:00:13. > :00:16.Good evening and welcome to BBC Look North. The headlines tonight:
:00:16. > :00:25.From dry river beds to a bubbling beck, but the drought restrictions
:00:25. > :00:31.remain in place. The situation is still very serious. I am live at
:00:31. > :00:33.Covenham Reservoir. It is about to get much wetter.
:00:33. > :00:35.Also on tonight's programme: The Government's urged to protect
:00:35. > :00:40.jobs and rethink plans for a caravan tax.
:00:40. > :00:44.Crying crystals. The rare medical condition causing agony for one
:00:44. > :00:54.Lincolnshire woman. Rebuilding history. Goole's
:00:54. > :00:55.
:00:55. > :00:58.landmark from the 1920s gets a The Environment Agency and the
:00:59. > :01:01.Water Companies have told BBC Look North there will be no easing of
:01:01. > :01:03.the drought orders in East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. That's
:01:04. > :01:09.despite Met Office data showing this month could be the wettest
:01:09. > :01:17.April on record. One reservoir in Lincolnshire is almost full and
:01:17. > :01:20.groundwater levels are rising in East Yorkshire. But officials say
:01:20. > :01:30.the rainfall has gone nowhere near reversing the effects of more than
:01:30. > :01:31.
:01:31. > :01:37.a year of abnormally dry weather. Crispin Rolfe reports.
:01:37. > :01:42.From drought to mere record rainfall. This April, Scopwick Beck
:01:42. > :01:49.has gone from a drive it to something more than just a trickle.
:01:49. > :01:53.Can Lincolnshire 10 its hosepipes back on again? Well, now. After
:01:53. > :01:58.what is set to be the wettest April on record, there is at least six
:01:58. > :02:03.inches flowing through here. It is little consolation to farmers or
:02:03. > :02:12.gardeners, because this amount of water simply is not enough to
:02:12. > :02:16.overturn the hosepipe ban. At his allotment in Lincoln, Fred is still
:02:16. > :02:21.having to rely on his watering can, even though last week the ground
:02:21. > :02:28.was flooded. He would like water companies to work harder to restore
:02:28. > :02:37.supplies. We had a league down here for ages before it was repaired! --
:02:37. > :02:45.leak. Let's try to get the hosepipe ban lifted so we can water our
:02:45. > :02:49.plans. Lincolnshire has benefited, but needs a lot more rain still.
:02:49. > :02:54.have had two-and-a-half times more than we would expect for an average
:02:54. > :03:00.April. If we continue to have the same amount, for the next three or
:03:00. > :03:04.four month, we still would not catch up with what we should have
:03:05. > :03:09.had over the previous 12 months. Groundwater levels will have
:03:09. > :03:15.recovered slightly, but it is coming from a really low base, of
:03:15. > :03:20.the driest 18 months in a sentry. Because we are still in a drought,
:03:20. > :03:24.it is a very serious situation. The rain is helpful, but it will not
:03:25. > :03:29.change the situation. April has provided Renny Willie Thorne winter
:03:29. > :03:32.drought conditions. But the message remains. Make the most of the wet
:03:32. > :03:41.weather. It will be some time before Lincolnshire's hosepipe ban
:03:42. > :03:49.get lifted. Covenham Reservoir near Louth is now 100% full, yet
:03:49. > :03:56.Lincolnshire remains officially in drought. Paul is there now. How
:03:56. > :04:06.significant has this past two weeks of rain fall been? Meteorologically,
:04:06. > :04:12.very significant. We may beat the record that was set in 1953, which
:04:12. > :04:17.was around about 137 mm. I spoke to Yorkshire Water, and they were
:04:17. > :04:22.positive. They said, we have a long way to go, but in East Yorkshire,
:04:22. > :04:30.we were 20 % down on borehole levels last month, but that has
:04:30. > :04:33.risen to 15%. They stress there is a long way to go. Anglia Water say
:04:33. > :04:37.the benefits of rainfall is that farmers stop irrigating fields, so
:04:37. > :04:44.there is their lack of demand, but they say a game there is a long way
:04:45. > :04:51.to go. The last 18 months has been the driest period ever recorded.
