27/07/2011 Look North (North East and Cumbria)

Welcome to Look North. Tonight, the countdown begins and Look North has

exclusive access to the Olympic Stadium to meet the North East man

responsible for building it. Are our business is getting a fair

share of the multi-billion-pound contracts the contract -- the

London Olympics have created? Controversy over the use of camera

cars. And fighting to stay afloat, how

rising fuel prices are making it harder to keep some of our top some

attractions in business. In sport, we have cricket and

football news. And no butterflies for Jemma, she reaches her second

The clock is ticking. 12 months to the start of the Olympics, one year

until London hosts the Greatest Show on Earth. For sports fans, it

is a must-see event. For others, perhaps it is time to book a

television free holiday. What do the Olympics mean for us here in

the north. Look North has had exclusive access to the Olympic

Stadium to talk to the North East man in charge of building it. We

are asking if our businesses have been given their fair share of the

�6 billion of contracts the Games have generated.

We start with their stadium and Tony Aikenhead, a former rugby

player, is the man in charge of making sure the centrepiece of the

Games is built on time and within budget.

He invited Jeff Brown into the stadium to tell him about it.

In a year's time, this place will be the centre of the universe. The

Olympic Stadium, hoped -- home of the Olympic 2012 games. If it was

built by a chap from Hartlepool. It is almost 30 years since Tony

Aikenhead was a first team at regular for West Hartlepool rugby

club. Playing with Dave Stubbs and others. In 1983, he moved to south

to start a life in the construction industry. Eventually working on

projects like the Millennium Stadium and Millennium Dome. In

2008, came the call which brought him his biggest challenge so far.

For I was in Key West with money sent and a call came through. He

said he had a job for me. I told him I had a job. He said he had a

proper job for me. I had to thought about -- if I had to think about it.

15 seconds went by and I said, you are on.

This is the Olympic Stadium Tony and his team built. Under budget,

ahead of Schedule and 80,000 capacity all-seated arena which

will be the centre of the sporting world.

Sleepless nights or were you always happy?

Always happy. We have built a team on this project which had a

foundation in safety. Our objective that we stated in 2008/9, was that

when the Olympic flame was lit in 2012, we will be proud to say that

for the first time in history of modern Games, we will have bought -

- built an Olympic stadium with out -- without a loss of life. We built

a team with our client and ourselves and our supply chain, our

design team, around that premise. We became such a strong and

leadership team. We found that we became that strong that we could

deal with anything. Let us just hope that our athletes are as

focused as that. I'm sure you are thinking the same thing, I've got

to ask you, how many tickets have you got for the Olympics? None.

None whatsoever. Not part of the package. Are you not going to be

here on the day it opens? Unless we do something corporately but

privately, know. It doesn't work like that. I can't believe it, it

is your stadium. Am sure people will be pleased to hear that who

applied on the internet. For when it was announced that

London had won the Olympic Games, promises were made that the rest of

the company would also benefit for the event. Prospects of multi-

million pound contracts with businesses to win a work were held

out. Has it happened here? This company in North Yorkshire is

one of 85 in the North East in Cumbria to have won work on the

Olympics. It is fabricating steel for what seems like the whole of

East London. We did the Velodrome, aquatics, temporary stands,

aquatics bridges. And on and on goes the list. It has been a con --

godsend. 1,300 strong workforce hasn't had to Sevo redundancies.

has kept this very busy at a time when there wasn't a great deal of

work about. We are pleased to be involved in the project.

Olympic contracts won here haven't been mirrored throughout the region.

More than �6 billion worth were on offer. North East in Cumbria has

deals worth 100 million. We lag far behind London companies who have

clinched �3 billion worth of work. The south-east has secured �1

billion. It seems like the workers here will

have to basket in the reflected glory of those that did win. There

is a sense of accomplishment. It has been really good. This company

has done well out of the Olympics but with contract wins in the

north-eastern Cumbria, totalling 100 million or so, out of the 6.2

billion that was up for grabs, shouldn't we have done better? Were

companies interested or were we passed over? This is the man you

had to go to. The decision was made in 2008 to set North East up. We

only started doing that two years ago. We could have started earlier

as a region in trying to win contracts. Perhaps all is not lost.

They still �350 million of contracts to bid for. For the

opening ceremony, in a year's time. And -- our region is a long way

from London. Are people here really that bothered about the Olympic

Games? The report on what you have been telling us.

The sea bass no escaping the Olympics the way you embrace its

beauty or were you bury your head? A lot of people have no end of a

lack of regional involvement. Look at what we have in Newcastle. This

ground will host nine football matches. You can already buy the

tickets. The Sri Lankan team will be based at Durham University.

Grenada will be at Sunderland University. The squads are expected

to be modestly sides. Tees barrage will host teams and

another team will train in the west end of Newcastle. Also we have the

Olympic torch relay which will make seven overnight stops in our region

before making its way down to its Ginnie and in London. Where are

they? In London. I will try and get them myself. Are you excited by the

Olympics? Know. I couldn't get a ticket. I haven't got any tickets

but quite excited. It will bring a lot of good revenue. Have you got a

ticket? Know. The majority it seems are getting into the spirit. What

they invest some brass in stick -- seeing gold, silver and bronze?

the feeling out there has grown. They very much want to be a part of

this. In our lifetime, it will be a shame to miss out on this

opportunity. If I will not stand and lie to you to say there is the

same level of support across the UK. There is always that divide. A huge

amount of work has gone in to make this a games not just for London.

