20/01/2017 Look North (East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire)

A family court judge has ruled that four-year-old Poppy Widdison

from Grimsby died after either being shaken

or suffering a blow to the head.

Yesterday, her mother and her mother's former partner

were jailed for 13 years each for child cruelty

into the safety of children across the country.

She was only a little girl but she was born addicted to drugs,

and during her short life was let down by many people.

Today, the family court concluded Poppy died after being shaken.

The report also showed that she had eaten and been exposed to drugs

such as heroin, methadone, ketamine and sedatives.

Yesterday, her mother, Michala Pyke, and her former boyfriend,

John Rytting, were each told they'll spend 13 years in prison

Poppy was born addicted to heroin because of her mother's addiction.

No robust protection plan nor parenting assessments were made.

There were "meetings" concerning Poppy,

but drugs services weren't always consulted or invited.

Her parents separated and Poppy lived mostly with her mother.

When she was three, a relative said Pyke

was smoking cannabis and ignoring Poppy.

But social workers weren't concerned.

In fact, they never even asked Pyke if this was happening.

They didn't know Pyke and Rytting were in a relationship

Now questions are being asked about what confidence can be had

in North East Lincolnshire's health and social services?

I have met with social services this week, and I know

that there is a really strong commitment to making sure that

tragedies like this do not happen, and over the last two years,

there have been significant changes in the local authority in the way

that things are done, and it is just about making sure

that all of those procedures are followed all the time

so that no children are left in danger.

Today, the Childen's Commissioner for England said:

Over the past two weeks, the BBC has made repeated

requests for an interview with North East Lincolnshire

Safeguarding Children's Board for an interview.

So far they've refused all our approaches

to try to ensure something like this doesn't happen again.

Parents in Hedon were advised to accompany their children

to school today or get them to walk in groups

after an attempted attack on a girl in the town.

The 11-year-old was pushed over by a man on George Street

while on the way to Hedon Primary yesterday morning.

She ran away and police say she wasn't harmed.

Network Rail has admitted it should have consulted with

disability groups before submitting plans for a new footbridge

Campaigners have criticised the company after a lift

wasn't included in the planned bridge over a railway line.

A public consultation is now underway,

and a decision will be made by the city council next month.

The money isn't available to build a bridge with lifts,

Obviously, we apologise to the disability groups in Lincoln

that we haven't had the contact with them that we should have done.

But, obviously, the planning application has been made

and we will see the outcome ofthat is.

Earlier, I spoke to Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson

and asked her if she thought it was acceptable Network Rail

had built a bridge that was not accessible to all.

It's not acceptable that Network Rail

have completely forgotten about, you know, not just the inclusion

of disabled people but older people, mums with prams, dads with prams.

In this day and age, you know, it's appalling because it means

disabled people are excluded from using the public transport

system, excluded from work and having a social life.

And I think, as part of any programme going forward,

accessibility has to be part of the budget.

"We'll do it in five or ten years' time,"

because, if we're being honest, the budget will never be available.

Network Rail have said that it was too expensive to

but they will do it when the money becomes available.

Well, you know, lifts and footbridges such as this

and, you know, the reality is it is expensive.

But the Department for Transport have a pot of money

which doesn't go as far as it needs to.

If we're serious about genuinely including disabled people,

it has to be part of the beginning of the process.

is that, actually, disabled people have been forgotten.

It is seen as very much as an add-on,

and it's only when they've been called out on it that

they've actually recognised that they'd forgotten about inclusion.

I mean, where I live, and the train station I use

to commute to London every single week is not accessible.

I have to push up a very steep ramp, and I can barely do it.

I have to say, Network Rail, at times, can be very good.

Some of the train companies can be very good.

So I think there needs to be a major look

at how rail works for disabled people in the country.

You know, as a wheelchair user, I'm meant a book 24 hours in advance,

that someone can get you on and off the train.

Is that we really where we want to be in a modern society?

Baroness Thompson, thank you for sharing your views this evening.

In football, Lincoln City are now five points clear at the top

The Imps beat Dover Athletic 1-0 at Sincil Bank this evening.

Almost 21,000 people have visited the Ferens Art Gallery in Hull

Last Friday, the public were allowed in for the first time following

Hull City Council say the response has been fantastic.

We're looking at a very cold and frosty night.

That's because we've got clear skies out there.

We might also get a little bit of patchy fog

with temperatures rurally dropping a few degrees below freezing.

Temperatures holding just above freezing along the coast.

So, tomorrow, a cold, frosty start to the day.

Some of that fog might linger, otherwise plenty of sunshine.

But you can see how cloud extends westwards throughout the day.

Clouding over, perhaps even a little bit damp in places.

The old spot or two of drizzle is possible through the afternoon.

temperatures only getting up to around 5 or 6 degrees.

A frosty start again on Sunday, but a fine, dry day -

The fine, settled weather continues through the first half of next week,

Thank you very much. That's it from the late team here. We'll be back

tomorrow at 520 B. Have a great weekend. Goodbye.

feel cooler. Can we keep it going until the start of the new week? I

suspect we can. Unconfirmed about -- concerned about the fog around. Here

is Helen with the national picture. Good evening. The weather is upon

us. The cloud has made all the difference this week in particular.

We have had some wonderful weather watcher pictures, this is Marlowe in

Buckinghamshire, this was Conwy earlier in the day. Some areas still

have the cloud. What a difference that makes. Edinburgh, the