:04:51. > :04:57.That is since 1910. Is there more rain on the way? And I think there
:04:57. > :05:00.is a lot more rain to come. We could have another 20 mm tomorrow
:05:00. > :05:05.across East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. Another system comes
:05:05. > :05:09.up on Saturday night. The odds are on for us to record the wettest
:05:09. > :05:15.April on record. Thank you very much. Paul will be back later with
:05:15. > :05:17.the forecast. In a moment: Demolishing a sports centre to make
:05:17. > :05:21.way for a supermarket. Why residents in Immingham say it's
:05:21. > :05:24.madness. A woman from Lincolnshire has been
:05:24. > :05:26.describing the agony of her rare medical condition which causes her
:05:26. > :05:29.eyes to fill up with razor sharp crystals.
:05:29. > :05:32.Jodi Smith, who lives near Boston, suffers from a genetic disorder
:05:32. > :05:42.thought to affect just two-thousand people world wide. Vicky Johnson
:05:42. > :05:44.
:05:44. > :05:49.has been to meet her. Jodi Smith is partially sighted.
:05:49. > :05:54.Five or six times a day, she uses are jobs to help ease the pain
:05:54. > :05:58.caused by her cystinosis, a condition leading to the build-up
:05:58. > :06:05.of the acid cysteine, which forms tiny crystals to form in her eyes.
:06:05. > :06:14.On sunny days and hazy days, I have to keep going like that. It is like
:06:14. > :06:21.sand in my eyes. I have to put my eye jobs in six times a day.
:06:21. > :06:25.condition has had a devastating effect on's health. Into a 1006, we
:06:25. > :06:35.filmed her daughter Clowry, who was it just seven and had to help
:06:35. > :06:36.
:06:36. > :06:41.around the house -- Chloe. After two kidney transplants and
:06:41. > :06:45.suffering up to six fits a day, Jodi spends much of her time at her
:06:45. > :06:50.parents. We have had to learn along with the doctors. It was muted them
:06:50. > :06:55.as well as those. It is thought there are just 2000 people
:06:55. > :07:01.worldwide with this disorder. Jodi travels to Nottingham to have her
:07:01. > :07:05.condition monitored. It is very serious, it is life-threatening, it
:07:05. > :07:10.affects almost every part of the body, predominantly the kidneys.
:07:10. > :07:17.The crystals in her eyes caused a lot of glare. It makes the eyes
:07:17. > :07:20.very light-sensitive. There is no cure for the cystinosis, but Jodi's
:07:20. > :07:29.family cope with further research, more effective treatment can be
:07:29. > :07:31.found. A The Government has been urged to publish its audit of a
:07:32. > :07:33.Lincolnshire chain of academies at the centre of a financial
:07:33. > :07:36.investigation. Richard Gilliand resigned from his
:07:36. > :07:38.position as the Chief Executive of The Priory Federation of Academies
:07:38. > :07:40.earlier this month. Now Christine Talbot, who's an academy trustee,
:07:41. > :07:50.says the findings should be published at the earliest
:07:50. > :07:55.opportunity. I hope it isn't too long before it is published. The
:07:55. > :07:59.rumours that as circulating the city and beyond are spoiling the
:07:59. > :08:03.fact that these schools are producing excellent standards of
:08:03. > :08:05.education for the people of Lincolnshire. Soldiers at a
:08:06. > :08:11.barracks in Grantham are being trained to deliver fuel if tanker
:08:11. > :08:14.drivers go on strike. Unions are expected to announce tonight
:08:14. > :08:17.whether the drivers will walk out. Soldiers at the Prince William of
:08:17. > :08:19.Gloucester barracks are among those who would drive tankers.
:08:19. > :08:23.It's claimed the number of people living in fuel poverty in
:08:23. > :08:26.Lincolnshire has gone up by a third in the last year. A review by the
:08:26. > :08:33.County Council says more than a quarter of all homes in the county
:08:33. > :08:35.are now having to spend more than 10% of their income on energy bills.
