:00:04. > :00:07.Good evening and welcome to BBC Look North. The headlines tonight:
:00:07. > :00:17.Plans to halve the Humber Bridge tolls are in doubt as the four
:00:17. > :00:22.councils disagree on how to finance the remaining debt.
:00:22. > :00:27.It is embarrassing for the region. Then next time we go cap in hand to
:00:27. > :00:30.the Government say we are all in agreement, they will not believe us.
:00:30. > :00:32.Setting up for a week on the picket line - tanker drivers walk-out over
:00:32. > :00:34.pay. The class of 12 year olds who've
:00:34. > :00:44.all passed their GCSE English three years early.
:00:44. > :00:46.
:00:46. > :00:56.And taking to the skies in search Cloudy tonight and not much chance
:00:56. > :00:59.
:01:00. > :01:03.of seeing those northern lights. Good evening. The Government has
:01:04. > :01:08.urged the four councils on the banks of the Humber to reach an
:01:08. > :01:14.agreement on the Humber Bridge debt. Until they agree, tolls can't be
:01:15. > :01:19.halved as promised. The deadline is next Friday. Hull City Council's
:01:19. > :01:22.offered to take on the bridge alone is not favoured by the Government
:01:22. > :01:29.bed with North East Lincolnshire rejecting a four-way split on the
:01:29. > :01:35.debt, the pressure is mounting. I am pleased to have been invited
:01:35. > :01:39.to open the Humber Bridge today. The tale of the tolls dates back to
:01:39. > :01:44.1981 when the Humber Bridge enjoyed a grand opening. For years, drivers
:01:44. > :01:49.have campaigned to reduce them. Now that is an option, the battle has
:01:49. > :01:55.moved on to how to do it. In December the Chancellor, George
:01:55. > :01:58.Osborne, agreed to halve the bridges that. The deal was that the
:01:58. > :02:05.remaining �182 million was underwritten by the for Humber
:02:05. > :02:08.councils. -- four. The suggestion was the shoulder 25% each but North
:02:08. > :02:13.East Lincolnshire Council says this is unfair as less people live there.
:02:13. > :02:19.The Government said to us that everyone is in agreement. We gave
:02:19. > :02:24.them that guarantee. We then start fighting like cats in the stack --
:02:24. > :02:28.a sack. We look stupid and the next time we go cap-in-hand to the
:02:28. > :02:38.Government saying we agree, we will look like fools because they don't
:02:38. > :02:38.
:02:38. > :02:43.believe us. 70% of the journeys take place in North Lincolnshire.
:02:43. > :02:47.Hull City Council were willing to take all of the debt burden but we
:02:47. > :02:51.understand the Treasury will not accept this. We wish to work with
:02:51. > :02:56.our colleagues in the other three authorities to, but the solution.
:02:56. > :02:59.We can't allow �150 million of Government money to go back to
:02:59. > :03:02.Westminster when that money could be used to reduce the burden and
:03:02. > :03:07.the financial pressure on businesses and the public in an
:03:07. > :03:11.area. It is a huge disappointment for Simon Blakely. He runs a
:03:11. > :03:18.haulage company in Immingham and was hoping a saving on tolls would
:03:19. > :03:23.help him expand. You are talking of saving thousands of pounds a year.
:03:23. > :03:27.You could put that somewhere else and utilise it.
:03:28. > :03:31.The Department of Transport told us they want to see a deal between all
:03:31. > :03:41.four authorities. There deadline is February and if the quarrelling
:03:41. > :03:44.continues, the tolls could stay at The Dida of North East Lincolnshire
:03:44. > :03:50.Council is Chris Shaw and he is joining me from Grimsby Town Hall.
:03:50. > :03:58.-- the leader. They have accused the councils of fighting like cats
:03:58. > :04:02.in a sack. He has a point. We are sat down trying to negotiate.
