23/11/2011 Look North (East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire)

Here we are, a very good evening to you from Look North.

Humber Bridge bosses say that tolls will drop as the government agrees

to write off part of the debt. The board has always charged purely

to maintain the bridge and to repay the debt. If the debt is reduced,

we won't need that level of income. Police reopen their investigation

into a -- de death of a man who died after being thrown out of a

nightclub. The last pirate in England. 50

years on, a Grimsby skipper tells his story.

And the world's newest pop-star, this boy from X Factor, as you have

never seen him before. And do not forget to join me for a

Good evening. The after three decades of rising tolls, Humber

Bridge bosses have told Look North that they expect charges to be

reduced. It follows the news that ministers are planning to write off

a large part of the bridge's �330 million debt. The the general

manager of the Humber Bridge says that drivers may soon it no longer

be paying Britain's highest tolls. The prospect of lower Humber Bridge

tolls is welcome news for those who struggle to afford the current

charge of �3 each way for cars. Emily, who is 18, is an apprentice.

She works for a charity which provides complementary therapies

for charity sufferers. -- cancer sufferers.

It is tough. For people that not -- that do not get a lot of money, �6

could buy you a lot of things. It is an additional tax on people

who are already poor. They may have to make adjustments to their income

because of their illness. They are accessing treatment across the

bridge. It is essential that these tolls comedown. They are stifling

services and are preventing people from actors in the treatment they

need. Ultimately, the bridge's financial

future will be decided on an economic basis. With a handful of

proposals already in place to pay off some of the debt.

This businessman is offering �100 million for the bridge to be run by

a community interest company. Tolls would be reduced to �2 each way for

cars. The Humber Bridge board is also quoting a figure of �100

million. The they would reduce the present 22 councillors are to 10.

They would reduce the toll to to pass 50. North Lincolnshire council

is also looking at buying the bridge in a public-private

partnership. It would see tolls reduced to one pound 54 cars. --

�1.50. The board has always charge tolls

purely to maintain the bridge. If the debt is reduced, I have no

reason to suggest they would not reduce the tolls.

The final details will be revealed when the Chancellor delivers his

Autumn Statement next week. The big question is, can the

government really afford to pay off a large amount of this debt?

That is the 64,000 dollar question, or to be more precise, the �332

million question. What I do not think will happen, the government

cannot afford to pay off the whole debt. That is not going to happen.

I think ministers will be looking closely at those three proposals on

the table, possibly a combination of them, the king of paint --

looking at paying about �100 million. The Treasury will take a

hit on the rest. The understanding that Lower Bridge tolls would bring

more business and more people paying taxes. It is a big gamble,

but I am told tonight it is a gamble the government is willing to

take. Thank you very much indeed. We will

continue to follow the story. In a moment, the grandmother who broke

both arms after falling on an uneven pavement.

Police are to reopen an investigation into the death of a

man who was restrained by bouncers at the Lincoln a nightclub. It

comes after a jury found that 23- year-old William Pleasants had been

unlawfully killed as a night out at the Engine Shed in October 2008.

Today, his family have described it as a small step towards justice.

It was a night out that ended in tragedy. William Pleasants was

thrown out of the Engine Shed venue on Lincoln University's campus by

door staff in October 2008. After they go straight in on the ground,

he stopped breathing and was taken to hospital, where he later died.

At Lincoln Crown Court, an inquest into his death came to its

conclusion. It found that William Pleasants died following a lack of

oxygen to the brain after a heart attack while he was under restraint.

He was also under the influence of alcohol and drugs. Over the past

week, the inquest has heard from a range gritters, many who questions

the use of force by the door staff. Today, the jury decided that his

death amounted to unlawful killing. Lincolnshire police say the verdict

raises many questions. I have heard the evidence, and in

light of that we are reopening the investigation. I think the inquest

also raises several issues around the security industry, as the

coroner will make comment on them at a later stage.