:08:35. > :08:38.A business conference which has hosted the likes of Bill Clinton
:08:38. > :08:42.and the former Soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev is to continue in
:08:42. > :08:52.Bridlington. It follows the decision to stop hosting the
:08:52. > :08:53.
:08:53. > :08:56.Yorkshire International Business Conference in Leeds.
:08:56. > :08:59.The Government has come under more pressure this afternoon from Mps
:08:59. > :09:02.angry at VAT being put on static caravans. Last week the issue led
:09:02. > :09:06.some local Conservative MPs to vote against their own party on the
:09:06. > :09:10.issue. One who didn't, Greg Knight, the MP for East Yorkshire, came in
:09:10. > :09:13.for criticism. But today in the Commons, Mr Knight called for
:09:13. > :09:20.thousands of jobs in the caravan industry to be protected. I'll
:09:20. > :09:26.speak to him in a moment. First, here's Siobhan Robbins.
:09:26. > :09:31.As many factors in Hull white on future caravans, MPs discuss their
:09:31. > :09:38.future employment -- as manufacturers worked on future
:09:38. > :09:43.caravans. As local MPs put the government under pressure on its
:09:43. > :09:53.plans for 20 % VAT on static caravans, the only one to back the
:09:53. > :09:56.Government last week, Greg Knight, was also present. It is claimed
:09:56. > :10:00.that the plans will affect thousands of jobs, and many of them
:10:00. > :10:05.are here in East Yorkshire. Many people are shocked by a local MP
:10:05. > :10:10.backing the government. I think MPs across the region were disappointed
:10:10. > :10:17.with Greg Knight. We expected him to support the amendment. I am sure
:10:17. > :10:20.he has his reasons. Today, the Bridlington MP voiced his concerns.
:10:20. > :10:24.Will he give some thought to the many thousands of people up and
:10:24. > :10:29.down the country who could lose these jobs if these proposals are
:10:29. > :10:34.implemented as originally announced? We are seeking to have a
:10:34. > :10:38.fairer VAT system, but we want to listen to those concerns that are
:10:38. > :10:43.raised about implementation. debate rumbled on, a holiday park
:10:43. > :10:50.owners on the Lincolnshire coast expressed their concerns about the
:10:50. > :10:55.future. We were not expecting it. It was a shock to the industry. 20
:10:55. > :11:01.% on top of everything else was too much. Too many nails in the coffin.
:11:01. > :11:05.Now is that wrong time to be implementing this VAT on static
:11:05. > :11:12.caravans. The industry will be decimated. We're asking the
:11:12. > :11:20.Chancellor to stop, think about what he's doing to manufacturing.
:11:20. > :11:24.It is not doing anything to rebalance the economy. MPs will
:11:24. > :11:28.have a chance to push the government further on Thursday, as
:11:28. > :11:34.an industry which is only recovering from the recession fears
:11:34. > :11:41.it could be under threat once again -- only just recovering.
:11:41. > :11:47.Greg Knight joins me now. Good evening. Why did you vote with the
:11:47. > :11:53.Government's? The motion was a blocking motion. It was not about
:11:53. > :11:58.the issue of do we put VAT on or not. It would have prevented the
:11:58. > :12:05.government making any changes in this area of law. I did not think
:12:05. > :12:09.we could win that. Before the third, I asked the minister to extend the
:12:09. > :12:14.consultation period. He did not respond initially. Asked again
:12:14. > :12:19.during the debate, for the consultation to be extended -- I
:12:19. > :12:26.asked again. He agreed and said he would extend the consultation. He
:12:26. > :12:30.was acting in good faith. On that basis, I supported him. If you have
:12:31. > :12:37.another chance to vote on VAT and caravans, will you vote the same
:12:37. > :12:41.way? We will have another chance. Will you vote the same way? I do
:12:41. > :12:46.not support what the government have announced they want to do. I
:12:46. > :12:49.am trying to get the government to change its position. I am coming to
:12:49. > :12:53.answer your question. If they come back with exactly the same
:12:53. > :12:58.proposition, I will not supported. He asked the government to
:12:58. > :13:01.safeguard caravan jobs, but you voted for the VAT. No, I voted
:13:01. > :13:06.against a blocking motion which would have stopped the consultation
:13:06. > :13:11.and which would have frozen this area of law. I am not cherry-
:13:11. > :13:15.picking the Chancellor's budget. He has announced a consultation and
:13:15. > :13:20.following my request, has extended that. I believe ministers are
:13:20. > :13:24.listening and acting in good faith. I will make further representations.
