:00:02. > :00:05.Hello, and welcome to Look North. In the programme tonight:
:00:05. > :00:11.What a result! Why football pundit Robbie Savage could be �10,000 out
:00:11. > :00:14.of pocket thanks to this taxi driver.
:00:14. > :00:17.When the lights went out - the council forced to spend more than
:00:17. > :00:20.�1 million replacing unsafe street lighting.
:00:20. > :00:26.Fears that loading VAT on to the price of static caravans could hit
:00:26. > :00:29.some of our tourism hotspots. And as the world prepares to mark
:00:29. > :00:32.the 100th anniversary of the sinking of THAT ship, find out why
:00:32. > :00:35.Cumbria lies at the heart of the story of the Titanic.
:00:35. > :00:39.In sport: A major injury blow for one of our promotion play-off
:00:39. > :00:41.hopefuls. And with the cricket season getting
:00:41. > :00:51.underway, we take a look at the academy nurturing the next
:00:51. > :01:09.
:01:09. > :01:15.We start with the story over a bet, which could cost its maker �10,000.
:01:15. > :01:20.Last August, a cabbie picked up Robbie Savage, who now works as a
:01:20. > :01:26.BBC pundit. Talk turned to Newcastle United's good start to
:01:26. > :01:32.the season. But Robbie, a pundit, bet the cabbie �10,000 that
:01:32. > :01:42.Newcastle would not finish in the top four. With five games to go,
:01:42. > :01:42.
:01:43. > :01:51.Newcastle are fifth. I had that Robbie Savage in my car
:01:51. > :01:56.the other day! Went Matty Nolan picked up Robbie Savage, Newcastle
:01:56. > :02:04.were not as high in the league. picked him up from the Central
:02:04. > :02:14.Station. I said, are you Robbie Savage? He said, I am. I get him in
:02:14. > :02:17.
:02:17. > :02:25.the car. I drop by St James's Park. Then I bet him �10,000. He said,
:02:25. > :02:30.all right. And that was it. He signed it. Did you believe it at
:02:30. > :02:35.the time, that Newcastle would be doing as well as they are? But,
:02:35. > :02:41.perhaps more importantly, would Robbie Savage remember his pledge?
:02:41. > :02:49.On BBC Radio 5Live's phone-in, Matty reminded him. Matty is in
:02:49. > :02:55.Newcastle. Hallowed. Hello. What you want to remind Robbie about?
:02:55. > :03:05.About the Betty had with us! One I picked you up and the taxi? Is you?
:03:05. > :03:08.
:03:08. > :03:14.Yes. Listen, mate, I am a man of my word. I am fair game. It at
:03:14. > :03:20.Newcastle finish in the top four, I am a man of my word. I promise you,
:03:20. > :03:24.if they do, I will have to buy the taxi! Newcastle are not there yet,
:03:24. > :03:27.and that he might still be disappointed. But if the Champions
:03:27. > :03:34.League comes to Tyneside, there will be one cabbie with a very big
:03:34. > :03:39.smile on his face. Robbie Savage might just keep his
:03:39. > :03:43.mouth shut and the future! More than 1,000 street lives are being
:03:43. > :03:48.replaced in York because they are unsafe. The majority have already
:03:48. > :03:53.been taken down, leaving some parts of the city unlit at night. The
:03:53. > :03:58.local council is spending �1 million replacing them, in what is
:03:58. > :04:06.described as the biggest overhaul of St lives in York since the
:04:06. > :04:12.Victorian times. I am in a quiet street, outside the city centre.
