:00:00. > :00:00.rise. That is all from
:00:00. > :00:09.Good evening and welcome to BBC Look North. The headlines tonight.
:00:10. > :00:17.There are calls for millions of pounds to fix the pothole problem
:00:18. > :00:22.across our area. We need four times as much funding from central
:00:23. > :00:25.government to restore the roads to a decent condition.
:00:26. > :00:27.Up to 250 jobs under threat at a seafood company in Grimsby. A
:00:28. > :00:30.Lincolnshire farmer says restrictions on genetically modified
:00:31. > :00:39.crops are putting the industry at a disadvantage.
:00:40. > :00:43.They seem to make their decisions in Brussels based on emotion rather
:00:44. > :00:51.than science. We are hamstrung. Occupied! Sorry. That is something I
:00:52. > :00:55.will never forget. And I speak to the Hull actor and
:00:56. > :00:59.writer Reece Shearsmith ahead of his new TV series tonight. And the
:01:00. > :01:11.accurate forecast follows in 15 minutes. More than four hundred
:01:12. > :01:14.million pounds is needed to repair potholes on roads in East Yorkshire
:01:15. > :01:17.and Lincolnshire and the government is being urged to come up with cash
:01:18. > :01:21.for the work. Hull City Council says it needs up
:01:22. > :01:24.to eight million pounds. And Lincolnshire County Council is
:01:25. > :01:27.warning that it would cost up to four hundred million pounds to fully
:01:28. > :01:37.repair its road network. More from our political editor Tim Iredale.
:01:38. > :01:46.We have some nasty big ones there and here. And also here. Potholes
:01:47. > :01:50.can be described as an occupational hazard for this driving instructor
:01:51. > :01:57.Richard who is on his way to the test centre in Hull. You have to go
:01:58. > :02:02.around them if you possibly can. If the cars are coming towards you, you
:02:03. > :02:08.have to go over them. They are a problem. The council should get
:02:09. > :02:13.themselves together to sort it. Many councils say it isn't cost`effective
:02:14. > :02:20.to carry on repairing potholes. They argue what is needed is longer term
:02:21. > :02:26.investment in better road surfaces. When people say the council doesn't
:02:27. > :02:30.do enough, what is your response? The council can't do as much as it
:02:31. > :02:35.would like because it doesn't have adequate funding. We need four times
:02:36. > :02:40.as much funding from central government to keep and restore the
:02:41. > :02:44.roads to a decent condition. Hull City Council spends just over ?1
:02:45. > :02:50.million a year on repairs and claims it needs six or ?8 million to fix
:02:51. > :02:55.all of the roads. In Lincolnshire, with a huge road network, the
:02:56. > :02:59.council spends ?15 million a year on repairs and reckons it would take
:03:00. > :03:06.400 million to bring the roots up to scratch. Last year alone we filled
:03:07. > :03:11.an additional 50,000 potholes, the number of reports of potholes
:03:12. > :03:20.plummeted from 2500 to only a few hundred. You can make a difference.
:03:21. > :03:25.The backlog which exists now, ?10.5 billion. It is more than a drop in
:03:26. > :03:28.the ocean. The Department of Transport says it is the
:03:29. > :03:31.responsibility of authorities to manage their budgets and to ensure
:03:32. > :03:36.they have appropriate contingencies in place to deal with severe
:03:37. > :03:39.weather. Many councils claim the financial black hole could prevent
:03:40. > :03:47.them from fixing the holes in the roads. Potholes always gets people
:03:48. > :03:50.story, it is an emotive issue. What do you think of this story? With
:03:51. > :03:53.councils facing funding cuts, what priority should be given to road
:03:54. > :04:02.repairs. Are you affected by particularly bad road services.