:04:02. > :04:08.They are squabbling from the outside. He wants to get into these
:04:08. > :04:13.meetings and say what he dad -- and then say what he thinks. For you
:04:13. > :04:23.jeopardising the deal? We are not. We have said we will pay our share
:04:23. > :04:32.of the deal. That money is there to night and all they need to do is to
:04:32. > :04:38.prepare to accept to -- hour 18%. We are not part of the dead.
:04:38. > :04:42.have an e-mail from Robert, saying there's hardly any difference. Get
:04:42. > :04:47.on with it, Mr Shaw, think of the benefits it will bring to north-
:04:47. > :04:54.east Lincolnshire. That is one of your taxpayers. I have for tea in
:04:54. > :04:59.my office saying the opposite saying, stick to your guns. -- I
:04:59. > :05:03.have a four macro in my office. There must be a reason why you are
:05:03. > :05:08.worried about this. Are you saying you don't think the whole deal is
:05:08. > :05:13.financially sound and could go wrong? My thing is if the deal goes
:05:13. > :05:16.wrong and I don't think it don't stack up, my it ratepayers in North
:05:16. > :05:24.East Lincolnshire will be saddled with the debt and I don't think it
:05:24. > :05:29.is there to do that. At the moment, we have made an offer based on tax
:05:29. > :05:35.payers 18% and I don't know where they can't accept that. My finance
:05:35. > :05:40.office has been brought in to talk about the facts and figures. They
:05:40. > :05:48.are worried that we have found out what the plan is. For we budge from
:05:48. > :05:56.that 18%? I have a for Council mandate. -- for were you budget
:05:56. > :06:02.from that 18%? The Liberal Democrat Party and the Labour Party, we have
:06:02. > :06:06.a mandate that says 18%. I am one of the only councils in the area
:06:06. > :06:14.that have got a mandate from their council to negotiate. Will the
:06:14. > :06:20.tours come down on the 1st April? We will work to bring that down.
:06:20. > :06:25.Somebody needs to talk to me sensibly instead of renting.
:06:25. > :06:31.If you want to comment, send me a text or e-mail.
:06:31. > :06:36.In a moment, egg farmers fear they will be -- they will be undercut
:06:36. > :06:40.and put out of business for following European rules.
:06:40. > :06:45.Tanker drivers on strike at the Conoco oil refinery and Immingham
:06:45. > :06:51.claim they are being asked to take pay cuts of �4,000 a year. Their
:06:51. > :06:55.employer says they are the best paid drivers in the UK. Average
:06:55. > :06:59.salaries of �45,000. The drivers walked out this morning and intend
:06:59. > :07:03.to stay on the picket line for a week. They union is hoping to cause
:07:03. > :07:10.disruption to fuel supplies. -- their union.
:07:10. > :07:14.Standing idle this morning, rows of fuel tankers at the refinery.
:07:15. > :07:18.Normally they would be on the road delivering to garage forecourts.
:07:18. > :07:23.Here are their drivers. They have walked out of protest at what they
:07:23. > :07:30.say is an attempt to cut their salaries. A reduction is offering
:07:30. > :07:40.us bid to �2,000 a year which is a reduction of around �4,000. What
:07:40. > :07:41.
:07:41. > :07:46.the other reductions are, which we have negotiated, will come down or
:07:46. > :07:52.so. The transport company is one of the contract is which delivers its
:07:52. > :07:56.fuel. They have condemned the strike by its work force. It is
:07:56. > :08:03.totally and called for and we have seen no reason for it to be taking
:08:03. > :08:07.place. We have had open dialogue with Unite on this particular issue.
:08:07. > :08:12.We have had one-to-one discussions with our drivers. We are
:08:12. > :08:18.disappointed. The protest will only affect deliveries to jet filling
:08:18. > :08:23.stations. They are warning the disruption will escalate. Those on
:08:23. > :08:27.strike say their protest is symbolic of a wider malaise in this
:08:27. > :08:33.industry. They are attempting to drive down the pay and conditions
:08:33. > :08:38.of tanker drivers across the UK. This is not just an isolated attack
:08:38. > :08:48.on our terms and conditions. The multi-billion pound oil companies
:08:48. > :08:50.
