:00:04. > :00:07.Good evening and welcome to BBC Look North. The headlines tonight.
:00:07. > :00:17.Farmers warn of food price rises as a drought is declared in East
:00:17. > :00:17.
:00:17. > :00:20.Yorkshire. We are live in the Yorkshire wolds,
:00:20. > :00:23.where some waterways are already bone dry.
:00:23. > :00:25.Measures to save fuel are put in place as motorists prepare for a
:00:25. > :00:28.tanker strike. Students in Grimsby petition
:00:28. > :00:36.against plans to force them to finish their A Levels at a new
:00:36. > :00:43.college. They are not giving us a chance to explain ourselves. They
:00:43. > :00:50.are saying there straightaway. -- saying no.
:00:50. > :01:00.Still attracting funseekers. Coningsby in Lincolnshire has had
:01:00. > :01:07.
:01:07. > :01:10.its warmest March day on record. Join me later for the forecast.
:01:10. > :01:15.Students at the Grimsby Institute are shocked after being told they
:01:15. > :01:19.will have to finish their A-levels at another school. The institute
:01:19. > :01:23.will focus on vocational courses, and says it will stop teaching the
:01:23. > :01:33.A-level curriculum at the end of the Summer Time. It is also
:01:33. > :01:37.
:01:37. > :01:41.scrapping some GCSEs. Crispin Rolfe has more.
:01:41. > :01:44.Christina and Georgia. Just months away from finishing the first year
:01:45. > :01:49.of their two-year A-level courses at the Grimsby Institute. Today's
:01:49. > :01:52.petition is calling for the college to complete their education before
:01:52. > :01:55.changing the curriculum. Both are worried they would have to restart
:01:55. > :01:59.their courses if they move to a college with a different exam
:01:59. > :02:04.boards. We might have to start over again and do when the two years,
:02:04. > :02:08.which will hold us back from university. They should compromise,
:02:08. > :02:14.but they are not listening to us. They're not giving us the chance to
:02:14. > :02:18.explain our cells. They are just saying no straightaway.
:02:18. > :02:22.institute is defending his decision to move to more vocational courses,
:02:22. > :02:26.and says it is doing all it can to help students complete their
:02:26. > :02:32.education elsewhere. There is the local and regional made to ensure
:02:33. > :02:36.our students are prepared for work force Opportunities, related to the
:02:36. > :02:40.renewable industry, which we know will become available. It is about
:02:41. > :02:46.a range of other students whose skills we need to develop so that
:02:46. > :02:50.we are responding to industry requirements. Over 70 students will
:02:50. > :02:55.be immediately affected by the end to A-levels here. Those courses
:02:55. > :02:59.will be replaced by a National Diploma, the equivalent of three A-
:02:59. > :03:04.levels, and should allow them to progress to university, all go
:03:04. > :03:07.directly into work. The government hopes they will be more eligible
:03:07. > :03:12.for the work force. Be Grimsby Institute has admitted the change
:03:12. > :03:16.will be an upheaval for those whose courses are being discontinued. But
:03:16. > :03:20.with the education sector facing funding cuts, this college believes
:03:20. > :03:28.others are better placed to deliver academic courses, was it refocuses
:03:28. > :03:33.on North East Lincolnshire's workforce needs.
:03:33. > :03:37.I am sure you will have a view on this one, especially if you are a
:03:37. > :03:44.student. Is the Institute right to focus on vocational qualifications
:03:44. > :03:50.and train people in areas like green energy? If you are a student
:03:50. > :03:55.or a parent, do let me know. Hull is one of the worst places in the
:03:55. > :03:59.country when it comes to school truancy. Latest figures show that
:03:59. > :04:05.almost one in 10 youngsters in the city regularly skip school. The
:04:05. > :04:13.authority is the third worst performing county in the country.
