19/12/2013 Look North (East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire)

Adebowale show nod remorse. That is all from us. Now we join our news

Hello. Good evening. You're watching BBC Look North. The headlines

tonight: Money off your fuel bill ` to have a wind farm near your home.

If the offer had been made after the planning application, it would have

been fine. Figures show one in five people in

this area are drinking too much. Anger that just one broken`down

vehicle can cause hours of gridlock in Hull. I want to be a red arrows

pilot when I grow up. And the letter which lead to an

online hunt for one of the Red Arrows' biggest fans. I never

thought this would happen, and it was amazing how they found me. Join

me for the detailed five day forecast shortly.

People in an East Yorkshire village are among the first in the country

to be offered money off their fuel bills if a wind farm is built near

their homes. But some claim that the ?167 a year discount amounts to

bribery. The idea is backed by the Government, despite ministers saying

they now prefer wind turbines at sea instead of on land.

Leanne Brown has spent the day in the village of Hutton Cranswick near

Driffield and sent this report. There are 56 wind turbines currently

in operation in East Yorkshire. Today, villagers didn't seem to

impressed with the offer of a reduction in their energy bills. I

am worried about the roads and the children. The company has starting

to offer people a discount on electricity. Would that change your

mind? No, it wouldn't. What are your main objections? You have got a bed

century there as well. I think it would interfere. Also, I don't like

the look of them. There will be so many lorries going in and out of the

village, I do not think the road is built for it.

The developers Renewable Energy Systems want to build the turbines

on this land between Hutton Cranswick and Watton. This farmer

who owns the land says they're needed. It is powering a lot of

ohms. There would the traffic, but it is a short space of time.

But the chairman of the parish council says they are using

underhand tactics to get people on side. If the offer had been made at

the planning application had gone through, it would have been fine.

Before, I think it is a bribe to get people on site.

The Government backs these types of incentives. Sancton got a village

hall with ?60,000 of investment when five turbines were built. The

company says they're offering imediate benefits due to local

demand. People have asked us directly, is there anything you can

do with regard to reducing electricity bills? It is by no means

a bribe. With the rising cost of energy concentrate in the headlines

at the moment, people in villages like this one face the dilemma of

lower bills versus what some would call a blot on the landscape.

Residents will find out their faith in the spring of next year. `` find

out their fate. I spoke to Maf Smith from the

organisation Renewables UK, which speaks for companies in the wind and

tidal energy industry. I asked him if communities were being bribed?

These are voluntary measures. These are the result of people talking and

coming to an agreement about what is best. It is separate from the

planning process. Call it an incentive or a sweetly, call it what

you like, there will be a perception from some that support is trying to

be bought. Essentially, we are responding to people. Do you think

?167 is enough to persuade people to accept the fact that landscape could

be changed for ever? If you ask people what they think about wind

energy, people support the development of eight, one people

support it near their homes in almost any other technology. The

majority of people say, letters have wind. These schemes show how the

companies can work together. The onshore wind industry sets aside

millions of pounds of government subsidies which will now go to the

offshore sector, so will we see more fans get in their cheque`books out

to try to persuade people to go ahead with these developments? We

will see developers engage with the planning process. It is about good

schemes getting through and getting built. Thank you for your time.

Thank you. Would you accept money off your fuel

bill in return for having a wind farm near your house? Should the

energy companies be able to offer such incentives?

The hunt for cheap energy could see companies drilling for large

reserves in East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire as early as next

summer. The Government's asking them to bid for licences, including

permits for extracting gas from the rocks beneath our feet, in a

controversial process called fracking. Caroline Bilton explains.

This map shows the areas where companies already have licences to

drill for oil and gas in the UK. The black areas show parts of east

Yorkshire and Lincolnshire where all companies hold licenses. As of next

summer, the red area will be opened up for auction, allowing companies

to bid for licenses that will give them rights to explore for

conventional oil and gas, but also shale gas. The government has given

its clearest indication yet that the gates are open for fracking

companies to come and explore. We are sitting on top of a lot more

shale than we thought possible. We want companies to get on and see if

they can get it out as easily as it is in the United States, where it

has made a huge difference to their economy and to household bills. It

is the geology of this region that makes it so appealing to oil and gas

companies. It is believed there was huge potential here for conmen shall

oil and gas and shale gas, which is extracted using the process of

fracking. Water, sand and chemicals are pumped into rocks at high

pressure. Up to 150 applications for shale gas licences are expected

annually `` nationally. The government says it could relive a

25% of UK's annual gas needs and provide up to vex 2000 jobs. While

other campaigners say areas at the wash in Lincolnshire should be

protected. The question is, is fracking, is it really an

appropriate thing to do in a protected area that will cause a lot

of disturbance? It will cause noise, lights, and there is the risk that

something will go wrong and pollution will occur. A period of

consultation is taking place, but it is expected there will be a rush for

licenses when they become available in the summer. It is fairly certain

that fracking could be coming to an area near you.