:04:12. > :04:17.The perfect place. There are seven metal stumps, along this road, that
:04:17. > :04:21.have been taken down because they were deemed unsafe. The problem is
:04:21. > :04:29.it has been like this for some months. When they go about their
:04:29. > :04:37.business, the residents feel unsafe. It is awful. When you are walking,
:04:37. > :04:44.at the foot putt the not very good. I think it is dangerous. We just
:04:44. > :04:49.saw the stumps there one day, and you find out the light have
:04:49. > :04:54.disappeared. I take the dog out for a walk at night. You cannot see
:04:54. > :04:59.where you are going. There are some street live around here, but people
:04:59. > :05:07.say there are not enough. Joining me now is Gareth, from York City
:05:07. > :05:12.Council. How have we got into this mess? There has been years of
:05:12. > :05:16.under-investment in York, so last summer, there were a number of
:05:16. > :05:20.safety inspections, and an inspector said 7% above our stock
:05:20. > :05:26.needed to be taken down straight away. We have seen work taking
:05:26. > :05:32.place in the city. When people are cutting money, you could do without
:05:32. > :05:37.having to spend �1 million. In it is not ideal, but street light a
:05:37. > :05:44.very important. Since they have come down, people have told us how
:05:44. > :05:48.much they care about this. It is very important we get them. �1
:05:48. > :05:54.million as a large amount of money, but we need the Investment.
:05:54. > :05:58.will be carrying on checking others. This should sort this out for the
:05:58. > :06:05.next three years, but you have to keep inspecting. But this will
:06:05. > :06:09.allow a decent lighting stock across the city. This is a big job
:06:09. > :06:18.- 1,100 of these will be replaced. The council hopes to replace them
:06:18. > :06:21.all by the end of summer. An 18-month-old baby boy is being
:06:21. > :06:24.treated in hospital after falling from the upstairs window of a house
:06:24. > :06:27.in North Tyneside. The toddler suffered a broken leg and head
:06:27. > :06:33.injuries when he plunged 12 feet from a bedroom at Seaton Burn
:06:33. > :06:36.yesterday morning. A doctor has been found guilty of a
:06:36. > :06:40.series of failings after a 10-year- old boy was sent home from hospital
:06:40. > :06:44.when he was dying from meningitis. Dr Malik Mahmood Alam decided
:06:44. > :06:46.William Cressey was actually suffering from a migraine. William
:06:46. > :06:51.was taken back to Darlington Memorial Hospital by his mother the
:06:51. > :06:56.next day but, again, was misdiagnosed. The General Medical
:06:56. > :06:59.Council said Dr Alam hadn't examined him properly.
:06:59. > :07:01.Durham Police have appealed to the public to help catch two men
:07:01. > :07:07.suspected of involvement in last week's break-in at the city's
:07:07. > :07:11.Oriental Museum. A jade bowl and porcelain figurine - together worth
:07:11. > :07:14.�2 million - were stolen in a raid that lasted less than two minutes
:07:14. > :07:17.after the burglars broke in through the back wall of the museum. Five
:07:18. > :07:22.people have been arrested in the West Midlands, and police want to
:07:22. > :07:25.trace two men from Walsall - Adrian Stanton and Lee Wildman. They are
:07:25. > :07:32.also seeking information about three vehicles seen in the Brandon
:07:32. > :07:38.and Meadowfield areas of Durham City last week. Anything suspicious,
:07:38. > :07:45.in particular regarding an orange Resnais McGann motor vehicle, a
:07:45. > :07:51.light blue Audi Sport model, and also ABM W, that has been in and
:07:51. > :08:01.around that area, between the fourth and the seventh, sometimes a
:08:01. > :08:01.
:08:01. > :08:10.more than one occasion. VAT could hit Cumbria's tourism
:08:10. > :08:15.industry. It is home-from-home for Angela.
:08:15. > :08:20.She, her father and daughter spend virtually all their holiday time at
:08:20. > :08:24.the Stanwick Park caravan centre. They say if VAT had been added to
:08:24. > :08:30.the price of their static caravan and the aborted, they might not
:08:31. > :08:37.have been able to afford it. think all put a lot of people off.
:08:37. > :08:44.A caravan of that �1,000 will have VAT added to it. The way things are,
:08:44. > :08:48.it would deter people. I think it is a big lump to put on all at once.
