:00:05. > :00:08.Good evening and welcome to BBC Look North. The headlines tonight.
:00:08. > :00:15.Claims that metal prices have turned parts of North Lincolnshire
:00:15. > :00:21.into one of the worst areas in the country for cable theft. You hear
:00:21. > :00:23.it on the news all the time. People do not see the dangers and just see
:00:23. > :00:26.the money. After the protests against the changes there's fresh
:00:26. > :00:28.criticism of the government's new system of supporting poor
:00:28. > :00:31.students.As the future of two RAF bases was secured businesses
:00:31. > :00:41.celebrate a boost to the economy.The Humber Bridge at 30 -
:00:41. > :00:45.
:00:45. > :00:48.we take a look at some of it's most We have seen a number of heavy
:00:48. > :00:58.showers and thunderstorms. There are more tomorrow. We will have the
:00:58. > :00:59.
:00:59. > :01:02.Villages in North Lincolnshire are being targeted by thieves stealing
:01:02. > :01:12.copper phone cables. Many homes have been without regularly working
:01:12. > :01:12.
:01:12. > :01:16.landlines for weeks. The increase in the theft of cables has
:01:16. > :01:20.coincided with the rise in the price of copper. In 2001 it cost
:01:20. > :01:24.�240 per tonne. By 2006 it had more than trebled to eight hundred
:01:24. > :01:34.pounds. And earlier this year the price peaked at fifteen hundred
:01:34. > :01:37.
:01:37. > :01:43.pounds per tonne. Tarah Welsh has No, it is not on Five days without
:01:43. > :01:50.her phone. And it's not the first time. Copper has been stolen from
:01:50. > :01:56.phone lines here three times this month. For further information. We
:01:56. > :02:00.cannot do that because we do not have a telephone line. Someone
:02:01. > :02:10.comes in and greens the Post Office. They cannot come, because it comes
:02:10. > :02:17.off the BT line. We are without our pension. It is three weeks that
:02:17. > :02:22.this has hit. Hundreds of people have been affected in Alkborough.
:02:22. > :02:28.And in Horsham businesses suffered when the lines were cut twice.
:02:28. > :02:30.card machine stopped working, and this is paramount because many
:02:30. > :02:33.people It's not phone lines that have been affected. Railways cables
:02:33. > :02:39.are often stolen. And church rooves target, even last night �2000 worth
:02:39. > :02:44.of lead was stolen from the Doddington Hall near Lincoln.
:02:44. > :02:54.you can see, scrap metal is a lucrative business. But there's no
:02:54. > :02:59.
:02:59. > :03:06.copper cable is there. Traders like this one now ask for a photo ID.
:03:06. > :03:10.you bring it in burnt, it is twined. That is how all you can recognise
:03:10. > :03:16.burnt Telecom's cable. The police have to step up their patrols, and
:03:16. > :03:18.the public has to be more vigilant. But most of time the theives are
:03:18. > :03:21.long gone leaving residents inconvienced, cables have been
:03:21. > :03:31.stolen from Thorne 17 times - leaving this couple without a phone
:03:31. > :03:41.
:03:41. > :03:51.for 6 weeks. But as metal prices continue to rise, the temptation to
:03:51. > :03:53.
:03:53. > :03:55.steal is still there for a few Tarah Welsh is in Alkborough
:03:55. > :04:00.tonight. Tarah, when repairs are done, what's to stop thieves just
:04:00. > :04:04.taking the copper cables again? you can see, I am in an isolated
:04:04. > :04:08.location. When the thieves come a long, they are quite difficult to
:04:08. > :04:13.spot. This area has been targeted three times already. What they are
:04:13. > :04:16.doing is that they are lifting of these manhole covers and lifting
:04:16. > :04:22.the copper cables underneath. It is costing BT millions of pounds every
:04:22. > :04:26.year. They are trying to secured these. What they are also doing
:04:26. > :04:32.these are rolling out fibre-optic cables to replace copper ones,
:04:32. > :04:40.because they are not as by -- valuable. They are 5 million miles
:04:40. > :04:43.of cable to replace. It is going to cost money. Ian Hetherington
:04:43. > :04:49.represents scrapyards all over the country. How big a problem is
:04:49. > :04:58.people stealing metal to sell? Metal theft is a problem throughout
:04:58. > :05:03.the UK. It tends to majorly inconvenience committees as well as
:05:03. > :05:07.businesses. That is because scrap metal prices are very high at the
:05:08. > :05:14.moment? Scrap-metal prices are high, and has grown over the last five
:05:14. > :05:20.years. Also, I suspect, anecdotally the recession has hit people hard,
:05:20. > :05:22.and inquisitive crime has grown as a consequence. How could you tell
:05:22. > :05:30.us the scrap-metal someone is trying to sell you is there's
:05:30. > :05:35.always stolen? At the point of processing, it is really difficult.