:04:03. > :04:04.What's your story? Staggering figures to sort out the problems. We
:04:05. > :04:24.would like to hear from you. 250 jobs are under threat at a
:04:25. > :04:28.seafood company in Grimsby. Icelandic Seachill, which has three
:04:29. > :04:31.factories in the town, says it plans to end the production of ready meals
:04:32. > :04:37.and it'll now begin a period of consultation with staff. Phillip
:04:38. > :04:43.Norton reports from Grimsby. Icelandic Seachill previously known
:04:44. > :04:47.as cold water said it would the ploy `` redeploy as many staff as
:04:48. > :04:51.possible affected by the announcement but employees, 1500
:04:52. > :04:58.workers over three sites, the leader of the council has described it as a
:04:59. > :05:03.devastating announcement for the town. He says he will be meeting the
:05:04. > :05:07.company bosses to discuss the situation and working with the job
:05:08. > :05:12.centre to help find new employment for those people affected but 250
:05:13. > :05:17.workers are heading home facing unemployment by the summer. I am
:05:18. > :05:25.shocked, it is hugely disappointing for the industry and the community.
:05:26. > :05:30.250 jobs is a tremendous blow and it is one that cannot be filled. I can
:05:31. > :05:34.understand the difficulties the company are under if they have
:05:35. > :05:39.products that are not making profit and achieving what they should do.
:05:40. > :05:43.Clearly it has been a difficult decision for the company, one they
:05:44. > :05:52.have not taken lightly but it is 250 jobs potentially out of work. The
:05:53. > :05:58.250 jobs will be lost from this site, the factory produces ready
:05:59. > :06:01.meals for a number of high street supermarket chains including Asda,
:06:02. > :06:08.and Marks Spencer. The company says a fall in demand combined with
:06:09. > :06:14.significant investment needed at the site and the way the products are
:06:15. > :06:19.refrigerated is too costly and it is entering a consultation period with
:06:20. > :06:27.the 250 staff who may be unemployed by the summer. It is a huge blow to
:06:28. > :06:33.the town. Yes, news from Icelandic Seachill. We will follow the story.
:06:34. > :06:36.Police investigating the murder of a man in Gainsborough have arrested
:06:37. > :06:40.three people. 24`year`old Ivans Zdanovics who was originally from
:06:41. > :06:43.Latvia was found dead at his home in Etherington Street on the 17th of
:06:44. > :06:48.January after a fire. Two local men and a local woman are in custody.
:06:49. > :06:51.A man has handed himself into police in connection with a theft from a
:06:52. > :06:54.woman in Bridlington. Pam Roddis from Sheffield died of a brain
:06:55. > :06:58.haemorrhage four days after her bag was taken while she was on holiday
:06:59. > :07:01.in the resort. Police say her death cannot be directly linked to the
:07:02. > :07:09.theft. The 32`year`old man is now under arrest.
:07:10. > :07:12.Friends and family have said a final farewell to a Lincoln City legend.
:07:13. > :07:16.Andy Graver played for the club in three spells ` between 1950 and 1961
:07:17. > :07:19.` and he remains the club's record goal`scorer. His funeral took place
:07:20. > :07:28.this lunchtime. Gemma Dawson reports.
:07:29. > :07:35.Friends, family and fans gathered at the crematorium in Lincoln at
:07:36. > :07:42.lunchtime for a final goodbye. As Andy Graver's coffin was carried in,
:07:43. > :07:47.the song unforgettable plate. Andy remains the all`time record
:07:48. > :07:56.goal`scorer and mourners were pleased to share their memories. I
:07:57. > :08:01.try to imitate him. My biggest memory is playing golf with him. We
:08:02. > :08:06.played every Sunday evening. A true gentleman, he was good fun at a
:08:07. > :08:11.wine`tasting, he had a following at Lincoln city football club but
:08:12. > :08:17.plenty of people wanted to be on his table when Andy was serving. After
:08:18. > :08:24.the service, they moved to celebrate his life. He was such a lovely guy.
