20/10/2016 Look East

In the programme tonight: for the news where you are.

An extra ?3 million to deal with leaves on the line and a pledge

to commuters it will be better than last year.

The Education Secretary prolises to raise standards and improve

And another well is washed tp on the North Norfolk coast. It is thought

to be a fin whale. First tonight, a promise from

Greater Anglia and Network Rail The severe delays and disruption

caused by leaves on the lind in this region last year won't or,

at least, shouldn't happen `gain. They've spent an extra ?3 mhllion

on new equipment to stop thd tracks getting slippery and repair damaged

trains closer to home. In a moment, we'll hear frol both

organisations, but first, Alex Dunlop has been looking

at the practical solutions Meet Greater Anglia's latest weapon

in the war on slippery rails. A new lathe which skims dam`ged

metal from the wheels. Damaged caused by

leaves on the line. The work which was carried out

here in Derby is now It means wheels can be menddd

in a third of the time. The lathe is just one

weapon in a new armoury. Network Rail has brought in extra

specialist trains which cle`n and then sprays a sandy glud over

rails to stop trains slipping. And a so-called Sandrover

to reach more remote lines. This is about being prepared

for worst-case scenario not With extreme weather,

we get a lot more of that now, we've got to prepared

for worst-case scenario. So leaves on the line,

you reckon you've got We have covered ourselves

far, far, far better A November many commuters

would rather forget. Six weeks of leaves fell on the line

in just a fortnight. 10 out of 27 engines

were out of action. As the leaves fell, they were

crushed by trains using the lines. It left a thin residue,

which lead to the wheels sphnning on the rails and that creatdd

so-called flat spots, which means the wheels were no

longer perfectly round. Some schedules will be tweaked,

more lineside vegetation will be cleared and local landowners will be

asked to remove some trees. It's one of three stations

in Norfolk where, as you can see, there are quite a few

overhanging trees. From now on, trains will only stop

here if requested and that leans that drivers won't have to break

or accelerate in case of le`f mulch The hope now that the weathdr

will be kind and that commuters if not all content,

will at least be forgiving. Earlier I spoke representathves

of both the train company We saw Jamie Burles

from Greater Anglia in that report. I began by asking him

whether he was now looking forward to happy customers

for the next few months. That is certainly the aim, so we are

investing millions of pounds extra and the ultimate aim of courses to

keep the trains running and keep them running on time. Some of those

trains to London you are gohng to start five minutes earlier so it

will take longer. It is all about sticking to the journey timd and

making sure people get therd. Talk to me about these six speci`list

trains you have. Are they rdally going to be able to cope with the

hundreds of miles of track? This is not a new thing. Yes, they do. We

have a number of circuits they work on. They did not work last `utumn.

They did. What they were trxing to deal with was a bigger problem in a

shorter time. A top line in the press release is Greater Anglia and

Network Rail work together on this project. How difficult is that

relationship? We have to work together because we are a r`il

system and we need the track and we need the trains to work as well as

possible. Quite often there may be a problem on the track, something that

is Network Rail's responsibhlity yet the passengers blame him. That's not

fair, is it? It is a question of a partnership. I don't think people

care whose problem the issud is they just wanted resolved and that

there are things I am responsible there are things I am responsible

for and he is responsible for and both of us work as hard to solve

them. We can't in a difficult season. What is your promisd to

passengers today? We have countless actions and millions of pounds extra

that we will spend and that is making sure we are in far bdtter

shape than we were this timd last year. Our passengers still going to

be frustrated by leaves on the line? The problem will never go away

completely but as Jamie has said, we are investing a very large `mount of

money on top of what we norlally do for autumn to do everything we can

to make this year better. Wd are confident we are much better

prepared for the autumn this year and people will see that.

A well has been washed up on the North Norfolk coast. It is thought

to be a fin whale and about 12 metres long.

This speech is about 400 metres behind me in that direction. It is

high tide at the moment and we thought that in the pitch black it

was not safe to go onto the beach to get pictures of the well but this is

what we know. A fin whale ddad, 40 feet long was washed up on the beach

this afternoon and the estate has issued a statement and it s`ys, the

wardens from the reserves h`ve reported well to the investhgation

programme who hope to carry out a postmortem to establish the cause of

death. Plans are in place to remove the fin whale from the beach. We

advise the public to not approach the carcass. Two sperm whalds were

washed up along the coast. Four others were found dead on the

Lincolnshire coast. It is thought they were part of a pod who might

have lost their way. Earlier it is high tide and having spoken to

somebody representing the estate, they say they are hoping thd carcass

might be washed out to sea on the high tide although clearly they will

know more by first light tolorrow morning.

The Competition and Markets Authority has launched

an investigation into the t`keover of Bernard Matthews.

The Norfolk-based turkey producer was sold to the food tycoon

The investigation will make sure the deal does not

have a negative effect on consumers by blocking competition.

The Education Secretary was in Norwich today with a promise

that children in the city whll be given more opportunities

to improve their lives and she wants it to happen by 2020.

A recent survey placed Norwhch close to the bottom when it

comes to improving young people's life chances.

This from our political correspondent Andrew Sinclahr.

The Education Secretary with apprentices at Norwich City

The new Government is very keen to talk about improving

opportunities, particularly for young people

You are going to be the first person in your family heading

Most of the A-level students in this room were going to be the fhrst

I have picked a university closer to Essex.

Justine Greening believes that with the right encouragement

and good teaching young people can raise their aspirations,

get better jobs and improve their social mobility,

which is why she's designatdd Norwich one of the first

Over three years, around ?6 million will be spent

on creating apprenticeships, encouraging staff from colldges

and universities to work with local schools, while employers will be

funded to provide mentoring and career advice.

I think, in the end, if we are really going

does not matter where you start you can make the best

of your talents and your potential, it is probably going

One is making sure young people have the knowledge

The second is then having f`ntastic experiences as they grow up,

whether it's the national chtizens' service, and we really

want to make sure young people in Norwich get access to th`t,

But critics question if such a scheme can really work.

A ?1 billion initiative to help troubled families was judged this

week to have had little imp`ct, while Labour say opportunitx areas

We have seen quite clearly that Norwich is going to lose

?14 million in the next round of education cuts

and the money they are offering unless the other areas

are being underfunded as well, means that Norwich children

are going to lose out despite this money.

So they are giving with one hand and taking with the other.

The government wants opporttnity areas to be one of its flagship

policies and this will be one of the places where its success

But from the rest of the late team, goodnight.

Some showers earlier across the region. They have now cleardd but

there is the risk of more fdeding in from the North Sea, particularly

affecting the coastal part of Norfolk and Suffolk. Temper`tures

not falling quite so low further west. Temperatures could be six or 7

degrees. High pressure building in, low pressure still close by and

still that northerly wind, so although there will be a lot of dry

and bright weather, we do rtn the risk of some of those showers coming

in on those North Philly wins. Particularly for the eastern part of

Norfolk and Suffolk. Factor in that moderate northerly wind, it will

feel chilly. The outlook and it is looking like a largely settled

Temperatures up into double figures. The outlook, mostly dry for the next

few days. Now the national outlook. Good evening. We are likely to the

all colours of the autumn,