:05:35. > :05:42.In the early stages after a theft, it is easier. They are usually
:05:42. > :05:46.indicate is as to how to determine whether the metal is stolen or not,
:05:46. > :05:53.but once it has been through one set of hands, it becomes incredibly
:05:53. > :05:59.difficult. What are the penalties that your man so far for selling
:05:59. > :06:04.stolen goods? The penalties are rigorous. They can lead to
:06:04. > :06:08.imprisonment or certainly very serious fines. Sir the confiscation
:06:08. > :06:14.of property. It is not something to be taken lightly. What do you think
:06:14. > :06:23.about those people who have committed crimes? They deserve
:06:23. > :06:30.everything that they get. It is a major problem. They provide unfair
:06:30. > :06:34.competition for legitimate trade. Thank you very much. I would like
:06:34. > :06:39.to know what you think about this. What more can be done to stop the
:06:39. > :06:49.theft of cables and metal at the moment? You might have a view on
:06:49. > :07:03.
:07:03. > :07:06.In a moment... Find out what prompted this performance in
:07:06. > :07:09.Mablethorpe. An East Yorkshire MP has criticised the Government for
:07:09. > :07:12.the way it's introduced a new bursary scheme to help the poorest
:07:12. > :07:14.teenagers stay in education. The government says it's come up with
:07:14. > :07:17.an adequate alternative to the former Education maintenance
:07:17. > :07:27.allowance. But Graham Stuart, the MP for Beverley and Holderness,
:07:27. > :07:38.
:07:38. > :07:42.says the changes have been rushed It sparked a wave of protest. The
:07:42. > :07:46.scrapping of the cash given to stop students dropping out has left many
:07:46. > :07:49.worried. It's meant to be replaced by a bursary-but some schools and
:07:49. > :07:54.parents still don't know how much money they're getting. We talk
:07:54. > :07:57.about fuel poverty, but we should have a new term, we should have a
:07:57. > :08:01.school poverty. There will be families out there, perhaps
:08:01. > :08:06.families I know, who are going to have to disappoint their 16-year-
:08:06. > :08:16.olds. They say I have to feed you, I have to close to, we have to have
:08:16. > :08:19.
:08:19. > :08:21.heating and light here. We need to let our children go to school. EMA
:08:21. > :08:29.is for 16-18 year olds. With students from the poorest
:08:29. > :08:32.backgrounds getting �30 a week to help them stay in education.
:08:32. > :08:35.government says its new scheme will still deliver cash where its needed
:08:35. > :08:38.most, but the pot of money available's been cut by 70 per cent.
:08:38. > :08:41.A report today says the reforms were rushed and students have
:08:41. > :08:45.suffered. It wasn't fully thought through. The amount that was going
:08:45. > :08:52.to be allowed in bursary changed. Young people were given too little
:08:52. > :08:56.information too late. In Grimsby, 17-year-old Gareth relied on EMA to
:08:56. > :09:03.pay for books and travel. He thinks the new system is too confusing:
:09:03. > :09:10.EMA is a simple scheme. People knew the rules. But now it is too
:09:10. > :09:14.confusing. And while application numbers at Hull College are up for
:09:14. > :09:24.this this September - they've had to work hard to find news ways to
:09:24. > :09:27.