:08:25. > :08:30.He was number one in the Legends at Lincoln city. And he played the
:08:31. > :08:36.Lincoln City in three spells between 1950 and 1961. He scored 143 goals,
:08:37. > :08:42.he played for Boston United and Skegness town. That is the board
:08:43. > :08:47.that went into the net six times. I was presented with it after the
:08:48. > :08:52.match. In 2007 we filmed him sharing memories of his time at Lincoln
:08:53. > :09:00.city. This afternoon, it was his wife sharing stories with friends
:09:01. > :09:08.and family. He just enjoyed himself. He played `` you played my way at
:09:09. > :09:17.the funeral. He did things his way. He was a man's man. He enjoyed his
:09:18. > :09:30.sport. He was very sociable. Today, a fitting tribute for a man who did
:09:31. > :09:33.it his way. Thank you for watching this Wednesday night. Still ahead
:09:34. > :09:35.tonight: Claims that restrictions on GM crops are leaving British farming
:09:36. > :09:38."hamstrung". And a Lincolnshire school celebrates
:09:39. > :09:49.the return of their Ashes`winning teacher.
:09:50. > :10:01.If you have a picture you are proud of, we will show it later. This is a
:10:02. > :10:10.stunning picture from Humber Bridge. Another picture tomorrow night at
:10:11. > :10:16.around the same time. It was a stunning picture chosen by the
:10:17. > :10:22.director. A postcard from Susan who lives in Beverley. She is on
:10:23. > :10:27.holiday, in her hotel room they get look North every night! And she has
:10:28. > :10:34.sent a postcard. Not much going on in that bedroom! We welcome all
:10:35. > :10:43.viewers, however sad that e`mail is. The e`mail for the next 20
:10:44. > :10:50.minutes... Get yourself out of that one! Mostly dry with sunny spells.
:10:51. > :10:53.This weather system bringing rain from the South into South
:10:54. > :10:58.Lincolnshire and it spreads northwards into east Yorkshire. A
:10:59. > :11:04.swirl of cloud bringing cloud and rain in from the Southwest, lively
:11:05. > :11:10.rain moving through Yorkshire into Lincolnshire and Grimsby and Hull.
:11:11. > :11:15.It will be quite wet at times, South East Lincolnshire facing `` faring
:11:16. > :11:20.best but the rain will push from west to east gradually losing
:11:21. > :11:24.intensity, most places will be tried by the end of the night. It has been
:11:25. > :11:32.especially windy along the coast, it will switch to the Southwest
:11:33. > :11:39.touching gale force in more experts `` exposed places. So, the sun rises
:11:40. > :11:48.in the morning at 7:39am. And the high water times... So, windy first
:11:49. > :11:54.thing, a better day, brighter with sunshine, showers in the morning but
:11:55. > :12:00.then slowly the cloud will increase and by late afternoon the rain is in
:12:01. > :12:05.the wash reaching the Humber by 6pm. It will turn wet but much of
:12:06. > :12:09.daylight hours should be brighter with some sunshine. The top
:12:10. > :12:17.afternoon temperatures, eight Celsius. The wind will ease later in
:12:18. > :12:22.the day. This rain sweeps northwards, it is wet tomorrow
:12:23. > :12:26.night, showers and longer spells of rain and on Friday pretty cloudy,
:12:27. > :12:31.rain in the morning, clearing in the afternoon, rain at first on Saturday
:12:32. > :12:37.and much of the weekend is blustery with sunshine and showers. That is
:12:38. > :12:41.the forecast. It wasn't an e`mail, it was a postcard. Susan in Malta
:12:42. > :12:50.will have abandoned the programme after your remarks. See you
:12:51. > :12:53.tomorrow. Good night! A Lincolnshire farmer who is keen to grow
:12:54. > :12:55.genetically modified crops says 'ridiculous' restrictions are
:12:56. > :12:58.leaving British farmers at a disadvantage'. GM food is produced
:12:59. > :13:00.from plants which have had their genetic make`up changed in
:13:01. > :13:04.laboratories. This can be to increase yield or to allow the plant
:13:05. > :13:06.to exist in a more hostile environment. Opponents of this
:13:07. > :13:09.method say it is dangerous to interfere with nature and more
:13:10. > :13:19.support should be given to organic farming. Our Rural Affairs
:13:20. > :13:23.Correspondent Linsey Smith has more. Mark Leggott grows 500 tonnes of
:13:24. > :13:27.potatoes a year on the Boston Fens. Every ten days, they have to be
:13:28. > :13:37.sprayed with chemicals to stop disease. A huge frustration for Mark
:13:38. > :13:41.because if he was allowed to grow a genetically modified variety ` he
:13:42. > :13:45.says he wouldn't need chemicals. We are hamstrung in this country. I
:13:46. > :13:49.would welcome the chance to use GM material because I have seen the
:13:50. > :13:56.benefits in the United States, I have been to farmers who are growing
:13:57. > :13:58.crops and we can keep up with our competitors in other countries
:13:59. > :14:02.worldwide. No GM crops are being grown commercially in the UK. In the
:14:03. > :14:05.past, trial sites have been destroyed by protestors. But the
:14:06. > :14:11.National Farmers Union says there's recently been a dramatic mood
:14:12. > :14:16.change. I think farmers have realised they have some major
:14:17. > :14:20.production challenges in terms of resistant weeks, we have seen
:14:21. > :14:26.flooding problems but also drought, the volatility in the weather and
:14:27. > :14:28.technology can provide some solutions.
