08/08/2011 Look North (North East and Cumbria)

Welcome to Monday's Look North. Tonight: Forging a thousand new

steel jobs on Teesside. It's hoped the blast furnace, mothballed 18

months ago, will be up and running within months.

Calls for a crossing on a busy dual carriageway to be closed, after the

death of a teenage boy. We do not want this to happen to anyone else.

I cannot sit here and let that happen. I cannot bring him back, I

wish I could. He has been robbed of his life.

"I'm sorry." - The man who shot dead a planning officer in full

view of the media 20 years ago apologises for the first time.

And he's almost done it - 3,000 miles in just a hundred days. We've

the latest on the Geordie running across America.

In sport, one of Man United's rising stars is set to join

Newcastle's French revolution. And injury time misery for two of

our clubs as the football league season kicks off.

When the blast furnace closed - with the loss of 1,600 jobs - the

people of Teesside thought their proud history of steel-making was

at an end. But now, 18 months on, recruitment's underway for a

thousand workers to re-start steel production at the moth-balled

furnace in Redcar. The Thai company, SSI, took over the one-time Corus

plant earlier this year. It had been shut down by the previous

owner, Tata. Well, our business correspondent, Ian Reeve, is near

the steel plant tonight. Ian. More than two years ago, it seemed

unlikely we would ever reach this day. It is a day that many workers

hope is just the first step in a process of them getting their old

jobs back. This man spent 36 years in the

steel industry at the very heart of the blast furnace. They always say

that the workers here are the best in the world. Will we are the best

that what we do, we are still the best steel workers, the best I am

workers -- the best that I run makers. No-one can take that away

from us. Make craves work. -- Michael.

was hard work but it was enjoyable. I was walking with a good set of

lads. He is not alone. SSI is and is abating 10,000 applications for

1,000 posts. A team of 35 will deal with them online. Not all of them

are four former workers. Steelworkers -- steel working is a

very precise science and we would be foolish not to bring back people

who work here before. But we also want to have a balance off of older

workers and new recruits. This is a new company, inventing itself and

laying down a new culture. We have to start again. It has been a busy

time but, every day, people are making a massive effort to get us

back to that point where we are making steel again. The company has

told me that 440 people have made at applications and 2,400 have

expressed an interest in the business. A some staff could be in

place by September. It is a new start for an old industry.

Brandon Nugent died on a busy dual carriageway back in March. The 13-

year-old was hit by a car as he crossed a public bridleway in the

Gilesgate area of Durham City. Today his family called for the

path he was using to be closed. Meanwhile, Durham County Council

says it's looking into improving safety on that stretch of road, as

Adele Robinson reports. 13-year old Brandon Nugent was tragically

killed just four months ago, not far from his home in Durham.

death has left a huge hole in his family but has given them a new

purpose: To get rid of the road crossing he died on.

It is madness that a crossing would be on a 70 miles per road. If you

are going to have something like this, surely the people who are in

charge should make sure it is up to standard. It is not good enough.

And today, with the support of Brandon's family, the council

launched a public consultation. key times of the day, the volume of

traffic makes it difficult for pedestrians to get across, so we

recognise that something has to be done. We're looking at a whole

range of options. Brandon was making his way along this path with

friends. He tried to cross to the middle but was hit by a passing car.

He died instantly. His family say they want this historic bridleway

completely closed. I cannot bring Brandon back, I wish I could. He

has been robbed of his life. If they do something about it, it will

not take the pain away but it will be constructive. But the bridle

path is an ancient right of way, which means red tape could hinder

any possible closure. The consultation ends in September.

Brandon's family, in the meantime, have launched a petition to close

the crossing and, they say, do justice to his memory. He is not

going to be remembered as the poor boy who was killed, he will be the

boy who inspired to change and made that road saver for other people. -

- safer. It was a killing that shocked the

country, a planning officer murdered in a televised crime. Well,

20 years on, Albert Dryden has said he's sorry. The former Consett

steelworker shot Harry Collinson as the council tried to demolish the

bungalow Dryden had built without permission. But some are suggesting

his remorse isn't genuine and he's more concerned with an upcoming

parole hearing. Damian O'Neil reports.