:13:24. > :13:28.I watch to see the government changed its position. If it does
:13:28. > :13:34.not, I will not support them. you understand why there is quite a
:13:34. > :13:36.lot of anger in Bridlington? I spoke to the managing director of a
:13:37. > :13:41.caravan company in Bridlington who said he cannot believe you voted
:13:41. > :13:46.with the government and that it was disgusting. I think the anger is
:13:46. > :13:53.due to a misunderstanding. If people think I voted for the eighth
:13:53. > :13:58.8, I can understand the anger -- if people think had voted for the 18th.
:13:58. > :14:03.It is a question of tactics. I want the government to change what it
:14:03. > :14:09.announced originally. The way to do it is to allow the consultation to
:14:09. > :14:18.take its course. Very good to talk to you. Thank you very much. Tim
:14:18. > :14:22.Iredale is with me. What do you make of that? What is clear is that
:14:22. > :14:27.Greg Knight was under an awful lot of pressure when he returned to his
:14:28. > :14:30.constituency at the end of last week, having voted with the
:14:30. > :14:35.government. I know he makes that distinction about it being a
:14:35. > :14:39.blocking motion, but four of his colleagues voted with the
:14:39. > :14:45.opposition. You asked him, and he said he will not support this
:14:45. > :14:50.motion if he has to vote on it again. How much momentum is there
:14:50. > :14:59.on this campaign against the VAT? It is not going away, is it?
:14:59. > :15:05.certainly is not. MPs will discuss the so-called caravan tax again on
:15:05. > :15:14.Thursday. MPs will have to go to a game. Last week, the government won
:15:14. > :15:17.the vote by 25 votes. It only takes 13 Conservatives, possibly the
:15:17. > :15:23.likes of Greg Knight, to change their mind, and it could be kicked
:15:23. > :15:28.out of Parliament. Very interesting. I would like to throw this Open.
:15:28. > :15:37.What do you think about this? Should the government carry on with
:15:37. > :15:47.a caravan tax plan or should it be abandoned? We had a big response
:15:47. > :16:07.
:16:07. > :16:10.Still ahead tonight: Not pulling their punches. Residents in
:16:10. > :16:14.Immingham say it's madness to close a sports centre for a supermarket.
:16:14. > :16:24.Rebuilding a landmark of the 1920's - Goole's salt pot is to get a
:16:24. > :16:26.
:16:26. > :16:36.major renovation. Tonight's photo is of the River Hull taken from
:16:36. > :16:43.
:16:43. > :16:48.Paul his income and a reservoir. We were all -- Paul is in Covenham
:16:48. > :16:57.Reservoir. We were all secretly enjoying the attack by flies he was
:16:57. > :17:01.getting! I remember the chief executive of Yorkshire Water are
:17:01. > :17:09.being covered in flies in 1995, because he said he had not had a
:17:09. > :17:18.bath in three-month! It is very nice here. With all the rain, it is
:17:18. > :17:23.very colourful. We were caught in probably the only downpour of the
:17:23. > :17:32.day. Let's get a straight arm with the graphic sequence. This evening
:17:32. > :17:41.is not to bat. -- this evening is not too bad. It looks as though we
:17:41. > :17:46.are in for a largely dry night. We may see patchy fog in places. It
:17:46. > :17:52.should be generally dry. There should not be too many problems
:17:52. > :17:59.with temperatures down to about four Celsius in rural areas.
