:00:12. > :00:15.Hello and welcome to Wednesday's Look North. Tonight:
:00:15. > :00:18.What could a vote in favour of Scottish independence mean for us
:00:18. > :00:22.here in the North? Tributes to the former Teesside MP,
:00:22. > :00:27.Frank Cook, who has died at the age of 76. I said to him, fighting and
:00:27. > :00:34.passion, yes, but you cannot say that to the pan Minister. And he
:00:34. > :00:38.told me that he needed to hear it. -- to the Prime Minister.
:00:38. > :00:40.Power failure. The Lakeland village now facing six months without mains
:00:40. > :00:42.electricity. Lost in the post, why Royal Mail
:00:43. > :00:46.did not deliver on a Christmas job offer to this man.
:00:46. > :00:49.And could this fire station end up in the Guinness Book of Records for
:00:49. > :00:51.being the smallest in the world? What's the latest on those Andy
:00:51. > :01:01.Carroll transfer rumours? And ahead of this weekend's big
:01:01. > :01:06.
:01:06. > :01:14.basketball cup final we meet the It is the big political debate of
:01:14. > :01:17.the moment. Should Scotland become independent? And if it did, what
:01:17. > :01:19.impact would that have on our border communities and the wider
:01:19. > :01:24.North? Tonight, some campaigners in Berwick say an independent Scotland
:01:24. > :01:29.should lead to Ttheir town leaving England. It would not be the first
:01:29. > :01:38.time it's switched countries. Berwick was last part of Scotland
:01:38. > :01:44.back in 1836. Our political correspondent there now.
:01:44. > :01:48.The bridge I am standing on used to take you between two different
:01:48. > :01:53.countries. England was ever there and Scotland was behind you. Both
:01:53. > :02:01.sides of the river here are in England. But this place has changed
:02:01. > :02:06.tiled -- hands at least 13 times over the years with all of the
:02:06. > :02:12.discussion. The issue really matters here. Some people would now
:02:12. > :02:19.like to see the town should countries once again. It does not
:02:19. > :02:28.look it, but this place is on the front line of eight UK and Scottish
:02:28. > :02:37.parliament argument. It sits in the middle, but it is a place where
:02:37. > :02:44.there are some Scottish accent and some English accents. I very much
:02:44. > :02:53.doubt whether Scotland can be independent and it is a gut feeling.
:02:53. > :02:58.Although I am Scottish I am very much British. We are the UK. That
:02:58. > :03:04.is where we should be. In depends where they want to get the money
:03:04. > :03:14.from, doesn't it? One to do you think it would mean for this place?
:03:14. > :03:16.
:03:16. > :03:24.We would be in between, we always have. -- what do you think it would
:03:24. > :03:29.mean? Some people in this downer think
:03:29. > :03:35.that it could gain economic weight -- in this town think it could gain
:03:35. > :03:41.economically if it were part of Scotland. This man says that it
:03:41. > :03:47.makes hard economic sense to put this place into Scotland. We are
:03:47. > :03:52.the forgotten kingdom up here. It is just a very worrying. I would
:03:52. > :03:56.like to see a louder voice and whatever is happening on a national
:03:56. > :04:02.politics Lovell, I think it is local politics that will make the
:04:02. > :04:08.difference to whether we can survive as a thriving market town.
:04:08. > :04:17.75 % of the customers in this town, which is a market town, come from
:04:17. > :04:23.just the other side, in villages in Scotland. That is why this is the
:04:23. > :04:29.obvious terror. I bumped into one local earlier he said that legally
:04:29. > :04:34.-- is the obvious talent. I bumped into one local earlier he said that
:04:34. > :04:38.there would be some trickery involved in switching countries.
:04:38. > :04:43.What would life be like if a town like Berwick were to end up back in
:04:43. > :04:45.Scotland? Our reporter is in city of Carlisle, just nine miles from
:04:45. > :04:55.the Scottish border, on the differences between life on either
:04:55. > :04:58.
