05/02/2014 Look North (East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire)

rise. That is all from

Good evening and welcome to BBC Look North. The headlines tonight.

There are calls for millions of pounds to fix the pothole problem

across our area. We need four times as much funding from central

government to restore the roads to a decent condition.

Up to 250 jobs under threat at a seafood company in Grimsby. A

Lincolnshire farmer says restrictions on genetically modified

crops are putting the industry at a disadvantage.

They seem to make their decisions in Brussels based on emotion rather

than science. We are hamstrung. Occupied! Sorry. That is something I

will never forget. And I speak to the Hull actor and

writer Reece Shearsmith ahead of his new TV series tonight. And the

accurate forecast follows in 15 minutes. More than four hundred

million pounds is needed to repair potholes on roads in East Yorkshire

and Lincolnshire and the government is being urged to come up with cash

for the work. Hull City Council says it needs up

to eight million pounds. And Lincolnshire County Council is

warning that it would cost up to four hundred million pounds to fully

repair its road network. More from our political editor Tim Iredale.

We have some nasty big ones there and here. And also here. Potholes

can be described as an occupational hazard for this driving instructor

Richard who is on his way to the test centre in Hull. You have to go

around them if you possibly can. If the cars are coming towards you, you

have to go over them. They are a problem. The council should get

themselves together to sort it. Many councils say it isn't cost`effective

to carry on repairing potholes. They argue what is needed is longer term

investment in better road surfaces. When people say the council doesn't

do enough, what is your response? The council can't do as much as it

would like because it doesn't have adequate funding. We need four times

as much funding from central government to keep and restore the

roads to a decent condition. Hull City Council spends just over ?1

million a year on repairs and claims it needs six or ?8 million to fix

all of the roads. In Lincolnshire, with a huge road network, the

council spends ?15 million a year on repairs and reckons it would take

400 million to bring the roots up to scratch. Last year alone we filled

an additional 50,000 potholes, the number of reports of potholes

plummeted from 2500 to only a few hundred. You can make a difference.

The backlog which exists now, ?10.5 billion. It is more than a drop in

the ocean. The Department of Transport says it is the

responsibility of authorities to manage their budgets and to ensure

they have appropriate contingencies in place to deal with severe

weather. Many councils claim the financial black hole could prevent

them from fixing the holes in the roads. Potholes always gets people

story, it is an emotive issue. What do you think of this story? With

councils facing funding cuts, what priority should be given to road

repairs. Are you affected by particularly bad road services.

What's your story? Staggering figures to sort out the problems. We

would like to hear from you. 250 jobs are under threat at a

seafood company in Grimsby. Icelandic Seachill, which has three

factories in the town, says it plans to end the production of ready meals

and it'll now begin a period of consultation with staff. Phillip

Norton reports from Grimsby. Icelandic Seachill previously known

as cold water said it would the ploy `` redeploy as many staff as

possible affected by the announcement but employees, 1500

workers over three sites, the leader of the council has described it as a

devastating announcement for the town. He says he will be meeting the

company bosses to discuss the situation and working with the job

centre to help find new employment for those people affected but 250

workers are heading home facing unemployment by the summer. I am

shocked, it is hugely disappointing for the industry and the community.

250 jobs is a tremendous blow and it is one that cannot be filled. I can

understand the difficulties the company are under if they have

products that are not making profit and achieving what they should do.

Clearly it has been a difficult decision for the company, one they

have not taken lightly but it is 250 jobs potentially out of work. The

250 jobs will be lost from this site, the factory produces ready

meals for a number of high street supermarket chains including Asda,

and Marks Spencer. The company says a fall in demand combined with

significant investment needed at the site and the way the products are

refrigerated is too costly and it is entering a consultation period with

the 250 staff who may be unemployed by the summer. It is a huge blow to

the town. Yes, news from Icelandic Seachill. We will follow the story.

Police investigating the murder of a man in Gainsborough have arrested

three people. 24`year`old Ivans Zdanovics who was originally from

Latvia was found dead at his home in Etherington Street on the 17th of

January after a fire. Two local men and a local woman are in custody.