:09:27. > :09:30.By the end of the academic year, the EMA comes to an end. And while
:09:30. > :09:37.MPs agree change was needed - many are far from happy with its
:09:37. > :09:40.replacement. Graham Stuart is the chair of the Education Select
:09:40. > :09:42.Committee. Mr Stuart, Many colleges still don't know how much money
:09:42. > :09:47.they can give out instead of the Education Maintenance Allowance,
:09:47. > :09:51.why is that? Because the decision has been made by the government to
:09:51. > :09:55.delegate responsibility for the allocations to colleges, and they
:09:55. > :09:59.made the decision made to do that and made the allocation so late
:09:59. > :10:03.that night that colleges nor the students who were going to apply
:10:03. > :10:08.there were able to know in advance what the situation would be.
:10:08. > :10:14.your government had made the mistake so that people no idea
:10:14. > :10:20.whether they could afford to study. Or can be done without? The door
:10:20. > :10:25.has been cast. Now what we are asking is for heads and principles
:10:25. > :10:30.of colleges to be creative and look at the best way to support students.
:10:30. > :10:34.In my constituency, transport is absolutely critical. We need to
:10:34. > :10:38.make sure the support is in place. We are seeing support from colleges
:10:38. > :10:41.to make sure the people get to college. People cannot get there
:10:41. > :10:46.and so they have little tosser don't well with their studies.
:10:46. > :10:53.have mentioned one area, but it is going to affect those families who
:10:53. > :10:58.are not so well off, in such places as Hull and Grimsby. Yes, it is --
:10:58. > :11:03.they would have been aimed production no matter who had been
:11:03. > :11:08.in power. Labour were going to review it. We decided as a cross-
:11:08. > :11:14.party group of MPs that it should not -- that it was not handled as
:11:14. > :11:17.well as the should have been. your critical of your government.
:11:17. > :11:21.What difference does that make? will make precious little
:11:21. > :11:26.difference to those who have suffered this year. Hopefully, it
:11:26. > :11:30.will mean that changes in future will be more considered, and
:11:30. > :11:40.therefore will have less negative impact on students to be or what
:11:40. > :11:43.
:11:43. > :11:45.Seiden well at college. They grow Customs officers investigating the
:11:45. > :11:48.manufacture and sale of illegal vodka in Lincolnshire say they
:11:48. > :11:50.believe the practice may be widespread. The warning comes as
:11:50. > :11:53.five shops in Boston have had their licences revoked for selling
:11:53. > :11:56.smuggled and counterfeit alcohol. It's nearly a week since five men
:11:56. > :12:02.died in the town following an explosion at an illegal vodka
:12:02. > :12:07.factory. Five out of six licences revoked sends a message, but with
:12:07. > :12:10.trading standards and police, they will try to get a grip of it.
:12:10. > :12:12.are celebrations today after the jobs of Lincolnshire servicemen and
:12:12. > :12:14.women have been safeguarded at 2 military bases. The defence
:12:14. > :12:17.secretary, Liam Fox yesterday announced that RAF Cottesmore near
:12:17. > :12:24.Stamford will become home to the army while RAF Marham in Norfolk
:12:24. > :12:26.has had its future secured. Amanda Thomson reports. The last Harrier
:12:26. > :12:29.jump jet flew from RAF Cottesmore near Stamford last December and
:12:29. > :12:31.with all RAF personnel following suit by next March the future
:12:31. > :12:41.looked bleak. But yesterday the Defence Secretary Liam Fox
:12:41. > :12:44.
:12:44. > :12:50.announced that RAF Cottesmore will become home to the army. At least
:12:50. > :12:54.it will give jobs to somebody, won't it? We have lost a lot of
:12:54. > :12:59.income from the base. Hopefully we will regain some money on it comes
:13:00. > :13:06.back. Better than going to waste! In will help the local a four --
:13:06. > :13:08.economy somewhat. While the Army's plans have saved Cottesmore, it was
:13:08. > :13:11.the economic argument that has saved RAF Marham near Kings Lynn.
:13:11. > :13:15.More than 5,000 jobs have been saved here. News the Tornado is
:13:15. > :13:20.staying, along with its staff has been welcomed by local businesses.