:14:29. > :14:34.The debate has been stirred by the recent news of these purple
:14:35. > :14:36.tomatoes. Genetically modified, they have the same potential health
:14:37. > :14:39.benefits as Blueberries. The invention is British but the work is
:14:40. > :14:43.happening in Canada because researchers think the EU has too
:14:44. > :14:46.many restrictions. It's where they should stay according to Andrew
:14:47. > :14:56.Dennis. He farms organically ` and home delivers these boxes. As much
:14:57. > :15:02.money was invested in sustainable forms of agriculture yields would
:15:03. > :15:07.more than match genetically modified products.
:15:08. > :15:13.But if the EU was to lift its ban ` would customers actually buy GM
:15:14. > :15:18.products? Yes, I would. As long as it was the price `` the price was
:15:19. > :15:22.right. There hasn't been enough testing. No, it is dangerous. It is
:15:23. > :15:24.something we should be leaving alone.
:15:25. > :15:28.A huge amount of the nation's food is grown in East Yorkshire and
:15:29. > :15:32.Lincolnshire. So if ` or when ` the ban on GM crops is lifted Mark
:15:33. > :15:38.insists he'll fight to plant them in his land. Linsey's with me now. Why
:15:39. > :15:47.are genetically modified crops back on the agenda now? Well, because of
:15:48. > :15:53.those purple tomatoes last week but the environment secretary has been
:15:54. > :15:58.making hints that he would like to see British grown GM crops. He said
:15:59. > :16:02.it is nonsense they are bad for you, though some disagree. He says the
:16:03. > :16:07.prime Minister will soon come out and back GM. It is not politicians
:16:08. > :16:10.here or in Europe that decide whether British grown fruit and
:16:11. > :16:14.vegetables are a success, it is me and you and whether you would put it
:16:15. > :16:18.in your trolley in the supermarket. There was a trend for buying British
:16:19. > :16:24.at the moment and it is whether that continues if we change the
:16:25. > :16:28.traditional methods of farming. This is another story we'd like your
:16:29. > :16:30.views on. Would you buy and eat genetically modified foods that were
:16:31. > :16:42.grown in this country? The Prime Minister has said that a
:16:43. > :16:45.hundred million pounds will be made available to fund essential flood
:16:46. > :16:49.repairs and maintenance over the next year. The money will be mainly
:16:50. > :16:51.used for repairs following recent severe weather and extra
:16:52. > :16:55.maintenance. David Cameron was asked in the Commons by the MP for
:16:56. > :17:10.Beverley and Holderness about future prospects for river dredging. My
:17:11. > :17:15.constituents and others in Somerset Levels and elsewhere expect decent
:17:16. > :17:19.maintenance, dredging and not abandonment. It is time for natural
:17:20. > :17:23.England, the environment agency and the departments to sit around the
:17:24. > :17:27.table and work at a new approach to make sure something that worked
:17:28. > :17:33.frankly for decades and centuries is reintroduced again. There's been a
:17:34. > :17:37.strong response to the claims made by the head of the Environment
:17:38. > :17:42.Agency who said "we can protect towns or country, but not both" when
:17:43. > :17:46.it comes to flood defences. It was revealed that the tidal barrier in
:17:47. > :17:49.Hull came within forty centimetres of being overtopped, according to a
:17:50. > :17:52.report by the local authority. Hull City Council says it'll be working
:17:53. > :17:57.more closely with the Environment Agency to protect vulnerable areas.