:17:59. > :18:09.Tomorrow is another unsettled day. Eight tries dad, but look at that
:18:09. > :18:11.
:18:11. > :18:16.rain sweeping up from the South -- a dry start. Skies will brighten
:18:16. > :18:23.with sunny spells Gobbett a whisker of scattered showers. There is a
:18:23. > :18:31.risk of thunder. Temperatures around 10 or 11. Watch out for
:18:31. > :18:38.those heavy downpours. I think there will be some heavy, thundery
:18:38. > :18:42.downpours to come on Thursday. Further scattered showers on Friday.
:18:42. > :18:52.Saturday looks reasonably good at the moment. By the end of the day,
:18:52. > :18:55.
:18:56. > :19:04.heavy rain will push up from the We enjoyed the fly swatting.
:19:04. > :19:10.went straight in, Peter! Said Sue Wright! See you tomorrow. -- serves
:19:10. > :19:13.you right. People living in a North East Lincolnshire town say its
:19:13. > :19:16.madness to close a leisure centre used by 18 different sports clubs.
:19:16. > :19:18.The area is one of the most unhealthy in the country, but
:19:18. > :19:26.Immingham Sports Centre is being demolished to make way for a
:19:26. > :19:28.supermarket. Phil Connell reports. It is a weekday nights at Immingham
:19:28. > :19:34.Sports Centre, and these other types of activities people feel may
:19:34. > :19:38.be lost. The sports hall is being sold to a supermarket developer.
:19:38. > :19:45.Permission for all its demolition has been approved. We are losing
:19:45. > :19:49.our venue, so where can we go? Getting our kids off computers and
:19:49. > :19:54.getting them to interact, then taking Mr away from them, they will
:19:54. > :20:00.go back to their computers. Levels of obesity here are among the worst
:20:00. > :20:05.in Britain. 29 % of the adult population had described as
:20:05. > :20:09.overweight. Out of 326 local authorities, it makes not this
:20:09. > :20:13.Lincolnshire the eighth worst in Britain, raising fears that the
:20:13. > :20:18.loss of facilities like this will make matters even worse. Ahead of
:20:18. > :20:22.next month's local elections, it has become a major talking point in
:20:22. > :20:28.Immingham, with the opposing candidates blaming each other or
:20:28. > :20:36.the centre's closure. At the last settlement, the government cut �43
:20:36. > :20:42.million out of the budget, and the authorities got to save lots. There
:20:42. > :20:46.is not the money to reject. government had to make these cuts.
:20:46. > :20:49.The government is not telling North East Lincolnshire where to make the
:20:49. > :20:53.savings. It is up to the administration now to administer
:20:53. > :20:58.the budget in the best way. And should not be in spotting -- that
:20:58. > :21:03.should not been shutting down sport centres. While alternative
:21:03. > :21:07.facilities will be provided at the local school, campaigners believe
:21:07. > :21:11.their sports hall can be managed better. With claims that the
:21:11. > :21:15.developers no longer need the site, a committee when project is being
:21:15. > :21:23.considered. It can be used, it will be used. If we are given a chance
:21:23. > :21:27.and the council backers, it will be a good facility -- the council back
:21:27. > :21:37.bowls. In difficult times, the closure could make significant
:21:37. > :21:38.
:21:38. > :21:42.savings. Another story you might want to
:21:42. > :21:46.comment on. Our story about tackling binge drinking in Hull
:21:46. > :21:50.last night got a big response. In a trial, repeat drunks to cause
:21:50. > :21:54.problems could avoid being taken to court. He said, they will be
:21:54. > :22:00.offered rehabilitation. That is if they agree to certain conditions,
:22:00. > :22:04.including regular breath-test. is not a soft option. We are asking
:22:04. > :22:14.people to recognise their behaviour and ask them to do something about
:22:14. > :22:44.