:04:13. > :04:18.Emma Massey has the details. Persistent truants are those who
:04:18. > :04:22.were absent more than 15% of the time. Figures for the last school
:04:22. > :04:26.year show that in Hull, the percentage of students who fall
:04:26. > :04:31.into this category was more than 9%. It is not the first time Hull has
:04:31. > :04:36.performed badly. In 2008, it was the worst performing a authority in
:04:36. > :04:39.the country, and last year, the second worst. Figures for the East
:04:39. > :04:46.Riding, Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire around the national
:04:46. > :04:52.average of six per 1%, while North Lincolnshire is one of they best
:04:52. > :04:57.performers in the country -- national average of six by 1%.
:04:57. > :05:07.Hull City Council has declined to comment, but we did talk to the
:05:07. > :05:07.
:05:07. > :05:13.government. Here is what the schools minister said. Our job is
:05:13. > :05:17.to send a message to parents that school does matter, education
:05:17. > :05:22.matters. We are producing a lot of highly qualified, highly educated
:05:22. > :05:26.people. It is also about instilling in young children, primary school
:05:26. > :05:30.children, the importers of attending school every day. There
:05:30. > :05:37.are still some children not attending primary school, and they
:05:37. > :05:41.take those habits on to secondary school. Now, some more and years.
:05:42. > :05:46.The redundancy process at the BAE factory in East Yorkshire is to be
:05:46. > :05:56.suspended for three weeks to allow fresh talks to place -- fresh talks
:05:56. > :05:56.
:05:56. > :06:06.to take place. Unions representing workers at the site say it follows
:06:06. > :06:10.a constructive meeting with management. The meeting was called
:06:10. > :06:16.at a very high level in a company. They have effectively reset the
:06:16. > :06:20.clock, Alawi knows more time -- allowing us more time to consult. I
:06:20. > :06:26.think it is encouraging. A shopping centre in Spalding is to
:06:26. > :06:29.be sold to a cottage -- she sold to a college. The multi-million-pound
:06:29. > :06:32.Red Lion Quarter was meant to show kids Lincolnshire produce, but
:06:32. > :06:37.struggled to make money. South Holland District Council is
:06:37. > :06:40.expected to hand over the site to Boston College next week.
:06:40. > :06:44.Campaigners fighting to save Hornsea's Floral Hall will meet
:06:44. > :06:47.with businesses next week to work out how to restore the building.
:06:47. > :06:55.East Riding Council said a community group could run the venue,
:06:55. > :06:59.saving it from demolition. They need to raise at least �100,000. 10
:06:59. > :07:02.new flood rescue boats have been unveiled a Lincolnshire. They will
:07:02. > :07:06.be shared by fire stations across the county and will be crewed by
:07:06. > :07:11.specially-trained water rescue teams. They will help us to deal
:07:11. > :07:14.with any major flooding event, and any other specialist water rescue
:07:14. > :07:24.within the county. They are available for national deployment
:07:24. > :07:25.
:07:25. > :07:29.as well. A farmer has warned prices could
:07:29. > :07:33.rise after Hull and East Yorkshire were declared to be officially in
:07:33. > :07:38.drag. Some farmers are changing the watering methods, or even growing
:07:38. > :07:41.crops in other parts of the country, to try to maintain the mat they can
:07:41. > :07:45.grow for consumers. The news of the drought spreading to this area
:07:45. > :07:52.comes a week before the hosepipe ban comes into effect in
:07:52. > :07:58.Lincolnshire. Anne-Marie Tasker is in East Yorkshire. So we are
:07:58. > :08:04.officially in drought. How low our water levels? In an average match,
:08:04. > :08:12.you would expect this waterway could befall to the brim. --
:08:12. > :08:18.average March. You can see there is not a single drop of water. This is
:08:18. > :08:23.particularly worrying for farmers. High in the Yorkshire Wolds, the
:08:23. > :08:28.soil is as dusty as in high summer. As they plant potatoes here,
:08:28. > :08:31.farmers pray for rain to feed this thirsty crop. They say a few good
:08:31. > :08:36.downpours could fix the problem, but if soil stays like this, it
:08:36. > :08:41.will put paid to profits. If the crop is short of water,
:08:41. > :08:46.particularly if it is a processing crop, it is not suitable when it is
:08:46. > :08:51.have a state for making chips out of bomb-making crisps out of. They
:08:51. > :08:56.will not be acceptable. This farm is irrigated using water from this
:08:56. > :09:00.Paul Hall. Normally, at this time of the year, you would only have to
:09:00. > :09:04.go down two metres to find water, but you need to go down 12 metres
:09:04. > :09:08.right that. That picture is repeated across the county.