I am sure we will hear more about fracking over the months and years

to come. Stay with us for Thurday's Look

North. The 2,000`name petition against

Grimsby's average speed cameras. Rescuers have carried out two

searches of the River Trent near Scunthorpe for a missing seaman. He

fell into the water from a cargo ship last night in stormy weather.

Simon Spark reports. On the River Trent, the search

continues from both banks and from the water, but the strength of the

current means they're searching a huge area in the hope of finding one

man. It appears the man was carrying out a relatively routine operation

which went wrong for a second. He was working on the blue vessel you

can see behind me when he got entangled in votes and fell

overboard. A helicopter from RAF Leconfield,

police divers, Humber Rescue and the coast guard have been involved in

the search, but by mid afternoon today, that was scaled down. Our

crews are tremendously disappointed. There have been out for many hours.

It was fruitless. The police and Coastguard are still searching, so

there is still hope. This relatively young man in his 40s, believed to be

Russian, has been missing for a full day. He is said to have a wife and

child who will now, no doubt, the feeling they may never see him

again. A Government minister has agreed to

meet a delegation from Hull to discuss proposals for the

electrification of the rail line from Selby to the city. The Hull

North MP Diana Johnson is concerned that any improvements won't be made

before 2017 when Hull becomes UK City of Culture. The Government's

defended its record on the issue. The last government played Scrooge

and only collective right `` only electrified a few. This government

is playing Santa. Transport is looking at electrification. I would

be happy to meet the honourable lady.

A 2,000`signature petition is about to be handed in against average

speed cameras which have caught scores of motorists in Grimsby. The

cameras on Peaks Parkway cover a 30 mile per hour limit, but the

campaigners want that raising to 40, something the leader of North East

Lincolnshire Council has rejected. Phillip Norton is at Grimsby Town

Hall. Phil, why is there such an outcry about these cameras?

It is the first time average speed cameras have been used like this in

this area. Within days of them going live, many motorists were getting

tickets. Among those to get tickets was the Humberside police and crime

commission, Matthew go. There has been such an outcry, the feeling is

that the limited to low and this petition has been collected. They

are looking at whether potentially the cameras can be removed.

One in five people are drinking three times more alcohol than health

experts recommend. That's a figure for Yorkshire and Northern

Lincolnshire taken from new official statistics. Today, health officials

set up their own pub in Hull City Centre, only serving alcohol free

drinks to try to convince drinkers to cut down. Tolu Adeoye reports.

The alcohol was flowing freely at the Punch Tavern in Hull at midday `

a busy lunch time less than a week until Christmas. But how much do

customers here think is a reasonable amount to drink each day? I would

imagine a couple of pints or a bottle of wine a day would be quite

OK. If you have worked all week and want to go out and have a good time,

I think if you are drinking pints, maybe about eight. I think for me

any more than three points would be too much. The government recommends

that women drink no more than two or three units a day, and men no more

than three or four units a day. It is considered to be binge drinking

if people drink twice the amount recommended in a single sitting.

Figures released by the Office for National Statistics show that people

living in the Yorkshire and Humber region drink more than the national

average. 62% drink on a weekly basis compared to 58% nationally. And one

in five have more than three times the recommended daily amount on

their heaviest drinking day. The highest in England.

To help tackle the problem, round the corner from the Punch, Hull City

Council set up the Dry Dock Tavern. Crucially, there's no alcohol on

offer. It is an opportunity to show people in a fun way that they can

think of different ways of coming out, having a good time and drinking

nonalcoholic drinks are drinking more safely. As, I think people were

sick back and realise that they do not have to drink alcohol all the

time. People have of his partisan things and you don't realise how

much you are drinking. Has been billed as a fun event. Should we

take it more seriously? I think you have to get the balance. We are keen

on people not having a trip to the hospital, or seeing the police.