:08:50. > :08:57.are seeking a cost down agenda. other driver's account for a 5th of
:08:57. > :09:07.drivers from this depot. Garage forecourt shortages seem unlikely.
:09:07. > :09:08.
:09:08. > :09:13.Joining me is Professor Gregor Gall Gall, an expert on this. What
:09:13. > :09:18.reason did they have to go on strike? They may not be Asenby but
:09:18. > :09:21.they have to understand the proposals that they are being
:09:21. > :09:30.subjected to of to become self- employed, there by shade it --
:09:30. > :09:35.shouldering the responsibility there employee used to have. They
:09:35. > :09:40.will be able to understand that this is quite an attack on their
:09:40. > :09:43.conditions and the drivers have the ability to respond as they are in a
:09:43. > :09:48.strategic position to do so. There will be something of support to
:09:49. > :09:52.emerge if the strike collapsed -- lasts over the week. They hope the
:09:53. > :09:57.destruction of will be big and meaningful. The company says it
:09:57. > :10:01.could jeopardise the contracts of its workers. Who is in a stronger
:10:02. > :10:08.position? I think if the strike last for a week and there is
:10:08. > :10:10.further action, the drivers will be in a strong position. There is a
:10:10. > :10:14.possibility of fuels shortages throughout the country because of
:10:14. > :10:19.the oil refinery in Essex is now not delivering. There is less fuel
:10:19. > :10:25.in the south-east and they would be a demand for fuel from elsewhere.
:10:25. > :10:31.This will exacerbate the issue. The drivers have a leverage available
:10:31. > :10:38.to them. If they stick together and are concerted in their effort, they
:10:38. > :10:42.should bring it back to the bargain table. They can get the Transfer of
:10:42. > :10:47.undertakings so it protects their conditions. Doesn't this back-up
:10:47. > :10:54.the oil company's claim that profit margins are low and that justifies
:10:54. > :10:59.them cutting costs? For it may do that there is another factor. -- it
:10:59. > :11:03.may do. The oil refinery companies have sub-contracted their
:11:03. > :11:13.distribution networks to other companies. You have to people
:11:13. > :11:16.trying to get their slice of the Piet. -- two people. That puts
:11:16. > :11:20.pressure on the drivers' wages. There is that factor there. If
:11:20. > :11:26.these operations were taken back in-house by the refinery companies,
:11:26. > :11:31.we will not see this pressure. Thank you very much.
:11:31. > :11:36.Of the driver's right to stand up to protect their existing contracts
:11:36. > :11:43.or should they accept the claims the oil firms are walking on it
:11:43. > :11:53.slim profits? -- working on a slim profits? Maybe you are one of the
:11:53. > :12:00.
:12:00. > :12:04.The University of Lincoln is to cut his student intake by 11%, that is
:12:04. > :12:07.up to 700 places. The Government is asking the university to reduce
:12:07. > :12:10.student numbers to save money. Some of the courses could be transferred
:12:10. > :12:14.to Lincoln College. Half-a-million pounds is being
:12:14. > :12:16.given to help vulnerable people in Lincolnshire during the cold
:12:16. > :12:20.weather. The money which has come from central Government, will be
:12:20. > :12:24.used to help people with health problems stay warm over the winter
:12:24. > :12:28.months. Egg farmers in East Yorkshire and
:12:28. > :12:31.Lincolnshire fear they will be undercut and put out of business
:12:31. > :12:38.for following European laws. The new rules have banned eggs from
:12:38. > :12:43.battery hens but many countries are ignoring them.
:12:43. > :12:48.It was meant to put an end to this, battery chickens in cramped
:12:48. > :12:53.conditions. Bigger cages like he's in Withernsea were brought in under
:12:53. > :12:58.new EU welfare rolls from the beginning of this year.
