:00:06. > :00:10.Hello and welcome to Look North. The police force at the centre of
:00:10. > :00:13.eight separate investigations into the conduct of officers.
:00:13. > :00:19.New hope for the little girl born with an eye disease that could
:00:19. > :00:22.blind her. A spending frenzy or freeze? We are
:00:22. > :00:28.with the seasonal shoppers in the countdown to Christmas.
:00:28. > :00:33.The Olympic ding-dong, why ringing church bells to kick-off 2012 has
:00:33. > :00:38.struck the wrong note. And why life on the Wearside is
:00:38. > :00:43.under the spotlight on the Paris stage. A new world record has been
:00:43. > :00:53.set in the region. And we meet the final sports kid of the year, a
:00:53. > :00:57.
:00:57. > :01:00.The First tonight, it's emerged that a police force at the centre
:01:00. > :01:04.of a corruption inquiry is now the subject of eight separate
:01:04. > :01:06.investigations into the conduct of its officers. Six of the eight
:01:06. > :01:09.inquires are being managed by the Independent Police Complaints
:01:09. > :01:14.Commission. It's examining claims that officers perverted the course
:01:14. > :01:16.of justice, misused public funds and were guilty of misconduct. The
:01:16. > :01:22.Police Federation says the Cleveland force is now under
:01:22. > :01:30.unprecedented attack. Stuart Whincup has this exclusive report.
:01:30. > :01:34.The fight against crime goes on. The force says front line policing
:01:34. > :01:36.has not been affected by the controversy and criticism. But the
:01:36. > :01:46.Police Federation says the many investigations are proving a
:01:46. > :01:51.distraction to officers. The amount of attacks on the police, I have
:01:51. > :01:55.never seen or knowing the likes of it might policing career. The
:01:55. > :01:59.officers I represent do the best they can. They are trying to
:01:59. > :02:02.deliver the best service they can and they are being distracted by
:02:02. > :02:05.what has happened around them which they have no control of.
:02:05. > :02:08.corruption allegations which saw the arrest of Chief Constable Sean
:02:08. > :02:10.Price and his deputy Derek Bonnard has led to criminal and misconduct
:02:10. > :02:14.inquires. Among the other six investigations there's claims
:02:14. > :02:18.officers perverted the course of justice. One is focusing on the
:02:18. > :02:20.conduct of a former scenes of crime officer. And inquires are
:02:20. > :02:30.continuing after a current and former police officer were arrested
:02:30. > :02:33.as part of an investigation into the misuse of public funds. It is
:02:33. > :02:40.concerning because the investigation has been going on for
:02:40. > :02:45.a long time. It is divided into eight investigations. For a small
:02:45. > :02:48.police force, it is an awful lot of pressure and will distract officers
:02:48. > :02:50.from the job they are supposed to be doing, protecting and serving
:02:50. > :02:53.the people. Cleveland Police has always said
:02:53. > :02:58.the various investigations centre on a small number of its 2,000 or
:02:58. > :03:08.so staff and have had little impact on day to day policing. The force
:03:08. > :03:08.
:03:08. > :03:11.has so far not commented on these She was born with an eye disease
:03:11. > :03:15.that will probably blind her but now a mammoth fundraising effort by
:03:15. > :03:17.her parents could lead to a breakthrough. Four-year-old Ella
:03:17. > :03:22.Chapple suffers from a genetic condition called aniridia and has
:03:22. > :03:25.very little sight. But now the family has raised thousands of
:03:25. > :03:31.pounds - cash that's allowed doctors in London to start new
:03:31. > :03:35.research to help children like Ella. Peter Harris reports.
:03:35. > :03:41.For Ella, life has been a struggle at every turn. Cancer and breathing
:03:41. > :03:46.problems have been conquered, now the battle is to save her sight.
:03:46. > :03:51.She suffers from aniridia, which is a rare genetic eye condition. But
:03:51. > :03:59.her parents fundraising means there is hope. They raised �67,000 -
:03:59. > :04:02.enough to part fund a research project in London. Because they are
:04:02. > :04:06.young enough and children coming through, it means they have a real
:04:06. > :04:10.chance of preserving their vision and making sure she has the best
:04:10. > :04:13.quality of life and she can see as well as she can for as long as
:04:13. > :04:17.possible. Ella attends Newcastle's Northern Counties School. Her mum
:04:17. > :04:19.was 36 weeks pregnant before a scan picked up a problem. The family
:04:19. > :04:29.threw themselves into helping doctors tackle the eye condition at
:04:29. > :04:32.