:04:58. > :05:01.side of the line. This is only a re-enactment, but
:05:01. > :05:04.skirmishes like this were once a common feature of life on the
:05:04. > :05:07.border between Cumbria and Scotland. Life is more peaceful today, but
:05:07. > :05:14.again there is talk of pulling up the drawbridge. In the city closest
:05:14. > :05:16.to the Scottish border, there are words of warning. I have seen a
:05:16. > :05:21.lack of co-operation in my political lifetime that will only
:05:21. > :05:27.get worse with independence. The example of it was the Cumberland
:05:27. > :05:32.Gap. The ridiculous point was that we had this rule between the two
:05:32. > :05:37.and we -- this a road between the two and we convinced them to build
:05:37. > :05:41.the road. Often, a sense of identity can be
:05:41. > :05:45.strongest in border areas. But in Carlisle today, no-one we talked to
:05:45. > :05:52.seemed willing to support bringing back the border. I do not think it
:05:52. > :05:57.would be a good idea at all. I think it will affect businesses.
:05:57. > :06:03.think it will be much better for Scotland to stay in the UK. I think
:06:03. > :06:06.it would not be a good idea, just because of the wider economy.
:06:06. > :06:09.the space of just a few hundred yards, you can tell the difference
:06:09. > :06:12.between two countries. The accents differ greatly, the badges of
:06:12. > :06:17.national identity are more prominent. And there are real,
:06:17. > :06:20.material differences as well. On the Scottish side of the border,
:06:20. > :06:29.you get free personal care for the elderly, and students do not pay
:06:29. > :06:32.tuition fees as they do in England. There will always be anomalies. But
:06:32. > :06:34.some fear that independence could lead to real legal and commercial
:06:34. > :06:42.confusion for businesses and political neglect from national
:06:42. > :06:51.governments on both sides of the border. Interesting times ahead.
:06:51. > :06:54.What implications could there be for the wider area of Scotland?
:06:54. > :07:00.Son of council leaders have expressed -- some of council
:07:01. > :07:04.leaders have expressed anger and frustration. I think that the
:07:04. > :07:08.crucial thing is going to be the figure that I mentioned earlier in
:07:08. > :07:15.my report. The extra money that goes to every citizen of Scotland
:07:15. > :07:21.compared to England. �1,164. Should Scotland become independent? There
:07:21. > :07:30.will be a great clamour about getting that money. Everyone will
:07:30. > :07:33.want a share of that money. I am want a share of that money. I am
:07:33. > :07:36.picking that this will be a major job.
:07:36. > :07:39.The funerals have taken place today of three women shot dead in County
:07:39. > :07:42.Durham on New Year's Day. Susan McGoldrick died, along with her
:07:42. > :07:44.sister, Alison Turnbull, and niece, Tanya Turnbull, when they were shot
:07:44. > :07:47.by Susan's partner, Michael Atherton, at a house in Greenside
:07:47. > :07:54.Avenue in Horden. Atherton then turned the gun on himself. His
:07:54. > :07:58.funeral will be held tomorrow. Frank Cook, one of the North's best
:07:58. > :08:01.known political figures, has died, at the age of 76. Mr Cook was the
:08:01. > :08:09.Labour MP for Stockton North for 26 years. Early last year he was
:08:09. > :08:12.diagnosed with lung cancer. He died in hospital last night.
:08:12. > :08:15.Frank Cook was not a typical politician. A former grave digger
:08:15. > :08:25.and Butlins red coat, he was opinionated, outspoken and rarely
:08:25. > :08:26.
:08:26. > :08:30.worried about towing the part line. I do not want anyone else claiming
:08:30. > :08:32.credit for the effort that I have put in for over a quarter of a
:08:32. > :08:34.century. He fought countless campaigns for
:08:35. > :08:37.his constituents and helped Ann Ming make history when she
:08:37. > :08:42.succeeded in changing the double jeopardy law meaning her daughter's
:08:42. > :08:46.killer could be retried for her murder. He came along to the
:08:46. > :08:52.meetings with us. He came to the House of Lords with us. He was
:08:52. > :08:57.absolutely brilliant. I kept Frank Cook posted on everything
:08:57. > :08:59.throughout the campaign. He was an absolute brick to me.
:08:59. > :09:04.Business leaders say he fought tirelessly to bring investment to
:09:04. > :09:08.Teesside. One who visited in hospital over the weekend said even
:09:08. > :09:10.on his deathbed he was asking about jobs and possible contracts.