:12:58. > :13:01.The birds have half as much space again per bird. They are able to
:13:01. > :13:06.would move around the whole area which is about the size of a
:13:06. > :13:13.snooker table. They have perches, dusting Mattes, they have nest
:13:13. > :13:17.boxes so they can lay their eggs. While they have improved welfare,
:13:17. > :13:23.other countries including Spain and Poland are ignoring the law and
:13:23. > :13:28.keeping prices low. We needed to get a level playing field within
:13:28. > :13:32.Europe or they will walk over us. Could poultry farmers go out of
:13:32. > :13:37.business? A of course. We have invested a huge amount of money and
:13:37. > :13:46.we all know what the financial world is like. I suppose people
:13:46. > :13:56.should think why should they care? We are welfare friendly, we are
:13:56. > :13:56.
:13:56. > :13:58.doing as they asked us to do. Support s, that is all we ask.
:13:58. > :14:04.legal. They say there is a quicker Guide for shoppers. In the UK, it
:14:04. > :14:07.is easy. You have to look for this lie in mark on the box and on the
:14:07. > :14:13.cake itself. Protecting illegal eggs in food which have already
:14:13. > :14:17.been made is a harder job. Most UK shops will only sell
:14:17. > :14:23.illegal acts like these been packed near Gainsborough. Cakes and pasta
:14:23. > :14:28.from abroad may have illegal eggs already baked in. It is frustrating.
:14:28. > :14:32.It has been in place for 12 years so that it is not as if people
:14:32. > :14:36.didn't know this was coming. Something like a quarter of the you
:14:36. > :14:41.eggs are currently illegal. We need to get the commission to treat
:14:41. > :14:46.everybody fairly said there is one rule for 27 member states which has
:14:46. > :14:50.been the case. In a recent interview with the BBC, the Prime
:14:50. > :14:54.Minister said he also wants action. With other European companies --
:14:54. > :15:01.countries, we have to take them to court if they did put in place the
:15:01. > :15:07.changes they have signed up to. National Farmers' Unions,
:15:07. > :15:11.supermarkets and many factories pledged to only dues legal eggs and
:15:11. > :15:21.there are plans for those importing illegal ones. The farmers here are
:15:21. > :15:25.
:15:25. > :15:31.Still ahead tonight: Quite Grimsby Town are drawing comparisons with
:15:31. > :15:39.Barcelona. And taking to the skies hoping for a glimpse of the
:15:39. > :15:49.celestial Northern Lights. Here is a picture of the sun setting at
:15:49. > :15:54.
:15:54. > :16:04.By the weather. I cannot believe we have the same shirts on, that will
:16:04. > :16:12.
:16:12. > :16:20.get everyone thinking! Is that Denham? -- gingham. Tomorrow is set
:16:20. > :16:26.to be milder but most be cloudy. -- mostly cloudy. There will be rain
:16:26. > :16:31.on Wednesday night and there is Thursday's weather. Thursday might
:16:31. > :16:37.not be too bad. You can see on the satellite picture an awful lot of
:16:37. > :16:41.clout. There is still some drizzle and light rain around. Some mist
:16:42. > :16:46.and patchy fog over the top of the hills. Tonight there will be
:16:46. > :16:56.further light rain and drizzle. Overcast skies, you can forget
:16:56. > :16:58.
:16:58. > :17:08.seeing the Northern Lights. The sun will rise in the morning around 7:
:17:08. > :17:08.
:17:08. > :17:13.Perhaps just a little bit of drizzle in places first thing
:17:13. > :17:18.otherwise it is a dry day, a cloudy one, but as the wind strengthens
:17:18. > :17:28.there will be some cloudy -- sunny spells coming through for a time.
:17:28. > :17:34.
:17:34. > :17:43.It will feel milder. Temperatures peaking at around 10 degrees. Some
:17:43. > :17:52.sharp bursts of rain developing on Wednesday night. That should clear
:17:52. > :18:02.on Thursday morning. Some sunshine and showers on Thursday, partly
:18:02. > :18:11.