A pathologist told the inquest that if William had not been restrained,

he would not have died. As they left court, William Pleasants'

family told us that it was a mood small step towards justice. The

police had initially arrested six people, although no charges were

brought. Officers say they will be reviewing the case.

Jake is live by the Engine Shed in Lincoln right now. What happens

next? I think it is important to stress

that the inquest is not allowed to apportion blame to any person with

regard to a death. So it is now going to be down to the police as

the Crown Prosecution Service to review the evidence in this case as

decide whether there are any grounds for a criminal prosecution

to now take place. Further to that, this evening, the University has

issued a statement. It says that its thoughts are with William

Pleasants' family at this difficult time, and that we are extremely sad

that this young man has lost his life. We will provide all

assistance necessary to establish the cause of the death.

Thank you very much. Some more news. England Under-21s men have been

sentenced to life for murdering a Scunthorpe man in his own home.

Teesside Crown Court heard that Roy Bush, who was disabled, died after

being punched and stamped on. His attackers then stole his prosthetic

leg. Liam Campbell will serve a minimum of 21 years. Joe Harrison

from Scunthorpe will serve at least 18 years.

New figures have shown a rise in the number of deaths caused by --

caused by cold weather. The number of deaths has risen by nearly 1%.

Jack Pleasant from Grimsby says he spends more time in the library in

the winter to save on heating his home.

The primary thing is, food is more important than heat, because you

can generate a bit of heat by putting extra clothing on. But if

you have not got food, you were going to waste away.

A Hull grand mother has described the last two mums as a nightmare

after tripping over a pavement on the estate where she leads postop

Jean Stephenson broker both of her arms in the fall, and is now

selling Hull City Council for compensation. But the authority has

defended its record after spending more than �1 million fixing

pavements in the last year. This is about the only think Jean

Stephenson can do on heroin. Seven weeks ago, she tripped on a sunken

drain cabals hide her home, breaking both arms.

I cannot basically do a lot. I cannot wash myself. I cannot feed

myself. It is a nightmare, really. The problem has now been fixed, but

Jean is suing the council. It comes at a cost, hitting the taxpayer

hard. In the last four years, Hull City Council paid out more than �1

million on legal fees and compensation. That is after more

than 250 injury claims. Lincolnshire saw almost 200 planes,

paying out over �200,000. In East Yorkshire, 280 claims cost the

council �280,000. You do not have to look far to find

cracks or uneven pavements. And lawyers say if they paving stab --

paving slab is raised by more than an inch, that could be enough to

trigger a claim. We have got approximately 100

claims going against local authorities. If they fail to

identify a defect, if somebody is injured, they can be held liable.

It is absolutely awful. They are terrible to walk on.

A they are terrible. Most of them are terrible. The councils say most

of the pavements are well maintained, with �1.3 million spent

on repairs last year. But Jean says much more needs to be done.

I have ended up like this. If it had been somebody elderly, they

could have killed themselves. Now Jean is too scared to go out

alone. She hopes legal action will push the council to improve the

estate's footpaths postop. Phillipa Hunt works for the charity

Living Streets, which campaigns for better pavements across the country.

I spoke to her earlier had asked her if she often sees this kind of

case. This is the kind of tale we hear a

lot. I think what illustrates this is the importance for councils or

ensuring that their street are well maintained and kept clear from

hazards. We know that all too often pavements are not given the

priority that is needed, which is a surprise, given that they are one

of the public services that we use every day.

But we just heard in the film about compensation figures. This is

costing millions of pounds coming out of the public purse. Accidents

happen. Should people be more careful?