:09:10. > :09:16.A former colleague today described Cook as a fighter of seismic
:09:16. > :09:23.strength and recalled her daily dealings with him. I would say to
:09:23. > :09:28.him, fighting and passion, yes, but remember, he is the Prime Minister,
:09:28. > :09:33.you cannot say that. He would say, he needs to hear it. Then I would
:09:33. > :09:38.just tell him to go for it. Both Gordon Brown and Tony Blair took
:09:39. > :09:41.the punches on the nose that Frank Cook certainly delivered.
:09:42. > :09:44.He was embroiled in the expenses scandal and lost a libel action
:09:44. > :09:47.against a national newspaper which said he claimed back a church
:09:47. > :09:50.donation made at a Battle of Britain memorial service. But
:09:50. > :10:00.friends say he will be remembered for the many good things he did
:10:00. > :10:01.
:10:01. > :10:11.during his 26 years in office. was a bit like a terrier. He called
:10:11. > :10:15.
:10:15. > :10:18.a spade a spade. He was straight to the point. The the late Frank Cook.
:10:18. > :10:21.The Prime Minister has paid tribute to a soldier from Darlington, who
:10:21. > :10:23.was killed in Afghanistan last month. Private John King, of 1st
:10:23. > :10:26.Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, died in an explosion, while on
:10:26. > :10:28.patrol in Helmand province. His commanding officer said the 19
:10:28. > :10:37.year-old was hard-working with an irrepressible sense of humour.
:10:37. > :10:40.David Cameron paid tribute to four soldiers, including Private King.
:10:40. > :10:45.Their outstanding courage and selflessness and will never be
:10:45. > :10:49.forgotten. Bates made Arab world more secure and our thoughts should
:10:49. > :10:59.be with -- and they made Arab world are more insecure and Aref but
:10:59. > :11:00.
:11:01. > :11:05.should be with their family and Some strong winds tonight but some
:11:05. > :11:15.better weather on the way. I will be back at the poll forecast after
:11:15. > :11:31.
:11:31. > :11:37.the rest of the nits. -- the full Transport Minister Mike penning
:11:37. > :11:40.said that the 200 mph trains would cut journey times for passengers
:11:40. > :11:46.and improve transport links across the North.
:11:46. > :11:50.It will cut the journey time from here to London by about 58 minutes.
:11:50. > :11:55.It also locks Newcastle and the northeast into the other great
:11:56. > :11:59.Border and cities. I do not think anyone would dream we could find
:11:59. > :12:03.the billion pounds that we could find for this project. We will work
:12:03. > :12:07.together with the representatives in the northeast, many of them are
:12:07. > :12:17.here today, who want better Connectivity. We have committed a
:12:17. > :12:18.
:12:18. > :12:22.lot of money already and the entire Leeds will help.
:12:22. > :12:25.He had been out of work for six months. So you can imagine how
:12:25. > :12:28.pleased Greig McGill was when he landed a Christmas job with the
:12:28. > :12:30.Royal Mail. But his joy soon turned to frustration and then anger
:12:30. > :12:34.because the job did not actually materialise. Greig, from Wallsend,
:12:34. > :12:37.in North Tyneside made more than 20 calls to the Royal Mail's staffing
:12:37. > :12:40.agency to try to resolve the matter but still, no work came his way.
:12:40. > :12:43.In the good times, working on the Christmas post was a temporary job
:12:43. > :12:46.that maybe students might do. But with high unemployment it has
:12:46. > :12:50.become an attractive source of income for many people. This
:12:50. > :12:53.Christmas 110,000 people applied for just 18,000 jobs.
:12:53. > :13:02.With such strong demand, Greig thought he had been very fortunate
:13:02. > :13:06.to land a job with the Royal Mail. I was very happy. It was coming up
:13:06. > :13:12.to Christmas and I had not worked for a while. I was straight onto
:13:12. > :13:18.the computer and received an email. It just said, welcome to the Royal
:13:18. > :13:23.Mail. I got a contract and a staff handbook and a letter from the
:13:23. > :13:27.managing director welcoming me aboard. At the bottom it said that
:13:27. > :13:33.they would contact me in the very near future with details of the
:13:33. > :13:37.shift patterns and where I would be working. That was fine. But it was
:13:37. > :13:47.not fine. No follow-up call ever came despite Greig phoning them 22
:13:47. > :13:47.