:13:20. > :13:26.It is embedded in our Committee, the business we do with them. 10 %
:13:26. > :13:30.of our business is with Marham. do a lot of business with Moran,
:13:30. > :13:35.the different squadrons. It is good news to hear. Young chaps on their
:13:35. > :13:41.own, sometimes two or three of them, joining together from a mental
:13:41. > :13:43.perspective. Absolutely crucial. The familiar Tornados then remain
:13:43. > :13:46.part of North Norfolk life while Stamford looks forward to welcoming
:13:46. > :13:54.military personnel of a different kind. Military jobs in Lincolnshire
:13:54. > :14:02.and its surrounds have been safeguarded for the time being. The
:14:02. > :14:08.time is 17 minutes to 7 o'clock. Still had: The garden designed in
:14:08. > :14:18.an East Yorkshire prison goes on display. And of the UN the bridge
:14:18. > :14:21.
:14:22. > :14:31.at 30. We meet some of the artist Do not forget. If you have a photo
:14:31. > :14:41.you are proud of, ascended into us. This is Wetwang. Jennifer said in
:14:41. > :14:41.
:14:41. > :14:45.her note attached to its that they just saw some ducks.
:14:45. > :14:52.Did you manage to dodge some showers today or did you get wet?
:14:52. > :14:57.No, I got soaked through. Never mind, you only read it!
:14:58. > :15:05.I only read it? I'm sorry.
:15:05. > :15:09.There have been torrential thunderstorms in places. There is a
:15:09. > :15:13.Met Office severe weather warning. It is valid throughout the evening.
:15:13. > :15:18.Tomorrow the weather will not improve a great deal. Low pressure
:15:18. > :15:24.is never far away and there are further show was developing. There
:15:24. > :15:28.is a risk that some of them will be heavy in places. The satellite
:15:28. > :15:34.picture shows where the cloud is and that is where the heavier
:15:34. > :15:44.showers are. It will fade away to the south through the night. It
:15:44. > :15:44.
:15:44. > :15:54.will turn drier with some clear spells in Lincolnshire. Looking at
:15:54. > :15:55.
:15:55. > :15:59.the sometimes tomorrow... Here are the times of the high water.
:15:59. > :16:05.Tomorrow we will see some brightness developing first thing,
:16:05. > :16:10.particularly in Lincolnshire. Later we will see showers developing and
:16:10. > :16:13.in the afternoon they will start to become heavy and thundery and
:16:13. > :16:23.places. The Met Office morning his valid for tomorrow with a risk of
:16:23. > :16:25.
:16:25. > :16:30.torrential downpours. The temperatures are average for this
:16:30. > :16:33.time of the year. On Thursday we are still looking as Shell was but
:16:33. > :16:38.they should have lost their intensity so there will not be
:16:38. > :16:42.thunderstorms. It will mostly be dry on Friday and Saturday starts
:16:42. > :16:52.bright bubble cloud over. I have never been pounced on so
:16:52. > :16:56.
:16:56. > :16:59.quickly in my life! I am not Tocher, really ex!
:16:59. > :17:02.A butcher from East Yorkshire has taken the radical step of putting
:17:02. > :17:05.huge notices in his shop window, to try to stop malicious rumours about
:17:05. > :17:08.his private life. Brian Fields says when his three children came home
:17:08. > :17:13.asking if he was leaving them and their mother for another man, he
:17:13. > :17:18.says he had to act. Brian Fields runs an award winning
:17:18. > :17:22.family business. So when rumours started circulating he'd left his
:17:22. > :17:26.wife Joanne for a man, he felt he had to retaliate. Together, they've
:17:26. > :17:32.stuck huge notices in the window of the shop in Anlaby near Hull -
:17:32. > :17:41.asking people to stop the malicious gossip. A necessary measure, they
:17:41. > :17:47.say, when their three young children became upset. The rumour
:17:48. > :17:51.had not subsided. It has been going on a fall three months. Once it was
:17:51. > :17:56.affecting my children I felt it was time to correct people and have my
:17:57. > :18:00.say. It is not fair on the children. When one of your daughter's asks
:18:00. > :18:04.for who she will live with if you split up and there is no problem,
:18:04. > :18:08.you feel you are to take a stance. We have to sit them all down and
:18:08. > :18:13.have a tour can tell them mummy and daddy are happy and we are a happy
:18:13. > :18:16.family and so to ignore it if they hear it. Everybody I have spoken to
:18:16. > :18:21.said they have heard it. It is just not nice at all.
:18:21. > :18:25.And today, customers felt the butcher had done the right thing.