:08:48. > :08:54.If it had been 10% or gradually brought in, it might not have had
:08:54. > :09:00.such a big impact. VAT is already paid on touring Cabot rebounds, so
:09:00. > :09:06.the new tax is bring them into line. -- caravans. Many owners argue that
:09:06. > :09:10.buying a static caravan is buying a holiday home. Can you do not pay
:09:11. > :09:17.VAT on bricks and mortar. A holiday cottage could set you back �2,000,
:09:17. > :09:20.but static caravans at a fraction of that - about �50,000 for the
:09:20. > :09:28.best models. But it is not just those who make and sell them who
:09:28. > :09:32.could lose out. People going abroad, the money they take a broad, stays
:09:32. > :09:38.abroad. It does not stay here. People spending money here is
:09:38. > :09:44.staying in this country. It will affect shopkeepers and the town. It
:09:44. > :09:48.will affect everybody. The worry is there will be a rush on static
:09:48. > :09:58.caravans before VAT is applied in October, and after that, the
:09:58. > :10:00.
:10:00. > :10:05.industry could face a worrying time. Residents are demanding answers as
:10:05. > :10:09.to why the Post Office at one not deliver their mail. Barforth is a
:10:09. > :10:14.couple of hundred miles from Gainford, where all the local
:10:14. > :10:19.amenities are. The only problem is, the villagers cannot use the bridge
:10:19. > :10:24.across the river. The situation has been rumbling on for three years,
:10:24. > :10:30.but today, it has all come to a head.
:10:30. > :10:35.Barforth hamlet - beautiful, tranquil, but very cut off. So,
:10:35. > :10:44.most days Martin and his wife have to pick up their mail themselves.
:10:44. > :10:47.We have to go for a 40 mile round trip, but Royal Mail has taken no
:10:48. > :10:52.trouble to communicate with us at all as to why they are not
:10:52. > :10:57.delivering. In fact, Barforth is not that isolated - Gainford is
:10:57. > :11:00.only a few hundred yards across the river. And that is where the
:11:00. > :11:07.problem lies - villagers have always to use this bridge to cross
:11:07. > :11:11.the river, but in 2009, it was declared unsafe, and there is now
:11:11. > :11:20.an argument on both sides of the river as to whose responsibility it
:11:20. > :11:24.is. The family had only moved to Barforth. Week paid Royal Mail �80
:11:24. > :11:28.for a redirection of post, and they did not tell us they would not be
:11:28. > :11:36.delivering it to the new address. We order goods on the internet and
:11:36. > :11:44.from local traders, and they all deliver. Royal Mail says it
:11:44. > :11:49.delivers to almost 29 million addresses. Its last resort, when
:11:49. > :11:55.the safety of its postmen and women are at risk. Maybe it is the
:11:55. > :11:59.potholes? But as if by magic, Martin's letterbox rattled this
:12:00. > :12:06.morning. Just some junk mail, though. Just as well he did not
:12:06. > :12:10.have to travel 14 Master get it. Coming up next: Titanic's Cumbrian
:12:10. > :12:12.connections. And in our Olympic Dreams series,
:12:13. > :12:22.we join gold medallist Stephen Miller on his quest for selection
:12:23. > :12:24.
:12:24. > :12:34.for this year's London Paralympics. The weather will be making a bit of
:12:34. > :12:35.
:12:35. > :12:41.a splash. I will be back at the end of the rest of tonight's news.
:12:41. > :12:48.Now, it is 100 years since the Titanic sank on its maiden voyage
:12:48. > :12:53.to America. 1,500 passengers and crew died, but what is not quite so
:12:53. > :12:58.well known are the links bishop has to our region. The Carpathia was
:12:58. > :13:04.built on Tyneside. Part of the interior of the Olympic survives in
:13:04. > :13:09.a hotel. But, it is Cumbria that can lay claim to that - to be right
:13:09. > :13:18.at the heart of the Titanic story. Our business correspondent has
:13:18. > :13:21.With apologies to Belfast, from where it was launched, and
:13:21. > :13:31.Southampton, from where it set sail, but Cumbria's Maryport is the real
:13:31. > :13:33.
:13:33. > :13:37.start of the Titanic story. If this is the house of the demand
:13:37. > :13:39.behind it are the White Star liner. That is the company that owned
:13:39. > :13:42.perhaps the most famous ship in history.