:13:47. > :13:51.times before he gave up in December. I find it unbelievable, the way
:13:51. > :13:55.that I have been treated. I have documentation proving that I had
:13:55. > :13:59.the job. I have had no communication back from them
:13:59. > :14:03.whatsoever. What I would like to know is, why are they offering jobs
:14:03. > :14:13.to people and then not following through?
:14:13. > :14:21.
:14:21. > :14:24.Royal Mail issued the following Gregg says this was not the case.
:14:24. > :14:27.It was supposed to be at the forefront of a green revolution,
:14:27. > :14:31.but a �300 million chemical plant on Teesside is still in mothballs,
:14:31. > :14:34.after just 15 months of working. The Ensus bioethanol plant closed
:14:34. > :14:44.in May due to a lack of demand for its environmentally friendly
:14:44. > :14:44.
:14:44. > :14:47.product. But it was supposed to reopen last September. And now
:14:47. > :14:51.unions say there is a worry it may never come back on stream.
:14:51. > :14:54.It is one of the biggest plants of its type in Europe. It only opened
:14:54. > :14:57.two years ago but has been mothballed since May. Ensus takes
:14:57. > :15:03.wheat and distils it down to make bioethanol which reduces petrol
:15:03. > :15:06.emissions. All very green, but the plant here at Wilton on Teesside
:15:06. > :15:09.has been hit by a delay in a European directive that will
:15:09. > :15:16.eventually say 20 % of all energy - including fuel has to come from
:15:16. > :15:20.renewable sources. So there's little demand for the plant's
:15:20. > :15:24.output. And cheap US bioethanol flooding the market hasn't helped
:15:24. > :15:34.either. And that's left the unions with a worry for the plant's
:15:34. > :15:37.
:15:37. > :15:46.That's always the battle. But the company has to look after its staff
:15:46. > :15:52.in the intervening preeriad. If you look at the situation where that
:15:52. > :15:57.went down, it would be a massive blow for Teesside and the supply
:15:57. > :16:05.chain. The hundreds of workers here are still being paid even though
:16:05. > :16:13.there is no plan for the Green team to get pack on track. Worryingly,
:16:13. > :16:18.the plant's management has always said a long shutdown, proposed by
:16:18. > :16:25.critics of the stench of the shutdown would have a big impact.
:16:25. > :16:29.It would put the business in real jeopardy and obviously jobs that go
:16:29. > :16:39.with it. The plant has been out of action for nine months. The hope is
:16:39. > :16:49.A Lake District village which lost its mains electricity on Christmas
:16:49. > :16:54.eve won't have it restored for up to six months. People in
:16:54. > :17:00.Wasdalehead have been relying on noisy generators for nine months.
:17:00. > :17:06.There has been the constant drone of generators since the power went
:17:06. > :17:10.off Christmas eve. Known for its remote, peaceful location, it is
:17:10. > :17:15.now known for disruption. The cable starts in that direction and runs
:17:15. > :17:18.to the shore behind me. The fault itself is about a metre below the
:17:18. > :17:22.shoreline, and despite electricity in the north-west having had
:17:22. > :17:26.problems here for the past couple of years, they still say it could
:17:26. > :17:30.take up to six months to find a permanent solution. It will take
:17:30. > :17:36.another two weeks just to bring in a quieter generator to provide
:17:36. > :17:39.power until then. Very, very disappointed. This is
:17:39. > :17:45.going to be six months of interruptions because they have to
:17:45. > :17:50.service the generators every week or two weeks. I have to be able to
:17:50. > :17:55.serve food while the power is off. It's going to be endless things.
:17:55. > :17:59.It's going to put us back each time. Do you think it's acceptable there
:17:59. > :18:02.have been ongoing problems with this line while the people who live
:18:02. > :18:08.and work here still are in the situation where they don't have
:18:08. > :18:14.mains? The fault that occurred was on Christmas eve and their supplies
:18:14. > :18:20.were quickly restored via generators. They are on longer than
:18:20. > :18:24.we would like, but we're getting nearer to a short-term solution.
:18:24. > :18:27.you think it's unacceptable? No, I would like to apologise to our
:18:28. > :18:32.customers that they have had noisy generators for longer than we would
:18:32. > :18:37.have hoped. It isn't acceptable. seems to have taken for me to go on
:18:37. > :18:43.TV for me to let everybody know about this problem for them to do
:18:43. > :18:53.anything. They're locking the stable door after the horse bolted.