:09:08. > :09:11.Environment Agency says the whole of the East Yorkshire is now
:09:11. > :09:20.officially in drought and farmers need to co-operate to make supplies
:09:20. > :09:24.last. The rivers might start to dry up and we would have to put
:09:24. > :09:29.restrictions on. We are looking for people to come and talk to us, look
:09:29. > :09:34.at the timings of when they take water, work with their neighbours
:09:34. > :09:37.to enable the water to go further. While businesses face possible
:09:37. > :09:44.restrictions, Yorkshire Water says domestic supplies are not under
:09:44. > :09:48.threat. It is moving water pipe underground pipes from West
:09:48. > :09:52.Yorkshire. It says restrictions are unlikely if customers do their bit.
:09:52. > :09:56.We are asking customers to only use what they really need, when they
:09:56. > :10:00.really needed. Restrictions may be necessary in future if we do not
:10:00. > :10:06.get demand under control. We cannot control where the ball we can
:10:06. > :10:10.control how much water we years. Lincolnshire, the problem only
:10:10. > :10:16.worsens. The Environment Agency began moving fish out of perilously
:10:16. > :10:22.low tributaries here on Monday. A hosepipe ban comes into force soon.
:10:22. > :10:30.Bad news for lodgement holders. It would have a devastating effect on
:10:30. > :10:35.me. I will have to fill paths opined use watering cans, walk all
:10:35. > :10:41.the way up and fill them up. It will be rather tiring. Here in
:10:41. > :10:46.Caistor, they are finding ways to cope as the village prepares for
:10:46. > :10:54.Britain in Bloom. We have had to be clever about things. You can died
:10:54. > :10:58.aged our water and bath water, used the grey water -- divert. This farm
:10:59. > :11:03.near Goole is growing some crops in Lancashire, where water is
:11:03. > :11:06.plentiful. Just one way of stopping their business drying up. This
:11:06. > :11:16.drought is now affecting the whole of East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.
:11:16. > :11:20.Why are people in the Yorkshire wolds specifically so worried?
:11:20. > :11:26.problem is that the wall to lay on chalk, and it is fast draining.
:11:27. > :11:31.Because of that, one farmer said that groundwater levels are at
:11:31. > :11:35.about half of what they would expect from this time of year. For
:11:35. > :11:39.residents, this is not so much of a problem. Yorkshire Water have told
:11:39. > :11:43.us that a hosepipe ban is not likely. It is not such bad news for
:11:43. > :11:53.livestock farmers. At this time of the year, they would normally be
:11:53. > :11:54.
:11:54. > :11:57.battling chilling wings and sodden fields -- chilling winds. Thank you.
:11:57. > :12:00.A number of petrol stations in East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire are
:12:00. > :12:05.reporting higher than normal sales of petrol, ahead of a planned
:12:05. > :12:09.strike by tanker drivers over pay and conditions. One station has
:12:09. > :12:14.told Look North it has sold 10 days' worth of fuel in three days,
:12:14. > :12:18.while another is now only selling diesel to the emergency services to
:12:18. > :12:28.avoid running out. The government has held an emergency meeting this
:12:28. > :12:31.afternoon and insists there is no need to panic buy.
:12:31. > :12:36.It is a helping hand that get her out and about at least once a week.
:12:36. > :12:40.Joyce is 83 and lives in a village about five miles from Grimsby.