:13:42. > :13:47.100 years on from its sinking, Maryport is remembering the ship.
:13:47. > :13:57.An exhibition. A celebration of the links to the town. And a pride that
:13:57. > :14:04.Ismay wanted to help people to a new life in America. But cheaply.
:14:04. > :14:12.When you look after the figures paid. Separate pines for the trip.
:14:12. > :14:21.-- �7 or �8 for the trip. That was something like a few weeks' wages
:14:21. > :14:24.will start.. That was the same. He wanted to help people starting new
:14:24. > :14:27.life for cheap. Thomas Ismay didn't live to see
:14:27. > :14:31.Titanic sink. His son Bruce may have wished he hadn't. As a
:14:31. > :14:34.director of the company, he was on board, but said to be one of the
:14:34. > :14:37.first into the lifeboats. It brought him shame and a shunning
:14:37. > :14:45.by polite society. Although his modern day relatives tell a
:14:45. > :14:52.different story. He left on the very last lifeboat that left
:14:52. > :14:56.Titanic. There is a story that he was ordered and there were stories
:14:56. > :15:02.that he got in of his own accord. But he did get in. There were no
:15:02. > :15:07.women around, from what we can make out. If he had it would not have
:15:07. > :15:10.meant anyone else had been saved. He did not take anyone else's place.
:15:10. > :15:17.One more seat would have been available and one more life would
:15:17. > :15:20.have been lost. When the Titanic sunk, they put a memorial...
:15:20. > :15:23.By contrast, another Cumbrian was certainly a hero. Joseph Bell, born
:15:23. > :15:27.near Brampton, was Titanic's chief engineer. He perished refusing to
:15:27. > :15:37.leave his post. And in his house today, a family proud of that
:15:37. > :15:38.
:15:38. > :15:42.heroism, but perhaps in a minority. We hear a lot about the passengers
:15:42. > :15:45.escaping and a bit about the captain and his role. But the
:15:45. > :15:51.engineering staff tend to get over looked a little bit. They were down
:15:51. > :15:54.the bottom. None of them survived, really, to tell the story.
:15:54. > :15:59.A ship of contrasts, then. Of rich and poor, of heroes and cowards, of
:15:59. > :16:09.life and death. But a ship that would never have sailed had it not
:16:09. > :16:12.
:16:12. > :16:15.been for a man of Cumbria - Thomas And we'll have more on the North's
:16:15. > :16:18.connections with the Titanic tomorrow night.
:16:18. > :16:22.And now the sport. So, it's April, it's chilly - it
:16:22. > :16:25.must mean the cricket season's underway. With high hopes for all
:16:25. > :16:29.three of our First Class sides. That's Yorkshire, Durham and who
:16:29. > :16:32.else, Mark? Durham University! They may have
:16:32. > :16:35.been skittled out for 18 the other day, but they were accorded First
:16:35. > :16:40.Class status in 2001 and have produced some of the biggest names
:16:40. > :16:43.in the men's and women's games. They have. And as Gerry Jackson
:16:43. > :16:49.reports, they give promising players a chance at the big time
:16:49. > :16:53.without sacrificing a first class education.
:16:53. > :16:57.If cricket's in your blood, all you want to do is play.
:16:57. > :17:01.But if you want a university education, as so many do these days,
:17:01. > :17:07.you've a dilemma. Give up a crucial three or four years to studying, or
:17:07. > :17:10.carry on playing and forget the degree.
:17:10. > :17:13.Durham University's Centre of Excellence was the first of its
:17:13. > :17:22.kind. It allows young men and women with the talent and the acedemic
:17:22. > :17:27.wherewithall to have the best of both worlds. If they can hack it.
:17:28. > :17:32.There is a 7 o'clock morning session twice a week. The training
:17:32. > :17:34.is very intense. It is not the university lifestyle that outside
:17:34. > :17:37.people think it is. It's Durham County Cricket Club's
:17:37. > :17:40.first competitive match of the season against Durham University.