So the aim here is clear ` responsible drinking can still be

fun. Those behind the pop`up bar hope the message will last beyond

the festive period. But is something else you may want to get in touch

on. Should we be cutting down on drinking ahead of the festive

season? Still ahead on tonight's programme:

each day, he seems to give is another Christmas present.

The teenager on the slow road to recovery after being knocked from

his bike five months ago. And a letter which sparked a search for

the red arrows biggest fan. Alford Mill at sunset taken by Neil

Poulsom. Red sky at night, you know the rest. I am delighted to say Paul

Hudson is here. You have not been given an early Christmas getaway

like some presenters we could mention.

I thought you had missed that news that Peter is having a day off. I

merely picked myself up off the floor when I heard that.

That TV dinner for one will not make itself, you know. Robert said, what

happened to your prediction of a mini ice age?

That is the editor of the Daily Express, surely. We will look at the

headlines. It will cloud over. There will be some very wet and windy

weather tomorrow evening and tomorrow night, courtesy of this

vigorous weather system. This is a trough of low pressure which will

bring showers of hail, rain and even a bit of white snow chiefly over the

top of the walls. I think the main issue will be the trough moving into

the North Sea, and there will be ice on untreated surfaces. Temperatures

coming in on one or two Celsius. The sun will rise at around 8:10am. For

tomorrow, watch out for ice first thing. The odd shower is possible,

otherwise a dry and bright morning with sunshine. It will turn to cloud

over through the afternoon. The patchy outbreaks of rain will become

heavy and persistence tomorrow night. Top temperatures, it will

feel quite chilly, despite temperatures being close to average.

Very wet and windy on Friday night. I think Saturday morning, a risk of

further outbreaks of rain. Saturday afternoon is brighter. Sunday could

be the best day of the weekend before you get more wind, rain and

gale is coming from the West on Monday.

So just to confirm, no mini ice age on the way?

I did say over the next decade, not next week.

Questions are being asked about why just one broken`down vehicle can

cause gridlock in Hull. On two days this week drivers have faced delays

of up to an hour. It's been made worse by a two`week long closure of

a major route into the city. I'll be asking the man in charge of roads

why it's been so bad. First, this report from Crispin Rolfe who's been

out on the roads. Queues long after Hull's morning

rush hour caused along Calvert Lane by Spring Bank West's closure, and

exacerbated by the city's main road in. A second breakdown on the

hard`shoulderless A63 this week clogging arterial routes to ongoing

dismay. I live on Calvert Lane and it is like the M25 at the moment.

The kids cannot get across to school. If they had closed on

Friday, everybody would have been on holiday, wouldn't they? The kids

would have finished school. For bus company EYMS the ongoing

Springbank West closure to repair a railway bridge has meant scheduled

u`turns, and disruption. But the company also argues that this is

part longer term traffic problem. The road network in Hull is not

brilliant. That is not anybody's fault. The main problem seems to be

that when the a 63 goes wrong, it merely gridlocked.

And that's what happened on Tuesday after more of the same on the

Highways Agency`run road. The organisation today defending an end

to free recovery on the A63 as being too expensive. Twice this week,

traffic has been paralysed. The question remains, will coming to

Hull in future be a cultural experience or merely a congested

one? So are there any solutions? The

council hopes improvements to the A63's city centre stretch will make

a significant difference. The worry for drivers though is that that work

programme will surely cause more gridlock in the meantime.

I spoke to Graham Hall, who's in charge of roads at Hull City

Council, and asked him if he could understand drivers' frustration. I

certainly can. It is not acceptable when people are sat in queues for a

number of hours. Was it a mistake for network rail to go ahead with

this work so soon before Christmas? I don't think so. We didn't plan it

with them. We have made sure lots of information is out, advised

motorists to take alternative routes. Unfortunately, earlier this

week, there was a problem with a broken down lorry which forced many

motorists is on to the network. We are told it took three hours on

Tuesday to recover a lorry which had broken down on Castle Street. Is

that I etc? It is not. We were very surprised. We understand that the

recovery vehicle came from Doncaster. Many businesses are

saying that this happens too many times, and the roads surrounding the

A63 cannot cope. What is a council doing about this? We are trying to

manage our network using traffic signals, which are dynamic and work

according to traffic flows. Generally, they can cope, but at

peak times, when a vehicle breaks down on a road like the A63, which

has no hard shoulder, inevitably, there will be delays. If this

happens during 2017, City of Culture year, people will turn around and go

home. I think that is a very fair point. We'll be looking to try to

improve instructions so people get advice well in advance, and we will

have diversionary routes in place. You accept that the transport links

are woefully inadequate, as one MP said, head of the year of culture?

