08/02/2012 Look North (North East and Cumbria)

Hello, and welcome to Look North. In tonight's programme:

MPs call for an end to windfarm subsidies - is it time to call a

halt to the North's windrush? Stupidity or worse? A reward is

offered after a mountain bike track is sabotaged, with potentially

lethal results. They're going to pedal their own

pedalo again. These two vow to make it across the Atlantic, despite

three almost heroic failures. And are we ready for the electric

car? It's claimed the North East has the most charging points in the

country. We test if there are enough to keep us on the move.

And in sport, it's another Tees Wear derby. We'll be live at the

Riverside ahead of the FA Cup fourth round replay.

Can Middlesbrough repeat their 1975 Cup victory over Sunderland or will

the Premier League's form team meet Has the tide turned for windfarms?

More than 100 Conservative MPs have written to the Prime Minister

demanding a dramatic cut to the hundreds of millions of pounds in

subsidies paid to windfarm operators from our electricity

bills. Only one Labour MP signed the letter - the Workington MP Tony

Cunningham. He says Cumbria has too many windfarms and a recent

planning decision seems to support Love them or loathe them, wind

turbines are now a very familiar feature of our landscape. But here

in the North, do we have more than our fair share? The Workington MP

says enough is enough. I take my little boy down to the harbour and

whippy look north, south, east or west, all you can see his wind

turbines. We accepted the responsibility for a new nuclear

power station. We have had an offshore wind from Rick that

creates electricity for half of Cumbria but to stick two or three

when turbines in a field next to a village creating enough electricity

to boil a kettle does not make sense. Our region has proved very

attractive to windfarm developers, Cumbria in particular. There are

120 turbines operational or under construction in the county, plus a

further 60 offshore in the Solway. Neighbouring Northumberland has 115

turbines consented for operation. In County Durham, the figure is 72

turbines but the built-up areas of Tyne and Wear only have nine - at

the Nissan factory in Sunderland. Teesside has 31, including 27

currently under construction off the seafront at Redcar. In North

Yorkshire, there are 22 turbines so far. This gives a regional total of

429. These turbines are about to start electricity generation.

Despite protests are, many more will be given the go-ahead if the

government is to meet its ambitious targets of resourcing a fit of

power from renewables by the end of the decade.

Still on the subject of wind turbines, a Teesside company has

lost out on a contract to supply parts to that windfarm at Redcar

which Adrian mentioned. TAG, based at Haverton Hill near Billingham,

had believed it was in the running to supply monopiles to the

development. It's based only nine miles from the windfarm site. But

the contract has gone to a company in Belgium.

He's lucky he wasn't seriously injured or even killed. That's the

police reaction after a cyclist was catapulted from his bike by a rope

stretched across a path at a County Durham mountain bike track. The

rider was travelling at 20mph at Hamsterley Forest. A reward is

being offered for information that leads to the arrest of those

responsible. Keith Akehurst reports. These are the rider's helmet camera

shots of the incident at Hamsterley Forest in County Durham. The 29-

year-old man was going at up to 20 miles an hour on his mountain bike.

Due to snow and ice, that was ten miles an hour slower than usual.

Suddenly, he's catapulted from his bike by a rope strung across the

Despite being shocked, he gets up to inspect the rope and untie it

before anyone else could be hurt. It is a nylon printed broke. It has

been inspected and we found it had been melted by some fought before -

- some sort of lighter. It's been deliberately stretched across the

track. It would have stretched and catapulted him backwards. The lad

felt he had been shot by something. The cyclist's clothes clearly show

a rope burn, but he wasn't badly injured. Durham Police say he's

been very lucky. We are fortunate the gentleman was over six feet in

height and the record him at chest height. If they had been young lads,

they would have been at neck height. The injuries could have been

possibly fatal. If it is a prank, they need educating. It is

something worse, we are looking at something quite sinister, Ready.

substantial reward is being offered It's a staggering figure but last

year, Cleveland Police received 3,745 calls reporting missing

people. From young children to the elderly, the force has one of the

highest rates in Britain. Now, while many who are reported missing

are quickly found, some families face the ordeal of having to carry

on not knowing where or what has happened to their loved ones.