:17:40. > :17:42.The result isn't in doubt, but the University team is where current
:17:42. > :17:52.England captain Andrew Strauss and former captain Nasser Hussain
:17:52. > :17:57.proved their mettle. Something works. Once upon a time, they just
:17:57. > :18:00.came to university and they just muddled around on their own. Having
:18:00. > :18:03.put a professional scheme in place, it means they're actually learning
:18:03. > :18:08.other things while they're at university, like diet, nutrition
:18:08. > :18:11.and we give them proper training. We nurture them all the way through.
:18:11. > :18:13.When they finish university, they're ready to start a first-
:18:13. > :18:16.class career. The Centre's cricketing pedigree
:18:16. > :18:25.includes the women's game, too. Graduates include Caroline Atkins,
:18:25. > :18:28.seen here in 2001, and winning the Ashes eight years later. We really
:18:28. > :18:32.do believe in trying to give trainees a future here. Not just
:18:32. > :18:37.academic excellence, but excellence in organisational skills, team
:18:37. > :18:40.playing, leadership. This academy as part of it. It produces great
:18:40. > :18:43.cricketers and great people. Unlike American colleges, Durham
:18:43. > :18:52.won't make allowances for sporting whizzkids. If you want to get in,
:18:52. > :18:57.you'll still need some top A Level grades. We have had six county
:18:57. > :19:00.captains from the University. I think you might be No. 7.
:19:00. > :19:02.Carlisle United have suffered a major blow to their promotion play-
:19:02. > :19:04.off hopes. The Cumbrians confirmed today that defender Chris
:19:04. > :19:07.Chantler's hamstring injury and a groin problem affecting in-form
:19:07. > :19:12.striker Lee Miller will keep both players out for the rest of the
:19:12. > :19:16.season. Teenage paralympic swimmer Lyndon
:19:16. > :19:19.Longhorne has missed out on a place at the London games this summer.
:19:19. > :19:22.The 16-year-old from Crook in County Durham failed to make the
:19:22. > :19:24.qualifying times for the Great Britain swimming squad and will now
:19:24. > :19:29.be focussing his efforts on qualifying for the 2016 games in
:19:29. > :19:32.Rio de Janeiro. Newcastle's James O'Shea and this
:19:32. > :19:37.swimmer Josef Craig, from South Tyneside, are still waiting to see
:19:37. > :19:39.if they'll be selected. Meanwhile, Paralympic gold medalist
:19:39. > :19:44.Stephen Miller, from Cramlington, has postponed a hip replacement
:19:44. > :19:49.operation until after London 2012. The 31-year-old has been having
:19:49. > :19:52.Botox injections to get him through the next few months. Stephen finds
:19:52. > :19:56.out if he's qualified to represent Team GB for club and discus
:19:56. > :20:04.throwing in July. Before that, he has one last training camp in
:20:04. > :20:10.Portugal. He's climbed the podium at every
:20:10. > :20:15.Games since 1996. One world record broken. Three gold, one silver and
:20:15. > :20:25.one bronze medal already in the bag. But for Stephen Miller, it's this
:20:25. > :20:32.
:20:32. > :20:36.year's Paralympics in London that will be his biggest challenge yet.
:20:36. > :20:43.I have got a bit older so why have to put a bit more effort into stay
:20:43. > :20:47.near the top. They are younger, on my opponents now. It will not be as
:20:47. > :20:50.easy. I will have to try harder to qualify.
:20:50. > :20:53.And with four months until qualification and five until the
:20:53. > :20:58.2012 Paralympics, Stephen has stepped up his training. He's in
:20:58. > :21:08.the gym several times a week. For hours at a time. With his personal
:21:08. > :21:23.
:21:23. > :21:33.trainer Tom. And it is tough. has been killing me for the last
:21:33. > :21:35.
:21:35. > :21:38.six months! I coming here and I go wide feeling like death warmed up!