:04:33. > :04:36.Moorfields Hospital in London. She is coming on leap and bans and
:04:36. > :04:40.it's hoped the new project in London will help her and many other
:04:40. > :04:46.children as well. And hopefully start a process towards finding a
:04:46. > :04:52.cure. We are hoping we will alleviate the problems associated
:04:52. > :04:58.with it so patients can experience a much fuller life for a longer
:04:58. > :05:02.period of time with improved vision. By doing the research now,
:05:02. > :05:07.hopefully it will help her and we are sure it will help other
:05:07. > :05:10.children who have the disorder and from an early age so they will have
:05:10. > :05:20.a much better vision. Aniridia patients often lose their sight
:05:20. > :05:26.
:05:26. > :05:29.completely. Thanks to Ella's family, It's the final countdown to
:05:29. > :05:36.Christmas in our stores and shopping centres at the end of a
:05:36. > :05:39.year full of cuts, job losses and general gloom. For retailers of
:05:39. > :05:44.course, Christmas is a vital time - some of them make 30% of their
:05:44. > :05:48.profits in December alone. But has it been a festive shopping frenzy
:05:48. > :05:56.or has the spending spree fizzled out? Gerry Jackson is live at
:05:56. > :06:02.Gateshead's Metrocentre, where it's late night shopping of course.
:06:02. > :06:07.Yes, but how much will the shoppers spend, is this still the cathedral
:06:07. > :06:12.to consumerism or is it getting more of the downturn Abbey? You
:06:12. > :06:18.might think what is there to worry about, has it been exaggerated, the
:06:18. > :06:21.downturn or was it never as bad as we were led to believe? Or are we
:06:22. > :06:24.determined to have a good Christmas come what may. We have three
:06:24. > :06:27.reports from the region. Mark McAlindon has been gauging demand
:06:27. > :06:37.in Penrith, Richard Thomas has been in Darlington, but first, from here
:06:37. > :06:38.
:06:38. > :06:43.It opened its doors 25 years ago yet this could be the toughest
:06:43. > :06:48.Christmas in its history for MetroCentre customers. We are aware
:06:48. > :06:52.of the Christmas countdown, five days to go but also we are counting
:06:52. > :06:59.the cost of Christmas in a recession-hit Britain. I will
:06:59. > :07:03.reduce my spending by 50%. I have been cutting my hours at work. I am
:07:03. > :07:08.thinking more of things closer to family, spending more time with
:07:08. > :07:13.family rather than buy expensive presents. We are spending less this
:07:13. > :07:18.year definitely. We are looking for bargains. We are birthday shopping
:07:19. > :07:27.today. We are spending birthday many as well as Christmas money.
:07:27. > :07:31.Cutting back, definitely. There is too much. You get plenty anyway. We
:07:31. > :07:39.come to see the decorations. tightening our belts but Christmas
:07:39. > :07:43.is not cancelled. Darlington, a typical market town.
:07:43. > :07:48.Plenty of festive signs around but our shoppers in the spending
:07:48. > :07:54.spirit? I am trying to keep everything to minimum but by things
:07:54. > :08:00.everybody in my limits. She is buying a present for her boyfriend.
:08:00. > :08:06.Spending more than I do! She has decided she needs to get their
:08:06. > :08:12.Christmas shopping. You came to Darlington from London? Yes. There
:08:12. > :08:17.are some lovely shops here. There are so few shopping days left, you
:08:17. > :08:21.expect the streets to be heaving but they're not. Our survey shows
:08:21. > :08:24.finding a parking space was a Buteby easy and of the shops we
:08:25. > :08:29.have been in, very few queues. Shoppers are watching what they
:08:29. > :08:34.spend, traders are feeling the effects. I think shoppers are being
:08:34. > :08:39.more savvy. They are shopping earlier so in general we have
:08:39. > :08:43.noticed there's been a trend of steady progress rather than a mad
:08:44. > :08:49.last-minute rush which happened last year.