Stuart Whincup joins us from our BBC Tees newsroom now. On average,

Cleveland police receives 10 calls for every day reporting missing

people. Some are found quickly but for many families, they spend years

not knowing whether their loved ones are still alive. Charles and

Doris Clarke have been desperately waiting for news about their son

Stephen. Whenever you are in a crowd, you

look and wonder whether it could be him. He is never out of our mind,

at all. How can it be? Stephen had been walking along the seafront

when he went to the toilet. When he didn't come out, his mother

presumed she had missed him and he returned home. But he was never

seen again and for the last 20 years, Steven's family have been

left wondering what happened to him. No idea. There are so many

possibilities. I used to think someone had taken him on to the

moors and murdered him. All sorts of possibilities. You can't think.

We have talked about it so many times, you can't let your mind go

that way. People will flip. Smiling for the cameras, this video shows

Steven winning a training award just two months before he

dissapeared. The police searches and public appeals finished years

ago. But Charles and Doris say they take heart from the fact that

shortly after his disappearance, Steven was spotted a few miles away

in Redcar. We believe he is still around. I can't accept that he is

dead. One day, he might just decide to open that door. If you are there

are watching, son, give us a call. As part -- heartbreaking as that

story is, they are not alone. 33 people throw at Teesside and North

Yorkshire are classified as a long- term missing. Dozens of families in

the area are facing the same ordeal. Now, you don't hear this very often.

People living in a County Durham village are complaining that their

village has too many bus services. Howden- le-wear, near Crook, sees

up to 16 buses passing through it every hour. And a new service has

just been added. Some residents have complained but others are

worried that could mean they lose some services. Adele Robinson

reports. Buses, buses and a more buses. This is quite possibly the

first time ever complaints have been made that he will village gets

too many and too close to go. You've put the. Opposite, it is

very congested in the village. bus company are starting a new

service in addition to many other services. All the services passed

through this village every hour. is ridiculous. They don't need

another one. Why did any company do it in the first prize? You wait

ages for one and then, two come along at once. Some people here

think that has been taken to a whole new level and in the past

hour, I have seen 15 services passed through. A lot of people are

worried complaints will mean services are cut. I don't think

there are too many buses passing through. The more buses, the better.

We have a good service, were split? The local councillor has taken

complaints about the services but says outlying areas need services

as well. It shouldn't be spread thinly in the area. We have seen 16

buses come through and it seems a little bit and fair. You have taken

stick? Yes, but as a tyre here for, if people want to give me stick.

The bus company are hailing this new service as great for the

community. They say feedback has been positive. But it is clear this

dividing our bed isn't over. The news service starts next week. Some

say it could bring up to 20 buses through the village per hour. There

will be those who are counting. Dozens of people who spent last

night out of their homes because of a gas leak in Scarborough have now

been allowed back. Residents in the Seamer Road area were forced to

leave after a contractor damaged a pipe yesterday. Northern Gas

Networks have apologised for the inconvenience.

Buckingham Palace has released details of the Queen's national

tour to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee. Her Majesty, accompanied

by the Duke of Edinburgh, will be in the region between the18th and

19th July. They'll be visiting Sunderland, South Tyneside, North

Tyneside, Gateshead, Durham City and Stockton. Cumbria isn't on the

itinerary. Two West Cumbrian men who had to

abandon their third attempt to cross the Atlantic by pedalo say

they'll try again later this year. Kieran Sweeney and Callum McDonald

had to be rescued earlier this week after their home-built boat was

damaged by storms. But they're refusing to give in to the doubters,

vowing to build a new vessel and start again. Mark McAlindon's been

to meet them. The two friends may have grown up

by the sea although neither are nautical by nature. That didn't

stop them, though, trying to make a dream come true. But the two say

many boats have succumbed to surprise storms west of Africa

recently. And their experience was terrifying. And leaving the boat in

the middle of the water, it was hard but it was the right choice.

Because we got capsized so many times. The boat stood up to the

impacts, which it is designed to do. But we come first. The small boats

of the worst. The small waves are smashing into Russ, spinning us

around 180 degrees. It felt like a car crash every time. The plan was

to pedal in pleasant sunshine from Gran Canaria to the Bahamas,

raising �50,000 for the children's heart unit at Newcastle's Freeman

Hospital. But last year, Kieran and his brother were forced back by

mechanical problems, before Kieran and Callum gave in first to food

poisoning and now to storms. Since returning home, they said they have

been the subject to disparaging remarks on local websites. People

have said they are foolhardy. They say all we're trying to do is to

show that you can achieve your dreams and raise money for a

valuable calls and they say they are determined to succeed next time

round. We should be ready by the end of the year with the new boat

and the new design. A lot of changes in the manufacturing

process should speed things up. With the experience of building the

last one and the wiring and everything, this process will be a

lot quicker and a lot more cost- effective. In the meantime, the two

have just a few memories of their courage to rely on before a fourth

attempt is made. Coming up later:

We're live at the Riverside stadium as Middlesbrough and Sunderland

prepare for an FA Cup showdown. And we're with the Duke of

Gloucester as he backs a bid to bring World Heritage status to one

of our most historic sites. And a weather warning. I will be back

with all the details at the end of Is the North ready for electric

vehicles? That is the question Look North is trying to answer this week.

Our reporter is spending seven days with an electric car, charging it

at home and work and at public charging stations. It is claimed

the North-East is the most connected region of the country,

with more charge points than anywhere else. So are there enough

to keep him on the road? One day, the cars we drive will

have to be powered by something other than petrol or diesel,

because the oil will have run out. Right now, some manufacturers,

including Nissan, believe that electric cars are the way forward.

The big limiter at present is the range - about 100 miles. But Nissan

says this does not matter because the number of charge points is

growing all the time. In the North East, there is already in

infrastructure. If you use the sat- nav, it connects you with all the

charging points so you are never out of sight of a charging point.

From that point of view, it is pretty good. Nationally, the

Infrastructure will still take a while.

In fact, the North East is the best connected region in the country.

With a range of 100 miles, you could in theory make a return

journey of 50 miles in any direction from Newcastle, apart

from into the North Sea. But it is not that simple. We have 340 public

charge points either installed, or about to be installed. These will

charge your car in about eight hours. But the region also has

seven fast charge points installed. These will give an 80% charge in

half an hour. This gives you more daily range in between full

overnight charges. But how does this work in the real world? It has

been great. A really enjoyed driving it. The charges might be a

bit of a hassle but no more hassle than going to a petrol station.

really test the network of charging posts and the car, I am going to be

using this as the only means of transport. I will let you know how

I get on it in the near future. I am sure it will work. He is very

patient! The Duke of Gloucester has been in

South Tyneside today. In a busy visit, he spent time at St Oswald's

Hopsice and the new BT offices in South Shields. And he backed a bid

to secure World Heritage status for one of the area's historic sites.

He visited Bede's World in Jarrow, to hear about the latest moves to

make the twin monastery of Wearmouth and Jarrow an

international attraction. The royal seal of approval came

today for what its supporters believe should be the UK's next

World Heritage site. The monasteries of Wearmouth and Jarrow

were built in the late seventh century, during the Golden Age of

Northumbria. And the children of St Aloysius Primary School in Hebburn

adopted their best habits as the Duke joined them for a spot of

enscribing. The Duke, who is the patron of

Bede's World, has already pledged his support to the bid. But why

does Wearmouth and Jarrow deserve the UK's nomination for World

Heritage status? While the Hadrian's Wall site was

billed by the Romans, and imposing Durham cathedral was built by the

conquering Normans, Wearmouth and Jarrow represents a genuinely

north-eastern culture. And it was not just in remote

Northumbria that the monasteries were famous. Professor Dame

Rosemary Cramp is 82, and spent 50 years digging for the secrets of

Wearmouth and Jarrow. It is not very often we can say that a here

where it is remote, we were the centre of learning and culture. It

recognises it was here we first get the definition of the beginning of

Englishness as well as north- eastern nurse. We also recognises

Bede was the master of the Middle Ages and somebody who is worthy to

be commemorated. The Duke met with volunteers who help to keep the

museum going and with business people supporting the bid. A

decision on the nomination is due this summer.

There is only one place to start tonight and that is on Teesside for

Middlesbrough's FA Cup fourth round replay against Sunderland. The

Black Cats earned themselves a second chance thanks to Frazier

Campbell's equaliser ten days ago. Katie Gornall is live outside the

Riverside for us now. In very cold riverside. It is more than just

bragging rights at stake. I have the programme for when the sides

last met. It cost just 10p. It was in 1975 when they last met.

Middlesbrough were winners that day. The year was 1975. Middlesbrough

were the hot favourites to beat their Second Division rivals.

Sideburns were all the rage, and Graham Souness still had a

moustache. 40,000 crammed into Ayresome Park to see Jack

Charlton's team in blue and black fight back from Pop Robson's early

opener. And it was Big John Hickton who spared Boro's blushes. Two

second-half penalties saw the striker embark on his legendary

long run-up, and fire the Teessiders into the fifth round.