Obviously, you would expect people to be careful. But every local

authority has a duty to ensure that their pavements are well-kept and

kept free of obstacles. If they do not do that, they will be liable to

compensation claims. I think what this shows is that it is a false

economy lost to ensure that our pavements are well maintained and

kept, and that is going to be such an increasing priority as we start

getting into the winter weather. Do you think some people claim to

bed early and use it as an excuse? If you think that the vast majority

of short journeys are undertaken every day by foot. I think that's

really shows the importance of making sure that we put sufficient

priority behind ensuring that we have good quality pavements where

people want to walk. I do not think you can underestimate how important

good quality pavements are for local people, particularly those

who are more vulnerable, if you are older or disabled. In these

situations, being able to walk on a pavement free of hazards to your

local shops really can be a lifeline. The banter with what is

likely to be a cold winter, that is This is usually a controversial

subject. What other pavements like were you why? Have you ever fallen

on them? Should councils take a greater responsibility looking

after pavement better? Do we need to what were we are going? Get in

touch. -- do we need to watch where Thank you for getting in touch last

night, after we reported about the that fear Intars Pless. He was

found guilty of causing the death of a woman in Boston by dangerous

driving. He was a convicted murderer in his home country,

Thank-you for those. The impact of thousands of job

losses at BAE Systems will be the subject of a debate in the House of

Commons tomorrow. In September, the company announced it was losing

nearly 900 jobs at its plant in broth. BBC Radio Humberside will

have live coverage of the debate tomorrow. - - Brough. We will have

a round-up of that debate him Look North tomorrow. Still ahead: Almost

50 years after being jailed for piracy, a Grimsby skipper tells his

story. And from Scunthorpe to top of the

charts, we go back to the roots of the world's newest pop star.

Most photographs we get our sense electronics -- and send electronic

say these days. -- the most photographs are sent electronically

Hello, your man. Here is the message from Natasha or.

She says, I am confused by Peter's age because his skin looks radiant.

I am surprised you can see his skin underneath all that make up!

The weekend is looking changeable. The next 24 hours look strike with

variable amounts of cloud. The wind is coming in from the West. In the

breeze, you will probably notice it feels court. It will bring rain

barely hours Friday morning. Friday is looking fine with sunshine. Some

fairly decent weather to come in the next few days. We had more

cloud than I thought today. It has been bright. The cloud may thicken

during this evening and overnight. Eight chance of a few spots of rain

across more western areas. It will not amount to much. It will be out

of the way by first light. Most of us will be dry. Temperatures are

around seven or eight Celsius. The sun will rise about 744 am, setting

at 3:52pm. It looks as though it will be a very similar to today.

Variable amounts of cloud. A fresh south-westerly wind will break the

wind up. There will be spells of sunshine at times. These

temperatures are above average for the end of November. We are looking

at 12 Celsius. Friday looks fine with some sunshine. Some rain

Saturday night. Daylight Saturday I was just e-mailing my solicitor!

Claire says, where was the sunshine in Long Sutton, was this another

dodgy forecast? It was the cloud's fault. Nothing

to do with the forecast. There are fears tonight that the

closure of a Norfolk coastguard station will leave part of the

Lincolnshire seafront more vulnerable. The government

confirmed yesterday that the station at brake mac -- at Great

Yarmouth will shut at the coastguard in Bridlington will be

responsible for Lincolnshire. Some fishermen say it is compromising

safety. It is that heart of England's

shellfish industry. Is what has that been some of the world's most

treacherous. Safety around the Wash has been the responsibility of this

coastguard station up until now, but the closure has been confirmed

as part of government cuts. Unbelievable. It is the most

important coastguard station we have. That stretch of water is most

dangerous. All in activity going on out there, it is the busiest

stretch of water. -- all the activity. My concern is that

someone in Southampton will take their phone call and they will not

be aware of what is going on. Humber Coastguard based at

Bridlington currently covers the coast than from Berwick to police

its, whereas great charm of's station covered Lincolnshire and

Norfolk. Bridlington will share that duty with Southampton on a 24

hour basis. We still need to see more reassurance that Humberside

can cope with an extended need. government's original plans to

streamline the service had been cut back. Modernising it claims better

technology, improved safety he ate fewer stations. Great Yarmouth's

will go in 2015, leaving postal users to hope that modernisation

does what it says. -- postal users. Grimsby's university centre will be

officially opened tonight. The �20 million development will offer

higher education courses. It ranges from science labs to radio and TV

studios. Hull has two new nature reserves.