:22:44. > :22:47.it. After the show, we had a big Simon Terry from Lincolnshire, one
:22:47. > :22:53.of the country's top archers, said qualifying for the London Olympics
:22:53. > :22:56.is awesome, to use his word. He has sealed his place in the British
:22:56. > :23:01.team, 20 years after his first Olympic Games in Barcelona, where
:23:01. > :23:11.he won the bronze medal. It feels all some. It has been going well
:23:11. > :23:16.
:23:16. > :23:20.this year. Especially the start of the season. I thought, back on form
:23:20. > :23:23.again. Well done to him. Alien table tennis player from Hull has
:23:23. > :23:27.been selected to play in the National School Games, a test event
:23:28. > :23:32.for the Olympic Games. Imogen Barber, who is 12, will be joined
:23:32. > :23:38.by club-mate Daryl Gee for the events which takes place in the
:23:38. > :23:44.Olympic basketball arena. BBC Lincolnshire is about to start its
:23:44. > :23:50.most ambitious week of broadcasting in its 32 year history. The station
:23:51. > :24:00.is aiming to be on at live from 250 different locations during one week
:24:00. > :24:04.in May. We have always reflected like a Lincolnshire. In this case,
:24:04. > :24:08.we're going that extra mile, because we are not arriving in the
:24:08. > :24:14.community, staying there, doing a report and coming back, we will be
:24:14. > :24:22.there all week, if you like. We will really be part of places.
:24:22. > :24:25.look forward to meeting you in Lincolnshire. If you've ever driven
:24:25. > :24:31.along the M62 or the M18 you've probably seen this strange white
:24:31. > :24:39.tower looming over the landscape. It's nicknamed the saltpot and it's
:24:39. > :24:46.the landmark that says you're nearly at Goole. But after 85 years,
:24:46. > :24:51.the water tower, which is still in use, needs renovation. They can be
:24:51. > :24:55.seen for miles around, and for the residents of Goole, they are a
:24:55. > :25:00.symbol that they are back home. the motorway, it is the first thing
:25:00. > :25:05.you see. It is an iconic. When you are coming back home, you know when
:25:05. > :25:11.you see them, you are home. When you see the salt and pepper, you
:25:11. > :25:16.know you were home. The break water tower was built in 1885. When a new
:25:16. > :25:20.one was needed, they built it next to the old one. Building started in
:25:20. > :25:25.the 1920s, using steel and concrete. It was covered in scaffolding,
:25:25. > :25:31.which was held together with 20,000 reps. This was the scene when the
:25:31. > :25:39.bell sounded for lunch. It's no wonder it is in need of restoration.
:25:39. > :25:45.This salt pot is 85 years old, it is 150 ft tall and can hold 750,000
:25:45. > :25:50.gallons of water. Over time, it ages, it deteriorates, so we want
:25:50. > :25:53.to make sure it is as safe as possible and continues to be sir.
:25:53. > :25:58.We are carrying out this essential maintenance where we will check the
:25:58. > :26:08.concrete and steel any cracks. work is complete, there are plans
:26:08. > :26:09.
:26:09. > :26:14.to light their towers. -- might the towers. We want to promote the town,
:26:14. > :26:16.and we want to put coloured light in. Before it can be illuminated
:26:16. > :26:26.colour this iconic structure will be covered in scaffolding once
:26:26. > :26:34.again. If you have a story you think we
:26:34. > :26:40.should know about, get in touch. Let's have a recap of the headline.
:26:40. > :26:43.The Culture Secretary says he will not resign as J Murdoch -- James
:26:43. > :26:47.Murdoch tells the Leveson Inquiry about close links to the government.
:26:47. > :26:57.April showers replenish water supplies, but drought restrictions
:26:57. > :27:04.
:27:04. > :27:10.are still in place. The subject of VAT and caravans,
:27:10. > :27:18.after that chat we had, somebody says, the government has abandoned
:27:18. > :27:23.others. -- abandoned us. When will they realise they are making big
:27:23. > :27:28.mistake? Karen says, what happens to government promises to help keep
:27:28. > :27:38.jobs in the UK? This tax is damaging. What else will be tax?
:27:38. > :27:39.