:18:53. > :18:53.
:18:53. > :18:56.A new cable will need to be laid. The one and only road in to the
:18:56. > :19:01.town is likely to be shut for the work.
:19:01. > :19:07.That can't be much fun. As fire station go, it's pretty small, but
:19:07. > :19:11.could it be the smallest in the world? Firefighters at North
:19:11. > :19:18.Gortham think it might be, and they're hoping to put it back in
:19:18. > :19:24.the Guinness Book of Records. It can be a real struggle
:19:24. > :19:28.maintaining services in remote rural areas. That's why the people
:19:28. > :19:37.of Goathland on the North York moors are so proud of their fire
:19:37. > :19:41.station. At first viewing it may not look up to much - just a garage,
:19:41. > :19:47.a Land Rover, nine volunteers and a dog, but these firefighters are
:19:47. > :19:51.ready to drop anything at the bleep of a pager, and surprising to say
:19:51. > :19:56.things can get quite busy. Our main issue is because we have the Land
:19:56. > :20:02.Rover we can get on the moors as well. Moor fires is our bread and
:20:02. > :20:07.butter. Not last summer, the summer before, we were three days on the
:20:07. > :20:12.moors by the side of the railways. It was a big issue. Road traffic
:20:12. > :20:18.collisions we go to now. Especially due to where we are now, we're
:20:18. > :20:25.first on the scene at something like that. The crew fit into their
:20:25. > :20:29.land-based Rover which fits snugly into the garage. Could this be the
:20:29. > :20:34.smallest fire station in the world? Work looking at it. At the moment
:20:34. > :20:38.it doesn't seem to be that category, but I am applying now to see if we
:20:38. > :20:48.have the smallest fire station in the world. We are a bit of a
:20:48. > :20:50.
:20:50. > :20:55.tourist attraction in the village Another shout, and the intrepid
:20:55. > :21:05.Goathland crew is on its way - 25 to 50 callouts a year - average
:21:05. > :21:05.
:21:05. > :21:09.And doing a great job. Time for sport. The football transfer window
:21:09. > :21:14.is open. Doesn't seem to be much happening. No, but hey, in this
:21:14. > :21:23.game, you don't know. Could be any time. Any time. We'll start with
:21:23. > :21:27.news of injury from Newcastle United. Sami Yamiobi could be
:21:27. > :21:31.sidelined for several months after picking up an unspecified leg
:21:31. > :21:36.injury against Wigan yesterday. Meanwhile, Magpies are denying
:21:36. > :21:40.there has been any contact between themselves and Liverpool linking
:21:40. > :21:47.Carol with a cut-price to Tyneside. He struggled for form since his
:21:47. > :21:54.transfer a year ago. Three wins out of three for
:21:54. > :22:00.Gateshead have made the Tynesideers the highest ranking League Club.
:22:00. > :22:04.Last night's win over Kidderminster put them fourth, ahead of York City.
:22:04. > :22:14.One goal, then early in the second half, 2-0 before a late consolation
:22:14. > :22:15.
:22:15. > :22:20.goal from the visitors. The most successful British basketball club
:22:20. > :22:29.going all season without winning a trophy - next season the Eagles can
:22:29. > :22:39.put that right when they take on Plymouth. The last time the two met,
:22:39. > :22:44.
:22:44. > :22:49.David Forester was the assistant The die-hard eagles supporter is
:22:49. > :22:54.now at the heart of the club he loves. Solicitor by day, he took
:22:54. > :22:58.over as assistant coach last season and even had a spell in charge when
:22:58. > :23:01.a player was struck down with pneumonia. Who would have thought
:23:01. > :23:07.that a basketball connoisseur can ever go from where he was at -
:23:07. > :23:13.sitting - to sitting near enough the biggest seat - then when I went
:23:13. > :23:17.down THE biggest seat, the man in charge is - you know, is a
:23:17. > :23:25.phenomenal thing. Walking into a gym with a bunch of guys whos
:23:25. > :23:29.basically only know me as slightly irrational shouter-outer from the
:23:29. > :23:34.sidelines, then having them listening - take onboard and pay
:23:34. > :23:41.credence to what I am saying is tough. But this was not your
:23:41. > :23:44.average fan. He's like Rainman! You know, numbers and stats - his brain
:23:44. > :23:49.is like the internet, and for him to be able to retain that
:23:49. > :23:54.information and download it to you at a moment's notice without having
:23:54. > :23:58.to go look it up is really vital. The partnership developed four
:23:58. > :24:03.years ago when the player needed to talk over a particularly galling
:24:03. > :24:06.defeat. I called him up... Midnight. On my wedding anniversary.