:12:40. > :12:45.have an appointment, I bring dial a ride. I do not know what I would be
:12:45. > :12:53.without it. They are concerns that if the strike by fuel tanker
:12:53. > :12:57.drivers goes ahead, this service may struggle. If petrol dries up,
:12:57. > :13:00.dial a ride cannot operate. It would be terrible. Some of these
:13:00. > :13:05.people only get out of the house when we take them. It is not just
:13:05. > :13:14.medical related journeys. It is journeys to visit friends, to lunch
:13:14. > :13:22.clubs. They go on over the place. It is hoped a crisis will be
:13:22. > :13:28.averted. I can only pursue a 10am. Some garages like this one are bulk
:13:28. > :13:33.-- at some garages like this one, the bulk buying has began. People
:13:33. > :13:39.are panic-buying. 8,000 litres of petrol usually lasts for 10 days
:13:39. > :13:43.here, but this week, it has run out after three. At the independent
:13:43. > :13:50.garages I have spoken to, they say it is panic-buying that makes them
:13:50. > :13:55.run dry. People that normally put �5 in a �10, they are putting �20
:13:55. > :14:01.or �30 in. One man was filling up cans. They will be another delivery
:14:01. > :14:06.of petrol here tomorrow. Diesel is still flowing. At this place in
:14:06. > :14:11.Boston, no supplies -- low supplies means it is restricted to the
:14:11. > :14:15.emergency services. They get priority. Drivers from the armed
:14:15. > :14:19.forces are being trained to drive tanks, should there be a strike.
:14:19. > :14:27.Unions would have to give seven days' notice of any action, so the
:14:27. > :14:33.government is saying there is no need to queue at the Proms. --
:14:33. > :14:40.pomps. I would like to know your thoughts on this. Maybe you have
:14:40. > :14:50.started to buy already. Your thoughts on this. And we were also
:14:50. > :14:59.
:14:59. > :15:03.talking about Grimsby Institute. Let us know your sort. -- thoughts.
:15:03. > :15:06.Still ahead: Proposals to ban vehicles from a site in
:15:06. > :15:16.Lincolnshire that is a haven for nature. And celebrations at the
:15:16. > :15:20.
:15:21. > :15:25.park that has been enjoyed by sun- Scott Balfour is a Humber pilots
:15:25. > :15:33.and he took this photograph yesterday morning at 7am, at Spurn
:15:33. > :15:39.Point. What is stunning picture. Thank you for that. Evening, young
:15:39. > :15:49.man. Brian says, will you ask Paul
:15:49. > :15:56.Hudson how deep and offshore his temperatures for Bridlington are?
:15:56. > :16:00.It is a standardised Met Office site. It is close to the sea so it
:16:00. > :16:03.is cooler than inland. We could talk about this all night if you
:16:03. > :16:07.want! We would rather not.
:16:07. > :16:13.Let's have a look at the temperatures, which is more
:16:13. > :16:23.exciting. Special mention for Bridlington. It has been much
:16:23. > :16:26.
:16:26. > :16:36.warmer. It is the warmest March day since records began. The last time
:16:36. > :16:37.
:16:37. > :16:47.we had a baby swarm in Coningsby was in 1990. -- a baby this a
:16:47. > :16:47.
:16:47. > :16:57.warming Coningsby. The set alight picture is not very interesting, to
:16:57. > :17:01.
:17:01. > :17:11.say the least -- the set alight picture. Low life in rural areas
:17:11. > :17:26.
:17:26. > :17:31.A chilly start in places, but once again, temperatures will clamp --
:17:31. > :17:41.climb quite sharply. The sunshine could be a little hazy at times,
:17:41. > :17:43.
:17:43. > :17:48.but effectively it is a day of unbroken sunshine. Inland, that is
:17:49. > :17:58.where the top temperatures will be. 21 degrees. Another nice day on
:17:58. > :18:03.Friday, but feeling colder by Someone says, it was only last week
:18:03. > :18:11.he upset the ice-cream seller. I am a married man in Bridlington!
:18:11. > :18:16.The absolutely! -- I am a marked man in Bridlington.