:17:58. > :18:01.Thank you for all the responses. We got a mixed response on this one.
:18:02. > :18:08.John from Theddlethorpe said, "'People or countryside' is the
:18:09. > :18:10.message of the Environment Agency. What about those of us who live in
:18:11. > :18:50.the countryside? We are people." One of the top topics and we will
:18:51. > :18:54.continue to follow that. People in Hull are being asked for their views
:18:55. > :18:56.on the closure of the city's mobile library service. It currently makes
:18:57. > :19:00.fortnightly stops to places across city. The council says it needs to
:19:01. > :19:10.reduce spending on libraries by four hundred and fifteen thousand pounds
:19:11. > :19:15.by 2015 because of budget cuts. Lincolnshire is one of the top three
:19:16. > :19:19.counties in England for archaeological finds. 5000 items
:19:20. > :19:24.were discovered last year in the county, many by metal detector
:19:25. > :19:29.enthusiasts. The objects are being added to a catalogue as part of the
:19:30. > :19:34.British Museum scheme. It is not something that is bright and shiny
:19:35. > :19:38.and wonderful, they are nice to find and it is great if you find some
:19:39. > :19:44.gold but if it is something that has the story to tell and it fills a gap
:19:45. > :19:49.in the historical piece of knowledge, fine. That is what does
:19:50. > :19:52.it for me. Former Hull FC and St Helen's rugby
:19:53. > :19:56.league player Steve Prescott will be honoured when the two sides play in
:19:57. > :19:59.the Super League later this month. Prescott lost his battle with
:20:00. > :20:02.stomach cancer last year. The teams will compete for the Steve Prescott
:20:03. > :20:07.Cup on the 21st February at Langtree Park. The game will then become an
:20:08. > :20:09.annual fixture. A Lincolnshire school has been celebrating the
:20:10. > :20:13.return of their ashes`winning teacher today.
:20:14. > :20:15.Arran Brindle has returned from Australia where England's women
:20:16. > :20:19.succeeded where the men failed and brought the Ashes home. Today pupils
:20:20. > :20:20.at Greenwich House welcomed her back to the classroom. Amanda White
:20:21. > :20:34.reports. Celebrating the return of a sporting
:20:35. > :20:42.hero. But it will never match this party. The England women with Arran
:20:43. > :20:46.Brindle celebrating Ashes victory on Australian soil. It is hard to put
:20:47. > :20:50.into words because of all of the hard work. To go back to Australia
:20:51. > :20:56.and bring them home, it doesn't compare with anything in my career.
:20:57. > :21:01.It is the third time she has been part of an England Ashes series and
:21:02. > :21:07.back at school they could not be proud of. It is cool having a
:21:08. > :21:12.teacher that plays cricket. I watched the Ashes in Australia, the
:21:13. > :21:17.men and the women's was just as good or better. Because she has gone so
:21:18. > :21:25.far, it is nice to think the girls can do it as well. Do you fancy
:21:26. > :21:29.cricket? Yes. At Greenwich House you can learn numbers and the apples of
:21:30. > :21:35.the world but something else `` animals of the world. And also
:21:36. > :21:42.become a national inspiration. What was the most exciting part? When
:21:43. > :21:47.Charlotte hit the winning runs. She batted superbly. 92. Were you
:21:48. > :21:53.nervous before the game? I always get nervous. I think nerves are a
:21:54. > :21:59.good thing. They mean you are excited. It is about controlling
:22:00. > :22:05.them. One of the goals is to inspire the nation. That comes with success
:22:06. > :22:09.but could you get the media profile. On a local level to interact with
:22:10. > :22:17.the children and see how they respond and they enjoy `` the
:22:18. > :22:20.enjoyment from cricket. Arran Brindle will inspire, not just
:22:21. > :22:28.because she did it England but because she did it for the women and
:22:29. > :22:35.the girls, too. A fantastic achievement. The writer and actor
:22:36. > :22:39.Reece Shearsmith from Hull says he was delighted to get such a large
:22:40. > :22:49.number of star names for his new series which begins tonight.