:08:49. > :08:54.Penrith is a traditional town at the heart -- heart of the valley.
:08:54. > :08:57.Small shops survive here but like any where trading has been tough.
:08:57. > :09:02.Business owners know to keep people coming back, they need to do some
:09:02. > :09:06.things better than anyone else. firmly believe customers are loyal.
:09:06. > :09:11.They will come back time and time again. That is one of the things
:09:11. > :09:16.small businesses have a big advantage over the big boys, I am
:09:16. > :09:20.not sure if everyone will take it. A few days until Christmas and it
:09:20. > :09:27.seems to have been a mixed picture for local traders. Some say they
:09:27. > :09:32.have been busy while others say foot fault is down. Penrith is
:09:32. > :09:37.still full of little shops which are doing OK. But what happens in
:09:37. > :09:40.the next year or two is the key to the future of Penrith. We have to
:09:40. > :09:45.have eight or 10 weeks of good trades to see you through the rest
:09:45. > :09:53.of the time. So, traders in Penrith hope that Hill's will keep ringing
:09:53. > :09:56.for the next few days. David is chairman of the retailers
:09:57. > :10:02.Association here. I know there are not hard and fast figures but you
:10:02. > :10:07.must have a feel, how does it feel compared to last year? Firstly, we
:10:07. > :10:16.do not have snow this year so it is better. It has been a challenging
:10:16. > :10:19.year. The food for his holding up. It is looking good. What about the
:10:19. > :10:24.notion of the people are here but have less to spend? Customers are
:10:24. > :10:30.looking for a good deal and an incentive to shop. Retailers are
:10:30. > :10:36.offering that. Retailers can offer a deal and also make a decent
:10:36. > :10:40.margin and they will do well. Those that are not will suffer.
:10:40. > :10:44.Competition from the internet is strong. Are you feeling it?
:10:44. > :10:49.definitely increases but the people in the north-east a resilient. They
:10:49. > :10:53.love shopping here and when they shop on the internet as well, it is
:10:53. > :10:58.holding up. What about this idea you will put a positive gloss on
:10:58. > :11:03.things and by January we may have a December party but a January
:11:03. > :11:07.hangover. I can only speak for the north-east in terms of the
:11:07. > :11:10.MetroCentre. The MetroCentre is holding up. Nationally it may be
:11:10. > :11:14.different but the people of the north-east will have Christmas,
:11:14. > :11:22.they are resilient and they will shop and have a good Christmas.
:11:22. > :11:29.They want a good deal. Thank you very much. We will have the figures
:11:30. > :11:33.for you early in January as to what happened here.
:11:33. > :11:37.He is off to do his shopping now! Now come the opening of the Olympic
:11:37. > :11:41.games on the 27th of July next year - there's a plan for all the bells
:11:41. > :11:44.in the country to ring out at 8 o'clock in the morning. That's
:11:44. > :11:48.doorbells, bicycle bells, hand bells - you name it. But the idea
:11:48. > :11:52.is already causing a bit of a ding dong! Because the nation's church
:11:52. > :11:55.bell ringers have pulled out of the celebration. Our reporter Nicki
:11:55. > :11:58.Hornby has been finding out why. There's nothing more atmospheric
:11:58. > :12:04.than the peal of church bells on a crisp winter evening. These bell
:12:04. > :12:06.ringers belong to the Christ Church Tower in North Shields. They want
:12:06. > :12:10.to be part of the Olympic celebrations but say what the
:12:10. > :12:15.artist wants for them to ring the bells at eight in the morning -
:12:15. > :12:21.won't be easy. 80 clock in the morning is not convenient for
:12:21. > :12:25.people living nearby and the bell ringers and volunteers do not get
:12:25. > :12:30.paid and they might not get time off work. They might be on holiday
:12:30. > :12:35.or have children to look after. It's a difficult time to assemble a
:12:35. > :12:40.large number of people. The man behind the idea once the bells to
:12:40. > :12:44.be run as fast as possible but that's another stumbling block.