Fast forward nearly 40 years and its not just the hairstyles that

have changed. Middlesbrough are now the ones hoping to cause an upset

against the top flight's form team. It is going so well it is a gauge

for us. When you put our performance in a mix of their

results over the last six weeks, it was a decent performance. Can we be

produce it? We will have a go. Injuries will rob Mowbray of up to

five players from the side that forced a replay at the Stadium of

Light, with striker Scott Mcdonald out for up to 12 weeks. But after a

tough encounter first time round, no-one in the Sunderland camp is

taking anything for granted. think they had a couple of problems

with a few injuries before they played us. It did not seem to spoil

their game at all. They played very well against us. I expect exactly

the same again. I am joined by Rob Mason and Rob Nichols. We will talk

about Sunderland first. Sunderland go into this one are the favourites.

An incredible run of form. Middlesbrough played very well and

deserved the draw they got. Sunderland are on a tremendous run.

They have been doing very well away from home especially. We hope we

can have Arsenal at home. We would love to have them in the Cup the

following Saturday. You must have been waxing lyrical about Martin

O'Neill. Everybody has. With good reason. He has given everybody a

lift. He is a very good person. Hopefully, we'll have the last word

tonight. This is going to be tough for Mowbray with the injuries.

After the first game, there were a lot of players out. We are at home

and we have the fans behind us so hopefully we can repeat the success

of 1975 he the 21st century. Devlin got the fans behind to. If

we do not get the results and it goes to penalties, arsenal await

the next round. Newcastle Falcons have just nine

games left to save their Premiership status and keep top

flight Rugby Union in the north east. The new coaching staff have

not got much time to turn things around and their mission starts on

Saturday down at Bath. With former South Africa coach Gary

Gold at the helm and ex-England men John Wells and Mike Ford in support,

you cannotdoubt that owner Semore Kurdi is serious about keeping the

Falcons in the Premiership. But is it too late? If we win and teams

above us continue to win, it is too late. Then we are not going to stay

up. Been saying that, there is a pragmatic view of business and

rugby and you realise you have to look at the loss and the relegation

in many ways can stand you in good stead. It allowed them to compose

themselves and take stock of where they are. It is not something I

want to contemplate at the moment. Remarkably despite the odds being

firmly stacked against them, Kiwi golden boot winner Jimmy Gopperth

has rejected offers from other clubs to sign a new three-year deal.

Would it be fair to say there is no relegation clause in his contract?

He has made it clear he wants to stay. Let us hope it does not come

to that relegation. And there is another South African

on the way to the region. Durham have announced that former

international Herschelle Gibbs will play for the county in the Twenty20

competition in the summer. Gibbs played in the tournament for

Yorkshire two years ago. Let us look at how cold it was this

morning. Here is our league table from across the region. The coldest

spot was minus 11 Celsius today. The highest temperature was minus

five. A gorgeous night-time weather picture to start us off. The focus

will be the full mind -- for or moon from last night. -- full moon.

There will be icy roads. The rainfall will fall on freezing

services. It is frosty ahead of the rain band. Temperatures in the air

and DOW are two of minus five. They will be cold or on the ground. --

down to minus five. The rain will continue to spread across the

region through the morning. A miserable rush-hour. For a time, it

will turn to snow. Rain elsewhere but very cold. Pembridge is between

1 and two degrees. -- temperatures. As we cross West, it is wet and

just a touch milder. Pembridge is will be five degrees. It is well

below average for the time of year. We expect the temperature to be

around eight degrees. A miserable end to the day. As we head through

the next few days, think that stay chilly with more drizzle. There

could possibly be sleet. It is cold on Saturday but one or two spots

should be a bit drier. The weather will stay unsettled and cold, even

for the time of year. If you are braving the cold and you are out

and about, with your cameras, we always loved to see or pictures.

Send them to... You can also check our website and e-mail them to us.

Who knows? Your image could at the Chair in art where their calendar

next year. -- could feature. In our Now for a look at tonight's

headlines: The Tottenham manager Harry

Redknapp has been cleared on all charges to tax evasion. His co-

defendant, former Portsmouth chairman Milan Mandaric, was also

cleared. And Tony Cunningham, the Labour MP

for Workington, has joined more than 100 Conservative MPs to demand