15/09/2011 Look North (North East and Cumbria)

Welcome to Thursday's Look North. Tonight, is the party city

suffering a massive hangover? The �160 annual billion bill for

Newcastle problem. How thousands of pasheant face delays when arriving

at hospital by ambulance. Farewell to one of our oldest soldiers, the

funeral takes place of Tommy Sivell who has died aged 105. And icon of

the Tyne. Our bridge reaches its tenth anniversary and why hundreds

of sheepdogs have converged on a Cumbrian town. In sport a fight for

the Falcons two matches into the new season and why Jean's Genies

are planning to take the Great Not long ago it was known at as the

party city but knewsicalsle could be suffering from a massive

hangover, a new report says drink- related problems are thought to

costing the city as much as �160 million a year. Alcohol is

shortening live, fuelling violent crime and causing a strain on NHS

resources. But, at the same time, it concedes that booze is also

boosting the local economy and providing vital jobs. Our political

editor has been studying the report's findings and is in

Newcastle now. Yes, round this time the pubs are starting to warm up.

But this report produced for Newcastle City Council paints a

sobering impact of drink on Newcastle. Three out of every

adults have a drink but it is the amount they are drinking. One in

ten drink more than twice the safe amount of units a week. Some as

many as 50. One in three admit binge drinking and then there is

the age. Seven% of 11-year-olds have had a drink in the last week.

13% of 14-15-year-olds say they drink more than the maximum number

of units for an adult each week. All that drinking is taking a heavy

toll. It is estimated men in Newcastle lose 13-and-a-half months

off their lifespan because of alcohol abuse, women lose round

five months. The city has 50% more alcohol admissions to hospital than

the national average. All of -- half of all violent crimes involve

drinkers and half of the deliberate fires set are caused by drinkers.

This report talks about the change in drinking habits. Something

called preloading, where instead of people going into a pub and having

their first drink there, they buy cheap booze from supermarkets, get

drunk at home and then come out in the evening. That is concerning the

council. The leader says something needs to be done about it. We need

people to drink less but we need to tackle this particular phenomenon.

People drinking at home before they go into town. We can tackle that

through minimum pricing, by cracking down on some of the cut

price supermarket deals and the subsidies that supermarkets put

into their cheap alcohol. It is clear, we need to do some work

round this. So talk about a minimum price perunit, perhaps 50 pence

that might help. But are we already living with this legacy already.

Colin is from a group called Balance. Here is what he had to say.

We have constantly seen average age lifespans getting older, my worry

is that my children's generation will die at a younger age than we

do. It is that serious. We will see more children under 18, there are

children under 18, getting specialist treatment for alcohol

problems. We will see more people in that situation. We will spend

more and more money on treating people, we will spend more money on

police keeping a lid on problem, and we can't afford do that.

there is an obvious down site, but the report talks about how

lucrative the pubs and clubs are for the city. Doesn't it?

Absolutely. The party city does generate money. I mean it helps to

bring about 100,000 people into the city centre, each Friday night.

That earns Newcastle 360 million a year. It sustained more than 7,000

jobs. The licencees say they would favour a minimum price for alcohol

because they believer their business is suffering because

people are buying from supermarkets. Not coming into town until later.

Spending less when they get there. This is Bob Senior. We can't

reinvest in pub, we can't make a profit because we are come piste

Peteing with the supermarket. We should have a quality drink.