:24:06. > :24:11.LAUGHTER On his wedding anniversary - oh,
:24:11. > :24:15.yes, I did. Oh, yes, he did. wasn't shy about it neither.
:24:15. > :24:19.LAUGHTER That was the time that the barn
:24:19. > :24:24.started to grow. It was amazing for me. I got to go watch the Eagles
:24:24. > :24:28.lose a Cup final, then sit in a hotel room heavily pregnant as my
:24:28. > :24:32.husband sat up all night talking to a man who was just down the
:24:32. > :24:36.corridor on the phone. He's the Camilla in our relationship. He's
:24:36. > :24:40.with us all the time. It's not a bad thing. He can cook, which Dave
:24:40. > :24:49.can't! For this year's anniversary, Dave will be taking Clare to
:24:49. > :24:55.Birmingham for Sunday's BBL Cup final against the Raiders. How
:24:55. > :24:58.romantic! A great way to spend your wedding anniversary. She's very
:24:58. > :25:06.understanding - wish mine would be as understanding as that. Time for
:25:06. > :25:11.the weather. It's getting a bit The Met Office have issued another
:25:11. > :25:15.yellow warning for the strength of the gusts which could reach 60-
:25:15. > :25:20.70mph. To calm us all down a kauj weather picture - thank you very
:25:20. > :25:25.much - to Martin, who shot these rays - otherwise known as Jacob's
:25:25. > :25:29.Ladder, the rays breaking through the clouds at this cove. Strong
:25:29. > :25:34.winds is what we're watching out for. They'll reach their peak at
:25:34. > :25:38.midnight into the early hours. The winds blowing in spells of rain for
:25:38. > :25:43.a time in the east. The rain could drift anywhere overnight as the
:25:43. > :25:49.winds pick up to strong. Mean speeds - sustained for 25 minutes
:25:49. > :25:53.or more - 25-30mph with gusts doubling that lasting a few seconds.
:25:53. > :25:57.It's a mild night, but it doesn't last. This is the last of it.
:25:57. > :26:01.Overnight, 9 Celsius when we wake up tomorrow. Then the winds ease.
:26:01. > :26:05.The rain clears. High pressure starts to dominate, and that really
:26:05. > :26:09.gives us bright blue skies. Look at the golden map behind us. Let's
:26:09. > :26:15.take a tour through the afternoon. The breeze noticeable, but no-where
:26:15. > :26:18.near as strong as it would be in the early morning as we tour
:26:18. > :26:22.westwards, bright skies across the region east and west. The
:26:22. > :26:25.temperatures a little bit lower than today - maybe around 8-10
:26:25. > :26:28.Celsius than today. We're still above average for the time of year.
:26:29. > :26:32.High pressure dominates over the next few days after tomorrow, but
:26:32. > :26:36.what we'll notice is a drop in the temperatures, much lower than they
:26:36. > :26:44.have been, bright skies on Friday and Saturday for most places, but
:26:44. > :26:50.expect a frost to wake up to. Both mornings we'll be scraping the
:26:50. > :26:55.windscreens, watching out for slippy pavements. The temperatures
:26:55. > :26:58.start to slip. Look at the reason - this dominant area of high pressure.
:26:58. > :27:02.The lid on the atmosphere is squashing the atmosphere, stopping
:27:02. > :27:09.much from happening. The wind changing direction. What it will
:27:09. > :27:19.give us is overnight frosts, a colder air flow, possibly mist and
:27:19. > :27:21.
:27:21. > :27:26.fog overnight but bright skies but Now the headlines:
:27:26. > :27:28.A leading cosmetic surgery firm which fitted more low-grade breast
:27:29. > :27:32.implants than any other is refusing to replace them.