:22:50. > :22:55.Occupied! Sorry, that is something I will never forget. Feed the birds.
:22:56. > :22:59.It's called Inside Number nine and is a collection of one`off stories
:23:00. > :23:04.with a mix of laughs and horror that Reece has become famous for. I asked
:23:05. > :23:12.him if the 1980's series Tales Of The Unexpected had inspired his new
:23:13. > :23:17.work. That's right. It was the idea to do a homage to that TV, a
:23:18. > :23:27.different story each week with a twist in the tale. Horror comedy. I
:23:28. > :23:30.don't know we made that up. Not all of them are horror, some are quite
:23:31. > :23:38.silly but there are some which are a bit scary. Hull boy makes good, you
:23:39. > :23:46.left us behind. Part of the trendy Islington set? No, I was back last
:23:47. > :23:53.year, Hull kindly gave me a `` an honorary doctorate. I'm a Doctor of
:23:54. > :23:58.letters. And memories of Hull? Well, a great childhood growing up in
:23:59. > :24:05.Hull. I was quite studious, not going out much. It was all new to me
:24:06. > :24:10.when I went into town. The new show is star`studded. Had you get these
:24:11. > :24:14.great people? Well, we just asked them and they said yes. Over the
:24:15. > :24:20.years people have said if you do something else, I would love to be
:24:21. > :24:25.in it. We rang them up and most of them said yes. It was surprisingly
:24:26. > :24:29.encouraging. They all said the scripts were good. It is great
:24:30. > :24:35.because it is a one`off and they don't have to commit loads of time.
:24:36. > :24:40.Yes, exactly right. That is why we were able to get them. We did each
:24:41. > :24:45.one in a week so it is appealing for actor. We will be watching tonight.
:24:46. > :24:50.BBC Two at 10pm. And thank you for my street cred years ago you gave
:24:51. > :24:58.me. We put you in the league of gentlemen. I remember. You are very
:24:59. > :25:05.famous. You gave me some street cred. Thank you for that. We will
:25:06. > :25:09.tune in tonight. Take care, goodbye. Reece Shearsmith who is from Hull.
:25:10. > :25:12.Let's get a recap of the national and regional headlines. The rail
:25:13. > :25:16.line to Cornwall cut and thousands of homes without power as more
:25:17. > :25:19.storms batter the south coast. There are calls for millions of pounds to
:25:20. > :25:25.fix the pothole problem across our area.
:25:26. > :25:34.Much brighter with sunny spells tomorrow. Top temperatures getting
:25:35. > :25:38.up to around eight Celsius. Potholes, Robert says he has driven
:25:39. > :25:43.in many parts of the country and East Yorkshire have some of the best
:25:44. > :25:49.roads. Councils have other priorities. Ben says he has had to
:25:50. > :25:57.replace parts on his car and claimed for bike wheels because of potholes.
:25:58. > :26:03.Richard says it has cost ?500 in repairs to his car. The roads get
:26:04. > :26:07.worse and worse. Pam says wide we pay the road tax to drive the cars
:26:08. > :26:12.on the roads, surely looking after the roads is what the money is for.
:26:13. > :26:14.Thank you for those and have a nice evening. Look after yourself.
:26:15. > :26:39.Goodbye. NICK CLEGG: Are you in,
:26:40. > :26:41.or are you out? That's the real question at stake at
:26:42. > :26:47.the European elections on May 2 nd. even though that would wreck
:26:48. > :26:55.the recovery and destroy jobs. The Conservatives are now
:26:56. > :26:58.openly flirting with exit, and the Labour Party, well, they
:26:59. > :27:02.just don't have the courage