The new status has been given to the site at Rockford Fields at

Noddle Hill. It means rare plants and animals which live in the area

will now be protected. Scunthorpe United suffered another

defeat last night in the FA Cup. They lost 1-0 to Wimbledon. It was

a good night for a Grimsby Town, as they beat League Two side Port Vale.

The 1-0 win means they will take on Salsbury in the second round.

He was the last man in England to be convicted of piracy on the high

seas. And now a skipper from Grimsby has told his story for the

first time. Alwyn Call spent five years in prison after a drunken

prank 45 years ago, when he and four crew members to cover the

Grimsby trawler, the Loveden. Alwyn Call, known as Olly, spent

most of his time at sea. Today, he is a respected skipper, but back in

1966 while sailing off the coast of Grimsby on the Loveden trawler, he

had a very bad idea. We were looking at each other across the

table, laughing and drinking, and I said, shall we take this bloody

ship over? We went on the bridge, went to see the skipper and said,

we are taking the ship over. He said, don't be daft. We had a rope

and we tied him up, then tied up the mate and a cook and there was

no turning back. Olly and four other crew members sailed to jemmy

to escape, but they were caught. The five men were brought back here

to Grimsby dock and charged with piracy. Orly spent five years in

jail, but the judge said he was lucky to escape the death sentence.

It was only after we got caught we realised how serious it was. The

any person did not see it as a joke was a joke. He would not accept it

as a drunken escapade. His story is been recorded here at Grimsby

library. I have never come across a story about piracy. To have the

last bright reds here in Grimsby, it is unique. It is a fear that

Olly has been able to tell his story. -- to have the last private

here in Grimsby. He has been able to tell how he made good, if you

like. Olly says his biggest regret is the hurt he caused. When that

Mayday came out, and then silence, although victims, my mother and

brother, they must have been wondering what had happened. It

wasn't a very nice thing to do. Full of regret. Olly would be like

to remembered as the fishermen he now is, not the drunken pilot he

once was. -- bright red. The winner of the Australian X

Factor Reece Mastin has been dubbed the pride of Scunthorpe. The 16-

year-old grouping Lincolnshire. He has been doing round of interviews

for the national press, and his single has gone straight to the top

of the Australian download chart. His talent was spotted in

Scunthorpe at a very early age. This is what a modern pop sensation

and X Factor winner looks like. And this is what he looked like six

years ago when performing in a competition at school. He was nine

or 10. He knew what he wanted to do and he could perform well. One year,

he did Robbie Williams, and he was fantastic. He was just like he is

today. He had that X Factor them. He was comfortable on the stage. I

am not surprised in some respects, because it was so good.

excesses caused a sensation among the next generation of pupils.

was amazing and it will inspire everyone at the school. Amazing. It

is weird to be in the school where he has been. Well done, a race! We

think you are amazing! Please come back!

He has been officially invited to perform here. Rees said he may come

back to Scunthorpe. We have the excellent venue we did Lincolnshire,

which would be an ideal venue if he wished to perform. I hope we can

see if he will, and perform. I am trying to come back to Scunthorpe.

My grandparents still live there with my uncle. We still have family

there, they have been watching the show. And what a show he gave them.

Fantastic story. Let's hope he gets to play in Scunthorpe. Let's have a

recap of the headlines. The parents of the misaligned -- of the missing

girl Madeleine McCann hit out at months of media intrusion. Humber

Bridge managers say they expect the We heard that story of Jean and the

pavements. Big response. Somebody said, how do -- how did people

managed on cobbled streets? They never put in a claim when they fell.

Deal with it. Simon said, blame culture should be banned. I walk my

dogs every day and I never fall over. Rachel said, people should

look were they going, more and more people will be falling just to take