A man has handed himself into police in connection with a theft from a

woman in Bridlington. Pam Roddis from Sheffield died of a brain

haemorrhage four days after her bag was taken while she was on holiday

in the resort. Police say her death cannot be directly linked to the

theft. The 32`year`old man is now under arrest.

Friends and family have said a final farewell to a Lincoln City legend.

Andy Graver played for the club in three spells ` between 1950 and 1961

` and he remains the club's record goal`scorer. His funeral took place

this lunchtime. Gemma Dawson reports.

Friends, family and fans gathered at the crematorium in Lincoln at

lunchtime for a final goodbye. As Andy Graver's coffin was carried in,

the song unforgettable plate. Andy remains the all`time record

goal`scorer and mourners were pleased to share their memories. I

try to imitate him. My biggest memory is playing golf with him. We

played every Sunday evening. A true gentleman, he was good fun at a

wine`tasting, he had a following at Lincoln city football club but

plenty of people wanted to be on his table when Andy was serving. After

the service, they moved to celebrate his life. He was such a lovely guy.

He was number one in the Legends at Lincoln city. And he played the

Lincoln City in three spells between 1950 and 1961. He scored 143 goals,

he played for Boston United and Skegness town. That is the board

that went into the net six times. I was presented with it after the

match. In 2007 we filmed him sharing memories of his time at Lincoln

city. This afternoon, it was his wife sharing stories with friends

and family. He just enjoyed himself. He played `` you played my way at

the funeral. He did things his way. He was a man's man. He enjoyed his

sport. He was very sociable. Today, a fitting tribute for a man who did

it his way. Thank you for watching this Wednesday night. Still ahead

tonight: Claims that restrictions on GM crops are leaving British farming

"hamstrung". And a Lincolnshire school celebrates

the return of their Ashes`winning teacher.

If you have a picture you are proud of, we will show it later. This is a

stunning picture from Humber Bridge. Another picture tomorrow night at

around the same time. It was a stunning picture chosen by the

director. A postcard from Susan who lives in Beverley. She is on

holiday, in her hotel room they get look North every night! And she has

sent a postcard. Not much going on in that bedroom! We welcome all

viewers, however sad that e`mail is. The e`mail for the next 20

minutes... Get yourself out of that one! Mostly dry with sunny spells.

This weather system bringing rain from the South into South

Lincolnshire and it spreads northwards into east Yorkshire. A

swirl of cloud bringing cloud and rain in from the Southwest, lively

rain moving through Yorkshire into Lincolnshire and Grimsby and Hull.

