35. > :10:37.moving to the north of Scotland so, for us here in the east,
:10:38. > :10:39.the wind will continue to strengthen through the day.
:10:40. > :10:42.Eventually a band of rain crossing the region from
:10:43. > :10:45.But the bulk of the day, for us, looks dry.
:10:46. > :10:49.The temperatures are on the mild side at around 10-11 C.
:10:50. > :10:52.Average wind speeds recorded on the map but,
:10:53. > :10:54.as that rain band moves through the evening and overnight,
:10:55. > :10:58.A gusty night expected at around 40 mph are quite possible.
:10:59. > :11:01.The national weather's coming up but here is the
:11:02. > :11:02.Still windy for the Christmas weekend.
:11:03. > :11:17.I suppose you could say today was the calm before the storm. A winter
:11:18. > :11:20.chill, plenty of sunshine, but more wintry showers in Scotland, more
:11:21. > :11:23.snow over the higher ground. Some of this snow will melt for a time
:11:24. > :11:27.tomorrow because there is wind and rain coming in from the Atlantic. So
:11:28. > :11:32.we'll leave the Highlands behind, head out and look at the cloud here,
:11:33. > :11:36.this tell-tale hook of cloud, signifies a storm is developing,
:11:37. > :11:40.this is Storm Barbara, of course, it is a deep and deepening area of low
:11:41. > :11:43.pressure, rushing towards the north-west of Scotland.
:11:44. > :11:47.Steppingening the winds and bringing rain into the north-west by tomorrow
:11:48. > :11:51.morning. Ahead of it fairly quiet. Already the showers in the north
:11:52. > :11:55.less wintry. Fewer and clearer skies, across England and Wales for
:11:56. > :11:57.a time, it could be chilly. One or two mist and