:12:44. > :12:52.Ringing in this country is not done fast. It does not do rebels any
:12:52. > :12:58.good. Above your head now, you have three 1/2 tons of bells. The bell
:12:58. > :13:03.here is three-quarters of a ton. So, there is a risk of damaging the
:13:03. > :13:10.bells and damaging fittings and also a risk to the bell ringers.
:13:10. > :13:12.Then began the great march past. was 1948 when Great Britain last
:13:12. > :13:17.hosted the Olympic games and festival organisers says this is a
:13:17. > :13:22.once in a lifetime opportunity. hope churches that have any
:13:22. > :13:26.concerns will contact us and we can work through any issues they have
:13:26. > :13:29.and make sure they can all join in the fund. It will be great fun.
:13:29. > :13:35.bell-ringers say the artist should have talked to them before coming
:13:35. > :13:39.up with this idea. If you talk to the bell ringers, we
:13:39. > :13:44.can find opportunities to ring in a more significant way for longer
:13:44. > :13:47.periods when people are more likely to hear it and in ways which are
:13:47. > :13:57.more musical. We're in the season of goodwill and bell ringing right
:13:57. > :14:00.
:14:00. > :14:03.now. Hopefully, harmony can be That is a shame, because you will
:14:03. > :14:06.be missed, not taking part. Still to come this Tuesday evening:
:14:06. > :14:11.We meet the French writer whose play about life on Wearside has
:14:11. > :14:14.gone down a storm in Paris. Ever since the Cumbria floods of
:14:14. > :14:18.2005 and 2009, work has been continuing to protect homes in the
:14:18. > :14:21.worst hit areas. In Keswick the building of flood defences started
:14:21. > :14:31.in May of this year and today a unique feature was added. Alison
:14:31. > :14:33.
:14:33. > :14:39.Freeman went to find out more. It was a frightening scene for
:14:39. > :14:45.householders in November 2009. It was a major flashpoint for the
:14:45. > :14:48.flooding of homes and businesses, but today saw a milestone in the
:14:48. > :14:53.development for the �6 million flood development scheme. A series
:14:53. > :15:00.of windows put into the wall which aims to keep the river at bay.
:15:00. > :15:05.These new glass panels have two purposes: First, to protect homes
:15:05. > :15:09.from water coming from the river, and the second, to ensure the the
:15:09. > :15:15.EU of the romance -- the river remains protected. In this location,
:15:15. > :15:19.it is about choosing defences that are appropriate. It is one of the
:15:19. > :15:24.main routes -- routes into Keswick so the flood defences have to be
:15:24. > :15:30.high. We are confident this scheme will be able to protect against
:15:30. > :15:34.floods that we expense in 2005 and 2009. The Environment Agency says
:15:34. > :15:41.the defences will protect 180 homes by the time they are finished next
:15:41. > :15:47.summer. People are anxious. We have an event a couple of weeks ago
:15:47. > :15:51.which made people nervous, but they can now see something concrete, but
:15:51. > :15:56.in my case it is and, but that something is moving forward. We
:15:56. > :16:00.only have another few months ago. By next winter, we will be
:16:00. > :16:04.hopefully cosy behind these new defences. This is the first time
:16:04. > :16:10.transparent panels have been used in flood defences in Cumbria and
:16:10. > :16:13.today, locals said they were thrilled with the design.
:16:13. > :16:17.He's a Frenchman who studied at Durham University and worked for a
:16:17. > :16:21.time at the Nissan plant on Wearside. And it was his time here
:16:21. > :16:24.in the North that inspired him to write a play set around the life of
:16:24. > :16:27.a family in Sunderland. Well that play is now wowing audiences and
:16:27. > :16:31.theatre critics in Paris, where its run has been extended by three
:16:31. > :16:34.months. In the first of two Look North reports, Adele Robinson's
:16:34. > :16:44.been to the French capital, to meet writer Clement Koche and find out
:16:44. > :16:59.
:16:59. > :17:07.The City of Light. The city of love, not a setting you would expect for
:17:07. > :17:11.a setting -- a play about Sunderland.
:17:11. > :17:14.And it is here at this theatre that the red and white stripes are being
:17:14. > :17:24.celebrated and depicted in a plate described as a cross between the
:17:24. > :17:25.