:18:16. > :18:19.Part of our rural heritage is being destroyed by off-road drivers. That
:18:19. > :18:24.is a claim from the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, which is leading a
:18:24. > :18:29.petition to ban vehicles from a stretch of Lincolnshire's Viking
:18:29. > :18:32.Way. The track at Great Ponton near Grantham is a Site of Special
:18:32. > :18:38.Scientific Interest, but vehicles have every right to be there. Jo
:18:38. > :18:45.Makel report. Emerging Sweet Violetta, the
:18:45. > :18:50.circling red kite. Some of the wildlife here. The drift is also
:18:50. > :18:56.officially a public highway. As we see today, trail bikes can legally
:18:56. > :19:02.use it. The Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust says that is causing damage.
:19:03. > :19:07.This is an example of the scale of the damage to this thoroughfare.
:19:07. > :19:13.The damage is spreading and accumulating. We believe we have
:19:13. > :19:18.lost a species. A wild flower that was one of the principal reasons
:19:18. > :19:24.this site was designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
:19:24. > :19:30.trust is now petitioning to ban recreational vehicles from the lane.
:19:30. > :19:35.Offloading groups point to schemes in places like the Peak District,
:19:35. > :19:38.where drivers have gone entirely avoided sensitive routes. The trust
:19:38. > :19:44.does not believe voluntary action is enough. Lincolnshire County
:19:44. > :19:51.Council says an outright ban would be complicated. It is a very
:19:51. > :19:56.difficult legal process we would have to go through to close it
:19:56. > :19:59.completely. What we are looking at at the moment is a Traffic
:19:59. > :20:03.Regulation Order, closure during the winter periods and open during
:20:03. > :20:08.the summer period. Any decision made here could prove to be a test
:20:08. > :20:12.case for the rest of the country. Closing the later vehicles would
:20:12. > :20:16.entail having a costly public inquiry. The trust argues it is
:20:16. > :20:21.worth it to save a grassland habitats which is part of
:20:21. > :20:27.Lincolnshire's heritage. It is also a lane everyone is entitled to
:20:27. > :20:31.enjoy. Resolution will not come easily.
:20:31. > :20:35.Thank you for getting in touch about the story of Boston's growing
:20:35. > :20:39.demand for housing. The town is expected to see the biggest growth
:20:39. > :20:42.in population anywhere in the country outside London over the
:20:42. > :20:46.next eight years. The government wants to simplify planning laws to
:20:46. > :20:56.make building new homes easier, but in Boston, there are still
:20:56. > :21:26.
:21:26. > :21:31.questions over how the town will Thank you for all of theirs.
:21:31. > :21:37.Now, the manager of Hull City has apologised to fans after the city's
:21:37. > :21:41.third defeat in a road. Nick Barmby's comments came after the
:21:41. > :21:44.Tigers's 2-0 defeat at Portsmouth last night. As Simon Clark reports,
:21:44. > :21:51.their play-off hopes are not over yet.
:21:52. > :22:01.When Nick Barmby promised a reaction last night, this was
:22:02. > :22:02.
:22:02. > :22:07.probably not what he expected. Portsmouth wreaked havoc in the
:22:07. > :22:11.Tigers's box before Chris Maguire slotted home. Nick Barmby
:22:11. > :22:15.apologised afterwards to the fans who had made the trip, and conceded
:22:15. > :22:20.that the home side were the better team. Although it is five matches
:22:20. > :22:24.since they last won, they are only two points away from the play-off
:22:24. > :22:28.zone. If Barmby can work his magic against Coventry City, they could
:22:28. > :22:34.return to the play-off zone. Perhaps they could return to happy
:22:34. > :22:40.scenes like this again. It is a tight, unpredictable division.
:22:40. > :22:44.have a feeling we could get in the top six and hopefully win.