:18:11. > :18:16.cloudy for Friday and Saturday but drier by then. A class of 30
:18:16. > :18:21.children in their second year at a school in Hull have all passed
:18:21. > :18:31.their GCS the English which is an exam most of their colleagues will
:18:31. > :18:36.not pass for three years. -- GCSE. Of mice and men by John Steinbeck,
:18:36. > :18:42.not exactly the kind of reading you would expect by 12 year-olds but
:18:42. > :18:52.these are not your average students. They have all taken their English
:18:52. > :18:58.
:18:58. > :19:04.GCSE three years early. I got an A. I got a B. I got an A. I got a C.
:19:04. > :19:13.Travels beckons and Shakespeare, the group achieved two grade A's,
:19:13. > :19:18.nine bees, 15 seas and four children got a D. It is not bad
:19:18. > :19:23.considering the school performs below the national average in GCSE
:19:23. > :19:29.English and maths. We learned that we can achieve anything with hard
:19:29. > :19:35.work. The world is our oyster. We are hoping that that ethos is
:19:35. > :19:42.something we can develop across the whole of the school. We can achieve
:19:42. > :19:48.excellence. There have been individual cases of children as
:19:48. > :19:54.young as six getting a good grade for a GCSE but among a whole class
:19:54. > :20:02.is quite an achievement. Best local author who visits the school to
:20:02. > :20:07.give talks things it is for a good chance. It will give them the
:20:07. > :20:12.confidence to believe they can achieve other things. If the
:20:12. > :20:17.students are not happy with the results they achieve this time
:20:17. > :20:26.round they can resit the exam whenever they feel ready. In the
:20:26. > :20:29.meantime they are still studying A- level literature. Thank you for
:20:29. > :20:36.getting in touch after our story about a man who was stopped from
:20:36. > :20:39.taking photographs in Scunthorpe. This video on the YouTube shows how
:20:39. > :20:44.security guards at the Golden wonder factory wouldn't let a local
:20:44. > :20:48.photographer take pictures of the site. It isn't illegal to take
:20:48. > :20:52.pictures in a public place unless there is a threat of terrorism. The
:20:52. > :20:55.factory owners have apologised. David in Hull says over the last
:20:55. > :21:00.few years clashes between over-keen security staff and photographers
:21:00. > :21:06.keep happening. When will someone do something to insure everyone
:21:06. > :21:10.knows the correct legal position? Hannah in Lincoln says, I think the
:21:10. > :21:13.security guards were right to stop the photographer. You have to ask
:21:14. > :21:17.why someone would want a photo of that building. It's not as if it
:21:17. > :21:20.was a tourist attraction he was taking a picture of. Paul in Hull
:21:21. > :21:23.had a similar experience. He sent a text to say, I was stopped in Leeds
:21:23. > :21:33.by a security guard while taking pictures of a beautiful old
:21:33. > :21:33.
:21:33. > :21:36.building. He admitted he was unsure why he was asking me to stop. Now
:21:36. > :21:43.this is the beautiful city of Barcelona in Spain and today it's
:21:43. > :21:50.being compared to Grimsby. The reason is that the Mariners have
:21:50. > :22:00.scored more goals at home than any European club, except Barcelona.
:22:00. > :22:00.
:22:01. > :22:08.Looking at further comparisons, is our sports reporter Simon Clark. It
:22:08. > :22:14.is a war and spirited, vibrant and dynamic. So is Barcelona. Today the
:22:14. > :22:24.Catalan capital was compared to Grimsby because of the scoring
:22:24. > :22:25.
:22:25. > :22:30.prowess of both clubs. 41 have been scored by Grimsby, 43 by Barcelona.