The murder is well enough known. When the council arrived to

demolish his bungalow, Dryden killed him and wounded two others.

Now he says he is deeply sorry. With a parole hearing due, some

people are sceptical about -- sceptical about the timing and his

sincerity. He needs to be assessed by a psychiatrist. It needs to be

totally sincere and profound. At the end, he expresses that he is

sorry. That is not good enough. think he does not mean a word of it.

He has never expressed any remorse in 20 years. He never said he was

sorry for what he did. He has shot at people before. He shot and

killed my brother. All we dried in knows whether he

was -- only the man himself knows whether he was sorry.

A Teesside mother has paid tribute to her son who died after being hit

by a car. James Dylan Robinson was knocked down in the Portrack area

of Stockton on Friday evening. He'd been to an ice-cream van moments

beforehand. Dylan's mother described him as a loving little

boy, her soul mate and her strength. Hundreds of people gathered in

Carlisle this lunchtime, to celebrate the life of a Carlisle

teenager who died while on holiday in Bulgaria. Tom McNeill, who was

17, is believed to have fallen from a balcony while he was sunbathing.

He was a pupil at the Richard Rose Central Academy, where students

have been signing a book of condolence.

And plans are being made to bring home a former Northumbria

University student, who shot dead the polar bear which attacked and

killed another student in Norway. 29-year-old Michael Reid, who now

lives in Southampton, was president of the students' union at

Northumbria University between 2005 and 2007. He was one of the leaders

of the British Schools expedition group, attacked in their campsite

on a Norwegian glacier last week. A Tyneside care home for disabled

people is at the centre of an investigation into alleged bullying

and mistreatment of residents. Several incidents have been

reported to Gateshead Council's Adult Care Services. And now all

staff and family members of the privately-run home are being

interviewed as part of the inquiry. Sharuna Sagar has more details. It

is a ref age -- a refuge for the physically and mentally disabled.

Allegations of malpractice have put the staff under scrutiny. An

investigation was launched after family members approach social

services were claims of bullying and abuse. In one case, a man with

dementia was made to face the wall for several lagers after watching

television without permission. -- for several hours. Four Seasons

Health care, which runs the home, won't comment on those claims but

they did say, "At this time, the allegations have not been

substantiated or refuted. The safety and wellbeing of our

residents is priority and we take any allegation of inappropriate

conduct most seriously." This is not the first time complaints have

been made. In 2008 an inspection rated standards of care as poor but

in 2009 things had improved and it was rated as good. Gateshead

Council say they are carrying out a full, comprehensive enquiry and

hope to conclude it quickly. You're watching Look North. A look

back at the first weekend of the new football league season coming

up, plus the results of July's weather competition, and: Run

Geordie Run. The North East man just hours away from a record

breaking run across America. And in the forecast, a fine day

tomorrow, but all the wet weather is coming back.

Now, their very location makes them difficult to police, so maybe it's

not surprising thefts from farms have risen sharply. Figures from

the industry's main insurer show That, in the North East and

Yorkshire, rural crime is up 12% with more than �9 million worth of

thefts in the last two years. In Cumbria and the North West, it's up

a staggering 73%, with more than �2.5 million of property stolen.

Alison Freeman sent us this report from one Cumbrian farm. Rustling is

the kind of crime you would expect to see in an old Western. Sadly, it

is on the rise. Just last week, Andrew lost sheep a valued at

around �8,000 from his farm. All of our money is in the field. It is

scattered everywhere. We trust everybody, really, the farmers. We

do not see it all every day. believes his she will be sold on

for meet at a fraction of the price they were worth to him as breeding

stock. If you are buying meat, you need to know where it has come from.