:17:25. > :17:31.Full Monty, a brass of and local And behind this colourful play,
:17:31. > :17:36.this is the man: Clement Koche. He studied at Durham University back
:17:36. > :17:46.in 1989 and worked at Nissan in Sunderland, inspiration for his
:17:46. > :17:50.
:17:50. > :17:56.work. People smell food, the atmosphere, every single thing was
:17:56. > :18:03.different. And from these memories, he began the story of Sally who
:18:03. > :18:10.loses her job in a chicken factory -- chicken factory. To support her
:18:10. > :18:20.autistic sister, she takes another job. But she is supported by her
:18:20. > :18:26.
:18:26. > :18:32.larger and her friend, the All in all, beams of loose morals,
:18:32. > :18:37.beer and something poignant. Will people in Sunderland see it as a
:18:37. > :18:41.stereotype? It is a story, not a postcard of northern England. If
:18:41. > :18:49.people came to see the play to see how they live, it is not necessary
:18:50. > :18:56.to come. It is a story which could take place in other parts of the
:18:56. > :19:02.world, but I used to the north of England and the aspects of life
:19:02. > :19:08.there to pick football, the girls, the clothes, and my love for
:19:08. > :19:13.English social stories. But for the Parisian the viewer, the trip to
:19:13. > :19:17.Sunderland has been described as uplifting in a depressing sort of
:19:17. > :19:27.way, a caricature of a northern perhaps, but one that is receiving
:19:27. > :19:56.
:19:56. > :20:03.rave reviews. It is going down a Soak in slice of Wearside here in
:20:03. > :20:07.this most romantic of settings. It is being hailed as a breath of
:20:07. > :20:11.fresh air on the Parisian it is seen. More than 50,000 people will
:20:11. > :20:21.have been to see the play by the time its run in the capital comes
:20:21. > :20:23.
:20:23. > :20:33.to an end. What a lovely piece! Sunderland in
:20:33. > :20:35.
:20:35. > :20:41.The Games are coming thick and fast for new Sunderland boss Martin
:20:41. > :20:44.O'Neill. Tomorrow, he takes his team to Queen's Park Rangers. And
:20:44. > :20:47.he's relying on the club's high- profile loan striker to start
:20:47. > :20:48.scoring the goals which would help drag them away from the Premier
:20:48. > :20:52.League's danger zone. Here's Keith Akehurst.
:20:52. > :20:54.Two goals in 11 games is way short of what the Wearsiders were hoping
:20:54. > :20:58.for, when they took Nicklas Bendtner off Arsenal's hands for
:20:58. > :21:01.the season. And after missing their recent win over Blackburn, and
:21:01. > :21:07.falling foul of the law, the Danish international found himself on the
:21:07. > :21:10.bench at Tottenham, two days ago. But with Connor Wickham likely to
:21:10. > :21:19.miss tomorrow's match after aggravating a knee injury, Bendtner
:21:19. > :21:22.is needed now, more than ever. Sometimes I think that players
:21:22. > :21:26.coming on loan need a bit of time to settle down, particularly if
:21:26. > :21:34.they think that it is not their club. That is the message we are
:21:34. > :21:44.trying to get across to him, here, this is it will be season. I think
:21:44. > :21:49.he wants to play despite the fact the potential shenanigans from
:21:49. > :21:54.before. It is really up to him. But then again, I would say this to all
:21:54. > :21:56.the players, it is up to him. You have a cause and it is worth
:21:56. > :21:59.fighting for. News now of a world record that's
:21:59. > :22:01.been broken in the region, within the last hour. The incredible
:22:01. > :22:04.Sharon Gayter, an ultra-distance runner from Guisborough in North
:22:04. > :22:07.Yorkshire, has beaten the all-time record for non-stop running on a
:22:07. > :22:10.treadmill. She's been pounding away at Teesside University since last
:22:10. > :22:20.week, and she's passed the previous best of 753 kilometres, which is
:22:20. > :22:21.
:22:22. > :22:25.more than 470 miles. Well done to Sharon.
:22:25. > :22:28.Time to meet our final Sportskid for 2011. And last but by no means
:22:28. > :22:30.least is a youngster from County Durham who, despite being very
:22:31. > :22:40.level-headed, isn't about to keep his feet on the ground. Katie
:22:41. > :22:43.