It will be quite wet at times, South East Lincolnshire facing `` faring

best but the rain will push from west to east gradually losing

intensity, most places will be tried by the end of the night. It has been

especially windy along the coast, it will switch to the Southwest

touching gale force in more experts `` exposed places. So, the sun rises

in the morning at 7:39am. And the high water times... So, windy first

thing, a better day, brighter with sunshine, showers in the morning but

then slowly the cloud will increase and by late afternoon the rain is in

the wash reaching the Humber by 6pm. It will turn wet but much of

daylight hours should be brighter with some sunshine. The top

afternoon temperatures, eight Celsius. The wind will ease later in

the day. This rain sweeps northwards, it is wet tomorrow

night, showers and longer spells of rain and on Friday pretty cloudy,

rain in the morning, clearing in the afternoon, rain at first on Saturday

and much of the weekend is blustery with sunshine and showers. That is

the forecast. It wasn't an e`mail, it was a postcard. Susan in Malta

will have abandoned the programme after your remarks. See you

tomorrow. Good night! A Lincolnshire farmer who is keen to grow

genetically modified crops says 'ridiculous' restrictions are

leaving British farmers at a disadvantage'. GM food is produced

from plants which have had their genetic make`up changed in

laboratories. This can be to increase yield or to allow the plant

to exist in a more hostile environment. Opponents of this

method say it is dangerous to interfere with nature and more

support should be given to organic farming. Our Rural Affairs

Correspondent Linsey Smith has more. Mark Leggott grows 500 tonnes of

potatoes a year on the Boston Fens. Every ten days, they have to be

sprayed with chemicals to stop disease. A huge frustration for Mark

because if he was allowed to grow a genetically modified variety ` he

says he wouldn't need chemicals. We are hamstrung in this country. I

would welcome the chance to use GM material because I have seen the

benefits in the United States, I have been to farmers who are growing

crops and we can keep up with our competitors in other countries

worldwide. No GM crops are being grown commercially in the UK. In the

past, trial sites have been destroyed by protestors. But the

National Farmers Union says there's recently been a dramatic mood

change. I think farmers have realised they have some major

production challenges in terms of resistant weeks, we have seen

flooding problems but also drought, the volatility in the weather and

technology can provide some solutions.

The debate has been stirred by the recent news of these purple

tomatoes. Genetically modified, they have the same potential health

benefits as Blueberries. The invention is British but the work is

happening in Canada because researchers think the EU has too

many restrictions. It's where they should stay according to Andrew

Dennis. He farms organically ` and home delivers these boxes. As much

money was invested in sustainable forms of agriculture yields would

more than match genetically modified products.

But if the EU was to lift its ban ` would customers actually buy GM

products? Yes, I would. As long as it was the price `` the price was

right. There hasn't been enough testing. No, it is dangerous. It is

something we should be leaving alone.

A huge amount of the nation's food is grown in East Yorkshire and

Lincolnshire. So if ` or when ` the ban on GM crops is lifted Mark

insists he'll fight to plant them in his land. Linsey's with me now. Why

are genetically modified crops back on the agenda now? Well, because of

those purple tomatoes last week but the environment secretary has been

making hints that he would like to see British grown GM crops. He said

it is nonsense they are bad for you, though some disagree. He says the

prime Minister will soon come out and back GM. It is not politicians

here or in Europe that decide whether British grown fruit and

vegetables are a success, it is me and you and whether you would put it

in your trolley in the supermarket. There was a trend for buying British

at the moment and it is whether that continues if we change the

traditional methods of farming. This is another story we'd like your

views on. Would you buy and eat genetically modified foods that were

grown in this country? The Prime Minister has said that a

hundred million pounds will be made available to fund essential flood

repairs and maintenance over the next year. The money will be mainly

used for repairs following recent severe weather and extra

maintenance. David Cameron was asked in the Commons by the MP for

Beverley and Holderness about future prospects for river dredging. My

constituents and others in Somerset Levels and elsewhere expect decent

maintenance, dredging and not abandonment. It is time for natural

England, the environment agency and the departments to sit around the

table and work at a new approach to make sure something that worked

frankly for decades and centuries is reintroduced again. There's been a

strong response to the claims made by the head of the Environment

Agency who said "we can protect towns or country, but not both" when

it comes to flood defences. It was revealed that the tidal barrier in

Hull came within forty centimetres of being overtopped, according to a

report by the local authority. Hull City Council says it'll be working

more closely with the Environment Agency to protect vulnerable areas.

Thank you for all the responses. We got a mixed response on this one.

John from Theddlethorpe said, "'People or countryside' is the

message of the Environment Agency. What about those of us who live in

the countryside? We are people." One of the top topics and we will

continue to follow that. People in Hull are being asked for their views

on the closure of the city's mobile library service. It currently makes

fortnightly stops to places across city. The council says it needs to

reduce spending on libraries by four hundred and fifteen thousand pounds

by 2015 because of budget cuts. Lincolnshire is one of the top three

counties in England for archaeological finds. 5000 items

were discovered last year in the county, many by metal detector

enthusiasts. The objects are being added to a catalogue as part of the

British Museum scheme. It is not something that is bright and shiny

and wonderful, they are nice to find and it is great if you find some

gold but if it is something that has the story to tell and it fills a gap

in the historical piece of knowledge, fine. That is what does

it for me. Former Hull FC and St Helen's rugby

league player Steve Prescott will be honoured when the two sides play in

the Super League later this month. Prescott lost his battle with

stomach cancer last year. The teams will compete for the Steve Prescott

Cup on the 21st February at Langtree Park. The game will then become an

annual fixture. A Lincolnshire school has been celebrating the

return of their ashes`winning teacher today.