Always look for the farm assurance mark and make sure that the product

you are buying is reliable. Agricultural crime has risen

nationally by around 17% between 2009 and 2010. In Cumbria, that

figure has almost doubled since 2008, with the number of reported

crimes each year rising from 142- 264. That has cost the industry in

the north-west around �2.6 million. Thefts of Cumbrian farms are

surpassed only by thefts of quad bikes. A lot of people in rural

communities have a trusting nature. Their working environment means

that, quite often, they are very inclined to leave the key in the

ignition. The advice is to take whatever measures you can. There

are lots of things you can do at a low cost. The difficulty is that it

is impossible to keep sheep and cattle under lock and key so they

have to rely on the honesty of others.

A Scarborough guest house owner has been jailed for spying and

recording couples in their rooms. Paul Williams, who runs the Sandsea

guest house in Devonshire Drive, was sentenced to 18 weeks after

admitting two charges under the Sexual Offences Act. Scarborough

Magistrates said the offences were so serious that "only a custodial

sentence can be justified". A church in North Yorkshire has had

to suspend services for the first time in more than a thousand years

because of bats' droppings. Members of St Hilda's Church at Ellerburn,

near Pickering, have spent �10,000 trying to encourage the bats into

specially-built alternative homes - but without success. They say St

Hilda's may have to close for good unless permission is given to

remove the bats from inside the church.

It's an incredible achievement. And he's almost done it. Mark Allison,

from County Durham is on the last of a hundred days running across

the USA from California to New York. That's more than three thousand

miles. He expects to finish about five o'clock in the morning our

time. And it's all to raise money for two charities in the north, and

in memory of his mother. Keith Akehurst reports. Mark described

himself as an obese Geordie who loved football and bacon pies. On

the first of May, he set out from California, just south of Los

Angeles. He has run through the deserts of Nevard and through the

Rocky Mountains. He has run through snow and temperatures up to 115

degrees Fahrenheit. I am relieved that it is almost at an end and the

finish line is in sight. Mark's body is feeling the toll of running

more than a marathon every day for a hundred days but he's still found

time to keep followers updated via the internet. It is extremely

painful. Feet Mark used his life savings to pay for the trip, so

that every penny he raises goes to the charities. So far the total's

over �56,000. The hospice paid for my mutt -- cared for my mother and

gave her a dignified end to her life. It is a wonderful charity.

The Children's Foundation provides a great service for children across

the region as well. He has lost quite a bit of weight.

Mark used a personal trainer to prepare him. He expects to make the

Atlantic ocean before midnight New York time. I have not seen a bath

for hundreds of days. I have not seen a shower for three days, I

think. What a fantastic achievement!

Fingers crossed, I hope he think -- I hope he finishes it on time.

There are easier ways to lose weight! Now - with the Premier

League season just under five days away - our two clubs are both close

to signing wingers. Derry City's James McClean has been having a

medical at Sunderland, while Manchester United's rather better

known Gabriel Obertan is expected to complete his move to St James's

Park later this evening, following his medical. Obertan will be glad

to have missed Newcastle's home friendly on Saturday against

Fiorentina, which had to be abandoned after an hour because of

torrential rain with the score goalless. Our three Football League

clubs are already up and running, although none could manage an

opening day win, with Middlesbrough and Hartlepool both conceding

injury time equalisers. The good news for Boro is that midfielder

Julio Arca, who's now a free agent, may be ready to sign a new deal at

the club after all, and they're still taking to Belgium

international midfielder Haris Faroun.

With Middlesbrough fans getting used to watching players depart, it

seemed appropriate that Portsmouth were the opening day would --

visitors. They are another club where finances had been an issue.

The Middlesbrough fans were singing in the rain. An old failing

returned to haunt Tony Mowbray's men, though, when a combination of

bad luck and poor concentration allowed this injury time equaliser.

It is something for us to work on. The we are disappointed that we did

not take Bronislaw Komorowski points. We have tough fixtures

ahead. There is a tough game in the Carling Cup away from home midweek.