Rail could be improved. There resist spot in the city centre, as many

people so on Tuesday `` there is this tight spot in the city centre.

That is something we will keep an eye on.

The family of a teenage boy from Lincolnshire who spent weeks in a

coma after being knocked off his bike say they've been inspired by

his determination to recover from a devastating brain injury. Ryan Smith

from Skegness wasn't wearing a helmet when he was struck by a van

in July, prompting his family to start a safety campaign. Amy Cole

reports. Every step is a milestone ` Ryan

Smith's day is filled with therapy at the children's trust in Surrey.

For the first time since his accident he shows some movement in

his left side. Dad Mark is here to witness it. To see that today was

hugely inspiring. Fantastic. It goes to show his commitment and drive is

still there. We never doubted that, but you have your dark days. Then I

fed him that chocolate well and that is the first time I have seen a bite

down on anything, which is fantastic.

Ryan was riding his bike when he collided with a van near his home `

that was five months ago. What makes brain injuries so debilitating is

that they affect not just the physical but the emotional ` memory,

personality too. First, you look at the physical side to see if you can

get them more comfortable, then you can start looking at the essential

things. We all want to communicate. Ryan's family has been campaigning

for all cyclists to wear helmets ` their son wasn't when he was

injured. They hope after this life`changing event he will still go

on to achieve his goals. In ultimately, he wanted to be an

engineer. I cannot see anything stopping that one day. The family is

determined that constant support will make a difference. We hope

Brian's family can enjoy more inspiring days in the not too

distant future. Now, a heart`warming story. When a nine`year`old Red

Arrows enthusiast wrote to the display team to say she was their

biggest fan and wanted to be a pilot in the future, they wanted to write

back. The letter, sent to the Reds' base at Scampton in Lincolnshire,

had no address to reply to. But thanks to the investigative work of

Red one ` Squadron Leader Jim Turner ` they tracked her down and now

she'll be meeting the team. Gemma Dawson has the story.

They have thousands of fans. Many dream of flying one of these famous

red jets. But to become a Red Arrow takes years of dedication. Here at

their Lincolnshire base, the pilots receive plenty of fan mail. But

something made this letter from nine`year`old Tahnee stand out. I

really wanted be a red arrows pilot when I grow up, I have been working

hard at school. It was a lovely letter, written very

well. She is obviously one of those young children inspired by the

thought of flying aeroplanes of being in the RAF. It hit a nail with

me because that is how I grew up. There was just one problem with

Tahnee's letter. She didn't include her address so the Red Arrows

couldn't write back. But after appealing for help on their Facebook

page, they tracked down one of their biggest fans. We caught up with

Tahnee and her mum at this cafe in London. And, as you can see, she's

pretty dedicated to her dream of joining the display team. Ever since

I went to begin Hill, I really liked the second macro that I really like

the Red Arrows. So how does she feel, knowing Red

one has read her letter and now wants to meet her? I find it

amazing. I never thought it would happen and it is amazing how they

found me. Everybody is excited. I don't think whatever Santa brings

will be quite as good as what has just happened.

And it's going to get even more exciting. Tahnee's been invited to

meet the team hopefully at next year's Waddington Air Show. Well

done to the Red Arrows and their festive good deed.

Let's get a recap of the national and regional headlines. Two men are

found guilty of killing leave it be in the middle of a busy London

street. `` Lee Rigby. And consumers are offered money off

their electricity bills if they allow wind turbines near their

homes. We have had a big response on our

top story. Peter e`mail, saying 100 ?67 is chicken feed compared to the

farmer will receive `` ?100 is chicken feed. Tony says, fantastic

idea, please come and built some near me and I will gladly take the

discount. This That's it from Look North this Thursday night. I'll be

on BBC Radio Lincolnshire and Radio Humberside from 12 noon tomorrow.

Have a good evening. Me and Alan don't always

play by the rules. I think perhaps we should

never mention it again. I'm getting wed again. I hope that's

all right. Ready when you are, kid.