To have maybe not one of the bigger teams is a benefit in as far as

they may be more accessible for our students and the local community.

They may not be as precious about restricting access to training.

Amid the debate on how much the region might have lost out, it

seems a great many people don't want to be left out. If it is like

this with a year to go, there is The former Corus steelworks on

Teesside will recruit next month after it was mothballed a year ago.

The new owners, Thailand based SSI have confirmed they are creating

1,000 jobs at the plant. The company bought the steelworks from

Corus after a major contract fell through leading to the loss of

1,600 jobs. A Cumbrian policemen accused of

Pleat -- abusing his position in an attempt to foster sexual

relationships with women, has gone on trial. Detective Constable Mark

Fisher, faces nine charges of misconduct in the public coffers.

Among the accusations he faces, it is offering to pay off the drug

debts of a woman in 10 for sex. As tonight's Look North, we

returned -- reported on the council plans to introduce a camera, which

uses numberplate recognition to catch offending drivers. They could

face a �70 fine but the council says the system is designed to

improve safety rather than raise money. A similar scheme is running

in Hartlepool where it is raising hackles as well as money. In two

months, the camera car has caught 850 motorists parking illegally in

the town. That could raise a potential �59,000 for the local

authority. Some drivers claim the number of fines is getting out of

control. I am angry. I refuse to pay it.

Somebody has got to take a stand. They went straight for the jugular.

Two days later, aged 70 pound fine drops through the letterbox. They

know they are not popular bet the camera car has already made the

streets of Hartlepool safer, they say. At the beginning of the scheme,

people were issued the penalty charges. We were averaging 140 a

week. In the last three or four weeks, that has dropped to 40 a

week, which tells me that the compliance is working. Residents in

the street are angry. Michelle Clements is one of a hand for

caught by the camera car and fined for parking outside her own home.

am trying to do the sensible thing and park sensibly. I am getting

penalised for it. I am not paying it. I refuse to pay a fine to park

outside my own home. It is the cash car. Down the road, her neighbour,

Harry, has been ticketed. We got dump parking on that cycle path.

Our tyre was four or five inches over. That cycle path has been here

for five years. Why are they are only starting to do that now?

council says the camera car is working. Park legally and you won't

A Teesside man seriously injured in Australia has returned to England,

and is retiring -- recovering at home in Marske. Daniel Moore was

treated for a fractured skull after he was found in a street in Sydney

last month. Police say he was not attacked, but probably fell onto

the road. A parking campaigner from

Sunderland has lost his battle to have the city's street parking

declared illegal. Neil Herron argued that parking tickets issued

in Sunderland's Controlled Parking Zone 1 -- invalid because there

were not enough warning signs. He was rejected by the Appeal Court.

There is a touch of the summer holidays coming up now. In a moment

we are live from Ullswater, and if you are looking for a day out, John

Grundy it will be taking you on the first of his series of summer

jaunts. It has finally brightened up. The

pals are standing up, but you may want to keep watching for the

Rising fuel prices and the fragile economy are causing concern for

some of Cumbria's best-known tourist attractions. The company

that runs Ullswater Steamers and the Ravenglass Railway says it is

having to work harder than ever to keep them running. And if visitors

continue -- do not continue to use them, they will struggle. Alison

Freeman is there. It has been a glorious day, and there have been

no shortage of people splashing around. When most people come here,

where are they spending their money? A lot of the attractions are

facing rising costs due to the rising price of fuel. I spent the

day trying to find out how businesses are adapting.

The Raven -- the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway opened in 1875 for

industrial use. Today it is a visitor attraction. Rising fuel

prices are putting pressure on businesses. The remote location

means driving there can cost a lot, as well as the cost of fuelling the

trains going through the roof. People's incomers are squeezed, but

our costs are increasing. You have to work hard to get the passenger

numbers needed. The other attraction they own it are the

Ullswater Steamers. The price of diesel used to run them has gone up

by 75% in the past four years, adding almost �30,000 to their

annual running costs. We do not do fuel surcharges, so we have had to

swallow increases coming our way. We have increased costs -- charges,

but we have tried to keep a lid on it. Mountain Goat charges are up --

coaches are a familiar sight. They have drastically reduced coach

holidays to other parts of the UK because it cost are too much to get

there. But daily tours around the Lake District to have seen a boom

in trade. People do not have to put fuel in their own vehicle, they do

not have to source the car parks, which are quite high in charges. We

have had to put prices up, but in return we have looked at the

itineraries and we have amended them, and we are always including

an attraction on each itinerary. You do not have to concentrate on

the driving. It is so relaxing. The cost of fuel these days is very

high, and it is very expensive to get anywhere. You would not get

these advantages otherwise. Is it better than finding your way around

by yourself? I think so, because we are too lazy to plan our own

itinerary. The AA reckon that that 30% of drivers are making a

concerted effort not to get anywhere to save money on fuel. But

the people who run the steamers and the railway hope that the glorious

weather is enough to keep people coming and spending money.