:22:30. > :22:39.Barcelona cannot compare to the banks of the Humber on a bracing
:22:39. > :22:44.day like today. Barcelona claims the world's greatest stadium. This
:22:44. > :22:52.might be and 99,000 all-seater stadium but it does not boast a
:22:52. > :22:57.19th century stand like Brundle Park. This is football heritage.
:22:57. > :23:04.Beat that Barcelona! Do you think there are any comparisons between
:23:04. > :23:14.Cleethorpes and Barcelona? You are having a laugh! I love Cleethorpes
:23:14. > :23:15.
:23:15. > :23:24.but I would also like to be in Barcelona. Dig deep and the
:23:24. > :23:30.comparisons become apparent. supporter comes here and if he
:23:30. > :23:40.likes what he sees he will bring his family back. That has got to be
:23:40. > :23:48.
:23:48. > :23:55.good for everybody. This striker's counterpart in Barcelona is just as
:23:55. > :23:58.good as him on be same number of calls. And Grimsby Town are away at
:23:58. > :24:00.Barrow tonight. That's on BBC Radio Humberside's AM frequency. And BBC
:24:00. > :24:03.Lincolnshire have coverage from Lincoln City against Southport.
:24:03. > :24:05.Kick off is at 7: 45. Scunthorpe United face one of their biggest
:24:05. > :24:15.challenges this season when fourth- placed Sheffield Wednesday visit
:24:15. > :24:29.
:24:29. > :24:33.After the stunning northern lights display on Sunday night, sky
:24:33. > :24:36.watchers are taking to the skies come up over the North Sea, in the
:24:36. > :24:38.hope of getting a better look. A special flight's due to leave the
:24:39. > :24:41.Robin Hood airport. Last night 200 passengers went on a similar
:24:41. > :24:43.journey from Leeds-Bradford airport. The astronomer Paul Money from
:24:43. > :24:53.Horncastle in Lincolnshire was on board, along with our reporter,
:24:53. > :24:55.
:24:55. > :25:02.Spencer Stokes. Last night Yorkshire went in search of the
:25:02. > :25:05.Yorkshire like it's -- the Northern Lights. 140 passengers getting
:25:05. > :25:10.above the clouds and away from light pollution to increase their
:25:10. > :25:15.chances of seeing this natural phenomenon. This is a force of
:25:15. > :25:25.nature and it may have died off but you never know, we might be lucky
:25:25. > :25:32.you never know, we might be lucky again. Cabin lights went off and
:25:32. > :25:42.they began to scan the horizon. That is almost certainly be a
:25:42. > :25:50.
:25:50. > :25:55.grown-up. -- the aurora. We did not see the brilliant flashes that we
:25:55. > :26:00.had seen on television but we did see some elements we had not or
:26:00. > :26:04.would not have seen otherwise. was not as spectacular as I would
:26:04. > :26:09.have expected but it was still very have expected but it was still very
:26:10. > :26:19.impressive none the less. We have had an amazing display. Tonight was
:26:19. > :26:25.not as did as the last one but you never know with this. Another
:26:25. > :26:35.flight will leave tonight and the prediction is that there will be a
:26:35. > :26:38.celestial slow pace. -- showcase. Let's get a recap of the national
:26:38. > :26:41.and regional headlines. A warning over fuel prices after a major oil
:26:41. > :26:44.refinery in Essex goes bust with up to 1000 jobs at risk. Plans to half
:26:44. > :26:47.the Humber Bridge tolls are in doubt as the four councils continue
:26:47. > :26:50.to disagree over how to finance the remaining debt. And tomorrow's
:26:50. > :26:53.weather, a damp start but otherwise dry and cloudy with brighter spells
:26:53. > :27:01.developing throughout the day. It will be milder, with top
:27:01. > :27:07.temperatures of 10 C, that's 50 F. A response coming in on the subject
:27:07. > :27:14.of the tanker drivers. One person says they should get real, they
:27:14. > :27:19.should be thankful they have a job at all. A local employees says
:27:19. > :27:26.these drivers are currently and always have been the best paid. It