:18:25. > :18:29.He has worked all hours God sends to build his business up and now he
:18:29. > :18:33.get somebody like that trying to knock him down. It is very wrong.
:18:33. > :18:39.The you want to make sure people know the fact rather than horrible
:18:39. > :18:44.gossip. I think, as good on him. There is a slur on his character.
:18:44. > :18:46.His reputation is being tented. I think he is doing the right thing.
:18:46. > :18:49.Brian says despite the devastating impact on his family, his business
:18:49. > :18:57.has been unaffected. He suspects jealousy may be the motive for the
:18:57. > :19:00.rumours. Now he's hoping his shop front will put a stop to them.
:19:00. > :19:04.It's a craze that's swept the country and in Lincolnshire today
:19:04. > :19:07.it was used to highlight the dangers of coastal flooding. In the
:19:07. > :19:10.middle of the day and without any warning, 300 school pupils suddenly
:19:10. > :19:14.gathered in Mablethorpe's High Street to perform in front of
:19:14. > :19:17.passers by. The impromptu performance was used to kick start
:19:17. > :19:27.a touring exhibition that aims to raise awareness about the danger
:19:27. > :19:29.
:19:29. > :19:33.and power of the sea. Lincolnshire has a lot to offer,
:19:33. > :19:39.though its coastline has not always been as peaceful as this. Over the
:19:39. > :19:46.years, sea defences have been breached here. In 1953, high tides
:19:46. > :19:50.and stormy weather left 43 people dead. Since then investments and
:19:50. > :19:53.campaigns have reduce the dangers and today, here in Mablethorpe,
:19:53. > :19:57.there has been an unexpected campaign to raise the public
:19:57. > :20:04.awareness further. It came from all directions and gathered momentum
:20:04. > :20:08.and then it if -- quickly disappear. It is all passed -- it is all part
:20:08. > :20:14.of the latest craze, flash mob. A seemingly impromptu performance but
:20:14. > :20:17.one that has been well rehearsed. It was by 300 children whose
:20:17. > :20:22.Mexican wave in Mablethorpe aims to highlight the power was an danger
:20:22. > :20:26.of the save. Her I think we did well at getting the message across.
:20:26. > :20:30.We shop a few people. Are people were asking what we were doing.
:20:30. > :20:38.Most people wondered what was happening but once they saw the
:20:38. > :20:43.demonstration they started getting into it. Flash mob has also been
:20:43. > :20:49.used in good effect in other parts of our area. Esquire recently took
:20:49. > :20:53.shoppers by surprise in Hull. In Mablethorpe today there were plenty
:20:53. > :20:59.of puzzled expressions. wondered what was going on and then
:20:59. > :21:04.realised it was simulating a flood. It has done its job. We have been
:21:04. > :21:08.11 years. It has not happened yet but, like I say, you never know
:21:08. > :21:11.what is going to happen. When the weather is like this you do not
:21:11. > :21:14.think it is something you even have to consider or think about but it
:21:14. > :21:20.needs to be very much part of your life to plan for an event that may
:21:20. > :21:26.or may not happen. The performance was filmed for an exhibition which
:21:26. > :21:33.starts in Lincolnshire on Friday. A modern craze will highlight and alt
:21:33. > :21:36.-- age old problem. A prison garden in East Yorkshire
:21:36. > :21:39.has won a best in show award at Tatton Park. The knife garden was
:21:39. > :21:42.created by inmates at Everthorpe jail near Brough to highlight the
:21:42. > :21:46.dangers of knife crime and won a competition to feature at the
:21:46. > :21:49.Tatton Park RHS show in Cheshire from tomorrow. The designers say
:21:49. > :21:57.it's helping to turn around the lives of some of the inmates who've
:21:57. > :22:01.worked on it. They come on with different agendas but once they get
:22:01. > :22:06.involved in a project like this, you can see the thought process
:22:06. > :22:10.change, the mindset change and they really become involved and proud of
:22:10. > :22:18.their achievements. We've had plenty of reaction to
:22:18. > :22:22.last night's programme about the Humber Bridge and the tolls. Just a
:22:22. > :22:32.few of the responses. Robert in North Ferriby emailed to say...
:22:32. > :23:04.