:22:44. > :22:47.Hopefully make it into the Premier League again. It is assuming the
:22:47. > :22:53.other teams above us will fail, and they are not looking like that at
:22:53. > :22:59.the moment. And we are not playing well. They can do what they can to
:22:59. > :23:05.get to the top and get the Premiership again. To do that, they
:23:05. > :23:12.need to pick up points in the forthcoming games. Otherwise, the
:23:12. > :23:16.city hall balcony will be quieter game at the end of the season. --
:23:16. > :23:21.quite a game. Better news for Lincoln City, who
:23:21. > :23:26.eased their relegation worries with a 2-1 win. Grimsby Town drew 1-1 at
:23:26. > :23:29.Tamworth. We have all seen ball high
:23:29. > :23:33.temperatures today, and some of us are lucky enough to have a job
:23:33. > :23:38.outdoors to enjoy the weather. One of those people is Stuart Macdonald,
:23:38. > :23:43.a park ranger at East Park in Hull. Simon Spark has been to meet him to
:23:43. > :23:49.find out how the good weather brings out pupils's nostalgia of
:23:49. > :23:54.Hull's most historic pack -- pupils's.
:23:54. > :24:04.It is easy to forget how many years East Park has been here. It will
:24:04. > :24:04.
:24:04. > :24:12.shortly be celebrating its 125th anniversary. Stuart Macdonald has
:24:12. > :24:17.been here for over 40 years. This was a maze. You could walk through
:24:17. > :24:23.wet. You could walk through to the old Avery. This is a splash boat,
:24:23. > :24:28.which will hopefully be going in April. It started in 1929. We're
:24:28. > :24:33.hoping to doer penny a ride when we open it again. -- we are hoping to
:24:34. > :24:39.do it a penny a right. I have seen children growing up. I see people
:24:39. > :24:43.pass with their grandchildren. It is nice to have a natter. They
:24:43. > :24:53.always say that magical thing, are you still here?! This gentleman
:24:53. > :25:02.comes in most days and fits the squirrels. Cyril the squirrel. I do
:25:02. > :25:11.not think he likes dogs. At 22 degrees, East Park comes
:25:11. > :25:16.alive now as much as it ever did. used to go fishing and the lakes in
:25:16. > :25:22.the 1980s. I is to come and play with the motorised boats on a pond.
:25:22. > :25:31.Now it is a day out to bring my knees. It is lovely. You used to
:25:31. > :25:37.love going on the boat. That was always nice. We come and feed the
:25:37. > :25:44.ducks. So life in East Park. Families, ice-cream, football and
:25:44. > :25:50.nature. Seems like things have not changed here that much at all.
:25:50. > :25:55.There we are. Simon got the top job today. Fantastic. If you have a
:25:55. > :26:00.story you think we should know about, senders and e-mail. Let's
:26:00. > :26:03.have a recap of the headlines. The government tells motorists to keep
:26:03. > :26:06.their tanks topped up ahead of a possible strike.
:26:06. > :26:11.Farmers one of food prices as a drought spreads from Lincolnshire
:26:11. > :26:19.into Yorkshire. It could be more bad news on the way. Restrictions
:26:19. > :26:23.may be necessary in future if we do not get demand under control.
:26:23. > :26:29.The forecast for Thursday: Another fine and very warm day for the time
:26:29. > :26:37.of the deer with long spells of sunshine. -- at the time of the
:26:37. > :26:41.Year. Response on the subject of Grimsby
:26:41. > :26:45.Institute. Someone says, I study at Grimsby Institute and think it is
:26:45. > :26:50.round the way they are treating us. They should let us finish our A-
:26:50. > :26:54.levels. Helen says, this would seem to be a sensible desire to become a
:26:54. > :26:57.technical college offering vocational qualifications. I am
:26:57. > :27:02.sure there are excellent schools in Grimsby that can offer the A-level
:27:02. > :27:05.student places. On the subject of petrol and a tanker drivers propose
:27:05. > :27:09.strike, by and says, if these drivers are not satisfied with
:27:09. > :27:12.their pay and conditions, why don't they leave the job and give someone
:27:12. > :27:21.else a job? Chris says, it is not the drivers are should be on strike,
:27:21. > :27:27.it should be us, why should we have to pay stupid prices for fuel?
:27:27. > :27:31.Finally, he motorist should be allowed to fill the times when they