29/12/2011 Look North (East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire)

Good evening. Welcome to Look North. The former Chief Executive of Hull

FC has tonight been banned from rugby league for two years for his

part in a drugs cover-up at the club. The UK Anti-Doping Agency

found James Rule had lied about the circumstances surrounding a failed

drugs test by player, Martin Gleeson. Gleeson has also been

given a ban, as has conditioning coach, Ben Cooper. It's the first

time ever that off-pitch staff have been banned for tampering with the

drugs testing process in this way. Linsey Smith has the story. Glee

son -- this was the last time Gleeson scored for Hull FC. Soon

after he was disqualified from the sport. He tested positive for a

banned stimulant. What makes this a landmark case not just in rugby

league, but UK Sport, is that two of his staff have also been banned.

Former Chief Executive James Rule and conditioning coach, Ben Cooper

conspired to cover up the situation after Gleeson left the club

unexpectedly. The press were told that Martin Gleeson was away from

the club on extended sick leave due to stress-related illness.

Obviously, that's not true. Drug tests are regularly carried out in

rugby league. It's against the world anti-doping programme rules

to tamper with the sample bottles or provide fraudulent information.

Andy Parkinson is the Chief Executive of UK anti-doping. It has

led to two people being prosecuted, two of which are not athletes and

that's the first time that has happened in the UK and this is the

first time we have prosecuted under this rule. We normally prosecute

under a positive test. This is an affair which is bound to sadden

supporters and leave a stain on this club's long history. Linsey is

live with more on this. What is the governing body had to say about

this? They say that such behaviour is unacceptable and it brings the

sport of rugby league into disrepute. They applaud the UK

anti-dopgs agency for the hours of work they -- the UK anti- doping

agency for the hours they put into this. The UK Anti-Doping Agency

have told us this afternoon that they will aggressively pursue

anyone suspected of violating the rules, especially as all eyes will

be on UK Sport with the Olympics coming up later next year. In

tonights other main news - a decision is due in the next few

weeks on whether legal action will be brought following an explosion

in Boston in which five men died. It's thought the men had been using

an industrial unit to make illegal alcohol when the blast happened.

The Crown Prosecution Service is currently reviewing the case and is

due to make an announcement about any charges early next month.

Scientists are investigating the death of a sperm whale on the north

Norfolk coast. The 55-foot creature was found dead on Christmas Eve

after washing up near Hunstanton. Sperm whales rarely venture into

the shallow waters off this coastline, but it's believed to

have died at sea. It probably was a natural death. There's nothing to

suggest that anything man-made has caused this, so it was a natural

death. There's no signs of struggle on the beach or a sign it's been

displaced, so it died out at sea and washed up on to the beach here.

There's a warning that people in Lincolnshire could face rising

prices and hosepipe bans if a water shortage continues to affect the

county. Drought was officially declared in June. The Environment

Agency says it could continue into next year, unless there's

significant rainfall. Siobhan Robbins reports. When drought was

declared in Lincolnshire in June, farmers were already feeling the

effects. It's all dead at the bottom. Potatoes were parched and

the land was bone dry. Six months on, despite the rain, we are still

in drought. Two years ago this stream was running. Last year it

was just down to a steady trickle and now it's grassed over and

there's no water flowing down it at all. Our yields were down 25% on

the winter wheats and 60% on the spring barley, which made it

uneconomical to grow, but the root crops, and the vegetables, we have

they really do suffer. Although the ground may look fairly wet, the

water levels below the surface are still really low. The Environment

Agency has issued the drought map of 2012 and it says unless there's

a prolonged period of significant rainfall that Lincolnshire is at

high risk of continuing drought into spring and summer. This is the

Beck and there is no flow. This is the result of the driest 12 months

since the 1920s. Unless the neck three months are really wet we all

-- we could all feel the effects. Farmers may feast -- face

restrictions and the public hosepipe bans. Shopping bills could

also go up. There would definitely be an increase in pricing, because

vegetables don't grow the same and they get loss, so there would be an

effect on the green grocers. Environment Agency will continue to

monitor levels over the spring, but it's clear, unless there's a lot

more rain, drought could also begin draining our bank accounts. A

Lincolnshire nursery thinks it might have the answer to getting

rid of your Christmas tree and that's to hire one out. Rudie

Bertins hires them through December. When they're returned he re-plants

them ready for next year. The scheme's already been recognised

for being environmentally friendly, which Rudie says is the main reason

people want one. We have built this business up from nothing. Obviously

we do other things than trees, but this side of it has snowbald

because people like the idea of them being environmentally friendly.

The trees are not thrown away. We supply schools too and they love it.

This year's santa fun run in Lincoln has raised more than

�24,000f for charity. Around 1,500 santas took part in the race

earlier this month. It's the second-highest amount ever raised

since the event started five years ago. Now time for the weather with

ago. Now time for the weather with Paul. Hello. Good evening. It

remains very unsettled. The next weather system is steaming, meaning

it will turn wet through Friday afternoon and Friday evening. In

the short term, still a number of sharp showers feeding in from the

north-west. They will fizzle overnight. One or two icy patches

are possible. Temperatures around 1 and a very strong wind at first. It

will moderate later. Friday, icy patches and then a dry, bright

start. Hazy sun, but cloud will increase and the will see rain

spreading from the west. By the end of the afternoon it will be pretty

wet and miserable, with top temperatures around five or six