:21:38. > :21:41.- like I go out. And for the chance to compete in
:21:41. > :21:43.his fifth Paralympics, Stephen made the difficult decision to postpone
:21:43. > :21:47.a much-needed hip replacement. The operation would have left him
:21:47. > :21:57.unable to compete. So at the moment, he's surviving on Botox injections
:21:57. > :21:58.
:21:58. > :22:03.in his hip for the pain. I am just dealing with the pain. If I can do
:22:03. > :22:13.that, I will be able to perform better. I am getting a new hip and
:22:13. > :22:13.
:22:13. > :22:15.October. I need a new hip and have needed one for a long time.
:22:15. > :22:21.So if London 2012 is going to be Stephen's last competitive
:22:21. > :22:28.performance for some time, he wants to make it count. And his trainer
:22:28. > :22:33.Tom is accepting nothing less than Gold.
:22:33. > :22:38.He has no other options at all. If he does not get anything apart from
:22:38. > :22:47.the gold, people being held as soon as he gets back to the Stim! Gold
:22:47. > :22:52.is his only option! I want gold every time I compete. I want to win.
:22:52. > :22:58.I want to put thyself than a position where I can perform well.
:22:58. > :23:02.And Stephen's been given an extra special incentive. If he gets a
:23:02. > :23:12.personal best, he country in the for two cars. If he gets more than
:23:12. > :23:18.that, he country before it might cause. I want to use do his best as
:23:18. > :23:21.I can. I would love to get my own back on my trainer!
:23:21. > :23:24.And if he gets that chance, it'll mean he's probably thrown faster
:23:24. > :23:32.and further than ever before. And it will be in this new chair, just
:23:32. > :23:35.presented to Stephen, that he'll be picking up his medal in. I will be
:23:35. > :23:45.in the Paralympics Stadium in August and hopefully at the top of
:23:45. > :23:51.
:23:51. > :23:56.the podium. April's showers bring Mayflower's!
:23:56. > :24:02.That is the silver lining in all these rain clouds. We have a great
:24:02. > :24:06.weather picture to start us off, from Jorja Fletcher. Our head line
:24:06. > :24:11.for Tamara, there will be some bright spells, but also plenty more
:24:11. > :24:16.showers. But probably a bit less of a risk of thunder. This evening,
:24:16. > :24:20.this rain will become less widespread. There could be quite a
:24:20. > :24:25.chilly night in the countryside, or with temperatures as low as two
:24:25. > :24:28.degrees by dawn tomorrow. Lots of showers first thing here and there,
:24:28. > :24:33.but they should die away for a time through the late morning and into
:24:33. > :24:42.the early afternoon. Bright spells for most of us would be - had to
:24:42. > :24:48.grab that lunchtime sandwich. But it does a lot last. Temperatures up
:24:48. > :24:53.to 11 Celsius. A cool northerly breeze. There will still be some
:24:53. > :24:57.spells of sunshine, but also some heavy showers. As ever, where the
:24:57. > :25:01.rain falls on our weather map, it is not exactly a representation of
:25:01. > :25:04.where they will occur tomorrow. With the best will in the world,
:25:04. > :25:07.we're just representing the potential for Rhian pretty much
:25:07. > :25:13.anywhere through the day, although we should will see some sunshine as
:25:13. > :25:16.well. Things will stay very changeable. They pulsars tomorrow.
:25:16. > :25:20.Low-pressure is dominating our weather, allowing those clouds to
:25:20. > :25:23.form. They did these cold fronts coming down. The blue triangles a
:25:23. > :25:28.cold air and they're coming down from the North through Friday and
:25:28. > :25:32.Saturday. Each of the field to the weather. Not quite as cold as it
:25:32. > :25:38.was just before Easter. Still, the potential for a little bit of snow
:25:38. > :25:43.or sleep. That will be just over the hills of the North Pennines.
:25:43. > :25:49.Also, potentially some more heavy rain at lower levels, which could
:25:49. > :25:52.bring heel and thunder. Let's take a look at the detail of our towns
:25:52. > :25:56.and cities. That Friday is that in cloudy with some brighter spells
:25:56. > :26:01.further North in particular. But it is cold - seven Celsius, even in