-- al three points. Another team still bemoaning a late goal are

Hartlepool United, who entertain Sheffield United in the Carling Cup

tomorrow. Twice they took the lead at MK Dons - first through Adam

Boyd's header. Luke Chadwick equalised for the home side. But

Pools looked to have won it four minutes from time. Summer signings

Nathan Luscombe and James Poole combining to make it 2-1. There was

a hint of offside about the MK Dons injury time equaliser but Mick

Wadsworth was pleased with the performance. Meanwhile Carlisle

failed to show up against Notts County - metaphorically at least.

The club got the wished for 6,000 crowd at Brunton Park but newly-

promoted Notts County went in front albeit controversially. Veteran

striker Lee Hughes, who'd appeared to barge over Peter Murphy crossed

for his namesake Jeff Hughes to grab the first, a Francois Zoko own

goal doubled the lead and Hughes completed the scoring. A Carlisle

performance branded the worst in his time at the club by manager

Greg Abbott. Mark Tulip, BBC Look North.

Well last season they were battling relegation but the Newcastle

Falcons have got their new campaign off to a flying start after winning

the Premiership 7's series. In a repeat of the previous final,

Newcastle were up against Saracen's at the Stoop, and last year's

winners looked liked doing the double as they went into the break

firmly in control. But spurred on by player of the tournament Luke

Fielden, the Falcons fought back. After Fielden got them to within 3

points of the holders, Alex Tait went over the line to score the

decisive try. Newcastle went on to win by 31 points to 21 to claim the

first major prize of the season. Durham's hopes of winning all three

domestic cricket trophies came to an end on the south coast yesterday.

This was only the second time in the eight-year history that they

had not got through the initial stages. Hampshire made at 154 off

of their 20 or worse. -- overs. In athletics, Chris Tomlinson

remains one of our big hopes for next year's Olympic Games. He

produced another big leap of 8.30 metres. It was five centimetres

short of his records. It was great to jump that length. I am showing

some consistency in that range. I still think the big jump will be

8.5 metres. It is something I will be working on in the next few weeks.

Finally, a sailor from Sunderland is in the first group of athletes

to be named in the Great Britain team for either the Olympic or

Paralympic Games at London 2012. John Robertson is a member of the

3-strong Sonar crew hopeful of winning a medal at Weymouth next

summer. Now, before the forecast, Trai's going to give us the winner

of July's weather picture. The Kirkby Stephen Mountain Rescue Team

can be called out in any weather - they've seen it all. So they are

perfect judges for our July Weather Picture Competition.

There is a team of volunteers covering the area, seeking to act

as a safety net for people who get into trouble on the fells in places

that are not acceptable by the traditional emergency services. It

can be people getting lost or heart. In winter, we go to the assistance

of ambulances who cannot -- that cannot get to the more remote farm

locations. There are people in the community who go for a walk and

cannot find their way back. It is those people whom we assist. What

would you top tip before people going walking? It would be to be

prepared for a change in the weather.

Our photographers have been out in all weathers. It looks very

professionally composed for an I like the one from St Mary's.

Photography is art. It has its own place. This shows a real love of

the countryside. It has been taken at a very good moment by someone

who obviously goes out and takes a lot of pictures. For me, that would

be the winner. It is a great picture taken by someone who

obviously loves walking. Congratulations to Joan, our winner

of this month. Thanks to the guys as well. They do a great job out on

the fells, as well as in their role as judges.

This was Gosforth High Street on Saturday, where there were

torrential downpours. Very volatile conditions over the weekend. You

would not want to have been there! The place that collected the most

Rain is not dangerous in single drops but is very dangerous when it

comes in large amounts. The weather is going to turn very wet and windy

once again this week. Here is the picture this evening. Showers are

melting away into the North Sea, leaving a dry night tonight. Those

clear skies over night Boardwell for tomorrow. -- bode well. From

Wednesday, things start to go really downhill. The rain will be

persistent and heavy throughout Wednesday. The fronts will continue

to move through on Thursday. It will be very unsettled, wet and

windy by the end of the week. For great!

The main news again. More violence has broken out on the streets of