If you are feeling stuck for a good destination for a summer day out,

John Grundy could have the answer. He has come up with a variety of

holiday destinations across our region. Some are familiar, and

others less so. He begins in Wensleydale, with a visit to the

There are few pleasures greater than a trip to Wensleydale. The

buildings are beautiful, the landscape is beautiful, and the

people are... Yorkshire folk are renowned for their grace and beauty.

I have come up to see a factory. This is it. It is called Gayle mill.

It was featured on the BBC's restoration programme a few years

ago. It did not win, but since then it has been beautifully restored

anyway. It is a water-powered mill, as you can see. The water comes

down this channel and it used to drive -- driver a wheel for

spinning cotton. But that business went bust 150 years ago, as there

is something quite different hair. This is Mike Thompson, a volunteer

here. Mike, up what is the water used for nowadays? The water comes

in a big pipe down here, and we use it to run the old turbines, which

is just to my left here. We are pretty sure that this is the oldest

of walking -- working water turbines in the world. We have to

adjust the position of the guide system, which will focus the water

on the propeller in the middle of the turbines. Everything is now

moving. The brilliance thing about the machinery is that the one

source of power, the water, can drive the whole factory. They can

turn whole trees into planks. Everything else gets driven by the

water to do. -- by the water tower. There is a lovely atmosphere. I

wish you could smell the word. It is great to see be people working

for stock -- 4 stopper. Have a guess what this is. We are in

Wensleydale, which is famous for its cheese. This is a Wensleydale

cheese sinker. You put the cheese in the mould, and then use it to

press the moisture out. This is a lovely piece of local social

history. There is a marvellous atmosphere, but to help feed mill

survive, there is also a modern workshop where goods are made to be

sold to visitors. Our heritage would not survive without them.

This place would not survive without the volunteers, and that

would be terrible. All of that power and atmosphere, all driven by

the water from a mountain stream. Time for support, and I you getting

excited about the Olympics? I am, although I have not got any tickets.

We have got a special series of Olympic and Paralympic profiles

next week. With exactly 12 months to go until the start of the

Olympics, it seems appropriate to begin with a swimmer who will

hopefully be challenging for medals next summer. Hartlepool's Jemma

Lowe finished 8th in the 100 metres butterfly final last week. -- on

Monday. Today she qualified for the 200 metres, winning her semi-final.

A good performance tomorrow for Jemma and Ellen Gandy would be a

real morale-booster for London 2012. It is really nice. It will be great

that we are both there tomorrow. lot of people at home find it

difficult that you can be friends and then compete in people.

shared a room at the Olympics in 2000 late and got on really well,

so we know that we both trained hard. We are good friends and we

just want each other to do really well.

Middlesbrough fans seemed resigned to losing one of their main

strikers before the start of the Championship season next week.

Former England Under 21 international Leroy Lita or is

having talks with Swansea about the move to South Wales after the two

clubs agreed a fee, thought to be about �2 million.

Zimbabwean cricketer turned singer- songwriter Henry Olonga or is in

Cumbria to take part in a celebration match. His protest

against Robert Mugabe eight years ago made headlines around the world.

He will play tomorrow in Keswick. think people are looking forward to

seeing me bowl, but that is what I am not looking forward to! The body

has got a few niggles, but I think with weather like this it will be a

great occasion. It might rain, but I am holding my fingers that it

will not. This is my last -- first visited Cumbria and every time it

has rained, but hopefully it will not this time. People should come

on over and watch an exciting game. In the sea before tea at Hove,

Sussex are batting first against Yorkshire. Sussex are 171-5.

Durham have made a strong replied to Sri Lanka a's first innings

total. Time for the weather. It has been

This is the scene at Ullswater early bird -- earlier today. The

children will be remembering these sunny summer days. That will change.

We will have more scenes like this one, this is from Stuart Goodman.

Tomorrow that will be the scene of four-star not so many sunny skies

in Cumbria. Clear skies for the night, but to look at this band of

rain waiting over Scotland. It is quite mild overnight, about the

same as last night, through tomorrow morning rain splashes down.

Part of North Yorkshire will stay dry, with some sunshine. 20 Celsius

will be the top temperature in North Yorkshire. It is wet across

much of the north-east, stretching up to the Northumberland coast.

Cumbria should be clear by the afternoon, but temperatures lower

than today. 17 Celsius tomorrow. The next few days show an

improvement, high pressure building and the winter will be lighter.

Temperatures will be up to 20 Celsius on Saturday, a very

pleasant day indeed. It could be cloudier at times on Sunday. Early

in the day on Friday it will be cloudy, but then it will improve. I

am going to stick my neck out, it could be one of the nicest weekends

we have seen this summer. The wind will stay light. It is an easterly

and northerly wind which has been drawing in the cloud, but over the