Newcastle eighth in the world for a party night out. You can't have a

party without a drink but it should be a quality drink. The problem is

Newcastle sets a minimum price, people would go to Gateshead or

neighbouring places so the council say it is time for action across

the North East but perhaps nationally to try and tackle this

problem. Otherwise, we will be left with an awful legacy from all this

drinking. Thank you. Thousands of patients across the North East face

delays in being handed over to hospitals when they arrive by

ambulance. Figures released to the BBC show that delays in

transferring patients from ambulances to hospital mount up to

thousands of hours. The North East Ambulance Service has lost over

30,000 hours in the last three years. Here sour health reporter

Sharon Barbour. Dialling 999, the flashing blue lights and siren,

getting a patient to hospital is often an emergency. The North East

Ambulance Service aims to get all its critically ill patients to

hospital within eight minutes. But what is happening to all patients,

when they arrive at hospital? Well, many it appears are having to wait

to be seen by doctors. According to a Freedom of Information Request by

the BBC, many patients are facing increasing delays, in being handed

over to hospitals. The total delay in turn round times has increased

year on year for the last three years. And it is more than doubled

over two years. Over three years the North East Ambulance Service

has lost over 30thou hours to from delayed turn rounds. In a statement,

the North East Ambulance Service says it was working with local

hospitals and commissioners to achieve the best turn round time

possible for patients. However, periods of heavy demand mean delays

can happen. And the NHS North of Tyne who commissioned the Ambulance

Service say they are monitoring the situation very closely. They have

performance measures in the contracts for hospitals and the

Ambulance Services. And they say significant progress has been made

to improve the turn round times in the past year. They add that new

technology in ambulances mean paramedics can liaise with doctors

about arrival time. The technology identifies which A&E departments

More of the day's news now and a senior officer involved in the hunt

for Raoul Moat was asked today if police had wanted the gunman dead.

Chief Inspector Jo Farrell seen here in the middle told the inquest

into Moat's death she was determined to see him face trial

for his crimes and her primary objective was public safety. She

said the decision to use Tasers was given to give officers the chance

to bring him in alive. His sawn-off shotgun was passed frowned the jury

to examine. Man has been arrested after an incident onboard a

Thompson jet flying holiday-makers home to the North East. It is

alleged a passenger tried to force an emergency door open, as it was

flying at 36,000 feet from Majorca to Newcastle early yesterday. He

was restrained by cabin crew and passengers while the plane was

diverted to Gatwick. A 22-year-old man from Ashington was arrested on

endangering suspicion of endangering an aircrat. The widow

of a Red Arrow pilot killed last month is taking part in the Great

North Run. Flight Lieutenant Jon Egging died after his plane came

down at Bournemouth airshow. They will fly over the start of the

Great North Run this Sunday, before carrying out their traditional

shows over the Tyne Bridge and at the finish line. Dr Emma Egging

will run wearing a red number four to northern her husband who flew

red four in the team. Shoppers and staff escaped without injury when a

three storey shop collapsed in County Durham this afternoon. A

Durham fire brigade spokeswoman said staff at the Mothercare store

in Bishop Auckland reported hearing a loud noise before the back of the

building collapsed, bringing down the roof and part of a wall. Three

floors collapsed. No-one was hurt. Neighbouring shops have been

cordoned off. Now the funeral's taken place of Tommy Sivell, the

oldst survivor of the Green Howards regiment. Tommy died last week at

the age of 105. He was an accomplished accordionist and a

popular figure on Tyneside. Tommy Sivell accumulated many friends in

his 105 year, among them his former comrades in the Green Howards who

formed an honour guard. Draped in the flag of his renment, Tommy's

coffin passed before standard bearers into the chapel. He was

remembered as a modest God fearing man.. He was a loyal friend. And he

kept many a party going, many a party with his accordion playing.

The last count he had about 14 accordions. He was great fun really

for 105, he made other people, especially me feel older than him.

He was very fright sli. The end of a legend. Tommy was a much loved

veteran of the regiment which marked his 100th birthday with a

special celebration and there were cards from not one but two monarch,

the Queen and King Harald of Norway. Tommy joined up in the '20s and

left in 1932 but he signed up again on the outbreak of World War II and

fought throughout the six year campaign. The comradeship of the

regiment sustained him throughout the rest of his very long life.

see, I class all my pals in the regiment as brothers. You know, it

is like, like a brotherhood, you know. And you think of all the good

things. Tommy's other passion was the accordion and he was a member

of the Liberal Party for more than 70 years. The last time he really

appeared at a political event was in the general election last year.

He came to our head quarters to see how we were getting on and see if

he could help stuff a few envelopes. He apologised for not being able to

canvas. He said the secret of his long life was be kind to people

perhaps we should all take a leaf Funeral of Tommy Sivell today.