:22:43. > :22:53.Gornall can explain what that's all My name is on a vote, I am 11 and I
:22:53. > :23:05.
:23:05. > :23:09.It is a sport about speed, power and skill, all things that appear
:23:10. > :23:13.to come naturally to honour but. But he still puts in a huge amount
:23:13. > :23:22.of hard work and trains here at this gymnastic centre in County
:23:22. > :23:27.Durham for around 16 hours a week. Certain kids you find, you can tell
:23:27. > :23:32.they'd look good and they are willing to put the hard work in.
:23:32. > :23:37.There is a lot of hard work that goes into reach the top levels. He
:23:37. > :23:42.has motivation, he has the Times and he would do it without
:23:43. > :23:49.questioning. I was really rubbish when I first started, but then I
:23:49. > :23:54.got the hang of them. My friends kept on encouragingly and I got
:23:54. > :23:59.better and better. After a year of doing it, I could see that he had
:23:59. > :24:05.got a lot a of the ability there and he seemed to pick it up really
:24:05. > :24:09.quickly. He came so far in such a short space of time. He has already
:24:09. > :24:13.been crowned British champion for his age group and recently made the
:24:13. > :24:15.GB team for the World Championships although an injury prevented him
:24:15. > :24:22.from competing, but his coach is confident will be other
:24:22. > :24:26.opportunities. When 2013 comes, I'm sure that one of a will be on that
:24:26. > :24:32.team. Hopefully he will be there to go ahead in a challenge for the top
:24:32. > :24:37.three. What would you like to achieve? I would like to be the
:24:37. > :24:45.first person to do a triple back on the Champany Inn. -- quadruple back.
:24:45. > :24:52.Four fits in one bounce. That does not sound too hot!
:24:52. > :25:02.-- too hard. Talented editing, Katie!
:25:02. > :25:03.
:25:03. > :25:11.Hannah, she said last night, the stuck her neck right out and said
:25:11. > :25:17.that we are not going to have a She is absolutely right. We are
:25:17. > :25:21.going to get some snow into our pictures. This is a beautiful scene.
:25:21. > :25:26.With a rise in temperature over the coming days, it looks like we could
:25:26. > :25:30.put per route to a white Christmas even in the hills. -- put paid.
:25:30. > :25:36.Tomorrow feeling a lot milder than it has done for the past couple of
:25:36. > :25:40.days. Durham got six Celsius today. Tomorrow it will be 12. That gives
:25:40. > :25:46.you some indication of deep in temperatures. It is because of this
:25:46. > :25:50.front coming through with a brain, but it is warm. In this big wedge
:25:50. > :25:54.of air, we have got all this air, it really mild, trapped in here. It
:25:54. > :25:58.will last through Wednesday and Thursday, but by Friday, we get the
:25:58. > :26:03.next front through, which is cold. Behind that, cooler air will come
:26:03. > :26:09.in for Friday and for Christmas weekend. But not could enough to
:26:09. > :26:17.give you a white Christmas. Tonight, the rain will push in across
:26:17. > :26:21.Cumbria. It will settle across the region, heavy in places, so it so
:26:21. > :26:25.the night. It means that at the moment, this is about the cold as
:26:25. > :26:30.part of the night before the rain comes in. Temperatures down to one
:26:30. > :26:35.or two degrees. The temperatures will bounce back as the cloud comes
:26:35. > :26:38.in. A wet night means a wet start tomorrow morning. The sogginess
:26:38. > :26:43.chugging away through the morning and so tomorrow afternoon looks
:26:43. > :26:47.drier. If you are lucky, it will be brighter as well, especially down
:26:47. > :26:56.the north-eastern coast. Those temperatures, as promised, into
:26:56. > :27:00.double figures. There be, very mild for the time of year. Into Thursday,
:27:00. > :27:05.we keep the mild weather going so elevens and Wells, mostly dry with
:27:05. > :27:09.a bit of rain in Cumbria for a while. For Friday, ahead of the
:27:09. > :27:12.brain, we keep the temperatures. But when the rain comes through, a
:27:12. > :27:18.few showers behind it and the temperatures will dip a little by
:27:18. > :27:28.the weekend. Last night, Hannah also promised you'd be a dress for
:27:28. > :27:31.