Arran Brindle has returned from Australia where England's women

succeeded where the men failed and brought the Ashes home. Today pupils

at Greenwich House welcomed her back to the classroom. Amanda White

reports. Celebrating the return of a sporting

hero. But it will never match this party. The England women with Arran

Brindle celebrating Ashes victory on Australian soil. It is hard to put

into words because of all of the hard work. To go back to Australia

and bring them home, it doesn't compare with anything in my career.

It is the third time she has been part of an England Ashes series and

back at school they could not be proud of. It is cool having a

teacher that plays cricket. I watched the Ashes in Australia, the

men and the women's was just as good or better. Because she has gone so

far, it is nice to think the girls can do it as well. Do you fancy

cricket? Yes. At Greenwich House you can learn numbers and the apples of

the world but something else `` animals of the world. And also

become a national inspiration. What was the most exciting part? When

Charlotte hit the winning runs. She batted superbly. 92. Were you

nervous before the game? I always get nervous. I think nerves are a

good thing. They mean you are excited. It is about controlling

them. One of the goals is to inspire the nation. That comes with success

but could you get the media profile. On a local level to interact with

the children and see how they respond and they enjoy `` the

enjoyment from cricket. Arran Brindle will inspire, not just

because she did it England but because she did it for the women and

the girls, too. A fantastic achievement. The writer and actor

Reece Shearsmith from Hull says he was delighted to get such a large

number of star names for his new series which begins tonight.

Occupied! Sorry, that is something I will never forget. Feed the birds.

It's called Inside Number nine and is a collection of one`off stories

with a mix of laughs and horror that Reece has become famous for. I asked

him if the 1980's series Tales Of The Unexpected had inspired his new

work. That's right. It was the idea to do a homage to that TV, a

different story each week with a twist in the tale. Horror comedy. I

don't know we made that up. Not all of them are horror, some are quite

silly but there are some which are a bit scary. Hull boy makes good, you

left us behind. Part of the trendy Islington set? No, I was back last

year, Hull kindly gave me a `` an honorary doctorate. I'm a Doctor of

letters. And memories of Hull? Well, a great childhood growing up in

Hull. I was quite studious, not going out much. It was all new to me

when I went into town. The new show is star`studded. Had you get these

great people? Well, we just asked them and they said yes. Over the

years people have said if you do something else, I would love to be

in it. We rang them up and most of them said yes. It was surprisingly

encouraging. They all said the scripts were good. It is great

because it is a one`off and they don't have to commit loads of time.

Yes, exactly right. That is why we were able to get them. We did each

one in a week so it is appealing for actor. We will be watching tonight.

BBC Two at 10pm. And thank you for my street cred years ago you gave

me. We put you in the league of gentlemen. I remember. You are very

famous. You gave me some street cred. Thank you for that. We will

tune in tonight. Take care, goodbye. Reece Shearsmith who is from Hull.

Let's get a recap of the national and regional headlines. The rail

line to Cornwall cut and thousands of homes without power as more

storms batter the south coast. There are calls for millions of pounds to

fix the pothole problem across our area.

Much brighter with sunny spells tomorrow. Top temperatures getting

up to around eight Celsius. Potholes, Robert says he has driven

in many parts of the country and East Yorkshire have some of the best

roads. Councils have other priorities. Ben says he has had to

replace parts on his car and claimed for bike wheels because of potholes.

Richard says it has cost ?500 in repairs to his car. The roads get

worse and worse. Pam says wide we pay the road tax to drive the cars

on the roads, surely looking after the roads is what the money is for.

Thank you for those and have a nice evening. Look after yourself.

Goodbye. NICK CLEGG: Are you in,

or are you out? That's the real question at stake at

the European elections on May 2 nd. even though that would wreck

the recovery and destroy jobs. The Conservatives are now

openly flirting with exit, and the Labour Party, well, they

just don't have the courage