Plans to move Cumbria's fire control room out of the county were

agreed by County Councillors today. It means emergency calls will be

answered in Warrington, there has been concern over a loss of local

knowledge and handling fire calls but councillors agreed to move,

saying it won't compromise safety. The Princess Royal has been

continuing her tour of our region today. This morning she arrived at

a new million pound training centre for apprentices at System Training

near Carlisle. The Princess was welcomed by local children before

taking a toufr the site. A piece of art put on eBay by Newcastle City

Council has been bought for more than �1200. The so-called Lego Men

artwork used to stand in Haymarket but was taken down in 2009. One of

them was put up for auction, with the money raised benefiting city

You're watching Look North. Still to come, Thursday's sports desk,

plus: Penrith plays host to the world sheepdog trials - bringing

sights like this. I will be here with a full forecast for the north

east and Cumbria and a look forward This weekend sees the 10th

anniversary of the Millennium Bridge over the River Tyne. The �22

million structure opened to the public on September the 17th 2001,

and it's become a much loved icon. For tonight's Look North Report,

Keith Akehurst's been looking back on the Millennium Bridge's first

It was constructed six miles down river. A short, arduous journey,

carried by the world's second largest floating item. 105 metres

long. Not any room for error. It was perfect in every way. After

four years of planning, the bridge was slotted into place at the

margin of error was just one millimetre. It was one piece of a

jigsaw plans to transform the area. This was part of linking these

areas, Gateshead and Newcastle. And the wonderful things we do down

here. We have got his Golden Mile, as I call it, between the swing

bridge and this bridge. brilliant bridge is very simple.

The arch and the curved deck, connected by thin wires. It had to

complement the Tyne Bridge and not detract. Six teams were competing

to win this particular project. The brief was quite constraining. We

had to build the link from one site to the other and could not build

anything on The Quayside. We had to have clearance in the middle of at

least five metres. It was difficult to get over in a straight line. We

had to have 25 metres high clearance for shipping and 30

metres wide. We were on to something special. When it took its

place, the Millennium Bridge became an icon. Loved by locals and

visitors alike. Fantastic. Very good. Lovely. I really like it.

Really nice. Do you like it? You like it when it goes off, did you?

He has lived here as long as the bridge has. We have got a lot of

family and friends visiting. This is one of the places we love to

take them. We were talking about a little boy I brought here about

eight years ago from Venice. He came running down the hill and look

at the bridge and said, I did a project at school about that! He

was very excited. I like the fact it opens at predictable times. That

is good when we are showing visitors around. I take them down

here just before midday and say, would you like to see the bridge

open and I say, I will see what I can do! I disappear had never come

back. I say, it will open in five minutes and of course it does!

proud to be involved in this project. To see the effect it has

had on the area, and really, it is wider than that, the region. We

have had things and accolades everywhere. Who would have thought

we could enhance it and make it even better? Better at photographs

and images. People want to come here all the time and be on it,

look at it and get better grass. They sent the pictures around the

It has been described as the Olympic Games and World Cup rolled

into one, with lucrative rewards for the winner. But this event has

nothing to do with highly paid Premiership footballers. In the

fields near Penrith in Cumbria, contestants from across the globe

are fighting it out to become the World Sheepdog Trials Champion. And

it's drawing in the crowds, as Mark McAlindon reports. 240 dogs from

around 25 countries are taking part in the World Sheepdog Trials, the

first time they've been held in Cumbria. Handlers from Scandinavia,

America, Japan and New Zealand were among those who paraded through

Penrith to mark the start of the event, all in boisterous mood and

cheered on by hundreds of locals. And today, competition began in

earnest on the Lowther Estate at Thrimby. It is huge. The equivalent

of the World Cup and the Olympics for the handlers. They must be on

top of their craft. The courses are set. The tests that they have are

very severe. We will find out any weaknesses very quickly. Is it

exciting? Very exciting, yes. It will be absolutely fascinating.

Today is likely to be the quieter event. But 40,000 people are

expected to come to the Lowther Estate at Thrimby this weekend.

BBBC will be here with a splash of celebrity colour. -- the BBC. But

this is what people have come to see from around the world. One is

former Cumbrian, Jim Wilson, now living in and competing for New

Zealand. We have got other achievements. It would be great to

be world champion. But with the trials, it will be somebody's day.

They are all here with good people. You need the rub of the green and a

bit of luck. Sheepdog handling might seem homespun in Cumbria, but

it enjoys an internationmal following. I am from Norway and

this location is very nice, very nice landscape. It is a nice place.