:23:04. > :23:06.We are celebrating 30 years of the Humber Bridge. For all its
:23:06. > :23:09.controversy and disputes over the years, for many the Humber Bridge
:23:09. > :23:12.has one constant theme. It's a source of inspiration! From
:23:12. > :23:22.poets, painters and photographers, the Bridge is an icon - and even
:23:22. > :23:33.
:23:33. > :23:36.inspires the many pictures sent to He's been painting the Humber
:23:36. > :23:45.Bridge for ten years, from Barton bike night to drinks with friends -
:23:45. > :23:50.you can always see it somewhere. The Humber Bridge has had a great
:23:50. > :23:54.influence on my paintings. Every day away Cup tour wonderful view of
:23:54. > :23:58.the bridge. In that respect it has had an influence on what I tend to
:23:58. > :24:01.paint. Most pictures have the Humber Bridge in the background.
:24:01. > :24:11.And his newest project reflects on the current controversy surrounding
:24:11. > :24:12.
:24:12. > :24:18.the bridge. The latest work is entitled bridged tales explained.
:24:18. > :24:23.Half of the bridge is missing. It is like a bridge going nowhere. The
:24:23. > :24:31.birds represent money floating about. A lot of my paintings do not
:24:31. > :24:34.have meanings but this when it came to me and that is how what evolved.
:24:34. > :24:38.David's exhibition Beyond The Humber Bridge will soon be on
:24:38. > :24:43.display for all to see. But of course it's not just the art world
:24:44. > :24:50.this iconic structure has inspired, there's the spoken word too.
:24:50. > :24:55.Wynne's play on it like a harp. This Poem Bridge For The Living was
:24:55. > :24:58.writen by Phillip Larkin to commemorate it's opening.
:24:58. > :25:02.And more recently it featured in the Symphony For Yorkshire, a song
:25:02. > :25:04.celebrating everything local. But one person in particular has
:25:04. > :25:14.possibly had the longest relationship with the bridge,
:25:14. > :25:16.
:25:16. > :25:21.photographer David Lee. I have been photographing it for 40 years. We
:25:21. > :25:24.were taking progress photograph from the beginning of the bridge.
:25:24. > :25:29.It grew very slowly so a lot of things did not change much but it
:25:29. > :25:32.was fabulous. Getting up on the cables and on the catwalk was
:25:32. > :25:34.amazing. And many stunning photo's have
:25:34. > :25:37.followed since then David says he never gets bored of
:25:37. > :25:40.the Humber Bridge, through summer or winter, day or night it never
:25:40. > :25:43.fails to inspire. One morning they ran from the control room and told
:25:43. > :25:47.me I might be interested in something. It was a fabulous same
:25:47. > :25:52.width fluffy clouds and the cables coming out of them. It made a
:25:52. > :25:56.fantastic picture and we had it printed and we have sold over 2000.
:25:56. > :26:05.David says he never gets bored of the Humber Bridge. It never fails
:26:05. > :26:08.to inspire. I have a copy of that one at home,
:26:08. > :26:14.where the cloud sticks up above the clouds.
:26:14. > :26:19.Let us recap the headlines: Under scrutiny by Parliament, Rupert's
:26:19. > :26:22.and James Murdoch and Rebekah Brooks give evidence to MPs.
:26:22. > :26:26.Claims that metal prices have turned parts of North Lincolnshire
:26:26. > :26:36.into the worst area in the country for cable theft.
:26:36. > :26:36.
:26:36. > :26:40.The weather for tomorrow, sunny spells and heavy showers.
:26:40. > :26:46.There is a response coming in on the subject of Cable and metal
:26:46. > :26:55.theft. Malcolm says tarmac there are no police available at night to
:26:55. > :26:59.stop these thefts. Peter says... We had two tons of lead stripped from
:26:59. > :27:08.our church. The effect has been devastating for those involved in
:27:08. > :27:14.running and fund-raising for the Church.Let's make an example of
:27:14. > :27:18.these thieves. Lock them up and throw away the keys. This could be
:27:18. > :27:24.seen as attempted murder, just to get their hands on some cash. It is
:27:24. > :27:29.disgusting. We should ban scrap-metal dealers
:27:29. > :27:34.buying scrap wire. We should take a photograph of the seller. If they