I am from Holland and I am enjoying this date. The final is on Sunday -

with cash prizes and huge prestige Those dogs are really clever but my

dog does not look like that. It is an important weekend for the

Premiership rugby team? Bottom of the table after two defeats and not

a point to their name Newcastle Falcons have had the worst possible

start to the new rugby union season. It means the pressure's on this

weekend when they face Premiership giants Leicester - although so far

the Tigers haven't been doing much better! There was a time not so

long ago when games against Leicester were a sell out but- the

economic squeeze and years of struggling on the pitch have put

paid to that. A stadium that holds more then 10,000 was on average

just over half full last season, and the opening day game against

Bath saw the Falcons lowest ever premiership crowd. It is not a

recipe for success. We are begging the crowds to stay. We have got to

get numbers. The performances on the pitch have got a lot to do with

the crowds we attract but there is a lot we can do off the pitch to

attract the crowds to the game. We are doing a lot with local clubs

and schools to get them to be the fans of the future. Teams you might

have expected to be battling with the Falcons, Worcester and Sale

already have ahead start. Leicester and London Irish wont stay at the

bottom especially once their world cup players come back but there's

fighting talk from the Falcons number 10. We will not be there

either. It has been a bit of a problem. But we will put that right

on Saturday and get a few boys back from the World Cup and the firing

as well. When we get a sniff of wedding, it will go from there.

have got to take this opportunity. Leicester are well short of key

players. Have a taste of my medicine, you know what I mean?

This is what we go through as a club. We have not got the

superstars that Leicester have got. Perhaps that is part of the problem.

They have only scored three Premier League goals all season but that

hasn't stopped Newcastle United reaching the dizzy heights of

fourth ahead of Saturday's trip to Aston Villa. Much of that has been

down to a tight defence, which has conceded just once. And after a

series of injury problems, former England Under-21 captain Steven

Taylor is attracting many of the plaudits. He is probably playing

the best football of his career. I think he has got a chance of being

involved with England again. I think the management should come

and have a look because I think he is doing that well. I am not sure

if they had seen us this year or last year. There have been games in

the North East. He would be welcome, certainly. On the minus side, full-

back Davide Santon, who joined the Magpies last month, is having a

scan on the same knee he's previously had cartilege trouble

with. Durham's Ben Stokes is out of tomorrow's final one day

international against India with a recurring finger injury. And

despite victory in their final Division One match this afternoon -

Durham have had to settle for 3rd place in the county championship

place in the county championship behind Lancashire and Warwickshire.

They beat Worcestershire by 151 runs. Three wickets apiece for

Now one of the great features of Sunday's Great North Run will be

the huge proportion of the 54,000 runners raising money for charity.

Among them, three ladies calling themselves Jean's Genies. Yes,

inspired by their mums, the best friends are running for Cancer

Research - a cause very close to their hearts. So prepare to meet

Justine, Bev and Jill as you've We were all actually called Jean.

We will all diagnosed, our mothers were diagnosed last year. My mother

had the all-clear. That is why we are called Jean's Genies. Justine

and Julian our Great North Run red veterans and know what to expect

but Beverley is a first-timer. is ready for it and really enjoys

it. It does bring you along. You cannot run at an easy pace all

along and take it easy and enjoy it and try not to beat the elite but

we might! We are just going to enjoy it for what it is. A fun day

but a serious effort to raise money to combat cancer. The brothers are

the inspiration had been with them -- will -- be mothers have been the

inspiration and will be with them every inch of the wave. I have

bought her a hat as well. She knew I was doing it. She realised I was

running as Jean's Genies and I know she is supporting me and she always

will. Whatever I have ever done, she has always been supporting me

It is one of the nicest things about the Great North Run, seeing

about the Great North Run, seeing all of the runners. Now the weather

have. It is not quite such a nice day tomorrow. Thank you very much

for these photographs. Fine weather today but not good tomorrow. It is

getting wet and breezy in the south and east of the region. It is clear

in the West. But getting cloudy in the north east tonight. We will get

18 showers by dawn tomorrow. In the West, a little bit colder. Seven

degrees Celsius. Not enough for frost but feeling a bit more like

autumn. Showers spreading across the region in the late morning and

afternoon. Heavy at times and possibly as much as one inch of

rain here. Friday afternoon will be wet and breezy. Picking up from the

house -- South East. Just 13 degrees Celsius. 55 Fahrenheit.

Cold, wet and breezy tomorrow. Lower pressure is in charge. It is

sitting across the UK this weekend and it will make it unsettled. Slow

moving showers on Saturday and possibly heavy enough to bring

thunder. On Sunday, the Great North Run, this is going towards the east.

Wind blowing across the region and it will be a colder day for the

runners. A bit cold for the spectators. This is the junior

Great not run on Saturday forecast as well. That is the direction we

want the wind to be coming from but it does not. It is normally by

Sunday. Not really the direction that we would wish golf. -- it is

going north on the Sunday. -- that Not too bad for the runners. A

major rescue operation is underway in Wales to free four people

trapped underground in Swansea. Shocking figures show the cost of